Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to support (a) Outward Bound, (b) the Field Studies Council and (c) other school residential providers during the covid-19 outbreak while those providers are unable to function in their usual capacity.

As of 4 July providers offering out-of-school activities to children have been able to open for both indoor and outdoor provision with safety measures in place. Providers are also able to resume non-overnight domestic educational visits and the Department has updated our protective measures guidance for these providers to support them to do so as safely as possible, which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/protective-measures-for-holiday-or-after-school-clubs-and-other-out-of-school-settings-for-children-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak.

We continue to advise against domestic overnight or overseas educational visits and residential provision for the time being. This is consistent with the latest government guidance on meeting people from outside your household, which advises that you should not stay overnight away from your home with members of more than 2 households. We continue to keep this position under review, and will continue to be guided by the best scientific and medical advice, to ensure that the right decisions are taken at the right time. This guidance can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/meeting-people-from-outside-your-household-from-4-july.

The Government has also made financial support available to employers and the self-employed, including sole traders and limited company directors. Residential providers that have been adversely affected by COVID-19 can find out what financial support is available for their business here: https://www.gov.uk/business-coronavirus-support-finder.

They may be eligible for the Job Support Scheme, tax relief, loans or cash grants depending on their circumstances. Information on the Job Support Scheme can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/job-support-scheme.