Found: The Students Coronavirus Insights Survey reports likelihood of having the vaccine among students 11

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the Government plans to compensate students who attended university during the covid-19 pandemic for missed in-person teaching.

Answered by Andrea Jenkyns

The unprecedented and unique nature of the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated changes to the way higher education (HE) providers delivered their teaching.

The former Minister for Higher and Further Education wrote to all English HE providers to make clear that they are expected to offer a high-quality, face-to-face student experience. Online learning should only be offered to enhance the student experience, not to detract from it, and it should not be used as a cost-cutting measure. The former Secretary of State for Education wrote an open letter to students about face-to-face teaching, setting out what they can do if they feel they are not getting the teaching they signed up for.

HE providers are independent and autonomous bodies who are responsible for the management of their own affairs. If current or former students have concerns about the delivery of their university courses, they should first raise them with their provider. If their concerns remain unresolved, students at providers in England or Wales can ask the Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA) for HE to consider their complaint. OIA recommendations can include practical remedies as well as financial compensation, where that is deemed appropriate.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information his Department holds on the number of students who have been diagnosed with covid-19 in the last week.

Answered by Robin Walker

Data on the asymptomatic testing of students and pupils in schools, colleges, nurseries and higher education via lateral flow tests is published by the Department of Health and Social Care at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/weekly-statistics-for-nhs-test-and-trace-england-3-to-9-march-2022. The data requested is in table 7 in the file titled 'Tests reported: 28 May 2020 to 9 March 2022'.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance his Department has issued to schools regarding students diagnosed with long covid.

Answered by Robin Walker

It is important that children and young people continue to attend their education and childcare providers. Long COVID symptoms can vary and range in severity and will not necessarily impact on pupils’ or students’ ability to attend their education or childcare provider. Most adults, young people, and children who develop COVID-19 resolve within the first four weeks. However, everyone is different and recovery time can vary from one individual to another. Pupils or students absent from their education for a prolonged period due to long COVID should be supported in the same manner as those absent due to other medium to long-term illnesses or medical conditions.

Department for Education guidance states that local authorities must arrange suitable full-time education (or as much education as the child’s health condition allows) for children of compulsory education age who, because of illness, would otherwise not receive suitable education. This should be provided as soon as it is clear that the child will be away from education for 15 days or more, either consecutively or cumulatively. Education providers should liaise with appropriate medical professionals to ensure minimal delay in arranging appropriate provision for the child. If a child is looked-after or previously looked-after, their virtual school head should also be involved in making these arrangements. Further detailed information is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/education-for-children-with-health-needs-who-cannot-attend-school.

The NHS website offers further guidance for those experiencing long COVID, this can be found here: https://www.yourcovidrecovery.nhs.uk/.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment he has made of the potential effect of the mass movement of students at the end of the Christmas term on the spread of covid-19.

Answered by Michelle Donelan - Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology

The safety of students, staff and wider communities is the government’s priority.

As outlined in our guidance to the sector, students were advised to take a test before they travelled home for the Christmas break: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/higher-education-reopening-buildings-and-campuses. We advised students to continue to test at home and to test before they travel back to their term time accommodation in January, using test kits issued by their university before the Christmas break, ordered online, or collected from their local pharmacy.

For those who are returning from abroad, the government has set out specific measures for people entering England with a test 2 days beforehand for those who are not considered fully vaccinated as well as testing on arrival for all. This includes measures for those who are not considered fully vaccinated, which would require quarantining at their place of residence for 10 days.

It has been impressive to see so many students playing their part by getting vaccinated. We strongly encourage all students to get both doses of the vaccine and the booster jab as soon as possible, unless they are medically exempt, to protect themselves and others from the spread of COVID-19.

All higher education (HE) providers have plans for managing and controlling outbreaks. These have been agreed with local directors of public health and continue to be reviewed and updated based on emerging lessons and local situations. We expect HE providers to continue to prioritise the health and safety of their staff, students, and local community by putting in place measures that apply to their individual circumstances.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to help ensure that the mass movement of students at the end of the Christmas term does not contribute to the spread of covid-19 in the context of the Omicron variant.

Answered by Michelle Donelan - Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology

The safety of students, staff and wider communities is the government’s priority.

As outlined in our guidance to the sector, students were advised to take a test before they travelled home for the Christmas break: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/higher-education-reopening-buildings-and-campuses. We advised students to continue to test at home and to test before they travel back to their term time accommodation in January, using test kits issued by their university before the Christmas break, ordered online, or collected from their local pharmacy.

For those who are returning from abroad, the government has set out specific measures for people entering England with a test 2 days beforehand for those who are not considered fully vaccinated as well as testing on arrival for all. This includes measures for those who are not considered fully vaccinated, which would require quarantining at their place of residence for 10 days.

It has been impressive to see so many students playing their part by getting vaccinated. We strongly encourage all students to get both doses of the vaccine and the booster jab as soon as possible, unless they are medically exempt, to protect themselves and others from the spread of COVID-19.

All higher education (HE) providers have plans for managing and controlling outbreaks. These have been agreed with local directors of public health and continue to be reviewed and updated based on emerging lessons and local situations. We expect HE providers to continue to prioritise the health and safety of their staff, students, and local community by putting in place measures that apply to their individual circumstances.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what measures he is putting in place to facilitate the return of international student in January 2021 in response to increasing covid-19 related travel restrictions.

Answered by Michelle Donelan - Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology

Visa concessions for those on student (or Tier 4) visas allow for the provision of online learning for students outside the UK until 6 April 2022. These visa concessions have been implemented so that students have a greater degree of flexibility on when they travel into the UK, if required.

Students should look to travel to the UK in keeping with their course requirements and should speak to their education provider to understand these. Individual higher education providers make the decision about face-to-face learning in relation to students’ learning needs.

The government is working closely with the higher education sector to ensure that providers are prepared to support students who may wish to stay in their university accommodation over the holidays due to possible travel disruption as well as international students returning in January.

In addition, the government has liaised with the higher education sector throughout the COVID-19 outbreak to ensure they have been provided with the latest travel guidance that affects their international student population.

During the COVID-19 outbreak, the UK higher education sector has gone above and beyond to ensure that international students’ physical and mental health are prioritised. The government will continue to work alongside the higher education sector to ensure international students are supported throughout their time in higher education.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether international students studying at UK universities in the 2021-22 academic year will be required to be double vaccinated with a covid-19 vaccine that is approved for use in the UK.

Answered by Michelle Donelan - Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology

Although there is no requirement to be vaccinated in order to study at university in England, it is important that students engage with the vaccination programme to protect themselves and those around them and to break chains of transmission.

International students can be vaccinated in the UK free of charge. They should be encouraged to register with a GP and get an NHS number. They can also request to book COVID-19 vaccination appointments as unregistered patients through local GP practices.

International students must pay regard to and comply with border measures that have been introduced to help prevent the transmission of COVID-19, available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/how-to-quarantine-when-you-arrive-in-england. They should refer to the latest information on country risk levels which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/red-amber-and-green-list-rules-for-entering-england.

NHS England has produced Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) for students, which includes information about vaccinations that international students might have received before coming to England. The FAQ is available here: https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/publication/covid-19-vaccination-programme-faqs-on-second-doses/.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health on fully vaccinating all university students ahead of the 2021-22 academic year.

Answered by Michelle Donelan - Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology

As the COVID-19 vaccination has been extended to all adults and young people over the age of 16, we urge students to be vaccinated as soon as they are eligible.

Students can access the vaccine via local sites run by GPs or community pharmacies, at larger vaccination centres and in some hospitals. Local areas may also decide to work with partners to set up “pop up” temporary clinics at locations convenient for students to access, for example, on university campuses.

We are pleased that universities are encouraging their students to take up the vaccine and recommend that students consult the COVID-19 vaccination Frequently Asked Questions published by NHS England that is available here: https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/publication/covid-19-vaccination-faqs-students-in-higher-education-institutions/.

Vaccination is not a requirement to study at university, but it is important in helping keep staff and students safe, and we are working closely with the Department for Health and Social Care on the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine to students in higher education.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to ensure that 17 year olds who are starting university in the autumn can access the covid-19 vaccine before they are 18 to allow them to be double-vaccinated before they arrive at university.

Answered by Nadhim Zahawi

The Government has accepted the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) advice that young people, including students, may be offered a COVID-19 vaccination within three months of turning 18 years old. The second dose of the vaccine would be offered eight weeks after the first dose.

Students over the age of 16 years old with underlying health conditions that put them at risk of serious outcomes from COVID-19 have been offered both doses of vaccine as part of phase one of the vaccine deployment programme. Age is assessed to be the strongest factor linked to mortality, morbidity and hospitalisations.

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