Asked by: Feryal Clark (Labour - Enfield North)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much her Department made available to Enfield Council through the Senior Mental Health Lead Training Grants in each of the last ten years in real terms.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
The department has been offering a grant to all state schools and colleges to train a senior mental health lead since October 2021, helping settings to develop their holistic approach to mental health and wellbeing. Senior mental health lead training grants are paid to eligible schools and colleges once they have completed their application and provided evidence of booking a department quality assured course.
The department publishes a list of schools and colleges that have claimed a senior mental health lead training grant, updated throughout the year, which can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-data-on-funding-claims-by-institutions. This data confirms that 33 grants were paid in 2021/22 to schools and colleges in the London Borough of Enfield, and 19 were paid in 2022/23, totalling £62,400 in grants to date.
The department also provided Wellbeing for Education Return/Recovery grants to local authorities in the 2020/21 and 2021/22 financial years, to provide additional support to state-funded schools and colleges to enable education staff to promote and support the wellbeing and mental health of pupils and students, during the return to schools and in the pandemic recovery period.
The London Borough of Enfield received a Wellbeing for Education Return grant of £37,356 in 2020/21 and a further Wellbeing for Education Recovery grant of £32,825 in 2021/22, amounting to a total of £70,181. This data can be obtained from the tables published in the Wellbeing for Education Return and Recovery grant determination letters which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/wellbeing-for-education-return-grant-s31-grant-determination-letter.
Asked by: Feryal Clark (Labour - Enfield North)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much her Department allocated to Enfield Council through the Wellbeing for Education Recovery Grant in each of the last ten years in real terms.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
The department has been offering a grant to all state schools and colleges to train a senior mental health lead since October 2021, helping settings to develop their holistic approach to mental health and wellbeing. Senior mental health lead training grants are paid to eligible schools and colleges once they have completed their application and provided evidence of booking a department quality assured course.
The department publishes a list of schools and colleges that have claimed a senior mental health lead training grant, updated throughout the year, which can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-data-on-funding-claims-by-institutions. This data confirms that 33 grants were paid in 2021/22 to schools and colleges in the London Borough of Enfield, and 19 were paid in 2022/23, totalling £62,400 in grants to date.
The department also provided Wellbeing for Education Return/Recovery grants to local authorities in the 2020/21 and 2021/22 financial years, to provide additional support to state-funded schools and colleges to enable education staff to promote and support the wellbeing and mental health of pupils and students, during the return to schools and in the pandemic recovery period.
The London Borough of Enfield received a Wellbeing for Education Return grant of £37,356 in 2020/21 and a further Wellbeing for Education Recovery grant of £32,825 in 2021/22, amounting to a total of £70,181. This data can be obtained from the tables published in the Wellbeing for Education Return and Recovery grant determination letters which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/wellbeing-for-education-return-grant-s31-grant-determination-letter.
Asked by: Julian Knight (Independent - Solihull)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much her Department made available to Solihull Council through the Senior Mental Health Lead Training Grants.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
The department is offering a grant to all state schools and colleges to train a senior mental health lead, helping settings to develop their approach to mental health and wellbeing. Senior lead training grants are paid to eligible schools and colleges once they have completed their application and provided evidence of booking a department quality-assured course.
The department publishes a list of schools and colleges that have claimed a senior mental health lead training grant, updated throughout the year. This is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-data-on-funding-claims-by-institutions. This data confirms that 64 grants were paid in 2021/22 to schools and colleges in Solihull local authority and 8 were paid in 2022/23, totalling £86,400 in grants to date.
The department also provided Wellbeing for Education Return and Recovery grants to local authorities in 2020 to 2022, to provide additional support to state-funded schools and colleges to enable education staff to promote and support the wellbeing and mental health of pupils and students during the return to schools and in the COVID-19 pandemic recovery period.
Solihull local authority received a Wellbeing for Education Return grant of £29,994 in 2020/21, and a further Wellbeing for Education Recovery grant of £26,233 in 2021/22, amounting to a total of £56,227. This data can be obtained from the tables published in the Wellbeing for Education Return and Recovery grant determination letter, available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/wellbeing-for-education-return-grant-s31-grant-determination-letter.
Asked by: Julian Knight (Independent - Solihull)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much her Department allocated to Solihull Council through the Wellbeing for Education Recovery Grant.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
The department is offering a grant to all state schools and colleges to train a senior mental health lead, helping settings to develop their approach to mental health and wellbeing. Senior lead training grants are paid to eligible schools and colleges once they have completed their application and provided evidence of booking a department quality-assured course.
The department publishes a list of schools and colleges that have claimed a senior mental health lead training grant, updated throughout the year. This is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-data-on-funding-claims-by-institutions. This data confirms that 64 grants were paid in 2021/22 to schools and colleges in Solihull local authority and 8 were paid in 2022/23, totalling £86,400 in grants to date.
The department also provided Wellbeing for Education Return and Recovery grants to local authorities in 2020 to 2022, to provide additional support to state-funded schools and colleges to enable education staff to promote and support the wellbeing and mental health of pupils and students during the return to schools and in the COVID-19 pandemic recovery period.
Solihull local authority received a Wellbeing for Education Return grant of £29,994 in 2020/21, and a further Wellbeing for Education Recovery grant of £26,233 in 2021/22, amounting to a total of £56,227. This data can be obtained from the tables published in the Wellbeing for Education Return and Recovery grant determination letter, available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/wellbeing-for-education-return-grant-s31-grant-determination-letter.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a requirement that schools assign an attendance code to register pupils not attending for reasons relating to the long-term effects of coronavirus.
Answered by Nick Gibb
COVID-19 had a significant effect on pupils' wellbeing, education and attendance, and the Government recognises that the health of some students continues to be affected.
The national attendance and absence codes enable schools to record and monitor attendance and absence in a consistent way and are used to collect statistics through the school census system.
It has been a longstanding practice that where a pupil is absent due to illness, schools will use code I (illness) to record the absence. Illness is not broken down to include specific types of illness, and the Government has no plans to change this for any single condition.
The Department continues to monitor the effect of COVID-19 through a range of channels, including the Office for National Statistics COVID-19 Infection Survey, and support the recovery of children and young people from the disruption of COVID-19 through a multi-year programme with almost £5 billion made available for education recovery.
Asked by: Bim Afolami (Conservative - Hitchin and Harpenden)
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.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he plans to provide lateral flow test kits to (a) staff and (b) pupils in education settings in the autumn term.
Answered by Will Quince
Public health advice is that testing is no longer advised for pupils, students, and staff in education and childcare settings. The success of the COVID-19 vaccination programme means that immunity levels are high. Therefore, testing takes a less important role in preventing serious illness. As such, the majority of free testing ended on 1 April.
The most effective protection against severe disease from COVID-19 for everyone, including those at higher risk from COVID-19, is to get vaccinated. The vaccine offer remains open to those who have yet to receive their primary course or where eligible, a booster. Additional protection is also available for some at-risk groups, through further boosters, antivirals, and therapeutics.
Most infectious diseases in education and childcare settings, including COVID-19, should now be managed by following the advice in UKHSA’s updated health protection in education and childcare settings guidance, available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/health-protection-in-schools-and-other-childcare-facilities. Students and staff are encouraged to follow UKHSA’s advice for those who have symptoms of COVID-19, available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/people-with-symptoms-of-a-respiratory-infection-including-covid-19.
The department has also updated its emergency planning and response guidance for educational settings. This sets out how education and childcare settings should plan for and deal with emergencies, including the possibility of future significant public health incidents. The guidance is accessible at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/emergency-planning-and-response-for-education-childcare-and-childrens-social-care-settings.
If pupils, students, and staff in education and childcare settings wish to continue testing, they will be able to access test kits through the private market. They can find a list of private providers for COVID-19 testing at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/list-of-private-providers-of-coronavirus-testing.
The government does not endorse or recommend any private providers. Lateral flow tests are also available to buy from pharmacies and supermarkets, including online.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
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'.
Asked by: Bridget Phillipson (Labour - Houghton and Sunderland South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance was issued to schools on the discharge of child safeguarding responsibilities at a time of remote learning in (a) 2020 and (b) 2021.
Answered by Will Quince
During the early stages of the COVID-19 outbreak, the department produced revised safeguarding guidance in a very short timescale, as a proportionate response intended to help schools and colleges with the discharge of their safeguarding responsibilities. The guidance included, amongst other things, matters such as the importance of schools and colleges reviewing and revising their child protection policies and the role and responsibilities of the designated safeguarding lead (and deputies).
We have always been clear throughout the COVID-19 outbreak that schools and colleges must continue to have regard to the statutory safeguarding guidance, Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE), when carrying out their duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people, both online and offline. The revised KCSIE, which came into force on 1 September 2021 has been strengthened to give online safety greater prominence and provide extra support for schools and colleges to keep their students safe. It is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/keeping-children-safe-in-education--2.
It includes a dedicated collection of resources to support safe remote education, virtual lessons and live streaming, as well as signposting parents and carers to help on keeping their children and young people safe.
To support schools and colleges in meeting remote education expectations, our Get Help With Remote Education page provides a one-stop-shop for teachers and leaders, signposting the support package available. This is available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/get-help-with-remote-education. This includes information on issues such as safeguarding, statutory duties and expectations. In particular the Safeguarding and remote education during COVID-19 guidance provides guidance on how to follow safeguarding procedures when planning remote education strategies and teaching remotely during the COVID-19 outbreak. It is available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/safeguarding-and-remote-education-during-coronavirus-covid-19.
Asked by: Julian Knight (Independent - Solihull)
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/.