12.34 pm
(Oxford West and Abingdon)
(LD)
(Urgent Question): To ask the Secretary of State for Education if
he will make a statement on his Department’s plans to reopen
schools as part of the Government’s covid-19 recovery strategy.
Mr Speaker
I call the Secretary of State, who should speak for no more than
three minutes.
The Secretary of State for Education ()
Mr Speaker, I am grateful to you for granting this urgent
question. We had requested to make a statement this week, but
Members will understand that there are restrictions on the number
of statements, so I am grateful to the hon. Member for Oxford
West and Abingdon () for the opportunity to answer
questions today.
It is over seven weeks since we asked schools, colleges and
childcare settings to close to all but vulnerable children and
those of critical workers. This has been a huge ask of teachers
and parents, but the greatest impact of all has fallen on
children themselves. I am immensely grateful for the response of
all those working in education, childcare and children’s social
care, but we all know that the best place for children to be
educated and to learn is in school, and it has always been my
intention to get more of them back there as soon as the
scientific advice allowed.
As the Prime Minister has confirmed, we are now past the peak of
the virus, and he has set out a roadmap for the next phases of
our recovery. If progress continues to be made, we expect that,
from 1 June at the earliest, we will be able to begin a phased
return to school, college and childcare for children in key
transition years, alongside our priority groups. Primary schools
will be asked to welcome back reception, year 1 and year 6
children in smaller class sizes. Nurseries and other early years
providers, including childminders, will be able to begin
welcoming back children of all ages. Secondary schools and
colleges will be asked to provide face-to-face support for years
10 and 12, who are due to take key exams in the next year.
On Monday, my Department published initial guidance for settings
on how to begin to prepare, and we will work with the sector
leaders to develop this further in the coming weeks. This
guidance sets out protective measures to minimise the risk of
infection, including restricting class sizes and limiting mixing
between groups. Crucially, all children and staff will have
access to testing if they develop symptoms of coronavirus. This
will enable a track-and-trace approach to be taken to any
confirmed cases.
We continue to follow the best medical and scientific advice, and
we believe that this phased return is the most sensible course of
action to take. I know that it will be challenging, but I know
that nursery school and college staff will do everything in their
power to start welcoming our children back to continue their
education.
Mr Speaker
I call , who is asked to speak for no
more than two minutes.
[V]
We need to get our children back to school at the earliest
opportunity. Every day that schools remain shut, the disadvantage
gap widens and vulnerable children risk falling through the
cracks. However, we should reopen schools only when we know it is
safe. Given that we still do not know about transmissibility
between children, can the Secretary of State reassure us that
these decisions are based solely on public health? To what extent
has getting parents back to work been the main driver?
What of teacher safety? The chief medical officer has said that
there still needs to be a debate on that issue, so does the
Secretary of State not think it irresponsible to publish plans
and suggest timetables without disclosing all the scientific
advice? Will he commit to publishing it today? Why were not all
major teaching unions consulted on the specifics of the decision
to make sure that it is workable? The guidance says that risk
assessments should be carried out before schools open, and I
welcome that. Will these be made public, as with businesses? When
can we expect further guidance on travel?
If a school leader decides it is not safe to reopen, will the
Secretary of State respect that? He says that reasonable
endeavours must be made to deliver the curriculum. Will he now
set out his expectations of that, given how varied it has been
among schools so far? Can he clarify what “some face-to-face”
contact for years 10 and 12 actually means? Will he guarantee
that every child in all year groups who needs access to devices
or the internet will get it, and when will we know about future
exams?
Finally, it is obvious to anyone that children in reception and
year 1 cannot socially distance. The Secretary of State says that
the safety of children and staff is “our utmost priority”, so can
he tell us, in plain English, what does he think “safe” actually
means?
I thank the hon. Lady for her questions; I am glad that she
recognises the importance of ensuring that children are back
getting their education in schools at the earliest possible
moment. When we have medical and scientific advice saying that it
is the right time to start bringing schools back in a phased and
controlled manner, it seems only the right thing to do, and only
the responsible thing to do, for many of the reasons that she has
highlighted. In terms of pulling our guidance together, we have
worked closely with all the teaching unions and headteachers’
unions and with the sector. Every week we have had the
opportunity to meet them, and I have ensured that my officials
have made time to sit down with them and talk about their issues
and concerns. This is what has informed and developed the
guidance that we have shared with schools.
In terms of the hierarchy of controls that we have developed to
ensure that the risk of transmission of coronavirus is minimised
within schools, we understood that the advice we needed to seek
was not within the Department for Education but within Public
Health England, and we have also been working with the scientific
and medical advisers, who have been informing what the Government
do every step of the way. That is why, when we created the
hierarchy of controls about creating safe bubbles for children,
teachers and support staff to work in, it was informed by them.
So why are we bringing schools back? The reason that we are
bringing schools back is that we know that children benefit from
being educated by their brilliant teachers in front of them. We
recognise that children from the most disadvantaged backgrounds
are the ones who will suffer most if we do not bring schools back
when we are able to do so. I am more than happy to share all the
advice that we have received from the Scientific Advisory Group
for Emergencies. SAGE regularly publishes its advice and when it
is ready to do so, it will be sharing it again. We have also
asked the scientific advisers to give briefings for the sector to
ensure that it understands that the decisions that we are making
to bring back children are based on the best interests of the
children, including by ensuring that they do not miss out on
something that is so precious: their education.
(Harlow) (Con) [V]
I strongly welcome the approach that the Secretary of State is
taking in getting children back to school in a phased way. I
understand that schools will not officially be open in the
summer, but given that close to 90% of vulnerable children are
not in education, and that figures from the Sutton Trust suggest
that at least 50% of pupils did not communicate with their
teachers in the first week of April, will my right hon. Friend
support the opening of summer schools over the holidays, to be
staffed by volunteers, graduates and an army of retired teachers,
to provide catch-up tuition to those children who have been left
behind?
My right hon. Friend is absolutely right to say that we need to
do everything we can to help children who will not have the
benefit of returning to school before the summer holidays, and to
support them to give them that extra boost to ensure that they
are learning all the things that they want to learn. He is right
to highlight the many thousands of volunteers who want to reach
out to help our children to have the knowledge they will need to
succeed in the future. We are looking closely at such schemes,
and working with schools and with the sector to see how we can
make them available. I very much value my right hon. Friend’s
advice, insight and thoughts on this, and we are looking at how
we can mobilise the schemes.
Mr Speaker
I call , who is asked to speak
for no more than two minutes.
(Salford and Eccles)
(Lab)
We all desperately want schools to reopen for the sake of
children’s education and wellbeing, but the Secretary of State
must appreciate that the guidance provided so far does not yet
give the clear assurances over safety that are needed. Anxious
shielding families, worried grandparents, teaching staff in
fear—sadly, this sums up the theme of the past 48 hours. I hope
that, to allay these concerns, he can address the following
issues today.
Will the Secretary of State consider changing the focus of the
plan so that, instead of asking schools to scramble to implement
an unrealistic plan by a specific date, we ask them to plan to
meet certain conditions that, when met, would signal that it was
safe to open—a subtle but important distinction? Does he
acknowledge that, due to the availability of staff and space,
splitting classes while simultaneously providing remote learning
is incredibly difficult, and will he work with schools to develop
a realistic plan for social distancing? Has he modelled the
impact of reopening schools on the infection rates, and will he
publish that? Will he acknowledge that for younger year groups,
social distancing will be virtually impossible and that the
current guidance, sadly, gives the impression that those pupils
and staff should just accept being exposed? With this in mind,
will he rethink the position on PPE?
Finally, most schools break up for summer in mid-July; if the
ambition is to get pupils back for a month, that means the whole
school would need to be back less than two weeks after the
priority years, so how does the Secretary of State expect schools
to implement social distancing for the whole school when many
heads say this is just impossible? If they do not, then what is
the point of schools planning strict health and safety measures
for two weeks only to abandon them? The Secretary of State
repeatedly states that schools will open only when it is safe,
and he referred to the scientific advice, which requires a return
in a controlled manner; I do not see much of a controlled manner
at the moment, so please will the Secretary of State work with
the sector to get this right?
Of course. The hon. Lady points out the importance of working
with the sector, and that is what we will do at every step of the
way, and that is what we have been doing. We recognise the
importance of supporting the sector to make sure that, as
children return to schools in a controlled and phased manner, we
offer schools the maximum amount of support, recognise that every
school is individual and unique in how we support them, and give
them elements of flexibility so that they can make the transition
from just providing an education setting for vulnerable children
and children of critical workers. Expanding that in the limited
way that we are proposing will require some elements of
flexibility; schools and the sector will need that, and we will
work with them to achieve it.
I have always been clear that we will give the sector as much
notice as possible, and we have said that, if we are allowed, as
seems likely, we would like to see schools opening from 1 June,
giving them as much forward notice as possible in order for them
to get ready. We think that is a responsible and sensible
approach to a phased return. I slightly fear that if we were to
ask the hon. Lady to pin down the date it would end up being
about what would be the year rather than what would be the actual
start date. But we do want to work with her; we want to work with
the whole sector to make sure that this is a phased, sensible and
controlled return to schools, because those who suffer most from
schools not being open are the children who are so desperate to
attend.
(The Cotswolds) (Con) [V]
The guidance on the return of schools in the primary sector is
very clear. May I ask my right hon. Friend to be very clear about
the guidance for the secondary sector? For example, what does
“face-to-face support” mean? Precisely which year groups will be
able to return, and will that be on a voluntary basis, and does
he agree that we need to provide maximum support for those taking
GCSE and A-level exams both this year and next?
My hon. Friend is absolutely right on the importance of
supporting youngsters and children who are going to be facing
GCSEs next year, as well as A-levels, BTECs and other
qualifications in years 10 and 12. We are working with the
sector, because we want all children in those year groups to have
the opportunity to go into school and to speak with their
teachers. We want their teachers to be able to make an assessment
of the learning and support they will need over the following
weeks as we approach the summer holidays, and to set the work at
the right level so that children can benefit from learning
through the six weeks of the summer holidays as well as in the
weeks approaching the summer holidays. It is important to get
those transition years back into schools, even if not for a full
timetable, as that will be a first step in the right direction.
Mr Speaker
We now go north of the border to .
(Glasgow North West) (SNP)
[V]
Although young children seem to be less susceptible to covid-19,
Professor Graham Medley told the Select Committee on Science and
Technology:
“It is still not clear what the role of children is in
transmission.”
So what new evidence does the Secretary of State have on the
ability of children to transmit, and will he publish it? When the
Scottish Government recently published detailed proposals for
reopening schools, with a mixture of home and school learning,
his colleague the First Secretary of State said that that would
cause hospitals to be overwhelmed, so why is England considering
this reckless full reopening of primary schools?
Finally, if the ambition is to bring all primary year groups back
before the summer holidays, with a maximum of 15 pupils per
class, where are the extra teachers going to come from? As most
schools do not have rooms lying empty, where are the additional
classrooms coming from? Will he reassure teachers and school
staff that they will not be expected to make or provide their own
personal protective equipment?
Let me take the opportunity to thank the Scottish Deputy First
Minister for the close work and collaboration we have had between
ourselves over the past few months, as we have had to deal with
this pandemic right across the United Kingdom. The hon. Lady
would be asking searching questions of me if, when I am given the
scientific and medical advice that it is the right time to be
opening up schools, I were not taking up that opportunity.
Understandably, SAGE does publish its advice. I have no doubt
that it will be publishing the advice it has offered us on what
we are doing, and obviously we would be more than happy to make
that as freely available as possible.
(Chatham and Aylesford)
(Con)
Will my right hon. Friend confirm that our approach to reopening
schools is very much in line with that of other European
countries? Members might expect a former Sports Minister to ask
this, but I have not seen much about how we can ensure that
schools can conduct their physical education duties, so will he
be issuing specific guidance to ensure that schools can still put
on PE classes, in a safe way?
My hon. Friend is right about the importance of PE for all
children, whether they are at school or at home. We have been
seeing some brilliant examples of children really being engaged
in physical activity. We have issued guidance on how PE can be
conducted, such as the safe use of equipment and having
non-contact sports at this initial stage. We are keen to work
with the sector to see how we can engage all young people in as
much physical activity as possible.
(Gateshead) (Lab) [V]
We know from the National Association of Head Teachers that
headteachers have not been consulted on the proposed date of
return, so when the Secretary of State says that the Government
are working with the sector, that is partially but not completely
true. Having 12 to 15 children socially distanced in a classroom
is largely unrealistic. We know that children are more likely
than adults to be asymptomatic if they contract covid-19, so what
public health and medical evidence does he have that children
will not spread the virus to other children, teachers, teaching
assistants, and cleaning, catering and caring staff when they
return to schools? Will he publish that evidence?
As I have repeatedly said—I am not sure whether the hon.
Gentleman was listening to my earlier responses—SAGE does publish
its evidence and the advice that we get, so, of course, that is
in the public domain. At every stage, every week, I have been
meeting union leaders, as well as other sector leaders, be it
Ofsted or the Confederation of School Trusts, and I will continue
to do so. We have shared our thinking widely on what we are
hoping to do. We recognise that this is a challenging situation
for everyone and that there are a lot of concerns. We want to
work with all organisations, whether they be representative
bodies of schools or unions, in order to get the best guidance to
the workforce and to children and parents.
(North West Durham) (Con)
(V)
The vast majority of schools in North West Durham have remained
open for the most vulnerable children. Will the Secretary of
State join me in thanking the staff of those schools for their
selfless actions throughout the global coronavirus pandemic? For
the future, will my right hon. Friend reassure parents, teachers
and the House that, despite the claims of some, the safety of
pupils is the Government’s top priority? Will he confirm that in
reaching that decision, he consulted the unions and school
leaders, and that any children going back to school will be fully
eligible for testing and tracing, as teachers are already?
I very much join my hon. Friend in thanking those teachers and
support staff who have done so much to keep schools open all the
way through this period. It is important to remember that schools
have remained open all the through the coronavirus pandemic.
My hon. Friend makes an important point about testing. We already
have priority testing for all teachers and those who work in
schools, if they have symptoms of coronavirus. That priority
testing will be extended to all children who attend school if
they are displaying symptoms, as well as to their families. We
recognise how important test and trace is in beating this
pandemic.
(City of Durham) (Lab)
(V)
First, my thanks to all the school staff in the City of Durham
and across the country for their dedication throughout the
pandemic. Education unions are clear: there can be no compromise
on health and safety. The proposals are ill thought out and
reckless. At best, they will create a sterile learning
environment for young children, who will not understand why they
are unable to interact with their friends. At worst, the
proposals will set off a chain of new infections going back into
the households of working people. How can it be right that
without any scientific evidence, school staff and pupils have to
accept lower safety standards than we expect queuing at Tesco?
The only consideration behind this decision is what is in the
best interests and for the welfare of children and those who work
in schools. We all recognise the importance of children being
able to return to schools. Sometimes, scaremongering—making
people fear—is unfair and an unwelcome pressure on families,
children and teachers alike.
(East Hampshire) (Con) (V)
I commend the approach of minimising and mitigating the risk of
the virus. Simultaneously, as well as the educational harm, I
recognise the significantly negative health and wellbeing effects
for children the longer they are away from school. Will the
Secretary of State assure me that within the clear guidelines,
headteachers will be afforded maximum flexibility to make this
work for each school’s unique circumstances?
My right hon. Friend is absolutely correct. The impact on
children is not just educational, from not being in school, but a
health and welfare one. He is equally right about the need to
ensure that schools have the flexibility to be able to work
within the guidelines to make the proposals work for staff and
for children.
(Nottingham South) (Lab)
(V)
In the Government guidance for educational and childcare
settings, the section on “What the latest science tells us”
states that
“children…have less severe symptoms than adults”
and
“are less likely to become unwell if infected with coronavirus”.
Is there is a danger that children might be infected but
asymptomatic, in school and posing a serious risk to the health
and safety of school staff, other children and their families?
I welcome the Secretary of State’s agreement to publish the
scientific advice, but he must have heard loud and clear that
heads, teachers, support staff and parents are really worried.
How will he win their confidence that it is time for schools to
reopen?
At the heart of every step we take on schools returning is the
safety and security of those who are in schools, whether it is a
child, teacher, teaching assistant or any other support staff.
That is why we are doing a phased return. We are ensuring that we
take small steps forward and minimise the risk to all those who
are attending schools and working within them.
(South Suffolk) (Con)
[V]
I very much welcome my right hon. Friend’s approach. Denmark
reopened its primary schools on 15 April, and it has not seen a
huge surge in infection. In fact, the country is moving to a new
phase where it is reopening restaurants. Is he aware that
yesterday, the BBC spoke to Dorte Lange, the vice-president of
the Danish Union of Teachers, who was very positive about her
country’s experience? Does he agree that our own teaching unions
should speak to and engage with their Danish counterparts, to
learn from their experience, so that when we get to the beginning
of June, we can reopen our schools safely and successfully?
My hon. Friend raises an important point about the international
benchmarks that we can look towards. In reaching conclusions on
how to bring about a phased return of schools, we looked at how
it had been done in countries such as Denmark, the Netherlands
and many others. We will see a mirroring of the approach taken in
Denmark here in the United Kingdom. That is the right approach,
because we have not seen a negative impact as a result of schools
starting to return in Denmark. That confirms that our approach is
the right approach, and I certainly hope that trade unions in
this country will speak to trade unions in Denmark.
(Cardiff South and Penarth)
(Lab/Co-op) [V]
My constituents repeatedly express frustration to me that the UK
Government’s press conferences and briefings to the media do not
make clear the distinction in policy on this between England and
Wales, which is causing confusion and anxiety. Will the Secretary
of State make it clear for the UK media and Welsh teachers and
parents that the decision to reopen schools is for the Welsh
Government, that schools will not reopen in Wales on 1 June and
that they rightly will not do so until it is safe for children
and teachers?
I very much agree that this is a decision for the Welsh
Government.
(North Devon) (Con) [V]
How can my right hon. Friend reassure nervous parents and staff
that 1 June is not too early for a phased return to school?
We would not have made this decision to do a phased return to
school if the scientific and medical advice had not been explicit
that this is the right time to do it. We have stated that 1 June
is the earliest date. If the situation changes, and if the
scientific or medical advice change, obviously we will change the
programme of that phased return. But we want to give schools,
parents and children the opportunity and time to adjust and get
ready to return to school.
(Argyll and Bute) (SNP) [V]
The Prime Minister’s recent promise that England’s schools would
be covid-secure prompted , his chief medical
officer, to say that there needs to be a “proper debate” about
teachers’ safety as schools reopen. When will that proper debate
take place, and what steps will be taken to ensure the safety of
teachers and their pupils?
We recognised right from the start the importance of ensuring the
safety of all those in schools—not just children, but those who
are teaching and supporting the education of children. That is
why we put forward a whole set of guidance about how to minimise
risk by reducing the number of children in classrooms, minimising
contact between children and staggering the times that schools
open. I would be happy to share our thinking with the Scottish
Government, so that when they wish schools to return, they can
hopefully benefit from the work we have been doing.
(Wycombe) (Con) [V]
Wycombe and Buckinghamshire enjoy a diverse school system,
including grammar schools. What consideration has my right hon.
Friend given to the special situation of those grammar schools?
This does present some additional challenges, especially with the
consideration of the 11-plus in September. I know that it is a
concern of my hon. Friend, and I have received representations
from Conservative Members in Kent about their concerns. We will
be looking at working with local authorities that have grammar
school systems in their areas as to how best we can ensure that
children from the most disadvantaged backgrounds are not
disadvantaged as they look at taking the 11-plus in future.
(Slough) (Lab)
[V]
We all, including me and my constituents, want our schools to
reopen and our children’s education to continue, but Government
guidance around the reopening of schools raises more questions
than it answers. As a parent of two young children, I can attest
to the difficulty of explaining social distancing, let alone
getting the kids to practise it, and that is why so many parents
fear sending their children to school. Will the Secretary of
State revisit the guidance and commit to working with education
unions and others to create a working plan for reopening our
schools when the science indicates that it is safe to do so, and
when doing so has the confidence of all those affected?
We will continue to work with the whole sector to ensure that any
changes or modifications that are required, in working with
children and teachers in schools, are rapidly adopted. We
recognise the importance of creating a safe bubble for children
and teachers to operate in, which is why we have put out
extensive guidance on how this is done. We have very much worked
with Public Health England and the scientific community as to how
to approach, in the best possible way, the return of schools,
because children benefit from being in schools and they are
losing out as a result of not being in schools.
