The Secretary of State for Education ()
With permission, I would like to make a statement regarding our
plans for bringing children back to school this academic term.
Dealing with this pandemic has always been an exercise in
managing risk. Throughout, we have been adamant that the
education of children is an absolute priority and that keeping
schools open is uppermost in all our plans.
The magnificent efforts of all the leaders, teachers and staff in
all our schools and colleges have ensured that settings are as
safe and covid secure as possible, but we must always act swiftly
when circumstances change. The evidence about the new covid
variant and rising infection rates has required some immediate
adjustment to our plans for the new term. This is, of course, a
rapidly shifting situation, but some things remain constant. We
continue to act to preserve lives and safeguard the national
health service, and we continue to protect education by putting
children first. Above all, our response is proportionate to the
risk at hand and makes every use of the contingency framework
that we put in place earlier this year.
The latest study we have from Public Health England is that covid
infections among children are triggered by changes in the
community rate. The study also says that the wider impact of
school closures on children’s development would be significant. I
am quite clear that we must continue to do all we can to keep
children in school. Taking all those factors into account means
that we have had to make a number of changes for the new term in
order to help break chains of transmission and to assist with
keeping all our children and education settings as safe as we
can. The fact that we have managed to do that so successfully
throughout the entire pandemic is due to the incredible
dedication of all our teachers, leaders and support staff, and I
know that the House will join me once more in thanking them for
everything that they continue to do to keep children learning as
safely as possible.
Accordingly, we will be opening the majority of primary schools
as planned on Monday 4 January. We know how vital it is for our
younger children to be in school for their education, wellbeing
and wider development. In a small number of areas where the
infection rates are highest, we will implement our existing
contingency framework such that only vulnerable children and
children of critical workers will attend face-to-face. We will
publish that list of areas today on the gov.uk website.
I would like to emphasise that this is being used only as a last
resort. This is not all tier 4 areas and the overwhelming
majority of primary schools will open as planned on Monday. The
areas will also be reviewed regularly, so that schools can reopen
at the very earliest moment. Ongoing testing for primary school
staff will follow later in January and we will be working to
establish an ambitious testing programme, helping to break chains
of transmission and reducing the need for self-isolation where
students and staff test negative for the virus.
We have already announced our intention for a staggered return to
education this term for secondary age pupils and those in
colleges. Because the covid infection rate is particularly high
among this age group, we will allow more time so that every
school and college is able to fully roll out testing for all its
pupils and staff. I would like to thank school leaders and staff
for all their ongoing work in preparing that. This kind of mass
testing will help to protect not just children and young people;
it will benefit everyone in the community. It will break the
chains of transmission that are making infection rates shoot up.
That, in turn, will make it safer for more children to physically
return to school.
All pupils in exam years are to return during the week beginning
11 January, with all secondary school and college students
returning full time on 18 January. During the first week of term
after 4 January, secondary schools and colleges will prepare to
test as many staff and students as possible, and will be open
only to vulnerable children and the children of key workers.
The 1,500 military personnel committed to supporting schools and
colleges will remain on task, providing virtual training and
advice on establishing the testing process, with teams on standby
to provide in-person support if schools require it. Testing will
then begin in earnest the following week, with those who are in
exam years at the head of the queue. This is in preparation for
the full return of all pupils in all year groups on 18 January in
most areas. To allow this focus on the establishment of testing
throughout the first week of term, exam year groups will continue
to have lessons remotely, in line with what they would receive in
class, and only vulnerable children and the children of critical
workers will have face-to-face teaching.
As with primary schools, we will apply our existing contingency
framework for education in areas of the country with very high
rates of covid infection or transmission of the virus. This will
require secondary schools and colleges to offer face-to-face
education only to exam years, vulnerable children and the
children of critical workers, with remote education for all other
students if they are in one of the contingency framework areas.
We are also asking universities to reduce the number of students
who return to campus at the start of January, prioritising
students who require practical learning to gain their
professional qualifications. All university students should be
offered two rapids tests on return to reduce the chance of covid
being spread.
To support remote education and online learning during this
period, the Government expect to deliver more than 50,000 devices
to schools throughout the country on 4 January alone, and more
than 100,000 altogether during the first week of term. That is in
addition to the 560,000 devices that have already been delivered,
as we continue to aim for a target of distributing more than 1
million devices for the children who need them most. The
programme is now being extended to include students aged 16 to 19
in colleges and schools.
So often, we have had to close things down to try to beat this
awful disease, but with schools our best line of attack is to
keep them open, using the mass-testing tools that we now have
available to ensure that children are able to continue to gain
the benefit of a world-class education. As we continue to hear
more encouraging news about the vaccine roll-out, I am more
determined than ever that children will not have to pay the price
for beating covid. I have spoken many times of my determination
that we cannot let covid damage the life chances of an entire
year of children and students. With these plans, which allow for
rapid testing and the controlled return of schools, I am
confident that we can minimise the latest health risks posed by
the virus. I commend this statement to the House.
16:23:00
(Stretford and Urmston) (Lab) [V]
Before I begin, I put on record my thanks, and the thanks of the
whole Labour party, to every leader, teacher and lecturer and the
support staff, early years professionals and social workers who
have moved mountains to keep children and young people safe and
educated in the face of enormous odds. They deserve not just the
thanks of this House but genuine support, and I hope that when he
stands to speak again the Secretary of State will give more
information about that support.
I thank the Secretary of State for advance sight of his
statement, but the truth is that we should not be in this
position. Only days before many schools should have been opening
again to all pupils, the Secretary of State has announced that
many will not be returning as planned. This delay and disruption
to children’s education is a direct result of the Government’s
failure: they have lost control of the virus and now they are
losing control of children’s education. The cost to pupils, the
pressure on staff and the challenges for families caused by
school closures are huge, but we know that action must be taken
to control the virus. Is the Secretary of State confident that
the measures he has announced today will control the virus? Will
he publish the advice on this issue from the Scientific Advisory
Group for Emergencies?
There is consensus across the House that the best place for
children is in school, but the Government have failed to give
schools the support they need to make that happen. For months,
Labour has been calling for mass testing in schools. The
Secretary of State announced it just before schools broke up for
Christmas, creating huge additional work for overstretched school
staff, but just two weeks later it is clear that his plan has
failed and that many schools will not open as planned next week.
Can he tell us how many schools now have testing infrastructure
in place and how many will have it next week and the week after?
Can he guarantee that every school will have the testing it needs
when it is due to open again?
The Secretary of State’s announcement that some primary and
secondary schools will not reopen to pupils in January will be a
cause of huge concern to parents. Can he tell us how many primary
and secondary schools will not open and how many pupils will be
affected? Will students not in exam classes receive remote
teaching while their school is closed? I am hugely concerned that
even with school open to them, the most vulnerable children may
simply not attend. Can the Secretary of State tell us how he
plans to keep them safely in school in the weeks ahead?
I am glad that the Secretary of State announced an expansion to
remote learning, but I remain concerned that it is not sufficient
to support all pupils. Can he guarantee that every pupil will
have the device and the connectivity that they need to learn, and
will he ensure that that is available for every child whose
school is not open?
Will there be any support for parents with children who cannot
attend school? Can the Secretary of State confirm that parents
can be furloughed if they have childcare commitments? Can that
happen on a flexible basis that allows parents, particularly
mothers, to balance work with caring for their children?
Many people who are clinically extremely vulnerable will be
concerned about a return to school, whether they are a vulnerable
parent of a child or a vulnerable member of staff. What
reassurance and support can the Secretary of State give them?
It has been reported in recent days that teachers will be
prioritised for vaccination, but an announcement today suggested
that there would not be prioritisation based on occupation. I
understand the clinical priorities for the first phase of the
vaccination programme, but does the Secretary of State believe
that not only teachers but all school staff, including in special
schools, should be prioritised for vaccination thereafter in
order to protect them and safeguard children’s education?
Turning to exams, the Government’s failure to get a grip on the
virus has caused huge disruption to pupils’ education—disruption
that will continue into the new year. Will the Secretary of State
be making any changes to his plans to reflect that? Labour has
said time and again that there needs to be a credible plan B in
the event of disruption continuing that means exams cannot take
place fairly. This is now urgent. Over 100,000 young people will
be taking exams in the next few weeks for BTECs and other
vocational qualifications. Can the Secretary of State tell us
what he is doing to make those exams fair?
The Secretary of State told us weeks ago about the expert group
on learning loss, but at the time he could not tell us who was on
it, when it would sit or when it would report. Can he answer
those questions today?
I welcome the decision to delay the return of students to
university in January, which is sadly necessary for public
health. Can the Secretary of State confirm that he has discussed
this with unions and university and student representatives?
We should never have been in the position we are in today. If the
Government had acted more quickly, followed the science and given
schools the support that they needed throughout this pandemic, we
would not be facing a new year with this new wave of infections
and huge disruption to the lives of pupils, their families and
staff across our education system. The Government have lost
control of the virus, and it is children and young people across
the country who are paying the price.
I thank the hon. Lady for echoing my words and my thanks to all
teachers, leaders and all those who work in our schools, colleges
and childcare settings for the wonderful work that they do.
The hon. Lady talks about what extra support we are giving those
schools in rolling out the largest mass testing exercise that
this country has seen to ensure that children are able to get
back into school and have the benefits of being in school. We are
supporting them not just by making sure that they have the
equipment that is due to be delivered to all secondary school
settings on 4 January, but with extra finance—a package of £78
million —in order to help them get this mass testing programme
set up, established and there to test all students and all staff
as they return to secondary school. This is about taking the
opportunity to beat back this virus, have a real understanding of
where the infection is within the community, and ensure that
schools are even safer than they have already been.
The hon. Lady asks about the SAGE advice. As she knows full well,
SAGE publishes its advice, and it will of course do so soon. The
contingency framework was published and has been a public
document for a number of months, so I am sure she will have had
the opportunity to look at it. It makes clear that for schools
that have been placed in part of a contingency framework, there
must be the continued delivery of remote education. To be clear:
children who are in exam group years will be returning to
secondary school on 11 January, even if they are in a contingency
framework area.
The hon. Lady rightly highlights the issue of vulnerable
children. Those in our school system, as well as our local
authorities and social workers, can be proud of the amazing work
that they have been doing with those children who are most
vulnerable in society. We must ensure that we do everything to
get them attending school, so that they have the protection of
school around them. Those efforts, working with local
authorities, the police, and schools, will continue. Finally, as
the hon. Lady says, many students are about to take examinations
in technical and vocational qualifications in early January, and
those assessments will continue, as planned, in the educational
establishments that are delivering them.
(Harlow) (Con) [V]
I believe that my right hon. Friend wants to keep schools open
and teachers and children safe, but I have real worries about the
effect of school closures particularly hurting vulnerable
children, and putting enormous pressures on parents. What risk
assessments have the Government made regarding the impact of
school closures for millions of pupils on educational inequality,
wellbeing and mental health, especially when the Royal College of
Paediatrics and Child Health has stated that eating disorders
among young people have gone up fourfold, partly because of
school closures and social isolation? Will the Department
introduce a tracker on individual pupils, at least those in exam
years, working with schools and local authorities, to ensure that
those at home get the learning they need? Will he ensure that
teachers and support staff get priority for vaccinations, so that
we can get our schools open again soon? Finally, will he thank
teachers and support staff in my constituency of Harlow, who are
doing all they can to keep children learning?
I join my right hon. Friend in thanking the teachers and support
staff who have done so much in his constituency of Harlow to keep
children learning. The importance of school is why we continue to
proceed with opening primary schools on 4 January. The importance
of education is why we are rolling out the mass testing regime,
to ensure that secondary school students across the majority of
the country will be able to return to school. We know how
important this is. Children need to be in school, which is why we
will always do everything we can to resist knee-jerk reactions to
close schools or colleges. We recognise how important it is for
children’s life chances for them to be in schools.
My right hon. Friend raises the important issue of the impact of
lost learning, and that is why we commissioned work with the
Education Policy Institute and Renaissance Learning to do a close
study on lost learning. We will be looking closely at the impact
of that, especially among exam year cohorts, as well as on the
wider school population, to ensure that that work is there to
inform us in any future policy decisions.
(Glasgow North West) (SNP) [V]
I thank the Secretary of State for advance sight of his
statement. I join others in recognising the work our teachers and
school staff are carrying out in very challenging circumstances,
and I hope they are managing to get some well-deserved rest over
the Christmas break.
This new covid strain means that it is difficult to make concrete
decisions and commitments for the future, but the problem is that
Secretary of State is once again making last-minute decisions
that leave schools with absolutely no time to plan. Will he
therefore outline how his actions align with the advice received
from SAGE?
Ongoing testing for school staff is welcome, but anyone who has
spent any time in primary or secondary schools will know that
these are busy, often tightly packed environments. According to
Professor Neil Ferguson, this new strain hints at a higher
propensity to infect children. We are therefore asking teachers,
some with underlying health conditions, to work in a potentially
risky environment. NHS and frontline care staff must of course be
prioritised for the vaccine, but will the Secretary of State
ensure that, following those groups, teachers are a priority for
getting the vaccine?
Let me finish by saying that there is a massive difference
between posting activities online and actual live online teaching
and learning, with realtime interactions between a teacher and
their class. What steps is the Secretary of State taking to
ensure that schools have the capacity and bandwidth to deliver
proper online learning? Will he accept that he may need to amend
his current strategy if the need arises?
I thank the hon. Lady for her comments and for recognising that
we are in a rapidly changing situation. We sometimes have to
adapt our responses as a result of the changing coronavirus, and
I know that the Scottish Government have faced similar challenges
to the UK Government.
We recognise that this new strain means that we have to take a
different approach. That is why we are saying that the mass
testing regime we are rolling out in our secondary schools has to
move from being optional and an offer to schools to being
something we require schools to do. Schools are a unique
environment, and it is important that we put as many protections
in place as we can.
Like the hon. Lady, I want to see all teachers right up there in
the best possible position to be vaccinated, so that they can
carry on the incredibly important work of keeping children in
education. I am incredibly pleased that we are in a position to
ensure that primary schools are opening on 4 January and that
secondary schools will be welcoming back children in the exam
cohorts on 11 January and all other pupils on 18 January.
(South Suffolk) (Con) [V]
We have obviously had fantastic news today about the
Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. May I therefore join the previous two
speakers, including my right hon. Friend the Member for Harlow
(), the Chair of the Education Committee, and urge my
right hon. Friend the Secretary of State to do what he can within
current policy to ensure that teachers are priorities? Does he
not agree that were we to vaccinate as many teachers as possible
as soon as possible, that would not only make schools safer and
boost teacher morale but reduce the pressure to close schools in
the first place?
I often agree with my hon. Friend, and I do not disagree with him
on this occasion. Obviously, we have to prioritise decisions on
vaccinations, taking into account a whole raft of areas. The key
thing is prioritising those people who are most clinically
vulnerable, but as we get through that stage of clinical need, I
certainly hope that we can look at how we can vaccinate those who
are in the teaching profession and who support education.
(St Albans) (LD) [V]
We are in a race against time to stop a new catastrophe of
educational inequality. Some children have lost more than six
months of learning and some schools still cannot access the covid
workforce budget because of absurd criteria. It is shocking that
only half of digital devices have been delivered and that mass
testing is being rolled out only four months after school has
returned. When will the Secretary of State give schools the rota
powers, the funding, the devices and the trust that they need and
deserve to stay open safely?
We had announced the additional £78 million of funding just
before the Christmas period in order to help and assist in the
roll-out of a mass testing regime in all secondary schools. We
announced the distribution of an extra half a million devices on
the half a million that had already been distributed just the
other week. If the hon. Lady had listened to my statement, she
would have heard that we are planning to distribute 50,000 on 4
January and another 100,000 over the following week. I am sure
that, at some point, she will look at my statement in detail and
pay attention to it.
(Dudley
South) (Con) [V]
My children are in the next room paying rather more attention
than is usual to the House’s proceedings this afternoon. What
steps is my right hon. Friend taking to help schools and colleges
to take up the offer that the Government have made to provide
rapid testing, which will be so vital in helping to keep
children, teachers and, indeed, parents safe?
My hon. Friend makes an important point. This is not just about
helping schools, or just about helping pupils and that workforce
within the schools, but about helping the families with
school-age children. It is helping the whole community push back
the tide of this virus, because we will be testing more people
than ever before. We will be testing literally millions of
children every single week. Yes, we recognise that schools need
that extra support. That is why we created the £78 million fund
in order to be able to support them. The other week, we shared
with schools information on how much money they will be eligible
to get, but we do understand that there will be some schools that
have unique problems or challenges in rolling out this mass
testing. I am incredibly grateful to both Her Majesty’s armed
forces for making themselves available and to Ofsted for
supporting schools that are facing challenges in rolling out the
mass testing programme to ensure that it is implemented in all
secondary schools and all colleges, because this will benefit
everyone in school, everyone in college and everyone in the
community.
(Warwick and Leamington) (Lab) [V]
Like so many frontline workers, teaching staff are deeply
committed to their profession, but they have also been among the
most vulnerable, particularly given that 12 to 17-year-olds have
been a major vector for transmission. I spoke with head teachers
just before Christmas and they were left angered by the
Government’s late announcement to introduce testing without any
support and little direction. Today we hear that there will be a
delay to schools reopening. May I ask the Secretary of State just
two points? As I asked him back in November, will he prioritise
frontline line teaching staff for vaccinations given the
political will to keep schools and colleges open as much as
possible? Secondly, given that so many students will be taking
BTECs and other technical and vocational exams in the next few
weeks, what support will the Government be providing to those
students and the staff assisting them?
The hon. Gentleman is right to highlight the issue of those
children taking BTEC qualifications, and we have made the
decision about the importance of those youngsters being able to
continue to take those qualifications over the coming weeks. On
vaccination, he has picked up on a thread raised by previous
questioners. Obviously, as Education Secretary, it is not within
my remit to determine who will be receiving vaccinations.
However, when we have worked through the groups that are most
vulnerable to covid, I certainly hope that those working in our
education settings are looked at in the most positive way to
ensure that they are high up on the list of those receiving
vaccinations.
(Newcastle-under-Lyme) (Con) [V]
May I join the Education Secretary in paying tribute to all those
working in schools at this difficult time? I welcome his
statement and the announcement that all secondary school and
college students will receive two rapid tests at the start of the
new term to identify asymptomatic cases. However—I know this as a
father myself—it is the self-isolation that has caused such
disruption for teachers, students and pupils, so will he confirm
that his intention is to use rapid testing for staff and students
who have come into contact with confirmed cases to help to reduce
the need for self-isolation? Will that testing be available
daily, if necessary?
I can absolutely confirm to my hon. Friend that testing will be
available both to students and to staff members in secondary
school settings. Importantly, that means that we will be in a
position to reduce the number of children and teachers who are
having to self-isolate, and that it will be easier for education
settings to work fully and as normally as possible. Most
importantly, however, students will be in a position to maximise
the amount of time they spend studying.
(Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford) (Lab) [V]
New College Pontefract is currently having to organise
twice-weekly mass testing for 2,500 sixth-formers, but it has had
no allocation of funding and no contact from the military. The
college is having to find additional staff, and it has no space
in which to do the tests.
Why have the Government not given schools and colleges a clear
allocation of funding that will cover additional staff,
Disclosure and Barring Service checks, and the other
practicalities of delivering mass testing? They all want to do
it, but the support from Ministers and the Department for
Education is always too late or too chaotic. Frankly, they are
not getting the support they need to keep children safely in
education.
I will certainly ensure that where schools can get that
information is passed on to the right hon. Lady. It was published
and made available to colleges and schools before Christmas, but
I will ensure that my private office forwards it on. Information
is readily available, and should hopefully be of assistance to
her in her duties as a constituency Member of Parliament.
(Kensington)
(Con)
I pay tribute to all teachers in Kensington and Chelsea, who have
been heroic in their efforts to keep schools open, even with the
very high case rates in London. Will my right hon. Friend clarify
whether London will be part of the contingency framework? He
mentioned a two-week delay, so can he clarify whether schools
will definitely reopen after two weeks or if there will be a
review at that point?
My hon. Friend is right to ask that question, and there will be a
review after the two-week period. The hope and desire is that
areas in the contingency framework will be moving out of it, but
we will obviously be guided by the available public health and
scientific advice. It is important that such decisions are made
not on a regional basis, but on a local basis, because I want the
maximum number of children in school at every stage. I do not
want sweeping decisions; we should minimise the disruption to
children, schools and parents as much as possible.
(North Durham) (Lab) [V]
It was disappointing that the Secretary of State did not make a
statement to the House before the Christmas recess, and that
mixed messages from his Department throughout Christmas have led
to much anxiety among parents, teachers and students. I doubt
whether his statement today will reassure many of them. On
testing, what will be the role of local directors of public
health? Who will support local schools and colleges, because
1,500 Army personnel will not be enough to fill that role? More
importantly, what will happen to the data collected from that
testing? Without a comprehensive locally based plan, he is in
danger of making all the same mistakes as we have seen with the
national test and trace system. Cannot the Government wake up to
the fact that local plans need to be put in place, rather than
plans being dictated nationally? That will not work.
The right hon. Gentleman raises an important point about how
vital it is to work with local directors of public health and
local authorities. We believe that this will be of enormous
assistance to those local authorities in identifying where more
covid cases are. It will be an opportunity to deliver more rapid
testing than has been delivered so far—not just in County Durham,
but across the country. The right hon. Gentleman might have heard
that extra support is being provided to schools and colleges so
that they can stand up this testing. In some areas where schools
and colleges have particular problems, we will look at supporting
them with a team to help to get the mass testing up and
established. Of course, the data being collected is vital. When
youngsters test positive in a lateral flow test, that data will
be fed immediately into the test and trace system, which is
shared with local authorities.
(Romsey and Southampton North) (Con) [V]
Teachers, parents and pupils all need certainty. They need to be
able to plan the return to school and prepare for exams if they
are going to happen, and they need to know whether they will need
additional childcare. I commend my right hon. Friend for his
ability to make changes when required, but will he please assure
my constituents that this is a plan that will stick and that it
will give them all the certainty that they are desperately
calling out for?
I certainly hope that it does give people confidence to know that
primary schools in my right hon. Friend’s constituency of Romsey
will be opening on Monday, that exam year groups will be
returning to secondary school and colleges on 11 January, and
that all year groups will be returning shortly after that.
(Bristol South) (Lab) [V]
The Secretary of State has just said that we can be confident
about what is happening next week but, frankly, as a parent and
as a legislator, I have no confidence in what he has just said. I
am none the wiser after his statement, having heard privately
from health experts this afternoon. Parents have one question for
the Secretary of State: how will we know, when we send our kids
back to school this week or the week after, that it is safe to do
so?
What we have seen consistently since the start of June is that
millions of children have safely returned to school thanks to the
amazing efforts of so many teaching and support staff to create
safe and secure environments for children to learn in and others
to work in. We recognise that this new strain means we have to go
that bit further—so much further. That is why we are introducing
this mass testing scheme, the largest that this country has ever
seen, to give parents and those who work in secondary schools
extra confidence and belief that it is safe for those children to
return, to help all who are engaged in this battle against covid
to root out the disease, and ensure that those who are infected
by it know that they are and can self-isolate.
(Stourbridge) (Con) [V]
I stand steadfast behind the Government in their determination to
protect young people’s education, and Ministers are right to say
that it is a national priority. There is a theme to my questions
today, and rightly so, as we end what has been a difficult and
challenging year for those working on the frontline. Will my
right hon. Friend join me in thanking all those who work in
schools in my constituency—from teaching assistants to teachers,
heads of department, heads of schools, those who transport
children to school, those who keep schools clean and safe and
those in schools who have fed and watered our children—who often
go above and beyond and are doing their utmost to protect our
children’s education and keep our schools open? We owe them a
debt of gratitude.
I would certainly like to join my hon. Friend and constituency
neighbour in thanking all those working in education settings in
Derbyshire and right across the country. Many children in my
constituency travel into Stourbridge to benefit from some of the
brilliant schools in her constituency. Teachers and support staff
have done an amazing job, and it is true to say that we are
asking even more of them, but we are asking them to do more
because we understand how vital it is to do everything possible
to keep schools open and ensure that children continue to benefit
from the education that we want every child to get.
(Hackney South and Shoreditch) (Lab/Co-op)
We all know that children benefit from being in school, and we
have seen the gap between those from the richest and the poorest
households widen during covid. The Secretary of State’s permanent
secretary put great store in the tutoring programme when she
appeared before the Public Accounts Committee nearly two weeks
ago. Could the right hon. Gentleman give us an update on that, as
well as on the steering group in his Department that is looking
seriously at this issue and at the impact on more vulnerable
pupils? Can he be precise about what he is doing to ensure that
that gap, which had been narrowing massively in some of the
excellent schools in my constituency, will not stay wide and get
wider still as we come out the other side of the pandemic?
The hon. Lady is right to talk passionately about the brilliant
schools in her constituency. We have seen a transformation in
schools in London as a result of reforms that were introduced by
this Government and changes that were made in the latter part of
the last Labour Government. We have seen education as an
incredibly powerful tool in closing the attainment gap and the
disadvantage gap, and London has been one of the real powers in
driving that forward. The roll-out of the national tutoring
programme is going as planned and we are very pleased with it. I
am sure she will have noticed that, as part of the spending
review, we want to see this as something that happens not just
for one year, but over multiple years, because we believe that
that is where the real benefit will be had.
I must confess—I am a little bit old-fashioned about this—that I
will constantly do everything I can, whether it is in the hon.
Lady’s constituency or mine, and take quite extraordinary
measures, to keep schools open wherever it is possible to do so.
If they do have to close, I will ensure that it is for the
minimum time, because we see children suffering as a result of
isolation. Both my children have had to self-isolate as a result
of being in contact with other children with covid. Whether it is
the national tutoring programme, the covid catch-up fund or the
continued reforms that have been made to education, which have
driven up standards so much in her constituency and mine, we must
not lose sight of the fact that these reforms have to carry on to
continue to drive standards and reduce the attainment gap.
(Rushcliffe) (Con) [V]
I have been contacted by school leaders who have highlighted
their need to get clarity over future changes to school opening
arrangements as quickly as possible. Will my right hon. Friend
consider a suggestion from one deputy head in my constituency:
publish the real-time data that influences these decisions via an
online dashboard similar to the one published by the Department
of Health and Social Care so that schools have as much time as
possible to plan? Will he meet me and my constituent to discuss
that in more detail?
We are certainly always more than happy to look at different ways
of being able to share as much information as possible with
schools and communities about what best informs decisions. The
Minister for School Standards, as I was about to leap to my feet,
immediately wanted to meet my hon. Friend and her constituent, so
I know that he will be organising that swiftly to be able to
listen in greater detail to the thoughts and ideas not just about
the current challenges that schools face, but about how we can
continue to drive our reforms and improvements within the school
system not just this year, but for decades into the future.
(Manchester Central) (Lab/Co-op) [V]
Finally, the Secretary of State has come to Parliament to address
the issues that have been swirling around everywhere over
Christmas, which began with him ordering schools to go online for
the first week of term on the last day of term, having taken
legal action against councils that wanted to do the same thing
only three days earlier. Today, he tells us that some primary
schools will not open, but he has not actually published the list
of those schools. This really now is a catalogue of incompetence
from this Secretary of State. After months of our asking, he
still has not answered the critical question of how the
differential impact of missing school will be addressed,
especially for the most disadvantaged. There has been no word on
how exams this year can proceed on a level playing field, so if
the test of his legacy is the attainment gap, I am afraid that it
is one he is going to totally fail.
It is always lovely to hear from the hon. Lady, and with such a
festive backdrop behind her. Frankly, whatever we do, she will
probably always be a little bit miserable about everything. We
put in a £1 billion covid catch-up fund, making sure that we are
supporting children from the most disadvantaged backgrounds. We
go above and beyond at every stage to ensure that children from
the most disadvantaged backgrounds are given the most assistance.
We on the Government side of the House have always understood
that by actually preserving education, by making sure that
children are in the position to be able to return to school at
the earliest possible moment and to benefit from being in school,
is the best way to give them the greatest advantages in life. I
know the hon. Lady—it is not in her DNA to be able to give credit
to any Government. I am not sure whether it would take £1
billion, £2 billion or £3 billion for her to acknowledge the fact
that we are taking action.
(Amber Valley)
(Con) [V]
I welcome the—[Inaudible.]—showing at this stage. Given that
Amber Valley as a local authority area has some of the higher
levels of cases in the country, will the Secretary of State
confirm whether we are in the contingency area where schools will
not be allowed to open at all? I hope that we are not, but will
he publish the criteria for deciding in which area schools cannot
open?
We will be publishing details of those local authorities within
contingency framework areas later today on the gov.uk website. We
would want to see schools entering the contingency framework very
much as an absolute last resort, where the public health evidence
and public health advice are that it is important and vital to do
so in terms of the management of covid infections.
(York Central) (Lab/Co-op) [V]
This academic year has been significantly disrupted. It is clear
that many children have missed significant portions of their
education while others have missed none, resulting in major
inequalities, and, of course, disruption is getting worse. I ask
not if but when will the Secretary of State announce an
alternative plan to end-of-year assessments beyond this exam
plan? Will he publish a full equality impact assessment on all
end-of-year options so that we can see which will be the fairest?
We all recognise that this has been an incredibly challenging
year for all students. We have seen the impact on our own
children and, of course, on children in our constituencies. As
those who have been involved in education recognise, exams are
the fairest and best form of assessment. We recognise that this
is a unique year that has presented unique challenges. That is
why we have taken the unusual and unique steps of ensuring that
the generosity of grading is similar to and mirrors that of
children who took exams in the previous year, and of taking
action to make sure that there is advance notice of the areas
that children will be tested on to make sure that they are in the
best possible position to succeed and do the best they possibly
can in those exams.
(South Basildon and East Thurrock) (Con) [V]
I thank my right hon. Friend for his statement and for adopting a
pragmatic approach to the changing situation. I also thank all
schools locally, many of which have been open and welcoming
students throughout the pandemic. If all schools and students are
not going to return as expected, however, I am concerned that
students, particularly those from less well-off backgrounds, will
miss out on their education. Can he confirm what extra support he
and the Government will give to move to quality remote learning
and maintain it for as long as it is needed?
My hon. Friend will be aware that I want to see all children in
schools at all times, if possible. As he highlights, however,
there will be certain areas of the country where additional
action needs to be taken that will lead to the temporary closure
of schools. That has happened across the country all the way
through the pandemic, but we will probably see a little more of
it over the coming term than we saw in the previous term. That is
part of the reason why we made the announcement of the
distribution of 1 million laptops to support remote learning in
schools, and that is why we have made and continue to make
increased investment in the Oak National Academy to support
online learning and to make sure that there is a whole suite of
lessons for every subject and every year group to support
schools. It is an important resource for them to be able teach
their children. That support will continue, as well as the covid
catch-up fund of £1 billion, which has been made available to
schools and colleges.
Madam Deputy Speaker ( )
Order. We still have a lot of business to get through today. I
appreciate it is more difficult when people are participating
virtually for them to work out how long they are taking in asking
a question, but can I remind Members that a question should be a
question? It is not a speech; it is just a question. If we have
short questions, I know the Secretary of State will be able to
give short answers.
(Denton
and Reddish) (Lab) [V]
Greater Manchester has been under restrictions since the end of
July. Many areas got the virus right down only for rates to spike
again when schools, colleges and universities went back. What
happened in the autumn term did not work; it was too disruptive
for too many. What guarantee can the Secretary of State give the
House that that will not happen again? Where schools are closed,
will he guarantee that all students will have the laptops and
digital access required to learn remotely, because not all did
last time?
In tribute to you, Madam Deputy Speaker, I will be very brief in
answering the hon. Gentleman. He probably heard in my earlier
response that we are rolling out the distribution of 1 million
laptops, more than 150,000 of which will be going out over the
first couple of weeks of the coming term. The measures that we
have seen meant that, actually, 99% of schools were able to open.
We had excellent attendance at schools across the country,
including in areas with high infection rates, and areas with high
infection rates were able to maintain schools being open. The
measures that we are taking, in terms of a mass testing regime,
will ensure that schools can continue to remain open, which I am
sure he will celebrate.
(Stoke-on-Trent North) (Con)
I want to thank all the teachers and support staff across
Stoke-on-Trent North, Kidsgrove and Talke. I welcome my right
hon. Friend’s commitment to mass testing. My main concerns,
however, remain about children—particularly those in
disadvantaged homes—and the work with catching up. The national
tutoring programme is helping students in Stoke-on-Trent North,
Kidsgrove and Talke to catch up, but we can also use alternatives
to the Oak National Academy, which is online. Will my right hon.
Friend speak to textbook publishers to see whether they will be
willing at cost price to send textbooks to some of our most
vulnerable children to enable them to sit their exams this year?
My hon. Friend so often has brilliant ideas, and I would be very
happy to sit down with him to look at how we could do that. The
Minister for School Standards is one of the greatest advocates in
this country of textbooks and of their real impact and the
support they offer students in their learning. We can sit down
and discuss my hon. Friend’s thoughts and ideas.
(Ealing
Central and Acton) (Lab) [V]
All teachers want rapid testing, but at a time when they feel
exposed and scared by the new variant—80% of my schools have
cases anyway—will the Secretary of State develop stronger
guidance in partnership with the profession, rather than see it
as a unionised enemy to spring last-minute changes on? Can he
provide any funding to the head of a convent I spoke to who is
desperate to roll out testing? It operates on tight margins, but
as it is an independent, she has been told that there is none.
While we are not in a position to be able to provide independent
schools with funding to roll out testing, we are providing them
with facilities, testing equipment and all the other additional
equipment that is required for the full testing regime. That is
being provided to all schools and all settings that are teaching
and providing education facilities for children in years 7 and
above.
(Aylesbury) (Con) [V]
My right hon. Friend has been consistent throughout the crisis in
insisting that we balance the need to keep people safe with the
vital need for children to continue their education. In the light
of that, can he reassure parents of primary school children in
tier 4 areas such as Aylesbury that he has fully considered the
safety of pupils and staff in reaching his decision that those
primary schools can reopen next week and continue their very
valuable education?
As my hon. Friend will recognise, at every stage the safety of
pupils and those who work in schools is at the very heart of
every decision we make. We all recognise the impact of not being
in school on children’s life chances. It is always important to
balance the need to get children in with ensuring that they are
in a safe environment. The measures we are taking on testing go
so far to ensure that children not only get the benefit of that
brilliant education but have the surety and confidence of knowing
that they are going into a safe and secure environment.
(Weaver Vale)
(Lab) [V]
Surely, given that Cheshire West and Chester has now been put
into tier 4, we require an update from the Secretary of State on
whether primary schools are going to reopen on Monday, and surely
teaching staff should be prioritised for the vaccine. That just
makes sense.
I can assure the hon. Gentleman that primary schools in Cheshire
West and Chester will be open on Monday.
(Meon
Valley) (Con) [V]
May I join the previous questioner and ask my right hon. Friend
whether he agrees that the best way to get schools back and
working properly is to prioritise vaccines for teachers and
pupils, who may be spreading the virus asymptomatically? Will he
urge the Department of Health and Social Care to prioritise that?
I would certainly urge the Department of Health and Social Care
to prioritise vaccination of those who work in schools. All the
vaccines currently available have not had or have not completed
trials on people under the age of 18. I am sure my hon. Friend
recognises the necessity of completing those trials before
rolling out any vaccination programme to the younger cohorts.
(Eltham) (Lab) [V]
If Greenwich schools are included in one of the contingency
areas, I hope the Secretary of State will have the decency to
apologise to parents in our borough. With that in mind, if mass
testing shows up high infection rates among children in schools,
what is the contingency plan other than disruption to children’s
education continuing into the future? Surely the end point has to
be vaccination in schools when it becomes available. Is he
planning for when that can be done?
I am not sure the hon. Gentleman heard my reply to the previous
question, but none of the vaccines has been through full trials
on children under 18. It would not be ethical to vaccinate
children before the completion of the trials.
(Cleethorpes) (Con) [V]
I declare an interest in that my daughter is a teacher. I agree
with the approach the Secretary of State has outlined today. In a
constantly changing situation, it is a sensible approach, but may
I return to the question of vaccinations for teachers and staff?
Clearly, in tier 3 and 4 areas it would be valuable, and coupled
with the testing regime it would give teachers and parents the
confidence that is needed. I accept that it is not in his remit,
as he said, but may I urge him to press his Government colleagues
to look again at it?
I can absolutely confirm that I will respond to my hon. Friend’s
pressing me to press others to do that. I know how important it
is and what a heroic job so many in our schools have been doing
to ensure continuity of education for all our children.
(Liverpool, Riverside) (Lab)
Pupils in Liverpool, Riverside have suffered disproportionate
learning loss. We have heard the rhetoric on how this Government
are levelling up, but it is time to move from the rhetoric to the
reality. How many of the thousands of laptops have made it to
those in the greatest need? Has that been monitored? The national
tutoring programme is projected to reach just 1 in 6 pupils on
free school meals. Will the Minister join me in thanking and
supporting all education and support staff in my constituency,
who have gone above and beyond since the first lockdown to
support both children and our community throughout this pandemic?
I join the hon. Lady in thanking all those in her constituency
who have done so much to ensure continuity of education for so
many children. The great city of Liverpool is one of the areas
that have experienced very high infection rates. The teaching
staff and communities making sure that schools stayed open and
that children were able to get the benefit of education are a
real testament to the hard work done by so many in the teaching
profession.
Over 500,000 of the laptops have already been distributed to
children from the most disadvantaged backgrounds. Many hundreds
of thousands more will be distributed in the coming weeks. That
will benefit the hon. Lady’s constituents, mine and the
constituents of us all.
(Tatton) (Con)
Those who are due to sit their A-levels and GCSEs in 2021 have
suffered, and continue to suffer, far more disruption than those
who were due to sit them earlier this year. Will the Secretary of
State accept that the only sensible and fair course of action is
to cancel these exams too, to ensure that those students’
prospects are not damaged by taking exams that will have been
rendered virtually meaningless?
That is why we took action to ensure that the generosity of
grading mirrors that of 2020 and have announced the exam subjects
with advance notice, so that teachers and students, in the final
months in the run-up to the exams, can focus on the topics and
areas that will be examined. We believe that unless there are
exceptional circumstances, exams are the fairest and best form of
assessment. All the evidence points out that children from the
most disadvantaged backgrounds and children from black and ethnic
minority communities are most disadvantaged by non-exam
assessment and are given the greatest advantage when they sit
exams.
(Brentford and Isleworth) (Lab) [V]
Headteachers at primary schools, and at all schools, are willing
and able to be partners in ensuring that our children get a
proper education, but the Secretary of State has said that some
primary schools will not open next week. What will the criteria
be for schools not opening? When will the headteachers of those
schools be given the courtesy of advance warning and treated with
respect by the Secretary of State?
I am sure that the hon. Lady is aware of the gold command chaired
by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which looks
at all the decisions on tiering and other measures that need to
be taken to deal with the pandemic. Those decisions will be made
as part of that health structure through joint working by the
Health Secretary and me, because the powers to close sit with me
as Education Secretary. The hon. Lady will be familiar with
gov.uk; notice and details of the areas that will be put in the
contingency framework are published on that website.
(Southend West) (Con)
I welcome my right hon. Friend’s statement. Will he join me in
thanking all education providers in Southend West for their
heroic efforts during the coronavirus pandemic? Most importantly,
will he ensure that when they return to school there is clarity
in a practical sense regarding testing and the arrangements for
the summer examinations?
I thank my hon. Friend for raising the wonderful work that
educators, teachers and support staff have done in providing the
Rolls-Royce education that we want all children to benefit from.
We have already published considerable guidance and support for
schools as they roll out mass testing; we have also published
information about the funding that they can receive, so that they
can properly budget and provision for the type of support that
they need to roll out that mass testing. With respect to the—I
hope—small number of schools that have particular problems in
establishing a testing regime, the armed forces have kindly
stepped forward, along with Ofsted, to provide and establish
support in the exceptional circumstances in which schools and
colleges are having real problems.
(Liverpool, West Derby) (Lab) [V]
I thank the Secretary of State for his kind words about the
educators and teachers in Liverpool, who have done such an
outstanding job.
Hundreds of thousands of working-class children educated in the
state system are facing exams in complete despair. The inequality
of opportunity for those children is due to the ineptitude of the
Government’s response, including a lack of resource allocation
and a complete failure to listen to teachers’ concerns. Will the
Secretary of State meet me and headteachers in Liverpool, West
Derby as soon as possible to discuss the resources and measures
that are urgently needed from the Government?
We always listen to what the teaching profession says and act
taking its advice and guidance into account. That is how we
crafted our response, including the creation of the covid
catch-up fund and the national tutoring programme, which were
very much targeted at children from the most disadvantaged
backgrounds. My right hon Friend the Minister for School
Standards said he would be absolutely delighted and looks forward
to meeting the hon. Gentleman and the wonderful professionals in
his constituency who are so committed and dedicated to delivering
the very best education for every child in Liverpool, West Derby.
(Hazel Grove) (Con)
I thank my right hon. Friend for his statement and recognise the
invidious choices he has to make as Secretary of State. I also
thank all the teachers and, in particular, the leaders of schools
in the Hazel Grove constituency for their hard work over the
Christmas holidays to prepare for mass testing on the schools’
return. Does my right hon. Friend think it somewhat ironic that
later on today’s Order Paper is a motion to extend the
Adjournment of the House to 11 January? What message does that
send to our schools?
I certainly join my hon. Friend in thanking the teachers and
support staff in Hazel Grove for all the work that they do. We
all recognise that we are placing great burdens on so many public
servants. Our job as a Department is to give them as much support
as possible. As a former Chief Whip, I think it is always best to
focus on the Department and job that one has, which is why my
focus is on education and schools.
(Ellesmere Port and Neston) (Lab) [V]
According to Sutton Trust research, 15% of teachers report that a
third of their students do not have adequate facilities to learn
remotely from home. While I accept that some attempt has been
made to rectify that, there are still too many pupils unable to
learn online. Will the Secretary of State tell us how many pupils
in those schools not reopening next month do not currently have
access to online learning?
The hon. Gentleman is right to point out that the best place for
children to learn is in school, which is why we have at every
stage driven as hard as possible to ensure that schools are open
and remain open. That is why we are taking the actions we
are—whether that is the mass testing regime or the fact that
primary schools will open up on 4 January—because we realise that
the best place for children to be is in school. We looked at the
needs of schools for additional laptops and digital equipment and
have expanded the original provision of 200,000 laptops to more
than 1 million. As I touched on earlier, that distribution of
additional laptops is currently ongoing and will continue over
the coming weeks.
(Bexleyheath and Crayford) (Con) [V]
I welcome my right hon. Friend’s flexibility and pragmatic
approach at this difficult time, and also his determination to
keep schools open. I praise all the teachers in my borough of
Bexley for their commitment and hard work. However, as a strong
supporter of social mobility, I am naturally concerned about the
effect on the education of our most disadvantaged children during
this coronavirus pandemic. Can he confirm that the additional
financial support he has given will help to prevent them from
being left behind in their education?
I thank my right hon. Friend for highlighting something that he
and I care so passionately about: ensuring that children from the
most disadvantaged backgrounds are not left behind. That is why
the national tutoring programme and the covid catch-up fund are
so vital, not only for his constituents but for my constituents
and all our constituents from those most disadvantaged
communities. We recognise that this pandemic has impacted every
community up and down the country. It is vital that we do
everything we can to get them back on their feet, learning and
closing that gap once more.
(Westminster North) (Lab)
If I may continue on the theme of resources for home-based
learning, we know that it is less satisfactory than children
being at school but infinitely better than nothing.
Unfortunately, nine months into the pandemic, only 700 laptops
have been distributed in my borough, despite there being 5,000
children on free school meals. Will the Secretary of State
explain why it has taken so long to make sure there is adequate
access to laptops? Will he also advise everybody how many
children in each constituency are deemed to be in need of
capacity for home-based learning, so that we are able to assess
just how effective the distribution of laptops has been?
I will certainly happily provide the latest information on the
distribution of laptops in the hon. Member’s constituency. The
reason we announced the uplift to the distribution of 1 million
laptops is that we recognise that the challenges of the pandemic
require more digital provision. That is why we took the move to
increase it from 500,000 to 1 million.
(New Forest
East) (Con)
This feels slightly like my own first day back at school, though
rather near the bottom of this particular class.
Does my right hon. Friend agree that the importance of his mass
testing programme for schools derives from the danger that
infected children may be spreaders without symptoms?
If my right hon. Friend is a new boy back in school, I think the
Chief Whip is the headmaster, so he will probably be keeping a
close eye on my right hon. Friend. However, it is good to see him
back with the Conservative Whip, as I very much felt it was a
great privilege to work so closely with him when he was Chairman
of the Defence Committee and I was in a previous role.
My right hon. Friend is right that, actually, many children who
have coronavirus do not exhibit symptoms of having coronavirus.
This is why the move to mass testing in secondary schools is so
important. It gives us the opportunity to identify so many more
children who have the virus and just do not know it. That means
that so many more households can be informed that they also need
to be tested as they may also have the virus. This is an
important step in defeating this virus and taking the battle to
covid to ensure that we defeat it and are triumphant in doing so.
(Lewisham East) (Lab) [V]
Testing for the virus is key to supporting a child to stay in
school. When children are not in school, their learning is
disrupted. It causes a lot of anxiety in relation to family plans
and affects the ability of the adult or adults in the home to
work. Can the Secretary of State confidently say to my
constituents and to parents that schools will have adequate
testing infrastructure and support in place for pupils and staff
when both primary and secondary schools reopen, and does he agree
that the vaccine should be prioritised for all staff working in
education?
I thank the hon. Lady for her question, and I can absolutely
assure her that the roll-out of mass testing in secondary schools
is properly supported. Schools will be getting the first batch of
both equipment and tests on 4 January, and this is being
distributed right across the country, with additional tests very
rapidly following, to ensure that all pupils and all staff within
schools can be tested. As I touched on in my statement, we are
also looking at rolling out the testing mechanism, the screen
testing and the serial testing for staff in primary schools. As I
am sure the hon. Lady will appreciate, the ability to deliver
testing in primary schools does present some challenges, because
the age of pupils in primary school means they are not
necessarily able to do it themselves. However, when we are in a
position to go further on testing and home tests can be
distributed, we will look at expanding the role of mass testing
in schools even further.
(Colne Valley) (Con) [V]
I would like to thank all the wonderful teachers and support
staff across my constituency and to welcome plans for all
secondary and college students to receive two rapid tests at the
start of term. The Royal Air Force has already been helping to
deliver rapid tests across Kirklees as part of mass community
testing. Has the Secretary of State considered using military
support on the ground in schools and colleges, having done such a
wonderful job in extreme circumstances in the past few months, to
help deliver mass rapid tests and take the pressure off some of
our teachers?
I join my hon. Friend in his thanks. I know that he served in the
Royal Air Force for a number of years, so he has a particular
fondness for our armed forces, as we all do. The armed forces
have done an amazing job. Looking at the sheer number of schools
across the country and the whole workforce within them, we felt
that it would not be right or proper to ask the armed forces to
deliver testing in every single secondary school. That is why we
have provided additional financial support for schools to help
them deliver the mass testing regime. We are very fortunate that
my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence has
agreed a Military Aid to the Civil Authorities request that means
that we are able to provide military support to schools that are
really struggling to set up a testing regime. We believe that
when they are set up, schools will be in an excellent position to
keep running and have a real impact in driving down coronavirus
infection rates in my hon. Friend’s constituency and all our
constituencies.
(Reading
East) (Lab)
I, too, pay tribute to schools, teachers, support staff and young
people in my constituency for the incredibly effective way that
they responded to the coronavirus crisis in the autumn. However,
as the Secretary of State knows, the pressures on schools in tier
4 areas are significant, and they are growing all the time. Will
he commit to reviewing the level of support that is being
provided? It is clear that, with just half a member of the armed
forces per English secondary school, that level of support is
quite meagre.
We are providing schools with the resources to deliver the
testing programme themselves. We would look at providing armed
forces personnel only in the most exceptional circumstances where
a school, for whatever reason, is unable to set up a testing
regime. We have given schools the extra time as well as the £78
million in order for all secondary schools to establish a regime.
In exceptional circumstances we have teams, supported by the
armed forces and Ofsted as well as the Department for Education,
to help get a regime up and running and support schools so that
every secondary school can have a mass testing regime.
