Asked by
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consultations they have had
with (1) education, and (2) health, professionals about plans to
facilitate the safe return of students to schools as soon as
possible.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for
Education and Department for International Trade () (Con)
My Lords, the Government’s ambition is for all education settings
to open fully in September. Our approach and decisions continue
to be based on the best scientific and medical advice. We have
been working with Public Health England and the education sector,
including the unions, and have provided guidance to support the
sector in opening more widely. We will keep engaging closely and
regularly with the sector as it plans to welcome back all
learners.
(Con) [V]
I thank my noble friend for her Answer. What provision will be
made for the year 11 and year 13 classes leaving next year, and
will there be thorough consultations with head teachers about
that provision?
My Lords, the Government have recently updated the guidance and,
where schools have capacity, we have encouraged them to have
face-to-face contact with all students, particularly those in
years 11 and 13. In relation to the particularly vulnerable in
year 11 who are in alternative provision, there has been a £7
million fund because we recognise the risks of those young people
not being in education or training.
(Lab) [V]
My Lords, can the Minister tell us how frequently she is meeting
the organisations to which she referred in her—[Inaudible.]
The Deputy Speaker () (Con)
We are having difficulty hearing the noble Lord, , so we will move on to the
noble Lord, , and come back to him if there
is time to sort out the technical problems.
(LD) [V]
My Lords, it is good news that all schools are reopening in
September and that all children and young people will be back in
school, but God forbid that there was a localised outbreak. Who
would make the decision to close schools, and what level would
have to occur before that action took place?
My Lords, if a school has an outbreak where a number have tested
positive for the virus, that is a matter for Public Health
England, at regional and local level, to evaluate the situation
on the ground. We have made “test and trace” available for all
students and staff, and members of their household, so as to be
able to deal with a situation like that.
The Deputy Speaker
I call the noble Lord, .
I am afraid that we cannot hear the noble Lord, so we will go to
the noble Lord, .
(CB) [V]
My Lords, I am sure that it will be very good news if all our
schools are fully open in September. I have a growing concern for
those young people who just will not appear in September. What
steps will be taken to make contact with these young people? Some
of them may be extremely vulnerable, and we must not let them be
lost in the system.
My Lords, the noble Lord is correct that it is not just about
vulnerable children. There are those who head teachers will be
aware have become vulnerable during this period; we have
therefore always made school places open to those whom we call
the otherwise vulnerable, which gives head teachers the
discretion to offer school places. We have also funded Barnardo’s
with £7 million to run a service called “See, Hear, Respond”,
which is specifically aimed at reaching out to those children who
are not in contact with statutory agencies but who we believe may
need support at this time.
(Lab)
[V]
My Lords, last week schools and colleges in England were able to
readmit students safely in their first year of studying for GCSEs
and A-levels. Labour welcomes that, but we believe that the
Government should have been much more ambitious. In Wales, every
child will have some time in school before the summer holidays,
allowing teachers to assess how their pupils have fared during
school closures. Without that key information, valuable time
would be lost when the new school year starts, as we all hope
that it will in September. The Minister has just said that she is
encouraging schools to have face-to-face time with their pupils.
Why should parents in England have to accept lower expectations
than those in Wales?
My Lords, it was of course the Government’s ambition for all
primary-age children to be back in school before the summer, but
that was not possible on the current medical and scientific
evidence. The updated guidance allows schools to bring back
students in all years and have some face-to-face contact, as long
as they do that within the guidelines. For instance, at secondary
school there should be no more than 25% of students on the
premises at any one time. We agree with the noble Lord: we
recognise that it is essential for pupils to have some contact
with their teachers before the school holidays.
(LD) [V]
My Lords, will the Minister give some thought to implementing a
better policy for online teaching just in case there is another
call for a lockdown, either localised or national? We have
learned that, where it is successfully done, people learn better.
This must be part of the policy.
My Lords, of the £1 billion catch-up premium, £350 million has
been devoted to a national tutoring service for disadvantaged
students. That will be face to face, as well as online, and we
hope that the evidence base for it supports the idea that it is a
key way for disadvantaged children to catch up. We hope that it
will be a legacy for the system so that, going forward, it can be
one way in which schools will use their pupil premium to support
those students beyond the catch-up year.
(Lab) [V]
My Lords, the Minister has in part addressed this, but can she
say what discussions have been held with education unions to
ensure that planning is in place for the academic year 2020-21 to
cope with any second spike in the virus? How frequently are
meetings taking place between the Government and education unions
to discuss the detail of curriculum coverage and assessment for
all young people from September?
My Lords, the Secretary of State meets the education unions
weekly, and officials and other Ministers are in touch regularly
with the unions. We have worked closely with them, particularly
on developing the guidance. In the next two weeks, guidance will
be issued to make it clear what is expected of schools regarding
curriculum and attendance in September, so that they will have
time to plan before the end of the summer term.
(Con) [V]
My Lords, six children have, sadly, died with Covid, yet nearly
2,000 children are killed or seriously injured every year in
traffic accidents, which suggests that children suffer more harm
from being driven to school than being in school. Does my noble
friend agree that the scare stories circulated by some, including
teaching unions, about the dangers of returning to school are as
dangerous as the anti-vaccine lobby? Does she also agree that
much more long-term harm will be inflicted on children from not
going back to school than there could possibly ever be from them
receiving their education?
Indeed, my Lords. Away from the flurry of the headlines and
speaking to academy trust leaders, I know that they do not just
want their children back in school but are desperate for them to
be back in school, because they know that it is the best place
for them to be educated. They also know that it is best for their
mental well-being to be in a school environment. They have been
working tirelessly, many through the school holidays, to ensure
that young children are in school. They are particularly
concerned about vulnerable children who have not been in
education. I agree with my noble friend: we want and look forward
to welcoming all our children back to their education settings in
September.
(CB)
My Lords, a good education is fundamental to equal opportunities
in later life. It is good to hear that all schools will open in
September after the summer break. However, it is not sufficient
just to open all schools. Will there be sufficient space for all
pupils to attend?
I think that the noble Lord is referring to the current situation
regarding social distancing. As noble Lords will be aware, the
Prime Minister has asked for a review of that and we will have
the results within the next few days, but, of course, that
influences greatly the capacity of schools to welcome students
back.
(Non-Afl) [V]
Will all secondary schools be required in September to provide
details of which pupils have disappeared from their rolls? Will
those figures be provided to government?
My Lords, schools would normally liaise with their local
authority in relation to their rolls. As noble Lords will be
aware, Ofsted is not currently carrying out routine inspections,
but I am sure that pupil attendance and any off-rolling will be
matters for it to address when it resumes inspections.
