Education Settings: Autumn Opening

The Secretary of State for Education has stated that all pupils will be able to return to schools and colleges full time in September with safety measures such as grouping children together in bubbles, regular testing, and adherence to Public Health England guidelines. He emphasises the critical importance of education recovery for children's outcomes and highlights the government’s efforts, including a £1 billion catch-up package, testing kits, and ensuring that all children who can be at school are at school.

Kate Green emphasised the importance of closing the attainment gap caused by the pandemic, thanked teachers for their efforts during the crisis, and questioned the Government's preparation and consultation processes. She also raised concerns about testing and tracing resources, wraparound care, special educational needs, catch-up funding, digital access equipment delivery delays, and summer holiday activities to support learning.

Gavin Williamson assured the House that the curriculum will remain full, broad, and balanced with arts and humanities included. He also highlighted the importance of special educational needs support, confirmed new funding for catch-up programmes, promised to consult widely within the sector, and pledged to examine accountability measures through Ofsted.

Robert Halfon welcomed the plans for children with special educational needs and the £1 billion catch-up fund. He questioned why 2 million children had done virtually no school work during lockdown and called for guidance from Ofsted and local authorities on online learning.

Matt Western raised concerns about the delay in ordering laptops for disadvantaged children, questioning which date was accurate between 19 April or 15 May when orders were placed.

Conservative Members want to see every child back in school at the earliest opportunity. The Government has provided over 202,000 laptops, established the covid catch-up premium, tutoring plans within schools with teacher support based on the Education Endowment Foundation’s evidence, and created a £1 billion package for education loss recovery.

The pandemic threatens to widen educational disadvantage. The number of laptops provided by the Government is insufficient compared to digital exclusion in Lambeth, Southwark, and across the country. Tutoring over summer months is a concern due to lack of home IT access for disadvantaged children.

Concerns about practicalities of every child returning to school in September, maintaining bubbles and separate year groups. Calls for discussion with headteachers on these matters.

Welcomes the Secretary of State’s commitment that all children will return to school in September, highlights concerns about disadvantaged and special educational needs children falling behind and asks how the Government intends to help them catch up.

Asks for a guarantee that every child who needs a laptop will receive one. Questions how best practice in high-quality online lessons can be spread among all schools before the summer holidays.

Concern about supply teachers not being able to access the furlough scheme and encourages the Welsh Government to support agencies for their supply staff to use it as well.

Questions the Secretary of State on how schools that physically struggle to accommodate pupils under social distancing rules will manage, requesting an assessment and plans from the Government.

Acknowledges the work done by school staff during lockdown and asks if the approach taken is in line with other countries in Europe that have brought pre-school and younger children back first, phased approach.

Concern about pinch points at start and end of school days as children and parents come together. Asks the Secretary of State to set aside funding for schools to mitigate this problem.

Emphasises the importance of young people returning to school for learning in constituencies with high proportions of free school meals. Asks the Secretary of State to ensure that disadvantaged pupils benefit from the covid-19 catch-up package.

Durham University contributes significantly to the local economy, culture and community. The Government's lack of support for universities during the crisis is scandalous. Universities need financial aid from the Government to survive.

The Government continues to work closely with the higher education sector, providing a stabilisation package and setting up a taskforce on research funding. The Department ensures stability within the sector and supports its recovery.

Schools in Harrow remain open for children of key workers and those with special educational needs, but many other students have fallen behind. Teachers need support to assess the real needs of each child so that catch-up packages can be targeted effectively.

Schools should only reopen in September if it is safe for pupils, teachers and the community. The measures announced must be signed off as safe by Government scientists to ensure safety.

With evidence showing low risks connected with children, stringent protective measures will be put in place for reopening. The Department works closely with Public Health England on these measures to ensure effective risk management.

The broad and balanced curriculum, including physical education and sport premiums, must be guaranteed for September. Headteachers and parents need clarity before now about the financial commitment.

Parents in West Sussex welcome today’s announcement regarding children with special educational needs. The shadow Education Secretary's recent appointment may signal a more constructive approach from the Opposition.

Teachers and parents are concerned about wraparound care for working parents after school hours in September. Guidance should set out clear provision to support working parents.

Supports the Sir Bobby Robson School, which will open its doors in September to specifically support children with complex emotional and mental needs. The approach is to re-socialise vulnerable young adults so they can reintegrate and catch up.

Every head should produce a back-to-school plan by the end of the summer term to ensure full education across all year groups in all classes for every child, including in his constituency.

Further education institutions were already struggling prior to the crisis and will have worsened in recent months. FE leaders in his community were excluded from the covid catch-up fund, and he asks for alternative support available.

Acknowledges the importance of working closely with further education institutions towards economic recovery post-pandemic. Ensures FE colleges will be fully open in September.

Points out that schools contribute significantly to children's wellbeing. Asks the Minister for support in dealing with reports of abuse and disturbing experiences from lockdown periods as children return to school.

Acknowledges sensitive issue regarding child protection during lockdown. Highlights local partnerships formed with schools, local authorities, and the police to address these concerns quickly.

Asks for extra support for disabled children catching up post-pandemic, inquires about assistive technology provision within laptop distribution programmes.

Acknowledges measures to help all children, including those with special needs. Confirms laptops have been provided freely and agrees to write back with more details on catch-up plans.

Supports fully reopening schools in September, highlights potential rise in poor behaviour due to lockdown experiences, calls for review recommendations against school exclusions.

Acknowledges the need for good behaviour and discipline policies. Emphasises the importance of re-establishing proper practices and reducing exclusion rates through collaboration with schools and support hubs.

Welcomes statement on autumn opening of education settings, asks about measures to reassure students starting or restarting university courses this autumn.

Reassures students and colleagues about the importance of a proper university experience. Announces revised guidance for higher education institutions later that day.

Critiques early Government response to pandemic, questions scientific advice used as basis for reopening schools without social distancing in primary classes.

Defends the decision-making process based on regular updates from the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies. Reiterates commitment to ensuring all children return to school safely.

Welcomes statement and seeks financial support details for further education and sixth-form colleges, particularly important for coastal towns.

Outlines additional funding provided to the college sector over the past year. Promises continued close work with the sector on future support measures.

Welcomes colleague's new role and seeks guarantee for full reimbursement of schools providing free school meal vouchers through non-Edenred schemes.

Acknowledges the wide-ranging support system and ability to reimburse costs if local supermarkets are not included in the Edenred scheme.

Calls for clear guidance, highlights issue of children with EHC plans being accepted back into school. Proposes use of deferred university students as mentors for catch-up.

Acknowledges initial guidance allowed continued access to schools for those on EHC plans, offers a meeting with the Education Endowment Foundation to discuss tutoring programmes.

Asks for support for holiday schemes that involve play activities and physical exercise to help children socialise and adjust back into school life.

The hon. Lady raises a valuable point. We often talk about the learning loss, but there are other things that children have missed out on, such as socialisation, physical activity and sports that they would have so often enjoyed. We have invested £9 million in a holiday activity plan, which we rolled out across a large number of local authority areas. We have also been working closely with the National Citizen Service to repurpose a lot of the activity it does through its traditional schemes for local schools.

I thank the Secretary of State for his statement. It is certainly very welcome news that schools will be reopening, especially for those with special educational needs and disability, and the most disadvantaged pupils. The National Education Union threatened to name and shame headteachers who were working to reopen their schools previously. Will my right hon. Friend join me in condemning this attitude, and ask Labour Members if they will condemn it too?

As I am sure that my hon. Friend, who has a deep knowledge of the education sector, knows, this is the time for every person to come together and work together to ensure that every child is back. We have seen headteachers under incredibly great pressure from certain levels of activism. As we look forward to full opening in September, I hope that everyone comes together to work out how we can get every child—in every class and every year group—back in school.

I am glad that the Secretary of State has bothered to start engaging with frontline staff via their representatives in the unions. But Britain will face a huge economic downturn, and many parents may have lost their jobs or have reduced salaries. Will the Secretary of State follow the leadership of Brighton & Hove City Council, which has issued guidance on school uniforms and other costs so that no parent is forced into poverty and no child is excluded from school because they cannot afford the right equipment? Will the Secretary of State give guidance to all schools to ensure that those costs are capped?

The hon. Gentleman obviously has not noticed that we have already issued guidance about keeping uniform costs low, but I would be happy to share it with him so that he can take the time to read it.

Does my right hon. Friend agree that getting all children back to school in September is particularly important for the poorest children, and that if people try to obstruct that return, they are standing in the way of both social mobility and social justice for our most disadvantaged?

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. Those who stand in the way of children being able to return to school are standing in the way of the best interests of children from the most deprived backgrounds, who need the most help and support. That is why we will get every child back in the new term.

Clearly it is vital to get children back into school now that the infection rates of this virus are falling, but will the Secretary of State inform the House of what preparations the Department for Education is carrying out in case there is a second wave of the virus? We all obviously hope and pray that that does not happen, but how is the Department preparing should that happen in the autumn or winter?

The guidance that we have issued includes a heavy emphasis on continuity of education so that children would not suffer any form of disruption to learning patterns if we were in a position of having to put in place local lockdowns in different communities or areas that would mean schools were not able to remain open.

I have to announce a correction to the Division result. I have received a report from the Tellers in the Aye Lobby informing me that there was an error in the result announced to the House of the Division held yesterday on new clause 1 to the Finance Bill. The number of Members who voted Aye was 252, not 232 as reported. The discrepancy was a result of human error by the Tellers. It was not related to the pass reader recording system. There is no change to the outcome of the Division. I will direct the Clerk of the House to ensure that the Journal is corrected accordingly.