Commons Sense

House of Commons · General Debate

Schools and Educational Settings (Essential Infrastructure and Opening During Emergencies)

03 November 2021 · 1 other contributor

Opened by Robert Halfon Con Benfleet and Brantridge

Education

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Robert Halfon raised concerns about schools and educational settings (essential infrastructure and opening during emergencies) in the House of Commons. Other MPs contributed to the debate.

Key points

  • Mr Halfon argues that school closures during the pandemic have severely impacted children's education, mental health, and life chances, particularly for those from disadvantaged backgrounds.
  • He proposes a Bill to classify educational settings as essential infrastructure to ensure they remain open during national emergencies.
  • The Bill includes provisions for seeking advice from the Children's Commissioner before closing educational settings.

How the debate unfolded

MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said.

Opened the debate

Robert Halfon Con Benfleet and Brantridge

Mr. Halfon argues that school closures during the pandemic have severely impacted children's education, mental health, and life chances, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds. He proposes a Bill to classify educational settings as essential infrastructure, ensuring they remain open during national emergencies with protections such as seeking advice from the Children’s Commissioner before closure decisions are made, parliamentary debates on closures, and periodic reviews of closures.

Other contributors (1)
  • Robert Halfon Con Benfleet and Brantridge

    He emphasises that school closures have widened the attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers, led to a significant loss in learning time, and caused a mental health crisis among children. He also highlights that British schools were closed for more than double the time compared to other European countries during the pandemic.

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