Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

National Education Union Recovery Plan

Monday 1 March 2021 · 2 questions

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

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Ministerial priority is to ensure no child is left behind due to pandemic setbacks.
  • Government is providing 700 million to support children and young people who need help catching up.
  • Government follows scientific advice to keep covid out of classrooms and minimise transmission risk.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Ian Lavery Lab Blyth and Ashington
Education
Context

The National Education Union has proposed a recovery plan to address the educational impact of the pandemic. The question arises in light of previous government commitments to support children who have fallen behind due to school closures.

Question

If he will implement the National Education Union's education recovery plan, given that the NEU has put forward recommendations for addressing the educational setbacks caused by the pandemic and supporting students who need additional help to catch up on lost learning.

Answer from Nick Gibb

Our priority is ensuring that no child is left behind as a result of the pandemic, and that is why we have prioritised the return of children to school and why we are providing a package of £700 million to support children and young people who need it most to catch up on lost education, on top of the £1 billion package launched last June. We are committed to continuing to work with school leaders and unions, including the NEU, to develop our longer-term plans.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific National Education Union's recovery plan was not directly addressed or implemented.

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Q2 Ian Lavery Lab Blyth and Ashington
NHS Education Science & Technology
Context

There has been criticism that the Government's response to the pandemic in relation to schools was inconsistent with scientific advice, leading to concerns about reopening schools too early without sufficient protective measures.

Question

There has been a worrying pattern during this pandemic where, time and again, the Government have ignored the science, closing schools too late and opening them too early. Many scientists are warning that the Government's measures for schools are not strong enough on their own to protect pupils and staff against the risks of airborne transmission. The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies recommended a phased return to schools, and Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have listened. With this Government forging ahead regardless, so much more must be done to tackle the critical issues of PPE, adequate ventilation in classrooms, special educational needs and disability, and vaccination.

Answer from Nick Gibb

Every step of the way we follow the science. We are focused on ensuring that we do everything we can to keep covid out of the classroom and minimise the risk of transmission. That is why schools are going to enormous lengths to increase hygiene levels and ensure that pupils wash their hands frequently throughout the day, and why there are bubbles so that pupils do not mix unnecessarily. There is increased ventilation. There are one-way systems, staggered lunch and break times, face masks in secondary schools, and we are testing all staff and secondary school pupils twice a week.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific issues of PPE, adequate ventilation, special educational needs and disability, and vaccination were not directly addressed.

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