PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Schools: Coronavirus (15 December 2020)

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the evidential basis is for keeping schools open a week before they break up for the Christmas period; and what the basis is for potential Government legal action against schools that wish to resume remote learning for the final week of term.

Asked by:
Taiwo Owatemi (Labour)

Returning to school full time has been vital for children’s education and for their wellbeing. The leaders and staff of schools have been doing an extraordinary job to remain open, keep schools safe and provide education. Schools have implemented a range of protective measures to minimise risk of transmission. The risk to children themselves of becoming severely ill from COVID-19 is low and there are negative health impacts of being out of school. Senior clinicians, including the Chief Medical Officers of all four nations, still advise that school is the very best place for children to be.

Our approach, including advising schools to consider making Friday 18 December a non-teaching day, has been informed by advice from Public Health England and seeks to balance the asks on schools to help in the national effort to limit the spread of COVID-19 with the important need for staff need to rest and recharge over the Christmas break.

Under Schedule 17 of the Coronavirus Act 2020 the Secretary of State may make a direction to require schools to enable all pupils to attend full time. If a school fails to comply with a direction the Act enables the Secretary of State to seek an injunction from the court in order to enforce the direction.

Answered by:
Nick Gibb (Conservative)
22 December 2020