From education to employment

Restrictions on primary schools will now be introduced across all London boroughs

@BorisJohnson announced new national restrictions on 4th Jan which now include the closure of school and college buildings, except to the children of key workers and vulnerable children.

The new plans from the government will see primary school, secondary school and college buildings closed for the majority of pupils until mid February, while also confirming that not all exams will go ahead as planned in the summer.


@EducationGovUK Contingency framework implemented across all London boroughs 

The government has today (1 January) announced that the education contingency framework will be implemented across all London boroughs, following a further review of the transmission rates.

In light of Covid case rates rising rapidly across the capital and ongoing engagement with London leaders and the evidence submitted, the government has reviewed the London boroughs where the contingency framework will apply, with all further boroughs added.

The contingency framework is being implemented across London as a last resort to help supress the spread of the virus in the community, protect public health and save lives. The framework is not being implemented due to safety concerns in education. Schools have well established protective measures in place to maximise safety for pupils and staff and help reduce the risk of transmission.

Decisions on which areas are subject to the contingency framework are taken working closely with Public Health England, Department of Health and Social Care and the NHS. Due to the fast moving situation, and where local conditions are changing rapidly, the review of London boroughs was brought forward for a decision today as part of the contingency framework process.

From Monday 4 January, London primary schools will be required to provide remote learning to all children but vulnerable and critical worker children who will continue to attend school.

Early years will remain open in London, as will alternative provision and special schools.

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Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said:

“Childrenā€™s education and wellbeing remains a national priority. Moving further parts of London to remote education really is a last resort and a temporary solution.

“As infection rates rise across the country, and particularly in London, we must make this move to protect our country and the NHS.

“We will continue keep the list of local authorities under review, and reopen classrooms as soon as we possibly can.”

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Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock said:

ā€œOver the past week we have seen infections and hospitalisations rise sharply across London and hospitals are coming under increased pressure.

ā€œWhile our priority is to keep as many children as possible in school, we have to strike a balance between education and infection rates and pressures on the NHS.

ā€œThe situation in London continues to worsen and so today we are taking action to protect the public and reduce the spread of this disease in the community.

ā€œEveryone across London must take this situation incredibly seriously and act responsibly to minimise the spread of this deadly disease.ā€

Another last minute U-turn as Government announces all London primaries are to stay closed until 18 January at least 

mary bousted

Commenting on the latest decision by Government to close all London primary schools until 18 January at the earliest, Dr Mary Bousted, Joint General Secretary of the National Education Union, said: 

“It is welcome that, albeit in their usual last-minute fashion, ministers have corrected an obviously nonsensical position – one that it could not justify by evidence or sense. 

“But the question has to be asked: why are education ministers so inadequate and inept? Who is advising them? 

“And what is right for London is right for the rest of the country. With the highest level of Covid-19 infection, and hospitals buckling under the tsunami of very ill patients, it is time for ministers to do their duty – to protect the NHS by following SAGE advice and close all primary and secondary schools to reduce the R rate below 1. 

“It is time for the government to protect its citizens, and in particular its children, by shutting all primary schools for two weeks in order for the situation to be properly assessed, schools made much safer and children and their families protected.” 

Gavin Williamsonā€™s incompetence is creating huge stress for parents, pupils, and school staff, say Labour 

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Kate Green MP, Labour’s Shadow Education Secretary, said:

ā€œThis is yet another government u-turn creating chaos for parents just two days before the start of term. Gavin Williamsonā€™s incompetent handling of the return of schools and colleges is creating huge stress for parents, pupils, and school and college staff and damaging childrenā€™s education.

ā€œThe government failed to get mass testing for schools and colleges in place when Labour called for it and they have failed to develop credible plans for remote learning when pupils cannot be in school.

ā€œThis u-turn was needed to provide consistency in London. However, Gavin Williamson must still clarify why some schools in tier 4 are closing and what the criteria for reopening will be. School and college staff urgently need reassurance that the government is putting proper support in place to make all schools Covid secure work environments.ā€

Ministers must delay school reopening by a fortnight, says UNISON 

The government must delay the reopening of all schools in England by two weeks to minimise the spread of Covid-19, UNISON says.

The union is joining with other education unions in demanding that remote learning should be introduced for pupils of primary schools across the country, in line with the delay for secondary schools.

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UNISON head of education Jon Richards said:

ā€œThe Government must act decisively now by delaying the start of term for all schools by two weeks because of spiralling infection rates. Education should move online except for vulnerable children and those of key workers.

ā€œUNISON has been calling for this ā€˜circuit-breakā€™ since well before Christmas. Ministers have had weeks to get this right instead of leaving parents, staff and whole communities confused.

ā€œThe union is clear that members who work in schools have a right to a safe working environment. They shouldnā€˜t have to work where they face serious and imminent danger.

ā€œMinisters must also ensure any extension of the vaccine priority list covers all school staff and not just teachers.ā€

Reopening delay is sensible to make school mass testing work, Jon Richards said:

ā€œEveryone agrees itā€™s important for schools and colleges to open but it canā€™t be at any expense when infections are rising.

ā€œThis delay for secondary schools is a sensible decision, giving more time to organise mass testing effectively to limit the spread. Primary and early years reopening should also be delayed because social distancing isnā€™t really possible.

ā€œMinisters should also ensure any moves to extend the vaccine priority list must cover all school staff and not just teachers.ā€

Evidence shows the new strain of COVID-19 is increasing across the country

The majority of the cases identified in London, the South East and the East of England are of the new variant. Infection rates have increased faster than expected in these areas where the new strain has been circulating and stronger measures are required to get the virus under control.

To support high quality remote education during this period, the government expects to deliver over 50,000 laptops and tablets to schools across the country on Monday 4 January, and over 100,000 in total during the first week of term. Over 1 million devices will be provided in total.

The current plans for rapid testing in secondary schools and colleges remain in place, with two rapid tests available to all secondary and college students and staff at the start of term to identify asymptomatic cases.

The first starter packs of up to 1,000 test kits will arrive at all secondary schools and colleges on 04 January. The 1,500 military personnel committed to supporting secondary schools and colleges remain in place, providing virtual training advice and guidance on establishing the testing process with teams on standby to provide in-person support if required.

Daily testing of all staff and students that have been a close contact of a confirmed case, reducing the need for self-isolation, will continue to be available to all secondary schools and colleges from the first week of term, along with weekly rapid tests for all staff in secondary schools, colleges, special schools and alternative provision.

All pupils, students and staff are encouraged to consent to testing, as are parents of pupils under 16. Testing for primary school staff will follow in the second half of January.

The rollout of laptops and tablets to schools on this scale follows close collaboration between the government and its partner organisations, which has seen over 560,000 devices delivered to schools and councils since the start of the pandemic. With the further rollout this term, over one million will be provided in total ā€“ making the programme one of the largest of its kind in the world.

Areas with primary schools subject to the contingency framework from the start of term are:

Additional London boroughs added: Camden, City of London, Greenwich, Hackney, Haringey, Harrow, Islington, Kingston upon Thames, Lambeth, Lewisham

Original London: Barking and Dagenham, Barnet, Bexley, Brent, Bromley, Croydon, Ealing, Enfield, Hammersmith and Fulham, Havering, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Kensington and Chelsea, Merton, Newham, Redbridge, Richmond-Upon-Thames Southwark, Sutton, Tower Hamlets, Waltham Forest, Wandsworth, Westminster

Making sure that pupils can work from home 

To support the hard work of schools in delivering remote education, the department has made Ā£4.84 million available for Oak National Academy to provide video lessons in a broad range of subjects for Reception up to Year 11.

Oak National Academy was created in April 2020 as a national response to the pandemic, with teachers and education experts creating online lessons. In its first term pupils took part in over 20 million lessons. It is staying open for all of 2020/21 to support contingency planning, remote and in-school teaching.

Since September pupils have taken part in a further 9 million lessons, with numbers rapidly increasing week on week as classes isolated due to increasing infection rates. The online classroom and resource hub created by teachers, for teachers, provides nearly 10,000 high-quality video lessons and resources, with content across primary, secondary and specialist schools.

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Matt Hood, Principal of Oak National Academy said:

ā€œWith cases of coronavirus surging, it is clear our schools continue to face significant challenges.

ā€œThe best place for pupils is to be in the classroom with their teacher. But this can only happen when it is safe for everyone. We must therefore ramp up support for pupils and teachers so education can continue remotely until school-based testing is fully rolled out. This means getting devices and, crucially, free data to every pupil.

ā€œSince the start of the pandemic, Oak National Academy has delivered 30 million online lessons to children impacted by coronavirus. We expect this to grow significantly in the coming weeks, and we stand ready to support teachers as they again keep their classes learning in the most difficult circumstances.ā€

This provides support to schools in developing the ability to switch from classroom teaching to remote provision immediately in case of local restrictions or self-isolation. Specialist content for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) is also available. Oak will remain a free optional resource for 2020-21.

To support high quality remote education during this period, the government expects to deliver over 50,000 laptops and tablets to schools across the country on Monday 4 January, and over 100,000 in total during the first week of term, the programme will continue to deliver devices to schools and colleges throughout this term. DfE provided over 560,000 laptops and tablets to schools and local authorities in 2020, so schools are well-prepared to deliver remote education.

Over one million devices have been purchased for disadvantaged young people through this pandemic, supporting schools, colleges and students to ensure remote education is as strong as it can be. Government has now invested Ā£300 million to support remote education and social care, including providing devices and internet access to pupils who need it most.

Staggered return for secondary schools and colleges pushed back a week – 11th Jan 2021 for exam years and 18th Jan for everyone else 

In a statement to the House of Commons last week (30 Dec) , the Secretary of State for Education, Gavin Williamson, set out the government’s revised plans for the return of schools in England in January 2021:

  • Restrictions on schools and colleges introduced in areas with very high rates of incidence or transmission of coronavirus.
  • Staggered return for secondary schools and colleges across the country pushed back a week.
  • All secondary and college students and teachers to be tested and support provided for remote education.

Secondary schools and colleges will continue with a staggered return but with one weekā€™s delay, providing face-to-face education for exam year groups from 11 January and the return of all students on 18 January.

Vocational exams scheduled for the first weeks of January will go ahead as planned.

The news follows the recent decision by the devolved administration in Wales to move all academic learning online, due to fears of COVID-19 infections.

The vast majority of Primary schools will still be opening as planned on the 4th Jan 2021.

Universities are being encouraged to minimise the number of returning students who will need to undertake two Covid Tests at the beginning of term. 

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Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said:

ā€œIn the face of a rapidly changing situation, I am determined to act to preserve lives and the NHS, as we continue to protect education and put children first.

ā€œWe are making changes to the start of term to give more time for the rollout of our first-of-its-kind rapid testing programme to identify students who have the virus but donā€™t display any symptoms. On top of the existing protective measures in place, this will help keep education settings as safe as possible for all students.

“The fact that we have kept education running so successfully throughout the entire pandemic is due to the incredible dedication of all our teachers, leaders and support staff and I want to thank them once more for everything they continue to do to keep children learning as safely as possible.ā€

A Department for Education spokesperson said:

ā€œIn response to concerning data about the spread of coronavirus, we have implemented the contingency framework for education in a small number of areas of the country, requiring schools to provide remote learning to all but vulnerable and critical worker children and exam years.

ā€œDecisions on which areas will be subject to the contingency framework are based on close work with PHE, the NHS, the Joint Biosecurity Centre and across government to monitor the number of new infections, positivity rates, and pressures on the NHS.

ā€œThese measures will be reviewed every two weeks, and we hope they will be in place for the shortest period possible.ā€

Gavin Williamson must return to Parliament this evening to apologise to parents and outline proper plan for schoolsĀ 

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Kate Green MP, Labour’s Shadow Education Secretary, commenting on the confusion around primary schools closures, said:

“Gavin Williamson told parents that the ‘overwhelming majority’ of primary schools would open on 4 January. An hour later, he snuck out the news that hundreds of thousands of children will see their schools closed indefinitely.

 “He must return to Parliament this evening to correct the record, be honest about the numbers, apologise to parents, and outline his plans to keep pupils learning and support parents.

“Parents face yet another eleventh hour U-turn because of this government’s failure to deliver on testing, and failure to control the virus. Only a government that is completely out of touch with the needs of working families would treat them with such disregard.”

LGA responds to Government announcement on testing in schools 

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Cllr Judith Blake, Chair of the Local Government Associationā€™s Children and Young People Board, said:

ā€œKeeping schools open for the wellbeing and education of children and young people is hugely important, for those childrenā€™s life chances and for working parents, and councils have been working hard with schools throughout the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure they can remain open as safely as possible.

ā€œTesting students on their return to school, alongside existing virus control measures and working with local test and trace teams, can help to keep our schools open.

ā€œHowever, we have continuing concerns about the operational logistics of testing in secondary schools and the challenges posed by this timetable. Ensuring there is a suitable number of staff and volunteers, identifying the number of stations needed and finding a safe space for students to wait for their results are all significant challenges. It is vital that the tests, PPE and other support being promised by the Government is delivered on time and in the quantities needed.

ā€œWhile we support the premise of testing before term restarts, it is crucial that all secondary schools are properly supported and able to effectively administer these tests without significant disruption to the childrenā€™s learning.

ā€œIt is also important that schools are properly linked with local test and trace teams so that cases in schools can be effectively traced in the local community.ā€

UCU says government use of lateral flow tests for return to in-person teaching ā€˜doomed to failā€™ 

Responding to Gavin Williamson’s statement to the House of Commons on plans for teaching at colleges and universities next term, the University and College Union (UCU) said that after the recent drastic increase in positive cases and hospital admissions, all non-essential in-person teaching must move online at universities and colleges until Easter to help contain the pandemic.  

The union said plans to use lateral flow tests in colleges and universities would not work. It said that university students who do not need to return to their student accommodation must be urged to stay off campus to help contain the virus, and be released from accommodation contracts. It also said ministers must ensure that all students have the ability to learn remotely, so no one is left behind whilst being taught online. 

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UCU general secretary Jo Grady said:

ā€˜We now seem to be hurtling towards a national disaster, with the NHS about to be overwhelmed, but the government is wedded to using lateral flow tests to get students back onto campuses. 

ā€˜Keeping learning online until Easter would help lower rates of transmission and ensure a consistent learning experience, but the government continues to be fixated on forcing students and staff into lecture theatres and classrooms.  

ā€˜The lateral flow tests, which the government is relying on for a return to in-person teaching in colleges and universities miss an alarming number of people with Covid. Plans to use them to return to in-person teaching seem doomed to fail. One or two tests at the start of term will not be enough, and a regime of continuous testing in every university presents far too many logistical challenges.  

ā€˜As it stands, the window for the ā€˜staggered returnā€™ of university students is shorter than the window in which they moved to university in September ā€“ and that mass movement led to more than 50,000 cases. We will have another term of students being forced in and out of isolation and staff being put at risk while their teaching plans are constantly disrupted.  

ā€˜These half measures will not bring the virus under control. Given the escalating rate of Covid cases, the government needs to halt all non-essential in-person teaching at colleges and universities until Easter. It needs to urge all university students who do not need to return to student accommodation to stay where they are, and release them from their accommodation contracts. Ministers must also ensure all students have the resources they need to learn remotely so that no one is left behind.ā€™ 

Universities UK response to the governmentā€™s latest January return plans for university students 

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Responding to the Secretary of State for Education Gavin Williamsonā€™s latest announcement on the return of students to universities in January 2021, Alistair Jarvis, Chief Executive of Universities UK, said:

ā€œWe fully appreciate the public health situation has changed quite dramatically in a very short period of time, and it is therefore right that government and universities should look again at plans for the start of the spring term.

ā€œFor universities, the safety and wellbeing of students and staff is the priority and the sector will implement the new restrictions for England announced by the UK government with fewer students returning for face-to-face teaching, practicals and placements in early January. Our immediate focus will be communicating with students with as much information as we can, as soon as we can, and reassuring them that universities will be there to support them and provide high-quality online teaching and learning until they can return to campus. Since the start of the pandemic, UK universities have proved to be extremely agile in reacting to the latest government and public health advice, while doing all they can to keep research going and students progressing ā€“ and the sector will once again manage these latest changes.

ā€œTodayā€™s announcement will understandably raise further issues and uncertainty ā€“ for students, universities and staff ā€“ which will need to be addressed by government over the coming weeks, including the need for financial support, regulatory flexibility and assessment changes.ā€

NEU responds to the Governmentā€™s announcement on the return to school in January 

mary bousted

Dr Mary Bousted, Joint General Secretary of the National Education Union said: 

ā€œWe are astonished at todayā€™s announcement by Gavin Williamson.  

“With warnings from eminent scientists of an ā€˜imminent catastropheā€™ unless the whole of the UK is locked down, and with more cases in hospitals than ever before and our NHS facing an enormous crisis  the Secretary of State is sending the majority of primary pupils and staff back on Monday to working environments which arenā€™t COVID secure. 

“The Government has not, despite being repeatedly asked, published the scientific guidance on the risks involved in school and college reopening. This information is desperately needed – particularly as the new variants of the virus are 50% more transmissible. 

“The Government in Scotland will not reopen schools till 18 January at the earliest. The Government in Westminster should have done that at least. 

“A longer period of online working for all primary, secondary and college students could suppress virus levels and buy time both for the roll out of the vaccine and to put in place measures that can keep schools safer. 

“Uniquely school and college staff are being required to work in overcrowded buildings, with no effective social distancing, no PPE and inadequate ventilation.   

“We would like Gavin Williamson to explain, if schools are not centres of transmission why school age pupils are now the most infected age groups? 

“Why is it that Primary age children are the second highest infected of all age groups, or that levels of infection amongst Secondary pupils have multiplied by 75 times since the start of September? 

“Serious questions also have to be asked about the Governmentā€™s plans for lateral flow testing in secondary schools, in particular about the effectiveness of these tests in identifying COVID infection in young people who are highly likely to be asymptomatic, with the tests being supervised by non medically trained volunteers.  We do not think it likely that these tests alone can make our schools Covid secure nor protect the communities they serve. 

“We believe the Governments steps will fail, that cases will continue to rise and that the question of school opening will have to be re-visited but in a worse situation than now. We again call on the Government to engage with us and with the suggestions we have made. 

“We do not believe, as they are currently organised that schools are safe enough places for education staff to work. We demand the following: 

  • A review of all risk assessments in the light of the much higher transmission of the new variant. 
  • Social distancing of 1 metre between pupils in all schools and colleges to replace the current practice of cohort distancing which allows whole year groups to mix without any social distancing. 
  • Masks to be worn by pupils and staff in secondary school classrooms and colleges 
  • School staff to be made a top priority for vaccination – along with health care staff and starting with the most vulnerable. 
  • Until vaccinated, Clinically Extremely Vulnerable staff and other high risk groups to work from home, supporting children who are at home. 

“We reiterate that even with these steps we are concerned that cases will continue to rise making the spread of the virus in our communities more dangerous. We repeat our call on the Government to release its scientific advice and modellingā€.

School leaders call for government to explain the rationale behind its decision on which schools are to remain open in January 

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Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders’ union NAHT, said:

ā€œThe government has not shared the rationale behind its decision to close some schools and not others, or explained why primaries and special schools are being treated differently to secondaries.

“There is obviously a huge amount of concern over how it can be safe for schools in some tier 4 areas to open while schools in other tier 4 areas are being told to move to remote learning. In some instances this means different approaches for schools only a few roads away from each other.

“For many schools, the governmentā€™s current guidance amounts to little more than ā€˜keep calm and carry onā€™ which is just not good enough when local infection rates and hospital admissions are soaring. We need to see much more transparency and honesty from the government. We will be formally asking government how it arrived at its decision over which areas should close schools, and how it justifies that.ā€

Paul continued:

ā€œThis is another last-minute mess which could so easily have been avoided if the government had listened to school leaders before the holidays. Instead, back then, schools that wanted to shift to remote learning were threatened with legal action. Now we have a situation where the government is instructing schools to reduce the amount of teaching time available.

ā€œIf weā€™d had the freedom to take action before the holidays, we might have been in a position to have more schools open for more pupils. School leaders will be baffled, frustrated and justifiably angry tonight.

ā€œAll along, we have called for mass testing in schools. However the resources are not there yet. Neither is there any detail to support the rationale for closing some schools and not others and why primaries and special schools are being treated differently to secondaries.

ā€œThe delays announced by the secretary of state do at least show that the government now agrees with us that more time is needed to deliver mass testing. However, it is a mystery why this has taken so long. Once again the government has dallied and weā€™ve ended up with a worse picture than we would have done.

ā€œIt is not clear that the government knows how many staff and volunteers will be needed to deliver mass testing safely and effectively.

ā€œWhat we have here is the education system supporting the public health response to Covid, when what we need is support from the health system to preserve the quality of education for young people. Teaching is the only profession that is being asked to do two things ā€“ preserve education for children AND play a part in the mass testing programme.

ā€œIf mass testing is a priority, then the government needs to put much more clout into it ā€“ and school staff need to be put on the priority list for testing.

ā€œConfusion continues in the governmentā€™s response to coronavirus. Today, the government appears to be following neither the science nor what education professionals have said is necessary to preserve the quality of education for young people. The government cannot expect to command public confidence with such a consuming and last-minute set of plans.ā€

Education Policy Institute comments on the government’s plan for the return of schools 

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Commenting on the new plans for the return of schools, David Laws, Executive Chairman of the Education Policy Institute (EPI) said:   

“It is of course very concerning that students across England are going to lose more learning time this term. But this is not surprising given the current prevalence of the virus, and the health advice which Ministers appear to be receiving.

“What the government has announced today is a relatively short schools lockdown, and it is to be hoped that Ministers’ judgement on this proves to be sound, and not based on wishful thinking. A more prolonged lockdown might oblige the government to rethink its plans for public examinations this year.

“In the immediate term, the government needs to issue advice urgently to those primary schools in Tier 4 areas that will not return straightaway. Likewise, schools will immediately need guidance and support on the provision of online learning in the first two weeks of January. We cannot repeat the mistakes of earlier this year.

“It is now clear that the disruption to children’s learning has proved much more long lived than might have been hoped when this school year started in September, and the government needs to produce a new plan to help support schools to deliver catch up support. An additional financial package is needed, targeting the most vulnerable children, and covering the next school year as well as this one.

“Finally, while the health situation is clearly fast evolving, it really isn’t acceptable or necessary for the government to be giving schools crucial information of this kind with just one working day’s notice. This in unfair to schools, pupils and parents. The government must do more to improve its speed of decision making and planning.”

Plans for the phased physical return of students to schools and universities 

The announcement by Gavin Williamson means that the January examination window is now in real doubt, and that teacher-led grading could, once again, determine the results of millions of students in UK schools and universities.

Commenting on the situation in England regarding examinations, academic, innovator and Axiologs education services CEO, Professor Keith Straughan, said:

ā€œThe decision to phase the physical return of students to schools and universities in England is not a surprise, given the recent surge in COVID-19 infections and the growing adoption of online learning as an alternative to in-person attendance. Student and staff safety should always be the priority when we look at how we deliver education provision during this difficult time.

“The Department for Education (DfE) is right to encourage schools and universities to embrace online learning platforms, and should also now look at the option of online assessment for students, as an alternative to traditional in-person examinations.

“With major digital assessment platforms, such as Tenjin, already being rolled-out in universities, itā€™s time that the Government and the UKā€™s devolved administrations threw their weight behind hosting examinations in a safe and secure way, so that students and teachers have a sense of stability and certainty in 2021.ā€

School contingency plans to be implemented as cases rise across the country   

The government has responded to rapidly rising case rates due to the new, more transmissible variant of coronavirus by triggering the education contingency framework and pushing back the staggered return for secondary schools and colleges by one week.

Covid case rates are rapidly rising across the country and from tomorrow 78 per cent of the population will be in Tier 4. Between 18 and 24 December theā€Æweekly case rateā€Æin England roseā€Ætoā€Æ402.6 per 100,000, a 32 per cent increase on the previous week.

In response to this concerning data, and to supress the spread of the virus, protect public health and save lives, the contingency framework for education, first published in November, will be implemented in areas of the country with very high rates of incidence or transmission of the virus.

Where the contingency framework is implemented, secondary schools and further education colleges should only allow vulnerable children, children of critical workers, and exam students to attend. High-quality remote education should be provided for all other pupils.

The framework includes the option to move primary schools to remote education should rates of incidence or transmission of the virus in a local area require it. Evidence suggests that transmission is limited between young children, and the decision to close primary schools will be based on higher thresholds than for secondary schools and colleges and will only be taken as a last resort. Early years will remain open nationally, as will alternative provision and special schools.

Escalation of areas into the contingency framework for education will be decided through the existing Local Action Committee and COVID Operations Committee structure, and will be communicated alongside Tier decisions. This process will be led by the Health Secretary and Education Secretary.

In areas not subject to the contingency framework, early years, primary schools, alternative provision and special schools will all return to face-to-face education from the start of term as planned, with individual special schools having some flexibility.

Evidence shows the new strain of COVID-19 is increasing in the South West, Midlands and parts of the North West. The majority of the cases identified in London, the South East and the East of England are of the new variant. Infection rates have increased faster than expected in these areas where the new strain has been circulating and stronger measures are required to get the virus under control. 

During the first week of spring term, beginning on or just after 04 January, secondary schools and colleges will focus on the rollout of rapid testing to help find asymptomatic cases. The provision of testing builds on the extensive protective measures already in place in schools and colleges to make them as safe as possible.

All university students should be offered two rapid tests when they return 

For universities, the courses where students are eligible to return in early January have been further restricted, prioritising medical and other courses where face to face teaching is necessary, to reduce the number of students travelling over this period. The wider return of students currently planned for the two-week period beginning 25 January will be kept under review.

The current plans for rapid testing in secondary schools and colleges remain in place, with two rapid tests available to all secondary and college students and staff at the start of term to identify asymptomatic cases.

The first starter packs of up to 1,000 test kits will arrive at all secondary schools and colleges on 04 January. The 1,500 military personnel committed to supporting secondary schools and colleges remain in place, providing virtual training advice and guidance on establishing the testing process with teams on standby to provide in-person support if required.

Daily testing of all staff and students that have been a close contact of a confirmed case, reducing the need for self-isolation, will continue to be available to all secondary schools and colleges from the first week of term, along with weekly rapid tests for all staff in secondary schools, colleges, special schools and alternative provision.

All students and staff are encouraged to consent to testing. Testing for primary school staff will follow in the second half of January.

The rollout of laptops and tablets to schools on this scale follows close collaboration between the government and its partner organisations, which has seen over 560,000 devices delivered to schools and councils since the start of the pandemic. With the further rollout this term, over one million will be provided in total ā€“ making the programme one of the largest of its kind in the world.

Areas with secondary schools and colleges subject to the contingency framework will be published at the next review point, before the return of all students to face-to-face education in the third week of term

1,500 Armed Forces personnel to support the testing of secondary school and college students in England

Military personnel will provide planning and training support to secondary schools and colleges with testing at the start of the spring term.

The personnel are on standby to support secondary schools and colleges across England to roll out COVID-19 testing to students and staff as the new term begins in January.

Every secondary school and college in England is being offered testing, with Ā£78 million funding for schools and colleges to support this offer.

As well as additional funding, the government will provide schools and colleges with the kit they need and have introduced a staggered return at the start of term.

The Armed Forces deployment across England builds on successful school testing pilots conducted in November and December. Personnel supported thousands of tests being carried out at pilot schools, demonstrating the value of lateral flow devices rapidly testing students in a school environment.

1,500 Armed Forces personnel are being made available to support the Department for Education and Department for Health and Social Care to ensure that students and staff can return as safely as possible to secondary schools and colleges across England. 

The majority of personnel will form local response teams, providing support and phone advice to institutions needing guidance on the testing process and set-up of the testing facilities.

This will be done predominantly through webinars and individual meetings, but teams will also be on standby to deploy at short notice to provide in-person support to resolve any issues in the situations where testing would otherwise not be able to go ahead. Schools and colleges will shortly be provided with further information on how to request additional support if needed.

A small team of planners is embedded in the Department for Health and Social care who are supporting the Department for Education to help coordinate the support. The majority of personnel will be on task from this week as they start to conduct training.

Students will be expected to swab themselves in the vast majority of cases, under the supervision of a school staff member or volunteer who has been trained for the role. Teachers are not expected to take a role in the testing process.

This support is being provided through the Military Aid to Civil Authorities (MACA) process. There are currently around 2914 personnel committed to 55 tasks to support other government departments and civil authorities with the response to coronavirus. This includes support with community testing across the UK, the provision of ambulance drivers in Wales and testing support for hauliers in Kent.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said:

ā€œThe UK Armed Forces are stepping up once again this holiday. This week I have authorised over a thousand Armed Forces personnel to assist schools returning after the Christmas break.

ā€œTheyā€™ll share considerable experience of testing across the country and the successful school pilots conducted this autumn.

ā€œWe are grateful for the professionalism and commitment they and our colleagues in teaching are showing to get students back into the classroom and on with their education.ā€  

Gavin Williamson 100x100

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said:

ā€œIt is a true cross-government effort to make sure secondary schools and colleges have the support, guidance, materials and funding they need to offer rapid testing to their staff and students from the start of term.

ā€œI am grateful to the armed forces personnel, and all the school and college staff, leaders and volunteers working to put testing in place. This will help break chains of transmission, fight the virus, and help deliver the national priority of keeping education open for all.ā€


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