MPs to debate petitions relating to the impact of Covid-19 on schools and exams

#CovidSchoolsDebate – On Monday 7 December, MPs will debate e-petitions 326066, 550846, 316404 and 549015, relating to the impact of Covid-19 on schools and exams. Jonathan Gullis MP (Stoke-on-Trent North), member of the Petitions Committee, will lead the debate. The Department for Education will send a Minister to respond.

Reclose schools and colleges due to increase in COVID-19 cases

The petition, which has more than 415,000 signatures, states: “Close down schools and colleges due to the increase in COVID-19 cases. We are seeing cases of students and teachers catching the virus since schools have reopened.”

In response to the petition, the Government said: “Government’s priority is that all pupils remain in school and college full-time. For the vast majority of young people, the benefits of being in the classroom far outweigh the low risk from COVID-19.”

Cancel GCSEs and A Levels in 2021

The petition, which has more than 168,000 signatures, states: “The Government should cancel GCSEs and A Levels in 2021 due to the disruption of Covid-19. By the time students go back to normal learning, six months will have passed since schools were closed to most pupils. This has already had a huge impact on the studying of so many.”

In response to the petition, the Government said: “The Government is committed to GCSE, AS and A level exams taking place next year. We continue to believe that exams are the best and fairest way of judging students’ performance.”

Implement a two week school lockdown before 24 December to save Christmas

The petition, which has more than 118,000 signatures, states: “Schools should move to online learning from 9 December so that all students and school staff have a chance to isolate for two weeks and then can safely meet older relatives.”

In response to the petition, the Government said: “As set out in the Government’s COVID-19 Winter Plan, schools should not close early or change their Christmas holidays. It remains a national priority to avoid further disruption to education.”

Keep schools closed until Covid 19 is no longer a threat

The petition, which has more than 70,000 signatures, states: “The threat of covid19 is real. Children can’t be expected to maintain sufficient social distancing to keep this virus from spreading. They are social creatures. Allowing them back to school could cause a new spike in cases. They could bring it back home, even if they are a-symptomatic.”

In response to the petition, the Government said: “Government’s priority is that all pupils remain in school full-time. For the vast majority of young people, the benefits of being back in school far outweigh the low risk from coronavirus (COVID-19).”

The debate will last 90 minutes, and will provide opportunities for MPs to question Government Ministers directly on these issues. The debate will take place in Westminster Hall from 18:00, and will be available to view on Parliament TV.

Petition details

• Cancel GCSEs and A Levels in 2021 – view on petition signature map.
• Reclose schools and colleges due to increase in COVID-19 cases – view on petition signature map.
• Keep schools closed until Covid 19 is no longer a threat – view on petition signature map.
• Implement a two week school lockdown before 24 December to save Christmas – view on petition signature map.
• Any Library Briefing Papers for this debate will be available here.

Where in the country were these petitions signed?

The top 10 parliamentary constituencies that supported the petition ‘Reclose schools and colleges due to increase in COVID-19 cases’ are as follows (as at 1 December 2020):

Constituency	MP	Signature Count
Bradford West	Naz Shah MP	2660
Ilford South	Sam Tarry MP	2596
East Ham	Rt Hon Stephen Timms MP	2547
Poplar and Limehouse	Apsana Begum MP	2498
Birmingham, Hodge Hill	Rt Hon Liam Byrne MP	2447
Bethnal Green and Bow	Rushanara Ali MP	2176
Bradford East	Imran Hussain MP	2160
West Ham	Ms Lyn Brown MP	2138
Blackburn	Kate Hollern MP	2035
Slough	Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi MP	2000

The top 10 parliamentary constituencies that supported the petition ‘Cancel GCSEs and A Levels in 2021’ are as follows (as at 1 December 2020):

Constituency	MP	Signature Count
Tynemouth	Rt Hon Sir Alan Campbell MP	766
Makerfield	Yvonne Fovargue MP	717
Chorley	Rt Hon Sir Lindsay Hoyle MP	703
Ribble Valley	Mr Nigel Evans MP	700
Halton	Derek Twigg MP	688
Blyth Valley	Ian Levy MP	677
South Ribble	Katherine Fletcher MP	662
North Tyneside	Mary Glindon MP	660
South Antrim	Paul Girvan MP	628
North Antrim	Ian Paisley MP	625

The top 10 parliamentary constituencies that supported the petition ‘Implement a two week school lockdown before 24 December to save Christmas’ are as follows (as at 1 December 2020):

Constituency	MP	Signature Count
Sittingbourne and Sheppey	Gordon Henderson MP	1441
Rochester and Strood	Kelly Tolhurst MP	878
North Thanet	Rt Hon Sir Roger Gale MP	839
Gillingham and Rainham	Rehman Chishti MP	826
Chatham and Aylesford	Tracey Crouch MP	795
South Thanet	Craig Mackinlay MP	746
Bristol South	Karin Smyth MP	647
Gravesham	Adam Holloway MP	627
Reading West	Rt Hon Alok Sharma MP	617
Maidstone and The Weald	Mrs Helen Grant MP	549

The top 10 parliamentary constituencies that supported the petition ‘Keep schools closed until Covid 19 is no longer a threat’ are as follows (as at 1 December 2020):

Constituency	MP	Signature Count
Ilford South	Sam Tarry MP	647
Feltham and Heston	Seema Malhotra MP	567
Bradford West	Naz Shah MP	540
Poplar and Limehouse	Apsana Begum MP	487
Ealing, Southall	Mr Virendra Sharma MP	470
Birmingham, Hodge Hill	Rt Hon Liam Byrne MP	468
Hayes and Harlington	Rt Hon John McDonnell MP	468
East Ham	Rt Hon Stephen Timms MP	438
Newry and Armagh	Mickey Brady MP	425
Bassetlaw	Brendan Clarke-Smith MP	402

Read the Education Committee’s report on Covid-19: the cancellation of exams and ‘calculated’ grades here.