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1472263

	registered interest
	date	21/06/2022
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Pupils: Attendance
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Schools Bill on how Special Educational Needs will be taken into account when monitoring school attendance.
	tabling member constituency	York Outer
	tabling member printed	Julian Sturdy
	uin	22418
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/06/2022 answer text <p>Regular attendance at school is vital for children’s education, wellbeing, and long-term development. School attendance is mandatory, and parents have a duty, under Section 7 of the Education Act 1996 to ensure that their child of compulsory age (5-16) receives an efficient full-time education either by attendance at school or otherwise.</p><p>The department appreciates that barriers to attendance are wide and complex, particularly for pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). Addressing these requires strong relationships and close working between families, schools, local authorities, and other relevant local services. This is the intention of the attendance clauses in the Schools Bill.</p><p> </p><p>The Bill will put the department’s new attendance guidance ‘Working together to improve school attendance’ onto a statutory footing. This will ensure greater consistency in the attendance support offered to pupils and families, regardless of where in the country they live, and emphasises the importance of providing attendance support in an earlier and more targeted way to respond to pupils’ individual needs.</p><p> </p><p>The new guidance makes it clear that schools should develop and maintain a whole school culture that promotes the benefits of attendance, whilst recognising the interplay between attendance and wider school improvement efforts, such as strategies on mental health, wellbeing, and SEND. Schools will be expected to have sensitive conversations with pupils about their needs and work with families to develop specific support approaches for pupils with SEND. This includes establishing strategies for removing in-school barriers to attendance, ensuring attendance data of this group of pupils is regularly monitored to spot patterns and provide support earlier, including ensuring joined-up pastoral care is in place and referring pupils to support from other services and partners where necessary.</p><p> </p><p>These expectations, alongside the expectations placed on academy trust boards, governing bodies, and local authorities to work in conjunction with school staff to provide joined-up support for all pupils and families, will ensure that pupils with SEND are supported to attend school regularly.</p><p> </p><p>Alongside the new expectations in the Schools Bill, the department is currently consulting on proposed changes we want to make to the SEND and alternative provision (AP) system in England.</p><p> </p><p>The Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Alternative Provision (AP) Green Paper, which is open for public consultation until 22 July 2022, sets out the department’s proposals for a system that offers children and young people the opportunity to thrive, with access to the right support, in the right place, and at the right time.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker question first answered 29/06/2022 10:58:42 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
	tabling member	4079 label Biography information for Julian Sturdy

707725

	registered interest
	date	03/03/2017
	answering body	Department for Exiting the European Union
	answering dept id	203
	answering dept short name	Exiting the European Union
	answering dept sort name	Exiting the European Union
	hansard heading	Universities
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what steps his Department has taken to engage with UK universities in relation to the negotiations on the UK leaving the EU.
	tabling member constituency	York Outer
	tabling member printed	Julian Sturdy
	uin	66504
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/03/2017 answer text <p>The Department for Exiting the EU has engaged with a range of higher education institutions and groups through visits, meetings and forums. Over the coming weeks and months the department will continue to engage with key stakeholders in business and civil society, including universities, through roundtables, bi-laterals and visits across the UK.</p><p>We have been clear that we want to create an environment in which the UK as a whole can continue to be a world leader in research, science and the tertiary education sector more broadly. The government has announced that UK researchers can still apply for Horizon 2020 projects and the Treasury will underwrite the payment of such awards, even when specific projects continue beyond the UK’s departure from the EU. Equally, existing EU students and those starting courses in 2017/18 will continue to be eligible for student loans and will be for the duration of their course.</p><p>Jo Johnson - Minister for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation – has also set up a forum with a number of senior representatives of UK research and innovation organisations to discuss opportunities and issues arising from the UK’s exit from the European Union. This group will work with Government to ensure it has the best evidence to keep the UK punching above its weight in research and innovation.</p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker question first answered 13/03/2017 16:24:57 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
	tabling member	4079 label Biography information for Julian Sturdy

1402447

	registered interest
	date	12/01/2022
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Coronavirus: Schools
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what additional steps he will take to tackle covid-19 infection spread in schools and prevent a return to pre-Christmas levels of infection in school age children.
	tabling member constituency	York Central
	tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
	uin	102697
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/01/2022 answer text <p>COVID-19 continues to be a virus that we learn to live with, and it remains imperative that we reduce the disruption to children and young people’s education. My right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister, announced on 19 January 2022 that the temporary introduction of Plan B is to end. From 27 January, face coverings will no longer be advised for visitors, staff and secondary pupils in classrooms and communal areas. From this date, staff and pupils should follow wider advice on face coverings outside of school, including on transport to and from school.</p><p>There are a number of measures that will remain in place.</p><ul><li>Testing remains important in reducing the risk of transmission of COVID-19 within schools and colleges. The department asked secondary schools to provide one on-site test for all pupils upon return.</li><li>Staff and secondary school pupils should continue to test twice weekly at home. Schools are strongly encouraged to ask parents and other visitors to take a lateral flow device (LFD) test before entering the school.</li><li>Young people aged 5 to 18 and fully vaccinated adults who are identified as a close contact of someone with COVID-19 can take an NHS rapid lateral flow test every day for seven days and continue to attend their school or college as normal unless they have a positive test result.</li><li>Every child aged 12 and over is eligible to receive the vaccine. Healthy 12 to 15-year-olds can have a second dose 12 weeks after their first dose. All 16 and 17-year-olds have been offered the booster vaccination, which can be booked through the national booking system. The booster programme was accelerated to offer every adult in England a booster jab by the end of 2021.</li><li>Children aged 5 to 11, who are in a clinical risk group or who are a household contact of someone (of any age) who is immunosuppressed, will be offered a primary course of vaccination.</li><li>Frequent and thorough hand cleaning should now be regular practice. Schools should continue to ensure that pupils clean their hands regularly. The ‘catch it, bin it, kill it’ approach continues to be very important. Schools should maintain appropriate cleaning regimes.</li></ul><p>To improve ventilation, the department has provided CO2 monitors backed by £25 million in government funding. Over 99% of eligible maintained schools, further education colleges, and the majority of nurseries have now received a carbon dioxide monitor with over 353,000 now delivered. The government is also now making available at least 8,000 funded air cleaning units for poorly ventilated teaching spaces where quick fixes to improve ventilation are not possible.</p><p>The contingency framework, which can be found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-local-restrictions-in-education-and-childcare-settings" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-local-restrictions-in-education-and-childcare-settings</a>, gives directors of public health a range of options for advising temporary measures in certain situations.</p><p>The department’s aim is for schools to deliver face-to-face, high-quality education to all pupils in as normalised an educational environment as is possible.</p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker question first answered 20/01/2022 16:28:43 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
	tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1403026

	registered interest
	date	14/01/2022
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Educational Institutions: Sexual Offences
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support is available in schools, colleges and universities for women and girls who have experienced incidences of sexual violence.
	tabling member constituency	York Central
	tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
	uin	104366
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/01/2022 answer text <p>Schools and colleges have a critical role to play in protecting children and keeping them safe. ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’ (KCSIE) is statutory guidance that schools and colleges must have regard to when carrying out their duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. The guidance is clear on the actions a school or college should take if there are any concerns about a child or young person’s wellbeing and/or safety. KCSIE also signposts to various sources of support for victims and perpetrators. Following Ofsted’s review into sexual abuse in schools and colleges, the department strengthened KCSIE, and provided more support to designated safeguarding leads (DSLs), including trialling supervision and training for DSLs in over 280 schools with a focus on supporting DSLs to respond to sexual abuse issues.</p><p>In January 2022, the Home Office also announced a Harmful Sexual Behaviour support service for safeguarding professionals across England. It will offer advice on individual cases or incidents of harmful sexual behaviour.</p><p>For schools, the department published a blueprint for school counselling services. This provides schools with practical, evidence-based advice, informed by schools and counselling experts, on how to deliver high quality school-based counselling. It also offers information on how to ensure that vulnerable children can access counselling provision. We have provided significant funding towards provision of support in schools and colleges, including £9.5 million in the 2021/22 financial year, for training for mental health leads. The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) is continuing to run a helpline which provides appropriate support and advice, including how to contact the police and report a crime.</p><p>This government has firm expectations that higher education providers also take a zero-tolerance attitude towards sexual harassment and ensure they are going above and beyond in their approach to preventing and tackling these issues. Across the sector, there are examples of good practice in aiming to reduce violence against women and girls. For example, the Office for Student (OfS) Catalyst fund provided support to 119 projects with a particular focus on sexual harassment, online harassment and hate crime, including religious-based hate crime. However, the government recognises there is more to be done. The OfS wrote to providers in June 2021 asking them to review and update their systems, policies and procedures in line with their statement of expectations on harassment and sexual misconduct by the beginning of this academic year. In September 2021, the OfS published a briefing note for providers on the intersection of sexual violence, alcohol and drugs at universities and colleges. This includes a series of case studies and advice for providers on tackling these issues.</p><p>​The government is also taking firm action against the use of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) in higher education. The use of NDAs against people reporting instances of harassment and abuse makes it harder for other victims to come forward, and helps perpetrators hide behind a cloak of anonymity. Therefore, in January 2022, my right hon. Friend, the Minister for Higher and Further Education launched a new pledge alongside my hon. Friend, the member for Basingstoke, Maria Miller, and the campaign group Can’t Buy My Silence, which commits universities to not use NDAs to silence victims of sexual misconduct, bullying, or other forms of harassment. The list of those universities who have signed the pledge will be held by Can’t Buy My Silence, and hosted on their website.</p><p>Beyond schools, colleges and universities, the department is working closely with colleagues across government, including in the Home Office, on delivering the ‘Tackling Child Sexual Abuse Strategy’ and ‘Violence against Women and Girls Strategy’. These were published last year and set out the government’s ambition to prevent, tackle and respond to child sexual abuse by bringing offenders to justice, preventing offending and re-offending, and protecting and safeguarding children and young people.</p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker grouped question UIN 104368 104369 question first answered 24/01/2022 13:10:45 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
	tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1403027

	registered interest
	date	14/01/2022
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to improve sex education in PHSE lessons to reduce the scale of and prevent incidences of sexual assault.
	tabling member constituency	York Central
	tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
	uin	104367
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/01/2022 answer text <p>The new statutory guidance for relationships, sex and health education (RSHE), which came into force in September 2020, emphasises that schools should be alive to issues such as everyday sexism, misogyny, homophobia and gender stereotypes, and take positive action to build a culture where these are not tolerated, and any occurrences are identified and tackled. The guidance states that schools should make clear that sexual violence and sexual harassment are not acceptable, will never be tolerated and are not an inevitable part of growing up.</p><p>Following Ofsted’s review of sexual abuse in schools and colleges in 2021, the department has committed to developing additional support to help teachers deliver statutory RSHE effectively and confidently. The government’s October 2021 ‘tackling violence against women and girls strategy’ emphasises the importance of educational interventions to change harmful attitudes. To ensure consistency of approach, the department will publish non-statutory RSHE guidance in 2022 providing more detail on when specific content around harassment and abuse should be taught. To support teacher development further, we will work with experts to host a series of national webinars on pornography, domestic abuse and coercion, and sexual exploitation. The department will also monitor and evaluate teacher confidence to deliver these difficult topics, continuing to build a programme of support that meets teachers’ needs.</p><p>The department has also published revised statutory guidance, ‘keeping children safe in education’, which has been strengthened to better support schools and colleges to identify and prevent abuse, and respond appropriately where abuse is reported. The department will shortly be launching a consultation on the non-statutory ‘behaviour and discipline in schools’ guidance. which will provide more practical advice to schools about how to encourage good behaviour and respond effectively to incidents of poor behaviour, including advice on how to create a safe and respectful school culture in which sexual harassment and violence are not tolerated.</p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker question first answered 24/01/2022 13:34:21 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
	tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1403028

	registered interest
	date	14/01/2022
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Sexual Offences: Victim Support Schemes
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what counselling services are available to support school, college and university aged young women who experience any form of sexual violence in or out of school, college or university.
	tabling member constituency	York Central
	tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
	uin	104368
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/01/2022 answer text <p>Schools and colleges have a critical role to play in protecting children and keeping them safe. ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’ (KCSIE) is statutory guidance that schools and colleges must have regard to when carrying out their duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. The guidance is clear on the actions a school or college should take if there are any concerns about a child or young person’s wellbeing and/or safety. KCSIE also signposts to various sources of support for victims and perpetrators. Following Ofsted’s review into sexual abuse in schools and colleges, the department strengthened KCSIE, and provided more support to designated safeguarding leads (DSLs), including trialling supervision and training for DSLs in over 280 schools with a focus on supporting DSLs to respond to sexual abuse issues.</p><p>In January 2022, the Home Office also announced a Harmful Sexual Behaviour support service for safeguarding professionals across England. It will offer advice on individual cases or incidents of harmful sexual behaviour.</p><p>For schools, the department published a blueprint for school counselling services. This provides schools with practical, evidence-based advice, informed by schools and counselling experts, on how to deliver high quality school-based counselling. It also offers information on how to ensure that vulnerable children can access counselling provision. We have provided significant funding towards provision of support in schools and colleges, including £9.5 million in the 2021/22 financial year, for training for mental health leads. The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) is continuing to run a helpline which provides appropriate support and advice, including how to contact the police and report a crime.</p><p>This government has firm expectations that higher education providers also take a zero-tolerance attitude towards sexual harassment and ensure they are going above and beyond in their approach to preventing and tackling these issues. Across the sector, there are examples of good practice in aiming to reduce violence against women and girls. For example, the Office for Student (OfS) Catalyst fund provided support to 119 projects with a particular focus on sexual harassment, online harassment and hate crime, including religious-based hate crime. However, the government recognises there is more to be done. The OfS wrote to providers in June 2021 asking them to review and update their systems, policies and procedures in line with their statement of expectations on harassment and sexual misconduct by the beginning of this academic year. In September 2021, the OfS published a briefing note for providers on the intersection of sexual violence, alcohol and drugs at universities and colleges. This includes a series of case studies and advice for providers on tackling these issues.</p><p>​The government is also taking firm action against the use of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) in higher education. The use of NDAs against people reporting instances of harassment and abuse makes it harder for other victims to come forward, and helps perpetrators hide behind a cloak of anonymity. Therefore, in January 2022, my right hon. Friend, the Minister for Higher and Further Education launched a new pledge alongside my hon. Friend, the member for Basingstoke, Maria Miller, and the campaign group Can’t Buy My Silence, which commits universities to not use NDAs to silence victims of sexual misconduct, bullying, or other forms of harassment. The list of those universities who have signed the pledge will be held by Can’t Buy My Silence, and hosted on their website.</p><p>Beyond schools, colleges and universities, the department is working closely with colleagues across government, including in the Home Office, on delivering the ‘Tackling Child Sexual Abuse Strategy’ and ‘Violence against Women and Girls Strategy’. These were published last year and set out the government’s ambition to prevent, tackle and respond to child sexual abuse by bringing offenders to justice, preventing offending and re-offending, and protecting and safeguarding children and young people.</p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker grouped question UIN 104366 104369 question first answered 24/01/2022 13:10:45 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
	tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1403030

	registered interest
	date	14/01/2022
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Educational Institutions: Sexual Offences
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions he has had with the Home Secretary on reducing the incidence of sexual assault in further education, higher education and school settings.
	tabling member constituency	York Central
	tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
	uin	104369
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/01/2022 answer text <p>Schools and colleges have a critical role to play in protecting children and keeping them safe. ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’ (KCSIE) is statutory guidance that schools and colleges must have regard to when carrying out their duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. The guidance is clear on the actions a school or college should take if there are any concerns about a child or young person’s wellbeing and/or safety. KCSIE also signposts to various sources of support for victims and perpetrators. Following Ofsted’s review into sexual abuse in schools and colleges, the department strengthened KCSIE, and provided more support to designated safeguarding leads (DSLs), including trialling supervision and training for DSLs in over 280 schools with a focus on supporting DSLs to respond to sexual abuse issues.</p><p>In January 2022, the Home Office also announced a Harmful Sexual Behaviour support service for safeguarding professionals across England. It will offer advice on individual cases or incidents of harmful sexual behaviour.</p><p>For schools, the department published a blueprint for school counselling services. This provides schools with practical, evidence-based advice, informed by schools and counselling experts, on how to deliver high quality school-based counselling. It also offers information on how to ensure that vulnerable children can access counselling provision. We have provided significant funding towards provision of support in schools and colleges, including £9.5 million in the 2021/22 financial year, for training for mental health leads. The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) is continuing to run a helpline which provides appropriate support and advice, including how to contact the police and report a crime.</p><p>This government has firm expectations that higher education providers also take a zero-tolerance attitude towards sexual harassment and ensure they are going above and beyond in their approach to preventing and tackling these issues. Across the sector, there are examples of good practice in aiming to reduce violence against women and girls. For example, the Office for Student (OfS) Catalyst fund provided support to 119 projects with a particular focus on sexual harassment, online harassment and hate crime, including religious-based hate crime. However, the government recognises there is more to be done. The OfS wrote to providers in June 2021 asking them to review and update their systems, policies and procedures in line with their statement of expectations on harassment and sexual misconduct by the beginning of this academic year. In September 2021, the OfS published a briefing note for providers on the intersection of sexual violence, alcohol and drugs at universities and colleges. This includes a series of case studies and advice for providers on tackling these issues.</p><p>​The government is also taking firm action against the use of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) in higher education. The use of NDAs against people reporting instances of harassment and abuse makes it harder for other victims to come forward, and helps perpetrators hide behind a cloak of anonymity. Therefore, in January 2022, my right hon. Friend, the Minister for Higher and Further Education launched a new pledge alongside my hon. Friend, the member for Basingstoke, Maria Miller, and the campaign group Can’t Buy My Silence, which commits universities to not use NDAs to silence victims of sexual misconduct, bullying, or other forms of harassment. The list of those universities who have signed the pledge will be held by Can’t Buy My Silence, and hosted on their website.</p><p>Beyond schools, colleges and universities, the department is working closely with colleagues across government, including in the Home Office, on delivering the ‘Tackling Child Sexual Abuse Strategy’ and ‘Violence against Women and Girls Strategy’. These were published last year and set out the government’s ambition to prevent, tackle and respond to child sexual abuse by bringing offenders to justice, preventing offending and re-offending, and protecting and safeguarding children and young people.</p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker grouped question UIN 104366 104368 question first answered 24/01/2022 13:10:45 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
	tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1403032

	registered interest
	date	14/01/2022
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Teachers: York
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the level of teaching staff available in York during the current phase of the covid-19 outbreak.
	tabling member constituency	York Central
	tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
	uin	104370
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/01/2022 answer text <p>Our priority is to do everything in our power to protect education. This means making sure that schools and colleges have the teaching staff they need to safely deliver face-to-face education. Schools are adapting and using the right measures for their individual provider.</p><p>School leaders are best placed to determine the workforce required to meet the needs of their pupils. The regional schools commissioner’s team, covering East Midlands and the Humber, speaks to City of York Council weekly to discuss their COVID-19 response and routinely discuss topics such as pupil attendance, COVID-19 rates and workforce pressures.</p><p>The team will continue to liaise with local councils and schools to ensure that key messages, such as workforce challenges, are being fed into the department and that further support is provided, where possible.</p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker question first answered 24/01/2022 13:41:48 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
	tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1403033

	registered interest
	date	14/01/2022
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Schools: Vaccination
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to ensure that schools are able to continue to access vaccine programmes throughout the current phase of the covid-19 outbreak.
	tabling member constituency	York Central
	tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
	uin	104371
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/01/2022 answer text <p>Vaccinations continue to be the best way we can protect ourselves and help keep children and young people in face-to-face education. Healthy 12 to 15 year olds can receive their COVID-19 vaccinations in their school or out of school, such as through vaccination centres. The two offers run in parallel. School-age immunisation service (SAIS) providers have resumed services since schools returned in the new year. Second doses have also been offered through schools since 10 January 2022.</p><p>The department has updated the ‘how to’ guide for schools with information and resources, including a template letter that can be used to communicate with parents. Whilst awaiting confirmation of an on-site visit from a SAIS team, the department encourages schools to continue signposting parents to book out-of-school vaccinations for their child, if aged 12 or over, through the NHS booking system. This can be found here: <a href="https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/coronavirus-vaccination/book-coronavirus-vaccination/?utm_source=13%20January%202022%20C19&amp;utm_medium=Daily%20Email%20C19&amp;utm_campaign=DfE%20C19" target="_blank">https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/coronavirus-vaccination/book-coronavirus-vaccination/?utm_source=13%20January%202022%20C19&amp;utm_medium=Daily%20Email%20C19&amp;utm_campaign=DfE%20C19</a>.</p><p>All eligible staff and students aged 12 and over are encouraged to take up the offer of the vaccine, including boosters where eligible.</p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker question first answered 26/01/2022 17:10:53 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
	tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1403917

	registered interest
	date	18/01/2022
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Schools: Coronavirus
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of (a) teaching staff and (b) support staff have been infected with covid-19 compared to the rest of the population.
	tabling member constituency	York Central
	tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
	uin	106769
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/01/2022 answer text <p>The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishes the proportion of staff testing positive for antibodies indicative of a prior COVID-19 infection as part of the Schools Infection Survey (SIS). The most recent publication, based on samples from 14 June to 6 July 2021, estimated 23.4% of secondary school staff and 25.2% of primary school staff are testing positive for such antibodies, showing they had been infected with COVID-19 in the past. Such statistics can be found here: <a href="https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/conditionsanddiseases/bulletins/covid19schoolsinfectionsurveyengland/round6june2021" target="_blank">https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/conditionsanddiseases/bulletins/covid19schoolsinfectionsurveyengland/round6june2021</a>.</p><p>There is no immediate comparator, however, as the antibody test used in this study detects antibodies produced following natural infection, which is different to the antibody test used in the ONS COVID-19 infection survey that detects antibodies from vaccination as well as infection.</p><p>Since September 2021, the ONS has published analysis of the characteristics of people more likely to test positive for COVID-19 on a fortnightly basis. This can be found here: <a href="https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/conditionsanddiseases/bulletins/coronaviruscovid19infectionsurveycharacteristicsofpeopletestingpositiveforcovid19uk/19january2022" target="_blank">https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/conditionsanddiseases/bulletins/coronaviruscovid19infectionsurveycharacteristicsofpeopletestingpositiveforcovid19uk/19january2022</a>.</p><p>From 20 September to 28 November 2021, those working in the education sector were identified as more likely to test positive for COVID-19 than other working adults. This was the first time that the analysis showed those working in education as more likely to test positive and was likely linked to the previously higher Delta case rates in children during the autumn term.</p><p>The ONS also analysed infection rates by occupation from 1 September 2020 to 7 January 2021 based on their COVID-19 infection survey. Occupational risk is a continuum. Within this, there are a group of occupations at the upper end of the continuum, that have no significant difference with the majority of other occupations but show a higher probability of testing positive compared with some of those at the lower end. At the upper end are caring personal service occupations, protective service occupations, teaching and other education professionals, secretarial and related occupations, and other managers and proprietors.</p><p>The department estimates that on 6 January 2022, 4.0% of teachers and school leaders, and 3.9% of teaching assistants and other staff, were absent from open schools with a confirmed case of COVID-19. A further 0.8% of teaching staff and 0.9% of support staff were absent due to a suspected case of COVID-19. Updated figures will be published on 25 January 2022.</p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker question first answered 21/01/2022 17:38:21 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
	tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell