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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

1403922

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, whether he will continue with the covid-19 public health measures in place in schools after 26 January 2022 to help prevent an increase in infections.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	106770
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/01/2022 answer text <p>The government continues to manage the risk of serious illness from the spread of the virus. COVID-19 continues to be a virus that we learn to live with and the imperative to reduce the disruption to children and young people’s education remains.</p><p>While it has been announced that face coverings are no longer advised for pupils, staff, and visitors in classrooms and, from 27 January, face coverings are no longer advised for pupils, staff and visitors in communal areas, a range of protective measures remain in place in all schools, colleges, and nurseries. Additionally, local directors of public health may temporarily advise the use of face coverings in communal areas or classrooms where this is proportionate due to specific local public health concerns.</p><p>Testing remains important in reducing the risk of transmission of COVID-19 within schools and colleges. Staff and secondary school pupils should continue to test twice weekly at home, with lateral flow device (LFD) test kits. Schools are encouraged to ask all visitors to take an LFD test before entering the school. 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 LFD test every day for 7 days and continue to attend their school or college as normal, unless they have a positive test result.</p><p>People with COVID-19 in England can now end their self-isolation after 5 full days, as long as they test negative on day 5 and day 6. 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 to 17 year olds will be offered the booster vaccination, which can be booked through the national booking system.</p><p>We have provided carbon dioxide monitors backed by £25 million in government funding. Over 99% of eligible maintained schools, further education colleges, and the majority of early years education providers have now received a carbon dioxide monitor with over 350,000 now delivered. The government has also made available a number of funded air cleaning units for poorly ventilated teaching spaces where quick fixes to improve ventilation are not possible.</p><p>These changes come in response to national infection data showing the prevalence of COVID-19 to be on a downward trajectory. Whilst there are some groups where cases are likely to continue rising, it is likely that the Omicron wave has now peaked nationally. This means it is right that we remove the most stringent restrictions around wearing face coverings from education. However, COVID-19 is still with us, and continuing with proportionate protective measures remains vital to protecting education.</p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker question first answered 26/01/2022 13:20:29 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1403934

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, with reference to Schools Covid Operational Guidance, published in January 2022, how primary school pupils, aged five to 11 years, and school staff's positions were considered in developing that guidance.
tabling member constituency	Preston
tabling member printed	Sir Mark Hendrick
uin	106635
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/01/2022 answer text <p>The operational guidance for each school, college and university provides details on the testing, ventilation and hygiene measures that all education and childcare provider should have in place to manage transmission of COVID-19 day to day. The department has worked closely with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and the United Kingdom Health Security Agency (UKHSA) to revise this guidance.</p><p>When developing guidance for education providers, the department regularly reviews data, analysis and advice from a number of different sources, including the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE), UKHSA, and the Office for National Statistics.</p><p>We work closely with the DHSC and UKHSA, as well as local authorities and directors of public health, to inform our planning and response. The department engaged regularly with schools and their representatives in relevant planning, including primary schools.</p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker question first answered 26/01/2022 13:09:44 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
tabling member	473 label Biography information for Sir Mark Hendrick

1403935

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, how many primary school (a) children and (b) teachers and staff have been diagnosed with covid-19 in each month in (i) 2020 and (ii) 2021.
tabling member constituency	Preston
tabling member printed	Sir Mark Hendrick
uin	106636
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/01/2022 answer text <p>The department does not hold the primary data source of COVID-19 cases. This is accessible from the ‘Coronavirus in the UK’ dashboard. COVID-19 case data can be found here: <a href="https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/?_ga=2.91108568.335840232.1603021384-1347302696.1578321854" target="_blank">https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/?_ga=2.91108568.335840232.1603021384-1347302696.1578321854</a>.</p><p>The department publishes daily school attendance data on a fortnightly basis. This helps with the monitoring of the COVID-19 impact on school attendance. Absence due to suspected and confirmed cases of COVID-19 is available from the 23 May 2020 to 6 January 2022 and information can be found on Explore Education Statistics. The most recent national, regional and local authority data can be found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/attendance-in-education-and-early-years-settings-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-pandemic-23-march-2020-to-6-january-2022" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/attendance-in-education-and-early-years-settings-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-pandemic-23-march-2020-to-6-january-2022</a>.</p><p>National level pupil data can be found in Table 1B of the underlying data files, whilst teacher data can be found in Table 1D. For dates where any local authority is on half term, a holiday methodology is applied and the national data for both pupil and teachers can be found in Table 1A.</p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker question first answered 25/01/2022 13:57:35 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
tabling member	473 label Biography information for Sir Mark Hendrick

1403937

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 recent guidance has been given to protect primary school children and staff from the Omicron variant of covid-19.
tabling member constituency	Preston
tabling member printed	Sir Mark Hendrick
uin	106638
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/01/2022 answer text <p>COVID-19 continues to be a virus that we learn to live with and the imperative to reduce the disruption to children and young people’s education remains. The government continues to manage the risk of serious illness from the spread of COVID-19.</p><p>While it has been announced that face coverings are no longer advised for pupils, staff and visitors in classrooms, and from 27 January, face coverings are no longer advised for pupils, staff and visitors in communal areas, a range of protective measures remain in place in primary schools. Additionally, local directors of public health may temporarily advise the use of face coverings in communal areas where this is proportionate due to specific local public health concerns.</p><p>Testing remains important in reducing the risk of transmission of COVID-19 within schools. Staff should continue to test twice weekly at home, with lateral flow device (LFD) test kits. Schools are encouraged to ask all visitors to take an LFD test before entering the school.</p><p>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 LFD test every day for 7 days and continue to attend their school or college as normal, unless they have a positive test result. People with COVID-19 in England can now end their self-isolation after 5 full days if they test negative on day 5 and day 6.</p><p>Children aged 5 to 11 years in a clinical risk group or who are a household contact of someone who is immunosuppressed are now able to get 2 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine 8 weeks apart.</p><p>We have provided carbon dioxide monitors backed by £25 million in government funding. Over 99% of eligible maintained schools, further education colleges, and the majority of early years education providers have now received a carbon dioxide monitor with over 350,000 now delivered. The government is also making available a number of funded air cleaning units for poorly ventilated teaching spaces where quick fixes to improve ventilation are not possible.</p><p>Schools should regularly review their risk assessments as well as continuing to comply with health and safety law implementing proportionate control measures in line with our guidance, such as ensuring good hygiene for everyone and maintaining appropriate cleaning regimes. All education and childcare providers should already have their own contingency plans in place in cases of outbreaks within schools, as set out in the contingency framework 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>, to help break the chains of transmissions.</p><p>The evidence is clear that being out of education causes significant harm to educational attainment, life chances, mental and physical health. This harm disproportionately affects children and young people from the most disadvantaged backgrounds. Therefore, the government has made it a national priority that education and childcare providers should continue to operate as normally as possible during the COVID-19 outbreak.</p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker question first answered 26/01/2022 13:30:36 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
tabling member	473 label Biography information for Sir Mark Hendrick

1402978

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: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 13 January 2022 to Question 100514 on Schools: Coronavirus, what date officials at his Department first discussed ventilation in schools with the Department for Health and Social Care in the context of the covid-19 outbreak.
tabling member constituency	Houghton and Sunderland South
tabling member printed	Bridget Phillipson
uin	104325
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/01/2022 answer text <p>I refer the hon. Member for Houghton and Sunderland South to the answer I gave on 13 January 2022 to Question <a href="https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2022-01-10/100514" target="_blank">100514</a>.</p><p>Throughout the COVID-19 outbreak, experts have been consulted and the evidence monitored. Engagement with the Department of Health and Social Care is part of this and has been ongoing relating to CO2 monitoring and air cleaning units, to assess whether this is a viable approach for schools in England based on the existing science and practical considerations.</p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker question first answered 19/01/2022 17:49:27 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
tabling member	4046 label Biography information for Bridget Phillipson

1402683

registered interest
date	13/01/2022
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 additional plans are in place to support schools that have been impacted by teacher absences as a result of the Omicron variant of covid-19.
tabling member constituency	Southport
tabling member printed	Damien Moore
uin	103677
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/01/2022 answer text <p>Our priority is to maintain high quality face-to-face education for all children and young people.</p><p>There are measures in place to help break the chains of COVID-19 transmission, minimise disruption to education and limit absences. These include regular testing, improving ventilation in classrooms and continuing the booster rollout for adults and vaccinations for secondary age pupils.</p><p>The department has reintroduced the COVID-19 workforce fund to provide financial support to eligible schools and colleges for additional staff absence costs incurred from 22 November until the February spring half term in 2022. The fund is available to support schools and colleges facing the greatest staffing and funding pressures to continue to deliver high quality face-to-face education to all pupils.</p><p>The department has also called for ex-teachers to return to the classroom and, on 12 January, it published initial data from a sample of supply agencies gathered between 20 December 2021 and 7 January 2022. This showed that 485 former teachers have signed up with supply agencies, and over 100 Teach First alumni have also expressed interest in returning to the classroom.</p><p>Given the size of the sample, the true number of sign-ups since the call was launched will be larger. Full details of the data release can be found at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/number-of-ex-teachers-joining-the-school-workforce-2021-to-2022" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/number-of-ex-teachers-joining-the-school-workforce-2021-to-2022</a>.</p><p>We have also published sector-led case studies that illustrate practical ways in which schools can work to remain open in the face of staff shortage. Our priority is that all schools offer in-person learning for all pupils. This might involve hybrid lessons, remote teaching, streaming teaching to more than one class at a time, combining face-to-face classes, timetable solutions and using recorded teaching.</p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker question first answered 21/01/2022 12:07:56 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
tabling member	4669 label Biography information for Damien Moore

1401285

registered interest
date	10/01/2022
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, pursuant to the Answer of 6 January 2022 to Question 94344 on Schools: Coronavirus, on what date between 1 March 2020 and April 2021 officials from his Department first had discussions with the Department of Health and Social Care on the use of ventilation technology in school classrooms to reduce the transmission of covid-19.
tabling member constituency	Houghton and Sunderland South
tabling member printed	Bridget Phillipson
uin	100514
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/01/2022 answer text <p>Throughout the COVID-19 outbreak, the department has emphasised the importance of ventilation and provided guidance to schools, colleges and nurseries on ventilation requirements, including on how to use CO2 monitors effectively to identify areas where ventilation can be improved. This includes comprehensive advice on how settings can improve ventilation from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Where readings are consistently higher than 1500 parts per million (ppm) CO2 concentration in an occupied space, schools, colleges and nurseries should take action to improve ventilation. HSE provides more information on this here: <a href="https://www.hse.gov.uk/coronavirus/equipment-and-machinery/air-conditioning-and-ventilation/identifying-poorly-ventilated-areas.htm" target="_blank">https://www.hse.gov.uk/coronavirus/equipment-and-machinery/air-conditioning-and-ventilation/identifying-poorly-ventilated-areas.htm</a>. This will be indicated by a red light on the CO2 monitors supplied by the department. This does not mean that you need to stop using the room. It is the responsibility of schools, colleges and nurseries to decide on the use of affected rooms in accordance with their risk assessment procedures and obligations under health and safety law. For further information please refer to our guidance available on our ventilation document sharing platform: <a href="https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/12cU_I5q0v1_my97yPMpb87RsSL5d5lpj" target="_blank">https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/12cU_I5q0v1_my97yPMpb87RsSL5d5lpj</a>.</p><p>All CO2 monitors units provided by the department have met an approved technical specification. The department’s technical specification used to assess the units was developed in consultation with industry wide experts in ventilation, including chartered engineers, scientists and several government departments. The technical specification has been published along with the contract on Contracts Finder in line with the government’s transparency agenda. Further details of the models of CO2 monitors issued to schools can be found here: <a href="https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/12cU_I5q0v1_my97yPMpb87RsSL5d5lpj" target="_blank">https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/12cU_I5q0v1_my97yPMpb87RsSL5d5lpj</a>. If schools, colleges or nurseries have any technical queries regarding their CO2 monitors they should contact the supplier of their device.</p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker grouped question UIN 100522 100523 question first answered 13/01/2022 17:29:46 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
tabling member	4046 label Biography information for Bridget Phillipson

1401378

registered interest
date	10/01/2022
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 recent assessment his Department has made of the impact of covid-19 on schools in Weaver Vale constituency; and what steps his Department is taking to limit the spread of the virus.
tabling member constituency	Weaver Vale
tabling member printed	Mike Amesbury
uin	100679
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/01/2022 answer text <p>The government continues to manage the risk of serious illness from the spread of COVID-19 through the steps described below.</p><p>The department has reintroduced face coverings for all adults in schools, including primary, and for pupils and students in year 7 and above in communal areas, and now also in classrooms. This is a temporary measure and will be reviewed on 26 January. Health advice continues to be that children in primary schools should not be asked to wear face coverings.</p><p>Testing remains important in reducing the risk of transmission of COVID-19 within schools and colleges. We asked secondary schools to provide one on-site test for all pupils upon return.</p><p>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.</p><p>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 LFD test every day for 7 days and continue to attend their school or college as normal unless they have a positive test result.</p><p>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. The booster programme was accelerated to offer every adult in England a booster jab by the end of 2021.</p><p>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.</p><p>To improve ventilation, we have provided CO2 monitors backed by £25 million in government funding. Over 99% of eligible maintained schools, further education colleges, and the majority of early years education providers have now received a carbon dioxide monitor with over 350,000 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 gives directors of public health a range of flexible options for advising temporary measures in certain situations. This framework is available 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>.</p><p>Schools should follow the control measures set out in the guidance, continuing to comply with health and safety law. Schools must regularly review and update their risk assessments.</p><p>The measures outlined above apply nationally. Regarding Weaver Vale, the regional team in the West Midlands has offered regular calls with Cheshire West and Chester local authority in which we provide advice and guidance on how to limit the spread of COVID-19 and support schools in managing it. These calls have more recently involved public health colleagues.</p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker question first answered 18/01/2022 13:22:36 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
tabling member	4667 label Biography information for Mike Amesbury

1399182

registered interest
date	04/01/2022
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 recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of providing targeted financial assistance to schools in response to the omicron covid-19 variant to support the (a) implementation of additional covid-19 safety measures on their premises and (b) purchase of air filtration devices where natural ventilation is limited due to design and capacity of buildings.
tabling member constituency	Erith and Thamesmead
tabling member printed	Abena Oppong-Asare
uin	97172
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/01/2022 answer text <p>The measures in place day-to-day in schools, colleges and nurseries to tackle COVID-19 are based on the latest scientific advice and strike a balance between managing transmission risk and reducing disruption to children and young people’s education.</p><p>The priority is for schools, colleges and nurseries to deliver face-to-face, high-quality education to all children, pupils and students. The evidence is clear that being out of education causes significant harm to educational attainment, life chances, and mental and physical health. To manage COVID-19 transmission, education providers continue to ensure good hygiene for everyone, maintain appropriate cleaning regimes, keep occupied spaces well ventilated and follow public health advice on testing, self-isolation, face coverings and managing confirmed cases of COVID-19.</p><p>To support schools with these measures, the department provided carbon dioxide monitors to all state-funded education providers, including nurseries, schools and further education colleges, backed by £25 million in government funding. We have now delivered on our public commitment with over 353,000 monitors delivered in the autumn term. Feedback following this roll out shows that in most schools, colleges and nurseries existing ventilation measures are sufficient.</p><p>For the very few cases where maintaining good ventilation is not possible, the department is supplying up to 7,000 air purifiers cleaning units. This is on top of the 1,000 funded units for special educational needs and disabilities and alternative provision providers that we announced in November. We have also made over £100 million of funding available to secondary schools, colleges, and specialist providers to support them with the workforce costs associated with delivering on-site testing, and continue to do so, in line with departmental testing policy.</p><p>This should also be seen in the wider context of funding for schools. Overall, core schools funding will increase by £4 billion in financial year 2022/23 compared to 2021/22, a 5% real terms per pupil boost. This includes an additional £1.2 billion for schools in the new school supplementary grant for financial year 2022/23. This funding boost will rapidly give schools the resources they need to rise to the challenges of COVID-19 response and recovery, increase teacher pay, and meet the cost of the Health and Social Care Levy, while continuing their work to raise attainment and educational outcomes for all children and young people.</p><p>The vast majority of schools are operating with a cumulative surplus, with only a small percentage having a deficit. The latest published figures show that the percentage of both academy trusts and local authority maintained schools in surplus or breaking even increased compared to the previous reporting year. At the end of financial year 2020/21, 92% of local authority maintained schools were in cumulative surplus or breaking even, compared to 88% the previous year. At the end of the 2019/20 academic year, 96% of academy trusts were in surplus or breaking even, compared to 94% the previous year.</p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker question first answered 10/01/2022 15:11:02 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
tabling member	4820 label Biography information for Abena Oppong-Asare