When lockdown began, higher education providers reacted rapidly to move provision online (in many cases within 24 hours), to ensure that students were able to access teaching and assessment. The vast majority of providers are currently planning to move to blended or dual provision for the next academic year. They have redesigned courses and timetables to be suitable for these new styles of delivery, front-loaded the next academic year with more online friendly provision and moved areas which require practical, face-to-face teaching or assessment to the back of the academic year.<\/p>
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The Office for Students (OfS) has published information and guidance for providers and students, including frequently asked questions on a broad range of issues. The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education has also published a series of guides to support higher education providers to secure academic standards and to support student achievement during the outbreak.<\/p>
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The government is aware of the disproportionate impact that the COVID-19 outbreak will have on some students. Officials are working with the sector to identify what further steps may be necessary. The government has already worked closely with the OfS to help clarify that providers can draw upon existing funding to provide hardship funds and to support disadvantaged students impacted by COVID-19. Providers are able to use the funding, worth around £23 million per month for June and July, towards student hardship funds, including the purchase of IT equipment and mental health support as well as to support providers\u2019 access and participation plans.<\/p>
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Using this facility, providers have been supporting those with practical access issues through the provision of IT equipment including laptops and Wi-Fi dongles to ensure that they are able to continue their studies online.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4530", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Michelle Donelan"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Chippenham"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Michelle Donelan"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2020-06-16", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2020-06-16T10:13:29.897Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "60"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Education"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Education"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2020-06-11", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Further Education: Coronavirus"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he will take to ensure that students have full access to online learning while college and university campuses are closed as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4124", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Chi Onwurah"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Newcastle upon Tyne Central"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Chi Onwurah"} ], "uin" : "58700"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1202880", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Education"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1202880/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
The law covering discrimination is the Equality Act 2010. This applies to all maintained and independent schools, including academies, and maintained and non-maintained special schools in England.<\/p>
The Act makes it unlawful for the responsible body of a school to discriminate against, harass or victimise a pupil or potential pupil:<\/p>
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If an individual feels that discrimination has taken place, in the first instance these cases could be resolved informally with the school. Should this fail to satisfactorily resolve the issue, then an official complaint can be made to the academy.<\/p>
If the complainant feels that the trust has not followed its complaints procedure, they can escalate this to the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA). The ESFA will assess the trust\u2019s compliance with their complaints policy but cannot overturn the decision itself or suggest remedy.<\/p>
Formal proceedings in relation to a contravention of the education provisions of the Act will be brought in a county court. If the court rules that there has been a contravention, then it has the power to award an appropriate remedy, including any award of damages.<\/p>
Specialist tribunals which have experience and knowledge of disability issues will hear cases of contravention of the education provisions on grounds of disability. In England this will be the First-tier Tribunal. If the Tribunal rules that there has been a contravention, then it has the power to make an order of a remedy, which it sees as appropriate.<\/p>
The Department has set out advice on the Equality Act on GOV.UK, which is available at: The most recent figures for number of pupils eligible for and claiming free school meals come from the school census for January 2019, published on 27 June 2019. 2,658 pupils in primary schools in Camberwell and Peckham constituency were eligible for and claiming free school meals in January 2019, and 5,732 primary school pupils in the whole of the London Borough of Southwark.<\/p> <\/p>
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/equality-act-2010-advice-for-schools<\/a>.<\/p>"}
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