COVID-19 Updates

September 1, 2020

** This information is received from the Government and regularly updated

28/08/2020

Guidance on recording attendance in the autumn term and the educational settings status form

School attendance will be mandatory from the beginning of the autumn term and the usual rules on school attendance will apply.

There may, however, be circumstances where pupils cannot attend school due to coronavirus (COVID-19), such as if they are required to self-isolate.

It is therefore vital that schools resume taking their attendance registers as normal and:

  • follow up any pupil absences
  • complete the daily educational setting status form from 1 September or the day that term starts
  • complete the status form by 12 noon daily

The information you provide is essential to enable us to support all children to return to education. The questions we are asking schools in the form have changed from those you were previously asked to complete.

The new set of questions that will be asked of all educational setting are:

Setting status

Is your setting open today to all pupils or students on roll?
‘No’ should be selected if one or more of the following statements applies to your setting:

  • not open to all year groups
  • not able to provide face-to-face teaching for all pupils or students for the whole of the normal school day (this does not apply to FE colleges)
  • not open to pupils or students today because of a training or INSET day
  • one or more pupils or students who do not have coronavirus (COVID-19) symptoms themselves or in their households have been asked by your setting to self-isolate as part of coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak measures

The following factors do not need to be taken into consideration when answering this question:

  • pupil or student absence due to coronavirus (COVID-19) symptoms
  • pupil or student absence due to coronavirus (COVID-19) symptoms in the household

Pupils or students on roll

How many pupils or students are on roll at your educational setting? Of those pupils or students on roll:

  • how many have an education, health and care (EHC) plan?
  • how many have a social worker?

Pupils or students present in the educational setting today

How many pupils or students are attending your educational setting today? Of those pupils or students attending your educational setting today:

  • how many have an education, health and care (EHC) plan?
  • how many have a social worker?

Classroom teacher absences

How many classroom teachers are unable to attend your educational setting today?

Further school attendance guidance is available explaining how they should record circumstances where pupils cannot attend school due to coronavirus (COVID-19) and how to complete the educational setting status form.

Updated guidance on taking exams during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

We have updated guidance on taking exams during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak to include information on the arrangements for the autumn series of GCSE, AS and A level exams in 2020.

The deadlines for entering autumn exams are 4 September for A and AS levels and 18 September for GCSEs (except English and maths, for which the deadline is 4 October). It is the responsibility of the exam centre that has entered the student for exams in the summer to enter them in the autumn, if they wish to sit exams, even if the student is no longer enrolled at the centre (apart from maths and English).

Further information can be found in the responsibility for autumn exams guidance.

Students will also have the option to take their exams in summer 2021, in line with usual practice. Further details on the arrangement for exams and assessments in summer 2021 have been added to the guidance on taking exams during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

Exam Results Helpline now available until 18 September

The Exam Results Helpline, delivered by the National Careers Service, has been extended and will now be available until 18 September to provide additional support to students and their parents as they consider their next steps. Callers to the helpline will have direct access to experienced careers advisers who can advise on the different options available to them including T levels, A levels, GCSEs, BTECs, apprenticeships and other vocational options. Support will also be available on topics such as clearing, university, gap years and the autumn exam series.

Phone: 0800 100 900

Opening hours: Monday to Sunday from 8am to 10pm

Department for Education coronavirus (COVID-19) helpline

The Department for Education coronavirus (COVID-19) helpline is available to answer questions about COVID-19 relating to education and children’s social care. Staff, parents and young people can contact this helpline by calling:

Phone: 0800 046 8687

Opening hours:

Monday to Friday from 8am to 6pm.
Monday 31 August (Bank Holiday) from 10am to 4pm.



Categories:

COVID-19