Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance for schools and other educational settings

Guidance and advice about coronavirus (COVID-19) in educational settings for staff, parents and carers, pupils and students.

Parents and carers can read about:

• opening schools and educational settings to more pupils from 1 June
• schools and childcare providers staying open for critical workers
• changes to schools and education during the coronavirus outbreak
• supporting your children’s education

Overarching guidance for educational settings

1. Actions for educational and childcare settings to prepare for wider opening from 1 June 2020
   • 1 June 2020
   • Guidance
2. Preparing for the wider opening of schools from 1 June
   • 4 June 2020
   • Guidance
3. Preparing for the wider opening of early years and childcare settings from 1 June
   • 24 May 2020
   • Guidance
4. Actions for schools during the coronavirus outbreak
   • 3 June 2020
   • Guidance
5. Actions for early years and childcare providers during the coronavirus outbreak
   • 5 June 2020
   • Guidance
6. Actions for FE colleges and providers during the coronavirus outbreak
   • 29 May 2020
   • Guidance
7. Higher education: reopening buildings and campuses
   • 3 June 2020
   • Guidance
8. Providing apprenticeships during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak
   • 2 June 2020
   • Guidance
9. Actions for HE providers during the coronavirus outbreak
   • 21 May 2020
   • Guidance
10. Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance for children’s social care services
    • 6 May 2020
    • Guidance

COVID-19 infection prevention and control

1. Safe working in education, childcare and children’s social care
   • 14 May 2020
   • Guidance
2. Coronavirus (COVID-19): implementing protective measures in education and childcare settings
   • 1 June 2020
   • Guidance
3. Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance on isolation for residential educational settings
   • 27 May 2020
   • Guidance

Supporting vulnerable children and young people

1. Changes to the law on education, health and care needs assessments and plans due to coronavirus (COVID-19)
   • 29 May 2020
   • Guidance
2. Coronavirus (COVID-19): safeguarding in schools, colleges and other providers
   • 20 May 2020
   • Guidance
3. Supporting vulnerable children and young people during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak
   • 15 May 2020
   • Guidance
4. Supporting children and young people with SEND as schools and colleges prepare for wider opening
   • 26 May 2020
   • Guidance

Guidance on specific subjects

1. Critical workers who can access schools or educational settings
   • 1 June 2020
   • Guidance
2. Using clusters and hubs to maintain educational provision
   • 24 April 2020
   • Guidance
3. Remote education during coronavirus (COVID-19)
   • 22 May 2020
   • Guidance
4. Online education resources for home learning
   • 22 May 2020
   • Guidance
5. Providing free school meals during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak
   • 28 May 2020
   • Guidance
6. Changes to school admission appeals due to coronavirus
   • 23 April 2020
7. School attendance: guidance for schools
   • 29 May 2020
   • Guidance
8. Coronavirus (COVID-19): cancellation of GCSEs, AS and A levels in 2020
   • 22 May 2020
   • Guidance
9. Managing school premises during the coronavirus outbreak
   • 18 May 2020
   • Guidance
10. Coronavirus (COVID-19): travel advice for educational settings
    • 5 May 2020
    • Guidance
11. Disapplication notice: school attendance legislation changes
    • 29 May 2020
    • Decision
12. Disapplication notice: school inspections legislation changes
    • 29 May 2020
    • Decision
13. Modification notice: school registration legislation changes
    • 29 May 2020
    • Decision
14. Modification notice: education health and care plans legislation changes
    • 29 May 2020
    • Decision

Finance and administration

1. Actions for FE colleges and providers during the coronavirus outbreak
   • 29 May 2020
   • Guidance
2. Procurement Policy Note 02/20: Supplier relief due to COVID-19
   • 19 May 2020
   • Guidance
3. Use of free early education entitlements funding during the coronavirus outbreak
   • 28 April 2020
   • Guidance
4. Coronavirus (COVID-19): financial support for education, early years and children’s social care
   • 27 May 2020
   • Guidance
5. Coronavirus (COVID-19): reducing burdens on educational and care settings
   • 20 April 2020
   • Guidance
6. Coronavirus (COVID-19): school and college performance measures
   • 8 April 2020
   • Guidance
7. Coronavirus (COVID-19): financial support for schools
   • 7 April 2020
   • Guidance

Initial teacher training (ITT) and newly qualified teachers (NQTs)

1. Coronavirus (COVID-19): initial teacher training (ITT)
   • 5 June 2020
   • Guidance
2. Induction for newly qualified teachers during the coronavirus outbreak
   • 1 May 2020
   • Guidance

Published 20 March 2020
Last updated 4 June 2020 + show all updates

1. 4 June 2020

   Added ‘Higher education: reopening buildings and campuses’.

2. 24 May 2020

   Added ‘Preparing for the wider opening of early years and childcare settings from 1 June’.

3. 15 May 2020

   Added ‘Safe working in education, childcare and children’s social care’.

4. 14 May 2020

   Added ‘Preparing for the wider opening of schools from 1 June’.

5. 13 May 2020

   Added both Actions for FE colleges and providers during the coronavirus outbreak and Procurement Policy Note 02/20: Supplier relief due to COVID-19 under Finance and administration.

6. 12 May 2020

   Added link to guidance on ‘Actions for educational and childcare settings to prepare for wider opening from 1 June 2020’ in the ‘Overarching guidance for educational settings’ section. Also added link to guidance on ‘implementing protective measures in education and childcare settings’ in the ‘COVID-19 infection prevention and control’ section.

7. 11 May 2020

   Added a link to information about opening schools and educational settings to more pupils from 1 June.

8. 4 May 2020

   Added ‘Actions for HE providers during the coronavirus outbreak’.

9. 28 April 2020

   Added ‘Use of free early education entitlements funding during the coronavirus outbreak’.

10. 24 April 2020

    Added guidance on ‘Using clusters and hubs to maintain educational provision’ and ‘Changes to school admission appeals due to coronavirus’.

11. 24 April 2020

    Added guidance on managing school premises during the coronavirus outbreak.

12. 23 April 2020

    Added guidance for children’s social care services during the coronavirus outbreak.

13. 20 April 2020

    Added ‘Coronavirus (COVID-19): reducing burdens on educational and care settings’ to finance and administration.

14. 19 April 2020

    Added ‘Coronavirus (COVID-19): SEND risk assessment guidance’.
15. 18 April 2020

    Reorganised information by category.

16. 14 April 2020

    Added a link to ‘Admission appeals for school places’ which contains guidance on the coronavirus (COVID-19) impact on school admission appeals.

17. 8 April 2020

    Added ‘Coronavirus (COVID-19): school and college performance measures’.

18. 7 April 2020

    Added ‘Coronavirus (COVID-19): initial teacher training (ITT)’.

19. 7 April 2020

    Added ‘Coronavirus (COVID-19): financial support for schools’ and ‘Coronavirus (COVID 19): online education resources’.

20. 1 April 2020

    Added ‘Coronavirus (COVID-19): induction for newly qualified teachers’.

21. 27 March 2020

    Added guidance on ‘COVID-19: safeguarding in schools, colleges and other providers’ to the collection.

22. 24 March 2020

    Added ‘Coronavirus (COVID-19): implementing social distancing in education and childcare settings’.

23. 24 March 2020

    Added ‘Coronavirus (COVID-19): early years and childcare closures’.

24. 23 March 2020

    Added ‘Coronavirus (COVID-19): apprenticeship programme response’ and ‘Coronavirus (COVID-19) maintaining further education provision’.

25. 22 March 2020

    Added ‘COVID-19: school closures’ and ‘Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance on vulnerable children and young people’.

26. 21 March 2020

    Added ‘Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance on isolation for residential educational settings’.

27. 20 March 2020

    Added ‘Coronavirus (COVID-19): travel advice for educational settings’.

28. 20 March 2020

    Added ‘Coronavirus (COVID-19): cancellation of GCSEs, AS and A levels’.

29. 20 March 2020

    First published.

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