Latest Department for Education COVID-19 Resources

The Department of Education has a provided a range of resources to support educational professionals over the coming weeks and months. The list below summarises the support and advice available to date. For more information visit the DfE page by clicking here.

Helpline

For more information or direct advice and guidance please contact the DfE helpline on 0800 046 8687. Opening hours are 8am – 6pm Monday to Friday and 10am – 4pm Saturday and Sunday.

Funding to cover extra costs

Additional funding available for schools is available to cover the unique challenges and financial costs of the coronavirus outbreak. This new funding will be provided on top of the core funding allocations for the 2020-21 financial year and will cover specific costs incurred as a result of the coronavirus outbreak.

Educational resources to support remote learning

To help you with remote lesson planning and support learning at home, the DfE has published a set of high-quality resources, which will be updated over time.

Free school meals arrangements

The DfE has now published new guidance that explains what schools should do to make sure eligible pupils for free school meals have continued access where the pupil is not attending school.

Where to find more updates and guidance

The most recent coronavirus updates for schools on the main GOV.UK page, which includes overarching guidance in the form of a Q&A, alongside further details on:

• educational provision for vulnerable children and children of key workers
• the closure of educational settings
• the cancellation of GCSEs, AS and A levels
• travel guidance
• social distancing in education and childcare settings

Ofqual have also published their guidance on summer grades.

Updates and Latest Documents

As of the 7th of April 2020 the following updates and resources have been provided by the DfE. To keep up to date with information please follow this link and sign up to their RSS feed.

1. Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance for schools and other educational settings
   • 7 April 2020 | Collection | Cabinet Office, DfE and PHE
2. Coronavirus (COVID-19): initial teacher training (ITT)
   • 7 April 2020 | Guidance | DfE | Part of a collection: Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance for schools and other educational settings
3. Extra support for schools and parents to help cope with coronavirus
   • 7 April 2020 | Press release |DfE
4. Coronavirus (COVID-19): implementing social distancing in education and childcare settings
   • 7 April 2020 | Guidance | DfE and PHE | Part of a collection: Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance for schools and other educational settings
5. Coronavirus (COVID-19): free school meals guidance
   • 7 April 2020 | Guidance | DfE | Part of a collection: Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance for schools and other educational settings
6. Coronavirus (COVID-19): financial support for schools
   • 7 April 2020 | Guidance | DfE | Part of a collection: Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance for schools and other educational settings
7. Coronavirus (COVID 19): online education resources
   • 7 April 2020 | Guidance | DfE | Part of a collection: Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance for schools and other educational settings
8. Coronavirus (COVID-19): apprenticeship programme response
   • 6 April 2020 | Guidance | DfE and ESFA | Part of a collection: Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance for schools and other educational settings
9. 14 to 19 technical and applied qualifications: technical guidance
   • 6 April 2020 | Guidance | DfE
10. Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance for children’s social care services
    • 3 April 2020 | Guidance | DfE
11. Coronavirus (COVID-19): cancellation of GCSEs, AS and A levels in 2020
    • 3 April 2020 | Guidance | DfE | Part of a collection: Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance for schools and other educational settings
12. Coronavirus (COVID-19): school closures
    • 3 April 2020 | Guidance | DfE | Part of a collection: Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance for schools and other educational settings
13. Coronavirus (COVID-19): maintaining further education provision
    • 3 April 2020 | Guidance | DfE | Part of a collection: Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance for schools and other educational settings
14. Schools financial value standard (SFVS)
    • 3 April 2020 | Guidance | DfE | Part of a collection: School resource management and Local authorities: pre-16 schools funding
15. Direction issued to the Chief Regulator of Ofqual
    • 3 April 2020 | Correspondence | DfE
16. Coronavirus (COVID-19): attendance recording for educational settings
    • 3 April 2020 | Guidance | DfE
17. Higher education provider data: Business and community interaction: 2018 to 2019
    • 3 April 2020 | Official statistics | DfE, HESA and BEIS
18. Keeping children safe in education
    • 2 April 2020 | Statutory guidance | DfE | Part of a collection: School leadership teams: useful information, Primary school teachers: useful information, Secondary school teachers: useful information, Schools: statutory guidance, Using technology in education, Academy trusts: governance and Local-authority-maintained schools: governance
19. The risk protection arrangement (RPA) for schools
    • 2 April 2020 | Detailed guide | DfE
20. Higher education provider data: finance 2018 to 2019
    • 2 April 2020 | Official statistics | DfE and HESA
21. Coronavirus (COVID-19): early years and childcare closures
    • 1 April 2020 | Guidance | DfE | Part of a collection: Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance for schools and other educational settings
22. Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance on vulnerable children and young people
    • 1 April 2020 | Guidance | DfE and PHE | Part of a collection: Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance for schools and other educational settings
23. Schemes for financing schools
    • 1 April 2020 | Statutory guidance | DfE and ESFA | Part of a collection: Schools: statutory guidance and Local-authority-maintained schools: governance
24. Induction for newly qualified teachers (NQTs)
    • 1 April 2020 | Statutory guidance | DfE | Part of a collection: Qualified teacher status (QTS), Schools: statutory guidance, Academy trusts: governance, Local-authority-maintained schools: governance and Local-authority-maintained schools: governance
25. Coronavirus (COVID-19): induction for newly qualified teachers
    • 1 April 2020 | Guidance | DfE | Part of a collection: Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance for schools and other educational settings
26. DfE and executive agency spend over £25,000: 2019 to 2020
    • 1 April 2020 | Transparency data | DfE | Part of a collection: DfE: department and executive agency spend over £25,000
27. Children looked after return 2019 to 2020: technical specifications
    • 1 April 2020 | Guidance | DfE
28. Children looked after return 2019 to 2020: guide
    • 1 April 2020 | Guidance | DfE
29. Children looked after return: guide to submitting data
    • 1 April 2020 | Detailed guide | DfE
30. Children in need census 2019 to 2020: specification
    • 1 April 2020 | Guidance | DfE
31. Children in need census 2019 to 2020: guide
    • 1 April 2020 | Guidance | DfE
32. Children in need census: guide to submitting data
    • 1 April 2020 | Detailed guide | DfE
33. Initial teacher training (ITT): provider closure and withdrawal of ITT accreditation
    • 1 April 2020 | Guidance | DfE and NCTL | Part of a collection: Initial teacher training (ITT)
34. Closure of educational settings: information for parents and carers
    • 31 March 2020 | Guidance | DfE | Part of a collection: Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance for schools and other educational settings
35. Department for Education: exceptions to spending controls
    • 31 March 2020 | Transparency data | DfE
36. T Levels capital fund
    • 31 March 2020 | Guidance | DfE
37. New school proposals
    • 31 March 2020 | Transparency data | DfE | Part of a collection: School organisation
38. Providers: governance leadership and clerking development
    • 31 March 2020 | Guidance | DfE | Part of a collection: Professional development for school leaders
39. Voucher scheme launches for schools providing free school meals
    • 31 March 2020 | Press release | DfE
40. Subject knowledge enhancement: an introduction
    • 30 March 2020 | Detailed guide | DfE and NCTL

Summary

It has been an unprecedented time for the whole world let alone the education profession. It is great to see so much support being mobilised by the Government to support teachers and pupils across the country.