I was very pleased to continue with the range of sector specific surgeries that I have been holding over the past few weeks. Most recently, I have spoken to Headteachers in both primary and secondary schools within the constituency. The discussions that we had shared some of the same concerns as I heard from the early years providers, particularly around safety, but I was pleased to hear how the situation is improving. I know staff are anxious and that is why I continue to push the Government to make as much of this data as possible accessible to members of the public. They are continually monitoring staff absence rates and in many cases lower than other workplace settings.

I recognise some of the concerns over testing and I have fed back the particular challenges that registrations present in a school environment. It would be very helpful if this system could be streamlined for schools.

The final major point of discussion centred around the alternative arrangements for GCSEs and A Levels this year. There is so much to consider and while nothing is going to be as fair as a normal set of summer exams, we do need to ensure this delivers for the students. I will be bringing these concerns to Ministers in a meeting this week, but I would also encourage as many people as possible to take part in the rapid consultation which is currently ongoing. Further information on this consultation can be found here.