Thread by @SchoolsWeek

Gavin Williamson and his ministers will take questions from MPs in the House of Commons shortly. Stay tuned for live tweets #eduQs

Williamson is asked whether parents should challenge schools over remote education provision. He says he'd always encourage parents "in the first instance" to speak to teachers and heads, and then only go to Ofsted as a "last resort" #eduQs

Williamson is asked what % of schools are providing live teaching and whether he'll increase it. He says "great strides" have been made in supporting schools and families. He says government is monitoring the situation closely, as is Ofsted #eduQs

Here's @wesstreeting. He says up to 1.8m children did not have access to a device at home, and even with laptops provided, the provision "falls well short". He says DfE "incompetence" has left children disadvantaged #eduQs

@wesstreeting Williamson accuses Streeting of playing politics, and says his department is delivering for children #eduQs

@wesstreeting .@CMonaghanSNP asks whether DfE will follow Scotland's lead in providing cash or vouchers for free school meals. Williamson says schools already have choice between food parcels, local vouchers or national scheme #eduQs

@wesstreeting @CMonaghanSNP .@halfon4harlowMP says mental health worries of children have "rocketed", and asks whether DfE will work to put mental health counsellors in all schools "now".

Williamson says DfE has already provided training on how schools can support pupils and staff

#eduQs

@wesstreeting @CMonaghanSNP @halfon4harlowMP .@vickyford is up now. She is asked about catch-up. She says government has committed to a £1bn catch-up package, and expects it to be targeted at those in greatest need #eduQs

@wesstreeting @CMonaghanSNP @halfon4harlowMP @vickyford Williamson is asked again about provision of laptops and devices and shortages in some parts of England. He points to his previous answer that there are already 2.9m devices in circulation, on top of which government is sending out 1.3m #eduQs

@wesstreeting @CMonaghanSNP @halfon4harlowMP @vickyford Skills minister Gillian Keegan is being asked about contingencies for vocational exams, some of which went ahead this month. She says "no student will be disadvantaged" by decision to sit January exam or defer it #eduQs

@wesstreeting @CMonaghanSNP @halfon4harlowMP @vickyford Ministers are now being asked about support with schools' additional costs related to Covid-19.

Schools minister Nick Gibb says £102m in funding for exceptional costs has already been distributed, and schools had access to a workforce fund for November and December #eduQs

@wesstreeting @CMonaghanSNP @halfon4harlowMP @vickyford Gibb is asked about ongoing costs that schools have been unable to claim. He refers to the existing three-year funding settlement for schools and £1bn catch-up fund. He also says schools "genuinely" in financial difficulties should speak to LAs/the ESFA #eduQs

@wesstreeting @CMonaghanSNP @halfon4harlowMP @vickyford Minister Ford is asked about the fact lateral flow tests are not authorised to keep close contacts in schools.

She says DfE has asked Test and Trace and PHE to provide updated advice on daily contact tracing in schools

schoolsweek.co.uk/rapid-covid-te…

@wesstreeting @CMonaghanSNP @halfon4harlowMP @vickyford Now onto questions about contingencies for international baccalaureate exams.

Gibb says it's "no longer viable" for exams to go ahead as planned, and that IB students should be subject to "a similar approach" as to GCSEs and A-levels #eduQs

@wesstreeting @CMonaghanSNP @halfon4harlowMP @vickyford Gibb is asked about refurbishment and rebuilding of schools. He refers to the new 10-year rebuilding programme announced last year

#eduQs

@wesstreeting @CMonaghanSNP @halfon4harlowMP @vickyford Williamson thanks all those working in schools, colleges, universities and early years settings for all they're doing to provide education. He confirms Ofqual has launched a consultation on exams #eduQs

@wesstreeting @CMonaghanSNP @halfon4harlowMP @vickyford Here's @KateGreenSU. She refers to "utterly inadequate" food parcels seen last week, and asks why it's taken until third week of term to initiate national voucher scheme.

He says over 15,000 vouchers have already been dispatched through the national scheme today

#eduQs

@wesstreeting @CMonaghanSNP @halfon4harlowMP @vickyford @KateGreenSU Green says Williamson "just isn't up to the job".

Williamson says DfE has taken action with laptops distributed, a national FSM voucher scheme and "will continue to support families who are the most vulnerable"

#eduQs

@wesstreeting @CMonaghanSNP @halfon4harlowMP @vickyford @KateGreenSU Ford is asked how many complaints government has had through its helpline about food parcels.

"By the end of last week we had received a total of 7 calls about unacceptable lunch parcels. Each has been fully investigated. We expect high quality lunch parcels" #eduQs

@wesstreeting @CMonaghanSNP @halfon4harlowMP @vickyford @KateGreenSU Gibb is asked about concerns about Ofsted assessing schools when there are "no agreed standards or established precedents" in relation to education in lockdown.

He says govt has set out "very clear expectations" for schools re: remote education #eduQs

@wesstreeting @CMonaghanSNP @halfon4harlowMP @vickyford @KateGreenSU .@stellacreasy asks about safety of special schools and what meetings ministers have had with PHE about transmission.

Minister Ford says special schools are usually smaller than mainsteam, "which is why they have less of an impact on community transmission" #eduQs

@wesstreeting @CMonaghanSNP @halfon4harlowMP @vickyford @KateGreenSU @stellacreasy And that's it. Thanks for following!