Important New Changes from the DfE That You Need to Know for the 2022 Spring Term

In an open letter addressed to all education and childcare letters, Mr Zahawi reiterated that keeping face-to-face learning and childcare open was his ‘absolute priority’ in the face of the Omicron variant surge. 

Mr Zahawi’s letter outlines a number of changes to the Department for Education’s strategy to maintain face-to-face learning, on top of the government’s existing emphasis on vaccination and twice-weekly lateral flow testing.

As a new layer of protection, 7,000 new air cleaning units will be rolled out to poorly-ventilated schools.

Senior leaders will not be required to undertake Ofsted inspections, and no inspections will take place during the first week of term.

In the most notable change, the DfE is now once again recommending that pupils in Year 7 and above should wear face coverings in classrooms. This measure will come under review on 26 January.

The Secretary of State also urged former teachers to return to the classroom in order to alleviate the burdens placed on education by staff absences. 

That’s why we are asking all our registered educators to keep doing what you do so well. Please ensure that your working diary is always up to date with your ongoing availabilities. Keep logging your Covid self-certification form each week through our Covid Secure App. Above all, keep bringing your best to every lesson you teach.

We hope that the situation will be much easier by half-term. Until then, we wish you a successful start to the year.