Guidance on students returning to study/training in January has now been published.
Members can read the full update here.
The guidance states that practical and placement students should return first. This means ITT trainees will be able to return to their courses and placements from 4 January 2021 onwards, in line with their planned start dates (ITT is included in the course list here).
For ITT trainees, the DfE’s advice is that trainees should make use of asymptomatic testing, where it is available, through your partner HE institution or through local community testing, before returning to placement. Where trainees have spent the winter break in a tier 3 area, they should use local community testing and take a test before travelling, where this fits with locally targeted programmes. Where asymptomatic testing is not available, trainees should return to their placement as planned and seek a test if they develop COVID-19 symptoms, in line with the guidance for teachers.
You may also find the Q&A on this blog post useful, in addition to the guidance above.