To ask the Minister of Education what health advice he has received concerning proceeding with individual rather than group singing lessons in schools.

The Department’s guidance continues to be informed by advice from the Chief Medical Officer (CMO), the Assistant Chief Scientific Advisor and the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) which is based on scientific and public health advice.

As stated in my letter of 1 April, singing indoors was temporarily paused as it generates an increase in aerosol and droplet projection. Due to the increased prevalence of the Kent variant (B.1.1.7.) of the COVID-19 virus and on the advice of the CMO and the Public Health Agency (PHA), singing was temporarily suspended. This variant was identified as potentially being 50% to 70% more transmissible than known variants during the school term leading up to Christmas. Increased projection due to singing presented a potential enhanced increase of transmission of the new variant. It was, however, permissible to continue in an outdoor setting.

The Education Authority met with the PHA to review its guidance and updated its Music Unlocked Guidance for Schools on 16 April to reinforce the guidance on planning and risk assessing the provision of singing within schools. The guidance states that singing outdoors may be considered as long as the singers and leader are aware of the wind direction and appropriate social distancing and other mitigation measures are in place.

Music Service tutors who teach singing resumed face-to-face tuition in schools to support those pupils who are taking a practical music assessment for GCSE, AS-level and A-level qualifications. The policy to pause all other indoor singing remains in place. All Music Service tuition will continue to be delivered with appropriate mitigations in place, as detailed in the “Music Unlocked” guidance and risk assessments. As the science of COVID-19 is still developing and new studies are published almost daily, the Music Service will revisit and update this guidance in line with the latest scientific understanding. The Department will keep this under review along with input from the PHA and the Department of Health.