UK Covid-19 Inquiry

The inquiry is chaired by Baroness Hallett who has set Terms of Reference and a modular approach to its work. Each module involves a different theme, calls for evidence are made, core participants identified, statements requested and hearings arranged (in this module from 29 September to 23 October 2025).

Module 8 will consider the impact of the pandemic on children across society including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and from a diverse range of ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds.  As with Leveson, IICSA, Grenfell and the Infected Blood inquiries before this one, much of the information will be made publicly available and the hearings televised. The inquiry's work is supported by a public call for evidence (#everystorymatters) through the website which anyone can respond to.

We are now helping schools deal with requests for information in relation to this Inquiry. These may be limited to evidence or require a statement supporting that, and can require significant work. Such requests are made under Rule 9 of the Inquiry Rules 2006 which requires the Inquiry to send a written request for a statement, document 'or any other thing' to anyone from whom it proposes to take evidence. Although Rule 9 letters are requests, you should note that the Inquiries Act 2005 makes it a criminal offence to intentionally alter, conceal or destroy a document.  The Inquiry can also follow the request with a formal notice and it is an offence to fail to comply with a notice without reasonable excuse.

We would strongly recommend that schools respond to the request promptly in order to avoid escalation. It is sometimes possible to get a short extension of time by making a formal request for one to the Inquiry.

The Inquiry says that recipients of the Rule 9 Requests have been identified through a "randomised selection process" and the sample has been checked against "existing data about the characteristics of schools in each of the four nations, to ensure that it is a reasonable reflection of the different types of schools that children attended and the spread of population" during the pandemic. We have not yet been able to discern any pattern as to schools contacted, but we will keep you informed of developments.

For further information or support for your school please contact Natalie Wargent on 07468 698 955 or Tabitha Cave on 0117 314 5381 in our Regulatory Compliance team . Alternatively, you can fill out the form below.