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1464867

registered interest
date	23/05/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Schools: Cleaning Services
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department has made a recent assessment of the level of shortages of cleaners in schools.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	6764
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/05/2022 answer text <p>Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.</p><p> </p><p>The department gives school and academy trust leaders the freedom to decide how they recruit and deploy their non-teaching staff in schools, including cleaners. They hold responsibility for monitoring and making decisions about their cleaners to meet their own circumstances, in addition to having autonomy to make contract decisions for externally-supplied cleaning staff.</p><p> </p><p>The department supports schools to get the best value from their resources. Support is provided through the establishment of national deals on common areas of school spending. The use of these deals for school resourcing needs is at the discretion of school and academy trust leaders. While the department encourages the use of its established deals, schools are trusted to get the best value for money when hiring their staff.</p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker question first answered 31/05/2022 16:14:49 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1463475

registered interest
date	17/05/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the proposal in the SEND Review to provide a tailored list of settings for parents of children with disabilities, what steps the Government plans to take to help ensure that that proposal does not affect choice of support for children, particularly those with complex disabilities.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	3590
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/05/2022 answer text <p>The SEND and AP green paper sets out the government's proposals to improve the outcomes and experiences of children and young people with SEND and their families. The proposals aim to drive national consistency in how needs are assessed, identified, and met across education, health and care through the introduction of national standards. These standards are intended to set out the full range of support for meeting all needs, including those of children and young people with more complex needs. The standards will also include guidance and best practice on reasonable adjustments for disabled children.</p><p>As part of our proposals, our aim is to provide parents and carers with a clearer understanding of the support that should be available to meet their child’s needs and support them to make an informed choice about which education provider they would like their child to attend. Where specialist provision is required, the department is consulting on proposals for a simplified process where parents and carers will be supported to express an informed preference for a suitable placement from a tailored list of providers that are appropriate to meet their child’s needs. The expectation is that all schools on the list will be able to meet the child’s special educational needs as identified in their education health and care needs assessments. This aims to give parents and carers clarity on what is available locally which may still include mainstream, special, independent or out of borough provision where appropriate in order to meet the child’s needs. Our intention is that this will lead to greater transparency about what is available for children and young people in their local school and greater clarity about how it can be provided. The department also aims for this to improve the choice offered to parents and carers by suggesting options they may not have otherwise considered.</p><p>All of the proposals within the green paper are currently open to a full public consultation and the department will be listening carefully to all views expressed to ensure policies secure the departments ambitions to improve outcomes and parental confidence in the system. The department is committed to ensuring everyone has the opportunity to take part in the consultation and encourages everyone to do so.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince grouped question UIN 3592 3795 question first answered 24/05/2022 12:52:03 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1463476

registered interest
date	17/05/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Teachers: Training
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the ambition of the SEND Review to make schools more inclusive for children with SEND, what steps the Government is taking to help ensure that teachers are adequately trained to teach children with SEND.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	3591
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/05/2022 answer text <p>All teachers are teachers of special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). The department is committed to ensuring that all pupils can reach their potential and receive excellent support from their teachers. The Schools White Paper and SEND and AP Green Paper are aligned on this expectation.</p><p>To support all teachers to meet these standards, the department is implementing a series of high-quality teacher training reforms. This begins with initial teacher training (ITT) and continues into early career teaching, through to the reformed suite of leadership and specialist National Professional Qualifications.</p><p>The revised ITT and Core Content Framework (CCF) and the early career framework (ECF), which all newly qualified teachers benefit from, have been designed around how to support all pupils to succeed and seeks to widen access for all. This includes those pupils identified within the four areas of need set out in the SEND code of practice, and children in need of help and protection as identified in the Children in Need Review. All trainees who achieve qualified teacher status must demonstrate that they can adapt teaching to respond to the strengths and needs of all pupils, including those with SEND.</p><p>Consideration of SEND underpins both the CCF and the ECF, which were both produced with the support of sector experts.</p><p>Once teachers qualify and are employed in schools, headteachers use their professional judgement to identify any further training, including specific specialisms, for individual staff that is relevant to them, the school, and its pupils.</p><p>In February 2022, the department announced more than £45 million of funding for continued targeted support for families and parents of children with SEND and SEND services. This includes funding that will directly support schools and colleges to work with pupils with SEND, for example through training on specific needs like autism.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 25/05/2022 09:32:14 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1463477

registered interest
date	17/05/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Special Educational Needs: Standards
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the commitment in the SEND Review to introduce national standards for the SEND system, what steps the Government plans to take to ensure that those standards meet the needs of all children, including those with complex disabilities.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	3592
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/05/2022 answer text <p>The SEND and AP green paper sets out the government's proposals to improve the outcomes and experiences of children and young people with SEND and their families. The proposals aim to drive national consistency in how needs are assessed, identified, and met across education, health and care through the introduction of national standards. These standards are intended to set out the full range of support for meeting all needs, including those of children and young people with more complex needs. The standards will also include guidance and best practice on reasonable adjustments for disabled children.</p><p>As part of our proposals, our aim is to provide parents and carers with a clearer understanding of the support that should be available to meet their child’s needs and support them to make an informed choice about which education provider they would like their child to attend. Where specialist provision is required, the department is consulting on proposals for a simplified process where parents and carers will be supported to express an informed preference for a suitable placement from a tailored list of providers that are appropriate to meet their child’s needs. The expectation is that all schools on the list will be able to meet the child’s special educational needs as identified in their education health and care needs assessments. This aims to give parents and carers clarity on what is available locally which may still include mainstream, special, independent or out of borough provision where appropriate in order to meet the child’s needs. Our intention is that this will lead to greater transparency about what is available for children and young people in their local school and greater clarity about how it can be provided. The department also aims for this to improve the choice offered to parents and carers by suggesting options they may not have otherwise considered.</p><p>All of the proposals within the green paper are currently open to a full public consultation and the department will be listening carefully to all views expressed to ensure policies secure the departments ambitions to improve outcomes and parental confidence in the system. The department is committed to ensuring everyone has the opportunity to take part in the consultation and encourages everyone to do so.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince grouped question UIN 3590 3795 question first answered 24/05/2022 12:52:03 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1458719

registered interest
date	20/04/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Pupils: Nutrition
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to encourage healthy eating in primary schools.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	156463
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/04/2022 answer text <p>School food is a devolved matter. This answer only applies to England.</p><p>The department supports the provision of nutritious food in schools to enable pupils to be well nourished, develop healthy eating habits, and concentrate and learn in school. The government does this by providing the Requirements for School Food Regulations 2014 (school food standards) to ensure the provision of healthy school food, providing free school meals to every pupil in reception, year 1 and year 2 and providing free school meals to the most disadvantaged pupils.</p><p>The school food standards regulate the food and drink provided at both lunchtime and at other times of the school day. This includes breakfast clubs, tuck shops, mid-morning break, vending, and after school clubs. Compliance with the standards is mandatory for all maintained schools, including academies and free schools.</p><p>Schools also provide children with a free piece of fruit or vegetable each day through the School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme, jointly funded by the Department for Education and the Department for Health and Social Care.</p><p>In February 2022, the Levelling Up White Paper outlined a number of things the department is doing to strengthen adherence with the school food standards. This includes piloting work with the Foods Standards Agency, investing up to £200,000 in a pilot governor training scheme, and encouraging schools to complete a statement on their school websites setting out their school approach to food. The government will say more about these in the forthcoming Food Strategy White Paper.</p><p>Since September 2015, Ofsted inspectors look at how provision supports pupils’ knowledge on how to keep themselves healthy, including through exercising and healthy eating. Healthy eating and opportunities to develop pupils’ cooking skills are covered in the design and technology curriculum in Key Stages 1-3. The principles of a healthy and varied diet are also covered in health education, which became compulsory in state-funded schools in England from September 2020.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 27/04/2022 11:31:49 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1457246

registered interest
date	14/04/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Children: Social Services
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the Government's planned timetable is for (a) responding to and (b) implementing recommendations of the Children's social care market study final report by the Competition and Markets Authority.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	153955
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/04/2022 answer text <p>Children’s social care in Northern Ireland is a devolved matter. The answer reflects the position in England.</p><p>The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) launched a market study in March 2021 examining the lack of availability and increasing costs in children’s social care provision, including children’s homes and fostering agencies. The CMA examined concerns around high prices paid by local authorities and the inadequate supply of appropriate placements for children. Its interim report was published on 22 October and its full report, including recommendations, was published on 10 March 2022.</p><p>The department welcomes the report and is carefully considering the CMA’s recommendations. At this point, the department is unable to comment on timeframes for implementation of the recommendations until we have fully considered the findings contained in the final report. However, the department commits to providing a response to the report within 90 days.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 26/04/2022 15:46:40 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1455821

registered interest
date	30/03/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Curriculum
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has held discussions with schools on the potential merits of including in the curriculum learning on veganism, fast fashion and climate change.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	150164
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/04/2022 answer text <p>Education has a critical role to play in giving all children and young people the knowledge and skills they need to create a greener, more sustainable world, and to tackle both the causes and impact of climate change.</p><p>The national curriculum framework sets out the minimum content that schools are expected to teach in each subject. Topics relating to climate change are already taught in subjects such as geography, science and citizenship. Teachers have the flexibility to cover topics in greater depth where they deem it appropriate, including topics such as veganism and fast fashion.</p><p>Pupils are taught about healthy eating through the statutory health education curriculum. They should know what constitutes a healthy diet, the characteristics of a poor diet, and risks associated with unhealthy eating, including for example, obesity and tooth decay. Schools are free to teach about the benefits of a vegan diet if they wish to do so.</p><p>Healthy eating and opportunities to develop pupils’ cooking skills are also covered in the design and technology (D&amp;T) curriculum. Cooking and nutrition is a discrete strand of the D&amp;T curriculum and is compulsory in maintained schools for key stages 1 to 3. The curriculum aims to teach children how to cook, with an emphasis on savoury dishes, and how to apply the principles of healthy eating and nutrition. We have also introduced a new food preparation and nutrition GCSE to provide pupils with practical cookery experience and teach them about the underlying scientific concepts of nutrition and healthy eating.</p><p>As with other aspects of the curriculum, schools have flexibility over how they deliver these subjects, and are able to go into further depth into subjects such as veganism should they wish. Schools can develop an integrated approach that is sensitive to the needs and background of their pupils.</p><p>The department has established a unit devoted to climate change and sustainability, and at COP26, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education presented a draft Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy for the Education and Children’s Services. This strategy set out key action to drive excellence in climate education including professional development for science teachers, a model Primary Science Curriculum, and free access to quality teaching resources.</p><p>While refining this strategy for publication in April 2022, the unit engaged widely with young people, expert bodies, teachers, and unions. The inclusion of topics connected to climate change and sustainability across the curriculum has been discussed with relevant parties at length. The finalised version of this strategy was published on 21 April 2022.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker question first answered 25/04/2022 12:05:19 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1455268

registered interest
date	29/03/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	School Libraries: Finance
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has made a recent assessment of the adequacy of funding for school libraries.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	149254
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/04/2022 answer text <p>The department believes that all pupils deserve to be taught a knowledge rich curriculum that promotes the extensive reading of books and other kinds of texts, both in and out of school. School libraries complement public libraries in helping pupils to do this.</p><p>Schools in England have the flexibility to make their own decisions on how to prioritise their spending to invest in a wide range of activities and resources that will best support their staff and pupils. It is for individual schools to decide how best to provide and maintain a library service for their pupils, including whether to employ a qualified librarian. Many head teachers recognise the important role school libraries play in improving literacy and encouraging pupils to read for pleasure, and ensure that suitable library facilities are provided.</p><p>The government continues to deliver year on year, real terms per pupil increases to school funding in England. The total core school budget is increasing to £56.8 billion by the 2024/25 financial year, a £7 billion cash increase compared with 2021/22. Future increases in funding have been frontloaded to rapidly get money to schools, so that in 2022/23 alone, core schools funding will increase by £4 billion compared to 2021/22. This total includes a £2.5 billion increase in mainstream school funding for 5 to 16 year olds in 2022/23, compared to 2021/22. This is equivalent to an average 5.8% cash increase, or £300, per pupil, with each local authority forecast to see at least a 4.7% increase per pupil.</p><p>Responsibility for funding school libraries is devolved in Northern Ireland. The Northern Ireland Executive receive funding through the Barnett formula in line with the principles set out in the Statement of Funding Policy. It is for the Northern Ireland Executive to allocate their funding in devolved areas as they see fit.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker question first answered 05/04/2022 14:23:39 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1441282

registered interest
date	15/03/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Special Educational Needs: Teachers
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that there are sufficient numbers of specialist teachers to support children with special educational needs and disabilities.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	140438
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/03/2022 answer text <p>Education is a devolved matter, and the response will outline the information for England only.</p><p>The department is committed to ensuring that all pupils can reach their potential and receive excellent support from their teachers. The reformed initial teacher training core content framework (ITT CCF) and the new early career framework (ECF), both developed with sector experts, will equip teachers with a clear understanding of the needs of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).</p><p>All teachers are teachers of SEND. ITT courses must be designed so that trainee teachers can demonstrate that they meet the teachers’ standards at the appropriate level. This includes the requirement that all teachers must have a clear understanding of the needs of all pupils, including those with SEND.</p><p>Consideration of SEND underpins both the ITT CCF and ECF, which were both produced with the support of sector experts. The ECF is designed to support all pupils to succeed and seeks to widen access for all.</p><p>The department is determined that all children and young people receive the support they need to succeed in their education. It is a legal requirement for qualified teachers of classes of pupils with sensory impairments to hold the relevant mandatory qualification, referred to as an MQSI. The department’s aim is to ensure a steady supply of teachers for children with visual, hearing, and multi-sensory impairments, in both specialist and mainstream education providers.</p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker question first answered 21/03/2022 14:00:05 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1441283

registered interest
date	15/03/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Special Educational Needs: Teachers
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the finding of research conducted by Sense that 52 per cent of local authorities do not employ multi-sensory impairment (MSI) teachers, if his Department will create a MSI education fund for local authorities to employ MSI teachers.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	140439
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/03/2022 answer text <p>Education is a devolved matter, and the response will outline the information for England only.</p><p>The department is firmly committed to ensuring that children with special educational needs and disabilities, including those with multi-sensory impairments, receive the support they need to achieve in their early years, at school and college. Local authorities in England are required to publish information on the availability of specialist services and support commissioned and provided for children and young people with multi-sensory impairments in a local offer. To ensure local needs are met, they must work with children, young people, and their families to develop this. On the issue of funding for local authorities to support children with multi-sensory impairments, I refer the hon. Member for Strangford to the answer I gave on 8 March 2022 to Question <a href="https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2022-03-02/133247" target="_blank">133247</a>.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince grouped question UIN 140440 question first answered 23/03/2022 14:32:50 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon