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1543540

	registered interest
	date	18/11/2022
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Carers
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has taken recent steps to help support kinship carers.
	tabling member constituency	Newcastle-under-Lyme
	tabling member printed	Aaron Bell
	uin	90897
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/11/2022 answer text <p>The department is supporting the Kinship charity to deliver up to 100 peer-to-peer support groups across England to support kinship carers.</p><p>The recently published Independent Review of Children’s Social Care set out recommendations on how the government can support kinship families. The department is now considering these recommendations. We are working up a comprehensive response to the recommendations in the Review, which will set out how the department intends to support kinship families.</p> answering member constituency East Surrey answering member printed Claire Coutinho question first answered 28/11/2022 12:48:27 answering member 4806 label Biography information for Claire Coutinho
	tabling member	4837 label Biography information for Aaron Bell

1562992

	registered interest
	date	19/12/2022
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Carers: Cost of Living
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made a recent assessment with Cabinet colleagues of the adequacy of Government support for kinship families for (a) household bills and (b) other areas.
	tabling member constituency	Erith and Thamesmead
	tabling member printed	Abena Oppong-Asare
	uin	113449
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/01/2023 answer text <p>The department recognises the important role that kinship carers play in looking after children through kinship arrangements, and are aware that many kinship carers make great sacrifices to fulfil this role.</p><p>The Independent Review of Children’s Social Care made a set of bold and ambitious recommendations which seek to improve the financial and practical support kinship carers receive, and the department is due to respond to those recommendations early in early 2023.</p><p>Statutory guidance issued to local authorities already makes it clear that children and young people should receive the sufficient support that they and their carers need to safeguard and promote their welfare. There is no limit on the level of support, including financial support, that local authorities can provide. All local authorities should have in place clear eligibility criteria in relation to the provision of support services.</p> answering member constituency East Surrey answering member printed Claire Coutinho question first answered 09/01/2023 14:56:32 answering member 4806 label Biography information for Claire Coutinho
	tabling member	4820 label Biography information for Abena Oppong-Asare

1603496

	registered interest
	date	13/03/2023
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Teachers: Hearing Impairment
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to (a) stop the long-term decline in the number of deaf teachers and (b) increase the ratio of deaf children to teachers in (i) Erith and Thamesmead constituency and (ii) the rest of the UK..
	tabling member constituency	Erith and Thamesmead
	tabling member printed	Abena Oppong-Asare
	uin	163927
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/03/2023 answer text <p>On 2 March 2023, the department published the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Alternative Provision (AP) Improvement Plan in response to the Green Paper published in March last year. The Plan outlines the government’s mission for the SEND and AP system to fulfil children’s potential, including those with sensory impairment.</p><p>As stated in the Improvement Plan, the department has developed a new approval process to determine providers of Mandatory Qualifications in Sensory Impairment (MQSI) from the start of the 2023/24 academic year. This is to support the supply of teachers with an MQSI.</p><p>The Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) is also developing an apprenticeship for teachers of sensory impairment. IfATE is working with universities, local authorities, and sector representatives, including the National Deaf Children’s Society, the Royal National Institute of Blind People, and the British Association of Teachers of Deaf Children and Young People to develop the qualification and expects it to be available from 2025.</p><p>The department is exploring further options to maximise take up of MQSIs with a view to improving the supply of teachers for children with sensory impairments.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Surrey answering member printed Claire Coutinho question first answered 16/03/2023 17:55:37 answering member 4806 label Biography information for Claire Coutinho
	tabling member	4820 label Biography information for Abena Oppong-Asare

1651637

	registered interest
	date	10/07/2023
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Sign Language: Adult Education
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many parents of deaf children participated in British sign language courses that were funded through the adult education budget in Greenwich and Bexley in each of the last three years.
	tabling member constituency	Erith and Thamesmead
	tabling member printed	Abena Oppong-Asare
	uin	193216
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/07/2023 answer text <p>About 60% of the adult education budget (AEB) has been devolved to Mayoral Combined Authorities and the Greater London Authority, which includes Greenwich and Bexley. Devolved areas decide how to make best use of AEB provision to meet learner needs of their areas and decide which providers to contract with to deliver AEB-funded learning.</p><p>According to data held by the department on the Individualised Learner Record, there were 10 adult (19+) education and training learning aim enrolments in the 2021/22 academic year by learners living in the London Borough of Bexley or the London Borough of Greenwich with ‘British Sign Language’ or ‘BSL’ in their aim title. In 2020/21, there were 10 enrolments and in 2019/20 there were 20. The department does not hold information as to whether the learners taking these aims have deaf children. Further clarity on use of the AEB in London may be provided by the Greater London Authority.</p><p>These figures do not correspond to learners, as learners may enrol on multiple aims. Additionally, these are funded adult (19+) education and training aim enrolments, so they will include AEB-funded learning, as well as other funding provision, such as advanced learner loans.</p> answering member constituency East Surrey answering member printed Claire Coutinho question first answered 17/07/2023 15:36:38 answering member 4806 label Biography information for Claire Coutinho
	tabling member	4820 label Biography information for Abena Oppong-Asare

1651638

	registered interest
	date	10/07/2023
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Sign Language: Education
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent steps she has taken to help parents of deaf children to be able to learn sign language; and if her Department is coordinating work with local authorities on this issue.
	tabling member constituency	Erith and Thamesmead
	tabling member printed	Abena Oppong-Asare
	uin	193217
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/07/2023 answer text <p>The government understands the great importance of British Sign Language (BSL) for bridging barriers to communication between hearing and deaf people. The department appreciates the vital need for families with deaf children to be able to access BSL courses, as early access to language is essential to help children learn and thrive.</p><p>Funding is available through the adult education budget (AEB) for qualifications in or focussing on BSL up to and including level 2. These qualifications include, for example, the Level 1 Award in BSL, which allows learners to communicate in BSL on a range of topics that involve simple, everyday language use, thereby giving them the basic skills and confidence in production and reception of BSL. It will depend on an individual’s circumstances as to whether they are entitled to free provision or expected to meet part of the cost, through co-funding.</p><p>For some BSL courses, advanced learner loans (ALLs) are available, and parents can find more information about which qualifications are eligible at: <a href="https://www.qualifications.education.gov.uk/Search" target="_blank">https://www.qualifications.education.gov.uk/Search</a>. More general information about the provision of ALLs is available at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/advanced-learner-loan" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/advanced-learner-loan</a>.</p><p>For parents learning BSL on an AEB-funded course, there is also additional support available. The AEB provides funding to colleges and providers to help adult learners overcome barriers preventing them from accessing learning. Providers have discretion to help learners meet costs such as transport, accommodation, books, equipment, and childcare. Learning support funding also helps colleges and training providers to meet the additional needs of learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and the costs of reasonable adjustments, as set out in the Equality Act 2010.</p><p>About 60% of the AEB has been devolved to nine Mayoral Combined Authorities and the Mayor of London, acting where appropriate through the Greater London Authority. These authorities determine which provision to fund for learners who live in their areas. The Education and Skills Funding Agency provides the remaining funding for learners who live in non-devolved areas. It is up to providers to decide what provision they offer. Where community learning providers offer BSL courses, those providers are responsible for determining the course fees, including levels of fee remission.</p> answering member constituency East Surrey answering member printed Claire Coutinho question first answered 17/07/2023 15:11:24 answering member 4806 label Biography information for Claire Coutinho
	tabling member	4820 label Biography information for Abena Oppong-Asare

1580776

	registered interest
	date	25/01/2023
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Alternative Education and Special Educational Needs
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when her Department will publish the Government's response to the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Alternative Provision (AP) Green Paper consultation.
	tabling member constituency	Manchester, Gorton
	tabling member printed	Afzal Khan
	uin	132586
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/02/2023 answer text <p>The Special Education Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Alternative Provision (AP) green paper consultation closed on 22 July 2022. The department is currently reviewing the feedback received. We will use this feedback, along with continued engagement with the system to inform the next stage of delivering improvements for children, young people and their families.</p><p>The department is committed to publishing a full response to the green paper in an Improvement Plan early this year.</p><p>The department will continue to support the system in the immediate term to deliver change and continue to improve the experience and outcomes for children and young people with SEND and those who need AP.</p> answering member constituency East Surrey answering member printed Claire Coutinho question first answered 06/02/2023 13:07:25 answering member 4806 label Biography information for Claire Coutinho
	tabling member	4671 label Biography information for Afzal Khan

1606279

	registered interest
	date	22/03/2023
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Childcare
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make it her policy to ensure the Government's proposals for free childcare for children aged over nine months, as announced in the Budget 2023, apply to parents who already have childcare arrangements in place.
	tabling member constituency	Stockton North
	tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
	uin	171398
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/03/2023 answer text <p>The department is expanding the current free childcare offer, so that eligible working parents in England will be able to access 30 hours of free childcare per week for 38 weeks per year from when their child is 9 months old to when they start school.</p><p>From April 2024, working parents of 2-year-olds will be able to access 15 hours of free childcare per week (across 38 weeks of the year). From September 2024 this will be extended to parents of 9 month to 3-year-olds, and from September 2025 working parents of 9 month to 3-year-olds will be able to access 30 free hours per week (38 weeks a year).</p><p>Parents who already have childcare arrangements in place will be able to benefit from this new offer, as well as benefiting from the government’s current range of childcare offers, which includes the free early education entitlements as well as Tax-Free Childcare and Universal Credit Childcare.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Surrey answering member printed Claire Coutinho question first answered 27/03/2023 16:44:37 answering member 4806 label Biography information for Claire Coutinho
	tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

1640562

	registered interest
	date	25/05/2023
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Pre-school Education: Special Educational Needs
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information gathered in nursery on whether or not a child has suspected SEND is passed on to their next educational setting.
	tabling member constituency	Stockton North
	tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
	uin	186904
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/06/2023 answer text <p>The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework sets the standards and requirements that all early years providers in England must follow. This includes statutory assessment arrangements for measuring progress of all children in early years provision, including those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).</p><p>As set out in the EYFS framework, when a child is aged between two and three, practitioners must review their progress, and provide parents and/or carers with a short written summary of their child’s development in the three prime areas of learning and development. This is the ‘progress check at age two’. The progress check must identify the child’s strengths and any areas where progress is less than expected. If there are significant emerging concerns, or an identified SEND, practitioners should develop a targeted plan to support the child’s future learning and development, involving parents and/or carers and other professionals as appropriate.</p><p>Practitioners should encourage parents and/or carers to share information from the progress check with other relevant professionals, including the staff of any new provision the child may transfer to.</p><p>Additionally, the EYFS requires early years providers, ordinarily schools, in England to complete the EYFS profile assessment for all children, including those with SEND, at the end of the academic year in which they turn five, usually reception year.</p><p>Each child’s level of development is assessed against 17 early learning goals (ELGs). For each ELG, practitioners must assess whether a child is meeting the level of development expected at the end of the EYFS, or if they are not yet reaching this level and should be assessed as ‘emerging’.</p><p>Year 1 teachers must be given a copy of the EYFS profile report. The main purpose of the EYFS profile is to support a successful transition to key stage 1 by informing the professional dialogue between EYFS and year 1 teachers regarding each child’s stage of development and learning needs, and helping them to plan the year 1 curriculum to meet the needs of all children.</p><p>For children attending more than one setting, the profile must be completed by the school where the child spends most time. If a child moves to a new school during the academic year, the original school must send their assessment of the child’s level of development against the ELGs to the relevant school within 15 days of receiving a request. If a child moves during the summer term, relevant providers must agree which of them will complete the profile.</p> answering member constituency East Surrey answering member printed Claire Coutinho grouped question UIN 186905 question first answered 05/06/2023 14:01:34 answering member 4806 label Biography information for Claire Coutinho
	tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

1640563

	registered interest
	date	25/05/2023
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Pre-school Education
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information on a child’s educational profile and progress is passed from a nursery to their next educational setting.
	tabling member constituency	Stockton North
	tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
	uin	186905
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/06/2023 answer text <p>The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework sets the standards and requirements that all early years providers in England must follow. This includes statutory assessment arrangements for measuring progress of all children in early years provision, including those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).</p><p>As set out in the EYFS framework, when a child is aged between two and three, practitioners must review their progress, and provide parents and/or carers with a short written summary of their child’s development in the three prime areas of learning and development. This is the ‘progress check at age two’. The progress check must identify the child’s strengths and any areas where progress is less than expected. If there are significant emerging concerns, or an identified SEND, practitioners should develop a targeted plan to support the child’s future learning and development, involving parents and/or carers and other professionals as appropriate.</p><p>Practitioners should encourage parents and/or carers to share information from the progress check with other relevant professionals, including the staff of any new provision the child may transfer to.</p><p>Additionally, the EYFS requires early years providers, ordinarily schools, in England to complete the EYFS profile assessment for all children, including those with SEND, at the end of the academic year in which they turn five, usually reception year.</p><p>Each child’s level of development is assessed against 17 early learning goals (ELGs). For each ELG, practitioners must assess whether a child is meeting the level of development expected at the end of the EYFS, or if they are not yet reaching this level and should be assessed as ‘emerging’.</p><p>Year 1 teachers must be given a copy of the EYFS profile report. The main purpose of the EYFS profile is to support a successful transition to key stage 1 by informing the professional dialogue between EYFS and year 1 teachers regarding each child’s stage of development and learning needs, and helping them to plan the year 1 curriculum to meet the needs of all children.</p><p>For children attending more than one setting, the profile must be completed by the school where the child spends most time. If a child moves to a new school during the academic year, the original school must send their assessment of the child’s level of development against the ELGs to the relevant school within 15 days of receiving a request. If a child moves during the summer term, relevant providers must agree which of them will complete the profile.</p> answering member constituency East Surrey answering member printed Claire Coutinho grouped question UIN 186904 question first answered 05/06/2023 14:01:34 answering member 4806 label Biography information for Claire Coutinho
	tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

1538668

	registered interest
	date	03/11/2022
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Alternative Education and Special Educational Needs
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on the outcomes of the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities and Alternative Provision Green Paper consultation.
	tabling member constituency	Nottingham North
	tabling member printed	Alex Norris
	uin	77563
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/11/2022 answer text <p>The Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Alternative Provision (AP) Green Paper, published in March 2022, set out proposals for consultation, to improve the experience and outcomes for children and young people with SEND and those who need alternative provision.</p><p>The Department for Education has been having regular meetings with Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) officials to discuss the findings from the SEND and AP green paper consultation. We continue to work with them to develop our policy proposals.</p><p>Department officials also work closely with DLUHC officials regarding the government’s work to support local authorities to manage their high needs systems sustainably in the immediate future. We have already made 14 Safety Valve agreements with local authorities to support the sustainable management of their high needs budgets for the benefit of children and young people and will work with up to a further 20 local authorities in the 2022/23 financial year. We are also currently working with 55 local authorities to address immediate pressures in their local systems, taking a diagnostic approach to helping them improve delivery of SEND services for children and young people, while ensuring services are sustainable.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Surrey answering member printed Claire Coutinho grouped question UIN 77564 question first answered 10/11/2022 13:49:32 answering member 4806 label Biography information for Claire Coutinho
	tabling member	4641 label Biography information for Alex Norris