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1666654

	registered interest
	date	23/10/2023
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Department of Education: Written Questions
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of (a) Ordinary and (b) Named Day written parliamentary questions her Department has answered on time in 2023 to date.
	tabling member constituency	City of Durham
	tabling member printed	Mary Kelly Foy
	uin	203948
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/10/2023 answer text <p>The Department attaches great importance to the effective and timely handling of written parliamentary questions from Members of Parliament. The below table provides the proportion of (a) ordinary and (b) named day written parliamentary questions answered by the Department from 1 January 2023 to 23 October 2023, as at 23 October.</p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>PQ type</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Answered</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Answered on time</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>PQ-Ordinary</p></td><td><p>2,379</p></td><td><p>2,033 (86%)</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>PQ-Named</p></td><td><p>817</p></td><td><p>587 (72%)</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Total</p></td><td><p>3,196</p></td><td><p>2,620 (82%)</p></td></tr></tbody></table> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 26/10/2023 11:19:46 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
	tabling member	4753 label Biography information for Mary Kelly Foy

1665779

	registered interest
	date	18/10/2023
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	St Leonard's Catholic School
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department is taking steps to make a risk assessment of allowing specialist teams to retrieve books, coursework and other items which have been inaccessible at St Leonard’s Catholic School since September 2023.
	tabling member constituency	City of Durham
	tabling member printed	Mary Kelly Foy
	uin	203409
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/10/2023 answer text <p>It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 26/10/2023 11:32:04 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
	tabling member	4753 label Biography information for Mary Kelly Foy

1665430

	registered interest
	date	17/10/2023
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	St Leonard's Catholic School
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will publish a timeline of the deployment of demountable classrooms for St Leonard’s Catholic School in the City of Durham.
	tabling member constituency	City of Durham
	tabling member printed	Mary Kelly Foy
	uin	203125
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/10/2023 answer text <p>It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 26/10/2023 11:32:26 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
	tabling member	4753 label Biography information for Mary Kelly Foy

1665437

	registered interest
	date	17/10/2023
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Schools: Buildings
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of schools closing due to the presence of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete on children’s mental health.
	tabling member constituency	City of Durham
	tabling member printed	Mary Kelly Foy
	uin	203126
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/10/2023 answer text <p>The guidance for education settings with confirmed RAAC in their buildings makes clear that schools should consider educational, safeguarding and wellbeing impacts for pupils and do their best to minimise the amount and length of any disruption to education, with support from their caseworker. The guidance is available at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/reinforced-autoclaved-aerated-concrete-guidance-for-responsible-bodies-and-education-settings-with-confirmed-raac" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/reinforced-autoclaved-aerated-concrete-guidance-for-responsible-bodies-and-education-settings-with-confirmed-raac</a>.</p><p>The Department’s priority is that pupils remain in face to face education or can return to it as soon as possible. Where schools do need to deliver education remotely, they are likely to already have established plans in place that have worked well for them, including through the COVID-19 pandemic. The Department has produced guidance to support schools to provide high-quality remote education, which is available at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/providing-remote-education-guidance-for-schools" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/providing-remote-education-guidance-for-schools</a>.</p><p>This guidance recommends that schools have systems for checking, daily, whether pupils are safe at home and engaging with their remote education. To help schools in doing that, the Department has brought together various sources of government support at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/mental-health-and-wellbeing-support-in-schools-and-colleges" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/guidance/mental-health-and-wellbeing-support-in-schools-and-colleges</a>.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 26/10/2023 10:33:26 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
	tabling member	4753 label Biography information for Mary Kelly Foy

1663205

	registered interest
	date	13/10/2023
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	St Leonard's Catholic School
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the presence of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete at St Leonard's Catholic School has been raised at Gold Command meetings; and what steps have been taken in relation to the school on that matter.
	tabling member constituency	City of Durham
	tabling member printed	Mary Kelly Foy
	uin	201059
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/10/2023 answer text <p>It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 26/10/2023 11:22:20 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
	tabling member	4753 label Biography information for Mary Kelly Foy

1663215

	registered interest
	date	13/10/2023
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Schools: Transport
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department's statutory guidance for local authorities on Travel to school for children of compulsory school age, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of amending the eligibility criteria for a child over eight years old to access free travel to their nearest suitable school from 3 to 1.5 miles from their home.
	tabling member constituency	City of Durham
	tabling member printed	Mary Kelly Foy
	uin	201069
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/10/2023 answer text <p>The Department’s school travel policy aims to make sure no pupil is prevented from accessing education by a lack of transport. Local Authorities must arrange free home to school travel for pupils of compulsory school age who attend their nearest school and live more than the statutory walking distance from it. The statutory walking distance is two miles for pupils aged under eight and three miles for those aged eight or over.</p><p> </p><p>The Department does not have any plans to amend the statutory walking distance, but pupils will also be eligible for free travel if they live within the statutory walking distance and would not be able to walk to school because of their special educational needs, disability or mobility problem, or because the nature of the route means it would be unsafe for them to do so. In addition, there are extended rights to free home to school travel for pupils who are eligible for free school meals or who live with a parent that claims the maximum amount of working tax credit. Pupils aged eight or over, but under eleven, may have free travel to their nearest school if it is more than two miles from their home. Pupils aged eleven to sixteen may have free travel to one of their three nearest schools, provided it is between two and six miles from their home, or to a school that their parents have chosen on the grounds of their religion or belief that is between two and fifteen miles from their home.</p><p> </p><p>Local Authorities are responsible for assessing route safety to determine whether a pupil is eligible for free home to school travel. Local knowledge is likely to be important and the Department does not have a role in these decisions. The Department’s guidance explains that Local Authorities should consider a range of risks such as canals, rivers, ditches, speed of traffic and fields of vision for the pedestrian and motorist.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb grouped question UIN 201070 question first answered 23/10/2023 16:16:57 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
	tabling member	4753 label Biography information for Mary Kelly Foy

1663216

	registered interest
	date	13/10/2023
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Schools: Transport
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department's statutory guidance for local authorities on Travel to school for children of compulsory school age, what criteria her Department uses to determine whether a walking route is safe for the purposes of access to free school travel.
	tabling member constituency	City of Durham
	tabling member printed	Mary Kelly Foy
	uin	201070
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/10/2023 answer text <p>The Department’s school travel policy aims to make sure no pupil is prevented from accessing education by a lack of transport. Local Authorities must arrange free home to school travel for pupils of compulsory school age who attend their nearest school and live more than the statutory walking distance from it. The statutory walking distance is two miles for pupils aged under eight and three miles for those aged eight or over.</p><p> </p><p>The Department does not have any plans to amend the statutory walking distance, but pupils will also be eligible for free travel if they live within the statutory walking distance and would not be able to walk to school because of their special educational needs, disability or mobility problem, or because the nature of the route means it would be unsafe for them to do so. In addition, there are extended rights to free home to school travel for pupils who are eligible for free school meals or who live with a parent that claims the maximum amount of working tax credit. Pupils aged eight or over, but under eleven, may have free travel to their nearest school if it is more than two miles from their home. Pupils aged eleven to sixteen may have free travel to one of their three nearest schools, provided it is between two and six miles from their home, or to a school that their parents have chosen on the grounds of their religion or belief that is between two and fifteen miles from their home.</p><p> </p><p>Local Authorities are responsible for assessing route safety to determine whether a pupil is eligible for free home to school travel. Local knowledge is likely to be important and the Department does not have a role in these decisions. The Department’s guidance explains that Local Authorities should consider a range of risks such as canals, rivers, ditches, speed of traffic and fields of vision for the pedestrian and motorist.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb grouped question UIN 201069 question first answered 23/10/2023 16:16:57 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
	tabling member	4753 label Biography information for Mary Kelly Foy

1663241

	registered interest
	date	13/10/2023
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Free School Meals: St Leonard's Catholic School
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to provide additional funding for children in receipt of free school meals at St Leonard's School in County Durham.
	tabling member constituency	City of Durham
	tabling member printed	Mary Kelly Foy
	uin	201095
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/10/2023 answer text <p>For 2023/24, the National Funding Formula has allocated £480 annually on the basis of the number of pupils who are eligible for free school meals (FSM) through the ‘FSM factor’. The meal rate for universal infant FSM in 2023/24 has increased to £2.53. This represents an increase of 5% and brings funding in line with wider FSM for the first time.</p><p>The Department recognises the cost pressures that some schools and suppliers may be facing. The Department is holding regular meetings with other Government Departments and with food industry representatives, covering a variety of issues including public sector food supplies.</p><p>The Department is aware that the catering provision at St Leonard’s School has been closed due to the areas containing RAAC and will cover additional costs relating to the provision of FSM as a consequence of RAAC.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 23/10/2023 15:05:06 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
	tabling member	4753 label Biography information for Mary Kelly Foy

1663248

	registered interest
	date	13/10/2023
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Free School Meals: North East
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) primary and (b) secondary school students receive free school meals in (i) City of Durham constituency (ii) County Durham and (iii) the North East.
	tabling member constituency	City of Durham
	tabling member printed	Mary Kelly Foy
	uin	201102
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/10/2023 answer text <p>The Department publishes annual figures on free school meals (FSM) eligibility for pupils in England. The most recent figures are for January 2023, and are available at: <a href="https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics/2022-23" target="_blank">https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics/2022-23</a>.</p><p>In the City of Durham constituency in January 2023, 1,642 (25%) state funded primary school pupils and 1,272 (18%) secondary school pupils were known to be eligible for FSM. Data showing the number and percentage of pupils known to be eligible for FSM in County Durham Local Authority and the North East region is accessible here: <a href="https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/83927831-5a72-47bb-d6ab-08dbca2fee12" target="_blank">https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/83927831-5a72-47bb-d6ab-08dbca2fee12</a>.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 23/10/2023 10:52:55 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
	tabling member	4753 label Biography information for Mary Kelly Foy

1659398

	registered interest
	date	08/09/2023
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Schools: County Durham
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding her Department has allocated to (a) County Durham and (b) St Leonard's Catholic School for the remediation of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC).
	tabling member constituency	City of Durham
	tabling member printed	Mary Kelly Foy
	uin	198572
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/09/2023 answer text <p>Nothing is more important than the safety of children and staff. It has always been the case that where we are made aware of a building that may pose an immediate risk, the Department takes immediate action.</p><p>It is the responsibility of those who run schools – academy trusts, Local Authorities, and voluntary-aided school bodies – who work with their schools on a day-to-day basis, to manage the safety and maintenance of their schools and to alert us if there is a concern with a building.</p><p>The Department has acted decisively and proactively to tackle this issue. This Government has taken more proactive action on RAAC than any other in the UK. The Department issued comprehensive guidance in 2018, and subsequent years, to all responsible bodies highlighting the potential risks associated with RAAC and supporting them to identify this within their buildings, as well as to take appropriate steps in meeting their obligations to keep buildings safe. The most recent guidance is available at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/reinforced-autoclaved-aerated-concrete-estates-guidance" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/reinforced-autoclaved-aerated-concrete-estates-guidance</a>.</p><p>There are over 22,000 schools and colleges in England, and the vast majority are unaffected. A significant proportion of the estate was built outside the period where RAAC was used, with around one third of the estate built since 2001, therefore, the Department has focused efforts on buildings built in the post-war decades.</p><p>The Department issued a questionnaire in March 2022, asking responsible bodies to inform the Department of any suspected RAAC identified in their estates. Responsible bodies have submitted questionnaires for over 98% of schools with blocks built in the target era, of which there are 14,900. We are pressing all remaining schools to get checks completed, to determine which schools require surveys.</p><p>The Department is contacting responsible bodies to help them respond to this request and to advise on what needs to be done, so that they can establish whether they believe they have RAAC. This work will continue until we have a response for all target era schools.</p><p>Schools and colleges where RAAC is suspected are being fast tracked for surveying, which is used to confirm whether RAAC is actually present. All schools and colleges that have already told us they suspect they might have RAAC will be surveyed within a matter of weeks, in many cases in a matter of days.</p><p>All schools where RAAC is confirmed are provided with a dedicated caseworker to support them and help implement a mitigation plan and minimise the disruption to children’s learning.</p><p>Across Government, Departments have been asked to report on the current picture of suspected and confirmed RAAC in their estates as soon as possible. This will be updated on a regular basis as new buildings are identified and surveying and remediation are carried out. The Department for Education published lists of education settings confirmed as having RAAC on Wednesday 6 September, and committed to providing further updates.</p><p>Schools will contact parents where RAAC is identified and inform them of any impacts on their child. The vast majority of schools are unaffected. Any parents that are unsure if their child’s school is affected should contact their school directly.</p><p>While some short term disruption is inevitable, all available measures will be taken to minimise disruption to pupil learning and ensure that pupils continue to receive face-to-face teaching. Where there is any disturbance to face-to-face education, schools will prioritise attendance for vulnerable children and young people and children of key workers. The guidance published by the Department in August also includes guidance on provision for pupils with SEND and sets out expectations that schools continue to provide free school meals to eligible pupils.</p><p>The Department will fund emergency mitigation work needed to make buildings safe, including installing alternative classroom space where necessary. Where schools and colleges need additional help with revenue costs, like transport to locations or temporarily renting a local hall or office, the department will provide that support for all reasonable requests. The Department will also fund longer term refurbishment projects, or rebuilding projects where these are needed, to rectify the RAAC issue in the long term.</p><p>All previously confirmed Schol Rebuilding Programme projects announced in 2021 and 2022 will continue to go ahead. A full list of confirmed projects can be found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-rebuilding-programme-schools-in-the-programme" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-rebuilding-programme-schools-in-the-programme</a>.</p><p>Further information on RAAC in education settings is available on the Education Hub: <a href="https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2023/09/06/new-guidance-on-raac-in-education-settings/" target="_blank">https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2023/09/06/new-guidance-on-raac-in-education-settings/</a><a href="https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2023/09/04/new-guidance-on-raac-in-education-settings/" target="_blank">.</a></p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb grouped question UIN 195297 195298 195299 197045 197366 197369 197478 197492 197557 197558 197559 197603 197613 197809 197863 197864 197870 197920 197971 197972 197973 197974 198246 198247 198255 198384 198393 198465 198466 198467 198573 198575 199083 199254 199665 199666 199670 question first answered 18/09/2023 20:03:36 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
	tabling member	4753 label Biography information for Mary Kelly Foy