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707725

	registered interest
	date	03/03/2017
	answering body	Department for Exiting the European Union
	answering dept id	203
	answering dept short name	Exiting the European Union
	answering dept sort name	Exiting the European Union
	hansard heading	Universities
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what steps his Department has taken to engage with UK universities in relation to the negotiations on the UK leaving the EU.
	tabling member constituency	York Outer
	tabling member printed	Julian Sturdy
	uin	66504
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/03/2017 answer text <p>The Department for Exiting the EU has engaged with a range of higher education institutions and groups through visits, meetings and forums. Over the coming weeks and months the department will continue to engage with key stakeholders in business and civil society, including universities, through roundtables, bi-laterals and visits across the UK.</p><p>We have been clear that we want to create an environment in which the UK as a whole can continue to be a world leader in research, science and the tertiary education sector more broadly. The government has announced that UK researchers can still apply for Horizon 2020 projects and the Treasury will underwrite the payment of such awards, even when specific projects continue beyond the UK’s departure from the EU. Equally, existing EU students and those starting courses in 2017/18 will continue to be eligible for student loans and will be for the duration of their course.</p><p>Jo Johnson - Minister for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation – has also set up a forum with a number of senior representatives of UK research and innovation organisations to discuss opportunities and issues arising from the UK’s exit from the European Union. This group will work with Government to ensure it has the best evidence to keep the UK punching above its weight in research and innovation.</p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker question first answered 13/03/2017 16:24:57 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
	tabling member	4079 label Biography information for Julian Sturdy

1472263

	registered interest
	date	21/06/2022
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Pupils: Attendance
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Schools Bill on how Special Educational Needs will be taken into account when monitoring school attendance.
	tabling member constituency	York Outer
	tabling member printed	Julian Sturdy
	uin	22418
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/06/2022 answer text <p>Regular attendance at school is vital for children’s education, wellbeing, and long-term development. School attendance is mandatory, and parents have a duty, under Section 7 of the Education Act 1996 to ensure that their child of compulsory age (5-16) receives an efficient full-time education either by attendance at school or otherwise.</p><p>The department appreciates that barriers to attendance are wide and complex, particularly for pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). Addressing these requires strong relationships and close working between families, schools, local authorities, and other relevant local services. This is the intention of the attendance clauses in the Schools Bill.</p><p> </p><p>The Bill will put the department’s new attendance guidance ‘Working together to improve school attendance’ onto a statutory footing. This will ensure greater consistency in the attendance support offered to pupils and families, regardless of where in the country they live, and emphasises the importance of providing attendance support in an earlier and more targeted way to respond to pupils’ individual needs.</p><p> </p><p>The new guidance makes it clear that schools should develop and maintain a whole school culture that promotes the benefits of attendance, whilst recognising the interplay between attendance and wider school improvement efforts, such as strategies on mental health, wellbeing, and SEND. Schools will be expected to have sensitive conversations with pupils about their needs and work with families to develop specific support approaches for pupils with SEND. This includes establishing strategies for removing in-school barriers to attendance, ensuring attendance data of this group of pupils is regularly monitored to spot patterns and provide support earlier, including ensuring joined-up pastoral care is in place and referring pupils to support from other services and partners where necessary.</p><p> </p><p>These expectations, alongside the expectations placed on academy trust boards, governing bodies, and local authorities to work in conjunction with school staff to provide joined-up support for all pupils and families, will ensure that pupils with SEND are supported to attend school regularly.</p><p> </p><p>Alongside the new expectations in the Schools Bill, the department is currently consulting on proposed changes we want to make to the SEND and alternative provision (AP) system in England.</p><p> </p><p>The Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Alternative Provision (AP) Green Paper, which is open for public consultation until 22 July 2022, sets out the department’s proposals for a system that offers children and young people the opportunity to thrive, with access to the right support, in the right place, and at the right time.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker question first answered 29/06/2022 10:58:42 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
	tabling member	4079 label Biography information for Julian Sturdy

732302

	registered interest
	date	23/06/2017
	answering body	Department for Exiting the European Union
	answering dept id	203
	answering dept short name	Exiting the European Union
	answering dept sort name	Exiting the European Union
	hansard heading	Economic Situation
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what discussions his Department is having with HM Treasury on monitoring the effect on the economy of triggering Article 50 and the process of the UK leaving the EU.
	tabling member constituency	York Central
	tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
	uin	972
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/06/2017 answer text <p>The Department for Exiting the European Union is undertaking a wide range of analysis of the effect on the economy, in partnership with HM Treasury and other government departments and has been engaging closely with stakeholders. The UK’s decision to leave the EU means there will be a period of adjustment, but the UK economy is resilient. The unemployment rate is at its lowest level in four decades and the employment rate has never been higher. Businesses have continued to show their confidence in the UK, with major investments announced by GlaxoSmithKline, Google and Apple, among others. During our negotiations with the EU we are determined to get the very best deal for households and businesses and will continue to work closely with other government departments and HM Treasury to achieve this.</p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker question first answered 30/06/2017 13:59:37 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
	tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1437164

	registered interest
	date	01/03/2022
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	All Saints Roman Catholic School York
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department has completed its assessment of All Saints School in York's application to the School Rebuilding Programme.
	tabling member constituency	York Central
	tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
	uin	132318
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/03/2022 answer text <p>The current nomination round for the School Rebuilding Programme closes for nominations in March. Following that, we aim to select schools to proceed into the programme later this year. We have not yet assessed the nomination for any school in this round.</p><p>The department recently consulted on the approach to future selection rounds of the School Rebuilding Programme. The primary goal of the consultation was to seek views on how to prioritise schools fairly and effectively for the programme. The department published the response on 3 February 2022, along with detailed guidance on the process for the next round, here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/prioritising-schools-for-the-school-rebuilding-programme" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/prioritising-schools-for-the-school-rebuilding-programme</a>. We have held a series of webinars to answer questions from local authorities and academy trusts about the process.</p><p>The department confirmed the first 100 schools in the programme last year, as part of a commitment to 500 rebuilding and refurbishment projects over the next decade. A list of these schools, and the methodology used for their selection, has been published here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-rebuilding-programme/school-rebuilding-programme" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-rebuilding-programme/school-rebuilding-programme</a>. The department also publishes all commercial contracts over £10,000 here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/contracts-finder" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/contracts-finder</a>.</p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker grouped question UIN 132319 question first answered 08/03/2022 09:54:15 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
	tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1403922

	registered interest
	date	18/01/2022
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Schools: Coronavirus
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he will continue with the covid-19 public health measures in place in schools after 26 January 2022 to help prevent an increase in infections.
	tabling member constituency	York Central
	tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
	uin	106770
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/01/2022 answer text <p>The government continues to manage the risk of serious illness from the spread of the virus. COVID-19 continues to be a virus that we learn to live with and the imperative to reduce the disruption to children and young people’s education remains.</p><p>While it has been announced that face coverings are no longer advised for pupils, staff, and visitors in classrooms and, from 27 January, face coverings are no longer advised for pupils, staff and visitors in communal areas, a range of protective measures remain in place in all schools, colleges, and nurseries. Additionally, local directors of public health may temporarily advise the use of face coverings in communal areas or classrooms where this is proportionate due to specific local public health concerns.</p><p>Testing remains important in reducing the risk of transmission of COVID-19 within schools and colleges. Staff and secondary school pupils should continue to test twice weekly at home, with lateral flow device (LFD) test kits. Schools are encouraged to ask all visitors to take an LFD test before entering the school. Young people aged 5 to 18 and fully vaccinated adults who are identified as a close contact of someone with COVID-19 can take an NHS LFD test every day for 7 days and continue to attend their school or college as normal, unless they have a positive test result.</p><p>People with COVID-19 in England can now end their self-isolation after 5 full days, as long as they test negative on day 5 and day 6. Every child aged 12 and over is eligible to receive the vaccine. Healthy 12 to 15 year olds can have a second dose 12 weeks after their first dose. All 16 to 17 year olds will be offered the booster vaccination, which can be booked through the national booking system.</p><p>We have provided carbon dioxide monitors backed by £25 million in government funding. Over 99% of eligible maintained schools, further education colleges, and the majority of early years education providers have now received a carbon dioxide monitor with over 350,000 now delivered. The government has also made available a number of funded air cleaning units for poorly ventilated teaching spaces where quick fixes to improve ventilation are not possible.</p><p>These changes come in response to national infection data showing the prevalence of COVID-19 to be on a downward trajectory. Whilst there are some groups where cases are likely to continue rising, it is likely that the Omicron wave has now peaked nationally. This means it is right that we remove the most stringent restrictions around wearing face coverings from education. However, COVID-19 is still with us, and continuing with proportionate protective measures remains vital to protecting education.</p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker question first answered 26/01/2022 13:20:29 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
	tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1357996

	registered interest
	date	23/09/2021
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	All Saints Roman Catholic School York: Capital Investment
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he plans to take steps to secure future capital funding for All Saints Roman Catholic School in York to enable a new build school.
	tabling member constituency	York Central
	tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
	uin	53963
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/10/2021 answer text <p>The department is aware of the condition issues facing the All Saints Roman Catholic School. The former Minister for the School System, my noble Friend, Baroness Berridge, met with the hon. member for York Central, as well as representatives from the school, the Diocese of Middlesbrough and York City Council in June to discuss this matter, and a capital adviser from the department visited the school in July to understand the condition need of the school. My noble Friend, the Minister for the School System, will also write to the hon. member for York Central to cover the issues in more detail.</p><p>Overall, the department allocated £1.8 billion in funding in 2021-22 to maintain and improve school condition. Local authorities, large multi academy trusts and large voluntary-aided bodies receive a School Condition Allocation to invest in priorities across the schools for which they are responsible.</p><p>Our aim for this condition funding is to ensure that responsible bodies receive a fair share of the available budget that takes into account their relative investment needs. The funding methodology for 2021-22 has been updated with the latest data from the school Condition Data Collection, which provides a high-level assessment of the relative condition of state funded schools. We expect responsible bodies to use their own detailed condition reports and knowledge to prioritise investment across their schools to address condition issues, including structural issues.</p><p>The Diocese of Leeds and the Diocese of Middlesbrough received a combined School Condition Allocation of £3,112,383 in 2021-22 to invest in improving the condition of their schools.</p><p>All Saints Roman Catholic School also received a Devolved Formula Capital payment of £32,247 in 2021-22 to spend on their capital priorities.</p><p>Over and above condition allocations, the department has also launched a new School Rebuilding Programme with a commitment to 500 projects over the next decade and has already announced the first 100 schools. We are consulting on how we will prioritise future places on the School Rebuilding Programme, and we welcome views from those with an interest in how the condition of the school estate is maintained and funded, including bodies responsible for school buildings. The department encourages All Saints Roman Catholic School, the diocese of Middlesbrough and York City Council to take part in the consultation and share their views on the future prioritisation of projects for the programme.</p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker grouped question UIN 53961 53962 question first answered 18/10/2021 16:15:04 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
	tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1456504

	registered interest
	date	31/03/2022
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Musical Instruments: Education
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he is taking steps to enable every child to learn a musical instrument.
	tabling member constituency	York Central
	tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
	uin	151200
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/04/2022 answer text <p>The government remains committed to continued support for music education. Following the Spending Review settlement, the department announced that it will continue to invest around £115 million per annum in cultural education through our music, arts, and heritage programmes, working closely with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), the Arts Council England and others. As part of this funding, the department has committed £79 million for the 2022/23 financial year for music hubs.</p><p>Music hubs are groups of organisations, such as local authorities, schools, other hubs, art organisations, community, or voluntary organisations, that work together to create joined-up music education provision and provide specialist music education services to around 90% of state-funded schools. This includes whole class and group ensemble teaching, and individual instrument tuition.</p><p>Hubs also ensure that progression routes are clear and affordable, and some hubs provide instrument loans to children and young people to achieve this.</p><p>The government’s focus on high quality music education is also reflected in our commitment to refresh the National Plan for Music Education. The plan will be co-published alongside DCMS later this year.</p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker question first answered 21/04/2022 14:44:12 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
	tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1417715

	registered interest
	date	28/01/2022
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Schools: Coronavirus
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he is planning to reintroduce public health measures into schools to help ensure they remain open during the ongoing high levels of covid-19 infection.
	tabling member constituency	York Central
	tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
	uin	113773
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/02/2022 answer text <p>National infection data shows the prevalence of COVID-19 to be on a downward trajectory. Whilst there are some groups where cases are likely to continue rising, including in primary-age children, it is likely that the Omicron wave has now peaked nationally. There remains significant pressure on the NHS, but hospital admissions have stabilised, and the number of patients in intensive care units remains low and is falling. This means it was right we removed the most stringent restrictions around wearing face coverings from education.</p><p>Local directors of public health may temporarily reintroduce face coverings where this is proportionate due to specific local public health concerns. A range of protective measures remains in place in all education providers:</p><ul><li>Testing remains important in reducing the risk of transmission of COVID-19 within schools. Staff should continue to test twice weekly at home. Schools are encouraged to ask all visitors to take a lateral flow test before entering.</li><li>Unvaccinated adults who have COVID-19 symptoms, or have had a positive test, should isolate for 10 days. Adults and young people aged 5 to 18 years and 6 months with COVID-19 must continue to isolate for up to 10 days if their test remains positive but can end their self-isolation after 5 full days if they test negative on days 5 and 6.</li><li>All young people aged 12 to 17 years are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine. Vaccinating children should reduce the risk of spread of COVID-19 within schools. Children aged 5 to 11 years in a clinical risk group or who are a household contact of someone who is immunosuppressed are also able to be vaccinated.</li><li>We have provided carbon dioxide monitors backed by £25 million in government funding. Over 99% of eligible education providers have now received these, with over 350,000 delivered. The government is now making available at least 9,000 funded air cleaning units for poorly ventilated teaching spaces.</li><li>Schools should regularly review their risk assessments and continue to comply with health and safety law, implementing proportionate control measures in line with our guidance, such as ensuring good hygiene and maintaining appropriate cleaning regimes.</li><li>All education and childcare providers should already have contingency plans in place in cases of outbreaks within schools, as set out in the contingency framework, to help break the chains of transmission. This framework is available here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-local-restrictions-in-education-and-childcare-settings" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-local-restrictions-in-education-and-childcare-settings</a>.</li><li>99.9% of education providers have been able to remain open to support face to face education since the start of the year and we are hugely grateful to all the teachers and staff for the hard work and dedication that has gone into responding to the challenges of COVID-19 to make this possible.</li></ul> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker grouped question UIN 113772 question first answered 07/02/2022 13:14:00 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
	tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1419626

	registered interest
	date	03/02/2022
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Schools: Coronavirus
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has made an assessment of the potential (a) merits and (b) feasibility of redeploying Ofsted staff to work in schools experiencing staffing challenges as a result of covid-19 rather than participating in inspections.
	tabling member constituency	York Central
	tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
	uin	117840
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/02/2022 answer text <p>Ministers engage regularly with Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman, on a range of matters, including inspection arrangements in the changing context of the COVID-19 outbreak.</p><p>There are no plans to suspend Ofsted inspections at this time. Ofsted inspection continues to play an important role in providing independent assurance as providers respond to COVID-19. However, it is right that these arrangements are kept under review, and adjustments made where appropriate.</p><p>Schools are having to do the best for their pupils in challenging and unpredictable situations caused by COVID-19. It is right that inspectors recognise this in their assessments. Ofsted has updated its inspection handbooks and adjusted its inspection approach to take account of the challenges raised by COVID-19. From the start of this calendar year to 31 January 2022, Ofsted temporarily halted use of part time inspectors who are also frontline leaders so they could focus on their leadership responsibilities. Ofsted is now inviting those who can inspect again to do so, but as has always been the case, it will be for frontline leaders to decide whether to offer their services to Ofsted. Additionally, schools facing acute disruption, including due to significant staff absence, can request a deferral of the inspection. Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman, has confirmed that all requests will be considered carefully and sensitively by Ofsted.</p><p>The deployment of Ofsted inspectors and its engagement with other agencies, including local authorities, is a matter for Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman. I have asked her to write to you directly about these issues and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.</p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker grouped question UIN 117838 117839 117841 117842 question first answered 10/02/2022 14:22:13 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
	tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1388263

	registered interest
	date	15/12/2021
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Schools: Coronavirus
	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 on introducing mandatory covid-19 vaccinations for school (a) teachers and (b) workers.
	tabling member constituency	York Central
	tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
	uin	93802
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/01/2022 answer text <p>Vaccinations are the best way we can protect ourselves and help keep children and young people in face-to-face education.</p><p>Since September, all eligible adults and young people aged 16 years and over who are at risk (including health and social care workers) have been offered two doses of the Covid-19 vaccine. Eligible adults can receive a booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccination if they had their second dose of the vaccine at least 3 months prior.</p><p>All eligible staff and students aged 12 and over are encouraged to take up the offer of the vaccination, including boosters where eligible.</p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker question first answered 11/01/2022 13:08:28 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
	tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell