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1714604

	registered interest
	date	29/04/2024
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Children in Care
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what action they are taking to reduce the number of children in care experiencing multiple placements.
	tabling member printed	Lord Laming
	uin	HL4152
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/05/2024 answer text <p>The needs of the child are paramount when deciding the right care placement. The Children’s Act 1989 places a duty on local authorities to make sure that there is sufficient provision in their area to meet the needs of children in their care and ensure placements safeguard and promote the child’s welfare. Further, the guidance is clear that the child’s allocated social worker, supported by local authority management and resources, should do everything possible to minimise disruption to the child’s education and, where a child is in key stage 4, a move should only be made in exceptional circumstances. Responsibility for looked-after children sits with the local authority. The guidance and regulations of the Children Act 1989 can be found attached.</p><p> </p><p>Every local authority must appoint a Virtual School Head (VSH), who has a statutory duty to promote the educational attainment of all children in their care. All maintained schools and academies must appoint a designated teacher to act as a source of advice and expertise about the needs of the looked-after children on the school’s roll. Looked-after children also have top priority in school admissions and attract Pupil Premium Plus funding of £2,570 per child, up to age 16. This is managed by the VSH, who works with the child’s education setting to deliver objectives in the child’s personal education plan.</p><p> </p><p>Whilst the number of placements experienced by looked after children in a one year period has remained broadly stable over the past 5 years, the government recognises there are issues with finding stable placements. That is why the government has announced over £400 million in capital funding to help local authorities create more beds in their local areas which will aim to further reduce the number of children experiencing multiple placements.</p> answering member printed Baroness Barran grouped question UIN HL4153 question first answered 14/05/2024 11:55:13 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran attachment 1 file name HL4152 HL4153 attachment - The Children Act 1989 guidance and regulations.pdf title HL4152 HL4153 Attachment
	tabling member	2079 label Biography information for Lord Laming

1714605

	registered interest
	date	29/04/2024
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Children in Care: Schools
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce the number of times children in care must change school.
	tabling member printed	Lord Laming
	uin	HL4153
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/05/2024 answer text <p>The needs of the child are paramount when deciding the right care placement. The Children’s Act 1989 places a duty on local authorities to make sure that there is sufficient provision in their area to meet the needs of children in their care and ensure placements safeguard and promote the child’s welfare. Further, the guidance is clear that the child’s allocated social worker, supported by local authority management and resources, should do everything possible to minimise disruption to the child’s education and, where a child is in key stage 4, a move should only be made in exceptional circumstances. Responsibility for looked-after children sits with the local authority. The guidance and regulations of the Children Act 1989 can be found attached.</p><p> </p><p>Every local authority must appoint a Virtual School Head (VSH), who has a statutory duty to promote the educational attainment of all children in their care. All maintained schools and academies must appoint a designated teacher to act as a source of advice and expertise about the needs of the looked-after children on the school’s roll. Looked-after children also have top priority in school admissions and attract Pupil Premium Plus funding of £2,570 per child, up to age 16. This is managed by the VSH, who works with the child’s education setting to deliver objectives in the child’s personal education plan.</p><p> </p><p>Whilst the number of placements experienced by looked after children in a one year period has remained broadly stable over the past 5 years, the government recognises there are issues with finding stable placements. That is why the government has announced over £400 million in capital funding to help local authorities create more beds in their local areas which will aim to further reduce the number of children experiencing multiple placements.</p> answering member printed Baroness Barran grouped question UIN HL4152 question first answered 14/05/2024 11:55:13 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran attachment 1 file name HL4152 HL4153 attachment - The Children Act 1989 guidance and regulations.pdf title HL4152 HL4153 Attachment
	tabling member	2079 label Biography information for Lord Laming

1714635

	registered interest
	date	29/04/2024
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Childcare
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what actions they are taking to ensure their targets for additional childcare provision are met for September 2024 and September 2025, given the National Audit Office report into early years entitlements published on 24 April.
	tabling member printed	Lord Weir of Ballyholme
	uin	HL4190
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/05/2024 answer text <p>This government exceeded expectations for the first stage of the rollout to working parents of two year olds in April, with over 210,000 children accessing funded places to date, and all local authorities confirming that they are able to meet parental demand.</p><p>The department is confident that parental demand will be met for the next steps of the rollout, as it was in April.</p><p>The department has a number of interventions in place to support local authorities to deliver for September 2024 and September 2025, including £12 million delivery support funding and support through the department’s delivery support contractor, Childcare Works.</p><p>The department is also taking action to support the childcare market to expand to meet estimated demand from September 2024 and September 2025. This includes significantly increasing rates paid to providers for government funded hours and confirming an additional £500 million to provide certainty that rates will increase in line with cost pressures in the 2025/26 and 2026/27 financial years. The department has also launched a nationwide recruitment campaign, introduced a package of flexibilities to help manage staffing pressures, and allocated £100 million of capital investment to increase physical space in nurseries and other childcare settings.</p> answering member printed Baroness Barran question first answered 14/05/2024 11:56:02 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran
	tabling member	4970 label Biography information for Lord Weir of Ballyholme

1714637

	registered interest
	date	29/04/2024
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Childcare and Pre-school Education
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what consultations have taken place with the childcare and early years sectors regarding ways to expand childcare provision.
	tabling member printed	Lord Weir of Ballyholme
	uin	HL4191
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/05/2024 answer text <p>The department is delivering the largest expansion of childcare in England’s history. Already, over 210,000 two year olds are confirmed to have places for 15 hours a week of free childcare, as part of the largest ever expansion of childcare in England, and the rates for the new entitlements have been independently confirmed by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) to be well above market rates. The department will continue to support the sector’s expansion with £400 million of additional funding provided to uplift hourly rates next year and a guarantee that rates will increase in line with cost pressures for two years after that.</p><p>As part of the expansion, the department has held a number of consultations with the sector, including on proposals to support childminders and childminder agencies (closes 10 May) and on an experience-based route for early years practitioners (closes 20 May). The department is also consulting on proposed changes to safeguarding requirements in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) statutory framework (closes 17 June). The department has also consulted on the EYFS to seek views on a range of proposals to remove burdens and to offer greater flexibility for providers within the EYFS while maintaining quality and safety standards, which included changes to staff:child ratios. The department is considering all responses as part of ongoing policy development.</p><p> </p><p>The number of childcare places has increased by 40,000 in 2023 compared with 2018. Local authorities are responsible for ensuring that the provision of childcare is sufficient to meet the requirements of parents in their area. The department has regular contact with each local authority in England about their sufficiency of childcare, including supporting them through the department’s childcare delivery support contract where appropriate. The department is in regular contact with all local authorities and none of them are reporting that they have insufficient places to meet local demand.</p><p> </p><p>On top of funding reforms, the department is providing significant support for local authorities to deliver the early years expansion from April, such as:</p><ul><li>Appointing a delivery support contractor, Childcare Works, to provide local authorities with support, advice, guidance and best practice sharing to help them deliver the expansion and deliver enough childcare places for residents.</li><li>Providing £12 million of delivery support funding to local authorities in the 2023/24 financial year to help them meet the costs associated with the rollout.</li></ul><p> </p><p>The department will continue to work closely with the sector on the implementation of these reforms at every stage. In order to make sure there are enough places across the country for everyone that needs them, the department has already begun investing hundreds of millions of pounds to increase hourly funding rates and is allocating £100 million in capital funding for more early years and wrapround places and spaces.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Barran question first answered 14/05/2024 14:05:21 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran
	tabling member	4970 label Biography information for Lord Weir of Ballyholme

1714669

	registered interest
	date	29/04/2024
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Education: Standards
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government, given the findings by Action for Children in its report, Above and Beyond: How teachers fill gaps in the system to keep children learning, that (1) nine children in an average class of 25 face challenges outside of school which hinder their ability to learn, and (2) teachers are struggling to support them and their families, what action they are taking to encourage schools to employ family liaison officers to support struggling families.
	tabling member printed	Lord Hampton
	uin	HL4145
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/05/2024 answer text <p>The government recognises the pivotal role teachers and education settings play in safeguarding and promoting the welfare of vulnerable children and families.</p><p> </p><p>The department’s 2023 updated statutory guidance ‘Working together to safeguard children’ confirms that staff working in education settings play an important role in building relationships, identifying concerns and providing direct support to children.</p><p> </p><p>At the last Spending Review, the department announced over £1 billion for programmes to improve early help services from birth to adulthood, including delivering on Family Hubs and helping families facing multiple disadvantages through the Supporting Families Programme and the holiday activities and food programme. Local authorities working with their partners can decide to use this funding to employ family liaison officers or other professionals to support families within education settings.</p><p> </p><p>The department’s ‘Stable Homes, Built on Love: strategy and consultation’, announced plans to build on the strengths of these vital early help services through the implementation of family help. In the Families First for Children Pathfinder, the department is testing how it can increase the role of education in multi-agency safeguarding arrangements and how local areas can provide targeted support to help children and families overcome challenges at the earliest opportunity. The Pathfinder is running in ten local authority areas across two ‘waves’: Dorset, Lincolnshire and Wolverhampton (wave one announced July 2023) and Lewisham, Luton, Redbridge, Walsall, Warrington, Warwickshire and Wirral (wave two announced April 2024).</p><p>The department is also making the ‘Working together to improve school attendance’ guidance statutory from September 2024. This sets out how schools, local authorities and other services need to work together to support pupils at risk of poor attendance and ensure support provided to these families is consistent across the country.</p><p> </p><p>The department’s package of wide-ranging reforms designed to support schools to improve attendance means that there were 440,000 fewer children persistently absent or not attending in 2022/23 compared to 2021/22.</p> answering member printed Baroness Barran question first answered 14/05/2024 13:57:53 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran
	tabling member	4951 label Biography information for Lord Hampton

1715427

	registered interest
	date	01/05/2024
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	T-Levels: Student Wastage
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government how many students have dropped out of T Levels since 2020; and what percentage of those enrolling have dropped out.
	tabling member printed	Lord Hunt of Kings Heath
	uin	HL4283
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/05/2024 answer text <p>The department’s recently published 2023/24 T Level Action Plan outlines the developments and next steps for T Levels. It also includes the latest student data for the programme. It shows that 5,321 students began their T Level in 2021/22. In summer 2023, 3,592 of those students were retained (68%), and 3,510 were retained and assessed (66%). Similar statistics for students that began their T Level in 2020/21 are not published. Further data about T Levels, as well as details of the methodology used in the above data can be found in the T Level Action Plan Analytical Annex, which is attached.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Barran question first answered 14/05/2024 15:27:05 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran attachment 1 file name HL4283 attachment - T Level Action Plan.pdf title HL4283 - T Level Action Plan Analytical Annex
	tabling member	2024 label Biography information for Lord Hunt of Kings Heath

1715428

	registered interest
	date	01/05/2024
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Qualifications
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that applied general qualifications are still available to students in future.
	tabling member printed	Lord Hunt of Kings Heath
	uin	HL4284
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/05/2024 answer text <p>The aim of the department’s Post-16 Qualifications reform at level 3 and below is to streamline the qualifications landscape, simplify choices for students, and only fund qualifications that are high-quality and lead to good progression outcomes. By ensuring that approved qualifications meet new, more rigorous criteria, young people can be confident that they will be able to progress to university and higher technical education, and directly into apprenticeships and skilled employment. It will place world class A levels and T Levels at the heart of level 3 study programmes for 16 to 19 year olds, and link other technical qualifications directly with occupational standards which have been designed by employers. Students studying these qualifications can be confident that they are gaining the skills, knowledge and behaviours needed for future jobs.</p><p> </p><p>In the new post-16 qualification landscape, students will continue to have a range of options available to them at level 3, in addition to A levels and T Levels, there will be new technical occupational qualifications (TOQs) and Alternative Academic Qualifications (AAQs).</p><p> </p><p>Where occupational standards are not covered by a T Level, the department is allowing TOQs to be developed, where students can continue to study areas currently covered by applied general qualifications (AGQs), such as travel consultant, highways electrician, and personal trainer, to list a few. The key distinction here is that they will be based on employer led occupational standards, unlike current AGQs.</p><p> </p><p>On the academic side, current AGQs will be replaced by AAQs. There will be new small AAQs in a range of strategically important subjects such as science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and those supporting entry into NHS careers. These qualifications are an important part of how the department will support diverse student needs and deliver skills required by the economy. Small AAQs can be studied alongside A levels as part of mixed academic programme. The department will also fund large AAQs in areas that A levels and T Levels cover less well such as performing arts and sport. AAQs must demonstrate a clear link to related higher education (HE) courses and will be assessed by the department against the new funding approval criteria.</p><p> </p><p>The department knows that students who take A levels have better outcomes overall in terms of progressing into, and staying in, HE than those who study AGQs. This is supported by the evidence, which shows that students progressing to HE with alternatives to A levels, such as AGQs, generally experience worse outcomes than their peers taking A levels, even after controlling for differences in background characteristics. Current AGQs also provide very mixed outcomes for students.</p><p> </p><p>The qualification reforms also include reforming level 2 qualifications to ensure they are high-quality, have clear purposes, and lead to better outcomes, either supporting progression to reformed level 3 study, for example via the T Level Foundation Year, or directly into skilled employment in occupations at level 2 or via apprenticeships. This means that studying a reformed level 2 qualification will lead to better long-term outcomes than studying a poor-quality level 3 qualification.</p> answering member printed Baroness Barran question first answered 14/05/2024 15:26:46 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran
	tabling member	2024 label Biography information for Lord Hunt of Kings Heath

1715429

	registered interest
	date	01/05/2024
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	T-levels
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what research they have undertaken into (1) reasons for the dropout rate for T Levels, (2) why only 8 per cent of students taking foundation level T Levels progress to full T levels, and (3) whether T Levels or BTECs provide a more appropriate preparation for employment in different skill areas.
	tabling member printed	Lord Hunt of Kings Heath
	uin	HL4285
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/05/2024 answer text <p>As relatively new qualifications, retention rates on T Levels may be expected to fluctuate. The department is keen to understand the reasons behind students dropping out of their T Level programme and have undertaken a range of research. This has included discussing the issue in routine conversations with further education (FE) providers and holding workshops with a variety of providers to explore further the reasons for students dropping out of specific T Levels. The department has also reviewed data from the Individualised Learner Record and school census to identify patterns in students dropping out of T Levels, and examined responses to the Technical Education Learner Survey (2021 and 2022) to understand student motivations for dropping out. Links to these surveys can be found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/technical-education-learner-survey" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/technical-education-learner-survey</a>, and <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/technical-education-learner-survey-2022" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/technical-education-learner-survey-2022</a>. The department has also spoken to Awarding Organisations to discuss student retention on T Levels.</p><p> </p><p>The T Level Foundation Year is the first step on a 3-year path to achieving a T Level, for those who need it. The programme is supporting good progression to level 3 destinations in its first two years, compared with other level 2 courses. Reasons why more students are not progressing onto T Levels may include not meeting providers’ entry criteria and the early cohorts being impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The T Level Foundation Year is still early in its rollout and the department will monitor outcomes as the programme continues to roll out and funding is removed from level 3 qualifications that overlap with T Levels. Research by the National Foundation for Education Research and the Technical Education Learner Surveys provide information on the early cohorts. This research can be found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/research-on-early-delivery-of-the-t-level-transition-programme" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/research-on-early-delivery-of-the-t-level-transition-programme</a>. The department is undertaking further research with providers to identify good practice and success factors in supporting progression to T Levels.</p><p> </p><p>Lord Sainsbury’s report on technical education defined the skills areas suitable for T Levels, drawing on analysis of relevant apprenticeship standards, existing taught qualifications, and labour market information. All T Levels are based on the same employer-led occupational standards as apprenticeships, and these standards were led by, and updated with, employers. That means that employers and young people can be confident in these new qualifications. This is not consistently the case with the large qualifications they are replacing, which often do not support a young person to enter the sector they thought the qualification was preparing them for. For example, in the latest data for health and social care qualifications only 9% of those who complete worked in ‘Health and social care’ the following year. This data can be found here: <a href="https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/detailed-destinations-of-16-to-18-year-olds-in-further-education" target="_blank">https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/detailed-destinations-of-16-to-18-year-olds-in-further-education</a>. T Levels will not be the only technical qualification available in the future landscape. Where there are occupational standards at level 3, but no T Level, the department is allowing technical qualifications to be developed, which will allow students to continue to study areas currently covered by applied general qualifications such as travel consultant, highways electrician, and personal trainer, to list a few. The key distinction here is that they will be based on employer led occupational standards, unlike the current applied general qualifications. The department will also allow for large alternative academic qualifications in areas not well served by A levels or T levels and where an academic pathway is required, such as performing arts and sport.</p> answering member printed Baroness Barran question first answered 14/05/2024 15:26:35 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran
	tabling member	2024 label Biography information for Lord Hunt of Kings Heath

1715456

	registered interest
	date	01/05/2024
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Overseas Students
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have received from UK universities proposing the relaxation of restrictions for overseas students, such as rules relating to their employment in the UK after graduation.
	tabling member printed	Lord Wigley
	uin	HL4317
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/05/2024 answer text <p>The government seeks to ensure that the UK has a fair and robust migration policy whilst maintaining the UK’s place as a top destination for the best and brightest students from around the world. The UK has four universities in the top 10, and 17 in the top 100. The UK has a highly sought after higher education (HE) experience, which is respected by students across the globe.</p><p> </p><p>The government recognises the significant economic and cultural contribution that international students make to the UK’s HE sector and their positive impact on society as a whole.</p><p> </p><p>Ministers and departmental officials regularly engage with the HE sector on a range of issues, including on international students.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Barran question first answered 14/05/2024 15:27:48 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran
	tabling member	547 label Biography information for Lord Wigley

1713993

	registered interest
	date	25/04/2024
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Music: Education
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what is their latest assessment of the opportunities for children to learn to play a musical instrument while at school.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Kennedy of Cradley
	uin	HL4100
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/05/2024 answer text <p>The government has a long standing commitment to ensure that high quality music education is not the preserve of the wealthy, but the entitlement of every single child, and that this is reflected in the government’s refreshed National plan for music education, which was published in 2022. This plan sets out the department’s strategy up to 2030 and its vision to enable all children and young people to learn to sing, play an instrument and create music together, as well as to have the opportunity to progress their musical interests and talents, including professionally.</p><p> </p><p>As part of the plan, schools are expected to teach music for at least one hour a week from Key Stages 1 to 3, to provide access to singing and instrument lessons and to offer a range of music experiences, such as music events and trips to professional concerts. The network of Music Hubs has a vital role to play in supporting schools to deliver this. Working together, schools and Music Hubs can ensure children have access to all the benefits of a wider musical education through instrumental lessons, loans and ensembles, as well as offering clear and affordable progression routes and continuing professional development to teachers around music.</p><p> </p><p>The government values the many achievements that the existing Music Hub network has made since 2012, including the work they now do with around 90% of all schools. This is why the department has invested around £380 million of funding in Music Hubs between 2016 and 2021 to ensure all children, whatever their background, have access to a high quality music education. Since 2021, the department has continued to provide £79 million a year for Music Hubs, on average around 40% of their income, with the remaining funding coming mainly from parents and schools.</p><p> </p><p>Further to this, as part of the plan published in 2022, the government announced a £25 million capital fund for musical instruments, which will be distributed across all Music Hubs from September 2024. This will allow schools and Music Hubs to continue to work together to ensure more children and young people have access to musical instruments, as well as access to a high quality music education and to develop their musical interests and potential.</p> answering member printed Baroness Barran question first answered 09/05/2024 15:25:53 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran
	tabling member	4303 label Biography information for Baroness Kennedy of Cradley