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1698872

	registered interest
	date	26/03/2024
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Free School Meals: Disability
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the implications for her policies of the reasons for which some disabled children cannot (a) eat and (b) access free school meals; and whether she plans to make reasonable adjustments to free school meals to help disabled children to access them.
	tabling member constituency	Preston
	tabling member printed	Sir Mark Hendrick
	uin	20526
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/04/2024 answer text <p>All schools have duties under the Equality Act 2010 towards individual disabled children and young people, and they must make reasonable adjustments to prevent them being put at a substantial disadvantage. This means that a school cannot treat a pupil unfairly as a consequence of their disability.</p><p>As it relates to school food, the duty to make reasonable adjustments requires schools to tailor their provision to ensure that it is accessible to disabled pupils. Furthermore, this duty is anticipatory, and so schools need to actively consider whether any reasonable adjustments are needed in order to avoid any disadvantage that may otherwise occur.</p><p>The department has updated its existing guidance on free school meals to clarify schools’ duties to make reasonable adjustments for disabled children, and to support productive conversations between schools and parents about suitable food provision. The guidance can be found here: <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/65fdad5965ca2f00117da947/Free_school_meals.pdf" target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/65fdad5965ca2f00117da947/Free_school_meals.pdf</a>.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds question first answered 16/04/2024 13:23:17 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
	tabling member	473 label Biography information for Sir Mark Hendrick

1698874

	registered interest
	date	26/03/2024
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Nuisance Calls: Schools
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information his Department holds on the number of threatening calls that were made to schools in (a) Romford constituency and (b) the UK in the last 12 months.
	tabling member constituency	Romford
	tabling member printed	Andrew Rosindell
	uin	20558
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/04/2024 answer text <p>Schools in England do not have a legal requirement to report to the department threats that are received via phone calls. However, schools are expected to have policies and procedures in place to handle these situations. The procedures may include reporting threats to local authorities and the police, this depends on the nature and severity of the threat. Schools may also choose to inform the relevant authorities as a precautionary measure to ensure the safety and security of students and staff.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds question first answered 16/04/2024 12:25:17 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
	tabling member	1447 label Biography information for Andrew Rosindell

1698882

	registered interest
	date	26/03/2024
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Schools: Admissions
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will review the School Admissions Code.
	tabling member constituency	New Forest West
	tabling member printed	Sir Desmond Swayne
	uin	20490
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/04/2024 answer text <p>The School Admissions Code (the Code) exists to ensure that places in all state-funded schools are allocated in a fair and transparent manner. Admission authorities for all state-funded schools are required to comply with the requirements of the Code and related admissions law.</p><p> </p><p>The latest version of the Code came into force on 1 September 2021. The department keeps the provisions of the Code under review to ensure they continue to remain fit for purpose, however there are currently no plans to change the Code.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds question first answered 16/04/2024 12:43:17 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
	tabling member	55 label Biography information for Sir Desmond Swayne

1698883

	registered interest
	date	26/03/2024
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Teachers: Workplace Pensions
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her planned timetable is for informing schools of the arrangements for reimbursement of the increased contributions they are required to make for teachers pensions.
	tabling member constituency	New Forest West
	tabling member printed	Sir Desmond Swayne
	uin	20491
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/04/2024 answer text <p>On 11 March 2024, the department announced an additional £1.1 billion in the 2024/25 financial year to support schools with the increased Teachers’ Pension Scheme employer contribution rate.</p><p> </p><p>The £1.1 billion will mean over £920 million for mainstream schools and over £135 million for high needs settings. Additional funding will also be provided to local authorities in respect of centrally employed teachers.</p><p> </p><p>This additional funding will be distributed via the new teachers’ pension employer contribution grant (TPECG) 2024. Further details can be found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/teachers-pension-employer-contribution-grant-2024-for-schools-high-needs-settings-and-local-authorities-2024-to-2025" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/teachers-pension-employer-contribution-grant-2024-for-schools-high-needs-settings-and-local-authorities-2024-to-2025</a>. To help with planning, the department has published a ready reckoner for mainstream schools and academies to estimate what their TPECG 24 allocation for 2024/25 will be. The ready reckoner can be found here: <a href="https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.publishing.service.gov.uk%2Fmedia%2F65f2cf0eff117048966159fc%2FTPECG_2024-25_Calculator.ods&amp;wdOrigin=BROWSELINK" target="_blank">https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.publishing.service.gov.uk%2Fmedia%2F65f2cf0eff117048966159fc%2FTPECG_2024-25_Calculator.ods&amp;wdOrigin=BROWSELINK</a>.</p><p> </p><p>With the extra funding for pension contributions, overall school funding is rising by £2.9 billion in 2024/25 compared to 2023/24, which takes the total to £60.7 billion and the highest ever level in real terms per pupil.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds question first answered 15/04/2024 12:18:10 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
	tabling member	55 label Biography information for Sir Desmond Swayne

1698915

	registered interest
	date	26/03/2024
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Literacy and Numeracy: Standards
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help improve adult (a) numeracy and (b) literacy skills.
	tabling member constituency	York Central
	tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
	uin	20684
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/04/2024 answer text <p>This government recognises the importance of literacy and numeracy skills in both work and everyday life. Securing good levels of literacy and numeracy has a positive impact on participation in society, improves earnings and employment opportunities and opens doors to further learning.</p><p>That is why the department is continuing to support participation in English and mathematics provision through its essential skills entitlements which provide the opportunity of free study for adults who do not have essential literacy and numeracy skills up to and including Level 2.</p><p> </p><p>This allows learners who have not previously attained a GCSE grade 4 or higher to undertake a range of courses fully funded through the Adult Education Budget (AEB) including GCSEs, Functional Skills and other relevant qualifications from entry level to Level 2.</p><p>The department also supports adults in England who are non-native speakers to access English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) provision, which is funded through the AEB.</p><p>Further training for adults is available in community settings through the AEB. Prioritised for disadvantaged learners, Community Learning can provide a stepping stone for those adults who are not ready for formal accredited learning or who would benefit from learning in a more informal way.</p><p>Currently approximately 60% of the AEB is devolved to nine Mayoral Combined Authorities (MCAs) and delegated to the Mayor of London acting through the Greater London Authority (GLA). These authorities are responsible for the provision of adult education and the allocation of the AEB in their local areas.</p><p>The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) is responsible for the remaining AEB in non-devolved areas where colleges and training providers have the freedom and flexibility to determine how they use their AEB to meet the needs of their communities.</p><p> </p><p>​​In addition, the department funds all apprentices, including adults, to achieve up to a Level 2 in English and maths by the end of their apprenticeship, where they do not already hold a suitable equivalent qualification. In January, the department increased funding by a minimum of 54%, from £471 to £724, for new apprentices to help them gain these vital skills.</p><p> </p><p>The department have also launched the Multiply Programme to improve adult numeracy. The programme is funded through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, which is the government’s flagship fund for supporting people and places across the UK. Up to £270 million is directly available for local areas in England to deliver innovative interventions to improve adult numeracy. Delivery is now well underway. Multiply Programme provision is available across the country, with over 113,000 course starts in England since the programme began to the end of January 2024.</p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Luke Hall question first answered 15/04/2024 12:04:26 answering member 4450 label Biography information for Luke Hall
	tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1698923

	registered interest
	date	26/03/2024
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Students: Freedom of Expression
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, in reference to the Office for Students consultation on proposed regulatory advice and other matters relating to freedom of speech, announced on 26 March 2024, what discussions (a) she and (b) the Office for Students have had on this with (i) the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, (ii) other Ministers in the Department for Business and Trade, (iii) Officials in that Department, (iv) the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Affairs, (v) other Ministers in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and (vi) officials in that Department.
	tabling member constituency	Houghton and Sunderland South
	tabling member printed	Bridget Phillipson
	uin	20614
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/04/2024 answer text <p>Officials regularly speak on matters of mutual importance across government, particularly on cross-cutting policy and new legislation. The department’s officials continue to engage with both the Office for Students (OfS) and other governmental departments (OGDs) surrounding the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023 (the Act).</p><p>Officials will continue to engage with the OfS and OGDs ahead of the Act coming into force, currently planned for 1 August 2024 for the main provisions, including the complaints scheme. The content of the consultation published on 26 March 2026 is a matter for the OfS.</p> answering member constituency Wantage answering member printed David Johnston question first answered 15/04/2024 16:59:20 answering member 4761 label Biography information for David Johnston
	tabling member	4046 label Biography information for Bridget Phillipson

1698982

	registered interest
	date	26/03/2024
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Teachers: Training
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what funding her Department has allocated to support teachers through (a) subject knowledge enhancement courses for trainees, (b) Oak National Academy Resources (i) planned and (ii) existing, (c) subject hubs, (d) support for level 3 provision and (d) bursaries and other support for continuing professional development for (A) maths and numeracy, (B) English and literacy, (C) science, (D) music, (E) history and (F) Religious Education in the last five years.
	tabling member constituency	Worthing West
	tabling member printed	Sir Peter Bottomley
	uin	20499
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/04/2024 answer text <p>Teachers are the foundation of the education system; there are no great schools without great teachers. The quality of teaching is the single most important in-school factor for improving pupil outcomes. This is particularly important for pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds.</p><p>The department is creating a world class teacher development system, which builds from Initial Teacher Training (ITT), through to early career support, specialisation, and onto school leadership. The funding breakdown requested over the last five years is included in the attached table. The department is providing support across a range of subjects via a network of hubs that help build teacher capability and pupil access to subjects. This focuses on support for teachers in schools and extends to sixth form provision in some schools.</p><p>In addition to this funding, in 2021, as part of the government’s long term recovery plan, £184 million of new funding was allocated to enable teachers employed at state-funded organisations to access fully funded training scholarships for National Professional Qualifications (NPQs) for three years until the end of the 2023/24 academic year. This includes two specialist NPQs in Leading Literacy (NPQLL) and the NPQ in Leading Primary Mathematics (NPQLPM). In March 2024, the government announced scholarship funding for NPQs for the October 2024 cohort. This includes a guarantee that the NPQLPM will be fully funded until October 2025 to further expand teaching of mathematics mastery approaches through primary education.</p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds question first answered 16/04/2024 12:35:08 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds attachment 1 file name 20499_Teacher_Funding_Breakdown_Table.xlsx title 20499_Teacher_Funding_Breakdown_Table
	tabling member	117 label Biography information for Sir Peter Bottomley

1698983

	registered interest
	date	26/03/2024
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Religion: Education
	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 publish additional non-statutory guidance on religious education syllabus content in schools.
	tabling member constituency	Worthing West
	tabling member printed	Sir Peter Bottomley
	uin	20500
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/04/2024 answer text <p>Religious education (RE) is an important part of a school’s curriculum and can contribute to a young person’s personal, social, and academic development. When done well, it can develop children’s knowledge of British values and traditions, help them better understand those of other countries, and refine pupils’ ability to construct well-informed, balanced, and structured arguments. This is why RE remains a compulsory subject in all state-funded schools in England for each pupil up to the age of 18.</p><p>The department has no plans to publish additional non-statutory guidance on RE syllabus content in schools. The department’s policy is to allow RE curricula to be designed at a local level, whether this is through a locally agreed syllabus conference or by individual schools and academy trusts developing their own curricula. The department feels this is the most appropriate way for local demographics to be accounted for.</p><p>The department does however welcome the work that the Religious Education Council has done to assist curriculum developers by publishing its National Content Standard for RE in England.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds question first answered 16/04/2024 16:03:25 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
	tabling member	117 label Biography information for Sir Peter Bottomley

1699053

	registered interest
	date	26/03/2024
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Free Schools: Bournemouth
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Spring Budget 2024, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of locating one of the 15 new special free schools in Bournemouth.
	tabling member constituency	Bournemouth East
	tabling member printed	Mr Tobias Ellwood
	uin	20559
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/04/2024 answer text <p>The department received a total of 85 applications from local authorities to open a special free school in the most recent, very competitive application round, including two applications from Bournemouth, Christchurch, and Poole Council.</p><p> </p><p>The department plans to select 15 successful applications from the pool of applications. This will remain a competitive process. The approach means the department can move quickly to appoint trusts to run these schools.</p><p> </p><p>The department plans to announce those local authorities which have been successful for the additional special free schools by May 2024.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds question first answered 15/04/2024 12:10:47 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
	tabling member	1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood

1699083

	registered interest
	date	26/03/2024
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Non-teaching Staff: Minimum Wage
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will hold discussions with (a) local authorities and (b) academy trusts on increasing the level of pay above the statutory minimum wage for non-teaching staff in schools.
	tabling member constituency	Bosworth
	tabling member printed	Dr Luke Evans
	uin	20787
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/04/2024 answer text <p>The government has given schools the freedom to set pay and conditions for support staff according to their own circumstances.</p><p>Local government employees, including school support staff, are covered by the National Joint Council terms and conditions, known as the Green Book. Most schools, including academies, use the local government pay scales in conjunction with the Green Book.</p><p>The pay scales are set through negotiations between the Local Government Association, which represents the employer, and local government trade unions (UNISON, Unite, and the GMB), which represent the employee. Central government does not have any formal role in these matters.</p><p>For the lowest pay scale, there has been an increase of 22% over the two years since April 2021, to £11.59 an hour. This is above the current national living wage of £10.42 an hour.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds question first answered 16/04/2024 12:49:20 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
	tabling member	4781 label Biography information for Dr Luke Evans