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1225188

	registered interest
	date	15/07/2020
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Schools: Discrimination
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will issue guidance to schools (a) recommending that the six thinking hats technique is not used in schools and (b) noting the potential effect of identifying a black hat on unconscious negative bias relating to the use of the word black.
	tabling member constituency	Erith and Thamesmead
	tabling member printed	Abena Oppong-Asare
	uin	74777
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/07/2020 answer text <p>All state-funded schools in England have a duty to teach a broad and balanced curriculum that prepares them for the opportunities, responsibilities, and experiences of later life. Under the Equality Act 2010, schools must also not discriminate against a pupil in a number of respects because of a characteristic protected by the Act.</p><p>The Department trusts teachers to choose curriculum resources that are appropriate for their pupils and to ensure that how they deliver the curriculum does not discriminate. The Department has already published guidance to help schools fulfil their duties under the Act, which can be found at: <a href="http://www.gov.uk/government/publications/equality-act-2010-advice-for-schools" target="_blank">www.gov.uk/government/publications/equality-act-2010-advice-for-schools</a>. This includes advice on the Public Sector Equality Duty, which requires public bodies, including state-funded schools, to have due regard to the need to: foster good relations across all protected characteristics; advance equality of opportunity for people who share a protected characteristic and people who do not share it; and eliminate discrimination and other conduct prohibited by the Act. Additionally, the Independent Schools Standards requires independent schools to encourage respect for others, paying particular regard to the protected characteristics set out in the Act.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 20/07/2020 17:00:49 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
	tabling member	4820 label Biography information for Abena Oppong-Asare

1225084

	registered interest
	date	15/07/2020
	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, when he plans to publish a strategy for schools setting out his plan for pupils in the event of (a) local and (b) national lockdown to prevent the transmission of covid-19; and if he will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Brighton, Pavilion
	tabling member printed	Caroline Lucas
	uin	74488
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/07/2020 answer text <p>The Government has been clear that our intention is for all children to return to school from September. On 2 July we published guidance to help schools prepare for this, including advice for contingency planning in the event of a lockdown.</p><p>If a local area sees a spike in infection rates that is resulting in localised community spread, appropriate authorities will decide which measures to implement to help contain the spread. The Department will be involved in decisions at a local and national level affecting a geographical area and will support appropriate authorities and individual settings to follow the health advice. In the event of a local outbreak, the Public Health England health protection team or local authority may advise a school or number of schools to close temporarily to help control transmission.</p><p> </p><p>Schools are expected to have a contingency plan in place for this eventuality. This may involve a return to remaining open only for vulnerable children and the children of critical workers and providing remote education for all other pupils. The Department has issued guidance and best practice on remote education and is working with Oak National Academy and others to provide further support. This guidance can be viewed at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/guidance-for-full-opening-schools" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/guidance-for-full-opening-schools</a></p><p> </p><p>A 'COVID-19 contain framework: a guide for local decision-makers' has been published which sets out how national and local partners will work with the public at a local level to prevent, contain and manage outbreaks. This can be viewed at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/containing-and-managing-local-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreaks/covid-19-contain-framework-a-guide-for-local-decision-makers" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/containing-and-managing-local-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreaks/covid-19-contain-framework-a-guide-for-local-decision-makers</a>.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 21/07/2020 17:10:37 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
	tabling member	3930 label Biography information for Caroline Lucas

1224967

	registered interest
	date	15/07/2020
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Sports: Coronavirus
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to ensure that schools and venues with shared sports facilities are able to reopen safely as covid-19 lockdown restrictions are eased.
	tabling member constituency	Barnsley Central
	tabling member printed	Dan Jarvis
	uin	74588
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/07/2020 answer text <p>As announced on the 9 July, indoor gyms, tennis courts and fitness and dance studios will be able to reopen from 25 July. This includes facilities shared with schools.</p><p> </p><p>Out-of-school settings which run community activities, holiday clubs, after-school clubs, tuition and other out-of-school provision for children can operate over the summer holiday, with safety measures in place. Providers of these settings have been able to open from 4 July, provided that they follow the protective measures set out by Government.</p><p> </p><p>Out-of-school settings should check the latest government guidelines (<a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/further-businesses-and-premises-to-close/further-businesses-and-premises-to-close-guidance" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/further-businesses-and-premises-to-close/further-businesses-and-premises-to-close-guidance</a>) on which businesses and venues can open and for which purposes as some premises may only be able to open for certain limited purposes. Out-of-school provision cannot use indoor gyms, tennis courts and fitness and dance studios until they reopen on 25 July.</p><p> </p><p>Protective measures guidance for out-of-school settings, to enable them to operate as safely as possible, can be found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/protective-measures-for-holiday-or-after-school-clubs-and-other-out-of-school-settings-for-children-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/protective-measures-for-holiday-or-after-school-clubs-and-other-out-of-school-settings-for-children-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak</a>.</p><p> </p><p>Providers who offer indoor sports activities for children should also refer to the guidance on <a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/working-safely-during-coronavirus-covid-19/providers-of-grassroots-sport-and-gym-leisure-facilities" target="_blank">Keeping workers / volunteers and customers safe during COVID-19 for providers of grassroots sports and gym / leisure facilities</a>.</p><p> </p><p>Guidance to support schools to deliver safe physical education lessons, sport and physical activity is included within the guidance for full opening (<a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/guidance-for-full-opening-schools" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/guidance-for-full-opening-schools</a>). Schools have the flexibility to decide how physical education, sport and physical activity will be provided whilst following the measures in their system of controls. The Association for Physical Education has published guidance (<a href="https://www.afpe.org.uk/physical-education/wp-content/uploads/COVID-19-Interpreting-the-Government-Guidance-in-a-PESSPA-Context-FINAL.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.afpe.org.uk/physical-education/wp-content/uploads/COVID-19-Interpreting-the-Government-Guidance-in-a-PESSPA-Context-FINAL.pdf</a>) for the education-based workforce and Youth Sport Trust has published resources (<a href="https://www.youthsporttrust.org/coronavirus-support-schools" target="_blank">https://www.youthsporttrust.org/coronavirus-support-schools</a>) on the principles of teaching PE in response to COVID-19.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 20/07/2020 16:00:07 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
	tabling member	4243 label Biography information for Dan Jarvis

1225007

	registered interest
	date	15/07/2020
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Higher Education: Coronavirus
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Government is taking to support the higher education sector in England during the covid-19 outbreak; and what consequential effect that support has on the Scottish higher education sector.
	tabling member constituency	Angus
	tabling member printed	Dave Doogan
	uin	74728
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/07/2020 answer text <p>On 4 May 2020, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, announced a package of measures to protect students and higher education providers in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. This package was designed to stabilise university finances, including tuition fee income resulting from admissions, and to support our world-class higher education system to continue to deliver for all students and the wider economy. Details of the package can be found at:<br> <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-support-package-for-universities-and-students" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-support-package-for-universities-and-students</a>.</p><p>Furthermore, building on the stabilisation package and access to business support schemes, the government has also announced a further package of support to research within universities, including universities across Scotland. This includes £280 million of government funding as well as a package of low-interest loans with long pay-back periods, supplemented by a small amount of government grants. In sharing responsibility for the future of science and research with our world-leading university system, the government will cover up to 80% of a university’s income losses from international students for the academic year 2020/21, up to the value of their non-publicly funded research activity.</p><p>On 16 July, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, announced the higher education restructuring regime, of which details can be found at:<br><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/higher-education-restructuring-regime" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/higher-education-restructuring-regime</a>.</p><p>This will be deployed as a last resort, if a decision has been made to support a provider in England facing severe financial difficulties related to the COVID-19 outbreak, when other steps to preserve a provider’s viability and mitigate the risks of provider failure have not proved sufficient.</p><p>The UK government has invited ministers in the the Scottish government, the Welsh government and the Northern Ireland Executive to opt into the regime on behalf of higher education providers in their respective territories. Throughout the development of the higher education stabilisation package, we have shared our approach and thinking with the devolved administrations through regular engagement at a ministerial and official level.</p><p>There are several elements to the higher education stabilisation package which are applicable in Scotland, including temporary student number controls which apply to English-domiciled students studying at higher education providers in all devolved administrations; Clearing Plus, which applies to all UK higher education providers using UCAS; the International Education Strategy, including communications to prospective international students; and the Ministerial Taskforce on university research sustainability, which includes representation from the Scottish government. This is in addition to the UK-wide government support schemes such as the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CIBLS) and the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS).</p><p>Education in the United Kingdom is a devolved matter, so England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland each have their own education system. The UK government is responsible for England, whilst the Scottish government, the Welsh government and the Northern Ireland Executive are responsible for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, respectively.</p> answering member constituency Chippenham answering member printed Michelle Donelan question first answered 20/07/2020 16:24:32 answering member 4530 label Biography information for Michelle Donelan
	tabling member	4736 label Biography information for Dave Doogan

1225074

	registered interest
	date	15/07/2020
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Outdoor Education: Coronavirus
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he plans to take to support independent field study centres until 2020 due to the cancellation of residential field trips during the covid-19 outbreak.
	tabling member constituency	North Norfolk
	tabling member printed	Duncan Baker
	uin	74754
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/07/2020 answer text <p>The government has issued guidance on the financial support for businesses during coronavirus (COVID-19). This can be viewed at <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/financial-support-for-businesses-during-coronavirus-covid-19" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/financial-support-for-businesses-during-coronavirus-covid-19</a>.</p><p>The Charity Commission has also issued coronavirus (COVID-19) guidance for the charity sector, including considerations and practical steps that charities can take when they are facing serious financial difficulties. This can be viewed at <a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-for-the-charity-sector" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-for-the-charity-sector</a>.</p><p>The Department for Education continues to advise against both overnight and non-overnight domestic (UK) and overseas educational visits as outlined in the coronavirus travel guidance for educational settings.</p><p>In the autumn term, schools can resume non-overnight domestic educational visits. All such visits should be compliant with COVID-19 guidelines and subject to a thorough and ongoing assessment of the risks to ensure that they can be undertaken safely. Schools should consult the health and safety guidance on educational visits when considering any visit.</p><p>The above guidance will remain under review, including the position on overnight domestic visits, and will be updated in line with guidance from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Department for Transport and Public Health England.</p><p>The coronavirus: travel guidance for educational settings can be viewed at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-travel-advice-for-educational-settings/coronavirus-travel-guidance-for-educational-settings" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-travel-advice-for-educational-settings/coronavirus-travel-guidance-for-educational-settings</a>.</p><p>Guidance for full opening: schools is available at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/guidance-for-full-opening-schools" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/guidance-for-full-opening-schools</a>.</p><p>Guidance on health and safety on educational visits can be viewed at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/health-and-safety-on-educational-visits/health-and-safety-on-educational-visits" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/health-and-safety-on-educational-visits/health-and-safety-on-educational-visits</a>.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 22/07/2020 12:59:23 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
	tabling member	4784 label Biography information for Duncan Baker

1225107

	registered interest
	date	15/07/2020
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Nurseries: Finance
	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 adequacy of funding allocated to nurseries to support the 30 hours free childcare entitlement for eligible children.
	tabling member constituency	Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough
	tabling member printed	Gill Furniss
	uin	74694
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/07/2020 answer text <p>The government continues to support families with their childcare costs. Last October, we announced increases in our hourly rates for the 2 year old entitlement and in the vast majority of areas for the 3 and 4 year old entitlement, effective from April of this year.</p><p>We also announced that supplementary funding for maintained nursery schools will continue until the end of the financial year 2020-21. We are committed to supporting maintained nursery schools in the long term. Guidance on the use of free early education entitlements funding during the COVID-19 outbreak is available here:<br> <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/use-of-free-early-education-entitlements-funding-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/use-of-free-early-education-entitlements-funding-during-coronavirus-covid-19" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/use-of-free-early-education-entitlements-funding-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/use-of-free-early-education-entitlements-funding-during-coronavirus-covid-19</a>.</p><p>We are planning to spend over £3.6 billion on our early education entitlements in 2020-21. Future funding is a matter for the next spending review.</p><p>We will continue to monitor the market closely through a range of research projects which provide insight into various aspects of the childcare and provider market.</p><p>During the COVID-19 outbreak, we have continued to pay the entitlements to local authorities as usual.</p><p>The government has also provided childcare providers with a range of measures to offer financial assistance during the COVID-19 outbreak, including business rates relief, the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan, the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme.</p><p>On 20 July, we announced that we will fund childcare at the level we would have done before the COVID-19 outbreak until the end of the year. This will give nurseries and childminders another term of secure income, regardless of whether fewer children are attending.</p><p>We continue to work closely with the early years sector to understand how it can best be supported to ensure that sufficient childcare is available for those returning to work now, and for all families who need it in the longer term.</p> answering member constituency Chelmsford answering member printed Vicky Ford question first answered 24/07/2020 15:06:47 answering member 4674 label Biography information for Vicky Ford
	tabling member	4571 label Biography information for Gill Furniss

1224990

	registered interest
	date	15/07/2020
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	GCE A-level: Ethnic Groups
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the difference between (a) predicted and (b) achieved A-level grades by ethnicity in each year since 2015.
	tabling member constituency	Dulwich and West Norwood
	tabling member printed	Helen Hayes
	uin	74685
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/07/2020 answer text <p>The data that has been collected by UCAS on the relationship between predicted and achieved grades relates only to those who apply to higher education using UCAS.</p><p>There is no published data on predictions for GCSEs.</p><p>UCAS published a report on the factors that are associated with the differences in predicted and achieved A level attainment in 2016 examining the predictions and results for 600,000 English 18 year old applicants between 2010 and 2015 with three or more A levels.</p><p>The report is available here: <a href="http://www.ucas.com/file/71796/download?token=D4uuSzur" target="_blank">www.ucas.com/file/71796/download?token=D4uuSzur</a>.</p><p>Black applicants were proportionally 19% more likely to be overpredicted compared with White applicants. Disadvantaged applicants (measured using POLAR) were 5% more likely to be overpredicted compared with the most advantaged applicants.</p><p>We have not had discussions with UCAS about historic data tables of achieved grades against predicted grades by demographic group. UCAS have published data on the differences in predicted and achieved A level points for 18 year old UK applicants with at least three predicted A level grades. The data is available from 2010 and by gender, domicile, disadvantage and ethnicity.</p><p>In the 2019 application cycle, of UK 18 year old applicants with at least three predicted A levels who were accepted onto a place, 79% of predicted grades were overpredicted and 8% underpredicted.</p><p>The data is available here: <a href="http://www.ucas.com/data-and-analysis/undergraduate-statistics-and-reports/ucas-undergraduate-sector-level-end-cycle-data-resources-2019" target="_blank">www.ucas.com/data-and-analysis/undergraduate-statistics-and-reports/ucas-undergraduate-sector-level-end-cycle-data-resources-2019</a></p><p>We have had no recent discussions with UCAS about the potential role of unconscious bias in predicted A level grades, as this would not be a matter they could control. We have had extensive discussions with Ofqual about this matter and Ofqual publications set out how it has been taken into account in the development of the calculated grades being awarded this summer.</p> answering member constituency Chippenham answering member printed Michelle Donelan grouped question UIN 74686 74687 74688 question first answered 20/07/2020 16:51:33 answering member 4530 label Biography information for Michelle Donelan
	tabling member	4510 label Biography information for Helen Hayes

1224991

	registered interest
	date	15/07/2020
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	GCE A-level and GCSE
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of published data collection on achieved grades against predicted grades for (a) GCSEs and (b) A-Levels by demographic group; and what steps his Department is taking to improve such data collection increase transparency to combat unconscious bias.
	tabling member constituency	Dulwich and West Norwood
	tabling member printed	Helen Hayes
	uin	74686
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/07/2020 answer text <p>The data that has been collected by UCAS on the relationship between predicted and achieved grades relates only to those who apply to higher education using UCAS.</p><p>There is no published data on predictions for GCSEs.</p><p>UCAS published a report on the factors that are associated with the differences in predicted and achieved A level attainment in 2016 examining the predictions and results for 600,000 English 18 year old applicants between 2010 and 2015 with three or more A levels.</p><p>The report is available here: <a href="http://www.ucas.com/file/71796/download?token=D4uuSzur" target="_blank">www.ucas.com/file/71796/download?token=D4uuSzur</a>.</p><p>Black applicants were proportionally 19% more likely to be overpredicted compared with White applicants. Disadvantaged applicants (measured using POLAR) were 5% more likely to be overpredicted compared with the most advantaged applicants.</p><p>We have not had discussions with UCAS about historic data tables of achieved grades against predicted grades by demographic group. UCAS have published data on the differences in predicted and achieved A level points for 18 year old UK applicants with at least three predicted A level grades. The data is available from 2010 and by gender, domicile, disadvantage and ethnicity.</p><p>In the 2019 application cycle, of UK 18 year old applicants with at least three predicted A levels who were accepted onto a place, 79% of predicted grades were overpredicted and 8% underpredicted.</p><p>The data is available here: <a href="http://www.ucas.com/data-and-analysis/undergraduate-statistics-and-reports/ucas-undergraduate-sector-level-end-cycle-data-resources-2019" target="_blank">www.ucas.com/data-and-analysis/undergraduate-statistics-and-reports/ucas-undergraduate-sector-level-end-cycle-data-resources-2019</a></p><p>We have had no recent discussions with UCAS about the potential role of unconscious bias in predicted A level grades, as this would not be a matter they could control. We have had extensive discussions with Ofqual about this matter and Ofqual publications set out how it has been taken into account in the development of the calculated grades being awarded this summer.</p> answering member constituency Chippenham answering member printed Michelle Donelan grouped question UIN 74685 74687 74688 question first answered 20/07/2020 16:51:33 answering member 4530 label Biography information for Michelle Donelan
	tabling member	4510 label Biography information for Helen Hayes

1224992

	registered interest
	date	15/07/2020
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Assessments
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions his Department has had with UCAS on the publication of historic data tables of achieved grades against predicted grades by demographic group.
	tabling member constituency	Dulwich and West Norwood
	tabling member printed	Helen Hayes
	uin	74687
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/07/2020 answer text <p>The data that has been collected by UCAS on the relationship between predicted and achieved grades relates only to those who apply to higher education using UCAS.</p><p>There is no published data on predictions for GCSEs.</p><p>UCAS published a report on the factors that are associated with the differences in predicted and achieved A level attainment in 2016 examining the predictions and results for 600,000 English 18 year old applicants between 2010 and 2015 with three or more A levels.</p><p>The report is available here: <a href="http://www.ucas.com/file/71796/download?token=D4uuSzur" target="_blank">www.ucas.com/file/71796/download?token=D4uuSzur</a>.</p><p>Black applicants were proportionally 19% more likely to be overpredicted compared with White applicants. Disadvantaged applicants (measured using POLAR) were 5% more likely to be overpredicted compared with the most advantaged applicants.</p><p>We have not had discussions with UCAS about historic data tables of achieved grades against predicted grades by demographic group. UCAS have published data on the differences in predicted and achieved A level points for 18 year old UK applicants with at least three predicted A level grades. The data is available from 2010 and by gender, domicile, disadvantage and ethnicity.</p><p>In the 2019 application cycle, of UK 18 year old applicants with at least three predicted A levels who were accepted onto a place, 79% of predicted grades were overpredicted and 8% underpredicted.</p><p>The data is available here: <a href="http://www.ucas.com/data-and-analysis/undergraduate-statistics-and-reports/ucas-undergraduate-sector-level-end-cycle-data-resources-2019" target="_blank">www.ucas.com/data-and-analysis/undergraduate-statistics-and-reports/ucas-undergraduate-sector-level-end-cycle-data-resources-2019</a></p><p>We have had no recent discussions with UCAS about the potential role of unconscious bias in predicted A level grades, as this would not be a matter they could control. We have had extensive discussions with Ofqual about this matter and Ofqual publications set out how it has been taken into account in the development of the calculated grades being awarded this summer.</p> answering member constituency Chippenham answering member printed Michelle Donelan grouped question UIN 74685 74686 74688 question first answered 20/07/2020 16:51:33 answering member 4530 label Biography information for Michelle Donelan
	tabling member	4510 label Biography information for Helen Hayes

1224994

	registered interest
	date	15/07/2020
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	GCE A-level
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions his Department has had with UCAS on the (a) role of unconscious bias in predicted A-Level grades and (b) potential effect of unconscious bias in those grades on trends in admissions statistics in relation to (i) socio-economic background, (ii) race, (iii) gender and (iv) disability.
	tabling member constituency	Dulwich and West Norwood
	tabling member printed	Helen Hayes
	uin	74688
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/07/2020 answer text <p>The data that has been collected by UCAS on the relationship between predicted and achieved grades relates only to those who apply to higher education using UCAS.</p><p>There is no published data on predictions for GCSEs.</p><p>UCAS published a report on the factors that are associated with the differences in predicted and achieved A level attainment in 2016 examining the predictions and results for 600,000 English 18 year old applicants between 2010 and 2015 with three or more A levels.</p><p>The report is available here: <a href="http://www.ucas.com/file/71796/download?token=D4uuSzur" target="_blank">www.ucas.com/file/71796/download?token=D4uuSzur</a>.</p><p>Black applicants were proportionally 19% more likely to be overpredicted compared with White applicants. Disadvantaged applicants (measured using POLAR) were 5% more likely to be overpredicted compared with the most advantaged applicants.</p><p>We have not had discussions with UCAS about historic data tables of achieved grades against predicted grades by demographic group. UCAS have published data on the differences in predicted and achieved A level points for 18 year old UK applicants with at least three predicted A level grades. The data is available from 2010 and by gender, domicile, disadvantage and ethnicity.</p><p>In the 2019 application cycle, of UK 18 year old applicants with at least three predicted A levels who were accepted onto a place, 79% of predicted grades were overpredicted and 8% underpredicted.</p><p>The data is available here: <a href="http://www.ucas.com/data-and-analysis/undergraduate-statistics-and-reports/ucas-undergraduate-sector-level-end-cycle-data-resources-2019" target="_blank">www.ucas.com/data-and-analysis/undergraduate-statistics-and-reports/ucas-undergraduate-sector-level-end-cycle-data-resources-2019</a></p><p>We have had no recent discussions with UCAS about the potential role of unconscious bias in predicted A level grades, as this would not be a matter they could control. We have had extensive discussions with Ofqual about this matter and Ofqual publications set out how it has been taken into account in the development of the calculated grades being awarded this summer.</p> answering member constituency Chippenham answering member printed Michelle Donelan grouped question UIN 74685 74686 74687 question first answered 20/07/2020 16:51:33 answering member 4530 label Biography information for Michelle Donelan
	tabling member	4510 label Biography information for Helen Hayes