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1143593

	registered interest
	date	02/09/2019
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	School Exclusions Review
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the consultation on the recommendations of the Timpson Review will include (a) socio-economic and (b) ethnic trends in school exclusions.
	tabling member constituency	Sheffield Central
	tabling member printed	Paul Blomfield
	uin	285262
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/09/2019 answer text <p>The Government is taking forward an ambitious programme of action which will respect head teachers’ powers to use exclusion, while also equipping schools to support children at risk of exclusion, and ensuring excluded children continue to receive a good education. As part of this, the Department will make schools responsible for pupils who are permanently excluded and will launch a consultation on how to deliver this in practice.</p><p>In designing this consultation, the Department is working with leaders from across the education sector and will consider the findings of the Timpson Review on disparities in exclusion rates between different groups of children. In response to the review, the Government called on the Directors of Children’s Services, governing bodies, academy trusts, and local forums of schools to review information on children who leave schools, by exclusion or otherwise, and to establish a shared understanding of how the data on the characteristics of such children feeds local trends.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 05/09/2019 16:26:04 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
	tabling member	4058 label Biography information for Paul Blomfield

1177456

	registered interest
	date	10/02/2020
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Overseas Students: EU Nationals
	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 effect on demand for UK university places from EU students of the UK leaving the EU.
	tabling member constituency	Sheffield Central
	tabling member printed	Paul Blomfield
	uin	14715
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/02/2020 answer text <p>EU and non-EU students make an invaluable contribution to the UK’s higher education sector, socially, culturally and financially. This is why the UK Government will continue to welcome international students, working towards the ambition set out in our International Education Strategy, to host 600,000 international students per year by 2030.</p><p> </p><p>The Prime Minister has also been clear that he wants to help the UK attract talent from around the world. On May 28 2019, we announced guarantees on student finance for EU nationals. EU nationals (and their family members) who start a course in England in the 2020/21 academic year or before will continue to be eligible for ‘home fee’ status and undergraduate and postgraduate student financial support from Student Finance England for the duration of their course, provided they meet the residency requirement.</p><p> </p><p>To further ensure the UK higher education sector remains internationally attractive, my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister announced the new Graduate Route in September 2019. This will offer an opportunity for international students who have passed their degree to stay and work in the UK for two years post-study.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 13/02/2020 17:26:35 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
	tabling member	4058 label Biography information for Paul Blomfield

1186203

	registered interest
	date	18/03/2020
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Pupils: Health
	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 effect on school pupils’ performance and wellbeing of financial stress in their families.
	tabling member constituency	Sheffield Central
	tabling member printed	Paul Blomfield
	uin	31500
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/04/2020 answer text <p>The Government recognises that, for many complex reasons, economic disadvantage can have an adverse effect on pupil attainment and wellbeing.</p><p>Through the pupil premium, the Department has spent more than £18 billion since 2011, including £2.4 billion in 2019-20, to tackle educational inequality. We established the Education Endowment Fund with £137 million to research and promote the most effective ways of using pupil premium funding so that all schools can make a difference to the futures of their disadvantaged pupils. Since 2011, the attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers has decreased at both ages 11 and 16.</p><p>The Department has taken a range of actions to help schools support the mental wellbeing of their pupils. This includes teaching pupils about mental wellbeing through the introduction of health education and improving collaboration with external agencies to ensure those pupils that need specialist support and treatment get it quickly. New Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs) will be established in 20% to 25% of the country by 2023, supporting children and young people with mild to moderate mental health issues, and helping those with more severe needs to access the right specialist services locally. MHSTs should be delivered in a way to take account of disadvantage and seek to reduce health inequalities. We will also fund training for senior mental health leads in every state funded school and college in England, providing the skills and knowledge required to put in place effective whole school and college approaches to promote and support good mental health. We also have several initiatives in place to further support schools to develop and implement whole school approaches to mental health and wellbeing.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 08/04/2020 16:39:48 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb previous answer version 14153 answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
	tabling member	4058 label Biography information for Paul Blomfield

1256876

	registered interest
	date	30/11/2020
	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, what recent estimate he has made of the additional costs incurred by schools as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.
	tabling member constituency	Sheffield Central
	tabling member printed	Paul Blomfield
	uin	122674
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/12/2020 answer text <p>Ministers and officials continue to engage regularly with school leaders and their representatives on a wide range of issues around COVID-19, including discussions in relation to costs faced by schools at this time.</p><p>Schools have continued to receive their core funding allocations throughout the COVID-19 outbreak. Following last year’s Spending Round, school budgets are rising by £2.6 billion in the 2020-21 financial year, £4.8 billion in 2021-22 and £7.1 billion in 2022-23, compared to 2019-20. This increase in funding will help schools with costs associated with the COVID-19 outbreak.</p><p>The Department has announced a new COVID-19 workforce fund for schools and colleges to help them to remain open. It will fund the costs of teacher absences over a threshold in schools and colleges with high staff absences that are also facing significant financial pressures. Guidance on the claims process will be published shortly so schools and colleges have confidence in the costs they can incur and be eligible to reclaim.</p><p>Schools have already received payments of £102 million for exceptional costs during the summer months, and there will be a further opportunity later in the year for schools to claim for any costs that fell between March and July in the same approved categories, for which they did not claim during the first window.</p><p>To support schools in making up for lost teaching time, there is a £1 billion catch up package for schools, which includes a universal £650 million ‘Catch Up Premium’. Our expectation is that this funding will be spent on the additional activities required to support children and young people to catch up after a period of disruption to their education. Alongside this, the catch up package includes the National Tutoring Programme for disadvantaged 5 to 16 year old pupils. This scheme will provide additional, targeted support for disadvantaged pupils who need the most help to catch up.</p><p>The Department has also provided support for schools to deliver remote education. In October 2020, the Department announced a support package to help schools meet the remote education expectations set out in the schools guidance for full opening, including access to the right technology to deliver remote education, as well as curriculum guidance and resources. As part of over £195 million invested to support access to remote education and online social care, over 340,000 laptops and tablets are being made available this term to support disadvantaged children in Years 3 to 11 whose face to face education may be disrupted. Since September 2020, over 100,000 of these have been delivered to schools.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 08/12/2020 16:50:14 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
	tabling member	4058 label Biography information for Paul Blomfield

1302650

	registered interest
	date	15/03/2021
	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: Assessments
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what advice he is giving to schools and colleges on taking account of caring responsibilities of their students when determining GCSE and A Level grades in summer 2021.
	tabling member constituency	Sheffield Central
	tabling member printed	Paul Blomfield
	uin	168889
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/03/2021 answer text <p>The Department will do whatever it can to make sure no child, whatever their background or location, falls behind as a result of COVID-19. We know that young carers may be particularly vulnerable during this time and ensuring that vulnerable children and young people remain protected is our top priority.</p><p>Given the ongoing disruption to education caused by the COVID-19 outbreak, we announced in January 2021 that GCSE, AS and A level exams will not go ahead as planned this summer. The interests of pupils are at the core of our recommendations. Our priority is to ensure all those due to take exams in 2021 have the best possible chance to show what they know and can do, enabling them to progress to the next stage of their education, training or employment.</p><p>Teachers have the flexibility to use a range of evidence, including the use of optional questions provided by exam boards, mock exams, non-examined assessment coursework, or in-class tests set by the school which align closely with the awarding organisation’s specification for the qualification. Teachers can draw from a range of evidence from across the duration of the pupil’s course, to determine their grade and work produced outside of the school or college environment, for example at home, can be included as evidence to support a teacher’s judgement.</p><p>We know there has been differential education loss, as some pupils have suffered more disruption to their education than others. Because of this, pupils will only be assessed on the content they have been taught.</p><p>We have also been clear that mitigating circumstances and pupils who are entitled to reasonable adjustments should be taken into account by teachers when deciding which evidence to use, with flexibility to substitute or discount evidence.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 23/03/2021 17:03:23 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
	tabling member	4058 label Biography information for Paul Blomfield

1307470

	registered interest
	date	12/04/2021
	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: Assessments
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 23 March 2021 to Question 168889, on GCE A-level and GCSE: Assessments, what specific guidance his Department has issued to schools and colleges on taking into account the mitigating circumstances faced by young carers when determining GCSE and A level grades.
	tabling member constituency	Sheffield Central
	tabling member printed	Paul Blomfield
	uin	179073
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/04/2021 answer text <p>The Department is committed to ensuring that all those who were due to take exams in 2021 have the best possible chance to show what they know and can do, enabling them to progress to the next stage of their education, training, or employment, no matter their background.</p><p>Following the Department’s response on 23 March 2021, the Joint Council for Qualifications has published guidance on the determination of grades in Summer 2021: <a href="https://www.jcq.org.uk/summer-2021-arrangements/" target="_blank">https://www.jcq.org.uk/summer-2021-arrangements/</a>. As the guidance states, the range of evidence teachers can use to determine the grades of their pupils is flexible and they should only be assessed on what they have been taught.</p><p>Mitigating circumstances and access to reasonable adjustments should be taken into account by teachers when deciding which evidence to use, with flexibility to substitute or discount evidence. Where a pupil’s performance in assessments is impaired through an event outside of the pupil’s control and may have affected their performance in assessments which will be used to determine a grade, this should be taken into account by teachers. Centres must be satisfied that the issue or event has had, or is reasonably likely to have had, a material effect on a pupil’s ability to demonstrate their normal level of attainment in an assessment. Pupils must be reminded to raise any mitigating circumstances which warrant special consideration as soon as possible, ideally at the time of the assessment and prior to the submission of the teacher assessed grade.</p><p>We want to make sure that young carers get the support they need and are able to take advantage of opportunities beyond their caring responsibilities. The 'Schools Coronavirus (COVID-19) Operational Guidance' recognises that some young people, including some young carers, might feel anxious about attending school. The Government has published guidance for both schools and local authorities on how best to support families and protect vulnerable children during COVID-19, alongside guidance for young people with caring responsibilities, which includes information on how and where they can get help and support.</p><p>We remain committed to supporting young carers, and will continue to work closely with schools, stakeholders, care organisations and the wider sector. The Government continues to fund projects to support vulnerable children and young people whose usual support networks have been impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak, including young carers as a target group. The provision includes a range of support, including online counselling and helping children and young people stay connected with school.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 19/04/2021 17:10:11 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
	tabling member	4058 label Biography information for Paul Blomfield

1604891

	registered interest
	date	16/03/2023
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Free School Meals: Disadvantaged
	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 extend the eligibility criteria for free school meals to cover all children from households in receipt of Universal Credit and equivalent benefits.
	tabling member constituency	Sheffield Central
	tabling member printed	Paul Blomfield
	uin	167087
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/03/2023 answer text <p>Since 2010, the number of pupils receiving a free school meal (FSM) has increased by more than two million. This increase in provision is due to the introduction of Universal Infant Free School Meals and generous protections put in place as benefit recipients move across to Universal Credit. Over a third of pupils in England now receive FSM, compared with one in six in 2010.</p><p>The Department believes that the current eligibility threshold level, which enables children in low income households to benefit from FSM, while remaining affordable and deliverable for schools, is the right one. The Department does not have plans to change the current eligibility conditions for FSM, but will continue to keep eligibility under review to ensure that these meals are supporting those who most need them. The Department continues to monitor the consequences of the rising cost of living and is working with other Government Departments to provide support to disadvantaged families.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 24/03/2023 14:26:07 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
	tabling member	4058 label Biography information for Paul Blomfield

487011

	registered interest
	date	24/03/2016
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Further Education
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the effect of her Department's reform of AS and A-level qualifications on the number of hours of study students are undertaking in post-16 education.
	tabling member constituency	Sheffield Central
	tabling member printed	Paul Blomfield
	uin	32493
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/04/2016 answer text <p>The number of guided learning hours for AS and A levels have not changed as a result of our reforms. However, with the move to linear qualifications, there will no longer be the routine and automatic external assessment of students at the end of year 12 which places unnecessary burdens on students’ and teachers’ time.</p><p>Study programmes are funded per student rather than per qualification. Funding rates are based on an average of 600 hours per year of planned activities per student.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 11/04/2016 15:36:09 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
	tabling member	4058 label Biography information for Paul Blomfield

837596

	registered interest
	date	05/02/2018
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Schools: LGBT+ People
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that all schools teach awareness of LGBTQ issues in an age-appropriate manner.
	tabling member constituency	Sheffield Central
	tabling member printed	Paul Blomfield
	uin	126715
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/02/2018 answer text <p>We expect schools to ensure that teaching is relevant to all children and young people, including those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT). LGBT issues can be covered by schools within the curriculum and the current Sex and Relationship Education statutory guidance (2000) states that we expect all schools to ensure that young people, whatever their developing sexuality or gender identity, feel that the subject is relevant to them, and sensitive to their needs. All schools must comply with the Equality Act (2010).</p><p> </p><p>The Government Equalities Office launched a £3 million programme from 2016-2019 to prevent and address homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying in schools. The programme will support thousands of teachers to better identify homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying, and to support LGBT pupils.</p><p> </p><p>Following the passage of the Children and Social Work Act 2017, the teaching of Relationships Education in primary schools and Relationships and Sex Education in secondary schools will be mandatory. As part of the current call for evidence, we are working with teachers, parents, experts and others to develop age-appropriate subject content, including on mental health, keeping safe online and LGBT issues.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 13/02/2018 14:33:58 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
	tabling member	4058 label Biography information for Paul Blomfield

837597

	registered interest
	date	05/02/2018
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Young People: Politics
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent steps his Department has taken to empower young people to engage in politics.
	tabling member constituency	Sheffield Central
	tabling member printed	Paul Blomfield
	uin	126716
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/02/2018 answer text <p>Citizenship education is in the national curriculum at Key Stages 3 and 4. As a result of the national curriculum review, the Government revised the programmes of study to ensure pupils are taught the core knowledge of citizenship at Key Stages 3 and 4. The new programmes of study came into effect in September 2014.</p><p>The programmes of study are designed to prepare pupils to play a full part in society, and are organised around core knowledge about democracy, government, and how laws are made and upheld. The programmes of study also require schools to prepare pupils to manage their money well and make sound financial decisions.</p><p>In addition, both Citizenship GCSE and Political Studies A-level are available for study with the number of those sitting the latter increasing in 2017.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 13/02/2018 14:31:46 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
	tabling member	4058 label Biography information for Paul Blomfield