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1469903

registered interest
date	13/06/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Academies: Curriculum
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 current flexibility of academy schools in setting the criteria for the curriculum they teach.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
uin	16832
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/06/2022 answer text <p>Academies have the autonomy to set their own school curriculum. However, they are required to teach a broad and balanced school curriculum, including maths, English and science, that is comparable in breadth and ambition to the national curriculum as a piece of statutory guidance.</p><p>For academies, the national curriculum acts as a benchmark for a high-quality, knowledge-rich school curriculum. Many academy schools choose to deliver the full national curriculum, but this is not a requirement. With their freedom, multi-academy trusts have been at the forefront of curriculum innovation, and they have led the development of evidence-based, subject-level teacher development programmes, resources, and research.</p><p>Ministers have no intention of using regulatory reforms to interfere in the day-to-day management of academies, other than in cases of failure. Ministers have no intention to restrict the freedoms that enable academies to collaborate, innovate, and organise themselves to deliver the best outcomes for pupils.</p><p>All schools are held accountable for delivering a broad and balanced curriculum through their performance in tests and exams and Ofsted inspections. Ofsted aims to reduce curriculum narrowing through the implementation of the 2019 education inspection framework, available at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/education-inspection-framework" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/education-inspection-framework</a>. This framework evaluates the intent, implementation, and impact of each school's curriculum.</p><p>Oak National Academy was created in April 2020 as a rapid response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Teachers and colleagues from leading education organisations came together to support schools’ efforts to keep children learning. This included several multi-academy trusts who contributed to the development of lessons and online resources and continue to work with Oak as curriculum partners.</p><p>Building on the success of Oak National Academy’s work in the pandemic, the department announced in the Schools White Paper that we will establish a new arms-length curriculum body. It will work with thousands of teachers to co-design, create and continually improve packages of optional, free, adaptable digital curriculum resources and video lessons. These optional resources will be available across the UK, helping teachers deliver a high-quality curriculum. This sector-led approach will draw on expertise and inputs from across the country, involving teachers, schools, trusts, subject associations, national centres of excellence and educational publishers.</p><p>The resources are to be optional, non-Ofsted endorsed and intended to exemplify high-quality curriculum design to improve system curriculum thinking and support teachers across the country with their lesson planning and teaching.</p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker grouped question UIN 16833 question first answered 20/06/2022 16:58:56 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

1469907

registered interest
date	13/06/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Academies: Curriculum
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will take steps to improve the ability of academy schools to (a) set the curriculum they teach and (b) amend the current national curriculum within their own institutions.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
uin	16833
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/06/2022 answer text <p>Academies have the autonomy to set their own school curriculum. However, they are required to teach a broad and balanced school curriculum, including maths, English and science, that is comparable in breadth and ambition to the national curriculum as a piece of statutory guidance.</p><p>For academies, the national curriculum acts as a benchmark for a high-quality, knowledge-rich school curriculum. Many academy schools choose to deliver the full national curriculum, but this is not a requirement. With their freedom, multi-academy trusts have been at the forefront of curriculum innovation, and they have led the development of evidence-based, subject-level teacher development programmes, resources, and research.</p><p>Ministers have no intention of using regulatory reforms to interfere in the day-to-day management of academies, other than in cases of failure. Ministers have no intention to restrict the freedoms that enable academies to collaborate, innovate, and organise themselves to deliver the best outcomes for pupils.</p><p>All schools are held accountable for delivering a broad and balanced curriculum through their performance in tests and exams and Ofsted inspections. Ofsted aims to reduce curriculum narrowing through the implementation of the 2019 education inspection framework, available at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/education-inspection-framework" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/education-inspection-framework</a>. This framework evaluates the intent, implementation, and impact of each school's curriculum.</p><p>Oak National Academy was created in April 2020 as a rapid response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Teachers and colleagues from leading education organisations came together to support schools’ efforts to keep children learning. This included several multi-academy trusts who contributed to the development of lessons and online resources and continue to work with Oak as curriculum partners.</p><p>Building on the success of Oak National Academy’s work in the pandemic, the department announced in the Schools White Paper that we will establish a new arms-length curriculum body. It will work with thousands of teachers to co-design, create and continually improve packages of optional, free, adaptable digital curriculum resources and video lessons. These optional resources will be available across the UK, helping teachers deliver a high-quality curriculum. This sector-led approach will draw on expertise and inputs from across the country, involving teachers, schools, trusts, subject associations, national centres of excellence and educational publishers.</p><p>The resources are to be optional, non-Ofsted endorsed and intended to exemplify high-quality curriculum design to improve system curriculum thinking and support teachers across the country with their lesson planning and teaching.</p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker grouped question UIN 16832 question first answered 20/06/2022 16:58:56 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

1465235

registered interest
date	24/05/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Pupils: Bullying
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 tackle bullying in schools.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
uin	7894
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/06/2022 answer text <p>The department has sent a clear message that bullying should never be tolerated and we are committed to supporting schools to tackle it. The department provides advice for schools, outlining their responsibilities. The advice makes clear that schools should make appropriate provision for a bullied child's social, emotional and mental health needs. The advice is available at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/preventing-and-tackling-bullying" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/preventing-and-tackling-bullying</a>.</p><p> </p><p>The department is providing over £2 million of funding, between 10 August 2021 and 31 March 2023, to five anti-bullying organisations to support schools to tackle bullying. This includes projects targeting bullying of particular groups, such as those who are victims of hate-related bullying and homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying.</p><p> </p><p>The department is also making sure that all children in England will learn about respectful relationships, in person and online, as part of mandatory relationships, sex and health education. This includes content on the different types of bullying, the impact it has, the responsibility of bystanders, and how to get help.</p><p> </p><p>The department has published ‘Respectful School Communities’, a self-review and signposting tool to support schools to develop a whole-school approach which promotes respect and discipline, available here: <a href="https://educateagainsthate.com/resources/respectful-school-communities-self-review-signposting-tool-2/" target="_blank">https://educateagainsthate.com/resources/respectful-school-communities-self-review-signposting-tool-2/</a>. This can combat bullying, harassment and prejudice of any kind, including hate-based bullying.</p><p> </p><p>The department is also committed to ensuring all schools should be calm, safe and supportive environments for pupils to learn and thrive in. To this end, we are investing £10 million through behaviour hubs so that schools that want and need to turn around their behaviour can work closely with schools with exemplary positive behaviour cultures, alongside a central offer of support and a taskforce of advisers, to improve their culture, and spread good practice across the country. The behaviour hubs programme includes mandatory modules on consequences, including sanctions and rewards and creating systems and social norms which are vital in enabling children to generate and maintain behavioural standards.</p><p> </p><p>The department has not made an assessment of the adequacy of support in schools for victims of bullying. All schools should set clear, reasonable and proportionate expectations of pupil behaviour in line with the department’s ‘behaviour and discipline in schools’ guidance, available at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/behaviour-and-discipline-in-schools" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/behaviour-and-discipline-in-schools</a>. It is for individual schools to develop their own best practice for managing behaviour in their school.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker grouped question UIN 7895 question first answered 06/06/2022 16:43:41 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

1465236

registered interest
date	24/05/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Pupils: Bullying
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 support available for victims of bullying in schools.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
uin	7895
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/06/2022 answer text <p>The department has sent a clear message that bullying should never be tolerated and we are committed to supporting schools to tackle it. The department provides advice for schools, outlining their responsibilities. The advice makes clear that schools should make appropriate provision for a bullied child's social, emotional and mental health needs. The advice is available at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/preventing-and-tackling-bullying" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/preventing-and-tackling-bullying</a>.</p><p> </p><p>The department is providing over £2 million of funding, between 10 August 2021 and 31 March 2023, to five anti-bullying organisations to support schools to tackle bullying. This includes projects targeting bullying of particular groups, such as those who are victims of hate-related bullying and homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying.</p><p> </p><p>The department is also making sure that all children in England will learn about respectful relationships, in person and online, as part of mandatory relationships, sex and health education. This includes content on the different types of bullying, the impact it has, the responsibility of bystanders, and how to get help.</p><p> </p><p>The department has published ‘Respectful School Communities’, a self-review and signposting tool to support schools to develop a whole-school approach which promotes respect and discipline, available here: <a href="https://educateagainsthate.com/resources/respectful-school-communities-self-review-signposting-tool-2/" target="_blank">https://educateagainsthate.com/resources/respectful-school-communities-self-review-signposting-tool-2/</a>. This can combat bullying, harassment and prejudice of any kind, including hate-based bullying.</p><p> </p><p>The department is also committed to ensuring all schools should be calm, safe and supportive environments for pupils to learn and thrive in. To this end, we are investing £10 million through behaviour hubs so that schools that want and need to turn around their behaviour can work closely with schools with exemplary positive behaviour cultures, alongside a central offer of support and a taskforce of advisers, to improve their culture, and spread good practice across the country. The behaviour hubs programme includes mandatory modules on consequences, including sanctions and rewards and creating systems and social norms which are vital in enabling children to generate and maintain behavioural standards.</p><p> </p><p>The department has not made an assessment of the adequacy of support in schools for victims of bullying. All schools should set clear, reasonable and proportionate expectations of pupil behaviour in line with the department’s ‘behaviour and discipline in schools’ guidance, available at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/behaviour-and-discipline-in-schools" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/behaviour-and-discipline-in-schools</a>. It is for individual schools to develop their own best practice for managing behaviour in their school.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker grouped question UIN 7894 question first answered 06/06/2022 16:43:41 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

1458329

registered interest
date	19/04/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Schools: Inspections
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools inspected between March 2020 and March 2022 were rated as inadequate by OFTSED.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
uin	155568
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/04/2022 answer text <p>These are matters for Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman. I have asked her to write to you directly and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.</p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker grouped question UIN 155569 155570 question first answered 26/04/2022 15:41:29 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

1458330

registered interest
date	19/04/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Schools: Birmingham
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools in Birmingham inspected between March 2020 and March 2022 were rated as inadequate by OFSTED.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
uin	155569
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/04/2022 answer text <p>These are matters for Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman. I have asked her to write to you directly and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.</p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker grouped question UIN 155568 155570 question first answered 26/04/2022 15:41:29 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

1458331

registered interest
date	19/04/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Schools: Inspections
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 (a) extent to and (b) method by which the impact of the covid-19 outbreak has been factored in by OFSTED when conducting schools inspections.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
uin	155570
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/04/2022 answer text <p>These are matters for Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman. I have asked her to write to you directly and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.</p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker grouped question UIN 155568 155569 question first answered 26/04/2022 15:41:29 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

1457766

registered interest
date	14/04/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	GCSE: West Midlands
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support his Department plans to provide to schools in the West Midlands to help close the GCSE attainment gap with London as part of the Government white paper, Opportunity for all: strong schools with great teachers for your child.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
uin	153721
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/04/2022 answer text <p>Between 2011 and 2019, the attainment gap between disadvantaged children and their more advantaged peers narrowed 13% at key stage 2 and 9% at key stage 4. However, the department is aware that even before the pandemic there was still further to go. The department recognises the attainment gap that persists between vulnerable and disadvantaged pupils compared to their peers. The Schools White Paper sets out the department’s long-term vision for a school system that helps every child to fulfil their potential by ensuring that they receive the right support, in the right place, at the right time – founded on achieving world-class literacy and numeracy.</p><p>The Schools White Paper sets out two ambitions for 2030:</p><ul><li>90% of primary school children will achieve the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, and the percentage of children meeting the expected standard in the worst performing areas will have increased by a third.</li><li>In secondary schools, the national GCSE average grade in both English language and in maths will increase from 4.5 in 2019 to 5 by 2030.</li></ul><p><br>The department aims to build capacity where it is needed most, and the government’s Levelling Up White Paper identified 55 Education Investment Areas (EIAs), where efforts will focus on driving school improvement. This includes building trust capacity, using part of the £86 million the department has committed to investing in trust capacity over the next three years. Additionally, schools in EIAs that have been judged less than Good in two or more successive Ofsted inspections could be moved into strong trusts to help drive up standards. The department is currently consulting on plans to support schools not making necessary improvements. Additionally, the Levelling Up premium, worth up to £3,000 tax-free for eligible teachers working in disadvantaged schools, including in EIAs, will be used to tackle staffing issues. EIAs include one-third of local authorities in England where educational attainment is currently weakest, and there are five EIAs in the West Midlands.</p><p>More recently, in the Schools White Paper, the department announced a subset of 24 Priority EIAs, where more intensive investment and support will be provided to address entrenched underperformance. This includes Sandwell, Stoke-on-Trent, and Walsall which were selected due to particularly low attainment and high rates of disadvantage. Priority EIAs will have access to a share of approximately £40 million to address specific local needs with bespoke interventions, a multi academy trust CEO development programme and comprehensive support for digital connectivity through Connect the Classroom. They will also have priority access to other Department for Education programmes, such as bids for new free schools.</p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker grouped question UIN 153722 question first answered 26/04/2022 11:52:40 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

1457767

registered interest
date	14/04/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	GCSE: West Midlands
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to his Department's research paper entitled Infographics for GCSEs, 2021, published on 12 August 2021, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the data showing that 63.8 per cent of pupils in the West Midlands achieved grades 4 or C and above in 2019 while 70.6 per cent of pupils in London achieved those grades that year.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
uin	153722
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/04/2022 answer text <p>Between 2011 and 2019, the attainment gap between disadvantaged children and their more advantaged peers narrowed 13% at key stage 2 and 9% at key stage 4. However, the department is aware that even before the pandemic there was still further to go. The department recognises the attainment gap that persists between vulnerable and disadvantaged pupils compared to their peers. The Schools White Paper sets out the department’s long-term vision for a school system that helps every child to fulfil their potential by ensuring that they receive the right support, in the right place, at the right time – founded on achieving world-class literacy and numeracy.</p><p>The Schools White Paper sets out two ambitions for 2030:</p><ul><li>90% of primary school children will achieve the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, and the percentage of children meeting the expected standard in the worst performing areas will have increased by a third.</li><li>In secondary schools, the national GCSE average grade in both English language and in maths will increase from 4.5 in 2019 to 5 by 2030.</li></ul><p><br>The department aims to build capacity where it is needed most, and the government’s Levelling Up White Paper identified 55 Education Investment Areas (EIAs), where efforts will focus on driving school improvement. This includes building trust capacity, using part of the £86 million the department has committed to investing in trust capacity over the next three years. Additionally, schools in EIAs that have been judged less than Good in two or more successive Ofsted inspections could be moved into strong trusts to help drive up standards. The department is currently consulting on plans to support schools not making necessary improvements. Additionally, the Levelling Up premium, worth up to £3,000 tax-free for eligible teachers working in disadvantaged schools, including in EIAs, will be used to tackle staffing issues. EIAs include one-third of local authorities in England where educational attainment is currently weakest, and there are five EIAs in the West Midlands.</p><p>More recently, in the Schools White Paper, the department announced a subset of 24 Priority EIAs, where more intensive investment and support will be provided to address entrenched underperformance. This includes Sandwell, Stoke-on-Trent, and Walsall which were selected due to particularly low attainment and high rates of disadvantage. Priority EIAs will have access to a share of approximately £40 million to address specific local needs with bespoke interventions, a multi academy trust CEO development programme and comprehensive support for digital connectivity through Connect the Classroom. They will also have priority access to other Department for Education programmes, such as bids for new free schools.</p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker grouped question UIN 153721 question first answered 26/04/2022 11:52:40 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

1457768

registered interest
date	14/04/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Schools: Finance
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of projected inflation rates on real-terms funding for schools.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
uin	153723
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/04/2022 answer text <p>This government continues to deliver year on year, real terms per pupil increases to school funding, with the total core school budget increasing to £56.8 billion by 2024/25, a £7 billion cash increase, compared with 2021/22.</p><p>Future increases in funding have been frontloaded to rapidly get money to schools, so that in 2022/23 alone core schools funding will increase by £4 billion compared to 2021/22. This means that the total funding allocated to schools and high needs will see a 7% cash terms per pupil boost in 2022/23, compared to 2021/22. As part of this investment, mainstream school funding for 5-16 year olds is increasing by £2.5 billion in 2022/23, compared to this year. This is equivalent to an average 5.8% cash increase per pupil.</p><p>More information on school revenue funding from 2010/2011 through to 2022/2023, including the department’s latest statistical release from January 2022, is available at: <a href="https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-funding-statistics" target="_blank">https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-funding-statistics</a>.</p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker question first answered 25/04/2022 16:30:21 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe