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1123945

registered interest
date	30/04/2019
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Swimming: Primary Education
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make it his policy to introduce a statutory requirement to provide primary school (a) teaching and (b) support staff with (i) training and (ii) regular up-skilling in swimming and water safety; and if he will ensure that all pupils of primary age have adequate opportunities to access publicly-funded swimming facilities.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
uin	249198
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/05/2019 answer text <p>Swimming is a vital life skill, which is why swimming and water safety are compulsory elements of the national curriculum physical education (PE) at key stages 1 and 2. It sets out the expectation that pupils should be taught to:</p><ul><li>swim competently, confidently and proficiently over a distance of at least 25 metres;</li><li>use a range of strokes effectively; and</li><li>perform safe self-rescue in different water-based situations.</li></ul><p> </p><p>The government asked the Swim Group, which includes representatives from across the swimming and education sector, to submit an independent report setting out recommendations for improving curriculum swimming, as part of the Sporting Future strategy. The department has worked closely with Swim England and other members of the Swim group to review the recommendations in their report. In October 2018, we announced that schools would receive extra support to help all pupils to swim and know how to be safe in the water by the time they leave primary school. This included guidance to schools on:</p><p> </p><ul><li>effective use of the PE and sport premium to support additional teacher training and top-up swimming for those children not yet able to meet the national curriculum requirements after core lessons;</li><li>a drive to boost partnerships between independent schools to offer the use of facilities, coaching and other forms of support to schools in their area;</li><li>new guidance from Swim England and the Swim Group for swimming providers, primary schools, swimming teachers and parents and carers.</li></ul><p> </p><p>Information on school swimming pools is not held centrally. Since 2012, Sport England has invested £67 million into 46 new local authority facilities which include pools, resulting in around £700 million investment from those authorities. In addition, Sport England is currently working with around 100 local authorities which have plans for new pool provision.</p><p> </p><p>Sport England also provide guidance to local authorities on facility management options and specifications, this guidance is currently under review and will be available in the forthcoming months.</p><p> </p><p>The new guidance will contain information on pool programming from Swim England and will reference good practice where facility management organisations have worked in cooperation with primary schools to improve logistics in relation to delivery of school swimming.</p> answering member constituency Stratford-on-Avon answering member printed Nadhim Zahawi question first answered 09/05/2019 14:09:41 answering member 4113 label Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi
tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

1123946

registered interest
date	30/04/2019
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Children's Play
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make it his policy to implement the child's right to play in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child through the establishment of a national play strategy.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
uin	249199
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/05/2019 answer text <p>The UK government remains fully committed to children’s rights and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, and I reaffirmed our commitment in my Written Ministerial Statement on 20 November 2018.</p><p>The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Statutory Framework sets the regulatory standards for ‘learning and development’ and ‘safeguarding and welfare’ requirements for all early years providers caring for children from birth to 5. The framework defines 7 areas of learning and development and is clear that each area must be implemented through planned, purposeful play and through a mix of adult-led and child-initiated activity.</p><p>The EYFS Statutory Framework is available at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-foundation-stage-framework--2" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-foundation-stage-framework--2</a>.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Stratford-on-Avon answering member printed Nadhim Zahawi question first answered 09/05/2019 14:19:10 answering member 4113 label Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi
tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

1123950

registered interest
date	30/04/2019
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Children's Play
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department has made an assessment of the (a) quality, (b) number and (c) adequacy of the content of local authority play strategies throughout England.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
uin	249200
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/05/2019 answer text <p>The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Statutory Framework sets the regulatory standards for ‘learning and development’ and ‘safeguarding and welfare’ requirements for all early years providers caring for children from birth to 5. The framework defines 7 areas of learning and development and is clear that each area must be implemented through planned, purposeful play and through a mix of adult-led and child-initiated activity.</p><p>The department is not currently reviewing local authority play strategies in England. The EYFS does not promote a particular pedagogical approach - instead, it is for individual early years settings to determine how the areas of learning should be implemented to support children to meet the expected level of development by the end of the reception year.</p> answering member constituency Stratford-on-Avon answering member printed Nadhim Zahawi question first answered 08/05/2019 07:45:46 answering member 4113 label Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi
tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

1109467

registered interest
date	03/04/2019
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Children: Day Care
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he has taken to increase the number of available childcare places for parents working full-time.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
uin	240484
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/04/2019 answer text <p>The department has taken several steps to increase the number of available childcare places for parents working full-time. These include the following:</p><p> </p><ul><li>In June 2016, the department invited local authorities to apply to the Early Years Capital Fund, through which we have allocated £100 million of capital funding to help nurseries, pre-schools and playgroups to create additional places for eligible children from working families.</li></ul><p> </p><ul><li>Further, in July 2018, we announced the School Nurseries Capital Fund. This is a £30 million capital fund which aims to create new high-quality, school-based nursery places for 2, 3 and 4 year olds.</li></ul><p> </p><ul><li>The department has funded Childcare Works to provide expert support to local authorities and childcare providers about maintaining and improving sufficient childcare places in their local area. This has included national events focussing on sufficiency planning and bespoke support for local authorities to strengthen their sufficiency assessments. We have also promoted flexible childcare business models and allocated £7.7 million to 147 local authorities through our Delivery Support Fund, specifically to create additional 30 hours places.</li></ul><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Stratford-on-Avon answering member printed Nadhim Zahawi question first answered 10/04/2019 16:11:38 answering member 4113 label Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi
tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

1109468

registered interest
date	03/04/2019
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Schools: Obesity
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 help improve the ability of schools to tackle childhood obesity.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
uin	240485
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/04/2019 answer text <p>Schools have an important role to play in helping equip children with the knowledge they need to make healthy choices for themselves and creating a healthy environment for children to learn and develop a lifelong habit of physical activity.</p><p> </p><p>Many Department for Education policies, some of which are already being delivered, are expected to make a direct contribution to reducing the incidence of childhood obesity, such as the introduction of universal infant free school meals, the school food standards, the addition of food education in the national curriculum, and the primary physical education (PE) and sport premium. We are not complacent however, and recognise that there is more to do.</p><p> </p><p>The doubled primary PE and sport premium provides £320 million per year to improve the quality and access to PE and sport for primary age pupils to develop healthy habits early. We have also invested significant funding in measures to increase cycling and walking to school.</p><p> </p><p>Sport England supports our efforts to engage inactive children to take up sport and physical activity by investing in programmes like the School Games and Satellite Clubs. Sport England is also providing specialist training free of charge to teachers in every secondary school in England by 2020, which will help teachers better meet the needs of all children, irrespective of their level of sporting ability, and involve them in shaping the sporting opportunities that are on offer.</p><p> </p><p>The School Food Standards provide the legislative framework to ensure schools provide children with healthy food and drink options and we are working with Public Health England to update the School Food Standards, focusing on reducing sugar consumption.</p><p> </p><p>As part of the second chapter of the Childhood Obesity Plan we are investing up to £26 million in breakfast clubs. Breakfast clubs can contribute to improved attainment, attendance and overall health and ensure that more children benefit from a healthy start to their school day.</p><p> </p><p>We have also established a £100 million healthy pupils capital fund to facilitate an improvement in children’s physical and mental health by increasing and improving access to and use of relevant facilities, such as kitchens, dining facilities, changing rooms and sports facilities.</p><p> </p><p>From September 2015, Ofsted inspectors look at how provision supports pupils’ knowledge on how to keep themselves healthy, including through exercising and healthy eating and we welcome the new inspection framework which Ofsted is currently developing for September 2019. This will consider how schools build knowledge across the whole curriculum and support pupils’ personal development more broadly, including in relation to healthy behaviours.</p> answering member constituency Stratford-on-Avon answering member printed Nadhim Zahawi question first answered 10/04/2019 16:29:06 answering member 4113 label Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi
tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

1008448

registered interest
date	16/11/2018
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Adoption
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 effect of the practice of contested adoption on the well-being of the child.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
uin	192088
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/11/2018 answer text <p>The information requested is not held centrally. Individual decisions on adoption are ultimately taken by an independent judge based on the evidence presented.</p><p>Adverse childhood experiences such as neglect or abuse often cause lifelong problems. In most cases, local authorities will provide support so that children can remain with their birth families. However, for those children who cannot live with their birth parents, it is vital we find them permanent new homes as quickly as possible, whether that be by adoption, special guardianship or long-term fostering. Adoption can be transformative for many children and can provide them with the stability and care they need to recover from the trauma they may have experienced in early life.</p> answering member constituency Stratford-on-Avon answering member printed Nadhim Zahawi question first answered 26/11/2018 12:12:21 answering member 4113 label Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi
tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

1003844

registered interest
date	09/11/2018
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Adoption
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many contested adoptions have taken place in each of the last five years.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
uin	189539
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/11/2018 answer text <p>The information requested is not held centrally. The department does not collect data on specific adoption circumstances.</p><p>Information on those children placed for adoption where consent is dispensed by the court is published annually in Table D1 of the statistical release, ‘Children looked after in England including adoption: 2016 to 2017’ at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoption-2016-to-2017" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoption-2016-to-2017</a>.</p><p> </p><p>Figures for the year ending 31 March 2018 will be published on 15 November 2018. These are circumstances where the court can dispense without the consent of a parent, to the placement and adoption of their child if the welfare of the child requires it. This may be a decision in some situations that is not in accordance with the parents’ wishes.</p><p> </p><p>The welfare of a child is paramount and local authorities have a statutory duty to intervene to undertake child protection enquiries and to take action to safeguard and promote the child’s welfare. However, decisions on adoption are ultimately taken by an independent judge based on the evidence presented.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Stratford-on-Avon answering member printed Nadhim Zahawi question first answered 19/11/2018 17:24:12 answering member 4113 label Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi
tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

901240

registered interest
date	10/05/2018
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Children: Social Services
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the report Crumbling Futures published by the Children's Society in March 2018, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that 16 and 17-year-olds referred to children’s services are receiving adequate support as they transition into adulthood.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
uin	142756
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/05/2018 answer text <p>We welcome the findings in the Children’s Society ‘Crumbling Futures’ report and agree that this is a difficult and important transition. The government is committed to ensuring that vulnerable children are ready for adult life and is taking action to ensure that services protect and support children. We recognise the importance of avoiding ‘cliff edges’ in support for the most vulnerable children and the offer of support from local authorities now extends to all care leavers up to 25. ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children’ makes it clear that when children on Child Protection Plans reach 18, local authorities should consider whether support services are still required.</p><p> </p><p>As a priority, we are taking forward a review of the educational outcomes of Children in Need. This review and call for evidence, which was launched on 16 March 2018, is looking at the quality of support provided to all Children in Need including 16 and 17 year olds. We will consider the full range of views we receive in response to the call for evidence, including any around transition to adult services.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>We are delivering a major programme of reform to improve the support provided to Children in Need. As set out in ‘Putting Children First’ (2016), we are working to improve the quality of the workforce, develop and spread innovative practice, and improve the quality of local authority children’s services. We are also using the Department for Education’s Social Care Innovation Programme to trial programmes to improve the quality of support for adolescents, including assessing how early help and contextual safeguarding can help protect them from the specific threats they face.</p><p> </p><p>A key finding of ‘Crumbling Futures’ is that the mental health needs of children and young people appear to be one of the main issues affecting older adolescents as they progress into adulthood. The new Mental Health Support Teams proposed in the government’s Mental Health green paper will provide significant support to 16 to 18 year olds in schools and colleges. The Department for Education will also test how the teams can support vulnerable 16 to 18 year olds and other young people not in school or college, such as those in apprenticeships and other work-based learning. Additionally, the Department of Health and Social Care is setting up a new national strategic partnership with key stakeholders focused on improving the mental health of 16 to 25 year olds by encouraging more coordinated action, experimentation and robust evaluation.</p> answering member constituency Stratford-on-Avon answering member printed Nadhim Zahawi question first answered 15/05/2018 15:39:49 answering member 4113 label Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi
tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

894742

registered interest
date	30/04/2018
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Foster Care
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 31 January to Question 124432 on Foster Care, what steps his Department is taking to promote the take-up of the foster-family-friendly employer policy by Government departments.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
uin	139361
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/05/2018 answer text <p>The department is proud to be a foster-family-friendly employer, ensuring that flexibility and support is offered to those balancing work with fostering responsibilities. Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs and the Department for Work and Pensions have since introduced similar policies.</p> answering member constituency Stratford-on-Avon answering member printed Nadhim Zahawi question first answered 03/05/2018 16:08:47 answering member 4113 label Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi
tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

864473

registered interest
date	15/03/2018
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Autism
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to Autism and education in England 2017, published by the All Party Parliamentary Group on Autism, if he will introduce a national autism and education strategy.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
uin	132956
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/03/2018 answer text <p>The department is considering it’s response to the All Party Parliamentary Group on Autism’s report 'Autism and education in England 2017', as well as Dame Christine Lenehan’s review of residential special schools, ‘Good Intentions, Good Enough?’. The department will also consider the outcome of the Bercow ten-years-on review of the provision of speech, language and communication needs.</p> answering member constituency Stratford-on-Avon answering member printed Nadhim Zahawi question first answered 23/03/2018 16:29:33 answering member 4113 label Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi
tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe