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1260129

registered interest
date	10/12/2020
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Vocational Education: Assessments
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what additional support he will provide to BTEC students (a) sitting examinations over winter 2020-21 and (b) more generally during the covid-19 outbreak.
tabling member constituency	Staffordshire Moorlands
tabling member printed	Karen Bradley
uin	127947
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/12/2020 answer text <p>Ofqual’s Extended Extraordinary Regulatory Framework (EERF) has been in operation since October for vocational and technical qualifications. This covers all vocational and technical qualifications, including BTECs which are owned by the awarding organisation Pearson. The EERF allows awarding organisations, including Pearson, to adapt qualifications to free up teaching time and respond to public health measures. Given the large numbers of vocational and technical qualifications taken by students and their varying sizes and natures there is not a one-size-fits-all approach that can be applied, and the adaptations will vary by qualification.</p><p>Overseen by Ofqual, all awarding organisations have been working with centres over the past few months to make permitted adaptations to qualifications, and students should now be aware of how these adaptations affect their courses, assessments, and exams. For example, some BTEC students will benefit from additional windows in which to complete their assessments to recognise that adhering to social distancing requirements can increase the time needed to complete some assessments.</p><p>The Department has also confirmed that all awarding organisations can reduce the number of optional units that are assessed for vocational and technical qualifications included on performance tables. Internal assessments can take up to 30 hours of teaching time, so this means that for students, including BTEC students, the remaining time available can focus on teaching students the knowledge and skills they need to progress.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 18/12/2020 13:53:21 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	4110 label Biography information for Dame Karen Bradley

1260146

registered interest
date	10/12/2020
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Pupil Premium
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 the pupil premium to cover a potential increase in the number of pupils becoming eligible for free school meals in 2021.
tabling member constituency	Mansfield
tabling member printed	Ben Bradley
uin	128256
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/12/2020 answer text <p>On 17 December, the Government announced that the pupil premium will continue in 2021-22 with the same per pupil funding rates as in 2020-21. The rates are £1,345 per eligible primary pupil, and £955 in secondary.</p><p>We will use the October 2020 census to calculate individual school-level allocations. This will ensure that children who have become eligible for free school meals as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak will attract pupil premium funding from April 2021. As a result, pupil premium funding is expected to increase to over £2.5 billion in 2021-22.</p><p>We are committed to levelling up opportunities to make sure everyone has a fair chance to realise their potential and no-one is left behind. The pupil premium furthers this objective by helping schools improve the academic attainment and wider outcomes of pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 18/12/2020 14:35:37 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	4663 label Biography information for Ben Bradley

1260165

registered interest
date	10/12/2020
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Pupils: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many times on average pupils in (a) Bolton, (b) Wigan, (c) the county of Cornwall and (d) Greater London were sent home from school due to covid-19 in (i) September, (ii) October and (iii) November 2020.
tabling member constituency	Bolton West
tabling member printed	Chris Green
uin	128188
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/12/2020 answer text <p>The Department collects data on the number of schools that have indicated they have sent children home due to COVID-19 containment on a daily basis, as well as the total number of pupils in attendance and the number of pupils asked to isolate due to potential contact with COVID-19. This data is published from this collection at both national and local authority levels as part of the official statistics series. The publication can be found here: <a href="https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/attendance-in-education-and-early-years-settings-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak" target="_blank">https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/attendance-in-education-and-early-years-settings-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak</a>. Data is published from 9 September 2020, but prior to 12 October 2020 information on pupils isolating was not collected. This data is collected at school level, not pupil level. Therefore, we cannot estimate the average number of times a pupil has been asked to isolate.</p><p>The Department is constantly reviewing the content of its publications. Announcements about future content will be made through the official statistics release page: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-education/about/statistics" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-education/about/statistics</a>.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 18/12/2020 13:58:21 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	4398 label Biography information for Chris Green

1260233

registered interest
date	10/12/2020
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Schools: Computers
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many laptops the Government planned to provide to schools in Tower Hamlets (a) prior to 23 October 2020 and (b) after 26 October 2020.
tabling member constituency	Poplar and Limehouse
tabling member printed	Apsana Begum
uin	128304
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/12/2020 answer text <p>At the start of autumn term, each school was allocated a number of laptops and tablets based on the estimates of disadvantaged children in Years 3 to 11 without access to a suitable device. On 23rd October, the Department adjusted school allocations. Adjusting allocations ensured that devices reached as many children as possible when they needed them most, and as a result we have been able to continue delivering laptops and tablets to those young people throughout this term.</p><p>Schools, local authorities and academy trusts were able to request additional devices if their original allocation did not meet their needs.</p><p>During the period that device allocations have been adjusted, schools that fully close for a sustained period have been able to work with their Regional Schools Commissioner to ensure they receive enough devices to meet the needs of all disadvantaged children in Years 3 to 11 who do not already have one.</p><p>Now schools can order the number of devices they were originally allocated, where these have not already been ordered by the school.</p><p>The Department does not publish data on the number of devices allocated to schools, given that it is for the school to decide what proportion of their allocation they need.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 18/12/2020 14:01:40 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	4790 label Biography information for Apsana Begum

1260305

registered interest
date	10/12/2020
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Supply Teachers
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 availability of experienced supply teachers in the last eight months.
tabling member constituency	Stockton North
tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
uin	128162
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/12/2020 answer text <p><strong>​</strong>The Department does not hold live data on the number of supply teachers available to schools although officials continue to engage with suppliers on the Department and Crown Commercial Service’s supply teacher framework to monitor market capacity.</p><p>​The Department has published guidance for schools for reopening which gives advice on how they can meet their workforce challenges, including advice on engaging supply teachers. The guidance is available here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/guidance-for-full-opening-schools#school-workforce" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/guidance-for-full-opening-schools#school-workforce</a>.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 18/12/2020 14:10:26 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

1260392

registered interest
date	10/12/2020
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Holocaust: Education
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that students continue to benefit from the Holocaust Educational Trust’s, Lessons from Auschwitz programme during the covid-19 outbreak.
tabling member constituency	Wakefield
tabling member printed	Imran Ahmad Khan
uin	128316
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/12/2020 answer text <p>The Department has remained fully committed to Holocaust education during the COVID-19 outbreak. The Holocaust is the only subject named as a compulsory part of the history curriculum which ensures that young people from every background can continue to learn about the Holocaust and its relevance today.</p><p>The Holocaust Educational Trust (HET) has adapted delivery of the Lessons from Auschwitz programme during the COVID-19 outbreak. Although in-person visits to Auschwitz have been suspended, HET has continued to support students and teachers in learning about the Holocaust by delivering resources, continuing professional development and events online.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 18/12/2020 14:06:20 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	4841 label Biography information for Imran Ahmad Khan

1259864

registered interest
date	09/12/2020
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Assessments: Coronavirus
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 students of delaying the release of the examination topics list to the end of January 2021.
tabling member constituency	St Albans
tabling member printed	Daisy Cooper
uin	127671
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/12/2020 answer text <p>The Department is aware of the disruption which many students are experiencing because of the COVID-19 outbreak. In recognition of these challenges, students will be supported with the provision of advance notice of topic areas and with examination support materials such as formulae sheets.</p><p>Advance notice of topic areas and details of the examination support materials to be provided will not be made available until the new year, when it is likely that much of the curriculum will already have been covered. This will ensure that students acquire a breadth of knowledge, whilst also giving students support with focusing their revision. Ofqual and the examination boards are undertaking work to determine how this will look for different qualifications, ensuring that it is applied fairly across subjects.</p><p>The unprecedented package of changes that the Department, Ofqual and the examination boards are making will ensure that young people can demonstrate their knowledge and understanding and move on to their next stage of education, training or employment.</p><p>The package of measures to ensure the fair delivery of examinations can be accessed here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-to-support-the-summer-2021-exams" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-to-support-the-summer-2021-exams</a>.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 18/12/2020 13:44:50 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	4769 label Biography information for Daisy Cooper

1259867

registered interest
date	09/12/2020
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Assessments: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the Expert Group established to look at how to make 2021 exams fair includes representatives of (a) school leaders, (b) parents, (c) teachers and (d) unions.
tabling member constituency	St Albans
tabling member printed	Daisy Cooper
uin	127674
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/12/2020 answer text <p>The Department recognises the challenges currently faced by schools, teachers, and students, and knows that the disruption caused by the COVID-19 outbreak has been felt differently across the country, between schools and colleges in the same area, and between students within individual institutions. In addition to the package of measures announced to ensure exams are delivered fairly next summer, the Department has also confirmed the launch of an expert advisory group to monitor and advise on lost and differential learning due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The Department is working to finalise the membership of this group, and will ensure that membership is representative of the sector, and geographically diverse.</p><p>The package of measures to ensure the fair delivery of exams can be accessed here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-to-support-the-summer-2021-exams" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-to-support-the-summer-2021-exams</a>.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 18/12/2020 13:49:07 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	4769 label Biography information for Daisy Cooper