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1647927

registered interest
date	26/06/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Teachers: Mental Health
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the mental health of teachers on the quality of education provided.
tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
uin	191198
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/07/2023 answer text <p>The Department regularly commissions research on topics, including the mental health of headteachers, teachers and school staff, for example, the ‘wellbeing’ chapter in the September 2022 wave of the School and College Panel survey, available at: <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1138269/School_and_college_panel_report_for_September_2022.pdf" target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1138269/School_and_college_panel_report_for_September_2022.pdf</a>, and wave one of the ‘Working lives of teachers and leaders’ survey, which is available at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/working-lives-of-teachers-and-leaders-wave-1" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/working-lives-of-teachers-and-leaders-wave-1</a>. The Department also monitors emerging research in the field, such as Education Support’s annual wellbeing index report, which reports on the mental health and wellbeing of teachers and education staff. The index report is available at: <a href="https://www.educationsupport.org.uk/resources/for-organisations/research/teacher-wellbeing-index/" target="_blank">https://www.educationsupport.org.uk/resources/for-organisations/research/teacher-wellbeing-index/</a>.</p><p>Supporting the mental health of education staff is crucial to the Department’s commitment to help create a supportive culture in schools and to encourage teacher retention. The Education Staff Wellbeing Charter, published by the Department, sets out commitments from the Government, Ofsted, and schools and colleges to protect and promote the wellbeing of staff. The Charter is available at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/education-staff-wellbeing-charter" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/guidance/education-staff-wellbeing-charter</a>.</p><p>Building on a successful pilot, the Department is funding the charity, Education Support, to provide professional supervision and counselling to headteachers and college leaders. Over 1,000 leaders have benefitted from the support so far. On 12 June 2023, the Department announced the expansion of the programme, by doubling the number of places available this year, so that more headteachers can have access to this valuable support. More information on the programme can be accessed at: <a href="https://www.educationsupport.org.uk/get-help/help-for-your-staff/wellbeing-services/school-and-fe-leaders-service/" target="_blank">https://www.educationsupport.org.uk/get-help/help-for-your-staff/wellbeing-services/school-and-fe-leaders-service/</a>.</p><p>To help schools and colleges to implement a whole school or college approach to mental health and wellbeing, the Department is offering all state funded schools and colleges a grant to pay for senior mental health lead training. More than 13,800 (58%) of eligible schools and colleges have now received a senior mental health lead training grant. This is part of the Governments’ commitment to offer this training to all schools and colleges by 2025.</p><p>Along with the publication of the Education Staff Wellbeing Charter on GOV.UK, the Department also signposts to mental health and wellbeing resources for education staff. This includes Education Support’s free, confidential 24 hour helpline for staff working in education. Details for the helpline are available at: <a href="https://www.educationsupport.org.uk/get-help/help-for-you/helpline/" target="_blank">https://www.educationsupport.org.uk/get-help/help-for-you/helpline/</a>.</p><p>The Department is working proactively with the sector to understand the drivers behind mental health and wellbeing issues, and to improve policies and interventions.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb grouped question UIN 191199 question first answered 04/07/2023 16:56:57 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel

1647928

registered interest
date	26/06/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Teachers: Mental Health
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support the mental health of teachers.
tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
uin	191199
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/07/2023 answer text <p>The Department regularly commissions research on topics, including the mental health of headteachers, teachers and school staff, for example, the ‘wellbeing’ chapter in the September 2022 wave of the School and College Panel survey, available at: <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1138269/School_and_college_panel_report_for_September_2022.pdf" target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1138269/School_and_college_panel_report_for_September_2022.pdf</a>, and wave one of the ‘Working lives of teachers and leaders’ survey, which is available at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/working-lives-of-teachers-and-leaders-wave-1" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/working-lives-of-teachers-and-leaders-wave-1</a>. The Department also monitors emerging research in the field, such as Education Support’s annual wellbeing index report, which reports on the mental health and wellbeing of teachers and education staff. The index report is available at: <a href="https://www.educationsupport.org.uk/resources/for-organisations/research/teacher-wellbeing-index/" target="_blank">https://www.educationsupport.org.uk/resources/for-organisations/research/teacher-wellbeing-index/</a>.</p><p>Supporting the mental health of education staff is crucial to the Department’s commitment to help create a supportive culture in schools and to encourage teacher retention. The Education Staff Wellbeing Charter, published by the Department, sets out commitments from the Government, Ofsted, and schools and colleges to protect and promote the wellbeing of staff. The Charter is available at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/education-staff-wellbeing-charter" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/guidance/education-staff-wellbeing-charter</a>.</p><p>Building on a successful pilot, the Department is funding the charity, Education Support, to provide professional supervision and counselling to headteachers and college leaders. Over 1,000 leaders have benefitted from the support so far. On 12 June 2023, the Department announced the expansion of the programme, by doubling the number of places available this year, so that more headteachers can have access to this valuable support. More information on the programme can be accessed at: <a href="https://www.educationsupport.org.uk/get-help/help-for-your-staff/wellbeing-services/school-and-fe-leaders-service/" target="_blank">https://www.educationsupport.org.uk/get-help/help-for-your-staff/wellbeing-services/school-and-fe-leaders-service/</a>.</p><p>To help schools and colleges to implement a whole school or college approach to mental health and wellbeing, the Department is offering all state funded schools and colleges a grant to pay for senior mental health lead training. More than 13,800 (58%) of eligible schools and colleges have now received a senior mental health lead training grant. This is part of the Governments’ commitment to offer this training to all schools and colleges by 2025.</p><p>Along with the publication of the Education Staff Wellbeing Charter on GOV.UK, the Department also signposts to mental health and wellbeing resources for education staff. This includes Education Support’s free, confidential 24 hour helpline for staff working in education. Details for the helpline are available at: <a href="https://www.educationsupport.org.uk/get-help/help-for-you/helpline/" target="_blank">https://www.educationsupport.org.uk/get-help/help-for-you/helpline/</a>.</p><p>The Department is working proactively with the sector to understand the drivers behind mental health and wellbeing issues, and to improve policies and interventions.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb grouped question UIN 191198 question first answered 04/07/2023 16:56:58 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel

1628917

registered interest
date	18/05/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Education: Restraint Techniques
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of using alternatives to restraint in education settings.
tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
uin	185835
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/05/2023 answer text <p>The Government recognises that the misuse of restraint or reasonable force can have a significant and long lasting effect on the pupils, staff members and parents involved and that this can potentially hinder the creation of a calm, safe and supportive school environment. The Department has commenced a programme of work which aims to minimise instances of the use of reasonable force, including restraint, in all schools in England.</p><p>The first stage of the programme is to conduct extensive research to understand the use of reasonable force, physical restraint, and restrictive practices in schools. This includes a call for evidence, which closed on 11 May 2023.</p><p>The evidence gathered will inform revisions to the ‘Use of reasonable force’ guidance (2013) to provide staff with advice on how to minimise the use of restraint, and in instances where it is absolutely necessary and lawful to use restraint, to do so as safely as possible. Recording incidents of reasonable force and reporting incidents to parents will also be made a legal duty for schools.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 25/05/2023 11:37:27 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel

1627799

registered interest
date	15/05/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Pupils: Eid al-Adha
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of allowing Muslim students to take additional time off school during Eid.
tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
uin	185093
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/05/2023 answer text <p>Schools must authorise a pupil’s absence if it is on a day exclusively set apart for religious observance by the religious body to which the parent belongs.</p><p>The Department does not define which specific days schools should authorise for religious observance, though generally, it may be a day when the pupil’s parents would be expected by the religious body to which they belong to stay away from their workplace to mark the occasion. The Department advises schools to seek advice from the relevant religious body if they are in doubt.</p><p>Parents may apply to the school for a leave of absence that is linked to a religious day. Unlike days that the religious body have exclusively set apart for religious observance, such leave is authorised at the discretion of the school.</p><p>Schools and Local Authorities may consider taking further steps to manage the effect of such absence, including setting term dates around days for religious observance, working with local faith groups to develop guidance on absence for religious observance, taking INSET days that coincide with religious observance days, and providing individual support for pupils who miss sessions for this reason.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 22/05/2023 15:17:33 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel

1585102

registered interest
date	07/02/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Relationships and Sex Education: Suicide
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 24 October 2022 to Question 66976 on Relationships and Sex Education: Suicide, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of updating the relationships, sex and health education statutory guidance to include suicide prevention as a compulsory subject.
tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
uin	141648
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/02/2023 answer text <p>All pupils in schools are taught about mental health as part of the relationships, sex and health Education (RSHE) curriculum, which the Department has made mandatory in 2020 to ensure that all pupils are taught about important topics. Schools can teach older pupils about suicide in an age appropriate and sensitive way.</p><p>Ministers are aware of the interest in the inclusion of suicide prevention material in the RSHE curriculum and have written to key campaigners about this important topic.</p><p>The Department is bringing forward the review of the RSHE statutory guidance, and the revised guidance will be published in 2024. The Department is taking a comprehensive, evidence based approach in deciding what should be included and suicide prevention will be considered in the review.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 15/02/2023 13:20:02 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel

1584360

registered interest
date	06/02/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Politics: Education
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of making political education (a) a compulsory subject and (b) part of (i) personal, social, health and citizenship education and (ii) other subjects in secondary schools.
tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
uin	140288
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/02/2023 answer text <p>Teaching about political issues, different viewpoints, and the way in which pupils can engage in a democratic society is an essential part of a broad and balanced curriculum.</p><p>Citizenship forms a compulsory part of the National Curriculum at Key Stages 3 and 4. Within citizenship, secondary pupils in maintained schools in England are taught how Parliament functions, the importance of voting and elections, the role of police, courts and justice, free press, human rights and international law, and the governments of other countries. Pupils are taught the actions citizens can take in democratic and electoral processes to influence decisions locally, nationally and beyond. Citizenship teaching should equip pupils to explore political and social issues, to weigh evidence, to debate, and to make reasoned arguments.</p><p>Maintained primary schools and all academies are encouraged to teach citizenship as part of their duty to deliver a broad and balanced curriculum.</p><p>Teachers are also able to teach pupils about political and social movements in appropriate places within the history curriculum. This is focused on history, rather than encouraging active participation in democracy, in terms of its purpose.</p><p>The Department trusts schools to use their professional judgement and understanding of their pupils to develop the right teaching approach for their school, drawing on the expertise and support of subject associations and other organisations such as UK Parliament, which offers resources, visits to Parliament, outreach sessions and workshops.</p><p>Schools can help pupils to set up their own networks or clubs to focus on political issues, where they are deemed appropriate. The Department published political impartiality in schools guidance to support teachers in tackling sensitive issues in the classroom. The guidance is clear that legal duties on political impartiality do not limit the range of political issues and viewpoints schools can teach about. This guidance is available at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/political-impartiality-in-schools/political-impartiality-in-schools" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/political-impartiality-in-schools/political-impartiality-in-schools</a>.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 15/02/2023 12:51:33 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel

1581378

registered interest
date	26/01/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Secondary Education
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to support schools and pupils in (a) Year 7, (b) Year 8, (c) Year 9, (d) Year 10 and (e) Year 11 with (i) examinations, (ii) social development and (iii) pastoral care.
tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
uin	133771
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/02/2023 answer text <p>The Schools White Paper, published in March 2022, sets out the Department’s long term vision of 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.</p><p>The White Paper sets an ambition that, in secondary schools, the national average grade in both GCSE English language and maths will increase from 4.5 in 2019 to 5 by 2030.</p><p>The Department will achieve these ambitions by delivering an excellent teacher for every child, high standards of curriculum, attendance and behaviour, targeted support for every child who needs it, and a stronger and fairer school system that works for every child.</p><p>The 2022 Autumn Statement announced significant additional core schools’ funding, increasing by £2 billion in 2023/24 and 2024/25, over and above totals announced at the 2021 Spending Review. This additional funding will bring the core schools budget to a total of £58.8 billion in 2024/25<strong>. </strong>This will enable school leaders to continue to concentrate funding in the areas that positively affect educational attainment, including high quality teaching and targeted support to the children who need it most.</p><p>It is up to schools to decide what pastoral and extracurricular support to extend to their pupils to support their social development, building on the requirements of the statutory Relationships, Sex and Health Education curriculum. It is also up to schools to decide how to support pupils to prepare successfully for examinations.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 03/02/2023 12:17:28 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel

1551184

registered interest
date	13/12/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Pupil Exclusions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of (a) removing and (b) reducing the 97 per cent attendance requirement during the trial period of managed moves.
tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
uin	109772
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/12/2022 answer text <p>The Government does not set any attendance requirements during the period of a managed move.</p><p>The law does not allow for ‘trial admissions’, once a child has been admitted to a school, they may only be deleted from the admissions register in limited circumstances prescribed by The Education (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2006 as amended.</p><p>The updated Suspension and Permanent Exclusion guidance, published in July 2022, makes clear a managed move should be used to initiate a process which leads to the transfer of a pupil to another mainstream school permanently. Managed moves should be voluntary and agreed with all parties involved, including parents/carers and the admission authority of the new school. A managed move should only occur when it is in the pupil’s best interests.</p><p>Some Local Authorities use their Fair Access Protocols to also consider managed moves. Should anyone have any concerns about the protocols in a particular area, they should take this up with the relevant Local Authority directly.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 20/12/2022 16:37:25 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel

1542956

registered interest
date	16/11/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Schools: Food
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 potential merits of updating the School Food Standards to remove the mandatory servings of meat, including fish, and dairy.
tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
uin	89017
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/11/2022 answer text <p>The Department believes that the current school food standards provide a robust yet flexible framework to ensure that pupils in England continue to receive high quality and nutritious food. The framework should build healthy eating habits for life.</p><p>The Department’s focus is on promoting compliance with the school food standards. The Department is keeping this under review. In February 2022, the Levelling Up White Paper outlined several measures the Department is implementing to strengthen adherence. These include piloting work with the Foods Standards Agency, investing up to £200,000 in a pilot Governor Training Scheme, and encouraging schools to complete a statement on their school websites setting out their whole school approach to food.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 23/11/2022 13:32:27 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel

1342493

registered interest
date	30/06/2021
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Extracurricular Activities: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans the Government has to prioritise removing all limits to group sizes for youth residential activities under Step 4 of the covid-19 roadmap on 19 July 2021.
tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
uin	25130
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/07/2021 answer text <p>The Department recognises the significant benefits that youth residentials and summer camps can have for children’s mental health and wellbeing, as well as their educational and social development.</p><p>That is why the Government has prioritised the recommencement of residential visits, including youth residentials and summer camps, for children at Step 3 of the roadmap. It has also increased limits on group sizes to 30 from 21 June 2021.</p><p>As the Government moves to Step 4 of the roadmap, and the majority of COVID-19 restrictions across all parts of society are relaxed, key restrictions on all education and childcare settings will come to an end. This includes current advice on consistent groups (bubbles) and limits on group sizes for all residential visits. Our priority is to ensure all education and childcare settings are able to offer high quality, face to face provision for children and young people.</p><p>At Step 4 of the roadmap, youth residential providers will be able to undertake residential visits in groups of any number, and without the need to keep children in consistent groups: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-response-summer-2021-roadmap/covid-19-response-summer-2021" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-response-summer-2021-roadmap/covid-19-response-summer-2021</a>.</p><p>The Department has published new guidance for providers, setting out the actions they can take to reduce the risk of transmission from Step 4: <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/999758/OOSS_Provider_Guidance_PDF_Step_4.pdf" target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/999758/OOSS_Provider_Guidance_PDF_Step_4.pdf</a>.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 14/07/2021 15:38:15 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel