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909028

registered interest
date	21/05/2018
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Intercountry Adoption
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to support families in adopting children from overseas.
tabling member constituency	Upper Bann
tabling member printed	David Simpson
uin	146188
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/05/2018 answer text <p>The Department for Education provides a service to process intercountry adoption cases in accordance with the legislative framework. We provide prospective adopters with information and guidance on the intercountry process but do not provide legal advice on individual cases and independent legal advice may need to be obtained. Prospective adopters habitually resident in the UK, who wish to undertake an intercountry adoption need to be assessed and approved by a registered adoption agency, which will support them through the process.</p><p> </p><p>Information on the intercountry adoption process can be found at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/child-adoption/adopting-a-child-from-overseas" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/child-adoption/adopting-a-child-from-overseas</a>.</p> answering member constituency Stratford-on-Avon answering member printed Nadhim Zahawi question first answered 30/05/2018 10:22:15 answering member 4113 label Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi
tabling member	1597 label Biography information for David Simpson

909160

registered interest
date	21/05/2018
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	University of Chester Academies Trust
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when he first received information on the financial difficulties experienced by the University of Chester Academies Trust.
tabling member constituency	Ellesmere Port and Neston
tabling member printed	Justin Madders
uin	146284
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/05/2018 answer text <p>The department first received information on the financial difficulties experienced by the University of Chester Academies Trust in July 2016. The budget forecast report showed a financial deficit for the year ahead resulting in a cumulative deficit at 31 August 2017. The Education and Skills Funding Agency commenced intervention, however the financial position continued to deteriorate, and as a result a Financial Notice to Improve warning letter was issued in February 2017.</p><p><strong><br> </strong></p><p> </p> answering member constituency Stratford-on-Avon answering member printed Nadhim Zahawi question first answered 24/05/2018 16:55:35 answering member 4113 label Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi
tabling member	4418 label Biography information for Justin Madders

909161

registered interest
date	21/05/2018
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	University of Chester CE Academy
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, What steps his Department is taking to improve performance of University Church of England Academy.
tabling member constituency	Ellesmere Port and Neston
tabling member printed	Justin Madders
uin	146285
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/05/2018 answer text <p>The department has continued to work closely with the University of Chester Academies Trust to support improvements at University of Chester CE Academy (UCEA). The Cheshire Vale Teaching School Alliance (CVTSA) and their secondary school, Tarporley High School (rated Outstanding by Ofsted), are providing additional support which has been funded through an emergency Strategic School Improvement Funding grant.</p><p>Specialist leaders of education from CVTSA are working with middle and senior leaders in the school, supporting them to improve their knowledge, skills and confidence in order to improve standards. The recent Ofsted monitoring inspection in March 2018 was positive about the impact of this additional support:</p><p>“The scope and intensity of the school’s work with staff from CVTSA has increased dramatically over the course of this term. In January 2018, the acting principal and vice-principal were made permanent in their roles. Senior leaders feel that they now have the freedom, authority and support to increase the intensity of their efforts to improve the school.”</p><p>The report recognises that it is too early to assess the full impact of the additional support. In order to release capacity in the trust and to enable it to support UCEA better, the West Midlands Regional Schools Commissioner has agreed with the trust to initially rebroker four schools (University Primary Academy Weaverham, University Primary Academy Kidsgrove, University Academy Kidsgrove and University of Chester Academy Northwich).</p> answering member constituency Stratford-on-Avon answering member printed Nadhim Zahawi question first answered 24/05/2018 16:51:16 answering member 4113 label Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi
tabling member	4418 label Biography information for Justin Madders

909162

registered interest
date	21/05/2018
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Academies
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many academy schools have been removed from their sponsors and placed (a) in new trusts and (b) into local authority control in each of the last ten years for which figures are available.
tabling member constituency	Ellesmere Port and Neston
tabling member printed	Justin Madders
uin	146286
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/05/2018 answer text <p>Where a trust has failed to improve a school that was underperforming, Regional Schools Commissioners (RSCs) have intervened, and that may have led to the academy being transferred to a new trust. An academy may also apply to change trust arrangements voluntarily. For example, a single academy may want to join a multi-academy trust (MAT) because it wants to benefit from the greater capacity this can provide. Information on academies that have moved trusts between 2013/14 to 2016/17 was published in September 2017 and is available at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/academy-trust-transfers-and-grant-funding" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/academy-trust-transfers-and-grant-funding</a>. This publication provides information on the funding associated with the transfer of academies to different trusts, whether this was initiated voluntarily by the academy or trust, or whether an RSC made a decision that this would be in the best interests of pupils at the academy. Data on academy transfers before 2013/14 is not available. No academies have been placed back into local authority control.</p><p> </p><p>The publication will be updated annually to show academies that have moved trust for the following financial year; the data for 2017-2018 financial will be released in July 2018.</p><p><strong>Table 1. Number of academies that have moved trust by financial year (Source: Academy trust transfers and grant funding)</strong></p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Financial Year</p></td><td><p>Number of academies that moved trusts</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2013-14</p></td><td><p>15</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2014-15</p></td><td><p>61</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2015-16</p></td><td><p>91</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2016-17</p></td><td><p>165</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Grand Total</p></td><td><p>332</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p><strong><br> </strong></p><p> </p> answering member constituency Stratford-on-Avon answering member printed Nadhim Zahawi question first answered 24/05/2018 16:52:41 answering member 4113 label Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi
tabling member	4418 label Biography information for Justin Madders

909163

registered interest
date	21/05/2018
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Academies
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which academy chains are banned from sponsoring any more schools.
tabling member constituency	Ellesmere Port and Neston
tabling member printed	Justin Madders
uin	146287
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/05/2018 answer text <p>An academy sponsor is an organisation or person who has received approval from the department to support an underperforming academy or group of academies. A range of bodies and institutions, including multi-academy trusts, can apply to become academy sponsors.</p><p> </p><p>An academy sponsor is paused if any or all of the following conditions exist:</p><ul><li>significant concerns with educational impact;</li><li>serious financial concerns, for example where the Education and Skills Funding Agency has issued a financial notice to improve due to financial non-compliance, breaches of funding agreements; and/or</li><li>serious concerns about the leadership or governance of the sponsor, which may include due diligence and counter extremism issues.</li></ul><p> </p><p>Academy sponsors remain on pause unless and until the concerns that led to them being paused have been resolved. Just because a sponsor is not on pause does not mean it is automatically allowed to take on more schools. A rigorous process is followed for all sponsorship decisions.</p><p>The following list shows all academy sponsors that are paused as of 22 May 2018:</p><ol><li>Bright Futures Educational Trust;</li><li>Grace Foundation;</li><li>CfBT Schools Trust;</li><li>City of Wolverhampton Academy Trust;</li><li>Future Schools Trust;</li><li>The Education Fellowship Trust;</li><li>University of Chester Academies Trust;</li><li>Wakefield City Academies Trust;</li><li>The Silver Birch Academy;</li><li>Plymouth CAST;</li><li>TBAP Trust;</li><li>Zail Enterprises Ltd;</li><li><del class="ministerial">Bradfield School; </del>and</li><li>Chrysalis Multi-Academy Trust.</li></ol><p> </p><p><strong><br /> </strong></p><p> </p> answering member constituency Stratford-on-Avon answering member printed Nadhim Zahawi question first answered 24/05/2018 16:53:27 question first ministerially corrected 10/07/2018 16:59:17 answering member 4113 label Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi previous answer version 60178 answering member constituency Stratford-on-Avon answering member printed Nadhim Zahawi answering member 4113 label Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi
tabling member	4418 label Biography information for Justin Madders

909165

registered interest
date	21/05/2018
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	University of Chester CE Academy
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 remove University Church of England Academy from its current sponsors.
tabling member constituency	Ellesmere Port and Neston
tabling member printed	Justin Madders
uin	146288
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/05/2018 answer text <p>The Education and Adoption Act 2016 gives Regional Schools Commissioners, acting on behalf of the Secretary of State, the power to terminate the funding agreement of any academy judged Inadequate by Ofsted. This is a power rather than a duty, and there is no requirement to rebroker an inadequate academy. We will continue to monitor the overall effectiveness of the academy and the rate of improvement and will consider, as we do with all Ofsted-rated inadequate academies, whether rebrokerage is the right approach in order to improve standards.</p><p>If rebrokerage of an inadequate academy is the most appropriate course of action, we will identify a strong multi-academy trust with the relevant experience and capacity and work with it to enable as swift a transition to the new trust as possible. Until any rebrokerage or transfer takes place, University of Chester CE Academy UCEA remains the responsibility of the existing trust (UCAT).</p><p> </p><p>The department has continued to work closely with UCAT to support improvements at UCEA. The Cheshire Vale Teaching School Alliance and their secondary school, Tarporley High School (rated Outstanding by Ofsted), are providing additional support which has been funded through an emergency Strategic School Improvement Funding grant.</p><p>A decision has already been made to rebroker four of the other academies in the trust which will help focus efforts to improve standards at UCEA. These four schools are University Primary Academy Weaverham, University Primary Academy Kidsgrove, University Academy Kidsgrove and University of Chester Academy Northwich.</p> answering member constituency Stratford-on-Avon answering member printed Nadhim Zahawi question first answered 24/05/2018 16:56:36 answering member 4113 label Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi
tabling member	4418 label Biography information for Justin Madders

909216

registered interest
date	21/05/2018
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Pre-school Education: Teachers
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 21 May 2018 to Question 144965 on Pre-school Education: Teachers, if he will publish the names of the (a) unions and (b) bodies referred to.
tabling member constituency	Batley and Spen
tabling member printed	Tracy Brabin
uin	146318
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/05/2018 answer text <p>The names of the (a) unions and (b) bodies the department consults with in respect of regulations made under section 122 of the Education Act 2002 are:</p><p>Unions:</p><ul><li><p>Association of School and College Leaders</p></li><li><p>Association of Teachers and Lecturers</p></li><li><p>National Association of Head Teachers</p></li><li><p>National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers</p></li><li><p>National Union of Teachers</p></li><li><p>UCAC (Welsh teaching union)</p></li><li><p>Voice, the union</p></li></ul><p>Bodies:</p><ul><li><p>Amanda Spielman, Her Majesty's Chief Inspector (HMCI)</p></li><li><p>National Employers Organisation for School Teachers</p></li><li><p>National Governors Association</p></li><li><p>Welsh Government</p></li><li><p>British Association of Teachers of the Deaf</p></li></ul><p> </p> answering member constituency Stratford-on-Avon answering member printed Nadhim Zahawi question first answered 24/05/2018 16:54:35 answering member 4113 label Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi
tabling member	4588 label Biography information for Tracy Brabin

909217

registered interest
date	21/05/2018
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 guidance his Department has issued to local authorities on offering incentives to Early Years settings to provide 30 hours of free childcare places.
tabling member constituency	Batley and Spen
tabling member printed	Tracy Brabin
uin	146319
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/05/2018 answer text <p>In April 2017, the department published operational guidance for local authorities and childcare providers, which highlights various case studies and different models of partnership working and their key features to help providers deliver the 30 hour’ entitlement. The guidance also provides online links to two toolkits specifically produced for providers to support partnership working across early years. The operational guidance can be accessed here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/30-hours-free-childcare-la-and-early-years-provider-guide" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/30-hours-free-childcare-la-and-early-years-provider-guide</a>.</p><p> </p><p>The government continues to encourage providers to take advantage of the free packages of business support the department has invested in via Childcare Works and key sector organisations including National Day Nurseries Asssociation, Pre-School Learning Alliance and Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years. Guidance’s on these are available by accessing the following links: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/early-years-business-sustainability" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/early-years-business-sustainability</a> and <a href="http://www.childcareworks.co.uk/" target="_blank">www.childcareworks.co.uk</a>.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Stratford-on-Avon answering member printed Nadhim Zahawi question first answered 24/05/2018 16:49:49 answering member 4113 label Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi
tabling member	4588 label Biography information for Tracy Brabin

909237

registered interest
date	21/05/2018
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Pupils: Female Genital Mutilation
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 ensure that teachers have an adequate understanding of female genital mutilation to (a) report and (b) prevent it.
tabling member constituency	Romford
tabling member printed	Andrew Rosindell
uin	146141
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/05/2018 answer text <p>The department publishes statutory safeguarding guidance for schools and colleges to help them and their staff safeguard children from all forms of abuse, including female genital mutilation (FGM). An updated version of this guidance was published on 17 May 2018 and is available here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/keeping-children-safe-in-education--2" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/keeping-children-safe-in-education--2</a>.</p><p>The guidance contains specific information on FGM, including the mandatory duty to report known cases to the police.</p><p>In addition, all school staff should receive safeguarding training at induction, which should be updated regularly.</p> answering member constituency Stratford-on-Avon answering member printed Nadhim Zahawi question first answered 29/05/2018 15:11:14 answering member 4113 label Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi
tabling member	1447 label Biography information for Andrew Rosindell