Show Search Form

Search Results

registered interest	true false
date	exactly: or between: and
answering body
answering dept id
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name
hansard heading
house id
legislature	pref label
question text
tabling member constituency
tabling member printed
uin
answer	is ministerial correction true false date of answer exactly: or between: and answer text answering member constituency answering member printed grouped question UIN question first answered question first ministerially corrected answering member label previous answer version answering member constituency answering member printed answering member label
tabling member	label

Search

1386644

registered interest
date	09/12/2021
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Schools: Ventilation
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 7 December 2021 to Question 86209 on Schools: Ventilation, for what reason only 1000 air cleaning units are being funded for poorly ventilated teaching spaces and staff rooms; and what assessment he has made of the ability of schools that do not qualify for that funding to afford such units.
tabling member constituency	Liverpool, West Derby
tabling member printed	Ian Byrne
uin	90514
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/12/2021 answer text <p>​If used properly, air cleaning units can help reduce airborne contaminants in a poorly ventilated space while remedial work is undertaken to permanently improve ventilation. However, it is important to note that air cleaning units cannot improve ventilation, and they should never be used as a reason to reduce ventilation or not to remediate poor ventilation in a space.</p><p>The department is providing additional, exceptional funding for air cleaning units for poorly ventilated spaces in special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and alternative provision schools and colleges, including SEND units in mainstream schools and colleges, where quick fixes to improve ventilation are not possible. These settings are being prioritised, given the higher than average number of vulnerable pupils attending them. The purchase of 1,000 air cleaning units reflects our assessment of need in the sector based on recent feedback from SEND and alternative provider schools and colleges.</p><p>Schools and colleges that are not eligible for a department-funded unit will have access to an online ‘marketplace’, which provides a route to purchasing air cleaning units of a suitable specification and competitive price. However, we expect that in most classrooms existing ventilation will be sufficient.</p><p>Maintaining adequate ventilation ultimately remains the responsibility of individual schools and colleges. It is for them to decide on the use of affected rooms in accordance with their risk assessment procedures and obligations under health and safety law.</p><p>Schools and colleges are expected to plan and prioritise any necessary remedial works within existing budgets. For more substantial capital works, schools, colleges and those responsible for buildings have access to funding to improve the condition of buildings through different routes depending on their size and type.</p><p>The case for additional support for schools and colleges to maintain good ventilation will be kept under review as the programme continues, and as settings use the monitors to further assess their ventilation needs.</p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker grouped question UIN 90515 90516 question first answered 14/12/2021 14:35:52 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
tabling member	4831 label Biography information for Ian Byrne

1386645

registered interest
date	09/12/2021
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Schools: Ventilation
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 7 December 2021 to Question 86209 on Schools: Ventilation, what estimate his Department has made of the total number of air cleaning units needed for poorly ventilated teaching spaces and staff rooms in all state educational settings in England.
tabling member constituency	Liverpool, West Derby
tabling member printed	Ian Byrne
uin	90515
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/12/2021 answer text <p>​If used properly, air cleaning units can help reduce airborne contaminants in a poorly ventilated space while remedial work is undertaken to permanently improve ventilation. However, it is important to note that air cleaning units cannot improve ventilation, and they should never be used as a reason to reduce ventilation or not to remediate poor ventilation in a space.</p><p>The department is providing additional, exceptional funding for air cleaning units for poorly ventilated spaces in special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and alternative provision schools and colleges, including SEND units in mainstream schools and colleges, where quick fixes to improve ventilation are not possible. These settings are being prioritised, given the higher than average number of vulnerable pupils attending them. The purchase of 1,000 air cleaning units reflects our assessment of need in the sector based on recent feedback from SEND and alternative provider schools and colleges.</p><p>Schools and colleges that are not eligible for a department-funded unit will have access to an online ‘marketplace’, which provides a route to purchasing air cleaning units of a suitable specification and competitive price. However, we expect that in most classrooms existing ventilation will be sufficient.</p><p>Maintaining adequate ventilation ultimately remains the responsibility of individual schools and colleges. It is for them to decide on the use of affected rooms in accordance with their risk assessment procedures and obligations under health and safety law.</p><p>Schools and colleges are expected to plan and prioritise any necessary remedial works within existing budgets. For more substantial capital works, schools, colleges and those responsible for buildings have access to funding to improve the condition of buildings through different routes depending on their size and type.</p><p>The case for additional support for schools and colleges to maintain good ventilation will be kept under review as the programme continues, and as settings use the monitors to further assess their ventilation needs.</p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker grouped question UIN 90514 90516 question first answered 14/12/2021 14:35:52 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
tabling member	4831 label Biography information for Ian Byrne

1386650

registered interest
date	09/12/2021
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Schools: Ventilation
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 potential merits of providing air filtration devices to schools to reduce the risk of airborne transmission of covid-19.
tabling member constituency	Liverpool, West Derby
tabling member printed	Ian Byrne
uin	90516
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/12/2021 answer text <p>​If used properly, air cleaning units can help reduce airborne contaminants in a poorly ventilated space while remedial work is undertaken to permanently improve ventilation. However, it is important to note that air cleaning units cannot improve ventilation, and they should never be used as a reason to reduce ventilation or not to remediate poor ventilation in a space.</p><p>The department is providing additional, exceptional funding for air cleaning units for poorly ventilated spaces in special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and alternative provision schools and colleges, including SEND units in mainstream schools and colleges, where quick fixes to improve ventilation are not possible. These settings are being prioritised, given the higher than average number of vulnerable pupils attending them. The purchase of 1,000 air cleaning units reflects our assessment of need in the sector based on recent feedback from SEND and alternative provider schools and colleges.</p><p>Schools and colleges that are not eligible for a department-funded unit will have access to an online ‘marketplace’, which provides a route to purchasing air cleaning units of a suitable specification and competitive price. However, we expect that in most classrooms existing ventilation will be sufficient.</p><p>Maintaining adequate ventilation ultimately remains the responsibility of individual schools and colleges. It is for them to decide on the use of affected rooms in accordance with their risk assessment procedures and obligations under health and safety law.</p><p>Schools and colleges are expected to plan and prioritise any necessary remedial works within existing budgets. For more substantial capital works, schools, colleges and those responsible for buildings have access to funding to improve the condition of buildings through different routes depending on their size and type.</p><p>The case for additional support for schools and colleges to maintain good ventilation will be kept under review as the programme continues, and as settings use the monitors to further assess their ventilation needs.</p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker grouped question UIN 90514 90515 question first answered 14/12/2021 14:35:52 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
tabling member	4831 label Biography information for Ian Byrne

1386204

registered interest
date	08/12/2021
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	National Tutoring Programme: Randstad
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has carried out a review of the procurement process that led to Randstad being awarded the contract to run the National Tutoring Programme; and what plans he has to improve his Department’s oversight of Randstad’s delivery of that contract.
tabling member constituency	Harlow
tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
uin	89549
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/12/2021 answer text <p>The National Tutoring Programme is on track to reach hundreds of thousands more pupils this year, as part of a significant expansion to give schools more flexibility to deliver tutoring that works for them and families, and ensure no child is left behind.</p><p>We have set high standards for the programme and feedback from schools shows the positive impact it is having in helping pupils to catch up.</p><p>Randstad Education was awarded the contract to run the Tutoring Partner and Academic Mentors element of the National Tutoring Programme for the 2021/22 academic year, following an open competition in line with government procurement regulations.</p><p>We are working closely with Randstad to build on the successes of year 1. The delivery and performance of the National Tutoring Programme is monitored closely through a comprehensive governance process.</p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker question first answered 14/12/2021 09:52:50 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1385748

registered interest
date	07/12/2021
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Children: Refugees
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 impact of No Recourse to Public Funds on children's ability to access (a) the internet and (b) a computer to complete school work.
tabling member constituency	Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough
tabling member printed	Gill Furniss
uin	88813
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/12/2021 answer text <p>The department is investing over £520 million to support access to remote education and online social care through the Get Help with Technology programme. This programme has already provided over 1.35 million devices to enable disadvantaged children and young people to access education stay in touch with their school and peers and improve their digital skills. On 22 October, the department announced a further rollout of an additional 500,000 devices. Schools and colleges decide how to best use the devices to make sure all pupils, no matter their background, can access education.</p><p>In addition, the programme also provided support for over 110,000 families to get online through uplifts in mobile data and 4G wireless routers. This included partnering with the UK’s leading mobile operators to provide free data to help over 33,000 disadvantaged children get online and delivering over 77,000 4G wireless routers for pupils without connection at home. The department has announced new funding to support schools and colleges in providing internet access for disadvantaged pupils whose face-to-face education is disrupted during the autumn term and enabled ordering of 4G routers for schools and colleges.</p><p>The department supports the role of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport in leading digital inclusion across government and welcomes the efforts of organisations such as the Digital Poverty Alliance in improving understanding of digital inclusion impacts, co-ordinating the wide range of existing local and national initiatives and highlighting gaps in support.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker question first answered 10/12/2021 13:03:08 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
tabling member	4571 label Biography information for Gill Furniss

1385829

registered interest
date	07/12/2021
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	National Tutoring Programme: Enfield
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many students have been supported by the National Tutoring Programme in (a) Enfield North and (b) the London Borough of Enfield since November 2020.
tabling member constituency	Enfield North
tabling member printed	Feryal Clark
uin	88837
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/12/2021 answer text <p>National tutoring programme (NTP) participation data has not yet been published. We continue to collect data from schools for all three strands of the programme – school-led tutoring, tuition partners and academic mentors, and will be publishing this in due course.</p><p>The NTP aims to engage up to 2 million pupils this year, and to deliver up to 90 million <del class="ministerial">packages</del> <ins class="ministerial">hours</ins> of tuition by the 2024/25 academic year.</p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker question first answered 13/12/2021 11:58:41 question first ministerially corrected 10/01/2022 12:52:06 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker previous answer version 38281 answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
tabling member	4822 label Biography information for Feryal Clark

1385831

registered interest
date	07/12/2021
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Schools: Enfield
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent steps his Department has taken to (a) support schools in Enfield North constituency and (b) tackle regional inequality in school outcomes in the London Borough of Enfield.
tabling member constituency	Enfield North
tabling member printed	Feryal Clark
uin	88839
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/12/2021 answer text <p>The department is pursuing an ambitious programme of work to provide continued support to all schools across the country as well as tackling inequality in outcomes.</p><p>The department wants to ensure that children and young people, including in Enfield, leave education better educated, better skilled, and equipped for successful and productive careers. The COVID-19 outbreak has been disruptive, but the department is helping pupils to recover, and support is especially focused on helping the most disadvantaged, vulnerable or those with least time left in education, wherever they live. Almost £5 billion in direct investment has been announced for education recovery. This includes an additional £1.8 billion of funding announced in the recent Spending Review to support young people to catch up on missed education. This is in addition to a strong core funding settlement, which will see core schools funding rise by £4.7 billion by the 2024-25 financial year compared to existing plans. The department’s overall £5 billion direct investment in education recovery includes:</p><ul><li>funding for up to 100 million tutoring hours for 5-19 year olds</li><li>multi-year direct funding, so schools can deliver evidence-based interventions based on pupil needs</li><li>summer schools in 2021</li><li>extra time in 16-19 education</li><li>500,000 training opportunities for school teachers and early years practitioners</li></ul><p>We are investing in teachers, tutors and direct funding to schools and colleges, so they can determine how best to support the pupils that most need support, all of which benefits students in Enfield.</p><p> </p><p>This is in addition to the core school funding through the National Funding Formula (NFF) which targets 17% of its funding towards pupils with additional needs, including deprived pupils. This financial year, 2021-22, schools in Enfield North are attracting £5,730 per pupil through the schools NFF. In 2022-23, this NFF funding will increase to £5,879 per pupil. These figures are based on notional school-level NFF allocations. The department does not update constituency figures on actual school-level allocations. The distribution of the additional £1.6 billion for schools and high needs in 2022-23 secured in the Spending Review will be confirmed in due course.</p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker question first answered 13/12/2021 12:08:55 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
tabling member	4822 label Biography information for Feryal Clark

1385855

registered interest
date	07/12/2021
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Languages: Education
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 increase awareness in schools of (a) British Sign Language, (b) Welsh, (c) Ulster Scots, (d) Irish, (e) Shelta, (f) Cornish, (g) Polish, (h) Punjabi, (i) Urdu, (k) Arabic and (l) other languages used in the UK.
tabling member constituency	Dwyfor Meirionnydd
tabling member printed	Liz Saville Roberts
uin	88811
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/12/2021 answer text <p>Education is a devolved matter, and the response will outline the information for England only. The government is committed to increasing the number of pupils studying languages at GCSE, including languages that are reflected in modern Britain. That is why the teaching of languages is in the national curriculum for pupils from age 7 to 14, and why GCSE languages were included as part of the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) suite of subjects in 2010. There are eighteen GCSEs in modern languages that are recognised in the EBacc, including Arabic, Polish, Punjabi, and Urdu.</p><p>The department also remains committed to reforming the subject content for French, German and Spanish GCSEs in order to make them more well-rounded for both teachers and pupils, focusing on the foundational building blocks of language education, namely vocabulary, phonics and grammar. We will publish this new content shortly.</p><p>In addition, the department continues to work on developing a GCSE in British Sign Language and aim to consult publicly on draft subject content next year.</p><p>It is ultimately for schools to decide which languages they wish to teach, and the department does not specify which languages should be taught or how to teach them.</p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker question first answered 10/12/2021 13:01:27 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
tabling member	4521 label Biography information for Liz Saville Roberts

1385856

registered interest
date	07/12/2021
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Schools: Staff
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 (a) protect and (b) support school staff from (i) abuse and (ii) aggression from parents and others in the school community.
tabling member constituency	Batley and Spen
tabling member printed	Kim Leadbeater
uin	88859
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/12/2021 answer text <p>It is never acceptable for anyone to harass or intimidate education staff. Schools can bar someone from the premises if they feel that their aggressive, abusive, or insulting behaviour or language is a risk to staff or pupils. Some incidents may constitute a criminal offence and schools should report those that they think may come into this category to the police.</p><p>All schools are required by law to have a behaviour policy which outlines measures to encourage good behaviour, and the sanctions that will be imposed for pupils' misbehaviour. This should be communicated to all pupils, school staff and parents.</p><p>The department will shortly be consulting on the behaviour in schools guidance and the suspensions and permanent exclusions guidance. These will equip headteachers to create calm, orderly, safe, and supportive school environments where both pupils and staff can flourish in safety and dignity. This will also encourage schools to work with parents in the creation of these positive school cultures.</p><p>The department takes the wellbeing and mental health of education staff very seriously. In November 2021, the department announced the award of a £760,000 contract to the charity Education Support to provide peer support and counselling to around 2000 school leaders. Further information on this can be found at: <a href="https://www.educationsupport.org.uk/get-help/help-for-your-staff/wellbeing-services/school-leaders-support/england-live-application-school-leader-support-service/" target="_blank">https://www.educationsupport.org.uk/get-help/help-for-your-staff/wellbeing-services/school-leaders-support/england-live-application-school-leader-support-service/</a>.</p><p>Education Support also provides a free helpline for all education staff. Additionally, we have launched the education staff wellbeing charter. This charter is a set of commitments from the government, Ofsted, and schools and colleges to protect and promote the wellbeing of staff. It can be used to inform a school or college wide approach to wellbeing or to develop a staff wellbeing strategy. Further information on this charter can be found 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> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker question first answered 13/12/2021 12:29:58 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
tabling member	4923 label Biography information for Kim Leadbeater

1385231

registered interest
date	06/12/2021
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Schools: Standards
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the Government plans to replace Local Authority Monitoring and Brokerage Grant funding by increasing the money allocated to schools directly in the event that the grant funding is withdrawn.
tabling member constituency	Bristol West
tabling member printed	Thangam Debbonaire
uin	87731
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/12/2021 answer text <p>The department has consulted on plans for reforming how local authorities fund their school improvement functions and will publish a government response early in the new year. The department is continuing to deliver year on year, real term per pupil increases to school funding. We are investing a further £4.7 billion by financial year 2024-25 for the core schools budget in England, over and above the Spending Review 2019 settlement for schools in financial year 2022-23.</p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker question first answered 10/12/2021 16:35:49 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
tabling member	4433 label Biography information for Thangam Debbonaire