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 question first answered answering member label
tabling member	label

Search

1472091

registered interest
date	21/06/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Pupils: Assessments
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 impact of (a) SATs and (b) statutory testing on pupil mental health and wellbeing; and if he will make it his policy to pause such testing to allow for a profession-led review of the potential impact of the current assessment system in primary schools on pupil wellbeing.
tabling member constituency	Coventry South
tabling member printed	Zarah Sultana
uin	22569
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/06/2022 answer text <p>Schools should support a culture of wellbeing amongst staff and pupils. The department understands that the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people, and that this will have an impact in the longer-term. Although schools should encourage all pupils to work hard and achieve well in primary assessments, the department does not recommend that they devote excessive time to preparation, and certainly not at the expense of pupils’ mental health and wellbeing.</p><p> </p><p>Assessments are a crucial part of a child’s schooling and are fundamental in a high-performing education system. Statutory assessments at primary school are an essential part in ensuring that all pupils master the basics of reading, writing, and maths to prepare them for secondary school. Assessment data also enables parents, schools, and the department to understand the impact of lost time in education and recovery initiatives.</p><p> </p><p>In 2017, the government carried out a consultation into primary assessment in England. The consultation received over 4,000 responses from a diverse range of backgrounds and specialisms, providing a broad and informed range of views that informed policy on the current primary assessment system. Additionally, the department engages with teachers, parents and their representatives on a regular basis to understand their views on primary assessment.</p><p> </p><p>The department has no current plans to undertake further major reform of assessments.</p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker question first answered 27/06/2022 09:44:12 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
tabling member	4786 label Biography information for Zarah Sultana

1471618

registered interest
date	20/06/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Poetry: 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 support poetry teaching in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	21179
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/06/2022 answer text <p>Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.</p><p>Poetry is prominent in the national curriculum for English at key stages 1, 2, 3 and 4. At different stages of their education, students should have opportunities to: develop pleasure in reading and discussing poetry, learn poetry by heart and write their own poetry. As part of the English Literature GCSE, students are taught to read and appreciate the depth and power of the English literary heritage, including studying poetry written since 1789.</p><p>The department funds an initiative called Poetry by Heart which helps to develop and support inspiring poetry teaching in schools, and to motivate pupils and teachers to explore our rich literary heritage: <a href="http://www.poetrybyheart.org.uk/" target="_blank">http://www.poetrybyheart.org.uk/</a>. Pupils choose poems from the online anthology covering 1,000 years of poetry and recite these in school-based competitions. A national final was held in Shakespeare’s Globe in June 2022 and was open to pupils in key stages 2, 3, 4 and 5.</p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker question first answered 24/06/2022 13:53:36 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1471719

registered interest
date	20/06/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Russian Language: GCE A-level and GCSE
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions he is having with exam boards to ensure the exam specifications for Russian (a) GCSE and (b) A-Level courses do not cause distress to Ukrainian students.
tabling member constituency	Twickenham
tabling member printed	Munira Wilson
uin	21288
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/06/2022 answer text <p>Awarding organisations look carefully at their specifications and exam questions each year to manage any negative impacts on students. Awarding organisations are regulated by Ofqual, the office of qualifications and examinations regulation. Discussion about sensitivities in exam specifications is a matter for Ofqual. I have asked its Chief Regulator, Dr Jo Saxton, to write to the hon. Member for Twickenham and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker question first answered 23/06/2022 16:16:54 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
tabling member	4776 label Biography information for Munira Wilson

1471784

registered interest
date	20/06/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Schools: Coronavirus
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 help protect clinically vulnerable members of staff from covid-19 in schools in England.
tabling member constituency	Chesterfield
tabling member printed	Mr Toby Perkins
uin	21164
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/06/2022 answer text <p>Most people who were previously identified as clinically extremely vulnerable (CEV) are now well protected after receiving their primary and booster vaccination doses. For most people who were identified as CEV, they are no longer at substantially greater risk than the general population and are advised to follow the same guidance as everyone else on staying safe and preventing the spread of COVID-19, as well as any further advice they may have received from their doctor.</p><p>As individuals are now mixing in an otherwise open society, regular testing within education providers is no longer as effective as it once was at preventing transmission. Instead, the most effective protection against severe disease from COVID-19 for everyone, including those at higher risk from COVID-19, is to get vaccinated.</p><p>Education providers should undertake a risk assessment of individuals with clinical vulnerabilities attending the provider and, as employers, should be able to explain the measures they have in place to keep staff safe at work.</p><p>Those at higher risk may also wish to consider additional advice:</p><ul><li>Those previously considered CEV may wish to consider taking extra precautions outlined in guidance from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), which is available here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-on-shielding-and-protecting-extremely-vulnerable-persons-from-covid-19" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-on-shielding-and-protecting-extremely-vulnerable-persons-from-covid-19</a>.</li><li>Individuals with a weakened immune system should follow guidance from the UKHSA and DHSC for people whose immune system means they are at higher risk from COVID-19. The guidance is available here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-guidance-for-people-whose-immune-system-means-they-are-at-higher-risk" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-guidance-for-people-whose-immune-system-means-they-are-at-higher-risk</a>.</li><li>In some circumstances, staff, children, pupils or students may have received advice from their specialist or clinician. They should follow this advice, which may be set out in a healthcare plan.</li></ul><p> </p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker question first answered 23/06/2022 11:41:28 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
tabling member	3952 label Biography information for Mr Toby Perkins

1471447

registered interest
date	17/06/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Schools: Armed Forces
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 ensure that (a) schools with a large intake of military families are adequately provisioned and (b) school roll audits are carried out termly rather than annually in those schools.
tabling member constituency	Fylde
tabling member printed	Mark Menzies
uin	20248
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/06/2022 answer text <p>State-funded schools in England that are attended by children and young people from military families (known as service children) receive additional funding in the form of the service pupil premium (SPP). This funding is currently worth £320 per annum for each pupil who is recorded as a service child at the time of the autumn school census, or who has had service child status at any point in the last six years.</p><p>Schools have flexibility over how they use the SPP to support the pastoral and academic needs that service children may have as a result of growing up in a military household. These can include needs relating to the impact of moving schools frequently during their primary and secondary education.</p><p>Schools are required in each termly school census to record information about the number of service children on roll. However, allocations of SPP funding for each financial year only draw on data from the autumn school census return. This ’lagged’ approach to funding gives schools certainty over their budgets, as they know the number of pupils for which they will receive funding in the year. Therefore, when pupil numbers fall, schools have time to respond before this starts to impact their budgets.</p><p>The department has allocated £246 million in growth and falling rolls funding to local authorities in the 2022/23 financial year. This is an increase of £12 million over the amount allocated for 2021/22. Growth funding can be used by local authorities to support schools with managing a significant growth in pupil numbers or a short-term decrease in pupil numbers, where those places are forecast to be required in future years.</p><p>The responsibility for how growth and falling rolls funding is allocated rests with local authorities. If an academy or maintained school takes on significant numbers of additional pupils because of a growing population in the area, then local authorities can provide funding from the growth pot they hold locally.</p><p>Furthermore, schools in which more than 6% of pupils joined at a non-typical date through the school year at any point in the last three years also attract funding through the mobility factor in the national funding formula. For years 1 to 11, this means the first census when the pupil was in the school was a Spring or Summer census. For the reception year, the first census is the Summer census. This year, the department allocated £44 million to local authorities through this factor. Local authorities allocate the funding they receive to schools through their local funding formula.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker question first answered 23/06/2022 15:33:19 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
tabling member	3998 label Biography information for Mark Menzies

1471017

registered interest
date	16/06/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Schools: Transport
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding his Department made available for school transport for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) in the academic years (a) 2017-18, (b) 2018-19, (c) 2019-20, (d) 2020-21 and (e) 2021-22.
tabling member constituency	Houghton and Sunderland South
tabling member printed	Bridget Phillipson
uin	19611
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/06/2022 answer text <p>The government does not provide a specific amount to local authorities for spending on special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) transport. Funding for children’s services, including SEND transport, is part of the wider local government finance settlement, administered by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. The department does hold Section 251 data which covers both national and local authority special educational needs transport expenditure. This is published on GOV.UK at: <a href="https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/la-and-school-expenditure/2020-21" target="_blank">https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/la-and-school-expenditure/2020-21</a>.</p><p>The gross national expenditure for the 2017/18 financial year to the 2020/21 financial year can be found in the below table. Data for the 2021/22 financial year is not yet available.</p><p><strong>National Gross SEN Home to School Transport Expenditure, 2017-18 FY to 2020-21 FY (based on Section 251 outturn data)</strong></p><table><tbody><tr><td> </td><td>Pre-16</td><td>Post-16</td></tr><tr><td>2017/18</td><td>£662.4 million</td><td>£106.5 million</td></tr><tr><td>2018/19</td><td>£726.8 million</td><td>£126.6 million</td></tr><tr><td>2019/20</td><td>£823.0 million</td><td>£127.7 million</td></tr><tr><td>2020/21</td><td>£829.2 million</td><td>£130.2 million</td></tr></tbody></table> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker question first answered 21/06/2022 12:56:25 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
tabling member	4046 label Biography information for Bridget Phillipson

1471078

registered interest
date	16/06/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Schools: Coronavirus and Ventilation
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he plans to issue guidance to schools on undertaking work during the 2022 summer school holidays to (a) improve ventilation and (b) reduce the risk of covid-19 transmission.
tabling member constituency	Portsmouth South
tabling member printed	Stephen Morgan
uin	19677
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/06/2022 answer text <p>Schools should always create a healthy indoor environment for occupants. This includes keeping spaces ventilated to reduce the concentration of pathogens in the air, such as COVID-19, and to manage indoor temperatures.</p><p>In 2017, the department published ‘Building Bulletin 101’, guidance for school design on ventilation, thermal comfort, and indoor air quality. This includes the World Health Organisation’s air quality guidelines and Air Quality Standards Regulations 2010 for indoor air quality. The full publication can be found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/ventilation-thermal-comfort-and-indoor-air-quality-in-schools" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/ventilation-thermal-comfort-and-indoor-air-quality-in-schools</a>.</p><p>When carrying out works to make building improvements, schools should use the environmental standards set out in the department's ‘Employer’s requirements Part A: General conditions’ guidance. The current version was updated recently and published in November 2021. This can be accessed here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/output-specification-generic-design-brief-and-technical-annexes" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/output-specification-generic-design-brief-and-technical-annexes</a>.</p><p>The department has produced the ‘Good estate management for schools’ guidance, located on GOV.UK. The guidance provides education providers with resources and guidance on managing the estate, including reducing water and energy usage. More information can be found at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/good-estate-management-for-schools/health-and-safety" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/guidance/good-estate-management-for-schools/health-and-safety</a></p><p>In the 2021/22 academic year, the department provided over 386,000 CO2 monitors to state-funded education providers, including early years, schools, and further education providers, backed by £25 million in government funding. The monitors enable staff to identify areas where ventilation needs to be improved and provide reassurance that existing ventilation measures are working, helping balance the need for good ventilation with keeping classrooms warm.</p><p>In January 2022, the government committed to fulfil all eligible applications for air cleaning units to state-funded education providers for poorly ventilated teaching spaces where quick fixes to improve ventilation are not possible. The latest delivery figures can be found at: <a href="https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/delivery-of-air-cleaning-units" target="_blank">https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/delivery-of-air-cleaning-units</a>.</p><p>Maintaining adequate ventilation remains the responsibility of individual schools. The law says employers, including education and childcare providers, must make sure there is an adequate supply of fresh air in enclosed areas of the workplace. This has not changed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Health and Safety Executive provides more information on this here: <a href="https://www.hse.gov.uk/ventilation/index.htm" target="_blank">https://www.hse.gov.uk/ventilation/index.htm</a>.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker question first answered 24/06/2022 13:36:25 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
tabling member	4653 label Biography information for Stephen Morgan

1471125

registered interest
date	16/06/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Free Schools
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many free schools there are as of 16 June 2022; what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the free schools programme; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Delyn
tabling member printed	Rob Roberts
uin	19719
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/06/2022 answer text <p>Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.</p><p>There are 613 open free schools which, based on the latest Ofsted judgements, will create more than 155,000 good and outstanding school places for children when at full capacity. Mainstream primary and secondary free schools are more likely to be rated good or outstanding by Ofsted than state-funded mainstream schools nationally and all open 16 to 19 free schools with an Ofsted judgement are good or outstanding.</p><p>The free schools programme remains an important part of the department’s plan to level up standards and respond where there is need for more school places.</p><p>The department launched a further round of free school applications on 10 June 2022 covering mainstream, special, and alternative provision free schools. The mainstream wave is seeking to approve free schools where there is the greatest need for new school places, prioritising proposals in Education Investment Areas. This will include a targeted number of new academic 16 to 19 free schools to help talented children from disadvantaged backgrounds get to leading universities.</p><p>Further information on free school application rounds is available here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/education/set-up-a-free-school" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/education/set-up-a-free-school</a>.</p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker question first answered 22/06/2022 15:41:22 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
tabling member	4810 label Biography information for Mr Rob Roberts

1471126

registered interest
date	16/06/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Arts: Secondary Education
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans his Department has to introduce an arts premium to fund enrichment activities in secondary schools.
tabling member constituency	Delyn
tabling member printed	Rob Roberts
uin	19720
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/06/2022 answer text <p>Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.</p><p>The department is committed to high-quality education for all pupils, and the arts and music are integral to this. With the significant impact of COVID-19 on children’s learning, the department’s priorities have been to focus on education recovery in the recent Spending Review. The government remains committed to the ambitions in the Plan for Cultural Education published in 2013 and will give consideration for a future arts premium in due course.</p><p>In recognition of the merit of these subjects and how they contribute to a broad and balanced education in and out of school settings, the department will continue to invest around £115 million per annum in cultural education over the next three years, through music, arts, and heritage programmes.</p><p>The above funding is on top of core schools funding. The department has already committed to a real-terms per pupils increase in core schools funding, amounting to a £7 billion increase in the 2024/25 financial year compared with the 2021/22 financial year and nearly £5 billion in education recovery. This should support state-funded schools to provide a broad, ambitious curriculum, which includes cultural education and the arts.</p><p>The department has also committed to the publication of a Cultural Education Plan in 2023, working with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and Arts Council England.</p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker question first answered 21/06/2022 12:47:06 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
tabling member	4810 label Biography information for Mr Rob Roberts

1471195

registered interest
date	16/06/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Education: Genito-urinary Medicine
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he plans to improve the current provision of education on sexual health.
tabling member constituency	Kingston upon Hull North
tabling member printed	Dame Diana Johnson
uin	19589
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/06/2022 answer text <p>The introduction of compulsory relationships, sex, and health education (RSHE) in schools from September 2020 will increase young people’s knowledge in several areas of men's and women's health. The department is clear in its ‘Relationships and sex education and health education’ statutory guidance that pupils in secondary schools should be taught the facts and the law about sex, sexuality, and sexual health in an age-appropriate and inclusive way. This guidance is available here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/relationships-education-relationships-and-sex-education-rse-and-health-education" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/relationships-education-relationships-and-sex-education-rse-and-health-education</a>.</p><p>The department has given schools the flexibility to design the content of their curriculum to support their cohort of pupils and have signposted them to expert advice on reproductive health.</p><p>It is important that teachers have the confidence to teach RSHE effectively, including teaching about sexual health. To help schools with this, the department has published a range of online teacher training modules covering each of the key subject areas. The modules are available here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/teaching-about-relationships-sex-and-health" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/guidance/teaching-about-relationships-sex-and-health</a>. The module on ‘Intimate and sexual relationships, including sexual health’ indicates that by the end of secondary school, pupils should know the facts about reproductive health, including fertility, and the potential impact of lifestyle on fertility for men and women.</p><p>In September 2020, the department also published non-statutory implementation guidance, ‘Plan your relationships, sex and health curriculum’, and funded the delivery of a train the trainer and peer support programme to schools from April 2020 to July 2021. The programme reached 4,800 schools.</p><p>The department has contracted with IFF Research to undertake a national survey of school leaders, RSHE leads and RSHE teachers, supported by qualitative research with school staff and pupils. The research will test whether schools are implementing the requirements with sufficient quality and help us to understand barriers and facilities to quality implementation, to inform any further support offers.</p><p> </p><p>Additionally, the Schools White Paper commits to further strengthening RSHE and Ofsted plans to undertake a review of personal development in schools, which includes RSHE. The report will be published later this year.</p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker question first answered 24/06/2022 12:57:11 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
tabling member	1533 label Biography information for Dame Diana Johnson