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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

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

1470647

registered interest
date	15/06/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Pupils: Broadband and Computers
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate he has made of the number of children in (a) Feltham and Heston constituency, (b) Hounslow, (c) London and (d) England without access (i) to broadband at home and (ii) to a computer at home to support their learning.
tabling member constituency	Feltham and Heston
tabling member printed	Seema Malhotra
uin	18912
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/06/2022 answer text <p>A survey by Ofcom showed that during 2021, 94% of children (aged 0 to 17) in England had internet access and used it in the home, and figures for the UK show that almost half (47%) of children aged 3 to 17 used a laptop or netbook to go online, and 17% used a desktop. Use of more personal and portable devices was more common, with more than four in ten children (43%) saying they only used any device other than a laptop, netbook, or desktop to go online. The survey is available here: <a href="https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0024/234609/childrens-media-use-and-attitudes-report-2022.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0024/234609/childrens-media-use-and-attitudes-report-2022.pdf</a>.</p><p>The department has data on the number of devices distributed to local authorities. However, we only know where devices were shipped. The devices distributed through the department are owned by schools, trusts, local authorities or further education (FE) providers who can lend these devices to children and young people who need them the most. The department does not have visibility of how devices move or how ownership was transferred after receipt.</p><p>10,272 devices were distributed to Hounslow local authority as part of the get help with technology scheme, including 9,685 laptops or tablets and 587 4G routers.</p><p>For all London constituencies, the total number of devices distributed was 354,493, including 334,075 laptops or tablets and 20,418 4G routers.</p><p>The department does not have data for the number of devices distributed to Feltham and Heston constituency.</p><p>The department has delivered over 1.95 million laptops and tablets to schools, trusts, local authorities and further education providers for disadvantaged children and young people as part of a £520 million government investment to support access to remote education and online social care services.</p><p>The department also provided support for over 130,000 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 100,000 4G wireless routers for pupils without connection at home. The government also provided funding to support schools and FE providers in providing internet access for disadvantaged pupils whose face-to-face education is disrupted due to COVID-19.</p><p>The get help with technology service is transitioning to provide further support to schools and colleges on meeting technology standards, including in relation to connectivity and devices. This is focused now on levelling up technology in schools and other education providers rather than in homes, but the support and funding already provided should give schools the flexibility to provide remote education support and can continue to be used in the longer term.</p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker grouped question UIN 18913 question first answered 20/06/2022 16:38:27 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
tabling member	4253 label Biography information for Seema Malhotra

1470648

registered interest
date	15/06/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Pupils: Broadband and Computers
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department is taking steps to help schools give pupils from families with low incomes access to (a) broadband and (b) computers at home to support their learning.
tabling member constituency	Feltham and Heston
tabling member printed	Seema Malhotra
uin	18913
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/06/2022 answer text <p>A survey by Ofcom showed that during 2021, 94% of children (aged 0 to 17) in England had internet access and used it in the home, and figures for the UK show that almost half (47%) of children aged 3 to 17 used a laptop or netbook to go online, and 17% used a desktop. Use of more personal and portable devices was more common, with more than four in ten children (43%) saying they only used any device other than a laptop, netbook, or desktop to go online. The survey is available here: <a href="https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0024/234609/childrens-media-use-and-attitudes-report-2022.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0024/234609/childrens-media-use-and-attitudes-report-2022.pdf</a>.</p><p>The department has data on the number of devices distributed to local authorities. However, we only know where devices were shipped. The devices distributed through the department are owned by schools, trusts, local authorities or further education (FE) providers who can lend these devices to children and young people who need them the most. The department does not have visibility of how devices move or how ownership was transferred after receipt.</p><p>10,272 devices were distributed to Hounslow local authority as part of the get help with technology scheme, including 9,685 laptops or tablets and 587 4G routers.</p><p>For all London constituencies, the total number of devices distributed was 354,493, including 334,075 laptops or tablets and 20,418 4G routers.</p><p>The department does not have data for the number of devices distributed to Feltham and Heston constituency.</p><p>The department has delivered over 1.95 million laptops and tablets to schools, trusts, local authorities and further education providers for disadvantaged children and young people as part of a £520 million government investment to support access to remote education and online social care services.</p><p>The department also provided support for over 130,000 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 100,000 4G wireless routers for pupils without connection at home. The government also provided funding to support schools and FE providers in providing internet access for disadvantaged pupils whose face-to-face education is disrupted due to COVID-19.</p><p>The get help with technology service is transitioning to provide further support to schools and colleges on meeting technology standards, including in relation to connectivity and devices. This is focused now on levelling up technology in schools and other education providers rather than in homes, but the support and funding already provided should give schools the flexibility to provide remote education support and can continue to be used in the longer term.</p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker grouped question UIN 18912 question first answered 20/06/2022 16:38:27 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
tabling member	4253 label Biography information for Seema Malhotra

1470329

registered interest
date	14/06/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Schools: Stockton on Tees
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he plans to fund a new (a) primary and (b) secondary school to serve Wynyard within Stockton on Tees Borough.
tabling member constituency	Stockton North
tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
uin	17931
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/06/2022 answer text <p>The statutory duty to provide sufficient school places sits with local authorities. The department allocates capital funding through the Basic Need grant to support local authorities provide school places, based on their own forecast data.</p><p>Local authorities can use Basic Need funding to provide places in new schools or through expansions of existing schools. Where a local authority thinks there is a demographic need for a new school in its area, it must seek proposals to establish an academy. This is known as the free school presumption process.</p><p>Stockton-on-Tees was allocated just under £61.6 million of basic need grant funding between 2011 and 2021. It has not been allocated funding in subsequent allocations because its data indicates need for mainstream places up to September 2025 had already been funded in previous years.</p><p>The department also funds new schools through the central free schools route. Under this process the department has recently approved a new primary school in Hartlepool that will also serve the Wynyard area of Stockton-on-Tees.</p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker question first answered 20/06/2022 14:51:52 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

1470339

registered interest
date	14/06/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Private Education: Refugees
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will issue guidance to local authorities on how they can partly or wholly fund independent school places for student refugees who have arrived under the Homes for Ukraine scheme using the same per capita funding that would be spent if they were to be educated in the state sector.
tabling member constituency	Fylde
tabling member printed	Mark Menzies
uin	17917
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/06/2022 answer text <p>The department is currently working at pace to develop the methodology and mechanism for the allocation of funding for the ‘Homes for Ukraine’ scheme. This education funding for children and young people will be distributed to local authorities. If the funding is used for a school place, it will be for state-funded schools only.</p><p>In general, there’s nothing that would stop a local authority from providing funding to an independent school, but this would be a decision for the individual local authority to make.</p><p>The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities issued guidance in March this year advising families how to apply for a school place in England. The Department for Education shared this via The Education Hub blog in April.</p><p>The Boarding Schools Association and the Independent Schools Council speak regularly to the Department for Education and the Home Office on matters relating to Ukraine and Russia.</p><p>We are grateful to those independent schools that have come forward to offer places and encourage independent schools to contact local authorities that are seeking to place children.</p><p>As school places are co-ordinated locally, schools should inform their local authorities that they are willing to offer places to Ukrainian students. It is for independent schools to determine their own criteria for creating scholarship schemes and putting local arrangements for administration in place.</p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker grouped question UIN 17918 question first answered 20/06/2022 14:21:07 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
tabling member	3998 label Biography information for Mark Menzies

1470340

registered interest
date	14/06/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Private Education: Refugees
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department has issued guidance to local authorities on placements at independent schools for refugees who have arrived under the Homes for Ukraine scheme.
tabling member constituency	Fylde
tabling member printed	Mark Menzies
uin	17918
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/06/2022 answer text <p>The department is currently working at pace to develop the methodology and mechanism for the allocation of funding for the ‘Homes for Ukraine’ scheme. This education funding for children and young people will be distributed to local authorities. If the funding is used for a school place, it will be for state-funded schools only.</p><p>In general, there’s nothing that would stop a local authority from providing funding to an independent school, but this would be a decision for the individual local authority to make.</p><p>The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities issued guidance in March this year advising families how to apply for a school place in England. The Department for Education shared this via The Education Hub blog in April.</p><p>The Boarding Schools Association and the Independent Schools Council speak regularly to the Department for Education and the Home Office on matters relating to Ukraine and Russia.</p><p>We are grateful to those independent schools that have come forward to offer places and encourage independent schools to contact local authorities that are seeking to place children.</p><p>As school places are co-ordinated locally, schools should inform their local authorities that they are willing to offer places to Ukrainian students. It is for independent schools to determine their own criteria for creating scholarship schemes and putting local arrangements for administration in place.</p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker grouped question UIN 17917 question first answered 20/06/2022 14:21:07 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
tabling member	3998 label Biography information for Mark Menzies

1469780

registered interest
date	13/06/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Pupils and Students: Absenteeism
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 children are not absent from (a) school and (b) higher education.
tabling member constituency	Southport
tabling member printed	Damien Moore
uin	17105
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/06/2022 answer text <p>To ensure families receive support for school attendance, the department recently published new guidance setting out expectations for schools, trusts and local authorities to work together to improve pupil attendance.</p><p>My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, has established an alliance of national leaders from education, children’s social care, and other relevant services to work together to raise school attendance and reduce persistent absence. The Attendance Alliance Group has pledged to take action to remove barriers preventing children attending school. The department has also run a number of webinars for schools, multi-academy trusts (MATs) and local authorities to share effective practice in relation to attendance.</p><p>The department’s team of attendance advisers play an important role, by working closely with local authorities and MATs with higher levels of persistent absence to review their current practice and support them to develop plans to improve.</p><p>The department has been working to establish a better and more timely flow of pupil level attendance data across schools, trusts, and local authorities. Most state-funded schools across the country have now signed up to this project. This will help those involved to identify pupils who need most support with their attendance.</p><p>High levels of student engagement and a sense of belonging are associated with students performing well at university and of reducing the chance of them dropping out. A recent joint study by Pearson and higher education outlet Wonkhe showed students with the sense of belonging associated with high engagement are likely to enjoy more academic success.</p><p>To support learners in higher education, Student Support Champion duties will include encouraging universities to use technologies such as customer relationship management systems. These can flag the early warning signs of those who are struggling or becoming less engaged, by monitoring data such as attendance and library collections.</p><p>It is important that learners feel supported to make informed post-16 decisions on the appropriate route for them. The department’s reforms in the post-16 area, and on support for careers advice in all schools, seek to achieve this.</p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker question first answered 21/06/2022 12:29:24 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
tabling member	4669 label Biography information for Damien Moore

1469903

registered interest
date	13/06/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Academies: Curriculum
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 current flexibility of academy schools in setting the criteria for the curriculum they teach.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
uin	16832
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/06/2022 answer text <p>Academies have the autonomy to set their own school curriculum. However, they are required to teach a broad and balanced school curriculum, including maths, English and science, that is comparable in breadth and ambition to the national curriculum as a piece of statutory guidance.</p><p>For academies, the national curriculum acts as a benchmark for a high-quality, knowledge-rich school curriculum. Many academy schools choose to deliver the full national curriculum, but this is not a requirement. With their freedom, multi-academy trusts have been at the forefront of curriculum innovation, and they have led the development of evidence-based, subject-level teacher development programmes, resources, and research.</p><p>Ministers have no intention of using regulatory reforms to interfere in the day-to-day management of academies, other than in cases of failure. Ministers have no intention to restrict the freedoms that enable academies to collaborate, innovate, and organise themselves to deliver the best outcomes for pupils.</p><p>All schools are held accountable for delivering a broad and balanced curriculum through their performance in tests and exams and Ofsted inspections. Ofsted aims to reduce curriculum narrowing through the implementation of the 2019 education inspection framework, available at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/education-inspection-framework" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/education-inspection-framework</a>. This framework evaluates the intent, implementation, and impact of each school's curriculum.</p><p>Oak National Academy was created in April 2020 as a rapid response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Teachers and colleagues from leading education organisations came together to support schools’ efforts to keep children learning. This included several multi-academy trusts who contributed to the development of lessons and online resources and continue to work with Oak as curriculum partners.</p><p>Building on the success of Oak National Academy’s work in the pandemic, the department announced in the Schools White Paper that we will establish a new arms-length curriculum body. It will work with thousands of teachers to co-design, create and continually improve packages of optional, free, adaptable digital curriculum resources and video lessons. These optional resources will be available across the UK, helping teachers deliver a high-quality curriculum. This sector-led approach will draw on expertise and inputs from across the country, involving teachers, schools, trusts, subject associations, national centres of excellence and educational publishers.</p><p>The resources are to be optional, non-Ofsted endorsed and intended to exemplify high-quality curriculum design to improve system curriculum thinking and support teachers across the country with their lesson planning and teaching.</p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker grouped question UIN 16833 question first answered 20/06/2022 16:58:56 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

1469907

registered interest
date	13/06/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Academies: Curriculum
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 improve the ability of academy schools to (a) set the curriculum they teach and (b) amend the current national curriculum within their own institutions.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
uin	16833
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/06/2022 answer text <p>Academies have the autonomy to set their own school curriculum. However, they are required to teach a broad and balanced school curriculum, including maths, English and science, that is comparable in breadth and ambition to the national curriculum as a piece of statutory guidance.</p><p>For academies, the national curriculum acts as a benchmark for a high-quality, knowledge-rich school curriculum. Many academy schools choose to deliver the full national curriculum, but this is not a requirement. With their freedom, multi-academy trusts have been at the forefront of curriculum innovation, and they have led the development of evidence-based, subject-level teacher development programmes, resources, and research.</p><p>Ministers have no intention of using regulatory reforms to interfere in the day-to-day management of academies, other than in cases of failure. Ministers have no intention to restrict the freedoms that enable academies to collaborate, innovate, and organise themselves to deliver the best outcomes for pupils.</p><p>All schools are held accountable for delivering a broad and balanced curriculum through their performance in tests and exams and Ofsted inspections. Ofsted aims to reduce curriculum narrowing through the implementation of the 2019 education inspection framework, available at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/education-inspection-framework" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/education-inspection-framework</a>. This framework evaluates the intent, implementation, and impact of each school's curriculum.</p><p>Oak National Academy was created in April 2020 as a rapid response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Teachers and colleagues from leading education organisations came together to support schools’ efforts to keep children learning. This included several multi-academy trusts who contributed to the development of lessons and online resources and continue to work with Oak as curriculum partners.</p><p>Building on the success of Oak National Academy’s work in the pandemic, the department announced in the Schools White Paper that we will establish a new arms-length curriculum body. It will work with thousands of teachers to co-design, create and continually improve packages of optional, free, adaptable digital curriculum resources and video lessons. These optional resources will be available across the UK, helping teachers deliver a high-quality curriculum. This sector-led approach will draw on expertise and inputs from across the country, involving teachers, schools, trusts, subject associations, national centres of excellence and educational publishers.</p><p>The resources are to be optional, non-Ofsted endorsed and intended to exemplify high-quality curriculum design to improve system curriculum thinking and support teachers across the country with their lesson planning and teaching.</p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker grouped question UIN 16832 question first answered 20/06/2022 16:58:56 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe