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1461762

registered interest
date	11/05/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	National Curriculum Tests
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of SATs on primary children’s mental health.
tabling member constituency	Slough
tabling member printed	Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi
uin	930
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/05/2022 answer text <p>The department knows that the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people and will have an impact in the longer-term. We expect leaders and teachers to consider their pupils’ mental health and wellbeing as a priority and identify those who may need additional support.</p><p>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. Schools should support a culture of wellbeing amongst staff and pupils.</p><p>Children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing is a priority for this government. The department is continuing to help schools support children and young people’s wellbeing, announcing in May 2021 more than £17 million of mental health funding to improve mental health and wellbeing support in schools and colleges. This includes £9.5 million dedicated to training senior mental health leads in over 8,000 schools and colleges, with an additional £3 million announced this year to extend this training to even more schools and colleges. The training will equip leads with the skills and knowledge to develop a culture and ethos that promotes positive mental health wellbeing, as well as how to make the best use of local resources to support children and young people experiencing issues such as anxiety.</p><p>The department has also recently brought together all its sources of advice for schools and colleges into a single site on GOV.UK, which includes signposting to external sources of mental health and wellbeing support for teachers, school staff and school leaders. This site is available here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/mental-health-and-wellbeing-support-in-schools-and-colleges#mental-health-and-wellbeing-resources" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/guidance/mental-health-and-wellbeing-support-in-schools-and-colleges#mental-health-and-wellbeing-resources</a>.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker question first answered 18/05/2022 13:12:04 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
tabling member	4638 label Biography information for Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi

1461763

registered interest
date	11/05/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	National Curriculum Tests
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of SATs in measuring children’s learning and attainment.
tabling member constituency	Slough
tabling member printed	Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi
uin	928
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/05/2022 answer text <p>The main purpose of statutory assessment, as set out in the Standards and Testing Agency’s test frameworks is to ascertain what pupils have achieved in relation to the age-related attainment targets set out in the national curriculum. These test frameworks are available here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/national-curriculum-assessments-test-frameworks" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/national-curriculum-assessments-test-frameworks</a>. A validity framework to demonstrate how well the tests meet this purpose is published in the appendices of the test handbook, available on GOV.UK.</p><p> </p><p>Due to the cancellations of the statutory assessments in 2020 and 2021, the most recent version of the test handbook is from 2019 and is available here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/2019-national-curriculum-test-handbook" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/2019-national-curriculum-test-handbook</a>.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker question first answered 18/05/2022 13:23:58 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
tabling member	4638 label Biography information for Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi

1461907

registered interest
date	11/05/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Supply Teachers: Pay and Workplace Pensions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will intervene to ensure supply teachers employed by agencies and umbrella companies are (a) paid the same rate as those employed directly by a school or local authority and (b) able to access to the Teachers' Pension Scheme.
tabling member constituency	Stockport
tabling member printed	Navendu Mishra
uin	994
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/05/2022 answer text <p>Most supply teacher salaries are paid by supply agencies, and schools can negotiate fees with these agencies. The department trusts schools to agree a fair price for teachers. Supply teachers can register with multiple agencies to find the best pay and conditions to meet their own circumstances.</p><p> </p><p>Agency Worker Regulations provides that all workers on assignments that exceed 12 weeks are paid on equal terms as permanent staff after the 12<sup>th</sup> week.</p><p> </p><p>The Teachers’ Pensions Regulations provide for supply teachers participating in the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS) where they are employed by a scheme employer. These are local authorities, academies, and further education colleges.</p><p> </p><p>Where supply teachers are self-employed or employed by a supply agency and their services are provided under a ‘contract for services’, it is not possible for them to participate in the TPS as there is no organisation to undertake the employer role which includes remitting contributions to the scheme.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker question first answered 19/05/2022 11:46:04 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
tabling member	4811 label Biography information for Navendu Mishra

1462016

registered interest
date	11/05/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	National Curriculum Tests
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has made an assessment of similarities between elements of the 11+ practice examination paper and this year's key stage 2 Standard Assessment Test; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Portsmouth South
tabling member printed	Stephen Morgan
uin	932
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/05/2022 answer text <p>The test development process used by the Standards and Testing Agency (STA) is rigorous, with teachers and experts commenting on the materials throughout the three-year development process. These reviewers are selected to be broadly nationally representative, in terms of geography and school type, to minimise bias. The 2022 key stage 2 reading test went through these processes and the expert reviewers considered all materials appropriate and fair.</p><p> </p><p>STA cannot entirely mitigate against pupils having already read certain texts, or against them being used by other organisations developing materials for schools, though checks are undertaken throughout the process. There are many resources and practice papers in the public domain, and it would be impractical and expensive to monitor them all. When it is identified late in the development process that a text has been used elsewhere, STA must also consider whether setting aside the text would be an appropriate use of public money. Although STA makes use of specifically written texts where possible, particularly for non-fiction, fiction texts can come across as contrived and the use of high-quality texts by published authors is essential.</p><p> </p><p>STA are confident that the 2022 reading test was appropriate and accessible for all pupils.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker question first answered 19/05/2022 10:45:22 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
tabling member	4653 label Biography information for Stephen Morgan

1462131

registered interest
date	11/05/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Children: Speech and Language Therapy
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether mainstream schools are able to use the School-Led tutoring grant to pay for additional speech and language therapy support, where children have fallen behind in their speech, language and communication development as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.
tabling member constituency	Swansea West
tabling member printed	Geraint Davies
uin	578
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/05/2022 answer text <p>There are a limited number of speech and language therapists (SALTs) available in the sector and their remit must remain on providing speech and language therapy. Therefore, the school-led tutoring (SLT) grant cannot be used to help subsidise the cost of SALTs. This applies to all schools, including special schools</p><p>However, special schools can use their higher rate of recovery premium funding to help subsidise the cost of SALTs should they wish to do so.</p><p>In special schools, the SLT grant can be used for tutoring to support catch-up in the broader curriculum, such as practising and consolidating techniques in speech and language therapy. In practice, tutors and internal staff will understand the pupils’ individual learning needs and can ensure support is tailored accordingly. They may also choose to support pupils further by incorporating exercises set by the SALT into the tutoring session. It is important to note that this provision must be additional to a pupil’s existing learning programme set out by the school or an education, health and care plan.</p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker question first answered 17/05/2022 09:25:37 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
tabling member	155 label Biography information for Geraint Davies

1462133

registered interest
date	11/05/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	National Curriculum Tests
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 (a) educational value and (b) impact on children and schools of proceeding with SATS in the 2021-22 year in the context of disruption resulting from the covid-19 outbreak.
tabling member constituency	Sheffield Central
tabling member printed	Paul Blomfield
uin	723
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/05/2022 answer text <p>The department recognises that pupils will have missed a critical period of their learning due to disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Statutory assessments at the end of key stage 2 are an important part of our primary education system. Assessments provide vital information to parents about their child’s attainment and help schools identify where additional support is best targeted to individuals. The school performance measures generated from these assessments play an important role in supporting schools to improve, helping us to hold primary schools to account for the education they provide.</p><p>This year, the data from the assessments will help parents, schools, and the department to understand more clearly the impact of the pandemic on pupils and how this varies between particular groups of pupils, schools and local authorities. The decision to return to a full programme of primary assessments in the 2021/22 academic year was considered carefully and in taking this decision, we discussed our plans with a range of stakeholders, including teachers, school leaders and unions.</p><p>The department knows that the pandemic has impacted the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people and will have an impact in the longer-term. The department expects leaders and teachers to consider their pupils’ mental health and wellbeing as a priority and identify those who may need additional support.</p><p>Although schools should encourage all pupils to work hard and achieve well, the department does not recommend that they devote excessive preparation time to assessment, and certainly not at the expense of pupils’ mental health and wellbeing. Schools should support a culture of wellbeing amongst staff and pupils.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker question first answered 20/05/2022 13:03:42 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
tabling member	4058 label Biography information for Paul Blomfield

1461179

registered interest
date	10/05/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Teachers: Veterans
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many bursaries have been awarded under the Troops to Teachers scheme since January 2021.
tabling member constituency	North Durham
tabling member printed	Mr Kevan Jones
uin	66
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/05/2022 answer text <p>Since January 2021, one trainee has been awarded a bursary under the Troops to Teachers undergraduate bursary scheme. As they commenced their course in the 2021/22 academic year, the bursary will be paid in the 2022/23 and 2023/24 academic years.</p><p> </p><p>A further two trainees were in receipt of the bursary in the 2020/21 academic year, with one of these trainees receiving the remainder of their bursary in the 2021/22 academic year. The combined cost to the public purse of these two trainees since the 2020/21 academic year is £60,000. The department cannot disaggregate the exact amount paid since January 2021 because it makes payments to initial teacher training (ITT) providers as a proportion of their total funding spread from September to July, rather than an amount per trainee each month.</p><p> </p><p>The department is currently planning to publish information on outcomes for ITT trainees in the 2020/21 academic year in July 2022 which will be available here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-teacher-training" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-teacher-training</a>. However, data is not routinely published on Troops to Teachers.</p><p> </p><p>Veterans who have a degree can and do undertake postgraduate ITT courses, where they can access the bursaries and scholarships of up to £26,000 available on these routes into teaching.</p><p> </p><p>The department is committed to further promoting opportunities for service leavers to get into teaching. Many veterans already utilise department services to support service leavers into ITT each year. As part of the cross-government Veterans’ Strategy Action Plan: 2022-2024, the department has committed to increase collaboration with the Ministry of Defence to promote opportunities for service leavers to get into teaching, increasing signposting, events and communications tailored to veterans. The department also encourages them to take up services we offer such as ‘get school experience’ and our ‘teacher training advisers’ service that will help them towards a career in teaching.</p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker grouped question UIN 67 68 question first answered 16/05/2022 16:44:55 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
tabling member	1438 label Biography information for Mr Kevan Jones

1461180

registered interest
date	10/05/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Teachers: Veterans
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the cost to the public purse has been of the Troops to Teachers scheme since January 2021.
tabling member constituency	North Durham
tabling member printed	Mr Kevan Jones
uin	67
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/05/2022 answer text <p>Since January 2021, one trainee has been awarded a bursary under the Troops to Teachers undergraduate bursary scheme. As they commenced their course in the 2021/22 academic year, the bursary will be paid in the 2022/23 and 2023/24 academic years.</p><p> </p><p>A further two trainees were in receipt of the bursary in the 2020/21 academic year, with one of these trainees receiving the remainder of their bursary in the 2021/22 academic year. The combined cost to the public purse of these two trainees since the 2020/21 academic year is £60,000. The department cannot disaggregate the exact amount paid since January 2021 because it makes payments to initial teacher training (ITT) providers as a proportion of their total funding spread from September to July, rather than an amount per trainee each month.</p><p> </p><p>The department is currently planning to publish information on outcomes for ITT trainees in the 2020/21 academic year in July 2022 which will be available here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-teacher-training" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-teacher-training</a>. However, data is not routinely published on Troops to Teachers.</p><p> </p><p>Veterans who have a degree can and do undertake postgraduate ITT courses, where they can access the bursaries and scholarships of up to £26,000 available on these routes into teaching.</p><p> </p><p>The department is committed to further promoting opportunities for service leavers to get into teaching. Many veterans already utilise department services to support service leavers into ITT each year. As part of the cross-government Veterans’ Strategy Action Plan: 2022-2024, the department has committed to increase collaboration with the Ministry of Defence to promote opportunities for service leavers to get into teaching, increasing signposting, events and communications tailored to veterans. The department also encourages them to take up services we offer such as ‘get school experience’ and our ‘teacher training advisers’ service that will help them towards a career in teaching.</p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker grouped question UIN 66 68 question first answered 16/05/2022 16:44:55 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
tabling member	1438 label Biography information for Mr Kevan Jones

1461181

registered interest
date	10/05/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Teachers: Veterans
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many people have completed initial teacher training through the Troops to Teachers scheme since January 2021.
tabling member constituency	North Durham
tabling member printed	Mr Kevan Jones
uin	68
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/05/2022 answer text <p>Since January 2021, one trainee has been awarded a bursary under the Troops to Teachers undergraduate bursary scheme. As they commenced their course in the 2021/22 academic year, the bursary will be paid in the 2022/23 and 2023/24 academic years.</p><p> </p><p>A further two trainees were in receipt of the bursary in the 2020/21 academic year, with one of these trainees receiving the remainder of their bursary in the 2021/22 academic year. The combined cost to the public purse of these two trainees since the 2020/21 academic year is £60,000. The department cannot disaggregate the exact amount paid since January 2021 because it makes payments to initial teacher training (ITT) providers as a proportion of their total funding spread from September to July, rather than an amount per trainee each month.</p><p> </p><p>The department is currently planning to publish information on outcomes for ITT trainees in the 2020/21 academic year in July 2022 which will be available here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-teacher-training" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-teacher-training</a>. However, data is not routinely published on Troops to Teachers.</p><p> </p><p>Veterans who have a degree can and do undertake postgraduate ITT courses, where they can access the bursaries and scholarships of up to £26,000 available on these routes into teaching.</p><p> </p><p>The department is committed to further promoting opportunities for service leavers to get into teaching. Many veterans already utilise department services to support service leavers into ITT each year. As part of the cross-government Veterans’ Strategy Action Plan: 2022-2024, the department has committed to increase collaboration with the Ministry of Defence to promote opportunities for service leavers to get into teaching, increasing signposting, events and communications tailored to veterans. The department also encourages them to take up services we offer such as ‘get school experience’ and our ‘teacher training advisers’ service that will help them towards a career in teaching.</p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker grouped question UIN 66 67 question first answered 16/05/2022 16:44:55 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
tabling member	1438 label Biography information for Mr Kevan Jones

1461227

registered interest
date	10/05/2022
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, if he will make it his policy to immediately communicate to schools that they can use any stocks of lateral flow tests held locally; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Brighton, Pavilion
tabling member printed	Caroline Lucas
uin	160
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/05/2022 answer text <p>Public health advice continues to be that testing in education and childcare settings is no longer needed. Most infectious diseases in education and childcare settings can be managed by following the advice in UK Health Security Agency’s (UKHSA) updated health protection in education and childcare settings guidance. Students and staff should follow UKHSA’s advice for those who have symptoms.</p><p>As individuals are now mixing in an otherwise open society, regular testing within school and colleges is no longer as effective as it once was. 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>Although settings may still have some unused test kits in stock, they should not continue to hand these out to staff or students or dispose of them (unless they have reached their expiry date).</p><p>The department are currently working with UKHSA to explore the options for removal of testing resources no longer required and repurpose or redeploy them as much as possible based on clinical need prioritisation.</p><p>In the meantime, settings should retain any surplus stock and may wish to note this in their contingency plans. The department has published emergency planning and responce guidance for education and childcare settings here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/emergency-planning-and-response-for-education-childcare-and-childrens-social-care-settings" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/emergency-planning-and-response-for-education-childcare-and-childrens-social-care-settings</a>.</p><p>The department is also aware that some schools and colleges have reported finding the recruitment of invigilators more challenging this year. We are working with exam boards to monitor the risk and have supported recruitment by sharing The Exams Office’s vacancy map with pools of invigilators like parents and higher education students.</p><p>The Joint Council for Qualifications has published updated guidance for centres managing exams in case of invigilator shortage. This includes information about varying start times; alternative sites; invigilation ratios; use of subject teachers as invigilators; addressing challenges for individual candidates; and remote invigilation.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker grouped question UIN 161 question first answered 18/05/2022 15:30:54 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
tabling member	3930 label Biography information for Caroline Lucas