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1714113

registered interest
date	26/04/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Special Educational Needs: Leeds City Council
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help Leeds City Council increase its capacity to undertake its education, health and care plan assessments.
tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
uin	23927
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/05/2024 answer text <p>Where local authorities are failing to deliver consistent outcomes for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including failing to produce timely Education, Health and Care (EHC) assessments, the department works with them using a range of improvement programmes and SEND specialist advisors to address weaknesses. Leeds City Council is receiving support from a specialist SEND advisor and the department will continue to work with the local authority in order to monitor the issuing of completed plans.</p><p> </p><p>High needs funding is increasing to over £10.5 billion this financial year, 2024/25, which is an increase of over 60% from the 2019/20 allocations. Of this, through their 2024/25 dedicated schools grant, Leeds City Council is due to receive a high needs funding allocation of £134.6 million in 2024/25. This is a cumulative increase of 36% per head over the three years from 2021/22. This funding will continue to help with the costs of supporting children and young people with SEND, including those with EHC plans.</p><p> </p><p>The department’s ‘SEND and alternative provision Improvement Plan’ recognised the need to reduce delays in children and young people receiving timely assessments and support and has a clear focus on early intervention. Through the Change Programme, in which Leeds City Council is a supporting partner, the department is testing a range of reforms to improve the EHC plan process, including standardised templates and guidance, the use of multi-agency panels to improve decision-making, digital reforms and strengthened mediation arrangements.</p><p> </p><p>The department is further investing over £21 million to train 400 educational psychologists from September 2024. This is in addition to the £10 million currently being invested in the training of over 200 educational psychologists who began their training last September. Since 2020, the department has increased the number of course places funded, from 160 to over 200 per year. As these cohorts begin to graduate, they will enter the workforce, supporting local authority educational psychology services and contributing to statutory assessments.</p> answering member constituency Wantage answering member printed David Johnston question first answered 08/05/2024 15:40:28 answering member 4761 label Biography information for David Johnston
tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel

1698553

registered interest
date	25/03/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Graduates: Visas
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of changes to the graduate visa route on (a) the financial sustainability of the university sector and (b) local economies.
tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
uin	20405
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/04/2024 answer text <p>The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) has been commissioned to provide further evidence to support the government’s understanding of how the Graduate Route is operating in practice. The focus of the Graduate Route review will be to prevent abuse and ensure the integrity and quality of our world-leading UK higher education (HE) sector is protected. No decisions have been made on the future of the Graduate Route and the department awaits the report of the MAC in May.</p><p>​</p><p>​The Office for Students (OfS), as the independent regulator of HE in England, is responsible for monitoring and reporting on the sustainability of HE providers. The department works closely with the OfS to understand the impact of international student recruitment on HE provider financial sustainability.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Luke Hall question first answered 17/04/2024 11:43:07 answering member 4450 label Biography information for Luke Hall
tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel

1668489

registered interest
date	08/11/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Children: Behaviour Disorders
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of ensuring that all teachers are trained to support children who meet the criteria for oppositional defiant disorder.
tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
uin	907
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/11/2023 answer text <p>All teachers need to be equipped to teach pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). High quality teaching is the single most important factor within school in improving outcomes for all pupils, including those with oppositional defiant disorder.</p><p>Training and development to support children with SEND begins at the beginning of a teacher’s career journey, through their Initial Teacher Training (ITT), and is embedded throughout the Early Career Framework (ECF). ITT courses are designed so that trainee teachers can demonstrate that they meet the Teachers’ Standards at the appropriate level. This includes the requirement in Standard 5 that all teachers must have a clear understanding of the needs of all pupils. Careful consideration has been given to the needs of trainee teachers in relation to supporting pupils with SEND, and the ECF builds on that learning for early career teachers once qualified. Both the ITT Core Content Framework (CCF) and ECF were designed in consultation with the education sector, including SEND specialists.</p><p>Once teachers qualify and are employed in schools, head teachers also use their professional judgement to identify any further training, including specific specialisms, for individual staff that is relevant to them, the school, and its pupils.</p><p>The Department also funds the Universal Services programme, worth £12 million, which offers online training, professional development groups, bespoke school and college improvement projects, sector led research, autism awareness training and an embedded focus on preparation for adulthood, including employer led webinars. The programme commenced in May 2022 and will run until Spring 2025.</p><p>So far, 6,600 school and college staff have accessed free online training modules, and 81 schools and over 135 colleges have identified and led their own SEND focused school improvement project. These projects focussed on SEND governance, teaching assistant deployment, early identification of SEND and the curriculum.</p> answering member constituency Wantage answering member printed David Johnston question first answered 17/11/2023 12:16:43 answering member 4761 label Biography information for David Johnston
tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel

1647927

registered interest
date	26/06/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Teachers: Mental Health
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the mental health of teachers on the quality of education provided.
tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
uin	191198
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/07/2023 answer text <p>The Department regularly commissions research on topics, including the mental health of headteachers, teachers and school staff, for example, the ‘wellbeing’ chapter in the September 2022 wave of the School and College Panel survey, available at: <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1138269/School_and_college_panel_report_for_September_2022.pdf" target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1138269/School_and_college_panel_report_for_September_2022.pdf</a>, and wave one of the ‘Working lives of teachers and leaders’ survey, which is available at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/working-lives-of-teachers-and-leaders-wave-1" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/working-lives-of-teachers-and-leaders-wave-1</a>. The Department also monitors emerging research in the field, such as Education Support’s annual wellbeing index report, which reports on the mental health and wellbeing of teachers and education staff. The index report is available at: <a href="https://www.educationsupport.org.uk/resources/for-organisations/research/teacher-wellbeing-index/" target="_blank">https://www.educationsupport.org.uk/resources/for-organisations/research/teacher-wellbeing-index/</a>.</p><p>Supporting the mental health of education staff is crucial to the Department’s commitment to help create a supportive culture in schools and to encourage teacher retention. The Education Staff Wellbeing Charter, published by the Department, sets out commitments from the Government, Ofsted, and schools and colleges to protect and promote the wellbeing of staff. The Charter is available 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>Building on a successful pilot, the Department is funding the charity, Education Support, to provide professional supervision and counselling to headteachers and college leaders. Over 1,000 leaders have benefitted from the support so far. On 12 June 2023, the Department announced the expansion of the programme, by doubling the number of places available this year, so that more headteachers can have access to this valuable support. More information on the programme can be accessed at: <a href="https://www.educationsupport.org.uk/get-help/help-for-your-staff/wellbeing-services/school-and-fe-leaders-service/" target="_blank">https://www.educationsupport.org.uk/get-help/help-for-your-staff/wellbeing-services/school-and-fe-leaders-service/</a>.</p><p>To help schools and colleges to implement a whole school or college approach to mental health and wellbeing, the Department is offering all state funded schools and colleges a grant to pay for senior mental health lead training. More than 13,800 (58%) of eligible schools and colleges have now received a senior mental health lead training grant. This is part of the Governments’ commitment to offer this training to all schools and colleges by 2025.</p><p>Along with the publication of the Education Staff Wellbeing Charter on GOV.UK, the Department also signposts to mental health and wellbeing resources for education staff. This includes Education Support’s free, confidential 24 hour helpline for staff working in education. Details for the helpline are available at: <a href="https://www.educationsupport.org.uk/get-help/help-for-you/helpline/" target="_blank">https://www.educationsupport.org.uk/get-help/help-for-you/helpline/</a>.</p><p>The Department is working proactively with the sector to understand the drivers behind mental health and wellbeing issues, and to improve policies and interventions.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb grouped question UIN 191199 question first answered 04/07/2023 16:56:57 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel

1647928

registered interest
date	26/06/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Teachers: Mental Health
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support the mental health of teachers.
tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
uin	191199
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/07/2023 answer text <p>The Department regularly commissions research on topics, including the mental health of headteachers, teachers and school staff, for example, the ‘wellbeing’ chapter in the September 2022 wave of the School and College Panel survey, available at: <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1138269/School_and_college_panel_report_for_September_2022.pdf" target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1138269/School_and_college_panel_report_for_September_2022.pdf</a>, and wave one of the ‘Working lives of teachers and leaders’ survey, which is available at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/working-lives-of-teachers-and-leaders-wave-1" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/working-lives-of-teachers-and-leaders-wave-1</a>. The Department also monitors emerging research in the field, such as Education Support’s annual wellbeing index report, which reports on the mental health and wellbeing of teachers and education staff. The index report is available at: <a href="https://www.educationsupport.org.uk/resources/for-organisations/research/teacher-wellbeing-index/" target="_blank">https://www.educationsupport.org.uk/resources/for-organisations/research/teacher-wellbeing-index/</a>.</p><p>Supporting the mental health of education staff is crucial to the Department’s commitment to help create a supportive culture in schools and to encourage teacher retention. The Education Staff Wellbeing Charter, published by the Department, sets out commitments from the Government, Ofsted, and schools and colleges to protect and promote the wellbeing of staff. The Charter is available 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>Building on a successful pilot, the Department is funding the charity, Education Support, to provide professional supervision and counselling to headteachers and college leaders. Over 1,000 leaders have benefitted from the support so far. On 12 June 2023, the Department announced the expansion of the programme, by doubling the number of places available this year, so that more headteachers can have access to this valuable support. More information on the programme can be accessed at: <a href="https://www.educationsupport.org.uk/get-help/help-for-your-staff/wellbeing-services/school-and-fe-leaders-service/" target="_blank">https://www.educationsupport.org.uk/get-help/help-for-your-staff/wellbeing-services/school-and-fe-leaders-service/</a>.</p><p>To help schools and colleges to implement a whole school or college approach to mental health and wellbeing, the Department is offering all state funded schools and colleges a grant to pay for senior mental health lead training. More than 13,800 (58%) of eligible schools and colleges have now received a senior mental health lead training grant. This is part of the Governments’ commitment to offer this training to all schools and colleges by 2025.</p><p>Along with the publication of the Education Staff Wellbeing Charter on GOV.UK, the Department also signposts to mental health and wellbeing resources for education staff. This includes Education Support’s free, confidential 24 hour helpline for staff working in education. Details for the helpline are available at: <a href="https://www.educationsupport.org.uk/get-help/help-for-you/helpline/" target="_blank">https://www.educationsupport.org.uk/get-help/help-for-you/helpline/</a>.</p><p>The Department is working proactively with the sector to understand the drivers behind mental health and wellbeing issues, and to improve policies and interventions.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb grouped question UIN 191198 question first answered 04/07/2023 16:56:58 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel

1639770

registered interest
date	23/05/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Special Educational Needs
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of updating the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Code of Practice to use identity-first language.
tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
uin	186500
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/06/2023 answer text <p>The department will consult in due course on updating the Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Code of Practice. This is part of the package of measures to reform the SEND system, following the SEND and Alternative Provision Improvement Plan, and before putting it to Parliament for approval. This will be an opportunity to gather views on all aspects of the wording of the Code.</p> answering member constituency East Surrey answering member printed Claire Coutinho question first answered 05/06/2023 14:15:51 answering member 4806 label Biography information for Claire Coutinho
tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel

1628917

registered interest
date	18/05/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Education: Restraint Techniques
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of using alternatives to restraint in education settings.
tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
uin	185835
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/05/2023 answer text <p>The Government recognises that the misuse of restraint or reasonable force can have a significant and long lasting effect on the pupils, staff members and parents involved and that this can potentially hinder the creation of a calm, safe and supportive school environment. The Department has commenced a programme of work which aims to minimise instances of the use of reasonable force, including restraint, in all schools in England.</p><p>The first stage of the programme is to conduct extensive research to understand the use of reasonable force, physical restraint, and restrictive practices in schools. This includes a call for evidence, which closed on 11 May 2023.</p><p>The evidence gathered will inform revisions to the ‘Use of reasonable force’ guidance (2013) to provide staff with advice on how to minimise the use of restraint, and in instances where it is absolutely necessary and lawful to use restraint, to do so as safely as possible. Recording incidents of reasonable force and reporting incidents to parents will also be made a legal duty for schools.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 25/05/2023 11:37:27 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel

1628530

registered interest
date	17/05/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Childcare: Fees and Charges
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if her Department has any plans to extend the 30 hours free childcare entitlement to include families where one parent is retired and one works full time.
tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
uin	185649
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/05/2023 answer text <p>The 30 hours free childcare entitlement aims to support working families with the cost of childcare and to support parents back into work or to work more hours should they wish to.</p><p>This offer is available to parents who earn at least the equivalent of 16 hours a week at the national minimum/living wage, and under £100,000 adjusted net income per year. This means that parents can be eligible if they earn from just over £167 per week or £8,670 per year. In a two-parent family, both parents must expect to meet this income criteria to be eligible for 30 hours free childcare.</p><p>The entitlement aims to support parents back into work and in order to be eligible both parents must be in work. The department is currently not planning to extend this to families where one parent is retired and the other works full-time.</p><p>All parents are eligible for 15 hours of free early education, which is available to all three- and four-year olds regardless of family circumstances.</p> answering member constituency East Surrey answering member printed Claire Coutinho question first answered 23/05/2023 14:46:50 answering member 4806 label Biography information for Claire Coutinho
tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel

1627799

registered interest
date	15/05/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Pupils: Eid al-Adha
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of allowing Muslim students to take additional time off school during Eid.
tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
uin	185093
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/05/2023 answer text <p>Schools must authorise a pupil’s absence if it is on a day exclusively set apart for religious observance by the religious body to which the parent belongs.</p><p>The Department does not define which specific days schools should authorise for religious observance, though generally, it may be a day when the pupil’s parents would be expected by the religious body to which they belong to stay away from their workplace to mark the occasion. The Department advises schools to seek advice from the relevant religious body if they are in doubt.</p><p>Parents may apply to the school for a leave of absence that is linked to a religious day. Unlike days that the religious body have exclusively set apart for religious observance, such leave is authorised at the discretion of the school.</p><p>Schools and Local Authorities may consider taking further steps to manage the effect of such absence, including setting term dates around days for religious observance, working with local faith groups to develop guidance on absence for religious observance, taking INSET days that coincide with religious observance days, and providing individual support for pupils who miss sessions for this reason.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 22/05/2023 15:17:33 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel

1627312

registered interest
date	12/05/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Post-18 Education and Funding Review
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when her Department plans to publish the Review of Post-18 Education and Funding.
tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
uin	184841
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/05/2023 answer text <p>The Review of Post-18 Education and Funding was published in May 2019.</p><p>On 24 February 2022, the department published the Higher Education (HE) Reform Consultation, setting out reforms to the student loan system to put it on a fair and sustainable footing and a package of investment into the HE sector. The department also proposed a range of reforms to improve outcomes for students as a result of their courses and help them move into high-value employment.</p><p>The HE Reform Consultation closed on 6 May 2022. The department is now considering the views received and plans to publish a response to the consultation in due course.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Harlow answering member printed Robert Halfon question first answered 22/05/2023 11:22:00 answering member 3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon
tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel