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1688562

registered interest
date	08/02/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Department for Education: Health and Safety
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether all (a) buildings and (b) workplaces staff from their Department occupy have a suitable and sufficient risk assessment under Section 3 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.
tabling member constituency	Glasgow South West
tabling member printed	Chris Stephens
uin	13746
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/02/2024 answer text <p>All buildings occupied by the department have suitable and sufficient risk assessments in place as per the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 requirements.</p><p>Where the Government Property Agency are the asset owners, they also maintain building risk assessments.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds question first answered 21/02/2024 12:59:49 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
tabling member	4463 label Biography information for Chris Stephens

1688613

registered interest
date	08/02/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Special Educational Needs: Autism
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made a recent assessment on the level of (a) training and (b) guidance provided to teachers on autism in girls.
tabling member constituency	Somerton and Frome
tabling member printed	Sarah Dyke
uin	13838
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/02/2024 answer text <p>The department is committed to ensuring that all pupils can reach their potential and receive excellent support from their teachers. Therefore, consideration of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) underpins both the Initial Teacher Training (ITT) Core Content Framework (CCF) and Early Career Framework (ECF) which set out the entitlement of trainee teachers and early career teachers (ECTs) to the core body of knowledge, skills and behaviours that define great teaching. To identify opportunities to build teacher expertise, the department reviewed the CCF alongside the ECF during 2023, combining an Education Endowment Foundation-assured review of the ‘Learn that’ statements and underpinning CCF and ECF evidence with evaluation data, lessons learned from the first years of implementation, and extensive expert and sector feedback including from SEND specialists. This included a public call for evidence. Following this review, the updated and combined Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework (ITTECF) was published on 30 January 2024, for delivery from September 2025.</p><p>The department's review of content for the ITTECF paid particular attention to the needs of trainees and ECTs when supporting pupils with SEND. The ITTECF is based on the best peer-reviewed evidence about what works, and it is designed to emphasise the importance of high-quality teaching. The framework therefore deliberately does not detail approaches specific to particular additional needs, such as autism, but what makes the most effective teaching. During the review, the department tested this approach with SEND educational experts, with consensus that the approach of ‘quality-first teaching’ would be the best way to improve outcomes for all children, particularly those with Special Educational Needs.</p><p>The department’s Universal Services contract brings together SEND-specific training and support for staff working in schools and further education. It aims to improve outcomes for children and young people through one programme which reaches 70% of schools and colleges in England per year. The contract offers autism awareness training and resources, which align with the national all-age autism strategy and its ambition to improve autistic children and young people’s access to education and support positive transitions into adulthood. Over 135,000 professionals have undertaken autism awareness training since the Universal Services programme began in May 2022. More information on the strategy can be found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-strategy-for-autistic-children-young-people-and-adults-2021-to-2026" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-strategy-for-autistic-children-young-people-and-adults-2021-to-2026</a>.</p><p>The large majority of pupils diagnosed with autism as their primary type of need are boys. However, there is emerging research and awareness on the different presentation of autism traits according to gender and the late, under and misdiagnosis of girls and women. This gender imbalance is greater for autism than for any other primary type of need. To help raise awareness of this imbalance, the Universal Services autism awareness training addresses autism in girls and helps education staff understand more about how autism may present differently in girls.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds question first answered 19/02/2024 17:01:55 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
tabling member	4995 label Biography information for Sarah Dyke

1688627

registered interest
date	08/02/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Childcare
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 31 January 2024 to Question 11047 on Childcare, what measure her Department uses to establish the requirements of local authorities for childcare places.
tabling member constituency	Brighton, Pavilion
tabling member printed	Caroline Lucas
uin	13705
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/02/2024 answer text <p>Local authorities are responsible for ensuring that the provision of childcare is sufficient to meet the requirements of parents in their area. The statutory guidance for local authorities highlights that local authorities are required to report annually to elected council members on how they are meeting their duty to secure sufficient childcare, and to make this report available and accessible to parents.</p><p>The department has regular contact with each local authority in England about their sufficiency of childcare and any issues they are facing.</p><p>Where local authorities report sufficiency challenges, the department discusses what action the local authority is taking to address those issues and provides support where needed, to help the local authority with any specific requirements through its childcare sufficiency support contract.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Wantage answering member printed David Johnston question first answered 19/02/2024 17:18:39 answering member 4761 label Biography information for David Johnston
tabling member	3930 label Biography information for Caroline Lucas

1688669

registered interest
date	08/02/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Schools: Concrete
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her planned timetable is for the completion of the long-term removal of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete in school buildings in cases where a (a) capital grant is provided and (b) rebuilding project is agreed.
tabling member constituency	Ellesmere Port and Neston
tabling member printed	Justin Madders
uin	13721
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/02/2024 answer text <p>The government is funding the removal of RAAC present in school and colleges either through grants, or through the School Rebuilding Programme. A list of education settings with confirmed RAAC and the funding route to remove RAAC was published on 8 February 2024, available at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/reinforced-autoclaved-aerated-concrete-raac-management-information" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/reinforced-autoclaved-aerated-concrete-raac-management-information</a>.</p><p>The longer-term requirements of each school or college will vary depending on the extent of the issue and nature and design of the buildings. Permanently removing RAAC may involve refurbishment of existing buildings such as replacing the roof or rebuilding affected buildings. For schools joining the School Rebuilding Programme, schools are prioritised for delivery according to the condition need of their buildings, readiness to proceed, and efficiency of delivery. For schools and colleges receiving grants, the department will work with the responsible bodies to support them through the grants process as they undertake the buildings works to remove RAAC permanently. The department is working with responsible bodies to take forward this work as quickly as possible.</p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds question first answered 20/02/2024 12:25:52 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
tabling member	4418 label Biography information for Justin Madders

1688113

registered interest
date	07/02/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Pre-school Education: Pupil Premium
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 6 February 2024 to Question 12562 on Pre-school Education: Pupil Premium what estimate she has made of the number and proportion of children who will become eligible for the 15 hours childcare entitlement in (a) April and (b) September 2024 that will also be eligible for the Early Years Pupil Premium.
tabling member constituency	Walthamstow
tabling member printed	Stella Creasy
uin	13558
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/02/2024 answer text <p>The Early Years Pupil Premium (EYPP) gives providers additional funding to support disadvantaged children.</p><p>EYPP is currently available for 3 and 4 year olds eligible for the early years’ entitlements.</p><p>Parents may also get EYPP if their child is currently being looked after by a local authority in England or Wales, or if their child has left care in England or Wales through adoption, special guardianship order or a child arrangement order.</p><p>From April 2024, EYPP will be extended to all eligible 2 year olds, and from September 2024 to all eligible children aged 9 months to 3 years old.</p><p>On 19 December 2023, the department published indicative EYPP allocations for local authorities for 2024/25 as part of the wider Dedicated Schools Grant publication, which is available here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dedicated-schools-grant-dsg-2024-to-2025" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dedicated-schools-grant-dsg-2024-to-2025</a>.</p><p>The published tables include estimated numbers of children aged 9 months up to and including 2 year olds who the department anticipates will take up EYPP in 2024/25. This includes estimated part-time equivalents for EYPP.</p><p>Further details on how the department has calculated these estimates are set out in the following document: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dedicated-schools-grant-dsg-2024-to-2025/dsg-technical-note-2024-to-2025" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dedicated-schools-grant-dsg-2024-to-2025/dsg-technical-note-2024-to-2025</a>.</p> answering member constituency Wantage answering member printed David Johnston question first answered 19/02/2024 15:45:50 answering member 4761 label Biography information for David Johnston
tabling member	4088 label Biography information for Stella Creasy

1688114

registered interest
date	07/02/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Special Educational Needs: Finance
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to to her Answer on 6 February 2024 to Question 12559 on Special Educational Needs: Finance, when her Department will (a) complete and (b) publish their assessment of the Special Educational Needs Inclusion Funds (SENIFs) arrangements.
tabling member constituency	Walthamstow
tabling member printed	Stella Creasy
uin	13559
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/02/2024 answer text <p>As confirmed in the government’s response on 20 September 2023 to the consultation on expanding the early education entitlements, the department is conducting a review of the Special Educational Needs Inclusion Funds (SENIF) funding arrangements, so that the department can better support parents, providers and local authorities as the expanded entitlements are rolled out.</p><p>At the completion of this review, the department will consider what information is most appropriate and helpful for the sector in their delivery of SENIFs. The department will look to draw examples of best practice together, with a view to sector-wide dissemination.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Wantage answering member printed David Johnston question first answered 19/02/2024 15:12:49 answering member 4761 label Biography information for David Johnston
tabling member	4088 label Biography information for Stella Creasy

1688133

registered interest
date	07/02/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Foster Care: Allowances
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an assessment of the adequacy of the implementation of the increase in foster carers allowances announced in February 2023.
tabling member constituency	Stockton North
tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
uin	13562
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/02/2024 answer text <p>Every year, the Department for Education (DfE) works with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities to review the allowance and consider any changes in inflation and affordability for local government.</p><p>In February 2023, the DfE raised the National Minimum Allowance (NMA) for foster carers by 12.43% for the 2023/24 financial year. The DfE has also raised the NMA by 6.88% for the 2024/25 financial year. Both allowances are above the rate of inflation and demonstrate the government’s commitment to supporting foster carers.</p><p>The DfE expects all local authorities to pay at least the NMA, to ensure that foster carers are never financially disadvantaged by their fostering role.</p><p>The duty to pay this allowance is set out in the Fostering National Minimum Standards, issued under the Care Standards Act 2000. All carers should receive the allowance, along with any other agreed expenses to cover the full cost of caring for each child placed with them.</p><p>In December, I wrote to all local authorities reminding them of this duty and the expectation to pay.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Wantage answering member printed David Johnston question first answered 19/02/2024 15:46:50 answering member 4761 label Biography information for David Johnston
tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

1688159

registered interest
date	07/02/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Schools: Mental Health and Neurodiversity
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 ensure a knowledge of (a) mental health and (b) neurodiversity among (i) school teachers and (ii) school students.
tabling member constituency	Oxford East
tabling member printed	Anneliese Dodds
uin	13620
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/02/2024 answer text <p>The department is committed to ensuring that all pupils can reach their potential and receive excellent support from their teachers. The Teachers’ Standards sets clear expectations that teachers must understand the needs of all pupils, including those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). Consideration of SEND underpins both the Initial Teacher Training (ITT) Core Content Framework (CCF) and Early Career Framework (ECF) which were both produced with the support of sector experts. ITT courses and ECF-based programmes must be designed so that new 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.</p><p>The department reviewed the CCF alongside the ECF during 2023, in partnership with the Education Endowment Foundation and groups of sector experts, including SEND specialists. This included a public call for evidence. Following this review, the updated and combined Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework (ITTECF) was published on 30 January 2024, for delivery from September 2025.</p><p>The department’s review of content for the ITTECF paid particular attention to the needs of trainees and early career teachers (ECTs) when supporting pupils with SEND. There is now significantly more content related to adaptive teaching and supporting pupils with SEND. The department has also made edits to existing statements to improve inclusivity for SEND throughout the framework, including new content for trainees and ECTs on who to contact to provide support with any pupil mental health concerns.</p><p>The department is also offering all state schools and colleges a grant to train a senior mental health lead by 2025, enabling them to introduce effective whole school approaches to mental health and wellbeing. Over 14,400 settings have claimed a grant so far, including more than 7 in 10 state-funded secondary schools, and the department has also recently made available second grants for settings who have lost their trained lead. The department’s quality assured training course provides the practical knowledge and skills to implement a whole school or college approach to promoting mental wellbeing. The course also helps senior mental health leads to facilitate the development of school staff, to ensure that all staff can recognise and understand the process to respond to mental health concerns.</p><p>The department has also recently launched two new resources to help trained mental health leads and wider school and college staff to promote and support pupil mental health, both of which are hosted on the Mentally Healthy Schools site. The resource hub signposts practical resources and tools to embed whole-school or college approaches and the targeted mental wellbeing toolkit gives practical advice and tools to help schools and colleges identify the most effective targeted support options for their setting. They are both available here: <a href="https://mentallyhealthyschools.org.uk/whole-school-or-college-resources/" target="_blank">https://mentallyhealthyschools.org.uk/whole-school-or-college-resources/</a>.</p><p>The department wants to support all young people to be happy, healthy and safe. The department wants to equip them for adult life and to make a positive contribution to society. That is why the department has made Relationships Education compulsory for all primary school pupils, Relationships and Sex Education compulsory for all secondary school pupils from September 2020, and Health Education compulsory for pupils in all state-funded schools. In Health Education, there is a strong focus on mental wellbeing, including a recognition that mental wellbeing and physical health are linked. It is important that pupils understand that good physical health, for both men and women, contributes to good mental wellbeing. The purpose of teaching pupils about mental health is to give them the information they need to make good decisions about their own health and wellbeing, recognise issues in themselves and others and, when issues arise, seek support as early as possible from appropriate sources.</p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds question first answered 19/02/2024 12:23:18 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
tabling member	4657 label Biography information for Anneliese Dodds

1688160

registered interest
date	07/02/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Pupils: Autism and Disability
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department has taken to help ensure that new school buildings are designed so as to enable students with (a) physical disabilities, (b) mental disabilities and (c) autism spectrum conditions to be included in the (i) curriculum and (ii) life of the school; and what steps her Department has taken to assist schools to adapt existing buildings.
tabling member constituency	Oxford East
tabling member printed	Anneliese Dodds
uin	13621
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/02/2024 answer text <p>The department’s ambition is for all children and young people, no matter what their special educational needs and disabilities are, to receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life.</p><p>All school building projects that are delivered by the department must meet the requirements set out in the department’s school building specification. The department publishes a range of guidance specifically for the construction of special schools, which support the provision of inclusive learning environments including access, acoustics and specialist Special Educational Needs provision. These are available here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/school-design-and-construction" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/school-design-and-construction</a>.</p><p>More generally, all new school buildings must meet the requirements of the Building Regulation’s Approved Document: M, which sets out the details on access to and use of buildings. This can be found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/access-to-and-use-of-buildings-approved-document-m" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/access-to-and-use-of-buildings-approved-document-m</a>.</p><p>The department does not publish specific guidance on how to adapt existing schools. Under the Equality Act 2010, schools must make reasonable adjustments to prevent pupils with special educational needs and disabilities being put at a substantial disadvantage. Additionally, under the Children and Families Act 2014, mainstream schools must use their best endeavours to make sure a child or young person who has special educational needs and disabilities, including those who are autistic, get the special educational provision they need.</p><p>To support the adaptation of existing buildings, the department has allocated over £1.5 billion of High Needs Provision Capital for the 2022/23 and 2023/24 financial years. This funding forms part of the department’s transformational investment of £2.6 billion in new high needs provision between 2022 and 2025. Local authorities can use this funding to deliver new places in mainstream and special schools, as well as other specialist settings, and to improve the suitability and accessibility of existing buildings.</p> answering member constituency Wantage answering member printed David Johnston question first answered 19/02/2024 17:13:26 answering member 4761 label Biography information for David Johnston
tabling member	4657 label Biography information for Anneliese Dodds

1688164

registered interest
date	07/02/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Special Educational Needs: Transport
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department collects data on the amount spent by local authorities on taxis used to transport children with an education, health and care plan to and from school.
tabling member constituency	Broxbourne
tabling member printed	Sir Charles Walker
uin	13537
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/02/2024 answer text <p>The government does not collect the specific information requested. The legal responsibility for providing free home-to-school travel for eligible pupils sits with local authorities, who will hold any data available on the amount spent on taxis for children with an Education, Health and Care plan.</p><p>However, the government does publish local authority expenditure data based on Section 251 outturn returns, which includes total expenditure on home-to-school travel for children of compulsory school age where the travel is agreed for reasons of the child’s Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. Local authorities spent a total of £1.25 billion in the 2022/23 financial year on this type of home-to-school travel. The data is available via the following link: <a href="https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/la-and-school-expenditure" target="_blank">https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/la-and-school-expenditure</a>.</p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds question first answered 19/02/2024 13:22:42 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
tabling member	1493 label Biography information for Sir Charles Walker