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1278616

registered interest
date	20/01/2021
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Pre-school Education: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what progress his Department has made on introducing regular rapid covid-19 testing for (a) nursery workers, (b) childminders and (c) other early years professionals.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
uin	140743
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/01/2021 answer text <p>The Department is continuing to work closely with colleagues across government and local authorities to secure the most effective approach to asymptomatic testing for the whole of the early years sector.</p><p>We are rolling out our asymptomatic testing programme to primary schools with deliveries of test kits starting from week commencing 18 January 2021.</p><p>The asymptomatic testing programme will offer all primary school, schools based nursery and maintained nursery school staff home Lateral Flow Device test kits for twice weekly testing. This will help to break the chains of transmission of COVID-19 in schools and nurseries by identifying asymptomatic positive cases. Those who test positive will then self-isolate, helping to reduce transmission of the virus.</p><p>Community Testing programmes are currently being rolled out across the country. Local authorities will be encouraged to target testing to people who cannot work from home during lockdown. Further information can be found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/community-testing-explainer/community-testing-a-guide-for-local-delivery" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/community-testing-explainer/community-testing-a-guide-for-local-delivery</a>.</p><p>Early years staff, as critical workers, continue to have priority access to the Department of Health and Social Care led symptomatic PCR testing via the online portal: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-getting-tested" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-getting-tested</a>.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 25/01/2021 16:48:55 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

1277616

registered interest
date	18/01/2021
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Nurseries: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what financial support is available to (a) maintained and (b) private nurseries in response to the covid-19 lockdown announced in January 2021.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
uin	138857
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/01/2021 answer text <p>The early years sector has benefitted from the continuation of early years entitlement funding during the during the summer and autumn terms in 2020, and providers have been able to furlough their staff via the Coronavirus Jobs Retention Scheme. As long as the staff meet the other criteria for the scheme, schools and early years providers are able to furlough their staff if they have experienced a drop in either their income from parents or government. Eligible nurseries can also benefit from a business rates holiday and can access the business loans as set out by my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer.</p><p>On 17 December 2020, the government announced a return to funding early years settings on the basis of attendance, as measured by the January 2021 census.</p><p>The early years and schools census are statutory data collections and are combined to produce a national statistics release. The statutory guidance underpinning these censuses has not changed, but the Department for Education issued supportive documentation to help guide local authorities and providers with completing the census during the COVID-19 outbreak. This supporting documentation was issued to all local authorities on 14 January 2021 and has not changed. The 2021 census guidance for early years can be found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-census-2021-guide" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-census-2021-guide</a>.</p><p>We will fund local authorities in the 2021 spring term based on their January 2021 census. If attendance rises after the census is taken, we will top-up councils to up to 85% of their January 2020 census level, where a local authority can provide evidence for increased attendance during the spring term. This will give local authorities additional financial confidence to pay providers for increasing attendance later in the spring term.</p><p>We stay in regular contact with the early years sector, including on this subject. We will be closely monitoring both parental take-up of places and the capacity and responses of providers.</p> answering member constituency Chelmsford answering member printed Vicky Ford question first answered 25/01/2021 11:22:46 answering member 4674 label Biography information for Vicky Ford
tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

1277618

registered interest
date	18/01/2021
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Nurseries: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support his Department is providing nurseries to ensure they have access to adequate personal protective equipment.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
uin	138858
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/01/2021 answer text <p>COVID-19-related PPE use will be very limited for staff in education and childcare settings and, as set out in the department’s guidance, relates only to (i) when caring for a child or individual who develops symptoms while attending their setting (and only then if a distance of two metres cannot be maintained), and (ii) when a child or individual already has routine intimate care needs that involve the use of PPE, for example when undertaking aerosol generating procedures (AGPs).</p><p>Many education and childcare settings will be able to access PPE for their COVID-19 needs via their local authority or local resilience forum. Further information on local arrangements is available here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/safe-working-in-education-childcare-and-childrens-social-care/safe-working-in-education-childcare-and-childrens-social-care-settings-including-the-use-of-personal-protective-equipment-ppe" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/safe-working-in-education-childcare-and-childrens-social-care/safe-working-in-education-childcare-and-childrens-social-care-settings-including-the-use-of-personal-protective-equipment-ppe</a>.</p> answering member constituency Chelmsford answering member printed Vicky Ford grouped question UIN 138859 question first answered 25/01/2021 17:43:32 answering member 4674 label Biography information for Vicky Ford
tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

1277620

registered interest
date	18/01/2021
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Nurseries: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether nurseries are able to reclaim the costs of personal protective equipment during the covid-19 lockdown announced in January 2021.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
uin	138859
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/01/2021 answer text <p>COVID-19-related PPE use will be very limited for staff in education and childcare settings and, as set out in the department’s guidance, relates only to (i) when caring for a child or individual who develops symptoms while attending their setting (and only then if a distance of two metres cannot be maintained), and (ii) when a child or individual already has routine intimate care needs that involve the use of PPE, for example when undertaking aerosol generating procedures (AGPs).</p><p>Many education and childcare settings will be able to access PPE for their COVID-19 needs via their local authority or local resilience forum. Further information on local arrangements is available here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/safe-working-in-education-childcare-and-childrens-social-care/safe-working-in-education-childcare-and-childrens-social-care-settings-including-the-use-of-personal-protective-equipment-ppe" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/safe-working-in-education-childcare-and-childrens-social-care/safe-working-in-education-childcare-and-childrens-social-care-settings-including-the-use-of-personal-protective-equipment-ppe</a>.</p> answering member constituency Chelmsford answering member printed Vicky Ford grouped question UIN 138858 question first answered 25/01/2021 17:43:32 answering member 4674 label Biography information for Vicky Ford
tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

1277621

registered interest
date	18/01/2021
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Coronavirus Workforce Fund for Schools: Pre-school Education
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for what reason (a) nurseries and (b) early years providers have been excluded from the Coronavirus Workforce Fund available to schools.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
uin	138860
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/01/2021 answer text <p>The Coronavirus Workforce Fund, available last term, was implemented to support schools and colleges with exceptionally high staff absence rates and significant financial pressures to remain open. Instead, the early years sector has benefitted from the continuation of early years entitlement funding during the COVID-19 outbreak. As private nurseries typically rely on private income for a significant proportion of their income - unlike most state-funded schools - they are also able to furlough their staff via the Coronavirus Jobs Retention Scheme, which has also been available for maintained nursery schools. Eligible nurseries have also benefitted from a business rates holiday and access to business loans, as set out by my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Chelmsford answering member printed Vicky Ford question first answered 25/01/2021 18:10:51 answering member 4674 label Biography information for Vicky Ford
tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

1277622

registered interest
date	18/01/2021
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Basic Skills: Qualifications
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how functional skills qualifications are planned to be (a) graded and (b) assessed in 2021.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
uin	138861
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/01/2021 answer text <p>The consultation on alternative arrangements for the award of vocational and technical qualifications and other general qualifications in 2021 was published on 15 January. It seeks views on the department’s position that Functional Skills qualification assessments should continue to take place remotely or in line with public health guidelines where possible, and that alternative arrangements should be introduced for those learners who are unable to access assessments. The approach for providing learners with a result through alternative arrangements will be determined in light of the consultation.</p><p>Ofqual will revise its regulatory framework to allow awarding organisations to provide learners with a result where assessments do not take place, and to determine what the minimum assessment evidence should be, so that valid and reliable qualifications are awarded.</p> answering member constituency Chichester answering member printed Gillian Keegan question first answered 21/01/2021 13:30:52 answering member 4680 label Biography information for Gillian Keegan
tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

1277623

registered interest
date	18/01/2021
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Basic Skills: Qualifications
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance his Department has issued to universities on accepting students unable to obtain functional skills qualifications during the covid-19 lockdown announced in January 2021.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
uin	138862
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/01/2021 answer text <p>The government is working closely with partners across the education sector, and with higher education (HE) providers, to minimise the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak and the disruption it has caused to young people’s education, including for those who will be applying to university for the 2021/22 academic year.</p><p>The joint consultation between Ofqual and the Department for Education on alternative arrangements for the award of vocational and technical qualifications and other general qualifications in 2021 was published on 15 January. It seeks views on the department’s position that functional skills qualification assessments should continue to take place remotely or in line with public health guidelines where possible, and that alternative arrangements should be introduced for those learners who are unable to access assessments.</p><p>We are encouraging universities to be flexible when making offers to individual students whose education has been disproportionally and adversely impacted from the COVID-19 outbreak in order to ensure that these students are able to receive fair offers for 2021.</p> answering member constituency Chippenham answering member printed Michelle Donelan question first answered 22/01/2021 13:43:13 answering member 4530 label Biography information for Michelle Donelan
tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

1275216

registered interest
date	11/01/2021
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Care Leavers and Children in Care: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that (a) looked-after children and (b) care leavers can access (i) IT equipment and (ii) internet during the covid-19 lockdown announced in January 2021.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
uin	135792
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/01/2021 answer text <p>The government is investing over £400 million to support access to remote education and online social care services, including securing 1.3 million laptops and tablets for disadvantaged children and young people. This includes over 700,000 laptops and tablets that were delivered to schools, academy trusts and local authorities by 11 January. We have published the latest data here:<a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/laptops-tablets-and-4g-wireless-routers-progress-data" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/laptops-tablets-and-4g-wireless-routers-progress-data</a></p><p>We prioritised the delivery of devices for children receiving support from a social worker and care leavers during the summer term of the 2019/20 academic year. The Department delivered devices to local authorities, so that all children receiving support from a social worker and care leavers would have access to a device. These devices are the property of the local authority and they are responsible for their ongoing maintenance and support.</p><p>We have partnered with the UK’s leading mobile operators to provide free data to help disadvantaged children get online as well as delivering 54,000 4G wireless routers for pupils without connection at home. We are grateful to EE, O2, Smarty, Sky Mobile, Tesco Mobile, Three, Virgin Mobile, and Vodafone. We continue to invite a range of mobile network providers to support the offer.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Chelmsford answering member printed Vicky Ford question first answered 15/01/2021 17:23:50 answering member 4674 label Biography information for Vicky Ford
tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

1275217

registered interest
date	11/01/2021
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Children in Care: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether it remains his Department’s policy as set out in Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance for children's social care services that no one has to leave care during this period; what support is being offered to local authorities to cover any additional costs associated with extended placements for people due to leave care; and what recent assessment he has made of the effect of that guidance on placement availability for children in care.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
uin	135793
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/01/2021 answer text <p>At the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, we recognised that care leavers would need extra support, in particular due to their financial vulnerability and their higher risk of loneliness and isolation. That is why we published guidance to local authorities, asking them to review decisions about whether young people who would have been due to move out of care should continue to do so; and to delay moves if the young person did not want to leave their current placement, or it was not in their best interests.</p><p>Where young people want to move out of care, the guidance asks local authorities to ensure that the move is in accordance with the young person’s wishes and that they are assured that the setting the young person is moving into is safe in relation to risk factors arising from coronavirus (COVID-19). This guidance is still in force.</p><p>We have provided £4.6 billion additional funding to local authorities to meet the extra demands placed on them due to the COVID-19 outbreak, including the costs of extending placements for young people who would otherwise have left care earlier.</p><p>No formal assessment has been undertaken on the impact of the guidance on placement availability for children in care, although the department is in regular contact with local authorities to understand the support care leavers need during the COVID-19 outbreak. Feedback from local authorities indicates that they are taking account of the guidance in their decision-making, and are supporting many young people to stay in care at this time, having judged this as possible within their local placement provision.</p><p> </p><p>.</p> answering member constituency Chelmsford answering member printed Vicky Ford question first answered 14/01/2021 16:59:07 answering member 4674 label Biography information for Vicky Ford
tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

1275219

registered interest
date	11/01/2021
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Children in Care: Coronavirus
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 changes in the level of pressure on placement availability for children in care during the covid-19 lockdown period; and what steps his Department plans to take to ensure there are enough safe and suitable places for children in care to live.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
uin	135794
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/01/2021 answer text <p>The safety and wellbeing of our most vulnerable children remains a top priority. The department collects fortnightly data from local authorities to help understand the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on vulnerable children and children in care. The most recent survey showed that the total number of children looked after was 7% higher than the same time in 2018 and that the total number of referrals was 12% lower than the usual number at that time of year. The vulnerable children and young people survey summary is published at <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/vulnerable-children-and-young-people-survey" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/vulnerable-children-and-young-people-survey</a>.</p><p>Local authorities have a statutory duty to ensure that there is sufficient provision for their looked after children, but we recognise that COVID-19 is placing additional burdens across all placement types. This is why the government has provided £4.6 billion of additional funding to local authorities in 2021-22 to address any pressures they are facing during the COVID-19 outbreak, including children’s social care. We are also providing an additional £1.55 billion of grant funding to support local authorities with COVID-19 spending pressures next year. This funding is un-ringfenced, recognising that local authorities are best placed to decide where to allocate resources.</p><p>In addition, on 25 November 2020, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced as part of the Spending Review that the government will provide £24 million in the financial year 2021-22 to start a new programme to maintain capacity and expand provision in secure children’s homes. This will provide high quality, safe homes for some of our most vulnerable children and will mean children can live closer to their families and support networks, in settings that meet their needs<em>. </em></p><p>In November 2020 we also announced that there would be a second wave of funding for new projects to increase the availability and quality of placements through recruitment of new foster families, improving how places are commissioned and supporting foster parents to build their resilience and skills.</p><p>We continue to work closely with local authorities to ensure there is sufficient provision that meets the needs of children in their care.</p> answering member constituency Chelmsford answering member printed Vicky Ford question first answered 14/01/2021 16:22:57 answering member 4674 label Biography information for Vicky Ford
tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe