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1717487

	registered interest
	date	13/05/2024
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	School Meals: Processed Food
	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 reduce the proportion of ultra-processed foods in school meals.
	tabling member constituency	Stockton North
	tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
	uin	25843
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/05/2024 answer text <p>There is no universally agreed definition of ultra-processed foods. The term defines foods by how much processing they have been through rather than their nutritional composition.</p><p>The standards for school food are set out in The Requirements for School Food Regulations 2014. These regulations are designed to ensure that schools provide pupils with healthy food and drink options and to make sure that pupils have the energy and nutrition they need throughout the school day.</p><p>The ‘School Food Standards’ define the foods and drinks that must be provided, those which are restricted and those which must never be provided. The standards already restrict foods high in fat, salt and sugar, including crisps, confectionery and high-sugar drinks, as well as low quality reformed or reconstituted foods. They also ensure that the right foods are available for children every day. For example, one or more portions of fruit must be provided every day and at least three different fruits every week.</p><p>Compliance with the standards is mandatory for all maintained schools, academies and free schools. School governors and trustees have a responsibility to ensure compliance and should appropriately challenge the headteacher and the senior leadership team to ensure the school is meeting its obligations.</p><p>The department believes that the standards provide a robust yet flexible framework for school food provision. The government continues to keep the standards under review.</p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds question first answered 16/05/2024 15:26:41 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
	tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

1717755

	registered interest
	date	13/05/2024
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Free School Meals
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will lower the threshold for free school meals qualification.
	tabling member constituency	Nottingham East
	tabling member printed	Nadia Whittome
	uin	26015
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/05/2024 answer text <p>The department has extended free school meal (FSM) support several times and to more groups of children than any other government over the past half a century. As a result, the greatest ever proportion of children are now receiving free lunches. Over one third of children are now eligible for FSM, compared to one in six in 2010.</p><p>However, a threshold must be set somewhere. The department believes that the current eligibility threshold level, which enables children in low-income households to benefit from FSM, while remaining affordable and deliverable for schools, is the correct decision.</p><p>The department will continue to keep FSM eligibility under review to ensure that these meals are supporting those who most need them.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds question first answered 16/05/2024 15:24:45 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
	tabling member	4869 label Biography information for Nadia Whittome

1716842

	registered interest
	date	09/05/2024
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Schools: Libraries
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of schools in have a dedicated (a) library and (b) librarian in (i) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (ii) Lincolnshire.
	tabling member constituency	South Holland and The Deepings
	tabling member printed	Sir John Hayes
	uin	25407
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/05/2024 answer text <p>The department believes that all pupils deserve to be taught a knowledge-rich curriculum that promotes the extensive reading of books and other texts, both in and out of school. School libraries complement public libraries in allowing pupils to do this.</p><p> </p><p>It is for individual schools to decide how best to provide and maintain a library service for their pupils, including whether to employ a qualified librarian. Overall school funding is increasing by more than £2.9 billion in the 2024/25 academic year compared to the 2023/24 academic year, taking the total to £60.7 billion, which is the highest ever level in real terms per pupil. Many headteachers recognise the important role school libraries play in improving literacy and encouraging pupils to read for pleasure and ensure that suitable library facilities are provided. School libraries can take many forms, with some schools preferring to make books a focus in other ways, including housing them within classrooms.</p><p> </p><p>The department’s Reading Framework, updated in July 2023, offers non-statutory guidance for teachers and school leaders, including helpful guidance for schools on how to organise their school library, book corner or book stock to make reading accessible and attractive to readers. Given this autonomy, the department does not collect information on the number of school libraries.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds grouped question UIN 25303 25304 25305 25306 question first answered 15/05/2024 12:46:23 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
	tabling member	350 label Biography information for Sir John Hayes

1716870

	registered interest
	date	09/05/2024
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Faith Schools: Admissions
	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 ending the cap on faith school admissions.
	tabling member constituency	Leeds North East
	tabling member printed	Fabian Hamilton
	uin	25436
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/05/2024 answer text <p>My Rt. Hon. friend, the Secretary of State for Education, announced on 1 May 2024 that the department are consulting on faith designation reforms for new and existing free schools and special academies. This is available on Hansard at: <a href="https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2024-05-01/hcws437" target="_blank">https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2024-05-01/hcws437</a>.</p><p>​​The consultation will run for seven weeks, closing on 20 June 2024. The department will then carefully consider all responses to the consultation and use them to inform the department’s recommendations for better meeting the policy objectives of faith schools.</p><p>​The government’s response will be published on the GOV.UK website within twelve weeks following closure of the consultation.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds question first answered 14/05/2024 14:24:59 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
	tabling member	415 label Biography information for Fabian Hamilton

1716938

	registered interest
	date	09/05/2024
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Teachers: Labour Turnover and Recruitment
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will list the teacher recruitment and retention schemes that have received notice that funding will be (a) reduced and (b) ended since 1 January 2024.
	tabling member constituency	Twickenham
	tabling member printed	Munira Wilson
	uin	25589
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/05/2024 answer text <p>England currently has the highest number of teachers on record. At the last count there were over 468,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) teachers in state-funded schools in England, which is an increase of 27,000 (6%) since the School Workforce Census began in 2010.</p><p> </p><p>To make sure the department’s teacher recruitment and retention efforts are focussed on where they are needed most and providing best value for taxpayers’ money, the department has made some changes to funding allocations. Since January 2024, notice of changes to funding has been sent to the following teacher recruitment and retention partners:</p><p> </p><ul><li>All providers of Subject Knowledge Enhancement (SKE) courses and initial teacher training (ITT) providers. The department are continuing to offer funded SKE in subjects with the greatest sufficiency challenges, including mathematics, physics, chemistry, computing, and languages and are continuing to offer a £175 per week tax-free bursary for eligible candidates to support them on their SKE training course.</li><li>Providers of National Professional Qualifications (NPQs) informing them of changes to scholarship eligibility. The department is offering full scholarship funding in all NPQ subjects to teachers and leaders working in schools, and other settings, in the most challenging circumstances and serving more deprived communities. In addition, four NPQ subjects will continue to receive scholarship funding for all teachers and leaders employed at state-funded organisations. These include the NPQ in Headship, the early headship coaching offer, the NPQ in leading primary mathematics and the NPQ for special educational needs coordinators.</li><li>Providers and teacher training applicants informing them of changes to the eligibility criteria for the UK's international relocation payments. These payments will be available to international teachers who teach physics and languages in England.</li></ul><p> </p><p>Since January 2024, notice of non-renewal of funding has been sent to:</p><p> </p><ul><li>Now Teach informing them that the department will not be renewing their contract when it ends. The career changers programme has, and continues to, support career changers to enter teaching. The department remains committed to continuing to recruit and support career changers into ITT and are now carrying out a review to understand how to best meet the needs of a wider range of career changers.</li></ul><p> </p><p>The department has put in place a range of measures, including bursaries that are worth £28,000 tax-free and scholarships that are £30,000 tax-free, to encourage talented trainees to key subjects such as mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing. The ITT financial incentives package for the 2024/25 recruitment cycle is worth up to £196 million, which is a £15 million increase on the last cycle.</p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds question first answered 15/05/2024 12:59:27 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
	tabling member	4776 label Biography information for Munira Wilson

1716453

	registered interest
	date	08/05/2024
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Teachers: Coastal Areas
	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 increase the retention rate of teachers in coastal communities.
	tabling member constituency	Eastbourne
	tabling member printed	Caroline Ansell
	uin	25293
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/05/2024 answer text <p>The department currently has the highest number of teachers on record, with over 468,000 full-time equivalent teachers in state-funded schools in England. This represents an increase of 27,000 (6%) since the School Workforce Census began in 2010.</p><p> </p><p>The department knows there is further to go to improve recruitment in some subjects. That is why the department has put in place a range of measures, including bursaries worth £28,000 tax-free and scholarships worth £30,000 tax-free, to encourage talented trainees to key subjects such as mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing. For language subjects, the department is offering bursaries worth £25,000 tax-free and scholarships worth £27,000 tax-free in French, German and Spanish. The department is also continuing to offer bursaries and scholarships to all non-UK national trainees in physics and languages. The Initial Teacher Training (ITT) financial incentives package for the 2024/25 recruitment cycle is worth up to £196 million, which is a £15 million increase on the last cycle.</p><p> </p><p>For the 2024/25 and 2025/26 academic years, the department is doubling the rates of the Levelling Up Premium to up to £6,000 after tax for mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing teachers in the first five years of their careers who choose to work in disadvantaged schools, including in Education Investment Areas. As of 2023, 69% of secondary or special schools in coastal towns are eligible for the Levelling Up Premium, compared to 59% of schools elsewhere in the country. This will support both recruitment and retention of specialist teachers in these subjects and in the schools and areas that need them most.</p><p> </p><p>Coastal communities are also well served by the department’s network of Teaching School Hubs (TSHs), which are school-led centres of excellence in professional development, delivering training and support to teachers and school leaders at every stage of their career. The 87 TSHs cover all of England, with 31 hubs currently serving 146 coastal areas across England.</p><p> </p><p>Regarding recruitment targets, simply looking at post-graduate Initial Teacher Training (PGITT) recruitment as an indicator of broader teacher recruitment is misleading as it is not the only route into teaching, nor does it represent the available number of teachers in the workforce. The PGITT target is calculated using the Teacher Workforce Model, which considers a broad range of factors including, but not limited to, projected pupil numbers, historical recruitment performance, teacher retention forecasts, economic factors, and recruitment from other non-ITT related routes such as returners and those teachers that are new to the state-funded schools sector.</p><p> </p><p>Therefore, the PGITT target is not based on the total number of entrants schools’ need, but rather on the forecast residual need after accounting for other non-PGITT inflows, such as undergraduate ITT and returners. The department calculates targets on an annual basis, and if retention and entrants from other routes are higher than expected during the time that trainees are applying for and completing their course, this can offset the need to meet the PGITT targets in full.</p><p> </p><p>The department will continue to monitor PGITT and other routes into teaching and have provided targeted support to ensure it recruits and retains sufficient numbers of teachers in all key subjects, including physics and languages.</p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds grouped question UIN 25297 25298 question first answered 15/05/2024 12:29:37 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
	tabling member	4512 label Biography information for Caroline Ansell

1716459

	registered interest
	date	08/05/2024
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Teachers: Recruitment
	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 increase recruitment of teachers of (a) physics, (b) modern foreign languages and (c) other specialist subjects.
	tabling member constituency	Eastbourne
	tabling member printed	Caroline Ansell
	uin	25297
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/05/2024 answer text <p>The department currently has the highest number of teachers on record, with over 468,000 full-time equivalent teachers in state-funded schools in England. This represents an increase of 27,000 (6%) since the School Workforce Census began in 2010.</p><p> </p><p>The department knows there is further to go to improve recruitment in some subjects. That is why the department has put in place a range of measures, including bursaries worth £28,000 tax-free and scholarships worth £30,000 tax-free, to encourage talented trainees to key subjects such as mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing. For language subjects, the department is offering bursaries worth £25,000 tax-free and scholarships worth £27,000 tax-free in French, German and Spanish. The department is also continuing to offer bursaries and scholarships to all non-UK national trainees in physics and languages. The Initial Teacher Training (ITT) financial incentives package for the 2024/25 recruitment cycle is worth up to £196 million, which is a £15 million increase on the last cycle.</p><p> </p><p>For the 2024/25 and 2025/26 academic years, the department is doubling the rates of the Levelling Up Premium to up to £6,000 after tax for mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing teachers in the first five years of their careers who choose to work in disadvantaged schools, including in Education Investment Areas. As of 2023, 69% of secondary or special schools in coastal towns are eligible for the Levelling Up Premium, compared to 59% of schools elsewhere in the country. This will support both recruitment and retention of specialist teachers in these subjects and in the schools and areas that need them most.</p><p> </p><p>Coastal communities are also well served by the department’s network of Teaching School Hubs (TSHs), which are school-led centres of excellence in professional development, delivering training and support to teachers and school leaders at every stage of their career. The 87 TSHs cover all of England, with 31 hubs currently serving 146 coastal areas across England.</p><p> </p><p>Regarding recruitment targets, simply looking at post-graduate Initial Teacher Training (PGITT) recruitment as an indicator of broader teacher recruitment is misleading as it is not the only route into teaching, nor does it represent the available number of teachers in the workforce. The PGITT target is calculated using the Teacher Workforce Model, which considers a broad range of factors including, but not limited to, projected pupil numbers, historical recruitment performance, teacher retention forecasts, economic factors, and recruitment from other non-ITT related routes such as returners and those teachers that are new to the state-funded schools sector.</p><p> </p><p>Therefore, the PGITT target is not based on the total number of entrants schools’ need, but rather on the forecast residual need after accounting for other non-PGITT inflows, such as undergraduate ITT and returners. The department calculates targets on an annual basis, and if retention and entrants from other routes are higher than expected during the time that trainees are applying for and completing their course, this can offset the need to meet the PGITT targets in full.</p><p> </p><p>The department will continue to monitor PGITT and other routes into teaching and have provided targeted support to ensure it recruits and retains sufficient numbers of teachers in all key subjects, including physics and languages.</p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds grouped question UIN 25293 25298 question first answered 15/05/2024 12:29:37 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
	tabling member	4512 label Biography information for Caroline Ansell

1716462

	registered interest
	date	08/05/2024
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Teachers: Recruitment
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she expects to meet recruitment targets for (a) physics and (b) modern foreign languages at secondary school level.
	tabling member constituency	Eastbourne
	tabling member printed	Caroline Ansell
	uin	25298
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/05/2024 answer text <p>The department currently has the highest number of teachers on record, with over 468,000 full-time equivalent teachers in state-funded schools in England. This represents an increase of 27,000 (6%) since the School Workforce Census began in 2010.</p><p> </p><p>The department knows there is further to go to improve recruitment in some subjects. That is why the department has put in place a range of measures, including bursaries worth £28,000 tax-free and scholarships worth £30,000 tax-free, to encourage talented trainees to key subjects such as mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing. For language subjects, the department is offering bursaries worth £25,000 tax-free and scholarships worth £27,000 tax-free in French, German and Spanish. The department is also continuing to offer bursaries and scholarships to all non-UK national trainees in physics and languages. The Initial Teacher Training (ITT) financial incentives package for the 2024/25 recruitment cycle is worth up to £196 million, which is a £15 million increase on the last cycle.</p><p> </p><p>For the 2024/25 and 2025/26 academic years, the department is doubling the rates of the Levelling Up Premium to up to £6,000 after tax for mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing teachers in the first five years of their careers who choose to work in disadvantaged schools, including in Education Investment Areas. As of 2023, 69% of secondary or special schools in coastal towns are eligible for the Levelling Up Premium, compared to 59% of schools elsewhere in the country. This will support both recruitment and retention of specialist teachers in these subjects and in the schools and areas that need them most.</p><p> </p><p>Coastal communities are also well served by the department’s network of Teaching School Hubs (TSHs), which are school-led centres of excellence in professional development, delivering training and support to teachers and school leaders at every stage of their career. The 87 TSHs cover all of England, with 31 hubs currently serving 146 coastal areas across England.</p><p> </p><p>Regarding recruitment targets, simply looking at post-graduate Initial Teacher Training (PGITT) recruitment as an indicator of broader teacher recruitment is misleading as it is not the only route into teaching, nor does it represent the available number of teachers in the workforce. The PGITT target is calculated using the Teacher Workforce Model, which considers a broad range of factors including, but not limited to, projected pupil numbers, historical recruitment performance, teacher retention forecasts, economic factors, and recruitment from other non-ITT related routes such as returners and those teachers that are new to the state-funded schools sector.</p><p> </p><p>Therefore, the PGITT target is not based on the total number of entrants schools’ need, but rather on the forecast residual need after accounting for other non-PGITT inflows, such as undergraduate ITT and returners. The department calculates targets on an annual basis, and if retention and entrants from other routes are higher than expected during the time that trainees are applying for and completing their course, this can offset the need to meet the PGITT targets in full.</p><p> </p><p>The department will continue to monitor PGITT and other routes into teaching and have provided targeted support to ensure it recruits and retains sufficient numbers of teachers in all key subjects, including physics and languages.</p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds grouped question UIN 25293 25297 question first answered 15/05/2024 12:29:38 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
	tabling member	4512 label Biography information for Caroline Ansell

1716542

	registered interest
	date	08/05/2024
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	School Libraries: Primary Education
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of primary schools had a dedicated (a) school library and (b) librarian in (i) 2010, (ii) 2023 and (iii) May 2024.
	tabling member constituency	Hornsey and Wood Green
	tabling member printed	Catherine West
	uin	25303
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/05/2024 answer text <p>The department believes that all pupils deserve to be taught a knowledge-rich curriculum that promotes the extensive reading of books and other texts, both in and out of school. School libraries complement public libraries in allowing pupils to do this.</p><p> </p><p>It is for individual schools to decide how best to provide and maintain a library service for their pupils, including whether to employ a qualified librarian. Overall school funding is increasing by more than £2.9 billion in the 2024/25 academic year compared to the 2023/24 academic year, taking the total to £60.7 billion, which is the highest ever level in real terms per pupil. Many headteachers recognise the important role school libraries play in improving literacy and encouraging pupils to read for pleasure and ensure that suitable library facilities are provided. School libraries can take many forms, with some schools preferring to make books a focus in other ways, including housing them within classrooms.</p><p> </p><p>The department’s Reading Framework, updated in July 2023, offers non-statutory guidance for teachers and school leaders, including helpful guidance for schools on how to organise their school library, book corner or book stock to make reading accessible and attractive to readers. Given this autonomy, the department does not collect information on the number of school libraries.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds grouped question UIN 25304 25305 25306 25407 question first answered 15/05/2024 12:46:23 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
	tabling member	4523 label Biography information for Catherine West

1716543

	registered interest
	date	08/05/2024
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	School Libraries: Hornsey and Wood Green
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of primary schools in Hornsey and Wood Green constituency had a dedicated (a) school library and (b) librarian in (i) 2010, (ii) 2023 and (iii) May 2024.
	tabling member constituency	Hornsey and Wood Green
	tabling member printed	Catherine West
	uin	25304
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/05/2024 answer text <p>The department believes that all pupils deserve to be taught a knowledge-rich curriculum that promotes the extensive reading of books and other texts, both in and out of school. School libraries complement public libraries in allowing pupils to do this.</p><p> </p><p>It is for individual schools to decide how best to provide and maintain a library service for their pupils, including whether to employ a qualified librarian. Overall school funding is increasing by more than £2.9 billion in the 2024/25 academic year compared to the 2023/24 academic year, taking the total to £60.7 billion, which is the highest ever level in real terms per pupil. Many headteachers recognise the important role school libraries play in improving literacy and encouraging pupils to read for pleasure and ensure that suitable library facilities are provided. School libraries can take many forms, with some schools preferring to make books a focus in other ways, including housing them within classrooms.</p><p> </p><p>The department’s Reading Framework, updated in July 2023, offers non-statutory guidance for teachers and school leaders, including helpful guidance for schools on how to organise their school library, book corner or book stock to make reading accessible and attractive to readers. Given this autonomy, the department does not collect information on the number of school libraries.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds grouped question UIN 25303 25305 25306 25407 question first answered 15/05/2024 12:46:23 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
	tabling member	4523 label Biography information for Catherine West