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1693161

registered interest
date	04/03/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	UK Council for International Student Affairs: Finance
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what current funding they provide for the UK Council for International Student Affairs to provide support for international students, and what assessment they have made of the sufficiency of this funding following the recent changes to immigration rules.
tabling member printed	Lord Bilimoria
uin	HL2979
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/03/2024 answer text <p>The department has provided a 3 year grant to support the work of the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) for international students in England.</p><p>The government remains committed to the ambitions set out in the International Education Strategy, including the aim to host 600,000 international students in the UK per year by 2030. The department is proud to have met this ambition two years running. The department’s offer to international students remains very competitive and the department is committed to ensuring the UK remains a destination of choice for international students from across the globe.</p><p>​Universities offer a range of dedicated support to their international students before they arrive in the UK, on arrival and during their studies. Organisations such as UKCISA and the British Council continue to provide information to international students entering the UK.</p> answering member printed Baroness Barran question first answered 15/03/2024 13:16:11 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran
tabling member	3809 label Biography information for Lord Bilimoria

1693197

registered interest
date	04/03/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Religion: Education
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has issued recent guidance to schools on the proportion of their funding that should be allocated to the teaching of (a) religious education and (b) other subjects.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	16686
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/03/2024 answer text <p>This year, core school funding will total over £57.7 billion, which is an increase of £3.9 billion compared to the 2022/23 financial year. All schools have the freedom to choose how to spend their core funding according to their own unique circumstances and priorities, providing that all expenditure ultimately benefits their students. The department does not provide specific funding for religious education; it is for schools to decide the allocation of resources across different subject areas.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds question first answered 11/03/2024 14:30:30 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1693200

registered interest
date	04/03/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Religion: Education
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 consistency in the standards of teaching of religious education in schools.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	16687
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/03/2024 answer text <p>Religious education (RE) is an important part of a school’s curriculum and can contribute to a young person’s personal, social, and academic development. When taught well, the subject develops children’s knowledge of British values and traditions, helps them to better understand those of other countries, and refines pupils’ ability to construct well-informed, balanced and structured arguments.</p><p>The department is offering a £10,000 bursary for RE trainee teachers that are starting initial teacher training courses in the 2024/25 academic year, with the aim to incentivise greater numbers of post-graduates to apply and increase the pipeline of RE specialists.</p><p>To support teachers when they are in post, and to ensure high standards and consistency of RE teaching, RE resources are currently being procured by Oak National Academy during the second tranche of its work. Oak will work closely with the sector and utilise sector experience when producing new materials for RE. This will ensure that high-quality lessons are available nationwide, benefitting both teachers and pupils, should schools opt to use them. Oak RE resources will be available for teaching from autumn 2024, with full packages expected to be available by autumn 2025.</p><p>The department also continues to offer eight week subject knowledge enhancement (SKE) courses in the 2022/23 academic year for candidates who have the potential to become outstanding teachers but need to increase their subject knowledge. The eight week SKE course, available in RE, can be undertaken on a full-time or part-time basis but must be completed before qualified teacher status can be recommended and awarded. Eligible candidates could be entitled to a SKE bursary of £175 per week to support them financially whilst completing their SKE course.</p><p>More information on these courses is available here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/subject-knowledge-enhancement-an-introduction" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/guidance/subject-knowledge-enhancement-an-introduction</a>.</p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds question first answered 11/03/2024 14:20:56 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1693211

registered interest
date	04/03/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Further Education: Special Educational Needs
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make it her policy to provide free access to further education for people with SEND.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	16691
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/03/2024 answer text <p>Most young people legally residing in England will be eligible for 16 to 19 study programme funding. Additionally, students aged 19 to 24 who have an Education, Health and Care plan are also eligible for young people’s funding from the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA). Full details are set out in the ‘funding guidance for young people 2023 to 2024’, which is available at: <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1178949/16_to_19_funding_guidance_Regulations_2023_to_2024-Version_1.01.pdf" target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1178949/16_to_19_funding_guidance_Regulations_2023_to_2024-Version_1.01.pdf</a>.</p><p>The department is continuing to invest in education and skills training for adults through the Adult Education Budget (AEB), worth £1.34 billion this academic year. The AEB fully funds or co-funds skills provision for eligible adults aged 19 and above up to level 3, to help them gain the skills they need for work, life or further learning. This supports disadvantaged learners including those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities.</p><p>Currently, approximately 60% of the AEB is devolved to 9 Mayoral Combined Authorities and the Mayor of London, acting where appropriate through the Greater London Authority. These authorities are responsible for the provision of AEB funded adult education for their residents and the allocation of AEB to providers. The ESFA remains responsible for AEB in non-devolved areas.</p><p>The AEB supports four statutory entitlements to full funding for adult learners, which apply in devolved and non-devolved areas:</p><ul><li>English and maths, up to and including level 2, for individuals aged 19 and over, who have not previously attained a GCSE grade A* to C or grade 4, or higher, and/or:</li><li>First full qualification at level 2 for individuals aged 19 to 23, and/or:</li><li>First full qualification at level 3 for individuals aged 19 to 23.</li><li>Essential digital skills qualifications, up to and including level 1, for individuals aged 19 and over, who have digital skills assessed at below level 1.</li></ul><p>The ESFA funded AEB for learners resident in non-devolved areas also supports colleges and providers to help adult learners to overcome barriers which prevent them from taking part in learning. This includes learner support and learning support. Learning support funding helps providers to meet the additional needs of learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities to meet the costs of reasonable adjustments, as set out in the Equality Act 2010. Support can cover a range of needs, including an assessment for dyslexia, funding to pay for specialist equipment or helpers, and arranging signers or note takers.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Harlow answering member printed Robert Halfon question first answered 07/03/2024 16:32:52 answering member 3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1693212

registered interest
date	04/03/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Apprentices: Special Educational Needs
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to ensure that (a) school leavers and (b) adults with SEND are given prioritised access to apprenticeships.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	16692
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/03/2024 answer text <p>Apprenticeships provide a fantastic opportunity for school leavers and adults with special educational needs and disabilities to acquire the knowledge and skills needed to progress in their chosen careers. So far, in the 2023/24 academic year, 15.9% of all starts were by learners declaring a learning difficulty and/or disability (LDD), an increase from 14.7% for the same period last year. The department is also increasing investment in apprenticeships to £2.7 billion by 2024/25, supporting more employers across the country to recruit new apprentices.</p><p>The department is investing £3.2 million annually in the ‘Apprenticeship Support &amp; Knowledge’ programme, which ensures students in schools and colleges are aware of the benefits of apprenticeships. Young people can also now access apprenticeships vacancies on UCAS, and later this year they will also be able to use the service to apply for apprenticeships.</p><p>The department provides £1,000 to both employers and training providers when they take on apprentices aged under 19, or 19 to 24 year old apprentices who have an Education, Health and Care plan or have been in care. The department also provides additional funding to support those apprentices who require reasonable adjustments to undertake learning.</p><p>As part of the work to remove barriers for people starting an apprenticeship, the department has launched a pilot to consider how the department determines apprentice eligibility for flexibilities to English and maths requirements. The department is also currently delivering another pilot to test whether offering expert support, advice and training to the people providing mentoring to apprentices with a LDD results in a positive impact on the cohort, both in terms of satisfaction and achievement for these apprentices.</p><p>The department will continue to work closely with the Apprenticeship Diversity Network and the Disabled Apprentice Network to better understand and remove barriers so everyone can access the benefits of an apprenticeship.</p> answering member constituency Harlow answering member printed Robert Halfon question first answered 07/03/2024 16:31:33 answering member 3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1693232

registered interest
date	04/03/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Childcare: Special Educational Needs
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 adequacy of the availability of childcare for children with special educational needs in each constituency.
tabling member constituency	Ellesmere Port and Neston
tabling member printed	Justin Madders
uin	16710
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/03/2024 answer text <p>The department recognises the importance of ensuring that local authorities provide sufficient childcare services for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). The department continues to work closely with local authorities to monitor sufficiency of places for children in early years, including for those children with SEND.</p><p>The local authority statutory guidance on early education and childcare sets out a clear requirement that local authorities must report annually to elected council members on how they are meeting their duty to secure sufficient childcare and make this report available and accessible to parents. The statutory guidance is clear that the report should include a specific reference to how they are ensuring sufficient childcare is available to children with SEND.</p><p>The department is introducing Local Area Inclusion Plans (LAIPs) which are 3 year plans that explain how the needs of children and young people with SEND aged 0 to 25 in an area will be met. LAIPs will be monitored and reviewed by the department and be underpinned by strengthened accountabilities and improved use of data for all those responsible for local delivery of places.</p> answering member constituency Wantage answering member printed David Johnston question first answered 22/03/2024 13:46:34 answering member 4761 label Biography information for David Johnston
tabling member	4418 label Biography information for Justin Madders

1693236

registered interest
date	04/03/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Special Educational Needs
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she is taking steps to ensure that children with SEND who have difficulties with the school environment receive a full education.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	16712
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/03/2024 answer text <p>Schools, further education colleges, sixth form colleges and 16-19 academies are required to identify and address the special educational needs (SEN) of the pupils they support and (in mainstream settings) to use their best endeavours to make sure that a child or young person who has SEN gets the support they need.</p><p>The right of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to an education is the same as that for any other pupil. It is important for schools to acknowledge the barriers to attendance are wide and complex, especially for pupils with SEND.</p><p>The department’s expectation for a ‘support approach’ is set out in the working together to improve school attendance guidance which can be accessed here: <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1099677/Working_together_to_improve_school_attendance.pdf" target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1099677/Working_together_to_improve_school_attendance.pdf</a>. This support may include reasonable adjustments for pupils with disabilities or support for pupils for whom mental health issues are affecting their attendance. The guidance states that schools should be mindful of the barriers these pupils face and put additional support in place where necessary to help them access their full-time education. This includes establishing strategies for removing in-school barriers to attendance as well as ensuring joined-up pastoral care is in place with the local authority and other partners. More information on reasonable adjustments can be found here: <a href="https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2023/04/10/what-are-reasonable-adjustments-and-how-do-they-help-disabled-pupils-at-school/" target="_blank">https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2023/04/10/what-are-reasonable-adjustments-and-how-do-they-help-disabled-pupils-at-school/</a>. More information on mental health issues affecting pupils attendance can be found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mental-health-issues-affecting-a-pupils-attendance-guidance-for-schools" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mental-health-issues-affecting-a-pupils-attendance-guidance-for-schools</a>.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Wantage answering member printed David Johnston question first answered 22/03/2024 13:41:45 answering member 4761 label Biography information for David Johnston
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1693237

registered interest
date	04/03/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Alternative Education: Finance
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help support local authorities to provide adequate levels of (a) estate and (b) workforce for alternative provision for children at secondary schools.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	16713
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/03/2024 answer text <p>The department has published over £1.5 billion of high needs provision capital allocations for the 2022/23 and 2023/24 financial years. This funding is allocated to local authorities to support their delivery of new places and improve existing provision for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or who require alternative provision (AP).</p><p> </p><p>This funding forms part of the department’s transformational investment of £2.6 billion in new high needs provision between 2022 and 2025 and is on top of the ongoing departmental delivery of new special and AP free schools. On 6 March 2024, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced 20 successful applications for new AP free schools creating over 1,700 new places.</p><p> </p><p>In the SEND and AP Improvement Plan, published March 2023, the department set out its intention to give AP schools funding stability by requiring local authorities to create and distribute an AP specific budget. This will mean that resources can be targeted and distributed more effectively, supporting AP schools to recruit and retain high-quality staff.</p> answering member constituency Wantage answering member printed David Johnston question first answered 22/03/2024 13:56:43 answering member 4761 label Biography information for David Johnston
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1693253

registered interest
date	04/03/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Department for Education: Publishing
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what reports and guidance her Department has produced in the last three years; and how much was spent on their (a) printing and (b) distribution.
tabling member constituency	Wolverhampton South East
tabling member printed	Pat McFadden
uin	16723
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/03/2024 answer text <p>The information is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds question first answered 11/03/2024 17:14:09 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
tabling member	1587 label Biography information for Pat McFadden

1693283

registered interest
date	04/03/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Families: Social Workers
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 tackle shortages in family social workers.
tabling member constituency	Stockton North
tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
uin	16733
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/03/2024 answer text <p>Social workers play a valuable role in supporting the most vulnerable in society and the department is committed to ensuring there is an excellent child and family social worker for everyone who needs one. The department recognises the ongoing challenge facing local authorities across the country in recruiting and retaining child and family social workers, with reasons for social workers leaving the profession varied and complex.</p><p>On 2 February 2023, the department published the care reform strategy, ‘Stable Homes, Built on Love’, which set out proposals to help stabilise the workforce. This includes supporting the recruitment of up to 461 social worker apprentices, a new Early Career Framework that will set out the development plans for a social worker’s first five years, proposals to reduce the overreliance on agency social workers, and setting up a National Workload Action Group to tackle unnecessary workload drivers which keep social workers away from direct time with children and families.</p><p>Every year, through the department’s fast track and development programmes, the department trains an average of 800 new social workers and provides professional development for around 4,000 others.</p><p>The number of full time equivalent child and family social workers in post at 30 September 2023 was 33,100. This is the highest figure we've seen since gathering this data. The statistics show that the department’s £50 million average yearly investment over this Spending Review on recruitment and training child and family social workers, alongside the hard work of local authorities is generating positive results.</p> answering member constituency Wantage answering member printed David Johnston question first answered 14/03/2024 11:48:15 answering member 4761 label Biography information for David Johnston
tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham