Show Search Form

Search Results

registered interest	true false
date	exactly: or between: and
answering body
answering dept id
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name
hansard heading
house id
legislature	pref label
question text
tabling member printed
uin
answer	is ministerial correction true false date of answer exactly: or between: and answer text answering member printed question first answered answering member label attachment file name title
tabling member	label

Search

1716635

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	Overseas Students: China
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that Chinese students in UK universities, particularly those who are linked to China's military, are properly vetted and do not pose a threat to activists and people from Hong Kong based in UK universities who are campaigning against the actions of China and the Chinese Communist Party.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL4440
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/05/2024 answer text <p>Higher education (HE) in the UK is recognised as world class and attracting the brightest students from around the world is good for UK universities. However, the government takes seriously any concerns about overseas interference in the UK’s HE sector. The department continually assesses potential threats, and takes the protection of individuals’ rights, freedoms and safety in the UK very seriously.</p><p> </p><p>Any attempt by a foreign power to intimidate, harass or harm individuals or communities in the UK will not be tolerated. The National Security Act (2023) brings together vital new measures to protect the UK’s national security. The Foreign Influence Registration Scheme (FIRS) has been created to tackle covert influence in the UK.</p><p> </p><p>The Defending Democracy Taskforce is reviewing the UK’s approach to transnational repression to ensure that there is a robust and joined up response across government and law enforcement.</p><p> </p><p>The Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023 will ensure that universities in England have the tools they need to deal with interference with, and threats to, freedom of speech and academic freedom wherever they originate.</p> answering member printed Baroness Barran question first answered 22/05/2024 15:39:30 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1716678

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	Faith Schools: Admissions
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the findings from their consultation on lifting the cap on faith-based admissions in religious free schools; and the possible socio-economic impacts of lifting the cap.
tabling member printed	Baroness Whitaker
uin	HL4494
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/05/2024 answer text <p>The consultation was launched on 1 May 2024 and will run for seven weeks, closing on 20 June 2024.</p><p> </p><p>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> </p><p>The government’s response will be published on the GOV.UK website within 12 weeks following closure of the consultation.</p><p><strong><br> </strong></p> answering member printed Baroness Barran question first answered 20/05/2024 15:24:28 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran
tabling member	2510 label Biography information for Baroness Whitaker

1715710

registered interest
date	02/05/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Sure Start Programme
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Barran on 29 April (HL3846), what plans they have to (1) roll out Family Hubs to the remaining 242 local authorities, and (2) sustain the funding for the Family Hubs programme beyond 2025.
tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of Leicester
uin	HL4339
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/05/2024 answer text <p>The department is currently investing around £300 million in 75 local authorities, half of all upper tier local authorities in England, to transform to a Family Hub model. Funding has been targeted to the most deprived local authorities, ensuring families get the support they need.</p><p>The department has also invested in a £12 million transformation fund to open Family Hubs in 13 additional local authorities in England.</p><p>All 88 local authorities now have opened at least one Family Hub, with over 400 government-funded Family Hub sites now open across the country.</p><p> </p><p>Further funding for the current programmes is dependent on future fiscal events. It was confirmed at Spring Budget that the next spending review will come after a General Election, the timing of which is still to be determined.</p><p>The government would like to see Family Hubs across the country, but it is crucial that the department now focuses on delivering well in these local authorities and building the evidence base.</p> answering member printed Baroness Barran question first answered 17/05/2024 13:57:10 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran
tabling member	4947 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of Leicester

1715743

registered interest
date	02/05/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Childcare
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to make provision in England which is similar to the Childcare Offer for Wales, and whether they have had discussions with the Welsh Government in that regard.
tabling member printed	Baroness Smith of Llanfaes
uin	HL4361
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/05/2024 answer text <p>Through the English government’s transformative childcare reforms, the department will expect to be spending in excess of £8 billion every year on free hours and early education, helping working families with their childcare costs. This represents the single biggest investment in childcare in England ever.  The childcare expansion is being rolled out in phases, with over 210,000 children now benefitting since the launch of the first phase in April. The next stage in September 2024 will extend this to children aged from 9 months. By September 2025, eligible working parents will be able to access 30 hours of free childcare from the term after their child turns 9-months-old to when they start school.</p><p> </p><p>As such, there are currently no plans to introduce the Welsh style childcare provision in England. Education and the entitlement to free childcare for pre-school children in Wales is devolved to the Welsh Assembly. We engage routinely with the Welsh government and other devolved administrations at ministerial and official levels to learn from each other to improve early years outcomes across the UK.</p> answering member printed Baroness Barran question first answered 17/05/2024 13:56:46 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran
tabling member	5023 label Biography information for Baroness Smith of Llanfaes

1715427

registered interest
date	01/05/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	T-Levels: Student Wastage
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government how many students have dropped out of T Levels since 2020; and what percentage of those enrolling have dropped out.
tabling member printed	Lord Hunt of Kings Heath
uin	HL4283
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/05/2024 answer text <p>The department’s recently published 2023/24 T Level Action Plan outlines the developments and next steps for T Levels. It also includes the latest student data for the programme. It shows that 5,321 students began their T Level in 2021/22. In summer 2023, 3,592 of those students were retained (68%), and 3,510 were retained and assessed (66%). Similar statistics for students that began their T Level in 2020/21 are not published. Further data about T Levels, as well as details of the methodology used in the above data can be found in the T Level Action Plan Analytical Annex, which is attached.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Barran question first answered 14/05/2024 15:27:05 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran attachment 1 file name HL4283 attachment - T Level Action Plan.pdf title HL4283 - T Level Action Plan Analytical Annex
tabling member	2024 label Biography information for Lord Hunt of Kings Heath

1715428

registered interest
date	01/05/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Qualifications
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that applied general qualifications are still available to students in future.
tabling member printed	Lord Hunt of Kings Heath
uin	HL4284
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/05/2024 answer text <p>The aim of the department’s Post-16 Qualifications reform at level 3 and below is to streamline the qualifications landscape, simplify choices for students, and only fund qualifications that are high-quality and lead to good progression outcomes. By ensuring that approved qualifications meet new, more rigorous criteria, young people can be confident that they will be able to progress to university and higher technical education, and directly into apprenticeships and skilled employment. It will place world class A levels and T Levels at the heart of level 3 study programmes for 16 to 19 year olds, and link other technical qualifications directly with occupational standards which have been designed by employers. Students studying these qualifications can be confident that they are gaining the skills, knowledge and behaviours needed for future jobs.</p><p> </p><p>In the new post-16 qualification landscape, students will continue to have a range of options available to them at level 3, in addition to A levels and T Levels, there will be new technical occupational qualifications (TOQs) and Alternative Academic Qualifications (AAQs).</p><p> </p><p>Where occupational standards are not covered by a T Level, the department is allowing TOQs to be developed, where students can continue to study areas currently covered by applied general qualifications (AGQs), such as travel consultant, highways electrician, and personal trainer, to list a few. The key distinction here is that they will be based on employer led occupational standards, unlike current AGQs.</p><p> </p><p>On the academic side, current AGQs will be replaced by AAQs. There will be new small AAQs in a range of strategically important subjects such as science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and those supporting entry into NHS careers. These qualifications are an important part of how the department will support diverse student needs and deliver skills required by the economy. Small AAQs can be studied alongside A levels as part of mixed academic programme. The department will also fund large AAQs in areas that A levels and T Levels cover less well such as performing arts and sport. AAQs must demonstrate a clear link to related higher education (HE) courses and will be assessed by the department against the new funding approval criteria.</p><p> </p><p>The department knows that students who take A levels have better outcomes overall in terms of progressing into, and staying in, HE than those who study AGQs. This is supported by the evidence, which shows that students progressing to HE with alternatives to A levels, such as AGQs, generally experience worse outcomes than their peers taking A levels, even after controlling for differences in background characteristics. Current AGQs also provide very mixed outcomes for students.</p><p> </p><p>The qualification reforms also include reforming level 2 qualifications to ensure they are high-quality, have clear purposes, and lead to better outcomes, either supporting progression to reformed level 3 study, for example via the T Level Foundation Year, or directly into skilled employment in occupations at level 2 or via apprenticeships. This means that studying a reformed level 2 qualification will lead to better long-term outcomes than studying a poor-quality level 3 qualification.</p> answering member printed Baroness Barran question first answered 14/05/2024 15:26:46 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran
tabling member	2024 label Biography information for Lord Hunt of Kings Heath

1715429

registered interest
date	01/05/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	T-levels
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what research they have undertaken into (1) reasons for the dropout rate for T Levels, (2) why only 8 per cent of students taking foundation level T Levels progress to full T levels, and (3) whether T Levels or BTECs provide a more appropriate preparation for employment in different skill areas.
tabling member printed	Lord Hunt of Kings Heath
uin	HL4285
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/05/2024 answer text <p>As relatively new qualifications, retention rates on T Levels may be expected to fluctuate. The department is keen to understand the reasons behind students dropping out of their T Level programme and have undertaken a range of research. This has included discussing the issue in routine conversations with further education (FE) providers and holding workshops with a variety of providers to explore further the reasons for students dropping out of specific T Levels. The department has also reviewed data from the Individualised Learner Record and school census to identify patterns in students dropping out of T Levels, and examined responses to the Technical Education Learner Survey (2021 and 2022) to understand student motivations for dropping out. Links to these surveys can be found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/technical-education-learner-survey" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/technical-education-learner-survey</a>, and <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/technical-education-learner-survey-2022" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/technical-education-learner-survey-2022</a>. The department has also spoken to Awarding Organisations to discuss student retention on T Levels.</p><p> </p><p>The T Level Foundation Year is the first step on a 3-year path to achieving a T Level, for those who need it. The programme is supporting good progression to level 3 destinations in its first two years, compared with other level 2 courses. Reasons why more students are not progressing onto T Levels may include not meeting providers’ entry criteria and the early cohorts being impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The T Level Foundation Year is still early in its rollout and the department will monitor outcomes as the programme continues to roll out and funding is removed from level 3 qualifications that overlap with T Levels. Research by the National Foundation for Education Research and the Technical Education Learner Surveys provide information on the early cohorts. This research can be found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/research-on-early-delivery-of-the-t-level-transition-programme" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/research-on-early-delivery-of-the-t-level-transition-programme</a>. The department is undertaking further research with providers to identify good practice and success factors in supporting progression to T Levels.</p><p> </p><p>Lord Sainsbury’s report on technical education defined the skills areas suitable for T Levels, drawing on analysis of relevant apprenticeship standards, existing taught qualifications, and labour market information. All T Levels are based on the same employer-led occupational standards as apprenticeships, and these standards were led by, and updated with, employers. That means that employers and young people can be confident in these new qualifications. This is not consistently the case with the large qualifications they are replacing, which often do not support a young person to enter the sector they thought the qualification was preparing them for. For example, in the latest data for health and social care qualifications only 9% of those who complete worked in ‘Health and social care’ the following year. This data can be found here: <a href="https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/detailed-destinations-of-16-to-18-year-olds-in-further-education" target="_blank">https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/detailed-destinations-of-16-to-18-year-olds-in-further-education</a>. T Levels will not be the only technical qualification available in the future landscape. Where there are occupational standards at level 3, but no T Level, the department is allowing technical qualifications to be developed, which will allow students to continue to study areas currently covered by applied general qualifications such as travel consultant, highways electrician, and personal trainer, to list a few. The key distinction here is that they will be based on employer led occupational standards, unlike the current applied general qualifications. The department will also allow for large alternative academic qualifications in areas not well served by A levels or T levels and where an academic pathway is required, such as performing arts and sport.</p> answering member printed Baroness Barran question first answered 14/05/2024 15:26:35 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran
tabling member	2024 label Biography information for Lord Hunt of Kings Heath

1715442

registered interest
date	01/05/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Artificial Intelligence: Languages
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have made an assessment of the impact of emerging artificial intelligence capacities on the necessity for foreign language learning.
tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of St Albans
uin	HL4303
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/05/2024 answer text <p>Studying a language can be extremely rewarding and exciting for children and young people. It can provide insight into other cultures and open the door to travel and employment opportunities. Whilst Artificial Intelligence (AI) can be useful in enhancing the experience of learning a language, and this should be explored further, it should not be seen as a replacement.</p><p> </p><p>The department wants to capitalise on the opportunities technology like AI presents for education, as well as addressing its risks and challenges. Responses to the call for evidence on generative AI in education highlighted the potential for this technology in generating language exercises and conversational prompts, for example. Language learning was one of the use cases tested as part of the department's Generative AI Hackathon project. The report of this project is due to be published shortly. The most important thing for a high-quality education is having a human expert teacher in the classroom. The emergence of this technology does not change that.</p> answering member printed Baroness Barran question first answered 09/05/2024 15:58:56 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran
tabling member	4308 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of St Albans

1715456

registered interest
date	01/05/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Overseas Students
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have received from UK universities proposing the relaxation of restrictions for overseas students, such as rules relating to their employment in the UK after graduation.
tabling member printed	Lord Wigley
uin	HL4317
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/05/2024 answer text <p>The government seeks to ensure that the UK has a fair and robust migration policy whilst maintaining the UK’s place as a top destination for the best and brightest students from around the world. The UK has four universities in the top 10, and 17 in the top 100. The UK has a highly sought after higher education (HE) experience, which is respected by students across the globe.</p><p> </p><p>The government recognises the significant economic and cultural contribution that international students make to the UK’s HE sector and their positive impact on society as a whole.</p><p> </p><p>Ministers and departmental officials regularly engage with the HE sector on a range of issues, including on international students.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Barran question first answered 14/05/2024 15:27:48 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran
tabling member	547 label Biography information for Lord Wigley

1715057

registered interest
date	30/04/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	German Language: GCSE
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government how many pupils took German as a GCSE in (1) 2019, (2) 2020, (3) 2021, (4) 2022, and (5) 2023.
tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of St Albans
uin	HL4238
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/05/2024 answer text <p>The requested data can be found in the tables below</p><p><br> <strong>Total number of pupils entering GCSE French, German, and Russian </strong><br><strong> Coverage: England (all schools) </strong><br><strong> Academic years: 2018/19 to 2022/23</strong></p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p>2018/19</p></td><td><p>2019/20</p></td><td><p>2020/21</p></td><td><p>2021/22</p></td><td><p>2022/23</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>French</strong></p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p>123,497</p></td><td><p>124,942</p></td><td><p>125,069</p></td><td><p>124,707</p></td><td><p>125,447</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>German</strong></p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p>41,544</p></td><td><p>40,859</p></td><td><p>37,114</p></td><td><p>35,552</p></td><td><p>33,570</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Russian</strong></p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p>1,353</p></td><td><p>1,621</p></td><td><p>1,448</p></td><td><p>1,944</p></td><td><p>2,590</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p><br> (1) All schools include state-funded schools, independent schools, independent special schools, non-maintained special schools, hospital schools, pupil referral units and alternative provision. Alternative provision includes academy and free school alternative provision</p><p>(2) Discounting has been applied where pupils have taken the same subject more than once. In 2021/22, with the return of the exam series, first entry rules were reintroduced for discounting. Further information can be found in the secondary accountability guidance. For more on the discounting methodology read the Discounting and Early Entry Guidance</p><p>(3) Total number of entries include pupils who were absent, whose results are pending and results which are ungraded or unclassified</p><p>(4) Figures include attempts and achievements by these pupils in previous academic years where discounting has been applied</p><p>(5) In 2017, new reformed GCSEs (which use the 9-1 grade scale) were introduced into secondary school performance tables in a phased approach. Unreformed subjects continued to be graded using the A* to G system. From 2020 onwards all GCSEs are now reformed and use the 9-1 grading scale. <br> (6) For pupils at the end of KS4 in 2022/23, where pupils achieved qualifications in subjects between January 2020 and August 2021, we will not use results from these qualifications and these results are shown as covid impacted. The entries into the qualifications are still counted.</p><p><br> <br> <strong>Total number of pupils entering A level French, German, and Russian </strong><br><strong> Coverage: England </strong><br><strong> Academic years: 2018/19 to 2022/23</strong></p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p>2018/19</p></td><td><p>2019/20</p></td><td><p>2020/21</p></td><td><p>2021/22</p></td><td><p>2022/23</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>French</p></td><td><p>7,386</p></td><td><p>7,408</p></td><td><p>7,393</p></td><td><p>7,151</p></td><td><p>6,308</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>German</p></td><td><p>2,707</p></td><td><p>2,651</p></td><td><p>2,446</p></td><td><p>2,521</p></td><td><p>2,119</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Russian</p></td><td><p>693</p></td><td><p>652</p></td><td><p>596</p></td><td><p>405</p></td><td><p>621</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p><br> (1) Includes students triggered for inclusion in performance tables who completed A levels during 16-18 study, after discounting of exams. Includes pending awards</p><p>(2) A change to the trigger rules was introduced in 2020/21 such that students were no longer automatically reported after two years in 16-18 study. The introduction caused a fall in cohort size, particular within the vocational and technical cohorts. A full impact analysis can be found in the methodology document (https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/methodology/a-level-and-other-16-to-18-results).</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Barran question first answered 09/05/2024 16:19:49 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran
tabling member	4308 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of St Albans