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 constituency
tabling member printed
uin
answer	is ministerial correction true false date of answer exactly: or between: and answer text answering member constituency answering member printed grouped question UIN question first answered answering member label
tabling member	label

Search

1713569

registered interest
date	24/04/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Schools: Admissions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the number of (a) primary and (b) secondary school places.
tabling member constituency	Slough
tabling member printed	Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi
uin	23550
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/05/2024 answer text <p>The statutory duty to provide sufficient school places sits with local authorities. The department collects pupil forecasts and school capacity data from local authorities annually through the School Capacity (SCAP) survey. The most recent SCAP data shows a need for 30,000 additional primary places and 40,000 additional secondary places between May 2023 and September 2027.</p><p> </p><p>The department provides capital funding through the Basic Need grant to support local authorities to provide school places, based on the data they provide. The department has announced nearly £1.5 billion to support local authorities to create school places needed over the next three academic years, up to and including the academic year starting September 2026. This funding is on top of the department’s investment in the free schools programme and means the department has now committed Basic Need capital funding of over £14 billion to support the creation of new school places between 2011 and 2026.</p><p> </p><p>The department also engages with local authorities on a regular basis to review their plans for creating additional places and to consider alternatives where necessary. When local authorities are experiencing difficulties, the department supports them to find solutions as quickly as possible.</p><p> </p><p>Between 2010 and 2023, the department supported the creation of 722,000 primary and 466,000 secondary places in response to a substantial increase in pupil numbers. This is the largest increase in school capacity in at least two generations, following a fall of 100,000 places between 2004 and 2010. Many more places are in the pipeline.</p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds question first answered 02/05/2024 16:09:41 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
tabling member	4638 label Biography information for Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi

1698882

registered interest
date	26/03/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	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 review the School Admissions Code.
tabling member constituency	New Forest West
tabling member printed	Sir Desmond Swayne
uin	20490
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/04/2024 answer text <p>The School Admissions Code (the Code) exists to ensure that places in all state-funded schools are allocated in a fair and transparent manner. Admission authorities for all state-funded schools are required to comply with the requirements of the Code and related admissions law.</p><p> </p><p>The latest version of the Code came into force on 1 September 2021. The department keeps the provisions of the Code under review to ensure they continue to remain fit for purpose, however there are currently no plans to change the Code.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds question first answered 16/04/2024 12:43:17 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
tabling member	55 label Biography information for Sir Desmond Swayne

1664046

registered interest
date	13/10/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Schools: Admissions
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 meet the needs of areas where there are increases in demand for school placements at (a) primary and (b) secondary schools.
tabling member constituency	Romford
tabling member printed	Andrew Rosindell
uin	201899
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/10/2023 answer text <p>Local Authorities are responsible for providing enough school places for pupils in their area. The Department provides capital funding through the Basic Need grant to support Local Authorities to provide school places, based on their own pupil forecasts and school capacity data. This funding supports the Government’s priority to ensure that every pupil has the opportunity of a place at a good school, whatever their background.</p><p>The Department has announced a total of £2 billion for places needed for the academic years starting in 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026. This funding is on top of our investment in the Free Schools programme and means the Department has now committed Basic Need capital funding of over £14 billion to support the creation of new school places between 2011 and 2026.</p><p>The Department regularly engages with Local Authorities to review their plans for creating additional places and to consider alternatives where necessary. When Local Authorities are experiencing difficulties, the Department supports them to find solutions as quickly as possible.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 23/10/2023 10:45:47 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	1447 label Biography information for Andrew Rosindell

1650444

registered interest
date	05/07/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Schools: Admissions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support is available to schools with falling pupil numbers.
tabling member constituency	Portsmouth South
tabling member printed	Stephen Morgan
uin	192643
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/07/2023 answer text <p>The Department has now published the National Funding Formula for schools and high needs 2024/25, available here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-funding-formula-for-schools-and-high-needs" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-funding-formula-for-schools-and-high-needs</a>.</p><p>The overall core schools budget will be over £59.6 billion in the 2024/25 financial year, the highest ever level in real terms per pupil in 2024/25, as measured by the independent Institute for Fiscal Studies.</p><p>To support Local Authorities to meet their sufficiency duty, the Department provides them with revenue funding for growth and falling rolls through their Dedicated Schools Grant. The Department has allocated £259 million in Growth and Falling Rolls funding to Local Authorities in 2023/24.</p><p>Local Authorities currently have discretion on whether to operate a falling rolls fund. Any decisions regarding the criteria for, and level of, falling rolls funding which is allocated by the Local Authority must be approved by the Schools Forum.</p><p>The Department is introducing new requirements for growth and falling rolls funding in 2024/25 which will provide Local Authorities with more flexibility to support schools seeing significant declines in pupil numbers, where these places will still be needed within the next three to five years. More information on the changes to growth and falling rolls funding can be found at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-funding-formula-for-schools-and-high-needs" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-funding-formula-for-schools-and-high-needs</a>.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 24/07/2023 16:14:38 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	4653 label Biography information for Stephen Morgan

1645206

registered interest
date	15/06/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	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 recommendation of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child that the UK should prevent the use of religion as a selection criterion for school admission in England.
tabling member printed	Lord Desai
uin	HL8536
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/07/2023 answer text <p>The UK is a signatory of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child’s (UNCRC), and the department will consider carefully the Committee’s recommendations. The government does not always agree with, or implement, UNCRCs recommendations, and there is no requirement to do so.</p><p>Mainstream state-funded schools designated with a religious character, commonly known as faith schools, may choose to give priority for places to applicants on the basis of faith, but only where they are oversubscribed. Where they have places available, they must admit all children who apply without reference to faith. Faith-based oversubscription criteria provide a means to support parents to have their children educated in line with their religious and philosophical beliefs, where they wish to do so.</p><p>Some faith schools only prioritise a proportion of places with reference to faith, and others do not use faith-based criteria at all. Free schools which are designated with a religious character must allocate at least 50% of places without reference to faith, where they are oversubscribed.</p><p>The School Admissions Code exists to ensure that admission arrangements are fair, clear and objective, and is binding on all state mainstream schools, including faith schools. Where anyone is concerned that a school’s admission arrangements are unfair or unlawful, the department encourages them to refer an objection to the independent Schools Adjudicator.</p> answering member printed Baroness Barran question first answered 03/07/2023 11:53:30 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran
tabling member	2699 label Biography information for Lord Desai

1641790

registered interest
date	05/06/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Schools: Admissions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of Basic Need schools funding.
tabling member constituency	Solihull
tabling member printed	Julian Knight
uin	187712
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/06/2023 answer text <p>The Department provides capital funding through the Basic Need grant to support Local Authorities to meet their statutory duty to provide sufficient school places. It is targeted according to expected need, which is calculated using Local Authorities’ own pupil forecasts and school capacity data.</p><p>Nationally, the primary school population grew by 16% between 2009 and 2019. Between 2015 and 2023, the secondary school population grew by 14% and it is expected to peak in 2024. Despite peaking at a national level, the Department expects growth to continue in some parts of the country.</p><p>The Department has now committed Basic Need capital funding of over £14 billion to support the creation of new school places between 2011 and 2026, including a total of almost £2 billion for places needed in 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026. The Department regularly engages with Local Authorities to review their plans for creating additional places and to consider alternatives where necessary. When Local Authorities are experiencing difficulties, the Department supports them to find solutions as quickly as possible.</p><p>Local Authorities, schools and communities have risen to the challenge with the support of the Department’s Basic Need grant and the Free Schools programme. Between May 2010 and May 2022, they have created almost 1.2 million school places, the largest increase in school capacity for at least two generations. Many of these places have been built in schools Ofsted has rated as good or outstanding. For example, between 2020 and 2021, 89% of the new primary places added and 88% of new secondary places were in good or outstanding schools.</p><p>The support provided by the Department meant that, between 2010 and 2023, the average primary class size has remained stable between 26.4 and 27.1 pupils and the average secondary class size remains low at 22.4 pupils, despite the increase in pupil numbers.</p><p>Additionally, in 2022, 92.2% of families received an offer of a place at their highest preference primary school and 83.3% of families received an offer of a place at their highest preference secondary school.</p><p>The number of pupils in places that exceed their school’s capacity is down by around 40% since 2010, from over 97,000 in May 2010 to 59,000 in May 2022.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 13/06/2023 15:53:08 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	4410 label Biography information for Julian Knight

1609708

registered interest
date	14/04/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	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 take steps to ban school admissions policies that require women to dress modestly.
tabling member constituency	Reigate
tabling member printed	Crispin Blunt
uin	179841
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/04/2023 answer text <p>Like all other mainstream state funded schools, schools designated with a religious character, commonly known as faith schools, must admit all children who apply, without reference to faith, where there are places available. Where they are oversubscribed, they may give priority for places to applicants on the basis of faith. No parent is required to provide information on their membership or practice of the faith when applying to a faith school, although they may not then be eligible for priority under any faith oversubscription criteria.</p><p>The Department does not intend to remove faith schools’ ability to set faith-based oversubscription criteria. Faith-based oversubscription criteria provide a means to support parents to have their children educated in line with their religious and philosophical beliefs, where they wish to do so.</p><p>The admission authority of a faith school is responsible for setting their admission arrangements and deciding whether or not to use faith-based oversubscription criteria.</p><p>The Department issues the statutory School Admissions Code which applies to all mainstream state funded schools, including faith schools, and places requirements on admission authorities about their arrangements and what they may ask from parents as part of the admissions process. The Code also signposts other relevant laws which admission authorities must comply with, including the Human Rights Act 1998.</p><p>In constructing any faith oversubscription criteria, a faith school’s admission authority must have regard to any guidance from the body or person representing the religion or religious denomination, to the extent that the guidance complies with the Code. They must also consult with the religious body when deciding how membership or practice of the faith is to be demonstrated. Ultimately, the admission authority must ensure its arrangements comply with the Code and other relevant legislation, including the Human Rights Act 1998 and the Equality Act 2010.</p><p>Anyone who is concerned that a school’s admission arrangements are unfair or unlawful is encouraged to refer an objection to the independent Schools Adjudicator, whose decision is binding and enforceable. The Government does not routinely make an assessment of the impact of individual faith schools’ admissions criteria. All legislation, including admissions law, must be compatible with equalities and human rights law.</p><p>The Department has no current plans to introduce more specific requirements for faith school admissions beyond those already set out in law. The Department routinely considers reports and guidance from stakeholders and other bodies, such as the report issued by the National Secular Society. All such information helps to inform future policy development.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb grouped question UIN 179842 179843 179844 179845 question first answered 24/04/2023 15:00:01 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	104 label Biography information for Crispin Blunt

1600120

registered interest
date	28/02/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	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 cost to families of seeking a special school place through the court system.
tabling member printed	Baroness Eaton
uin	HL5982
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/03/2023 answer text <p>It is free for families to appeal to the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Tribunal when seeking a special school place or a local council decision not to grant an education, health and care (EHC) plan.</p><p>Throughout the SEND and Alternative Provision (AP) Green Paper consultation, families told the department how stressful and lengthy the Tribunal process can be. The SEND and AP Improvement Plan, published on 2 March 2023, sets out the response to the consultation feedback the department received and the next steps we will take in delivering vital reform for children and young people.</p><p>This includes our intention for a new national SEND and AP system, underpinned by national standards, to improve early identification of needs and set clear expectations for the types of evidence-based support that should be available in mainstream settings. Our objective is to ensure that all children's additional needs are met effectively and quickly within affordable provision, reducing the need for an EHC plan and, where an EHC plan is needed, to ensure that parents do not endure lengthy and adversarial processes to secure one.</p><p> </p><p><strong><br> </strong></p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Barran grouped question UIN HL5983 question first answered 14/03/2023 16:52:43 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran
tabling member	4184 label Biography information for Baroness Eaton

1582065

registered interest
date	30/01/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Schools: Admissions
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 secure school places for children without guardians.
tabling member constituency	Rotherham
tabling member printed	Sarah Champion
uin	135353
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/02/2023 answer text <p>Children without guardians are among the most vulnerable in our society. The department knows that the vast majority of children taken into local authority care have experienced abuse or neglect and therefore require additional support. Wherever possible, they should be admitted to the school which is best able to meet their needs.</p><p>For this reason, school admission authorities have been required to give looked after children highest priority in their admission arrangements since 2007, and these children should be placed in good or outstanding schools.</p><p>The School Admissions Code also requires each local authority to have a Fair Access Protocol in place to ensure that any unplaced and vulnerable children are allocated a school place as quickly as possible. It also gives local authorities the power to direct the admission authority for any maintained school in England (other than a school for which they are the admissions authority) to admit a child who is looked after by the local authority, even when the school is full.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Surrey answering member printed Claire Coutinho question first answered 10/02/2023 11:26:06 answering member 4806 label Biography information for Claire Coutinho
tabling member	4267 label Biography information for Sarah Champion

1549187

registered interest
date	06/12/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Schools: Admissions
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government how many non-grammar schools select pupils by a written test.
tabling member printed	Lord Storey
uin	HL4074
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/12/2022 answer text <p>The department does not collect data on which schools, permitted by law, select pupils by aptitude or ability via a written test.</p><p>Selection tests can lawfully form part of any selective school’s admission arrangements. The School Admissions Code requires tests to ‘be clear, objective, and [to] give an accurate reflection of the child’s ability or aptitude, irrespective of sex, race, or disability’, but it does not require them to be independently moderated. The School Admissions Code can be found at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-admissions-code--2" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-admissions-code--2</a>.</p><p>In many cases, tests will be purchased from commercial providers and will be marked by them, although that is not a legal requirement.</p> answering member printed Baroness Barran grouped question UIN HL4075 question first answered 12/12/2022 17:19:11 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran
tabling member	4238 label Biography information for Lord Storey