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1353291

	registered interest
	date	07/09/2021
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Schools: Coronavirus
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance he is providing to schools to ensure levels of covid-19 infection do not increase as pupils return to classrooms in the autumn 2021 term; and what the guidance is on the use of face coverings in classrooms.
	tabling member constituency	York Central
	tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
	uin	44385
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/09/2021 answer text <p>The government has made it a national priority to minimise disruption to education so that nurseries, schools and colleges should continue to operate as normally as possible during the COVID-19 outbreak. That is why bubbles are no longer recommended, children no longer need to self-isolate if identified as a contact of a positive case, schools are no longer expected to undertake contact tracing, and those 12 and over are being offered the COVID-19 vaccine. As per the department’s guidance, schools should keep good hygiene measures in place, keep spaces well ventilated and follow public health advice on testing, self-isolation and managing confirmed cases.</p><p>Operational guidance for nurseries, schools and colleges provides further detail on the testing, ventilation and hygiene measures that should be in place from the start of the autumn term to manage transmission of COVID-19 on a day-to-day basis. The contingency framework includes the additional measures that should be included in their contingency plans in case they are advised to take extra steps because of a spike in infections, such as increasing testing and face coverings.</p><p>The department has worked with Public Health England to develop the new thresholds outlined in the contingency framework. These are designed to help nurseries, schools and colleges identify when it might be sensible to seek public health advice. It is advised to take extra action if the number of positive cases substantially increases. Where thresholds are reached, nurseries, schools and colleges should consider reinforcing the measures they already have in place and may consider seeking further public health advice, if concerned.</p><p>Face coverings are no longer recommended in nurseries, schools and colleges but it is expected and recommended that these are worn when travelling on public or dedicated transport. The department’s guidance does not create any legal obligations on pupils, students and staff. Nurseries, schools and colleges should continue to conduct risk assessments for their particular circumstances and take appropriate action in line with the control measures.</p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker question first answered 20/09/2021 16:53:54 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
	tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1354492

	registered interest
	date	10/09/2021
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Education: York
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate has has made of the number (a) secondary and (b) primary school-aged children who were not enrolled for education in a school or home setting in York in (i) September 2019 and (ii) September 2021.
	tabling member constituency	York Central
	tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
	uin	46998
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/09/2021 answer text <p>The department does not collect numbers of children missing education; this information is held by local authorities.</p><p>Local authorities have a duty to make arrangements to enable them to establish, as far as it is possible to do so, the identities of children in their area who are of compulsory school age but are not registered pupils at a school and are not receiving suitable education otherwise than at a school.</p><p>The department remains committed to a registration system for children not in school. Further details on a proposed registration system will be in the government response to the children not in school consultation, which we intend to publish in the coming months.</p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker question first answered 20/09/2021 15:36:13 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
	tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1354590

	registered interest
	date	10/09/2021
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Children: Broadband and ICT
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate he has made of how many and what proportion of (a) primary and (b) secondary school children have access to (i) IT equipment and (ii) broadband (A) in York and (B) nationally.
	tabling member constituency	York Central
	tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
	uin	47004
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/09/2021 answer text <p>Ofcom runs an annual survey which publishes data on children’s access to technology, available here: <a href="https://www.ofcom.org.uk/research-and-data/media-literacy-research/childrens" target="_blank">https://www.ofcom.org.uk/research-and-data/media-literacy-research/childrens</a>. This data informed the Department for Education’s COVID-19 response through the Get Help with Technology programme.</p><p>The department has invested over £400 million to support access to remote education and online social care. Over 1.35 million laptops and tablets have been distributed to schools, colleges, academy trusts and local authorities, supporting disadvantaged children and young people who would not otherwise have access to a digital device.</p><p>The department has provided support for over 110,000 families to get online through uplifts in mobile data and 4G wireless routers. This included partnering with the UK’s leading mobile operators to provide free data to help over 33,000 disadvantaged children get online and delivering over 77,000 4G wireless routers for pupils without connection at home.</p><p>The department has recently announced new funding to support schools and colleges in providing internet access for disadvantaged pupils whose face-to-face education is disrupted during the autumn term. We have continued to enable ordering of 4G wireless routers for pupils without internet access.</p><p>The department supports the role of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) in leading digital inclusion across government. We are working closely with DCMS to improve broadband connections in schools. DCMS has powers to address some affordability issues for some telecoms services.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker grouped question UIN 47005 47006 question first answered 20/09/2021 16:27:39 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
	tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1354593

	registered interest
	date	10/09/2021
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Pupils: ICT and Internet
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate he has made of the proportion of (a) primary school and (b) secondary school pupils who have access to (a) IT and (b) internet outside of school.
	tabling member constituency	York Central
	tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
	uin	47005
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/09/2021 answer text <p>Ofcom runs an annual survey which publishes data on children’s access to technology, available here: <a href="https://www.ofcom.org.uk/research-and-data/media-literacy-research/childrens" target="_blank">https://www.ofcom.org.uk/research-and-data/media-literacy-research/childrens</a>. This data informed the Department for Education’s COVID-19 response through the Get Help with Technology programme.</p><p>The department has invested over £400 million to support access to remote education and online social care. Over 1.35 million laptops and tablets have been distributed to schools, colleges, academy trusts and local authorities, supporting disadvantaged children and young people who would not otherwise have access to a digital device.</p><p>The department has provided support for over 110,000 families to get online through uplifts in mobile data and 4G wireless routers. This included partnering with the UK’s leading mobile operators to provide free data to help over 33,000 disadvantaged children get online and delivering over 77,000 4G wireless routers for pupils without connection at home.</p><p>The department has recently announced new funding to support schools and colleges in providing internet access for disadvantaged pupils whose face-to-face education is disrupted during the autumn term. We have continued to enable ordering of 4G wireless routers for pupils without internet access.</p><p>The department supports the role of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) in leading digital inclusion across government. We are working closely with DCMS to improve broadband connections in schools. DCMS has powers to address some affordability issues for some telecoms services.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker grouped question UIN 47004 47006 question first answered 20/09/2021 16:27:39 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
	tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1354596

	registered interest
	date	10/09/2021
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Pupils: ICT and Internet
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he take steps to ensure that all pupils at (a) primary and (b) secondary school have access (i) home IT equipment and (ii) an internet connection.
	tabling member constituency	York Central
	tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
	uin	47006
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/09/2021 answer text <p>Ofcom runs an annual survey which publishes data on children’s access to technology, available here: <a href="https://www.ofcom.org.uk/research-and-data/media-literacy-research/childrens" target="_blank">https://www.ofcom.org.uk/research-and-data/media-literacy-research/childrens</a>. This data informed the Department for Education’s COVID-19 response through the Get Help with Technology programme.</p><p>The department has invested over £400 million to support access to remote education and online social care. Over 1.35 million laptops and tablets have been distributed to schools, colleges, academy trusts and local authorities, supporting disadvantaged children and young people who would not otherwise have access to a digital device.</p><p>The department has provided support for over 110,000 families to get online through uplifts in mobile data and 4G wireless routers. This included partnering with the UK’s leading mobile operators to provide free data to help over 33,000 disadvantaged children get online and delivering over 77,000 4G wireless routers for pupils without connection at home.</p><p>The department has recently announced new funding to support schools and colleges in providing internet access for disadvantaged pupils whose face-to-face education is disrupted during the autumn term. We have continued to enable ordering of 4G wireless routers for pupils without internet access.</p><p>The department supports the role of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) in leading digital inclusion across government. We are working closely with DCMS to improve broadband connections in schools. DCMS has powers to address some affordability issues for some telecoms services.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker grouped question UIN 47004 47005 question first answered 20/09/2021 16:27:39 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
	tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1354599

	registered interest
	date	10/09/2021
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Holiday Play Schemes: York
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the number of pupils engaged with (a) academic teaching and (b) enrichment activities as part of the 2021 summer school activity programme in York.
	tabling member constituency	York Central
	tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
	uin	47008
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/09/2021 answer text <p>In total, over 2,800 secondary schools in England signed up to the participate in the summer schools’ programme. This is 74% of all eligible mainstream secondary schools and it means that over 500,000 pupils will have been invited to take part. The aims were to help recover education lost as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak and to give pupils the confidence they needed to start the new academic year.</p><p>Through the £200 million made available by the government, schools have been able to fund provision based on the needs of their pupils. Summer schools needed to offer a blend of both academic and enrichment activities, although the precise proportions of each and the detail of the programme were for schools to decide.</p><p>As part of the government’s commitment to developing a long term education recovery plan, understanding the effectiveness and success of the 2021 summer schools programme is a key priority for the department. We have designed and released a research study to help us to better understand the perceived impact of summer schools on both children’s wellbeing, transition to secondary school, and academic recovery. An independent research agency will carry out the analysis and reporting of this important research for the department. Substantive figures will be available in October and a full evaluation will be published on gov.uk.</p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker question first answered 21/09/2021 16:32:49 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
	tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1354860

	registered interest
	date	13/09/2021
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Schools: Coronavirus
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on recording absence from school as authorised in the event that eligible children are required to isolate following a covid-19 vaccination.
	tabling member constituency	St Albans
	tabling member printed	Daisy Cooper
	uin	48364
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/09/2021 answer text <p>Children aged 12 to 15 in England will now be offered one dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, following advice from the four UK Chief Medical Officers. Vaccinating children should help to reduce the need for pupils to have time off school and reduce the risk of spread of COVID-19 within schools.</p><p>When a child is not well enough to not attend their school or college, as usual this may be recorded as authorised absence due to illness.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker question first answered 23/09/2021 15:20:51 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
	tabling member	4769 label Biography information for Daisy Cooper

1355023

	registered interest
	date	13/09/2021
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	GCSE: Private Education
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate his Department has made of the cost of applications for private candidates taking GCSEs.
	tabling member constituency	Hendon
	tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
	uin	48205
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/09/2021 answer text <p>The department does not routinely collect information relating to the cost to private candidates of sitting GCSE examinations at a school, college or other examination centre.</p><p>In 2021, in light of the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak, GCSE grades were determined by teachers via Teacher Assessed Grades. The department is therefore providing an exceptional grant to centres of £200 per private candidate entry to support centres with the particular additional requirements of assessing private candidates in 2021. This is to avoid the cost being passed on to candidates who have not been taught alongside a wider cohort, so that private candidates could access qualifications at a similar cost to a normal exam year.</p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker question first answered 20/09/2021 16:34:30 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
	tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1355029

	registered interest
	date	13/09/2021
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Home Education
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate his Department has made of the number of children who are being home-schooled in England.
	tabling member constituency	Hendon
	tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
	uin	48206
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/09/2021 answer text <p>The department does not collect data on children who are home educated. We are aware of the rising number of home-educated children.</p><p>The department supports the right of parents to educate their children at home. Most do so with the best education of their child at the centre of their decision. The rising numbers of home educated children cannot be overlooked. For some parents, the child’s education is not the primary reason behind the decision to home educate, which can mean that some children are not being provided with a suitable education.</p><p>The government remains committed to a form of registration system for children not in school. Further details on this will be in the government response to the ‘Children Not in School’ consultation, which the department will publish in coming months.</p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker question first answered 24/09/2021 14:11:08 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
	tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1355284

	registered interest
	date	14/09/2021
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Assessments: Fees and Charges
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a fund for parents and guardians of home-schooled children to receive remuneration for the costs of (a) GCSE and (b) A level examination fees.
	tabling member constituency	Hendon
	tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
	uin	49100
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/09/2021 answer text <p>The department recognises the choice of parents and guardians to home educate their children. For most children, particularly the most vulnerable, we are clear that school is the best place for their education. Our guidance on elective home education highlights that parents/carers who home educate will need to assume full financial responsibility for their child’s education. This includes paying for the cost of entering their child for examinations. Some local authorities may provide financial or other assistance to home-educating families for public examinations, but this is discretionary.</p><p>In 2021, in light of the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak, GCSE grades were determined by teachers (Teacher Assessed Grades). To support centres with the additional requirements of assessing private candidates in 2021, the department provided an exceptional grant to centres of £200 per private candidate entry. This funding aimed to avoid these additional costs being passed on to private candidates, so that they could access qualifications at a similar cost to a normal exam year.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker question first answered 22/09/2021 16:31:39 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
	tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord