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1312338

registered interest
date	27/04/2021
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Pre-school Education: Fees and Charges
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to ensure that private early years providers do not charge top-up fees to parents entitled to free childcare under the Free Early Education Entitlement.
tabling member constituency	Harlow
tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
uin	188083
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/04/2021 answer text <p>Government funding is intended to deliver 15 or 30 hours a week of free, high quality, flexible childcare for eligible two, three and four year olds across 38 weeks of the year. It is not intended to cover the costs of meals, additional hours or additional services, and providers may charge parents for these.</p><p>Our statutory guidance is clear that local authorities should work with providers to ensure all parents have fair access to a free place, which must be delivered completely free of charge. Providers should not charge parents “top-up” fees (any difference between a provider’s normal charge to parents and the funding they receive from the local authority to deliver free places) or require parents to pay a registration fee as a condition of taking up their child’s free place.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Chelmsford answering member printed Vicky Ford question first answered 29/04/2021 08:39:21 answering member 4674 label Biography information for Vicky Ford
tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1312049

registered interest
date	26/04/2021
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Pupil Exclusions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many pupils were removed from school admissions registers in the most recent academic year for the reason that they were continually absent from school for a period of more than 20 days, under section 8(1)(h) of the amended Education (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2006.
tabling member constituency	Harlow
tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
uin	187197
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/04/2021 answer text <p>It has not proved possible to respond to the right hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 29/04/2021 12:14:27 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1312057

registered interest
date	26/04/2021
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Pupils: Registration
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of primary and secondary school pupils anticipated to re-enrol on the school register in September 2020 re-enrolled on the school register in September 2020.
tabling member constituency	Harlow
tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
uin	187198
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/04/2021 answer text <p>It has not proved possible to respond to the right hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 29/04/2021 12:15:08 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1312058

registered interest
date	26/04/2021
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Pupils: Registration
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 number of children who have dropped off the school register in September 2020.
tabling member constituency	Harlow
tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
uin	187199
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/04/2021 answer text It has not proved possible to respond to the right hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation. answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 29/04/2021 12:13:54 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1311886

registered interest
date	23/04/2021
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Pupil Exclusions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of pupils have been off-rolled from schools in England the last academic year.
tabling member constituency	Harlow
tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
uin	186147
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/04/2021 answer text <p>The information requested is not held by the Department and cannot be estimated from current data sources.</p><p>The Government is clear that off rolling is unacceptable in any form. The Department will continue to work with Ofsted to define and tackle it. Ofsted already considers records of pupils taken off roll and revisions to the framework in September 2019 strengthened the focus on this. Where inspectors find off rolling, this will always be addressed in the inspection report and, where appropriate, could lead to a school’s leadership being judged inadequate.</p><p>A pupil’s name can lawfully be deleted from the admission register only on the grounds prescribed in Regulation 8 of the Education (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2006 as amended. All schools must notify the local authority when a pupil’s name is to be deleted from the admission register under any of the grounds prescribed in regulation 8. This should be done as soon as the ground for removal is met and no later than the time at which the pupil’s name is removed from the register.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb grouped question UIN 186148 question first answered 28/04/2021 12:28:28 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1311887

registered interest
date	23/04/2021
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Pupil Exclusions
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 schools that have off-rolled pupils in England in the last academic year.
tabling member constituency	Harlow
tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
uin	186148
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/04/2021 answer text <p>The information requested is not held by the Department and cannot be estimated from current data sources.</p><p>The Government is clear that off rolling is unacceptable in any form. The Department will continue to work with Ofsted to define and tackle it. Ofsted already considers records of pupils taken off roll and revisions to the framework in September 2019 strengthened the focus on this. Where inspectors find off rolling, this will always be addressed in the inspection report and, where appropriate, could lead to a school’s leadership being judged inadequate.</p><p>A pupil’s name can lawfully be deleted from the admission register only on the grounds prescribed in Regulation 8 of the Education (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2006 as amended. All schools must notify the local authority when a pupil’s name is to be deleted from the admission register under any of the grounds prescribed in regulation 8. This should be done as soon as the ground for removal is met and no later than the time at which the pupil’s name is removed from the register.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb grouped question UIN 186147 question first answered 28/04/2021 12:28:28 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1311576

registered interest
date	22/04/2021
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Supply Teachers: Expenditure
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 proportion of the schools budget spent on supply teachers in England in 2019-20 for which figures are available.
tabling member constituency	Harlow
tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
uin	185853
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/04/2021 answer text <p>The Department publishes annual income and expenditure, including on supply teachers, for local authority-maintained schools and academies.</p><p>Published schools’ Consistent Financial Reporting and Academies’ Accounting Returns are available at the following link: <a href="https://schools-financial-benchmarking.service.gov.uk/Help/DataSources" target="_blank">https://schools-financial-benchmarking.service.gov.uk/Help/DataSources</a>.</p><p>Spending on supply teaching staff comprises the following categories: supply teaching staff, plus supply teacher insurance, plus agency supply teaching staff, minus receipts from supply teacher insurance claims.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 28/04/2021 15:56:44 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1311577

registered interest
date	22/04/2021
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Teachers: Sick Leave
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 level of teacher absence due to sickness in the 2019-20 academic year.
tabling member constituency	Harlow
tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
uin	185854
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/04/2021 answer text <p>The Department collects information on teacher sickness absence from all state funded schools via the School Workforce Census, held in November each year since 2010. Each census collects data for absence from the previous academic year. The latest data available cover the academic year 2018/19.</p><p>Information on the number and rates of teacher sickness absence, published in the ‘School Workforce in England’ statistical publication, is available here: <a href="https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england" target="_blank">https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england</a>.</p><p>To reduce burdens on schools during the COVID-19 outbreak, the return of absence data for the 2019/20 academic year was not required in the 2020 School Workforce Census. Schools will not be asked to submit 2020 census absence data retrospectively in future censuses.</p><p>For the 2020/21 academic year, the Department has published detailed school workforce absence data from 19 January 2021. This data will be included as part of the publication ‘Attendance in education and early years settings during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak’, which is available at: <a href="https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/attendance-in-education-and-early-years-settings-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak" target="_blank">https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/attendance-in-education-and-early-years-settings-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak</a>.</p><p>The data is drawn from the educational setting status form, which was set up to help the Government monitor the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on schools, nurseries and colleges, focus support more effectively and keep children safe.</p><p>The Department plans to return to collecting information on teacher sickness absence in the 2020/21 academic year from all state funded schools via the School Workforce Census, held in November 2021. This data will be released, as per the usual timings, in the summer of 2022.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 28/04/2021 16:58:26 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1311578

registered interest
date	22/04/2021
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, how many schools have claimed Government grant funding for increased infection control and prevention measures.
tabling member constituency	Harlow
tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
uin	185855
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/04/2021 answer text <p>The Department has worked closely with Public Health England (PHE) to develop guidance based on the ‘system of controls’ that are required in schools to effectively reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission. Maintaining enhanced cleaning, including cleaning frequently touched surfaces often, is one element of the system of controls that schools are putting in place to reduce risks.</p><p>The guidance includes information on the enhanced cleaning measures that should be in place in schools and can be found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/schools-coronavirus-covid-19-operational-guidance#system-of-controls" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/schools-coronavirus-covid-19-operational-guidance#system-of-controls</a>.</p><p>PHE has also issued detailed guidance on cleaning in non-healthcare settings, which can be found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-decontamination-in-non-healthcare-settings/covid-19-decontamination-in-non-healthcare-settings" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-decontamination-in-non-healthcare-settings/covid-19-decontamination-in-non-healthcare-settings</a>.</p><p>Implementing the system of controls in line with a wider risk assessment creates an inherently safer environment for staff and pupils. The Department continues to work with PHE to ensure that these measures are based on the latest medical and scientific advice. We have always been clear that we are committed to continuing to update these measures to ensure that we reduce risks as far as possible.</p><p>The Department continues to provide information to the sector on the guidance, and any changes to it, through regular departmental communications. We also continue to work with the sector to understand the impact of the system of controls on staff, pupils, and parents.</p><p>Whilst we do not have a grant specifically for infection control and prevention measures, we have provided additional funding to schools to help them to remain open and safe. Schools have continued to receive their core funding throughout the COVID-19 outbreak, regardless of any periods of reduced attendance, as part of the three-year increase to core funding.</p><p>Through the Exceptional Costs fund, schools were able to claim for three specific categories of additional spend between March to July 2020, including additional cleaning costs required due to confirmed or suspected COVID-19 cases. We have paid schools £138 million for all claims within the published scope of the fund.</p><p>The Department has also made over £100 million available to support secondary schools, colleges, and specialist settings deliver onsite testing, and in doing so, break the chains of transmission of COVID-19 in schools and colleges. The Education and Skills Funding Agency make these payments automatically and retrospectively, with no requirement to make a claim to receive the funding for Test and Trace reported testing.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb grouped question UIN 185856 185857 185858 question first answered 28/04/2021 14:10:55 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1311579

registered interest
date	22/04/2021
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Educational Institutions: Detergents
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that schools and educational care facilities are purchasing high quality disinfection products that are effective in preventing the transmission of covid-19.
tabling member constituency	Harlow
tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
uin	185856
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/04/2021 answer text <p>The Department has worked closely with Public Health England (PHE) to develop guidance based on the ‘system of controls’ that are required in schools to effectively reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission. Maintaining enhanced cleaning, including cleaning frequently touched surfaces often, is one element of the system of controls that schools are putting in place to reduce risks.</p><p>The guidance includes information on the enhanced cleaning measures that should be in place in schools and can be found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/schools-coronavirus-covid-19-operational-guidance#system-of-controls" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/schools-coronavirus-covid-19-operational-guidance#system-of-controls</a>.</p><p>PHE has also issued detailed guidance on cleaning in non-healthcare settings, which can be found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-decontamination-in-non-healthcare-settings/covid-19-decontamination-in-non-healthcare-settings" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-decontamination-in-non-healthcare-settings/covid-19-decontamination-in-non-healthcare-settings</a>.</p><p>Implementing the system of controls in line with a wider risk assessment creates an inherently safer environment for staff and pupils. The Department continues to work with PHE to ensure that these measures are based on the latest medical and scientific advice. We have always been clear that we are committed to continuing to update these measures to ensure that we reduce risks as far as possible.</p><p>The Department continues to provide information to the sector on the guidance, and any changes to it, through regular departmental communications. We also continue to work with the sector to understand the impact of the system of controls on staff, pupils, and parents.</p><p>Whilst we do not have a grant specifically for infection control and prevention measures, we have provided additional funding to schools to help them to remain open and safe. Schools have continued to receive their core funding throughout the COVID-19 outbreak, regardless of any periods of reduced attendance, as part of the three-year increase to core funding.</p><p>Through the Exceptional Costs fund, schools were able to claim for three specific categories of additional spend between March to July 2020, including additional cleaning costs required due to confirmed or suspected COVID-19 cases. We have paid schools £138 million for all claims within the published scope of the fund.</p><p>The Department has also made over £100 million available to support secondary schools, colleges, and specialist settings deliver onsite testing, and in doing so, break the chains of transmission of COVID-19 in schools and colleges. The Education and Skills Funding Agency make these payments automatically and retrospectively, with no requirement to make a claim to receive the funding for Test and Trace reported testing.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb grouped question UIN 185855 185857 185858 question first answered 28/04/2021 14:10:55 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon