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1131383

	registered interest
	date	11/06/2019
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Department for Education: Empty Property
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will publish the name and location of the land and buildings owned by his Department that is (a) sitting empty and (b) in the process of being sold or disposed of; and if he will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Harrow West
	tabling member printed	Gareth Thomas
	uin	263032
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/06/2019 answer text <p>Within the free school programme, if a freehold site is deemed surplus for educational use, the department commission LocatED, a government–owned property company, to market the asset, which includes posting on to the central database of Central Government Civil Estate properties and land. The department has a freehold of the Grade II listed Old Admiralty Building in London. This building is currently empty because the department is undertaking an extensive refurbishment of the building. In early 2020, the freehold will transfer to the Government Property Agency. All other departmental office premises are leasehold buildings, in which we are a tenant.</p> answering member constituency Guildford answering member printed Anne Milton question first answered 21/06/2019 13:43:04 answering member 1523 label Biography information for Anne Milton previous answer version 124016 answering member constituency Guildford answering member printed Anne Milton answering member 1523 label Biography information for Anne Milton
	tabling member	177 label Biography information for Gareth Thomas

1136022

	registered interest
	date	01/07/2019
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Department for Education: Credit Unions
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department offers employees a payroll deduction service to enable staff to join a credit union; and if he will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Harrow West
	tabling member printed	Gareth Thomas
	uin	271327
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/07/2019 answer text <p>Although the department does not offer employees a specific payroll deduction service to enable staff to join a credit union, we offer consolidated voluntary deductions from pay for subscriptions and premiums as well as a Give As You Earn scheme to enable employees to make tax-free donations to charities through payroll.</p> answering member constituency Guildford answering member printed Anne Milton question first answered 09/07/2019 15:07:54 answering member 1523 label Biography information for Anne Milton
	tabling member	177 label Biography information for Gareth Thomas

1140573

	registered interest
	date	19/07/2019
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Department for Education: Credit Unions
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 9 July 2019 to Question 271327, for what reasons his Department does not offer a payroll deduction service to enable employees to join a credit union; and if he will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Harrow West
	tabling member printed	Gareth Thomas
	uin	279363
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/07/2019 answer text <p>The department does not have the facility to allow staff to join a credit union through payroll deductions. This is because our employees have access to many other means of support including: arrangements to contribute to a credit union via direct debit; the opportunity to request salary advances; season ticket loans; and a tenancy rental deposit scheme. The department also encourages staff to make use of the Employee Assistance Programme to access support and advice on financial management where required.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Stratford-on-Avon answering member printed Nadhim Zahawi question first answered 24/07/2019 11:25:27 answering member 4113 label Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi
	tabling member	177 label Biography information for Gareth Thomas

1141800

	registered interest
	date	24/07/2019
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Primary Education: Harrow
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what representations he has received from (a) Harrow council and (b) other stakeholders on the financial costs incurred by Harrow Council as a result of the need to urgently move the location of Pinner Wood Primary School; and if he will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Harrow West
	tabling member printed	Gareth Thomas
	uin	281559
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/09/2019 answer text <p>Harrow Borough Council officers contacted the Department’s officials in March 2017 when the issue of the temporary relocation of Pinner Wood Primary School occurred. The Department has received letters of support from my right hon. Friend, the Member for Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner and my hon. Friend, the Member for Harrow East. No further exchanges have taken place with other parties.</p><p>The safety of pupils and staff is paramount, and Harrow Borough Council acted promptly and properly in discharging their statutory responsibilities for health and safety by moving the school to alternative accommodation.</p><p>Harrow Borough Council have submitted a request for funding to reimburse them for the costs incurred. As Pinner Wood Primary School is a local authority-maintained school, responsibility for maintenance and capital works rests with Harrow Borough Council. Harrow Borough Council receive capital funding through the School Condition Allocation to meet capital needs of their school estate, including the funding of emergency situations. Unexpected capital projects do arise occasionally, and we would normally expect local authorities to reprioritise spending plans wherever possible to address them.</p><p>The Department recognises the exceptional nature of this case. Officials are revisiting the details of the request and are committed to securing a contribution towards the temporary accommodation and transportation costs. We will notify Harrow Borough Council promptly as soon as this process is completed.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 04/09/2019 16:46:33 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
	tabling member	177 label Biography information for Gareth Thomas

1147611

	registered interest
	date	01/10/2019
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Department for Education: Jainism
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will invite representatives of the Jain community to national events organised by his Department; and if he will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Harrow West
	tabling member printed	Gareth Thomas
	uin	292813
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/10/2019 answer text <p>Britain's Jain community makes a positive contribution to life in this country. This Government values its contribution immensely.</p><p>The Government is always keen to work with the Jain community on matters that are important to them, and we will continue to do so.</p> answering member constituency Chippenham answering member printed Michelle Donelan question first answered 08/10/2019 13:06:47 answering member 4530 label Biography information for Michelle Donelan
	tabling member	177 label Biography information for Gareth Thomas

1150934

	registered interest
	date	21/10/2019
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Languages: After School Clubs
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he will allocate funding to the teaching of (a) Gujarati, (b) Farsi, (c) Punjabi and (d) Urdu at clubs taking place (i) at the weekend and (ii) after school; and if he will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Harrow West
	tabling member printed	Gareth Thomas
	uin	2645
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/10/2019 answer text <p>Studying a foreign language can be extremely rewarding. Languages provide an insight into other cultures and can open the door to travel and employment opportunities. They can also broaden pupils’ horizons, helping them flourish in new environments.</p><p>This is why the Department made languages compulsory at Key Stage 2, and also why languages, including community languages, are included in the English Baccalaureate.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 28/10/2019 17:48:14 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
	tabling member	177 label Biography information for Gareth Thomas

1151373

	registered interest
	date	22/10/2019
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Department for Education: Jainism and Zoroastrianism
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when representatives of the (a) Jain and (b) Zoroastrian community were invited to national events organised by his Department in each of the last two years.
	tabling member constituency	Harrow West
	tabling member printed	Gareth Thomas
	uin	3526
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/10/2019 answer text <p>The information requested is not held centrally as each event is handled on a case by case basis.</p><p>The government is committed to working with all communities and ensuring that the full breadth and diversity is represented. The Jain and Zoroastrian communities of this country have made and continue to make a positive contribution to life in the United Kingdom. The government values this contribution enormously.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Kingswood answering member printed Chris Skidmore question first answered 28/10/2019 14:09:45 answering member 4021 label Biography information for Chris Skidmore
	tabling member	177 label Biography information for Gareth Thomas

1151987

	registered interest
	date	23/10/2019
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Gujarati Language: GCE A-level
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many people took A-level Gujurati in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Harrow West
	tabling member printed	Gareth Thomas
	uin	4247
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/10/2019 answer text <p>For the last five academic years for which data is available (2013/14 - 2017/18), the number of students who have a recorded grade between A* and E for A-Level Gujarati is shown in the table below.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Academic Year<sup>1</sup></strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Student<sup>2</sup> count with A*-E grade</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2013/14</strong></p></td><td><p>10</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2014/15</strong></p></td><td><p>11</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2015/16</strong></p></td><td><p>9</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2016/17</strong></p></td><td><p>6</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2017/18</strong></p></td><td><p>6</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>Notes:</p><p><sup>1</sup> Final versions of the data was used for each academic year and includes all schools and colleges in England;</p><p><sup>2</sup> Covers students aged 16 to 18 at the beginning of the academic year, i.e. 31 August.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 28/10/2019 17:48:19 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
	tabling member	177 label Biography information for Gareth Thomas

1172931

	registered interest
	date	23/01/2020
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Mathematics and Science: Teachers
	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 vacancies for permanent science and maths teachers at high schools in London; what steps he is taking to fill those vacancies; and if he will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Harrow West
	tabling member printed	Gareth Thomas
	uin	7096
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/01/2020 answer text <p>The Department’s latest statistics show that in London in 2018, there were 87 unfilled or temporarily filled full-time classroom teacher vacancies in science (including biology, physics, chemistry, computer science, general science and other science) and 55 full-time classroom teacher vacancies in mathematics. This is a 15% decrease in the number of vacancies in science and an 11% decrease in the number of vacancies in mathematics compared to 2017.</p><p>It is a top priority of the Department to ensure there are excellent teachers for every child which is why we launched the Teacher Recruitment and Retention Strategy last year. We understand the challenge of filling vacancies is not just of recruitment, but it is also of retaining the teachers we do have. The Teacher Recruitment and Retention Strategy includes the biggest teaching reform in a generation, the Early Career Framework (ECF). The ECF provides new teachers across all subjects with the solid foundations for a successful career in teaching, backed by £130 million a year in funding when fully rolled out in 2021.</p><p>As the economy improves, we know that the demand for talented graduates increases. To put teaching on a par with the top graduate professions, we have committed to plans to raise starting salaries for new teachers to £30,000 by 2022-23.</p><p>The Department understands that recruitment and retention challenges are more pronounced in some subjects than others, which is why we have targeted initiatives aiming to improve recruitment and retention in our priority subjects – including physics, chemistry, biology, computing and mathematics.</p><p>We have announced tax-free bursaries of £26,000 for physics, chemistry, biology, computing and mathematics trainees with a 2:2 or higher starting their teacher training 2020-21. Teachers in physics, chemistry and mathematics will also receive three early-career payments totalling £6,000 spread across years two, three and four of teaching.</p><p>The Department is also offering prestigious scholarship schemes to those starting their teacher training in 2020-21 for priority subjects including mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing. These scholarships are delivered in partnership with professional bodies and successful scholars will receive a bursary of £28,000 tax-free, as well as the same early-career payments as those who receive a bursary. All successful scholars will also receive a package of support provided by the professional bodies including free membership, resources and early career support.</p><p>In addition to this, the Department has set aside £30 million in tailored support for schools struggling with teacher recruitment and retention. This support is designed to help schools improve existing recruitment and retention plans, join national programmes, build local partnerships or fund new initiatives. 27 schools in London are currently receiving this support.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 31/01/2020 14:38:34 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
	tabling member	177 label Biography information for Gareth Thomas

1181976

	registered interest
	date	02/03/2020
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Teachers: Vacancies
	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 teacher vacancies in the subject areas of (a) foreign languages, (b) computing, (c) science and (d) economics; and if he will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Harrow West
	tabling member printed	Gareth Thomas
	uin	23645
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/03/2020 answer text <p>Information on the number of unfilled or temporarily filled teacher vacancies in state-funded secondary schools by subject area is shown in Table 15 of the publication, ‘School workforce in England: November 2018’, which is available here:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/school-workforce-in-england-november-2018" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/school-workforce-in-england-november-2018</a>.</p><p>Information on vacancies by subject area is not available for other school phases.</p><p>The teacher vacancy rate continues to be low at 0.3%. However, there are no great schools without great teachers, and the Government wants to ensure that teaching remains an attractive and rewarding profession. In 2019, we launched the Department’s Teacher Recruitment and Retention Strategy to ensure that we have enough teachers to deliver excellent teaching for every child, particularly as the economy improves, pupil numbers grow and the demand for talented graduates increases.</p><p>The Recruitment and Retention Strategy sets out our priorities to attract and retain the most talented and able teachers in the profession. This includes transforming support for early career teachers through the Early Career Framework, backed by up to £130 million in funding once fully rolled out. Early career teachers will experience improved support across their first two years of teaching once the Early Career Framework is rolled out nationally from September 2021.</p><p>The strategy sets out how the Department is developing clearer career pathways for teachers, is taking steps to support flexible working, and is helping school leaders establish more supportive school cultures with a new Ofsted framework designed to reduce teacher workload. We will also make it easier for great people to join the profession, through introducing a new one-stop application system.</p><p>In 2019, the Department launched the Teaching Vacancies service to make it easier for schools to promote vacancies. The Teaching Vacancies website is now available for all publicly funded schools in England to use. Over two-thirds of publicly funded schools in England have signed up to use this free, online service.</p><p>Last autumn, the Government set out plans to raise teachers’ starting salaries to £30,000 by September 2022, ensuring that the teacher pay offer is positioned at the top of the graduate labour market.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 10/03/2020 16:19:32 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
	tabling member	177 label Biography information for Gareth Thomas