The government recognises that this academic year has been incredibly difficult for students. As a result of these exceptional circumstances, some students are facing financial hardship. Students experiencing financial hardship as a result of COVID-19 or for other reasons should contact their higher education (HE) provider.<\/p>
<\/p>
We have made an additional £85 million of student hardship funding available to HE providers in the 2020/21 academic year. Providers have flexibility in how they distribute the funding to their students, in a way that best prioritises those in greatest need.<\/p>
This is in addition to the £256 million of government-funded student premium funding already available to HE providers to draw on towards student hardship funds for the 2020/21 academic year.<\/p>
We know that not all students will face financial hardship. The current measures aim to target support for students in greatest need and the government continues to monitor the situation to look at what impact this funding is having.<\/p>
<\/p>
Undergraduate students undertaking work placement years with private employers receive a reduced-rate non-means tested loan for living costs from Student Finance England, on the expectation that the private employer who benefits from the student\u2019s work should provide support for the student rather than the taxpayer.<\/p>
<\/p>
The government, however, makes an exception for many work placements in the public sector by making available the full-rate partially means-tested loan for living costs package to encourage students to gain work experience in these areas. This ensures that low-income students undertaking working placements in the public sector receive targeted support through the student support system.<\/p>
<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4530", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Michelle Donelan"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Chippenham"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Michelle Donelan"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2021-06-14", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "groupedQuestionUIN" : {"_value" : "10704"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2021-06-14T14:44:10.52Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "60"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Education"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Education"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2021-06-04", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Students: Unpaid Work"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment has been made of the effect of the increase in students undertaking unpaid work placement years.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4843", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for James Grundy"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Leigh"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "James Grundy"} ], "uin" : "10703"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1329814", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Education"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1329814/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
The government recognises that this academic year has been incredibly difficult for students. As a result of these exceptional circumstances, some students are facing financial hardship. Students experiencing financial hardship as a result of COVID-19 or for other reasons should contact their higher education (HE) provider.<\/p>
<\/p>
We have made an additional £85 million of student hardship funding available to HE providers in the 2020/21 academic year. Providers have flexibility in how they distribute the funding to their students, in a way that best prioritises those in greatest need.<\/p>
This is in addition to the £256 million of government-funded student premium funding already available to HE providers to draw on towards student hardship funds for the 2020/21 academic year.<\/p>
We know that not all students will face financial hardship. The current measures aim to target support for students in greatest need and the government continues to monitor the situation to look at what impact this funding is having.<\/p>
<\/p>
Undergraduate students undertaking work placement years with private employers receive a reduced-rate non-means tested loan for living costs from Student Finance England, on the expectation that the private employer who benefits from the student\u2019s work should provide support for the student rather than the taxpayer.<\/p>
<\/p>
The government, however, makes an exception for many work placements in the public sector by making available the full-rate partially means-tested loan for living costs package to encourage students to gain work experience in these areas. This ensures that low-income students undertaking working placements in the public sector receive targeted support through the student support system.<\/p>
<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4530", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Michelle Donelan"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Chippenham"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Michelle Donelan"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2021-06-14", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "groupedQuestionUIN" : {"_value" : "10703"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2021-06-14T14:44:10.57Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "60"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Education"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Education"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2021-06-04", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Work Experience: Finance"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Department is taking to support students experiencing financial difficulty who wish to undertake an unpaid placement year at university.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4843", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for James Grundy"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Leigh"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "James Grundy"} ], "uin" : "10704"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1288956", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Education"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1288956/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
To support the return to college of all students from 8 March, the department has worked closely with Public Health England to develop and refresh the system of controls for education settings to reduce and mitigate the risk of transmission of COVID-19. New measures include asymptomatic testing and recommending the increased use of face coverings.<\/p>
In addition, to prepare for return, colleges should update their risk assessments and ensure they are implementing the system of controls, this includes assessing the risks particular to their setting and provision.<\/p>
For those students whose courses are more vocational in nature (for example, for courses that require close contact, require access to specialist equipment or are taught in non-traditional classroom environments such as workshops), the further education COVID-19 guidance sets out additional steps and considerations colleges can take, details of which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-maintaining-further-education-provision<\/a>. Colleges are advised to put greater emphasis on the other measures outlined in the systems of controls, such as increased use of face coverings, increased ventilation, in addition to the use of screens or barriers and follow the relevant working safely during COVID-19 guidance to reduce the risk of transmission, details of the guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/working-safely-during-coronavirus-covid-19<\/a>.<\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4680", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Gillian Keegan"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Chichester"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Gillian Keegan"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2021-03-03", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2021-03-03T11:55:02.623Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "60"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Education"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Education"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2021-02-23", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Vocational Education: Coronavirus"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what progress he is making on plans for the safe return of students on heavily vocational BTEC courses to colleges.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4843", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for James Grundy"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Leigh"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "James Grundy"}
], "uin" : "157331"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1109745", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Education"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1109745/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " The quality of further education (FE) provision is assessed by Ofsted under their published inspection framework. Currently the 3 major FE colleges in Wigan local authority area, including Leigh, are rated by Ofsted as Outstanding or Good for Overall Effectiveness.<\/p> <\/p> In July 2015, the government announced a rolling programme of around 40 local area reviews, to be completed by March 2017, covering all FE colleges in England. The reviews were designed to ensure that colleges are financially stable into the long term, that they are run efficiently, and are well-positioned to meet the present and future needs of individual students and the demands of employers. In November 2016, the Greater Manchester Area Review report was published at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/greater-manchester-further-education-area-review-report<\/a>. This review did not recommend the need for any significant structural changes for further education provision in the Wigan area.<\/p> <\/p> The new \u2018College Oversight: Support and Intervention\u2019 document, <\/em>which was published at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/college-oversight-support-and-intervention<\/a> on 1 April 2019, sets out how we will work with FE colleges to identify financial and quality issues early. It sets out the support and advice available to colleges when they need it from the FE Commissioner and the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA), who assess financial and quality issues on an ongoing basis. This support includes the potential for FE Commissioner-led local provision reviews, the need for which may arise from a number of challenges that affect a college and/or further education provision in a local area, such as:<\/p> <\/p> The ESFA works with local authorities where there are concerns about gaps in suitable and accessible local FE provision for young people. Local authorities have broad duties to encourage, enable and assist young people to participate in education or training, including to secure sufficient suitable education and training provision for all young people in their area who are over compulsory school age but under 19 or aged 19 to 25 and for whom an Education, Health and Care plan is maintained, as set out at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/participation-of-young-people-education-employment-and-training<\/a>. A concern has not been formally raised to ESFA by Wigan local authority in respect of adequacy of further education provision in Leigh.<\/p> <\/p> From August 2019, responsibility for the funding and adequacy of adult FE provision for residents in Wigan (including Leigh) will pass to Greater Manchester Combined Authority under devolution arrangements.<\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1523", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Anne Milton"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Guildford"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Anne Milton"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2019-04-09", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2019-04-09T09:58:43.673Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "60"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Education"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Education"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2019-04-04", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Further Education: Leigh"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of further education provision in Leigh constituency.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4673", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Jo Platt"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Leigh"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Jo Platt"}
], "uin" : "241095"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1105167", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Education"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1105167/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " The Public Health Outcomes Framework is a comprehensive source of data at local authority unitary, county and district level on the extent to which local strategies are successful and effective in improving outcomes for children in the early years. It is available at the following link: https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/profile/public-health-outcomes-framework<\/a>.<\/p>