The government recognises a key part of raising the standard of education for all children is to ensure they receive a good level of development in literacy and numeracy before they start school. The government has taken the following steps to ensure children are developing good early language skills before they reach primary school:<\/p>
<\/p>
<\/p>
<\/p>
The Early Years Foundation Stage sets the prime areas of learning which early years providers must follow. This includes a focus on communication and language. The Early Years Foundation Stage requires providers to understand the needs of every child and support them as necessary to make progress. The Early Years Foundation stage is available online at:<\/p>
<\/p>
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/335504/EYFS_framework_from_1_September_2014__with_clarification_note.pdf<\/a><\/p> <\/p> <\/p> <\/p> The numeracy and literacy skills of staff working with our youngest children are key to supporting children\u2019s progression. We have improved early years qualifications and encouraged high-quality entrants with good numeracy and literacy skills into the profession through setting clear criteria for level 3 training courses and introducing early years initial teacher training.<\/p> <\/p> <\/p> <\/p> The government has invested over £50 million funding through the Early Years Pupil premium, an additional £5.3 million to sector organisations under the VCS grants and a one off grant of £5 million to teaching schools and their childcare provider partners to support staff development. Many of the projects funded through departmental grants are supporting staff to develop strong pedagogical approaches to language development and early literacy.<\/p> <\/p> <\/p> <\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/3980", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Mr Sam Gyimah"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "East Surrey"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Mr Sam Gyimah"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2015-09-16", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2015-09-16T14:12:34.183Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "60"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Education"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Education"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2015-09-11", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Pre-school Education"}
, "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 her Department is taking to ensure that children develop good early language skills before they reach primary school.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4122", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Alex Cunningham"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Stockton North"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Alex Cunningham"}
], "uin" : "9973"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/418412", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Education"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/418412/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " All local authorities in England have a legal duty to ensure all three- and four-year-olds and the most disadvantaged two-year-olds are able to take up a funded early education place free of charge. Each eligible child is entitled to 570 hours of free early learning a year, equivalent to 15 hours a week of early education for 38 weeks per year. Settings delivering the funded early education entitlement are subject to inspection by Ofsted.<\/p> <\/p> <\/p> <\/p> The early years pupil premium, which was introduced in April this year, provides nurseries and schools delivering the early education entitlement for three- and four-year-old children with an extra 53p an hour for each eligible child to help them raise the quality of their setting and so close the gap in school readiness between disadvantaged children and their peers. The Government has made £50 million available for the early years pupil premium in 2015-16.<\/p> <\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/3980", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Mr Sam Gyimah"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "East Surrey"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Mr Sam Gyimah"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2015-09-16", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2015-09-16T14:15:00.547Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "60"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Education"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Education"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2015-09-11", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Childcare: Disadvantaged"}
, "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 her Department is taking to ensure that disadvantaged children have access to good quality childcare.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4122", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Alex Cunningham"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Stockton North"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Alex Cunningham"}
], "uin" : "9974"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/418251", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Education"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/418251/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " The end of Key Stage 4 is a vital point in a young person\u2019s education. It represents the culmination of a child\u2019s education from the early years to age 16 and provides a consistent point at which to measure attainment across all young people.<\/p> <\/p> <\/p> <\/p> Successful attainment at Key Stage 4 underpins future life chances. We want all young people to be well prepared for further education, higher education and work.<\/p> <\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/3980", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Mr Sam Gyimah"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "East Surrey"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Mr Sam Gyimah"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2015-09-15", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2015-09-15T09:09:39.847Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "60"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Education"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Education"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2015-09-10", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Education"}
, "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 the rationale is for attainment at Key Stage Level 4 being selected as the education indicator in the proposed Life Chance reports.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/163", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "East Ham"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Stephen Timms"}
], "uin" : "9951"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/418023", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Education"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/418023/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " Data from the January 2015 school census shows the number of primary and secondary school pupils who were educated at a school within a different local authority to the one in which they resided. This information is available in tables 12a and 12b of the \u2018schools, pupils and their characteristics: January 2015\u2019 statistical first release, published online at:<\/p> <\/p> www.gov.uk/government/statistics/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2015<\/a><\/p> <\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/111", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Nick Gibb"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Bognor Regis and Littlehampton"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Nick Gibb"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2015-09-14", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2015-09-14T14:12:37.487Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "60"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Education"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Education"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2015-09-09", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Schools: Admissions"}
, "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, how many secondary and primary school pupils in England are educated by a local authority other than the one in which they reside.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/312", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Dame Caroline Spelman"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Meriden"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Mrs Caroline Spelman"}
], "uin" : "9719"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/418073", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Education"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/418073/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " We recognise that education professionals have a vital role to play in raising concerns about eating disorders and other mental health needs, as well as providing early support where mental health problems have been identified. We believe that schools are best placed to make decisions about the training needs of their staff, and there is a range of training available. In particular we have supported the development of MindEd, a free online portal funded by the Department of Health, which enables all adults working with children and young people to learn more about specific mental health problems and how to support them.<\/p> <\/p> <\/p> <\/p> To support schools further we have funded the Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) Association to produce guidance and primary and secondary key stages lesson plans on teaching about mental health and emotional wellbeing. These lesson plans cover all the key stages and topics covered at Key Stage 3 and 4.<\/p> <\/p> <\/p> <\/p> We have issued advice on mental health and behaviour which clarifies the responsibility of the school, points to tools that can be used to help them identify pupils that may be experiencing a mental health problem, and outlines what they can do to provide a stable environment that builds good mental health in all pupils. This includes a section on identifying eating disorders and outlines the types of support and treatment that can be offered: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mental-health-and-behaviour-in-schools--2<\/a>. <\/strong>We have worked with experts to produce guidance on what makes for good school-based counselling, including how it can be effective in the context of whole-school approaches to mental health and wellbeing: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/counselling-in-schools<\/a><\/p> <\/p> <\/p> <\/p> <\/p> <\/p> To help teachers understand mental health,- we are contributing £1.5 million to a joint training pilot with NHS England which aims to improve the knowledge of mental health issues with key schools and CAMHS staff and develop effective local route ways for pupils who need access to specialist mental health services.<\/p> <\/p> <\/p> <\/p> To drive specific improvements in support for young people with eating disorders, the government has made £150 million available over the next 5 years through NHS England. More widely, an additional £1.25 billion funding is being made available over the next five years to transform children and young people\u2019s mental health services to deliver more integrated and accessible services.<\/p> <\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/3980", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Mr Sam Gyimah"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "East Surrey"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Mr Sam Gyimah"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2015-09-15", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2015-09-15T09:17:16.887Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "60"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Education"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Education"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2015-09-09", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Teachers: Training"}
, "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, whether she plans to introduce mandatory mental health training for education professionals.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4378", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Colleen Fletcher"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Coventry North East"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Colleen Fletcher"}
], "uin" : "9779"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/418074", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Education"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/418074/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "