The Department welcomes the National Literacy Trust\u2019s research on reading in both print and digital forms.<\/p>
<\/p>
The Department wants children to develop the habit of reading widely and often, for both pleasure and information, whatever the format. Research suggests that reading for pleasure is more important for children\u2019s educational development than their parents\u2019 level of education.<\/p>
<\/p>
There is sound evidence that systematic synthetic phonics is a highly effective method of teaching reading to children. Phonics performance is improving: in 2018, there were 163,000 more 6 year olds on track to become fluent readers compared to in 2012. This represented 82% of pupils meeting the expected standard in the phonics screening check, compared to just 58% when the check was introduced in 2012.<\/p>
<\/p>
Building on the success of the Department\u2019s phonics partnerships and phonics roadshows programmes, the Department launched a £26.3 million English Hubs Programme in 2018. Hub schools are taking a leading role in improving the teaching of early reading through systematic synthetic phonics, early language development, and reading for pleasure. The Department has appointed 34 primary schools across England as English Hubs.<\/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" : "2019-06-20", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2019-06-20T13:02:50.49Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "60"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Education"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Education"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2019-06-17", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Literacy: Children"} , "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, with reference to the National Literacy Trust Report entitled Children, young people and digital reading, published April 2019, what assessment he has made of the literacy benefits of children reading both digital and print formats.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1436", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Paul Farrelly"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Newcastle-under-Lyme"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Paul Farrelly"} ], "uin" : "265462"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1132503", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Education"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1132503/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
The government is committed to tackling loneliness and published its first loneliness strategy on 15 October 2018, bringing together the government, local government, public services, the voluntary and community sector and businesses to identify opportunities to tackle loneliness and build more integrated communities.<\/p>
The government recognises that learning English is essential in enabling refugees to rebuild their lives. We are working closely across government to develop a new strategy for English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) in 2019, which will provide a shared vision for all publicly funded English language provision, including addressing the needs of refugees.<\/p>
We know that language skills are crucial to help people integrate into life in England, as well as to break down barriers to work and career progression. This is why we support adults in England through the Adult Education Budget to secure the English language skills they need. The Home Office and the Department for Education have also provided £10 million to enable refugees resettled through the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme to access additional classes.<\/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" : "2019-06-20", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2019-06-20T12:53:28.233Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "60"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Education"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Education"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2019-06-17", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "English Language: Refugees"} , "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 his Department has made of the effectiveness of access to English language classes to reduce levels of loneliness among resettled refugees.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4641", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Alex Norris"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Nottingham North"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Alex Norris"} ], "uin" : "265589"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1132510", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Education"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1132510/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
The Government has no plans to require schools to report centrally on incidents of bullying, but the Department included questions in its School Snapshot survey in winter 2017 to obtain information on different types of bullying. The results can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-snapshot-survey-winter-2017<\/a>.<\/p> Similar questions have been included in the summer 2019 survey. The results of this survey will be published next year.<\/p> The Government has sent a clear message to schools that all bullying, for whatever reason, is unacceptable. The public sector Equality Duty means that schools must have due regard to the need to eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation, and to foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and people who do not.<\/p> The Department has issued guidance to schools about how to prevent and respond to bullying as part of their overall behaviour policy. It has also published the Respectful Schools Communities tool to support schools to develop a whole school approach which promotes respect amongst all pupils and signposts further sources of advice.<\/p> This will be supported by the introduction of compulsory relationships education in all primary and secondary state-funded schools. Statutory guidance for schools sets out that pupils should be taught about different types of bullying, the impact of bullying and how to get help. We are committed to ensuring schools are supported and ready to teach these new subjects to high quality and have announced a budget of £6 million in 2019-20 financial year to develop a programme of support for schools. The Department is establishing an early adopter school programme to support early teaching of the new requirements. It is also working with early adopter schools to support the design of the training programme and to refine supplementary guidance to ensure that the teaching of the subjects is as effective as possible.<\/p> The Department is also providing over £2.8 million of funding between September 2016 and March 2020 to four anti-bullying organisations to support schools to tackle bullying. This includes the Anne Frank Trust who have developed the Free to Be debate programme, which encourages pupils to think about the importance of tackling prejudice, discrimination and bullying. It also includes the Anti-Bullying Alliance, whose programme has a particular focus on reducing bullying of those with special educational needs and disabilities. Between 2016-2019 the Government Equalities Office provided £3 million of funding to prevent and tackle homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying in schools. In the LGBT Action Plan published last year, it committed £1million to continue the programme until 2020.<\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/111", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Nick Gibb"}
}
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], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department has made an assessment of a potential correlation between (a) reductions in real-terms school budgets, (b) shortages of teaching assistants and (c) pastoral staff and schools' ability to tackle incidents of bullying.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
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, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1132512", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Education"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1132512/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " The Government has no plans to require schools to report centrally on incidents of bullying, but the Department included questions in its School Snapshot survey in winter 2017 to obtain information on different types of bullying. The results can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-snapshot-survey-winter-2017<\/a>.<\/p> Similar questions have been included in the summer 2019 survey. The results of this survey will be published next year.<\/p> The Government has sent a clear message to schools that all bullying, for whatever reason, is unacceptable. The public sector Equality Duty means that schools must have due regard to the need to eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation, and to foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and people who do not.<\/p> The Department has issued guidance to schools about how to prevent and respond to bullying as part of their overall behaviour policy. It has also published the Respectful Schools Communities tool to support schools to develop a whole school approach which promotes respect amongst all pupils and signposts further sources of advice.<\/p> This will be supported by the introduction of compulsory relationships education in all primary and secondary state-funded schools. Statutory guidance for schools sets out that pupils should be taught about different types of bullying, the impact of bullying and how to get help. We are committed to ensuring schools are supported and ready to teach these new subjects to high quality and have announced a budget of £6 million in 2019-20 financial year to develop a programme of support for schools. The Department is establishing an early adopter school programme to support early teaching of the new requirements. It is also working with early adopter schools to support the design of the training programme and to refine supplementary guidance to ensure that the teaching of the subjects is as effective as possible.<\/p> The Department is also providing over £2.8 million of funding between September 2016 and March 2020 to four anti-bullying organisations to support schools to tackle bullying. This includes the Anne Frank Trust who have developed the Free to Be debate programme, which encourages pupils to think about the importance of tackling prejudice, discrimination and bullying. It also includes the Anti-Bullying Alliance, whose programme has a particular focus on reducing bullying of those with special educational needs and disabilities. Between 2016-2019 the Government Equalities Office provided £3 million of funding to prevent and tackle homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying in schools. In the LGBT Action Plan published last year, it committed £1million to continue the programme until 2020.<\/p>"}
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, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
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], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the higher rates of bullying in schools experienced by (a) LGBTQ and (b) ethnic minority pupils.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4656", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Layla Moran"}
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, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1132514", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Education"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1132514/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "