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1131693

registered interest
date	12/06/2019
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Bright Tribe Trust
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 11 June 2019 to Question 261234 on Bright Tribe Multi-academy Trust, which board meetings his Department holds minutes of; and whether those minutes are unredacted.
tabling member constituency	Ashton-under-Lyne
tabling member printed	Angela Rayner
uin	263839
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/06/2019 answer text <p>Academy trusts, such as Bright Tribe, may share redacted or unredacted minutes. As the creators of these documents, these are their documents to make available on request. Where they are requested to make them available, a trust can redact confidential information in line with their Articles of Association.</p><p>The Education and Skills Funding Agency is working closely with Bright Tribe Trust and investigations are ongoing.</p> answering member constituency Stratford-on-Avon answering member printed Nadhim Zahawi question first answered 24/06/2019 16:04:04 answering member 4113 label Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi previous answer version 124474 answering member constituency Stratford-on-Avon answering member printed Nadhim Zahawi answering member 4113 label Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi
tabling member	4356 label Biography information for Angela Rayner

1131699

registered interest
date	12/06/2019
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Adventure Learning Academy Trust and Bright Tribe Trust
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 11th June 2019 to Question 261231 on Bright Tribe Multi-academy Trust and Adventure Learning Academy Trust, whether the police have been involved in the investigations of those trusts.
tabling member constituency	Ashton-under-Lyne
tabling member printed	Angela Rayner
uin	263843
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/06/2019 answer text <p>Referring back to question 261231, we can not comment on ongoing investigations. However, we remain fully committed to ensuring those responsible are held to account where wrongdoing is identified.</p><p> </p><p>The answer to 261231 is available here: <a href="https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2019-06-06/261231/" target="_blank">https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2019-06-06/261231/</a>.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Stratford-on-Avon answering member printed Nadhim Zahawi question first answered 20/06/2019 17:52:59 answering member 4113 label Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi
tabling member	4356 label Biography information for Angela Rayner

1131786

registered interest
date	12/06/2019
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Pre-school Education: Closures
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support his Department provides to local authorities, in the event of the closure of a maintained nursery school to ensure continued educational provision of equal quality.
tabling member constituency	Houghton and Sunderland South
tabling member printed	Bridget Phillipson
uin	263887
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/06/2019 answer text <p>Maintained nursery schools (MNSs) make a valuable contribution to improving the lives of some of our most disadvantaged children. There is a presumption against their closure. This does not mean that they can never close, but if they do, any replacement provision must be of equal quality, preserve expertise and be more accessible and convenient for parents.</p><p>Whether or not a MNS closes is a matter for local authorities, but the presumption against their closure includes a duty on local authorities to assess whether the alternative provision available is of equal or greater quality. Closure arrangements, such as the transfer of children and staff, are for local authorities to manage and the Department for Education is not involved in them.</p> answering member constituency Stratford-on-Avon answering member printed Nadhim Zahawi question first answered 17/06/2019 14:02:28 answering member 4113 label Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi
tabling member	4046 label Biography information for Bridget Phillipson

1131850

registered interest
date	12/06/2019
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Primary Education: Admissions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the recent London School of Economics report which has found that children with special educational needs and disabilities who attend nurseries based in primary schools are significantly less likely than their peers to be admitted into the school’s reception class.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
uin	263684
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/06/2019 answer text <p>The government’s ambition for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) is the same for every other child: to make the most of early education, thrive in school and to live happy fulfilled lives.</p><p> </p><p>The London School of Economics report focusses on data related to the behaviour of schools and a cohort of children born into the 2006/07 academic year. This report does not consider parental choice in that some children may have gone onto a special school rather than the primary school they attended as their preschool choice.</p><p> </p><p>Where a child’s education health care (EHC) plan names a school, the child must be admitted to that school. Where a child does not have an EHC plan, places will be allocated in accordance with the school's published admission arrangements.</p><p> </p><p>Furthermore, all mainstream state-funded schools must comply with the school admissions code and wider admissions law, as well as with equalities law. The code is clear that admission authorities must ensure their arrangements will not disadvantage unfairly, directly or indirectly a child with SEND.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Stratford-on-Avon answering member printed Nadhim Zahawi question first answered 21/06/2019 11:14:09 answering member 4113 label Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi
tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

1131212

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	Children: Day Care
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 number of private voluntary and independent childcare settings in each local authority area.
tabling member constituency	Manchester Central
tabling member printed	Lucy Powell
uin	263154
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/06/2019 answer text <p>This is a matter for Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman. I have asked her to write to the hon. Member for Manchester Central and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.</p> answering member constituency Stratford-on-Avon answering member printed Nadhim Zahawi question first answered 17/06/2019 13:52:09 answering member 4113 label Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi
tabling member	4263 label Biography information for Lucy Powell

1131213

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	Academies: Finance
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will list for each multi-academy trust that has had deficit funding approved (a) the amount of funding approved, (b) whether it is linked to a financial turnaround plan, (c) the period it covers, (d) the date on which it was approved by the Education and Skills Funding Agency or the Department and (e) the amount that is recoverable and non-recoverable in each case.
tabling member constituency	Manchester Central
tabling member printed	Lucy Powell
uin	263155
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/06/2019 answer text <p>Academy trusts have primary responsibility for their own financial affairs and where the Education and Skills Funding Agency intervene, we work with each trust to put in place a recovery process that underpins education provision with strong financial management and oversight. This can include the provision of deficit funding, issuing a financial notice to improve or, in the most serious cases, termination of the Funding Agreement.</p><p>Where we have provided deficit funding as part of this process, this information is reflected in trusts’ accounts. Attached is a document setting out deficit funding information for the most recent year available, financial year 2017-18. The department records deficit funding by the academy that funding is associated with and this is also reflected in the attached document.</p><p>As of March 2018, the total number of academies for which deficit funding was agreed in financial year 2017-18, reflects less than 1% of all open academies, and less than 0.2% of the total funding allocated to academies for the 2017-18 academic year.</p> answering member constituency Stratford-on-Avon answering member printed Nadhim Zahawi question first answered 17/06/2019 15:22:37 answering member 4113 label Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi attachment 1 file name 263155_Academy_deficit_funding.pdf title 263155_table
tabling member	4263 label Biography information for Lucy Powell

1131229

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	Schools: Finance
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to his Answer of 7 March 2019 to Question 228138, if he will publish any assessment carried out on the effect on disabled children of any decision to not allow local authorities to move funding from the schools block into the high needs block.
tabling member constituency	South Shields
tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
uin	263164
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/06/2019 answer text <p>We are keen for funding allocated through the schools’ block to be passed on to schools, which is why as part of the introduction of the national funding formula (NFF), we made the decision to ring-fence this funding from 2018-19 onwards. However, in recognition of the importance of local flexibility, we have allowed local authorities to transfer of up to 0.5% out of the schools funding block of the dedicated schools grant to the high needs funding block, with the agreement of their schools forum. We produced an equalities impact assessment alongside the NFF, which considered potential impacts on children with protected characteristics, which can be accessed at: <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/648520/NFF_Equalities_Impact-Assessment.pdf" target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/648520/NFF_Equalities_Impact-Assessment.pdf</a>.</p><p>Exceptionally, local authorities can apply for transfers outside these rules. Within the schools revenue funding operational guide (paragraph 138): <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pre-16-schools-funding-guidance-for-2019-to-2020" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pre-16-schools-funding-guidance-for-2019-to-2020</a>, we set out what evidence we expect a local authority to present to their schools forum to support any proposals to transfer funding from the schools block.</p><p>In submitting an exceptional case to transfer funding from the schools block, local authorities have to carry out an assessment of the equalities implications of their proposal. These equalities assessments, the published equalities impact assessment (link above) and the quality of the evidence provided by local authorities are all taken into account in the evaluation of exceptional cases put forward by local authorities.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Stratford-on-Avon answering member printed Nadhim Zahawi question first answered 17/06/2019 13:58:11 answering member 4113 label Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi
tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

1131317

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	Schools: Finance
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 provide financial support to schools that are in deficit.
tabling member constituency	Upper Bann
tabling member printed	David Simpson
uin	263127
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/06/2019 answer text <p>The department is working with the sector to continue building capacity and expertise in financial management, particularly the prevention of a deficit. This includes supporting effective school resource management in trusts with three-year financial forecasting and developing buying hubs and recommended deals for all schools. We are also continuing to work with local authorities, as appropriate, to help them identify potential financial health issues and support schools. We have worked with them to understand how they work with maintained schools, share good practice and use the financial data available to them.</p><p> </p><p>In particular, the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) have introduced Schools Resource Management Advisers (SRMAs) to provide help and support to trusts and maintained schools. SRMAs are sector experts who will work with schools and trusts to provide tailored advice on how to make best use of their revenue and capital resources, and reduce non-staff spend, to deliver educational outcomes and contribute to whole-school improvement, prioritising those schools which will benefit the most.</p><p> </p><p>In the case of academy trusts, an academy trust having an in-year deficit is not in and of itself a negative thing. Schools can draw on their reserves for a range of planned and sensible reasons, for example, to spend on capital projects or whole-school improvements. This is prudent financial planning and not at the expense of educational delivery. The academies sector is stable with fewer than 2% of trusts subject to a Financial Notice to Improve.</p><p> </p><p>Where an academy trust does require additional support to manage a deficit, the ESFA will work with them to help them reach a stronger position. Where there is a risk to public funds, the ESFA will intervene in a way that is proportionate to the risk and preserves education provision. This can include issuing an Financial Notice to Improve, or in the most serious cases, termination of the Funding Agreement.</p> answering member constituency Stratford-on-Avon answering member printed Nadhim Zahawi question first answered 19/06/2019 15:32:33 answering member 4113 label Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi
tabling member	1597 label Biography information for David Simpson

1131348

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	Pre-school Education: Closures
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 8 March 2019 to Question 226665, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of local authority budgets to fulfil the statutory requirement of alternative nursery provisions of equal quality, in the event that a Maintained Nursery School closes.
tabling member constituency	Houghton and Sunderland South
tabling member printed	Bridget Phillipson
uin	263143
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/06/2019 answer text <p>Maintained nursery schools (MNS) make a valuable contribution to improving the lives of some of our most disadvantaged children. There is a presumption against their closure. This does not mean that they can never close, but if they do, any replacement provision must be of equal quality, preserve expertise and be more accessible and convenient for parents.</p><p>Whether or not an MNS closes is a matter for local authorities. However, the presumption against their closure includes a duty on local authorities to assess whether the alternative provision available is of equal or greater quality. No assessment has been made of the adequacy of local authority budgets to do this.</p> answering member constituency Stratford-on-Avon answering member printed Nadhim Zahawi question first answered 17/06/2019 13:38:54 answering member 4113 label Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi
tabling member	4046 label Biography information for Bridget Phillipson

1131365

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	Schools: Standards
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if it is Government policy that well performing schools shall not be made to convert to academies.
tabling member constituency	Walsall North
tabling member printed	Eddie Hughes
uin	263245
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/06/2019 answer text <p>The government believes that all schools can benefit from becoming an academy as part of an academy trust. The department’s policy remains that maintained schools are only required to become sponsored academies, due to educational underperformance, if they are judged inadequate by Ofsted.</p><p>Many well performing schools are voluntarily choosing to convert to become academies. As a result, thousands of pupils are benefiting from higher standards in their schools. As of June 2019, there are 8,157 academies. Over two thirds of these academies, 5,861, are converter academies, and many of those have become system leaders within academy trusts by helping other schools to improve. We encourage any collaboration between schools that improves outcomes for pupils.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Stratford-on-Avon answering member printed Nadhim Zahawi question first answered 19/06/2019 15:36:24 answering member 4113 label Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi
tabling member	4635 label Biography information for Eddie Hughes