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1306957

registered interest
date	12/04/2021
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Children: Disability
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 potential merits of implementing a COVID-19 recovery plan for disabled children and their families.
tabling member constituency	Gateshead
tabling member printed	Ian Mearns
uin	178639
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/04/2021 answer text <p>Supporting children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and their families is a priority for this government, and their educational, physical and mental wellbeing remains central to our cross-government response to the COVID-19 outbreak.</p><p>We have provided £40.8 million for the Family Fund in 2020-21 to support over 80,000 families on low incomes raising children with disabilities or serious illnesses. This includes £13.5 million to specifically respond to needs arising from the outbreak.</p><p>We have published guidance for children's social care services, making clear that parents or carers of disabled children and young people may continue to access respite care, and have communicated best practice to Directors of Children's Services and local authorities to ensure that as many disabled children and young people as possible can continue to access these services during the COVID-19 outbreak. This guidance is available here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-for-childrens-social-care-services/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-for-local-authorities-on-childrens-social-care" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-for-childrens-social-care-services/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-for-local-authorities-on-childrens-social-care</a>.</p><p>The government has provided £4.6 billion of additional funding in financial year 2020-21 to support councils through the COVID-19 outbreak to respond to local needs, including to deliver services to support vulnerable children.</p><p>We have and continue to develop plans for COVID-19 recovery. As part of this, both special schools and alternative provision will be able to access funding to provide summer schools and the National Tutoring Programme, and we recognise the additional costs associated with offering provision to pupils in specialist settings. This means that eligible pupils in special schools, special units in mainstream primary and secondary schools and alternative provision settings will attract a higher rate of the new one-off Recovery Premium funding worth £302 million, as well as funding for summer schools. We have consistently prioritised children who attend specialist settings in our Recovery Premiums to schools by providing additional uplifts both in 2020 and in 2021.</p><p>Young people with SEND aged 19 to 24 who have an education, health and care plan will be eligible for support via the 16 to 19 Tuition Fund, where they meet the fund criteria. Providers are asked to have regard to the needs of students with SEND when prioritising students that would benefit most from small group tuition. Furthermore, the proposals to support early language and literacy recovery will benefit all children, including those with SEND.</p><p>£200 million will be available to all secondary schools, including specialist settings, to deliver face-to-face summer schools. Schools will be able to target provision based on pupils’ needs. The size and shape of the summer schools will be decided by school leaders who know best what the most effective summer school will look like for their pupils, allowing them to tailor support for pupils, including those with SEND.</p><p>Sir Kevan Collins has also been appointed as the Education Recovery Commissioner and is considering how schools and the system can more effectively target resources and support at pupils in greatest need.</p><p>The department will continue to assess the impact of the outbreak and its subsequent COVID-19 recovery plans on all pupils, including those with SEND, to ensure it targets support across the system most effectively.</p> answering member constituency Chelmsford answering member printed Vicky Ford grouped question UIN 179032 179527 question first answered 20/04/2021 11:12:58 answering member 4674 label Biography information for Vicky Ford
tabling member	4000 label Biography information for Ian Mearns

1306965

registered interest
date	12/04/2021
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Cerebral Palsy: Children
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the all-party Parliamentary group on cerebral palsy’s report, Early identification, intervention and pathways of care of infants and young children with cerebral palsy: The case for reform and investment, published in March 2021, what plans he has to review how personal budgets in the Local Offer under the Children and Families Act 2014 can be used to enable access to early support for families with babies with or at risk of cerebral palsy.
tabling member constituency	Buckingham
tabling member printed	Greg Smith
uin	178658
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/04/2021 answer text <p>Currently, any parent or carer of a child or a young person, including those with cerebral palsy, may request a personal budget as part of their education, health and care (EHC) plan as a means of delivering the outcomes specified in the plan. The scope of that budget will vary depending on the needs of the individual, the eligibility criteria for the different components and the mechanism for delivery. This means that decisions need to be taken on an individual basis, including for children with cerebral palsy. Decisions about the provision of personal budgets and other operational matters are for local authorities. Local authorities and their health partners remain responsible for securing the provision specified in an EHC plan, funded where necessary through joint commissioning arrangements.</p><p>More broadly, a review regarding special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) was announced in September 2019. The SEND review is looking at ways of making sure that the SEND system is consistent, high-quality and integrated across education, health and care. It is also considering measures to make sure that money is being spent fairly, efficiently and effectively, and that the support available to children and young people is sustainable in the future.</p> answering member constituency Chelmsford answering member printed Vicky Ford question first answered 20/04/2021 09:14:33 answering member 4674 label Biography information for Vicky Ford
tabling member	4778 label Biography information for Greg Smith

1306996

registered interest
date	12/04/2021
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Outdoor Education: Finance
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 30 September 2020 to Question 97703, on Outdoor Education: Finance, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the report prepared for Ministers by civil servants following that meeting with campaigners.
tabling member constituency	Portsmouth South
tabling member printed	Stephen Morgan
uin	178723
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/04/2021 answer text <p>The government is continuing to prioritise mental health and wellbeing support for children, young people, and staff following the return to education on 8 March. The Department for Education has convened a Mental Health in Education Action Group. The action group will look at the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on the mental health and wellbeing of children, young people and staff in nurseries, schools, colleges, and universities. It will consider how to support mental wellbeing as children and young people are returning to education settings, with transitions between education settings in September, and in the longer term. As we consider how best to support the education sector moving forward, we will consider access to outdoor spaces in that context.</p><p>In the first instance the group are engaging with health experts to bring together the evidence of impact on children and young people. The group will identify the existing range of support available and will examine how to ensure support is easy to access and has the greatest possible impact. They are also engaging with education stakeholders, including staff and leadership unions, to ensure that we understand the issues that are facing staff in nurseries, schools, colleges, and universities and how they can be supported in the coming months.</p><p>This year, we will invest up to £220 million in our Holiday Activities and Food programme. Delivery began at Easter and will run during the summer and Christmas holidays in 2021, supporting disadvantaged pupils and their families with enriching activities, providing them with healthy food, helping them to learn new things and improving socialisation.</p> answering member constituency Chelmsford answering member printed Vicky Ford question first answered 20/04/2021 11:39:13 answering member 4674 label Biography information for Vicky Ford
tabling member	4653 label Biography information for Stephen Morgan

1307017

registered interest
date	12/04/2021
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	National Tutoring Programme
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 increase awareness of the National Tutoring Programme among (a) schools and (b) parents in (i) Bromsgrove District and (b) England.
tabling member constituency	Bromsgrove
tabling member printed	Sajid Javid
uin	179011
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/04/2021 answer text <p>The Department is committed to ensuring that there continues to be a good take-up and engagement with the programme. We are undertaking a range of communications and engagement activities to ensure that schools are aware of the support offered by the National Tutoring Programme (NTP).</p><p>We are working directly with multi-academy trusts and local authorities to target schools in particular need of support and increasing our engagement with local and regional school networks. The NTP is also providing regular newsletters and blogs direct to schools, alongside targeted social media activity. Since the programme’s launch in November 2020, the Department has continued to share case studies and good practice to show how tuition can support pupils effectively, including guidance on making the most of tutoring during the recent lockdown period.</p><p>We will continue to monitor how many schools in different regions are accessing the NTP so we can bolster our efforts in areas where schools would benefit from the programme.</p><p>Over 4,000 schools are now participating in the programme. It is estimated over 250,000 pupils will benefit from tuition provided by Tuition Partners this academic year. This is in addition to the 1,000 Academic Mentors have been placed in our most disadvantaged schools this academic year.</p><p>We are continuing to focus on regions with the most disadvantaged pupils who have yet to take advantage of NTP, including the Bromsgrove District. We are engaging directly with head teachers, local networks of schools and national stakeholders to ensure that NTP support reaches as many disadvantaged pupils in these areas as possible. We have also attended local network meetings, including the Handforth Heads Forum in the West Midlands, and have delivered a number of webinars to schools in the regional Midland areas with high levels of disadvantage to highlight the benefits and the support being offered through the programme.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 20/04/2021 08:44:45 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	3945 label Biography information for Sir Sajid Javid

1307078

registered interest
date	12/04/2021
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Children: Disability
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 tackle social isolation in disabled children and their families.
tabling member constituency	Gateshead
tabling member printed	Ian Mearns
uin	178648
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/04/2021 answer text <p>Supporting children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and their families is a priority for this government, and their educational, physical and mental wellbeing remains central to our cross-government response to the COVID-19 outbreak. That is why education settings have remained open for children and young people with an education, health and care plan throughout periods of national lockdown.</p><p>The return to school for all pupils was prioritised due to the significant and proven impact caused by being out of school, including on wellbeing. The support schools provide to their pupils as they return to face-to-face education should include time devoted to supporting wellbeing, which will play a fundamental part in supporting children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing recovery. The expectations for schools in this regard are set out clearly in the main Department for Education guidance to schools, which also signposts further support, available here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak</a>.</p><p>We have worked with our partners, including the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC), Health Education England, Public Health England and other key voluntary sector organisations to deliver the Wellbeing for Education Return programme, which has provided training and resources to help school staff respond to the wellbeing and mental health needs of pupils. This £8 million government backed programme provided schools and colleges all over England with the knowledge and access to resources they need to support children and young people, teachers and parents.</p><p>The return to school on 8 March 2021 has been supported with a new £700 million package, which includes a Recovery Premium for state primary, secondary and special schools to use as they see best to support disadvantaged students. This will help schools to provide academic and pastoral support for disadvantaged pupils that has been proven most effective in helping them recover from the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak.</p><p>£200 million will be available to all secondary schools, including specialist settings, to deliver face-to-face summer schools. Schools will be able to target provision based on pupils’ needs. The size and shape of the summer schools will be decided by school leaders who know best what the most effective summer school will look like for their pupils, allowing them to tailor support for pupils, including those with SEND.</p><p>Additionally, we have expanded the Holiday Activities and Food programme, which has provided healthy food and enriching activities to disadvantaged children since 2018. From 2021, the programme will cover the Easter, Summer and Christmas school holidays at a cost of up to £220 million. It will be available to children in every local authority in England, building on previous programmes and we are working to ensure that the programme is fully inclusive and accessible for children with SEND.</p><p>Sir Kevan Collins has been appointed as the Education Recovery Commissioner and is considering how schools and the system can more effectively target resources and support at pupils in greatest need. Additionally, Dr Alex George was appointed on 4 February as Youth Mental Health Ambassador to advise government and raise the profile of mental health education and wellbeing in schools, colleges and universities. He will use his clinical expertise and personal experience to champion government’s work on children’s and young people’s mental health and shape policy on improving support for young people in schools, colleges and universities.</p><p>In the long term, we remain committed to our joint green paper delivery programme with DHSC and NHS England, including introducing new mental health support teams for all schools and colleges, providing training for senior mental health leads in schools and colleges, and testing approaches to faster access to NHS specialist support.</p><p>The department will continue to assess the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak and its subsequent COVID-19 recovery plans on all pupils, including those with SEND, to ensure it targets support across the system most effectively.</p> answering member constituency Chelmsford answering member printed Vicky Ford grouped question UIN 179332 question first answered 20/04/2021 12:01:58 answering member 4674 label Biography information for Vicky Ford
tabling member	4000 label Biography information for Ian Mearns

1307080

registered interest
date	12/04/2021
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Children: Disability
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 support disabled children and their families to recover from effects of the covid-19 outbreak.
tabling member constituency	Gateshead
tabling member printed	Ian Mearns
uin	179032
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/04/2021 answer text <p>Supporting children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and their families is a priority for this government, and their educational, physical and mental wellbeing remains central to our cross-government response to the COVID-19 outbreak.</p><p>We have provided £40.8 million for the Family Fund in 2020-21 to support over 80,000 families on low incomes raising children with disabilities or serious illnesses. This includes £13.5 million to specifically respond to needs arising from the outbreak.</p><p>We have published guidance for children's social care services, making clear that parents or carers of disabled children and young people may continue to access respite care, and have communicated best practice to Directors of Children's Services and local authorities to ensure that as many disabled children and young people as possible can continue to access these services during the COVID-19 outbreak. This guidance is available here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-for-childrens-social-care-services/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-for-local-authorities-on-childrens-social-care" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-for-childrens-social-care-services/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-for-local-authorities-on-childrens-social-care</a>.</p><p>The government has provided £4.6 billion of additional funding in financial year 2020-21 to support councils through the COVID-19 outbreak to respond to local needs, including to deliver services to support vulnerable children.</p><p>We have and continue to develop plans for COVID-19 recovery. As part of this, both special schools and alternative provision will be able to access funding to provide summer schools and the National Tutoring Programme, and we recognise the additional costs associated with offering provision to pupils in specialist settings. This means that eligible pupils in special schools, special units in mainstream primary and secondary schools and alternative provision settings will attract a higher rate of the new one-off Recovery Premium funding worth £302 million, as well as funding for summer schools. We have consistently prioritised children who attend specialist settings in our Recovery Premiums to schools by providing additional uplifts both in 2020 and in 2021.</p><p>Young people with SEND aged 19 to 24 who have an education, health and care plan will be eligible for support via the 16 to 19 Tuition Fund, where they meet the fund criteria. Providers are asked to have regard to the needs of students with SEND when prioritising students that would benefit most from small group tuition. Furthermore, the proposals to support early language and literacy recovery will benefit all children, including those with SEND.</p><p>£200 million will be available to all secondary schools, including specialist settings, to deliver face-to-face summer schools. Schools will be able to target provision based on pupils’ needs. The size and shape of the summer schools will be decided by school leaders who know best what the most effective summer school will look like for their pupils, allowing them to tailor support for pupils, including those with SEND.</p><p>Sir Kevan Collins has also been appointed as the Education Recovery Commissioner and is considering how schools and the system can more effectively target resources and support at pupils in greatest need.</p><p>The department will continue to assess the impact of the outbreak and its subsequent COVID-19 recovery plans on all pupils, including those with SEND, to ensure it targets support across the system most effectively.</p> answering member constituency Chelmsford answering member printed Vicky Ford grouped question UIN 178639 179527 question first answered 20/04/2021 11:12:58 answering member 4674 label Biography information for Vicky Ford
tabling member	4000 label Biography information for Ian Mearns

1307144

registered interest
date	12/04/2021
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Students: Assessments
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate his Department has made of the number of universities that have implemented no detriment policies in each of the academic years (a) 2019-20 and (b) 2020-21; and what estimate he has made of the number of students that have been affected by those policies.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Edgbaston
tabling member printed	Preet Kaur Gill
uin	179334
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/04/2021 answer text <p>As autonomous institutions, higher education (HE) providers are responsible for the administration of their own exams and assessments. HE students and providers have faced unique challenges as providers have had to adapt teaching, learning and assessment methods in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.</p><p>Some providers have put in place policies stating that students should not be awarded a degree classification below their level of academic performance prior to the COVID-19 outbreak. A ‘No detriment policy’ is designed by providers as a safety net for students to help ensure they are not unfairly impacted by these challenging circumstances. This approach may not be appropriate for all providers and we recognise that there are a number of ways to assess students which will lead to a wide variety of measures being put in place.</p><p>The government continues to work closely with the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education, professional bodies and the Office for Students to ensure students continue to leave university with qualifications that have real value, reflect their hard work and allow people to progress. The professional bodies have put alternative requirements in place for graduation to maintain standards, building on similar arrangements which were made for graduation last year.</p><p>I am aware that the majority of universities adopted ‘No detriment’ policies last year. We have not made a detailed assessment, or estimate, of the extent of these policies in terms of student numbers, credits not undertaken or the impact on future employment prospects.</p><p>However, I have been clear that I expect providers to make all reasonable efforts for student achievement to be reliably assessed and for qualifications to be awarded securely. It is vital that a fair approach to exams and assessment is in place and understood by students. Any policies universities put in place to ensure students are not unfairly affected by the circumstances should continue to maintain standards – and awarding powers must be used responsibly to preserve the world-class reputation of our HE.</p><p>Providers should seek to ensure this and last years’ students are not disadvantaged in the labour market by whatever measures are taken and should provide assurances as appropriate to enable employers to have confidence in qualifications awarded.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Chippenham answering member printed Michelle Donelan grouped question UIN 178709 179335 question first answered 20/04/2021 09:32:51 answering member 4530 label Biography information for Michelle Donelan
tabling member	4603 label Biography information for Preet Kaur Gill

1307146

registered interest
date	12/04/2021
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Students: Assessments
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 potential effect of no detriment policies implemented by universities on the future employment prospects of students; and what steps he is taking to ensure that those employment prospects are not negatively affected by those policies.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Edgbaston
tabling member printed	Preet Kaur Gill
uin	178709
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/04/2021 answer text <p>As autonomous institutions, higher education (HE) providers are responsible for the administration of their own exams and assessments. HE students and providers have faced unique challenges as providers have had to adapt teaching, learning and assessment methods in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.</p><p>Some providers have put in place policies stating that students should not be awarded a degree classification below their level of academic performance prior to the COVID-19 outbreak. A ‘No detriment policy’ is designed by providers as a safety net for students to help ensure they are not unfairly impacted by these challenging circumstances. This approach may not be appropriate for all providers and we recognise that there are a number of ways to assess students which will lead to a wide variety of measures being put in place.</p><p>The government continues to work closely with the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education, professional bodies and the Office for Students to ensure students continue to leave university with qualifications that have real value, reflect their hard work and allow people to progress. The professional bodies have put alternative requirements in place for graduation to maintain standards, building on similar arrangements which were made for graduation last year.</p><p>I am aware that the majority of universities adopted ‘No detriment’ policies last year. We have not made a detailed assessment, or estimate, of the extent of these policies in terms of student numbers, credits not undertaken or the impact on future employment prospects.</p><p>However, I have been clear that I expect providers to make all reasonable efforts for student achievement to be reliably assessed and for qualifications to be awarded securely. It is vital that a fair approach to exams and assessment is in place and understood by students. Any policies universities put in place to ensure students are not unfairly affected by the circumstances should continue to maintain standards – and awarding powers must be used responsibly to preserve the world-class reputation of our HE.</p><p>Providers should seek to ensure this and last years’ students are not disadvantaged in the labour market by whatever measures are taken and should provide assurances as appropriate to enable employers to have confidence in qualifications awarded.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Chippenham answering member printed Michelle Donelan grouped question UIN 179334 179335 question first answered 20/04/2021 09:32:51 answering member 4530 label Biography information for Michelle Donelan
tabling member	4603 label Biography information for Preet Kaur Gill

1307147

registered interest
date	12/04/2021
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Students: Assessments
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the average number of credits not taken per student as a result of no detriment policies implemented by universities in the 2019-20 academic year.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Edgbaston
tabling member printed	Preet Kaur Gill
uin	179335
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/04/2021 answer text <p>As autonomous institutions, higher education (HE) providers are responsible for the administration of their own exams and assessments. HE students and providers have faced unique challenges as providers have had to adapt teaching, learning and assessment methods in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.</p><p>Some providers have put in place policies stating that students should not be awarded a degree classification below their level of academic performance prior to the COVID-19 outbreak. A ‘No detriment policy’ is designed by providers as a safety net for students to help ensure they are not unfairly impacted by these challenging circumstances. This approach may not be appropriate for all providers and we recognise that there are a number of ways to assess students which will lead to a wide variety of measures being put in place.</p><p>The government continues to work closely with the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education, professional bodies and the Office for Students to ensure students continue to leave university with qualifications that have real value, reflect their hard work and allow people to progress. The professional bodies have put alternative requirements in place for graduation to maintain standards, building on similar arrangements which were made for graduation last year.</p><p>I am aware that the majority of universities adopted ‘No detriment’ policies last year. We have not made a detailed assessment, or estimate, of the extent of these policies in terms of student numbers, credits not undertaken or the impact on future employment prospects.</p><p>However, I have been clear that I expect providers to make all reasonable efforts for student achievement to be reliably assessed and for qualifications to be awarded securely. It is vital that a fair approach to exams and assessment is in place and understood by students. Any policies universities put in place to ensure students are not unfairly affected by the circumstances should continue to maintain standards – and awarding powers must be used responsibly to preserve the world-class reputation of our HE.</p><p>Providers should seek to ensure this and last years’ students are not disadvantaged in the labour market by whatever measures are taken and should provide assurances as appropriate to enable employers to have confidence in qualifications awarded.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Chippenham answering member printed Michelle Donelan grouped question UIN 178709 179334 question first answered 20/04/2021 09:32:51 answering member 4530 label Biography information for Michelle Donelan
tabling member	4603 label Biography information for Preet Kaur Gill

1307148

registered interest
date	12/04/2021
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Universities: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the covid-19 outbreak on the provision of course modules at universities being delivered as advertised.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Edgbaston
tabling member printed	Preet Kaur Gill
uin	178711
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/04/2021 answer text <p>I have been clear throughout the COVID-19 outbreak that consumer law continues to apply, and statements by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) confirm this. Providers need to ensure they have regard to guidance about their consumer protection obligations.</p><p> </p><p>This has been a very difficult time for students, and the government is working with the sector to make sure that all reasonable efforts are being made to enable students to continue their studies. The sector has put in significant resources and worked hard to provide and prepare learning materials for this academic year and there have been some fantastic and innovative approaches to delivering high-quality learning.</p><p> </p><p>I welcome the huge amount of resource universities and higher education (HE) providers have given to ensuring blended teaching is of the high-quality expected by the government and the Office for Students (OfS). The government’s clear and stated expectation is that universities should maintain the quality and quantity of tuition and seek to ensure that all students regardless of their background have the resources to study remotely.</p><p>I wrote to the OfS on 13 January, outlining the government’s expectations of the HE sector following the new national lockdown. Following this, the OfS wrote to providers’ Accountable Officers, setting out the actions that they are taking in connection with providers’ compliance with existing regulatory requirements. We expect providers to ensure that continuing and prospective students receive the clear, accurate and timely information needed to make informed decisions. This letter is available here: <a href="https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/media/928ddbfc-7d48-4a7b-853e-411c34d6202f/ao-letter-regulation-during-the-current-phase-of-pandemic-14-jan-2021.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/media/928ddbfc-7d48-4a7b-853e-411c34d6202f/ao-letter-regulation-during-the-current-phase-of-pandemic-14-jan-2021.pdf</a>.</p><p> </p><p>Whether or not an individual student is entitled to a refund of fees will depend on the specific contractual arrangements between the provider and student. If students have concerns, there is a process in place. They should first raise their concerns with their university. If their concerns remain unresolved, students at providers in England or Wales can ask the Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA) for Higher Education to consider their complaint. Due to the individualised nature of student contracts and student circumstances, the process which is in place ensures that institutions have the opportunity to consider student complaints effectively and offers them an opportunity for early resolution of complaints with students. This is particularly important in situations where remedies other than refunds would be more helpful or beneficial to a student.</p><p>If there are concerns, the OfS has the powers to act. It is an OfS registration condition that providers must deliver well-designed courses that provide a high-quality academic experience for all students and enable a student’s achievement to be reliably assessed.</p><p> </p><p>The OfS does not get involved in individual student complaints, that is for the relevant HE provider and potentially the OIA. Students can, however, notify the OfS of issues that may be of regulatory interest to it. These are called ‘notifications’. The OfS uses this information as part of its regulatory monitoring activity and keeps HE providers under review to ensure that they comply with the ongoing conditions of registration. The OfS has produced a guide for students to support them in this process. This is available via the following link: <a href="https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/for-students/ofs-and-students/notifications/" target="_blank">https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/for-students/ofs-and-students/notifications/</a>. The OIA website is available via the following link: <a href="https://www.oiahe.org.uk/" target="_blank">https://www.oiahe.org.uk/</a>.</p><p> </p><p>The CMA has published guidance on consumer contracts, cancellation and refunds affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. This sets out the CMA’s view on how the law operates to help consumers understand their rights and help businesses treat their customers fairly. This is available via the following link: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/cma-cases/consumer-protection-review-of-higher-education" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/cma-cases/consumer-protection-review-of-higher-education</a>. This includes publishing a restatement on 30 November 2020 on their views on Consumer Protection Law. This is available at: <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5fc4bab98fa8f5474e63ab0b/HE_restatement_.pdf" target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5fc4bab98fa8f5474e63ab0b/HE_restatement_.pdf</a>.</p><p> </p><p>The OfS has also published guidance on student consumer protection during the COVID-19 outbreak, which is available via the following link: <a href="https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/coronavirus/provider-guide-to-coronavirus/student-and-consumer-protection/" target="_blank">https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/coronavirus/provider-guide-to-coronavirus/student-and-consumer-protection/</a>.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Chippenham answering member printed Michelle Donelan question first answered 20/04/2021 11:09:19 answering member 4530 label Biography information for Michelle Donelan
tabling member	4603 label Biography information for Preet Kaur Gill