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1702343

registered interest
date	18/04/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Overseas Students: Fees and Charges
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of current students at English universities pay international tuition fees; how this compares with the same figure from 2010; and what steps they are taking to ensure that English universities have a long-term, stable and sustainable funding model.
tabling member printed	The Marquess of Lothian
uin	HL3954
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/04/2024 answer text <p>The total number of non-EU students at higher education (HE) providers in England in academic years 2021/22 and 2010/11 is published and can be found here: <a href="https://www.hesa.ac.uk/data-and-analysis" target="_blank">https://www.hesa.ac.uk/data-and-analysis</a>.</p><p> </p><p>Please note, the data for these years is not comparable as home fee status for EU domiciled students has changed over this period. In 2010/11, all EU students had ‘home status’ meaning they paid the same tuition fees as UK domiciled students. In 2021/22, only existing EU domiciled students had home fee status while those starting their course in 2021/22 did not; they were charged international tuition fees as other non-EU students. In 2021/22, there were 24,365 new EU first year enrolments at HE providers in England.</p><p> </p><p>As autonomous organisations, HE providers have a high degree of financial independence and it is for them to make appropriate and necessary decisions around income, funding, spending and borrowing which ensure their continued financial viability and sustainability.</p> answering member printed Baroness Barran question first answered 29/04/2024 12:33:13 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran
tabling member	259 label Biography information for The Marquess of Lothian

1698033

registered interest
date	21/03/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Teachers: Training
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether the Department for Education’s teacher training recruitment targets for (1) secondary school teachers, and (2) primary school teachers, will be met this year.
tabling member printed	The Marquess of Lothian
uin	HL3527
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/04/2024 answer text <p>The number of teachers remains high, with more than 468,000 working in state-funded schools across the country, 27,000 more than in 2010.</p><p>Performance against target is reported in the Initial Teacher Training Census official statistics, in which the department publishes information on the numbers and characteristics of new entrants to ITT.</p><p>The recruitment cycle is still ongoing. Final data and headlines will be published in the Census in December 2024.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Barran question first answered 08/04/2024 11:06:49 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran
tabling member	259 label Biography information for The Marquess of Lothian

1694826

registered interest
date	08/03/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Universities: Antisemitism
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support Jewish university students following recent increases in incidents of antisemitism on campuses.
tabling member printed	The Marquess of Lothian
uin	HL3156
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/03/2024 answer text <p>Antisemitism, intimidation, and threats of violence must never be tolerated on university campuses. The Community Security Trust 2023 annual report highlights the unprecedented increase in antisemitic incidents in higher education (HE) and this unacceptable rise is deeply concerning. All antisemitism is abhorrent and universities should have robust systems to deal with incidents of support for unlawful antisemitic abuse and harassment. We will not tolerate unlawful harassment or the glorification of terrorism.</p><p>Since the 7 October attacks, we have actively intervened to ensure that universities act swiftly and appropriately to deal with incidents of antisemitism.</p><p>The Secretary of State for Education and the Minister for Skills wrote to all universities on 11 October 2023, urging them to respond swiftly to hate-related incidents, and actively reassure Jewish students that they can study without fear of harassment or intimidation. The Minister wrote again to Vice Chancellors on 16 November 2023, emphasising that they must use disciplinary measures wherever appropriate, highlighting the importance of police engagement, and reiterating that student visas could be suspended where a foreign national is found to have committed or incited acts of racial hatred. This was one of the key actions set out in the five point plan for tackling antisemitism in HE, which was published on 5 November 2023. The plan also involves:</p><ul><li>Calling for visas to be withdrawn from international students who incite racial hatred. Visas are a privilege, not a right, and we will not hesitate to remove them from people who abuse them.</li><li>Logging specific cases and sharing them with the Office for Students for their consideration.</li><li>Continuing to make it clear in all discussions that acts that may be criminal should be referred to the police.</li><li>Establishing a Tackling Antisemitism Quality Seal which will be an award available to universities who can demonstrate the highest standards in tackling antisemitism.</li></ul><p> </p><p>On 22 November 2023, the department announced in the Autumn Statement an additional £7 million over three years to tackle antisemitism in education. The Quality Seal will be the cornerstone of this package for universities, providing a framework of measures that will make clear what good practice is in tackling antisemitism in HE, and making sure that our universities are a safe and welcoming space for Jewish students and staff.</p><p>The department will not hesitate to take further action across education to stamp out antisemitism and harassment of Jewish pupils, students and staff.</p> answering member printed Baroness Barran question first answered 15/03/2024 14:38:42 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran
tabling member	259 label Biography information for The Marquess of Lothian

1686932

registered interest
date	01/02/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Special Educational Needs
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government how many children in England under the age of 18 are diagnosed with (1) autism spectrum condition, (2) ADHD, (3) dyslexia, and (4) dyspraxia; how many children currently receive special educational needs support at school; how many children and young people aged up to 25 have an education, health and care plan; what were the equivalent figures for all the above in 2014; and what action they are taking to adapt schools to better meet the educational needs of neurodiverse children.
tabling member printed	The Marquess of Lothian
uin	HL2139
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/02/2024 answer text <p>The department publishes annual figures on Special Educational Needs (SEN) for pupils in state-funded schools in England. The most recent figures are for January 2023 and information on the primary type of need for pupils with an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan or SEN support is available at: <a href="https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/special-educational-needs-in-england" target="_blank">https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/special-educational-needs-in-england</a>.</p><p>2014 data is available at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/special-educational-needs-in-england-january-2014" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/special-educational-needs-in-england-january-2014</a>. Please note that prior to 2015, SEN categories were classified as the School Action and School Action Plus which were combined from 2015 to form one category of SEN support.</p><p>In January 2023, 115,984 pupils with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) as their primary type of SEN had an EHC plan and 90,779 had SEN support.</p><p>In January 2014, 49,975 pupils with ASD had an EHC plan, or statement of SEN, and 26,040 received SEN support (School Action Plus).</p><p>The department does not collect data specifically on pupils with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, dyslexia and dyspraxia.</p><p>The department also publishes annual figures on children and young people in England with an EHC plan. The most recent figures are for January 2023, which are available at: <a href="https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/education-health-and-care-plans" target="_blank">https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/education-health-and-care-plans</a>.</p><p>In January 2023, 517,049 children and young people aged up to 25 had an EHC plan. In January 2014 237,111 children and young people had a statement of SEN, which were replaced by EHC plans from September 2014.</p><p>On 22 November 2023, the department announced the Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools programme. This new programme, backed by £13 million of investment, will bring together Integrated Care Boards, local authorities, and schools, working in partnership with parents and carer to support schools to better meet the needs of neurodiverse children. The programme will deploy specialists from both health and education workforces to upskill schools and build their capacity to identify and meet the needs of children with autism and other neurodiverse needs. One of the key programme metrics will be attendance, as the department recognises that addressing unmet needs and making school more inclusive supports good attendance. The programme will be evaluated, and the learning will inform future policy development around how schools support neurodiverse children.</p> answering member printed Baroness Barran question first answered 12/02/2024 16:39:09 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran
tabling member	259 label Biography information for The Marquess of Lothian

1670155

registered interest
date	14/11/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Schools: Attendance
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of current rates of absences in (1) severely absent, and (2) persistently absent, school pupils; and how this compares to pre-pandemic absences; what steps they are taking to reduce absence rates; and what assessment they have made of the correlation between both categories and future criminal convictions.
tabling member printed	The Marquess of Lothian
uin	HL291
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/11/2023 answer text <p>Improving attendance is a priority for the government. The department is implementing a comprehensive attendance strategy to tackle unacceptably high rates of persistent and severe absence and return to pre-pandemic levels or better as soon as possible.</p><p>Census data from the 2018/19 academic year show that, pre-pandemic, 10.9% of school aged children were persistently absent and 0.8% were severely absent, compared with 22.5% for persistent absence and 1.7% for severe absence in 2021/22. The data from 2021/22 also show that illness was the major driver of overall absence, at 4.4% across the academic year.</p><p>To address the issue, the department has published guidance encouraging all schools and local authorities to adopt the practices of the most effective. Schools are now expected to publish an attendance policy and appoint an attendance champion. Local authorities are expected to meet termly with schools to agree individual plans for at-risk children.</p><p>The department’s attendance hubs now support 800 schools benefiting over 400,000 pupils. 86% of schools subscribe to the department’s data tool to spot at-risk pupils. Recent data show that the department is making progress, with around 380,000 fewer children persistently not in school in 2022/23 compared to 2021/22.</p><p>On links to crime, Ministry of Justice and Department for Education data show that while a high percentage of children cautioned or sentenced for a serious violence offence had ever been persistently absent, only a small percentage of children who had ever been persistently absent were children who were cautioned or sentenced for these offences. Analysis shows that persistent absence for unauthorised reasons and severe absence were not strong predictors of being cautioned or sentenced for a serious violence offence, when holding other factors constant.</p><p>The department is investing over £50 million in serious violence hotspots to fund specialist support in both mainstream and Alternative Provision (AP) schools through its AP Specialist Taskforces and ‘Support, Attain, Fulfil, Exceed’ programmes.</p><p>The department also works closely with Chief Constable Catherine Roper, who holds the National Police Chiefs’ Council Children and Young People portfolio, through the Attendance Action Alliance. Further information on the alliance can be found at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/attendance-alliance-group" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/attendance-alliance-group</a>.</p> answering member printed Baroness Barran question first answered 28/11/2023 14:59:15 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran
tabling member	259 label Biography information for The Marquess of Lothian

1662290

registered interest
date	21/09/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Schools: Buildings
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Barran on 20 January (HL4717), when they first became aware of serious safety issues concerning the use of Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete; and whether these safety concerns include an imminent risk to life.
tabling member printed	The Marquess of Lothian
uin	HL10410
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/10/2023 answer text <p>Nothing is more important than the safety of children and staff. It has always been the case that where the Department is made aware a building may pose an immediate risk, immediate action is taken. It is important for young people to be in classrooms with their friends and teachers, but their safety must always come first.</p><p>The Government has taken more proactive action to identify and mitigate RAAC in education settings than the devolved administrations in the UK, or indeed, governments overseas. The Office of Government Property wrote to all Government Property Leaders in 2019, and again in September 2022, highlighting safety alerts on RAAC and signposting guidance on identification and remediation. The Department has been talking to schools about the potential risks of RAAC since 2018 when we first published a warning note with the Local Government Association. The Department published guidance on identifying and managing RAAC in 2021 (updated 2022, and 2023).</p><p>Since then, Government departments have been surveying properties and depending on the assessment of the RAAC, decided to either monitor it, prop it up, or replace it. This is in line with the approach recommended by the Institution of Structural Engineers.</p><p>Guidance to schools since 2018 has been clear about the need to have adequate contingencies in place for the eventuality that RAAC-affected buildings need to be vacated at short notice. The Department began a programme working with the sector to identify and manage RAAC in March 2022, extended to colleges in December.</p><p>The Department discovered details of three new cases over the summer, where RAAC that would have been graded as non-critical had failed. The first of these was in a commercial setting. The second was in a school in a different educational jurisdiction.</p><p>It was right to carefully consider the cases and scrutinise the technical details from these. The Department’s technical officials were able to investigate the situation in one case where the plank that had failed was fully intact as it was resting on a steel beam after it failed. They concluded that it would previously been rated non-critical.</p><p>Ministers were carefully considering the first two cases, and advice from officials, when a third failure of a panel occurred, at a school in late August. The Department’s technical officials also visited this school to investigate the failure. In light of all three cases, it was right to make the difficult decision to change Departmental guidance for education settings and take a more cautious approach.</p><p>Following careful analysis of these recent cases, a precautionary and proactive step has been taken to change the approach to RAAC in education settings ahead of the start of the academic year, as outlined in our guidance.</p> answering member printed Baroness Barran question first answered 16/10/2023 09:47:21 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran
tabling member	259 label Biography information for The Marquess of Lothian

1660904

registered interest
date	14/09/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Teachers: Secondary Education
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what is their target for the recruitment of trainee secondary school teachers in 2023–24; what assessment they have made of whether there will be a shortfall in the number of those training to become secondary school teachers during that period; and what steps they are taking to ensure that secondary schools in England continue to have enough teachers.
tabling member printed	The Marquess of Lothian
uin	HL10188
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/09/2023 answer text <p>Education is a devolved matter, and this response outlines relevant information for England only.</p><p>There are now over 468,000 full time equivalent (FTE) teachers in state-funded schools in England, which is an increase of 27,000 (6%) since 2010. This makes it the highest FTE of teachers since the School Workforce Census began in 2010.</p><p>The Teacher Workforce Model is used by DfE to calculate postgraduate initial teacher training (PGITT) targets for individual subjects. The model considers a broad range of factors including but not limited to projected pupil numbers, all forms of teacher recruitment (not just ITT), and the expected level of teacher retention. The PGITT target for secondary teachers in 2023/24 is 26,360. The targets are published on GOV.UK at: <a href="https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/postgraduate-initial-teacher-training-targets" target="_blank">https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/postgraduate-initial-teacher-training-targets</a>.</p><p>The Department monitors and reviews teacher recruitment through the annual Initial Teacher Training Census (published each December). The latest information on ITT recruitment reported against PGITT targets can be found in the Initial Teacher Training Census statistical publication at: <a href="https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/initial-teacher-training-census/2022-23" target="_blank">https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/initial-teacher-training-census/2022-23</a>. The performance against targets for the 2023/24 academic year will be published this December.</p><p>As expected, the unprecedented increase in new entrants to ITT during 2020/21 because of the COVID-19 pandemic has since declined. The graduate and general labour markets became more competitive and pay has risen in competing sectors.</p><p>To boost teacher recruitment and retention, the Department has introduced the biggest teaching reform in a generation, the Early Career Framework (ECF). The ECF provides the solid foundations for a successful career in teaching, backed by over £130 million a year in funding.</p><p>The Department has also accepted in full the School Teachers’ Review Body’s recommendations for the 2023/24 pay award for teachers and leaders, resulting in a pay award of 6.5% , the highest for teachers in over thirty years. This comes on top of the record pay rise in 2022/23 of 5.4% on average, meaning that over two years, teacher pay is increasing by more than 12% on average.</p><p>There is still further to go to improve recruitment in some subjects. To address this a range of measures have been put in place, including bursaries worth up to £27,000 tax-free and scholarships worth up to £29,000 tax-free, to encourage talented trainees to key subjects such as mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing.</p><p>A Levelling Up Premium worth up to £3,000 tax-free is also being offered for mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing teachers in the first 5 years of their careers who choose to work in disadvantaged schools, including in Education Investment Areas. This will support recruitment and retention of specialist teachers in these subjects and in the schools and areas that need them most.</p> answering member printed Baroness Barran question first answered 26/09/2023 15:53:58 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran
tabling member	259 label Biography information for The Marquess of Lothian

1658877

registered interest
date	06/09/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Children: Reading
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the National Literacy Trust report Children and Young People's Reading in 2023, published on 4 September, what steps they are taking to encourage reading in children and young people, particularly those aged 8 to 11, including investing in libraries.
tabling member printed	The Marquess of Lothian
uin	HL9943
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/09/2023 answer text <p>The National Curriculum requires teachers to encourage pupils to develop the habit of reading widely and often, for both pleasure and information. It also emphasises the importance of listening to, discussing, and reading for themselves a wide range of stories, poems, plays and non-fiction books.</p><p>The department believes that all pupils deserve to be taught a knowledge-rich curriculum that promotes the extensive reading of books and other kinds of texts, both in and out of school. School libraries complement public libraries in allowing pupils to do this.</p><p>It is for individual schools to decide how best to provide and maintain a library service for their pupils, including whether to employ a qualified librarian. Many headteachers recognise the important role school libraries play in improving literacy and encouraging pupils to read for pleasure and ensure that suitable library facilities are provided.</p><p>The 2022 Autumn Statement announced additional investment of £2 billion in each of 2023/24 and 2024/25, over and above totals announced at the 2021 Spending Review.</p><p>This means funding for mainstream schools and high needs is £3.5 billion higher in 2023/24, compared to 2022/23. That is on top of the £4 billion, year-on-year increase provided in 2022/23, which is an increase of £7.5 billion, or over 15%, in just two years.</p><p>The department published an expanded reading framework in July 2023, which builds on the original framework and also covers the teaching of reading in key stages 2 and 3, including guidance on how to help pupils who need more support to learn to read proficiently. The updated version has been expanded to help schools improve reading for all pupils so they leave primary school able to engage confidently with reading in all subjects at secondary school. It also offers guidance on developing a reading for pleasure culture in school, recognising the importance of reading widely and often for both academic success and wellbeing.</p><p>In 2018, the department launched the English Hubs programme which is dedicated to improving the teaching of reading, with a focus on supporting children making the slowest progress in reading, many of whom come from disadvantaged backgrounds. We have so far invested over £67 million in this school-to-school improvement programme, which focuses on systematic synthetic phonics, early language, and reading for pleasure. The department has committed a further £40 million up to the end of the 2024/25 financial year.</p> answering member printed Baroness Barran question first answered 20/09/2023 15:51:25 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran
tabling member	259 label Biography information for The Marquess of Lothian

1646836

registered interest
date	22/06/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Students: Loans
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of how much the new Plan 5 loans for higher education starters will increase the average cost of higher education for graduates; and whether the new arrangements will result in graduates in England paying more and for longer than under the present system.
tabling member printed	The Marquess of Lothian
uin	HL8726
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/07/2023 answer text <p>The Plan 5 reforms will make the student loan system fairer for taxpayers and fairer for students, helping to keep the system sustainable in the long term.</p><p>The new loan plan asks graduates to repay for longer and from an income threshold of £25,000, but also increases certainty for borrowers by reducing interest rates to match inflation only. This change ensures that borrowers on the new Plan 5 terms will not repay, under those terms, more than they originally borrowed over the lifetime of their loans, when adjusted for inflation. Lower earners will still be protected. If a borrower’s income is below the repayment threshold of £25,000 per year, they won’t be required to make any repayments at all.</p><p>A comprehensive equality impact assessment of how the student loan reforms may affect graduates, including detail on changes to average lifetime repayments under Plan 5, was produced and published in February 2022. The assessment is attached.</p> answering member printed Baroness Barran question first answered 05/07/2023 12:48:32 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran attachment 1 file name HL8726_Higher_education_policy_statement_and_reform_consultation_assessment.pdf title HE policy assessment
tabling member	259 label Biography information for The Marquess of Lothian