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1696965

registered interest
date	19/03/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Languages: GCE A-level
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of schools in (a) St Helens North constituency and (b) the North West she expects to offer A-Levels in modern foreign languages in the next five years.
tabling member constituency	St Helens North
tabling member printed	Conor McGinn
uin	19388
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/03/2024 answer text <p>The department does not produce projections of future trends of the number of students taking specific qualifications or future trends in the number of schools or colleges offering specific qualifications.</p><p>The department recognises the importance of the study of languages in Britain and is taking steps to increase the number of pupils studying languages at GCSE level and beyond. This is particularly important given that languages became non-mandatory at GCSE in 2004. The recently launched Language Hubs programme is comprised of 15 lead hub schools from across England, including a hub based in the North West. The lead hub schools will work with other schools in their areas to improve standards of language teaching, in line with recommendations of the Teaching Schools Council’s 2016 ‘Modern Foreign Languages Pedagogy Review’.</p><p>Managed by the National Consortium for Languages Education, the programme provides high-quality teacher Continuing Professional Development and includes improving transition from key stage 2 to key stage 3, increasing opportunities among disadvantaged pupils to study languages, and increasing the access to home, heritage, and community languages.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds question first answered 25/03/2024 17:54:57 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
tabling member	4458 label Biography information for Conor McGinn

1697075

registered interest
date	19/03/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Internet: Older People
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 1 March 2024 to Question 15588 on Digital Technology: Disadvantaged, whether she has made an assessment of the adequacy of availability of free or low cost internet training for people aged 65 and over to tackle digital exclusion.
tabling member constituency	Hornsey and Wood Green
tabling member printed	Catherine West
uin	19418
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/03/2024 answer text <p>The government recognises that digital skills are important for adults of all ages, and we are committed to improving their level of digital skills to support active participation in society.</p><p>From August 2020, the department introduced a digital entitlement for adults with no or low digital skills to undertake specified digital qualifications, up to level 1, free of charge. The new entitlement mirrors the existing legal entitlements for English and maths, and puts essential digital skills on an equal footing in the adult education system, as a third basic skill. The department introduced new Essential Digital Skills qualifications (EDSQs) at entry level and level 1 from August 2020, funded under the digital entitlement. EDSQs are based on the new national standards for essential digital skills and are designed to meet the diverse needs of adults with no or low digital skills, reflecting different learning needs, motivations and starting points.</p><p>To further enhance the essential digital skills offer for adults, from August 2023 the department introduced new digital Functional Skills qualifications (FSQs), which have replaced FSQs in Information and Communication Technology. Digital FSQs have standardised content and assessment, providing a benchmark of digital skills for employers. The department published the final subject content for digital FSQs in October 2021.</p><p>The government recognises that formal qualifications are not appropriate for everyone. That is why the department also funds community learning and other non-regulated learning, such as building confidence in essential digital skills, through the Adult Education Budget. Many local authorities and other further education providers are already delivering these courses that help equip adults with the essential digital skills they need for work, life and further learning.</p><p>More information about essential digital skills and other government funded training opportunities can be found here: <a href="https://www.skillsforcareers.education.gov.uk/pages/skills-for-life" target="_blank">https://www.skillsforcareers.education.gov.uk/pages/skills-for-life</a>.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Harlow answering member printed Robert Halfon question first answered 26/03/2024 10:15:28 answering member 3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon
tabling member	4523 label Biography information for Catherine West

1697121

registered interest
date	19/03/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Students: Transgender People
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department has taken to consult (a) transgender students, (b) the families of transgender students and (c) organisations that represent the views of transgender people on the draft guidance entitled Guidance for Schools and Colleges: Gender Questioning Children, published on 19 December 2023.
tabling member constituency	Bristol North West
tabling member printed	Darren Jones
uin	19429
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/03/2024 answer text <p>From the 19 December 2023 to the 12 March 2024, the department carried out a full public consultation on the draft guidance for schools and colleges on gender questioning children. Any member of the public could respond and provide their views.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds question first answered 22/03/2024 14:43:23 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
tabling member	4621 label Biography information for Darren Jones

1697263

registered interest
date	19/03/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	School Milk
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential (1) social, and (2) economic, benefits of expanding the School Milk Subsidy Scheme to provide a free one third of a pint portion of milk to all primary school age children each day attending school.
tabling member printed	Lord Hampton
uin	HL3385
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/03/2024 answer text <p>Milk is an excellent food for children’s growth and development. This is why, as part of the School Food Standards, schools are already required to ensure milk is available to all pupils who want it during school hours. The National School Milk Subsidy Scheme can be used by primary schools to reduce the cost of milk for all their pupils.</p><p> </p><p>Thanks to Universal Infant Free School Meals, pupils under seven years old are already eligible for free milk when it is offered as part of their school lunch. Older pupils entitled to benefits related free school meals are also eligible for free milk when made available during the school day. This is in addition to the free milk provided for children under five-years-old thanks to the Nursery Milk Scheme.</p><p> </p><p>As with free school meals, the department believes it is important to support those most in need and to ensure policy remains affordable and deliverable for schools. The department does not have plans to change the current eligibility conditions for the scheme.</p> answering member printed Baroness Barran question first answered 26/03/2024 13:45:47 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran
tabling member	4951 label Biography information for Lord Hampton

1697271

registered interest
date	19/03/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Sign Language: GCSE
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made in developing approved exam board syllabuses for a GCSE in British Sign Language.
tabling member printed	Lord Hunt of Kings Heath
uin	HL3400
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/03/2024 answer text <p>The department published British Sign Language (BSL) GCSE subject content in December 2023, following a public consultation last summer. Exam boards are now able to develop detailed specifications, which must be reviewed and accredited by the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual) before schools and colleges are able to teach them. The department does not play a role in developing or approving exam board specifications for GCSEs.</p><p> </p><p>Only ancient or modern foreign language (MFL) GCSEs count towards the languages pillar of the English Baccalaureate (EBacc). The BSL GCSE does not sit in the MFL suite as it is not a foreign language but an indigenous one and does not contain the speaking and listening elements common to all MFL GCSEs. While the BSL GCSE will therefore not count towards the EBacc, it will be a rigorous qualification that is internationally recognised and accepted in school and college performance tables.</p><p> </p><p>The department is considering the steps that can be taken to support the delivery of the BSL GCSE when it is introduced, such as engaging with initial teacher training providers. The department also expects stakeholder organisations and exam boards to play an important role in supporting the teaching workforce to deliver the BSL GCSE.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Barran grouped question UIN HL3401 HL3402 HL3403 question first answered 26/03/2024 12:36:09 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran
tabling member	2024 label Biography information for Lord Hunt of Kings Heath

1696610

registered interest
date	18/03/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Music: Workplace Pensions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding her Department has committed to cover the increase in employer contribution rates for Music Hubs this academic year.
tabling member constituency	Worsley and Eccles South
tabling member printed	Barbara Keeley
uin	19026
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/03/2024 answer text <p>The department has secured £1.25 billion to support eligible settings with the increased Teachers’ Pension Scheme employer contribution rate in the 2024/25 financial year. This includes additional funding of £9.3 million to local authorities for their centrally employed teachers, including those employed in local authority based music hubs.</p><p>The Teachers’ Pension Employer Contribution Grant 2024 will provide funding to local authorities in respect of teachers categorised as centrally employed on the schools workforce census 2023. The department expects local authority based music hub teachers to be recorded on the census.</p><p>The department has also committed to providing funding to cover the increase in employer contribution rates for existing non local authority hubs for the current academic year (until August 2024), and departmental officials are working to agree the precise amount. Further details, including funding rates and allocations, will be provided soon.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds question first answered 21/03/2024 17:18:21 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
tabling member	1588 label Biography information for Barbara Keeley

1696613

registered interest
date	18/03/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Pre-school Education and Primary Education: Schools
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the average time is for her Department to approve mergers between pre-schools and primary schools; what steps her Department is taking to (a) reduce that time and (b) help ensure (i) safeguarding during transition and (ii) continuity of funding for childcare; and how many mergers between pre-schools and primary schools her Department has approved in the last 12 months.
tabling member constituency	St Ives
tabling member printed	Derek Thomas
uin	19125
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/03/2024 answer text <p>Local authorities are responsible for making decisions on statutory proposals to alter the age range of maintained schools, including by the addition of a nursery.</p><p> </p><p>Academies wishing to alter their age range must submit an application for a significant change to the department. In the last 12 months, the department received over 100 significant change applications to change the age range at an academy. The current data collection does not break this down further to enable the department to provide information on the number of schools that have requested to change their age range to add provision for nursery age children. The department does not collect data on the average length of time taken to reach a decision as applications can differ in their complexity.</p><p> </p><p>The department has published revised guidance which will come into effect from the end of April 2024. The guidance sets out an updated application process that will allow low risk changes to progress to a decision more quickly following the necessary checks, which will streamline the application process. When implemented, the department will also be introducing a new data collection system to track application information in more detail.</p><p> </p><p>With regards to safeguarding, schools must continue to have regard to the statutory guidance, ‘Keeping children safe in education’, which can be found here: <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/64f0a68ea78c5f000dc6f3b2/Keeping_children_safe_in_education_2023.pdf" target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/64f0a68ea78c5f000dc6f3b2/Keeping_children_safe_in_education_2023.pdf</a>. All early years settings must follow the Early Years Foundation Stage statutory framework throughout any transition period.</p><p> </p><p>Local authorities remain responsible for the continuation of funding, as they are required to ensure sufficiency of childcare places in their areas. Early years entitlements funding for children in nursery classes up to reception age would continue until those children moved into reception.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Wantage answering member printed David Johnston question first answered 21/03/2024 17:10:48 answering member 4761 label Biography information for David Johnston
tabling member	4532 label Biography information for Derek Thomas

1696641

registered interest
date	18/03/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Family Conciliation Services
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 14 June 2024 to Question 17775 on Family Conciliation Services, for what reason her Department does not monitor the number of therapists offering reunification therapy services in England and Wales who help with cases of family breakdown.
tabling member constituency	East Ham
tabling member printed	Sir Stephen Timms
uin	18955
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/03/2024 answer text <p>This is not a matter for the Department for Education, therefore, the department does not collect this data.</p> answering member constituency Wantage answering member printed David Johnston question first answered 21/03/2024 12:44:43 answering member 4761 label Biography information for David Johnston
tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

1696650

registered interest
date	18/03/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Teachers: Qualifications
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Answer of 10 May 2023 to Question 182611 on Teachers: Qualifications, if she will take steps to make the Education Accreditation Scheme available to online education providers for adult learners.
tabling member constituency	Bradford West
tabling member printed	Naz Shah
uin	19081
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/03/2024 answer text <p>The Online Education Accreditation Scheme (OEAS) was launched by the department in April 2023. The objective of the scheme is to bring regulatory oversight to an unregulated part of the education sector. The scheme is not designed to cover all forms of online education but to focus where the need for quality assurance is most pronounced, which is to pupils of compulsory school age. The OEAS is only open to applications from those providers offering full-time education online to pupils of compulsory school age. The government has no plans to expand the scheme to online education providers for adults.</p> answering member constituency Harlow answering member printed Robert Halfon question first answered 22/03/2024 11:05:31 answering member 3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon
tabling member	4409 label Biography information for Naz Shah

1696673

registered interest
date	18/03/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Internet: Young People
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she plans to take to help (a) educate young people about the dangers of internet use and (b) prevent engagement in harmful online activities by young people.
tabling member constituency	Slough
tabling member printed	Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi
uin	19141
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/03/2024 answer text <p>As part of the statutory relationships and health education in primary schools and relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) in secondary schools, pupils are taught about online safety and harms. This includes being taught about what positive, healthy and respectful online relationships look like, the effects of their online actions on others, how to recognise and display respectful behaviour online, and where to get help and support for issues that occur online. The government’s guidance for primary and secondary school teaching on relationships, sex and health education can be found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/relationships-education-relationships-and-sex-education-rse-and-health-education/relationships-education-primary" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/relationships-education-relationships-and-sex-education-rse-and-health-education/relationships-education-primary</a> and: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/relationships-education-relationships-and-sex-education-rse-and-health-education/relationships-and-sex-education-rse-secondary" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/relationships-education-relationships-and-sex-education-rse-and-health-education/relationships-and-sex-education-rse-secondary</a>.</p><p> </p><p>The department has updated the Teaching Online Safety in Schools non-statutory guidance (2023), on how to teach about all aspects of internet safety in a coordinated and coherent way across their curriculum. Teaching about online safety also complements the computing curriculum, which covers the principles of online safety at all key stages, with progression in the content to reflect the different and escalating risks that pupils face. The computing curriculum can be found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-curriculum-in-england-computing-programmes-of-study" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-curriculum-in-england-computing-programmes-of-study</a>.</p><p> </p><p>The statutory ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’ guidance, which all schools and colleges must have regard to when drawing up and implementing their own safeguarding policies, has been strengthened with regards to online safety in recent years. Governing bodies and proprietors should ensure online safety is a running and interrelated theme whilst devising and implementing their whole school or college approach to safeguarding and related policies and procedures. This includes doing all that they reasonably can to limit children’s exposure to the harmful online content on the school’s or college’s IT system.</p><p> </p><p>The department has brought forward the review of the RSHE curriculum and statutory guidance. Stakeholders will have the opportunity to feed into the process through a thorough consultation. Following the consultation, the department will make a decision about any new content to be included in the RSHE curriculum. The department expects to publish the revised guidance soon after.</p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds question first answered 25/03/2024 17:37:51 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
tabling member	4638 label Biography information for Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi