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1666200

registered interest
date	19/10/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	STEM Subjects
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 encourage students to take up STEM subjects.
tabling member constituency	Watford
tabling member printed	Dean Russell
uin	203617
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/10/2023 answer text <p>The Department is investing in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education at all levels to ensure people have access to high quality teaching and can access career opportunities in STEM related sectors. The Department is working with other Government Departments through the UK Science &amp; Technology Framework to deliver talent and skills for critical technologies.</p><p>The Department funds several programmes to encourage young people into STEM, including:</p><ul><li>The Stimulating Physics Network, which provides support to schools to increase rates of progression to physics A level.</li><li>An inclusion in schools project to increase the uptake of A level physics from students in underrepresented groups.</li><li>The Isaac Physics programme to increase the numbers of students, particularly from typically underrepresented backgrounds, studying physics in higher education.</li></ul><p>The Department also supports the STEM ambassadors programme, which inspires young people from underrepresented backgrounds to engage with STEM subjects. Secondary schools are also expected to provide pupils with at least one meaningful interaction with employers per pupil per year, with a focus on STEM employers.</p><p>The Department is harnessing expertise through the Digital and Computing Skills Education Taskforce to increase the number of people taking digital and computing qualifications and to attract a diverse range of individuals into digital jobs. The Department is also investing over £100 million in the National Centre for Computing Education to improve the teaching of computing and to increase participation in computer science at GCSE and A level.</p><p>The National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Maths works with a network of 40 maths hubs to help local schools improve the quality of their teaching. In April, the Prime Minister announced that every young person will study some form of mathematics up to the age of 18, and that the Department will expand and extend the work of maths hubs.</p><p>The Prime Minister also recently announced plans to develop a new baccalaureate-style qualification called the Advanced British Standard (ABS) for 16 to 19 year-olds, which will bring together the best of A levels and T Levels into a single qualification, and ensure students continue with some form of mathematics and English study until they are 18.</p><p>The Department is making a £600 million downpayment for the ABS, focused on recruiting and retaining teachers in key STEM and technical shortage subjects, ensuring better attainment in mathematics and English, and providing better resources for teachers and pupils. As part of this, it is investing around £100 million a year to give early career STEM teachers, working in disadvantaged schools and all further education colleges up to £6,000 tax free annually on top of their pay, and an additional £60 million over two years to improve mathematics education. This will help to ensure our young people receive high quality specialist teaching to equip them with the mathematics and science skills the UK needs.</p><p>The Department also funds the Advanced Mathematics Support Programme which delivers high quality teacher professional development as well as focused support and enrichment for students and institutions to improve participation and provision in level 3 mathematics.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 26/10/2023 10:59:16 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	4812 label Biography information for Dean Russell

1666201

registered interest
date	19/10/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Mathematics: Teachers
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 encourage people to become mathematics teachers.
tabling member constituency	Watford
tabling member printed	Dean Russell
uin	203618
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/10/2023 answer text <p>There are now over 468,000 full time equivalent (FTE) teachers in state-funded schools in England, 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 Department knows there is further to go to improve recruitment in some subjects, including mathematics. This is why the Department has put in place a range of measures, including bursaries worth £28,000 tax free and scholarships worth £30,000 tax free, to encourage talented trainees to teach mathematics, as well as physics, chemistry and computing. The initial teacher training financial incentives package for the 2024/25 recruitment cycle is worth up to £196 million, a £15 million increase on the last cycle.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 26/10/2023 11:17:57 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	4812 label Biography information for Dean Russell

1627907

registered interest
date	15/05/2023
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	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to train teachers on (a) autism and (b) other neuro-diverse conditions.
tabling member constituency	Watford
tabling member printed	Dean Russell
uin	185145
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/05/2023 answer text <p>The department has transformed the support and training available to support teachers and leaders at every stage of their career to deliver improved outcomes for young people across the country.</p><p>The golden thread of professional development begins with Initial Teacher Training (ITT) followed by a new two-year induction programme based on the Early Career Framework (ECF), which are designed to support trainees and newly qualified teachers to meet the Teachers’ Standards at the appropriate level. This includes the requirement in Standard 5, that all teachers must have a clear understanding of the needs of all pupils including, where appropriate, those identified as being neurodivergent or as having other special educational needs.</p><p>We have publicly committed to reviewing the ITT core content framework and ECF alongside each other into more closely combined frameworks. We will explore how to better support new teachers to meet the needs of pupils with Special Education Needs and Disabilities (SEND).</p><p>For experienced teachers and leaders, a range of specialist and leadership National Professional Qualifications (NPQs) are available. NPQs are designed to support professionals to hone and develop their existing skills, helping them to become more effective inside and outside the classroom, and ensure they support all pupils to succeed in both mainstream and specialist settings.</p><p>In March 2023, as part of the Improvement Plan for SEND and Alternative Provision, the department announced plans to introduce a new leadership NPQ for Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators (SENCOs). This new NPQ will equip SENCOs with the knowledge, practical skills, and leadership expertise to shape their school’s approach to supporting children with SEND.</p> answering member constituency East Surrey answering member printed Claire Coutinho question first answered 22/05/2023 15:56:39 answering member 4806 label Biography information for Claire Coutinho
tabling member	4812 label Biography information for Dean Russell

1587260

registered interest
date	20/02/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	School Meals: Nutrition
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the nutritional value of meals served in schools.
tabling member constituency	Watford
tabling member printed	Dean Russell
uin	148811
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/02/2023 answer text <p>The standards for school food are set out in the Requirements for School Food Regulations 2014. These regulations are designed to ensure that schools provide pupils with healthy food and drink options, and to make sure that pupils have the energy and nutrition they need throughout the school day.</p><p>The Department believes the current standards provide a robust yet flexible framework to ensure that pupils in England continue to receive high quality and nutritious food, that builds healthy eating habits for life. The standards remain under review.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 28/02/2023 12:17:51 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	4812 label Biography information for Dean Russell

1586389

registered interest
date	17/02/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Hearing Impairment: Teachers
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an estimate of the number of teachers for people with hearing impairments in (a) Watford and (b) England.
tabling member constituency	Watford
tabling member printed	Dean Russell
uin	147215
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/02/2023 answer text <p>Information on the number of qualified teachers for people with hearing impairments is not collected by the department.</p><p>Information on the school workforce in England is collected as part of the annual School Workforce Census each November. Information is published in the ‘School Workforce in England’ statistical publication: <a href="https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england" target="_blank">https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england</a>.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Surrey answering member printed Claire Coutinho question first answered 27/02/2023 15:08:15 answering member 4806 label Biography information for Claire Coutinho
tabling member	4812 label Biography information for Dean Russell

1586390

registered interest
date	17/02/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Special Educational Needs: Visual Impairment
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what educational support is in place for visually impaired students in (a) Watford and (b) England.
tabling member constituency	Watford
tabling member printed	Dean Russell
uin	147216
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/02/2023 answer text <p>I refer my hon. Friend, the member for Watford to the answer I gave on 13 February 2023 to Question <a href="https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2023-02-06/140375" target="_blank">140375</a>.</p> answering member constituency East Surrey answering member printed Claire Coutinho question first answered 27/02/2023 12:23:08 answering member 4806 label Biography information for Claire Coutinho
tabling member	4812 label Biography information for Dean Russell

1568303

registered interest
date	18/01/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Teachers: Pay
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what data her Department holds on the proportion of qualified classroom teachers expected to move up the pay scale through progression or promotion in academic year 2022-23; what the maximum pay increase is a qualified classroom teacher could receive in academic year 2022-23; what proportion of teachers were at the top of their pay scale as of 1 January 2023; and what proportion of qualified classroom teachers are expected to move up the pay scale through progression or promotion in academic year 2022-23 who are not already at the top of their pay scale.
tabling member constituency	Watford
tabling member printed	Dean Russell
uin	126857
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/01/2023 answer text <p>The Department has implemented in full the School Teachers’ Review Body’s (STRB) recommendation of an 8.9% pay rise for early career teachers outside London, and a 5% pay rise for experienced teachers in 2022/23. This is the highest pay award in 30 years.</p><p>Teachers who remain in consecutive service are often eligible for a pay rise over and above the headline pay award, due to pay progression or promotion, as they move through the main and upper pay scales.</p><p>The Department’s written evidence to the STRB in 2021 estimated that, on average, 85% of teachers in early career (on the first five advisory pay points of the main pay range M1-M5) and 40% of experienced teachers below the top of the upper pay range (on M6-U2) received such a pay rise each year. This analysis was based on school workforce census and teacher pension scheme data, with the same pattern identified across several years. By combining these estimated progression rates with the distribution of classroom teachers on each advisory pay point, the Department estimates that around 40% of all qualified classroom teachers who remain in consecutive service receive a pay rise from progression or promotion. In 2022/23, teachers who progressed up the pay scale could see pay rises of up to 15.9% in total from the combination of the pay award and progression or promotion.</p><p>Some teachers are not eligible for progression. Close to a third of qualified classroom teachers are not eligible because they are at the top of the upper pay range (UPR). Last September, these teachers saw their pay rise to at least £43,685. The Department has previously published the estimated distribution of classroom teachers by advisory pay point in the rest of England pay region. The distribution used in the calculations above is based on the school workforce census with data from November 2021, as more recent data is not available, and is generated using a methodology consistent with both the statistical publication and previously published evidence to the STRB. This data is available at: <a href="https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england" target="_blank">https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england</a>.</p><p>If we exclude the third of teachers who are already at the top of their pay range, as outlined above, the Department estimates that around 60% of the remaining teachers are expected to receive a pay rise over and above the headline award due to progression or promotion.</p><p>Teachers can also receive additional payments for taking on extra responsibilities, and there is a separate pay range for those in leadership roles.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 26/01/2023 17:05:03 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	4812 label Biography information for Dean Russell

1313864

registered interest
date	12/05/2021
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Assessments: Standards
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on exam standards of Ofqual’s decision to release optional exam board materials in advance to students.
tabling member constituency	Watford
tabling member printed	Dean Russell
uin	923
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/05/2021 answer text <p>The optional sets of questions provided by the exam boards are intended to be a helpful tool for teachers to use, if they choose, in gathering evidence to determine their pupils’ grades this year. They are one element of the overall approach to assessing pupils’ performance. These sets of questions are not exams and pupils across the country may complete them at different times or in different formats. They are openly published to ensure there is equality of access to the materials for all pupils at the same time – an approach supported by 66% of respondents to the Department’s and Ofqual’s joint consultation on how GCSE, AS and A level grades should be awarded in summer 2021.</p><p>As well as the sets of questions and other support materials, the exam boards have provided grade descriptors to exemplify the established performance standard that is to be applied in grading judgements this summer.</p><p>The materials derived from examinations are, thereby, part of a package of measures designed to deliver fairness for pupils given differential teaching experiences caused by the COVID-19 outbreak.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 17/05/2021 12:34:28 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	4812 label Biography information for Dean Russell

175421

registered interest
date	23/01/2015
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Teachers: Recruitment
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to increase teacher recruitment in (a) Hertfordshire and (b) England.
tabling member constituency	Watford
tabling member printed	Richard Harrington
uin	221823
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/01/2015 answer text <p>The Department for Education wants to attract the best and brightest graduates into teaching. Teaching continues to be a hugely popular career with more teachers in England’s classrooms than ever before and record levels of top graduates entering the profession, with 17% of postgraduate entrants to initial teacher training in 2014/15 (one in six) holding a first class degree and 73% holding a 2:1 or better. However, we recognise that we must continue our efforts to attract top graduates, which is why the Department is offering increased bursaries worth up to £25,000 tax free to those training to teach physics, maths, chemistry, computing and languages. Furthermore, the Prime Minister announced on 8 December a range of measures to up-skill 15,000 existing teachers and to recruit up to 2,500 additional specialist maths and physics teachers over the next Parliament.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Yeovil answering member printed Mr David Laws question first answered 28/01/2015 17:21:00 answering member 1473 label Biography information for Mr David Laws
tabling member	4068 label Biography information for Lord Harrington of Watford

92512

registered interest
date	10/10/2014
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Children: Neurofibromatosis
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that schools are aware of social, psychological and health problems that pupils with neurofibromatosis 1 may encounter; and what guidance her Department gives to schools to ensure that pupils with that and other genetic conditions receive adequate support to ensure that they do not feel socially excluded.
tabling member constituency	Watford
tabling member printed	Richard Harrington
uin	209275
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/10/2014 answer text <p>A new duty was introduced on 1 September 2014 for governing bodies to make arrangements to support pupils with medical conditions and to have regard to statutory guidance, which came into force on the same date. The guidance focuses on the needs of each individual child and how their medical condition impacts on school life. We would expect those arrangements to apply to pupils suffering from neurofibromatosis.</p><p> </p><p>The guidance advocates the use of individual healthcare plans, which may include details of associated conditions, and the support required for their wider educational, social and emotional needs.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Crewe and Nantwich answering member printed Mr Edward Timpson grouped question UIN 209274 question first answered 15/10/2014 16:36:56 answering member 1605 label Biography information for Edward Timpson
tabling member	4068 label Biography information for Lord Harrington of Watford