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1488556

	registered interest
	date	12/07/2022
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Academic Freedom
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the action required to safeguard universities as places of (1) free speech, and (2) challenging ideas.
	tabling member printed	Lord Browne of Belmont
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	HL1680
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/07/2022 answer text <p>Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.</p><p>The government supports free speech which generates rigorous debate and advances understanding.</p><p>It is the freedom to think independently, express and challenge ideas, and put forward lawful, new and controversial ideas, that makes our universities world-renowned. These are essential skills in a modern, forward-facing society. It is this freedom that the government strives to protect.</p><p>The Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill has been introduced for this reason. The bill will strengthen existing freedom of speech duties and directly address gaps within the existing law. The bill also applies the duties directly to students’ unions and constituent colleges, including those at the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge.</p><p>The changes will introduce clear consequences for breaches of the new duties and ensure that these principles are upheld.</p><p>The bill is currently passing through the House of Lords.</p> answering member printed Baroness Barran question first answered 25/07/2022 15:48:28 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran
	tabling member	3801 label Biography information for Lord Browne of Belmont

782000

	registered interest
	date	01/11/2017
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Apprentices: Disability
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to increase the number of people with (1) learning difficulties, and (2) other disabilities, taking part in apprenticeships.
	tabling member printed	Lord Browne of Belmont
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	HL2781
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/11/2017 answer text <p>The Government is implementing reforms to English apprenticeships to raise their quality and ensure they are accessible to all, including people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).</p><p> </p><p>We already have a comprehensive set of financial provisions to assist employers and training providers in meeting the needs of disabled apprentices. Where an apprentice has an Education Health and Care Plan, £2,000 in total is available for the training provider and the employer, who receive £1,000 each. Apprentices and their employers can also apply for Access to Work funding to support the apprentice’s employment. Furthermore, training providers can claim up to £150 a month, and more in exceptional circumstances, to help with the costs of making adjustments to support apprentices with SEND. This is in addition to the £1,000 stated above.</p><p>We are implementing the Maynard Taskforce recommendations to improve access to apprenticeships for those with SEND. Recently, the rules for English and maths requirements were updated to provide more flexibility for apprentices with SEND and who hold an Education Health and Care plan or equivalent.</p><p> </p><p>For the first time, British Sign Language (BSL) is now also an alternative to English Functional Skills for those who use BSL as their first language.</p><p> </p><p>These changes will allow more people to benefit from the opportunities available through apprenticeships and work.</p><p> </p><p>Additionally, the Government is supporting employers with apprentices who have SEND by developing new communications and guidance products. This includes our Employer Toolkit which can be found at: <a href="http://www.employer-toolkit.org.uk/" target="_blank">http://www.employer-toolkit.org.uk/</a>.</p> answering member printed Lord Agnew of Oulton question first answered 15/11/2017 17:30:13 answering member 4689 label Biography information for Lord Agnew of Oulton
	tabling member	3801 label Biography information for Lord Browne of Belmont

1484919

	registered interest
	date	29/06/2022
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Apprentices: Specific Learning Difficulties
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what programmes are currently in place to increase the number of people with learning difficulties taking part in apprenticeships.
	tabling member printed	Lord Browne of Belmont
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	HL1336
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/07/2022 answer text <p>Apprenticeships are available for all people of all backgrounds including people with Learning Difficulties and Disabilities (LDD) to start, progress or to re-train in a variety of industries.</p><p>In recent years we have seen an improved representation of people who have declared LDD starting apprenticeships, and we want this to continue. We have improved our Find an Apprenticeship service to allow people to identify Disability Confident Employers offering opportunities and ensuring apprenticeships are available to all.</p><p>In partnership with the Disability Rights UK, we launched a Disabled Apprentice Network to provide insight and evidence on how to attract and retain disabled people into apprenticeships. Disability Rights UK published a report during National Apprenticeship Week 2022 to support employers to improve the diversity of their apprenticeship programmes whilst highlighting the barriers people may face when undertaking an apprenticeship. In this report, the apprentices identified the opportunity to build confidence, skills and networks with people with different experiences and gain paid work experience as the key points which influenced them towards undertaking an apprenticeship.</p><p>To ensure that more people who declare LDD feel confident to undertake apprenticeships, we have lowered the English and Maths requirements to apprenticeships for a defined group of individuals with LDD. We have also introduced British Sign Language (BSL) as an alternative to English Functional Skills for those who have BSL as their first language.</p><p>Furthermore, we make £1,000 payments to employers and providers for taking on 16 to 18-year-olds, or those 19 to 24 with an Education, Health and Care Plan and also offer £150 per month to help providers make reasonable adjustments for eligible apprentices with special educational needs. Providers can claim additional funding if the cost of support exceeds this rate.</p> answering member printed Baroness Barran question first answered 11/07/2022 14:19:29 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran
	tabling member	3801 label Biography information for Lord Browne of Belmont

1648330

	registered interest
	date	27/06/2023
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Children: Disadvantaged
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that children from disadvantaged backgrounds have equal access to digital learning resources and technology.
	tabling member printed	Lord Browne of Belmont
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	HL8815
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/07/2023 answer text <p>Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.</p><p>Schools are responsible for making decisions about what technology to buy to meet their pupils’ needs, and how best to use it support their teaching.</p><p>The government delivered over 1.95 million laptops and tablets to schools, trusts, local authorities and further education (FE) providers for disadvantaged children and young people as part of a £520 million government investment to support access to remote education and online social care services. These laptops and tablets are now owned by schools, trusts, local authorities or FE providers, who can lend them to children and young people who need them the most. These laptops and tablets were an injection of support on top of the estimated 2.9 million that were already owned by schools before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.</p><p>Building on its success in the pandemic, Oak National Academy was established as an arm’s length body on 1 September 2022, working independently of the government and collaboratively with the education sector. Oak aims to support teachers to improve curriculum delivery, reduce workload and support improved pupil outcomes, and continues to provide a remote education contingency. Oak will work with teachers across the country, giving them and their pupils access to free, optional, and adaptable high-quality digital curriculum resources.</p><p>The government has provided over £2.6 billion of pupil premium funding in the 2022/23 financial year to support pupils from lower income families. Rates will increase by 5% for 2023/24, taking total pupil premium funding to £2.9 billion. As set out in the menu of approaches, schools can use both pupil premium and recovery premium on technology and other resources that support high quality teaching.</p><p>Social tariffs offer low-cost landline and broadband services for those on certain means tested benefits. The government is encouraging those providers who do not currently offer social tariff packages, to do so. A range of affordable tariffs, designed specifically to support low-income families, are now available to 99% of UK households. BT, Virgin Media O2, Sky, Vodafone, and other providers offer broadband and mobile social tariffs for as little as £10 per month, representing a significant saving for households in receipt of Universal Credit and other means tested benefits.</p><p>In addition, the government secured a range of commitments from the UK’s major broadband and mobile providers to support families through the global rise in the cost of living. These commitments include more manageable payment plans, switching to a cheaper package free of charge, or taking a more affordable social tariff if the customer is eligible. The government encourages people to contact their provider to see what support is available. Awareness and take up of social tariffs need to improve. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is working with the sector to urge those providers who have yet to offer a social tariff to do so, and for the industry to ensure that offers are publicised.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Barran question first answered 11/07/2023 13:12:42 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran
	tabling member	3801 label Biography information for Lord Browne of Belmont

1439946

	registered interest
	date	10/03/2022
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Children: Social Services
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to measure progress towards the restoration of disabled children’s social care services to pre-pandemic levels.
	tabling member printed	Lord Browne of Belmont
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	HL6854
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/03/2022 answer text <p>I refer the noble Lord to the answer given by my hon. Friend, the Minister for Children and Families, on 28 February 2022 to Question <a href="https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2022-02-18/125599" target="_blank">125599</a>.</p> answering member printed Baroness Barran question first answered 24/03/2022 12:41:27 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran
	tabling member	3801 label Biography information for Lord Browne of Belmont

93676

	registered interest
	date	15/10/2014
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Class Sizes
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the current pupil to teacher ratio in (1) primary, and (2) post-primary, schools broken down by sector; and how that figure compares with 2011.
	tabling member printed	Lord Browne of Belmont
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	HL2105
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/10/2014 answer text <p>The information requested is as follows:</p><p>Table: Pupil:teacher ratios and pupil:adult ratios in publicly funded schools.<br> November 2011-2013, England</p><table><tbody><tr><td colspan="2"> </td><td colspan="3"><p>November</p></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2"> </td><td><p>2011</p></td><td><p>2012</p></td><td><p>2013</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>LA MAINTAINED NURSERY </strong></p></td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td></tr><tr><td><p>PTR (Qualified teachers) within-schools</p></td><td><p>1, 2</p></td><td><p>16.7</p></td><td><p>16.5</p></td><td><p>17.1</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>PTR (Qualified and unqualified teachers) within-schools</p></td><td><p>1, 2</p></td><td><p>16.2</p></td><td><p>15.9</p></td><td><p>16.7</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>PAR within-schools</p></td><td><p>3</p></td><td><p>5.1</p></td><td><p>4.9</p></td><td><p>4.8</p></td></tr><tr><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>LA MAINTAINED PRIMARY </strong></p></td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td></tr><tr><td><p>PTR (Qualified teachers) within-schools</p></td><td><p>1, 2</p></td><td><p>21.0</p></td><td><p>20.9</p></td><td><p>20.8</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>PTR (Qualified and unqualified teachers) within-schools</p></td><td><p>1, 2</p></td><td><p>20.5</p></td><td><p>20.5</p></td><td><p>20.4</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>PAR within-schools</p></td><td><p>3</p></td><td><p>11.7</p></td><td><p>11.5</p></td><td><p>11.3</p></td></tr><tr><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>PRIMARY ACADEMIES</strong></p></td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td></tr><tr><td><p>PTR (Qualified teachers) within-schools</p></td><td><p>1, 2</p></td><td><p>21.9</p></td><td><p>21.4</p></td><td><p>21.9</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>PTR (Qualified and unqualified teachers) within-schools</p></td><td><p>1, 2</p></td><td><p>21.3</p></td><td><p>20.6</p></td><td><p>21.2</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>PAR within-schools</p></td><td><p>3</p></td><td><p>12.5</p></td><td><p>11.7</p></td><td><p>11.8</p></td></tr><tr><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>TOTAL PUBLICLY FUNDED NURSERY AND PRIMARY</strong></p></td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td></tr><tr><td><p>PTR (Qualified teachers) within-schools</p></td><td><p>1, 2</p></td><td><p>21.0</p></td><td><p>20.9</p></td><td><p>20.9</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>PTR (Qualified and unqualified teachers) within-schools</p></td><td><p>1, 2</p></td><td><p>20.5</p></td><td><p>20.5</p></td><td><p>20.5</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>PAR within-schools</p></td><td><p>3</p></td><td><p>11.7</p></td><td><p>11.4</p></td><td><p>11.2</p></td></tr><tr><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>LA MAINTAINED SECONDARY</strong></p></td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td></tr><tr><td><p>PTR (Qualified teachers) within-schools</p></td><td><p>1, 2</p></td><td><p>15.5</p></td><td><p>15.4</p></td><td><p>15.4</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>PTR (Qualified and unqualified teachers) within-schools</p></td><td><p>1, 2</p></td><td><p>15.0</p></td><td><p>14.9</p></td><td><p>14.8</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>PAR within-schools</p></td><td><p>3</p></td><td><p>10.6</p></td><td><p>10.5</p></td><td><p>10.3</p></td></tr><tr><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>SECONDARY ACADEMIES</strong></p></td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td></tr><tr><td><p>PTR (Qualified teachers) within-schools</p></td><td><p>1, 2</p></td><td><p>15.6</p></td><td><p>15.5</p></td><td><p>15.9</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>PTR (Qualified and unqualified teachers) within-schools</p></td><td><p>1, 2</p></td><td><p>14.8</p></td><td><p>14.8</p></td><td><p>15.1</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>PAR within-schools</p></td><td><p>3</p></td><td><p>10.6</p></td><td><p>10.6</p></td><td><p>10.7</p></td></tr><tr><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>TOTAL PUBLICLY FUNDED SECONDARY</strong></p></td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td></tr><tr><td><p>PTR (Qualified teachers) within-schools</p></td><td><p>1, 2</p></td><td><p>15.6</p></td><td><p>15.5</p></td><td><p>15.7</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>PTR (Qualified and unqualified teachers) within-schools</p></td><td><p>1, 2</p></td><td><p>14.9</p></td><td><p>14.9</p></td><td><p>15.0</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>PAR within-schools</p></td><td><p>3</p></td><td><p>10.6</p></td><td><p>10.5</p></td><td><p>10.6</p></td></tr><tr><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>PUBLICLY FUNDED SPECIAL </strong></p></td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td></tr><tr><td><p>PTR (Qualified teachers) within-schools</p></td><td><p>1, 2</p></td><td><p>6.3</p></td><td><p>6.3</p></td><td><p>5.9</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>PTR (Qualified and unqualified teachers) within-schools</p></td><td><p>1, 2</p></td><td><p>5.9</p></td><td><p>5.8</p></td><td><p>5.4</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>PAR within-schools</p></td><td><p>3</p></td><td><p>2.1</p></td><td><p>2.1</p></td><td><p>2.0</p></td></tr><tr><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>TOTAL ACADEMIES</strong></p></td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td></tr><tr><td><p>PTR (Qualified teachers) within-schools</p></td><td><p>1, 2</p></td><td><p>15.9</p></td><td><p>16.1</p></td><td><p>16.8</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>PTR (Qualified and unqualified teachers) within-schools</p></td><td><p>1, 2</p></td><td><p>15.2</p></td><td><p>15.3</p></td><td><p>15.9</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>PAR within-schools</p></td><td><p>3</p></td><td><p>10.7</p></td><td><p>10.6</p></td><td><p>10.7</p></td></tr><tr><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>TOTAL PUBLICLY FUNDED </strong></p></td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td></tr><tr><td><p>PTR (Qualified teachers) within-schools</p></td><td><p>1, 2</p></td><td><p>17.8</p></td><td><p>17.7</p></td><td><p>17.8</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Overall PTR (Qualified and unqualified teachers) within-schools</p></td><td><p>2, 4</p></td><td><p>17.2</p></td><td><p>17.2</p></td><td><p>17.2</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Overall PAR</p></td><td><p>3</p></td><td><p>10.5</p></td><td><p>10.3</p></td><td><p>10.2</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>Source: School Census and School Workforce Census</p><p> </p><p>Notes</p><ol><li>The within-school PTR (Qualified) is calculated by dividing the total FTE number of pupils on roll in schools by the total FTE number of qualified teachers regularly employed in schools. The within-school PTR (Qualified and unqualified) is calculated by dividing the total FTE number of pupils on roll in schools by the totalFTE number of qualified and unqualified teachers regularly employed in schools.</li><li>For statistical purposes only, pupils who do not attend both morning and afternoon at least five days a week are regarded as part-time. Each part-time pupil is treated as 0.5 FTE.</li><li>The PAR is calculated by dividing the total FTE number of pupils on roll in schools by the total FTE number of all teachers and support staff employed in schools, excluding administrative and clerical staff.</li><li>The overall PTR is based on the total FTE number of pupils on roll in local authority maintained nursery, primary and secondary schools and the FTE of all teachers in these schools (including: centrally employed; occasional teachers; those on employment based routes to QTS; others without QTS, those on paid absence and any notes to replacements).</li><li>November 2013 figures are calculated using the most current figures e.g. January 2014 pupil numbers and November 2013 teacher numbers.</li></ol><p>Sources used are School Census for pupils and School Workforce Census (for November 2011 to 2013 teachers and overall teachers).</p><p> </p><p>The information requested is also published in table 17 in the statistical first release‘School Workforce in England, November 2013’, which is published online at: <a href="http://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-workforce-in-england-november-2013" target="_blank">www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-workforce-in-england-november-2013</a></p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Nash question first answered 30/10/2014 12:14:50 answering member 4270 label Biography information for Lord Nash
	tabling member	3801 label Biography information for Lord Browne of Belmont

93423

	registered interest
	date	14/10/2014
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Curriculum
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they have taken to enable schools to determine their own curriculum.
	tabling member printed	Lord Browne of Belmont
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	HL2089
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/10/2014 answer text <p>All schools, including academies and free schools, are required to teach a curriculum which is broad and balanced. Within that framework, academies, free schools and other types of independent schools retain the freedom to design and follow their own curriculum. Maintained schools must teach the national curriculum as part of their wider school curriculum. Following the recent review, the Government has slimmed down the national curriculum to give schools greater flexibility to tailor their school curriculum to best meet the needs of their pupils.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Nash question first answered 23/10/2014 16:23:10 answering member 4270 label Biography information for Lord Nash
	tabling member	3801 label Biography information for Lord Browne of Belmont

1175161

	registered interest
	date	21/01/2020
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Education
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	Her Majesty's Government which Parliamentary constituencies have no further or higher education establishments within their boundaries.
	tabling member printed	Lord Browne of Belmont
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	HL612
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/02/2020 answer text <p>Further education and higher education are devolved matters. The department does not have ready access to the location of all further education colleges within the UK and so cannot provide an answer in the form requested in the time available. The answer below therefore focuses on England.</p><p>In England, of the 533 parliamentary constituencies, there are 52 with no further education colleges or higher education institutions registered within their boundaries.</p><p>The attached tables contain the full list of these constituencies.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Agnew of Oulton question first answered 04/02/2020 17:44:49 answering member 4689 label Biography information for Lord Agnew of Oulton attachment 1 file name HL612_Constituencies_with_no_FE_or_HE_provision_in_England.xls title HL612_Table
	tabling member	3801 label Biography information for Lord Browne of Belmont

1669122

	registered interest
	date	09/11/2023
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Education: Competition
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the education system remains globally competitive.
	tabling member printed	Lord Browne of Belmont
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	HL161
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/11/2023 answer text <p>The government is dedicated to improving the education system to improve outcomes for children and young people, and this will help maintain its global competitiveness.</p><p>A key part of this is our relentless focus on driving up education standards to deliver better outcomes. In 2023, primary aged children in England came 4<sup>th</sup> out of 43 countries which tested pupils of the same age, in the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study, making them the best in the western world at reading. In 2019, primary aged pupils in England achieved their highest ever score in mathematics in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study, a significant improvement compared to 2015.</p><p>At secondary level, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) Programme for International Student Assessment 2018 results showed that 15-year-olds in England performed above the OECD averages for reading, mathematics, and science. Since 2009, 15-year-olds in England have climbed 10 places in reading and mathematics.</p><p>This government is committed to creating a world-leading skills system which is employer-focused, high-quality, and fit for the future. Our reforms are strengthening higher and further education to help more people get good jobs and upskill and retrain throughout their lives; and to improve national productivity. This includes increasing opportunities for people to develop higher technical skills through T Levels, Apprenticeship Standards, Skills Bootcamps, or Higher Technical Qualifications. All of which have been developed hand in glove with thousands of employers and introduced under this government.</p><p>From 2025, the Lifelong Learning Entitlement will transform access to further and higher education, offering all adults the equivalent of four years’ worth of student loans to use flexibly on quality education training over their lifetime. The department will introduce the Advanced British Standard (ABS) for 16-19 year-olds, a new Baccalaureate-style qualification that takes the best of A levels and T Levels and brings them together into a single qualification.</p><p>The ABS will increase the number of taught hours by an extra 15% for most 16-19 students, increasing the average number of subjects students take and ensuring that all students continue to study mathematics and English. This will give students greater breadth of knowledge and bring us more in line with other countries. The department will make an initial downpayment now to support the ABS, which will focus on recruiting and retaining teachers in shortage subjects and providing better resources for teachers and pupils.</p><p>Since 2010, the department has driven up standards in education, and created more opportunities to gain new skills that businesses truly value. So whatever age or stage of life people are at they can access high-quality opportunities to get ahead in their chosen career.</p> answering member printed Baroness Barran question first answered 23/11/2023 11:55:53 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran
	tabling member	3801 label Biography information for Lord Browne of Belmont

1349326

	registered interest
	date	21/07/2021
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Education: Standards
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of educational underachievement in Britain; and whether they feel a one-size-fits-all approach is the answer.
	tabling member printed	Lord Browne of Belmont
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	HL2259
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/08/2021 answer text <p>Education is a devolved matter, and the response will outline the education reforms for England.</p><p>The government remains committed to raising educational standards for all pupils, to ensure they have the knowledge, qualifications and skills they need to succeed in life. The proportion of schools now rated by Ofsted as Good or Outstanding has risen from 68% in 2010 to 86% in 2020. For all phases of education, there is funding in place that specifically targets disadvantaged children and young people, in order to tackle the attainment gap.</p><p>For children in their early years, the department is investing £17 million to deliver the Nuffield Early Language Intervention, improving the language skills of reception age children who need it most during the COVID-19 outbreak. We have also announced £10 million for a pre-reception early language continued professional development programme, supporting early years staff to work with those disadvantaged children who are at risk of falling behind.</p><p>Disadvantaged children at school continue to benefit from additional funding given to their schools through the pupil premium, worth over £2.5 billion in 2021/22.</p><p>For 16 to 19-year-olds, the national funding formula includes extra funding for disadvantaged students. In 2020/21 the government allocated over £530 million to enable colleges, schools, and other providers to recruit and support disadvantaged 16 to 19-year-olds and to support students with special educational needs and disabilities.</p><p>The Disadvantage Gap Index shows that, between 2011 and 2019, the attainment gap between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged pupils narrowed by 13% at age 11 and 9% at age 16.</p> answering member printed Baroness Berridge question first answered 04/08/2021 13:36:18 answering member 4218 label Biography information for Baroness Berridge
	tabling member	3801 label Biography information for Lord Browne of Belmont