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1434968

registered interest
date	23/02/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Energy: Prices
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 impact of rising energy prices on (1) nurseries, (2) primary schools, (3) secondary schools, and (4) colleges; and what plans they have to assist in covering these costs.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL6370
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/03/2022 answer text <p>We recognise that schools, colleges and nurseries are facing inflationary pressures, and we continue to monitor the impact of rising energy costs on education providers, paying close attention to financial health of the sector. Cost increases should be seen in the wider context of funding across these providers, and investments secured at the 2021 Spending Review.</p><p>The department has announced additional funding for the early years entitlements worth £160 million in financial year 2022/23, £180 million in 2023/24 and £170 million in 2024/25, compared to the current year. This is for local authorities to increase hourly rates paid to childcare providers for the government’s free childcare entitlement offers and reflects cost pressures as well as anticipated changes in the number of eligible children.</p><p>The core schools budget, for pupils aged 5-16 and 0-25 in the case of high needs funding, will see a £4 billion cash increase in the core schools budget next year, taking total funding to £53.8 billion. Overall, this represents a 5% real terms per pupil boost, helping schools meet the pressures we know they are facing. We know that the vast majority of school expenditure is devoted to staff costs. This means that even while energy costs are rising, inflation in this area would have an impact on only a small portion of a school’s budget overall.</p><p>The department has made available an extra £1.6 billion for 16-19 education in 2024/25 compared with the 2021/22 financial year. This includes an up-front cash boost which will see the rate of funding per student increase by over 8% in the 2022/23 academic year. We are simplifying funding, removing the separate Teacher’s Pay Grant for schools’ post-16 provision and using this funding to increase the national rate of funding for a Band 5 student to £4,542. We will match this increase for other providers, including colleges to help with pressures across the further education sector. The very significant increase to the national funding rate and the other funding increases alongside this demonstrates our commitment to 16-19 education and will help with college income. We are also continuing to invest in education and skills training for adults through the Adult Education Budget, £1.34 billion in financial year 2021/22.</p><p>All schools can access a range of School Resource Management (SRM) tools to help them get the best value from their resources. Our SRM tools include two recommended deals for energy costs and ancillary services relating to energy, which can be accessed via the 'Find a DfE-approved framework for your school' service on GOV.UK.</p><p>We know that every school’s circumstances are different, and where schools are in serious financial difficulty, they should contact their local authority or the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA). Where colleges are at risk of running out of cash, emergency funding is considered by the ESFA on a case-by-case basis and based on a thorough assessment of each college's circumstances and the minimum funding needed to minimise disruption to students.</p> answering member printed Baroness Barran question first answered 08/03/2022 16:03:49 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1195932

registered interest
date	14/05/2020
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Schools: Coronavirus
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 potential health benefits of using outdoor spaces to teach; and what plans they have to (1) support, and (2) encourage, schools to make increased use of outdoor spaces as learning environments during the COVID-19 pandemic.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL4478
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/05/2020 answer text <p>We recognise that outdoor education can be beneficial for the health and wellbeing of children and young people, and that outdoor space offers additional benefits to allow for distance between people during the coronavirus outbreak. Our guidance to help schools and other education settings prepare for wider opening to more pupils from 1 June, explicitly encourages the use of outdoor space and outdoor education where possible. In particular, we are asking schools to consider which lessons or activities could take place outdoors as part of a range of approaches they can take to help reduce transmission. We are also asking schools to use their outside space for exercise and breaks.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Berridge question first answered 29/05/2020 13:46:49 answering member 4218 label Biography information for Baroness Berridge
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1421085

registered interest
date	08/02/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Universities: Admissions
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the FE Week article 'Confused and frustrated: Most universities reject first cohort of T Level students', published on 14 January, what steps they are taking to ensure that T Level qualifications are accepted by universities, both this year and in future years.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL6072
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/02/2022 answer text <p>We have undertaken an extensive programme of activities to encourage universities to consider the suitability of T Levels for entry to higher education (HE). As well as agreeing the allocation of UCAS tariff points, we have delivered numerous briefings to universities, collectively and individually, to explain the benefits of the programme and to answer their questions. We have also made available materials that will allow them to compare the content of T Levels with other established qualifications, such as A levels. We recently published a list of HE providers that will accept T Levels, which currently includes 74 universities and we expect this to continue to grow.</p><p>However, universities are autonomous institutions that set their own entry requirements. At this stage, their decisions are likely to be based on the first three T Level subjects, which will necessarily restrict the institutions and courses for which a T Level is suitable. As the remaining T Levels are rolled out, we will continue with our targeted engagement until all HE providers have had the opportunity to make an informed decision about the suitability of T Levels for their institution.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Barran question first answered 22/02/2022 12:17:42 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1202067

registered interest
date	09/06/2020
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Universities: Admissions
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of a possible reduction in the number of international students attending universities in England in the next academic year; and what plans they have to encourage more home students into universities in England in the light of any such reduction.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL5456
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/06/2020 answer text <p>We have been working closely with the Higher Education (HE) sector to monitor the likely impacts of COVID-19 on international student numbers. We understand that the COVID-19 outbreak and a possible reduction in the number of international students poses significant challenges.</p><p>On Monday 4 May my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, announced a package of measures to stabilise university admissions this autumn and ensure sustainability in HE at a time of unprecedented uncertainty.</p><p>We have introduced temporary student number controls for domestic and EU students for the academic year 2020/21 to ensure a fair, structured distribution of students across providers. These measures mean that providers will be able to recruit students up to a temporary set level, based on provider forecasts, which allows additional growth of up to 5% in the next academic year. The Secretary of State for Education, will also have the discretion to allocate an additional 10,000 places, of which 5,000 will be allocated to students studying nursing or allied health courses, to ensure growing numbers that will support our vital public services. This measure will only apply to full-time undergraduate UK/EU domiciled students, with certain specified exemptions. These controls will not apply to international (non-EU) students.</p><p>The government has been clear that the UK HE sector is ‘open for business’, remains world class and is looking forward to welcoming both domestic and international students in the future. To support international student recruitment, we are taking steps to further promote the new Graduate route (due to be launched in Summer 2021) which will provide an opportunity for international students who have been awarded their degree to stay and work in the UK at any skill level for 2 years. This represents a significant improvement in our offer to international students and will help ensure our HE sector remains competitive internationally.</p><p>The government has been in close communication with partners in the HE sector, who are considering educational provision for the academic year 2020/2021 and how to best reopen campuses. HE providers are autonomous institutions and will make their own judgements based on the latest public health guidance, taking account of the need to minimise risk to staff and students.</p><p>To help providers make informed decisions about their provision, the government has issued guidance, which is complemented by the Universities UK’s principles for reopening of campuses to students and staff. We anticipate HE providers will be open for the autumn term with a blend of online teaching and in-person tuition that they consider appropriate and which minimises risk. HE providers will be flexible in accommodating applicants’ circumstances where possible, including if they are unable to travel to the UK in time for the start of the academic year.</p> answering member printed Baroness Berridge question first answered 23/06/2020 16:24:06 answering member 4218 label Biography information for Baroness Berridge
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1222169

registered interest
date	08/07/2020
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	School Meals
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to provide a healthy and nutritious school lunch programme for the forthcoming academic year.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL6606
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/07/2020 answer text <p>We expect that kitchens will be fully open from the start of the autumn term and normal legal requirements will apply about provision of food to all pupils who want it, including for those eligible for benefits-related free school meals or universal infant free school meals.</p><p>The Schools Food Standards provide the legislative framework to ensure schools provide children with healthy food and drink options, and to ensure that children get the energy and nutrition they need across the school day.</p><p>The standards define the foods and drinks that must be provided, which foods are restricted, and those, which must not be provided. They apply to all food and drink provided to pupils on and off school premises and during an extended school day (up to 6pm), including school trips, breakfast clubs, tuck shops, mid-morning break, vending and after school clubs.</p><p>The department's advice on school food standards is available here:<br> <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/standards-for-school-food-in-england" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/standards-for-school-food-in-england</a>.</p><p>A summary of the standards and a practical guide are available from the school food plan website at:<br> <a href="http://www.schoolfoodplan.com/resources/" target="_blank">http://www.schoolfoodplan.com/resources/</a>.</p><p>We believe that the School Food Standards have been transformational in the way schools operate their meal services, but we know we must do more. We will be updating these standards to bring them into line with revised nutritional recommendations on sugar and fibre, and looking at how we can make the standards more consistent across the school day.</p> answering member printed Baroness Berridge question first answered 22/07/2020 13:30:59 answering member 4218 label Biography information for Baroness Berridge
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1274565

registered interest
date	07/01/2021
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Turing Scheme: EU Nationals
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that those people from EU member states due to participate in the Eramus+ scheme in the UK have access to the Turing scheme.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL11857
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/01/2021 answer text <p>Under the Withdrawal Agreement negotiated with the EU, the UK will continue to participate fully in the 2014–20 Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps programmes. This means that the projects successfully bid for during the current programmes will continue to receive funding for the full duration of the project, including those where it runs beyond 2020 and the end of the transition period.</p><p>The government has decided that it is not in the UK's interests to seek continuing participation in the next Erasmus+ programme. Instead, we are introducing a new international educational exchange scheme which has a genuinely global reach. Under the Turing scheme, UK universities, colleges, and schools will be able to bid for funding to enable their students to travel abroad for study and work placements – for any of their students, regardless of nationality.</p> answering member printed Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay question first answered 21/01/2021 15:02:55 answering member 4728 label Biography information for Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1351725

registered interest
date	18/08/2021
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 Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure full professional and community engagement in its Initial teacher training (ITT) market review given it is taking place while schools are closed for the holidays.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL2338
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/09/2021 answer text <p>The report from the Initial Teacher Training (ITT) Market Review was published on 5 July, around two weeks before the end of the school term, and the department launched a public consultation at the same time. The department recognises some of the consultation period fell during the school summer holidays, but this reflects the ambitious timetable that has been set for the review. We want to deliver any improvements decided upon as soon as is feasible as trainees, schools and pupils ultimately stand to benefit. The ITT Market Review is central to the department’s wider COVID-19 recovery plans and our approach to further narrowing attainment gaps to improve outcomes for all children and young people. During the spring, the department engaged with a broad range of sector representatives to help shape the report and will continue these discussions as we work towards publishing our response to the recommendations and ensuring all trainees have access to the highest quality ITT.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Berridge question first answered 03/09/2021 12:55:18 answering member 4218 label Biography information for Baroness Berridge
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1304478

registered interest
date	22/03/2021
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Erasmus+ Programme
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to replace the eTwinning scheme, which ended when they withdrew from the Erasmus+ programme.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL14427
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/03/2021 answer text <p>The new Turing Scheme, which replaces the Erasmus+ programme, will provide funding for school pupils to participate in international placements and exchanges, and the scheme is now open for schools to apply to. The scheme does not provide a like-for-like replacement of the eTwinning online platform. In considering what elements of the Erasmus+ programme we would immediately replicate under the Turing Scheme, we prioritised funding school pupils and students to participate in exchanges in person, to ensure that as many pupils as possible can benefit, including a focus on widening access for disadvantaged students. We want to give as many pupils as possible the opportunity to travel abroad to experience different cultures, improve their language skills, and build their independence.</p> answering member printed Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay question first answered 31/03/2021 15:53:32 answering member 4728 label Biography information for Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1569091

registered interest
date	20/01/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Schools: Air Conditioning
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what percentage of schools have had electrostatic precipitators installed for the purposes of air filtration, particularly for viruses and bacteria.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL4931
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/01/2023 answer text <p>The installation of electrostatic precipitators is not something the department has previously delivered or advised to schools. Any information on their use would only be held by the settings themselves</p><p>In winter 2021, the department provided over 8,000 High Efficiency Particular Air (HEPA) air cleaning devices to state-funded education settings that identified poorly ventilated teaching spaces. In November 2022, we re-opened the scheme for eligible settings with identified poor ventilation to receive department-funded HEPA devices.</p><p>During the COVID-pandemic, the department worked closely with Scientific Emergency Group for Emergencies, Environmental Modelling Group (SAGE – EMG), who published a paper on 4 November 2020 titled, ‘Potential application of Air Cleaning devices and personal decontamination to manage transmission of COVID-19’. This is available in the attached document.</p><p>This paper concluded that devices based on other technologies (ionisers, plasma, chemical oxidation, photocatalytic oxidation and electrostatic precipitation) have a limited evidence base that demonstrates effectiveness against SARS-CoV-2 and/or may generate undesirable secondary chemical products that could lead to health effects such as respiratory or skin irritation. The paper also mentions that electrostatic precipitation has high energy requirements. Therefore, the department issued HEPA air cleaning devices to schools that identified poorly ventilated teaching spaces.</p> answering member printed Baroness Barran question first answered 27/01/2023 13:24:20 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran attachment 1 file name S0867_EMG_Potential_application_of_air_cleaning_devices_and_personal_decontamination_to_manage_transmission_of_COVID-19.pdf title SAGE_EMG_paper
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1219477

registered interest
date	30/06/2020
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Children in Care
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce the need for children to be taken into care or classified as "in need" of child support.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL6285
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/07/2020 answer text <p>The government wants every child to be in a stable, loving home that is right for them.</p><p>One of the key principles of the legislation that underpins the UK’s child protection system is that children are best looked after within their families.</p><p>The government is funding several programmes that seek to reduce need and support more children to stay at home in stable family environments, where this is in the child’s best interests. We are investing £84 million over five years as part of the Strengthening Families, Protecting Children programme and over £17 million to support families through the Supporting Families: Investing in Practice programme. The government has also committed £1.085 billion to the Troubled Families Programme to achieve significant and sustained improvement for families with multiple, high-cost problems by 2021.</p><p>Good social work practice is key to helping families who need support to provide a safe and nurturing environment for their children. This is why we have invested over £100 million since 2017 on child and family social worker development programmes to ensure every social worker has the skills and knowledge they need.</p><p>Across the government, we are tackling the problems that cause children to be in need in the first place. This includes better supporting those with alcohol-dependent parents, the introduction of landmark legislation for those affected by domestic abuse, preventing young people being drawn into serious violence, and unprecedented investment in early years education and support for children and young people’s mental health.</p> answering member printed Baroness Berridge question first answered 10/07/2020 12:39:34 answering member 4218 label Biography information for Baroness Berridge
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle