Show Search Form

Search Results

registered interest	true false
date	exactly: or between: and
answering body
answering dept id
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name
hansard heading
house id
legislature	pref label
question text
tabling member printed
type
uin
answer	is ministerial correction true false date of answer exactly: or between: and answer text answering member printed question first answered answering member label attachment file name title
tabling member	label

Search

1283710

	registered interest
	date	03/02/2021
	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 assessment they have made of the skills contributed to the UK by academic staff and vocational trainers through the Erasmus+ programme; what plans they have to ensure that the contribution of any such skills is maintained; and what apprenticeship and traineeship opportunities they plan to introduce to replace those previously provided through the Erasmus+ Programme.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	HL12928
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/02/2021 answer text <p>In considering what elements of the Erasmus+ programme the department would immediately replicate under the Turing Scheme, we prioritised ensuring that as many students, learners, and pupils as possible have access to life-changing mobilities to support them in developing the skills they need to thrive. I am pleased that the government has committed £110 million in funding to support the scheme, which will be used to provide opportunities for students in all parts of the UK. Traineeships for higher and further education students will be funded, supporting students to do work placements around the world.</p> answering member printed Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay question first answered 11/02/2021 17:46:14 answering member 4728 label Biography information for Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay
	tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1668655

	registered interest
	date	08/11/2023
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Schools: Concrete
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will be providing funding to schools which identified safety issues relating to reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete and which began or finished the relevant repair work before July to fully cover the cost of such work.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	HL91
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/11/2023 answer text <p>It is the responsibility of those who run schools - academy trusts, local authorities and voluntary-aided school bodies - to manage the safety and maintenance of their schools and to alert the department if there is a serious concern with a building. It has always been the case that where the department is made aware a building may pose an immediate risk, immediate action is taken.</p><p>The department will spend what it takes to keep children safe. The department will fund emergency mitigation work needed to make buildings safe, including installing alternative classroom space where necessary.</p><p>The department will fund refurbishment projects, or rebuilding projects where these are needed, to remove RAAC from the school estate. Schools and colleges will either be offered capital grants or rebuilding projects where these are needed, including through the School Rebuilding Programme. The department will set out further details for affected schools and colleges in due course.</p><p>The department will carefully consider claims submitted by responsible bodies for essential RAAC related works, taking into account the particular circumstances of each case.</p><p>The department recognises that some responsible bodies will already have carried out emergency mitigation works, where RAAC was deemed ‘critical,’ based on the advice of the department’s surveys or from other qualified professionals, and in most cases we will reimburse these costs.</p><p>Prior to 31 August 2023, the point at which the department’s advice on the risks of RAAC changed, some responsible bodies or schools may also have chosen to take action on RAAC in their buildings where it wasn’t deemed critical, and others may have chosen to go further and removed RAAC entirely. In these cases, as with any other capital works, the responsible bodies will have taken decisions as part of their own estate strategy, based on their assessment of any professional advice they'd received and the affordability of the project.</p><p>This work would typically have been funded through annual capital funding provided by the department to the sector, or from other sources of funding, such as a responsible body’s reserves. In these cases, the department is not providing additional funding to the funding the responsible bodies will have used to pay for the work.</p><p>In addition to the department’s support on RAAC, the department has committed £1.8 billion of capital funding for the 2023/24 financial year to improve the condition of school buildings, as part of over £15 billion allocated since 2015. Alongside this, the department will transform poor condition buildings at 500 schools and sixth form colleges over the coming decade through the School Rebuilding Programme.</p><p>The department will always put the safety and wellbeing of children and staff in schools and colleges at the heart of its policy decisions. The government has taken more proactive action to identify and mitigate RAAC in education settings than the devolved administrations in the UK, or indeed, governments overseas.</p> answering member printed Baroness Barran question first answered 22/11/2023 17:57:46 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran
	tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1521531

	registered interest
	date	12/10/2022
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Schools: Infectious Diseases
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they will take during the winter period to reduce transmission of (1) SARS-CoV-2, (2) flu viruses, and (3) other respiratory, airborne diseases, in schools; and what steps they will take to encourage pupils, teachers and other staff to remain at home rather than come into the premises and spread those illnesses.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	HL2513
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/10/2022 answer text <p>Most infectious diseases in education and childcare settings should be managed by following the advice set out in the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). The advice can be found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/health-protection-in-schools-and-other-childcare-facilities" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/health-protection-in-schools-and-other-childcare-facilities</a>.</p><p>If a school suspects an incident or outbreak, they should review and reinforce existing measures including ensuring that any staff or students with relevant symptoms stays at home for up to five days as described in UKHSA’s guidance. This can be found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/people-with-symptoms-of-a-respiratory-infection-including-covid-19" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/guidance/people-with-symptoms-of-a-respiratory-infection-including-covid-19</a>.</p><p>The department’s emergency planning and response guidance sets out how education and childcare settings should plan for and deal with emergencies. The guidance is available at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/emergency-planning-and-response-for-education-childcare-and-childrens-social-care-settings" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/emergency-planning-and-response-for-education-childcare-and-childrens-social-care-settings</a>.</p><p>The department will continue to review any emerging evidence, public health guidance and advice to help ensure that schools remain as safe as possible.</p> answering member printed Baroness Barran question first answered 24/10/2022 12:35:28 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran
	tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1151163

	registered interest
	date	21/10/2019
	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 percentage of food served in English schools is (a) organic, and (b) locally sourced; and what plans they have, if any, to increase that percentage.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	HL240
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/10/2019 answer text <p>Schools are responsible for their school meals service and how and where they choose to buy their produce. The department does not hold the information on what percentage of food is organic and locally sourced. Schools may use the guidance launched alongside the government’s 'Plan for Public Procurement: Food and Catering Services'.</p><p> </p><p>The guidance provides a methodology which helps contracting parties balance a range of criteria when procuring food and catering services. These include production standards, health and wellbeing, resource efficiency, socio-economic factors, quality of service and price.</p><p> </p><p>The guidance has been attached and is available from:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/a-plan-for-public-procurement-food-and-catering" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/a-plan-for-public-procurement-food-and-catering</a>.</p> answering member printed Lord Agnew of Oulton question first answered 31/10/2019 17:17:53 answering member 4689 label Biography information for Lord Agnew of Oulton attachment 1 file name HL240_guidance_plan_for_public_procurement .pdf title HL240_guidance
	tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1228030

	registered interest
	date	27/07/2020
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Adoption Support Fund
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to set the Adoption Support Fund on a stable basis rather than making year-by-year announcements; whether they will consider lifting the cap for individual support above £5,000; and whether they plan to extend their support to respite care and psychological support for parents, on the same basis to that currently provided to foster families.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	HL7323
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/08/2020 answer text <p>The Adoption Support Fund provides funds to local authorities and regional adoption agencies to pay for essential therapeutic services for children who have left the care system either through adoption or special guardianship order. Since its launch in 2015, the Adoption Support Fund has approved £168 million to deliver support, such as therapeutic parenting, creative therapies, and specialist assessments to 59,000 families.</p><p>The government acted quickly to establish the Adoption Support Fund COVID-19 Scheme in April 2020, and has provided over £6 million to local authorities and regional adoption agencies to support up to 61,000 families to meet needs arising from the COVID-19 outbreak. The funding included support for activities, such as couples counselling, which would normally be outside the scope of the standard Adoption Support Fund.</p><p>On 17 July 2020, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced the 2020 Comprehensive Spending Review, which will set out the government’s spending plans for the next three years. The Comprehensive Spending Review will be published in the autumn. We will consider future funding, scope and fair access limits for the Adoption Support Fund as part of the Comprehensive Spending Review discussions.</p> answering member printed Baroness Berridge question first answered 13/08/2020 15:24:20 answering member 4218 label Biography information for Baroness Berridge
	tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1221745

	registered interest
	date	07/07/2020
	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 whether payments for the COVID Summer Food Fund are to continue for Year 11 and 13 pupils after 26 June.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	HL6557
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/07/2020 answer text <p>The COVID Summer Food Fund is available to provide support where needed to year 11 and year 13 pupils, who were confirmed as eligible and claiming benefits-related free school meals during the summer term, regardless of whether they remain registered with the school.</p> answering member printed Baroness Berridge question first answered 21/07/2020 13:22:43 answering member 4218 label Biography information for Baroness Berridge
	tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1289113

	registered interest
	date	23/02/2021
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Schools: Counselling
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of counsellors in schools have specialist training in (1) assisting young victims of intimate partner violence, and (2) dealing with perpetrators of intimate partner violence.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	HL13558
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/03/2021 answer text <p>The Department for Education does not collect data on the specialist training of counsellors working in schools. It is up to schools decide what support to offer to pupils, depending on their circumstances. To support the provision of counselling support in schools, the Department published a blueprint for school counselling services.  This provides schools with practical, evidence based advice, informed by schools and counselling experts, on how to deliver high quality school based counselling and is available here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/counselling-in-schools" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/counselling-in-schools</a>.</p><p>The guidance reflects the importance of using qualified and experienced counsellors and strongly advises that counsellors should have a diploma and be on an Accredited Voluntary Register. The precise qualifications held will depend on the role being carried out by the counsellor and how what they do fits with wider school support.</p><p>Headteachers and governing bodies are responsible for making decisions about how best to educate staff on their school’s responsibilities for safeguarding and child protection. All staff should undergo safeguarding and child protection training. This training should be in line with advice from the local three safeguarding partners, considering the specific needs of individual schools. In addition, designated safeguarding leads have a duty to ensure each member of staff has access to and understands the school’s child protection and procedures.</p><p>Schools should consider reflecting domestic abuse in this training. The ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’ statutory guidance also makes it clear that if a child has been harmed or is at risk of harm a referral should be made to children’s social care immediately and, if appropriate, the police. The guidance includes an annex providing additional information on specific types of harm and abuse and additional information for staff on identifying and responding to domestic abuse. The guidance sets out that all schools should have an effective child protection policy.</p><p>The founders of Operation Encompass, an information sharing, safeguarding initiative between police and schools, have set up a teachers’ helpline to assist staff in educational settings to support children who may be experiencing domestic abuse. Currently funded by the Home Office, with contribution from the Department for Education, the helpline is available weekdays from 8am to 1pm during term-time. It is manned by educational psychologists who can offer support and guidance to teachers, to help them to better understand the effect of domestic abuse on a child and to discuss strategies to help support the child during the school day. Further information about the helpline and resources for teachers are available here: <a href="https://www.operationencompass.org/school-participation/resources-for-teachers" target="_blank">https://www.operationencompass.org/school-participation/resources-for-teachers</a>.</p> answering member printed Baroness Berridge question first answered 09/03/2021 13:21:10 answering member 4218 label Biography information for Baroness Berridge
	tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1585998

	registered interest
	date	09/02/2023
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Health Education
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to improve health literacy of school pupils.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	HL5587
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/02/2023 answer text <p>The Department has made health education compulsory in all state funded schools in England, alongside making relationships education for primary pupils, and relationships and sex education for secondary pupils compulsory. This is collectively known as relationships, sex and health education (RSHE).</p><p>The Department has published implementation guidance and teacher training modules covering all RSHE topics to help schools develop their curricula and teach the subjects confidently and effectively. This guidance available at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/teaching-about-relationships-sex-and-health" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/guidance/teaching-about-relationships-sex-and-health</a>.</p><p>Topics in the RSHE curriculum at both primary and secondary include health and prevention, healthy eating, mental wellbeing, and physical health and fitness.</p><p>The Department is reviewing the RSHE statutory guidance this year. The Department intends to publish revised guidance in 2024.</p> answering member printed Baroness Barran question first answered 23/02/2023 12:29:11 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran
	tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1202066

	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	Children: Coronavirus
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to reintroduce a 'play strategy' for England to help to tackle the (1) mental, and (2) physical, impact of COVID-19 on children.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	HL5455
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/06/2020 answer text <p>The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Statutory Framework sets the regulatory standards for learning and development and safeguarding and welfare for all early years providers caring for children from birth to 5. The framework defines seven areas of learning and development, including physical development and personal, social and emotional development. The framework is clear that each area must be implemented through planned, purposeful play and through a mix of adult-led and child-initiated activity. The framework is available at:<br> <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-foundation-stage-framework--2" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-foundation-stage-framework--2</a>.</p><p>The EYFS does not promote a particular pedagogical approach. It is for individual early years settings to determine how the areas of learning should be implemented to support children to meet the expected level of development by the end of the Reception year. The priorities at this time are helping young children to adapt to their new routines and supporting children to settle back into the setting, especially where there have been staffing changes. Continuing to support their early language and communication skills is essential. Children who have had limited opportunities for exercise should be encouraged to exert themselves physically.</p> answering member printed Baroness Berridge question first answered 22/06/2020 10:40:32 answering member 4218 label Biography information for Baroness Berridge
	tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1195933

	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 how long they plan to postpone Ofsted inspections during the COVID-19 pandemic.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	HL4479
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/05/2020 answer text <p>The Government recognises that this is an extremely challenging time for staff in school and care settings.</p><p>In the current circumstances, it is right that routine Ofsted inspections in the school, further education, early years, local authority, and care sectors are suspended. Ofsted retains the power to inspect in all these areas and will use its powers if it has significant concerns. Ofsted also continues to register and regulate children’s social care, childminding and nurseries.</p><p>No date has been set for a return to routine inspection at this time. We will continue to work closely with HM Chief Inspector, and the sectors Ofsted inspects, in determining when it will be appropriate to re-start routine inspections.</p><p>We continue to keep the situation under review and will keep Parliament updated accordingly.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Berridge question first answered 29/05/2020 13:47:24 answering member 4218 label Biography information for Baroness Berridge
	tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle