The Department for Education is responsible for children’s services and education, including early years, schools, higher and further education policy, apprenticeships and wider skills in England.
Gavin Williamson
Secretary of State for Education
Oral Answers to Questions is a regularly scheduled appearance where the Secretary of State and junior minister will answer at the Dispatch Box questions from backbench MPs
Other Commons Chamber appearances can be:Westminster Hall debates are performed in response to backbench MPs or e-petitions asking for a Minister to address a detailed issue
Written Statements are made when a current event is not sufficiently significant to require an Oral Statement, but the House is required to be informed.
| Date | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|
| Oct. 12 | Oral Questions | Oral Answers to Questions |
| May. 13 | Urgent Questions | Covid-19: School Reopening |
| Oct. 21 | Westminster Hall | Schools in Kent: Covid-19 |
| Oct. 20 | Adjournment Debate | Remote Education: Self-isolating Pupils |
Department for Education has not tabled any Bills during the current Session.
| Dates | Department | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Laid 29 Oct 2020 In Force Not stated |
Department for Education | Education (Student Fees, Awards and Support) (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020 Parliamentary Status - Text of Legislation | Made negative procedure |
| These Regulations amend the Education (Student Support) Regulations 2011 (S.I. 2011/1986) (“the Student Support Regulations”), the Education (Fees and Awards) (England) Regulations 2007 (S.I. 2007/779), the Education (Student Support) (European University Institute) Regulations 2010 (S.I. 2010/447), the Further Education Loans Regulations 2012 (S.I. 2012/1818), the Education (Postgraduate Master’s Degree Loans) Regulations 2016 (S.I. 2016/606), the Higher Education (Fee Limit Condition) (England) Regulations 2017 (S.I. 2017/1189) and the Education (Postgraduate Doctoral Degree Loans and the Education (Student Loans) (Repayment) (Amendment) (No. 2) etc.) Regulations 2018 (S.I. 2018/599). | |||
|
Laid 1 Oct 2020 In Force Not stated |
Department for Education | Education (Exemption from School and Further Education Institutions Inspections) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2020 Parliamentary Status - Text of Legislation | Draft affirmative procedure |
| These Regulations revoke the Education (Exemption from School Inspection) (England) Regulations 2012 (S.I. 2012/1293), with the effect that any school within scope of those Regulations ceases to be an exempt school. An “exempt school” is a school which may not be subject to routine inspections under section 5(1)(a) of the Education Act 2005 (c. 18). | |||
| Current Signatures | Final Signatures | Title | Petition Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|
|
187,902 Petition Closed |
School should start at 10am as teenagers are too tired Gov Responded - 22 Mar 2019 Debated on - 11 Feb 2019 |
4 Apr 2019 closed 1 year, 7 months ago |
|
|
Teenagers are so tired due to having to wake up very early to get to school. The Government should require secondary schools to start later, which will lead to increased productivity at school. |
|||
|
165,932 Petition Closed |
Change the GCSE English Literature exam from closed book to open book. Gov Responded - 6 Feb 2018 Debated on - 26 Mar 2018 |
18 Mar 2018 closed 2 years, 7 months ago |
|
|
Last year, lots of students struggled with GCSE English Literature as it was a closed book exam. Because of this many failed. How can they expect us to remember quotes from 15 poems, plus how to analyse them, plus remembering the whole plot, themes, characters and quotes from another book. |
|||
|
148,883 Petition Closed |
Review the decision to use previous data to calculate exam grades Gov Responded - 4 Sep 2020 Debated on - 12 Oct 2020 |
27 Sep 2020 closed 1 month ago |
|
|
We want the Education Secretary and the Government to step in and review the exam board’s decision on how GCSE and A-Level grades will be calculated and awarded due to the current coronavirus crisis. We want a better solution than just using our previous data to be the basis of our grade. |
|||
Department for Education Select Committee Home Page
Select Committees are a formally established cross-party group of backbench MPs tasked with holding a Government department to account.
At any time there will be number of ongoing investigations into the work of the Department, or issues which fall within the oversight of the Department. Witnesses can be summoned from within the Government and outside to assist in these inquiries, and the Select Committee will occasionally publish formal reports of their findings.
| Date | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Oct. 30 | The higher education restructuring regime (HERR) advisory board | Transparency |
| Oct. 30 | School preference data collections 2021: technical specification | Guidance and Regulation |
| Oct. 29 | DfE spend control data: January to March 2020 | Transparency |
Written Questions are submitted by Members of Parliament and the House of Lords to receive information or updates from a Department.
Departments are required to respond in a timely fashion and provide a response or requested information. Written Questions can compel detailed and specific information to be produced, and are frequently used as the source of news stories about the work of a Department.
| Date | Title | Questioner |
|---|---|---|
| 30 Oct 2020, 10:38 a.m. | Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak) | Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak) |
|
Question to the Department for Education: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will extend the same examination extension announced for secondary schools and colleges in response to the covid-19 outbreak to primary schools administering SATs and other statutory assessments. Answered by Nick Gibb - Minister of State (Education) National Curriculum assessments are an essential part of ensuring that all pupils have the basics of reading, writing and mathematics to prepare them for secondary school. They allow parents and schools to understand pupils’ achievements in relation to the age related attainment expectations outlined in the National Curriculum. The Department recognises that pupils have missed a critical period of their education due to school closures in the 2019/20 academic year. We are planning on the basis that primary assessments will take place in 2020/21 to allow us to understand the remaining impact of COVID-19 and target ongoing support to those that need it most. Timings for SATs in 2021 will be confirmed shortly. |
||