Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they plan to take to identify and act on trusts holding excessive quantities of reserves that are depriving pupils of resources for which public funds have been provided, following the Academy trust reserves guidance, published by the Department for Education on 2 June.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
Academy trusts hold reserves, as part of good financial management, for a range of reasons. This will include:
Academy trusts must be accountable and transparent on how they manage their reserves. The Academy Trust Handbook requires trusts to have a reserves policy in place, explain their policy in their published annual report and include a clear plan for managing the reserves they hold.
The department engages with academy trusts on their reserves to ensure they have plans in place to use their funds to deliver outcomes that benefit pupils, effectively mitigate against unforeseen issues, and invest in their current and future pupils’ education.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that reproductive health issues, such as polycystic ovary syndrome, endometriosis, fertility and menopause symptoms, are covered in relationships and sex education in schools in England.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
Statutory guidance on the current relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) curriculum, published on GOV.UK states that by the end of secondary education, pupils should know the facts about reproductive health, including fertility, and the potential impact of lifestyle on fertility for men and women and menopause. This guidance is attached and is also available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/relationships-education-relationships-and-sex-education-rse-and-health-education. While endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome are not mentioned specifically in the statutory guidance, it is open to schools to include it as part of this education.
To support schools further, in 2020 the department developed teacher training modules which are freely available to download from GOV.UK and are attached and is also available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/teaching-about-relationships-sex-and-health. This included working with Endometriosis UK when developing the ‘changing adolescent body’ module, which references endometriosis. In addition, the ‘intimate and sexual relationships, including sexual health’ module refers to endometriosis, polycystic ovaries, fertility and menopause.
The department is currently reviewing the RSHE statutory guidance. My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education has been clear that children’s wellbeing must be at the heart of this guidance for schools and as such we will talk to stakeholders, analyse consultation responses and consider relevant evidence before setting out next steps. This will include assessing whether amended content on reproductive health issues is needed.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the campaign to introduce a "nature premium", modelled on the existing sports premium, to support school children’s access to nature.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
The department recognises that access to green space has been shown to have a positive impact on the physical, mental and emotional wellbeing of young people, but children from disadvantaged backgrounds are less likely to spend time regularly outside than those from more affluent backgrounds. That is why we are inviting all nurseries, schools and colleges to register with the National Education Nature Park and offering grants to support participation from eligible settings.
Participating in Nature Park activities will support and encourage all children, and young people will benefit from spending time in nature. It will also support teachers to build confidence to deliver effective outdoor learning.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to improve ventilation and air filtration in early years and school settings, in the light of a recent study which suggests that COVID-19 infection can cause cognitive impairment in children up to 12 months post-infection.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
The department supports and works with a wide range of academics to understand research relating to the impact of air quality on school users.
Between January 2022 and April 2023, the department provided over 9,000 air cleaning units to over 1,300 settings that had been identified with poor ventilation. The department has published guidance on how to use CO2 monitors and air cleaning units, which can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/using-co-monitors-and-air-cleaning-units-in-education-and-care-settings.
The department also publishes non-statutory guidance on indoor and outdoor air quality in ‘Building Bulletin 101: Guidelines on ventilation, thermal comfort and indoor air quality in schools’ (BB101), which can be found in the attached document and also accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/building-bulletin-101-ventilation-for-school-buildings.
The responsible body, relevant local authority, academy trust or voluntary-aided body are responsible for ensuring the health, safety and welfare of pupils when in their care.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have for the existing draft PSHE statutory guidance; what steps they are taking to ensure that the final version is evidence-based; and what is the timeline for action on the PSHE statutory guidance.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education has been clear that children’s wellbeing must be at the heart of RSHE guidance for schools. Over the autumn, the government will look carefully at the consultation responses, discuss with stakeholders, and consider the relevant evidence, including the published Cass Review. Next steps will then be set out.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have met, or have plans to meet with, the Movement for an Adoption Apology; and whether they have any plans to move for apologising for historic forced adoptions that during the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, which affected more than 215,000 women and their children.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
The government has not met with the Movement for an Adoption Apology and there is no meeting scheduled.
My hon. Friend, the Minister for Children and Families, shares the deepest sympathy with everyone affected by historic forced adoption. The practice was abhorrent and should never have taken place.
The department will look to learn from the approach of the devolved nations and explore what more can be done to support those impacted.
The department is also currently funding the Adoption England project, Improving Adoption Services for Adults (IASA), which is designed to maintain relationships and provide better access to support for adopted adults.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the relative number of children being taken into care from families from different minoritised communities; and what plans they have to provide support to families and social services to enable children to remain with their families, particularly among communities where levels are high.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
The department’s intention is to deliver better life chances for all, including by improving services for the most vulnerable children and families. The 2023 data on children looked after showed that children from black and mixed ethnic groups are more likely to become looked after compared to the general 0-17 population (making up 7% and 10% of the looked after population respectively, compared to 6% and 7% of the general child population).
| Children Look After (2023) | 0-17 year old population (2021 census) |
Other Ethnic Group | 5% | 3% |
Black or Black British | 7% | 6% |
Asian or Asian British | 5% | 12% |
Mixed | 10% | 7% |
White | 71% | 73% |
Unknown | 1% |
The department knows that there is a strong evidence base for early intervention to support families before they reach crisis point. The department is currently testing the impact of multi-disciplinary targeted support provided at the earliest opportunity to help families overcome challenges sooner, so that they can stay together and thrive.
The department is also committed to supporting more children from all backgrounds to remain with family through kinship care and are considering how best to support both kinship carers and the children in their care.
The Family Network Pilot is currently testing the impact of providing flexible funding for extended family networks through Family Network Support Packages (FNSP). The pilot will look at how FNSPs can unlock barriers and enable family networks to play a more active role in providing loving, stable homes for children through financial and other practical means. The pilot aims to help keep families together and children out of care, where this is in the best interests of the child. The pilot launched in four local authority areas, Brighton and Hove, Gateshead, Sunderland and Telford and Wrekin, and recently launched in a further three areas, Hammersmith and Fulham, Hartlepool and Staffordshire. The pilot will end in March 2025.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the reduction in the number of university places for humanities subjects, and what steps they will take to halt this decline.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
The government recognises the value that the humanities play both economically and culturally. However, universities are autonomous institutions and are therefore responsible for deciding which courses to offer.
There has been a slight decrease (1,170 or -0.3%) in the number of students studying arts and humanities courses between 2019/20 and 2021/22. For the 2024/25 financial year, the Office for Students (OfS) has maintained funding for world-leading small and specialist providers at £58 million. This funding was increased by £5 million in the 2022/23 financial year, and earlier, by £10 million in the 2021/22 financial year. Details of providers’ allocations for the 2024/25 academic year will be announced by the OfS in the summer.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that Chinese students in UK universities, particularly those who are linked to China's military, are properly vetted and do not pose a threat to activists and people from Hong Kong based in UK universities who are campaigning against the actions of China and the Chinese Communist Party.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Shadow Minister (Education)
Higher education (HE) in the UK is recognised as world class and attracting the brightest students from around the world is good for UK universities. However, the government takes seriously any concerns about overseas interference in the UK’s HE sector. The department continually assesses potential threats, and takes the protection of individuals’ rights, freedoms and safety in the UK very seriously.
Any attempt by a foreign power to intimidate, harass or harm individuals or communities in the UK will not be tolerated. The National Security Act (2023) brings together vital new measures to protect the UK’s national security. The Foreign Influence Registration Scheme (FIRS) has been created to tackle covert influence in the UK.
The Defending Democracy Taskforce is reviewing the UK’s approach to transnational repression to ensure that there is a robust and joined up response across government and law enforcement.
The Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023 will ensure that universities in England have the tools they need to deal with interference with, and threats to, freedom of speech and academic freedom wherever they originate.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of any risk to the UK's status as a location for research presented by the planned closure of the anthropology department of the University of Kent, particularly with regard to ethnobotany; and what broader assessment they have made of any risk posed by the closure of significant numbers of departments and faculties at universities.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Shadow Minister (Education)
Higher education providers are independent, autonomous institutions and are best placed to make decisions about the future focus of their research and their institutional strategy. Where it is necessary to reshape their activities, it is important that universities carefully consider the impact of job losses on staff and students, and the overall sustainability of teaching and research in this country.