Asked by: Baroness Brown of Cambridge (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to halve the budget for the National Centre for Computing Education and remove funding for face-to-face and regional science teacher continuing professional development in all subjects except physics; and what impact this would have on social mobility, science teacher retention and UK growth.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Education)
Over the last few years, the department has invested in the National Centre for Computing Education (NCCE) to help improve the quality of computing education. The NCCE will continue to provide support to teachers of computing, ensuring they are equipped with the specialist knowledge they require to confidently teach the subject. The independent Curriculum and Assessment Review will consider how children will acquire the key digital skills needed for life and work. The department will look at how it can support teachers to adapt to any future curriculum changes.
The Science Learning Partnerships have made important contributions over the last few years, and the department greatly values the work they have done. However, the previous government decided to focus resources more tightly, resulting in ending the funding of Science Learning Partnerships. The department expects to continue support for those teaching physics outside of their specialism. There is a range of other support for science education in schools, including materials from Oak National Academy in all three sciences, and free and commercially available continued professional development. The department remains strongly committed to supporting science education and continues to support teachers, including through generous financial incentives and fully funded Subject Knowledge Enhancement training.
Asked by: Baroness Brown of Cambridge (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to issue regulations to the Office for Students on validation arrangements under either section 51(1)(b)(i) or section 51(1)(b)(ii) of the Higher Education and Research Act 2017.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
The government currently has no plans to lay regulations under section 51(1) of the Higher Education and Research Act (HERA) 2017. The department believes the best approach to improving the operation of validation arrangements is a non-legislative approach in the first instance.
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education (Secretary of State) has asked the Office for Students (OfS) to undertake an assessment of the operation of the current validation system to identify any unnecessary barriers for providers seeking a validation partner, and to consider what steps it could take and how it could encourage removal or mitigation of such barriers.
Once section 50 of HERA is commenced next year, it will be open to the OfS to make use of its powers under that section to enter into commissioning arrangements with providers for the provision of validation agreements.
If, after taking advice from the OfS, the Secretary of State considers it necessary or expedient to do so (for example, if it is found that the system is not working well and the OfS’s existing powers are insufficient to improve it), it is open to the Secretary of State to bring forward legislation under section 51(1) of HERA to authorise the OfS to operate its own validation service for registered providers.