Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to improve foreign language teaching in schools and colleges, in particular the practical experience of speaking a foreign language in the host country, following the decision not to continue the UK's participation in the Erasmus Programme.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Education)
Having the opportunity to study a modern foreign language should be part of the broad and rich education that every child in this country deserves.
Languages provide an insight into other cultures and can open the door to travel and employment opportunities. They also broaden pupils’ horizons, helping them flourish in new environments.
The government is committed to providing enriching opportunities for students and young people to experience other countries and cultures, including through school trips and exchanges. We also recognise the difficulties that schools have faced in recent years when it comes to organising visits. The UK has agreed measures with France which make school trip travel between the UK and France easier.
The Turing Scheme is the UK government’s global programme for students to study and work abroad. Students can develop new skills, including language skills, gain international experience and boost their employability. The scheme has been helping tens of thousands of UK students to study and work abroad for four years and we have recently announced that the scheme will be running for a fifth year.
The UK has a bilateral student exchange programme with Germany, the UK German Connection (UKGC), which provides opportunities for children, young people, and a limited number of language teachers in the UK and Germany to engage in a range of activities, including seminars, exchanges, visits and study courses. UKGC seeks to support current German learners in the UK and encourage more to learn the language.
The department also has a long-standing Language Assistants Programme, delivered by the British Council, to improve modern foreign language skills through direct interaction with native speakers from around the world. This includes arranging placements in the UK for non-UK residents to assist with teaching French, Spanish, Mandarin, German and Italian (as Modern Language Assistants). In the 2024/25 academic year, there are 700 Modern Language Assistants allocated to UK schools.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent representations she has received on funding for rural schools; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by David Laws
Since June 2014, Ministers in the Department for Education have received 5 letters and have had one meeting with an MP on the subject of funding for rural schools.The Government recognises the importance of rural schools, many of which are small schools, and the need to maintain access to a local school in rural areas. The Department has enabled local authorities and Schools Forums to support small rural schools by allowing funding to be allocated via a ‘sparsity factor’. Sparsity funding is additional funding given to small schools serving pupils who would have to travel a long distance to any alternative school.
In addition, the Department has recently made an additional £390 million available to the least fairly funded local authorities through the introduction of minimum funding levels. Many local authorities with small rural schools have benefited from this policy, and will see increases in their per-pupil funding.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent representations he has received on funding sixth forms in rural schools.
Answered by David Laws
The Department for Education has received three letters recently on funding sixth forms in rural schools. We recognise the importance of rural schools, many of which are small schools, and the need to maintain access to a local school in rural areas. Often these schools are at the heart of their community.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many pupils have applied to be assessed for a GCSE grade on the basis of coursework under the 50 per cent rule in each of the last five years.
Answered by Elizabeth Truss
The Secretary of State for Education recently received a letter from the hon Member for Thirsk and Malton on this issue, raising the case of a student in her constituency, to which he has responded. From time to time Ministers receive representations from members of the public, and from hon Members on their behalf, on the same matter.
Neither the Department nor the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation holds information on the number of pupils who have applied to be assessed for a GCSE grade on the basis of coursework. This information may be held by individual awarding bodies.
The rules governing the circumstances in which a GCSE grade may be awarded to a student who has not completed all the elements of the assessment are a matter for the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation. I have therefore asked its Chief Regulator, Glenys Stacey to write directly to the hon Member. A copy of her reply will be placed in the House of Commons Library.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent representations he has received on the 50 per cent rule whereby a GCSE grade may only be awarded for course assessment in the event of a student being severely incapacitated through illness; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Elizabeth Truss
The Secretary of State for Education recently received a letter from the hon Member for Thirsk and Malton on this issue, raising the case of a student in her constituency, to which he has responded. From time to time Ministers receive representations from members of the public, and from hon Members on their behalf, on the same matter.
Neither the Department nor the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation holds information on the number of pupils who have applied to be assessed for a GCSE grade on the basis of coursework. This information may be held by individual awarding bodies.
The rules governing the circumstances in which a GCSE grade may be awarded to a student who has not completed all the elements of the assessment are a matter for the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation. I have therefore asked its Chief Regulator, Glenys Stacey to write directly to the hon Member. A copy of her reply will be placed in the House of Commons Library.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will commission a review of the 50 per cent rule whereby a GCSE grade may only be awarded for course assessment in the event of a student being severely incapacitated through illness; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Elizabeth Truss
The Secretary of State for Education recently received a letter from the hon Member for Thirsk and Malton on this issue, raising the case of a student in her constituency, to which he has responded. From time to time Ministers receive representations from members of the public, and from hon Members on their behalf, on the same matter.
Neither the Department nor the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation holds information on the number of pupils who have applied to be assessed for a GCSE grade on the basis of coursework. This information may be held by individual awarding bodies.
The rules governing the circumstances in which a GCSE grade may be awarded to a student who has not completed all the elements of the assessment are a matter for the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation. I have therefore asked its Chief Regulator, Glenys Stacey to write directly to the hon Member. A copy of her reply will be placed in the House of Commons Library.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many people have entered (a) teacher training and (b) the teaching profession as qualified teachers in each of the last five years; and how many unqualified teachers have been employed in (i) England and (ii) North Yorkshire in each of the last five years.
Answered by David Laws
The following table provides the number of initial teacher training entrants, qualified teacher entrants and full-time equivalent unqualified teachers in service in publicly funded schools in England, 2008 to the latest year available. Information on teachers starting training and entering service is not available by local authority area so cannot be provided for North Yorkshire. Figures for the number of full-time equivalent unqualified teachers are available and have been given.
Initial Teacher Training (ITT) [1][2] |
Qualified Teacher Entrants [3][4] |
Unqualified Teachers [5] | ||
1st year trainees |
Full-time |
Part-time | Full-time equivalent | |
2008/09 | ||||
North Yorkshire | .. | .. | .. | 180 |
England | 37,270 | 32,330 | 7,500 | 17,530 |
2009/10 | ||||
North Yorkshire | .. | .. | .. | 110 |
England | 38,920 | 29,620 | 8,410 | 17,390 |
2010/11 | ||||
North Yorkshire | .. | .. | .. | .. |
England | 37,900 | 29,770 | 7,570 | 16,930 |
2011/12 | ||||
North Yorkshire | .. | .. | .. | 190 |
England | 36,520 | .. | .. | 15,150 |
2012/13 | ||||
North Yorkshire | .. | .. | .. | 150 |
England | 36,380 | .. | .. | 14,710 |
[1] Sources: ITT trainee number census (2012/13 and 2013/14) and Performance profiles data (2008/09 to 2011/12).
[2] 2012/13 and 2013/14 are based upon provisional ITT Census publications, and also contain Teach First.
[3] Source: Database of Teacher Records (March each year). Figures for 2011/12 and 2012/13 are not yet available.
[4] Figures are provisional for 2010/2011. Teacher entrants include all entrants who were awarded qualified teacher status in the previous calendar year and other qualified teachers who were recorded as entering the publicly funded sector for the first time.
[5] Sources: 618g (January 2008 and 2009) and School Workforce Census (November 2010 to 2012).2010/11 figures for North Yorkshire are not available because the data was collected in a new format and full confirmation of qualified teacher status was not provided.