Asked by: Baroness Rebuck (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the finding in the House of Commons Business, Innovation and Skills Committee's Fifth Report of Session 2014–15 that the ability to gain literacy and numeracy skills is a fundamental right of all adults, what steps they are taking to ensure that the one in six of the population with poor literacy skills have opportunities to gain at least entry level literacy skills.
Answered by Lord Nash
This Government understands the importance of strong literacy skills and makes English provision a priority for support within the adult skills system. We fully fund, through a statutory entitlement, all adults to achieve their first English GCSE at grade C or above as well as other qualifications which help them get to that level. We also support English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) provision, in addition to DCLG’s community-based programmes and investment in Syrian refugees’ English Language training through the Syrian resettlement programme.
This provision is available for a wide range of learners including:
Prisoners, through the Offender Learning and Skills Service;
Learners in the community, including through Family English, Maths and Language;
People who need ESOL;
Trainees as part of their traineeship;
Apprentices as part of their apprenticeship;
Jobseekers.
To enable these learners to improve their literacy skills, we have embedded English at the heart of all our major programmes. This means:
Learners who did not achieve a good GCSE pass in English by the age of 16 are now required to continue to study the subject post-16;
Since 2014/15, the English requirement for Intermediate Apprenticeships has been stronger, with all apprentices who have already achieved level 1 English having to work towards level 2;
Since 2014/15, young people undertaking a traineeship have been required to study English unless they already have level 2 qualifications in the subjects;
We have reformed GCSEs to ensure they are more stretching and provide greater assurance of core literacy skills than the old GCSEs. In line with the Business, Innovation and Skills Committee recommendation, we recognise that some people are not ready to take GCSE so we are also improving the rigour and relevance of English Functional Skills qualifications, which are taken by many students and apprentices aged 16 and over. We have commissioned the Education and Training Foundation to revise the National Literacy (and Numeracy) Standards and reform Functional Skills with the new qualifications being delivered from September 2018.
To ensure high quality provision is delivered, we have invested over £30m over the past 3 years to improve the quality of the English (and maths) workforce in further education, driving forward improvements in governance and leadership.
To ensure prisoners have the opportunity to improve their literacy skills, Government accepted in principle the recommendations of the review led by Dame Sally Coates on prison education which will include developing a new curriculum for the teaching of basic literacy in prisons.
Lastly, we are undertaking a range of research to better understand where Government investment in English has the greatest impact and delivers value for money. As recommended by the Business, Innovation and Skills Committee in their 14/15 report, Government is using behavioural insights to identify how to motivate adults to improve their English and encourage learners to keep studying once enrolled on a course. I am pleased to report that very positive trial results will be published shortly by the Behavioural Insights Team. This report includes trial findings working with the Army as a significant provider of workplace literacy training.
Asked by: Baroness Rebuck (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government which literacy charities they have provided with funding over the last five years, and how much funding they have provided in each case.
Answered by Lord Nash
We have undertaken a thorough search of our records in the Department for Education and contacted the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, the Department for International Development, the Department for Business Innovation and Skills, the Department for Health and the Ministry of Justice. The list below sets out the results of this search:
The National Literacy Trust - £1,485,145
Centre for Literacy in Primary Education - £1,450
Book Trust - £34,716,302
The Reading Agency - £2,652,880
Developments in Literacy Trust UK - £249,995
The government is committed to improving literacy. We have introduced a new, more rigorous national curriculum which includes greater focus on reading. The national curriculum for English places a greater focus on reading and requires pupils to study a range of books, poems and plays to develop a life-long love of literature. Through reading and writing pupils will have an opportunity to develop intellectually, spiritually and socially, and develop a life-long love of culture.
Between September 2011 and October 2013, the Department for Education provided £23.7 million in match funding to over 14,000 primary schools, enabling them to buy systematic synthetic phonics products and training. In 2012 we introduced a phonics screening check at age 6 so that teachers can intervene early to help children catch up with their reading.
In November 2015 we announced the introduction of a year 7 resit test for pupils who did not achieve the expected standard at key stage 2 in reading or maths. Since September 2014 we have required 16-19 year olds not holding good passes in GCSE maths to continue to work towards them. This resulted in 7,500 more students aged 17 and above securing A*-C GCSE Maths last summer.
Asked by: Baroness Rebuck (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of poor literacy skills on women relative to men.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The Skills for Life Survey 2011 showed no notable difference between the levels of literacy of men and women:
Literacy levels by gender (%) | |||
Literacy Level | Gender | ||
All | Male | Female | |
Entry Level 1 or below | 5 | 5 | 5 |
Entry Level 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
Entry Level 3 | /8 | 8 | 7 |
Level 1 | 28 | 29 | 28 |
Level 2 or above | 57 | 54 | 59 |
Unweighted base | 5824 | 2520 | 3304 |
(Skills for Life Survey 2011)
For both women and men, poor literacy is associated with higher rates of unemployment and poorer health and well-being. We do not have evidence to suggest that illiteracy affects women any more than men.
This Government nevertheless understands the importance of English for all adults and has made this subject a priority for support within the adult skills system. An example of this is the Government-funded English and ESOL programmes, which include more female than male learners:
English and maths participation figures 2014/15 | ||
| English | ESOL |
Total Learners | 668,600 | 131,100 |
Gender |
|
|
Female | 379,700 | 88,000 |
Male | 289,000 | 43,100 |
(Statistical First Release – first published January 2014)
We are undertaking a range of research to better understand where Government investment in English and maths has the greatest impact and delivers value for money. This includes: using behavioural insights to identify how to motivate adults to improve their English and maths and encourage learners to keep studying once enrolled on a course, through our partnership with the Behavioural Research Centre for Adult Skills and Knowledge (ASK); longitudinal research into skills gain and skills atrophy of adult English and maths learners; and a comparison of the impact of blended and more traditional classroom learning.
Asked by: Baroness Rebuck (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the requirement for all learners who did not achieve a Level 2 in English and maths by the age of 16 to continue to study those subjects post-16 since its introduction.
Answered by Lord Nash
We publish analysis on English and maths attainment by students aged 16 to 18 who did not achieve A* to C by the end of key stage 4 in an annual experimental Statistical First Release. The latest release (relating to 2013/14) is attached and also available online. [1]
The next publication will provide data relating to 2014/15, the first year of the English and maths requirement.
The English and maths requirement has had a positive effect on attainment. In 2015, for 17-year-olds and over, entries in maths were up 30% while English entries rose by 23%. Last year there were over 4,000 more passes in English by students aged 17 and over and over 7,500 more maths passes.
We also monitor in-year management information returns from further education institutions. In 2014/15, 97% of 16 to 19-year-olds without GCSE A*-C English and/or maths attending an FE institution continued their study of these subjects.
Asked by: Baroness Rebuck (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact on the UK economy of poor literacy skills on the part of 16–24 year-olds.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
There are a number of ways in which the Government assesses the impact of poor literacy on the economy.
On 28 January 2016, the OECD published its report ‘Building skills for all – a review of England’. The report was commissioned by BIS following the publication of the OECD’s Survey of Adult Skills in 2013. Key findings from Building Skills for All are:
The BIS Research Paper 195 ‘Estimation of the labour market returns to qualifications gained in English Further Education’, published in December 2014, shows that there are higher returns to qualifications achieved at younger ages and that English (and maths) Level 1 and Level 2 qualifications provide an additional wage uplift for achievers of higher learning aims. Increased earnings and employment rates following training provide an indication of the positive impact on the economy of improving skills.
In 2012, when the PIAAC carried out the survey fieldwork for both reports, only 70% of 16-19 year olds were participating in education and training that leads to a formal qualification; compared to almost universal participation in some other OECD countries. Since then the participation age in England has been increased to age 18 and action has been taken to improve GCSE qualifications and raise standards in post-16 education. These reforms have been welcomed by the OECD in its latest report. .
Since changing the requirement for all learners who did not achieve a Level 2 in English and maths by the age of 16 to continue to study these subjects as part of their 16-19 study programme, we have seen a positive effect on participation and attainment. In 2014/15, 97% of 16 to 19 year olds without GCSE A*-C English and/or maths attending an FE institution continued their study of these subjects. In 2015, for 17-year-olds and over, entries for English rose by 23% (30% for maths). As a result, last year there were over 4,000 more GCSE passes at grades A*-C in English by students aged 17 and over (7,500 more maths passes).
On 5 February 2016 we published a new report on the impact of poor English and maths from the perspective of employers. Some key findings are:
The full report can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/poor-basic-literacy-and-numeracy-effect-on-employers
Asked by: Baroness Rebuck (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the merger of the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education and the Centre for Economic and Social Inclusion.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
No assessment has been made of the merger of these two independent organisations.
Asked by: Baroness Rebuck (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of prisoners' access to course-specific books and study materials to support their studies towards recognised further or higher education qualifications, and what plans they have to improve current arrangements.
Answered by Lord Faulks
Offender Learning and Skills providers are responsible for ensuring learners can access course specific books and study materials. Books may also be accessed through prison libraries and sent by families and friends.
On 8 September the Secretary of State asked Dame Sally Coates to lead a review of education in prisons which will report in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Rebuck (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to reintroduce automatic post-study work visas, in particular for postgraduate international students working at recognised higher education institutions in the UK.
Answered by Lord Bates
We have an excellent post-study offer for international graduates seeking to undertake skilled work in the UK after their studies. There is no limit on the number who can remain, if they secure a graduate job paying an appropriate salary.
The Government has no plans to reintroduce the Tier 1 (Post Study Work) visa, which saw large numbers of fraudulent applications and graduates who remained unemployed or in low-skilled work. We closed this visa category in 2012 and have replaced it with a more selective system.