Asked by: Baroness Whitaker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Agnew of Oulton on 5 February (HL 4901), how many Gypsies and Travellers completed apprenticeships in each academic year since 2014; and at what level.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
The table below provides the number of learners that declared themselves as Gypsy or Irish Traveller for the 2013/14 to 2016/17 academic years, who completed apprenticeships broken down by level. Figures are also provided for the first two quarters of the 2017/18 academic year reported to date.
Apprenticeship level | 2013/14 | 2014/15 | 2015/16 | 2016/17 | 2017/18 |
Intermediate (level 2) | 40 | 50 | 70 | 70 | 10 |
Advanced (level 3) | 30 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 10 |
Higher (level 4+) | - | - | - | - | - |
All levels | 70 | 80 | 90 | 90 | 30 |
Notes:
1) Volumes are rounded to the nearest ten.
2) Data obtained from the Individualised Learner Record.
3) '-' Indicates a base value of fewer than five or zero take-up for the cohort combination.
4) Ethnicity is self-declared by the learner.
Demographic information about apprenticeship starts and achievements is available in the demography section of the ‘FE data library’:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/fe-data-library-apprenticeships#demographics.
Asked by: Baroness Whitaker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the National Children's Bureau, Children missing education, published in January; and what steps they are taking to support Gypsy, Traveller and Roma children who are particularly at risk of missing education.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
Nothing is more important than keeping children safe and in suitable education. That is why in September 2016, the department amended the Education (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2006, to include further duties on schools to improve the information they provide to local authorities when a child is removed from their roll. This will better enable local authorities to carry out vital enquiries to ensure children are safe from harm.
We have a commitment to review the impact of these amendements by September 2019. As part of this review we shall consider the views of all key stakeholders, including the points raised by the National Children’s Bureau in their report ‘Children missing education’.
We have engaged with a number of local authorities to gather and share best practice in improving outcomes for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller (GRT) pupils. We plan to explore the barriers to education faced by GRT pupils in discussion with the department’s GRT stakeholder group. We are committed to ensuring that every child, whatever their background, has the opportunity to go as far as their talent and hard work can take them.
Asked by: Baroness Whitaker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Lord Agnew of Oulton on 15 January (HL Deb, col 432), how many young people from gypsy and traveller families have taken up apprenticeships in the last year for which figures are available; and how many of those people have accessed support provided for those with learning disabilities.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
The table (attached) provides the number of apprenticeship starts by Gypsy and Irish Traveller learners in each academic year from 2011, with breakdowns of age and learning difficulty and/or disability.
Further breakdowns and demographic information is available in our apprenticeship demographic pivot table: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/669034/201617_apprenticeships_detailed_demographic_tool_by_sector_subject_area.xlsx.
We cannot identify learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities who have accessed support from the Individualised Learning Record. However, we want to ensure apprenticeship opportunities are open to people with disabilities. This includes recognising Education, Health and Care Plans in our funding and English and maths policies, and providing extra payments to training providers where an apprentice requires further learning support. Access to Work funding is also available from the Department for Work and Pensions to support adjustments apprentices may need in the workplace.
Asked by: Baroness Whitaker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Agnew of Oulton on 13 December (HL3750), what guidance on (1) the cultures of specific minority ethnic communities, and (2) understanding different minority cultures, is provided to social workers who assess children for care or adoption.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
Ensuring children are safe is our priority. Councils are expected to place children with foster parents who are best suited to their needs. For adoption, courts and adoption agencies must have regard to any of a child’s characteristics. This could include a child’s religious persuasion, racial origin, and cultural and linguistic background if thought relevant. Adoption agencies must work within the national regulatory frameworks, exercise their own professional judgement and develop their own policies to meet local needs. This is set out in the attached ‘Statutory Guidance on Adoption’ and can be found in Chapter 4.
The department commissioned the consultancy Mott Macdonald to produce materials for continuing professional development of social workers in achieving permanence. This contract was completed in December, with significant input from an expert working group of sector representatives. The department will consider how to take this forward in due course. This is in addition to the Assessed and Supported Year in Education programme, available to all newly qualified children and family social workers, the Practice Leaders Development Programme, and the Practice Supervisors Development Programme, which is currently under development.
Asked by: Baroness Whitaker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Agnew of Oulton on 13 December (HL3750), what progress they have made in developing a continuous professional development programme for social workers; and where details of that programme can be accessed.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
Ensuring children are safe is our priority. Councils are expected to place children with foster parents who are best suited to their needs. For adoption, courts and adoption agencies must have regard to any of a child’s characteristics. This could include a child’s religious persuasion, racial origin, and cultural and linguistic background if thought relevant. Adoption agencies must work within the national regulatory frameworks, exercise their own professional judgement and develop their own policies to meet local needs. This is set out in the attached ‘Statutory Guidance on Adoption’ and can be found in Chapter 4.
The department commissioned the consultancy Mott Macdonald to produce materials for continuing professional development of social workers in achieving permanence. This contract was completed in December, with significant input from an expert working group of sector representatives. The department will consider how to take this forward in due course. This is in addition to the Assessed and Supported Year in Education programme, available to all newly qualified children and family social workers, the Practice Leaders Development Programme, and the Practice Supervisors Development Programme, which is currently under development.
Asked by: Baroness Whitaker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what education and training on the culture of Gypsy, Traveller and Roma communities is provided to social workers who assess children for care or adoption.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
The Chief Social Worker’s statement of knowledge and skills, published in November 2014, sets out our expectation of what all child and family social workers need to know and be able to do, to practice effectively. A separate knowledge and skills statement for achieving permanence, published in November 2016, explains how social workers should make long-term plans for children who are looked after or may become looked-after children.
Following registration, employers of social workers are responsible for determining the support and training they make available to social workers to meet the social care needs of children.
Asked by: Baroness Whitaker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how the £4,800 per secondary school pupil to be allocated in 2018–19 under the national funding formula will be spent in the case of home-educated children.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
The department does not provide funding to local councils, schools or academies for electively home-educated children. It remains the case that when parents choose to home educate their children they assume financial responsibility.
The department continues to recommend that local councils should take a flexible approach to support for home educating parents where appropriate. Further guidance on funding for home-educated students is available (attached) at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/elective-home-education.
Asked by: Baroness Whitaker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Nash on 12 December (HL3767), how they are encouraging young people from the Gypsy and Traveller communities into apprenticeships through the Get In Go Far campaign and by other means.
Answered by Lord Nash
We are committed to ensuring that apprenticeships are as accessible as possible to all people from all backgrounds, including young people from Gypsy and Traveller communities. Apprenticeships give young people the chance to build a better future by taking their first step on the employment ladder and they give those already in work the opportunity to progress further. We are encouraging a wide range of people from all backgrounds into apprenticeships through our ‘Get In Go Far’ campaign which is aimed at 14-24 year-olds, their parents, teachers and employers. We are increasing numbers of traineeships to further support young people into apprenticeships and further work.
In the apprenticeship funding policy published in October, we announced extra payments for 16-18 year olds and 19-24 year olds formerly in care or with an Education, Health and Care Plan. Employers and providers will receive a payment of £1,000 to support additional costs associated with these apprentices.
We want to ensure we overcome barriers so all can access apprenticeships and support those from disadvantaged areas with over £60m of funding. Providers will receive an additional £600 for training an apprentice who lives in one of the top 10% of deprived areas (as per the Index of Multiple Deprivation), £300 for any apprentice who lives in the next 10% of deprived areas (the 11-20% range), and £200 for those in the next 7% (the 21-27% range). This will be in place for one year whilst we review our approach to supporting disadvantaged apprentices; ensuring apprenticeships provide equal opportunity to all, regardless of their circumstances.
Asked by: Baroness Whitaker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the proposal to replace the 50 per cent cap on faith-based admissions to faith schools, as set out in the Government consultation <i>Schools that work for everyone,</i> what consideration they have given to the finding of the Education Policy Institute that "there is a risk that increasing the numbers of faith schools would come at the price of increased social segregation, with a risk of lower social mobility".
Answered by Lord Nash
The EPI report fails to recognise the fact that the government’s proposals are about creating more good school places for more parents in more parts of the country by giving them more choice. Our proposals to expand the number of good school places available to parents will help more young people, irrespective of their background, have the chance to go as far as their talents will take them.
Faith schools are among the highest performing schools in the country, with more primary and secondary faith schools judged good or outstanding than their non-faith counterparts[1]. Faith schools are popular with parents and the removal of the 50% faith cap will enable the establishment of even more good schools.
[1]Ofsted official statistics: Maintained schools and academies inspections and outcomes as at 31 March 2016 shows faith schools are more likely to be good or outstanding as compared to non-faith schools (89% as compared to 86% at primary; 81% as compared to 75% at secondary).
Asked by: Baroness Whitaker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Nash on 6 May 2014 (WA 346), whether the new web portal to improve access to 16–18 performance data has been developed; and what data they expect it to yield on the experience of Gypsy, Traveller and Roma young people.
Answered by Lord Nash
The School Performance Web Portal as alluded to in the Written Answer on 6 May 2014 (WA 346) has not yet been developed. The programme to develop it in the way envisaged at the time was discontinued in August 2014. It had become apparent that the programme was going to experience some delays to delivery and with a significant IT transformation programme taking place within the Department, and other changes across Government, it was clear that it was not the right time to progress with this work.
The Department for Education remains committed to the objective of improving access to performance data.
We are currently conducting small scale research with groups of parents, school leaders, governors and Department for Education officials. This is to ensure any future web presence for performance data meets both the priorities of the Department and the needs of users.