Asked by: Baroness Wolf of Dulwich (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether a sixth form college that has moved to academy status will be covered by the provisions in the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
The Children’s Wellbeing and School Bill will provide a core guarantee of quality education in every school. It will create a floor but no ceiling, enabling healthy competition and innovation beyond a core framework to bring all schools to the level of the very best.
16 to 19 academies are principally concerned with the education of young people above compulsory school age and below the age of 19. They are defined separately to academy schools under the Academies Act 2010 and operate within a policy, financial and operational framework that reflects the type of education that they provide. In keeping with the existing regulatory approach, 16 to 19 academies, including those that were previously sixth-Form colleges, remain out of scope of most of the measures in the Bill that will apply to schools, including academy schools. Under clause 36 of the Bill, 16 to 19 academies remain outside of the scope of Chapter 1 of Part 4 of the Education and Skills Act 2008, which is the main regulatory framework for independent schools, including academy schools.
Clause 49, which introduces a power to secure the performance of an academy proprietor’s duties, will apply to 16 to 19 academies, as well as academy schools. Robust accountability mechanisms play a critical role in the school system by setting clear requirements and expectations, encouraging behaviours that put children first, help them to achieve and thrive, and keep them safe.
This measure will allow my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education to direct any academy trust to comply with their legal duties and address unreasonable actions in a way that is more proportionate than the current intervention regime provided through academy funding agreements.
Asked by: Baroness Wolf of Dulwich (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is their definition of (1) a teacher, (2) a school, and (3) a qualified teacher.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
The definition of a teacher, school and qualified teacher is outlined in the relevant statistics that the department publishes. The methodology section of ‘School workforce in England’ publication outlines the following definitions in the context of the school workforce census. The full methodology section can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/methodology/school-workforce-in-england.
A teacher in school is defined as anyone who is employed by a school as a:
A school includes:
Qualified teachers are defined as those holding any of the following:
The methodology section of ‘Further education workforce’ publication outlines the following definitions in the context of the further education workforce census. The full methodology section can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/methodology/further-education-workforce.
A teacher in further education is defined as member of staff with teaching responsibilities. Main Roles which would determine whether a staff member is a “Teacher”:
Schools are not defined within the scope of the further education workforce.
Qualified teachers are defined as those holding any of the following:
Asked by: Baroness Wolf of Dulwich (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many apprenticeship starts in hairdressing there were, by region and level, for each of the English regions in each of the years from 2015 to the present.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
The attached file contains apprenticeship starts for the 2015/16 to 2024/25 academic years, broken down by region and level, for hairdressing apprentices. These were last published in March 2025. They include full year figures from 2015/16 to 2023/24, and year to date figures for 2024/25 (August 2024 to January 2025).
The most recent years’ data are available in the published ‘Apprenticeships’ statistics, which have been included in the attached file, and can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/apprenticeships/2024-25.
Asked by: Baroness Wolf of Dulwich (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what budget was set for capital expenditure, including improvements, in the further education and sixth form college sector in the financial years 2021–22, 2022–23, and 2023–24; and what proportion of the budget was spent in each of those years.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
Ensuring schools and colleges have the resources and buildings they need is a key part of this government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and give every young person the best start in life.
As announced at the Autumn Budget 2024, the government is providing £6.7 billion of capital funding in 2025/26 for education in England, a real terms increase of 19% from 2024/25. This includes £1.4 billion for the continuing school rebuilding programme, which also includes sixth form colleges and 16-19 academies. The settlement also invests over £2 billion to improve the condition of school and sixth form college buildings, and £950 million for skills capital. Skills capital includes £300 million of new funding to support further education (FE) colleges to maintain, improve and ensure suitability of their estate.
The department provides capital funding to FE colleges and sixth form colleges through a wide range of programmes. The department does not publish the budgets and spend of capital programmes by provider type, however, we do publish provider allocations and awards on GOV.UK and report departmental spending through the annual reports and accounts each year.
The total departmental capital budgets and expenditure for the 2021/22, 2022/23 and 2023/24 financial years are provided in the department’s annual reports and set out in the table below.
Financial Year | Budget (£ million) | Spend (£ million) | Proportion of budget spent |
2021/22 | 5,267 | 4,798 | 91% |
2022/23 | 6,269 | 5,948 | 95% |
2023/24 | 6,780 | 6,636 | 98% |
Asked by: Baroness Wolf of Dulwich (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what the apprenticeship budget was for the Department for Education in the financial year 2023–24; what proportion was spent in total; and what proportion was spent on (1) training for apprenticeships with levy-paying employers, (2) training for apprenticeships with non-levy-paying employers, and (3) other activities.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
In the 2023/24 financial year, 99% of the revised end-of year English apprenticeships budget of £2,525 million was spent, an underspend of £16 million (£60 million was surrendered in year).
The following table provides a breakdown of total spend for the 2023/24 financial year, including the proportion of total spend on training for apprenticeships with levy paying employers and training for apprenticeships with non-levy paying employers in England. In addition, the table reflects the spend on apprenticeships that started prior to the introduction of the apprenticeships levy and new funding system, as well as non-apprenticeships participation spend, such as the cost of running digital services and marketing and communications campaigns.
Apprenticeships spend from the department’s ring-refenced apprenticeships budget | 2023/24 financial year (£million) | Proportion of total spend (%) |
Levy paying employers | 1,760 | 70 |
Non-levy paying employers | 695 | 28 |
Pre-reform apprenticeships | 1 | <1 |
Non-apprenticeships training | 53 | 2 |
Total | 2,509 | 100% |
Where the department’s apprenticeships budget is underspent by the end of the financial year, funds are returned to HM Treasury in line with standard practice set out in the published consolidated budgeting guidance.
Asked by: Baroness Wolf of Dulwich (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have received any formal reports on the findings of the second longitudinal study of young people in England from the contractors who carried it out, or commissioned any research using the data from it; and, if so, where the relevant reports and output can be found.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
The department has commissioned or supported the production of 22 research reports based on analysis of the second Longitudinal Study of Young People in England (LSYPE2). Of these, three are being finalised and will be published in early 2025 and 19 have been published on GOV.UK or elsewhere. The relevant links are provided below:
Asked by: Baroness Wolf of Dulwich (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many academic and other external researchers have been granted access to and are analysing Longitudinal Study of Young People in England data from (1) LSYPE2 waves 4-6, and (2) LSYPE2 waves 7-9.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
The total cost of the contracts for the Longitudinal Study of Young People in England 2 (LSYPE2) Waves 1 to 9 is £9,688,223.
Data from Waves 1-9 of LSYPE2 is available to researchers via the Office for National Statistics’ Secure Research Service and can be accessed here: https://ons.metadata.works/browser/dataset/1405106/0.
Data from Waves 4 to 6 of the LSYPE2 has been shared by the department with nine academics and other external researchers. In contrast, data from Waves 7 to 9 has been shared with five academics.
Asked by: Baroness Wolf of Dulwich (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether all data from waves 1-9 of the Longitudinal Study of Young People in England: Cohort 2 (LSYPE2) are now available to researchers.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
The total cost of the contracts for the Longitudinal Study of Young People in England 2 (LSYPE2) Waves 1 to 9 is £9,688,223.
Data from Waves 1-9 of LSYPE2 is available to researchers via the Office for National Statistics’ Secure Research Service and can be accessed here: https://ons.metadata.works/browser/dataset/1405106/0.
Data from Waves 4 to 6 of the LSYPE2 has been shared by the department with nine academics and other external researchers. In contrast, data from Waves 7 to 9 has been shared with five academics.
Asked by: Baroness Wolf of Dulwich (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the cost to date of the Longitudinal Study of Young People in England: cohort 2 (LSYPE2) waves 1–9.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
The total cost of the contracts for the Longitudinal Study of Young People in England 2 (LSYPE2) Waves 1 to 9 is £9,688,223.
Data from Waves 1-9 of LSYPE2 is available to researchers via the Office for National Statistics’ Secure Research Service and can be accessed here: https://ons.metadata.works/browser/dataset/1405106/0.
Data from Waves 4 to 6 of the LSYPE2 has been shared by the department with nine academics and other external researchers. In contrast, data from Waves 7 to 9 has been shared with five academics.
Asked by: Baroness Wolf of Dulwich (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of the adult education budget was, or has been, allocated to Combined Mayoral Authorities in (1) 2023–24, (2) 2024–25, and (3) 2025–26, under devolution agreements.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
The adult skills fund (ASF), formerly the adult education budget (AEB), is worth £1.34 billion this year, and funds education and skills training for those aged 19 and above to help them gain the skills they need for work, an apprenticeship or further learning. The AEB transitioned into the ASF as of this academic year 2024/25.
The proportion of the AEB that was allocated to Mayoral Combined Authorities in the 2023/24 academic year was 58.96%. In the 2024/25 academic year this was 62.00%. Decisions about the 2025/26 academic year are subject to the forthcoming Spending Review.