Asked by: Lord Bassam of Brighton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether EU students enrolling on higher education courses in England in the 2020–21 academic year will be eligible for home fee status and financial support.
Answered by Viscount Younger of Leckie - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The department recognises that staff and providers are concerned about what EU exit means for study and collaboration opportunities.
To help give certainty, on 28 May 2019, the department announced guarantees on student finance for EU nationals. EU nationals (and their family members) who start a course in England in the 2020/21 academic year or before will continue to be eligible for ‘home fee’ status and student finance support from Student Finance England for the duration of their course, provided they meet the residency requirement. These guarantees are not altered if the UK leaves the EU without a deal.
Asked by: Lord Bassam of Brighton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when they intend to set out the (1) fee status, and (2) loan eligibility, of EU undergraduate students commencing courses at English higher education providers in the 2020–21 academic year.
Answered by Viscount Younger of Leckie - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The department recognises that staff and providers are concerned about what EU exit means for study and collaboration opportunities.
To help give certainty, on 28 May 2019, the department announced guarantees on student finance for EU nationals. EU nationals (and their family members) who start a course in England in the 2020/21 academic year or before will continue to be eligible for ‘home fee’ status and student finance support from Student Finance England for the duration of their course, provided they meet the residency requirement. These guarantees are not altered if the UK leaves the EU without a deal.
Asked by: Lord Bassam of Brighton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Lord Agnew of Oulton on 6 February (HL13093 and HL13094), what assessment they have made of the impact of their decision to delay the roll-out of Universal Credit on the (1) number of children eligible for free school meals, and (2) ability of families to access such meals.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
I refer the noble Lord to the answer I gave on 6 February 2019 to HL13093 and HL13094.
The eligibility criteria for free school meals (FSM) remains the same following changes to the rollout schedule for Universal Credit (UC), and we will keep the level of the earnings threshold under review following UC rollout. Households that are receiving legacy benefits will continue to access FSM in the same way they do now, and as households migrate to UC in due course, they will remain eligible for FSM throughout the rollout of UC. Our protections mean that even if a household moves above the earnings threshold or ceases to claim benefits, they will continue to receive FSM for the duration of the UC rollout.
No child that is eligible for and currently receives FSM will lose their entitlement to FSM as a result of UC during the roll out phase, and even more children will benefit by retaining eligibility through the protections we have put in place.
The department wants to make sure that as many eligible pupils as possible are claiming FSM and to make it as simple as possible for schools and local authorities to determine eligibility. To support this we provide:
The eligibility checking service to make the checking process as quick and simple as possible for schools and local authorities;
A model registration form for paper-based applications; and
Guidance to Jobcentre Plus advisors and work coaches so they can make UC claimants aware that they might be entitled to FSM.
Asked by: Lord Bassam of Brighton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government which universities allocated places to applicants on an unconditional basis in each year since 2010; and for each of those universities, what percentage of total offers were unconditional in each of those years.
Answered by Viscount Younger of Leckie - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Applicants to full-time undergraduate degrees apply through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). UCAS have published data on the number of unconditional offers and the proportion of offers made that were unconditional since 2010. The data covers offers made to 18 year olds from England, Northern Ireland and Wales.
The table shows the number of unconditional offers made and the proportion of offers made that were unconditional to 18 year old applicants from England, Northern Ireland, and Wales.
Year | Number of unconditional offers | Proportion of offers made that were unconditional |
2010 | 5,105 | 0.6% |
2011 | 3,355 | 0.4% |
2012 | 2,605 | 0.3% |
2013 | 2,985 | 0.4% |
2014 | 12,115 | 1.4% |
2015 | 23,410 | 2.5% |
2016 | 36,825 | 3.9% |
2017 | 51,615 | 5.3% |
2018 | 67,915 | 7.1% |
Source: UCAS End of Cycle reports 2017 and 2018:
https://www.ucas.com/file/196151/download?token=jzRAy4kS.
https://www.ucas.com/file/140406/download?token=pfzLAKRe.
Notes
Information regarding which universities allocated places to applicants on an unconditional basis and for each of those universities, what percentage of total offers were unconditional in each of those years is not held centrally.
However, on 31 January UCAS published data on unconditional offers by each provider for the first time as part of their 2018 End of Cycle data releases. For each provider, UCAS have published data on the number and proportion of offers that were unconditional, conditional unconditional, and offers that had an unconditional component since 2013. Further information can be found at: https://www.ucas.com/data-and-analysis/undergraduate-statistics-and-reports/ucas-undergraduate-end-cycle-reports/2018-ucas-undergraduate-unconditional-offer-making-provider-reports – then select ‘Individual 2018 provider level unconditional offer-making CSVs’.
The government are concerned by the increase in unconditional offers, and have asked the higher education (HE) regulator, the Office for Students (OfS), to monitor and review how they are being used by HE providers. Where institutions cannot justify the rising numbers being offered we have made clear to the OfS that they should use the full range of powers at their disposal to take action.
Asked by: Lord Bassam of Brighton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many unconditional offers have been made by universities to school and college leavers in each year since 2010; and in each of those years, what percentage of total offers were unconditional.
Answered by Viscount Younger of Leckie - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Applicants to full-time undergraduate degrees apply through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). UCAS have published data on the number of unconditional offers and the proportion of offers made that were unconditional since 2010. The data covers offers made to 18 year olds from England, Northern Ireland and Wales.
The table shows the number of unconditional offers made and the proportion of offers made that were unconditional to 18 year old applicants from England, Northern Ireland, and Wales.
Year | Number of unconditional offers | Proportion of offers made that were unconditional |
2010 | 5,105 | 0.6% |
2011 | 3,355 | 0.4% |
2012 | 2,605 | 0.3% |
2013 | 2,985 | 0.4% |
2014 | 12,115 | 1.4% |
2015 | 23,410 | 2.5% |
2016 | 36,825 | 3.9% |
2017 | 51,615 | 5.3% |
2018 | 67,915 | 7.1% |
Source: UCAS End of Cycle reports 2017 and 2018:
https://www.ucas.com/file/196151/download?token=jzRAy4kS.
https://www.ucas.com/file/140406/download?token=pfzLAKRe.
Notes
Information regarding which universities allocated places to applicants on an unconditional basis and for each of those universities, what percentage of total offers were unconditional in each of those years is not held centrally.
However, on 31 January UCAS published data on unconditional offers by each provider for the first time as part of their 2018 End of Cycle data releases. For each provider, UCAS have published data on the number and proportion of offers that were unconditional, conditional unconditional, and offers that had an unconditional component since 2013. Further information can be found at: https://www.ucas.com/data-and-analysis/undergraduate-statistics-and-reports/ucas-undergraduate-end-cycle-reports/2018-ucas-undergraduate-unconditional-offer-making-provider-reports – then select ‘Individual 2018 provider level unconditional offer-making CSVs’.
The government are concerned by the increase in unconditional offers, and have asked the higher education (HE) regulator, the Office for Students (OfS), to monitor and review how they are being used by HE providers. Where institutions cannot justify the rising numbers being offered we have made clear to the OfS that they should use the full range of powers at their disposal to take action.
Asked by: Lord Bassam of Brighton (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 17 January (HL Deb, col 323), what specialist advice was taken in determining the “over 3,000 useless subjects”; what criteria were used in making that determination; and whether they will publish a full list of the “3000 useless subjects”.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
Following a recommendation in Professor Alison Wolf’s review of technical education in 2011, the department has made improvements to school performance tables to ensure that they only recognise qualifications that meet stretching quality requirements. As a result, the number of non-GCSE qualifications included in performance tables for 14 to 16 year olds fell from 3,175 in the 2014 tables to 75 in the 2020 tables.
The department assesses qualifications submitted by awarding organisations against published criteria, including requirements for mandatory external assessment and support from employers or from higher education providers. As part of this process, the department seeks advice from independent and expert education advisors when deciding on whether to approve qualifications for inclusion in the technical and applied qualifications performance table lists.
The department publishes the list of those qualifications included in performance tables on an annual basis. The performance table list for 2020, attached, can also be accessed at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/key-stage-4-qualifications-discount-codes-and-point-scores.
The department’s section 96 list, which is attached, shows all of the qualifications that are approved for teaching to particular age groups and eligible for funding. This list, which can be found on the department’s website at the following link: https://section96.education.gov.uk/, is a wider list than the list of qualifications included in performance tables as it shows there are 5,338 qualifications approved for funding for 14 to 16 year olds.
Asked by: Lord Bassam of Brighton (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 17 January (HL Deb, col 323), where the list of "over 3,000 useless subjects" can be found.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
Following a recommendation in Professor Alison Wolf’s review of technical education in 2011, the department has made improvements to school performance tables to ensure that they only recognise qualifications that meet stretching quality requirements. As a result, the number of non-GCSE qualifications included in performance tables for 14 to 16 year olds fell from 3,175 in the 2014 tables to 75 in the 2020 tables.
The department assesses qualifications submitted by awarding organisations against published criteria, including requirements for mandatory external assessment and support from employers or from higher education providers. As part of this process, the department seeks advice from independent and expert education advisors when deciding on whether to approve qualifications for inclusion in the technical and applied qualifications performance table lists.
The department publishes the list of those qualifications included in performance tables on an annual basis. The performance table list for 2020, attached, can also be accessed at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/key-stage-4-qualifications-discount-codes-and-point-scores.
The department’s section 96 list, which is attached, shows all of the qualifications that are approved for teaching to particular age groups and eligible for funding. This list, which can be found on the department’s website at the following link: https://section96.education.gov.uk/, is a wider list than the list of qualifications included in performance tables as it shows there are 5,338 qualifications approved for funding for 14 to 16 year olds.
Asked by: Lord Bassam of Brighton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the numbers of children in receipt of free school meals affected by their decision to delay the roll out of Universal Credit; and what information they intend to share with parents, local education authorities and schools affected.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
The continuing provision of free school meals (FSM) to children from out of work families or those on low incomes is of the utmost importance to this government and we are committed to ensuring that disadvantaged children and young people benefit from FSM. We estimate that under the new eligibility criteria introduced last April, the number of pupils eligible for FSM will increase by 2022 when compared to the old system.
Further to this, we expect many more pupils to be receiving FSM due to the generous protections that we have put in place. The department will continue to publish statistics on FSM as part of its annual publication ‘Schools, pupils and their characteristics’, and the latest version is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2018.
Following the change to FSM eligibility criteria under Universal Credit in April 2018, we published a technical note that set out the methodology for our analysis. This highlighted the uncertainty within the analysis and how outputs might change where we received revised economic forecasts, for example. The technical note is attached, and can also be found at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/707466/Additional_free_school_meal_pupils_under_Universal_Credit.pdf.
The department has provided guidance, attached, to schools and local authorities to support them in implementing the change to FSM criteria. We will continue to communicate with local authorities, schools, and parents, including when any changes are made to the guidance.
Asked by: Lord Bassam of Brighton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the implications of their decision to delay the roll out of Universal Credit for the implementation of the changes to free school meals entitlement.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
The continuing provision of free school meals (FSM) to children from out of work families or those on low incomes is of the utmost importance to this government and we are committed to ensuring that disadvantaged children and young people benefit from FSM. We estimate that under the new eligibility criteria introduced last April, the number of pupils eligible for FSM will increase by 2022 when compared to the old system.
Further to this, we expect many more pupils to be receiving FSM due to the generous protections that we have put in place. The department will continue to publish statistics on FSM as part of its annual publication ‘Schools, pupils and their characteristics’, and the latest version is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2018.
Following the change to FSM eligibility criteria under Universal Credit in April 2018, we published a technical note that set out the methodology for our analysis. This highlighted the uncertainty within the analysis and how outputs might change where we received revised economic forecasts, for example. The technical note is attached, and can also be found at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/707466/Additional_free_school_meal_pupils_under_Universal_Credit.pdf.
The department has provided guidance, attached, to schools and local authorities to support them in implementing the change to FSM criteria. We will continue to communicate with local authorities, schools, and parents, including when any changes are made to the guidance.
Asked by: Lord Bassam of Brighton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their latest assessment of the impact of the changes to free school meals entitlement following the Free School Lunches and Milk, and School and Early Years Finance (Amendments Relating to Universal Credit) (England) Regulations 2018 (SI 2018/148) coming into force.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
The department is working closely with local authorities and schools to support them in implementing the changes to free school meal eligibility that were introduced in April. This has included the provision of guidance, webinar sessions, regular communications and responding to queries received via the department’s Eligibility Checking Service. The latest government statistics on free school meal rates are based on data collected before this change was introduced (January 2018 census). The next publication will be in June 2019 (based on the January 2019 census). The government is committed to reviewing the threshold level at the end of the Universal Credit rollout period.