Asked by: Lord Bishop of Lincoln (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to take forward plans to introduce a children's wellbeing bill as mentioned in the King's Speech; and if so, what steps they are taking to include measures to end child poverty in a given timeframe.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Education)
The Children’s Wellbeing Bill will support this government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity by ensuring our education and children’s social care systems are set-up to transform life chances for millions of children and young people in England.
In accordance with the King’s Speech, we intend to legislate to support families with the cost of school, including by capping the number of expensive branded items of uniform that schools can require and introducing free breakfast clubs in every primary school. The precise content of the Bill will be confirmed upon the Bill’s introduction, which will be as soon as parliamentary time allows.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Lincoln (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to address teacher burnout and turnover in special education schools due to low pay and temporary contracts.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Education)
There are now 468,693 full-time equivalent teachers in state-funded schools in England, but the department knows that there is more to do to ensure that there are sufficient teachers across the country in both mainstream and special schools. This is why the department has committed to recruiting 6,500 more expert teachers. The department’s initiatives are aimed not only at increasing teacher recruitment in key subjects and areas, but also at ensuring teachers stay and thrive in the profession, including by improving teacher wellbeing and workload.
Fair pay is key to ensuring teaching is an attractive and respected profession, which is why this government has accepted the School Teachers’ Review Body’s recommendation of a 5.5% pay award for teachers and leaders in maintained schools from September. The department is providing schools with almost £1.1 billion in additional funding in the 2024/25 financial year to support schools with overall costs. This matches what the department has calculated is needed to fully fund, at a national level, the teacher pay award in 2024/25 and the support staff pay offer in the 2024/25 financial year, after accounting for the overall available headroom in schools’ existing budgets.
The school teachers’ pay and conditions document for 2024 sets out that an additional special educational needs (SEN) allowance must be paid to teachers in a SEN post that requires a mandatory SEN qualification and involves teaching pupils with SEN. It is for schools to determine the specific amount, but this must be between £2,679 and £5,285 per annum. The school teachers’ pay and conditions document for 2024 is attached and can also be found at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/67165b0d9242eecc6c849b4b/School_teachers_pay_and_conditions_document_and_guidance_2024_.pdf.
The department has made available a range of resources to help address teacher workload and wellbeing and support schools to introduce flexible working practices. The department’s improve workload and wellbeing for school staff service, developed alongside school leaders, includes a workload reduction toolkit to support schools to identify opportunities to cut excessive workload, as well as the education staff wellbeing charter, which sets out commitments from government, Ofsted, schools, and colleges to protect and promote the wellbeing of staff. Over 3,900 schools have signed up to the charter since it was launched in November 2021.
Schools are ultimately responsible for the employment and make-up of their workforce, including the number of temporary staff they employ, as they have the best understanding of their needs and what is needed to ensure every child receives the best possible education.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Lincoln (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government why the review of school exclusion report was not released by their deadline of the end of 2018; and when they intend to publish that report.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
In March 2018, the government launched an externally-led review of exclusions practice, led by Edward Timpson CBE. The review is exploring how head teachers use exclusion, and why pupils with particular characteristics are more likely to be excluded from school. It is also considering the differences in exclusion rates across primary and secondary schools in England.
The review has gathered substantial evidence, including over 900 submissions to the call for evidence. Edward Timpson has also chaired a series of roundtables and the review has met with over 100 organisations and individuals, including schools, local authorities, parents and children.
The review will report in early 2019.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Lincoln (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, following their Race Disparity Audits, what steps they are taking to ensure that educational institutions improve attainment at GCSE level for Gypsies, Roma and Travellers.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
The department’s education reforms, including those aimed at improving teaching, literacy and numeracy, and strengthening the curriculum and examination system, are designed to deliver opportunity and high standards for all pupils, regardless of their ethnic background. These reforms are reinforced by new school accountability measures, which are intended to encourage schools to focus more closely on the attainment of all their pupils. The introduction of a new national curriculum for maintained schools from 2014, with phonics at its heart and the establishment of 32 English Hubs in 2018 specifically support primary schools to improve standards of reading.
The department knows that the most significant factor affecting pupil attainment, which cuts across all ethnicities including a high proportion of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller children, is economic disadvantage. To tackle this, the department has provided a total of £13.75 billion from April 2011 to March 2018 through the pupil premium to help schools improve the progress and attainment of their disadvantaged pupils. The department continues to provide this additional funding, which is £2.4 billion this year alone.
In January last year, the department established the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller stakeholder group to inform policy development to raise the attainment and participation of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller pupils at all stages of education.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Lincoln (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, following their Race Disparity Audits, what steps they are taking to ensure that educational institutions improve the standard of reading among Gypsies, Roma and Travellers aged 6–7.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
The department’s education reforms, including those aimed at improving teaching, literacy and numeracy, and strengthening the curriculum and examination system, are designed to deliver opportunity and high standards for all pupils, regardless of their ethnic background. These reforms are reinforced by new school accountability measures, which are intended to encourage schools to focus more closely on the attainment of all their pupils. The introduction of a new national curriculum for maintained schools from 2014, with phonics at its heart and the establishment of 32 English Hubs in 2018 specifically support primary schools to improve standards of reading.
The department knows that the most significant factor affecting pupil attainment, which cuts across all ethnicities including a high proportion of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller children, is economic disadvantage. To tackle this, the department has provided a total of £13.75 billion from April 2011 to March 2018 through the pupil premium to help schools improve the progress and attainment of their disadvantaged pupils. The department continues to provide this additional funding, which is £2.4 billion this year alone.
In January last year, the department established the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller stakeholder group to inform policy development to raise the attainment and participation of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller pupils at all stages of education.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Lincoln (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking, if any, to improve recruitment and retention of teachers in small rural schools.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
The department is working directly with schools facing teacher supply challenges, including small rural schools. £30 million of funding has been announced, tailored to help these schools recruit and retain teachers.
The department will be working with education organisations, including teachers and head teachers from small rural schools, to develop a teacher recruitment and retention strategy. The strategy will consider the challenges facing a range of types of schools, including small rural schools.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Lincoln (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to ensure that schools, further education colleges and universities are able to provide specialist careers advice and support for disabled young people.
Answered by Lord Nash
Good careers education and guidance should give all young people, including those with disabilities, access to the information they need to make informed decisions. That is why we are investing £90 million over this Parliament to improve careers provision for young people.
Careers advice for pupils with special educational needs and disability (SEND) should be based on high aspirations and a personalised approach. Schools and colleges have a legal duty to secure independent careers guidance. This duty applies to all young people up to and including the age of 18 in schools and colleges, and 19- to 25-year-olds in colleges with an Education Health and Care Plan. The 0-25 Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Code of Practice makes it clear that all children and young people with SEND should be prepared for adulthood, and that this preparation should start early.
Local authorities retain their legal responsibility, under section 68 of the Education and Skills Act 2008, to make available support that it considers appropriate to encourage, enable and assist the participation of young people in education or training. For individuals with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, this applies up to the age of 25. Schools and colleges should make use of the local offer published by the local authority that must set out details of SEND provisions in their area – including the full range of post-16 education and training options, and support in preparing for adulthood.
In his latest guidance, the Director of Fair Access encourages higher education institutions, through their access agreements, to consider what more they can do to support students with disabilities. This includes considering students’ differing needs to access higher education, succeed in their studies and progress towards appropriate postgraduate study and employment. Higher education institutions are also subject to requirements in the Equality Act 2010. They have clear duties and responsibilities to ensure that disabled students do not face discrimination or less favourable treatment when applying to, and studying in, higher education.
The National Careers Service provides free, up-to-date, impartial information, advice and guidance on careers, skills and the labour market in England for everyone, including those with disabilities.
We publish destination measures that show the percentage of young people continuing their education in schools, further education colleges, sixth form colleges or higher education institutions. These measures also include apprenticeships and show the percentage who went into employment or training, and those who were not in education, employment or training. The data is also broken down by student characteristics, including the destinations of children with special educational needs leaving key stage 4. This will provide more transparent information on how each school is helping children with disabilities to make the transition into post-16 education, training or employment.