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Written Question
Schools: Stationery and Uniforms
Monday 25th September 2023

Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support parents with back-to-school costs, including (1) uniform, and (2) stationery.

Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The government understands the pressures people are facing with the cost of living and has provided £94 billion to support households with higher costs across 2022/23 and 2023/24.

Additional cost of living payments of up to £900 will be made in 2023/24 to households on means tested benefits.

The government is investing up to £30 million in the National School Breakfast Programme until the end of the summer term in 2024. This funding will support up to 2,700 schools in disadvantaged areas, meaning that thousands of children from low-income families will be offered free nutritious breakfasts to better support their attainment, wellbeing, and readiness to learn.

Rather than subsiding expensive uniform policies with financial assistance, the department published statutory guidance on the cost of school uniform to ensure uniform is affordable for all families. The guidance came into force in September 2022 and is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cost-of-school-uniforms/cost-of-school-uniforms.

Schools must be mindful of this guidance when designing and implementing their uniform policy. The guidance requires schools to ensure that their uniform is affordable and secures best value for money for parents.

There is no specific funding for schools to support families to meet the costs of school uniform, but schools may offer additional support in cases of financial hardship where they choose to do so.

No specific support is provided for the purchase of stationery.


Written Question
Apprentices
Tuesday 1st August 2023

Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the percentage of school leavers who take up apprenticeships at age 16; and how many drop out at a later stage.

Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Available data on destinations of state-funded mainstream school leavers (after reaching the end of key stage 4, typically aged 16) shows that 2.4% of the cohort took up apprenticeships that were sustained for at least 6 consecutive months in the following academic year (2019/20 leavers’ active during 2020 to 2021 academic year). This was down from 3.7% in the previous year. The 2020 to 2021 academic year was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. More information is available in the attached table.

Apprenticeship starts by age group for the 2020/21 and 2021/22 academic years are shown in the table below. To note, some young people may not immediately enter into an apprenticeship after leaving key stage 4 study. The total number of 16 to 18 year olds starting an apprenticeship in the 2021/22 academic year was 77,520.

2020/21

2021/22

All age starts

321,440

349,190

16-18

65,150

77,520

19-24

94,610

106,330

25+

161,690

165,340

Apprenticeship retention and achievement rates by age group in 2020/21 and 2021/22 are shown in the table below. A number of factors may cause a learner not to complete or achieve their course, which could include learner dropout, change of employer or failure to pass end-point-assessment. For apprentices aged 16-18, the retention rate in 2021/22 was 54.8% and the achievement rate was 53.4%.

Achievement Rate

Retention Rate

Leavers

2020/21

2021/22

2020/21

2021/22

2020/21

2021/22

All age

57.7%

53.4%

58.8%

54.8%

275,380

263,550

16-18

59.5%

55.2%

60.7%

56.8%

66,950

58,560

19-23

63.1%

59.4%

64.4%

60.9%

72,800

70,070

24+

53.8%

49.6%

54.8%

50.7%

135,630

134,920

To note:

  1. Volumes in tables are rounded to the nearest 10 and percentages rounded to 1 decimal place.
  2. Achievement and retention rates are based on the Hybrid End Year, not academic year. The Hybrid End Year is the later of the Achievement Year, Expected End Year, Actual End Year or Reporting Year of a programme.
  3. Apprenticeship retention reflects the number of apprentices that reach the end of their apprenticeship but have yet to undergo end point assessment. Apprenticeship achievements reflect the number of apprenticeships that pass end point assessment. In both cases, the rates are given as a proportion of the cohort that leave or expect to leave their apprenticeship in the relevant year (the Hybrid End Year).


Written Question
Apprentices
Tuesday 1st August 2023

Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that all apprenticeships receive the mandated off-the-job training entitlement.

Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The government has made significant reforms to the quality of apprenticeships to ensure they meet the needs of employers and bring wider benefits to the country and the economy. Apprenticeships have a minimum 12-month duration with more training (minimum 20% off-the-job) and are more rigorous and credible with employer led standards and independent end-point assessments.

Off-the-job training is an essential component and a legal requirement of an apprenticeship, supporting apprentices to develop the skills and behaviours set out in the apprenticeship standard so they can achieve occupational competence

When employers recruit an apprentice, they enter a legally binding contract that requires compliance with the apprenticeship funding rules. These rules must be followed by both employers and apprenticeship training providers to receive funding for the training and assessment of apprentices in England. It is mandatory for all apprentices, regardless of their programme, to complete a minimum of 20% off-the-job training.

To ensure that apprentices receive the required off-the-job training, providers must report both the planned and actual off-the-job training hours for every apprenticeship and the department conducts regular reviews of training provider activity through funding reports and quality assessment audits, taking necessary action to address providers found not to be following these rules.

The department also support providers by promoting a better understanding of the apprenticeship funding rules through online webinars, publishing myth busters and detailed guidance on off the job training, plus supporting evidence templates.


Written Question
Apprentices
Tuesday 1st August 2023

Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many people signed up for apprenticeships in (1) 2019, (2) 2020, (3) 2021, and (4) 2022.

Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The number of apprenticeship starts from the 2018/19 to 2021/22 academic years are available in the attached table.


Written Question
Care Leavers
Tuesday 1st August 2023

Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what programmes exist to support 18 year olds leaving the care system.

Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

As set out in the Children Act 1989, local authorities have the primary responsibility for supporting care leavers. The 2017 Children and Social Work Act imposed a new duty on local authorities to consult on and publish their ‘local offer’ for care leavers, setting out their legal entitlements and any further discretionary support that the local authority provides, such as Council Tax exemptions.

All care leavers up to the age of 25 are entitled to support from a personal adviser to help with access support from mainstream services, such as housing, health, and benefits. Personal advisors also provide practical and emotional support to help them prepare for and cope with the challenges of living independently.

The department is providing over £230 million over this spending review to support young people leaving care with housing, access to education, employment, and training, and to help them develop social connections and networks to avoid loneliness and isolation.

To support young people leaving the care system the department has:

  • Launched the care leaver covenant. 400 businesses are signed up and are offering opportunities to care leavers. Businesses include John Lewis, Sky and Amazon.
  • Established the Civil Service care leaver internship scheme, which has led to over 880 care leavers taking up paid jobs across government.
  • Committed £8 million since October 2021 to run a pilot in 58 local authority areas, for virtual school heads to use Pupil Premium Plus (PP+) to provide targeted support to looked-after children and care leavers in further education. The department will provide a further £24 million of PP+ funding between 2023 and 2025 to expand this programme.
  • Increased the Leaving Care Allowance from £2,000 to £3,000 from 1 April 2023 to enable the young person to furnish their first home.
  • Committed to increasing the care leaver apprenticeship bursary from August 2023 from £1,000 to £3,000. Local authorities must provide a £2,000 bursary for care leavers who go to university.
  • The department is providing £99.8 million to local authorities to increase the number of care leavers that stay living with their foster families in a family home up to the age of 21 through the ‘Staying Put’ programme.
  • The department are providing £53 million to increase the number of young people leaving residential care who receive practical help with move-on accommodation, including ongoing support from a keyworker, through the ‘Staying Close’ programme.
  • The department are providing an additional £3.2 million to local authorities per year to provide extra support to care leavers at highest risk of rough sleeping.

Our ambitions for reform, set out in the ‘stable homes, built on love’ strategy and consultation, put loving and stable relationships at the heart of children’s social care. This includes the mission that by 2027, every care-experienced child and young person will feel that they have strong, loving relationships in place.

As outlined in ‘stable homes, built on love’ the department is providing over £30 million in the next two years to significantly increase the number of local authorities with family finding, befriending and mentoring programmes. The department also wants to increase the accessibility and take-up of the Independent Visitors offer by working with the sector to reinforce current good practice and developing standards for Independent Visitor services. Additionally, the department is assessing levels of interest in introducing a way for care-experienced people to legally formalise a lifelong bond with someone they care about, such as a former foster carer or family friend. The ‘stable homes, built on love’ consultation is attached.


Written Question
Financial Services: Education
Thursday 4th May 2023

Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Barran on 3 April (HL6647),  what discussions they have had with (1) Barclays LifeSkills, (2) EVERFI, (3) HSBC, (4) Lloyds Banking Group, (5) NatWest MoneySense, (6) Santander Moneywise, and (7) other financial education providers, about improving financial education in the UK.

Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department has had conversations with a number of external organisations to understand what financial education programmes they deliver. This includes conversations with Barclays LifeSkills, Santander MoneyWise, the Just Finance Foundation, the Church of England, the Financial Times’ Financial Literacy and Inclusion Campaign, Young Enterprise and KickStart money.

The department has not spoken to the other organisations included in this list, but does work closely with The Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) and His Majesty’s Treasury to consider how we can support the teaching of financial education in schools. MaPS, as an arm’s length body sponsored by the Department for Work and Pensions, published their UK Strategy for Financial Wellbeing in January 2020. This is a ten-year framework to help UK citizens to make the most of their money and pensions. One of the key themes of their strategy is to support the financial wellbeing of children and young people. Their national goal is to ensure that two million more children and young people receive a meaningful financial education by 2030.

Education on financial matters throughout secondary school helps to ensure that pupils are prepared to manage their money well, make sound financial decisions and know where to seek further information when needed. Children should receive age appropriate financial education as part of compulsory education, so that those who leave school early can benefit. Financial education forms part of the citizenship National Curriculum, at Key Stages 3 and 4, but can be taught by all schools at all Key Stages. The subject covers the functions and uses of money, the importance of personal budgeting, money management, and managing financial risk. At secondary school, pupils are taught about income and expenditure, credit and debt, insurance, savings and pensions, financial products and services, and how public money is raised and spent.

The mathematics curriculum includes a strong emphasis on the essential arithmetic that primary pupils should be taught. A strong grasp of mathematics will underpin pupils’ ability to manage budgets and money, including, for example, using percentages. The secondary mathematics curriculum develops pupils’ understanding in relation to more complex personal finance issues such as calculating loan repayments, interest rates and compound interest.

MaPS has published financial education guidance for primary and secondary schools and we will deliver a series of webinars in due course. The MaPS guidance can be found attached.


Written Question
Financial Services: Education
Thursday 4th May 2023

Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Barran on 3 April (HL6647), what steps they are taking to provide financial education for those who leave school early.

Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department has had conversations with a number of external organisations to understand what financial education programmes they deliver. This includes conversations with Barclays LifeSkills, Santander MoneyWise, the Just Finance Foundation, the Church of England, the Financial Times’ Financial Literacy and Inclusion Campaign, Young Enterprise and KickStart money.

The department has not spoken to the other organisations included in this list, but does work closely with The Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) and His Majesty’s Treasury to consider how we can support the teaching of financial education in schools. MaPS, as an arm’s length body sponsored by the Department for Work and Pensions, published their UK Strategy for Financial Wellbeing in January 2020. This is a ten-year framework to help UK citizens to make the most of their money and pensions. One of the key themes of their strategy is to support the financial wellbeing of children and young people. Their national goal is to ensure that two million more children and young people receive a meaningful financial education by 2030.

Education on financial matters throughout secondary school helps to ensure that pupils are prepared to manage their money well, make sound financial decisions and know where to seek further information when needed. Children should receive age appropriate financial education as part of compulsory education, so that those who leave school early can benefit. Financial education forms part of the citizenship National Curriculum, at Key Stages 3 and 4, but can be taught by all schools at all Key Stages. The subject covers the functions and uses of money, the importance of personal budgeting, money management, and managing financial risk. At secondary school, pupils are taught about income and expenditure, credit and debt, insurance, savings and pensions, financial products and services, and how public money is raised and spent.

The mathematics curriculum includes a strong emphasis on the essential arithmetic that primary pupils should be taught. A strong grasp of mathematics will underpin pupils’ ability to manage budgets and money, including, for example, using percentages. The secondary mathematics curriculum develops pupils’ understanding in relation to more complex personal finance issues such as calculating loan repayments, interest rates and compound interest.

MaPS has published financial education guidance for primary and secondary schools and we will deliver a series of webinars in due course. The MaPS guidance can be found attached.


Written Question
Financial Services: Education
Monday 3rd April 2023

Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to promote financial literacy in schools.

Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Education on financial matters helps to ensure that young people are prepared to manage their money well, make sound financial decisions and know where to seek further information when needed.

Finance education forms part of the citizenship National Curriculum, at Key Stages 3 and 4, but can be taught by all schools at all Key Stages. The subject covers the functions and uses of money, the importance of personal budgeting, money management, and managing financial risk. At secondary school, pupils are taught about income and expenditure, credit and debt, insurance, savings and pensions, financial products and services, and how public money is raised and spent.

The mathematics curriculum includes a strong emphasis on the essential arithmetic that primary pupils should be taught. A strong grasp of mathematics will underpin pupils’ ability to manage budgets and money, including, for example, using percentages. The secondary mathematics curriculum develops pupils’ understanding in relation to more complex personal finance issues such as calculating loan repayments, interest rates and compound interest.

My right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister, has set out a new mission to ensure all pupils study some form of mathematics to 18. Studying mathematics to 18 will equip young people with the quantitative and statistical skills that they will need for the jobs of today and the future. This includes having the knowledge to feel confident with finances in later life, including things like finding the best mortgage deal or savings rate.

The Department works with the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) and HM Treasury to support the effective teaching of financial education. MaPS has published financial education guidance for primary and secondary schools, and we will deliver a series of webinars in due course. The MaPS financial education guidance for primary and secondary schools can be found in the attached documents.


Written Question
Maintained Schools: Rural Areas
Wednesday 1st February 2023

Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many local authority maintained schools designated as rural were shut down in (1) 2019, (2) 2020, and (3) 2021.

Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The table below shows the number of mainstream local authority maintained primary schools that are designated by order as rural as part of the Rural Primary Schools Designation and have closed in the years stated in the question. This data has been taken from Get Information About Schools, the department’s register of schools. Schools are identified as rural via the Office of National Statistics Rural Urban Classification. The data excludes closures of schools which are not local authority maintained primary schools as set out in Section 15 (4) of Education and Inspections Act 2006.

Calendar Year

Number of rural schools closed

2019

7

2020

7

2021

3

The presumption against the closure of rural schools means that when considering proposals to close a rural local authority maintained primary school, decision makers must refer to the list of rural designated schools. This does not mean that a rural school will never close, but that the case for closure should be strong and clearly in the best interests of educational provision in the area. The bodies listed under Section 16 (1) of the Education and Inspections Act 2006 are also required to be consulted when proposing the closure of a rural local authority maintained primary school, and other alternatives to closure must have been considered.


Written Question
Gambling: Education
Tuesday 31st January 2023

Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Baroness Barran on 9 January (HL4502 and HL4503), what current research informs their statutory curriculum for relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) with regard to gambling education.

Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The current statutory guidance for relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) was informed by a stakeholder engagement process in 2017, including a public call for evidence that received over 23,000 responses from parents, young people, schools and experts.

The department has worked closely with subject experts Parent Zone and Childnet to develop the Internet Safety and Harms training module, which includes content on gambling and was published in September 2020, alongside modules on all aspects of the RSHE curriculum.

The department is also working closely with Gambling with Lives and the Department of Health and Social Care to review the ongoing evidence around gambling to help inform future policy. The research currently being undertaken for the department by IFF Research will test whether schools are teaching RSHE effectively, including about the risks of gambling, and will provide emerging findings to inform decisions regarding the department’s review of the RSHE statutory guidance which is anticipated to start this year.