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Written Question
Pupils: Transgender People
Tuesday 1st August 2023

Asked by: Lord Blencathra (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they will take to ensure that teachers who assist a pupil under the age of 18 with changing their gender, without parental information or consent, are prosecuted for child abuse.

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

The department is working with the Minister for Women and Equalities to develop non statutory guidance to support schools in relation to children who are questioning their gender. It is the department’s intention that the guidance will cover a comprehensive set of relevant topics to provide clarity to schools and teachers on how to respond to children who are questioning their gender. This work is based upon the principle of protecting children and ensuring their safety and as such it will reflect the existing laws and duties placed on schools.

These decisions must not be taken lightly or in haste, and so it is vital that the guidance published by the department gives clarity for schools and colleges and reassurance for parents. Therefore, it is important that the department is able to consider a wide range of views in order to get the guidance right, so it has committed to holding a full public consultation on the draft guidance prior to publication, at the earliest opportunity.

In the meantime, schools and colleges should proceed with extreme caution. They should always involve parents in decisions relating to their child and should not agree to any changes that they are not absolutely confident are in the best interests of that child and their peers. They should prioritise safeguarding by meeting their existing legal duties to protect single sex spaces and maintain safety and fairness in single sex sport.

The Department’s statutory guidance ‘Working Together’ and ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’, which can both be found attached, already sets out the legal responsibilities and duties placed on professionals and schools in relation to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. These are sensitive cases which require professional judgement that takes account of the factors in each particular case.


Written Question
Rye College: Teachers
Tuesday 4th July 2023

Asked by: Lord Blencathra (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that a teacher in Rye College in East Sussex called a year 8 pupil "despicable" and "homophobic" because she allegedly said that a person who identified as a cat was ill; and what action, if any, they plan to take in response to this matter.

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

The safety and wellbeing of students is our top priority. The department is clear that teachers should not teach contested views as fact, and it is important that parents and carers are reassured their children are not being influenced by the personal views of those teaching them.

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, has asked the Regional Director to look into the matter further to establish the full details of the case and whether the school requires any additional support. It is right that these issues are thoroughly looked at and the requisite action is taken, and we understand that Ofsted is considering its response.


Written Question
Children: Gender Recognition
Wednesday 3rd May 2023

Asked by: Lord Blencathra (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of their liability to damages if harm were to occur as a result of a state school assisting a child in changing their gender.

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

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education is working closely with my right hon. Friend, the Minister for Women and Equalities to provide guidance for schools in this area, following calls from schools, teachers and parents.

This work is based upon the overriding principle of safeguarding children. It will consider a range of issues and reflect the law.

A consultation on the guidance will be published this term.


Written Question
Pupils: Gender Recognition
Wednesday 3rd May 2023

Asked by: Lord Blencathra (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to bring forward legislation to prevent pupils being recognised by schools as having changed their gender without parental consent.

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

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education is working closely with my right hon. Friend, the Minister for Women and Equalities to provide guidance for schools in this area, following calls from schools, teachers and parents.

This work is based upon the overriding principle of safeguarding children. It will consider a range of issues and reflect the law.

A consultation on the guidance will be published this term.


Written Question
Schools: Uniforms
Tuesday 6th April 2021

Asked by: Lord Blencathra (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty's Government on how many occasions the voluntary guidance on school uniform costs has been amended since 2013.

Answered by Baroness Berridge

The non-statutory ‘school uniform: guidance for schools’ has not been updated since September 2013. This guidance updated the department’s previous guidance on school uniform, published in May 2012, giving it a greater emphasis on securing best value for money in the supply of school uniforms. The guidance is available to view here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-uniform and in the attached document.

The government is supporting the Education (Guidance about Costs of School Uniforms) Private Members' Bill to enable the department to put our guidance on the cost of school uniform on a statutory footing.


Written Question
Outdoor Education: Disability
Thursday 25th March 2021

Asked by: Lord Blencathra (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the level of funding that is required to enable (1) the Bendrigg Trust, (2) the Exmoor Calvert Trust, (3) the Northumbria Calvert Trust, and (4) the Lake District Calvert Trust, to remain open following the financial losses sustained by those specialist residential outdoor centres for children and families with disabilities in England as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic; and what plans they have to provide such funding.

Answered by Baroness Berridge

Throughout the COVID-19 outbreak, the government has sought to protect people’s jobs and livelihoods across the UK, and support businesses and public services. The government has spent over £280 billion to do so. This includes small business grants, the COVID-19 loan guarantee schemes, the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS), the deferral of VAT and income tax payments, and more. The measures introduced have been designed to be accessible to businesses in most sectors and across the UK. In January 2021, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced the extension of the deadline for applications for the Bounce Back Loan scheme and other loan schemes until 31 March 2021. Further measures were announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in the 2021 Budget on 3 March including the extension of the CJRS until the end of September 2021, and increased support for the self-employed through the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme grants, with a fifth grant available from July 2021. The Recovery Loans Scheme will launch to make finance available to help businesses of all sizes through the next stage of recovery. More details of the scheme will be announced in due course.

The government will continue to work closely with local authorities, businesses, business representative organisations, and the financial services sector to monitor the implementation of current support and understand whether there is additional need.

The government would encourage businesses who are unable to access support or who are unsure of the support available to access free tailored advice through the Business Support Helpline (Freephone 0800 998 1098), via the Business Support website at: www.gov.uk/business-support-helpline or through or through local Growth Hubs in England: www.lepnetwork.net/local-growth-hub-contacts. Firms in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland can access business support through the devolved governments.


Written Question
Outdoor Education: Disability
Thursday 25th March 2021

Asked by: Lord Blencathra (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what funding they have provided in the last 12 months for residential outdoor education for children and families with disabilities; and what plans they have to provide further funding for such education.

Answered by Baroness Berridge

Throughout the COVID-19 outbreak, the government has sought to protect people’s jobs and livelihoods across the UK, and support businesses and public services. The government has spent over £280 billion to do so. This includes small business grants, the COVID-19 loan guarantee schemes, the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS), the deferral of VAT and income tax payments, and more. The measures introduced have been designed to be accessible to businesses in most sectors and across the UK. In January 2021, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced the extension of the deadline for applications for the Bounce Back Loan scheme and other loan schemes until 31 March 2021. Further measures were announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in the 2021 Budget on 3 March including the extension of the CJRS until the end of September 2021, and increased support for the self-employed through the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme grants, with a fifth grant available from July 2021. The Recovery Loans Scheme will launch to make finance available to help businesses of all sizes through the next stage of recovery. More details of the scheme will be announced in due course.

The government will continue to work closely with local authorities, businesses, business representative organisations, and the financial services sector to monitor the implementation of current support and understand whether there is additional need.

The government would encourage businesses who are unable to access support or who are unsure of the support available to access free tailored advice through the Business Support Helpline (Freephone 0800 998 1098), via the Business Support website at: www.gov.uk/business-support-helpline or through or through local Growth Hubs in England: www.lepnetwork.net/local-growth-hub-contacts. Firms in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland can access business support through the devolved governments.


Written Question
Educational Institutions: Coronavirus
Tuesday 23rd March 2021

Asked by: Lord Blencathra (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what communications they have had with education trade unions since the reopening of schools on 8 March; and, further to any such communications, what assessment they have made of the current view of education trade unions on the merits of reopening educational settings.

Answered by Baroness Berridge

Ministers and officials have been in regular contact with education unions both in the run up to 8 March 2021 and beyond that date.

Unions recognise the importance of face-to-face learning and the impact that being out of school has on children and young people.

We continue to work with unions on keeping schools open and on ensuring that no child suffers because of lost education.


Written Question
Teachers: Coronavirus
Thursday 16th July 2020

Asked by: Lord Blencathra (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty's Government how many teachers have been in receipt of full pay and (1) have not had to teach, and (2) have had to teach for less than two days a week, as a result of the restrictions in place to address the COVID-19 pandemic.

Answered by Baroness Berridge

State-funded schools have continued to receive their budgets for the year, as usual, regardless of any periods of partial or complete closure. This has ensured that schools have been able to continue to pay their staff in full and meet their other regular financial commitments.

The specific information requested at (1) and (2) is not held centrally by the department.


Written Question
Teachers: Coronavirus
Monday 1st June 2020

Asked by: Lord Blencathra (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to impose sanctions on any teacher who does not (1) return to teach in schools once it has been deemed safe to do, and (2) teach children online from home if they cannot attend schools; and if so, whether such sanctions will include the suspension of pay and pension contributions.

Answered by Baroness Berridge

The department does not have any plans to impose sanctions on individual teachers regarding their attendance or performance, as these are employment matters for employees and their relevant employers to resolve on an individual case by case basis.

The Prime Minister announced on 10 May that as a result of the huge efforts everyone has made to adhere to strict social distancing measures, the transmission rate of COVID-19 has decreased. We anticipate that with further progress we may be able to welcome back more children to early years, school and further education settings from the week commencing 1 June, provided that the 5 key tests set by government justify the changes at the time, including that the rate of infection is decreasing and the enabling programmes set out in the roadmap are operating effectively.

As a result, we are asking schools, colleges and childcare providers to plan on this basis, ahead of confirmation that these tests are met. Schools, colleges, and childcare providers should refer to our guidance on implementing protective measures in education and childcare settings, available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-implementing-protective-measures-in-education-and-childcare-settings/coronavirus-covid-19-implementing-protective-measures-in-education-and-childcare-settings.

Any settings operating between now and 1 June should read that guidance in conjunction with Actions for schools during the COVID-19 outbreak, available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-school-closures/guidance-for-schools-about-temporarily-closing.