Asked by: Lord Blencathra (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the number of buildings owned or managed by service-providers, as defined by section 29(1) of the Equality Act 2010, that are not accessible to wheelchair users.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
The Government last made an estimate of the wheelchair accessibility of service providers in 2014 and there are no plans to conduct a further study at present.
The Department for Communities and Local Government does not hold current data on the number of accessible shops; however, all new building works are required to meet accessibility standards and these apply to all new buildings owned or managed by service providers.
Asked by: Lord Blencathra (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the number of (1) LGBT people, (2) women, and (3) persons of colour, who have been refused service by service-providers contrary to section 29 of the Equality Act 2010, in each year since the introduction of that Act.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
The information in the question is not available in the form requested.
The number of people who have contacted the Equality Advisory and Support Service – the free helpline service open to people across England, Scotland and Wales who believe that they may have been the victim of unlawful discrimination – seeking advice about a complaint of possible discrimination in the provision of services or public functions (Part 3 of the Equality Act 2010) are:
Sexual orientation | 64 |
Sex (which includes both men and women) | 228 |
Race (which includes nationality and national or ethnic origins as well as colour) | 675 |
These figures are for the period since October 2016 when the current service provider took over the contract for running the EASS. Figures for previous years are not available as the data was not recorded in this format.
Asked by: Lord Blencathra (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the final report by the outgoing Head of Ofsted which singled out the exemplary leadership of Simon Elliott, headmaster of Forest Gate Community School, what lessons they have learned from the methods adopted at that school; and whether they plan to use this as a model for other schools.
Answered by Lord Nash
Under the exceptional leadership of Simon Elliott and the excellent teaching of his staff, Forest Gate Community School has been transformed from a poorly performing school to an outstanding one. The academies programme is predicated upon using our best leaders to support other schools to improve.
I am delighted that the school has established a multi-academy trust and is approved to sponsor other schools in the region. Discussions are underway with the Regional Schools Commissioner for the East of England and North East London to identify the schools that would benefit most from Simon Elliot’s leadership and the methods adopted at Forest Gate School.
Asked by: Lord Blencathra (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many (1) press releases, (2) announcements, and (3) statements, were made over the last six years by the Government Equalities Office on (a) transgender, transsexual and other sexual issues, and (b) disabled people.
Answered by Lord Nash
The Government Equalities Office (GEO) is a unit in the Department for Education. It has lead responsibility within Government for policy on gender, sexual orientation and transgender equality, while the Department for Work and Pensions has lead responsibility for policy on disabled people.
Since the GEO became part of the Department for Education in 2015, that Department has released 75 press notices, statements or announcements referring to transgender and transsexual issues, and 12 referring to disabled people. Further information on press notices, statements or announcements referring to policies on disabled people will be held by the Department for Work and Pensions.
Similar information from earlier years when the GEO was first a separate Government Department and then later part of the Home Office and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, is not available.
Asked by: Lord Blencathra (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their response to the conclusions of a recent report by LSE and Surrey University that graduate nursery teachers for three- to five-year-olds make a small impact on children’s attainment compared to non-graduates; and whether they have any plans to review their policy regarding requirements for nursery staff to be graduates.
Answered by Lord Nash
The Government recognises that graduates play an important role in improving quality in the early years, and that is why in 2013 we introduced the early years initial teacher training programme which leads to the award of Early Years Teacher Status. We have made a significant investment in this programme by providing funding for course fees and bursaries to eligible trainees, and also funding for employers to support trainees.
Research undertaken by Sandra Mathers and Rebecca Smee in 2014 showed that within the private, voluntary and independent sector, settings with a graduate member of staff scored more highly on all quality measures. Graduate leadership was also associated with a narrower quality gap between settings located in deprived and more advantaged areas. As such the Department supports and encourages those working in the sector to qualify as graduates if they so wish, but we do not currently have any requirements in place for staff working in the early years to be graduates.
The forthcoming workforce strategy will set out the Government’s ambition for graduates in the early years in further detail.
Asked by: Lord Blencathra (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether it was ministers or civil servants who made the initial decision to reveal the names of the whistleblowers in the investigation into the Trojan Horse case in Birmingham schools; and what was the justification for that decision.
Answered by Lord Nash
We take the issue of witness anonymity extremely seriously.
The independent panel overseeing the teacher misconduct case of some of the individuals involved in the events related to Trojan Horse recently ordered the full disclosure of transcripts of interviews given to Peter Clarke. As a result of the independent panel’s direction, lawyers acting on behalf of NCTL wrote to witnesses to inform them of that decision, and stated that in the event that they had any comments or concerns in relation to the disclosure of their transcripts they should contact them. Since the direction, where we have written to witnesses and we have either not yet heard back from them or they have raised concerns, no disclosures have been made. We have informed the independent panel that a number of witnesses have raised concerns, and the panel has indicated that it wishes to consider the issue at a further hearing.
These issues are part of a set of complex legal proceedings and it would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage.
Asked by: Lord Blencathra (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans to appoint a commission of inquiry to investigate schools in Birmingham where pupils are reported to be subject to Islamist fundamentalist teaching.
Answered by Viscount Younger of Leckie - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Government is committed to ensuring that all children learn in a safe environment, protected from extremist or hateful views wherever they are receiving education, and the Department for Education is taking firm action where concerns arise.
We have more power than ever before to intervene in schools causing concern and we take swift, decisive action to make sure every child has access to the best possible education.
Ofsted inspects schools on the requirement to actively promote the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs, as well as on the breadth of the curriculum, which should prepare pupils for life in modern Britain.
We have provided additional resources to Ofsted to allow them to increase their investigative work into unregistered independent schools. Wherever such schools are found to be teaching hate or intolerance, we take action to close them and prosecute those operating them.
We have also taken steps to increase oversight of out-of-school settings, such as clubs and weekend schools. Prevent duty statutory guidance sets out the expectations on local authorities to take steps to understand the range of out-of-school settings in their areas and to ensure that children attending such settings are safeguarded, including from the risk of being drawn into extremism and terrorism. We set out plans to introduce a new system of regulation for out-of-school settings in our call for evidence which closed earlier this year. The proposed system would allow Ofsted to close such settings where there was evidence that they were engaging in extremist teaching or failing to adequately safeguard the children in their care. We received a large number of responses and will set out next steps in due course.
Birmingham City Council has made improvements to the way it runs its children’s services, but this progress has not yet gone far enough, fast enough. That is why we are working with the Council on the development of a voluntary Trust to make sure children and families in this area receive the best possible care and support. The City Council and the Department have jointly appointed Andrew Christie as Chair of this Trust.
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 judgment in <i>Re A </i>[2015] EWHC 1598 (Fam), in particular the judge's remarks that cultural context must be considered in such cases.
Answered by Lord Nash
The law states that it is illegal to assault a child. A parent or guardian hitting their child could be prosecuted for assault, but there is a defence of ‘reasonable chastisement’ that they may use in cases where they have given a child a mild smack. If physical chastisement results in injury to a child, including bruises, cuts or scratches, it can be charged as actual bodily harm or a more serious offence, for which the ‘reasonable chastisement’ defence cannot be used.
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 value for money obtained by paying the former Deputy Commissioner for Children a redundancy payment of £134,000 and then employing her for nine days per month at £960 per day.
Answered by Lord Nash
The Office of the Children's Commissioner (OCC) is independent of the Department for Education. The department advised the OCC that the estimated value and duration of the consultancy contract meant that it was subject to Cabinet Office efficiency controls. The OCC did not seek Cabinet Office approval, and the contract was therefore cancelled.
The redundancy payment for the Deputy Children’s Commissioner was subject to a value for money assessment and appropriate clearance, including by HM Treasury. The consultancy contract did not receive the correct clearance and the OCC subsequently cancelled the contract.
Asked by: Lord Blencathra (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the Office of the Children's Commissioner about the case for cancelling the contract with Sue Berelowitz to lead an inquiry into child abuse in the family.
Answered by Lord Nash
The Office of the Children's Commissioner (OCC) is independent of the Department for Education. The department advised the OCC that the estimated value and duration of the consultancy contract meant that it was subject to Cabinet Office efficiency controls. The OCC did not seek Cabinet Office approval, and the contract was therefore cancelled.
The redundancy payment for the Deputy Children’s Commissioner was subject to a value for money assessment and appropriate clearance, including by HM Treasury. The consultancy contract did not receive the correct clearance and the OCC subsequently cancelled the contract.