Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to promote freedom of speech on campuses at universities.
Answered by Baroness Berridge
This government will ensure that our universities are places where free speech can thrive and will strengthen academic freedoms.
The freedom to express views openly, challenge ideas and engage in robust debate is crucial to the student experience and to democracy. Individuals should never be in a position where they can be stopped from, or are made to feel inhibited in, expressing an opinion perfectly lawfully.
The government worked alongside the Equalities and Human Rights Commission which published new guidance in February 2019 on freedom of speech in higher education to support higher education providers and students’ unions in delivering their duties.
The Office for Students (OfS) also has an important role to play in championing free speech and promoting good practice. A public interest principle relating to free speech is built into the OfS regulatory framework.
The government will be looking closely at how well higher education providers are meeting these obligations and will consider whether further action is needed, working with a range of partners.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the remuneration of vice-chancellors of universities is at an appropriate level.
Answered by Baroness Berridge
While universities are autonomous institutions and responsible for setting the pay of their staff, they receive significant amounts of public funding and are rightly subject to public scrutiny.
Vice chancellor salaries must be justifiable and should not be excessive. The process for setting pay must be transparent. The government agrees with the recommendation made by the Committee of University Chairs (CUC) in its senior staff remuneration code that vice chancellors should not sit on the committee that sets their pay.
The government set up the Office for Students (OfS) to regulate the higher education sector and to ensure the sector is delivering real value for money. The OfS has said that universities should, as a minimum, be following the CUC senior staff remuneration code. Where issues with senior staff pay lead to concerns, the OfS has the power to carry out independent reviews to ensure that a provider’s governance arrangements are fit for purpose.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made in improving education outcomes for Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller communities.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
The latest published data, including breakdowns for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller (GRT) pupils, relates to 2019 at key stage 2 and 2018 at key stage 4. At both stages, the data showed a small improvement in headline attainment measures for this group compared to the previous year. At key stage 2, the percentage of GRT pupils attaining the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics rose from 19% in 2018 to 20% in 2019. At key stage 4, the percentage achieving grades 9-4 in English and mathematics rose from 11.8% in 2017 to 13.1% in 2018.
The government is taking significant steps forward to support attainment and progression for all pupils, including GRT pupils. Our education reforms, including those aimed at improving teaching; encouraging good attendance and behaviour; and strengthening the curriculum and examination system, are designed to improve opportunity and standards for all pupils. These reforms are underpinned by school accountability measures, which are intended to encourage schools to focus more closely on the attainment of all their pupils.
Through the pupil premium; we are addressing low economic circumstances. This is a key factor that predicts future educational outcomes, and affects a high proportion of GRT children. Since 2011, we have provided over £15 billion of this additional funding, with a further £2.4 billion being distributed in this financial year.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what provision they are making to enable those adults whose first language is not English to learn the language to a reasonable standard; and what resources they have committed to such provision in the last 12 months.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
The Department for Education funds English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) through the Adult Education Budget (AEB). Colleges and adult learning providers have the freedom and flexibility to determine how they use their AEB allocation to meet the needs of their communities. In 2017/18, the latest year for which we have data available, this supported 114,300 adult learners to access English courses with £105 million of investment from the AEB.
In addition, the Home Office and Department for Education have provided £10 million from 2016 - 2020 to enable refugees resettled through the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme to access additional classes. From April 2019, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government set up a new Integrated Communities English Language programme, worth £4.5 million for this year. The programme will deliver community-based English language learning in 2019/20 for over 19,000 learners.
The Department for Education is working closely with other government departments to develop a new strategy for ESOL. This strategy will provide a shared vision and common aims for all publicly funded ESOL.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that UK universities stay competitive with universities elsewhere in the world.
Answered by Baroness Berridge
The UK has a world-class reputation, with globally renowned teaching and cutting-edge research and innovation. We want to deliver better outcomes and value for students, employers and taxpayers who underwrite the system.
The Office for Students (OfS) is now fully operational and puts students and student choices at the heart of the higher education (HE) sector and its regulation. By encouraging diversity and innovation in high quality provision, the government is supporting the sector to meet the needs of all students in HE, whatever their background or study choices, as well as opening up the sector to greater competition.
The OfS has formally adopted the Teaching Excellence and Student Outcomes Framework (TEF) as its scheme for assessing the quality of HE provision in England. Participation in the TEF is a condition of registration for English HE providers with more than 500 undergraduates. Participation is voluntary for smaller HE providers and for those in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The TEF encourages excellent teaching to flourish by re-balancing the priority given to teaching and learning compared to research.
The TEF will provide strong incentives to HE providers to prioritise the student learning experience. In due course we will lay before Parliament the report of the independent review of the TEF, which has been conducted by Dame Shirley Pearce.
In August 2019, my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister, announced a new fast-track immigration route aimed at allowing a wider pool of scientific talent to come to the UK. This route will ensure that those with specialist skills in science, technology, engineering and mathematics subjects can come to the UK and make an important contribution to our leading science and research sectors, significantly enhancing the intellectual and knowledge base of the UK. The route will be uncapped, ensuring that those with the required skill set can secure places.
The UK is a great place for research, accounting for 4% of the world's researchers, 11% of all citations, 14% of the world’s most highly cited articles and 4 of the world’s top 10 universities. The government recognises the important contribution of our universities to research, innovation and working with business. This contribution is critical to achieving the ambitions of our modern Industrial Strategy, including delivering 2.4% spend of GDP on research and development by 2027. In the autumn, the government will set out plans to significantly boost public funding on research and development, provide greater long-term certainty to our scientific and research community and accelerate our ambition to reach 2.4% of GDP.
Additionally, on 11 September, my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister, announced a new graduate immigration route that provides an opportunity for international students who have been awarded their degree to stay and work in the UK at any skill level for 2 years. This represents a significant improvement in our offer to international students and will help ensure that our world-leading HE sector remains competitive internationally.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they intend to take to ensure that everybody living in the UK is able to read and write English to a competent standard.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
Ensuring children are taught to read well is vital to spreading opportunity. There is a substantial body of evidence that shows that systematic phonics is a highly effective method for teaching early reading.
This answer refers to education in England, as education is a devolved issue. Our phonics performance is improving. In 2019, 82% of pupils met the expected standard in the phonics screening check, compared to just 58% when the check was introduced in 2012. We are also investing £26.3 million in a national network of English hubs. We have appointed 34 primary schools across England as English hubs, who are taking a leading role in supporting nearly 3000 schools to improve their teaching of reading through systematic synthetic phonics, early language development, and reading for pleasure.
The national curriculum aims to ensure that all pupils develop the habit of reading widely and often, becoming independent, fluent and enthusiastic readers who read for pleasure and for information. Reading aloud is a part of this, and teachers are encouraged to read poetry, stories and non-fiction to younger pupils, as well as longer books to older pupils.
This government recognises the importance of strong literacy skills both in work and everyday life, which is why we provide full funding through the Adult Education Budget for people who need English skills to undertake a range of courses in GCSEs, functional skills and stepping stone qualifications from entry level to Level 2. To ensure as many people as possible have developed these skills by 19, the government requires students who have not yet achieved a Grade 4 in English to study it as part of the 16-19 study programme. Students taking Level 3 apprenticeships and T-Levels need to achieve a grade 4 at GCSE or pass functional skills. In 2018, nearly 80% of 19-year-olds held a Level 2 English qualification.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to encourage children to read.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
Ensuring children are taught to read well is vital to spreading opportunity. There is a substantial body of evidence that shows that systematic phonics is a highly effective method for teaching early reading.
This answer refers to education in England, as education is a devolved issue. Our phonics performance is improving. In 2019, 82% of pupils met the expected standard in the phonics screening check, compared to just 58% when the check was introduced in 2012. We are also investing £26.3 million in a national network of English hubs. We have appointed 34 primary schools across England as English hubs, who are taking a leading role in supporting nearly 3000 schools to improve their teaching of reading through systematic synthetic phonics, early language development, and reading for pleasure.
The national curriculum aims to ensure that all pupils develop the habit of reading widely and often, becoming independent, fluent and enthusiastic readers who read for pleasure and for information. Reading aloud is a part of this, and teachers are encouraged to read poetry, stories and non-fiction to younger pupils, as well as longer books to older pupils.
This government recognises the importance of strong literacy skills both in work and everyday life, which is why we provide full funding through the Adult Education Budget for people who need English skills to undertake a range of courses in GCSEs, functional skills and stepping stone qualifications from entry level to Level 2. To ensure as many people as possible have developed these skills by 19, the government requires students who have not yet achieved a Grade 4 in English to study it as part of the 16-19 study programme. Students taking Level 3 apprenticeships and T-Levels need to achieve a grade 4 at GCSE or pass functional skills. In 2018, nearly 80% of 19-year-olds held a Level 2 English qualification.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to encourage the teaching of entrepreneurship in schools.
Answered by Lord Nash
Young people need better work-related learning to prepare for employment. This is one of the reasons why the Department for Education introduced work experience as part of the new 16-19 Study Programmes and Traineeships from August 2013. Schools may also include teaching about enterprise and entrepreneurship as part of their personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education. The PSHE Association has produced a suggested programme of study as guidance for teachers which includes reference to enterprise, and continues to highlight other sources of expertise.
The new post-16 funding flexibilities provide an opportunity for schools and colleges to promote enterprise and entrepreneurial skills as part of students’ non-qualification activities. By working with local employers, schools and colleges can help students improve their skills and employability.
Many schools already run the Young Enterprise scheme, which is the UK’s largest business and enterprise education charity. Every year it helps 250,000 young people learn about business and the world of work in the classroom.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they issue any guidance in relation to the provision of school libraries.
Answered by Lord Nash
Findings from the PISA survey (OECD, 2010) indicated that in 2009 96% of pupils in the United Kingdom were attending a school where there was a library.
In line with our approach to giving schools in England greater freedom we believe that it should be for headteachers to decide whether and how to provide a library service for their pupils. We do not, therefore, issue guidance to schools relating to the provision of school libraries. Many headteachers recognise the role libraries play in improving young people's literacy and love of reading, and ensure that suitable library facilities are provided.
Our new English curriculum makes clear the importance of reading widely and often. The Department for Education supports Booktrust, which runs the Read for My School competition which offers pupils access to a free online library of books, and The Reading Agency, which runs the Summer Reading Challenge, an annual event developed to stop children's reading levels dipping during the long holidays by providing book themed events in local libraries.
The Department has not commissioned research on the link between access to books and literacy, but know from earlier reports (Clark, C, Woodley, J and Lewis, F. [2011]. The Gift of Reading in 2011: Children and young people's access to books and attitudes towards reading. London: National Literacy Trust.) and (PIRLS [2012] PIRLS 2011 International Results in Reading, TIMSS and PIRLS International Study Centre: Boston) that there is a positive relationship between the number of books in the home and attainment.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have commissioned research on the link between access to books and literacy in children.
Answered by Lord Nash
Findings from the PISA survey (OECD, 2010) indicated that in 2009 96% of pupils in the United Kingdom were attending a school where there was a library.
In line with our approach to giving schools in England greater freedom we believe that it should be for headteachers to decide whether and how to provide a library service for their pupils. We do not, therefore, issue guidance to schools relating to the provision of school libraries. Many headteachers recognise the role libraries play in improving young people's literacy and love of reading, and ensure that suitable library facilities are provided.
Our new English curriculum makes clear the importance of reading widely and often. The Department for Education supports Booktrust, which runs the Read for My School competition which offers pupils access to a free online library of books, and The Reading Agency, which runs the Summer Reading Challenge, an annual event developed to stop children's reading levels dipping during the long holidays by providing book themed events in local libraries.
The Department has not commissioned research on the link between access to books and literacy, but know from earlier reports (Clark, C, Woodley, J and Lewis, F. [2011]. The Gift of Reading in 2011: Children and young people's access to books and attitudes towards reading. London: National Literacy Trust.) and (PIRLS [2012] PIRLS 2011 International Results in Reading, TIMSS and PIRLS International Study Centre: Boston) that there is a positive relationship between the number of books in the home and attainment.