Asked by: Lord Carlile of Berriew (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many students wishing to study (1) ancient history, and (2) classical history, at university were prevented from doing so as a result of a reduction in places in each of the past three years; and what assessment they have made of the future of these subjects as university courses.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) collects and publishes data on student entrants across UK higher education (HE) providers. This includes data on students entering courses in different subject areas, categorised using the HE Classification of Subjects system. Counts of entrants across all subjects from 2019/20 to 2022/23 are published in Table 52 of HESA’s Student Data, which are detailed below and can also be found here: https://www.hesa.ac.uk/data-and-analysis/students/table-52.
Entrants to UK higher education providers by subject of study | |||
Subject | 2020/21 | 2021/22 | 2022/23 |
Ancient history | 645 | 595 | 540 |
Classical studies | 1,995 | 1,950 | 1,985 |
The department does not hold information on the number of university places available for each course. We are unable to assess the extent to which the decline in entrants was linked to the reduction of places.
English universities are independent, autonomous institutions and are therefore free to choose which courses they run. Quality is assessed by the Office for Students, the regulator of HE providers in England.
Asked by: Lord Carlile of Berriew (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the role of international students in subsidising domestic students in universities.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Shadow Minister (Education)
International student fee income made up 43% of the overall UK higher education (HE) sector fee income in 2021/22 (£10.4 billion of £24.4 billion). The fee income from international students can be used by providers to subsidise the costs of delivering courses to domestic students for whom tuition fees are capped at £9,250.
Domestic students continue to make up the vast majority of students within universities. International students made up only 15% of all undergraduate entrants at UK providers in 2021/22.
It is important that the department promotes a sustainable HE funding system that responds to the needs of the economy and that is fair to students and to taxpayers. The government keeps the HE funding system under continuous review to ensure that this remains the case, and to provide many different opportunities for learners to acquire vital skills.
In 2022/23, the total income of the HE sector in England was £43.9 billion, up from £29.1 billion in 2015/16. Of the £43.9 billion, approximately £16.3 billion was provided by the government. Over the current Spending Review period, the government is investing £1.3 billion in capital funding to support teaching and research.
Asked by: Lord Carlile of Berriew (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the economic contribution of international students.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Shadow Minister (Education)
The government recognises the significant economic and cultural contribution that international students make to the UK’s higher education sector.
Department statistics on education-related exports estimated that international students generated £20.65 billion to the UK economy in 2021 through their tuition fees and living expenditure.
Asked by: Lord Carlile of Berriew (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is their timetable for updating the Statutory Guidance on Promoting the Health and Well-being of Looked After Children, published in March 2015; whether there will be a specific focus on mental health services for this group; and how they plan to deliver updated guidance in a culturally sensitive way.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Shadow Minister (Education)
The government gave a commitment to update the statutory guidance, ‘Promoting the health and wellbeing of looked-after children’ and extend it to care leavers up to the age of 25, in the ‘Stable Homes, Built on Love’ strategy for the reform of children’s social care. The update forms part of the wider mission in the strategy, ‘to reduce the disparities in long-term mental and physical health outcomes and improve wellbeing for care-experienced people’.
This commitment was reaffirmed in September 2023, but a timeframe for completing the update has not been set. However, the department and the Department of Health and Social Care continue to work together on this update and will work with a wide range of stakeholders with a diversity of professional and lived experience to ensure that the guidance is sensitive to the health and wellbeing needs of all looked-after children and care leavers.
Asked by: Lord Carlile of Berriew (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to take legal action to prevent the identification to litigants before the National College for Teaching and Leadership disciplinary tribunals of the whistleblowers in the Birmingham "Trojan Horse" investigation; and what is their policy regarding the anonymity of whistleblowing teachers and lecturers.
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 Carlile of Berriew (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what measures they are taking to ensure that children and teenagers receive adequate mental health care and support in schools, with particular reference to school nursing and pastoral provision.
Answered by Lord Nash
Schools have a duty to promote pupils' mental and physical development and are held to account by Ofsted for doing so. The new 0-25 Special Educational Needs and Disability code of practice, which was put before Parliament on 11th June 2014, makes it clear that schools should look to identify any underlying mental health needs that pupils have. To support this on the 16 June the Department for Education issued new information and advice for schools and teachers on pupils' mental health and behaviour. This advice helps school staff identify those pupils who may have emerging problems and provides guidance on appropriate routes of ensuring specialist support where necessary.
The curriculum gives schools the freedom to address any specific pastoral issues that pupils may have, and teachers can raise awareness of mental health issues in PSHE lessons. Additionally, many schools provide targeted assessment and support. A survey conducted by the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy in 2012 estimated between 60-85% of English secondary schools provide access to counselling, delivering up to 70,000 sessions a year.
School nurses are in an ideal position to promote and maintain the health of children and young people. On 31 March the Department of Health and Public Health England published the Promoting emotional wellbeing and positive mental health of children and young people pathway. This provides a structured framework for school nurses, clarifying roles and responsibilities and giving information to enhance partnership working across agencies to support the emotional health of children and young people and to ensure early support is offered.