Asked by: Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, how many children have moved schools in each year for the past five years in England; and how many school moves were due to families being forced to move due to no fault evictions.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Every year, the department collects and publishes data on the total number of applications and offers made for entry into primary and secondary school. The information is summarised in the table below and can be found at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/secondary-and-primary-school-applications-and-offers.
Number of applications received for primary and secondary schools in England between 2018/19 and 2022/23 | ||||||
| 2018/19 | 2019/20 | 2022/21 | 2021/22 | 2022/23 |
|
Primary | 608,180 | 608,957 | 612,146 | 580,771 | 576,147 |
|
Secondary | 582,761 | 604,496 | 600,352 | 605,206 | 614,059 |
|
Parents may also request for their child to move schools at any other point, for example, due to a house move. These are called ‘in year’ admissions. The department does not hold data on the total number of children admitted to school in-year each year. The department does not hold data on the number of school moves as a result of no fault evictions.
Asked by: Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Barran on 4 July (HL1123), how those eligible for a free place on the Holiday Activities and Food Programme will be notified of this to ensure that none of those eligible for free school meals will miss out during the summer holidays; and what will be done to ensure that this programme is implemented successfully by local councils across England.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Local authorities have the discretion to provide free or subsidised holiday club places for children who are not in receipt of free school meals, but who the local authority believes could benefit from holiday activities and food (HAF) provision.
Guidance and grant letters provide a clear structure for local authorities in performing their role as HAF coordinators, while encouraging innovation and ensuring the programme is appropriate for the local area. They are encouraged to work with a wide range of organisations and partners across their local area and ensure schools and other services are on board with directing children and families to the programme.
To support local authorities, the department has appointed a national support partner, Childcare Works, which helps local authorities use their funding as effectively as possible and to target their programme at those most in need. Childcare Works facilitates local networks and forums where local authorities can exchange ideas, learn from each other, and work together. The department has also provided local authorities with a communication toolkit to support local promotion of the programme.
The department is working with national and local partners to build on the success of the HAF programme. On 14 June, we held a roundtable event with representatives from supermarkets and sport organisations, many of whom are already providing support to the programme.
The department is monitoring delivery carefully, including through the regular reports that local authorities send to the department. During the summer of 2021, the HAF programme reached over 600,000 children and young people in England in total, including over 495,000 children eligible for free school meals. This means hundreds of thousands of children from low-income families are benefitting from healthy food and better nutrition.
Asked by: Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to require that children's temperatures be monitored during the school day.
Answered by Baroness Berridge
The government’s current plans do not require that children’s temperatures be monitored during the school day. This is not a reliable method for identifying COVID-19.
The department has published comprehensive guidance to schools and nurseries on the protective measures that should be implemented to substantially reduce the risk of transmission of COVID-19. This can be found here:
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.
The guidance advises that if anyone in an education or childcare setting develops a new, continuous cough, a high temperature, or has a loss of, or change in, their normal sense of taste of smell (anosmia), they must be sent home to self-isolate for at least 7 days and should arrange to have a test.
Asked by: Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they have taken to ensure the calculated grades given to students due to sit A Level exams this summer are fair.
Answered by Baroness Berridge
This is a matter for Ofqual, the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation. I have asked its Chief Regulator, Sally Collier, to write to the noble Lord, and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Asked by: Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the Fabian Society Primary Colours, published on 11 January.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
The department has noted the Fabian Society Primary Colours report and the concerns it raises about arts education.
The department is committed to ensuring that all children have access to a high-quality arts education. All schools have to provide a broad and balanced curriculum, and Ofsted is currently consulting on proposals for a new inspection framework. These proposals have a strong emphasis on schools providing a broad and balanced curriculum for all their pupils.
On 11 January 2019, the department announced that a model music curriculum is being developed, overseen by an independent panel of music education experts. This will help teachers plan lessons that deliver a world class music education and reduce their workload.
Between 2016-20, the department is providing £300 million for a network of music education hubs. This is part of almost half a billion pounds we are investing in a range of music and cultural programmes between 2016-20, which is more than any other subject, except PE. In 2016-17, the hubs supported 91% of all primary schools and taught 711,241 pupils to play instruments in whole classes.
Asked by: Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to ensure that every child has access to a broad array of arts experiences at primary school.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
The department has noted the Fabian Society Primary Colours report and the concerns it raises about arts education.
The department is committed to ensuring that all children have access to a high-quality arts education. All schools have to provide a broad and balanced curriculum, and Ofsted is currently consulting on proposals for a new inspection framework. These proposals have a strong emphasis on schools providing a broad and balanced curriculum for all their pupils.
On 11 January 2019, the department announced that a model music curriculum is being developed, overseen by an independent panel of music education experts. This will help teachers plan lessons that deliver a world class music education and reduce their workload.
Between 2016-20, the department is providing £300 million for a network of music education hubs. This is part of almost half a billion pounds we are investing in a range of music and cultural programmes between 2016-20, which is more than any other subject, except PE. In 2016-17, the hubs supported 91% of all primary schools and taught 711,241 pupils to play instruments in whole classes.
Asked by: Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of how many children learn to play a musical instrument in school; and whether the number has risen or fallen since 1997.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
Information regarding the total number of children who have learned to play musical instruments at school since 1997 is not held centrally. However, according to the data for 2016/17, recently published by Arts Council England, 711,241 pupils learned to play instruments together as a whole class through the music education hub network. The equivalent figure for 2012/13 was 531,422.
Music is compulsory in the National Curriculum for pupils aged 5-14. The National Curriculum programmes of study for music say that children should be taught to play instruments in key stages 1, 2 and 3. In maintained schools, pupils also have an entitlement in key stage 4 to study an arts subject (which includes music) if they wish.
Asked by: Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the role played by co-operative schools in England; and whether they plan to support further expansion of the sector.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
The government has not undertaken a review of the role played by co-operative schools. It is for schools themselves to consider whether they should adopt co-operative status.
The department only collects information on categories of schools as set out in legislation. Co-operative schools are not a separate category but form a sub-set of foundation schools and academies, therefore information is only collected on foundation schools and academies.
Asked by: Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what support they are providing to encourage the playing of cricket in schools by both boys and girls.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
The government is clear that physical education and extra-curricular sport is important for all pupils. This government seeks to foster a lifelong love of physical activity and healthy habits in young people from an early age. Sport can help all pupils to develop skills such as confidence, team work and resilience that can be carried through to adulthood. It is up to schools to decide which sports to offer to pupils.
Through the primary PE and sport premium, the government has invested over £920 million of ring-fenced funding to primary schools to improve PE and sport since 2013. The government has doubled the premium to £320 million a year from September 2017 using revenue from the Soft Drinks Industry Levy. Schools can use the premium to engage external coaches to best meet the needs of their pupils. We know that some schools engage external cricket coaches to provide specialist lessons for all pupils, which includes boys, girls and pupils with disabilities.
Through the Essential Life Skills fund, the department has recently funded the national cricket charity, Chance to Shine. The funds will be used to provide extra-curricular sport to young people in Stoke-on-Trent, one of the department’s twelve Opportunity Areas. In addition, Sport England supports children and young people in England by ensuring that there is a good sports and activity offer before and after the school day. This includes investing £28 million into Satellite Clubs between the period 2017 to 2021.
Asked by: Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to enable children to play a musical instrument at school.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
Music is a statutory subject in the National Curriculum for 5-14 year olds in state maintained schools. The National Curriculum for music aims to ensure that all pupils have the opportunity to learn a musical instrument. To support that, between 2016-2020 we are spending £300 million on a network of music education hubs. The hubs ensure that every child aged 5-18 has the opportunity to learn a musical instrument; provide opportunities to play in ensembles; ensure that clear progression routes are available and affordable for all; and ensure that every pupil has the opportunity to sing regularly. In 2015/16, 662,871 pupils learned to play a musical instrument through whole class ensemble teaching that was provided or supported by music education hubs.