Asked by: Lord Knight of Weymouth (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether their assessment of the market impact of Oak National Academy in the educational publishing sector was made prior to that organisation becoming an executive non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Education.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The decision to establish Oak National Academy was taken with due regard to a robust assessment of market impact, which was informed by the commercial sector. Monitoring market impact is a priority and will continue throughout Oak National Academy’s lifetime. Results will be factored into the body’s ongoing evaluation and two-year review.
As an integral part of the process to set up Oak National Academy as an arm’s length body, the department produced a business case which included an assessment of potential market impact, including in the educational publishing sector. This business case was published on GOV.UK on 1 November 2022: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/oak-national-academy-business-case.
Asked by: Lord Knight of Weymouth (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Department for Education sought evidence from the education publishing sector about the market impact of Oak National Academy after the full scope and budget was known in September.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The decision to establish Oak National Academy was taken with due regard to a robust assessment of market impact, which was informed by the commercial sector. Monitoring market impact is a priority and will continue throughout Oak National Academy’s lifetime. Results will be factored into the body’s ongoing evaluation and two-year review.
As an integral part of the process to set up Oak National Academy as an arm’s length body, the department produced a business case which included an assessment of potential market impact, including in the educational publishing sector. This business case was published on GOV.UK on 1 November 2022: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/oak-national-academy-business-case.
Asked by: Lord Knight of Weymouth (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the coverage levels of school-based (1) tetanus, (2), diphtheria, (3) polio, and (4) COVID-19, vaccination programmes; and what steps they are taking to increase such coverage.
Answered by Lord Kamall
The combined tetanus, diphtheria and polio vaccine coverage in year nine cohorts in 2020 to 2021 was 76.4%, compared to 57.6% in 2019 to 2020 and 87.6% in 2018 to 2019. In addition, updated data for the year 10 cohort in the 2020 to 2021 academic year estimated coverage at 80.3%. This is a 22.7 % increase for the same cohort when in year nine in 2019 to 2020. No specific assessment has been made of COVID-19 vaccine uptake as it is not solely delivered in a school-based setting.
To achieve high coverage, vaccinations programmes are co-ordinated nationally, using highly trained staff with improved access to vaccine information. A out-of-school offer is in place to enable eligible children and young people to receive their COVID-19 vaccination at the nearest available vaccination centre. All providers continue to work with NHS England and NHS Improvement, with clinical advice from the UK Health Security Agency, to deliver all missed school-aged vaccinations. National Health Service school-aged immunisation providers are now resuming educational activities, such as school assemblies, to educate students of the benefits of routine NHS immunisation programmes.
Asked by: Lord Knight of Weymouth (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will publish the outcome of their consultation Making flexible working the default, which ran from 23 September 2021 to 1 December 2021.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government consultation on making flexible working the default received over 1,600 responses, which we are currently reviewing. We will publish the Government response in due course.
Asked by: Lord Knight of Weymouth (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the timeframe for the introduction of a new single enforcement body for employment rights.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Creating the new single enforcement body for employment rights will require primary legislation and so timing will be dependent on the legislative timetable.
Asked by: Lord Knight of Weymouth (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the cost to employers of Parental Bereavement Leave since April 2020.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Parental Bereavement Leave and Pay was introduced in April 2020. The Impact Assessment carried out by the Department (copy attached) estimated that annual costs to employers of the policy would be £2.6m, with an additional £4.8m in one-off costs for employers to familiarise themselves with the policy when it was introduced.
Asked by: Lord Knight of Weymouth (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether (1) the causes of climate change, and (2) actions that can benefit and decrease any negative impact on the natural environment, are taught in schools in England.
Answered by Baroness Berridge
It is vital that young people are taught about climate change. For this reason, related topics are included throughout both the science and geography curricula and GCSEs. In primary science and geography, pupils are given a firm foundation for the further study of the environment in secondary school. For example, in primary science, pupils are taught about how environments can change as a result of human actions. They will learn about animals’ habitats, including that changes to the environment may pose dangers to living things. In primary geography, pupils will be taught about seasonal and daily weather patterns, climate zones and human geography, including land use, economic activity and the distribution of natural resources.
In secondary science, pupils are taught about the production of carbon dioxide by human activity and the effect this has on the climate. This is expanded on in GCSE science where pupils will consider the evidence for additional anthropogenic causes of climate change. In secondary geography, pupils will look at how human and physical processes interact to influence and change landscapes, environments and the climate. As part of GCSE geography, pupils will look at the causes, consequences of, and responses to extreme weather conditions and natural weather hazards. In 2017, the department also introduced a new environmental science A level. This will enable pupils to study topics that will support their understanding of climate change and how it can be tackled.
School and teachers can go beyond the topics set out in the national curriculum, or do more in-depth teaching of these topic areas, if they so wish.
Asked by: Lord Knight of Weymouth (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what incentives are in place for schools in England (1) to measure, and (2) to reduce, carbon emissions.
Answered by Baroness Berridge
Reduction in energy use in new and existing buildings to meet the net zero carbon emissions by 2050 target is a priority for the UK government.
The department published the Good Estate Management for Schools guidance in April 2018. The guidance includes a section on ‘Energy and water management’, and tips on reducing energy and water use in schools, including measuring energy and water consumption. It also signposts schools to other organisations that provide training, information, and support in relation to sustainability and energy efficiency in schools.
In 2020, the Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy setup the £1 billion Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme which provided grants for public sector bodies including schools to fund energy efficiency and heat decarbonisation measures. This scheme has now ended, however, schools can apply for funding through Salix for projects to reduce carbon emissions as well as accessing funding through the department’s own Condition Improvement Fund for improvements to buildings and services within schools which contribute to reducing emissions.
Asked by: Lord Knight of Weymouth (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the ideal age range to begin financial education in schools; and what plans they have to support the delivery of financial education to primary children.
Answered by Baroness Berridge
Education on financial matters helps to ensure that young people are prepared to manage their money well, make sound financial decisions and know where to seek further information when needed. In 2014, for the first time, financial literacy was made statutory within the national curriculum as part of the citizenship curriculum for 11 to 16 year olds.
We also introduced a rigorous mathematics curriculum, which provides young people with the knowledge and mathematical skills to make important financial decisions. The government has published statutory programmes of study for mathematics and citizenship that outline what pupils should learn about financial education from key stages one to four.
In the primary mathematics curriculum, there is a strong emphasis on essential arithmetic. This is vital, as a strong understanding of numeracy and numbers will underpin pupils’ ability to manage budgets and money, including, for example, percentages. There is also some specific content about financial education such as calculations with money.
We trust schools to use their professional judgement and understanding of their pupils to develop the right teaching approach for their particular school, drawing on the expertise of subject associations and organisations such as Young Money.
Schools should have resumed teaching an ambitious and broad curriculum in all subjects from the start of the autumn term. This means that all pupils will be taught a wide range of subjects so they can maintain their choices for further study and employment. Our latest guidance on teaching to support children is set out here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/guidance-for-full-opening-schools.
Our £1 billion COVID-19 “catch-up” package with £650 million shared across schools over the 2020/21 academic year will support schools to put the right catch-up support in place. Details of the catch up package can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/billion-pound-covid-catch-up-plan-to-tackle-impact-of-lost-teaching-time.
The Education Endowment Foundation have published a COVID-19 support guide to support schools to direct this funding. This is available at: https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/covid-19-resources/national-tutoring-programme/covid-19-support-guide-for-schools/#closeSignup.
For the longer term, the department will continue to work closely with The Money and Pension Service and Her Majesty's Treasury, to consider how to provide further support for the teaching of financial education in schools.
Asked by: Lord Knight of Weymouth (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, what assessment they have made of the importance of financial education at primary level in the light of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on household finances; and what plans they have to provide additional support to schools to offer high-quality financial education.
Answered by Baroness Berridge
Education on financial matters helps to ensure that young people are prepared to manage their money well, make sound financial decisions and know where to seek further information when needed. In 2014, for the first time, financial literacy was made statutory within the national curriculum as part of the citizenship curriculum for 11 to 16 year olds.
We also introduced a rigorous mathematics curriculum, which provides young people with the knowledge and mathematical skills to make important financial decisions. The government has published statutory programmes of study for mathematics and citizenship that outline what pupils should learn about financial education from key stages one to four.
In the primary mathematics curriculum, there is a strong emphasis on essential arithmetic. This is vital, as a strong understanding of numeracy and numbers will underpin pupils’ ability to manage budgets and money, including, for example, percentages. There is also some specific content about financial education such as calculations with money.
We trust schools to use their professional judgement and understanding of their pupils to develop the right teaching approach for their particular school, drawing on the expertise of subject associations and organisations such as Young Money.
Schools should have resumed teaching an ambitious and broad curriculum in all subjects from the start of the autumn term. This means that all pupils will be taught a wide range of subjects so they can maintain their choices for further study and employment. Our latest guidance on teaching to support children is set out here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/guidance-for-full-opening-schools.
Our £1 billion COVID-19 “catch-up” package with £650 million shared across schools over the 2020/21 academic year will support schools to put the right catch-up support in place. Details of the catch up package can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/billion-pound-covid-catch-up-plan-to-tackle-impact-of-lost-teaching-time.
The Education Endowment Foundation have published a COVID-19 support guide to support schools to direct this funding. This is available at: https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/covid-19-resources/national-tutoring-programme/covid-19-support-guide-for-schools/#closeSignup.
For the longer term, the department will continue to work closely with The Money and Pension Service and Her Majesty's Treasury, to consider how to provide further support for the teaching of financial education in schools.