Asked by: Lord Lexden (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many pupils at independent schools which are inspected by Ofsted have places that are fully funded by local authorities.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
According to the register of independent schools, there are around 30,000 pupils with identified special educational needs either with or without an education health and care plan attending independent schools inspected by Ofsted, out of a total school population of 9,032,426. This data is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics/2024-25.
The matter of fully funded placements in independent schools is governed by contractual agreements between the individual independent schools and the commissioning local authorities. As such, the department does not collect or hold data on the number of places in independent schools that are fully funded by local authorities.
Asked by: Lord Lexden (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the total number of pupils with special needs who are being educated at independent schools which are inspected by Ofsted.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
According to the register of independent schools, there are around 30,000 pupils with identified special educational needs either with or without an education health and care plan attending independent schools inspected by Ofsted, out of a total school population of 9,032,426. This data is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics/2024-25.
The matter of fully funded placements in independent schools is governed by contractual agreements between the individual independent schools and the commissioning local authorities. As such, the department does not collect or hold data on the number of places in independent schools that are fully funded by local authorities.
Asked by: Lord Lexden (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many of the independent schools inspected by Ofsted educate children with special needs.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
According to the register of independent schools, there are around 30,000 pupils with identified special educational needs either with or without an education health and care plan attending independent schools inspected by Ofsted, out of a total school population of 9,032,426. This data is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics/2024-25.
The matter of fully funded placements in independent schools is governed by contractual agreements between the individual independent schools and the commissioning local authorities. As such, the department does not collect or hold data on the number of places in independent schools that are fully funded by local authorities.
Asked by: Lord Lexden (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have plans to change the role or functions of the Independent Schools Inspectorate.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
There are currently no plans to change the role or functions of the Independent Schools Inspectorate.
Asked by: Lord Lexden (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the total sum raised so far by the introduction of VAT on independent school fees, and how many extra teachers have been recruited as a result.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
HM Treasury published a Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) on applying VAT to independent school fees.
The TIIN estimates that, accounting for the spending implications of any pupil movement into the state sector, the policy is expected to raise £1.7 billion per annum by 2029/30.
Asked by: Lord Lexden (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many international students are currently studying in English universities, and what is the total amount these pupils will pay in tuition fees this academic year.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Higher Education Statistics Agency is responsible for collecting and publishing data about UK higher education (HE), including on international student numbers and tuition fee income.
In the 2022/23 academic year there were 630,005 international students studying at English universities and other HE providers, generating a total tuition fee income of £10.1 billion.
Asked by: Lord Lexden (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what data they have on the number of international students studying in English universities who attended English independent schools, and what assessment they have made of any potential loss of income for English universities as a result of levying VAT on independent school fees.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The department does hold some information on the type of school attended by students prior to entering higher education in the UK. However, this is only mandatory for UK domiciled students and is optional for providers to complete for international students. Therefore, the information held by the department is of unreliable quality and Higher Education Statistics Agency publish this information for UK domiciled students only.
HM Treasury will publish a Tax Information and Impact Note that considers the impact of these tax changes at Budget on 30 October.
Asked by: Lord Lexden (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the scope under existing law for levying VAT on the fees charged by independent schools with charitable status.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Shadow Minister (Education)
The government has no plans to make changes to the VAT regime for independent schools. The VAT regime does not treat school fees differently based on whether schools have charitable status or not. All school fees are exempt from VAT.
The government has made no assessment of the scope under existing law for levying VAT on the fees charged by independent schools with charitable status. Other organisations, including EDSK, Baines Cutler Consulting, and Oxford Economics have published their own assessments related to this issue.
It is also worth noting that in practice, VAT on school fees would be passed on to parents. Schools would be required to pay the difference between the VAT they have charged to parents and the VAT they have themselves paid to other businesses.
Asked by: Lord Lexden (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Berridge on 15 September 2020 (HL7666), how many school playing fields were sold in the years (1) 2020, and (2) 2021.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Shadow Minister (Education)
The number of school playing fields disposed of in 2020, either by way of sale or grant of a long lease was 21. The number of playing fields disposed of in 2021, either by way of sale or grant of a long lease was 14.
Further disposals that meet specific criteria can be made under a General Consent Order (GCO). GCOs can be used for transactions that represent no net loss of playing field land to the school estate or where the loss is temporary. Disposals made under a GCO are not published by the department and are not included in the figures above.
In instances of schools wishing to sell playing fields, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, requires applicants to demonstrate a sporting and/or playing benefit as part of any mitigation measures, and that any loss has been minimised both in quantum and quality of the land disposed of. No open school has been allowed to sell all its playing fields.
The Secretary of State for Education is keen to protect school playing fields. Schools are only able to sell or otherwise dispose of playing fields when they can demonstrate to the Secretary of State that they have explored all possible alternatives to the disposal, and that the disposal does not adversely impact upon the school’s curriculum.
The department periodically updates a playing field disposal list, accessible here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-land-decisions-about-disposals.
The next update to this will be in May 2022. The list was last updated in July 2021. The department is currently collating data for this update.
Asked by: Lord Lexden (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Barran on 24 February (HL Deb col 340), what plans they have to involve independent schools in the National Tutoring Programme.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Shadow Minister (Education)
The National Tutoring Programme is delivered using high-quality tutoring organisations that have been selected against a robust set of criteria, including ‘safeguarding’, ‘understanding schools working and challenges’, and ‘excellence in delivery’, following applications from hundreds of organisations. Further information on these criteria is available here: https://nationaltutoring.org.uk/tuition-partners/.
As well as working through established tutoring providers, the programme is happy to accept applications from other organisations, for example, associations of independent schools, who meet the necessary criteria.
Following feedback from schools, funding has also been provided directly to state-funded schools so that they can use their own staff for tutoring. Potential tutors are required to be qualified teachers or undertake bespoke training. Schools may engage tutors from their local networks, including from independent schools through new or pre-existing partnership arrangements.