Asked by: Lord Mann (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many newly settled children from overseas have not been able to immediately take up allocated school places due to pressures on school numbers in the past year.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Individual local authorities are under a duty to ensure that children in their areas are receiving a suitable education. We do not routinely collect data on the nationality of children whose parents are seeking school places. However, because of the high levels of migration from the beginning of 2022, the department did conduct a monthly survey of school placements for children from outside the UK between May and September 2022 to obtain better data on school place pressures. The data is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-placements-for-children-from-outside-of-the-uk.
Asked by: Lord Mann (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many school children in England have had an unauthorised school absence in each of the past five years.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Schools are required to record in the register once in the morning session and once in the afternoon session whether or not a pupil is absent.
The attached table below shows the number of pupil enrolments in England with one or more sessions of unauthorised absence by academic year.
In the 2021/22 academic year, 366,042 pupil enrolments missed 10% or more of possible sessions due to unauthorised absence. This figure covers state-funded primary, state-funded secondary and special schools in England.
Unauthorised absence includes pupils who arrived late (after registration has closed), unauthorised holidays, reason for absence not yet provided, and other unauthorised absence.
The data used in this answer are published in the National Statistics release on pupil absence in schools in England, available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/pupil-absence-in-schools-in-england.
Asked by: Lord Mann (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many children in England are currently not attending school regularly due to unauthorised absences.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Schools are required to record in the register once in the morning session and once in the afternoon session whether or not a pupil is absent.
The attached table below shows the number of pupil enrolments in England with one or more sessions of unauthorised absence by academic year.
In the 2021/22 academic year, 366,042 pupil enrolments missed 10% or more of possible sessions due to unauthorised absence. This figure covers state-funded primary, state-funded secondary and special schools in England.
Unauthorised absence includes pupils who arrived late (after registration has closed), unauthorised holidays, reason for absence not yet provided, and other unauthorised absence.
The data used in this answer are published in the National Statistics release on pupil absence in schools in England, available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/pupil-absence-in-schools-in-england.
Asked by: Lord Mann (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker how many members of the House of Lords did not attend any proceedings between 12 December 2019 and 20 December 2020.
Answered by Lord McFall of Alcluith
29. The answer is based on the total number of members who were members on 6 January 2021 (817). The figure of 29 includes 10 members on leave of absence, 2 disqualified as members of the judiciary and 6 members who were yet to be introduced including two who joined the House after 20 December 2020.
Asked by: Lord Mann (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of university tuition fees on the finances of graduates.
Answered by Chris Skidmore
The government is considering how graduates contribute to the cost of their studies. This includes the level, terms and duration of their contribution as part of the review of Post-18 Education and Funding. We want to make sure that funding arrangements across post-18 education and training are transparent, do not act as barriers to choice and offer value for money for students and taxpayers.
The independent panel’s report to the government, published on 30 May, forms an important step in the review. The government will consider the panel’s recommendations carefully and will conclude the review at the Spending Review. The government has not yet taken decisions with regards to the recommendations put forward.
Asked by: Lord Mann (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the underspend against his Department's adult education budget in the academic year 2016-17.
Answered by Anne Milton
The underspend against the mainstream participation element of the Adult Education Budget for the 2016 to 2017 academic year was £63 million. This was less than 5 per cent of the total contracted value.
A portion of the underspend was reallocated within the further education sector, providing the opportunity for providers to expand provision through growth bids, funding over delivery in providers who exceeded their delivery aims, and support other provision.
This excludes growth deals and other funding support because these programmes are managed on a financial year basis.
Asked by: Lord Mann (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department has assessed the feasibility of maintaining services provided by Carillion plc to schools by offering directly to employ former Carillion staff at schools.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Our priority is to ensure schools can continue to operate as usual. Government is supporting the official receiver, so that services to schools and other public services can continue to be delivered. Decisions about the future of individual services will be addressed in due course and schools and other customers will be kept informed.
Local authorities and academy trusts are responsible for their contracts. The Department has, however, worked with local authorities and academy trusts to make sure they have robust contingency plans in place and that these have been actioned. In some cases, the Department understands that planning has included the option of bringing services in-house. Information available to the department indicates that the number of local authority and academy trust schools, covered by catering, facilities management or other service contracts is relatively low.
The Department is continuing to monitor the situation and will work with schools to help minimise any disruption for pupils.
Asked by: Lord Mann (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information his Department holds on the number of schools which have contracts with Carillion plc; and what the value of those contracts is.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Our priority is to ensure schools can continue to operate as usual. Government is supporting the official receiver, so that services to schools and other public services can continue to be delivered. Decisions about the future of individual services will be addressed in due course and schools and other customers will be kept informed.
Local authorities and academy trusts are responsible for their contracts. The Department has, however, worked with local authorities and academy trusts to make sure they have robust contingency plans in place and that these have been actioned. In some cases, the Department understands that planning has included the option of bringing services in-house. Information available to the department indicates that the number of local authority and academy trust schools, covered by catering, facilities management or other service contracts is relatively low.
The Department is continuing to monitor the situation and will work with schools to help minimise any disruption for pupils.
Asked by: Lord Mann (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when her Department agreed for Doncaster College to work out-of-area in 2015 with Worksop Town FC in recruiting for a 16 to 19 football discussion; when her Department was first contacted by Doncaster College on such work; and what discussions officials of her Department had with North Nottinghamshire and West Nottinghamshire colleges on its decision.
Answered by Anne Milton
In the early part of 2015, Doncaster College formed a partnership with Worksop Town FC for a Sports Academy.
This type of arrangement is not one for which the then Education and Funding Agency would need to provide any formal approval.
Doncaster College had difficulties in fulfilling their side of any proposed partnership agreement and subsequently withdrew from the arrangement.
In light of the above, Doncaster College has not worked out of area with Worksop Town FC in 2015 or in any subsequent years.
The principal of North Nottinghamshire College contacted Worksop Town FC to discuss the development of the Sports Academy but received no response. There is no record of any discussion with West Nottinghamshire College.
Asked by: Lord Mann (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on the number of students on the 2015-16 West Anglia College/Worksop Town FC academy who attended an examination in 2016 for either mathematics or English.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Performance data on students at the end of 16-18 study in 2015/16, at The College of West Anglia, is available as part of the school performance tables1.
16-19 provision at the Worksop Town FC academy was funded by the Department in 2015/16 through a sub-contracting arrangement managed by the College of West Anglia. The Department does not hold student information at the level of Worksop Town FC academy.
1 Data for this institution can be found here: https://www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk/school/130763.