Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what additional measures they intend to take to ensure life-long learning is available for those with severe learning difficulties.
Answered by Baroness Berridge
The government believes that students with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) must get the support that they need to benefit from the Lifetime Skills Guarantee (LSG).
Preparing all young people with SEND for adulthood is a key part of the SEND system and should begin from the earliest point. Colleges have a duty to use their best endeavours to secure the special educational provision that the young person needs, regardless of whether students have an education, health and care plan.
We believe that our measures in the Skills for Jobs Bill will support those with SEND. The cross-government SEND review, which is currently underway, will consider how children and young people with SEND can be supported effectively. We will continue to work closely with the SEND sector and system leaders at pace over the coming months, to ensure we are in a strong position to publish proposals for public consultation as soon as possible.
The adult education budget supports the delivery of flexible tailored provision for eligible adults aged 19 and above from pre-entry to level 3 qualifications. The provision is either fully or co-funded, depending on the learner’s age, prior attainment, and circumstances, and helps learners to gain the skills they need for work, an apprenticeship or further learning. Under the LSG, the government is now supporting any adult (aged 19 and above) who does not have A levels or equivalent qualifications, to access around 400 fully funded level 3 courses, with free courses for jobs. Complementing this, skills bootcamps offer free, flexible courses of up to 16 weeks, giving people the opportunity to build up sector-specific skills and fast-track to an interview with a local employer. Both offers are funded through the National Skills Fund. We will be launching a consultation on the fund in due course to ensure that we use this investment to help adults, including those with protected characteristics, to gain the valuable skills they need to improve their job prospects.
Finally, the Lifelong Loan Entitlement (LLE), will be introduced from 2025, providing individuals with a loan entitlement to the equivalent of four years of post-18 education to use over their lifetime. We believe students with SEND must get the support that they need to benefit from the LLE. The government has not yet determined what form this support will take, and plan to use our consultation this year to build our evidence base on how people with protected characteristics might access or benefit from the LLE offer. We do not want to prejudge the information we receive and outcome of the consultation.
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to assist children who have not returned to school during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answered by Baroness Berridge
Since 8 March, school attendance has been mandatory for all pupils and the usual rules on school attendance apply again. It is vital for all pupils to attend school to minimise the longer term impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on their education, wellbeing, and wider development.
The Department understands that some pupils, parents, and households may be reluctant or anxious about attending school. Schools are encouraged to discuss any concerns with parents and explain the measures they are putting in place to reduce any risks. Schools should work closely with other professionals, where appropriate, to support school attendance. Some local councils also have teams that help parents improve their child’s attendance at school.
When any child is withdrawn from a school, schools are obliged to make the reason for withdrawal known to the local authority. When the reason is for elective home education, all local authorities have procedures in place to identify whether the education received is suitable to the child’s needs, age, and ability.
Local authorities have powers to intervene when they cannot establish if a suitable education is being provided. In April 2019, the Department published revised guidance for local authorities and parents on the oversight of home education. The guidance has been substantially strengthened to set out the steps that a local authority can take when they believe the education provided by parents is unsuitable, including when there are safeguarding concerns. Local authorities may also provide support and guidance to families who are home educating should resources allow and families wish to receive it.
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that people with a learning disability can access educational provision as adults.
Answered by Baroness Berridge
Education is a devolved matter, and as such, this response outlines our support for adults with learning disabilities in England.
Adult skills are key in supporting the economy and tackling disadvantage, and so we are continuing to invest in education and skills training for adults through the Adult Education Budget (AEB), worth £1.34 billion in the 2020/21 financial year. The AEB fully funds or co-funds skills provision for eligible adults aged 19 and above from pre-entry to level 3, to support adults to gain the skills they need for work, an apprenticeship or further learning and training up to level 2 for unemployed people aged 19 and over.
The AEB funds colleges and providers to help adult learners to overcome barriers which prevent them from taking part in learning. This includes Learner Support to support learners with a specific financial hardship and learning support to meet the additional needs of learners with learning difficulties or disabilities.
Learning support funding helps colleges and training providers to meet the additional needs of learners with learning difficulties or disabilities and to meet the costs of reasonable adjustments as set out in the Equality Act 2010.
Learning support can cover a range of needs, including an assessment for dyslexia, funding to pay for specialist equipment or helpers and arranging signers or note-takers.
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she last met the Minister for Education in the Northern Ireland Executive.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Ministers and officials maintain regular contact with the devolved administrations on matters of mutual interest. The Department for Education does not usually publish details of such exchanges.
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to encourage parents to read to their children.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Research has shown that parental involvement in early education as part of daily family life at home has a greater impact on children’s well-being and achievement than any other factor, such as poverty, parental education or, later on, school environment.
Through the book gifting programme, the Department for Education funds the registered charity, Booktrust, to provide support to increase parental engagement and involvement in their child’s educational development. This includes:
a ‘Bookstart Baby’ pack to every child up to the age of one year;
a ‘Bookstart Treasure Pack’ to three and four-year-olds; and
working with children’s centres across England to engage disadvantaged families in their child’s education, providing resources and guidance around sharing books, stories and nursery rhymes.