Asked by: Alex Baker (Labour - Aldershot)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many degree apprenticeships were (a) advertised and (b) completed in (i) Aldershot constituency, (ii) Hampshire and (iii) London in each of the last five years.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The table below provides details of degree level apprenticeship (level 6 and 7) vacancies in Aldershot constituency, Hampshire and London that were advertised on the Find an Apprenticeship (FAA) service on GOV.UK in each of the last five years.
The department encourages employers to advertise on FAA to maximise engagement with their vacancies and to ensure that they are accessible to all potential apprentices. However, not all choose to use the service. Employers may choose to recruit apprentices through their own channels, for example via their own websites, which the department does not monitor. The figures below therefore do not represent the total number of degree level apprenticeship vacancies advertised.
Academic year | Aldershot | Hampshire | London |
2019/2020 | 0 | 110 | 990 |
2020/2021 | 20 | 340 | 1,130 |
2021/2022 | 20 | 290 | 3,060 |
2022/2023 | 30 | 130 | 2,740 |
2023/2024 | 40 | 310 | 2,450 |
To note
The table below provides details of degree level (level 6 and 7) apprenticeships that have been achieved in Aldershot constituency, Hampshire and London in each of the last five years, as published in the apprenticeships statistics publication.
Academic year | Aldershot | Hampshire | London |
2019/20 | low | 70 | 450 |
2020/21 | 20 | 210 | 1,160 |
2021/22 | 20 | 360 | 1,790 |
2022/23 | 40 | 550 | 2,890 |
2023/24 | 60 | 830 | 3,880 |
To note
Asked by: Alex Baker (Labour - Aldershot)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) primary and (b) secondary school students receive free school meals in Aldershot constituency.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department publishes the number of pupils in primary and secondary schools in the Aldershot constituency who receive free school meals. This data is available in the ‘Schools, pupils and their characteristics’ publication, based on the January 2024 school census. The most recent figures can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics.
The publication webpage includes a school-level data file, listed under the dropdown heading ‘Additional supporting files’ as ‘School level underlying data - 2023/24 (csv, 22 Mb)’.
This file contains one row per school, and you can filter the data by school phase and constituency. Data on parliamentary constituencies use boundaries as they were when the statistics were published. The most recent constituency boundaries will be updated in the next ‘Schools, Pupils and their Characteristics publication’ in June 2025.
Asked by: Alex Baker (Labour - Aldershot)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many hours of (a) mathematics, (b) English, (c) sciences and (d) modern foreign languages were taught in secondary schools in Aldershot constituency by teachers with no relevant (i) A-level and (ii) higher level qualification in the last full year for which data are available.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
Information on the school workforce, including the pupil to adult and pupil to teacher ratios at national, regional, local authority and individual school level, plus subjects taught in state-funded secondary schools, is published in the ‘School workforce in England’ statistical publication, which is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england.
In the 2023/24 academic year, which is the latest data available, the ratio of pupils to teachers (qualified and unqualified) was 16.8 in state-funded secondary schools in England, which is the same as the previous year. The ratio of pupils to adults (excluding auxiliary staff) was 12.0 in state-funded secondary schools in England, which is again the same as the previous year.
The attached table provides the pupil to adult ratio and the pupil to teacher ratio for state-funded secondary schools in Aldershot constituency and England for the 2019/20 to 2023/24 academic years.
The total number of hours taught by subject in state-funded secondary schools is published here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/f01b06d4-a691-4c8d-6209-08dd1b6a61d0.
The proportion of those hours that were taught by teachers without a relevant post A level or higher level qualification is published at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/2b0e7522-f965-400d-6219-08dd1b6a61d0.
Timetabled teaching is reported for a typical week in November, as determined by the school. It does not cover an entire year of teaching. If there are variations in timetabling across the year, this is not covered in the data available to the department.
Subject and hours taught are only collected from secondary schools that use electronic timetabling software that can produce data in the format required. Data is then weighted to provide national totals. Therefore, breakdowns by local authority and parliamentary constituency are not available.
Asked by: Alex Baker (Labour - Aldershot)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the average staff to student ratio was in secondary schools (a) nationally and (b) in Aldershot constituency in (i) 2019, (ii) 2020, (iii) 2021, (iv) 2022 and (v) 2023.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
Information on the school workforce, including the pupil to adult and pupil to teacher ratios at national, regional, local authority and individual school level, plus subjects taught in state-funded secondary schools, is published in the ‘School workforce in England’ statistical publication, which is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england.
In the 2023/24 academic year, which is the latest data available, the ratio of pupils to teachers (qualified and unqualified) was 16.8 in state-funded secondary schools in England, which is the same as the previous year. The ratio of pupils to adults (excluding auxiliary staff) was 12.0 in state-funded secondary schools in England, which is again the same as the previous year.
The attached table provides the pupil to adult ratio and the pupil to teacher ratio for state-funded secondary schools in Aldershot constituency and England for the 2019/20 to 2023/24 academic years.
The total number of hours taught by subject in state-funded secondary schools is published here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/f01b06d4-a691-4c8d-6209-08dd1b6a61d0.
The proportion of those hours that were taught by teachers without a relevant post A level or higher level qualification is published at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/2b0e7522-f965-400d-6219-08dd1b6a61d0.
Timetabled teaching is reported for a typical week in November, as determined by the school. It does not cover an entire year of teaching. If there are variations in timetabling across the year, this is not covered in the data available to the department.
Subject and hours taught are only collected from secondary schools that use electronic timetabling software that can produce data in the format required. Data is then weighted to provide national totals. Therefore, breakdowns by local authority and parliamentary constituency are not available.
Asked by: Alex Baker (Labour - Aldershot)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to improve the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of teachers in Aldershot constituency.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
Supporting our expert teachers is critical to the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and boost the life chances for every child. However, this government has inherited a system with critical shortages of teachers, with the growth in teacher numbers not keeping pace with demographic changes. This is why the government has set out the ambition to recruit 6,500 new expert teachers.
We have made good early progress towards this key pledge by ensuring teaching is once again an attractive and respected profession, key to which is ensuring teachers receive the pay they deserve. This is why we have accepted in full the School Teachers’ Review Body’s recommendation of a 5.5% pay award for teachers and leaders in maintained schools for 2024/25.
Alongside teacher pay, we have made £233 million available from the 2025/26 recruitment cycle to support trainee teachers with tax-free bursaries of up to £29,000 and scholarships of up to £31,000 in shortage subjects. The department has also expanded its school teacher recruitment campaign, ‘Every Lesson Shapes a Life’, and the further education teacher recruitment campaign ‘Share your Skills’.
In addition to recruiting expert teachers, we want them to stay and thrive in the profession. To support this, new teachers of mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing in the first five years of their careers will now receive a targeted retention incentive of up to £6,000 after tax if working in disadvantaged schools. There are four schools in Aldershot that are eligible for targeted retention incentives.
To further support retention, we have provided workload and wellbeing resources that were developed with school leaders through our new ‘Improving Workload and Wellbeing’ online service, as well as continuing to promote the Education Staff Wellbeing Charter, which nearly 4,000 schools and colleges have already signed up to.
To reduce workload, the department has also removed the requirement for performance related pay and has abolished one-word Ofsted judgements to deliver a system which provides better information for parents and is proportionate for staff.
To help retain a more diverse workforce, the department is committed to supporting schools to implement flexible working practices, including taking planning, preparation and assessment (PPA) time remotely. The department is also funding bespoke support provided by flexible working ambassador schools and multi-academy trusts. The named flexible working ambassador for schools in Aldershot is Upton Court Grammar school, part of the Pioneer Educational Trust.
High quality continuous professional development is also key to ensuring we retain an effective teaching workforce. The department has established Teaching School Hubs across the country, which provide approved high quality professional development to teachers at all stages of their careers. They play a significant role in delivering Initial Teacher Training, the Early Career Framework, National Professional Qualifications and Appropriate Body services. The Success for Every Teacher Teaching School Hub is a centre of excellence supporting teacher training and development across Basingstoke and Deane, East Hampshire, Guildford, Hart, Rushmoor and Waverley.
Asked by: Alex Baker (Labour - Aldershot)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the average funding per pupil in mainstream schools was in (a) Aldershot constituency, (b) Hampshire and (c) England in each of the last three years.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
The department is able to provide links to the published dedicated schools grant (DSG) tables from the 2022/23 financial year to the 2024/25 financial year. These tables show average per pupil funding amounts, split by primary and secondary phase, for each local authority and at national level.
As the DSG is allocated at local authority level, DSG allocations are not available broken down to the level of individual constituencies. The individual allocations that schools within Aldershot constituency receive are determined each year by the local funding formula set by Hampshire local authority.
Links to the published DSG tables are listed below:
Asked by: Alex Baker (Labour - Aldershot)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if her Department will make an estimate of the median level of student debt held by people in Aldershot constituency.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The median debt of full-time undergraduate borrowers funded by student finance England, whose postcode is within the Aldershot constituency, and who entered repayment within the last five financial years is £46,577. The median debt includes tuition fees and maintenance loans and the effective date of the data is 30 April 2024.
The borrower’s postcode refers to the current contact or home address supplied by the borrower to the Student Loans Company.
Asked by: Alex Baker (Labour - Aldershot)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department has taken to help improve children's oracy skills in Aldershot constituency.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
High and rising school standards are at the heart of the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and give every child the best life chances.
The independent Curriculum and Assessment review will seek to deliver a curriculum which is rich and broad, inclusive and innovative to ensure that children and young people leave compulsory education ready for life and ready for work, building the knowledge, skills and attributes young people need to thrive. This includes embedding oracy, digital and life skills in their learning. The Review will consider the recently published report of the Oracy Commission as part of this work.
In the early years, too, developing language skills is vital to enable children to thrive. The department is funding evidence-based early language interventions, targeting children needing extra support with their speech and language development.
Asked by: Alex Baker (Labour - Aldershot)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make a comparative assessment of the adequacy of school funding per pupil in (a) Aldershot constituency and (b) the rest of the country.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
The overall core schools budget will total £61.8 billion in 2024/25. Average per pupil funding in England, as allocated through the schools block of the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG), is £5,957.
The DSG is allocated at local authority level, and as such the equivalent figures are not available for Aldershot constituency. For Aldershot constituency, the notional national funding formula (NFF) average per-pupil funding is £5,447. That is calculated based on the notional schools NFF allocations for all mainstream schools in the constituency. The allocations that schools within a constituency actually receive are determined by the local funding formula in their area. The funding figures for Aldershot constituency are based on the constituency boundaries before the July 2024 general election.
All of the figures provided include premises funding, but exclude growth funding. The figures do not include the additional grant funding that schools in the Aldershot constituency and across the country have received to support pay and pensions increases in 2024/25.
Schools in Aldershot constituency have a lower proportion of pupils who attract deprivation funding through the NFF than the national average.
The precise funding that individual schools in Aldershot constituency and across the country receive depends on each school’s unique circumstances and the decisions that it has made about how to deploy its funding.