Asked by: Alex Cunningham (Labour - Stockton North)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her policy is on the provision of free school meals for children in special schools.
Answered by Nick Gibb
All pupils attending state funded schools are subject to the standard criteria for free school meals (FSM), which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/free-school-meals-guidance-for-schools-and-local-authorities. Equivalent funding is delivered to maintained schools and academies via the dedicated schools grant and general annual grant respectively.
Non-maintained special schools have a duty to provide FSM to eligible pupils under the Non-Maintained Special Schools (England) Regulations 2015. The latest statistics indicate that 39.7% of pupils with an education, health and care plan, and 36.4% of pupils with special educational needs support, were eligible for FSM in 2022. More information is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/special-educational-needs-in-england/2021-22.
The Government spends over £1 billion annually delivering FSM to pupils in schools. Around 1.9 million disadvantaged pupils are eligible for FSM, as well as an additional 1.25 million infants who receive a free meal under the universal infant FSM policy. Together, this provides support to over one third of all pupils in schools.
In addition to this, the Department is funding up to £30 million in the national school breakfast programme until the end of the 2024 summer term. This funding will support up to 2,500 schools in disadvantaged areas, meaning that thousands of children from low income families will be offered free, nutritious breakfasts. The Department is also funding over £200 million a year in the Holiday Activities and Food Programme, which provides free holiday club places with healthy meals and enriching activities to children from low income families.
Asked by: Alex Cunningham (Labour - Stockton North)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the criteria is for (a) registering for and (b) funding free school meals for children in non maintained but state funded schools.
Answered by Nick Gibb
All pupils attending state funded schools are subject to the standard criteria for free school meals (FSM), which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/free-school-meals-guidance-for-schools-and-local-authorities. Equivalent funding is delivered to maintained schools and academies via the dedicated schools grant and general annual grant respectively.
Non-maintained special schools have a duty to provide FSM to eligible pupils under the Non-Maintained Special Schools (England) Regulations 2015. The latest statistics indicate that 39.7% of pupils with an education, health and care plan, and 36.4% of pupils with special educational needs support, were eligible for FSM in 2022. More information is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/special-educational-needs-in-england/2021-22.
The Government spends over £1 billion annually delivering FSM to pupils in schools. Around 1.9 million disadvantaged pupils are eligible for FSM, as well as an additional 1.25 million infants who receive a free meal under the universal infant FSM policy. Together, this provides support to over one third of all pupils in schools.
In addition to this, the Department is funding up to £30 million in the national school breakfast programme until the end of the 2024 summer term. This funding will support up to 2,500 schools in disadvantaged areas, meaning that thousands of children from low income families will be offered free, nutritious breakfasts. The Department is also funding over £200 million a year in the Holiday Activities and Food Programme, which provides free holiday club places with healthy meals and enriching activities to children from low income families.
Asked by: Alex Cunningham (Labour - Stockton North)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of free school meal provision in special education schools.
Answered by Nick Gibb
39.7% of pupils with an education, health and care plan and 36.4% of pupils with special educational needs support were eligible for free school meals (FSM) in 2022. More information can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/special-educational-needs-in-england/2021-22.
The Department spends over £1 billion annually delivering FSM to pupils in schools. Around 1.9 million disadvantaged pupils are eligible for FSM, as well as an additional 1.25 million infants who receive a free meal under the Universal Infant Free School Meal policy. Together, this provides support to over one third of all pupils in schools.
The Department is investing up to £30 million in the national school breakfast programme until the end of the 2024 summer term. This funding will support up to 2,500 schools in disadvantaged areas, meaning that thousands of children from low-income families will be offered free, nutritious breakfasts. The Department is also investing over £200 million a year in the Holiday Activities and Food programme, which provides free holiday club places with healthy meals and enriching activities to children from low-income families.
Asked by: Alex Cunningham (Labour - Stockton North)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department is taking steps to provide young people with education on buy-now-pay-later schemes.
Answered by Nick Gibb
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 where needed.
Financial education is included in the National Curriculum at Key Stages 3 and 4 but can be taught by all schools at all Key Stages. Pupils should be taught the functions and uses of money, the importance of personal budgeting, money management, and managing financial risk. At secondary school, pupils should be educated on income and expenditure, credit and debt, insurance, savings and pensions, financial products and services, and the need to understand financial risk, including any emerging financial trends. Further information can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/national-curriculum.
The mathematics curriculum includes a strong emphasis on the essential arithmetic that primary pupils should be taught. A strong grasp of mathematics will underpin pupils’ ability to manage budgets and money.
The Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) published financial education guidance for primary and secondary schools in England in November 2021, to support school leaders to enhance their financial education provision. The guidance is available at: https://maps.org.uk/2021/11/11/financial-education-guidance-for-primary-and-secondary-schools-in-england/. This guidance includes links to quality assured resources for schools, including content and activities on cryptocurrencies and buy now, pay later schemes. It also sets out the knowledge pupils need to protect their personal data, critically evaluate online content and identify scams.
The Department is working with MaPS on a series of joint financial education webinars during the 2022/23 academic year to help both primary and secondary schools, to improve pupils’ knowledge and build teachers’ confidence in this area.
Asked by: Alex Cunningham (Labour - Stockton North)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department is taking steps to provide young people with education on credit products.
Answered by Nick Gibb
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 where needed.
Financial education is included in the National Curriculum at Key Stages 3 and 4 but can be taught by all schools at all Key Stages. Pupils should be taught the functions and uses of money, the importance of personal budgeting, money management, and managing financial risk. At secondary school, pupils should be educated on income and expenditure, credit and debt, insurance, savings and pensions, financial products and services, and the need to understand financial risk, including any emerging financial trends. Further information can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/national-curriculum.
The mathematics curriculum includes a strong emphasis on the essential arithmetic that primary pupils should be taught. A strong grasp of mathematics will underpin pupils’ ability to manage budgets and money.
The Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) published financial education guidance for primary and secondary schools in England in November 2021, to support school leaders to enhance their financial education provision. The guidance is available at: https://maps.org.uk/2021/11/11/financial-education-guidance-for-primary-and-secondary-schools-in-england/. This guidance includes links to quality assured resources for schools, including content and activities on cryptocurrencies and buy now, pay later schemes. It also sets out the knowledge pupils need to protect their personal data, critically evaluate online content and identify scams.
The Department is working with MaPS on a series of joint financial education webinars during the 2022/23 academic year to help both primary and secondary schools, to improve pupils’ knowledge and build teachers’ confidence in this area.
Asked by: Alex Cunningham (Labour - Stockton North)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential disparities in (a) access to and (b) quality of financial education in primary schools.
Answered by Nick Gibb
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.
The primary school curriculum includes financial education within mathematics, which provides young people with the knowledge to make important financial decisions. A strong grasp of mathematics will underpin pupils’ ability to manage budgets and money, including, for example, using percentages. The mathematics curriculum also includes specific content on financial education, such as calculations with money.
Primary schools can teach financial education through citizenship. Although this is not part of the National Curriculum until Key Stage 3, the Department has published a non-statutory citizenship curriculum for Key Stages 1 and 2, to support schools to ensure that pupils are taught how to look after their money and realise that future wants and needs may be met through saving. There is also a wide range of resources available for schools, including the Money and Pension Service’s (MaPS) financial education guidance for primary and secondary schools in England. This can be found here: https://maps.org.uk/2021/11/11/financial-education-guidance-for-primary-and-secondary-schools-in-england/.
The Department does not monitor financial education in primary schools but continues to work with MaPS and HM Treasury to consider the evidence and explore opportunities to promote the importance of financial education to schools.
Asked by: Alex Cunningham (Labour - Stockton North)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of the addition of financial education to the primary school national curriculum.
Answered by Nick Gibb
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.
The primary school curriculum includes financial education within mathematics, which provides young people with the knowledge to make important financial decisions. A strong grasp of mathematics will underpin pupils’ ability to manage budgets and money, including, for example, using percentages. The mathematics curriculum also includes specific content on financial education, such as calculations with money.
Primary schools can teach financial education through citizenship. Although this is not part of the National Curriculum until Key Stage 3, the Department has published a non-statutory citizenship curriculum for Key Stages 1 and 2, to support schools to ensure that pupils are taught how to look after their money and realise that future wants and needs may be met through saving. There is also a wide range of resources available for schools, including the Money and Pension Service’s (MaPS) financial education guidance for primary and secondary schools in England. This can be found here: https://maps.org.uk/2021/11/11/financial-education-guidance-for-primary-and-secondary-schools-in-england/.
The Department does not monitor financial education in primary schools but continues to work with MaPS and HM Treasury to consider the evidence and explore opportunities to promote the importance of financial education to schools.
Asked by: Alex Cunningham (Labour - Stockton North)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the OFSTED Official Statistics, Main findings: childcare providers and inspections as at 31 March 2022, published 29 June 2022, whether he has made an assessment of the resilience of remaining providers of childcare to parents in Stockton North and whether he will make a statement.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
Under Section 6 of the Childcare Act 2006, local authorities are responsible for ensuring that the provision of childcare is sufficient to meet the requirements of parents in their area. At present, all local authorities report that they are fulfilling their duty to ensure sufficient childcare.
The department continues to monitor the sufficiency of childcare. The key measure of sufficiency is whether the supply of available places is sufficient to meet the requirements of parents and children. Ofsted data currently shows that the number of places offered by providers on the Early Years Register has remained broadly stable, at 1.3 million places since August 2015. This data is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/early-years-and-childcare-statistics.
The department also discusses sufficiency of provision in regular conversations with local authorities. Local authorities are not currently reporting any substantial sufficiency issues, and we have not seen a substantial number of parents unable to secure a childcare place.
The department is committed to improving the cost, choice, and availability of childcare. We collect data on the main characteristics of childcare and early years provision in England, and fees data can be broken down to local authority level. The latest data for Stockton-on-Tees local authority shows that the mean hourly fee band for two-year-old children in 2021 is £5.75, and £5.50 for three and 4-year-olds.
Asked by: Alex Cunningham (Labour - Stockton North)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, subsequent to the concerns raised by Ofsted, whether he has made an estimate of the number of nurseries and other early years childcare settings which have closed in Stockton North.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
Under Section 6 of the Childcare Act 2006, local authorities are responsible for ensuring that the provision of childcare is sufficient to meet the requirements of parents in their area. At present, all local authorities report that they are fulfilling their duty to ensure sufficient childcare.
The department continues to monitor the sufficiency of childcare. The key measure of sufficiency is whether the supply of available places is sufficient to meet the requirements of parents and children. Ofsted data currently shows that the number of places offered by providers on the Early Years Register has remained broadly stable, at 1.3 million places since August 2015. This data is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/early-years-and-childcare-statistics.
The department also discusses sufficiency of provision in regular conversations with local authorities. Local authorities are not currently reporting any substantial sufficiency issues, and we have not seen a substantial number of parents unable to secure a childcare place.
The department is committed to improving the cost, choice, and availability of childcare. We collect data on the main characteristics of childcare and early years provision in England, and fees data can be broken down to local authority level. The latest data for Stockton-on-Tees local authority shows that the mean hourly fee band for two-year-old children in 2021 is £5.75, and £5.50 for three and 4-year-olds.
Asked by: Alex Cunningham (Labour - Stockton North)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has made an estimate of the affordability of childcare provision in Stockton North constituency.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
Under Section 6 of the Childcare Act 2006, local authorities are responsible for ensuring that the provision of childcare is sufficient to meet the requirements of parents in their area. At present, all local authorities report that they are fulfilling their duty to ensure sufficient childcare.
The department continues to monitor the sufficiency of childcare. The key measure of sufficiency is whether the supply of available places is sufficient to meet the requirements of parents and children. Ofsted data currently shows that the number of places offered by providers on the Early Years Register has remained broadly stable, at 1.3 million places since August 2015. This data is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/early-years-and-childcare-statistics.
The department also discusses sufficiency of provision in regular conversations with local authorities. Local authorities are not currently reporting any substantial sufficiency issues, and we have not seen a substantial number of parents unable to secure a childcare place.
The department is committed to improving the cost, choice, and availability of childcare. We collect data on the main characteristics of childcare and early years provision in England, and fees data can be broken down to local authority level. The latest data for Stockton-on-Tees local authority shows that the mean hourly fee band for two-year-old children in 2021 is £5.75, and £5.50 for three and 4-year-olds.