Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to introduce sensory food play in nurseries as part of the Early Years Foundation Stage framework.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) statutory framework sets the standards that all early years providers must meet for the learning, development and care of children from birth to age five.
The department has published an article promoting sensory food education on the ‘Help for early years providers’ online platform, which is a resource for childminders, nursery leaders and pre-school practitioners. This supports practitioners to look at incorporating sensory food education into their practice, while delivering the statutory EYFS requirements. The sensory food education article can be found here: https://help-for-early-years-providers.education.gov.uk/get-help-to-improve-your-practice/sensory-food-education.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if his Department will take steps to help ensure that local authorities are consistent when making decisions on whether a home-educated child is receiving an adequate education.
Answered by Jonathan Gullis
Local authorities already have the ability to determine whether a home educated child is receiving a suitable education. The measures in the Schools Bill do not provide local authorities with additional powers to monitor or assess education.
The Government is committed to establishing a local authority registration system for children not in school, as well as a duty for local authorities to provide support to home-educating families. Current guidance already provides local authorities with a framework to determine whether the provision was suitable. Local authorities should have the in-house expertise to make these decisions, but if they do not then they can, and should, consider undertaking additional training.
As part of the Children Not in School proposals, the Department also intends to create new statutory guidance for local authorities on how they should be implementing their duties in relation to the registers, and will also review and update existing guidance as part of this. This guidance, in addition to the measures themselves, will help toward ensuring a more consistent approach across local authorities.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the Schools Bill will give local authorities the ability to determine whether a home-educated child is receiving an adequate education; and whether training will be provided to local authority employees on making these determinations.
Answered by Jonathan Gullis
Local authorities already have the ability to determine whether a home educated child is receiving a suitable education. The measures in the Schools Bill do not provide local authorities with additional powers to monitor or assess education.
The Government is committed to establishing a local authority registration system for children not in school, as well as a duty for local authorities to provide support to home-educating families. Current guidance already provides local authorities with a framework to determine whether the provision was suitable. Local authorities should have the in-house expertise to make these decisions, but if they do not then they can, and should, consider undertaking additional training.
As part of the Children Not in School proposals, the Department also intends to create new statutory guidance for local authorities on how they should be implementing their duties in relation to the registers, and will also review and update existing guidance as part of this. This guidance, in addition to the measures themselves, will help toward ensuring a more consistent approach across local authorities.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the proposed routes of appeal are against the School Attendance Orders available for parents under the Schools Bill.
Answered by Jonathan Gullis
The Schools Bill has not proposed any changes to the route of appeal available to parents against School Attendance Orders.
Once parents have applied for revocation to the local authority, on the basis that their child will receive suitable education out of school and had that application refused, parents can appeal to the Secretary of State to overrule a local authority’s refusal to revoke a School Attendance Order.
There are other routes of complaint available for parents, which includes: the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman when a parent believes a local authority has not acted as per law and guidance; and the Education Act 1996 gives the Secretary of State powers to intervene when a local authority exercises their functions unreasonably or fails to comply with duties under that Act.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he is taking steps to ensure that children living in poverty who are not eligible for free school meals have access to healthy meals.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
I refer the right hon. Member for Knowsley to the answer I gave on 21 September 2022 to Question 45077.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the parents of children with special educational needs and disabilities will be penalised for making autonomous decisions on absence from education based on the specific needs of their child under the provisions in the Schools Bill.
Answered by Will Quince
Regular attendance at school is vital for children’s education, wellbeing, and long-term development. School attendance is mandatory. Under Section 7 of the Education Act 1996, parents have a duty to ensure that their child of compulsory age (5-16) receives an efficient full-time education, either by attendance at school or otherwise.
The department appreciates that barriers to attendance are wide and complex, particularly for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Addressing these requires strong relationships and close working between families, schools, local authorities, and other relevant local services. This is the intention of the attendance clauses in the Schools Bill.
When considering the appropriate action to address absence, schools and local authorities should consider the individual circumstances of each pupil and family, and take the best course of action to support the child’s return to school. The department encourages parents to work with their child’s school and the local authority to discuss the reasons behind their child’s absence. They should agree together an action plan, so that the right support can be put in place to help their child to return to regular and consistent education.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what body was awarded the contract for the Adult Education Budget in the Yorkshire region.
Answered by Alex Burghart - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The providers who bid to deliver in the Yorkshire and Humber region, and were awarded an Adult Education Budget (AEB) procured contract for the 2021/22 funding year, are listed in the attached spreadsheet.
It is important to note that adult skills in South and West Yorkshire is a devolved matter and that AEB is funded through the mayoral combined authority.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the success of the covid-19 infection control measures in place in schools in the last six months.
Answered by Robin Walker
In February 2021, the government set out a roadmap out of lockdown, including for easing restrictions and the control measures that would remain at each step, including in education. In order to take each step, led by data not dates, an assessment was made by the government against four tests.
In July 2021, after a pause to Step 4, it was assessed that the four tests had been met for this – with the success of the vaccination rollout allowing for the safe and gradual lifting of many remaining restrictions across settings including education, whilst continuing to manage COVID-19 through vaccination and remaining control measures proportionate to the COVID-19 outbreak. Details are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-response-summer-2021-roadmap/moving-to-step-4-of-the-roadmap. This includes continued guidance for schools to ensure they keep good hygiene measures in place, keep spaces well ventilated and follow public health advice on testing, self-isolation and managing confirmed cases. In addition, those 12 and over are now being offered the COVID-19 vaccine. Most recently, in September 2021, the Government’s COVID-19 Response: Autumn and Winter Plan 2021 assessed preparedness for autumn and winter, including plans for control measures. Details are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-response-autumn-and-winter-plan-2021.
In making decisions on control measures in education, we have continually balanced the impact of measures on education, health and wellbeing, and the functioning of school settings, as well as the COVID-19 risks. As the balance of risks has shifted, given vaccination rollout, it has been appropriate to step down measures, as for the rest of the economy and society – with the imperative to maximise face-to face attendance and minimise disruption to education. The department published Evidence Summaries to accompany key decision points in February and July 2021: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/evidence-summary-covid-19-children-young-people-and-education-settings.
The department continues to monitor the latest and emerging scientific literature and to work with the Department of Health and Social Care, Office for National Statistics and UK Health Security Agency to develop our guidance for education and childcare settings. The UK Health and Security Agency leads on assessing the overall epidemiological picture and produces weekly surveillance reports, which include data on outbreaks in education and confirmed cases in school age children. Details are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/national-flu-and-covid-19-surveillance-reports-2021-to-2022-season.
The department collects and publishes attendance data for state-funded school settings. Attendance is currently higher than at the end of the summer term, when contact isolation was still in place in education settings. Details are available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/attendance-in-education-and-early-years-settings-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of increasing education around the Sikh faith in Key Stage 1 of the national curriculum.
Answered by Robin Walker
There are no plans to introduce teaching about specific faiths in any of the subjects of the national curriculum at any of the key stages.
The teaching about the Sikh faith by any school would be expected to be part of the religious education (RE) curriculum. The RE curriculum must reflect the fact that the religious traditions in the UK are in the main Christian, whilst taking account of the teaching and practices of the principal religions represented in the UK, including Sikhism.
The RE curriculum is part of the basic curriculum, rather than one of the subjects within the national curriculum. In addition, the RE curriculum is compulsory in all state-funded schools from age 5 to 18, which includes Key Stage 1.
Schools have the freedom to include content about specific faiths as part of their teaching of the subjects in the national curriculum, such as history or citizenship, but this would need to be in line with the purpose and aims of the subjects themselves.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans the Government has to prioritise removing all limits to group sizes for youth residential activities under Step 4 of the covid-19 roadmap on 19 July 2021.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Department recognises the significant benefits that youth residentials and summer camps can have for children’s mental health and wellbeing, as well as their educational and social development.
That is why the Government has prioritised the recommencement of residential visits, including youth residentials and summer camps, for children at Step 3 of the roadmap. It has also increased limits on group sizes to 30 from 21 June 2021.
As the Government moves to Step 4 of the roadmap, and the majority of COVID-19 restrictions across all parts of society are relaxed, key restrictions on all education and childcare settings will come to an end. This includes current advice on consistent groups (bubbles) and limits on group sizes for all residential visits. Our priority is to ensure all education and childcare settings are able to offer high quality, face to face provision for children and young people.
At Step 4 of the roadmap, youth residential providers will be able to undertake residential visits in groups of any number, and without the need to keep children in consistent groups: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-response-summer-2021-roadmap/covid-19-response-summer-2021.
The Department has published new guidance for providers, setting out the actions they can take to reduce the risk of transmission from Step 4: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/999758/OOSS_Provider_Guidance_PDF_Step_4.pdf.