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 his Department has made for necessary adjustments in the event that A level exams in 2022 are cancelled nationally or locally.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Examinations and other formal assessments remain the fairest way of assessing students. It is the Government’s intention that GCSE, AS and A level examinations will go ahead in summer 2022. The Department recognises that students who will be taking A levels next year have had significant disruption to their education this year. We are therefore considering with Ofqual, the exam boards, and wider stakeholders what needs to be done to ensure that students are able to sit examinations and take other assessments safely and receive grades that are fair, even if further disruption does occur. The Department understands the need for the education sector to have certainty in order to plan for next year, and we will announce further details as soon as possible.
Although the Department remains committed to exams going ahead in 2022, we will continue to work with Ofqual on a range of contingencies in the event of further disruption to 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 steps his Department has taken to determine the form of A level exams in 2022; and when he plans to announce his Department's policy on that matter.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Examinations and other formal assessments remain the fairest way of assessing students. It is the Government’s intention that GCSE, AS and A level examinations will go ahead in summer 2022. The Department recognises that students who will be taking A levels next year have had significant disruption to their education this year. We are therefore considering with Ofqual, the exam boards, and wider stakeholders what needs to be done to ensure that students are able to sit examinations and take other assessments safely and receive grades that are fair, even if further disruption does occur. The Department understands the need for the education sector to have certainty in order to plan for next year, and we will announce further details as soon as possible.
Although the Department remains committed to exams going ahead in 2022, we will continue to work with Ofqual on a range of contingencies in the event of further disruption to 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 assessment he has made of the potential effect of removing funding for Applied General Qualifications on people that hope to study degrees in gaming.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
The department has consulted widely on proposals for reforming post-16 qualifications at level 3. The second stage of consultation closed on 31 January 2021 and set out proposals for a range of qualifications that will sit alongside A levels and T Levels in future. These include academic qualifications designed to support progression to specialist higher education. No final decisions have been made about individual subjects or the future of existing qualifications.
The impact assessment published alongside the consultation looks at the potential impact of the review on students, providers, employers, and the economy but did not look specifically at student progression to degrees in gaming. We are analysing responses to the consultation and will publish a final impact assessment as part of the response to the consultation later this year.
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 plans to include in his guidance to schools that children and staff should wear clear face coverings if needed to meet the needs of pupils and students.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Department’s guidance on face coverings can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/face-coverings-in-education/face-coverings-in-education.
As the guidance outlines, during national lockdown, in schools and colleges where Year 7 and above are taught, face coverings should be worn by adults (staff and visitors), pupils and students when moving around indoors, outside of classrooms and other teaching situations, such as in corridors and communal areas where social distancing is difficult to maintain.
Based on current evidence and the measures that schools and colleges are already putting in place, such as the system of controls and consistent bubbles, face coverings will not generally be necessary in the classroom.
Children in primary schools do not need to wear a face covering.
Some individuals are exempt from wearing face coverings. This includes people who cannot put on, wear or remove a face covering because of a physical or mental illness or impairment, or disability, or if you are speaking to or providing assistance to someone who relies on lip reading, clear sound or facial expressions to communicate. The same legal exemptions that apply to the wearing of face coverings in shops and on public transport also apply in schools and colleges.
Face coverings can make it more difficult to communicate with pupils and students with additional needs or those who many rely on lip reading or facial expressions for understanding. We expect staff to be sensitive to these needs when teaching and interacting with pupils and students.
We continue to provide information to the sector on our guidance, and any changes to it, through regular departmental communications. We will also continue to work with Public Health England, as well as stakeholders across the sector, to monitor the latest scientific and medical advice and understand the impact of the system of controls on staff, pupils and parents.
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 steps he is taking to ensure that the national covid strategy for early years settings is implemented effectively at a local level.
Answered by Vicky Ford
The department has issued guidance on actions for early years and childcare providers during the COVID-19 outbreak, which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-early-years-and-childcare-closures/coronavirus-covid-19-early-years-and-childcare-closures.
Further guidance on the national lockdown from 5 January 2021 is available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/950653/Education_and_childcare_settings_-_national_lockdown_from_5_January_2021_.pdf.
Department for Education officials and ministers are in regular contact with local government and childcare providers to understand the successes and challenges in the sector both locally and nationally, and to follow up on non-compliance and misunderstandings about the guidance and law. Local authority early years teams have designated points of contact within the department. The department uses local intelligence to support policy development and to provide local authorities with additional clarification of guidance, if needed, to help them understand and fulfil their statutory duties.
Local government undertakes a weekly data collection that is used to monitor attendance at early years settings, as well as supply of, and demand for, places. This data collection records the number of settings that are open and closed each week and is published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/attendance-in-education-and-early-years-settings-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak. The data collection was paused over the Christmas period and resumed on Thursday 7 January 2021. The latest data, published on Tuesday 19 January 2021, is available at the link above.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many early years settings have decided to close during the 2021 covid-19 lockdown.
Answered by Vicky Ford
The department has issued guidance on actions for early years and childcare providers during the COVID-19 outbreak, which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-early-years-and-childcare-closures/coronavirus-covid-19-early-years-and-childcare-closures.
Further guidance on the national lockdown from 5 January 2021 is available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/950653/Education_and_childcare_settings_-_national_lockdown_from_5_January_2021_.pdf.
Department for Education officials and ministers are in regular contact with local government and childcare providers to understand the successes and challenges in the sector both locally and nationally, and to follow up on non-compliance and misunderstandings about the guidance and law. Local authority early years teams have designated points of contact within the department. The department uses local intelligence to support policy development and to provide local authorities with additional clarification of guidance, if needed, to help them understand and fulfil their statutory duties.
Local government undertakes a weekly data collection that is used to monitor attendance at early years settings, as well as supply of, and demand for, places. This data collection records the number of settings that are open and closed each week and is published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/attendance-in-education-and-early-years-settings-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak. The data collection was paused over the Christmas period and resumed on Thursday 7 January 2021. The latest data, published on Tuesday 19 January 2021, is available at the link above.
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 he has to increase vaccinations for frontline staff working in early years settings.
Answered by Vicky Ford
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) are the independent experts who advise the Government on which vaccine/s the UK should use and provide advice on who should be offered them.
JCVI advises that the first priorities for the COVID-19 vaccination programme should be the prevention of mortality and the maintenance of the health and social care systems. As the risk of mortality from COVID-19 increases with age, prioritisation is primarily based on age.
Regarding the next phase of vaccine rollout, JCVI have asked that the Department of Health and Social Care consider occupational vaccination in collaboration with other Government departments. The Department for Education will input into this cross governmental exercise, and I hope that educational staff, including in early years settings, will be vaccinated as soon as possible.
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 he has to develop a T-Level for the Video Games Industry.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
The T Level in Digital Production and Development, which launched this September, covers a broad range of content based on the employer-led for software development technician standard. This T Level will support progression to entry-level job opportunities in this area, including Junior Games Developer roles, whilst other T Levels in Digital and in Creative and Design will develop skills that are directly relevant to the video games industry.
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 steps the Office for Students has taken in response to the report by Jane McNeill QC dated 25 August 2020 which found that bullying had taken place under the President and Chief Financial Officer of Imperial College London.
Answered by Michelle Donelan - Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
The Office for Students (OfS) is considering the information it has received in relation to this matter, in line with their normal processes. As is standard practice, the OfS cannot comment on individual cases.
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 he will permit schools to provide remote teaching in the last week of the autumn 2020 term to allow for isolation periods before the start of the Christmas bubble period on 23 December 2020.
Answered by Nick Gibb
It continues to be the Department’s aim that all pupils, in all year groups, remain in school full time. Returning to school full time has been vital for children’s education and for their wellbeing. Time out of school is detrimental for children’s cognitive and academic development, particularly for disadvantaged children. This impact can affect both current levels of learning and their future ability to learn.
As set out in the Government’s COVID-19 Winter Plan, nurseries, schools and colleges should not change their Christmas holidays or close early this term. Parents should continue to send their children to school during term time. A time limited change to social restrictions over Christmas does not require any children to be taken out of school prematurely. The head teachers and staff of schools have been doing an extraordinary job to remain open, keep schools safe and provide education.
Schools have implemented a range of protective measures to minimise the risk of transmission. The risk to children themselves of becoming severely ill from COVID-19 is low and there are negative health impacts of being out of school. Senior clinicians, including the Chief Medical Officers of all four nations, still advise that school is the very best place for children to be, and so they should continue to go to school.
Closing schools early would also cause additional disruption and inconvenience to many parents, including key workers such as NHS staff due to the additional childcare arrangements required as a result of this action.
If parents have concerns about their child attending school because they believe that they or members of their household may have particular risk factors, they should discuss these with their school.