Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will hold discussions with the governing body of St Benet’s Hall, Oxford University, on potential solutions to ensure that institution’s continued operation.
Answered by Michelle Donelan - Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
We cannot intervene to influence the decision that Oxford University Council has made as they are an autonomous body responsible for their own decision making.
We are confident that the council would have been privy to all the relevant information needed and will have taken careful consideration before reaching its final decision.
We were also reassured to note from media sources that on 16 May 2022 the current students were informed that the likelihood of them being re-located to different colleges throughout the university has been addressed, and that arrangements are underway to ensure their continued education.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will hold discussions with representatives of the University of Oxford on ensuring that St Benet’s Hall, Oxford's official licence is renewed.
Answered by Michelle Donelan - Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
We cannot intervene to influence the decision that Oxford University Council has made as they are an autonomous body responsible for their own decision making.
We are confident that the council would have been privy to all the relevant information needed and will have taken careful consideration before reaching its final decision.
We were also reassured to note from media sources that on 16 May 2022 the current students were informed that the likelihood of them being re-located to different colleges throughout the university has been addressed, and that arrangements are underway to ensure their continued education.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will take steps to help secure the long-term future of St Benet's Hall, Oxford University.
Answered by Michelle Donelan - Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
We cannot intervene to influence the decision that Oxford University Council has made as they are an autonomous body responsible for their own decision making.
We are confident that the council would have been privy to all the relevant information needed and will have taken careful consideration before reaching its final decision.
We were also reassured to note from media sources that on 16 May 2022 the current students were informed that the likelihood of them being re-located to different colleges throughout the university has been addressed, and that arrangements are underway to ensure their continued education.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will take steps to prevent the closure of St Benet’s Hall, Oxford University.
Answered by Michelle Donelan - Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
We cannot intervene to influence the decision that Oxford University Council has made as they are an autonomous body responsible for their own decision making.
We are confident that the council would have been privy to all the relevant information needed and will have taken careful consideration before reaching its final decision.
We were also reassured to note from media sources that on 16 May 2022 the current students were informed that the likelihood of them being re-located to different colleges throughout the university has been addressed, and that arrangements are underway to ensure their continued education.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has had discussions with the University of Oxford University Council on its decision not to renew the official licence of St Benet's Hall.
Answered by Michelle Donelan - Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
We cannot intervene to influence the decision that Oxford University Council has made as they are an autonomous body responsible for their own decision making.
We are confident that the council would have been privy to all the relevant information needed and will have taken careful consideration before reaching its final decision.
We were also reassured to note from media sources that on 16 May 2022 the current students were informed that the likelihood of them being re-located to different colleges throughout the university has been addressed, and that arrangements are underway to ensure their continued education.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the SEND review, published March 2022, what plans he has to establish new national standards to meet the needs of (a) children with complex disabilities and (b) every child.
Answered by Will Quince
The Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Alternative Provision (AP) Green Paper sets out the department’s proposals to improve the outcomes and experiences of children and young people with SEND and their families. The proposals aim to drive national consistency in how needs are assessed, identified and met across education, health and care through the introduction of national standards. These standards are intended to set out the full range of support and provision for meeting all needs, including those of children and young people with more complex needs.
All of the proposals within the green paper are currently open to a full public consultation and the department will be listening carefully to all views expressed to ensure the policies secure department ambitions to improve outcomes and parental confidence in the system. The department is committed to ensuring everyone has the opportunity to take part in the consultation and encourages everyone to do so.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to ensure every disabled child, young person, and their families receive the social care support they need.
Answered by Will Quince
The department’s £18 million supported internship scheme will help more people into sustained paid employment. The department is also making better respite care available for those who care for children with special educational needs and disabilities, with councils invited to bid for an extra £30 million for the next three years to set up more than 10,000 additional short break and respite placements for vulnerable children.
Local authorities have access to £54.1 billion core spending power in the 2022/23 financial year to deliver their services, including for children and young people, this is £3.7 billion more than in the 2021/22 financial year.
As part of this, the government has boosted the social care grant, increasing it by £636 million, and so bringing it to a total of around £2.35 billion in the 2022/23 financial year. Local authorities will have access to a one-off Services Grant in the 2022/23 financial year which is worth over £800 million and can be used for all services, including children’s social care.
The Independent Review of Children’s Social Care is due to set out its final recommendations this spring, and the department will consider those relevant to early help to inform any next steps.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to ensure that service providers are held accountable if they do not meet their legal duties in respect of support to disabled children and their families.
Answered by Will Quince
Children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) are a priority and where a local area is deemed to be underperforming, either by way of inspection or concerns raised, the department does not hesitate to intervene, including in cases of systemic and/or persistent failure. For example, we may issue a formal improvement notice or use powers under Section 497A of the Education Act 1996 to issue a statutory direction directing the Council to take any further actions we deem necessary, which may include requiring the responsible local authority to work with a SEND commissioner.
The department continues to work with Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission on the development of a new area SEND inspection framework. It is important that this is in line with the policy direction of the SEND and AP green paper but also ensures that we are able to support and hold local areas to account prior to the full implementation of any new reforms. Inspection has a key role in the continuing improvement of SEND services, both by identifying good practice and by highlighting areas of weakness where improvement is needed. It remains the department’s priority that local areas provide the right services at the right time for children and young people with SEND.
Where families wish to seek redress or otherwise resolve disagreements about education, health and care needs assessments or plans, they have the option to do so via disagreement resolution, mediation, or by registering an appeal with the first-tier tribunal (SEND). The department is currently consulting on proposals to strengthen this system in the SEND and AP green paper.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that all teachers are well trained to teach children with SEND in the classroom, in the context of SEND training not being mandatory for mainstream teachers.
Answered by Will Quince
All teachers are teachers of special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), and the department is committed to ensuring that all pupils can reach their potential and receive excellent support from their teachers. To support all teachers to meet these standards, the government are implementing a ‘golden thread’ of high-quality teacher training reforms which begins with initial teacher training and continues into early career teaching, through to the reformed suite of leadership and specialist National Professional Qualifications, ensures that teachers have the skills to support all pupils to succeed, including those with SEND.
The revised initial teacher training core content framework, which all new entrants to the profession benefit from, has been designed around how to support all pupils to succeed, including those pupils identified within the four areas of need, set out in the SEND Code of Practice. All trainees who achieve qualified teacher status must demonstrate that they can adapt teaching to respond to the strengths and needs of all pupils, including those with SEND.
The early career framework (ECF) has been designed around how to support all pupils to succeed and seeks to widen access for all. This includes those pupils identified within the four areas of need set out in the SEND code of practice, and children in need of help and protection as identified in the Children in Need Review.
Consideration of SEND underpins both the CCF and ECF which were both produced with the support of sector experts.
Once teachers qualify and are employed in schools, headteachers use their professional judgement to identify any further training, including specific specialisms, for individual staff that is relevant to them, the school, and its pupils.
In February 2022, we announced more than £45 million of funding for continued targeted support for families and parents of children with SEND and SEND services. This includes funding that will directly support schools and colleges to work with pupils with SEND, for example through training on specific needs like autism.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to ensure that the proposals in the SEND Green Paper do not restrict support for disabled children and families.
Answered by Will Quince
The SEND and AP green paper sets out the government's proposals to improve the outcomes and experiences of children and young people with SEND and their families. The proposals aim to drive national consistency in how needs are assessed, identified, and met across education, health and care through the introduction of national standards. These standards are intended to set out the full range of support for meeting all needs, including those of children and young people with more complex needs. The standards will also include guidance and best practice on reasonable adjustments for disabled children.
As part of our proposals, our aim is to provide parents and carers with a clearer understanding of the support that should be available to meet their child’s needs and support them to make an informed choice about which education provider they would like their child to attend. Where specialist provision is required, the department is consulting on proposals for a simplified process where parents and carers will be supported to express an informed preference for a suitable placement from a tailored list of providers that are appropriate to meet their child’s needs. The expectation is that all schools on the list will be able to meet the child’s special educational needs as identified in their education health and care needs assessments. This aims to give parents and carers clarity on what is available locally which may still include mainstream, special, independent or out of borough provision where appropriate in order to meet the child’s needs. Our intention is that this will lead to greater transparency about what is available for children and young people in their local school and greater clarity about how it can be provided. The department also aims for this to improve the choice offered to parents and carers by suggesting options they may not have otherwise considered.
All of the proposals within the green paper are currently open to a full public consultation and the department will be listening carefully to all views expressed to ensure policies secure the departments ambitions to improve outcomes and parental confidence in the system. The department is committed to ensuring everyone has the opportunity to take part in the consultation and encourages everyone to do so.