Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what progress she has made on the aim of increasing the average GCSE grade at Key Stage 4 in English language and maths from 4.5 to 5.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Government is committed to improving outcomes for all pupils. The Government has successfully driven up standards over the past decade. In 2010, only 68% of schools were rated good or outstanding, compared to 88% today.
Primary aged children in England came 4th out of the 43 countries in the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study, with an average score of 558. This was significantly above the International Median of 520 and significantly higher than all countries except for Singapore, Hong Kong and Russia.
Alongside this international picture, the Department continues to deliver the proposals set out in the Schools White Paper, including the headline attainment ambitions for 2030. These include 90% of pupils achieving the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics at Key Stage 2, and the average grade in GCSE English language and mathematics increasing from 4.5 to 5. Since publishing the White Paper, the Department has worked to deliver its commitments and has made progress towards the headline ambitions for 2030. Whilst the COVID-19 pandemic has affected pupils, the Department is taking robust action to drive up attainment, with evidence showing progress is being made.
At Key Stage 2 in the 2021/22 academic year, attainment in reading, writing and mathematics (combined) decreased compared to pre-pandemic levels in 2019 at both the expected and higher standard. Despite this, recent data from the Education Policy Institute and Rising Stars/Hodder Education shows that for primary age pupils, most year groups have either caught up in English and mathematics or are now on average 1 to 1.5 months behind pre-pandemic levels. This contrasts with studies conducted during the pandemic where learning loss in reading and mathematics was typically estimated to have peaked at around 2.5 to 3.5 months for primary age pupils.
At Key Stage 4 in the 2021/22 academic year, 49.8% of pupils achieved a grade 5 or higher in both English and mathematics. This is an increase of 6.6 percentage points (from 43.2%) in comparison with 2018/19.
The Department continues to deliver ambitious multiyear education recovery funding. This has provided almost £5 billion for teachers, staff training, tutoring and additional teaching time, as well as providing funding directly to schools. It is targeted especially at those that need the most help the most quickly. This funding is making a difference in helping pupils to catch up, with over 3 million courses started through the National Tutoring Programme since it began in November 2020. We can see that recovery is taking place, but we know that there is more to do.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to include (a) horticulture and (b) gardening in the national curriculum.
Answered by Nick Gibb
In the Schools White Paper, published in 2022, the Department committed to make no further changes to the National Curriculum for the remainder of this Parliament.
The National Curriculum is a framework which sets out the content that schools are expected to cover in each curriculum subject. Teachers are expected to use their own knowledge and expertise to determine how they teach their pupils the content of the curriculum, tailoring their lessons to the individual needs of the pupils.
Whilst not mentioned as standalone topics, schools have the freedom and flexibility to teach horticulture and gardening. For example, in science pupils are taught about plants and living things and their habitats.
In citizenship, a compulsory part of the National Curriculum at Key Stages 3 and 4, pupils undertake school and community based volunteering. Young people are encouraged to tackle local issues in their communities. This could include activities related to the environment and nature, such as community gardening.
Many schools offer enrichment activities, including gardening, to promote an understanding of nature, nutrition and wellbeing among pupils. The Department recognises the significant benefits that extracurricular activities at out of school settings, such as gardening clubs, can have for children’s mental health and wellbeing, as well as their educational and social development.
The Department is developing draft subject content for a new GCSE in natural history, to be taught from 2025, which will include opportunities for students to gain a deeper knowledge of the natural world around them.
For post 16 students, the Department is introducing employer designed T Levels in Agriculture, Land Management and Production from September this year. This course gives students the opportunity to specialise in ornamental horticulture and landscaping.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to improve reading standards in schools.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Since the Department introduced the Phonics Screening Check in 2012, the proportion of 6-year-olds reaching the expecting standards has risen from 58% in 2012 to 82% in 2019, just before the pandemic.
The proportion of Year 6 pupils reaching the expected standard in reading in the Key Stage 2 SATs has risen from 66% in 2016 to 73% in 2019, just before the pandemic.
Our ambition is for at least 90% of pupils to reach these standards, through spreading best practice in the English Hubs Programme and through the new Reading Framework.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance her Department issues to schools on supporting children who suffer with migraines.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
The government is committed to ensuring pupils with medical conditions are properly supported at school, so that they have full access to education.
In 2014, the government introduced a new duty on schools to support pupils with all medical conditions. The department has published statutory guidance on this, which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/supporting-pupils-at-school-with-medical-conditions--3.
The guidance does not specify which medical conditions should be supported in schools. Instead, it focuses on how to meet the needs of each individual child and how their medical condition impacts on school life.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many school-age children have Addison's disease; and how many children with Addison's disease attend schools.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
The department does not collect data on the number of school-age children with Addison’s disease, nor on the number with Addison’s disease who attend school or are home educated.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children with Addison’s disease are home-schooled.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
The department does not collect data on the number of school-age children with Addison’s disease, nor on the number with Addison’s disease who attend school or are home educated.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an estimate of the number of people who are home-schooled due to issues around administering medication during the school day.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The information requested is not held centrally.
From October 2022, the Department requested information from Local Authorities on their home education cohorts, which departmental officials are currently analysing. The information requested from Local Authorities did not include information to establish the number of children experiencing issues with administering medication whilst at school.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential role of catholic schools in levelling up.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Department supports schools with a religious character. They add to the diversity of the school system, they are popular with parents both with and without a faith, and they typically deliver high standards of education for their pupils. They also have an important role to play in supporting levelling up, by providing high quality school places throughout the country.
The Department recognises that some groups, including the Catholic Church, feel unable to participate in the free schools programme because of the 50% cap on faith admissions.
The Department is committed to ensuring that all providers of schools with a religious character remain able to open new schools once all schools are in academy trusts and, as such, will continue to keep the 50% cap under review. The Department regularly discusses the matter with groups who provide schools with a religious character, including the Catholic Church.
There are two mainstream Catholic schools in the Rother Valley Constituency, 296 in London and 1,955 in England.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions she has had with (a) faith schools, (b) faith leaders and (c) Cabinet colleagues on the potential merits of removing the 50 per cent rule.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Department supports schools with a religious character. They add to the diversity of the school system, they are popular with parents both with and without a faith, and they typically deliver high standards of education for their pupils. They also have an important role to play in supporting levelling up, by providing high quality school places throughout the country.
The Department recognises that some groups, including the Catholic Church, feel unable to participate in the free schools programme because of the 50% cap on faith admissions.
The Department is committed to ensuring that all providers of schools with a religious character remain able to open new schools once all schools are in academy trusts and, as such, will continue to keep the 50% cap under review. The Department regularly discusses the matter with groups who provide schools with a religious character, including the Catholic Church.
There are two mainstream Catholic schools in the Rother Valley Constituency, 296 in London and 1,955 in England.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many catholic schools there are in (a) Rother Valley constituency, (b) London and (c) England.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Department supports schools with a religious character. They add to the diversity of the school system, they are popular with parents both with and without a faith, and they typically deliver high standards of education for their pupils. They also have an important role to play in supporting levelling up, by providing high quality school places throughout the country.
The Department recognises that some groups, including the Catholic Church, feel unable to participate in the free schools programme because of the 50% cap on faith admissions.
The Department is committed to ensuring that all providers of schools with a religious character remain able to open new schools once all schools are in academy trusts and, as such, will continue to keep the 50% cap under review. The Department regularly discusses the matter with groups who provide schools with a religious character, including the Catholic Church.
There are two mainstream Catholic schools in the Rother Valley Constituency, 296 in London and 1,955 in England.