Asked by: Andrea Leadsom (Conservative - South Northamptonshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to ensure provision of skills-based employment training for employees aged over 60; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Robert Halfon
The department is delivering several skills offers, such as Skills Bootcamps and Free Courses for Jobs, that can help upskill employed learners to access further opportunities. These are supported by an investment of £1.6 billion through the National Skills Fund across 2022 to 2025, which includes investment of up to £550 million to significantly expand Skills Bootcamps, and investment to expand the eligibility for delivery of the Free Courses for Jobs offer, which is now open to more adults.
Skills Bootcamps are free, flexible courses of up to 16 weeks, available to adults in England, including employed learners aged 60 and over, giving people the opportunity to build up sector-specific skills, with an offer of a job interview on completion. There are now more than 900 Skills Bootcamps available across the country, offering training in digital, technical (including engineering and manufacturing), construction, logistics (HGV driving), and skills that support the green economy (including heat pump engineering, electric vehicle maintenance and repair, and zero carbon construction).
The department also funds Free Courses for Jobs offer of over 400 Level 3 qualifications in sector subject areas such as engineering, social care and accounting, for adults in England including employed learners aged 60 and over. Adults are eligible if they do not hold an existing full level 3 qualification, if they are unemployed, or if they earn under the National Living Wage.
Asked by: Andrea Leadsom (Conservative - South Northamptonshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what representations he has received from headteachers on students being unable to access educational psychology assessments as a result of the professionals delivering those assessments working from home during the covid-19 outbreak; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Vicky Ford
Supporting pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) continues to be a priority for this government, and their wellbeing has been central to our response throughout the COVID-19 outbreak.
The department has not received any specific representations from headteachers, regarding their students being unable to access educational psychology assessments, due to educational professionals working from home, during the COVID-19 outbreak.
Educational specialists, including educational psychologists, have continued to provide services during the COVID-19 outbreak and we have been clear that children and young people with SEND should still be receiving the therapeutic and specialist interventions they need.
Asked by: Andrea Leadsom (Conservative - South Northamptonshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the availability of supervised non-resident parent visits in schools during the covid-19 lockdowns.
Answered by Vicky Ford
Schools should keep a record of all visitors with sufficient detail to support rapid contact tracing if required by NHS Test and Trace and those individuals will be expected to comply with the school’s arrangements for managing and minimising risk. This includes taking particular care to maintain distance from staff and pupils. Schools will also have the discretion to require face coverings for visitors where social distancing cannot be safely managed.
The local restriction tiers have introduced limits on people gathering indoors or outdoors. However, there are exceptions to enable people to meet, including for contact between parents and children where children do not live in the same household as both parents. Parents can, therefore, visit their children in residential provision such as children’s homes and residential schools that are registered as children’s homes.
Asked by: Andrea Leadsom (Conservative - South Northamptonshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he made of the potential merits of either permitting or encouraging schools to move to remote working during the last week of term in December 2020 to enable families who wish to self-isolate for two weeks to do so prior to meeting with elderly relatives over Christmas.
Answered by Nick Gibb
It continues to be our 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 education and children’s 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. The leaders and staff of nurseries, schools and colleges have been doing an extraordinary job to remain open, keep settings safe and provide education.
Schools have implemented a range of protective measures to minimise 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.
If parents have concerns about their child attending school because they consider they or members of their household may have particular risk factors, they should discuss these with their school.
Asked by: Andrea Leadsom (Conservative - South Northamptonshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether children in reception year will be able to retake that year in the 2021-22 academic year in the event that they are unable to complete reception in 2020-21 as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Schools continue to remain open for all children and young people as they have since the start of the autumn term. Being at school is vital for children’s education and their wellbeing. It continues to be the aim that all pupils, in all year groups, remain in school full-time.
The Department does not currently anticipate that children in Reception or any other year group will need to repeat a school year as a consequence of the COVID-19 outbreak. It is important for parents to remember that all children in any year group will be in the same position. Schools have planned carefully to take this into account in their teaching and support for pupils.
The Department has announced a package of support worth £1 billion to ensure that schools have the support they need to help pupils make up for lost teaching time in the last school year. This package of measures comprises a £650 million universal catch up premium for schools to help them make up for lost teaching time, and a new £350 million National Tutoring Programme for disadvantaged pupils.
Once a child has been admitted to a school, it is for the head teacher to decide how best to educate them. It remains possible for head teachers to agree for an individual child to retake a year, if they think it is appropriate.
Asked by: Andrea Leadsom (Conservative - South Northamptonshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the (a) adequacy of funding available for rural pre-schools and (b) quality of the learning environment for children attending a rural pre-school.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
We plan to spend around £3.5 billion on our early education entitlements this year alone, more than any previous government. The government recognises the need to keep the evidence base on costs up to date.
We continue to monitor the provider market closely through a range of regular and one-off research projects which provide insight into various aspects of the provider market. That includes the 2018 Early Years Provider Costs report, which looked at a representative sample of providers, both in terms of provider type and geography, and which can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/early-years-and-childcare-statistics.
As at 31 March 2019, 95% of early years providers were rated “Good” or “Outstanding” by Ofsted, compared with 68% in 2010. This information can be found at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/early-years-and-childcare-statistics.
Asked by: Andrea Leadsom (Conservative - South Northamptonshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the effect on pre-schools of the removal of funding for training of pre-school staff to level 3 standard.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
Funding for training of pre-school staff to level 3 has not been removed.
Employers can access up to £6,000 for level 3 Early Years Educator apprenticeship training and employers are only required to pay 5% of the costs of training and assessing an apprentice. A link to the apprenticeship standards for Early Years Educator apprenticeship training can be found here: https://www.instituteforapprenticeships.org/apprenticeship-standards/early-years-educator/.
Asked by: Andrea Leadsom (Conservative - South Northamptonshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the staff to children ratio at pre-schools in rural areas.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
The statutory framework for the early years foundation stage (EYFS) sets the standards for learning, development and care for children from birth to five years of age. This includes the minimum staff to child ratios that all early years providers must comply with, which is referenced in section 3 of the framework here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/596629/EYFS_STATUTORY_FRAMEWORK_2017.pdf.
Ofsted inspects early years settings against the EYFS statutory framework, which includes ensuring that safeguarding and welfare requirements are being met. As at 31 March 2019, 95% of early years providers were rated good or outstanding by Ofsted, up from 68% in 2010.
Asked by: Andrea Leadsom (Conservative - South Northamptonshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the recommendations of the Inter Ministerial Group on early years family support have been agreed by his Department; and what further steps he has taken to improve early years family support.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
The Early Years Family Support Ministerial Group is considering how the government can improve the coordination and cost-effectiveness of early years family support and identify gaps in available provision. The group will make recommendations to relevant Secretaries of State in due course.