Asked by: Andrew Percy (Conservative - Brigg and Goole)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the remit of the Office for Students will include anti-discrimination on campus.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
The government has published a consultation on behalf of the new Office for Students (OfS) regarding the regulation of the higher education sector. It proposes that, in its regulatory approach, the OfS will look to ensure that all students, from all backgrounds can access, succeed in, and progress from higher education
Higher Education (HE) providers are autonomous organisations, independent from Government, and they already have responsibilities to ensure that they provide a safe, inclusive environment, including legal obligations under the Equality Act 2010 (the Act) to ensure that students do not face discrimination.
The OfS, like some HE providers, will also have obligations under the Public Sector Equality Duty in part 11 of the Act. This includes a requirement that the OfS, when exercising its functions, has due regard to the need to: eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation and any other unlawful conduct in the Act, advance equality of opportunity, and foster good relations in relation to protected characteristics.
In addition, in September 2015 the government asked Universities UK (UUK) to set up a Harassment Taskforce, composed of university leaders, student representatives and academic experts, to consider what more can be done to address harassment and hate crime on campus. The taskforce published its report, ‘Changing the Culture’, in October 2016, which sets out that universities should embed a zero-tolerance approach to sexual harassment and hate crime. This includes hate crime or harassment on the basis of religion or belief, such as antisemitism and Islamophobia. The Higher Education Funding Council for England is currently working with UUK to test the sector’s response to the Taskforce’s recommendations and the results of this will be published early in 2018.
Asked by: Andrew Percy (Conservative - Brigg and Goole)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which Government Department is responsible for collecting reports of (a) anti-Semitic, (b) Islamophobic, (c) racist and (d) homophobic bullying in the work place.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Government does not systematically collect such reports but the Equality and Human Rights Commission, the independent public body sponsored by the Government Equalities Office, is responsible for monitoring the effectiveness of equality and human rights legislation.
The Commission’s report ‘How Fair is Britain?’ (2010) and follow up research report 74 (“Public authority commitment and action to eliminate targeted harassment and violence”) included data about unlawful harassment in the workplace.
The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service provides advice on employment rights and workplace disputes. Its study, ‘Seeking better solutions: tackling bullying and ill-treatment in Britain's workplaces’ (2015) looked at the latest research on workplace bullying.
Asked by: Andrew Percy (Conservative - Brigg and Goole)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential educational and literacy merits of establishing a scheme to send regular age appropriate books to looked-after children under the age of five in England.
Answered by Edward Timpson
Having access to age appropriate books is an important part of the development of all children, including those who are looked-after. It is an integral part of every local authority’s responsibilities to promote the educational achievement of the children it looks after, including through encouraging their curiosity for reading. This includes ensuring that foster carers see the value of and encourage children of all ages to enjoy reading.
In 2015, 120 local authorities took part in BookTrust’s Letterbox Club scheme (http://www.letterboxclub.org.uk/local-authorities/). As part of this scheme, looked-after children aged 5 to 13 in participating local authorities receive a colourful parcel of books, maths activities, stationery and other complementary materials once every month for six months.
To support their learning, looked-after children aged 3 and 4 attract Early Years Pupil Premium funding, which is managed by the Virtual School Head in the authority that looks after them.
Asked by: Andrew Percy (Conservative - Brigg and Goole)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to ensure that all children are taught in schools about online abuse and how they should report such abuse to the police.
Answered by Edward Timpson
E-safety is covered at all key stages in the computing curriculum since its introduction in September 2014. Children in primary schools are taught how to use technology safely and respectfully, how to keep personal information private, and where to go for help and support when they have concerns about content or contact on the internet, such as online abuse or other online technologies. Pupils in secondary schools are taught a range of ways to use technology safely, respectfully, responsibly and securely, including protecting their online identity and privacy, how to recognise inappropriate content, contact and conduct and how to report concerns. All schools can choose to teach children about the dangers of social media in an age-appropriate way. Schools are also able to teach pupils about e-safety in personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) lessons. The PSHE Association’s non-statutory programme of study for health and well-being includes ways of keeping physically and emotionally safe, including online.
Asked by: Andrew Percy (Conservative - Brigg and Goole)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many defibrillators are provided in each building her Department manages.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Department for Education provides the following number of defibrillators in each of its buildings:
Building | No. of Defibrillators |
Sanctuary Buildings, London | 3 |
Earlsdon Park, Coventry | 1 |
Bishopsgate House, Darlington | 1 |
2 St Paul's Place, Sheffield | 0 |
Learning & Conference Centre, Nottingham | 0 |
Asked by: Andrew Percy (Conservative - Brigg and Goole)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help prevent loneliness and social isolation among younger people.
Answered by Sam Gyimah
Loneliness and isolation in younger people may be due to a variety of complex reasons and there is no single solution; prevention and early intervention are key. The Department for Education’s provisions for early years, schools and vulnerable children all play a part in promoting social contact and assisting families to support children more effectively.
Schools can play a significant role in promoting good mental health and emotional wellbeing, which helps their pupils integrate and get the most out of the education, by supporting children and young people who are facing difficulties. Every state-funded school in England must offer a broad and balanced curriculum which promotes the spiritual, moral, cultural and physical development of pupils. In doing so, we expect schools to make provision for personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE) and to provide a wide range of curricular and extra-curricular opportunities for pupils to develop their character.
When loneliness and isolation leads to mental health difficulties, there is a range of support available to schools. Our Mental Health and Behaviour advice helps teachers to identify and support pupils with mental health needs, including being aware of when children become withdrawn and isolated: www.gov.uk/government/publications/mental-health-and-behaviour-in-schools--2. Our blueprint for school counselling services provides schools with practical, evidence-based advice on how to deliver high quality school based counselling: www.gov.uk/government/publications/counselling-in-schools.
The government has made children and young people’s mental health support a priority and we are investing an additional £1.4 billion in children and young people’s and perinatal mental health services over the next 5 years. On top of this the Department for Education is also providing funding worth £4.9 million this year, through a dedicated mental health strand within our VCS programme, which includes supporting children and young people with issues such as bereavement. For those children and young people with caring responsibility, who are particularly at risk of isolation, we have changed the law to make it easier for them to get an assessment of their needs for support regardless of the level or type of care they provide.
Asked by: Andrew Percy (Conservative - Brigg and Goole)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that children and young people acquire the skills necessary to make healthy food choice.
Answered by Edward Timpson
There are opportunities across the school curriculum for children to be taught the skills they need to make healthy food choices. In science lessons at key stages 1 and 2, children are taught to describe the importance for humans of exercise and eating the right amounts of different types of food and that humans need the right types and amount of nutrition. In secondary science, children are taught about the content of a healthy human diet, such as carbohydrates, fats and oils, proteins, vitamins, minerals, dietary fibre and water, and why each is needed. They also learn about the consequences of imbalances in the diet, including obesity.
In design and technology lessons (key stages 1 to 3), children are taught about food, nutrition and healthy eating and how to cook a repertoire of dishes. Pupils in primary schools are taught about healthy eating and the importance of a good, balanced diet. In secondary schools, children’s knowledge becomes more in-depth as they learn how to feed themselves and others affordably and well and learn where their food comes from.
Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education also provides opportunities for pupils to learn about health and wellbeing, including being taught what constitutes a healthy lifestyle, the benefits of physical activity and healthy eating.
It is important that children eat nutritious, tasty food at school as fuel for learning, to help their growth and development and so that they develop healthy eating habits. The School Food Standards, introduced in January 2015, severely restrict foods high in fat, salt and sugar, as well as low quality reformed or reconstituted foods. They help ensure that pupils always have healthy options for their school lunch.
Asked by: Andrew Percy (Conservative - Brigg and Goole)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department intends to take to reduce the number of children who do not attend school due to bullying.
Answered by Edward Timpson
No child should be frightened of going to school because they might be bullied.
All schools are required by law to have a behaviour policy with measures to prevent all forms of bullying and they are held closely to account by Ofsted for their effectiveness. Inspectors consider pupil behaviour and welfare, including how well schools prevent and tackle bullying, discriminatory and prejudicial behaviour.
We are also providing a total of £1.3 million of funding over 12 months from April 2015 to the Diana Award, Kidscape and the National Children’s Bureau to work with schools to prevent bullying and deal with its impact when it occurs. This is in addition to the £4 million provided in 2013/15. We are also providing £2 million this year to help schools tackle homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying.
Good schools create an ethos of good behaviour where pupils treat each other and staff with courtesy and respect. Where bullying does happen schools should move to tackle it and provide support for the bullied child. We issued advice to schools last year to help them identify children that may be most vulnerable to bullying and how to provide support to ensure their mental health and wellbeing. This is available online at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/preventing-and-tackling-bullying.
Asked by: Andrew Percy (Conservative - Brigg and Goole)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many defibrillators have been purchased by new schools nationally in accordance with guidance issued in 2014 by her Department; and what assessment she has made of the effect of this guidance.
Answered by Edward Timpson
The Department does not hold information on the number of schools which have staff trained in CPR. All schools should have at least one first-aider, and the number of first-aid personnel will be based on local circumstances, considered as part of a first aid needs assessment in the school. Recognised certificated courses ‘First Aid at Work’ or ‘Emergency First Aid at Work’ train staff in the administration of CPR.
The guidance published by the Department in November 2014 promoted a scheme to enable schools to purchase defibrillators at reduced cost. As of 23 October 2015, 735 defibrillators had been purchased by schools through this scheme. The Department does not hold information on the total number of schools with a defibrillator.
Asked by: Andrew Percy (Conservative - Brigg and Goole)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools in England have (a) staff trained in CPR or (b) a defibrillator on site; and what plans her Department has to ensure that all schools have (i) such staff and (ii) on-site defibrillators.
Answered by Edward Timpson
The Department does not hold information on the number of schools which have staff trained in CPR. All schools should have at least one first-aider, and the number of first-aid personnel will be based on local circumstances, considered as part of a first aid needs assessment in the school. Recognised certificated courses ‘First Aid at Work’ or ‘Emergency First Aid at Work’ train staff in the administration of CPR.
The guidance published by the Department in November 2014 promoted a scheme to enable schools to purchase defibrillators at reduced cost. As of 23 October 2015, 735 defibrillators had been purchased by schools through this scheme. The Department does not hold information on the total number of schools with a defibrillator.