Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has made an assessment of the potential effect of low Ofsted ratings on levels of schools’ reliance on agency-provided staff.
Answered by Robin Walker
School leaders are best placed to determine the workforce required to meet the needs of their pupils. Headteachers have the freedom to contract supply staff to suit them, the school, and its pupils. Schools can contract supply staff in a variety of ways, including through supply agencies and the rate of pay depends on who employs a supply teacher. State maintained schools or local authorities who directly employ supply teachers must pay in accordance with the statutory arrangements for teachers laid down in the ‘School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions’ document. If a supply teacher is employed by a non-maintained school, a multi academy trust (MAT) or agency, the 'employer' can set the rates of pay and conditions of supply. Agency Worker Regulations provides that all workers on assignments that exceed 12 weeks are paid on equal terms as permanent staff after the 12th week.
Agency-provided staff are subject to the same legal requirements as permanent staff employed at the school. For teaching staff this includes having Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). In deploying staff, headteachers should be satisfied that the person has the appropriate skills, expertise, and experience to carry out the work. This includes ensuring that safe ratios are met, and specific training undertaken for any interventions or care for pupils with complex needs where specific training or specific ratios are required.
Supply agencies are private businesses and are not required to report data to the government.
Information on expenditure by schools on agency supply staff is published in the annual LA and school expenditure statistic which can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/la-and-school-expenditure.
This includes data for local authority-maintained schools in the 2020/21 financial year. School level data is also published on the Schools Financial Benchmarking website which can be accessed here: https://schools-financial-benchmarking.service.gov.uk/. This includes data for local authority maintained schools in the 2020/21 financial year and academies in the 2019/20 financial year.
Ofsted’s role is to inspect and report on the quality of education pupils are receiving, and their safeguarding. Where a school is judged Inadequate by Ofsted, the department may intervene to ensure that the school can benefit from the support of a strong trust. As announced in the Schools White Paper, the department is currently consulting on plans to support schools with two consecutive Ofsted judgements below Good to join strong trusts.
In August 2018, in conjunction with the Crown Commercial Service, the department launched the agency supply deal, which can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/deal-for-schools-hiring-supply-teachers-and-agency-workers.
The deal supports schools to get value for money when hiring agency supply teachers and other temporary school staff. Supply agencies that sign up to the deal agree to certain standards, including the elimination of ‘temp-to-perm’ or ‘finders fees’, where a supply teachers has been in post for 12 weeks.
We are reviewing that framework, and have consulted interested parties, including schools, agencies, and trade unions.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what qualifications are required of agency-provided staff in schools in (a) Oxford, (b) Oxfordshire, (c) South East and (d) England.
Answered by Robin Walker
School leaders are best placed to determine the workforce required to meet the needs of their pupils. Headteachers have the freedom to contract supply staff to suit them, the school, and its pupils. Schools can contract supply staff in a variety of ways, including through supply agencies and the rate of pay depends on who employs a supply teacher. State maintained schools or local authorities who directly employ supply teachers must pay in accordance with the statutory arrangements for teachers laid down in the ‘School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions’ document. If a supply teacher is employed by a non-maintained school, a multi academy trust (MAT) or agency, the 'employer' can set the rates of pay and conditions of supply. Agency Worker Regulations provides that all workers on assignments that exceed 12 weeks are paid on equal terms as permanent staff after the 12th week.
Agency-provided staff are subject to the same legal requirements as permanent staff employed at the school. For teaching staff this includes having Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). In deploying staff, headteachers should be satisfied that the person has the appropriate skills, expertise, and experience to carry out the work. This includes ensuring that safe ratios are met, and specific training undertaken for any interventions or care for pupils with complex needs where specific training or specific ratios are required.
Supply agencies are private businesses and are not required to report data to the government.
Information on expenditure by schools on agency supply staff is published in the annual LA and school expenditure statistic which can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/la-and-school-expenditure.
This includes data for local authority-maintained schools in the 2020/21 financial year. School level data is also published on the Schools Financial Benchmarking website which can be accessed here: https://schools-financial-benchmarking.service.gov.uk/. This includes data for local authority maintained schools in the 2020/21 financial year and academies in the 2019/20 financial year.
Ofsted’s role is to inspect and report on the quality of education pupils are receiving, and their safeguarding. Where a school is judged Inadequate by Ofsted, the department may intervene to ensure that the school can benefit from the support of a strong trust. As announced in the Schools White Paper, the department is currently consulting on plans to support schools with two consecutive Ofsted judgements below Good to join strong trusts.
In August 2018, in conjunction with the Crown Commercial Service, the department launched the agency supply deal, which can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/deal-for-schools-hiring-supply-teachers-and-agency-workers.
The deal supports schools to get value for money when hiring agency supply teachers and other temporary school staff. Supply agencies that sign up to the deal agree to certain standards, including the elimination of ‘temp-to-perm’ or ‘finders fees’, where a supply teachers has been in post for 12 weeks.
We are reviewing that framework, and have consulted interested parties, including schools, agencies, and trade unions.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the average (a) cost per hour and (b) signing bonus is of agency-provided teaching staff in (i) Oxford, (ii) Oxfordshire, (iii) South East and (iv) England.
Answered by Robin Walker
School leaders are best placed to determine the workforce required to meet the needs of their pupils. Headteachers have the freedom to contract supply staff to suit them, the school, and its pupils. Schools can contract supply staff in a variety of ways, including through supply agencies and the rate of pay depends on who employs a supply teacher. State maintained schools or local authorities who directly employ supply teachers must pay in accordance with the statutory arrangements for teachers laid down in the ‘School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions’ document. If a supply teacher is employed by a non-maintained school, a multi academy trust (MAT) or agency, the 'employer' can set the rates of pay and conditions of supply. Agency Worker Regulations provides that all workers on assignments that exceed 12 weeks are paid on equal terms as permanent staff after the 12th week.
Agency-provided staff are subject to the same legal requirements as permanent staff employed at the school. For teaching staff this includes having Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). In deploying staff, headteachers should be satisfied that the person has the appropriate skills, expertise, and experience to carry out the work. This includes ensuring that safe ratios are met, and specific training undertaken for any interventions or care for pupils with complex needs where specific training or specific ratios are required.
Supply agencies are private businesses and are not required to report data to the government.
Information on expenditure by schools on agency supply staff is published in the annual LA and school expenditure statistic which can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/la-and-school-expenditure.
This includes data for local authority-maintained schools in the 2020/21 financial year. School level data is also published on the Schools Financial Benchmarking website which can be accessed here: https://schools-financial-benchmarking.service.gov.uk/. This includes data for local authority maintained schools in the 2020/21 financial year and academies in the 2019/20 financial year.
Ofsted’s role is to inspect and report on the quality of education pupils are receiving, and their safeguarding. Where a school is judged Inadequate by Ofsted, the department may intervene to ensure that the school can benefit from the support of a strong trust. As announced in the Schools White Paper, the department is currently consulting on plans to support schools with two consecutive Ofsted judgements below Good to join strong trusts.
In August 2018, in conjunction with the Crown Commercial Service, the department launched the agency supply deal, which can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/deal-for-schools-hiring-supply-teachers-and-agency-workers.
The deal supports schools to get value for money when hiring agency supply teachers and other temporary school staff. Supply agencies that sign up to the deal agree to certain standards, including the elimination of ‘temp-to-perm’ or ‘finders fees’, where a supply teachers has been in post for 12 weeks.
We are reviewing that framework, and have consulted interested parties, including schools, agencies, and trade unions.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when his Department plans to publish an update to its transparency data, Looked after children in independent or semi-independent placements.
Answered by Will Quince
The transparency data ‘Looked after children in independent or semi-independent placements’ was initially published on 12 February 2020, alongside independent research commissioned by the department into the use of unregulated and unregistered provision for children in care. The documents can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/864075/Looked_after_children_in_independent_or_semi-independent_placements_Feb_2020.pdf and here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/use-of-unregulated-and-unregistered-provision-for-children-in-care.
These publications provided important context to the government consultation ‘Reforms to unregulated provision for children in care and care leavers’ which was published on the same date, and asked for views on proposals to reform the use of this provision. This publication is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/unregulated-provision-for-children-in-care-and-care-leavers. This transparency data was an ad-hoc release and, as confirmed in the report, will not be produced annually.
The department published a further suite of transparency data on 19 February 2021, available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/960067/Looked_after_children_aged_under_16_in_unregulated_placements.pdf. This provided details on the use of independent and semi-independent accommodation specifically for children under the age of 16 and was published to assist local authorities to prepare for a ban on the placement of under 16s in these placements from 9 September 2021. This was also an ad-hoc release and, as confirmed in the report, will not be produced annually.
The looked after children in independent and semi-independent settings data that is published annually by the department is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoptions/2020.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will publish the latest available statistics on the proportion of looked-after 16-17 year-olds living in (a) independent or semi-independent accommodation and (b) all care settings that are from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds.
Answered by Will Quince
The total number of children looked after aged 16-17 from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds who lived in independent or semi-independent accommodation on 31 March 2021 was 2,970 (which represents 50% of the children looked after population aged 16-17 who lived in independent or semi-independent accommodation). The number of children from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds from this age cohort who lived in all care settings on 31 March 2021 was 6,910 (which represents 37% of the children looked after population aged 16-17).
Figures on children looked after for all ages by ethnicity and placement type were published in the Statistical Release ‘Children looked after in England, including adoption: 2020 to 2021', which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoption-2020-to-2021.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what his Department's assessment is of the extent and effectiveness of existing programmes aiming to prevent violence against women and girls (VAWG) within schools and colleges in England, for each category of action (a) interventions that seek to transform gender norms to prevent VAWG, (b) healthy relationships education and bystander skills for both children and adolescents, (c) applied, participatory theatre projects concerning VAWG, (d) interventions designed to promote empowerment through self-defence and coaching for young women and (e) training of education professionals around the identification of potential victims of VAWG and their referral to other agencies.
Answered by Robin Walker
Schools and colleges have a critical role to play in protecting children and keeping them safe.
The subjects of relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) are now a statutory part of the curriculum. They include teaching pupils what healthy relationships look like, and the concepts of, and laws relating to, all forms of abuse. The RSHE statutory guidance also advises schools to be alive to issues such as sexism, misogyny, homophobia, and gender stereotypes, and to take positive action to tackle these issues. The guidance is available to view here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/relationships-education-relationships-and-sex-education-rse-and-health-education.
As with other aspects of the curriculum, schools have flexibility over how they deliver these subjects, so they can develop an integrated approach that is sensitive to the needs and backgrounds of their pupils. The department has provided advice on choosing resources and working with external agencies in the non-statutory implementation guidance here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/plan-your-relationships-sex-and-health-curriculum.
Following the Ofsted review of sexual abuse in schools and colleges, the department is strengthening support for designated safeguarding leads (DSLs) so they can confidently identify and address sexual abuse and harassment. This includes funding What Works for Children’s Social Care to trial supervision and training for DSLs in schools with a particular focus on supporting them to respond to sexual abuse issues in schools, working with the Centre for Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse. This also includes incorporating resources on child sexual abuse into the online resource hub for DSLs, which will launch in summer 2022.
Further education providers are expected to provide personal and social development for their learners and will be judged by Ofsted on how they deliver this. Key criteria for the assessment include developing confidence and resilience, understanding how to keep mentally and physically healthy and developing an age-appropriate understanding of healthy relationships through appropriate relationships and sex education. The department does not specify how colleges should achieve this.
The statutory safeguarding guidance 'Keeping Children Safe in Education' is very clear that all staff in schools and colleges should be aware of indicators of any form of abuse and or neglect, and what they should do if they have any concerns about a child being abused.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of average length of time of pupil suspensions in (a) primary schools, (b) secondary schools, and (c) special schools in (i) Oxford, (ii) Oxfordshire, (iii) South East England, and (iv) England in (A) 2019-20 and (B) 2020-21.
Answered by Robin Walker
Information on the numbers and rates of permanent exclusions and suspensions is available in the national statistics release “Permanent exclusions and suspensions in England.” This can be found at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/permanent-and-fixed-period-exclusions-in-england.
The release includes data at national, regional, local authority, local authority district and school level. Data is not yet available for the academic year 2020-21, as this is due to be published in July 2022. Tables relating to 2019-20 giving the number and rate of permanent exclusions and suspensions by school type have been produced using the ‘create tables’ tool at the following links:
The attached table shows the average length of suspensions.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of pupils on roll have been suspended from (a) primary schools, (b) secondary schools and (c) special schools in (i) Oxford, (ii) Oxfordshire, (iii) South East England and (iv) England in the 2020-21 academic year.
Answered by Robin Walker
Information on the numbers and rates of permanent exclusions and suspensions is available in the national statistics release “Permanent exclusions and suspensions in England.” This can be found at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/permanent-and-fixed-period-exclusions-in-england.
The release includes data at national, regional, local authority, local authority district and school level. Data is not yet available for the academic year 2020-21, as this is due to be published in July 2022. Tables relating to 2019-20 giving the number and rate of permanent exclusions and suspensions by school type have been produced using the ‘create tables’ tool at the following links:
The attached table shows the average length of suspensions.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many pupils were permanently excluded from (a) primary schools, (b) secondary schools and (c) special schools in (i) Oxford, (ii) Oxfordshire, (iii) South East England and (iv) England as a proportion of the total number of pupils in each school in the 2020-21 academic year.
Answered by Robin Walker
Information on the numbers and rates of permanent exclusions and suspensions is available in the national statistics release “Permanent exclusions and suspensions in England.” This can be found at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/permanent-and-fixed-period-exclusions-in-england.
The release includes data at national, regional, local authority, local authority district and school level. Data is not yet available for the academic year 2020-21, as this is due to be published in July 2022. Tables relating to 2019-20 giving the number and rate of permanent exclusions and suspensions by school type have been produced using the ‘create tables’ tool at the following links:
The attached table shows the average length of suspensions.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many successful requests there have been from local authorities for powers to compel schools to take on pupils who are out of school.
Answered by Robin Walker
All children are entitled to an efficient full-time education which is suitable to their age, ability, aptitude and any special educational needs they may have.
Local authorities have a duty to make arrangements to establish the identities of children in their area who are of compulsory school age but are not registered pupils at a school and are not receiving suitable education otherwise than at a school.
If it appears to the local authority that a child of compulsory school age is not receiving suitable education, either by regular attendance at school or otherwise, then they have the power to begin procedures for issuing a school attendance order. The order will name a school at which the parent is required to register their child.
Where a pupil is not regularly attending school, local authorities and schools have a range of measures they can put in place to support school attendance.
In the 2020/21 academic year, local authorities made three requests for my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, to issue a direction to comply with a school attendance order for academy schools. None of these requests resulted in a direction to admit. The time taken to issue a decision on these cases ranged from 4 days to 63 days, owing to the complexity of the individual cases.