Asked by: Baroness Lister of Burtersett (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the net reduction in eligibility for free school meals in England following the implementation and roll out of universal credit.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
Under our new criteria for how free school meals eligibility will operate under Universal Credit, there will be no net reduction in eligibility for free school meals. The department has estimated that, by 2022, around 50,000 more children will benefit from a free school meal compared to the previous benefits system.
Asked by: Baroness Lister of Burtersett (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Nash on 19 September (HL1491), when they anticipate a suitable legislative opportunity will arise to put the guidance on school uniform policies on a statutory footing.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
We intend to put the school uniform guidance on a statutory footing when a suitable legislative opportunity arises. No education bill was announced in the most recent Queen’s speech, which set out the proposed legislative programme for this session of Parliament. We therefore anticipate that the next opportunity to consider a suitable slot for this measure will be in the second session of this Parliament.
Asked by: Baroness Lister of Burtersett (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when they propose to put guidance on school uniform supply on a statutory basis as set out in the HM Treasury 2015 report A Better Deal.
Answered by Lord Nash
Decisions on school uniform, including how this is sourced, are made by the governing body (or academy trust) of the school, but our existing guidance is clear that, when setting their uniform policies, schools should keep costs to a minimum and ensure the uniform is affordable for everyone.
The guidance also reminds schools of their obligation under Human Rights and Equalities legislation, as well as highlighting the legal requirement for schools to have a complaints process in place. Parents who have concerns about a school’s uniform policy can use this process to raise these with the school. If parents continue to have concerns, they can raise these with the Department.
We intend to put this guidance on a statutory footing when a suitable legislative opportunity arises.
Asked by: Baroness Lister of Burtersett (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the proposal to drop the 50 per cent cap on religious selection in faith schools, what consideration they have given to the finding of the Education Policy Institute, in its report <i>Faith Schools, Pupil Performance and Social Selection</i>, published in December, that the average faith school admits fewer pupils from poor backgrounds than the average non-faith school.
Answered by Viscount Younger of Leckie
The EPI report fails to recognise the fact that the government’s proposals are about creating more good school places for more parents in more parts of the country by giving them more choice. Our proposals to expand the number of good school places available to parents will help more young people have the chance to go as far as their talents will take them.
Faith schools are among the highest performing schools in the country, with more primary and secondary faith schools judged good or outstanding than their non-faith counterparts[1]. Faith schools are popular with parents and the removal of the 50% faith cap will enable the establishment of even more good schools.
[1]Ofsted official statistics: Maintained schools and academies inspections and outcomes as at 31 March 2016 shows faith schools are more likely to be good or outstanding as compared to non-faith schools (89% as compared to 86% at primary; 81% as compared to 75% at secondary).
Asked by: Baroness Lister of Burtersett (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have for extended school services in the light of the report <i>Unfinished Business: where next for extended schools?</i>, published by the Child Poverty Action Group and the Family and Childcare Trust; and what assessment they have made of the report's recommendations.
Answered by Lord Nash
The report “Unfinished Business: where next for extended schools?” was received and reviewed by my Department. Officials have met representatives of the Child Poverty Action Group to discuss the findings. This report adds to our evidence base in this policy area.
My Department is also currently extending that evidence base by conducting in-depth research on what activities schools offer outside their core timetable and the challenges they encounter.
As a part of the March 2016 Budget, the previous Chancellor announced that funding from the soft drinks industry levy would help up to 25% of secondary schools to extend their school day.
The Department is currently determining the details of how this funding will be allocated and we will provide further details in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Lister of Burtersett (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Nash on 16 November (HL3148), whether they will publish the questionnaire used in the Children's Services Omnibus Survey before they publish the research report.
Answered by Lord Nash
The Department for Education intends to publish the questionnaire from the first Children’s Services Omnibus Survey in Spring 2017, as part of the research report. This is standard practice for research reports. There are no plans to publish the questionnaire prior to this.
Asked by: Baroness Lister of Burtersett (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the remarks by Lord Nash on 6 July (HL Deb, col GC248), whether they will provide more details of the children's service omnibus survey, including how they intend to frame the request to local authorities about how they analyse demands for services; and whether they plan to consult on the construction of the questionnaire, and if so, when and with whom.
Answered by Lord Nash
The Department for Education (DfE) Children’s Services Survey, also referred to as the Children’s Services Omnibus Survey, is conducted by an independent research agency, NatCen social research, on behalf of the DfE.
The survey has been funded for two years and will survey local authorities twice a year. The survey will help the DfE understand key issues facing children’s services and local authorities’ experiences of implementing different policies, focusing on Early Years and Childcare, Children’s Social Care and Special Educational Needs and Disability.
The first survey was completed by local authorities in October 2016. The results from this survey will be published in a research report on the Government’s website, www.gov.uk, in spring 2017.
One of the topics local authorities were asked about in the first survey was their use of data to analyse need for services. Local authorities were asked how confident they feel that their authority is able to identify unmet needs for individual children and families. Local authorities were also asked if they have a function or team that is able to (a) analyse the demand for children’s social care; (b) compare the cost of different interventions to make planning decisions for children’s services, (c) assess the impact of different interventions to make planning decisions for children’s services; and (d) identify unmet needs for individual children and families. The questionnaire for the second survey is currently in development.
Questions for the survey are proposed by policy officials to the research team, and these are developed with an advisory group of local authority representatives. The survey is piloted in 20 local authorities; data and feedback from the pilot is used to develop the final questionnaire. The final questionnaire is signed off by children’s services policy directors.
Asked by: Baroness Lister of Burtersett (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to highlight play as a key strand of the Government's policy on parenting and life chances.
Answered by Lord Nash
I refer the noble Baroness to the answer given on 9 March to PQ 29736, which I have also set out below:
The Department for Education recognises that play has an important role in supporting all young children to develop and prepare for later learning.
Play is integral in the early years and is covered in the statutory Early Years Foundation Stage framework which states: “Play is essential for children’s development, building their confidence as they learn to explore, to think about problems, and relate to others.” The framework is attached.
The Government’s forthcoming Life Chances Strategy will set out a comprehensive plan to fight disadvantage and extend opportunity. Within this, we are considering how we can support early years and parenting to give children the best start in life.
Asked by: Baroness Lister of Burtersett (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the call in the new report from the charity Sense, <i>Making the Case for Play,</i> for play to be part of the ministerial brief for the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Childcare and Education.
Answered by Lord Nash
I refer the noble Baroness to the answer given on 8 March to PQ 29735, which I have also set out below:
The Department for Education recognises that play has an important role in supporting all young children to develop and prepare for later learning. The importance of play is already recognised within the early years legislation covered by Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Childcare and Education’s portfolio.
Play is covered in the statutory Early Years Foundation Stage framework and states: “Each area of learning and development must be implemented through planned, purposeful play and through a mix of adult-led and child-initiated activity.”
Staff working in early years settings as Early Years Educators (level 3) and Early Years Teachers (graduates) are required to have an understanding of different pedagogical approaches, including the role of play in supporting early learning and development. The criteria for the Early Years Educator and standards for Early Years Teacher Status qualifications are set by the department. However, it is the responsibility of early years settings to provide play opportunities for their children and pupils, including those with special educational needs and disabilities.
Ofsted registers childcare provision on the Early Years Register and the General Childcare Register and conducts a regular cycle of inspection to ensure that provision meets the required quality and safety standards.
In judging the quality and standards of early years provision, Ofsted inspectors must assess the extent to which the learning and care provided by the setting meets the needs of the range of children who attend, including the needs of any children who have special educational needs or disabilities. At August 2015, 85 per cent of providers on the Early Years Register were rated good or outstanding for overall effectiveness. This is an increase of 11 percentage points since 2012.
Asked by: Baroness Lister of Burtersett (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the importance of strategic local approaches to play, and what plans they have to require authorities to submit regional play strategies to the Department for Education.
Answered by Lord Nash
I refer the noble Baroness to the answer given on 8 March to PQ 29737, which I have also set out below:
The Department for Education recognises that play has an important role in supporting all young children to develop and prepare for later learning.
Play is integral in the early years and is covered in the statutory Early Years Foundation Stage framework which states: “Each area of learning and development must be implemented through planned, purposeful play and through a mix of adult-led and child-initiated activity.”
The staff working in early years settings as Early Years Educators (level 3) and Early Years Teachers (graduates) are required to have an understanding different pedagogical approaches, including the role of play in supporting early learning and development. The criteria for the Early Years Educator and standards for Early Years Teacher Status qualifications are set by the department.
Ofsted registers childcare provision on the Early Years Register and the General Childcare Register and conducts a regular cycle of inspection to ensure that provision meets the required quality and safety standards.
In judging the quality and standards of early years provision, Ofsted inspectors must assess the extent to which the learning and care provided by the setting meets the needs of the range of children who attend, including the needs of any children who have special educational needs or disabilities. At August 2015, 85 per cent of providers on the Early Years Register were rated good or outstanding for overall effectiveness. This is an increase of 11 percentage points since 2012.
Local Authorities provide and offer Continuous Professional Development and training to early years settings; some of which may include training on play. However, it is not a requirement for local authorities to deliver regional play training as it is already a requirement in the Early Years Foundation Stage to cover play in a setting.