Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to increase funding for wraparound care.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Any future decisions on departmental spending are subject to the spending review process.
Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether teaching staff at colleges providing 16-19 education will be awarded the same pay increase as staff at (a) schools and (b) academies providing 16-19 education.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
This government is committed to ensuring there is a thriving further education (FE) sector, which is vital to our missions to break down the barriers to opportunity and boost economic growth.
FE colleges, rather than government, are responsible for setting and negotiating pay within colleges. Colleges are not bound by the national pay and conditions framework for school teachers, but are free to implement their own pay arrangements in line with their own local circumstances. FE colleges were incorporated under the terms of the 1992 Further and Higher Education Act, which gave them autonomy over the pay and contractual terms and conditions of their staff.
At the Autumn Budget 2024, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer set out an additional £300 million of revenue funding for FE in the 2025/26 financial year to ensure young people are developing the skills this country needs. The department has recently announced that we are making approximately £50 million of that available to sixth-form colleges and FE Colleges for April to July 2025. This one-off grant will enable colleges to respond to current priorities and challenges, including workforce recruitment and retention. It is up to colleges how they use this funding to best meet priorities.
This builds on our investment to extend targeted retention incentive payments of up to £6,000 after tax to eligible early career FE teachers in key subject areas. The department is also delivering funding to support those young people who do not pass mathematics and English GCSE at 16 who are predominantly studying in FE.
The department will continue to offer financial incentives for those undertaking teacher training for the FE sector in priority subject areas. For the 2024/25 academic year, FE training bursaries are worth up to £30,000 each, tax free. Additionally, we are supporting industry professionals to enter the teaching workforce through our ‘Taking Teaching Further’ programme.
In making their recommendations for 2025/26 school teacher pay, the School Teachers' Review Body's (STRB) have been asked to consider the impact of their recommendations on the FE teaching workforce in England. This does not change how pay is set in FE, but as the FE and school workforces are closely related, it’s important that the STRB consider the totality of the workforce when they look at the evidence.
Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she plans to take to help increase the number of students entering the civil nuclear sector.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Nuclear power production is making a crucial contribution to the UK’s Clean Energy Superpower Mission. This contribution relies on a highly skilled workforce. The government and industry are working together to increase the number of students across academic and technical education that enter the nuclear sector. The government’s reforms of England’s skills system, including through the Growth and Skills Levy, the work of Skills England and the Post-16 Strategy, will support the sector’s access to the talent that it needs.
The National Nuclear Strategic Plan for Skills, which the government developed in partnership with industry, will also help address the workforce needs of the civil and defence nuclear sectors. The Plan, published by the Nuclear Skills Delivery Group, is available here: https://nuclearskillsdeliverygroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/NSDG-National-Nuclear-Strategic-Plan-For-Skills.pdf.
The government’s current skills offer in England is already helping meet the needs of the nuclear sector. There are seven nuclear-specific occupational standards which underpin apprenticeships. Other apprenticeships are also crucial to the construction and operation of nuclear power plants, including project manager (level 6), and maintenance and operations engineering technician (level 3).
The ‘Free Courses for Jobs’ offer includes two nuclear sector-specific qualifications: the ECITB level 3 Certificate and Diploma in Nuclear Engineering and Science.
A range of Skills Bootcamps are available in nuclear specific and nuclear supportive courses.
Higher education plays a key role in supplying the civil nuclear sector with the skills it needs. Sector specific provision is important, particularly at postgraduate level, but more general courses are also vital to a healthy skills supply for the sector.
Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of including first aid training in the national curriculum.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
All state-funded schools in England are required to teach first aid as part of statutory health education, which is taught as part of relationships, sex and health education (RSHE). It includes basic first aid and dealing with common injuries. Pupils in secondary schools are taught further first aid, for example how to administer CPR and the purpose of defibrillators.
Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to embed a Whole Education Approach to mental health and wellbeing in all education settings.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government is committed to improving mental health outcomes for all children and young people, as this is critical to breaking down barriers to opportunity and learning.
The department, along with the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, provides guidance to schools and colleges on a whole school or college approach to promoting and supporting mental health and wellbeing, which can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/614cc965d3bf7f718518029c/Promoting_children_and_young_people_s_mental_health_and_wellbeing.pdf. The department has also provided a free to access resource hub for mental health leads, which can be found here: https://www.mentallyhealthyschools.org.uk/whole-school-or-college-resources/.
Over 70% of all schools and colleges have accessed grants from the department to train a senior mental health lead, who develops their knowledge and skills to embed a whole school or college approach to mental health and wellbeing. Information is available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/senior-mental-health-lead-training. In addition, as of April 2024, Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs) cover 44% (4.2 million) of pupils in schools and learners in further education (FE) in England. Coverage of MHSTs is expected to cover at least 50% by the end of March 2025.
A key part of our approach is ensuring the right support is available to every young person that needs it, which is why we have committed to provide access to specialist mental health professionals in every school. The government will also be putting in place new Young Futures hubs, including access to mental health support workers, and will recruit an additional 8,500 new mental health staff to treat children and adults.
For early years settings, the early years foundation stage (EYFS) statutory framework sets the standards and requirements that all early years providers must meet to ensure that children have the best start in life and are kept healthy and safe. The EYFS statutory framework can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-foundation-stage-framework--2.
The department works closely with the FE sector to support providers to develop and implement a whole college approach to mental health and wellbeing. This is supported by the Association of Colleges refreshed Mental Health and Wellbeing Charter, which was published in March 2024.
To raise standards in the higher education sector, the Office for Students has provided £400,000 of funding to the student mental health charity, Student Minds. This has enabled significant expansion of the University Mental Health Charter Programme, with 113 universities now signed up. The programme helps universities to adopt a whole institution approach to mental health.
Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help tackle low pay in the further education sector.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government does not set or recommend pay in further education (FE). This remains the responsibility of individual colleges who are free to implement pay arrangements in line with their local needs.
The government recognises the vital role that FE teachers play in developing the skills needed to drive our missions to improve opportunity and economic growth. That is why the department is investing around £600 million in FE across the financial years 2024/25 and 2025/26. This includes extending retention payments of up to £6,000 after tax to eligible early career FE teachers in key subject areas. The department also continues to support recruitment and retention with teacher training bursaries worth up to £30,000 tax-free in certain key subject areas and with support for industry professionals to enter the teaching workforce through our Taking Teaching Further programme.
My right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, has announced a Budget on 30 October, to be followed by a multi-year Spending Review in the spring of next year. Decisions about future post-16 funding and capital programmes will be subject to the outcomes of these fiscal events.
Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that speech, language and communication (a) needs and (b) development are supported as early as possible including for children whose needs are identified pre-school age.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Early language skills are vital in enabling children to thrive in the early years and later life, as well as for all aspects of later attainment in school.
The early years foundation stage (EYFS) statutory framework sets the standards and requirements that all early years providers must follow to ensure every child has the best start in life and is prepared for school. The three prime areas of learning and development within the EYFS are particularly important for building a strong foundation, with communication and language being one of the prime areas.
Assessment plays an important part in helping parents, carers and practitioners to recognise children’s progress, understand their needs and to plan activities and support. The assessment requirements in the EYFS include a progress check at age two and the EYFS Profile, both of which involve reviewing a child’s development in communication and language.
However, the department knows that when it comes to referrals for additional support, too many children are waiting too long for speech and language therapy. NHS planning guidance asks local systems to reduce overall waiting times for community services, with a particular focus on reducing the longest waits. Community health services, including speech and language therapy, will be key in delivering this government’s commitment to shift to a neighbourhood health service and provide more care in the community. Full details of the NHS operational planning and contracting guidance can be found on this website: https://www.england.nhs.uk/operational-planning-and-contracting/.
To further support early language skills, the department is also:
Providing funding for settings to undertake evidence-based continuous professional development programmes, including those focussed on speech, language and communication, via a national network of early years stronger practice hubs.
Training through the ‘professional development programme’ and the online early years child development training, both of which include a specific module focused on early language.
Training for up to 7,000 special educational needs co-ordinators to help children with speech, language and communication needs and support earlier identification of needs.
Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential (a) return on investment, (b) improved outcomes and (c) opportunities from tackling the speech, language and communication needs of (i) babies, (ii) children and (iii) young people.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
This government’s vision for children and young people with special educational needs, including those with speech, language and communication needs, is the same as it is for all children and young people. We want them to achieve well in their early years, at school and in further education; to find employment; to lead happy and fulfilled lives; and to experience choice and control.
In July, the department announced that funded support would continue in the 2024/25 academic year for 11,100 schools registered to the Nuffield early language intervention programme. This will help pupils who need extra support with speech and language development to find their voice. The department is also funding the Early Language and Support For Every Child pathfinders, in partnership with NHS England. This will fund nine Integrated Care Boards and will fund one of the local areas within each of the nine Regional Expert Partnerships to trial new ways of working to better identify and support children with speech, language and communication needs in early years and primary schools. Alongside this, we know that continuing to build the pipeline of speech and language therapists is essential. That is why the department introduced the speech and language degree apprenticeship, which is now in its third year of delivery and offers an alternative pathway into a successful career as a speech and language therapist.
Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the adequacy of the specialist workforce needed for (a) babies, (b) children and (c) young people with speech, language, and communication needs.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
This government’s vision for children and young people with special educational needs, including those with speech, language and communication needs, is the same as it is for all children and young people. We want them to achieve well in their early years, at school and in further education; to find employment; to lead happy and fulfilled lives; and to experience choice and control.
In July, the department announced that funded support would continue in the 2024/25 academic year for 11,100 schools registered to the Nuffield early language intervention programme. This will help pupils who need extra support with speech and language development to find their voice. The department is also funding the Early Language and Support For Every Child pathfinders, in partnership with NHS England. This will fund nine Integrated Care Boards and will fund one of the local areas within each of the nine Regional Expert Partnerships to trial new ways of working to better identify and support children with speech, language and communication needs in early years and primary schools. Alongside this, we know that continuing to build the pipeline of speech and language therapists is essential. That is why the department introduced the speech and language degree apprenticeship, which is now in its third year of delivery and offers an alternative pathway into a successful career as a speech and language therapist.
Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help ensure the specialist workforce needed for (a) babies, (b) children and (c) young people with speech, language and communication needs.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
This government’s vision for children and young people with special educational needs, including those with speech, language and communication needs, is the same as it is for all children and young people. We want them to achieve well in their early years, at school and in further education; to find employment; to lead happy and fulfilled lives; and to experience choice and control.
In July, the department announced that funded support would continue in the 2024/25 academic year for 11,100 schools registered to the Nuffield early language intervention programme. This will help pupils who need extra support with speech and language development to find their voice. The department is also funding the Early Language and Support For Every Child pathfinders, in partnership with NHS England. This will fund nine Integrated Care Boards and will fund one of the local areas within each of the nine Regional Expert Partnerships to trial new ways of working to better identify and support children with speech, language and communication needs in early years and primary schools. Alongside this, we know that continuing to build the pipeline of speech and language therapists is essential. That is why the department introduced the speech and language degree apprenticeship, which is now in its third year of delivery and offers an alternative pathway into a successful career as a speech and language therapist.