Asked by: Cheryl Gillan (Conservative - Chesham and Amersham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what compensation is available to university students who have their online tuition cancelled.
Answered by Michelle Donelan
This is a difficult and uncertain time for students, but we are working with the higher education (HE) sector to make sure that all reasonable efforts are being made to enable students to continue their studies. We have seen some fantastic and innovative examples of high-quality online learning being delivered across the sector and are aware of a number of universities that have increased their online teaching in response to local COVID-19 outbreaks. This is in line with government guidance, which sets out 4 tiers of restrictions for education settings, and SAGE advice.
However, the majority of universities are now open for the autumn term, using a blended learning approach which combines online teaching and in-person tuition in ways that they consider appropriate to minimise risk.
Whether or not an individual student is entitled to a refund of tuition fees will depend on the specific contractual arrangements between the HE provider and student.
If students have concerns, they should first raise their concerns with their university. If their concerns remain unresolved, students at HE providers in England or Wales can ask the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education to consider their complaint.
Universities are autonomous and responsible for setting their own fees within the fee caps set by the government. In deciding to keep charging full fees, universities will of course want to ensure that they can continue to deliver courses that are fit for purpose and that help students progress their qualifications.
The government has been clear that it expects universities to continue delivering a high-quality academic experience and help students to achieve qualifications that they and employers value.
Asked by: Cheryl Gillan (Conservative - Chesham and Amersham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what training is being made available to university students to help them to access their online tuition at university.
Answered by Michelle Donelan
English higher education (HE) providers are autonomous institutions, which means that they have the freedom to determine the way their courses are taught, supervised, and assessed. However, providers that are registered with the Office for Students (OfS) must ensure that all students, from admission through to completion, have the support that they need to succeed in and benefit from HE. The OfS has the powers to act if there are concerns.
As I set out in a letter to MPs on 9 October, the government’s expectation is that quality and academic standards must be maintained. The OfS has made it clear that all HE providers must continue to comply with registration conditions relating to quality and standards, which set out requirements to ensure that courses are high quality, that students are supported and achieve good outcomes and that standards are protected. The OfS have also set out that providers must continue to provide sufficient and appropriate facilities, learning resources and student support services to deliver a high-quality academic experience. Providers must continue to comply with their legal obligations under the Equality Act (2010), ensuring that education and learning is accessible to all students. When making changes to the delivery of their courses, providers need to consider how they support all students, particularly the most vulnerable, to achieve successful academic and professional outcomes. We recognise that the move to increased online provision may result in the support needs of some students with disabilities changing, in which case suitable alternative arrangements should be made for them.
The OfS has published information and guidance for providers and students. The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education has also published a series of guides to support providers to secure academic standards and to support student achievement during the COVID-19 outbreak. The guidance is available here: https://www.qaa.ac.uk/news-events/support-and-guidance-covid-19.
The OfS are taking very seriously the potential impacts on teaching and learning, ensuring they have a clear picture of what students are receiving. They published a statement on 9 October about how they are monitoring the quality of online provision.
My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, has also commissioned Sir Michael Barber, the Chair of the OfS, to lead a review to consider how to enhance the quality of digital teaching and learning and the opportunities that digital education presents for universities in the medium and long term. The review is expected to report in spring 2021 and will also explore how HE providers can ensure that all students have access to a high-quality digital teaching and learning experience.
Asked by: Cheryl Gillan (Conservative - Chesham and Amersham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what parents' organisations are providing his Department with advice and opinions on the effect of Covid-19 restrictions on the health and welfare of school children.
Answered by Vicky Ford
The department works with and uses information provided from a wide range of stakeholder organisations, including those that represent the views of parents, to inform its COVID-19 response. These include organisations such as Parentkind, National Network of Parent Carer Forums, Mumsnet, Barnardos, NSPCC, and the Disabled Children’s Partnership (which includes Autistica, National Autistic Society and Ambitious about Autism).
Asked by: Cheryl Gillan (Conservative - Chesham and Amersham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the effect of the changes in the way education is delivered in schools on children's (a) ability to learn, (b) mental health and (c) satisfaction with their schooling; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Vicky Ford
Understanding the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on attainment and progress is a key research priority for the government.
We have commissioned an independent research and assessment agency to provide a baseline assessment of catch-up needs for pupils in schools in England, and monitor progress over the course of the year, to help us target support across the system.
This research will make use of assessments that schools are already choosing to use over the course of the next academic year. This will add no additional burden on schools, and pupils will not have to sit any additional assessments for this research, at this crucial time for the education sector.
This research will be based on a large sample of pupils from years 1 to 11, and will allow the department to understand how best to support the sector and which particular groups of pupils have been affected by time out of school.
There is growing evidence that the COVID-19 outbreak and associated interventions, such as social distancing and stay at home guidance, including school closures, have likely had an adverse effect on the mental health and well-being of children and young people. For some, the COVID-19 outbreak will have disrupted or removed protective factors for their mental health, such as social support, physical activity and routine, and this may be compounded by additional risk factors. There is also increasing evidence that many children and young people are coping well overall and some have reported benefits for their mental health.
While many children and young people have retained some access to mental health support during this period, we know that some children and young people will have struggled to access mental health support in the same way as before the COVID-19 outbreak, which has been associated with worse mental health and wellbeing for some children and young people with existing needs.
Supporting schools and colleges to stay open and provide catch-up support to their pupils, including time devoted to supporting wellbeing, will play a fundamental part in supporting children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing. To support the return to a full high-quality education programme, we have put in place a range of measures, including guidance for settings and a new £8 million training initiative for educational staff and local authority services, to support children and young people’s wellbeing.
Health education was introduced into the curriculum in September, including a range of specific teaching requirements on mental health and wellbeing. Training materials and support are available to schools.
Asked by: Cheryl Gillan (Conservative - Chesham and Amersham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans he has to delay the Secondary Transfer Test for Grammar school admissions in response to the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Arrangements for selecting pupils by ability are for selective schools admission authorities to decide. We are aware admission authorities are considering what changes they will need to make to their arrangements in light of the COVID-19 outbreak. The Department has discussed this issue with the sector and guidance will be published in due course.
Asked by: Cheryl Gillan (Conservative - Chesham and Amersham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of teaching the Countryside Code in school.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Maintained schools are required to teach the national curriculum as part of their wider school curriculum. Details of the national curriculum subjects and content of programmes of study for each can be found at: www.gov.uk/government/collections/national-curriculum.
Academies are not required to follow the national curriculum, though they are expected to teach a curriculum that is similar in breadth and ambition, and are required by their funding agreements to teach English, mathematics, science and religious education.
While it is not a prescribed topic in the national curriculum, all state-funded schools have the flexibility within their school curriculum to teach about the Countryside Code if they choose to do so.
Asked by: Cheryl Gillan (Conservative - Chesham and Amersham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether furloughed teachers are permitted to offer private tuition.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Where employers receive public funding for staff costs, and that funding is continuing, we expect employers to use that money to continue to pay staff in the usual fashion, and correspondingly not furlough them. Schools will continue to receive their budgets as usual and will be able to continue to pay their staff, so we do not expect schools to furlough staff. It may be appropriate to furlough some staff if they are paid from private income streams which have stopped or reduced.
The Department has developed school workforce guidance on COVID-19, including guidance for schools on continuing to pay supply teachers and employment agencies with which they are engaged. The guidance is available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-school-closures/guidance-for-schools-about-temporarily-closing#supply-teachers-and-other-contingent-workers
Further details and information regarding when schools may be able to furlough staff are available at:
HMRC has published guidance for those who wish to engage in other work while they are furloughed:
These are rapidly developing circumstances. We continue to keep the situation under review and will keep Parliament updated accordingly.
Asked by: Cheryl Gillan (Conservative - Chesham and Amersham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the situation relating to covid-19, what plans his Department has to arrange for children with chronic lung conditions to be taken out of school.
Answered by Nick Gibb
COVID-19 is an unprecedented situation and the Department’s highest priority.
We are working closely with colleagues across Government to ensure that all appropriate arrangements, and support, are in place for all Department for Education sectors – from early years and childcare, schools and children’s social care – and for vulnerable groups including children with long-term medical conditions.
Schools should continue to support their pupils’ health needs as normal and let staff and parents know that there is NHS guidance available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-information-for-the-public.
Asked by: Cheryl Gillan (Conservative - Chesham and Amersham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what legal costs have been incurred by the National College for Advanced Transport and Infrastructure formerly known as the National College for High Speed Rail in relation to proceedings on the publication of Ofsted's report on the college.
Answered by Gillian Keegan
The National College for Advanced Transport and Infrastructure is an independent organisation. Legal expenditure is governed and managed by the College itself. Any information about this is likely to be available in the college’s annual accounts once they are published.
Asked by: Cheryl Gillan (Conservative - Chesham and Amersham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the cost has been to the public purse of rebranding the National College for High Speed Rail as the National College for Advanced Transport and Infrastructure.
Answered by Gillian Keegan
?The National College for Advanced Transport and Infrastructure is an independent organisation. While the college has received revenue funding support from the department, its expenditure, including on branding, is governed and managed by the College itself. Any information about on the costs of rebranding are likely to be available in the College’s annual accounts once they are published.