Asked by: Chris Bloore (Labour - Redditch)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that students can continue to study applied general qualifications from September 2025.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government is committed to ensuring that all young people can access a range of high quality vocational and technical qualifications which supports them to develop the skills they need to thrive at work and throughout life, including applied general qualifications. This is at the heart of the government’s missions to break down the barriers to opportunity and to boost economic growth.
The government is currently conducting a review of level 3 qualifications focusing on those set to lose funding from 31 July 2025, which includes applied general qualifications. The outcomes of the review will be reported by the end of the year.
Additionally, the independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, will ensure meaningful, rigorous and high-value pathways for all at ages 16 to 19, with access to qualifications and training that will provide the skills they need to seize opportunity.
Asked by: Chris Bloore (Labour - Redditch)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to improve the (a) safeguarding and (b) wellbeing of children with allergies in schools.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
Section 100 of the Children and Families Act 2014 places a duty on maintained schools, academies and pupil referral units to make arrangements for supporting pupils with medical conditions. This includes allergies.
The accompanying statutory guidance, 'Supporting pupils at school with medical conditions', makes clear to schools what is expected of them in taking reasonable steps to fulfil their legal obligations and to meet the individual needs of pupils with medical conditions. Schools should ensure they are aware of any pupils with medical conditions and have policies and processes in place to ensure these can be well managed. This guidance can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/supporting-pupils-at-school-with-medical-conditions--3.
'Supporting pupils at school with medical conditions' includes guidance on individual healthcare plans and specifies that they should ensure that the school assesses and manages risks to the child’s education, health and social wellbeing, and minimises disruption.
The department included a reminder to schools of these duties in its regular schools’ email bulletin in both March and September 2024. In the same communication we also alerted schools to the newly created Schools Allergy Code. The Code was developed by The Allergy Team, Independent Schools’ Bursars Association and the Benedict Blythe Foundation, who are all trusted voices on the matter of allergies. The department has now also added a link to the Code to its online allergy guidance, which can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-food-standards-resources-for-schools/allergy-guidance-for-schools.
The Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) have produced guidance on the use of adrenaline auto-injectors in schools here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/using-emergency-adrenaline-auto-injectors-in-schools. DHSC have also produced guidance on emergency inhalers in schools, including the purchase of spares, which can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/emergency-asthma-inhalers-for-use-in-schools.