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Written Question
Childcare: Bexley
Monday 4th December 2023

Asked by: David Evennett (Conservative - Bexleyheath and Crayford)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she is taking steps to increase the number of childcare places in the London Borough of Bexley.

Answered by David Johnston - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Under Section 6 of the Childcare Act 2006, local authorities are responsible for ensuring that the provision of childcare is sufficient to meet the requirements of parents in their area. Part B of the early education and childcare statutory guidance for local authorities highlights that local authorities are required to report annually to elected council members on how they are meeting their duty to secure sufficient childcare, and to make this report available and accessible to parents.

The department has regular contact with each local authority in England, including Bexley, about their sufficiency of childcare and any issues that they are facing.

Where local authorities report sufficiency challenges, the department discusses what action the local authority is taking to address those issues and, where needed, the department will support the local authority with any specific requirements through its childcare sufficiency support contract.

A commitment has been made to ensure that 30 hours of funded childcare is available for every child over the age of 9 months with working parents by September 2025.

More parents are going to be able to return to work while balancing childcare commitments. This is thanks to the government’s £4 billion per year expansion of childcare in England. This is the largest expansion of funded childcare ever and will remove barriers to work for nearly half a million parents with a child under three in England.

Local authorities have received £12 million of delivery support funding for this financial year to support with meeting programme and delivery costs associated with rolling out the expanded early years entitlements. Bexley will receive money from this fund. Bexley Local Authority are due to receive £716,747.72 to enable them to deliver additional wraparound places.

The department is also allocating £100 million for local areas to use to make sure childcare settings in their areas have enough physical space. This funding is anticipated to add thousands of new places across the country. More detail on the £100 million capital funding, including allocation amounts to local authorities and accompanying guidance, will be published shortly.


Written Question
Apprentices: Greater London
Tuesday 28th November 2023

Asked by: David Evennett (Conservative - Bexleyheath and Crayford)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many apprenticeship starts there were in (a) Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency, (b) Bexley Borough and (c) Greater London in each year since 2010.

Answered by Robert Halfon

Since the 2010/11 academic year, there have been 8,480 apprenticeship starts in Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency, 22,140 in Bexley and 529,370 in London reported to date. These totals include figures for the 2022/23 academic year, which are provisional and cover the first three quarters from August 2022 to April 2023. The full year figures for the 2022/23 academic year will be published on 30 November 2023.

Apprenticeship starts are recorded on the Individualised Learner Record and published by the department in the apprenticeships and traineeships statistics publication, which can be accessed at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/apprenticeships-and-traineeships.

Apprenticeship starts for the Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency, Bexley and London for the 2010/11 to 2022/23 academic years are available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/befe0070-1c12-4f0f-6246-08dbea615343.


Written Question
Childcare: Bexleyheath and Crayford
Tuesday 11th July 2023

Asked by: David Evennett (Conservative - Bexleyheath and Crayford)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help increase the availability of childcare in Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency.

Answered by Claire Coutinho - Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero

In the government’s Spring Budget, on 15 March, the government announced a number of transformative reforms to childcare for parents, children, the economy and women. By 2027/28, the government will expect to be spending in excess of £8 billion every year on free hours and early education, helping working families with their childcare costs. This announcement represents the single biggest investment in childcare in England ever.

This measure will expand the free early education entitlements offer, so that eligible working parents in England will be able to access 30 hours of childcare per week, for 38 weeks of the year, from when their child is nine months old to when they start school.

This will be rolled out in stages:

  • From April 2024, all working parents of two-year-olds can access 15 hours per week.
  • From September 2024, all working parents of children aged nine months up to three years old can access 15 hours per week.
  • From September 2025, all working parents of children aged nine months up to three years old can access 30 hours free childcare per week.

The government will also substantially uplift the hourly rate paid to local authorities to increase hourly rates paid to childcare providers, to deliver existing free entitlements offers. In 2023/24 £204 million of additional funding will be provided, paid from September 2023, rising to £288 million by 2024/25.

This will include an average of 30% increase in the two-year-old rate from September 2023, and means that the average hourly rate for two year olds will rise from the current £6 per hour in 2023/24 to around £8 per hour. The average three to four year old rate will rise in line with inflation to over £5.50 per hour from September 2023, with further uplifts beyond this.

The early years workforce makes a huge contribution to young children’s lives. Supporting and growing this workforce to deliver the transformative reforms announced by the Chancellor in the Spring Budget is a priority for the department.

The department will launch a new national recruitment campaign early next year to support the recruitment and retention of talented staff. Alongside this, we will consider how to introduce new accelerated apprenticeship and degree apprenticeship routes so everyone from junior staff to senior leaders can easily move into a career in the sector.

The department has also launched a consultation on the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) to offer providers increased flexibility and alleviate known burdens, exploring giving providers more choice over how they operate and making it easier for them to deliver the EYFS. The intention is that these changes will support settings to deliver the new entitlements announced at the Spring Budget.

Under Section 6 of the Childcare Act 2006, local authorities are responsible for ensuring that the provision of childcare is sufficient to meet the requirements of parents in their area. Part B of the Early education and childcare statutory guidance for local authorities highlights that local authorities are required to report annually to elected council members on how they are meeting their duty to secure sufficient childcare, and to make this report available and accessible to parents. The guidance can be found at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1149556/Early_education_and_childcare_statutory_guidance_-_April_2023.pdf.

The department has regular contact with each local authority in England about their sufficiency of childcare and any issues they are facing, including Bexley local authority, who oversee the Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency.

Where local authorities report sufficiency challenges, the department discuss what action the local authority is taking to address those issues.


Written Question
Free School Meals: Bexleyheath and Crayford
Friday 30th June 2023

Asked by: David Evennett (Conservative - Bexleyheath and Crayford)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) primary and (b) secondary school students receive free school meals in the Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency.

Answered by Nick Gibb

The Department publishes figures on the proportion of pupils who are eligible for free school meals (FSM). The most recently published figures are available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics. In the 2022/23 academic year, 1,557 primary and 1,350 secondary pupils were eligible for FSM in the Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency.


Written Question
Pupils: Per Capita Costs
Thursday 25th May 2023

Asked by: David Evennett (Conservative - Bexleyheath and Crayford)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the average funding per pupil in mainstream schools was in (a) Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency, (b) the London Borough of Bexley and (c) England in each of the last three years.

Answered by Nick Gibb

The table below shows the average funding per pupil provided for mainstream schools in the London Borough of Bexley, and England, through the Dedicated Schools Grant, the Schools Supplementary Grant (SSG) in 2022/23 only, and the Mainstream Schools Additional Grant (MSAG) in 2023/24 only, since the 2021/22 financial year.

Per pupil funding excludes growth funding.

Financial year

Bexley

England

2021/22

£5,211

£5,212

2022/23

£5,543

£5,534

2023/24

£5,890

£5,839

The Department, through the schools National Funding Formula (NFF), calculates notional funding allocations for each mainstream school. These are then aggregated for each Local Authority. National and Local Authority average per pupil figures are based on the actual funding schools receive from these aggregated allocations.

Each Local Authority then determines individual schools’ final funding allocations through their own local formula. The Department does not hold this information, and therefore cannot calculate constituency-level per pupil averages.

The table below shows the average funding per pupil that mainstream schools in the Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency have attracted through the schools NFF since the 2021/22 financial year, rather than their actual allocations from their Local Authority.

Financial year

Bexleyheath and Crayford

2021/22

£5,285

2022/23

£5,435

2023/24

£5,738

On top of this funding through the schools NFF, all schools in Bexleyheath and Crayford received additional funding through the SSG in 2022/23, worth an average additional £159 per pupil, and are receiving funding from the MSAG in 2023/24, worth an average additional £195 per pupil.


Written Question
Apprentices: Bexleyheath and Crayford
Tuesday 23rd May 2023

Asked by: David Evennett (Conservative - Bexleyheath and Crayford)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the number of people beginning apprenticeships in Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency in each year since 2010.

Answered by Robert Halfon

Apprenticeship starts for Bexleyheath and Crayford from the 2010/11 to 2021/22 academic years are shown in the table below:

Academic Year

Apprenticeship Starts

2010/11

630

2011/12

740

2012/13

790

2013/14

640

2014/15

700

2015/16

730

2016/17

690

2017/18

620

2018/19

710

2019/20

560

2020/21

580

2021/22

590

2022/23 Aug to Jan

300

Total since May 2010

8,350

Notes:

(1) Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.

(2) Data source is the Individualised Learner Record.

(3) Location is based upon the home postcode of the learner.

(4) Starts are the count of apprenticeships started at any point during the stated academic period. Learners starting more than one apprenticeship will appear more than once.

Further information on apprenticeship starts can be found in the apprenticeships and traineeships statistics publication, which can be accessed at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/apprenticeships-and-traineeships.


Written Question
Teachers: Labour Turnover and Recruitment
Tuesday 7th February 2023

Asked by: David Evennett (Conservative - Bexleyheath and Crayford)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to improve the recruitment and retention of teachers.

Answered by Nick Gibb

The number of teachers remains high, with over 465,500 full time equivalent teachers working in state funded schools across the country. That is over 24,000 more than in 2010.

The Department’s reforms are aimed at increasing teacher recruitment and at ensuring teachers across England stay and thrive in the profession.

The Department announced a £181 million financial incentives package for those starting initial teacher training in the 2023/24 academic year. The Department is providing bursaries worth up to £27,000 and scholarships worth up to £29,000 to encourage trainees to apply to train in key secondary subjects such as mathematics, physics, chemistry, and computing.

The Department provides a Levelling Up Premium worth up to £3,000 annually for mathematics, physics, chemistry, and computing teachers in the first five years of their careers who work in disadvantaged schools nationally, including within Education Investment Areas. The eligibility criteria and list of eligible schools is on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/levelling-up-premium-payments-for-teachers.

The Department has recently raised starting salaries outside London by 8.9% to £28,000 and remains committed to the Government’s ambition of delivering £30,000 starting salaries to attract talented people to teaching.

To support retention in the first few years of teaching, the Department has rolled out the Early Career Framework nationally, providing the foundations for a successful career in teaching. This is backed by over £130 million a year in funding.

The Department has also launched a new and updated suite of National Professional Qualifications for teachers and head teachers at all levels, from those who want to develop expertise in high quality teaching practice to those leading multiple schools across trusts.

The Department has published a range of resources to help address staff workload and wellbeing. This includes the Education Staff Wellbeing Charter, which the Department is encouraging schools to sign up to as a shared commitment to promote staff wellbeing. The Department has also published the workload reduction toolkit, developed alongside school leadership staff to help reduce workload, and resources to support schools to implement effective flexible working practices.


Written Question
Apprentices: Greater London
Tuesday 7th February 2023

Asked by: David Evennett (Conservative - Bexleyheath and Crayford)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many people began an apprenticeship in 2022 in (a) Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency, (b) Bexley Borough and (c) Greater London.

Answered by Robert Halfon

Apprenticeship starts for the requested geographical areas in the 2021/22 academic year, and 2022/23 from August to October, reported to date, are shown in the table below.

Further information on apprenticeship starts can be found in the apprenticeships and traineeships statistics publication, which can be accessed here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/apprenticeships-and-traineeships.

Apprenticeship Starts

Geographical area

2021/22

2022/23 (August to October, reported to date)

Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency

590

190

Bexley Borough

1,530

510

London

37,790

12,540

England

349,190

122,290


Notes:

(1) Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.

(2) Data source is the Individualised Learner Record.

(3) Geography is based upon the home postcode of the learner.

(4) Starts are the count of apprenticeships started at any point during the stated academic period. Learners starting more than one Apprenticeship will appear more than once.



Written Question
Special Educational Needs: Bexleyheath and Crayford
Wednesday 21st December 2022

Asked by: David Evennett (Conservative - Bexleyheath and Crayford)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the level of educational choice for parents of children with special educational needs and disabilities in Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency.

Answered by Claire Coutinho - Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero

Bexley, the local authority in which Bexleyheath and Crayford falls, has a statutory responsibility under the Children and Families Act 2014 for keeping their local offer of services and provision for children and young people with special education needs and disabilities (SEND) under review. This should be done in co-production with parents, young people and educational providers. It is for local authorities to ensure there are sufficient school places for all pupils, including those with SEND. Under the Act, parents or young people have the statutory right to request that a particular school, further education college, or other educational institution is named in their education, health and care plan.

In March 2022, the department announced High Needs Provision Capital Allocations amounting to a new investment of over £1.4 billion. This funding is to support local authorities to deliver new places for academic years 2023/24 and 2024/25, and to improve existing provision for children and young people with SEND or who require alternative provision. This funding forms part of the £2.6 billion we are investing between 2022 and 2025 and represents a significant, transformational investment in new high needs provision. It will support local authorities to deliver new places in mainstream and special schools, as well as other specialist settings. It will also be used to improve the suitability and accessibility of existing buildings.


Written Question
Teachers: Recruitment
Tuesday 29th November 2022

Asked by: David Evennett (Conservative - Bexleyheath and Crayford)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she has taken to (a) recruit and (b) retain more male primary school teachers.

Answered by Nick Gibb

The Department wants to attract and retain diverse, talented teachers from all backgrounds, including male teachers.

In 2021, the Department’s new application service for initial teacher training (ITT) in England, ‘Apply for teacher training’, was rolled out nationally. It has been designed to be as user friendly as possible and has been extensively tested with a diverse range of potential applicants to ensure it helps remove barriers to great teachers applying for ITT courses.

The Department’s recruitment campaigns are targeted at audiences of students, recent graduates, and potential career changers, regardless of their identity or background. The Department takes every effort to ensure that advertising is fully reflective of this across the full range of marketing materials used.

The reforms outlined in the Government’s response to the ITT market review will help meet the commitment made in the teacher recruitment and retention strategy to create a world class teacher development system by transforming the training and support teachers receive at every stage of their career.

To ensure that all children and young people get the best education, it is essential that the Department has a workforce of well trained and well supported teachers, with the expertise needed to deliver great teaching every day.