Asked by: Debbie Abrahams (Labour - Oldham East and Saddleworth)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she plans to take to ensure that the requirements of children with special educational needs and disabilities are included in the child poverty strategy.
Answered by Bridget Phillipson - Minister for Women and Equalities
Tackling child poverty is at the heart of breaking down barriers to opportunity and improving the life chances for every child. For too many children, living in poverty robs them of the opportunity to achieve and thrive.
On 23 October 2024 the government published ‘Tackling Child Poverty: Developing Our Strategy’. This report sets out how the government will develop the strategy, including an engagement plan, which will harness all available levers to deliver a reduction in child poverty this Parliament as part of an ambitious ten-year Strategy. The report is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/tackling-child-poverty-developing-our-strategy.
As part of the Taskforce’s engagement plan, a new forum of parents and carers living across the UK will be set up to ensure the experiences of children in poverty, including disabled children and those with special educational needs, are included. They will feed directly into the Strategy.
Asked by: Debbie Abrahams (Labour - Oldham East and Saddleworth)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information he holds on the use of Project Bank Accounts by (a) his Department, (b) Government agencies his Department has responsibility for and (c) non-departmental bodies his Department has responsibility for.
Answered by Nick Gibb
As set out in the Construction Playbook, the Department for Education (DfE) has committed to use Project Bank Accounts (PBAs) on its school construction projects unless there are compelling reasons not to. PBAs are just one way that government departments support fair payment as part of the Government’s Prompt Payment Code.
DfE has considered the use of PBAs for school construction projects delivered through the DfE Construction Frameworks. However due to the specific nature, size and volume of DfE’s school construction projects, the DfE has assessed that it is not practical, efficient and cost effective to use them on our construction projects. Therefore, there are compelling reasons not to deploy PBAs on DfE projects. Accordingly, the DfE does not hold any information on the use of PBAs for its school construction projects as the DfE does not currently use PBAs.
Asked by: Debbie Abrahams (Labour - Oldham East and Saddleworth)
Question to the Department for Education:
What assessment he has made of the adequacy of educational support for disabled children during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Vicky Ford
Every family has had challenges during this period but those families with disabled children face the greatest.
We have surveyed families, schools and local authorities to monitor the situation.
90% of special schools were open last week, and we have invested £10 million in the Family Fund and provided specialist online resources.
Asked by: Debbie Abrahams (Labour - Oldham East and Saddleworth)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will hold discussions with Oldham Council on the effect on food supplies in schools in that Council of the UK leaving the EU without a withdrawal agreement.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - Leader of HM Official Opposition
The department has issued formal guidance for schools and local authorities on preparations for a no-deal EU exit.
The guidance for schools is published here:
The guidance for local authorities is published here:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/eu-exit-no-deal-preparations-for-local-authority-childrens-services-in-england.
I have asked officials to contact Oldham Council to offer a conversation on this matter. In addition, Oldham Council, and any other local authority, are welcome to contact the department to discuss any issues relating to school food provision.
Asked by: Debbie Abrahams (Labour - Oldham East and Saddleworth)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions his Department has had with Oldham Council on the potential effect on EU nationals teaching in Oldham schools of UK leaving the EU without a withdrawal agreement.
Answered by Nick Gibb
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Debbie Abrahams (Labour - Oldham East and Saddleworth)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions his Department has had with Oldham Council on the potential effect on EU students enrolled in Oldham schools of the UK leaving the EU without a withdrawal agreement.
Answered by Nick Gibb
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Debbie Abrahams (Labour - Oldham East and Saddleworth)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many special needs assessments were undertaken in each school in England in each year since 2010-11.
Answered by Edward Timpson
The information requested is not held centrally by the Department.
Asked by: Debbie Abrahams (Labour - Oldham East and Saddleworth)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many chemistry teachers in each parliamentary constituency in Greater Manchester have a chemistry degree.
Answered by David Laws
The information requested is not available by parliamentary constituency.
Unlike the Department for Education’s response to written parliamentary question 218919, any count would have to rely on linking two samples of teachers for qualifications held and curriculum taught. Any estimate based on the small numbers of chemistry teachers employed in each parliamentary constituency would be unreliable.
Asked by: Debbie Abrahams (Labour - Oldham East and Saddleworth)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many primary school teachers in each parliamentary constituency in Greater Manchester have a science degree.
Answered by David Laws
The following table provides the headcount number and percentage of all regular teachers[1] in service in primary schools in each constituency in Greater Manchester with a degree in a science subject in November 2013. This is the latest information available.
Name of Constituency | Number of teachers with science degree[2] | Number of teachers with a qualification recorded[3] | Percentage with a science qualification
| Confidence interval[4] | Percentage of teachers with qualification recorded | |
Altrincham and Sale West | 31 | 382 | 8.1 | +/- | 2.7 | 88.2 |
Ashton-under-Lyne | 23 | 415 | 5.5 | +/- | 2.2 | 95.0 |
Blackley and Broughton | 47 | 573 | 8.2 | +/- | 2.2 | 96.0 |
Bolton North East | 36 | 416 | 8.7 | +/- | 2.7 | 98.8 |
Bolton South East | 42 | 516 | 8.1 | +/- | 2.4 | 98.5 |
Bolton West | 26 | 404 | 6.4 | +/- | 2.4 | 99.0 |
Bury North | 30 | 355 | 8.5 | +/- | 2.9 | 88.1 |
Bury South | 39 | 368 | 10.6 | +/- | 3.1 | 84.8 |
Cheadle | 29 | 437 | 6.6 | +/- | 2.3 | 98.2 |
Denton and Reddish | 18 | 368 | 4.9 | +/- | 2.2 | 94.6 |
Hazel Grove | 21 | 316 | 6.6 | +/- | 2.7 | 98.4 |
Heywood and Middleton | 48 | 485 | 9.9 | +/- | 2.7 | 98.0 |
Leigh | 41 | 340 | 12.1 | +/- | 3.5 | 96.3 |
Makerfield | 24 | 324 | 7.4 | +/- | 2.9 | 95.9 |
Manchester Central | 33 | 610 | 5.4 | +/- | 1.8 | 96.5 |
Manchester, Gorton | 38 | 494 | 7.7 | +/- | 2.3 | 98.0 |
Manchester, Withington | 28 | 388 | 7.2 | +/- | 2.6 | 97.0 |
Oldham East and Saddleworth | 33 | 473 | 7.0 | +/- | 2.3 | 89.6 |
Oldham West and Royton | 36 | 505 | 7.1 | +/- | 2.2 | 87.5 |
Rochdale | 45 | 498 | 9.0 | +/- | 2.5 | 95.0 |
Salford and Eccles | 25 | 379 | 6.6 | +/- | 2.5 | 94.5 |
Stalybridge and Hyde | 31 | 432 | 7.2 | +/- | 2.4 | 97.3 |
Stockport | 31 | 378 | 8.2 | +/- | 2.8 | 97.2 |
Stretford and Urmston | 35 | 385 | 9.1 | +/- | 2.9 | 80.2 |
Wigan | 27 | 304 | 8.9 | +/- | 3.2 | 89.4 |
Worsley and Eccles South | 42 | 422 | 10.0 | +/- | 2.9 | 89.0 |
Wythenshawe and Sale East | 30 | 441 | 6.8 | +/- | 2.4 | 92.6 |
Total Greater Manchester | 889 | 11,416 | 7.8 | +/- | 0.5 | 93.7 |
Total England | 18,795 | 227,513 | 8.3 | +/- | 0.1 | |
Note: Figures are as reported in School Workforce Census, they have not been scaled up.
Source: School Workforce Census
[1] Includes qualified and unqualified teachers.
[2] Includes teachers with a first or higher science degree but excluding those with a science PGCE where no record of a science degree exists and those with a BEd in sciences.
[3] Those recorded with a qualification in any subject (the total in the sample from which the rate is calculated).
[4] The range within which we can be 95% confident that the true value exists.
Asked by: Debbie Abrahams (Labour - Oldham East and Saddleworth)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of newly qualified teachers were still teaching three years after completing their qualifications in each of the last five years.
Answered by David Laws
The information that the Department for Education holds will be published in late July as additional tables to the Statistical First Release ‘School Workforce in England, November 2013', which is available here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-workforce-in-england-november-2013