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Written Question
Children's Social Care Independent Review
Monday 14th November 2022

Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what progress has been made in implementing the recommendations of the Independent Review of Children's Social Care published in May 2022.

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

The department has established a National Practice group to begin work on the National Children’s Social Care Framework, a Ministerial Child Protection Group, and a National Implementation Board. The National Implementation Board will meet on November 16 2022, following an interim meeting in July, and is made up of people with lived experience of the care system and those with experience of leading transformational change.

We have also been working closely with other departments across government to rapidly agree on an ambitious and detailed implementation strategy that will respond fully to all three reviews. Ministers from across government are engaged on emerging policies and will agree on the final implementation strategy in due course.


Written Question
Child Minding: Coronavirus
Tuesday 8th March 2022

Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will take steps to change guidance so that child-minding professionals are able to use their judgment and chose to work if a member of their household tests positive for covid-19.

Answered by Will Quince

Keeping children and staff safe is the department’s utmost priority. Throughout the COVID-19 outbreak, we have listened carefully to the latest scientific and medical advice when developing departmental guidance.

On 24 February 2022, the government removed the legal requirement to self-isolate following a positive test. Public health guidance continues to advise adults and children who test positive to stay at home and avoid contact with other people for at least five full days. They should then continue to follow the guidance until they have received two negative test results on consecutive days. The guidance also advises that people with symptoms of COVID-19 or a positive test result should not have social visitors at home. The guidance can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-people-with-covid-19-and-their-contacts/covid-19-people-with-covid-19-and-their-contacts.

This means that the guidance on managing positive cases for childminders has not changed. Childminders should not childmind in their home if someone in their household has tested positive or has symptoms of COVID-19. This is because there is a higher risk of transmission to those attending the provision for childcare as they are close to the case for extended periods of time.

Considering the changes to the legal requirement to self-isolate, the department has reviewed and updated the guidance with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). In the guidance, the department has outlined options for childminders to continue childminding if someone has tested positive or has symptoms of COVID-19 in their home. This can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/additional-actions-for-childminders-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-pandemic/additional-actions-for-childminders-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-pandemic.

The department continues to work with the UKHSA to keep guidance under review and ensure that the right control measures are in place for childminders.


Written Question
Sixth Form Education: Coronavirus
Tuesday 18th January 2022

Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will take steps to extend sixth-form education for pupils who have suffered from long covid.

Answered by Alex Burghart - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Whilst all students in sixth form education have seen disruption and changes in the way they have received their education during the COVID-19 outbreak, we expect all institutions providing education for students aged 16 to 19 to support their student cohort to progress to a suitable destination in education, training or the workplace.

As part of the government’s commitment to long-term education recovery we have made available £102 million to extend the 16 to 19 tuition fund in this academic year. This fund allows students in 16 to 19 education to access one-to-one and small group catch up tuition to help them catch up in subjects that will benefit them the most, including maths, English, and vocational courses. We are extending the fund further by £222 million for an additional two academic years from 2022/23.

The department is also investing £828 million across the Spending Review period to fund an average of 40 additional learning hours for students in 16 to 19 education. This funding will start from the 2022/23 academic year and provide students aged 16 to 19 with further opportunities to catch up on the vital teaching and learning they need to progress.

For students who were in the final year of their 16 to 19 study programme in academic year 2020/21 and whose education was impacted significantly more than their peers by COVID-19, we are funding institutions to enable these students to repeat up to a year of their studies within academic year 2021/22. This repeat year offer supports students whose chances of progression had been limited during academic year 2020/21, for example students whose practical skills development, work experience or assessments had been adversely impacted and with the least time left in their education.

We will continue to assess the need to develop existing or further interventions in response to the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak.


Written Question
Pupils: Absenteeism
Friday 19th November 2021

Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will amend the school system for the recording of pupil absences to distinguish between pupils who are absent due to illness and those pupils who are absent because of a requirement to self-isolate.

Answered by Robin Walker

Schools decide how they record sessions in the attendance register in line with the Education (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2006 as amended.

In time for September 2020, we introduced a new category into the regulations to record sessions where a pupil does not attend school because their travel to or attendance at school would be contrary to public health guidance from the UK Health Security Agency and the Department for Health and Social Care. Schools record these missed sessions using Code X (not attending in circumstances relating to COVID-19).

Where a pupil cannot attend school because they are ill or have any infectious illness, including testing positive for COVID-19, in line with the Regulations, schools will record sessions as Code I (illness).


Written Question
Universities: Coronavirus
Monday 19th April 2021

Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will issue guidance to those universities that have not permitted their students to return to campus as covid-19 lockdown restrictions are eased to now encourage those universities to permit their students to return to campus.

Answered by Michelle Donelan - Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology

On 13 April, the government announced that remaining students should return to in-person teaching alongside Step 3 of the roadmap, which is not earlier than 17 May.

Students and providers will be given at least a week’s notice of any further return in accordance with the timing of Step 3 of the roadmap. We have also updated our guidance on the return of students during the spring and summer terms: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/higher-education-reopening-buildings-and-campuses.


Written Question
Pupils: Hearing Impairment
Wednesday 3rd March 2021

Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will update guidance for schools and colleges on the use of face coverings when teaching deaf students.

Answered by Nick Gibb

The Department continues to work closely with other government departments throughout its response to the COVID-19 outbreak, including Public Health England (PHE) and the Department of Health and Social Care, as well as stakeholders across the sector. We continue to work to ensure that our policy is based on the latest scientific and medical advice, to continue to develop comprehensive guidance based on the PHE-endorsed ‘system of controls’ and to understand the impact and effectiveness of these measures on staff, pupils and parents.

The Department has recently published updated guidance to support the full opening to education from 8 March, which includes updated advice on face coverings. The guidance can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/964351/Schools_coronavirus_operational_guidance.pdf.

As the guidance outlines, where pupils and students in Year 7 and above are educated, we recommend that face coverings should be worn by adults, pupils and students when moving around the premises, outside of classrooms, such as in corridors and communal areas where social distancing cannot easily be maintained.

In addition, from 8 March, we now also recommend that in schools and colleges where pupils and students in year 7 and above are educated, face coverings should be worn in classrooms unless social distancing can be maintained.

In primary schools, we recommend that face coverings should be worn by staff and adult visitors in situations where social distancing between adults is not possible (for example, when moving around in corridors and communal areas). Children in primary school do not need to wear a face covering.

Some individuals are exempt from wearing face coverings. This includes people who cannot put on, wear, or remove a face covering because of a physical or mental illness or impairment, or disability, or if you are speaking to or providing assistance to someone who relies on lip reading, clear sound or facial expressions to communicate. The same legal exemptions that apply to the wearing of face coverings in shops and on public transport also apply in education settings.

Transparent face coverings, which may assist communication with someone who relies on lip reading, clear sound or facial expression to communicate, can also be worn. There is currently very limited evidence regarding the effectiveness or safety of transparent face coverings, but they may be effective in reducing the spread of COVID-19.

The Department is recommending these precautionary measures for a limited time during this period of high COVID-19 prevalence in the community. These measures will be in place until Easter, and as with all measures, we will keep this under close review.


Written Question
Nurseries: Coronavirus
Monday 25th January 2021

Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make it his policy to extend lateral flow covid-19 testing to privately run nurseries.

Answered by Nick Gibb

The Department is continuing to work closely with colleagues across government and local authorities to secure the most effective approach to asymptomatic testing for the whole of the early years sector.

We are rolling out our asymptomatic testing programme to primary schools with deliveries of test kits starting from week commencing 18 January 2021.

The asymptomatic testing programme will offer all primary school, schools based nursery and maintained nursery school staff home Lateral Flow Device test kits for twice weekly testing. This will help to break the chains of transmission of COVID-19 in primary schools and nurseries by identifying asymptomatic positive cases. Those who test positive will then self-isolate, helping to reduce transmission of the virus.

Community Testing programmes are currently being rolled out across the country. Local authorities will be encouraged to target testing to people who cannot work from home during lockdown. Further information can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/community-testing-explainer/community-testing-a-guide-for-local-delivery.

Early years staff, as critical workers, continue to have priority access to DHSC-led symptomatic PCR testing via the online portal: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-getting-tested.


Written Question
Vocational Education: Assessments
Friday 15th January 2021

Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when he plans to issue guidance to colleges and schools which have cancelled BTEC exams on how they are to assess candidate's grades.

Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education

On 5 January we announced that schools and colleges can continue with the vocational and technical exams that are scheduled to take place in January, where they judge it right to do so.

In the event that this is not possible, we will put in place arrangements to ensure they are not disadvantaged. The department will continue to work with Ofqual, awarding organisations and relevant stakeholders to discuss the next steps and provide more detail on the way forward, including ensuring other students have a way to progress with as little disruption as possible.


Written Question
Educational Exchanges: EU Countries
Monday 11th January 2021

Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will take steps to help schools to continue making arrangements for pupil exchanges with EU Member States after 1 January 2021: and if he will make a statement.

Answered by Nick Gibb

School exchanges provide pupils with the chance to experience different cultures, improve their language skills and to build their independence. It is for individual schools to choose where and how they might wish to run a school exchange, including whether they use the support of third-party companies and organisations such as the British Council.

The Department funds the British Council-delivered International School Exchange programme, which provides opportunities for young people, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, to take part in an international exchange and visit partner schools around the world, including in EU Member States. It is hoped to restart the programme in the latter part of 2021.

The newly announced Turing scheme, which replaces the UK’s participation in Erasmus+, will allow thousands of students to study and take part in work placements in the EU and beyond. The Turing scheme will be backed by over £100 million, providing funding for around 35,000 students in universities, colleges and schools to go on placements and exchanges overseas, starting in September 2021.


Written Question
Music: Education
Monday 23rd November 2020

Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the future provision of funding for Music Education Hubs.

Answered by Nick Gibb

The Department funds a national network of 120 Music Education Hubs who work with the majority of schools to deliver four core roles, one of which is to enable children from all backgrounds and every part of England to have the opportunity to learn a musical instrument. This includes children with special educational needs and disabilities.

Discussions between my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education and the Chief Secretary to the Treasury concerning the current spending review have taken place with regards to all departmental policies which includes Music Education Hubs.

The Spending Review is expected to conclude by 25 November.