Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has contingencies in place in the event that school meal providers go out of business as a result of increasing funding pressures.
Answered by Will Quince
Department officials hold regular meetings with other government departments and with food industry representatives, covering a variety of issues including public sector food supplies.
The department routinely considers contingency arrangements and expect schools and catering companies supplying them to do the same.
Schools are responsible for the provision of school meals and may enter individual contracts with suppliers and caterers to meet this duty. We are confident that schools will continue providing pupils with nutritious school meals as required by the School Food Standards.
There is no evidence to suggest widespread disruption to education as a result of issues with food supply but in the event of any disruption to supply, we will work with councils and the sector to ensure nutritious meals can continue to be provided.
Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues in the Treasury on funding challenges in the school meals industry.
Answered by Will Quince
Department officials hold regular meetings with other government departments and with food industry representatives, covering a variety of issues including public sector food supplies.
The department routinely considers contingency arrangements and expect schools and catering companies supplying them to do the same.
Schools are responsible for the provision of school meals and may enter individual contracts with suppliers and caterers to meet this duty. We are confident that schools will continue providing pupils with nutritious school meals as required by the School Food Standards.
There is no evidence to suggest widespread disruption to education as a result of issues with food supply but in the event of any disruption to supply, we will work with councils and the sector to ensure nutritious meals can continue to be provided.
Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Autumn Budget and Spending Review 2021, what steps his Department is taking to measure the progress of the restoration of disabled children’s social care services to pre-pandemic levels.
Answered by Will Quince
From day one of the COVID-19 outbreak, the government’s priority for vulnerable children has been to keep them safe, protect their welfare and put their best interests at the heart of every decision.
This is why we kept schools open for children with a social worker and children with special educational needs and disabilities, ensured that social workers observe those that do not attend, and that children needing social care support have continued to be identified. The government also provided more than £6 billion in non-ringfenced funding directly to councils during COVID-19 to support them with the immediate and longer-term impacts of COVID-19 spending pressures, including children’s social care, further to their core spending power.
Local authorities set their own children’s services budget from this core spending power, based on local need and priorities. This year, councils have access to £51.3 billion for their services, including a £1.7 billion grant for social care.
My right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced at Spending Review 2021 that the government will provide local authorities with £4.8 billion of new grant funding over the next Spending Review period, which is intended to help meet the costs of delivering care for our most vulnerable children. This will enable the sector to maintain vital frontline services, including disabled children’s social care services.
Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what progress has been made on the implementation of statutory relationships and sex education (RSE) in schools; how many schools have completed training; what quality assurance of providers has been undertaken; and how much funding has been allocated to schools for the delivery of that subject.
Answered by Robin Walker
Since September 2020, it has been compulsory for schools to teach relationships education to primary school-aged pupils, relationships and sex education to secondary school-aged pupils and health education to all pupils in state-maintained schools. The department has been clear that, whilst it was appropriate last academic year for schools to prioritise relationship, sex and health education (RSHE) teaching to meet the needs of pupils, schools must deliver a full RSHE curriculum from September 2021.
The department does not collect information on how many schools in total have completed RSHE training. The department’s package of support to help develop teacher capability and competence to teach high quality RSHE included a training and peer support programme delivered by 20 lead teaching schools covering all eight regions in England. These teaching schools were appointed following a rigorous selection process based on an assessment of the quality of their training provision and experience and expertise. The programme was delivered in the last academic year and reached 3,800 schools. Provisional data for the fourth wave, which ended in July, shows that a further 1,000 schools have been supported. This is a cascade model of training whereby those trained are expected to share the training with other teachers in their school and wider school networks. Teaching schools’ training materials were based on the department’s training modules, which were developed with subject experts. Teaching schools have made their training materials and other resources freely available on their websites. We also published training modules which are freely available for all schools to download.
The department invested over £3 million in support for RSHE between the 2019-20 and 2020-21 financial years, and is investing up to £250,000 in 2021-22 for an additional wave of training. As with other aspects of the curriculum, schools have flexibility over how they deliver RSHE, so they can develop an integrated approach that is sensitive to the needs and background of their pupils.
To support this flexibility, schools are also free to determine how they use their core funding allocated to them, including investing in RSHE training for teachers.
Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the finding of the Child Action Poverty Group's August 2021 report, Fixing lunch: the case for expanding free school meals, that one million children living in poverty are not eligible for free school meals, if he will take steps to broaden the eligibility criteria for free school meals.
Answered by Vicky Ford
We think it is important that free school meal support is targeted at those that need it most. Free school meals (FSM) are an integral part of our provision for families on low incomes and our wider actions to promote social mobility.
Under the benefits-related criteria, there are currently around 1.7 million pupils eligible for and claiming FSM. An additional 1.3 million infants receive a free meal under the universal infant free school meal policy.
We introduced new eligibility criteria in April 2018 in recognition of the transition to Universal Credit, the arrangements in place are forecasted to reach more children, notwithstanding the current economic circumstances in which more children will be able to benefit from FSM.
Further to this we included generous protections, which mean any family eligible for FSM transitioning to Universal Credit from a legacy benefit will continue to have access to FSM even if they move above the earnings threshold.
Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to help ensure that the Comprehensive Spending Review allows education, health and social care agencies to have the resources necessary to (a) meet the legal timescales for Education, Health and Care Plan assessments and (b) deliver the support for disabled children identified in those assessments.
Answered by Vicky Ford
The Special Educational Needs and Disability Regulations 2014 make clear that local authorities must complete an education, health, and care plan (EHCP) assessment within twenty weeks from when the request is received, unless certain prescribed exceptional circumstances that are spelt out in paragraph 9:42 of the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) code of practice, apply.
We use data to monitor local authority performance and to provide challenge and support to those local authorities where there are long-standing delays. Each year we also deliver a training programme to local authorities, health, and social care staff on their statutory duties for EHCPs and reviews, and we have continued to do this on a virtual basis.
In addition, Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission re-started their revisit programme to areas that received a Written Statement of Action in May, with the full inspection programme re-starting in June. Our team of SEND advisers and colleagues in NHS England are continuing to work with authorities with a Written Statement of Action to help improve performance.
More broadly, The Department for Education is currently undertaking a review of the SEND system, which is making good progress in identifying the reforms needed to ensure that schools and colleges are able to deliver the support for disabled children identified through those assessments, with the appropriate interventions from health and social care agencies.
Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the arts premium for secondary schools will be included in the upcoming Spending Review.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Due to the focus on new priorities as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak, the arts premium is now subject to this year’s Spending Review.
Between 2016 and 2021, the Department has spent over £620 million on a diverse range of music and cultural education programmes. This includes Music Education Hubs, the Music and Dance Scheme and cultural education programmes such as Saturday art and design clubs, the National Youth Dance Company, and the British Film Institute’s Film Academy programme.
Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment he has made of the potential effect of falling numbers of GCSE and A-level music entries on the delivery of a broad and balanced curriculum.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Music education is a statutory subject from ages 5 to 14 in the National Curriculum, and pupils have an entitlement to study at least one arts subject at Key Stage 4 in maintained schools.
The proportion of pupils in state-funded schools in England taking at least one arts GCSE since 2010 has fluctuated across years, but has remained broadly stable.
It is up to individual schools and colleges to decide which A level courses to offer, and as part of that they may wish to work together with other providers in the area to combine resources and maximise their offers.
In March 2021, the Department published the Model Music Curriculum, a detailed non-statutory music curriculum for Key Stages 1, 2 and 3, developed by an independent panel of experts and musicians, with the aim to refresh music lessons with rich and diverse content.
The teaching of a broad and ambitious music curriculum will form a key part of the refreshed National Plan for Music Education.
Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what timeline is for the development and delivery of the new National Plan for Music Education.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Government is committed to ensuring that all children and young people have access to a good quality music education.
On 6 August 2021, the Department announced plans to work with a panel of experts from across the music education sector to develop a refreshed National Plan for Music Education. This will shape the future of music education, and follows the publication of the non-statutory Model Music Curriculum for Key Stages 1, 2 and 3 on 26 March 2021.
The Department also published our music education consultation report, which will help to inform the refreshed National Plan. The plan will be published early next year. The timeline for the delivery will be published as part of the National Plan.
Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what criteria was used to publish guidance on holding school sports days during the covid-19 outbreak in summer 2021; and what assessment he has made of whether that guidance is consistent with the guidance published for other larger sporting events.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Schools that are planning sports days this term should complete thorough risk assessments and ensure that they are run in line with their system of controls. These are the actions that have been in place since the autumn term and that all schools must take to reduce risks and create an inherently safer environment. The system of controls are set out in the Department’s guidance to schools, available to view here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/schools-coronavirus-covid-19-operational-guidance#system-of-controls.
The Department for Education has worked closely with the Department of Health and Social Care and Public Health England (PHE) to develop guidance for schools. We work with PHE to continually review the measures, which are informed by the latest scientific evidence and advice, and update the guidance accordingly.
Pupils must remain grouped in their class or year-group ‘bubbles’ and sports equipment should be regularly cleaned throughout the event. Any spectators must adhere to current social distancing requirements. Where events take place outdoors, spectators can gather in separate groups of up to 30, which is the current legal gathering limit. Dependent on the size of the area available, multiple groups of 30 may attend as long as there is no mixing between groups at any stage.
Elite sporting competitions follow a protocol produced by a working group of leaders, Chief Medical Officers and partner organisations. This protocol is available to view here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-on-phased-return-of-sport-and-recreation/elite-sport-return-to-domestic-competition-guidance. A set of minimum standards must be in place for these events to go ahead and, while the Government works to ensure guidance is coherent between sectors, differences in approach are sometimes needed due to the different circumstances involved.