Asked by: Douglas Carswell (Independent - Clacton)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Prime Minister's Oral Statement of 22 February 2016, Official Report, column 35, on the European Council, whether her Department is undertaking planning in the eventuality of a majority leave vote in the EU referendum.
Answered by Nick Gibb
At the February European Council, the Government negotiated a new settlement, giving the United Kingdom a special status in a reformed European Union. The Government's position, as set out by the Prime Minister to the House on 22 February, is that the UK will be stronger, safer and better off remaining in a reformed EU.
Asked by: Douglas Carswell (Independent - Clacton)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to (a) remove free school meals for children in primary school and (b) alter the provision of free school meals for children under the compulsory school age in England and Wales.
Answered by Sam Gyimah
The continuation of universal infant free school meals was a commitment in the Conservative Party’s election manifesto. The government is currently conducting a Spending Review across all its programmes in England.
Policy on free school meals in Wales is a matter for the Welsh Government.
Asked by: Douglas Carswell (Independent - Clacton)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many state-maintained primary schools in England have no male teachers on their permanent staff.
Answered by Nick Gibb
In November 2014, there were 3,516 state funded primary schools in England that reported having no male teachers in their service.[1]
[1] Source: School Workforce Census 2014: www.gov.uk/government/statistics/school-workforce-in-england-november-2014
Asked by: Douglas Carswell (Independent - Clacton)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department plans to take to ensure that foster care is of the highest possible standard.
Answered by Edward Timpson
Ofsted is responsible for the regulation and inspection of all independent fostering services and includes local authority fostering services within their wider inspection protocol.
In 2013, the government streamlined and strengthened the assessment and approval process for foster carers. All foster carers continue to undergo a full and comprehensive assessment before they are approved by a fostering service. Supporting the recruitment and retention of foster carers is a priority - it is through the skills and dedication of these foster carers and those who work with them that we will improve outcomes for looked-after children. From 2013 to 2015, the government also invested £750,000 to support four local authority regional consortia to develop innovative strategies to help them recruit and retain the foster carers they need in their local area. In April 2015, the government also amended regulations to introduce ‘long term foster care’ as a distinct placement type. In cases such as these, statutory guidance is clear that the local authority should assess the ability of the identified foster carer to care for the child (this may be the foster carers currently looking after the child, or new carers who are best able to meet the child’s needs).
Asked by: Douglas Carswell (Independent - Clacton)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans her Department has to review (a) standards of foster care and (b) criteria for becoming a foster carer.
Answered by Edward Timpson
Ofsted is responsible for the regulation and inspection of all independent fostering services and includes local authority fostering services within their wider inspection protocol.
In 2013, the government streamlined and strengthened the assessment and approval process for foster carers. All foster carers continue to undergo a full and comprehensive assessment before they are approved by a fostering service. Supporting the recruitment and retention of foster carers is a priority - it is through the skills and dedication of these foster carers and those who work with them that we will improve outcomes for looked-after children. From 2013 to 2015, the government also invested £750,000 to support four local authority regional consortia to develop innovative strategies to help them recruit and retain the foster carers they need in their local area. In April 2015, the government also amended regulations to introduce ‘long term foster care’ as a distinct placement type. In cases such as these, statutory guidance is clear that the local authority should assess the ability of the identified foster carer to care for the child (this may be the foster carers currently looking after the child, or new carers who are best able to meet the child’s needs).
Asked by: Douglas Carswell (Independent - Clacton)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has made to increase the number of high-quality secondary school teachers, other than the role of financial incentives.
Answered by David Laws
The Department for Education is committed to recruiting high-quality graduates into the teaching profession, and we have a range of initiatives designed to attract the best potential teachers.
In September 2014 we launched a new marketing campaign called ‘Your Future | Their Future’. We use a range of activities including national newspaper advertising, targeted digital communications and face-to-face events to reach excellent potential teachers, including career changers, and to persuade them to pursue a career in teaching.
Additional funding has been made available to schools offering School Direct (salaried) places to boost starting salaries and encourage more experienced graduates to enter teacher training across a range of subjects. School Direct (salaried) is an employment-based route for high-quality, experienced graduates who earn a salary whilst training.
We provide an information service for anyone looking to enter teaching through the Teaching Line. Those interested in teaching a priority subject are given access to the Premier Plus programme. This includes support from a dedicated recruitment advisor, access to exclusive events and regular communications with important news and application hints and tips.
We have extended the School Experience Programme (SEP) this year to include non-funded subjects as well as funded priority subjects. SEP gives prospective teachers the chance to gain school experience, helping them to choose teaching as a career.
Prestigious scholarship awards are available to outstanding graduates with a 2:1 or first-class degree in maths, physics, chemistry, and computing. Scholarships come with a package of non-financial benefits, such as membership of the appropriate professional body, mentoring, and continuous professional development.
New entrants to initial teacher training are becoming better qualified. Overall, we have seen an increase each year in the percentage of new entrants who hold a first class or 2:1 degree; rising from 61% in 2009/10 to 73% in 2014/15.
In addition, we have supported the expansion of Teach First , which focuses on getting the highest quality teachers into our most challenging schools, by more than doubling the number of programme participants since 2010, and ensuring the programme covers all English government regions.