Eddie Hughes

The Government recognises the transformational impact that youth services can have, especially for young people facing multiple barriers or disadvantage.

We are working across Government and with young people to develop a new Youth Charter setting out Government’s clear vision and offer for young people.

The evidential requirements to authenticate identity attributes vary depending on the nature of the goods or services being sought. Usually relying parties determine the necessary level of authentication they require, though this is sometimes prescribed in regulation. There are no current legislative proposals on this matter but regulation is kept under review.

The government is supporting the development of a standards based digital identity market in the UK. The Minister for Implementation made a written statement on the future of Gov.uk Verify programme on 9 October 2018 setting out next steps. Discussions continue within government and with industry as we develop our proposals, which we will set out further in due course.

The UK is a world leader in AI and this government is committed to retaining this position.

Our AI and Data Grand Challenge is a major collaboration with industry and academia to this end. It includes up to £0.95bn Sector Deal package with industry that will strengthen the UK’s position as a global AI leader.

We are establishing an AI Council, an expert committee, to provide high-level leadership on implementing the AI Sector Deal.

We are also working with partners including the Turing Institute and UKRI to encourage retention and attract new, diverse talent from abroad.

We are committed to spreading jobs and prosperity throughout the UK, and it is important that our broadcasting sector reflects and provides for the whole country.

This government is committed to spreading jobs and prosperity throughout the UK, and it is important that our broadcasting sector reflects and provides for the whole country. That is why Public Service Broadcasters are legally obliged to produce a proportion of their content outside of London, as well as make regional programming. This supports the many creative hubs around the UK and widens access to the UK's world class creative industries

We have worked with Channel 4 to secure a commitment to move a minimum 300 staff outside of London, and to increase out of London commissioning spend from 35% to 50%. The government has made clear that we expect other broadcasters to follow Channel 4’s lead.

Parents have a duty, under Section 7 of the Education Act 1996, to ensure that their child of compulsory school age (5-16) receives an efficient full-time education either by attendance at school or otherwise.

If parents register their child at school, the law places a duty on parents to ensure their child of compulsory school age attends school regularly.

A penalty notice is a fine issued to parents for failing to secure their child’s regular attendance at school. The Parental Responsibility Measures Attendance census collects data from local authorities annually on parental responsibility measures issued to address poor attendance in state-funded schools. It is a matter for schools and local authorities to decide whether to issue a penalty notice for unauthorised term time absence.

The Department has not formally assessed the impact of penalty notices, but comparable data shows overall absence rates have remained fairly stable across recent years, following a generally downward trend since 2006/07 (4.8% in 2017/18, compared to 6.5% in 2006/07).

Schools and those responsible for school buildings receive condition funding through different routes depending on their size and type. All schools receive funding to spend on their capital priorities through an annual Devolved Formula Capital allocation. In addition, local authorities and larger multi-academy trusts (MATs) receive a School Condition Allocation (SCA) to invest in their priorities across the schools for which they are responsible. MATs are eligible for SCA if they have five or more academies and at least 3,000 pupils. The Department also offers an allocation to academy chains (groups of more than one trust) where they meet the size criteria as a group and have opted in. Smaller or stand-alone academy trusts and sixth form colleges can bid for funding to the Condition Improvement Fund (CIF). The funding available through CIF and SCA is calculated on the same basis per pupil.

For financial year 2020-21, condition allocations, the eligibility threshold for SCA will remain the same. The Department keeps funding policy under review, and we are undertaking a new school Condition Data Collection (CDC), due to complete later this year. The CDC will provide a high-level assessment of the condition of state funded schools in England and will help inform future capital funding policy.

The process to become an academy is school led, with schools’ Local Governing Bodies taking the initiative to apply to their Regional School Commissioners’ office on whether to join an existing academy trust, or form one with partner schools. The only exception to this, where the department takes a leading role, is where a school is judged as ‘inadequate’ by Ofsted, as the law requires the Secretary of State to make an order enabling the school to become an academy.

The department aims to ensure that all schools considering becoming academies are able to join strong academy trusts, and this has historically been supported through trust capacity funding. Ultimately, our ambition is for every school that wants to, to benefit from the autonomy and freedom to innovate that academy status offers, and for schools to collaborate through strong academy trusts.

Performance data illustrates how disadvantaged pupils in academy trusts are making more progress at GCSE level than the equivalent national average. Data for key stage 4 and academy trust performance in 2018 is available here:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/774014/2018_KS4_main_text.pdf.

In primary schools within academy trusts, disadvantaged pupils performed significantly better than the equivalent national average in writing and maths. Data for key stage 2 and academy trust performance is available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/774446/KS2_Revised.

The department has also conducted a series of assessments into the effectiveness of academy trusts in improving educational outcomes for pupils. In 2019, we published internal analysis of the performance of sponsored academies, which typically converted to academy status due to underperformance. Our analysis concluded that pupil outcomes in sponsored academies have typically improved since their formation in comparison with sets of similar schools. The analysis is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sponsored-academy-performance. Evidence shows there are now more than 550,000 pupils in good or outstanding sponsored academies, which typically replaced underperforming local authority schools.

In addition to our own internal analysis, we also hold evidence produced by external organisations, such as the one produced by the Institute of Education, available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/763796/School_Improvement_in_Multi-School_groups_-_FINAL_10122018.pdf.

The department has conducted an assessment of the multi-academy trust (MAT) development programme, previously referred to as growth checks. A summary of the assessment will be published in due course.

The materials for the MAT development programme can be found at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/722985/MAT_Development_Programme_2018_resource.pdf.

Academy trusts operate under a strict system of oversight and accountability for the quality of education they provide, which informs decisions about targeted support or intervention. Regional School Commissioners work to support academy trusts within their regions and, where appropriate, encourage academies and trusts to apply for funding to support school improvement, such as The Multi-academy trust Development and Improvement Fund.

Where a school wishes to leave a trust of which it is already a part of, this is possible with the consent of my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, providing both the school and the trust are in favour; that it can be demonstrated there will be greater benefits for the school from joining another trust; and that the capacity of the existing trust is not diminished.

Condition funding is allocated each year to those responsible for school buildings to improve and maintain the condition of the school estate. Schools and those responsible for school buildings receive condition funding through different routes depending on their size and type.

Local authorities and larger multi-academy trusts (MATs) receive a school condition allocation to invest in condition priorities across their schools. School condition allocations for 2019-20 are available online at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/school-capital-funding.

MATs and opted in academy chains currently receive school condition allocations if they have 5 or more academies and at least 3,000 pupils. Smaller and stand-alone academy trusts instead apply for capital funding to the Condition Improvement Fund. All schools also receive an allocation of devolved formula capital to invest in smaller capital projects to meet their own priorities.

The department keeps condition funding policy under review and plans to publish the methodology for school condition allocations for the 2020-21 financial year in autumn 2019. The eligibility for school condition allocations in 2020-21 will remain consistent with previous years.

In light of changes over time to how Regional Schools Commissioners (RSCs) interact with the school system, we are reviewing the published Regional Vision Statements, and expect to decide on any replacements or revisions shortly.

The RSC for the West Midlands will be meeting my hon. Friend, the Member for Walsall North, on 22 July 2019 at which time he will be able to discuss the regional vision for the West Midlands RSC area.

Despite extensive site searches, the department has so far been unable to secure a viable site for Swift Secondary Academy in its proposed location of Blakenall in Walsall.

The Walsall Local Plan does not allocate land for educational use and the council has previously indicated that it would not support the delivery of the school.

The funding for the school remains available, but given the lack of available sites and uncertainty over the future demographic need for additional school places in the area, we are currently reviewing the project's future.

Despite extensive site searches, the department has so far been unable to secure a viable site for Swift Secondary Academy in its proposed location of Blakenall in Walsall.

The Walsall Local Plan does not allocate land for educational use and the council has previously indicated that it would not support the delivery of the school.

The funding for the school remains available, but given the lack of available sites and uncertainty over the future demographic need for additional school places in the area, we are currently reviewing the project's future.

The government believes that all schools can benefit from becoming an academy as part of an academy trust. The department’s policy remains that maintained schools are only required to become sponsored academies, due to educational underperformance, if they are judged inadequate by Ofsted.

Many well performing schools are voluntarily choosing to convert to become academies. As a result, thousands of pupils are benefiting from higher standards in their schools. As of June 2019, there are 8,157 academies. Over two thirds of these academies, 5,861, are converter academies, and many of those have become system leaders within academy trusts by helping other schools to improve. We encourage any collaboration between schools that improves outcomes for pupils.

Local authorities are required to provide schools with sufficient funds to enable mainstream schools to meet the additional cost of pupils with special educational needs (SEN) and disabilities, up to the value of £6,000. This funding comes from the schools block of the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG). While authorities will identify a notional SEN budget for each school within the school’s overall budget, that notional budget is not ring-fenced, and schools are expected to manage their overall budget to best meet the need of all their pupils, including pupils with SEN.

When the costs of additional support required for a pupil with SEN exceed £6,000, the local authority should also allocate additional top-up funding to cover the excess costs. This top-up funding, and all funding for special schools comes from the local authority’s high needs budget. In December 2018, we announced an additional £250 million in high needs funding across the current financial year and the next, bringing Walsall’s total high needs funding to £31.5 million in 2018-19.

In 2013, the schools and high needs budgets within the DSG were created. As the DSG includes other budgets such as the early years budget, the department is unable to provide comparable figures before 2013-14.

The schools and high needs allocations for Solihull since 2013-14 are as follows:

Local authorities continue to be responsible for distributing funding to schools in their local area in 2019-20. School allocations for 2019-20 are yet to be confirmed by local authorities. They will be published in due course.

The table attached shows notional allocations through the national funding formula (NFF) for schools in Walsall North in 2019-20, and compares these to the 2017-18 baselines. The notional NFF figures are based on 2018-19 pupil data.

Total funding per pupil, which includes both pupil-led and school-led funding, may decrease when the number of pupils increases because school-led funding, which does not vary with pupil numbers, is divided by a greater number of pupils. The attached table shows both changes in total funding per pupil and changes in pupil-led funding per pupil.

Information on funding at constituency level is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Walsall local authority currently receives funding for the 2-year-old offer, and take-up is currently at 62%. Walsall has bid for the schools nursery capital fund and is a partner to Wolverhampton’s bid to the early outcomes fund, both of which are currently being assessed. The outcomes will be announced in due course.

In addition, the department has commissioned an early years special educational needs and disability (SEND) partnership led by the National Children's Bureau. This project aims to improve the quality of provision for children with SEND in the early years by building the confidence, knowledge and ability of the workforce to identify and support children with SEND. The West Midlands is one of the regions that the National Children’s Bureau will be working with.

The best promoters of apprenticeships are apprentices themselves and young apprentice ambassadors network play an important role is this. I would also like to commend the work of Apprenticeship Diversity Champions Network who’s work makes sure that we reach the widest possible number of people.

The National Apprenticeship Service promotes apprenticeships by working with schools and works with the largest levy-paying employers to help them grow their programme. We have a number of campaigns including Get in Go far, targeting specific sectors and telemarketing.