To match an exact phrase, use quotation marks around the search term. eg. "Parliamentary Estate". Use "OR" or "AND" as link words to form more complex queries.


Keep yourself up-to-date with the latest developments by exploring our subscription options to receive notifications direct to your inbox

Written Question
Department for Education: Recruitment
Tuesday 15th November 2022

Asked by: Florence Eshalomi (Labour (Co-op) - Vauxhall)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much her Department spent on external recruitment consultants in 2021.

Answered by Nick Gibb

The information is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.


Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 24 Oct 2022
Oral Answers to Questions

Speech Link

View all Florence Eshalomi (LAB - Vauxhall) contributions to the debate on: Oral Answers to Questions

Speech in Commons Chamber - Tue 29 Mar 2022
Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Review

Speech Link

View all Florence Eshalomi (LAB - Vauxhall) contributions to the debate on: Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Review

Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 06 Dec 2021
Arthur Labinjo-Hughes

Speech Link

View all Florence Eshalomi (LAB - Vauxhall) contributions to the debate on: Arthur Labinjo-Hughes

Speech in Westminster Hall - Tue 21 Sep 2021
School Building Conditions

Speech Link

View all Florence Eshalomi (LAB - Vauxhall) contributions to the debate on: School Building Conditions

Written Question
Department of Education: Email
Thursday 29th July 2021

Asked by: Florence Eshalomi (Labour (Co-op) - Vauxhall)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he or any of the Ministers of his Department use personal email addresses to conduct Government business.

Answered by Nick Gibb

I refer the hon. Member for Vauxhall to the answer I gave on 5 July 2021 to Questions 23184 and 23186.


Written Question
Mental Health: Curriculum
Monday 19th July 2021

Asked by: Florence Eshalomi (Labour (Co-op) - Vauxhall)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to ensure that awareness of the specific symptoms of complex mental health conditions is included in the national curriculum.

Answered by Nick Gibb

Relationships Education is compulsory for all primary school pupils, Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) is compulsory for all secondary school pupils, and Health Education is compulsory for pupils in all state-funded schools.

Mental wellbeing is a key topic in Health Education and there is a recognition that mental wellbeing and physical health are linked. Pupils are taught about mental wellbeing and physical health to give them the information they need to make good decisions about their own health and wellbeing. Pupils are taught to recognise early signs of mental wellbeing concerns and common types of mental ill health, such as anxiety and depression, and, where issues arise, seek support as early as possible from appropriate sources.

Promotion of good mental wellbeing through the teaching of Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) is key to the recovery of schools, and the socialisation of pupils once COVID-19 restrictions are lifted. The statutory RSHE guidance on mental wellbeing is therefore a key priority within the Department’s package of support. The training material, covering mental wellbeing, is available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/teaching-about-relationships-sex-and-health. This is alongside other teacher training modules, which aim to help teachers identify the core knowledge pupils may be taught as part of RSHE, and to share this through peer training. These have been developed with subject matter experts and teachers, and are available to view here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/teaching-about-relationships-sex-and-health#train-teachers-on-relationships-sex-and-health-education.


Speech in Commons Chamber - Thu 15 Apr 2021
University Students: Compensation for Lost Teaching and Rent

Speech Link

View all Florence Eshalomi (LAB - Vauxhall) contributions to the debate on: University Students: Compensation for Lost Teaching and Rent

Written Question
Schools: Coronavirus
Monday 25th January 2021

Asked by: Florence Eshalomi (Labour (Co-op) - Vauxhall)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether scientists researching covid-19 are considered critical workers for the purposes of allowing children to attend school during the covid-19 outbreak; and if he will update the Government’s guidance to reflect the Government's position on that matter.

Answered by Nick Gibb

During this period of national lockdown, schools should allow only vulnerable children and the children of critical workers to attend. All other pupils should not attend and should learn remotely. We have resisted restrictions on attendance at schools since the first lockdown but, in the face of the rapidly rising numbers of cases across the country and intense pressure on the NHS, we now need to use every lever at our disposal to reduce all our social contacts wherever possible. Limiting attendance is about supporting the reduction of the overall number of social contacts in our communities.

Parents whose work is critical to the COVID-19 outbreak and EU transition response can send their children to school if required. The guidance for ‘Children of critical workers and vulnerable children who can access schools or educational settings’ sets out who is able to attend school to receive face-to-face education. The document sets out the high-level role types, and the list in the guidance is not exhaustive, but it should offer sufficient information to help parents and carers to identify if their work is considered critical to the nation’s COVID-19 response. The guidance is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-maintaining-educational-provision/guidance-for-schools-colleges-and-local-authorities-on-maintaining-educational-provision.

The Department will continue to review the restrictions on schools and will ensure that children and young people return to face-to-face education as soon as possible.


Written Question
Free School Meals: Coronavirus
Monday 21st September 2020

Asked by: Florence Eshalomi (Labour (Co-op) - Vauxhall)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to his Department’s guidance entitled Providing school meals during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, updated on 10 September 2020, when his Department plans to publish further guidance and examples as set out under the heading: if food parcels are needed.

Answered by Vicky Ford

We continue to work with stakeholders to provide advice and support to schools. Guidance has been prepared jointly by the Lead Association for Catering in Education (LACA), Public Health England and the Department for Education, setting out some general principles for putting together a food parcel, which will allow parents and carers to prepare simple and healthy lunches for their children at home across the week. This guidance is available on LACA’s website here:
https://laca.co.uk/laca-view/free-school-meals-guidance-producing-food-parcels.

A further updated version of our guidance will be published shortly and the current version is available here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-free-school-meals-guidance/covid-19-free-school-meals-guidance-for-schools.

Now schools and their kitchens are open, normal free school meal provision resumes, enabling children to have a nutritious healthy meal at school. Schools should provide meal options for all pupils who are in school and meals should be available free of charge to all infant pupils and all pupils who meet the benefits-related free school meals eligibility criteria. As set out in our guidance, schools are able to support pupils eligible for benefits-related free school meals who have to remain at home due to self-isolation with food parcels.

Approximately 88% of pupils on roll in state-funded schools were in attendance on 10 September. Attendance estimates include pupils absent for COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 related reasons. Further data on school attendance of free school meal eligible children will be published in due course.