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Written Question
Childcare and Pre-school Education: Finance
Tuesday 18th July 2023

Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department accounted for additional (a) heating and (b) travel costs experienced in rural areas in calculating the minimum funding floor for the early years supplementary grant for September 2023.

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

The government recognises the current pressures faced by early years providers. That is why we are providing additional funding, through the early years supplementary grant (EYSG) from September 2023, for local authorities to increase the amount of funding paid to childcare providers for delivering the existing childcare entitlement offers.

With the additional funding provided through the EYSG, the minimum funding floor for the 3 and 4-year-old hourly funding rate will increase from £4.87 to an effective £5.20 per hour, in line with the expected increase in the effective combined national average rate (which will increase from £5.29 to £5.62 per hour).

The EYSG will be subject to conditions of grant which we expect to publish in September. The department’s intention is that local authorities must pass on the EYSG in full to early years providers.

In order to recognise cost variations between local authority areas, the department has used the existing funding formulae for 2, 3 and 4-year-olds to determine the EYSG rates for individual local authorities. This means there will be variation around the average increases stated below.

The existing funding system for 3 and 4-year-olds requires local authorities to set a local funding formula, which includes additional funding supplements. In their local formula, local authorities must have a deprivation supplement for 3 and 4-year-olds and are permitted to use other discretionary funding supplements, one of which is to recognise additional costs associated with rurality or sparsity, to enable local authorities to support providers serving rural areas less likely to benefit from economies of scale.


Written Question
Pre-school Education: Finance
Monday 17th July 2023

Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to offer additional funding to areas where the Early Years Supplementary Grant results in below national average funding for early years education.

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

At the Spring Budget 2023, the Chancellor announced an increase to the funding for the existing early years entitlements for two, three and four-year-olds of £204 million from this September, and £288 million in 2024/25, for local authorities to increase the rates paid to childcare providers.

On 7 July 2023, the department confirmed that the £204 million for 2023/24 would be distributed via a new Early Years Supplementary Grant (EYSG), and the hourly funding rates that each local authority will receive from September 2023.

This additional funding through the EYSG, coming on top of local authorities’ existing allocations, will allow an increase to an average of 32% for the current two year old entitlement, and by an average of 6.3% for the three and four-year-old entitlements. For two-year-olds, this means that the average hourly rate received by local authorities will rise from the current £6 per hour in 2023/24, to an effective £7.95 per hour. The three and four-year-old national average hourly rate will rise from £5.29, to an effective £5.62 from September 2023.

In order to recognise cost variations between local authority areas, the existing funding formulae for two, three and four-year-olds has been used to determine the EYSG rates for individual local authorities. This means there will be variation around the average increases stated above.

For three and four-year-olds, as with the 2023/24 early years national funding formula (EYNFF) rates, the department is including protections to ensure that all local authorities see an increase in the effective combined hourly funding rate (September to March) they receive. The minimum increase that local authorities can see between their effective combined hourly rate (September to March) and their 2023/24 EYNFF hourly rate is +1%. Without this protection, some areas would see very low percentage increases, or decreases, compared to their 2023/24 rates based on the pre-protection calculation.

For two-year-olds, no protection or gains cap have been applied in calculating the effective combined hourly funding rates, because all local authorities will see a substantial increase to their hourly funding rates.


Written Question
Pupils: Per Capita Costs
Friday 23rd June 2023

Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has to tackle funding gaps between rural and urban National Funding Formula Allocations per pupil.

Answered by Nick Gibb

Funding for mainstream schools and high needs is £3.5 billion higher in 2023/24, compared to 2022/23. That is on top of the £4 billion, year on year increase provided in 2022/23, an increase of £7.5 billion, or over 15%, in just two years. This takes total funding for both mainstream schools and high needs to £57.3 billion in 2023/24.

The schools National Funding Formula (NFF) distributes funding fairly, based on schools’ and pupils’ needs and characteristics, and as a result of this, not all areas or schools attract the same level of funding. It is not the purpose of the NFF to give every school the same level of per pupil funding. Instead, it is right that schools with more pupils with additional needs, such as those indicated by measures of deprivation, low prior attainment, or English as an additional language, receive extra funding to help them meet the needs of all their pupils.

The Department appreciates that small schools in geographically challenging areas do not have the same opportunities to find efficiencies as those elsewhere. The sparsity factor in the NFF allocates additional funding specifically to these schools, without which pupils would have to travel a long way to get to school. £97 million has been allocated to small and remote schools through the sparsity factor in 2023/24, which is an increase from £26 million in the 2020/21 financial year.

The amount of additional funding that small schools can attract in 2023/24 has increased to up to £56,300 for primary schools, and up to £81,900 for secondary schools. Since 2022/23, the Department has been measuring schools’ remoteness more accurately, by road distances. This has led to a significant increase in the number of schools eligible for sparsity funding, with over 2,500 schools now eligible.


Written Question
School Libraries
Monday 24th April 2023

Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of schools had libraries in (a) Shropshire and (b) England in (i) 2010, (ii) 2015 and (iii) 2023.

Answered by Nick Gibb

The Department believes that all pupils deserve to be taught a curriculum that promotes the extensive reading of books and other texts, both in and out of school. School libraries complement public libraries in allowing pupils to do this.

It is for individual schools to decide how best to provide and maintain a library service for their pupils, including whether to employ a qualified librarian. Many head teachers recognise the important role school libraries play in improving literacy and encouraging pupils to read for pleasure and to ensure that suitable library facilities are provided. School libraries can take many forms, with some schools preferring to make books a focus in other ways, including housing them within classrooms.

Given the autonomy granted to schools on how to provide a library service to their pupils, the Department does not collect information on the number of school libraries.


Written Question
School Libraries
Monday 24th April 2023

Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of schools have a library.

Answered by Nick Gibb

The Department believes that all pupils deserve to be taught a curriculum that promotes the extensive reading of books and other texts, both in and out of school. School libraries complement public libraries in allowing pupils to do this.

It is for individual schools to decide how best to provide and maintain a library service for their pupils, including whether to employ a qualified librarian. Many head teachers recognise the important role school libraries play in improving literacy and encouraging pupils to read for pleasure and to ensure that suitable library facilities are provided. School libraries can take many forms, with some schools preferring to make books a focus in other ways, including housing them within classrooms.

Given the autonomy granted to schools on how to provide a library service to their pupils, the Department does not collect information on the number of school libraries.


Written Question
Schools: Literacy
Monday 24th April 2023

Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to increase literacy in schools.

Answered by Nick Gibb

This Government is committed to continuing to raise literacy standards to give all pupils a solid base upon which to build as they progress through school. Scores in international assessments such as the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) have improved notably, particularly for boys and the lowest performing pupils, narrowing the gap between the higher and lower performing pupils. PIRLS scores are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pirls-2016-reading-literacy-performance-in-england.

In 2018, the Department launched the £26.3 million English Hubs Programme, which is dedicated to improving the teaching of reading, with a focus on supporting children making the slowest progress in reading. It has since provided appropriate and targeted support to several thousands of schools across England.

In 2021, the Department published non-statutory guidance aimed at improving the teaching of the foundations of reading in primary schools.

The Department’s measures also include an updated list of validated phonics programmes, funding for the purchase of phonics programmes and a new National Professional Qualification for Leading Literacy.


Written Question
Teachers: Labour Turnover and Recruitment
Tuesday 7th February 2023

Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to improve teacher recruitment and retention rates in subjects including (a) Physics, (b) Maths, (c) Design and Technology, (d) Chemistry and (e) Computing.

Answered by Nick Gibb

The number of teachers remains high, with over 465,500 Full Time Equivalent teachers working in state funded schools across the country, including more rural parts of England. This is 24,000 more than in 2010.

The Department recognises there is more to do to ensure teaching remains an attractive, high status profession, and to recruit and retain teachers in key subjects. Reforms are aimed not only at increasing teacher recruitment through an attractive pay offer and financial incentives such as bursaries, but also at ensuring teachers stay and succeed in the profession.

The Department is making £181 million available in bursaries and scholarships to attract trainee teachers in high priority subjects for academic year 2023/24. This is a £52 million increase on the current academic year. As graduates in science technology, engineering, and mathematics attract the highest salaries outside teaching, the Department is offering a £27,000 tax-free bursary or a £29,000 tax-free scholarship in chemistry, computing, mathematics, and physics. The Department is also offering a £20,000 tax-free bursary in design and technology.​

The Department also offers a Levelling Up Premium worth up to £3,000 annually for mathematics, physics, chemistry, and computing teachers in the first five years of their careers who work in disadvantaged schools across England, including in rural areas and Education Investment Areas (EIAs). This will support recruitment and retention of specialist teachers in the subjects and in the schools and areas that need them most. ​ ​

To make teaching here even more attractive to the best teachers from around the world, the Department plans to introduce a new relocation premium for overseas nationals coming here to train or teach languages and physics. This will help with visas and other expenses. The Department will also extend bursary and scholarship eligibility to international trainees in physics and languages.

The Department launched its new digital service, ‘Apply for teacher training’, in autumn 2021 to make it easier for people across the country to train to become teachers, particularly in shortage subjects.

In autumn 2022, the Department expanded the ‘Engineers Teach Physics’ initial teacher training programme with a national rollout. This course has been designed to support more engineers and material scientists to train to become physics teachers. The Department is working closely with sector experts, representative bodies and academic institutions such as the Institute of Physics, Engineering UK, University of Birmingham and the Gatsby Institute to ensure that the course reflects best practice and includes the most up to date industry knowledge.

These initiatives all support the work of the Department in creating a world-class teacher development system by transforming the support teachers and school leaders receive at every stage of their career. This begins with initial teacher training through to an Early Careers Framework based induction for early career teachers, and specialist and leadership National Professional Qualifications for more experienced teachers.


Written Question
Teachers: Rural Areas
Tuesday 7th February 2023

Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to tackle teacher shortages in rural areas.

Answered by Nick Gibb

The number of teachers remains high, with over 465,500 Full Time Equivalent teachers working in state funded schools across the country, including more rural parts of England. This is 24,000 more than in 2010.

The Department recognises there is more to do to ensure teaching remains an attractive, high status profession, and to recruit and retain teachers in key subjects. Reforms are aimed not only at increasing teacher recruitment through an attractive pay offer and financial incentives such as bursaries, but also at ensuring teachers stay and succeed in the profession.

The Department is making £181 million available in bursaries and scholarships to attract trainee teachers in high priority subjects for academic year 2023/24. This is a £52 million increase on the current academic year. As graduates in science technology, engineering, and mathematics attract the highest salaries outside teaching, the Department is offering a £27,000 tax-free bursary or a £29,000 tax-free scholarship in chemistry, computing, mathematics, and physics. The Department is also offering a £20,000 tax-free bursary in design and technology.​

The Department also offers a Levelling Up Premium worth up to £3,000 annually for mathematics, physics, chemistry, and computing teachers in the first five years of their careers who work in disadvantaged schools across England, including in rural areas and Education Investment Areas (EIAs). This will support recruitment and retention of specialist teachers in the subjects and in the schools and areas that need them most. ​ ​

To make teaching here even more attractive to the best teachers from around the world, the Department plans to introduce a new relocation premium for overseas nationals coming here to train or teach languages and physics. This will help with visas and other expenses. The Department will also extend bursary and scholarship eligibility to international trainees in physics and languages.

The Department launched its new digital service, ‘Apply for teacher training’, in autumn 2021 to make it easier for people across the country to train to become teachers, particularly in shortage subjects.

In autumn 2022, the Department expanded the ‘Engineers Teach Physics’ initial teacher training programme with a national rollout. This course has been designed to support more engineers and material scientists to train to become physics teachers. The Department is working closely with sector experts, representative bodies and academic institutions such as the Institute of Physics, Engineering UK, University of Birmingham and the Gatsby Institute to ensure that the course reflects best practice and includes the most up to date industry knowledge.

These initiatives all support the work of the Department in creating a world-class teacher development system by transforming the support teachers and school leaders receive at every stage of their career. This begins with initial teacher training through to an Early Careers Framework based induction for early career teachers, and specialist and leadership National Professional Qualifications for more experienced teachers.


Written Question
Supply Teachers: Pay and Workplace Pensions
Thursday 17th November 2022

Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to protect supply teacher salaries and pensions.

Answered by Nick Gibb

Schools are free to recruit supply teachers, and most schools use supply agencies. The Department has a commercial framework which schools can use to recruit supply teachers, and 118 supply agencies have registered.

All agencies on the framework must be transparent about the fees they charge to schools and waive some additional fees.

In addition, supply teachers have a number of statutory rights, including entitlement to equal treatment as someone doing the same role and employed directly after 12 weeks, statutory entitlement to holiday pay, employment rights (such as the national minimum wages and sick pay), and access to workplace pensions.


Written Question
Supply Teachers: Employment Agencies
Monday 7th November 2022

Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure teaching agencies are fully regulated.

Answered by Nick Gibb

Schools are free to recruit supply teachers and most use supply agencies. Agencies are required to undertake the same rigorous checks as schools when recruiting staff. The Department has set out these requirements in the Keeping Children Safe in Education 2022 statutory guidance, which can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1101454/Keeping_children_safe_in_education_2022.pdf. The Government has a commercial framework which schools can use to recruit supply teachers and 118 agencies have registered.

All agencies on the framework are accredited by an approved accreditation body which audits them on an annual basis. All agencies that do business through the framework must be transparent about the fees they charge to schools and waive some additional fees. The Department recommends that schools consider using preferred suppliers to meet their staffing needs.

In addition, supply teachers have statutory rights, including entitlement to equal treatment after 12 weeks as someone doing the same role and employed directly, statutory entitlement to holiday pay, employment rights (such as the national minimum wages and sick pay), and access to workplace pensions.