Asked by: Ian Sollom (Liberal Democrat - St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which contractors have been chosen to carry out works under the school rebuilding programme; and on what criteria these contractors were chosen.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department procures contractors from its frameworks to deliver the vast majority of projects, including the School Rebuilding Programme. Information on the contractors on its frameworks, including the criteria for selecting contractors for individual projects, can be found on GOV.UK, and is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-buildings-construction-framework-2021/appendix-d-framework-contractors.
Asked by: Ian Sollom (Liberal Democrat - St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will undertake a review of further education funding, in the context of the pay dispute with teachers at non-academised sixth forms.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
This government recognises the vital role that further education (FE) teachers and providers play in equipping learners with the opportunities and skills that they need to succeed in their education, and will consider workforce sufficiency and what this might mean for FE funding in future years.
The Autumn Budget 2024 set out the government’s commitment to skills by providing an additional £300 million revenue funding for FE to ensure young people are developing the skills this country needs. The department will set out in due course how this funding will be distributed.
Government plays no role in recommending or setting pay or terms and conditions of employment within the FE sector. Institutions remain solely responsible for the pay, contractual conditions and terms of service for their workforce, and for managing their own industrial relations.
The department encourages sixth form colleges both to ensure good industrial relations and, if necessary, to take appropriate mitigations to ensure that young people’s learning can continue during industrial action.
Asked by: Ian Sollom (Liberal Democrat - St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support the education of pupils at non-academised sixth forms in the context of planned industrial action.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
This government recognises the vital role that further education (FE) teachers and providers play in equipping learners with the opportunities and skills that they need to succeed in their education, and will consider workforce sufficiency and what this might mean for FE funding in future years.
The Autumn Budget 2024 set out the government’s commitment to skills by providing an additional £300 million revenue funding for FE to ensure young people are developing the skills this country needs. The department will set out in due course how this funding will be distributed.
Government plays no role in recommending or setting pay or terms and conditions of employment within the FE sector. Institutions remain solely responsible for the pay, contractual conditions and terms of service for their workforce, and for managing their own industrial relations.
The department encourages sixth form colleges both to ensure good industrial relations and, if necessary, to take appropriate mitigations to ensure that young people’s learning can continue during industrial action.
Asked by: Ian Sollom (Liberal Democrat - St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help resolve pay disputes with non-academised sixth forms who were not included in the 5.5% pay award announced for teachers.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government does not set or recommend pay in further education (FE) providers, which have the freedom to make their own arrangements in line with their local circumstances.
This government recognises the vital role that FE teachers and providers play in equipping learners with the opportunities and skills that they need to succeed in their education and throughout life.
That is why the October Budget set out the government’s commitment to skills, by providing an additional £300 million revenue funding for FE to ensure young people are developing the skills this country needs. The department will set out in due course how this funding will be distributed.
Asked by: Ian Sollom (Liberal Democrat - St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of encouraging the Joint Council for Qualifications to include the Level 3 Core Maths qualification within the A level and Level 3 results documents to ensure their profile is aligned with similar sized qualifications.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
High and rising school standards, including in mathematics, are at the heart of the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and give every child the best life chances. Our Core Maths suite of qualifications is designed to prepare students for the mathematical demands of university study, employment and life by strengthening and building on students’ existing skills with a focus on using and applying mathematics. In the 2024/2025 academic year, a Core Maths premium of £900 per year per student was introduced into the 16-19 funding formula to support students’ participation in programmes with core mathematics qualifications. Guidance is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/16-to-19-funding-core-maths-premium/16-to-19-funding-core-maths-premium#eligible.
The government has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, covering ages 5 to 18, chaired by Professor Becky Francis CBE, an expert in education policy. The review will seek to deliver an excellent foundation in reading, writing and maths and will look at ensuring all young people aged 16-19 have access to rigorous, high value qualifications and training.
Results data is published by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) annually. Departmental officials have discussed with JCQ what data they might report for summer 2025 and beyond. While JCQ regularly review what and how they publish their data, they are an independent organisation, and this is a matter for them to consider.
The department funds the Advanced Mathematics Support Programme (AMSP), to promote the value of, and discuss positive encouragement for, level 3 mathematics and Core Maths in particular. The AMSP monitors engagement with the programme and provides support to increase the uptake of Core Maths.
Asked by: Ian Sollom (Liberal Democrat - St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to (a) increase awareness and (b) raise the status with (i) universities and (ii) employers of the Level 3 Core Maths qualification.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
High and rising school standards, including in mathematics, are at the heart of the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and give every child the best life chances. Our Core Maths suite of qualifications is designed to prepare students for the mathematical demands of university study, employment and life by strengthening and building on students’ existing skills with a focus on using and applying mathematics. In the 2024/2025 academic year, a Core Maths premium of £900 per year per student was introduced into the 16-19 funding formula to support students’ participation in programmes with core mathematics qualifications. Guidance is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/16-to-19-funding-core-maths-premium/16-to-19-funding-core-maths-premium#eligible.
The government has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, covering ages 5 to 18, chaired by Professor Becky Francis CBE, an expert in education policy. The review will seek to deliver an excellent foundation in reading, writing and maths and will look at ensuring all young people aged 16-19 have access to rigorous, high value qualifications and training.
Results data is published by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) annually. Departmental officials have discussed with JCQ what data they might report for summer 2025 and beyond. While JCQ regularly review what and how they publish their data, they are an independent organisation, and this is a matter for them to consider.
The department funds the Advanced Mathematics Support Programme (AMSP), to promote the value of, and discuss positive encouragement for, level 3 mathematics and Core Maths in particular. The AMSP monitors engagement with the programme and provides support to increase the uptake of Core Maths.
Asked by: Ian Sollom (Liberal Democrat - St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential implications for (a) her policies and (b) the labour market of changes in the level of the provision of maths in universities.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
English universities are independent, autonomous institutions and are therefore free to choose which courses they run. Quality is assessed by the Office for Students, the regulator of higher education (HE) providers in England.
The factor that makes the biggest difference to a young person’s education in schools and colleges is high quality teaching, but there are shortages of qualified teachers across the country. This is why the department is committed to recruiting an additional 6,500 expert teachers across schools, both mainstream and specialist, and colleges, over the course of this parliament.
Our measures will include getting more teachers into key subjects, such as mathematics, supporting areas that face recruitment challenges or shortages of qualified teachers, and tackling retention issues.
The department has recently announced the Initial Teacher Training financial incentives package for the 2025/26 recruitment cycle, which is worth up to £233 million, and represents a £37 million increase on the last cycle. This includes a range of measures, including bursaries worth £29,000 tax-free and scholarships worth £31,000 tax-free, to encourage talented trainees to key subjects such as mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing.
The department is also supporting the retention of teachers within the profession, alongside additional recruitment. As of 14 October, eligible early career teachers in priority science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and technical subjects can claim targeted retention incentive payments worth up to £6,000 after tax, with payments made available to college teachers in key STEM and technical subjects for the first time.
The government recognises that our universities make a vital contribution to our economy, society and to industry and innovation. We recognise the need to put our world-leading HE sector on a secure footing to ensure that all students have confidence that they will receive the world-class HE experience they deserve.
Asked by: Ian Sollom (Liberal Democrat - St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of maths provision in universities as part of the plan to recruit 6,500 new teachers.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
English universities are independent, autonomous institutions and are therefore free to choose which courses they run. Quality is assessed by the Office for Students, the regulator of higher education (HE) providers in England.
The factor that makes the biggest difference to a young person’s education in schools and colleges is high quality teaching, but there are shortages of qualified teachers across the country. This is why the department is committed to recruiting an additional 6,500 expert teachers across schools, both mainstream and specialist, and colleges, over the course of this parliament.
Our measures will include getting more teachers into key subjects, such as mathematics, supporting areas that face recruitment challenges or shortages of qualified teachers, and tackling retention issues.
The department has recently announced the Initial Teacher Training financial incentives package for the 2025/26 recruitment cycle, which is worth up to £233 million, and represents a £37 million increase on the last cycle. This includes a range of measures, including bursaries worth £29,000 tax-free and scholarships worth £31,000 tax-free, to encourage talented trainees to key subjects such as mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing.
The department is also supporting the retention of teachers within the profession, alongside additional recruitment. As of 14 October, eligible early career teachers in priority science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and technical subjects can claim targeted retention incentive payments worth up to £6,000 after tax, with payments made available to college teachers in key STEM and technical subjects for the first time.
The government recognises that our universities make a vital contribution to our economy, society and to industry and innovation. We recognise the need to put our world-leading HE sector on a secure footing to ensure that all students have confidence that they will receive the world-class HE experience they deserve.
Asked by: Ian Sollom (Liberal Democrat - St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many pupils had applications to state-funded mainstream schools rejected due to the school being unable to meet their identified SEND requirements in the 2023-24 school year.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
School applications and admissions are handled by the local authority and individual schools’ admission authorities. Therefore, the department does not hold information on the reasons for applications to state-funded schools being refused.
All mainstream, state-funded schools must comply with the statutory ‘school admissions code’ and with equalities legislation. The code is clear that admission authorities must not discriminate against disabled children or those with special educational needs (SEN), and that their admission arrangements will not disadvantage unfairly, either directly or indirectly, a child with a disability or SEN. The school admissions code can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1001050/School_admissions_code_2021.pdf.
A parent refused a place at a school they have applied for must be offered the right to appeal to an independent appeal panel.
More information on school applications and appeals can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/secondary-and-primary-school-applications-and-offers, and here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/admission-appeals-in-england#releaseHeadlines-tables.
Asked by: Ian Sollom (Liberal Democrat - St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many teaching hours have been missed by persistently absent pupils with SEND in the 2023-24 school year.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Information on pupil absence, including persistent absence and breakdowns by pupil characteristics, is published in the ‘Pupil absence in schools in England’ statistical release. This can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/pupil-absence-in-schools-in-england/2022-23.
The most recent data available is for the autumn and spring terms of the 2023/24 academic year. Data for the full 2023/24 academic year will be published in March 2025.
Data is collected in sessions as opposed to hours missed. One session is equal to half a day. The number of overall absence sessions for persistent absentees, broken down by special educational need status, can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/dabc07e5-3cb8-48ca-7115-08dd0ae16946.