Asked by: James McMurdock (Reform UK - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions her Department has had with secondary school teachers on the (a) attainment, (b) behaviour and (c) attendance of boys in schools in (i) England and (ii) Essex.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
All young people should have every opportunity to succeed, no matter who they are or where they are from. That is why, through our work to deliver the Opportunity Mission, the department will improve opportunities and life chances across the country for all children and young people.
As in previous years the latest attainment data shows girls continue to do better than boys across all headline measures, however, the gap has narrowed when comparing the 2023/24 academic year to the 2018/19 academic year. The department publishes attainment data by sex on an annual basis in the autumn term, which can be broken down by specific local authorities, including Essex. Further data can be accessed here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/key-stage-4-performance/2023-24.
High and rising standards across schools are the heart of our mission and the key to unlocking stronger outcomes for every child and young person, regardless of their gender. The department aims to deliver these improvements through excellent teaching and leadership, a high quality curriculum and a system which removes the barriers to learning that hold too many children back.
The quality of teaching is the single most important in-school factor in improving outcomes for all children, which is why the department is committed to recruiting 6,500 new expert teachers. We have also launched an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, which is closely examining the key challenges to attainment for young people and the barriers that hold children back from the opportunities and life chances they deserve.
To strengthen school improvement, the new regional improvement for standards and excellence (RISE) teams will provide both mandatory targeted intervention for schools identified by Ofsted as needing to improve and a universal service, acting as a catalyst for a self-improving system, for all schools.
The department also engages regularly with teachers and headteachers and their representative bodies on a range of issues, including attainment, behaviour and attendance. This includes engagement through the department’s teacher and headteacher reference groups.
Alongside this, the department regularly engages with school leaders and teachers to develop its attendance policy. During the spring term the department delivered a programme of nine regional attendance conferences across England, giving secondary school leaders and teachers the chance to hear how other schools are tackling attendance challenges and spread best practice across the system. The conference in the East of England was held on 17 March.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Reform UK - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the education system for supporting the academic attainment of boys.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
All young people should have every opportunity to succeed, no matter who they are or where they are from. That is why, through our work to deliver the Opportunity Mission, the department will improve opportunities and life chances across the country for all children and young people.
As in previous years the latest attainment data shows girls continue to do better than boys across all headline measures, however, the gap has narrowed when comparing the 2023/24 academic year to the 2018/19 academic year. The department publishes attainment data by sex on an annual basis in the autumn term, which can be broken down by specific local authorities, including Essex. Further data can be accessed here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/key-stage-4-performance/2023-24.
High and rising standards across schools are the heart of our mission and the key to unlocking stronger outcomes for every child and young person, regardless of their gender. The department aims to deliver these improvements through excellent teaching and leadership, a high quality curriculum and a system which removes the barriers to learning that hold too many children back.
The quality of teaching is the single most important in-school factor in improving outcomes for all children, which is why the department is committed to recruiting 6,500 new expert teachers. We have also launched an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, which is closely examining the key challenges to attainment for young people and the barriers that hold children back from the opportunities and life chances they deserve.
To strengthen school improvement, the new regional improvement for standards and excellence (RISE) teams will provide both mandatory targeted intervention for schools identified by Ofsted as needing to improve and a universal service, acting as a catalyst for a self-improving system, for all schools.
The department also engages regularly with teachers and headteachers and their representative bodies on a range of issues, including attainment, behaviour and attendance. This includes engagement through the department’s teacher and headteacher reference groups.
Alongside this, the department regularly engages with school leaders and teachers to develop its attendance policy. During the spring term the department delivered a programme of nine regional attendance conferences across England, giving secondary school leaders and teachers the chance to hear how other schools are tackling attendance challenges and spread best practice across the system. The conference in the East of England was held on 17 March.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Reform UK - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of growing class sizes on (a) the academic attainment of students and (b) the quality of lessons.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
Our school system will drive high and rising standards, across every school and for every child. We aim to deliver these improvements through excellent teaching and leadership, a high-quality curriculum, robust accountability and faster school improvement, and a system which removes additional barriers to learning.
Class sizes in primary and infant classes have been on a downwards trend in recent years, while secondary school classes have increased only slightly in line with demographic trends.
The quality of teaching is the most significant within-school factor in improving outcomes for children. This is why as our first steps for change, we are committed to recruiting an additional 6,500 new expert teachers across our schools, both mainstream and specialist, and our colleges over the course of this Parliament, reflecting the demographic trend of more pupils moving into upper secondary school and 16 to 19.
To further strengthen the foundations of learning, we have also launched an independent, expert-led curriculum and assessment review which seeks to deliver an excellent foundation in the core subjects of reading, writing and mathematics, and a broader, high-quality knowledge-rich curriculum that readies young people for life and work.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Reform UK - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate she has made of the number of secondary schools in debt.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
83 local authority maintained secondary schools were operating a deficit at the end of the 2023/24 financial year, according to their financial reporting returns.
Academy trusts are responsible for the combined accounts of all the academies within their trusts, and so it is not possible to accurately identify the number of individual secondary academies in deficit. At the end of the 2022/23 academic year, around 98% of academy trusts were in cumulative surplus or breaking even, while 55 academy trusts had a deficit.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Reform UK - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support is available for secondary schools facing financial pressures that require (a) new facilities and (b) building repairs.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
This government is committed to ensuring that secondary and other schools have the resources and buildings that they need to help every child achieve and thrive.
The department supports academy trusts, local authorities and voluntary-aided school bodies, who are responsible for managing the safety and maintenance of their schools, with capital funding, rebuilding programmes and extensive guidance on effective estate management.
The department has recently confirmed the details of £2.1 billion of capital funding for the 2025/26 financial year to improve the condition of the school estate, up from £1.8 billion committed for the 2024/25 financial year. Provisional allocations for all eligible responsible bodies have been published on GOV.UK and the outcomes for the bid-based Condition Improvement Fund will be announced later in the spring.
This is on top of the continuing school rebuilding programme (SRP) which is rebuilding or significantly refurbishing buildings at 518 schools and sixth form colleges across England. There are five SRP schools in South Basildon and East Thurrock, including St Clere’s Secondary School. By tackling schools in the worst condition, the programme will dramatically reduce the funding these schools require annually, enabling the sector to invest more of their capital funding in other schools.
Where the department is alerted to significant safety issues with a building, that cannot be managed within local resources, we provide additional advice and support on a case-by-case basis.
Capital funding to improve school buildings beyond the 2025/26 financial year will be confirmed following the next phase of the spending review.
The department also provides capital funding through the basic need grant to support local authorities meet their statutory duty to secure sufficient school places. On 27 March, the department announced over £1 billion to support local authorities to create mainstream school places needed by September 2028. This funding, £640 million of which will be paid in the 2026/27 financial year, with a further £400 million paid in the 2027/28 financial year, is on top of almost £1.5 billion of basic need capital funding that has previously been announced to create new mainstream school places needed in the current and next two academic years.
The statutory duty to provide sufficient school places sits with local authorities. The department provides capital funding through the basic need grant to support local authorities to provide school places, based on their own pupil forecasts and school capacity data. They can use this funding to provide places in new schools or through expansions of existing schools.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Reform UK - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the quality of (a) buildings and (b) facilities in state secondary schools in England.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Ensuring schools and colleges have the facilities and buildings they need is a key part of the department’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and give every young person the best start in life.
The department supports local authorities, academy trusts and voluntary-aided school bodies responsible for the school estate by providing capital funding, delivering major rebuilding programmes and offering guidance and support. We have increased funding to improve the condition of the estate for the 2025/26 financial year to £2.1 billion, up from £1.8 billion last year. This is in addition to our continued investment in the school rebuilding programme.
From 2021 to 2026, the department’s Condition Data Collection 2 programme is visiting every government-funded school and college in England to collect data about the condition of their buildings. This data will provide a comprehensive picture of the condition of the school estate in England to support our capital funding programmes.
In addition, the department has commissioned new research, due to complete by spring 2026, to better understand the performance of post-war education buildings.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Reform UK - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate she has made of (a) the average class size in secondary schools and (b) the number of secondary school places available to young people in (i) England and (ii) Essex.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
The department publishes information on class sizes in England in the annual accredited official statistics, ‘Schools, pupils and their characteristics’. The most recent data can be accessed at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics/2023-24.
The average class sizes for secondary schools in the Essex region and across England for the 2023/24 academic year are available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/aada0205-1f9a-48fc-a8c1-08dd736ca4ba.
Data on state-funded school places is published at national and local authority level in the annual school capacity statistics publication. The latest data is for academic year 2023/24 and can be accessed at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-capacity/2023-24.
The number of school places in mainstream state secondary schools in England and Essex as of 1 May 2024, as well as how many were unfilled, can be found at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/8e1c8b2e-fc28-436c-9b02-08dd7377d1ad.
The statutory duty to provide sufficient school places sits with local authorities.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Reform UK - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that teachers remain (a) politically impartial and (b) balanced, in line with Section 406 and 407 of the Education Act 1996.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
In 2022 the department published comprehensive guidance to support schools to meet their duties on political impartiality. This guidance can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/political-impartiality-in-schools/political-impartiality-in-schools.
The guidance is clear that all schools should take full responsibility for ensuring lessons and materials are age appropriate, suitable and politically impartial, particularly when using materials produced by external organisations. The guidance also highlights that legal duties on political impartiality are unlikely to be relevant when teaching about political events from previous historical periods. However, the guidance is clear that, when teaching about more recent historical events, it is important to ensure that political issues that remain contentious today are presented to pupils in a balanced manner.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Reform UK - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions she has had with teachers on political impartiality in schools.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
In 2022 the department published comprehensive guidance to support schools to meet their duties on political impartiality. This guidance can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/political-impartiality-in-schools/political-impartiality-in-schools.
The guidance is clear that all schools should take full responsibility for ensuring lessons and materials are age appropriate, suitable and politically impartial, particularly when using materials produced by external organisations. The guidance also highlights that legal duties on political impartiality are unlikely to be relevant when teaching about political events from previous historical periods. However, the guidance is clear that, when teaching about more recent historical events, it is important to ensure that political issues that remain contentious today are presented to pupils in a balanced manner.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Reform UK - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to ensure teaching materials used in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools are (i) politically impartial and (ii) present a balanced view of (A) political and (B) historical events.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
In 2022 the department published comprehensive guidance to support schools to meet their duties on political impartiality. This guidance can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/political-impartiality-in-schools/political-impartiality-in-schools.
The guidance is clear that all schools should take full responsibility for ensuring lessons and materials are age appropriate, suitable and politically impartial, particularly when using materials produced by external organisations. The guidance also highlights that legal duties on political impartiality are unlikely to be relevant when teaching about political events from previous historical periods. However, the guidance is clear that, when teaching about more recent historical events, it is important to ensure that political issues that remain contentious today are presented to pupils in a balanced manner.