Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that children are taught about the potential impact of ultra-processed foods on health.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
Education is a devolved matter, and response outlines information for England only.
The government acknowledges there is no universally agreed definition of ultra-processed foods (UPF).
The topic of UPFs could be covered under a number of subjects within the National Curriculum, including design and technology (D&T), science, and relationships, sex and health education (RSHE). The department does not specifically prescribe the teaching of UPFs. This is because we want schools to have flexibility over how they deliver these subjects, so they can develop an integrated approach that is sensitive to the needs and background of their pupils.
The cooking and nutrition strand of D&T, which is compulsory for key stages 1 to 3 in maintained schools, teaches pupils how to cook and apply the principles of healthy eating and nutrition.
Similarly, in science, healthy eating is covered through topics relating to nutrition and digestion, which cover the content of a healthy diet and the impact of diet on how the body functions. Science teachers could decide to highlight UPFs and their impact where appropriate in the course.
Furthermore, within the health education portion of RSHE it is expected that by the end of primary, pupils should know what constitutes a healthy diet, including understanding calories and other nutritional content, the characteristics of a poor diet, and the risks associated with unhealthy eating. Then by the end of secondary, pupils should know how to maintain healthy eating and the links between a poor diet and health risks, including tooth decay and cancer.
At GCSE, pupils can choose to study the food preparation and nutrition course. The subject content requires pupils to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of how foods are grown, reared or caught, and the primary and secondary stages of processing and production, along with how this processing affects the sensory and nutritional properties of ingredients.
To support teachers, Oak National Academy currently have free online resources on their website that will help in delivering education on food processing in D&T, and also within geography as well where they highlight the negative impacts of UPFs. Included in this are lessons specifically on the different ways that food is processed and how new technologies are used in manufacturing.
The government has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, covering ages 5 to 18, chaired by Professor Becky Francis CBE. The review will seek to refresh the curriculum to ensure it is cutting edge, fit for purpose and meeting the needs of children and young people to support their future life and work.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to support young girls with eating disorders in schools.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.
The government is committed to improving mental health outcomes for all children and young people, including young girls with eating disorders. Having an eating disorder can often be devastating for young people suffering with the condition, as well as for those around them, which is why the department wants to ensure they have access to the support they need.
The department’s statutory health education curriculum, which should be taught in all schools from primary, includes a strong focus on mental health. This includes teaching pupils how to identify the early signs of mental wellbeing concerns and where and how to seek support if they are worried about their own or someone else’s mental health. As part of the secondary health curriculum, schools can teach pupils how to be safe and healthy and manage their lives in a positive way, seeking support when needed. They can also teach about eating disorders, drawing on qualified support or advice as needed for this specialist area. A consultation on proposed changes to the statutory guidance closed in July. It is vitally important that teachers have clear guidance, which is why we will be looking carefully at the consultation responses, talking to stakeholders and considering the relevant evidence, before setting out next steps on relationships, sex education and health education.
Early intervention is key when a child or young person is experiencing a mental health issue, including problems with eating. To ensure that every young person has access to early support to address problems before they escalate, we will provide access to specialist mental health professionals in every school. As of April 2024, Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs) cover 44% (4.2 million) of pupils in schools and learners in further education in England and are expected to cover at least 50% by the end of March 2025. The government will also be putting in place new Young Futures hubs, including access to mental health support workers, and will recruit an additional 8,500 new mental health staff to treat children and adults.
The department also supports schools to embed whole school approaches to mental health and wellbeing, which often includes training staff to recognise early signs of eating disorders and promoting a culture of openness and support. More than 8 in 10 state-funded secondary schools have accessed grants from my department to train a senior mental health lead, developing their knowledge and skills to embed a whole school or college approach to mental health and wellbeing. Information is available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/senior-mental-health-lead-training.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she has taken to help ensure regional opportunities for young people in STEM (a) further education and (b) careers.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.
Developing the skills of young people, especially in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) is a critical enabler for the government’s missions to break down barriers to opportunity and drive economic growth.
That is why the department is setting up Skills England, a new body, to bring together central and local government, businesses, training providers and unions, to help meet the skills needs of the next decade, aligned to the government’s Industrial Strategy.
This will be underpinned by Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIPs), that support our aim to make technical education and training more responsive to local labour market and employer needs. A £165 million Local Skills Improvement Fund (LSIF) has been made available across all areas of the country to support providers to respond collaboratively to the skills needs identified in the LSIPs.
The department will continue to support learners who wish to have a career in STEM through our technical education offer with a range of high quality qualifications and apprenticeship opportunities at all levels.
Access to future employers should never be dependent on who you know, or where you live. Our ambition is to offer a guarantee of two weeks’ worth of high quality work experience to all young people, irrespective of their background. This will open doors to a wider range of employers and businesses and give young people a greater insight into the labour market.
To support young people with careers information, advice and guidance, the Careers and Enterprise Company, back by £30 million of government funding in 2024/25, coordinates a national network of Careers Hubs which now includes 93% of secondary schools and colleges. The network includes 400 leading employers and around 4,000 business volunteers, including many representing STEM occupations. Our careers framework, the Gatsby Benchmarks, includes a clear expectation that all 11 to 18-year-olds should have at least one meaningful interaction with employers per year. This should include an encounter with a STEM employer or workplace, or a careers event focused on STEM, before year 11.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the proposal of the Religious Education Council’s National Content Standard for Religious Education; and whether she plans to include the National Content Standard for Religious Education in the planned review of the National Curriculum.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.
Religious education (RE) is an important subject that should provide pupils with an opportunity to learn about a wide range of religious and non-religious beliefs. Religious education should help pupils to better understand the values and traditions of different religious communities, which is why it remains a compulsory subject in all state-funded schools in England for each pupil up to the age of 18.
The government has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, covering ages 5 to 18, which is chaired by Professor Becky Francis CBE. The review will seek to deliver a curriculum that reflects the issues and diversities of our society, ensuring that all children and young people are represented in their learning and have access to a broad range of subjects.
The review group has recently launched a call for evidence, which sets out key questions and themes where it would particularly welcome input.
Anyone can access and respond to the call for evidence or register to join a live event. The review is looking to hear from a range of experts across the sector, in addition to the regular contact departmental officials have with stakeholders on the matter of religious education.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to hold discussions with the (a) National Association of Teachers of RE, (b) RE Council and (c) National Association of Standing Advisory Councils on RE on the Curriculum and Assessment Review.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.
Religious education (RE) is an important subject that should provide pupils with an opportunity to learn about a wide range of religious and non-religious beliefs. Religious education should help pupils to better understand the values and traditions of different religious communities, which is why it remains a compulsory subject in all state-funded schools in England for each pupil up to the age of 18.
The government has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, covering ages 5 to 18, which is chaired by Professor Becky Francis CBE. The review will seek to deliver a curriculum that reflects the issues and diversities of our society, ensuring that all children and young people are represented in their learning and have access to a broad range of subjects.
The review group has recently launched a call for evidence, which sets out key questions and themes where it would particularly welcome input.
Anyone can access and respond to the call for evidence or register to join a live event. The review is looking to hear from a range of experts across the sector, in addition to the regular contact departmental officials have with stakeholders on the matter of religious education.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to include a review of the current arrangements for religious education in the planned review of the national curriculum.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.
Religious education (RE) is an important subject that should provide pupils with an opportunity to learn about a wide range of religious and non-religious beliefs. Religious education should help pupils to better understand the values and traditions of different religious communities, which is why it remains a compulsory subject in all state-funded schools in England for each pupil up to the age of 18.
The government has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, covering ages 5 to 18, which is chaired by Professor Becky Francis CBE. The review will seek to deliver a curriculum that reflects the issues and diversities of our society, ensuring that all children and young people are represented in their learning and have access to a broad range of subjects.
The review group has recently launched a call for evidence, which sets out key questions and themes where it would particularly welcome input.
Anyone can access and respond to the call for evidence or register to join a live event. The review is looking to hear from a range of experts across the sector, in addition to the regular contact departmental officials have with stakeholders on the matter of religious education.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to encourage boys to apply for university.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.
The department will support the aspiration of every person who meets the requirements and wants to go to university, regardless of their background and personal characteristics. Access to higher education (HE) should be based on ability and attainment. Opportunity should be available to all and it is our aspiration that no groups are left behind.
It is critical that both boys and girls are supported with good advice, quality options and fair and transparent processes which ensure there are no barriers to them accessing high quality courses suited to their ability, interests and aspirations.
The department expects schools and colleges to provide a stable, structured careers programme in line with the Gatsby Benchmarks. The Benchmarks include a clear expectation that every pupil should meet providers of the full range of learning opportunities, including universities. By the age of 18, all pupils who are considering applying for university should have had at least two visits to universities to meet staff and pupils
All English HE providers that are registered with the Office for Students (OfS) and intend to charge higher fees must have an access and participation plan (APP) approved by the OfS. APPs should set out how a university or college will challenge risks to equality of opportunity in HE and include the underrepresented groups it will support. HE providers should refer to the Equality of Opportunity Risk Register published by the OfS when considering risk. They should also consider other local risks based on available evidence to address areas of under-representation.
UCAS has introduced reforms to the admissions application form to increase transparency and improve clarity around the process. These include a new academic reference for the 2024 cycle, a new entry grades tool for the 2025 cycle and personal statement reform. These changes aim to enable students to make informed, ambitious choices and ensure universities hear from students in their own words.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support her Department provides to young girls with autism in schools.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.
For too long the education and care system has not met the needs of all children, particularly children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), with parents struggling to get their children the support they need and deserve.
This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with SEND or in alternative provision receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life.
The large majority of pupils diagnosed with autism as their primary type of need are boys. There is ongoing research and awareness on the different presentation of autism traits according to gender and the late, under and misdiagnosis of girls and women. This gender imbalance is greater for autism than for any other primary type of need.
The department holds and funds the Universal SEND Services contract, which brings together SEND-specific continuing professional development and support for the school and further education workforce. The programme aims to improve outcomes for children and young people, including those with autism. As part of the contract, the Autism Education Trust (AET) provide a range of training and support for staff on autism including a live 90 minute ‘making sense of autism’ training. The training covers topics such as understanding autism, reasonable adjustments for pupils and how to listen to and learn from the perspectives of autistic pupils. The AET offer also addresses autism in girls and helps education staff understand more about how autism may present differently in girls. Since the contract began in May 2022, over 185,000 professionals have received training from AET training partners.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the current level of tuition fees.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Education is a devolved matter, and this response outlines the information for England only.
The government is determined that the higher education (HE) funding system should deliver for our economy, for universities and for students. The department will look carefully at all options and come forward with proposals. Funding plans for the HE sector will be set out at the relevant fiscal event in line with the approach to public spending commitments across government.
The department recognises the immediate financial strain that some providers are under. As such, the department will continue to work closely with the Office for Students to monitor any risks and to ensure there are robust plans in place to mitigate them.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has has made of the adequacy of student accommodation provision.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Education is a devolved matter, and this response outlines the information for England only.
Student accommodation is a busy part of the housing market. As universities and landlords are private, autonomous bodies, the government has no role in the provision of student accommodation, nor a remit to intervene in how it is allocated.
The department recognises the concerns that many students have about the availability and cost of their accommodation. We expect universities and private landlords to review their accommodation policies to ensure they are affordable, fair, clear and promote the interests of students.
All student landlords must be registered with a local authority or belong to one of the three government-sponsored Accommodation Codes of Practice. Since 2006, these have protected the interests of students to ensure standards are maintained and disputes are resolved promptly.