Joan Ryan

Neither the Department nor the Gambling Commission hold information concerning the number of Fixed-Odds Betting Terminals and, therefore spend, on Fixed-Odds Betting Terminals in individual constituencies.

The Enfield North constituency has 43,183 premises and we estimate from the available supplier data that coverage will reach around 99.3% by the end of commercial roll-out, or approximately 42,800, will have access to superfast broadband.

The Government is encouraging the commercial sector to extend coverage across cities. BT has announced £50 million of investment in new commercial coverage, much of which will be aimed at London, and Virgin Media has announced a demand led investment programme of £3 billion over the next few years. There are also many other active suppliers in London.

As a result of commercially-led delivery and public funding in areas which are not commercially viable, superfast broadband coverage across the UK now reaches 90% of premises, providing access to speeds of more than 24Mbps. Coverage is on track to increase to 95% of premises by December 2017. Furthermore, the Government is committed to a Universal Service Obligation, so all premises in the country will have access to broadband at a speed of 10Mbps with the mechanism to do this, the Digital Economy Bill, in place by the end of this Parliament.

We are supporting employers in London and across England to help them plan their future apprenticeship programmes including account management of over 1,000 of the largest levy-paying employers. We have recently announced initial awards totalling around £485 million to hundreds of providers across the country to provide apprenticeship training to non-levy paying employers.

A new phase of our communications campaign started on 26 January 2018, to encourage employers to offer high quality apprenticeship opportunities and to promote these to potential apprentices.

There have been over 1.2 million apprenticeship starts since May 2015 and we aim to achieve three million apprenticeship starts in England by 2020. Apprenticeships are open to individuals and employers across the country, and we are investing in the whole of England by doubling funding for apprenticeships to £2.45 billion by 2019-20 – twice what was spent in 2010-11 – and giving employers more autonomy to design training that meets their needs.

The Department for Education has agreed to only devolve the Adult Education Budget to Mayoral Combined Authorirties and Greater London Area.

The careers strategy, published in December 2017, sets out opportunities for local involvement and funding for a range of activities across the country which may include the Greater London Authority:

• £5 million for an investment fund to help disadvantaged pupils to get the additional support they need to prepare for work, including opportunities for mentoring and guidance;

• £5 million for “careers hubs” in 20 areas, linking together schools, colleges, universities and other local organisations;

• £4 million for the development of new training programmes for Careers Leaders and support for at least 500 schools and colleges to train their own Careers Leaders;

• £2 million to test which careers activities are appropriate and work well in primary schools.

In addition, we are re-procuring the National Careers Service area-based contracts that will provide free and impartial careers advice and guidance to adults. We will be awarding a number of contracts across the country and local advice will be tailored to local needs. The Education and Skills Funding Agency has worked with the Greater London Authority and will continue to do so.

While we have devolved some aspects of skills locally, such as the adult skills budget we have been clear that we need to keep apprenticeships as a nationally driven and funded programme. This is critical if the system is going to produce the skills employers and the economy needs.

Locally, employers will be driving the economy and can provide the local perspective on the skills needed. The levy allows employers to spend their funds on the apprenticeship training that they judge best meets their needs.

From April 2018, we will allow eligible levy-paying employers to transfer up to 10% of the annual value of funds entering their digital accounts to other employers. We plan to issue further details on how this will work before April to give employers time to prepare.

I recently met with the co-chairs of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for London on this issue, and would encourage local authorities to work with employers to ensure that apprenticeships funding is being used effectively in their area.

The Department’s statutory safeguarding guidance, ‘Keeping children safe in education’ (KCSIE) states that all schools should have appropriate filters and monitoring systems in place to safeguard children from harmful material online.

All schools must have a behaviour policy, including measures to prevent all forms of bullying. Government funded The UK Safer Internet Centre to develop cyberbullying guidance for schools and an online safety toolkit. The Department is providing £1.6 million of funding for four anti-bullying organisations to support schools to tackle bullying, all include cyberbullying as an integral element.

The National Curriculum for computing covers e-safety including using technology safely, recognising inappropriate conduct and how to report concerns.

The Department has legislated to make relationships education (primary level) and relationships and sex education (secondary level) mandatory in all schools, in the future. We expect young people to be taught about positive, healthy relationships and keeping themselves safe in a variety of situations, including online.

The department will be monitoring the uptake of apprenticeships by schools, as we would with other parts of the public sector. Public sector bodies are required to annually publish and report to the department on their progress towards the apprenticeship target. The first reports (covering the period 1 April 2017 – 31 March 2018) are due by 30 September 2018.

As we have outlined to the Public Accounts Committee, our assessment of the cost pressures on schools will include the financial impact of the apprenticeship levy.

The department collects data on the weekly regional cost of childcare through our regular parent surveys. These can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-childcare-and-early-years.

The Government has provided £3.75 million of funding to University College London Institute of Education’s Centre for Holocaust Education (CfHE) since 2008, and we have recently confirmed that we will continue to fund the programme until 2020. The aim of the programme, which is jointly funded by the Pears Foundation, is to help ensure that teachers are equipped with the training and resources they need to deliver effective Holocaust education. Some of this funding is used to support the CfHE’s Beacon Schools project.

Figures on the number and proportion of children taking a free school meal and those eligible for free school meals are published, for all authorities in England, annually. The figures can be found in the statistical first releases available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-school-and-pupil-numbers.

Data are not summarised by parliamentary constituency, but data for each school is available via the link to underlying tables then the file ‘…Schools_Pupils_UD’. The figures can be filtered by school phase and parliamentary constituency.

A UK figure is not available. As education is a devolved matter, statistics on schools are published separately by the four administrations.

Figures on the number and proportion of children taking a free school meal and those eligible for free school meals are published, for all authorities in England, annually. The figures can be found in the statistical first releases available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-school-and-pupil-numbers.

Data are not summarised by parliamentary constituency, but data for each school is available via the link to underlying tables then the file ‘…Schools_Pupils_UD’. The figures can be filtered by school phase and parliamentary constituency.

A UK figure is not available. As education is a devolved matter, statistics on schools are published separately by the four administrations.

Average class size figures for state-funded schools in England are calculated and published annually in the statistical first releases available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-school-and-pupil-numbers.

A national summary of average class sizes for Key Stages 1 and 2 and secondary is in the link to national tables, tables 6a and 6b respectively.

A summary at local authority and regional level is only available for Key Stages 1 and 2 and is in the link to local authority and regional tables, table 11.

Data is not summarised by parliamentary constituency, but data for each school providing average class sizes for Key Stages 1 and 2, where appropriate, and overall is available via the link to underlying tables for each year then the file ‘…Schools_Classes_UD’. The figures can be filtered by school phase, local authority and parliamentary constituency.

A UK figure is not available. As education is a devolved matter, statistics on schools are published separately by the four administrations.

There are no circumstances in which it is acceptable to take weapons into school. Doing so is likely to be a criminal offence and may have serious consequences.

The Department for Education issues statutory guidance to schools, Keeping children safe in education (KCSIE, September 2016), to which all schools must have regard when carrying out their duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. KCSIE is clear that all school staff have a responsibility to provide a safe environment in which children can learn. Schools have a statutory power to search for, and confiscate, prohibited items such as knives and weapons.

The Department for Education has produced advice for schools, Searching, screening and confiscation: advice for schools (updated September 2016,) which makes it clear that school staff can search pupils and their possessions without consent where there are reasonable grounds to do so. If a pupil refuses to be searched, the school may bar them from the premises.

The Government has taken steps to tackle behaviour and discipline in schools. Teachers’ powers to search pupils have been strengthened by adding to the list of prohibited items and allowing schools to search for any items banned by the school’s rules. As well as a more general power to search for items that have been, or could be, used to cause harm or break the law, teachers can also search for prohibited items.

Keeping children safe in education is available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/keeping-children-safe-in-education--2.

Searching, screening and confiscation: advice for schools is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/searching-screening-and-confiscation.

The Government will continue to work to ensure that every child has the opportunity to attend a good school and that all schools are fairly funded. We want all children, regardless of where they live or their background, to receive a high quality education that fulfils potential and creates opportunity.

The Queen’s Speech was clear that the Government is determined to introduce a fairer distribution of funding for schools. We are committed to ensuring that no school has its budget cut as a result of the new formula.

We received over 25,000 responses to the consultation, including the response from London Councils. We are grateful to all those who expressed their views on school funding and the proposed formula as part of this process. We will publish the response to the consultation in due course.

We want to ensure every school has the resources it needs to deliver a high quality education for every child and that all schools are fairly funded.

Since 2010 the schools budget has been protected in real terms. The Government has committed to increase the school budget further, as well as continuing to protect the Pupil Premium to support those who need it. We know that how schools use their money is also important in delivering the best outcomes for pupils. The Government has produced tools, information and guidance to support improved financial health and efficiency in schools which can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/schools-financial-health-and-efficiency.

We received over 25,000 responses to the consultation. We are grateful to all those who expressed their views on school funding and the proposed formula as part of this process. We will publish the response to the consultation in due course.

We received over 25,000 responses to the consultation. We are grateful to all those who expressed their views on school funding and the proposed formula as part of this process. We will publish the response to the consultation in due course.

The Childcare Act 2006 requires local authorities to consult before they make significant changes to their children’s centre provision. Where they decide to close a children’s centre, councils must demonstrate that children and families, particularly the most disadvantaged, will not be adversely affected and that they will not compromise their duty to have sufficient children’s centres to meet local need. Local authorities are best placed to understand local needs and the different ways children and families can be supported locally.

Funding for the free early years entitlements is allocated on a local authority basis. In 2016-17, the relevant hourly funding rates per child for local authorities in London (including Enfield) were as follows:

All funding rates for three and four year olds are exclusive of the Early Years Pupil Premium which is an additional funding stream for disadvantaged children.

We have recently consulted on a new early years national funding formula, and our proposed formula from 2017-18 can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/early-years-funding-changes-to-funding-for-3-and-4-year-olds

Funding for the free early years entitlements is allocated on a local authority basis. In 2016-17, the relevant hourly funding rates per child for local authorities in London (including Enfield) were as follows:

All funding rates for three and four year olds are exclusive of the Early Years Pupil Premium which is an additional funding stream for disadvantaged children.

We have recently consulted on a new early years national funding formula, and our proposed formula from 2017-18 can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/early-years-funding-changes-to-funding-for-3-and-4-year-olds

Children from disadvantaged backgrounds often need extra support at school to achieve as well as their peers. That is why, in addition to providing £2.5 billion this year through the pupil premium - which we have protected at current rates for the duration of the parliament - we also require local authorities to target funding for deprived pupils through their local formula.

Under current arrangements local authorities can choose between a pupil-level measure of disadvantage (pupils eligible for free school meals or eligible at any point in the previous 6 years) or an area-level measure of disadvantage (the Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index), or a combination. We are aware that the update to the area-level deprivation data last year led to some areas changing their local formulae to mitigate the impact on deprivation funding for their schools.

We recently launched the first stage of the consultation on our plans to introduce a national funding formula for schools from 2017. Our proposals would mean schools’ funding is matched fairly and transparently to their needs and their pupils’ characteristics. Through the consultation process we are seeking views on the best way to target funding for disadvantaged pupils to support them to achieve to the best of their ability.

Children from disadvantaged backgrounds often need extra support at school to achieve as well as their peers. That is why, in addition to providing £2.5 billion this year through the pupil premium - which we have protected at current rates for the duration of the parliament - we also require local authorities to target funding for deprived pupils through their local formula.

Under current arrangements local authorities can choose between a pupil-level measure of disadvantage (pupils eligible for free school meals or eligible at any point in the previous 6 years) or an area-level measure of disadvantage (the Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index), or a combination. We are aware that the update to the area-level deprivation data last year led to some areas changing their local formulae to mitigate the impact on deprivation funding for their schools.

We recently launched the first stage of the consultation on our plans to introduce a national funding formula for schools from 2017. Our proposals would mean schools’ funding is matched fairly and transparently to their needs and their pupils’ characteristics. Through the consultation process we are seeking views on the best way to target funding for disadvantaged pupils to support them to achieve to the best of their ability.

Decisions about how 16-19 institutions will be funded in the academic year 2016/17 and beyond will be subject to the outcome of the spending review, which will set the budget for education and other public spending for the coming years.

The employer contribution rate for the Teachers Pension Scheme can be seen at: https://www.teacherspensions.co.uk/news/employers/2014/10/tiered-contributions-changes.aspx. This followed a valuation of the scheme to secure its sustainability in the long-term. From April 2016, when the single tier state pension is introduced, the employer National Insurance rate for teachers will increase to the standard rate of 13.8%. As we develop our proposals for funding in future years we are looking carefully at changes to schools’ costs, including schools with provision for children with special educational needs. We are committed to protecting schools funding, as we pledged in our manifesto. Throughout this Parliament, as pupil numbers increase, so too will the amount of money for our schools.

The Department has received a large number of letters from headteachers about the increase in national insurance and pension scheme contributions, some of which have been from special schools.

We are committed to protecting schools funding, as we pledged in our manifesto. Throughout this Parliament, as pupil numbers increase so too will the amount of money for our schools.

We recognise that the distribution of high needs funding needs reform. There are currently wide variations in the funding provided for children with similar needs in different areas. Our aim is to make that distribution fairer. To help achieve this, we commissioned the Isos Partnership to undertake some research so that we could see where changes to the future funding of special educational needs might be needed.

The research report, which we published in July 2015, contains a large number of proposals which we are considering and is available online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/funding-for-young-people-with-special-educational-needs

The employer contribution rate for the Teachers Pension Scheme can be seen at: https://www.teacherspensions.co.uk/news/employers/2014/10/tiered-contributions-changes.aspx. This followed a valuation of the scheme to secure its sustainability in the long-term. From April 2016, when the single tier state pension is introduced, the employer National Insurance rate for teachers will increase to the standard rate of 13.8%. As we develop our proposals for funding in future years we are looking carefully at changes to schools’ costs, including schools with provision for children with special educational needs. We are committed to protecting schools funding, as we pledged in our manifesto. Throughout this Parliament, as pupil numbers increase, so too will the amount of money for our schools.

The Children and Families Act 2014 introduced significant reforms to the Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) system. The new statutory framework will ensure that support is focused on needs and aspirations, enabling all pupils to achieve better outcomes in education and adult life.

Since the Act came into force, in September 2014, there have been a number of significant changes to the SEND system, including the publication of ‘local offers’ of SEN services by local authorities; the introduction of streamlined education, health and care assessments; and new statutory protections for young people aged 16-25 in further education.

Implementing these reforms requires substantial cultural and procedural change at local level. We are closely monitoring implementation and we are continuing to provide support.

Local authorities in England each received a share of a £70 million reform grant in 2014-15; and of a further £45.2 million in 2014-15 and £31.7 million in 2015-16 to meet the additional costs of implementing the new SEN duties. Peer support is available to local authorities and their partners through a network of regional lead authorities. And we have funded a range of grants and contracts to provide advice and support to local authorities and their partners across education, health and social care. This includes support to parents and young people, through parent carer forums and the Independent Support programme (£15m per year in 2014-15 and 2015-16).

I have recently met representatives of communities and schools in which these languages are spoken, to hear their concerns and consider how we can work with the awarding organisations and Ofqual to maintain a range of languages at GCSE and A level, including Turkish, modern Greek and other languages.

The number of pupils studying for a modern language GCSE has increased by 20% since 2010 due to the introduction of the English Baccalaureate. Studying a foreign language provides an opening to other cultures, fosters pupils’ curiosity and deepens their understanding of the world. It also equips pupils to study and work in other countries. There are considerable benefits to learning a second language and the government is keen to see the range of languages at GCSE and A level preserved.

The Department for Education does not promote the teaching of one foreign language over another and has not made an assessment of the benefits of pupils learning Turkish, modern Greek or other community languages.

The department is currently working with awarding organisations and Ofqual to consider how best to enable as wide a range of languages as possible to be maintained at GCSE and A level. The government has been clear that it wants to see all pupils provided with the opportunity to take a core set of academic subjects, including modern foreign languages.

The Secretary of State wrote to exam boards in April 2015 to express her concern about awarding organisations’ decision to stop awarding qualifications in some languages, and to ask those organisations to work with Ofqual on the future of these qualifications. We are actively exploring the best approach, in close discussion with those organisations, and in consultation with community representatives.

I have recently met representatives of communities and schools in which these languages are spoken, to hear their concerns and consider how we can work with the awarding organisations and Ofqual to maintain a range of languages at GCSE and A level, including Turkish, modern Greek and other languages.

The number of pupils studying for a modern language GCSE has increased by 20% since 2010 due to the introduction of the English Baccalaureate. Studying a foreign language provides an opening to other cultures, fosters pupils’ curiosity and deepens their understanding of the world. It also equips pupils to study and work in other countries. There are considerable benefits to learning a second language and the government is keen to see the range of languages at GCSE and A level preserved.

The Department for Education does not promote the teaching of one foreign language over another and has not made an assessment of the benefits of pupils learning Turkish, modern Greek or other community languages.

The department is currently working with awarding organisations and Ofqual to consider how best to enable as wide a range of languages as possible to be maintained at GCSE and A level. The government has been clear that it wants to see all pupils provided with the opportunity to take a core set of academic subjects, including modern foreign languages.

The Secretary of State wrote to exam boards in April 2015 to express her concern about awarding organisations’ decision to stop awarding qualifications in some languages, and to ask those organisations to work with Ofqual on the future of these qualifications. We are actively exploring the best approach, in close discussion with those organisations, and in consultation with community representatives.