Asked by: Julian Sturdy (Conservative - York Outer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent steps her Department has taken to help protect trans children from bullying and harassment in schools.
Answered by David Johnston - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government has sent a clear message to schools that bullying, including cyberbullying, for whatever reason, is unacceptable.
The department has provided over £3 million of funding, between 10 August 2021 and 31 March 2024, to five anti-bullying organisations to support schools to tackle bullying, this includes projects targeting bullying of particular groups.
In addition to this, on 19 December 2023 the department published the draft guidance for schools and colleges in relation to gender questioning children, along with a consultation, which was clear that bullying must never be tolerated. The consultation closed on 12 March 2024 and the responses will support the department to finalise the guidance for schools and colleges for final publication later this year.
Asked by: Julian Sturdy (Conservative - York Outer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to publish guidance for schools on issues relating to transgender pupils.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Department recognises that issues relating to sex and gender can be complex and sensitive for schools to navigate, which is why the Department is working with the Minister for Women and Equalities to develop guidance to support schools and colleges in relation to children who are questioning their gender.
It is vital that the guidance published gives clarity for schools and colleges, and reassurance for parents. The Department is taking the necessary time to ensure that it reflects the best possible advice before publishing the draft.
It is important that the Department is able to consider a wide range of views in order to get the guidance right. The Department has, therefore, committed to holding a public consultation on the draft guidance prior to publication.
Asked by: Julian Sturdy (Conservative - York Outer)
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 bringing forward the date at which parents of one and two year-olds are eligible for 30 hours of free childcare.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
The government announced in the Spring Budget 2023 that there will be a number of transformative reforms to childcare for parents, children and the economy. By 2027/28, this government will expect to be spending in excess of £8 billion every year on free hours and early education, helping working families with their childcare costs. This announcement represents the single biggest investment in childcare in England.
Currently, eligible working parents of 3 and 4-year-olds are eligible for 30 hours of free childcare per week, over 38 weeks a year. From April 2024, working parents of 2-year-olds will be able to access 15 hours of free childcare per week, over 38 weeks a year. From September 2024, this will be extended to parents of 9 month to 3-year-olds, and from September 2025, working parents of 9 month to 3-year-olds will be able to access 30 free hours per week, over 38 weeks a year.
This is a large expansion in the 30 hours offer and will take some time to implement and rollout. The department wants to make sure that taxpayers’ money is used efficiently, and the new offer is delivered in the best way. The department is ensuring a phased implementation of the expansion to the offer to allow the market to develop the necessary capacity, and we are working closely with the sector on the implementation of these reforms.
The department has already spent more than £20 billion over the past five years to support families with the cost of childcare. In the last decade, we have doubled the free childcare entitlement for working parents of 3 and 4-year-olds to 30 hours and introduced 15 free hours a week for disadvantaged 2-year-olds.
The reforms announced build on our current early education entitlements which continue to support parents, including a universal 15-hour offer for all 3 and 4-year-olds, the 15-hour offer for the most disadvantaged 2-year-olds, and the existing 30 hours offer, as well as Tax Free Childcare and Universal Childcare.
Asked by: Julian Sturdy (Conservative - York Outer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Government are taking to encourage younger people to get involved with politics.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Teaching on political issues, different viewpoints and the way in which pupils can engage in our democratic society is an essential part of a broad and balanced curriculum.
Citizenship forms a compulsory part of the National Curriculum at Key Stages 3 and 4. Maintained primary schools and all academies are encouraged to teach citizenship as part of their duty to deliver a broad and balanced curriculum. Citizenship teaching should equip pupils to explore political and social issues, to weigh evidence, to debate, and to make reasoned arguments.
Secondary school pupils are taught about Parliament and the importance of voting and elections. Pupils are also taught the actions that citizens can take in democratic and electoral processes to influence decisions locally, nationally and beyond.
The Department has published Political Impartiality in Schools guidance to support teachers in tackling sensitive issues in the classroom in a politically impartial way. This guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/political-impartiality-in-schools/political-impartiality-in-schools. The guidance is clear that legal duties on political impartiality do not limit the range of political issues and viewpoints schools can and do teach.
A number of organisations provide teaching materials to support schools to engage their pupils with politics. UK Parliament offers resources through their website, visits to Parliament, outreach sessions and workshops. Schools can also help pupils to set up their own networks or clubs to focus on political issues.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport provides funding for the UK Youth Parliament programme, which offers 11 to 18-year-olds across the UK the opportunity to debate on issues that matter to them. Young people are elected by other young people in their local areas, on the basis of their manifestos, to represent their local young people nationally. This supports young people to engage in the democratic process and decision making at all levels.
Asked by: Julian Sturdy (Conservative - York Outer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to promote the uptake of (a) extracurricular activities and (b) education for children.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Schools White Paper, published in March 2022, sets out the Department’s long-term vision for a school system that helps every child to fulfil their potential by ensuring that they receive the right support, in the right place, at the right time.
The White Paper is clear that sport, music and cultural opportunities are an essential part of a broad and balanced curriculum. The Department is committed to ensuring young people have opportunities to participate in high quality enrichment activities. The Department supports a range of initiatives to increase these opportunities.
The Department’s national plan for music education sets out the vision for music education and details how it can be achieved through partnerships with schools, music hubs, the music and creative sector, and others. The plan can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-power-of-music-to-change-lives-a-national-plan-for-music-education.
The Department is also updating the cross-Government school sport and activity action plan, setting out actions to help all pupils take part in sport and keep fit.
The Department is supporting the National Youth Guarantee by providing £3.4 million between 2021 and 2024 to support the Duke of Edinburgh Award to expand into more schools in the most disadvantaged areas of the country. The Department is also supporting schools to increase participation in cadet schemes.
Beyond the school day, the Department is providing over £200 million each year to Local Authorities across England for the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme. HAF provides free holiday club places with enriching activities and healthy food for children from low income families during the summer, Easter and Christmas school holidays.
Asked by: Julian Sturdy (Conservative - York Outer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of industrial action in the education sector on the academic performance of students in this academic year.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Industrial action is not in the best interest of pupils, and the Department is concerned by action that disrupts teaching, particularly following disruption from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The starting salary for a newly qualified teacher is at least £28,000 and this is set to rise to £30,000. In Inner London the starting salary is more; at least £34,500. Teachers receive annual pay rises through an independent pay review process, and many teachers also see greater uplifts by progressing up the pay scales.
Most teachers in the first few years of their career will receive pay rises from progression on top of the headline award, which could mean an increase of up to 15.9% this year, and around 40% of experienced teachers below the top of their pay range will also receive pay increases through progression or promotion, on top of the 5% pay award. In addition, teachers’ pensions include a 23.6% employer pension contribution.
The Department is meeting unions regularly to listen to their concerns and work to avert strike action. If strikes do go ahead there will undoubtably be impacts on the delivery of education and the Department has a duty to help parents and families understand how this will affect them. In the event of strike action at a school, the school leaders or local authority that manages the school will take all reasonable steps to keep the school open for as many pupils as possible. In some schools there may be little or no impact from strike action but in others it may mean that changes are made to the way they operate. Parents can find more information on strike actions in schools in the Department’s Education Hub blog: https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2023/01/16/everything-you-need-to-know-about-strike-action-in-schools-and-colleges/.
The Department has updated the ‘handling strike action in schools’ guidance, which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/handling-strike-action-in-schools.
Schools should prioritise vulnerable children, children of critical workers and pupils due to take public examinations and other formal assessments, if there is a need to restrict attendance. The use of remote education where provision in school can’t be delivered is also advised.
For further education (FE), colleges are responsible for setting the pay of their teaching and support staff. The Department is increasing the level of overall funding in colleges, so that they can recruit, retain and develop staff. An extra £1.6 billion is available for 16-19 education in the 2024/25 financial year compared with 2021/22. This is in addition to the £291 million for 16-19 education in 2021/22, and the £400 million that the Department provided in 2020/21. The Department is also funding a package of direct support for the further education workforce in 2022/23, to continue to support the colleges with the recruitment, retention and development of teachers.
Universities are autonomous and responsible for the pay and pension provision of their staff. While the Government plays no role in such disputes, the Department hopes all parties can reach an agreement that delivers good value for students, staff and the universities.
This Department believes that students should be at the heart of the higher education (HE) system. The Department set up the Office for Students (OfS) to regulate the HE sector in England, protect student rights and ensure the sector is delivering real value for money. The OfS expects institutions to do all they can to avoid disruption for students, and has also highlighted institutions’ obligations under consumer protection law in relation to the effects of industrial action.
Asked by: Julian Sturdy (Conservative - York Outer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of increases in the cost of (a) energy bills and (b) rent on students in winter 2022.
Answered by Robert Halfon
The government recognises the additional cost of living pressures that have arisen this year which have impacted students. Decisions on student finance will have to be taken alongside other spending priorities to ensure the system remains financially sustainable and the costs of higher education are shared fairly between students and taxpayers, not all of whom have benefited from going to university.
On 11 January 2023, the department announced a one-off reallocation of funding so we can add £15 million to this year's student premium, to support additional hardship requests. There is now £276 million of student premium funding available this academic year to support disadvantaged students who need additional help. This extra funding will complement the help that universities are providing through their own bursary, scholarship and hardship support schemes. The department works with the Office for Students to ensure universities support students in hardship using both hardship funds and drawing on the student premium.
All households will save on their energy bills through the Energy Price Guarantee and the £400 Energy Bills Support Scheme discount. Students who buy their energy from a domestic supplier are eligible for the energy bills discount. The Energy Prices Act passed on 25 October 2022 includes the provision to require landlords to pass benefits they receive from energy price support, as appropriate, onto end users. Further details of the requirements under this act are set out in the legislation.
The department has continued to increase maximum loans and grants for living and other costs for undergraduate and postgraduate students each year with a 2.3% increase for the current academic year, 2022/23. The department has also recently announced a further 2.8% increase in maximum loans and grants for the 2023/24 academic year starting in August 2023.
In addition, the department has frozen maximum tuition fees for the 2022/23 academic year and also for the 2023/24 and 2024/25 academic years. By 2024/25, maximum fees will have been frozen for seven years. We believe that a continued fee freeze achieves the best balance between ensuring that the system remains sustainable, offering good value for the taxpayer, and reducing debt levels for students in real terms.
Universities and private accommodation providers are autonomous and are responsible for setting their own rent agreements. The department plays no direct role in the provision of student residential accommodation, whether the accommodation is managed by universities or private sector organisations. The Energy Bill Relief Scheme will provide a price reduction to ensure that all businesses and other non-domestic customers, including universities and private purpose-built student accommodation providers, are protected from high energy bills this winter.
Asked by: Julian Sturdy (Conservative - York Outer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of increasing focus on academic performance in education settings on levels of participation in sport and physical exercise in those settings.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Schools are free to organise and deliver a flexible, diverse, and challenging curriculum and extra-curricular provision that suits the needs of their pupils. The Department believes that PE and sport is an important part of a broad and balanced curriculum and has made it compulsory at all four Key Stages in the National Curriculum.
Evidence suggests that participation in sport and physical activity can be an important factor in supporting academic attainment, mental wellbeing, and personal development. Many schools already provide a minimum of two hours of PE and sport to pupils each week. The Department will look at how to support all schools to do so, supplemented by a good range of extra-curricular opportunities.
Asked by: Julian Sturdy (Conservative - York Outer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of trends in the level of child poverty on educational attainment.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Department has evaluated the impact of poverty on educational outcomes. Evidence shows that disadvantaged pupils and those with additional needs are more likely to fall behind and need extra support to reach their full potential. That is why the Department has a range of support in place to support pupils and schools.
Overall, core schools funding, including funding for both mainstream schools and high needs, is increasing by £4 billion in 2022/23 compared to the previous year. In 2022/23, the Department will be allocating approximately £2,000 per pupil, for all pupils who have been eligible for free school meals (FSM) at any point in the last six years, through the National Funding Formula, the Pupil Premium and the 2022/23 School Supplementary Grant. The Pupil Premium enables schools to provide extra support for disadvantaged pupils to improve their academic and personal achievements.
Raising attainment for pupils is at the heart of this government’s agenda. Reforms to support schools and drive improved attainment were set out in the Schools White Paper. This includes the National Tutoring Programme, which is helping those pupils that need it access additional targeted support, including those who have been hardest hit by disruption to their education as a result of the pandemic. To support teachers, the Oak National Academy has been established as a public body, which will provide free, optional, adaptable digital curriculum resources, including in English and mathematics.
In addition, the Department is providing funding to 24 Priority Education Investment Areas (PEIA), helping drive the attainment of all children across the area. In each of the 24 PEIAs, the Department will offer further investment in addition to the significant support available to all EIAs. PEIAs will receive a share of around £40 million of funding to address local needs, and priority access to a number of other programmes offered by the Department.
Asked by: Julian Sturdy (Conservative - York Outer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure there is adequate support for students in private rented accommodation.
Answered by Robert Halfon
The department recognises the additional cost of living pressures that have arisen this year and that have impacted students. Many higher education (HE) providers have hardship funds that students can apply to for assistance. There is £261 million of student premium funding available this academic year to support disadvantaged students who need additional help. The department has worked with the Office for Students to ensure universities support students in hardship using both hardship funds and drawing on the student premium.
Universities and private accommodation providers are autonomous and are responsible for setting their own rent agreements. The department plays no direct role in the provision of student residential accommodation, whether the accommodation is managed by universities or private sector organisations.
All households will save on their energy bills through the Energy Price Guarantee and the £400 Energy Bills Support Scheme discount. Students who buy their energy from a domestic supplier are eligible for the energy bills discount. The Energy Prices Act passed on 25 October includes the provision to require landlords to pass benefits they receive from energy price support, as appropriate, onto end users. Further details of the requirements under this act are set out in the legislation.
Students whose bills are included in their rent, including energy charges, will typically have agreed their accommodation costs upfront when signing their contract for the current academic year. Businesses, including those that provide student accommodation, are covered by the Energy Bill Relief Scheme which provides energy bill relief for non-domestic customers in Great Britain.
A HM Treasury-led review will be launched to consider how to support households and businesses with energy bills after April 2023.
Decisions on student support for HE courses are taken on an annual basis and changes for the current, 2022/23 academic year, were made through Regulations laid in December 2021.
The government is currently considering options for changes to loans and grants for living and other costs for the 2023/24 academic year starting in August 2023 and an announcement will follow in due course.