First elected: 6th May 2010
Left House: 3rd May 2017 (General Election)
Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.
These initiatives were driven by Karen Lumley, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.
MPs who are act as Ministers or Shadow Ministers are generally restricted from performing Commons initiatives other than Urgent Questions.
Karen Lumley has not been granted any Urgent Questions
Karen Lumley has not been granted any Adjournment Debates
Karen Lumley has not introduced any legislation before Parliament
Karen Lumley has not co-sponsored any Bills in the current parliamentary sitting
We are committed to 3 million apprenticeship starts during this parliament. Our priority is to work with employers to increase the number of apprenticeships they offer. The Government is investing £1.5 billion during the 2014/15 academic year.
Apprenticeships are paid jobs with quality training. The Government currently fully funds apprenticeship training for 16 – 18 year olds and up to 50% of training for over 19s. In addition from April 2016 employers will not be required to pay employer National Insurance contributions for apprentices under 25 on earnings up to the upper earnings limit.
The Apprenticeship Grant for Employers (AGE) currently helps small businesses (with less than 50 employees) to take on up to 5 new young apprentices aged 16 – 24 by providing payments of £1,500 per apprentice.
The Government is introducing a UK-wide levy to help fund the increase in quantity and quality of apprenticeship training. The levy will raise money to fund increases in apprenticeship numbers and quality and will be entirely funded by the contributors.
Understanding the full cost to business would require a detailed analysis of their supply chains. This information can only be provided at disproportionate cost.
We have met our target of installing efficiency measures in one million homes, three months early. ECO and Green Deal improvements are now in
1,123,000 homes.
We have already delivered over 2.1 million apprenticeships during this parliament.
Employers are designing apprenticeships to meet their skills needs, making it more attractive and easier for them to offer more opportunities in the future.
The Apprenticeship Grant for Employers is helping smaller businesses take on new young apprentices. From April 2016 employers will not be required to pay employer National Insurance contributions for apprentices under 25 on earnings up to the upper earnings limit.
In the May 2014 Government Response to our discussion paper, Building a Responsible Payment Culture, we set out measures to create greater transparency of payment practices and a more responsible payment culture. Through the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Bill we are developing a requirement for large firms to publish their payment practices and a measure to prohibit contractual barriers to finance.
In addition, we have committed to working with the Institute for Credit Management and signatories to strengthen the Prompt Payment Code. And the British Business Bank aims to address long standing, structural gaps in the supply of finance to businesses and provide diverse sources of funding for small and medium sized businesses.
We want the UK to be at the forefront of the design, development, manufacture and use of low emission vehicles, delivering economic growth opportunities and contributing to the decarbonisation of road transport.
As part of the Automotive Industrial Strategy, Government and industry will invest around £1 billion over the next 10 years in an Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC) to research, develop and commercialise the next generation of low carbon technologies. The APC is technology neutral, so can support new road fuel gas technologies if they offer significant low carbon advantages. This investment will secure up to 30,000 jobs. The Government will allocate £100 million for ULEV-specific research and development for the period 2015-2020 as part of the £500m OLEV package. This represents an increase of over 20% in support from the previous package (which was £82m over the period 2010 – 2015).
We have also allocated £4m to ensure the UK has the gas refuelling facilities HGVs need to support our freight and logistics operators in their efforts to reduce the environmental impact of their business.
In the year to 31st December 2014, the Law Officers personally considered 469 cases and referred 128 offenders to the Court of Appeal under the unduly lenient sentence scheme. Leave was granted by the Court in 95% of cases which included some of the most serious violent and sexual offences, including murder, rape and sexual assault.
The Attorney General’s Office publishes statistics for unduly lenient sentences at the end of the calendar year. This is to ensure that the figures are released in a consistent format and are accurate and quality assured. Unduly lenient sentences statistics for 2013 and 2014 are published on the Attorney General’s Office website - www.gov.uk/government/organisations/attorney-generals-office.
The central cost of holding Cabinet in Aberdeen was £1,800. This is a considerable reduction on regional Cabinet meetings under the previous administration, which cost between £50,000 and £100,000. Departments and agencies will also have incurred costs in terms of travel, staff time and other support. The cost of any security provided by the police is a matter for the relevant police force.
Holding Cabinet meetings in different parts of the UK allows Ministers to hear at first hand the views of people in different areas, and Ministers visited various locations in the region following the meeting.
We are committed to an economy that works for all and empowering local areas through the devolution of powers and resources. Devolution deals are a key part of our plan to support growth up and down the country. This Government will continue to support the Midlands Engine for growth, with the West Midlands as a key driver. Our ambition is to increase the value of the Midlands economy by £34 billion and create a further 300,000 jobs by 2030.
The West Midlands devolution deal includes the largest Investment Fund to be awarded to any area. It will provide more than £1 billion over thirty years to spend on local projects that will drive economic growth. In May 2017 there will be an election for the mayor of the West Midlands, creating a role that will help to drive devolution and growth. Redditch, as a non-constituent member of the West Midlands Combined Authority, has the opportunity to influence the future direction of these devolved powers.
This Government’s Local Growth Fund has supported development in Redditch, including the new Engineering Centre of Excellence. We have also committed to an ambitious programme of strategic road improvements, including a package for the M42 and M40 that should provide positive benefits for Redditch, as well as the wider West Midlands.
The Government will do whatever is needed to safeguard the economy, forge a global new role for ourselves as we leave the European Union and make Britain a country that truly works for everybody. The Department is in on-going dialogue with businesses and trade organisations to understand concerns and identify opportunities from EU withdrawal for the manufacturing sector right across the UK.
Through our Industrial Strategy we will continue to support and grow our successful manufacturing businesses and encourage the development of industries of the future as part of creating an economy that works for all.
We are committed to ensuring that high streets throughout the country remain at the heart of their community and we have taken significant actions to help high streets adapt and thrive through a range of targeted tax breaks, sensible planning changes and measures to ensure fairer parking for motorists.
At Budget 2016 we announced the biggest ever cut in business rates – worth £6.7 billion across the next five years. The Government is permanently doubling the level of Small Business Rate Relief and increasing the thresholds to benefit a greater number of property occupiers. Eligible properties with a rateable value of £12,000 and below will receive 100% relief. This means that 600,000 small businesses will pay no business rates at all, including local high street shops. Furthermore, the revaluation of Business Rates will ensure business rate bills more closely reflect the property market and that all businesses are getting a fair deal. The revaluation will reduce bills in the West Midlands by 7% before inflation and transitional relief. This will reduce bills by almost £170m per year. The biggest winners are in offices which will see bills falls by 16% and retail which will see bills fall by 11%.
We have also given over £18 million to town teams since 2010, including Redditch, funding successful initiatives such “Love Your Local Market” and the “Great British High Street Competition”. The finalists for the 2016 Awards include Derby, Hinckley, Market Harborough, Bridgnorth, and Leominster. The winners will be announced in December.
The Department does not produce forecasts for apprenticeship starts. Apprenticeships are paid jobs and their availability is dependent on employers offering opportunities and hiring apprentices.
The levy will fund a step-change in apprenticeship numbers and quality – delivering on our commitment to 3 million new apprenticeship starts in England by 2020. It will put apprenticeship funding on a sustainable footing and improve the technical and professional skills of the workforce.
It will encourage employers to invest in their apprentices and take on more. Employers in England who pay the levy and are committed to apprenticeships training will be able to get out more than they pay in to the levy through a top-up of additional funding to their digital accounts. The government will apply a 10% top-up to monthly funds entering levy paying employers digital accounts, for apprenticeship training in England, from April 2017. Apprentices who have been accepted on to an apprenticeship before April 2017 will be funded for the full term of the apprenticeship under the terms and conditions that were in place at the time their apprenticeship started.
My Department has had discussions with a variety of non-governmental organisations on children's access to online pornographic material including charities and support groups, IT sector, regulators, payments companies and advertisers, pornography providers and the tech industry.
We are introducing legislation through the Digital Economy Bill to require that pornographic material must not be made available online on a commercial basis without age verification, to restrict its access to under 18s.
Government works with the UK Council for Child Internet Safety to keep children and young people safe online. Bringing together industry, law enforcement, academia, charities and parenting groups, UKCCIS encourages good practice. It was a driving force in bringing in Family Friendly Filters, and has recently produced guidance for schools on sexting.
Government also works directly with the ISPs and social media companies to help protect children online.
Schools play an important role in the community, and ensuring that both school and community facilities are available and accessible is of mutual benefit to all.
Sport England’s Use Our Schools resource encourages more schools to open up their facilities for community use and to help those already open to stay open. To develop its insight into the way schools use the resource and share it with other schools, Sport England is measuring levels of take up and engagement and will publish these in an impact report. DCMS and Sport England are working with the Department for Education to ensure that schools are aware of the relevant guidance.
Government is committed to getting more young people from all backgrounds engaging in sport and physical activity, including team sports. Last year government published a new strategy, 'Sporting Future', which sets out a number of important actions that will ensure that all young people can benefit from engagement in sport and physical activity
Sport England will be investing in team sports through its new programmes designed to support the people who regularly play sport, and programmes designed to tackle inactivity.
Community sports teams will also be able to benefit from Sport England’s new Community Asset Fund, which will make £7.5 million of National Lottery funding available to support community clubs to modernise or expand their facilities.
Mobile phone coverage is vital for rural businesses and households. 99% of premises already receive 2G coverage. However 21% of the UK’s landmass has coverage from only one or two mobile operators. This affects around 1.5 million people living in areas with patchy coverage, who not only receive a worse service than other consumers, but also have a limited choice of providers and packages. People travelling into these areas are also affected.
A consultation into tackling partial not-spots closed on 26 November. I am also in discussions with the mobile industry to agree a voluntary solution, which remains my preference.
This information is published annually. The most recent figures can be found in table 6 of the statistical first release available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2016
All end-point assessments must be carried out by an Independent Assessment Organisation on the Skills Funding Agency’s Register of Apprentice Assessment Organisations to ensure high quality assessment.
The assessment market has been adjusting rapidly for most new apprenticeship standards. 82% of all apprentice starts on standards have an end-point assessment organisation available to them, whether they are close to needing end-point assessment or not. This figure rises to 96% for apprentices likely to require an end-point assessment in 2017. There are a small number of standards that already have starts but where an Assessment Organisation has not yet been confirmed. Here, we are taking proactive action to resolve this and ensure there is end-point assessment provision by the time the apprentice completes their apprenticeship. This includes actively working with trailblazer groups and potential assessment organisations to fill gaps in provision and put contingencies in place.
Trusts wanting to apply for the Regional Academy Growth Fund (RAGF) can seek advice on the application process and priorities from their Regional Schools Commissioner’s (RSC) office.
Applications to the RAGF are open to established Academy Trusts and Multi-Academy Trusts. Guidance, contact details for RSCs and the RAGF application form can be found on the Government’s website, at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/regional-academy-growth-fund.
We have confirmed that no area will see a reduction in per pupil schools funding in the coming year, and the extra £390 million was added to the schools budget in the last Parliament will remain in the baseline. We will confirm local authorities’ final budgets in December, reflecting the latest pupil numbers from the October census, and we will apply an uplift for high needs funding. As my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, said at the Education Select Committee in September, we currently do not plan to allocate additional schools funding in 2017-18.
All schools are required to teach a balanced and broadly based curriculum that promotes the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils, and prepares them for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life. The National Curriculum sets out the subjects and programmes of study which must be taught to children of compulsory school age in maintained schools in England. It serves an important purpose in setting out an example of a knowledge-based, ambitious, academically rigorous education which every child should experience. If autonomous academies or Multi-Academy Trusts wish to deliver the National Curriculum in their schools, they can do so confidently. We want academies to use their freedoms to innovate and build more stretching and tailored curricula, to meet the particular needs of their pupils.
The new National Curriculum, taught from September 2014, focuses on the essential knowledge that pupils should acquire during their time at school so that teachers can design a wider school curriculum that best meets the needs of their pupils. The programmes of study for citizenship set out that teaching should equip pupils with the knowledge to explore political and social issues critically, to weigh evidence, debate and make reasoned arguments. Beyond the prescribed curriculum, schools have the freedom to teach topics, such as current affairs, to ensure that children receive a rounded education.
The Government recognises the increasing importance of basic digital skills to get on in life and in work. Digital skills training forms part of the provision funded by the Government through the £1.5billion-a-year Adult Education Budget. Colleges and other providers have the flexibility to use funding from that budget to respond to local need. Study towards a qualification in a digital-related subject can form part of the fee-free training available to young adults aged 19-23 who do not yet have a full Level 2 or Level 3 qualification. Digital skills training up to Level 2 may also be provided free of charge to unemployed adults aged 19 and over, where it is needed to improve their prospects of gaining employment. The Digital Economy Bill, currently before Parliament, contains a measure that would introduce a statutory duty on the Secretary of State to ensure that study for specified digital basic skills is free of charge for adults who do not have an equivalent qualification.
The Government continues to promote and encourage the creation of high-quality internships. Our Graduate Talent Pool (www.gov.uk/find-internship), a service aimed at employers and recent graduates, is playing a valuable role. Online guidance, workshops and the quality assurance of all vacancies ensures all internships advertised are providing a valuable and worthwhile opportunity for both parties. However, the key responsibility rests with businesses and education providers, which must work together to help students acquire the skills and knowledge that employers need.
We will introduce a national funding formula for early years from the financial year 2017-18. A consultation on the early years formula closed on 22 September and we will set out our response later this autumn.
We will introduce national funding formulae for schools and high needs from the financial year 2018-19. We are considering the options carefully, taking into account the need to give schools and local authorities stability. We will put forward our detailed proposals later in the autumn, including our proposals for the transition to the formulae. Following a full consultation, we will make final decisions and confirm the arrangements in the new year.
We believe that post-16 education plays a crucial role in helping young people realise their potential. That’s why we announced as part of the Spending Review that we will protect the national base rate of £4,000 per student for the duration of the parliament. In addition vocational performing arts programmes receive a 20% uplift reflecting the extra costs of delivering these courses.
The government also remains committed to supporting talented students through the Dance and Drama Awards scheme. Around 1,300 young people and adults each year receive financial help through the scheme to gain high level vocational training in dance, drama and musical theatre.
In addition, the Department for Education provides means-tested support through the Music and Dance Scheme to ensure that talented children from all backgrounds are able to receive the world-class training they need to succeed in careers in music and dance.
The Department publishes statutory guidance (for schools which sets a clear framework for the provision of careers advice and guidance. The guidance, which is available at www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/440795/Careers_Guidance_Schools_Guidance.pdf sets out how every school should engage with local employers and professionals to ensure real-world connections are in place to prepare young people for working life. These activities could include speakers from the world of work, mentoring, workplace visits or help with basic career management skills like CV writing.
The Careers & Enterprise Company (CEC) continues to make excellent progress. Its Enterprise Adviser Network is brokering links between schools, colleges and employers in 36 Local Enterprise Partnership areas; with 60 Enterprise Coordinators and 400 Enterprise Advisers working with schools and colleges to support their careers and enterprise provision. In March 2016 The CEC announced 33 successful bidders to its £5m careers and enterprise fund. This £5m investment from government will boost provision for nearly 250,000 young people across England in 75% of the areas the company has identified as ‘cold spots’. In addition, the company is working to create a new generation of high-quality mentors to help teenagers fulfil their potential.
The removal of unnecessary workload is a priority for this Department and is considered carefully when introducing any significant change for schools. Our primary assessment reforms have been designed to put arrangements for the majority of classroom assessment back into the hands of the school and to reduce the tracking burdens that national curriculum levels previously encouraged. We believe schools are best placed to decide how to assess pupils in line with their curriculum and that over time this should lead to a reduction in workload for teachers.
Following the introduction of the new national curriculum and the removal of levels, we have developed new forms of statutory assessment at the end of Key Stages 1 and 2. The duty to report assessment at these points remains unchanged from previous years. We do recognise, however, that in this first year of the new forms of assessment teachers will be adapting their approach. Significant reforms like take time to embed and the best way to prepare pupils remains to focus on teaching the core knowledge set by new national curriculum, which schools have been doing since September 2014.
Throughout the introduction of our important reforms to primary assessment, we have worked closely with teachers and head teachers and continue to listen to the concerns of the profession as the details of the new arrangements are finalised. We are working constructively with the teaching profession and their representatives to find solutions to some of the remaining issues.
In September 2014, financial literacy was made statutory for the first time as part of the curriculum for citizenship education for 11 to 16 year olds. Pupils are taught the functions and uses of money, the importance of personal budgeting, money management and the need to understand financial risk.
The government has recently introduced a Core Maths qualification that may be taken by post-16 students to prepare students for a variety of mathematical contexts they will encounter in future study, employment and life. This includes managing their personal finances.
We have also strengthened the national curriculum for mathematics to give pupils aged 5 to 16 the necessary mathematical skills they need to make important financial decisions about mortgages and loan repayments.
The programme of study for citizenship and mathematics can be found online: www.gov.uk/government/collections/national-curriculum.
The government understands the importance of funding that secures the effective and efficient delivery of early years education. We are aware that there are historical inconsistencies and inefficiencies with the current funding system for the three- and four-year entitlement. The government is committed to early education funding which is simple, transparent and maximises funding reaching the front line. Our long term objective is to make funding truly fair.
As of 23 January 2015, 124 confirmed orders had been placed for a total of 168 automated external defibrillators (AEDs). The list of schools as provided by NHS Supply Chain is as follows:
School name | Number of devices purchased |
Aquinas College | 1 |
Archbishop Holgate’s School | 1 |
Aylesford Primary School | 1 |
Belgrave St Bartholomew’s Academy | 1 |
Bishop Wordsworth’s School | 1 |
Bishopshalt School | 1 |
Bordesley Green Girls’ School and Sixth Form, Birmigham | 1 |
Bourne Westfield Primary Academy | 1 |
Brighton, Hove & Sussex Sixth Form College (BHASVIC) | 2 |
Brockhill Park Performing Arts College | 1 |
Brookfields School, Reading | 1 |
Bure Park Primary School, Bicester | 1 |
Buxton School | 1 |
Canada Hill Community Primary School | 1 |
Carmel College, Darlington | 5 |
Carshalton Boys Sports College | 2 |
Castle Batch Community Primary School | 1 |
Charter Academy, Southsea | 1 |
Chesham Grammar School | 1 |
Cheshunt School | 1 |
Chesswood Middle School | 1 |
Christ Church (Erith) C of E Primary School (part of Trinitas Academy Trust) | 1 |
Cirencester Deer Park School | 1 |
Clements Community Primary School, Suffolk | 1 |
Cloughwood Academy | 1 |
Colebourne Primary School and Beaufort School, Birmingham | 1 |
Darlington School of Mathematics and Science | 1 |
Dean Field Community Primary School | 1 |
Downsway Primary School | 1 |
Downsway Primary School | 1 |
Elmlea Junior School | 1 |
Energy Coast UTC, Workington | 1 |
Fair Furlong Primary School, Bristol | 1 |
Francis Baily Primary School | 1 |
Greasley Beauvale Primary School | 1 |
Great Torrington School, Devon | 1 |
Greig City Academy, Hornsey | 2 |
Grey Court School | 1 |
Gunnersbury Catholic School, Middlesex | 2 |
Hadrian Academy, Dunstable | 1 |
Harris Academy Battersea | 1 |
Harris Academy South Norwood | 2 |
Harris Primary Academy Benson | 1 |
Harris Primary Academy Crystal Palace | 1 |
Harris Primary Academy Kenley | 1 |
Hawkes Farm Primary School | 1 |
Hayes Park School | 1 |
Hayes School, Bromley | 1 |
Highfield Primary School, Leeds | 1 |
Holy Cross RC Primary School, Nottingham | 1 |
Holy Trinity Primary School, Calderdale | 1 |
Invicta Grammar School | 1 |
Kesgrave High School | 1 |
Kingsdale Foundation School | 3 |
Kirk Hallam Community Academy | 3 |
Lakey Lane Primary School | 1 |
Lancaster and Morecambe College | 1 |
Langmoor Primary School | 1 |
Linwood School | 2 |
Little Mead Primary Academy | 1 |
Long Toft Primary School | 1 |
Longfield Academy Trust, Darlington | 2 |
Moor Park High School and Sixth Form | 1 |
New Charter Academy, Ashton | 2 |
Newlaithes Infant School | 1 |
Nonsuch High School for Girls | 2 |
Oakwood Primary School | 9 |
Ormiston Sandwell Community Academy | 1 |
Ormiston Sudbury Academy | 1 |
Outwood Grange Academies Trust | 11 |
Park Primary School, Doncaster | 1 |
Parson Street Primary School | 1 |
Pennine Way Junior Academy | 1 |
Queen Mary’s School, Thirsk | 1 |
Rednock School, Gloucestershire | 1 |
Robert Sandilands Primary School and Nursery | 1 |
Rushcliffe School | 1 |
Rye Hills School | 1 |
Ryefield Primary School | 1 |
Sandhurst Junior School | 1 |
Sandroyd School | 1 |
Shoeburyness High School | 1 |
Sir Henry Floyd Grammar School | 1 |
Sir Herbert Leon Academy, Milton Keynes | 1 |
Sir Robert Geffery’s School | 1 |
South Molton Community College | 1 |
South Wilts Grammar School for Girls | 1 |
Springfields Academy | 1 |
St Agatha’s Catholic Primary School | 1 |
St Aloysius’ College, London | 1 |
St Augustine of Canterbury CofE Primary School (part of Trinitas Academy Trust) | 1 |
St Crispin’s School, Wokingham | 1 |
St James’ Catholic Primary School, Birmingham | 1 |
St Joseph’s College, Staffs | 4 |
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Bishop’s Stortford | 1 |
St Margaret’s Academy | 1 |
St Mary and St John Catholic Primary School | 1 |
Stanhope Primary School, Tyne and Wear | 1 |
Stanley Park Infants’ School | 1 |
Stewards Academy | 2 |
Summerlea Community Primary School | 1 |
The Bishop of Winchester Academy, Bournemouth | 1 |
The Bromfords School and Sixth Form College | 1 |
The Bulmershe School | 1 |
The Education Village | 3 |
The Hollington Primary Academy | 1 |
The John Fisher School | 2 |
The Latimer Primary School, Leicestershire | 1 |
The Rydale Academy, Darlington | 1 |
The Skinners’ School | 1 |
Thomas Estley Community College | 1 |
Tong High School | 1 |
Treviglas Community College | 1 |
Vyners School | 2 |
Waterloo Primary Academy, Blackpool | 2 |
West Twyford Primary School | 1 |
Westdale Junior School | 1 |
Whitburn Church of England Academy | 1 |
Wingfield Academy | 1 |
Witham St Hughs Academy | 1 |
Woodbridge High School | 1 |
Woodford Primary School | 1 |
Woodville CofE Junior School | 1 |
Wyvern College, Eastleigh | 1 |
To help schools in considering whether to purchase these potentially life-saving devices, the Department for Education has also published advice on installing and maintaining AEDs on school premises. This advice is available online at:
www.gov.uk/government/publications/automated-external-defibrillators-aeds-in-schools.
Between 26 November 2014 and 25 January 2015, the download page for this document was viewed 4,858 times.
The Government is fully committed to ensuring young people learn to swim and stay safe in water. In reforming the national curriculum, the new physical education (PE) programme of study, including the specifications for swimming and water safety, were developed through consultation with subject experts and teachers. The draft programme of study was subject to statutory consultation from 7 February to 16 April 2013.
Swimming and water safety is compulsory for primary-aged children in maintained schools; the national curriculum specifically states that pupils should be taught to perform safe self-rescue in different water-based situations. The programme of study for PE is available online here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-curriculum-in-england-physical-education-programmes-of-study.
The Government is fully committed to ensuring young people learn to swim and stay safe in water. In reforming the national curriculum, the new physical education (PE) programme of study, including the specifications for swimming and water safety, were developed through consultation with subject experts and teachers. The draft programme of study was subject to statutory consultation from 7 February to 16 April 2013.
Swimming and water safety is compulsory for primary-aged children in maintained schools; the national curriculum specifically states that pupils should be taught to perform safe self-rescue in different water-based situations. The programme of study for PE is available online here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-curriculum-in-england-physical-education-programmes-of-study.
Schools are legally required to secure independent careers guidance for 12- to 18-year-olds that includes information on the full range of education and training options, including apprenticeships.
In 2013, Ofsted’s study of the early implementation of this duty found that apprenticeships were rarely promoted effectively, especially in schools with sixth forms.
The Government has published new statutory guidance and departmental advice on careers guidance and inspiration, informed by the Ofsted study, which is effective from September 2014. This provides a clear framework and practical support for schools to help them inspire their pupils about the options open to them. The guidance is clear that schools should give employers and other providers delivering apprenticeships the opportunity to inform pupils directly about what they offer. It emphasises that apprenticeships and university offer two equally effective routes to a successful career.
Ofsted is now giving careers guidance a higher priority in school inspections and we will work with them to monitor carefully the impact of the statutory guidance and the wider improvements that the Government has put in place.
There are 190 schools in England that are recorded on Edubase, the Department's database of education providers, as being middle schools. Of these, 59 are converter academies and three are sponsored academies.
Academies can only change their admission arrangements following the procedures set out in the School Admissions Code.
During the 2013/14 academic year the Education Funding Agency has received requests to change admissions arrangements for 8 academies. Of these, 7 were approved and 1 was withdrawn by the academy trust.
These figures do not include applications to change admissions arrangements that form part of a request for a wider change to an academy's funding agreement, for example extending the age range, as this data is not recorded centrally.
The Department does not hold records about the number of local authorities that operate three-tier systems.
The Government is committed to ensuring that swimming and teaching water safety takes place in schools. Swimming is an important part of the National Curriculum, which requires that all pupils must be taught to swim at least 25 metres unaided, and be able to use recognised swimming strokes by the end of Key Stage 2 (age 11). It also requires that a child can demonstrate an understanding of water safety. Swimming and water safety remain compulsory in the National Curriculum following the recent curriculum review.
In March 2013 the Prime Minister announced additional ring-fenced funding of £150m per year for each of 2013-14 and 2014-15 to support the provision of PE and sport in primary schools. This funding was extended in the Autumn Statement 2013 to include 2015-16. Qualifying schools would be free to use this to extend their pupils' access to swimming lessons and water safety awareness.
An interim evaluation of the school exclusions pilot, published in March 2013, found early indications of schools taking more responsibility for pupils at risk of exclusion, collaborating with each other and working in partnership with local authorities to improve alternative provision in their areas. Such approaches benefit all pupils vulnerable to exclusion, including those with autism.
The Department for Education has introduced wide ranging reforms through the Children and Families Act 2014 to improve provision and support for children and young people with special educational needs or a disability.
The Act requires local authorities to publish a local offer of services for children and young people with special educational needs (SEN) or a disability. The local offer will set out in one place information about provision families can expect to be available across education, health and social care for children and young people who have SEN or are disabled, including those who do not have education, health and care (EHC) plans.
The local offer will provide children, young people and parents with clear, comprehensive and accessible information about the services and support available and how to access it, including that from schools.
It will make provision more responsive to local needs and aspirations by directly involving families and service providers in its development and review, enabling them to have a greater say in how services and support develop over time.
This should therefore have an important role to play in improving outcomes and reducing exclusions for children and young people with SEN, including those with autism.
An interim evaluation of the school exclusions pilot, published in March 2013, found early indications of schools taking more responsibility for pupils at risk of exclusion, collaborating with each other and working in partnership with local authorities to improve alternative provision in their areas. Such approaches benefit all pupils vulnerable to exclusion, including those with autism.
The Department for Education has introduced wide ranging reforms through the Children and Families Act 2014 to improve provision and support for children and young people with special educational needs or a disability.
The Act requires local authorities to publish a local offer of services for children and young people with special educational needs (SEN) or a disability. The local offer will set out in one place information about provision families can expect to be available across education, health and social care for children and young people who have SEN or are disabled, including those who do not have education, health and care (EHC) plans.
The local offer will provide children, young people and parents with clear, comprehensive and accessible information about the services and support available and how to access it, including that from schools.
It will make provision more responsive to local needs and aspirations by directly involving families and service providers in its development and review, enabling them to have a greater say in how services and support develop over time.
This should therefore have an important role to play in improving outcomes and reducing exclusions for children and young people with SEN, including those with autism.
DCLG leads on integration and cohesion and is involved in many fora with communities affected by intolerant attitudes within in the UK. My department works with DCLG on a wide range of issues, including community cohesion. The Cross-Government Hate Crime Programme brings together officials, criminal justice agencies, victims and communities and has maintained oversight of hate crime during 2016 to ensure responses have been swift and effective.
Hate crime of any kind, directed against any community, race or religion, has absolutely no place in our society. The government is firmly committed to tackling hate crime, which is why we have published a new Hate Crime Action Plan which focuses on reducing hate crime, increasing reporting and improving support for victims. We have also launched a new funding scheme to help protect places of worship.
The Government’s THINK! road safety campaign promotes road safety learning amongst children and young people via its online educational resource programme. THINK! have a suite of downloadable materials - tailored by age group - available to teachers, parents and road safety professionals to help them deliver road safety education to pupils.
Included in these resources is practical information and advice for how children can stay safe on our roads during the winter months when the nights are longer.
THINK! is in the process of reviewing the child and teen resource to ensure that the materials are consistent with modern educational approaches.
HS2 will transform connectivity between the Midlands, London and the North. Within the Midlands it will deliver journey times of 20 minutes between Birmingham and the new East Midlands Hub; and of 37 minutes between Birmingham and Nottingham (a 32 minute reduction).
HS2 will also: improve rail service reliability; enable a higher frequency of services; improve capacity (including by enabling more commuter services into Birmingham) and improve access to Birmingham airport.
The capacity of Birmingham Airport is taken into account in the Airports Commission’s demand forecasts. The capacities for all modelled airports can be found in Table 3.2 of the Airport Commission’s Strategic Fit: Updated Forecasts report.
The Department does not currently have plans to estimate the number of flights to be taken from Birmingham Airport as a result of High Speed 2 and has no existing forecasts of the effect of HS2 at specific airports. HS2 is included in all the Department’s existing capacity constrained airport forecasts as a baseline scheme and this assumption was also adopted by the Airports Commission in their forecasting.
The Department has not made a specific estimate of the proportion of High Speed 2 journeys that will be taken by passengers planning to fly through Birmingham International Airport. Modelling has estimated the number of passengers that will board HS2 trains at Birmingham Interchange in the future but does not specify what proportion of these will come from Birmingham Airport, the National Exhibition Centre or the existing rail station.