Asked by: Karen Lumley (Conservative - Redditch)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the average classroom size was in 2016.
Answered by Nick Gibb
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
Asked by: Karen Lumley (Conservative - Redditch)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that there is a sufficient number of providers to deliver end-point assessments for apprentices.
Answered by Robert Halfon
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.
Asked by: Karen Lumley (Conservative - Redditch)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support her Department offers to schools making applications to the Regional Academies Growth Fund.
Answered by Edward Timpson
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.
Asked by: Karen Lumley (Conservative - Redditch)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to provide interim funding to schools before the fairer funding formula is introduced in 2018-19.
Answered by Nick Gibb
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.
Asked by: Karen Lumley (Conservative - Redditch)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance her Department provides to schools on teaching pupils about current affairs within the curriculum.
Answered by Nick Gibb
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.
Asked by: Karen Lumley (Conservative - Redditch)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions her Department has had with teachers and other education providers on the training required by teachers to effectively tackle homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
Bullying, including homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying, is unacceptable and should not be tolerated in our schools. The Government is committed to tackling it in all forms.
All schools are required by law to have a behaviour policy with measures to tackle bullying among pupils. Schools are free to develop their own anti-bullying strategies but they are held clearly to account for their effectiveness through Ofsted. We trust schools to decide for themselves what training their staff need in order to be able to do this effectively.
However, we know that individuals who are, or perceived to be, homosexual, bisexual or transgender are disproportionately affected by bullying. In 2015, research by the UCL Institute of Education identified that 56% of young LGB people aged 14-16 were bullied compared to 45% of their heterosexual peers. To help schools to tackle bullying and support victims, in September 2016 the Department for Education and the Government Equalities Office announced £4.4m of funding for 10 projects to tackle bullying, including £2.8 million for projects tackling specifically homophobic, transphobic and biphobic bullying. This programme focuses on primary and secondary schools in England which currently have no, or ineffective, measures in place. The funding will involve voluntary sector organisations engaging with teachers and schools through training, and supporting them to work through a whole school approach. Further information can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/thousands-more-children-to-benefit-from-anti-bullying-app.
Asked by: Karen Lumley (Conservative - Redditch)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that young adults from rural communities have the digital skills and experience required to enter the modern workforce.
Answered by Robert Halfon
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.
Asked by: Karen Lumley (Conservative - Redditch)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to encourage employers to ensure that internship places provide experience of value to participant (a) interns and (b) companies.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
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.
Asked by: Karen Lumley (Conservative - Redditch)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when her Department plans to make available fairer funding to families in Worcestershire.
Answered by Nick Gibb
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.
Asked by: Karen Lumley (Conservative - Redditch)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if her Department will take steps to increase funding of post-16 performing arts education and training.
Answered by Sam Gyimah
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.