Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the effect on school budgets of the requirement to pay the apprenticeship levy.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Department published a technical note in February on school costs, which included an estimate of the cost pressure on schools due to the introduction of the apprenticeship levy. This note can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/schools-costs-technical-note. The Department estimated that over 16,000 schools (three-quarters of the total) would pay the apprenticeship levy.
Schools are encouraged to use funds in their apprenticeship service accounts to pay for the training and assessment costs of apprentices they employ. The Department expects schools to benefit at a similar level to the costs of the levy. The Government provides a 10% top up to employers’ apprenticeship service funds, so that it is possible to receive more funding than is paid by way of the levy. Local authorities are expected to work closely with schools contributing to the levy to ensure they can access funding for apprenticeship training.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support his Department provides to schools to ensure that students and staff are able to (a) identify potential victims of female genital mutilation and (b) deal with such cases sensitively and appropriately.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
The government’s statutory safeguarding guidance for schools, ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’, outlines the reporting procedures for female genital mutilation, along with other forms of abuse. All school staff should receive safeguarding training at induction and that this should be updated regularly.
The Department for Education recently consulted on strengthening that guidance. We expect to publish our response to the consultation shortly.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to ensure better reporting procedures in schools for suspected cases of female genital mutilation.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
The government’s statutory safeguarding guidance for schools, ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’, outlines the reporting procedures for female genital mutilation, along with other forms of abuse. All school staff should receive safeguarding training at induction and that this should be updated regularly.
The Department for Education recently consulted on strengthening that guidance. We expect to publish our response to the consultation shortly.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Under-Secretary of State for Education of 19 January 2018, Official Report, column 1247, how local authorities can apply to become a pilot area for schemes to combat school holiday hunger.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
The activity on research and stakeholder engagement mentioned on 19 January is already underway and further details for our pre-piloting activity in Summer 2018 will be made available shortly. The aim of this initial work will be to inform the development of a pilot programme which will run in the 2019 Easter and summer holidays. Drawing on the learning from this research and engagement activity, government will set out our plans for the pilot programme later in 2018.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what percentage of academies founded between January 2010 and June 2014 have voluntarily signed up to the national school food standards.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
Statutory School Food Standards apply to local authority maintained schools, academies that opened prior to September 2010 and academies and free schools in England entering into a funding agreement from June 2014.
All new academies are expected to meet the food standards. Over 1400 academies, founded between September 2010 and June 2014, are voluntarily following the standards and we encourage the remaining schools to commit to them.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to review the National Plan for Music Education.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The National Plan for Music Education sets out a vision for music education that gives children from all backgrounds and every part of England the opportunity to learn a musical instrument; to make music with others; to learn to sing; and to have the opportunity to progress. The Department continues to have regular meetings with music teachers to discuss aspects of the National Plan for Music Education. The current plan runs until 2020 and any proposals for a review or extension of the Plan will be announced in 2018.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions her Department has had with music educators on the National Plan for Music Education; and whether that Plan should (a) include Early Years, (b) recognise informal pathways for young musicians and (c) continue with universal provision or be focussed on disadvantaged children.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Department has regular meetings with music educators to discuss aspects of the National Plan for Music Education. Music teaching starts in the early years and the plan provides a template for high quality music education throughout a pupil’s education, both in and out of school, in both formal and informal settings. Our vision continues to be that children from all backgrounds and every part of England have the opportunity to learn a musical instrument; to make music with others; to learn to sing; and to have the opportunity to progress to the next level. We will continue to consider the best way of ensuring that disadvantaged children can benefit from all programmes we fund.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the average class size is in primary schools in Bristol; and how many primary school classes in Bristol have more than 30 pupils.
Answered by Nick Gibb
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the average per pupil funding in primary schools is in Bristol East constituency; and what estimate she has made of per pupil funding levels in Bristol East constituency in each of the next three years.
Answered by Nick Gibb
This year, in 2017-18, the average per pupil funding amount for schools in the City of Bristol local authority, provided through the Schools Block of the Dedicated School Grant is £4,684. This is an average amount across both primary and secondary schools in the local authority area. The distribution of funding between schools (including the balance between primary and secondary schools) is a matter for local discretion. Decisions about school funding in future years will be subject to the outcome of the national funding formula consultation. In the consultation, we made available data illustrating the amount each school would have received if the proposed formula had been implemented in full in 2016-17, and a projection of schools’ allocations in the first year of transition. This data is published at https://consult.education.gov.uk/funding-policy-unit/schools-national-funding-formula2/.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of falling international student numbers on the financial sustainability of the UK university sector.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
The Higher Education Council for Funding in England (HEFCE) reports that the higher education sector was in sound financial health in 2014/15. In the same academic year, overseas fee income accounted for nearly 13% of total sector income on average.
International students make an important economic and cultural contribution to the UK. The UK has, and will continue to have, a world class education system that attracts students from across the world.
The latest report, entitled ‘Financial Health of the higher education sector: 2015-16 to 2018-19 forecasts’ can be found on HEFCE’s website at:
http://www.hefce.ac.uk/media/HEFCE,2014/Content/Pubs/2016/201634/HEFCE2016_34.pdf