Asked by: Leo Docherty (Conservative - Aldershot)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to encourage the establishment of Combined Cadet Force units in state schools; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Government wants as many pupils as possible to benefit from the life-changing activities offered by becoming a Cadet. The Cadet Expansion Programme was launched in June 2012 with the aim to deliver 100 new Combined Cadet Force units in state-funded schools by September 2015. This initial target was delivered six months early, in March 2015. The Government has committed to extend the number of cadet units in UK schools to 500 by March 2020 and the Department is on track to meet this target, with 453 school cadet units established so far.
Asked by: Leo Docherty (Conservative - Aldershot)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of whether there is a link between participation in sport and mental health wellbeing among school pupils; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Department works closely with the Department of Health and Social Care on the mental health of children.
There is a range of more general evidence on the benefits of participation in sport and physical activity. The Chief Medical Officer’s annual report in 2012 highlighted that regular participation in physical activity offers children health and social benefits, impacting on physiological health as well as social wellbeing.
‘How healthy behaviour supports children’s wellbeing’, a report published by Public Health England (PHE) in 2013 summarised evidence in this area: https://www.gov.uk/
government/publications/how-healthy-behaviour-supports-childrens-wellbeing.
PHE also published guidance in 2015, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/
publications/what-works-in-schools-to-increase-physical-activity-briefing.
PE remains compulsory at all four key stages in the national curriculum. Through the primary PE and sport premium, the Government has provided over £600 million to primary schools to be spent on the improvement of PE and sport. The Government doubled funding for the premium to £320 million a year from September 2017.
Asked by: Leo Docherty (Conservative - Aldershot)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department plans to review the funding of sixth form colleges; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Anne Milton
There are no plans to formally review funding for Sixth Form Colleges but the government does recognise there are funding pressures within the 16 to 19 year olds education system. The government will continue to keep the question of 16 to 19 year olds funding under consideration as it does with all areas of expenditure.
We will conduct a major review of funding across tertiary education. In the Industrial Strategy, it was stated that this review will consider a range of specific issues within post-18 education.
The government will set out further details of the review shortly.
Asked by: Leo Docherty (Conservative - Aldershot)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to increase participation in sport by school children.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
Through the primary PE and sport premium, the government has invested over £600m of ring-fenced funding to primary schools to improve PE and sport since 2013. The government has doubled the premium from September 2017 using revenue from the Soft Drinks Industry Levy.
£100m from the Soft Drinks Industry Levy will be used for the Healthy Pupils Capital Fund. The funding is for one year only (2018-19). It is intended to facilitate an improvement in children’s physical and mental health by increasing and improving access to and use of relevant facilities, such as kitchens, dining facilities, changing rooms and sports facilities.
The new PE curriculum is designed to ensure that all pupils develop competence to excel in a broad range of physical activities, are physically active for sustained periods of time and lead healthy and active lives.
The department also funds targeted grants to support the delivery of the School Games and helps schools to ensure PE and sport is inclusive.
Asked by: Leo Docherty (Conservative - Aldershot)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to raise levels of discipline in schools.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
The Government has already made great strides in empowering teachers to tackle bad behaviour, making clear teachers can use reasonable force to maintain behaviour, extending their searching powers and allowing teachers to impose same-day detentions.
Recognising poor behaviour is still a problem in some schools. The Government commissioned behaviour expert Tom Bennett to conduct two independent reviews on behaviour. The first, focused on initial teacher training (published July 2016). The second, focused on behaviour management in schools, with a particular focus on leadership, culture and systems used to tackle disruptive pupil’s behaviour (published March 2017). This review highlighted strategies school leaders can employ to design, build, and maintain a school culture that prevent classroom disruption, maintain good discipline and promotes pupils’ education, focus and wellbeing.