Asked by: Lewis Cocking (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the increase in employer National Insurance contributions on SEND transport to educational institutions.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
I refer the hon. Member for Broxbourne to the answer of 29 January 2025 to Question 26397.
Asked by: Lewis Cocking (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to support private providers of school transport for SEND pupils.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
Home-to-school travel is an integral part of the school system. It provides a valuable service on which many families rely. The department is grateful to the many transport operators for the crucial role they play in ensuring that children receive the education that they need to help them thrive.
Local authorities are responsible for arranging home-to-school travel for eligible children. It is for them to determine how best to do so, based on local circumstances and the needs of the children travelling. They might, for example, have an in-house fleet, provide passes for free travel on public transport or contract with private transport operators for the provision of buses, coaches, taxis and private hire vehicles. Where they contract with private operators, it is for the local authority and the operator to agree suitable terms.
Asked by: Lewis Cocking (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of enabling the financial contributions of independent schools to state academies to be offset against VAT liability.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department understands that, in line with schools’ charitable objectives, private schools do not typically charge for partnership work, meaning it is outside the scope of VAT. Whilst the government keeps all tax policy under review, there are currently no plans for changes that would enable independent schools to offset any financial contributions made to state academies against their VAT liability.
Whilst developing these policies, the government has carefully considered the impact that they will have on pupils and their families across both the state and private sector, as well as the impact these policies will have on state and private schools. Following scrutiny of the government’s costing by the independent Office for Budget Responsibility, the government will confirm its approach to these reforms at the Budget on 30 October and set out its assessment of the expected impacts of these policy changes in the normal way.
Asked by: Lewis Cocking (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of charging VAT on independent school fees on sponsorship partnerships with state academies.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department understands that, in line with schools’ charitable objectives, private schools do not typically charge for partnership work, meaning it is outside the scope of VAT. Whilst the government keeps all tax policy under review, there are currently no plans for changes that would enable independent schools to offset any financial contributions made to state academies against their VAT liability.
Whilst developing these policies, the government has carefully considered the impact that they will have on pupils and their families across both the state and private sector, as well as the impact these policies will have on state and private schools. Following scrutiny of the government’s costing by the independent Office for Budget Responsibility, the government will confirm its approach to these reforms at the Budget on 30 October and set out its assessment of the expected impacts of these policy changes in the normal way.
Asked by: Lewis Cocking (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to allocate new (a) funding and (b) resources to support children with special educational needs and disabilities in schools in Hertfordshire.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
The department is providing schools with extra funding of almost £1.1 billion in the 2024/25 financial year through the new Core Schools Budget Grant (CSBG), to support them with overall costs, including the costs of supporting their pupils with special educational needs and disabilities. Of this total, special schools and alternative provision settings will be receiving over £140 million through the CSBG.
The additional funding through the CSBG comes alongside high needs funding for children and young people with complex needs, which totals over £10.75 billion in 2024/25, including the funding through the separate teachers’ pay and pension employer contribution grants. Hertfordshire County Council is receiving a high needs funding allocation of £193.2 million, including funding for previous teachers’ pay and pension costs, and a CSBG allocation of over £2.3 million.
Budgets for the 2025/26 financial year have not yet been set which means that decisions on the high needs and schools national funding formulae as well as the publication of allocations for that year are not to the usual timescales. The department will publish information as soon as possible after the Budget in October.
Asked by: Lewis Cocking (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that young people have the necessary skills to gain employment.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
This government aims to create a clear, flexible, high quality skills system that supports all young people, thereby breaking down the barriers to opportunity and driving economic growth.
The department has already taken steps to reform the skills system.
Firstly, the department has established Skills England, which is a new organisation that will ensure we have the highly trained workforce needed to deliver national, regional and local skills needs, aligned with the Industrial Strategy. It is a critical part of the government’s mission to raise growth sustainably across the whole country to support people to get better jobs and to improve their standard of living.
Secondly, the department has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, covering ages 5 to 18 and chaired by Professor Becky Francis CBE. The review will seek to refresh the curriculum to ensure it is cutting edge, fit for purpose and meets the needs of children and young people to support their future life and work. The review will be undertaken in close partnership with stakeholders, including employers. A call for evidence will be launched in the coming weeks which will set out the areas where the review group would particularly welcome input.
Thirdly, the department is undertaking a short, internal review of post-16 qualifications reform. The review will examine the current planned reforms to look at how the department can ensure high quality qualifications like T Levels are open to as many people as possible, whilst also ensuring there are high-quality alternatives available where they are needed. To allow space for the review, the department has paused the planned defunding of qualifications in construction and the Built Environment, Digital, Education and Early Years, and Health and Science, which was due to go ahead in July 2024. The department will conclude and communicate the outcomes of this review before the turn of the year. Defunding decisions for 2025 onwards will be confirmed after the short review.
T Levels will continue to be rolled out as high quality qualifications which include direct experience of the workplace, providing young people with a firm foundation for their future. 21 T Levels are now available, including Media, Broadcast and Production, Craft and Design, and Animal Care and Management, which are being taught for the first time from this September.
The government will continue to take steps to reform the skills system, as part of a comprehensive post-16 education and skills strategy.
The department will introduce a Youth Guarantee of access to training, an apprenticeship, or support to find work for all 18 to 21 year olds. This will bring together existing funding and entitlements to help to lower the number of young people who are not learning or earning. This is vital to prevent young people becoming excluded from the world of work at a young age.
The department is transforming the Apprenticeship Levy into a new Growth and Skills Levy, to create opportunities for learners of all ages and to give employers greater flexibility to train and upskill their workforce by allowing investment in a broader range of skills training.
The department will establish Technical Excellence Colleges, which will work with businesses, trade unions, and local government to provide opportunities to young people and adults, developing a highly skilled workforce that meets national and local needs.
These reforms will support all young people to have access to the skills and training opportunities to enable them to succeed in the workplace.
Asked by: Lewis Cocking (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help support children with special educational needs in Broxbourne constituency.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
This government is committed to providing the necessary support to improve the experiences for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and their families. The department is committed to taking a community-wide approach, improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools and alternative provision settings, as well as ensuring special schools cater to those with the most complex needs.
Ofsted inspected local arrangements for children with SEND in Hertfordshire in July 2023. Its report, published on 10 November 2023, concluded that there are widespread and/or systemic failings, leading to significant concerns about the experiences and outcomes of children and young people with SEND, which the local area partnership must address urgently.
The department provides support and accountability to the Hertfordshire local area partnership by monitoring progress against its priority action plan and Improvement Plan, and by providing advice and guidance via a SEND expert advisor. The partnership has also established a SEND Improvement Board, independently chaired by Dame Christine Lenehan to oversee progress and provide appropriate challenge.