Asked by: Lisa Forbes (Labour - Peterborough)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 31 July 2019 to Question 280408 on Schools: Uniforms, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of issuing guidance on school uniforms under (a) section 88 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006 and (b) section 175 of the Education Act 2002.
Answered by Nick Gibb
This Government has announced its plan to put the school uniform guidance on a statutory footing.
Asked by: Lisa Forbes (Labour - Peterborough)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 22 October 2019 to Question 378, what estimate he has made of the number of apprentices employed by Thomas Cook, and how many of those apprentices were based at the company's headquarters in Peterborough.
Answered by Michelle Donelan
We currently estimate that the collapse of Thomas Cook has affected 158 apprentices of which 49 are based in the Thomas Cook head office in Peterborough. The remainder are based across the country, including 62 who are on travel consultant apprenticeships in their stores.
Hays Travel have bought all 555 Thomas Cook stores across the UK, safeguarding up to 2500 jobs, including those of apprentices. We are liaising with Hays Travel to ensure a smooth transfer for the apprentices affected.
We have established a dedicated mailbox for individual enquiries from Thomas Cook apprentices. Ongoing support is also available through the National Careers Service, who will provide information, advice and guidance on learning, training and work.
Although there are no plans to make additional funding available specifically for the re-training of Thomas Cook employees, we are working to ensure that apprenticeship funding is available to support those affected.
The availability of apprenticeship opportunities is determined by employers. A number of other employers in the sector, and in related areas, have offered job opportunities to affected apprentices and we will work with these employers to ensure that all apprentices are supported to complete their apprenticeship.
Cambridge and Peterborough are one of 6 Mayoral Combined Authorities where the Adult Education Budget has been devolved. This will assist them in directly supporting adults in developing their skills, reducing skills shortages, boosting productivity and economic prosperity and improving wellbeing in their community.
Asked by: Lisa Forbes (Labour - Peterborough)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 22 October 2019 to Question 378 on Apprentices and Training: Peterborough, what additional funding he plans to allocate to offer re-training opportunities for former Thomas Cook headquarters employees.
Answered by Michelle Donelan
We currently estimate that the collapse of Thomas Cook has affected 158 apprentices of which 49 are based in the Thomas Cook head office in Peterborough. The remainder are based across the country, including 62 who are on travel consultant apprenticeships in their stores.
Hays Travel have bought all 555 Thomas Cook stores across the UK, safeguarding up to 2500 jobs, including those of apprentices. We are liaising with Hays Travel to ensure a smooth transfer for the apprentices affected.
We have established a dedicated mailbox for individual enquiries from Thomas Cook apprentices. Ongoing support is also available through the National Careers Service, who will provide information, advice and guidance on learning, training and work.
Although there are no plans to make additional funding available specifically for the re-training of Thomas Cook employees, we are working to ensure that apprenticeship funding is available to support those affected.
The availability of apprenticeship opportunities is determined by employers. A number of other employers in the sector, and in related areas, have offered job opportunities to affected apprentices and we will work with these employers to ensure that all apprentices are supported to complete their apprenticeship.
Cambridge and Peterborough are one of 6 Mayoral Combined Authorities where the Adult Education Budget has been devolved. This will assist them in directly supporting adults in developing their skills, reducing skills shortages, boosting productivity and economic prosperity and improving wellbeing in their community.
Asked by: Lisa Forbes (Labour - Peterborough)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding has been allocated to the Maintained Nursery School budget for the financial year 2020-21.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Government recognises that maintained nursery schools are an important part of the early years sector and provide valuable services to disadvantaged children.
The Government plans to spend £3.6 billion to support early education in the financial year 2020-21 and details of how this is to be distributed across local authorities will be issued shortly.
Asked by: Lisa Forbes (Labour - Peterborough)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure the availability of (a) apprenticeships and (b) re-training opportunities in Peterborough for former staff of Thomas Cook's headquarters.
Answered by Michelle Donelan
We are working to ensure that Thomas Cook apprentices who have been affected are supported to complete their apprenticeship. Apprentices who were previously at Thomas Cook and have any queries relating to their apprenticeship can email a dedicated enquiry mailbox: ThomasCook.QUERIES@education.gov.uk.
The Education Skills and Funding Agency is in touch with all the training providers who are supporting the apprentices across the country, including those in Peterborough, and we will continue to liaise with them on this matter. A number of employers in the sector and in related areas have already stepped forward to offer job opportunities to apprentices, including Hayes Travel that has bought the 555 Thomas Cook shops which will safeguard up to 2,500 jobs.
The National Careers Service will provide information, advice and guidance to help all former Thomas Cook staff with decisions on learning, training and work: https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/.
Asked by: Lisa Forbes (Labour - Peterborough)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 3 July 2019 to Question 277859, whether he currently has the legislative authority to place guidance on school uniforms on a statutory footing.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Department intend to put the school uniform guidance on a statutory footing when a suitable legislative opportunity arises. No education bill was announced in the most recent Queen’s speech, which set out the proposed legislative programme for this session of Parliament.
Statutory guidance cannot be issued without the legislative powers to do so.
Asked by: Lisa Forbes (Labour - Peterborough)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 12 July 2019 to Question 273502 on Schools: Uniforms, what the timeframe is to bring forward legislative proposals on guidance for school uniform policies.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Department intends to put the school uniform guidance on a statutory footing when a suitable legislative opportunity arises.
Asked by: Lisa Forbes (Labour - Peterborough)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 3 July 2019 to Question 273502, whether primary legislation is required to place his Department's guidance on school uniforms onto a statutory footing.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Statutory guidance cannot be issued without the legislative powers to do so.
Asked by: Lisa Forbes (Labour - Peterborough)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the availability of school uniform grants in each local authority in England.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The information requested is not held centrally as the Department does not collect figures on the number of local authorities that offer uniform grants. In England, some local authorities provide discretionary grants to help with buying school uniforms. Local authorities that offer these grants set their own criteria for eligibility.
Schools may also offer individual clothing schemes, such as offering second-hand uniform at reduced prices. This would be a decision for the school to make.
The Department’s non-statutory guidance on school uniform places extra emphasis on the need for schools to give highest priority to cost considerations. No school uniform should be so expensive as to leave pupils or their families feeling unable to apply to, or attend, a school of their choice, due to the cost of the uniform.
The Department’s guidance on school uniform is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-uniform.
Asked by: Lisa Forbes (Labour - Peterborough)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what is his policy on placing his Department’s guidance on school uniform on a statutory footing.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Department intends to put the school uniform guidance on a statutory footing when a suitable legislative opportunity arises.
The Department’s guidance on school uniform is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-uniform.