Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to help schools maintain the wellbeing of young people affected by bullying.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
All schools must have a behaviour policy with measures to prevent all forms of bullying. Schools are free to develop their own anti-bullying strategies to suit their specific needs and are held to account by Ofsted.
The department has published advice to support schools with addressing incidences of bullying. The guidance is clear that schools should make appropriate provision for a bullied child's social, emotional and mental health needs. It is available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/625ee64cd3bf7f6004339db8/Preventing_and_tackling_bullying_advice.pdf.
The department also published a practical tool to help schools, which can be found on the Educate Against Hate website. It is available here: https://educateagainsthate.com/resources/respectful-school-communities-self-review-signposting-tool-2/.
We know that children experiencing bullying are more susceptible to mental health challenges. The government will work to ensure the right support is available to every young person that needs it, including providing access to specialist mental health professionals in every school. The government will also be putting in place new Young Futures Hubs, including access to mental health support workers, and will recruit an additional 8,500 new mental health staff to treat children and adults.
The department has launched a mental health leads resource hub to help schools select the most effective evidence-based support options, including a range of resources that focus on supporting the wellbeing of those who have experienced bullying. This is available on the Mentally Healthy Schools website, available here: https://www.mentallyhealthyschools.org.uk/whole-school-or-college-resources/.
Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that children with with epilepsy have individual healthcare plans.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
Statutory guidance on ‘Supporting pupils at school with medical conditions’ recommends the use of individual healthcare plans as good practice. Individual healthcare plans can help schools support pupils with medical conditions, providing clarity about what needs to be done, when and by whom, to ensure that children have full access to education. The school, healthcare professionals and parents should agree, based on evidence, when a healthcare plan would be appropriate.
The department will keep the statutory guidance under review as we take forward our commitment to delivering an inclusive mainstream system.
Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help reduce delays by local authorities in delivering education, health and care plans.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
I refer the hon. Member for Eastleigh to the answer of 14 October 2024 to Question 7369.
Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to provide additional funding for a pay award for teachers in sixth form colleges that are not part of academies.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government does not set or recommend pay in further education (FE), including in sixth form colleges. The pay and conditions of FE staff remains the responsibility of individual colleges and providers who are free to implement pay arrangements in line with their local needs.
The department recognises the vital role that sixth form college teachers play, as well as other FE Colleges, in developing the skills needed to drive the government’s missions to improve opportunity and economic growth. That is why the department is investing around £600 million across the 2024/25 and 2025/26 financial years. This includes extending retention payments of up to £6,000 after tax to eligible early career FE teachers in key subject areas, including in sixth form colleges. The department also continues to support recruitment and retention with teacher training bursaries worth up to £30,000 tax-free in certain key subject areas, and with support for industry professionals to enter the teaching workforce through the Taking Teaching Further programme.
My right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, has announced a Budget on 30 October to be followed by a multi-year spending review in the spring of next year. Decisions about future post-16 funding and capital programmes will be subject to the outcomes of these fiscal events.