Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of allowing employers in (a) commercial laundries and (b) other sectors to use 25% of their apprenticeship levy funds for non-apprenticeship training.
Answered by Robert Halfon
I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave on 10 November 2023 to Question 614.
Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to increase awareness in schools of (a) British Sign Language, (b) Welsh, (c) Ulster Scots, (d) Irish, (e) Shelta, (f) Cornish, (g) Polish, (h) Punjabi, (i) Urdu, (k) Arabic and (l) other languages used in the UK.
Answered by Robin Walker
Education is a devolved matter, and the response will outline the information for England only. The government is committed to increasing the number of pupils studying languages at GCSE, including languages that are reflected in modern Britain. That is why the teaching of languages is in the national curriculum for pupils from age 7 to 14, and why GCSE languages were included as part of the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) suite of subjects in 2010. There are eighteen GCSEs in modern languages that are recognised in the EBacc, including Arabic, Polish, Punjabi, and Urdu.
The department also remains committed to reforming the subject content for French, German and Spanish GCSEs in order to make them more well-rounded for both teachers and pupils, focusing on the foundational building blocks of language education, namely vocabulary, phonics and grammar. We will publish this new content shortly.
In addition, the department continues to work on developing a GCSE in British Sign Language and aim to consult publicly on draft subject content next year.
It is ultimately for schools to decide which languages they wish to teach, and the department does not specify which languages should be taught or how to teach them.
Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support services are available in (a) Wales and (b) England for children aged under 16 who have had a parent sentenced to a period in custody.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
The government is committed to ensuring that all children get the help and support they need to live happy and fulfilled lives. The individual circumstances and needs of every child with a parent in custody can be very different, as will the necessary support.
Where a parent is in prison, we are committed to strengthening family ties, which can have benefits both for reducing re-offending and, where contact is appropriate, for the welfare of children. To ensure that children can visit parents in prison, the Assisted Prison Visits Unit can provide financial assistance to families in Wales and England in receipt of certain benefits or on a low income. Additionally, the Ministry of Justice has a range of measures to help strengthen and maintain communication and engagement between prisoners and their families. These include facilitating family days alongside programmes to promote family engagement and parenting to aid an individual’s rehabilitation.
The Ministry of Justice, in partnership with Barnado’s, operates the National Information Centre on Children of Offenders website, which provides information for all professionals who come into contact with the children and families of offenders.
The needs of children with parents in prison are likely to be seen in the school environment. In England, the statutory guidance ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’ is clear that school staff should consider the additional needs of children with parents in prison. The guidance highlights the fact that these children are at risk of poor outcomes including poverty, stigma, isolation and poor health. Education in Wales is a matter for the Welsh Government.
Many children of offenders will be disadvantaged and need support. Children’s services in Wales are a matter for the Welsh Government. In England, local authorities are best placed to identify, assess and respond to these needs: a child who has a parent in prison could receive early help from a range of agencies, or support from children’s social care if there are safeguarding or welfare concerns such that the local authority assesses that this is needed. The duties and procedures that individuals and agencies should follow are set out in the statutory guidance ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children’.
Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether Ofsted grades the Army Foundation College in Harrogate on the same basis as civilian colleges for the age group.
Answered by Anne Milton
Ofsted does not grade the Army Foundation College in Harrogate on the same basis as civilian colleges for the age group.
Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the Government plans to include domestic violence and violence against women in the schools curriculum in England and Wales.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Department is responsible for the National Curriculum in England only.
The Government is engaging directly with young people to challenge attitudes about abuse and consent. This year the Home Office launched the third phase of its campaign ‘Disrespect NoBody’, which aims to prevent the onset of domestic violence in adults by challenging attitudes and behaviour amongst teenage boys and girls, and emphasises that abuse in relationships is unacceptable.
As part of the Government response to the Women and Equalities Select Committee’s report into sexual harassment and sexual violence in schools, we are considering how best to ensure pupils are taught about healthy and respectful relationships as part of Relationships Education and Relationships and Sex Education (RSE). This is an important aspect in preventing domestic violence and violence against women.
We are also grant funding four organisations until the end of March 2018 to support children and families that have experienced domestic violence. Further information is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-backs-projects-to-help-safeguard-vulnerable-children.
The Children and Social Work Act 2017 requires my Rt hon. Friend, the Secretary of State, to make Relationships Education mandatory in all primary schools, and RSE mandatory in all secondary schools through regulations. The Act also provides for a power to make Personal, Social, Health, and Economic Education (PSHE), or elements therein, mandatory in all schools, subject to careful consideration.
The Department will conduct a thorough engagement process on the scope and content of Relationships Education and RSE, and consideration of PSHE. We will set more details about the engagement process and the work to consider age appropriate subject content in due course.
Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will establish a confidential helpline to offer students in England and Wales practical advice on the use of online services, risks to the person and safety.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
Children and young people should feel able to approach staff at their educational establishment if they have concerns about any aspect of their well-being. The role of schools and colleges in England in safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is set out in the statutory guidance Keeping Children Safe in Education. The equivalent document in Wales is Safeguarding Children in Education.
There are already several sources of online or phone line assistance for children and young people in the UK.
Childline is provided by the NSPCC. DfE provides Childline with £2 million funding a year. Assistance can be accessed by 24-hour phone line and there are message boards for peer to peer support. Their material includes staying safe online, including removal of offensive images, online grooming and sexting
Disrespect NoBody is a government campaign aimed at teaching young people what a healthy relationship should look like. Its website directs young people to sources of advice from a variety of charities and counselling services, on a wide range of issues, such as physical and emotional abuse, sexual assault and honour-based violence.
The UK Safer Internet Centre Advice Centre provides resources and tools on online safety for children and young people aged 3-19 in age-appropriate formats.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/keeping-children-safe-in-education--2
https://www.disrespectnobody.co.uk/
https://www.saferinternet.org.uk/advice-centre