Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many pupils were entered for A-level music in (a) Sheffield City Council area, (b) Yorkshire and the Humber and (c) England in each of the last five years.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The following table provides the number of pupils who were entered for A-level music in (a) Sheffield City Council area, (b) Yorkshire and the Humber and (c) England in each of the last 3 years.
Students receiving a grade for A level Music[1],[2] | |||
Academic year | Area | ||
Sheffield local authority | Yorkshire & Humber region | England | |
2016-17 | 36 | 356 | 5,035 |
2017-18 | 28 | 374 | 4,980 |
2018-19 | 43 | 318 | 4,709 |
The information for previous years is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
[1] Includes students who receive grade, which will differ slightly from initial registration in a subject.
[2] Data for 2016/17 and 2017/18 is final; data for 2018/19 is revised, and subject to minor changes.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many secondary school music teachers there were in each of the last five years.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The number of music teachers in service at state funded secondary schools from November 2014 to November 2018 is provided in the table below:
Year | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 |
Headcount of music teachers | 7,109 | 6,862 | 6,720 | 6,480 | 6,525 |
Source: School Workforce Census
The percentage of all hours taught which were spent on music in state funded secondary schools in England from November 2014 to 2018 is provided in the table below:
Year | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 |
% of hours spent on teaching music | 2.4% | 2.4% | 2.3% | 2.3% | 2.2% |
Source: School Workforce Census
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many pupils were entered for GCSE music in (a) Sheffield City Council area, (b) Yorkshire and the Humber and (c) England in each of the last five years.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The number of pupils[1] entered for GCSE music[2] in Sheffield, Yorkshire and the Humber and England from 2014/15 – 2018/19 is shown in the table below:
Region/Local Authority[3] | 2014/15 | 2015/16 | 2016/17 | 2017/18 | 2018/19[4] |
England | 38,851 | 37,218 | 34,557 | 30,926 | 30,655 |
Yorkshire and The Humber | 3,354 | 3,268 | 2,955 | 2,446 | 2,334 |
Sheffield | 239 | 251 | 250 | 224 | 226 |
Please note, any trends observed in the above figures should be treated with caution and considered against changes in methodology over the five year period, changes in cohort and more recently, changes in entry behaviour from schools following the introduction of 9-1 reformed GCSEs across all GCSE subjects including music in 2018. Since 2014/15, the percentage of the GCSE cohort in state funded schools who take music GCSE has fluctuated but remained broadly stable at between 6 and 7%. It currently stands at 6%.
For more information on GCSE reform and changes in key stage 4 performance tables, please see the secondary accountability measures guidance here:
We want all pupils to have a high quality music education. The Department is proud of and will be refreshing its National Plan for Music Education, which sets an ambitious vision for music education for every child, regardless of their background. The subject is compulsory in the national curriculum and this government is providing funding of over £300 million for Music Education Hubs between 2016 and 2020. In January we announced a further £80 million investment in Hubs for 2020-21. Music Education Hubs support schools to drive up the quality and consistency of music education and our national funding formula for Hubs, based on local pupil numbers means extra weighting for pupils in receipt of free school meals. Music Education Hubs have done excellent work to ensure there is more equitable access to music education. We also provide £500,000 per year to In Harmony, a national music programme that aims to inspire and transform the lives of children in deprived communities through ensemble music-making.
This Government supports exceptionally talented young musicians from low-income families to fulfil their potential through the £30 million per annum Music and Dance Scheme. The scheme helps ensure that all children and young people with exceptional ability can benefit from world-class, specialist training, regardless of their personal circumstances.
[1] Includes attempts and achievements by these pupils in previous academic years.
[2] In line with discounting rules, only one attempt is counted.
[3] Local Authority and Region figures cover achievements in state-funded schools only. They do not include pupils recently arrived from overseas and so will not match with state-funded figures in the published data. The 'England' line is a sum of Local authority figures and will differ from the national totals published.
[4] Data for 2014/15 – 2017/18 is final, data for 2018/19 is provisional.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) women and (b) men in each local authority area in England started an apprenticeship in each sector subject area in 2017-18.
Answered by Anne Milton
The attached table shows apprenticeship starts in each English local authority broken down by gender and sector subject area for the 2017/18 academic year (August 2017 to July 2018).
For additional information on apprenticeships starts by geography or learner characteristics, please see the further education data library:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/fe-data-library-apprenticeships.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) excluded children and (b) parents of excluded children Edward Timpson and his review team met with as part of the exclusion review by (i) ethnicity and (ii) gender.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Timpson review was commissioned to explore exclusions practice and why children with some characteristics, such as children from particular ethnic groups, are more likely to be excluded from school. No data is held on the characteristics of the individuals who met with the review team, but understanding the variation in exclusion rates between pupil groups was a consideration across the review’s evidence gathering and engagement, and the report is informed by extensive engagement with all those involved in exclusion, including children who had been excluded and their parents.
The review heard from excluded children and parents during the call for evidence as well as during fieldwork visits. This included during visits to schools as well as meetings arranged specifically to hear from parent and carer groups. Locations for visits were selected based on matching areas with similar pupil populations, including the proportion who were from ethnic minority backgrounds. The review is also informed by independent research undertaken by Coram on the experience of children, including children who had been excluded, and their parents. Information on the gender and ethnicity of children whose parents spoke to Coram is published as part of their report. Information on the gender of children who spoke directly to Coram is also provided. Coram’s research is available here: https://www.coram.org.uk/sites/default/files/resource_files/School%20exclusions_full%20report_final_0.pdf.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 4 March 2019 to Question 226704 on Local Authorities: Work Experience, whether his Department's definition of completed requires completion of the structured study programme and a minimum of 6 months with an employer.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
Providers are free to design their supported internship programme (a type of post-16 study programme) to fit their local circumstances and to meet the needs of their learners. However, the following principles should be followed and met, in order for a supported internship to be recorded as completed:
A significant majority of the intern’s time must be spent at the employer’s premises (work placements of at least 6 months). Whilst at the employer, the young person will be expected to comply with real job conditions.
Interns must do some form of learning alongside their time at the employer, including relevant aspects of English and maths.
Work placement jobs must work for both the young person and the employer. For the young person, the job must fit with their vocational profile, contribute to their long term career goal and be flexible to address barriers where necessary. For the employer, they must meet a real business need. As the goal is for the young person to end up in paid employment, employers taking on interns should have a job available to offer at the end of it, should the intern meet the standard.
The provision of support to the young person and to the employer, including job coaching support.
Learning providers must complete the Individual Learner Record funding return confirming that the young person has met the core aims of their supported internship.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many supported internships are available in each local authority.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
Local authority level data on the number participating in supported internships, as at January 2018, is published in table 5 of the following data set: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/statements-of-sen-and-ehc-plans-england-2018.
There is some research evidence available which indicates that supported internships may be effective in supporting young people to achieve positive outcomes. The evaluation of a department-led trial of supported internships conducted across 15 colleges in 2012/13, for example, reported that 36% of the 109 supported internship participants had obtained paid employment (including apprenticeships) by the end of the year-long trial.
We are keen to do more to increase the uptake of supported internships and are considering how we can build the evidence base further. This includes looking into current models of supported internship delivery to enable us to share evidence with providers of promising practice.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many supported internships have been completed by local authority.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
Data on the number of supported internships in each local authority, as at January 2018, is available in table 5 of the following data set: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/statements-of-sen-and-ehc-plans-england-2018.
There is some research evidence available which indicates that supported internships may be effective in supporting young people to achieve positive outcomes. The evaluation of a department-led trial of supported internships conducted across 15 colleges in 2012/13, for example, reported that 36% of the 109 supported internship participants had obtained paid employment (including apprenticeships) by the end of the year-long trial.
We are keen to do more to increase the uptake of supported internships and are considering how we can build the evidence base further. This includes looking into current models of supported internship delivery to enable us to share evidence with providers of promising practice.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment has been made of the adequacy of the availability of supported internships in each local authority.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
The special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) reforms have been designed to increase aspirations across the system, including among parents, children and young people themselves and the education and health professionals that support them. This includes making it a legal requirement that all children and young people with SEND must be prepared for adulthood, including employment.
Supported internships offer young people with SEND a clear pathway into employment. We are keen to do more to increase the uptake of supported internships and are considering how we can build the evidence base further, including looking into current models of supported internship delivery, to enable us to share evidence with providers of promising practice.
We continue to fund a range of support across the system to raise aspirations and also consistently communicate our expectations to stakeholders, including schools and colleges. This includes providing £9.7 million to local authorities, in 2018, to establish local supported internship forums, bringing together local partners to develop and deliver supported internships in their area. Funding can also be used to train job coaches.
Good practice examples of supported internships are also gathered by our delivery partner, National Development Team for Inclusion, and published on the Preparing for Adulthood website: https://www.preparingforadulthood.org.uk/downloads/employment.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for Apprenticeships and Skills, of 12 February 2019, Official Report, column 311WH, when he plans to launch his call for evidence on special educational needs.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
In order to better understand the financial incentives that influence how schools, colleges and councils support children and young people with special educational needs, the Department for Education will be issuing a call for evidence shortly. This will include looking at the first £6,000 schools pay for special educational provision before accessing additional funding from local high needs budgets.