Asked by: Luke Murphy (Labour - Basingstoke)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many planned learning hours an average T-level student is expected to undertake in 2024-25.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
T Levels range in size, with planned learning hours varying across pathways depending on the needs of individual sectors. Individual providers have freedom to plan their curriculum and structure their teaching hours based on local needs, and there are significant variations in delivery patterns. On average, a T Level has around 1,200 guided learning hours across the two-year programme, in addition to an industry placement of a minimum of 315 hours and employability, enrichment and pastoral activities.
Asked by: Luke Murphy (Labour - Basingstoke)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the (a) retention and (b) pass rate is for 16 to 19 year olds studying three A level-equivalent (i) applied general and (ii) tech level qualifications.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department does not publish retention and pass rate data for 16 to 19-year-olds for applied general and tech level qualifications equivalent in size to three A levels.
However, the department does publish data on pass rates and the proportion of students who are retained to the end of their ’core aim’ (or main learning aim) of their study programme at a school or college in the ’A level and other 16 to 18 results’ statistical release, which is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/a-level-and-other-16-to-18-results/2022-23. The data covers students at the end of 16 to 18 study in the reporting year attending state-funded schools and colleges. This includes all applied general and tech level qualifications approved for reporting in school and college performance data in that year, irrespective of the size of the qualification. For retention, the data relates to qualifications where it is the student’s core aim. This means that if a student studied both applied general and tech level qualifications, the statistics only refer to the learning aim recognised as their core aim. For pass rates, data reflects their best result if students enter multiple applied general (or tech level) qualifications, but students that enter both applied general and tech level qualifications will report outcomes for both unless they are in the same subject. The most recent published data is for the cohort of students at the end of 16 to 18 study in 2022/23 and is available for pass rates, available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/e869e68e-85ab-4cf7-595d-08dd3479441b, and retention which is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/e09fafe6-b348-4839-5950-08dd3479441b.
Additionally, in 2024 the department included in the T Level Action Plan a retention rate for 16-year-olds starting a large vocational and technical qualification (VTQ) equivalent in size to three A levels in academic year 2021/22, which found that 80% of 16-year-olds were retained within two years of starting their large VTQ. This is based on all relevant aims, and not just each student's core aim. The T Level Action Plan is available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/66290c86b0ace32985a7e6d6/T_Level_action_plan_-_analytical_annex.pdf.
Asked by: Luke Murphy (Labour - Basingstoke)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the recording and monitoring of the number of children being home-schooled in England; and whether her Department has identified any gaps in this data collection.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Keeping children safe is an absolute priority for the government.
The department’s elective home education data collection shows that in autumn 2024, local authorities reported 111,700 children in home education. While this data collection is mandatory for local authorities to complete, the numbers reported are based on the voluntary registers of home educated children they hold. Parents are not required to inform their local authority that they are home educating or provide any information for these registers, which means that the data may underestimate the numbers of children in elective home education.
That is why this government is going further to identify and support children as part of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill which is a landmark piece of legislation that will make child-centred government a reality. This Bill will introduce a requirement for all local authorities in England to keep Children Not in School registers and accompanying duties on parents of eligible children and certain out-of-school education providers to provide information for these registers. Local authorities will also have a new duty to provide support to the parents of home educating families on their registers. These proposals will enable local authorities to identify children not in school in their areas and provide support to them and, for those who are not receiving a suitable education or who are at risk of harm, to take action where this is the case.
It includes a new requirement for parents to obtain local authority consent before they can home educate if their child is subject to a child protection enquiry or has a child protection plan. Local authorities will also have new powers to require any home educated child to attend school if their home or learning environment is unsuitable. These proposals will strengthen the existing system of oversight for these children.
Local authorities have existing duties to safeguard all children in their areas, regardless of where they are educated. Where a child is identified as suffering or likely to be suffering significant harm, the local authority has a duty to investigate and take appropriate action and we expect them to do so. The evidence, such as the most recent Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel annual report, shows that while home education is not an inherent safeguarding risk, some children not in school are at risk of serious harm.
Asked by: Luke Murphy (Labour - Basingstoke)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what safeguards are currently in place to ensure the (a) well-being and (b) safety of children who are home-schooled; and whether her Department reviews these safeguards regularly.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Keeping children safe is an absolute priority for the government.
The department’s elective home education data collection shows that in autumn 2024, local authorities reported 111,700 children in home education. While this data collection is mandatory for local authorities to complete, the numbers reported are based on the voluntary registers of home educated children they hold. Parents are not required to inform their local authority that they are home educating or provide any information for these registers, which means that the data may underestimate the numbers of children in elective home education.
That is why this government is going further to identify and support children as part of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill which is a landmark piece of legislation that will make child-centred government a reality. This Bill will introduce a requirement for all local authorities in England to keep Children Not in School registers and accompanying duties on parents of eligible children and certain out-of-school education providers to provide information for these registers. Local authorities will also have a new duty to provide support to the parents of home educating families on their registers. These proposals will enable local authorities to identify children not in school in their areas and provide support to them and, for those who are not receiving a suitable education or who are at risk of harm, to take action where this is the case.
It includes a new requirement for parents to obtain local authority consent before they can home educate if their child is subject to a child protection enquiry or has a child protection plan. Local authorities will also have new powers to require any home educated child to attend school if their home or learning environment is unsuitable. These proposals will strengthen the existing system of oversight for these children.
Local authorities have existing duties to safeguard all children in their areas, regardless of where they are educated. Where a child is identified as suffering or likely to be suffering significant harm, the local authority has a duty to investigate and take appropriate action and we expect them to do so. The evidence, such as the most recent Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel annual report, shows that while home education is not an inherent safeguarding risk, some children not in school are at risk of serious harm.
Asked by: Luke Murphy (Labour - Basingstoke)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of free school breakfast programmes on children's health outcomes.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
This government is committed to delivering on our pledge to provide free breakfast clubs in every state-funded school with primary aged children. We have made early progress towards this, announcing that up to 750 early adopter schools will be delivering these new breakfast clubs by April 2025. We are clear on the impact that breakfast clubs can have to support children to arrive at school ready to learn and support working parents. Having a healthy breakfast at a club can help children get the energy they need to start the school day so that they are ready to learn.
Asked by: Luke Murphy (Labour - Basingstoke)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the average staff-to-student ratio was in secondary schools (a) nationally and (b) in Basingstoke constituency in each year since 2010.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
Information on the school workforce, including the pupil-to-adult and pupil-to-teacher ratios at national, regional, local authority and individual school level, is published in the 'School workforce in England' statistical publication, which is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england.
As of November 2023, which is the latest data available, there were 468,693 full-time equivalent teachers in state-funded schools in England.
The table below provides the pupil-to-adult ratio and the pupil-to-teacher ratio for state-funded secondary schools in Basingstoke constituency and England for the 2010/11 to 2023/24 academic years.
Pupil to adult and pupil to teacher ratios for state-funded secondary schools in Basingstoke constituency and England, by year
2010/11 to 2023/241
| Basingstoke constituency2 | England | ||
| Pupil to adult ratio3, 5 | Pupil to teacher ratio4, 5 | Pupil to adult ratio3, 5 | Pupil to teacher ratio4, 5 |
2010/11 | 13.8 | 15.2 | 12.1 | 14.8 |
2011/12 | 12.8 | 17.3 | 10.5 | 15 |
2012/13 | 11.0 | 15.1 | 10.4 | 14.9 |
2013/14 | 10.6 | 14.7 | 10.3 | 14.8 |
2014/15 | 10.9 | 15.7 | 10.4 | 14.9 |
2015/16 | 10.8 | 15.2 | 10.6 | 15.1 |
2016/17 | 12.6 | 17.3 | 11.0 | 15.5 |
2017/18 | 11.6 | 16.1 | 11.3 | 15.9 |
2018/19 | 12.1 | 16.7 | 11.6 | 16.3 |
2019/20 | 12.2 | 17.0 | 11.9 | 16.6 |
2020/21 | 12.3 | 17.0 | 11.9 | 16.6 |
2021/22 | 12.2 | 16.8 | 11.9 | 16.7 |
2022/23 | 12.2 | 16.7 | 12.0 | 16.8 |
2023/24 | 12.0 | 16.8 | 12.0 | 16.8 |
Source: School Workforce Census.
1. Workforce data as at November and pupil data as at the following January. For instance, 2023/24 relates to November 2023 workforce and January 2024 pupils.
2. There were eight secondary schools in Basingstoke constituency in 2010/11 to 2016/17 and seven in 2017/18 to 2023/24.
3. Pupil to adult ratio includes teachers and support staff (excluding administrative and auxiliary staff).
4. Pupil to teacher ratio includes all teachers.
5. The ratios are calculated using pupil numbers taken from the 'Schools, pupils and their characteristics' publication, which is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics.
Asked by: Luke Murphy (Labour - Basingstoke)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the average funding per pupil in mainstream schools was in (a) Basingstoke constituency, (b) Hampshire, and (c) England in each year since 2010.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
The department cannot provide comparable funding back to 2010 due to the changes in the funding system since that time. The scope of the per pupil funding before and after the 2018/19 financial year are not directly comparable. In particular, funding for the central services provided by local authorities was split out from the schools block funding in the 2018/19 financial year, and instead funded separately through the central school services block from that year onwards.
We have therefore provided the links to the published dedicated schools grant (DSG) tables from the 2018/19 to 2024/25 financial years. In these tables we provide average per-pupil funding amounts, split by primary and secondary phase, for each local authority and at national level.
As the DSG is allocated at local authority level, DSG allocations are not available broken down to the level of individual constituencies. The individual allocations that schools within Basingstoke constituency receive are determined, each year, by the local funding formula set by Hampshire local authority.
Links to the published DSG tables from the 2018/19 financial year onward are below:
2018/19: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dedicated-schools-grant-dsg-2018-to-2019.
2019/20: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dedicated-schools-grant-dsg-2019-to-2020.
2020/21: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dedicated-schools-grant-dsg-2020-to-2021.
2021/22: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dedicated-schools-grant-dsg-2021-to-2022.
2022/23: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dedicated-schools-grant-dsg-2022-to-2023.
2023/24: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dedicated-schools-grant-dsg-2023-to-2024.
2024/25: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dedicated-schools-grant-dsg-2024-to-2025.