Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Liverpool Garston)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the effect of the reduction in funding for high needs support on mainstream SEND provision in the Garston and Halewood constituency.
Answered by Michelle Donelan
The information requested is not held centrally as the department does not break funding allocations down to a constituency level.
Local authorities are required to provide sufficient funds to enable schools to meet the cost of additional support for pupils with special educational needs (SEN) and disabilities, up to the value of £6,000. This funding comes from the schools block of the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG).
When the costs of additional support required for a pupil with SEN exceed £6,000, the local authority should also allocate additional top-up funding to cover the excess costs. This top-up funding and funding for special schools comes from the local authority’s high needs budget.
In 2013, the schools and high needs budgets within the DSG were created. As the DSG includes other budgets such as the early years budget, the department is unable to provide comparable figures before the creation of the blocks within the DSG in 2013-14.
In 2020-21, we will provide more than £700 million in additional high needs funding, bringing the national high needs funding total to over £7 billion. Every local authority will receive a minimum increase of 8% per head of their population aged 2-18 years old. We will provide provisional allocations to local authorities in October.
Schools and high needs funding allocations for 2013-14 to 2019-20 are as follows. In December 2018, the department allocated an additional £250 million of high needs funding nationally, in recognition of funding pressures. This additional funding is included within the final totals displayed.
In Knowsley:
Year | Schools funding figure | High needs funding figure |
2013-14 | £87.9 million | £19.2 million |
2014-15 | £86.3 million | £19.8 million |
2015-16 | £85.5 million | £19.7 million |
2016-17 | £85.4 million | £19.9 million |
2017-18 | £87.5 million | £19.7 million |
2018-19 | £89.7 million | £19.6 million |
2019-20 | £92.5 million | £20.3 million |
And in Liverpool:
Year | Schools funding figure | High needs funding figure |
2013-14 | £266.9 million | £41.4 million |
2014-15 | £267.3 million | £42.9 million |
2015-16 | £289.0 million | £44.0 million |
2016-17 | £292.9 million | £44.3 million |
2017-18 | £301.1 million | £46.1 million |
2018-19 | £302.6 million | £47.3 million |
2019-20 | £310.3 million | £49.6 million |
Both of these blocks are funded on a per-pupil basis, so where there are reductions in funding from one year to the next, this is a reflection of a reduction in pupil numbers.
Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Liverpool Garston)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding his Department allocated to (a) Liverpool City Council and (b) Knowsley Borough Council to support children with SEND needs in each year since April 2010.
Answered by Michelle Donelan
The information requested is not held centrally as the department does not break funding allocations down to a constituency level.
Local authorities are required to provide sufficient funds to enable schools to meet the cost of additional support for pupils with special educational needs (SEN) and disabilities, up to the value of £6,000. This funding comes from the schools block of the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG).
When the costs of additional support required for a pupil with SEN exceed £6,000, the local authority should also allocate additional top-up funding to cover the excess costs. This top-up funding and funding for special schools comes from the local authority’s high needs budget.
In 2013, the schools and high needs budgets within the DSG were created. As the DSG includes other budgets such as the early years budget, the department is unable to provide comparable figures before the creation of the blocks within the DSG in 2013-14.
In 2020-21, we will provide more than £700 million in additional high needs funding, bringing the national high needs funding total to over £7 billion. Every local authority will receive a minimum increase of 8% per head of their population aged 2-18 years old. We will provide provisional allocations to local authorities in October.
Schools and high needs funding allocations for 2013-14 to 2019-20 are as follows. In December 2018, the department allocated an additional £250 million of high needs funding nationally, in recognition of funding pressures. This additional funding is included within the final totals displayed.
In Knowsley:
Year | Schools funding figure | High needs funding figure |
2013-14 | £87.9 million | £19.2 million |
2014-15 | £86.3 million | £19.8 million |
2015-16 | £85.5 million | £19.7 million |
2016-17 | £85.4 million | £19.9 million |
2017-18 | £87.5 million | £19.7 million |
2018-19 | £89.7 million | £19.6 million |
2019-20 | £92.5 million | £20.3 million |
And in Liverpool:
Year | Schools funding figure | High needs funding figure |
2013-14 | £266.9 million | £41.4 million |
2014-15 | £267.3 million | £42.9 million |
2015-16 | £289.0 million | £44.0 million |
2016-17 | £292.9 million | £44.3 million |
2017-18 | £301.1 million | £46.1 million |
2018-19 | £302.6 million | £47.3 million |
2019-20 | £310.3 million | £49.6 million |
Both of these blocks are funded on a per-pupil basis, so where there are reductions in funding from one year to the next, this is a reflection of a reduction in pupil numbers.
Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Liverpool Garston)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent steps his Department has taken to ensure that young people in Knowsley have access to study academic A-level courses within the borough boundaries.
Answered by Anne Milton
The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) continues to liaise with the local authority and regional schools commissioner team to monitor improvements in key stage 4 provision in the borough and identify local need. The ESFA also meets regularly with SK College Group to discuss the college’s offer of A level provision at their Knowsley campus. For 2018/19 academic year the college made 68 offers to study academic A levels at its Knowsley campus. Twelve learners progressed to enrol and attend at the college. However, due to low numbers it was financially unviable to deliver at the Knowsley Campus, so the learners access A Level provision on the St Helens Campus via bespoke transport.
For 2019 the college has committed to continue to promote the development of A level provision at the Knowsley campus and this is being marketed in their prospectus for 2019/20. They now have in place specific branding alongside targeted promotional activities including: a 2019 school leaver prospectus distributed to all local schools, supermarkets, convenience shops, community centres, and libraries; an A level advert in the college adult course guide in December which is distributed to 65,000 local homes across Knowsley and surrounding Liverpool areas; digital ad vans promoting the A level offer prior to college open evenings; and planned and targeted social media campaigns, local press promotions and railing banners. Furthermore, there are specific A level events for local school career advisers and school liaison teams are working directly in feeder borough schools to promote the A level offer.
Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Liverpool Garston)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 4 September 2018 to Question 167917, how many of the 60 offers to study A-levels at SK College Group's Knowsley campus for the 2018-19 academic year were taken up.
Answered by Anne Milton
The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) understands that the SK College Group made 68 offers to study academic A levels at its Knowsley campus for the 2018/19 academic year.
The college confirmed to the ESFA that of these, 16 learners progressed to enrol at the college. Due to the low number, the college arranged for the learners to access A level provision on the St Helens Campus, providing additional transport to facilitate access.
12 of the learners enrolled and are accessing A level provision. Two learners elected to follow an alternative Level 3 qualification at the Knowsley Campus and two learners chose not to proceed. The college has stated a commitment to continue to support the development of A level provision at the Knowsley campus and this will be offered in their prospectus for 2019/20.
Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Liverpool Garston)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many academic A-levels are being taught within the Knowsley Borough Council boundaries for the 2018-19 academic year.
Answered by Anne Milton
The information requested is not held centrally.
The department does not capture information on the number of A level qualifications being taught in the current academic year. Instead, the department records the exam results achieved by students aged 16 to 18, at the end of their programme of study.
Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Liverpool Garston)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the average per pupil funding provided by his Department is for schools in (a) Garston and Halewood and (b) East Hampshire constituency.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Overall, schools in Garston and Halewood constituency attracted £4,840 per pupil for 2018-19, an increase of 1.3% on their 2017-18 baselines. For 2019-20, this will increase to £4,877 per pupil, an increase of 2.0% on 2017-18 baselines.
Schools in East Hampshire constituency attracted £4,257 per pupil for 2018-19, an increase of 2.5% on their 2017-18 baselines. For 2019-20, this will increase to £4,333 per pupil, an increase of 4.3% on 2017-18 baselines.
Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Liverpool Garston)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 29 January 2018 to Question 123752, whether he plans to carry out a further review of childcare costs in England.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
By 2019-20 we will be spending around £6 billion on childcare support – a record amount. This includes around £1 billion extra a year to deliver 30 hours of free childcare and fund the increase in hourly rates that we introduced in April 2017.
Our average funding rates are based on the department’s ‘Review of Childcare Costs’ which was described as “thorough and wide ranging” by the National Audit Office. The review looked at both current and future cost pressures.
We have recently commissioned new research to provide us with further robust and detailed data of the costs of delivering childcare for under five-year-olds using a representative sample of early years providers.
Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Liverpool Garston)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information his Department holds on how many applications to study academic A-Level courses have been received by SK College Group's Knowsley campus for the 2018-19 academic year.
Answered by Anne Milton
The Education and Skills Funding Agency understands that, to date, SK College Group has received 142 applications to study academic A levels at its Knowsley campus for the 2018/19 academic year. 60 of these applicants attended an interview with the college, and each of the 60 were made an offer to study at the college.
Until recruitment has been finalised at the college, it is not in a position to confirm which A level courses, set out in its prospectus, will be provided at its Knowsley campus. The overarching decision on course delivery will be determined by learner demand together with educational and financial viability.
Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Liverpool Garston)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information his Department holds on how many academic A- Level courses set out in the curriculum offer of SK College Group's prospectus for September 2018 at it's Knowsley campus will be provided rather than simply offered.
Answered by Anne Milton
The Education and Skills Funding Agency understands that, to date, SK College Group has received 142 applications to study academic A levels at its Knowsley campus for the 2018/19 academic year. 60 of these applicants attended an interview with the college, and each of the 60 were made an offer to study at the college.
Until recruitment has been finalised at the college, it is not in a position to confirm which A level courses, set out in its prospectus, will be provided at its Knowsley campus. The overarching decision on course delivery will be determined by learner demand together with educational and financial viability.