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Written Question
Gender Recognition
Thursday 1st December 2016

Asked by: Maria Miller (Conservative - Basingstoke)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to page 29 of the Government response to the First Report from the Women and Equalities Committee, Session 2015-16, on Transgender Equality, Cm 9301, published in July 2016, what the findings were of the study commissioned to ascertain the adequacy and consistency of knowledge on gender variance in initial social work training and continuous professional development.

Answered by Caroline Dinenage

The Department for Education is currently in the process of commissioning the study referred to which is expected to be completed by the end of March 2017. Findings will be published at a later date.


Written Question
Children: Pornography
Monday 27th June 2016

Asked by: Maria Miller (Conservative - Basingstoke)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps in response to the findings of the report published by the Children's Commissioner and the NSPCC in July 2016, on a quantitative and qualitative examination of the impact of online pornography on the values, attitudes, beliefs and behaviours of children and young people, to ensure that all children have access to age-appropriate PSHE at school.

Answered by Edward Timpson

Education can play a vital role in helping young people understand healthy relationships and identify those which are unhealthy. It can also give young people the confidence and knowledge they need to stay safe and respect others. Sex and relationships education (SRE) must be taught in all maintained secondary schools and we expect academies to teach it as part of a broad and balanced curriculum.

Schools can also choose to teach about the impact of pornography in their Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) lessons drawing on the guidance and resources available. The PSHE Association has produced a non-statutory programme of study as guidance for teachers, which includes teaching about the impact of pornography. The Government publishes guidance for schools teaching SRE, which is available on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/283599/sex_and_relationship_education_guidance.pdf.

The guidance makes clear that all SRE should be age-appropriate, and that schools should make sure young people develop positive values and a moral framework that will guide their decisions, judgments and behaviour. This is particularly relevant to sexual consent, and the guidance makes clear that all young people should understand how the law applies to sexual relationships. The guidance covers the importance of marriage, loving and stable relationships, consent and how to avoid exploitation and abuse.

The Government has made it clear in the introduction to the framework to the national curriculum that all schools should teach PSHE and we are working to ensure that all young people receive high quality, age-appropriate PSHE and SRE.


Written Question
Schools: Admissions
Monday 9th February 2015

Asked by: Maria Miller (Conservative - Basingstoke)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many new (a) primary and (b) secondary school places have been created in each parliamentary constituency since 2010.

Answered by David Laws

The Department for Education collects information from local authorities on the number of school places in state-funded primary and secondary schools as part of the annual School Capacity Collection. The most recent data available relates to the position at May 2013 and is published online at:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-capacity-academic-year-2012-to-2013

Equivalent data for 2010 can be found at:

www.gov.uk/government/statistics/school-capacity-2009-to-2010-final

Data to May 2014 will become available shortly.

A comparison of the position in 2010 and 2013, showing the net change in capacity, is given in the table below. Positive figures indicate an overall increase in places; negative figures indicate an overall decrease in places. A decrease in places can be the consequence of actions to address oversupply and remove unsuitable place provision, or of restructuring the school system. Figures for local authorities that have restructured middle school provision or introduced all-through provision between 2010 and 2013 must be compared with caution.

The Department does not collect capacity data at constituency level; Basingstoke constituency lies within Hampshire local authority.

(a)

Change in number of places in primary schools (including all through and middle-deemed primary schools)

2010 to 2013

(b)

Change in number of places in secondary schools (including all-through and middle deemed secondary schools)

2010 to 2013

Barking and Dagenham

6,538

2,567

Barnet

2,449

1,190

Barnsley

-248

-380

Bath and North East Somerset

282

599

Bedford

1,595

862

Bexley

1,683

529

Birmingham

10,028

6,545

Blackburn with Darwen

492

407

Blackpool

208

24

Bolton

2,584

823

Bournemouth

1,075

1,513

Bracknell Forest

807

112

Bradford

5,077

817

Brent

2,768

2,465

Brighton and Hove

1,721

566

Bristol, City of

2,774

1,855

Bromley

1,266

1,416

Buckinghamshire

500

1,412

Bury

-63

619

Calderdale

368

1,409

Cambridgeshire

3,527

312

Camden

235

1,485

Central Bedfordshire

316

1,267

Cheshire East

-106

1,791

Cheshire West and Chester

1,121

450

City of London

0

.

Cornwall

535

128

Coventry

3,333

817

Croydon

3,123

1,816

Cumbria

755

493

Darlington

189

2

Derby

186

1,222

Derbyshire

994

-58

Devon

3,493

1,473

Doncaster

560

44

Dorset

-281

634

Dudley

1

67

Durham

1,145

-545

Ealing

2,775

1,596

East Riding of Yorkshire

-79

503

East Sussex

141

-546

Enfield

4,491

86

Essex

1,040

-48

Gateshead

69

287

Gloucestershire

1,048

-405

Greenwich

1,908

-788

Hackney

1,030

4,493

Halton

-360

2,049

Hammersmith and Fulham

1,433

1,597

Hampshire

1,286

-881

Haringey

1,297

146

Harrow

-2,199

5,672

Hartlepool

584

-205

Havering

400

840

Herefordshire

-368

-210

Hertfordshire

5,889

3,288

Hillingdon

1,352

1,685

Hounslow

2,263

1,403

Isle of Wight

2,868

-4,254

Isles of Scilly

20

.

Islington

7

-299

Kensington and Chelsea

441

-108

Kent

2,189

5,952

Kingston Upon Hull, City of

789

1,938

Kingston upon Thames

2,529

64

Kirklees

1,669

-313

Knowsley

-1,460

-822

Lambeth

1,913

-563

Lancashire

681

322

Leeds

5,074

1,973

Leicester

1,600

-1,810

Leicestershire

-623

1,677

Lewisham

2,836

-10

Lincolnshire

231

865

Liverpool

586

-3,020

Luton

2,636

162

Manchester

5,284

2,944

Medway

119

233

Merton

1,576

-2

Middlesbrough

-86

-755

Milton Keynes

1,452

648

Newcastle upon Tyne

106

-83

Newham

2,534

1,355

Norfolk

322

-81

North East Lincolnshire

824

-2,443

North Lincolnshire

396

-1,067

North Somerset

1,585

319

North Tyneside

48

428

North Yorkshire

-905

-73

Northamptonshire

1,676

1,923

Northumberland

803

-2,437

Nottingham

941

1,722

Nottinghamshire

1,517

453

Oldham

649

-502

Oxfordshire

3,560

1,863

Peterborough

1,622

478

Plymouth

1,640

526

Poole

300

336

Portsmouth

227

36

Reading

973

113

Redbridge

3,323

3,285

Redcar and Cleveland

280

-467

Richmond upon Thames

1,986

228

Rochdale

1,076

-1,480

Rotherham

550

143

Rutland

-275

393

Salford

641

-294

Sandwell

1,007

1,212

Sefton

-626

-1,674

Sheffield

2,086

-328

Shropshire

-2,468

188

Slough

3,154

340

Solihull

-159

371

Somerset

-6

1,023

South Gloucestershire

-553

-154

South Tyneside

-428

-337

Southampton

2,079

240

Southend-on-Sea

522

982

Southwark

1,926

-475

St. Helens

432

-42

Staffordshire

1,064

1,170

Stockport

300

-666

Stockton-on-Tees

532

-570

Stoke-on-Trent

2,417

-824

Suffolk

5,635

-5,637

Sunderland

-111

565

Surrey

4,177

1,230

Sutton

1,302

1,016

Swindon

2,434

837

Tameside

1,102

-15

Telford and Wrekin

924

1,698

Thurrock

1,948

1,922

Torbay

18

-513

Tower Hamlets

2,405

908

Trafford

786

923

Wakefield

204

11

Walsall

272

320

Waltham Forest

2,291

-145

Wandsworth

1,534

-863

Warrington

-16

-453

Warwickshire

1,538

810

West Berkshire

181

232

West Sussex

3,444

1,897

Westminster

-94

684

Wigan

577

-1,124

Wiltshire

910

1,847

Windsor and Maidenhead

1,079

476

Wirral

-155

-1,425

Wokingham

778

1,050

Wolverhampton

-283

-453

Worcestershire

338

803

York

424

320

ENGLAND

188,681

74,183

Source: School Capacity Survey 2010 and 2013


Written Question
Sexting
Monday 17th November 2014

Asked by: Maria Miller (Conservative - Basingstoke)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment Ofsted has made of primary and secondary schools' policies regarding sexting and the incidence of sexting in such schools in England and Wales.

Answered by David Laws

This is a matter for Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw. A copy of his reply will be placed in the library of the House.


Written Question
Sexting
Friday 7th November 2014

Asked by: Maria Miller (Conservative - Basingstoke)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many incidents of sexting among pupils have occurred in schools in England and Wales in each of the last five years; and what guidance her Department issues to schools on this matter.

Answered by Nick Gibb

The Department for Education does not collect data on incidents of sexting among pupils. All schools in England are required, by law, to have a behaviour policy which includes measures to tackle bullying, including cyberbullying which covers sexting. We have not produced specific advice on sexting but we have issued clear and succinct advice to schools on preventing and tackling bullying, including cyberbullying. This information is published online at:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/preventing-and-tackling-bullying

Certain instances of bullying, harassment and threatening behaviour, including the sharing of indecent images should be reported to the police. This is made clear in our advice to schools. Good schools create an ethos where bullying, including cyberbullying and sexting do not happen in the first place, and they deal with it promptly if it does occur to ensure the victim does not suffer continuing distress.

From September 2014, e-safety is being taught at all four key stages of the curriculum in England. It covers responsible, respectful and secure use of technology, as well as ensuring that pupils are taught age-appropriate ways of reporting any concerns they may have about what they see or encounter online.

Children and young people are being taught about the different and escalating risks they may encounter as they get older (initially relating to online content, then to the conduct of and contact with others, which can include sexting).

Schools can help to contain cyber-bullying and sexting during the school day by banning or limiting the use of mobile phones and other electronic devices. Search powers included in the Education Act 2011 have given teachers the power to search for, and if necessary delete, inappropriate images (or files) on electronic devices, including mobile phones.

Ofsted now holds schools clearly to account for how well they deal with behaviour and bullying. Since January 2012, inspectors must consider pupils’ freedom from bullying, including cyberbullying, harassment and discrimination. In January 2014, Ofsted produced briefing for inspectors when considering e-safety in schools. This makes clear that school inspectors should consider the schools’ ability to protect and educate pupils in their use of technology.