Asked by: Melanie Onn (Labour - Great Grimsby)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many state registered foster carers her Department estimates will be eligible for the Government's proposed free 30 hours of childcare.
Answered by Edward Timpson
Foster carers will be able to access the existing 15 hour early education entitlement for three-and four-year olds for both their foster children and their own children. In addition, two year olds who are looked after by a local council or have left care under a special guardianship order, child arrangements order or adoption order are also entitled to 15 hours of early education.
Foster carers will be able to access the extended entitlement for three-and four-year olds for their own children provided that they meet the minimum income requirement. This means that foster parents should be earning the equivalent to 16 hours a week at National Minimum or Living Wage and their income should not exceed £100,000. This includes employed and self-employed parents.
Since foster carers are separately funded for the care of foster children, they will not be able to access the extended entitlement for their foster children. This is in line with the treatment of foster carers under Tax-Free Childcare, tax credits and Universal Credit.
Asked by: Melanie Onn (Labour - Great Grimsby)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many paid carers her Department estimates will be eligible for the Government's proposed free 30 hours of childcare.
Answered by Sam Gyimah
The extended entitlement is intended to support working parents with the cost of childcare, enabling them to return to work or work additional hours if they wish to do so. Families where both parents work or one parent works in a single parent household will be eligible for these additional hours. In recognition of the particular challenges that paid carers can face in relation to childcare, the Childcare Bill allows for parents in certain circumstances to be regarded as being in work, for example, those parents who have caring responsibilities.
Households where one parent is working and one parent is being paid Carer’s Allowance or Universal Credit’s Carer Element will be able to access the extended entitlement provided the working parent meets the income eligibility requirements. This includes households where a parent is caring for their own three or four year old child where the child is in receipt of Disability Living Allowance or is certified blind.
In relation to single parents with a disabled child, where that parent meets the income eligibility requirements, they will also be able to access the extended entitlement. Parents who do not work will continue to receive Carer’s Allowance or Universal Credit.
It is also important to remember that all paid carers will be able to access the existing 15 hour early education entitlement for three and four year olds and the 15 hour early education entitlement for two year olds if they meet the eligibility criteria. More detail can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/help-with-childcare-costs/free-childcare-and-education-for-2-to-4-year-olds
The Department does not hold information on the number of households with three or four year old children where one partner (or the sole parent in a lone parent family) meets the income eligibility criteria and is in receipt of benefits relating to caring responsibilities.
Asked by: Melanie Onn (Labour - Great Grimsby)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she plans to require secondary schools to publish an overview of their annual GCSE results.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Paragraph 5 of Schedule 4 of the School Information (England) Regulations 2008 requires maintained secondary schools to publish their most recent key stage 4 results on their websites.
In particular they must publish:
The percentage achieving 5 + A*-C GCSEs (or equivalent) including English and mathematics GCSEs;
the percentage achieving the English Baccalaureate; and
the percentage of pupils making expected progress.
Academies should also publish examination and assessment information as set out in their individual funding agreements.
Asked by: Melanie Onn (Labour - Great Grimsby)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many secondary schools chose not to publish an overview of their GCSE results for the school year 2014-15.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The information requested is not held by the Department for Education.