Asked by: Michelle Donelan (Conservative - Chippenham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will classify paramedic science as an exception course to allow those who study it as a second degree to obtain a student loan.
Answered by Sam Gyimah
The Department of Health and Social Care decided, as part of the reforms to healthcare education funding, to provide an exemption from equivalent or lower qualification (ELQ) rules for new students starting undergraduate pre-registration nursing, midwifery and allied health profession courses from 2017/18 to allow students to receive support for these courses as a second course.
This exemption has now been extended to new students starting pre-registration courses in dental profession subjects and pre-registration postgraduate courses in nursing, midwifery and the allied health professions from 1 August 2018. As students on paramedic science courses could already access the standard student loan system, these courses were not included in the reforms noted above, and therefore they do not attract this exemption from the ELQ rules.
It is the responsibility of the Department of Health and Social Care to decide which healthcare courses should be in scope of receiving an ELQ exemption.
Asked by: Michelle Donelan (Conservative - Chippenham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support creative learning in schools to encourage children to seek careers in such learning.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Government believes all pupils should have access to an excellent, well-rounded education. All schools must provide a broad and balanced curriculum that promotes the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils at the school.
The national curriculum, provides many opportunities for pupils to develop knowledge and skills in a wide range of creative subjects, including art and design, music and design, and technology.
We have announced almost £400 million of funding in 2016-20 for a diverse portfolio of music and arts education programmes that are designed to improve access to the arts for all children, regardless of their background, and to develop talent across the country. This includes £300 million for music education hubs in 2016-20 and over £8 million in 2016-18 for cultural education programmes including Saturday Art and Design Clubs, the National Youth Dance Company and the BFI’s Film Academy programme. It also includes £58 million for the Music and Dance Scheme and £27m for the Dance and Drama Awards Scheme (both in 2016-18), which allow exceptionally talented children and young people to attend specialist music, dance and drama institutions.
Asked by: Michelle Donelan (Conservative - Chippenham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the effect of ending free school transport at 16-years old on the number of students continuing to study to age 18; and what estimate she has made of the quantum of costs per student for people aged over 16 not able to use free school transport.
Answered by Anne Milton
The Department for Education’s latest participation figures suggest that the cost of travelling to education or training is not deterring young people from participating post-16. At the end of 2016, the proportion of academic age 16 and 17-year-olds (those young people under a duty to participate) in education or an apprenticeship rose to 91.1% - the highest level since consistent records began in 1994.
The statutory responsibility for transport to education or training for 16 to 18 year olds rests with local authorities and they are expected to make appropriate decisions bearing in mind local circumstances.
While arrangements made by authorities do not have to include free or subsidised transport, most young people do have access to a discount or concession on local bus or train travel, either from their local authority, transport provider, school or college. The £180 million 16 to 19 Bursary Fund is available to help disadvantaged young people to access education and training, and is often used to help with transport costs.
Asked by: Michelle Donelan (Conservative - Chippenham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Government took to encourage foster care provision ahead of its decision to close the Dubs scheme for unaccompanied minors.
Answered by Edward Timpson
The Government takes the welfare of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children extremely seriously and the UK has contributed significantly to hosting, supporting and protecting the most vulnerable children affected by the migration crisis.
The Government committed to increasing the number of foster carers as part of our wider safeguarding strategy for unaccompanied asylum-seeking and refugee children. In September, we commissioned the Refugee Council and ECPAT to deliver training for foster carers and support workers to support them in looking after unaccompanied asylum seeking or refugee children. We have also committed to evaluating the need for any additional training required by foster carers looking after these children. Further information on our safeguarding strategy can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/safeguarding-unaccompanied-asylum-seeking-and-refugee-children
Asked by: Michelle Donelan (Conservative - Chippenham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of including design and technology in the EBacc.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Design and Technology is a subject that can inspire and equip young people for further study and careers in a range of design and engineering fields. Our reform ensures the Design and Technology curriculum and qualifications are aligned with industry practice. The new GCSE and A levels move the subject on from its craft-based roots into a high-tech qualification.
The EBacc has been designed to be limited in its size in order to provide a rigorous academic core whilst leaving space in the curriculum for pupils to study other subjects of their choice. On average, pupils in state-funded schools enter nine GCSEs and equivalent qualifications, rising to more than ten for some pupils. As the EBacc covers up to eight GCSEs, this leaves room for other choices, including Design and Technology.
On 3 November 2015, the Secretary of State for Education launched a public consultation seeking views on the government’s proposals for the implementation of the EBacc. The consultation closed on 29 January 2016 and the Government’s response will be published in due course.
Asked by: Michelle Donelan (Conservative - Chippenham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the number of students who have taken up computer science as an option in the EBacc in each of the last five years.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Computer science has been included in the science element of the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) since 2014. To enter the EBacc science pillar, pupils can enter core and additional science GCSE; enter GCSE science double award; or enter three single sciences at GCSE. The single sciences are biology, chemistry, computer science and physics.
A time series of the total number of entries in GCSE computer science for the last three years is published as part of the “Revised GCSE and equivalent results in England: 2014 to 2015 (revised)” statistical first release (SFR).[1]
[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/502685/SFR01_2016_Subject_Timeseries.xls (“Subject time series tables: SFR01/2016” document)
Asked by: Michelle Donelan (Conservative - Chippenham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many pupils studied GCSE design and technology in (a) England and (b) Wiltshire in the last year for which figures are available.
Answered by Nick Gibb
In 2014/15 [1], there were 194,908 entries in England and 1,616 entries in Wiltshire for GCSE design and technology [2],[3].
[1] Information is based on final 2014/15 figures.
[2] GCSE design and technology includes D&T Electronic Products, D&T Food Technology, D&T Graphic Products, D&T Product Design, D&T Resistant Materials, D&T Systems & Control, D&T Textiles Technology, Graphics, Motor Vehicle Studies, D&T Engineering.
[3] Revised 2014/15 Information on the number of entries for GCSE technology and design is published in the “Revised GCSE and equivalent results in England: 2014 to 2015” statistical first release at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/493476/SFR01_2016_Subject_Tables.xlsx (Table S5)
Asked by: Michelle Donelan (Conservative - Chippenham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what representations her Department has received from businesses on the inclusion of design technology within the EBacc qualification.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The consultation on implementing the EBacc closed on 29 January. We have received responses from a wide range of stakeholders, including businesses. The Government response, including a list of responding organisations, will be published in due course.