Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Independent - Runcorn and Helsby)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of targeting the Children’s Social Care Prevention Grant at (a) Halton Council and (b) other areas that are high on the deprivation index.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The Children’s Social Care Prevention Grant will be distributed using an interim needs-based formula, which allocates funding according to estimated need for children’s social care services. The department knows that deprivation is an important driver of need in children’s social care. The interim formula analyses socio-economic deprivation level data, as measured by the Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index (IDACI), along with a range of other child-level and neighbourhood-level characteristics. This assessment of need is based on analysis of the most significant drivers of activity for children’s services which the department holds robust data.
Full details of the 4-step process to distributing this funding have been made available through an updated explanatory note: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/67a0ed761f9e7f7dcc7b4002/Final_CSC_PG_Explanatory_Note.pdf#:~:text=This%20explanatory%20note%20describes%20the%20basis%20of%20the,from%20%C2%A3250%20million%20announced%20at%20the%20provisional%20settlement.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government recently consulted on the approach to determining new funding allocations for local authorities, including seeking feedback on the child-level and neighbourhood-level characteristics on which the assessment of need for children’s services is based. Further information can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/local-authority-funding-reform-objectives-and-principles/local-authority-funding-reform-objectives-and-principles. Following analysis of feedback, the department plans to set out further detail on the distribution methodology of this grant and the development of a new relative needs formula for children and family services.
Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Independent - Runcorn and Helsby)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the number of young people not in employment, education or training in Runcorn and Helsby constituency.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department publishes statistics on those not in education, employment or training (NEET) for England, from the labour force survey (LFS) for young people aged 16 to 24. These statistics are available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/neet-statistics-annual-brief. The number of 16 to 24 year olds estimated as NEET in England at the end of 2023 was estimated to be 709,600, representing 11.9% of the population. However, these estimates are only published at national level due to limitations with sample sizes for lower-level geographies. Therefore, NEET rates for young people aged 16 to 24 in Runcorn and Helsby constituency cannot be provided.
However, local authorities are required to encourage, enable or assist young people’s participation in education or training and return management information for young people age 16 and 17. This data is published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/neet-and-participation-local-authority-figures. The data shows that of the 7,263 young people aged 16 and 17 years old who were known to Cheshire West and Chester local authority at the end of 2022, 329 were NEET or their activity was not known. Of the 3,255 young people aged 16 and 17 years old who were known to Halton local authority at the end of 2022, 158 were NEET or their activity was not known. These statistics are published as transparency data so some caution should be taken if using these figures.
In addition, 16 to 18 destination measures are published. These official statistics show the percentage of pupils not continuing to a sustained education, apprenticeship or employment destination in the year after completing 16 to 18 study, that is six months of continual activity. This can be used as a proxy for NEET at age 18. The latest publication includes destinations in 2022/23 by parliamentary constituency boundaries at that time. Data can be found at parliamentary constituency level here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/819215d3-4c06-40ac-0f95-08dd167ca495.
Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Independent - Runcorn and Helsby)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of support provided to care leavers to access higher education.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
This government is committed to supporting the aspiration of every person who meets the requirements and wants to pursue higher education (HE), regardless of their background.
HE has an important role in giving care leavers the skills they need to succeed in life. To ensure that care experienced students are supported to gain the qualifications needed to access HE, the department has rolled out post-16 funding to all local authorities which can be used for attainment raising interventions such as additional tutoring. The department is also making the virtual school head role for children with a social worker statutory, enabling earlier intervention to address the educational barriers care experienced children face. Care leavers attending HE are entitled to statutory support from the government, including a bursary of £2000 and accommodation support up to the age of 25, if they require it. In addition, all HE providers registered with the Office for Students (OfS) that intend to charge higher level tuition fees are required to have an Access and Participation Plan approved by the OfS. These plans articulate how providers will improve equality of opportunity for underrepresented groups. In creating their plans, providers should consider the Equality of Opportunity Risk Register which details 12 key sector risks across the student lifecycle and the student groups most likely to experience these, including care leavers. Many HE providers have demonstrated positive examples of supporting care leavers, including targeted bursaries, pastoral support and mentoring.
In November the government set out five priorities for an ambitious programme of reform of the HE system, working in partnership with providers and the regulator, the OfS. The department will expect HE providers to play an even stronger role in expanding access and improving outcomes, tackling gaps between disadvantaged students and others and making the most of the opportunities presented by the Lifelong Learning Entitlement.
The department also published its policy paper ‘Keeping children safe, helping families thrive’. The department is absolutely committed to ensuring that children leaving care have safe and stable accommodation, access to health services, support to build lifelong loving relationships and are engaged in education, employment and training.
Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Independent - Runcorn and Helsby)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of (a) living in temporary accommodation, (b) being a child at risk, (c) being a looked-after child and (d) being a child of UK armed services personnel on the educational attainment of children at each of the key stages from early years to KS4.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
This government’s Opportunity Mission will break the link between young people’s backgrounds and their future success, ensuring family security and providing the best start in life, with all children achieving and thriving and building skills for opportunity and growth.
Too often opportunity for children and young people is defined by their background. We know that disadvantaged young people face barriers to engagement with education, which can have a negative impact on their educational outcomes. This can include practical barriers like insecure housing. If children are unable to engage with education, it doesn’t matter how good teaching and learning is, they will not benefit.
From April 2025, we will be rolling out Family Help Services that will prioritise supporting the whole family and intervening at the earliest opportunity to prevent challenges escalating. Lead practitioners will undertake assessments of all needs of the family, including those who are experiencing, or at risk of experiencing, homelessness, and work to support families where this may be part of a more complex set of needs.
As announced at the Autumn Budget 2024, funding for homelessness services is increasing next year by £233 million compared to this year, 2024/25. This increased spending will help to prevent rises in the number of families in temporary accommodation and help to prevent rough sleeping. This brings total spend to nearly £1 billion in 2025/26.
The impact of pre-care and care experience can also be a significant barrier to a child’s educational achievement. In 2022/23 at key stage 2, 37% of children in care for at least 12 months and 30% of children in need achieved the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics, which is significantly lower than all pupils (60%). However, it is important to recognise that 49.9% of children in need and 58.1% of children in care for at least 12 months have a special educational need, including mental health needs.
All local authorities have a statutory duty to promote the educational achievement of children in their care and are required to appoint a virtual school head (VSH), who is responsible for ensuring that arrangements are in place to improve the educational outcomes of the authority’s looked after children, including those placed out of authority, and for championing their progress. While VSHs have had an overwhelmingly positive impact on the outcomes of looked-after children, we want to see the same for all children with a social worker. This is why we intend to extend the role on a statutory basis to support educational outcomes of all children on child in need and child protection plans, as announced in our policy statement ’Keeping Children Safe, Helping Families Thrive’.
Service children's attainment at school is on a par with that of non-service children and they achieve very well at school. However, children who move frequently perform less well than those who move school less often or not at all, whilst service pupils can also experience additional needs relating to their emotional and social well-being. Service children attract Service Pupil Premium, which is currently worth £340 per pupil and can be used by schools to help improve their wellbeing and educational progress.
Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Independent - Runcorn and Helsby)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to increase the number of foster carers in (a) England and (b) Cheshire.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
This government is committed to working in partnership with local authorities to recruit more foster carers and committed an additional £15 million in the Autumn Budget 2024. This funding is to start work to ensure every local authority has access to a hub and to embed the existing regional fostering recruitment and retention hubs, covering 64% of local authorities in England. The hubs will transform the way people who are interested in fostering are supported and rollout the Mockingbird programme, which offers peer-support to foster carers and the children in their care. The department is also funding ‘Fosterlink’, a support service for local authority fostering services not in the regional programme. This identifies areas for improvement and creates a national network to share best practice.
Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Independent - Runcorn and Helsby)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of living in temporary accommodation on the educational attainment of children at each of the key stages between early years and key stage 4.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Too often opportunity for children and young people is defined by their background and we know that disadvantaged young people face barriers to engagement with education, which can include practical barriers like insecure housing. If children are unable to engage with education, it doesn’t matter how good teaching and learning is, they will not benefit.
The Opportunity Mission will break the link between young people’s backgrounds and their future success, ensuring family security and providing the best start in life, with all children achieving and thriving and building skills for opportunity and growth.
The Ministerial Taskforce jointly chaired by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, and my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education will use all available levers to drive cross-government action on child poverty, starting with overseeing the development of our ambitious Child Poverty Strategy, which will be published in spring 2025.
From April 2025 we will be rolling out Family Help Services that will prioritise supporting the whole family and intervening at the earliest opportunity to prevent challenges escalating. Lead practitioners will undertake assessments of all the needs of the family, including those who are experiencing, or at risk of experiencing, homelessness, and will work to support families where this may be part of a more complex set of needs.
The government has set up a dedicated Inter-Ministerial Group which my right hon. Friend, the Deputy Prime Minister chairs, bringing together Ministers from across government to develop a long-term strategy to put us back on track to ending homelessness. As announced at the Autumn Budget 2024, funding for homelessness services is increasing next year by £233 million compared to 2024/25. This increased spending will help to prevent rises in the number of families in temporary accommodation and help to prevent rough sleeping. This brings total spend to nearly £1 billion in 2025/26.
More widely, we want a school system in which all children can achieve and thrive, no matter their background. This is why we have begun work to recruit an additional 6,500 expert teachers and launched an independent, expert-led Curriculum and Assessment Review that will look closely at the key challenges to attainment for young people, in particular those who are socioeconomically disadvantaged.
Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Independent - Runcorn and Helsby)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on the number of young people who have previously lived in temporary accommodation entering (a) further and (b) higher education.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department does not hold information on the number of people who have previously lived in temporary accommodation before entering further education or higher education.
Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Independent - Runcorn and Helsby)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of travel provision for children to attend school when living in temporary accommodation.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
No child should be prevented from accessing education by a lack of transport. The department’s home-to-school travel policy requires local authorities to arrange free travel for children of compulsory school age who attend their nearest school and would not be able to walk there because of the distance, their special educational needs, a disability or mobility problem, or because the route is unsafe. There are additional rights to free home to school travel for children from low-income households.
Children living in temporary accommodation may benefit from the continuity of remaining in their current school with familiar teachers and friends. They will not be eligible for free travel to that school if it is not the nearest school to their temporary accommodation, but local authorities have a discretionary power to arrange free home-to-school travel for children who are otherwise not eligible.
The department encourages local authorities to support vulnerable children and young people, and is working with local authorities to understand how well home to school transport supports all children to access educational opportunity.
Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Independent - Runcorn and Helsby)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what role Ofsted plays in ensuring the (a) safety, (b) wellbeing and (c) educational attainment of children living in temporary accommodation.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
This is a matter for His Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Sir Martyn Oliver. I have asked him to write to my hon. Friend, the Member for Runcorn and Helsby, directly and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Independent - Runcorn and Helsby)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she plans to take with local authorities to improve the (a) transparency and (b) accountability of multi academy trusts.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
Multi-academy trusts are partners in this government’s vision to drive high standards across all parts of the education system. The government is committed to bringing forward legislation to enable the inspection of multi-academy trusts supporting this government’s ambition that every part of the education system which can drive improvement is doing so.
It is important that multi-academy trusts work effectively with local authorities in the areas where their schools are located.