Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate she has made of the number of special free schools that have opened in each year since 1 January 2015; and if she will provide a breakdown of those figures by phase.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The department publishes information about open free schools, including the date they opened. This is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/open-academies-and-academy-projects-in-development.
There are 108 open special free schools, 97 of which opened since 1 January 2015. The attached table provides the number of special free schools opened in each year since 2015, including a breakdown of these by phase.
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department's guidance on mobile phones in schools, published on 19 February 2024, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the guidance on the number of children using mobile phones in school.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The department assessed the different approaches to managing the use of mobile phones in schools in the ‘School Snapshot Survey: Winter 2019’.
This showed that 48% of secondary schools permitted regulated use of mobile phones at specific points during the school day and that only 16% had outright bans.
In March 2023, 15% of school leaders and 53% of pupils reported that mobile phones were used in lessons when they were not supposed to. Mobile phone use in lessons when not permitted can have an impact on the learning time for all pupils in the class and lead to online bullying, distraction and classroom disruption.
The publication of the ‘Mobile phones in schools’ guidance has the potential to impact pupils using phones in all schools where strict policies have not yet been effectively implemented.
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential (a) merits of implementing a mental health support team plus model in schools and (b) impact of such an approach on the mental wellbeing of children and young people.
Answered by David Johnston - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
In December 2017, the government published a consultation to gather views on the proposals set out in its publication, ‘Transforming Children and Young People’s Mental Health Provision’. The green paper is available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a823518e5274a2e87dc1b56/Transforming_children_and_young_people_s_mental_health_provision.pdf.
The government response to the consultation was published in July 2018: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5b583d30ed915d0b6985cc21/government-response-to-consultation-on-transforming-children-and-young-peoples-mental-health.pdf. It outlined a commitment to implement three core proposals that the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), NHS England, the Department for Education and Health Education England would jointly take forward, one of which was to establish new Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs), working in or near schools and colleges. MHSTs add value to support that settings already have in place, and more broadly are part of a wider programme of mental health transformation set out in the NHS Long Term Plan.
As of 31 March 2023, MHSTs covered 35% of pupils in schools and learners in further education settings in England. We are extending coverage of MHSTs to an estimated 44% of pupils and learners by the end of this financial year, and at least 50% by the end of March 2025.
The Early Evaluation of the Children and Young People’s Mental Health Trailblazer programme, published by the National Institute for Health Research in February 2023, revealed substantial progress in MHST implementation, despite challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. Although this was a process evaluation, early impacts include improved school and college staff knowledge and confidence in dealing with mental health issues, improved access to support for some groups, and improvements in partnership working. The study also found that the experiences of the majority of children and young people who had contact with an MHST were positive. The early evaluation is available here: https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/Documents/college-social-sciences/social-policy/BRACE/trailblazer.pdf.
Work is already underway with partners to ensure that learnings are used to inform current and future practice. Since the MHST Trailblazers became operational in 2018/19, the Education Mental Health Practitioner curriculum has been strengthened in response to feedback on needs such as learning disabilities and autism, challenging behaviour and support for parents. In addition, a new Senior Wellbeing Practitioner role was launched in 2023 to support widening the MHST skillset and career progression opportunities.
The department, together with partners, will continue to listen to feedback and a planned phase 2 longer-term outcome evaluation, to inform MHST roll out and drive improvements in evidence-based mental health and emotional wellbeing support for children and young people.
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of her Department's guidance entitled Mobile phones in schools, published on 19 February 2024, on (a) schools, (b) pupils and (c) learning.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
During the development of the ‘Mobile phones in schools’ guidance, the department consulted headteachers from across the sector to learn from their experience of implementing effective policies that prohibited the use of mobile phones in their schools.
Headteachers and leaders, including those involved in the Behaviour Hubs programme, reported that after removing mobile phones from the school day, the whole culture of their school changed for the better. This feedback supports an assessment that the guidance is likely to support schools to create environments that are safer places for pupils, where the distraction caused by the use of mobile phones is reduced, and that have a positive impact on learning.
Stakeholder engagement with young people, parents and representative bodies ensured the department could make an assessment of the impact of the guidance on individual pupils. Stakeholder engagement informed the development of the guidance regarding adaptations and reasonable adjustments for specific pupils and the use of mobile phones on the way to and from school.
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what data she used to help inform her guidance entitled Mobile phones in schools, published on 19 February 2024.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The ‘Mobile phones in schools’ guidance is informed by data from various sources. These include the department’s ‘National Behaviour Survey: Findings from Academic Year 2021/22’ and the ‘School Snapshot Survey: Winter 2019’, Ofcom’s ‘Children’s Media Use and Attitudes’ and the Office for National Statistics’ report ‘Online bullying in England and Wales: year ending March 2020’.
The guidance was also informed by the ‘UNESCO Global education monitoring report, 2023: technology in education: a tool on whose terms?’ and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health’s ‘The health impacts of screen time – a guide for clinicians and parents’. A review of academic research relating to the use of mobile phones in education settings and amongst children and young people was also conducted to inform the development of the guidance.
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the teacher Supply Model target for the 2024 entry into initial teacher training is, by subject; and whether that number has been recruited in a previous year.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
There are multiple routes into teaching, including those returning to the profession, those that are new to the English state-funded schools sector, assessment only, and initial teacher training. Approximately 50% of teachers entering into the school workforce each year are newly qualified, with the vast majority of them having been trained via postgraduate initial teacher training (ITT) in the previous academic year.
Each year the department sets a target for enrolment on postgraduate certificates in education (PGCE) courses, with the majority of those students entering the teaching workforce in the following year. This is the only route for which the department sets a recruitment target, and this is calculated within the Teacher Workforce Model (TWM).
The postgraduate ITT recruitment targets for those trainees starting in September of the 2024/25 academic year will be published as official statistics in the coming months. However, it will be 2025/26 before those trainees enter into the workforce as newly qualified entrants. The specific publication date will be announced in due course, with all upcoming official statistics publications being announced via the department’s statistics release calendar, which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/search/research-and-statistics?content_store_document_type=upcoming_statistics&organisations%5B%5D=department-for-education&order=updated-newest.
Statistics on recruitment against the 2024/25 targets will be published in late 2024 as part of the ITT census official statistics publication. Data on previous recruitment against historical targets may be found within previously published versions of the ITT census. The 2023/24 version of the census is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/initial-teacher-training-census/2023-24.
The 2023/24 version of the postgraduate ITT recruitment targets publication, calculated by the department’s TWM, is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/postgraduate-initial-teacher-training-targets-2023-to-2024.
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will publish pass rates for level 1 functional skills qualifications in (a) English and (b) maths among people aged 19 and over; and if she will provide a breakdown of those figures by (i) previous qualifications in (A) English and (B) maths and (ii) socio-economic background.
Answered by Robert Halfon
Qualification achievement rates for individual functional skills qualifications are published in the Further education and skills statistics publication and are available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/further-education-and-skills/2022-23.
The latest adult (19+) figures covering qualifications ending in the 2021/22 hybrid end year (the latter of the achievement, planned, actual, or reporting year) are available via the following link: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/01301c62-9206-496a-5d02-08dc227985c9.
The department does not hold further breakdowns of these figures by previous English or mathematics qualification held, or socio-economic background.
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will publish pass rates for level 2 functional skills qualifications in (a) English and (b) maths among people aged 19 and over; and if she will provide a breakdown of those figures by (i) previous qualifications in (A) English and (B) maths and (ii) socio-economic background.
Answered by Robert Halfon
Qualification achievement rates for individual functional skills qualifications are published in the Further education and skills statistics publication and are available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/further-education-and-skills/2022-23.
The latest adult (19+) figures covering qualifications ending in the 2021/22 hybrid end year (the latter of the achievement, planned, actual, or reporting year) are available via the following link: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/01301c62-9206-496a-5d02-08dc227985c9.
The department does not hold further breakdowns of these figures by previous English or mathematics qualification held, or socio-economic background.
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 24 January 2024 to Question 10317 on English Language and Mathematics: GCSE, how many and what proportion of young people from a disadvantaged background achieve a pass in GCSE (a) English and (b) maths in 16-19 education by their prior grade at age 16 in the corresponding qualification only.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The attached table presents post-16 English and mathematics GCSE attainment by prior attainment in those subjects by disadvantage status in 2021/22, the latest academic year where the data is available. It is based on the cohort of young people who turned 19 in 2021/22, but were educated in the state-sector at age 15 to enable analysis by pupil characteristics. Prior attainment is determined by matching a young person’s attainment post-16 to that pre-16 as recorded by awarding bodies. In some cases, prior attainment will not be known if the young person has no record of taking any assessment.
Trends in attainment at GCSE post-16 should be read alongside trends in other level 2 qualifications taken by the 16 to 19 cohort, as there could be changes over time in the types of qualifications young people enter at that level. Further information on level 2 qualifications in English and mathematics entered by disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged young people over time is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/0c8db91f-4d8a-4300-e6ed-08dc2185b3c8.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the summer exam series for the 2019/20 and 2020/21 academic years were cancelled. Instead, for 2020/21, pupils were only assessed on the content they had been taught for each course. Schools were given flexibility to decide how to assess their pupils’ performance, for example through mock exams, class tests, and non-exam assessment already completed. GCSE grades were then determined by teachers based on the range of evidence available and they are referred to as teacher-assessed grades. Attainment rates for these periods should be considered with this in mind.
We know that English and mathematics attainment is important and want to ensure everyone leaves education with the English and mathematics skills they need to participate in society, and climb the ladder of opportunity towards better jobs, better wellbeing and better options for the future. That is why all 16 to 18-year-olds who do not hold a GCSE grade 9 to 4 (a standard pass grade) or equivalent qualification in English and/or mathematics are required to continue studying these crucial subjects. Students with a GCSE grade 2 or below are not required to sit GCSEs again and can study towards a pass in functional skills level 2. To further enhance the support for these students as part of our plans for the Advanced British Standard, the department has announced increased investment of around £150 million per year across each of the next two years.
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 24 January 2024 to Question 10317 on English Language and Mathematics: GCSE, how many and what proportion of young people achieve a pass in GCSE (a) English and (b) maths in 16-19 education by their prior grade at age 16 in the corresponding qualification only.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The attached table presents post-16 English and mathematics GCSE attainment by prior attainment in those subjects by disadvantage status in 2021/22, the latest academic year where the data is available. It is based on the cohort of young people who turned 19 in 2021/22, but were educated in the state-sector at age 15 to enable analysis by pupil characteristics. Prior attainment is determined by matching a young person’s attainment post-16 to that pre-16 as recorded by awarding bodies. In some cases, prior attainment will not be known if the young person has no record of taking any assessment.
Trends in attainment at GCSE post-16 should be read alongside trends in other level 2 qualifications taken by the 16 to 19 cohort, as there could be changes over time in the types of qualifications young people enter at that level. Further information on level 2 qualifications in English and mathematics entered by disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged young people over time is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/0c8db91f-4d8a-4300-e6ed-08dc2185b3c8.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the summer exam series for the 2019/20 and 2020/21 academic years were cancelled. Instead, for 2020/21, pupils were only assessed on the content they had been taught for each course. Schools were given flexibility to decide how to assess their pupils’ performance, for example through mock exams, class tests, and non-exam assessment already completed. GCSE grades were then determined by teachers based on the range of evidence available and they are referred to as teacher-assessed grades. Attainment rates for these periods should be considered with this in mind.
We know that English and mathematics attainment is important and want to ensure everyone leaves education with the English and mathematics skills they need to participate in society, and climb the ladder of opportunity towards better jobs, better wellbeing and better options for the future. That is why all 16 to 18-year-olds who do not hold a GCSE grade 9 to 4 (a standard pass grade) or equivalent qualification in English and/or mathematics are required to continue studying these crucial subjects. Students with a GCSE grade 2 or below are not required to sit GCSEs again and can study towards a pass in functional skills level 2. To further enhance the support for these students as part of our plans for the Advanced British Standard, the department has announced increased investment of around £150 million per year across each of the next two years.