Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will provide a breakdown of the number of people starting level (a) 3, (b) 4 and (c) higher apprenticeships in the last 12 months by age; and how many and what proportion of those people had passed a level 2 qualification in (i) English and (ii) maths when they started.
Answered by Robert Halfon
The number of apprenticeship starts in the 2022/23 academic year by age and detailed level can be found in the following link: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/61f7174f-5980-4983-e812-08dc1e6f466d.
The department does not hold information relating to prior achievement for English and mathematics qualifications.
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to table 9.1 of her Department's publication entitled Initial teacher training applications for courses starting in the 2024 to 2025 academic year, published on 22 January 2024, how many candidates there were for each secondary subject by (a) region, (b) nation and (c) each other geographical breakdown available.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The department is working to ensure teaching remains an attractive, high-status profession, and will recruit and retain the best teachers in the subjects and areas they are needed most.
The department publishes Initial Teacher Training (ITT) recruitment statistics each month, providing insight into ITT candidates applying for courses that start in the 2024/25 academic year. The most recent monthly publication was released on the 22 January 2024 and covers candidates that have applied to ITT courses up to this date. This is available at: https://www.apply-for-teacher-training.service.gov.uk/publications/monthly-statistics.
Table 9.1 of the publication focusses on the number of candidates who have applied to secondary courses by subject. Table 10 of the publication provides further information about candidate applications to training providers, split by region. Additional breakdowns of ITT subject-level data, which splits candidates by the area they have applied from, is available to download in section 11, accessible at: https://www.apply-for-teacher-training.service.gov.uk/publications/monthly-statistics#downloads.
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of young people achieve a pass in Functional Skills Level 2 (a) English and (b) maths in 16-19 education by (i) prior attainment at age 16, (ii) whether they are from a disadvantaged background or not and (iii) region.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The department collects data on entries into GCSE and Functional Skills English and maths by students aged 16 to18 attending schools and colleges in England, including independent schools. Most students aged 16 to 18 enter below level 3 English and maths qualifications because they did not achieve a GCSE pass at grade 9 to 4 or equivalent during key stage 4, and so are required to continue to study those subjects under condition of funding rules. More information on condition of funding rules can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/16-to-19-funding-maths-and-english-condition-of-funding.
Data is published in the ‘A level and other 16 to 18 results’ national statistics release and provides the number of entries and pass rates in each year. A link to this publication is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/a-level-and-other-16-to-18-results.
Tables 1 and 2 of the attached spreadsheet provide the data by the breakdowns requested. Data by year group is not available.
Note that a student may appear in the data more than once, for example if they entered exams both at the start of the academic year and in the following summer. Further, whilst the data shows many more entries by 16 to18 year olds in GCSEs versus Functional Skills at level 2, this to some extent follows differences in data collected by awarding organisations, where each recorded ‘entry’ in Functional Skills possibly reflects multiple assessment attempts. Local practice will vary and practices in large individual colleges can have impact on regional rates.
The department also publishes related data in the ‘Level 2 and 4 attainment by age 16 to 25’ national statistics release.
This tracks the attainment in English and maths for students in the mainstream state sector in year 11, which is the final year of secondary school, to age 19 (so 16 to 19), and includes data on achievement of 19 year olds in level 2 English or maths broken down by disadvantage status and prior attainment. More information can be accessed via the links below:
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of young people achieve a pass in GCSE (a) English and (b) maths in 16-19 education by (i) prior attainment at age 16, (ii) whether they are from a disadvantaged background or not and (iii) region.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The department collects data on entries into GCSE and Functional Skills English and maths by students aged 16 to18 attending schools and colleges in England, including independent schools. Most students aged 16 to 18 enter below level 3 English and maths qualifications because they did not achieve a GCSE pass at grade 9 to 4 or equivalent during key stage 4, and so are required to continue to study those subjects under condition of funding rules. More information on condition of funding rules can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/16-to-19-funding-maths-and-english-condition-of-funding.
Data is published in the ‘A level and other 16 to 18 results’ national statistics release and provides the number of entries and pass rates in each year. A link to this publication is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/a-level-and-other-16-to-18-results.
Tables 1 and 2 of the attached spreadsheet provide the data by the breakdowns requested. Data by year group is not available.
Note that a student may appear in the data more than once, for example if they entered exams both at the start of the academic year and in the following summer. Further, whilst the data shows many more entries by 16 to18 year olds in GCSEs versus Functional Skills at level 2, this to some extent follows differences in data collected by awarding organisations, where each recorded ‘entry’ in Functional Skills possibly reflects multiple assessment attempts. Local practice will vary and practices in large individual colleges can have impact on regional rates.
The department also publishes related data in the ‘Level 2 and 4 attainment by age 16 to 25’ national statistics release.
This tracks the attainment in English and maths for students in the mainstream state sector in year 11, which is the final year of secondary school, to age 19 (so 16 to 19), and includes data on achievement of 19 year olds in level 2 English or maths broken down by disadvantage status and prior attainment. More information can be accessed via the links below:
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of young people achieve a pass in (a) GCSE English, (b) GCSE maths, (c) Functional Skills Level 2 English and (d) Functional Skills Level 2 maths in each year group in 16-19 education by prior attainment at age 16.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The department collects data on entries into GCSE and Functional Skills English and maths by students aged 16 to18 attending schools and colleges in England, including independent schools. Most students aged 16 to 18 enter below level 3 English and maths qualifications because they did not achieve a GCSE pass at grade 9 to 4 or equivalent during key stage 4, and so are required to continue to study those subjects under condition of funding rules. More information on condition of funding rules can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/16-to-19-funding-maths-and-english-condition-of-funding.
Data is published in the ‘A level and other 16 to 18 results’ national statistics release and provides the number of entries and pass rates in each year. A link to this publication is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/a-level-and-other-16-to-18-results.
Tables 1 and 2 of the attached spreadsheet provide the data by the breakdowns requested. Data by year group is not available.
Note that a student may appear in the data more than once, for example if they entered exams both at the start of the academic year and in the following summer. Further, whilst the data shows many more entries by 16 to18 year olds in GCSEs versus Functional Skills at level 2, this to some extent follows differences in data collected by awarding organisations, where each recorded ‘entry’ in Functional Skills possibly reflects multiple assessment attempts. Local practice will vary and practices in large individual colleges can have impact on regional rates.
The department also publishes related data in the ‘Level 2 and 4 attainment by age 16 to 25’ national statistics release.
This tracks the attainment in English and maths for students in the mainstream state sector in year 11, which is the final year of secondary school, to age 19 (so 16 to 19), and includes data on achievement of 19 year olds in level 2 English or maths broken down by disadvantage status and prior attainment. More information can be accessed via the links below:
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Answer of 30 March 2023 to Question 174445 on Schools: Inspections, whether she has taken steps to prevent schools monitoring website traffic to predict the timing of an Ofsted inspection.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
Ofsted has confirmed that it has made changes to its processes around how, and when, inspectors access school websites. It is also continuing to consider proportionate technical options to hide or disguise its access to school websites prior to an inspection.
The department and Ofsted would urge schools not to use this kind of service. Schools do not need to take any extra steps to prepare for Ofsted inspections.
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 estimate of the number of children who previously received but are no longer eligible for free school meals as a result of their households reaching a net earned income threshold of £7,400 per annum under Universal Credit at the point of claim as of 9 January 2024; and whether her Department holds data on families with multiple children in which one or more child qualifies for free school meals but not the others.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
This government has extended eligibility for free school meals (FSM) several times and to more groups of children than any other government over the past half a century, most notably through the introduction of universal infant free school meals (UIFSM) FSM in 2014. The result of this is that over a third of pupils in England now receive free meals, compared with one in six in 2010.
The department monitors data on the number of pupils who are eligible for FSM, including estimates for future years, but no formal assessment has been made on the number of children eligible for FSM in 2024 and 2025. The department publishes statistics annually which show that over 2 million pupils are currently eligible for FSM. This is an increase from 1.1 million eligible pupils in 2018, when extensive transitional protections were first introduced.
Protections ensure that children in receipt of FSM will not lose access to this entitlement until at least March 2025, even if their household’s financial circumstances improve. The department does not plan to formally assess the number of children who would no longer be eligible for FSM, in the absence of the protections policy.
The department has always been clear that a child is only eligible for FSM if their family meets the eligibility criteria at the point of applying for FSM. The result may be that in some cases for children in the same household, some may be eligible for FSM whilst others are not. The department does not plan to make an estimate of this figure.
Further information is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics#dataBlock-2f5a67c4-6e66-414a-a926-f959d8b6443a-tables.
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 impact of the earned income threshold of £7,400 for universal credit claimants under the Free School Lunches and Milk, and School and Early Years Finance (Amendments Relating to Universal Credit) (England) Regulations 2018 on the number of children who will be eligible for free school meals in (a) 2024 and (b) 2025.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
This government has extended eligibility for free school meals (FSM) several times and to more groups of children than any other government over the past half a century, most notably through the introduction of universal infant free school meals (UIFSM) FSM in 2014. The result of this is that over a third of pupils in England now receive free meals, compared with one in six in 2010.
The department monitors data on the number of pupils who are eligible for FSM, including estimates for future years, but no formal assessment has been made on the number of children eligible for FSM in 2024 and 2025. The department publishes statistics annually which show that over 2 million pupils are currently eligible for FSM. This is an increase from 1.1 million eligible pupils in 2018, when extensive transitional protections were first introduced.
Protections ensure that children in receipt of FSM will not lose access to this entitlement until at least March 2025, even if their household’s financial circumstances improve. The department does not plan to formally assess the number of children who would no longer be eligible for FSM, in the absence of the protections policy.
The department has always been clear that a child is only eligible for FSM if their family meets the eligibility criteria at the point of applying for FSM. The result may be that in some cases for children in the same household, some may be eligible for FSM whilst others are not. The department does not plan to make an estimate of this figure.
Further information is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics#dataBlock-2f5a67c4-6e66-414a-a926-f959d8b6443a-tables.
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children were receiving free school meals as the result of the transitional protections associated with the April 2018 introduction of an earned income threshold of £7,400 for universal credit claimants in each year from 2018 to 2023.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The department publishes statistics annually that detail the number of pupils eligible for free school meals (FSM). The latest data show that over 2 million pupils are eligible to receive this entitlement, which is 23.8% of all pupils. This is an increase from 1.1 million eligible pupils in 2018, when extensive transitional protections were first introduced. This has ensured that children in receipt of FSM will not lose access to this entitlement, even if their household’s financial circumstances improve.
In addition, this government has extended eligibility for free school meals several times and to more groups of children than any other government over the past half a century, most notably through the introduction of universal infant free school meals (UIFSM) in 2014. The result of this is that over a third of pupils in England now receive FSM, compared with just one in six in 2010.
Data on the number of pupils eligible for FSM are based on information provided by schools in their census returns. This does not distinguish pupils who are only eligible as a result of protections, and no longer meet the eligibility criteria for FSM. The department monitors this information but does not have plans to make a formal estimate of the number of pupils who are eligible for FSM under transitional protections only.
Further to this, the department has always been clear that a child is only eligible for FSM if their family meets the eligibility criteria at the point of applying for FSM. The result may be that in some cases for children in the same household, some may be eligible for FSM whilst others are not. The department does not plan to make an estimate of this figure.
Further information is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics#dataBlock-2f5a67c4-6e66-414a-a926-f959d8b6443a-tables.
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the transitional protections associated with the April 2018 introduction of an earned income threshold of £7,400 for universal credit claimants, if she will make an estimate of the number of families with multiple children in which one or more child does and one or more child does not qualify for free school meals, as at 9 January 2024.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The department publishes statistics annually that detail the number of pupils eligible for free school meals (FSM). The latest data show that over 2 million pupils are eligible to receive this entitlement, which is 23.8% of all pupils. This is an increase from 1.1 million eligible pupils in 2018, when extensive transitional protections were first introduced. This has ensured that children in receipt of FSM will not lose access to this entitlement, even if their household’s financial circumstances improve.
In addition, this government has extended eligibility for free school meals several times and to more groups of children than any other government over the past half a century, most notably through the introduction of universal infant free school meals (UIFSM) in 2014. The result of this is that over a third of pupils in England now receive FSM, compared with just one in six in 2010.
Data on the number of pupils eligible for FSM are based on information provided by schools in their census returns. This does not distinguish pupils who are only eligible as a result of protections, and no longer meet the eligibility criteria for FSM. The department monitors this information but does not have plans to make a formal estimate of the number of pupils who are eligible for FSM under transitional protections only.
Further to this, the department has always been clear that a child is only eligible for FSM if their family meets the eligibility criteria at the point of applying for FSM. The result may be that in some cases for children in the same household, some may be eligible for FSM whilst others are not. The department does not plan to make an estimate of this figure.
Further information is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics#dataBlock-2f5a67c4-6e66-414a-a926-f959d8b6443a-tables.