Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of (a) not requiring schools to contribute matching funds to and (b) other funding models for the National Tutoring Programme.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Department has made over £1 billion available through the National Tutoring Programme (NTP) over the four academic years since the programme’s introduction in summer 2021, which has seen the Department deliver nearly 4 million tutoring courses as of May 2023. This has included providing £310 million directly to schools in the 2021/22 academic year and £350 million in the 2022/23 academic year. In the 2023/24 academic year, the Department will provide £150 million directly to schools.
In the 2021/22 academic year, which is the most recent full year for which data is available, 47% of pupils receiving tutoring were eligible for free school meals at some point in the last six years. Final delivery figures for the 2022/23 academic year will be published in December. Figures for the current academic year will be published throughout the year.
The Department has committed that, from the 2023/24 academic year, tutoring will have been embedded across schools in England. The Department expects tutoring to continue to be a staple offer from schools, with schools using their core budget, including pupil premium, to provide targeted support for those children who will benefit.
Funding for the 16-19 tuition fund is currently in place until the end of the 2023/24 academic year. The Department is evaluating the Tuition Fund and considering the most appropriate way to support disadvantaged 16-19 students from the 2024/25 academic year.
The NTP’s Year 2 Implementation and Process Evaluation report examined the implementation of the programme in the 2021/22 academic year. It found that most head teachers were satisfied with the programme and that the programme is perceived as having a positive impact on pupils’ attainment, self confidence and helping them catch up with their peers. It also found that most schools are prioritising pupil premium eligible pupils for tutoring. This report can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-tutoring-programme-year-2-implementation-and-process-evaluation. The Department plans to publish in autumn 2023 an external quantitative impact evaluation, which explores the impact of the programme on pupil attainment in the 2021/22 academic year.
For the 2020/21 to 2023/24 academic years, the Department is making available funding of up to £420 million for one to one and small group tuition for 16 to 19 year olds. The 16-19 tuition fund is targeted at students in most need, enabling schools and colleges to deliver up to 700,000 tuition sessions each year.
The 16-19 tuition fund implementation and process evaluation report was published in July 2023 and can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/16-to-19-tuition-fund-implementation-and-process-evaluation-report. This reported that over 80% of students were satisfied with the tuition they received and found its content relevant. A full report on the impact of the tuition fund will be completed later this year and published in due course.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of how many young people in receipt of Pupil Premium or an equivalent will have received tutoring through the (a) National Tutoring Programme and (b) 16-19 Tuition Fund by the end of (i) this and (ii) the next academic year.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Department has made over £1 billion available through the National Tutoring Programme (NTP) over the four academic years since the programme’s introduction in summer 2021, which has seen the Department deliver nearly 4 million tutoring courses as of May 2023. This has included providing £310 million directly to schools in the 2021/22 academic year and £350 million in the 2022/23 academic year. In the 2023/24 academic year, the Department will provide £150 million directly to schools.
In the 2021/22 academic year, which is the most recent full year for which data is available, 47% of pupils receiving tutoring were eligible for free school meals at some point in the last six years. Final delivery figures for the 2022/23 academic year will be published in December. Figures for the current academic year will be published throughout the year.
The Department has committed that, from the 2023/24 academic year, tutoring will have been embedded across schools in England. The Department expects tutoring to continue to be a staple offer from schools, with schools using their core budget, including pupil premium, to provide targeted support for those children who will benefit.
Funding for the 16-19 tuition fund is currently in place until the end of the 2023/24 academic year. The Department is evaluating the Tuition Fund and considering the most appropriate way to support disadvantaged 16-19 students from the 2024/25 academic year.
The NTP’s Year 2 Implementation and Process Evaluation report examined the implementation of the programme in the 2021/22 academic year. It found that most head teachers were satisfied with the programme and that the programme is perceived as having a positive impact on pupils’ attainment, self confidence and helping them catch up with their peers. It also found that most schools are prioritising pupil premium eligible pupils for tutoring. This report can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-tutoring-programme-year-2-implementation-and-process-evaluation. The Department plans to publish in autumn 2023 an external quantitative impact evaluation, which explores the impact of the programme on pupil attainment in the 2021/22 academic year.
For the 2020/21 to 2023/24 academic years, the Department is making available funding of up to £420 million for one to one and small group tuition for 16 to 19 year olds. The 16-19 tuition fund is targeted at students in most need, enabling schools and colleges to deliver up to 700,000 tuition sessions each year.
The 16-19 tuition fund implementation and process evaluation report was published in July 2023 and can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/16-to-19-tuition-fund-implementation-and-process-evaluation-report. This reported that over 80% of students were satisfied with the tuition they received and found its content relevant. A full report on the impact of the tuition fund will be completed later this year and published in due course.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the (a) National Tutoring Programme and (b) 16-19 Tuition Fund.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Department has made over £1 billion available through the National Tutoring Programme (NTP) over the four academic years since the programme’s introduction in summer 2021, which has seen the Department deliver nearly 4 million tutoring courses as of May 2023. This has included providing £310 million directly to schools in the 2021/22 academic year and £350 million in the 2022/23 academic year. In the 2023/24 academic year, the Department will provide £150 million directly to schools.
In the 2021/22 academic year, which is the most recent full year for which data is available, 47% of pupils receiving tutoring were eligible for free school meals at some point in the last six years. Final delivery figures for the 2022/23 academic year will be published in December. Figures for the current academic year will be published throughout the year.
The Department has committed that, from the 2023/24 academic year, tutoring will have been embedded across schools in England. The Department expects tutoring to continue to be a staple offer from schools, with schools using their core budget, including pupil premium, to provide targeted support for those children who will benefit.
Funding for the 16-19 tuition fund is currently in place until the end of the 2023/24 academic year. The Department is evaluating the Tuition Fund and considering the most appropriate way to support disadvantaged 16-19 students from the 2024/25 academic year.
The NTP’s Year 2 Implementation and Process Evaluation report examined the implementation of the programme in the 2021/22 academic year. It found that most head teachers were satisfied with the programme and that the programme is perceived as having a positive impact on pupils’ attainment, self confidence and helping them catch up with their peers. It also found that most schools are prioritising pupil premium eligible pupils for tutoring. This report can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-tutoring-programme-year-2-implementation-and-process-evaluation. The Department plans to publish in autumn 2023 an external quantitative impact evaluation, which explores the impact of the programme on pupil attainment in the 2021/22 academic year.
For the 2020/21 to 2023/24 academic years, the Department is making available funding of up to £420 million for one to one and small group tuition for 16 to 19 year olds. The 16-19 tuition fund is targeted at students in most need, enabling schools and colleges to deliver up to 700,000 tuition sessions each year.
The 16-19 tuition fund implementation and process evaluation report was published in July 2023 and can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/16-to-19-tuition-fund-implementation-and-process-evaluation-report. This reported that over 80% of students were satisfied with the tuition they received and found its content relevant. A full report on the impact of the tuition fund will be completed later this year and published in due course.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has for the (a) National Tutoring Programme and (b) 16-19 Tuition Fund after the end of this academic year.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Department has made over £1 billion available through the National Tutoring Programme (NTP) over the four academic years since the programme’s introduction in summer 2021, which has seen the Department deliver nearly 4 million tutoring courses as of May 2023. This has included providing £310 million directly to schools in the 2021/22 academic year and £350 million in the 2022/23 academic year. In the 2023/24 academic year, the Department will provide £150 million directly to schools.
In the 2021/22 academic year, which is the most recent full year for which data is available, 47% of pupils receiving tutoring were eligible for free school meals at some point in the last six years. Final delivery figures for the 2022/23 academic year will be published in December. Figures for the current academic year will be published throughout the year.
The Department has committed that, from the 2023/24 academic year, tutoring will have been embedded across schools in England. The Department expects tutoring to continue to be a staple offer from schools, with schools using their core budget, including pupil premium, to provide targeted support for those children who will benefit.
Funding for the 16-19 tuition fund is currently in place until the end of the 2023/24 academic year. The Department is evaluating the Tuition Fund and considering the most appropriate way to support disadvantaged 16-19 students from the 2024/25 academic year.
The NTP’s Year 2 Implementation and Process Evaluation report examined the implementation of the programme in the 2021/22 academic year. It found that most head teachers were satisfied with the programme and that the programme is perceived as having a positive impact on pupils’ attainment, self confidence and helping them catch up with their peers. It also found that most schools are prioritising pupil premium eligible pupils for tutoring. This report can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-tutoring-programme-year-2-implementation-and-process-evaluation. The Department plans to publish in autumn 2023 an external quantitative impact evaluation, which explores the impact of the programme on pupil attainment in the 2021/22 academic year.
For the 2020/21 to 2023/24 academic years, the Department is making available funding of up to £420 million for one to one and small group tuition for 16 to 19 year olds. The 16-19 tuition fund is targeted at students in most need, enabling schools and colleges to deliver up to 700,000 tuition sessions each year.
The 16-19 tuition fund implementation and process evaluation report was published in July 2023 and can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/16-to-19-tuition-fund-implementation-and-process-evaluation-report. This reported that over 80% of students were satisfied with the tuition they received and found its content relevant. A full report on the impact of the tuition fund will be completed later this year and published in due course.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many meetings she has had with which LGBT+ organisations on transgender guidance for schools in the last 12 months.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Secretary of State has not met any lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) organisations directly to discuss the guidance, but the Department is keen to consider the full range of views and will be undertaking a public consultation on the draft guidance prior to publication.
During the consultation period, the Department plans to engage with a range of interested organisations, including organisations that support the LGBT community.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help improve the provision of literature and poetry programmes in secondary schools.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The National Curriculum for English aims to ensure that all pupils appreciate our rich and varied literary heritage. It encourages pupils to read a range of books, poems and plays to encourage the development of a life long love of literature. Pupils should be taught to maintain positive attitudes to reading and understanding of what they read by increasing their familiarity with a wide range of books.
The Department has strengthened the Key Stage 4 English programmes of study to ensure all pupils read a wide range of high quality, challenging, classic English literature. There is a renewed focus on the reading of whole texts.
The 2022 Autumn Statement announced that funding for mainstream schools and high needs is £3.5 billion higher in 2023/24, compared to 2022/23. That is on top of the £4 billion, year-on-year increase provided in 2022/23 –;an increase of £7.5 billion, or over 15%, in just two years. This funding is not ringfenced and can include literature and poetry programmes.
The Department also funds Poetry by Heart which helps to develop and support inspiring poetry teaching in schools, and to motivate pupils and teachers to explore our rich literary heritage.
Since 2012, the Department has funded a National Poetry Recitation Competition (NPRC), which helps to develop and support inspiring poetry teaching in primary and secondary schools.
NPRC encourages schools to participate to improve pupils' knowledge and enjoyment of poetry and to improve spoken language through poetry recitation and recall.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help protect social workers from facing violence at work.
Answered by David Johnston - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Social workers make a real, positive difference to the outcomes of children and families every day. It is with thanks to their work that many children go on to thrive. The government is dedicated to ensuring there is an excellent child and family social worker for everyone who needs one.
Local authorities are responsible for the delivery of children’s social care and to determine the appropriate practice model and staffing levels to ensure high quality assessment and support for all children who need them. Ofsted inspect local authorities to ensure that children’s services meet the needs of the local population. The health and safety of social workers is primarily a matter for their employer. For child and family social workers, this is the relevant local authority. It is the responsibility of the local authority to ensure that working practices and processes are safe for their workers.
The standards for employers of social workers in England have been developed by the sector and set out the shared core expectations of employers which will enable social workers in all employment settings to work effectively and safely. The standards can be found at: https://www.local.gov.uk/our-support/workforce-and-hr-support/social-workers/standards-employers-social-workers-england-3.
Over the current spending review period, the department will continue to invest more than £50 million every year on recruiting, training, and developing child and family social workers to ensure the workforce has the capacity, skills, and knowledge to do their job and to support and protect vulnerable children.
In addition, the reforms set out in our children's social care strategy, Stable Homes, Built on Love, will boost social worker supply, provide more support earlier in their careers and help improve working conditions to encourage social workers to stay in practice for longer, and make sure they feel valued.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of research from the Child Poverty Action Group that 900,000 children in England were living in poverty without access to free school meals; if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of free school meal provision; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Department continues to monitor the consequences of the rising cost of living and is working with other Government Departments in providing support. The Department will continue to keep free school meal (FSM) eligibility under review, ensuring that these meals are supporting those who most need them. In setting a threshold, the Department believes that the current level, which enables children to benefit from FSM, while remaining affordable and deliverable for schools, is the right one.
Since 2010, the number of pupils receiving FSM has increased by more than two million. This increase in provision is due to the introduction of Universal Infant Free School Meals and protections put in place as benefit recipients move across to Universal Credit. Over a third of pupils in England now receive FSM, compared with one in six in 2010.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to (a) engage with (i) national supermarkets and (ii) other parts of the retail sector to encourage them to offer Supported Internships to adults with learning difficulties and (b) increase the number of employers offering Supported Internships.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
Supported internships are personalised study programmes, specifically designed to support young people aged 16-24 with Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans, to prepare for and transition into sustained, paid employment. A variety of placements exist, including with high profile retailers such as Waitrose.
In February 2022, the department announced an investment of up to £18 million over the next three years to build capacity in the Supported Internships programme, aiming to double the number of Supported Internships to give more young people with an EHC plan the skills to secure and sustain paid employment.
The Internships Work consortium are the department’s contracted partner and deliver activities to expand and improve Supported Internships provision across the country. As part of this work, DFN Project Search are engaging and supporting a wide range of employers. By March 2025 they will identify and train 800 new employer champions, to strengthen the links between Supported Internships and employers across all sectors. DFN Project Search have provided local authorities with training on how to engage with Employer Champions and how local authorities can develop their local Supported Internship offer.
Finally, in the Spring Budget 2023, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced up to £3 million to pilot extending Supported Internships to young people without EHC plans. Through this pilot the department will seek to establish whether the Supported Internship model is an effective approach for learners with learning difficulties and disabilities without an EHC plan. We will identify the benefits and challenges of using the Supported Internship model to support this cohort and use learning from the pilot to consider if and how the approach could be rolled out more widely.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with LGBT+ organisations on the release of transgender education guidance.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Gender is a complex and sensitive issue and the Department engages with a wide range of interested organisations in developing policy in this area, including LGBT+ organisations.
The Department is working closely with the Minister for Women and Equalities to develop guidance for schools and colleges on children questioning their gender. In undertaking a public consultation on the draft guidance prior to publication, the Department will consider a wide range of views.