Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information the Government holds on how many Indian nationals studied in UK universities in financial years (a) 2019-20 and (b) 2020-21.
Answered by Robert Halfon
The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) collects and publishes statistics on higher education (HE) at UK Higher Education Providers (HEPs). The latest statistics refer to the 2021/22 academic year.
HESA’s Student Open Data includes a table reporting on the number of Non-UK HE enrolments broken down by HEP and country of domicile between the 2014/15 to 2021/22 academic years. The data is available at: https://www.hesa.ac.uk/data-and-analysis/students/table-28.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what data her Department holds on the number of British universities which have twinned with Indian universities and academic institutions; and if her Department will provide details of which universities have twinned with which Indian institutions.
Answered by Robert Halfon
The department welcomes collaborative arrangements between UK and Indian academic institutions to progress commitments made in the 2030 Roadmap for UK-India relations, and in the International Education Strategy, which names India as a priority country. Further details are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/international-education-strategy-supporting-recovery-and-growth.
The department does not systematically collect data on institutional partnerships with India, although a number of institutional partnerships are being pursued and encouraged by the government and the UK’s International Education Champion, Sir Steve Smith.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 7 February to Question 135464 on Special Educational Needs: Hearing Impairment, for what reason the School Workforce Census not collect data on the numbers of teachers of the deaf employed by schools and local authorities; and if she will make it her policy to collect this information.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
Information on the school workforce in England is collected as part of the annual School Workforce Census each November. Information is published in the ‘School Workforce in England’ statistical publication. This is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england.
Information on the qualifications held by teachers is collected in the annual census. In the subject categories, qualifications to teach children with a hearing impairment would come under the broader category of ‘SEN – Sensory impairment’, which covers other sensory impairments such as visual and multi-sensory impairments.
There are currently no plans to change the collected list of qualification subjects to identify qualifications relating to sensory impairments at a more granular level.
The department is firmly committed to ensuring that children with special educational needs and disabilities, including hearing impairments, receive the support they need to achieve in their early years, at school and college.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 7 February 2023 on Special Educational Needs: Hearing Impairment, for what reason the School Workforce Census data does not collect data on the numbers of Teachers of the Deaf employed by schools and local authorities; and whether her Department plans to collect these data.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
Information on the school workforce in England is collected as part of the annual School Workforce Census each November. Information is published in the ‘School Workforce in England’ statistical publication, which can be accessed here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england.
Information on the qualifications held by teachers is collected in the annual census. In the subject categories that the department collects, qualifications to teach children with a hearing impairment would come under the broader category of ‘SEN – Sensory impairment’, which covers other sensory impairments, such as visual and multi-sensory impairments.
There are currently no plans to change the collected list of qualification subjects to identify qualifications relating to sensory impairments at a more granular level.
The department is firmly committed to ensuring that children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including hearing impairments, receive the support they need to achieve throughout their education.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 20 July 2022 to Question 37614 on Schools: Buildings, which schools had at least one construction element in condition grade (a) C and (b) D in Stockport constituency when that data was collated; and which of those schools (i) have received and (ii) expect to receive in the next two years funding from the School Rebuilding Programme.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Condition Data Collection (CDC) is one of the largest and most comprehensive data collection programmes in the UK’s public sector. It collected data on the building condition of government funded schools in England. It provides a robust evidence base to enable the Department to target capital funding for maintaining and rebuilding school buildings.
The key, high level findings of the CDC programme were published in May 2021 in the ‘Condition of School Buildings Survey: Key Findings’ report. This is available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/989912/Condition_of_School_Buildings_Survey_CDC1_-_key_findings_report.pdf.
Individual CDC reports have been shared with every school and their responsible body to use alongside their existing condition surveys to plan maintenance schedules and investment plans. The Department plans to publish detailed school level CDC data. The Department is still preparing the data and will publish it as soon as possible.
Well maintained, safe school buildings are a priority for the Department. Our funding is directed both to maintaining the condition of the school estate and rebuilding schools. The Department has allocated over £13 billion for improving the condition of schools since 2015, including £1.8 billion committed this financial year.
The ten year School Rebuilding Programme (SRP) is condition led. 400 of the 500 available places on the programme have been provisionally allocated. A list of these schools and the methodology used to select them is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-rebuilding-programme-schools-in-the-programme.
The following table shows the constituencies specified that have schools or colleges selected for the SRP:
Parliamentary constituency | Schools selected for SRP |
Warwick and Leamington |
|
The 239 schools announced in December 2022 will enter delivery at a rate of approximately 50 per year, over a five year period from 2023. The Department is currently undertaking due diligence on these schools prior to scheduling them, with schools prioritised according to the condition of their buildings, readiness to proceed, and efficiency of delivery. The scope and funding for each project will be confirmed following detailed feasibility studies and condition surveys of buildings.
Where a school identifies significant safety issues with a building, that cannot be managed within local resources, the Department considers additional support on a case-by-case basis. This includes applications for Urgent Capital Support (UCS) from eligible institutions. Schools eligible for Condition Improvement Fund (CIF) can apply for UCS where there are urgent health and safety issues that threaten school closure and cannot wait until the next CIF bidding round.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many teachers of the deaf are employed in (a) England, (b) Greater Manchester and (c) Stockport.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
Information on the number of qualified teachers of the deaf is not collected by the department.
Information on the school workforce in England is collected as part of the annual School Workforce Census each November. Information is published in the ‘School Workforce in England’ statistical publication. This can be accessed here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many foster carers there are in Stockport (a) constituency and (b) borough.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
The department does not hold the information on numbers of foster carers per constituency and borough. This is a matter for Ofsted, or Stockport Children’s Social Service’s department, who are responsible for collecting and presenting this information.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department is taking steps to help increase participation in cricket in primary schools.
Answered by Nick Gibb
PE and Sport is a compulsory subject within the National Curriculum from Key Stage 1 to Key Stage 4. It is up to schools to decide which sports to choose for pupils both in PE and Sport and as extracurricular opportunities. The National Curriculum does not specify what schools should provide, but cricket is included as an example of a sport that can provide important elements of the PE and Sport National Curriculum programme of study in Key Stage 2.
Where schools want to provide specific sports, they can draw on support from the relevant national governing body. The England and Wales Cricket Board offer a wide range of resources and age appropriate guidance and advice for delivering cricket to primary age pupils, including the All Stars programme for five to eight year olds.
The PE and Sport premium can be used by primary schools to increase provision of sports, such as cricket, to a higher standard. The Department is providing £326 million in 2022/23 through the primary PE and sport premium. The funding position for 2023/24 and beyond will be announced in due course.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help improve post-18 education options for young people in Stockport constituency.
Answered by Robert Halfon
The department is investing £3.8 billion more in further education and skills over the Parliament to ensure people across the country, including in Stockport, have access to the skills they need to get on the ladder of opportunity and build a fulfilling career in jobs the economy needs.
We are investing a further £125 million in 16-19 education in the 2023/24 financial year and an extra £1.6 billion in 2024/25 compared with 2021/22. This is the biggest increase in 16-19 funding in a decade and will help to fund the additional students anticipated in the system, 40 extra hours per student, and an affordable increase in funding rates per 16-19 student.
This additional funding will help providers such as Trafford College Group, which includes Stockport College and sixth form campuses within Stockport at Cheadle and Marple. The department provided significant financial support to enable these Stockport-based campuses to become part of the Trafford College Group, which was awarded an Overall Effectiveness grade of Good by Ofsted in January 2023. The department has also committed to significant capital investment at the Cheadle Campus, supporting a £27 million condition improvement scheme.
We are increasing investment in apprenticeships to £2.7 billion by the 2024/25 financial year and supporting employers in all sectors and all areas of the country, including Stockport, to use apprenticeships to develop the skilled workforces they need. Since May 2010, there have been a total of 10,930 apprenticeship starts in Stockport.
As part of the department’s commitment through the £2.5 billion National Skills Fund aimed at re-skilling and up-skilling opportunities to make sure adults, at any age, can upskill to reach their potential, we have introduced the Free Courses for Jobs scheme. This enables learners without a level 3 qualification (or learners with any qualification level but earning below the National Living Wage) to gain a qualification for free. Residents in Stockport can access provision in a range of sector subject areas delivered through colleges and training providers in the area for example in accounting, creative digital media and counselling.
In addition, we have also introduced Skills Bootcamps, which are free, flexible courses of up to 16 weeks, giving people the opportunity to build up sector-specific skills and fast-track to an interview with an employer. All the Skills Bootcamps that the Greater Manchester Combined Authority deliver are available to residents and employers in the Stockport area. These include Skills Bootcamps in digital, construction, engineering, HGV driving and skills that support the green economy, delivered both online and face-to-face.
The department is continuing to invest in education and skills training for adults through the Adult Education Budget (AEB) at £1.34 billion in the 2021/22 academic year. The AEB fully funds or co-funds skills provision for eligible adults aged 19 and above from pre-entry to level 3, to help them gain the skills they need for work, an apprenticeship or further learning.
Currently, approximately 60% of the AEB is devolved to nine Mayoral Combined Authorities (MCAs) and the Mayor of London. This includes the Greater Manchester MCA which covers Stockport. This gives the authority direct control over adult education provision for their residents and provides the local area with the opportunity to meet local needs.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of high energy prices on school budgets.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Government is prioritising further funding for schools. The Autumn Statement has provided an additional increase in the core schools’ budget of £2.3 billion in both 2023/24 and 2024/25. After adjusting budgets down to account for the removal of the compensation for employer costs of the Health and Social Care Levy, this brings the core schools budget to a total of £58.8 billion in 2024/25, £2.0 billion greater than published in the 2021 Spending Review. Schools' funding is already £4 billion higher this year than last year, and this additional funding means it will rise by another £3.5 billion next year. Taken together, that means a 15% increase in funding in two years. This should help schools to tackle the inflationary pressures that they are facing.
Schools have also received significant support from the Government’s Energy Bill Relief Scheme, which will run until April 2023. An HM Treasury led review of the Energy Bill Relief Scheme (EBRS) will determine support for non-domestic consumers in the UK from 1 April 2023, with results to be published by the end of 2022. Schools will continue to receive the EBRS until 31 March 2023.
The Department knows that each school’s circumstances are different, and where schools are in serious financial difficulty, they should contact their Local Authority or the Education and Skills Funding Agency.