Asked by: Paul Blomfield (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 23 March 2021 to Question 168889, on GCE A-level and GCSE: Assessments, what specific guidance his Department has issued to schools and colleges on taking into account the mitigating circumstances faced by young carers when determining GCSE and A level grades.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Department is committed to ensuring that all those who were due to take exams in 2021 have the best possible chance to show what they know and can do, enabling them to progress to the next stage of their education, training, or employment, no matter their background.
Following the Department’s response on 23 March 2021, the Joint Council for Qualifications has published guidance on the determination of grades in Summer 2021: https://www.jcq.org.uk/summer-2021-arrangements/. As the guidance states, the range of evidence teachers can use to determine the grades of their pupils is flexible and they should only be assessed on what they have been taught.
Mitigating circumstances and access to reasonable adjustments should be taken into account by teachers when deciding which evidence to use, with flexibility to substitute or discount evidence. Where a pupil’s performance in assessments is impaired through an event outside of the pupil’s control and may have affected their performance in assessments which will be used to determine a grade, this should be taken into account by teachers. Centres must be satisfied that the issue or event has had, or is reasonably likely to have had, a material effect on a pupil’s ability to demonstrate their normal level of attainment in an assessment. Pupils must be reminded to raise any mitigating circumstances which warrant special consideration as soon as possible, ideally at the time of the assessment and prior to the submission of the teacher assessed grade.
We want to make sure that young carers get the support they need and are able to take advantage of opportunities beyond their caring responsibilities. The 'Schools Coronavirus (COVID-19) Operational Guidance' recognises that some young people, including some young carers, might feel anxious about attending school. The Government has published guidance for both schools and local authorities on how best to support families and protect vulnerable children during COVID-19, alongside guidance for young people with caring responsibilities, which includes information on how and where they can get help and support.
We remain committed to supporting young carers, and will continue to work closely with schools, stakeholders, care organisations and the wider sector. The Government continues to fund projects to support vulnerable children and young people whose usual support networks have been impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak, including young carers as a target group. The provision includes a range of support, including online counselling and helping children and young people stay connected with school.
Asked by: Paul Blomfield (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans he has to replace the youth international volunteering opportunities that were part of Erasmus+ and are not covered in the Turing Scheme.
Answered by Michelle Donelan - Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
International opportunities for young people (outside of formal education settings such as schools, colleges and universities) are being considered as part of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport-led Youth Review. The review was commissioned by Her Majesty's Treasury at the 2020 Spending Review. Future funding is subject to decisions at the next Spending Review.
The Turing Scheme is an international education mobility scheme, providing funding for around 35,000 students in universities, colleges and schools to study or gain work experience overseas, starting in September 2021. The Turing scheme is truly global, with every country in the world eligible to partner with UK educational providers. The new scheme will seek to support students from disadvantaged backgrounds and areas which did not previously have many students benefiting from Erasmus+, making life-changing opportunities accessible to everyone across the country.
Asked by: Paul Blomfield (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, on what date all university students will be able to return to campus and resume in-person teaching during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Michelle Donelan - Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
Following the review into when the remaining higher education students can return to in-person teaching and learning, the government has announced that the remaining students should return to in-person teaching no earlier than 17 May 2021, alongside Step 3 of the roadmap. Students and institutions will be given at least a week’s notice of any further return in accordance with the timing of Step 3 of the roadmap.
The government roadmap is designed to maintain a cautious approach to the easing of restrictions to reduce public health risks and ensure that we can maintain progress towards full reopening. However, the government recognises the difficulties and disruption that this may cause for many students and their families and that is why the government is making a further £15 million of additional student hardship funding available for this academic year 2020/21. In total we have made an additional £85 million of funding available for student hardship.
We are supporting universities to provide regular twice weekly asymptomatic testing for all students and staff on-site and, from May, at home. This will help break chains of transmission of the virus.
Asked by: Paul Blomfield (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what advice he is giving to schools and colleges on taking account of caring responsibilities of their students when determining GCSE and A Level grades in summer 2021.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Department will do whatever it can to make sure no child, whatever their background or location, falls behind as a result of COVID-19. We know that young carers may be particularly vulnerable during this time and ensuring that vulnerable children and young people remain protected is our top priority.
Given the ongoing disruption to education caused by the COVID-19 outbreak, we announced in January 2021 that GCSE, AS and A level exams will not go ahead as planned this summer. The interests of pupils are at the core of our recommendations. Our priority is to ensure all those due to take exams in 2021 have the best possible chance to show what they know and can do, enabling them to progress to the next stage of their education, training or employment.
Teachers have the flexibility to use a range of evidence, including the use of optional questions provided by exam boards, mock exams, non-examined assessment coursework, or in-class tests set by the school which align closely with the awarding organisation’s specification for the qualification. Teachers can draw from a range of evidence from across the duration of the pupil’s course, to determine their grade and work produced outside of the school or college environment, for example at home, can be included as evidence to support a teacher’s judgement.
We know there has been differential education loss, as some pupils have suffered more disruption to their education than others. Because of this, pupils will only be assessed on the content they have been taught.
We have also been clear that mitigating circumstances and pupils who are entitled to reasonable adjustments should be taken into account by teachers when deciding which evidence to use, with flexibility to substitute or discount evidence.
Asked by: Paul Blomfield (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to support UK students wishing to study in the EU with visa fees.
Answered by Michelle Donelan - Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
It is, and has always been, a matter for individual governments to decide on the level of visa fees that they charge and to whom the fees apply.
UK nationals who are studying in the EU in any capacity should consult their higher education (HE) provider to establish whether any support is available, noting that UK nationals who are on placements or exchanges as part of a UK course may be eligible for maintenance support if enrolled at a UK HE provider.
Cultural exchanges help to build important business, political and diplomatic bridges around the world. The Turing Scheme is the UK government’s global programme to study and work abroad, providing funding for students at UK institutions to travel abroad.
Disadvantaged participants on the Turing Scheme placements will be eligible to receive actual costs for additional travel expenses, including costs of visas, as well as passports, and health insurance.
Information on entry requirements and visas is available on the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) travel advice pages. Additional information about moving to EU Member States can be found in the FCDO’s ‘Living in country guides’.
Asked by: Paul Blomfield (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 22 January 2021 to Question 137193, when the Turing Scheme will be open for applications.
Answered by Michelle Donelan - Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
We will be launching a website with more information on the Turing Scheme and setting out the application process in the coming weeks, for mobilities to start in September 2021.
Asked by: Paul Blomfield (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to (a) replace opportunities for students from the EU to study and train in the UK and (b) extend those opportunities to other countries after the UK’s withdrawal from the Erasmus+ programme.
Answered by Michelle Donelan - Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
Under the Withdrawal Agreement negotiated with the EU, the UK will continue to participate fully in the 2014-2020 Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps programmes. This means that the projects successfully bid for during the current programmes will continue to receive EU funding for the full duration of the project, including those where funding runs beyond 2020 and the end of the transition period.
The government has decided that it is not in the UK's interests to seek continuing participation in the next Erasmus+ programme. Instead, the UK is introducing a new international educational exchange scheme that has a genuinely global reach. Under the Turing scheme, UK universities, colleges and schools will be able to bid for funding to enable their students to travel abroad for study and work placements starting in September 2021 – for any of their students, regardless of nationality.
UK institutions are already speaking to their European counterparts to ensure they maintain and build upon their strong relationships. The government will support this engagement while also working to directly promote the Turing scheme overseas through government-to-government engagement.
The UK is a world-leading destination for study and research, with four universities in the world’s top 10, and 18 in the top 100. The UK is currently second only to the USA as a destination for international higher education students with approximately 486,000 students from abroad. We have considerable appeal as a destination and partner in international mobilities and exchanges, not just within the EU but across the world. Through our planned update to the International Education Strategy, and measures such as the new Graduate Route, we intend to build on this global reputation.
We will soon be launching the website and announcing the bidding process for mobilities to start in September 2021.
Asked by: Paul Blomfield (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when the the Turing Scheme will be open for applications.
Answered by Michelle Donelan - Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
Under the Withdrawal Agreement negotiated with the EU, the UK will continue to participate fully in the 2014-2020 Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps programmes. This means that the projects successfully bid for during the current programmes will continue to receive EU funding for the full duration of the project, including those where funding runs beyond 2020 and the end of the transition period.
The government has decided that it is not in the UK's interests to seek continuing participation in the next Erasmus+ programme. Instead, the UK is introducing a new international educational exchange scheme that has a genuinely global reach. Under the Turing scheme, UK universities, colleges and schools will be able to bid for funding to enable their students to travel abroad for study and work placements starting in September 2021 – for any of their students, regardless of nationality.
UK institutions are already speaking to their European counterparts to ensure they maintain and build upon their strong relationships. The government will support this engagement while also working to directly promote the Turing scheme overseas through government-to-government engagement.
The UK is a world-leading destination for study and research, with four universities in the world’s top 10, and 18 in the top 100. The UK is currently second only to the USA as a destination for international higher education students with approximately 486,000 students from abroad. We have considerable appeal as a destination and partner in international mobilities and exchanges, not just within the EU but across the world. Through our planned update to the International Education Strategy, and measures such as the new Graduate Route, we intend to build on this global reputation.
We will soon be launching the website and announcing the bidding process for mobilities to start in September 2021.
Asked by: Paul Blomfield (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate he has made of the additional costs incurred by schools as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Ministers and officials continue to engage regularly with school leaders and their representatives on a wide range of issues around COVID-19, including discussions in relation to costs faced by schools at this time.
Schools have continued to receive their core funding allocations throughout the COVID-19 outbreak. Following last year’s Spending Round, school budgets are rising by £2.6 billion in the 2020-21 financial year, £4.8 billion in 2021-22 and £7.1 billion in 2022-23, compared to 2019-20. This increase in funding will help schools with costs associated with the COVID-19 outbreak.
The Department has announced a new COVID-19 workforce fund for schools and colleges to help them to remain open. It will fund the costs of teacher absences over a threshold in schools and colleges with high staff absences that are also facing significant financial pressures. Guidance on the claims process will be published shortly so schools and colleges have confidence in the costs they can incur and be eligible to reclaim.
Schools have already received payments of £102 million for exceptional costs during the summer months, and there will be a further opportunity later in the year for schools to claim for any costs that fell between March and July in the same approved categories, for which they did not claim during the first window.
To support schools in making up for lost teaching time, there is a £1 billion catch up package for schools, which includes a universal £650 million ‘Catch Up Premium’. Our expectation is that this funding will be spent on the additional activities required to support children and young people to catch up after a period of disruption to their education. Alongside this, the catch up package includes the National Tutoring Programme for disadvantaged 5 to 16 year old pupils. This scheme will provide additional, targeted support for disadvantaged pupils who need the most help to catch up.
The Department has also provided support for schools to deliver remote education. In October 2020, the Department announced a support package to help schools meet the remote education expectations set out in the schools guidance for full opening, including access to the right technology to deliver remote education, as well as curriculum guidance and resources. As part of over £195 million invested to support access to remote education and online social care, over 340,000 laptops and tablets are being made available this term to support disadvantaged children in Years 3 to 11 whose face to face education may be disrupted. Since September 2020, over 100,000 of these have been delivered to schools.
Asked by: Paul Blomfield (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether EEA nationals aged 16 to 19 will be eligible to apply for funding from his Department for (a) higher education and (b) apprenticeships after August 2021.
Answered by Michelle Donelan - Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
We have agreed with the EU that current EU principles of equal treatment will continue to apply for those covered by the citizens’ rights provisions in the EU Withdrawal Agreement and the EEA EFTA Separation Agreement. This means that EU nationals resident in the UK (and UK nationals resident in the EU), before the end of the transition period on 31 December 2020, will be eligible for support on a similar basis to domestic students in the relevant host state.
EU and other EEA nationals not in the scope of the citizens’ rights protections will not be eligible for home fee status, undergraduate, postgraduate and advanced learner financial support from Student Finance England for courses starting in the academic year 2021/22. This change will also apply to further education funding for those aged 19 and above. It will not affect students starting courses in the academic year 2020/21. This will not apply to students from Ireland whose right to study and to access benefits and services will be preserved on a reciprocal basis under the Common Travel Area arrangement.
From August 2021, EU and other EEA citizens, and their family members, as well as non-EEA citizens, will be eligible for apprenticeship funding in England if they have permission to live and work in the UK and meet the residency eligibility criteria in place at the time, which will be set out in the funding rules for the academic year 2021/22.
EEA students, staff and researchers make an important contribution to our universities. The government wants that contribution to continue and is confident – given the world-leading quality of our higher education sector – that it will.