Asked by: Philip Dunne (Conservative - Ludlow)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will publish any independent accredited research undertaken or commissioned by his Department on the number of electively home-educated children who do not receive a suitable education.
Answered by Will Quince
The department does not currently collect data on numbers of home educated children or school attendance orders. Such data as is collected is held by local authorities. Parents are not required to register if they are home educating their children and, therefore, there is not a robust basis on which the department or independent accredited researchers can reliably collect statistics on home education.
The department supports the right of parents to educate their children at home. Most do so with the best education of their child at the centre of their decision. The department is aware of increasing numbers of home educated children, which cannot be overlooked. For some parents, the child’s education is not the primary reason behind the decision to home educate, which can mean that some children are not being provided with a suitable education.
Local authorities are under a duty to take action if it appears to them that the home education provided to a child is unsuitable. The department issued revised and strengthened guidance to local authorities in April 2019, setting out how they can exercise their powers in this regard. This guidance will be reviewed again in due course.
The department remains committed to a form of local authority register for children not in school and we will legislate for it at the next suitable opportunity. The department have already consulted on proposals in the Children Not in School consultation, and their response to the consultation, published on 3 February 2022, reaffirmed this commitment to create local authority registers of children not attending registered independent or local authority- maintained schools, and to place a duty on local authorities to provide support for home-educating families (should they want it). Such duties will help local authorities undertake their existing duties, improve data on children in scope, as well as help safeguard all children who are in scope. In addition to the Children Not in school consultation, officials continue to engage with relevant stakeholders as we prepare for the next legislative opportunity. There are no immediate plans to commission, undertake or publish any independent accredited research on elective home education, for the reason noted above.
Asked by: Philip Dunne (Conservative - Ludlow)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he plans to launch a public consultation on his proposal for a register of electively home-educated children when the draft legislation is published.
Answered by Will Quince
The department does not currently collect data on numbers of home educated children or school attendance orders. Such data as is collected is held by local authorities. Parents are not required to register if they are home educating their children and, therefore, there is not a robust basis on which the department or independent accredited researchers can reliably collect statistics on home education.
The department supports the right of parents to educate their children at home. Most do so with the best education of their child at the centre of their decision. The department is aware of increasing numbers of home educated children, which cannot be overlooked. For some parents, the child’s education is not the primary reason behind the decision to home educate, which can mean that some children are not being provided with a suitable education.
Local authorities are under a duty to take action if it appears to them that the home education provided to a child is unsuitable. The department issued revised and strengthened guidance to local authorities in April 2019, setting out how they can exercise their powers in this regard. This guidance will be reviewed again in due course.
The department remains committed to a form of local authority register for children not in school and we will legislate for it at the next suitable opportunity. The department have already consulted on proposals in the Children Not in School consultation, and their response to the consultation, published on 3 February 2022, reaffirmed this commitment to create local authority registers of children not attending registered independent or local authority- maintained schools, and to place a duty on local authorities to provide support for home-educating families (should they want it). Such duties will help local authorities undertake their existing duties, improve data on children in scope, as well as help safeguard all children who are in scope. In addition to the Children Not in school consultation, officials continue to engage with relevant stakeholders as we prepare for the next legislative opportunity. There are no immediate plans to commission, undertake or publish any independent accredited research on elective home education, for the reason noted above.
Asked by: Philip Dunne (Conservative - Ludlow)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, in how many cases where school attendance orders were issued by local authorities in England on electively home-educated children did a court subsequently direct that the order should cease to be in force because it was found that the education was suitable in each of the last five years.
Answered by Will Quince
The department does not currently collect data on numbers of home educated children or school attendance orders. Such data as is collected is held by local authorities. Parents are not required to register if they are home educating their children and, therefore, there is not a robust basis on which the department or independent accredited researchers can reliably collect statistics on home education.
The department supports the right of parents to educate their children at home. Most do so with the best education of their child at the centre of their decision. The department is aware of increasing numbers of home educated children, which cannot be overlooked. For some parents, the child’s education is not the primary reason behind the decision to home educate, which can mean that some children are not being provided with a suitable education.
Local authorities are under a duty to take action if it appears to them that the home education provided to a child is unsuitable. The department issued revised and strengthened guidance to local authorities in April 2019, setting out how they can exercise their powers in this regard. This guidance will be reviewed again in due course.
The department remains committed to a form of local authority register for children not in school and we will legislate for it at the next suitable opportunity. The department have already consulted on proposals in the Children Not in School consultation, and their response to the consultation, published on 3 February 2022, reaffirmed this commitment to create local authority registers of children not attending registered independent or local authority- maintained schools, and to place a duty on local authorities to provide support for home-educating families (should they want it). Such duties will help local authorities undertake their existing duties, improve data on children in scope, as well as help safeguard all children who are in scope. In addition to the Children Not in school consultation, officials continue to engage with relevant stakeholders as we prepare for the next legislative opportunity. There are no immediate plans to commission, undertake or publish any independent accredited research on elective home education, for the reason noted above.
Asked by: Philip Dunne (Conservative - Ludlow)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many school attendance orders were issued by local authorities on electively home-educated children in England in each of the last five years.
Answered by Will Quince
The department does not currently collect data on numbers of home educated children or school attendance orders. Such data as is collected is held by local authorities. Parents are not required to register if they are home educating their children and, therefore, there is not a robust basis on which the department or independent accredited researchers can reliably collect statistics on home education.
The department supports the right of parents to educate their children at home. Most do so with the best education of their child at the centre of their decision. The department is aware of increasing numbers of home educated children, which cannot be overlooked. For some parents, the child’s education is not the primary reason behind the decision to home educate, which can mean that some children are not being provided with a suitable education.
Local authorities are under a duty to take action if it appears to them that the home education provided to a child is unsuitable. The department issued revised and strengthened guidance to local authorities in April 2019, setting out how they can exercise their powers in this regard. This guidance will be reviewed again in due course.
The department remains committed to a form of local authority register for children not in school and we will legislate for it at the next suitable opportunity. The department have already consulted on proposals in the Children Not in School consultation, and their response to the consultation, published on 3 February 2022, reaffirmed this commitment to create local authority registers of children not attending registered independent or local authority- maintained schools, and to place a duty on local authorities to provide support for home-educating families (should they want it). Such duties will help local authorities undertake their existing duties, improve data on children in scope, as well as help safeguard all children who are in scope. In addition to the Children Not in school consultation, officials continue to engage with relevant stakeholders as we prepare for the next legislative opportunity. There are no immediate plans to commission, undertake or publish any independent accredited research on elective home education, for the reason noted above.
Asked by: Philip Dunne (Conservative - Ludlow)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children were recorded as being electively home-educated by local authorities in England in each of the last five years.
Answered by Will Quince
The department does not currently collect data on numbers of home educated children or school attendance orders. Such data as is collected is held by local authorities. Parents are not required to register if they are home educating their children and, therefore, there is not a robust basis on which the department or independent accredited researchers can reliably collect statistics on home education.
The department supports the right of parents to educate their children at home. Most do so with the best education of their child at the centre of their decision. The department is aware of increasing numbers of home educated children, which cannot be overlooked. For some parents, the child’s education is not the primary reason behind the decision to home educate, which can mean that some children are not being provided with a suitable education.
Local authorities are under a duty to take action if it appears to them that the home education provided to a child is unsuitable. The department issued revised and strengthened guidance to local authorities in April 2019, setting out how they can exercise their powers in this regard. This guidance will be reviewed again in due course.
The department remains committed to a form of local authority register for children not in school and we will legislate for it at the next suitable opportunity. The department have already consulted on proposals in the Children Not in School consultation, and their response to the consultation, published on 3 February 2022, reaffirmed this commitment to create local authority registers of children not attending registered independent or local authority- maintained schools, and to place a duty on local authorities to provide support for home-educating families (should they want it). Such duties will help local authorities undertake their existing duties, improve data on children in scope, as well as help safeguard all children who are in scope. In addition to the Children Not in school consultation, officials continue to engage with relevant stakeholders as we prepare for the next legislative opportunity. There are no immediate plans to commission, undertake or publish any independent accredited research on elective home education, for the reason noted above.
Asked by: Philip Dunne (Conservative - Ludlow)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has made an assessment of changes in the level of awareness of death, dying and bereavement among school-age children as a result of the covid-19 pandemic.
Answered by Will Quince
The department wants to support all young people to be happy, healthy, safe, to equip them for their adult life and to make a positive contribution to society.
Schools and colleges have an important role to play in supporting the resilience and mental health of children and young people. We have made relationships education compulsory for all primary school pupils, relationships, and sex education compulsory for all secondary school pupils, and health education compulsory for all pupils in state-funded schools from September 2020.
Under the topic of physical health and mental wellbeing, the statutory relationship, sex, and health education (RSHE) guidance sets out that teachers should be aware of common adverse childhood experiences. For example, family breakdown, bereavement, exposure to domestic violence, and when and how these may be affecting any of their pupils. This will help teachers to tailor their lessons accordingly, taking decisions on appropriate resources and support to enable them to teach the curriculum effectively. Teachers are free to draw on the support and expertise of subject associations and other providers of curriculum support. The RSHE guidance can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/relationships-education-relationships-and-sex-education-rse-and-health-education.
In response to the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on mental health and wellbeing, the department accelerated the RSHE teacher training module relating to mental health to be available in July 2020. The department subsequently provided £15 million for the Wellbeing for Education Return and Wellbeing for Education Recovery schemes. These schemes provided training and support for education staff in schools and colleges in how to respond to COVID-19 outbreak issues. They also included a focus on supporting children and young people with bereavement. Local areas continue to share examples of practice and lesson plans covering themes such as bereavement and loss, understanding anxiety and low mood, and actions for building resilience and recovery, with us and each other.
The department has made no assessment of the changes in the level of awareness of death, dying, and bereavement among school-age children because of the COVID-19 outbreak. However, the department has published its report, which provides an in-depth picture of the experiences of children and young people aged 5 to 24 during the 2020/21 academic year. The report can be accessed here : https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/state-of-the-nation-2021-children-and-young-peoples-wellbeing.
Asked by: Philip Dunne (Conservative - Ludlow)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what resources are available nationally to support teachers when discussing death, dying and bereavement in (a) primary schools Key Stages 1 and 2 and (b) secondary schools Key Stages 3 and 4.
Answered by Will Quince
The department wants to support all young people to be happy, healthy, safe, to equip them for their adult life and to make a positive contribution to society.
Schools and colleges have an important role to play in supporting the resilience and mental health of children and young people. We have made relationships education compulsory for all primary school pupils, relationships, and sex education compulsory for all secondary school pupils, and health education compulsory for all pupils in state-funded schools from September 2020.
Under the topic of physical health and mental wellbeing, the statutory relationship, sex, and health education (RSHE) guidance sets out that teachers should be aware of common adverse childhood experiences. For example, family breakdown, bereavement, exposure to domestic violence, and when and how these may be affecting any of their pupils. This will help teachers to tailor their lessons accordingly, taking decisions on appropriate resources and support to enable them to teach the curriculum effectively. Teachers are free to draw on the support and expertise of subject associations and other providers of curriculum support. The RSHE guidance can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/relationships-education-relationships-and-sex-education-rse-and-health-education.
In response to the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on mental health and wellbeing, the department accelerated the RSHE teacher training module relating to mental health to be available in July 2020. The department subsequently provided £15 million for the Wellbeing for Education Return and Wellbeing for Education Recovery schemes. These schemes provided training and support for education staff in schools and colleges in how to respond to COVID-19 outbreak issues. They also included a focus on supporting children and young people with bereavement. Local areas continue to share examples of practice and lesson plans covering themes such as bereavement and loss, understanding anxiety and low mood, and actions for building resilience and recovery, with us and each other.
The department has made no assessment of the changes in the level of awareness of death, dying, and bereavement among school-age children because of the COVID-19 outbreak. However, the department has published its report, which provides an in-depth picture of the experiences of children and young people aged 5 to 24 during the 2020/21 academic year. The report can be accessed here : https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/state-of-the-nation-2021-children-and-young-peoples-wellbeing.
Asked by: Philip Dunne (Conservative - Ludlow)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the provision of education on death, dying and bereavement in (a) primary schools at key stages 1 and 2 and (b) secondary schools at key stages 3 and 4.
Answered by Will Quince
The department wants to support all young people to be happy, healthy, safe, to equip them for their adult life and to make a positive contribution to society.
Schools and colleges have an important role to play in supporting the resilience and mental health of children and young people. We have made relationships education compulsory for all primary school pupils, relationships, and sex education compulsory for all secondary school pupils, and health education compulsory for all pupils in state-funded schools from September 2020.
Under the topic of physical health and mental wellbeing, the statutory relationship, sex, and health education (RSHE) guidance sets out that teachers should be aware of common adverse childhood experiences. For example, family breakdown, bereavement, exposure to domestic violence, and when and how these may be affecting any of their pupils. This will help teachers to tailor their lessons accordingly, taking decisions on appropriate resources and support to enable them to teach the curriculum effectively. Teachers are free to draw on the support and expertise of subject associations and other providers of curriculum support. The RSHE guidance can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/relationships-education-relationships-and-sex-education-rse-and-health-education.
In response to the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on mental health and wellbeing, the department accelerated the RSHE teacher training module relating to mental health to be available in July 2020. The department subsequently provided £15 million for the Wellbeing for Education Return and Wellbeing for Education Recovery schemes. These schemes provided training and support for education staff in schools and colleges in how to respond to COVID-19 outbreak issues. They also included a focus on supporting children and young people with bereavement. Local areas continue to share examples of practice and lesson plans covering themes such as bereavement and loss, understanding anxiety and low mood, and actions for building resilience and recovery, with us and each other.
The department has made no assessment of the changes in the level of awareness of death, dying, and bereavement among school-age children because of the COVID-19 outbreak. However, the department has published its report, which provides an in-depth picture of the experiences of children and young people aged 5 to 24 during the 2020/21 academic year. The report can be accessed here : https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/state-of-the-nation-2021-children-and-young-peoples-wellbeing.
Asked by: Philip Dunne (Conservative - Ludlow)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he has taken to encourage procurement of British produce within meals available for (a) staff of his Department and (b) people in his Department's care since 1 January 2021.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Department has staff in 13 offices across England and is only responsible for the procurement of produce for meals in one of these offices. The Coventry Office contract to provide meals, available for staff to purchase, was let before 1 January 2021. The remaining 12 offices are managed by other government departments or other organisations where the Department for Education has no involvement with the meals contracts.
The supplier for the Coventry Office meals contract is committed to supporting local produce, with all fresh goods to travel a maximum of 50 miles. 100% of the fresh meat is reared and sourced through local British suppliers, all fresh fruit and vegetables are sourced through local and regional suppliers and all fresh bakery products are made by bakers in close proximity of the Coventry office.
Environments where teaching takes place, such as schools, colleges and universities, are autonomous and have the freedom to make their own procurement decisions based on individual need and circumstances regarding British produce used within meals.
The Department has, and continues to review, a wide range of deals across public sector buying organisations, including three catering frameworks. All have been assessed for compliance with procurement regulations, ease of use, suitability and value for money.
Asked by: Philip Dunne (Conservative - Ludlow)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the initial Ofsted ratings were for local authority children’s services; and what the most recent Ofsted rating was for each of those authorities.
Answered by Michelle Donelan
The attached table includes inspection dates and Ofsted ratings for local authority children’s services under the previous Single Inspection Framework and the current Inspections of Local Authority Children’s Service framework. In recent years, we have seen an improvement in the performance of local authority children’s social care services, with 48% of local authorities now rated ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’, compared to 36% at the end of 2017.