Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to capture data on the reasons for children not being in school settings.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
Ensuring that children are in school is a top priority for the government. As part of the comprehensive national attendance strategy to ensure that every child registered at school attends every day, the department has a daily data scheme to understand the drivers for absence. The local authority level data is published fortnightly and made available to schools and local authorities at a pupil level and is some of the richest and most timely attendance data in the world. Participation in the daily data scheme will become mandatory for all state-funded schools from September 2024. The latest data is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/pupil-attendance-in-schools.
The department also collects information about the reason for placement into alternative provision (AP) by schools and local authorities through the school census and the AP census. This includes placements into non-school alternative provision settings.
For those children who are not enrolled at a school, the department collects termly data on home educated children and children missing education from local authorities, doing so on a voluntary basis since October 2022, with the collection becoming mandatory this autumn. Analysis of the data will help to improve understand of the drivers behind the rise in children not in school. The data for home educated children can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/elective-home-education. The data for children missing education can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/children-missing-education.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help ensure children not in school develop safe and secure relationships with (a) other pupils and (b) adult mentors.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
Parents have a right to educate their children at home and must provide a full-time, efficient, suitable education if the child is of compulsory school age. The government supports this right. Parents may provide education in whatever form they wish provided it is full-time, efficient, and suitable.
The government’s elective home education guidance sets out eight components that local authorities should consider when determining whether a child is receiving a suitable education, which includes very marked isolation as a possible indicator for unsuitability. Most parents will arrange for their children to undertake activities or trips away from the home, including as part of groups of home-educated children or at settings that allow for socialising with other children. Parents may also arrange for parts of education to be delivered by other individuals or settings, such as private tutors, though the parents will retain the overall responsibility to ensure that the education being received is suitable.
The department intends to provide further information on what should be considered when determining ‘suitable education’ as part of our consultation to review our elective home education guidance, which closed on 18 January. Responses are being analysed and we will publish the revised guidance and consultation response in due course.
Local authorities have duties to ensure all children in their area are receiving a suitable education. They have powers to make enquiries with parents as to whether a suitable education appears to be being provided. If home education appears not to be suitable, then the local authority must commence the school attendance order process by first issuing a preliminary notice. Local authorities have the same safeguarding responsibilities for children educated at home as for other children.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she is taking steps to ensure that there is someone in every school that a child who is (a) anxious and (b) in distress can spend time with if they are de-regulated in their (i) behaviour and (ii) emotions.
Answered by David Johnston - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department is committed to ensuring schools and colleges are safe, calm and supportive learning environments which promote and support mental wellbeing. This can bring a range of benefits for both staff and pupils. For example, they may support pupils to self-regulate and remove sources of anxiety and distress from their environment.
The department knows that there are a range of methods to support pupils who are experiencing anxiety or other forms of distress. It is important that schools retain flexibility to choose interventions that suit their pupils and local context, for example having support staff available specifically to support pupils experiencing dysregulation.
The department encourages schools to consider support of this kind as part of an effective whole school approach to mental wellbeing and have committed to offer all state schools and colleges a grant to train a senior mental health lead by 2025. Training will enable leads to introduce effective whole school approaches to mental health and wellbeing, including the consideration of the support interventions provided in school and the training needs of staff. Over 15,100 settings that have claimed a grant so far, including more than 7 in 10 state-funded secondary schools.
The department also provides guidance on ‘Behaviour in Schools’ which is the primary source of help and support for schools in developing and implementing a school culture where both pupils and staff can work in safety and are respected.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she is taking steps to ensure that policies on (a) behaviour and (b) discipline in school do not escalate a child's distress.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
Pupil behaviour is a priority for the government. No pupil should miss out on education because they feel unsafe, because their lesson is disrupted, or fall behind because their needs are not identified and supported.
In July 2022, the department published the updated ‘Behaviour in schools guidance’, which is the primary source of help and support for schools on developing and implementing a behaviour policy that can create a school culture with high expectations of behaviour. Schools should ensure that high standards and expectations of good behaviour pervade all aspects of school life, creating calm, safe and supportive environments where pupils and staff can work in safety and are respected.
The department trusts school leaders to develop tailored behaviour policies that reflect their school’s individual contexts and needs. Any school behaviour policy must be lawful, proportionate and reasonable and comply with the school’s duties under the Equality Act 2010 and the Education and Inspections Act 2006. Account must be taken of a pupil’s age, any special educational needs or disability they may have, and any religious requirements affecting them. Within these legal parameters, it is then for individual schools to develop their own policies.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to (a) ensure that teacher training is using a trauma-informed approach to educating new teachers and (b) assess the adequacy of the delivery of that approach.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The mandatory initial teacher training (ITT) Core Content Framework (CCF) (2019) sets out the minimum entitlement of knowledge, skills and experiences that all trainees need to enter the profession in the best position possible to teach and support their pupils. This core content must be covered in full for all ITT courses that lead to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). A link to the framework can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/974307/ITT_core_content_framework_.pdf.
It is for accredited ITT providers to incorporate the CCF into curriculum that are appropriate to the needs of trainees, and to adapt them for the subject, phase and age range that the trainees will be teaching.
ITT courses must be designed so that, by the end of the course, teacher trainees can demonstrate that they meet all the Teachers’ Standards at the appropriate level. This includes Teachers’ Standard 5, which requires teachers to respond to the strengths and needs of all pupils and to have a secure understanding of how a range of factors can inhibit pupil’s ability to learn, and how best to overcome these.
Following the award of QTS, all early career teachers are entitled to a two year induction underpinned by the Early Career Framework (ECF). In 2023, the department undertook a review of the CCF and ECF, and in January 2024, the new ITTECF was published. From September 2025, this new framework combines and replaces the CCF and ECF into one framework, which sets out the training entitlement during ITT and the two year induction. The department worked closely with the Education Endowment Foundation to ensure the ITTECF is framed around the best available evidence of what defines great teaching. Trauma informed practice is an emerging field of research and the evidence base is still developing.
The quality of ITT provision is assessed through Ofsted’s routine inspections of accredited ITT providers. Ofsted provide critical and independent quality assurance of all ITT provision that leads to QTS.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of trauma informed schools for (a) children with SEND, mental health challenges and childhood trauma and (b) other students.
Answered by David Johnston - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Schools have the flexibility to decide what pastoral support they provide to best meet the individual needs of all their pupils, including children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), mental health challenges or who have experienced trauma. However, the department recommends a whole-school approach as the most effective way to promote and support mental health and wellbeing for all pupils, including those who may be particularly vulnerable.
The department’s guidance on the principles of a whole school or college approach recognises the importance of an individualised response to pupil needs, and can help contribute towards creating a safe environment for those who have experienced trauma and adverse experiences. This guidance can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/promoting-children-and-young-peoples-emotional-health-and-wellbeing. To help settings embed a whole-school approach to mental health and wellbeing, the department is offering funded senior mental health lead training to all state schools and colleges, including special and alternative provision settings. This training covers the range of mental health issues likely to be encountered in schools and colleges and the risk factors associated with specific groups, including children with special educational needs and who have experienced trauma, to support leads to understand and plan appropriate responses to pupils’ mental health and wellbeing needs. Over 15,100 settings have received a training grant so far, including more than 7 in 10 state secondary schools.
Additionally, a range of department guidance makes clear the need for school staff to be aware of adverse childhood experiences, including trauma, and the potential impact on children. ‘Keeping children safe in education’ is statutory guidance that all schools and colleges must have regard to when carrying out their duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of children, and is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/keeping-children-safe-in-education--2.
The department’s mental health and behaviour guidance also recommends school staff be aware of how potentially traumatic childhood experiences can impact on children’s behaviour and education and the importance of schools providing early support to pupils at such times. It signposts to further information on supporting children through difficult life events. This guidance is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mental-health-and-behaviour-in-schools--2.
Finally, the SEND Code of Practice sets out that all schools should apply a ‘graduated approach’, which means identifying a child’s needs, implementing appropriate support and reviewing it regularly. This guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/send-code-of-practice-0-to-25. Schools should involve pupils and their parents at each of these stages. The department expects schools and local authorities to consider the individual circumstances of each pupil and family and take the best course of action to support them.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to encourage people to undertake a higher level apprenticeship on completion of an apprenticeship.
Answered by Robert Halfon
Higher-level apprenticeships offer great opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds, from those starting out in their career to those looking to upskill or retrain, with over 320 apprenticeship standards at Levels 4 to 7.
Each apprenticeship standard covers a distinct occupation. Although learners do not need to have completed an apprenticeship at a lower level to start a higher-level apprenticeship, the department is continuing to promote career progression through apprenticeships.
The Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education publishes occupational maps which show how apprenticeships and technical education support progression in each sector. This is available at: https://occupational-maps.instituteforapprenticeships.org/.
To help more people benefit from the high-quality training that higher-level apprenticeships offer, the department is investing £40 million over the next two years to expand degree apprenticeships and students can now see apprenticeship vacancies on their UCAS Hub alongside undergraduate courses.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help ensure that public health education is delivered to children and young people who are (a) not in school and (b) at particular risk from harm from (i) use of (A) nitrous oxide, (B) drugs and (C) alcohol and (ii) other public health concerns.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
Parents have a right to educate their children at home and must provide a full time, efficient, and suitable education if the child is of compulsory school age. The government supports this right. There are no specific legal requirements as to the content of home education, provided the education provided is full-time, efficient and suitable. This means that education does not need to include any particular subjects and does not need to have any reference to the national curriculum.
The government’s elective home education guidance sets out eight components that local authorities should consider when determining whether a child is receiving a suitable education. The department intends to provide further information on what should be considered when determining ‘suitable education’ as part of the consultation to review elective home education guidance, which closed on 18 January. Responses are being analysed and the department will publish the revised guidance and consultation response in due course.
Part of the government’s strategy to reduce the harm of drugs is Frank, which is the number one drugs information site in England, and reaches audiences from 11 to 54+ supporting pre-users, regular users, concerned others and schools with information on drugs. Frank receives over 5 million page visits per year, and is updated to reflect new and emerging patterns of drug use, including the effects and risks of nitrous oxide.
The Frank service remains a key element in providing accurate and factual advice on the risks and effects of a range of drugs and alcohol, as well as broader advice around substance abuse, including sign posting to relevant services.
The Frank helpline is available, 24/7, 365 days of the year. Their trained advisors deal with, on average, 100,000, calls, emails, texts and webchats per annum, providing a help service for people who are concerned about their own or others’ drugs consumption. There is also a separate line for alcohol abuse calls, and the Frank agents will seamlessly deal with those as part of the same call.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to encourage young people to undertake a foundation apprenticeship on leaving school.
Answered by Robert Halfon
Apprenticeships offer brilliant opportunities for school leavers, with over 690 high-quality apprenticeship standards available across all sectors of the economy and at all levels, including 368 standards at levels 2 and 3. The department has a range of work underway to promote and support young people into apprenticeships, and it is encouraging to see that starts by under-19s so far this academic year have increased by 6% on the same period last year.
Students can now see apprenticeship vacancies on their UCAS Hub, and our Career Starter Apprenticeships campaign is promoting apprenticeships at levels 2 and 3 which offer great opportunities for those looking for their first role after leaving full-time education. The department also continues to invest around £3.2 million annually in the Apprenticeship Support and Knowledge programme which ensures students are aware of the benefits of apprenticeships, with over 620,000 student interactions across 2,300 schools and further education colleges in the 2022/23 academic year.
In addition, the department continues to pay £1,000 to employers and providers when they take on apprentices aged 16-18, and the care leavers bursary has tripled to £3,000 to help even more young people to access and complete apprenticeships.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the impact of dysregulated parents or guardians on children's regulation at school.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The department has not made an assessment on the impact of dysregulated parents or guardians on children's regulation at school.
The department recognises the importance of providing pupils with the right support at the right time to help them achieve the high standards of behaviour expected of them. The department’s recently updated ‘Behaviour in schools’ guidance advises schools on creating calm, safe and supportive environments where pupils and staff can work in safety and are respected. It is important for schools to engage parents in their children’s education and the department trusts schools to develop approaches to engaging parents that are best suited to the local context of the school and individual families. The ‘Behaviour in schools’ guidance is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/behaviour-in-schools--2.
There are a range of methods to support pupils who are experiencing anxiety or other forms of distress. The department has committed to offer all state schools and colleges a grant to train a senior mental health lead by 2025. Training will enable leads to introduce effective whole school approaches to mental health and wellbeing, including the consideration of the support interventions provided in school and the training needs of staff. Over 15,100 settings have claimed a grant so far, including more than 7 in 10 state-funded secondary schools.
For those pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), the ‘SEND code of practice’ sets out that all schools should apply a ‘graduated approach’, which means identifying a child’s needs, implementing appropriate support and reviewing it regularly. Schools should involve pupils and their parents at each of these stages, taking their perspectives into account and keeping them informed about what support is in place. The department expects schools and local authorities to consider the individual circumstances of each pupil and family and take the best course of action to support them. The ‘SEND code of practice’ can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/send-code-of-practice-0-to-25.