Asked by: Richard Fuller (Conservative - North East Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to his Department's press release, Experts to help tackle poor behaviour in schools, published on 28 February 2020, when he plans to rollout behaviour hubs; and what criteria will be used for assessing the effectiveness of those hubs.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Behaviour hubs will see schools and multi-academy trusts (MATs) with exemplary behaviour working closely with other schools and MATs that need and want to improve their school behaviour. Support and resources will be available to schools more widely. The programme is overseen by a taskforce of expert advisers. Schools will begin working together in Spring 2021, so that schools can launch their new behaviour approaches in September 2021.
We are in the process of procuring an independent evaluator to assess the effectiveness of the programme. Key measures of success are likely to include an improved whole school behaviour culture, fewer incidents of disruption, truancy and bullying and, in the longer term, improved pupil attainment and outcomes, pupil and staff wellbeing, staff recruitment and retention.
Asked by: Richard Fuller (Conservative - North East Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the effect on children with ADHD and autism of being mis-described as having behavioural issues; and what estimate he has made of the number of children with autism spectrum condition who have been (a) excluded and (b) isolated in schools in the last 12 months.
Answered by Vicky Ford
Diagnosis and the assessment of needs can offer an understanding of why a child or young person is different from their peers and can open doors to support and services in education, health services and social care, and a route into voluntary organisations and contact with other children and families with similar experiences. Diagnosis of conditions, including ADHD and autism, is carried out by clinical assessment. However, the special educational needs system does not rely on a clinical diagnosis in order to access support. Schools have a statutory duty to use their best endeavours to make suitable provision available for children with special educational needs. This forms part of their broader responsibility to support all children who have a whole range of needs.
While we have not made a formal assessment of the effect on children with ADHD and autism of being viewed as having behavioural issues, to support those working in education, the department has funded the Autism Education Trust (AET) since 2011 to deliver autism awareness training to staff in early years settings, schools and colleges. To date [1], the AET has trained more than 277,000 people – not just teachers and teaching assistants, but also receptionists, dining hall staff and caretakers, promoting a whole-school approach to support for pupils with autism. Regional networks have also been established to promote the use of the training developed by the AET in schools and we would always encourage schools to access this training. The AET has also developed national standards for autism support and a progression framework for those who work with children who have autism. These are available from their website at www.autismeducationtrust.org.uk.
The Department publishes guidance to schools on behaviour, suspension and expulsion to reinforce the benefits of arranging multi-agency assessments for pupils who display continuous disruptive behaviour. The guidance is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-exclusion. A key aspect of these assessments will be to pick up any unidentified special educational needs or health problems, such as ADHD or autism.
The law does not prevent a pupil with SEN or a disability (which could include ADHD or autism) from being suspended or expelled. However, schools have a legal duty under the Equality Act 2010 not to discriminate against disabled pupils by suspending or expelling them from school because of their disability. Any suspension or expulsion must be lawful, reasonable and fair but schools must balance their responsibilities for children with SEN with their responsibility to ensure that all children are able to experience good quality teaching and learning without disruption in the classroom, and without being exposed to risks to their health or safety. The guidance also sets out that schools should, as far as possible, avoid expelling pupils who have an Education Health and Care plan.
According to our data, 155 children with a SEN primary need of autistic spectrum disorder were expelled and 12,287 received a suspension in 2018/19 (the last year we hold this data for). This is published in the publication ‘Permanent and fixed-period exclusions in England’ available at https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/permanent-and-fixed-period-exclusions-in-england.
The Department does not collect central data on the use of isolation in schools.
[1] As at 30 September 2020.
Asked by: Richard Fuller (Conservative - North East Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what criteria was applied for the distribution of the funding of £10 million to improve school discipline announced on the 28 February 2020.
Answered by Nick Gibb
On 28 February 2020, £10 million was announced to fund the behaviour hubs programme, which will begin this year and run for three years. The programme aims to improve pupil behaviour and behaviour practices in at least 500 schools by enabling schools and multi academy trusts with exemplary behaviour to work in close partnership with those that need and want to improve, alongside a central offer of support and a taskforce of behaviour advisers.
Schools receiving support must be Ofsted Requires Improvement, have adequate leadership, and be motivated to improve. Schools providing support must meet stringent eligibility criteria including being Ofsted Outstanding, have above average progress for Read, Writing and Maths for two of the past three years for all pupils or disadvantaged pupils, and have exemplary behaviour management practices and culture.
All schools in the country, including those in the programme, will have access to a free online repository of good practice resources curated and developed by the behaviour advisers. Resources may include good practice case studies and tools for schools to audit their own behaviour practice.
Asked by: Richard Fuller (Conservative - North East Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of schools in the North East Bedfordshire constituency were rated by Ofsted as (a) good and (b) outstanding in (i) 2010 and (ii) at their last inspection.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The information requested is published by Ofsted.
For the North East Bedfordshire constituency, Ofsted’s data shows that the percentage of schools rated as either good or outstanding has remained stable; 82% in 2010 and 83% in 2019.
As of 31 August 2010, 53% of schools in the constituency were rated as good and 29% of schools were rated as outstanding. The equivalent figures for England were 50% and 18% respectively.
The latest available data is for 31 August 2019, which shows 68% of schools in the constituency were rated as good and 15% of schools were rated as outstanding. The equivalent figures for England were 66% and 20% respectively.
Asked by: Richard Fuller (Conservative - North East Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of alternative curricula for children with special educational needs.
Answered by Vicky Ford
The ‘Special educational needs and disability code of practice: 0 to 25 years’ makes clear our expectation that all pupils should have access to a broad and balanced curriculum. Pupils with special educational needs should usually be taught the same curriculum as other pupils, with those needs being addressed through how lessons are planned and delivered. The Code states:
“The National Curriculum Inclusion Statement states that teachers should set high expectations for every pupil, whatever their prior attainment. Teachers should use appropriate assessment to set targets which are deliberately ambitious. Potential areas of difficulty should be identified and addressed at the outset. Lessons should be planned to address potential areas of difficulty and to remove barriers to pupil achievement. In many cases, such planning will mean that pupils with SEN and disabilities will be able to study the full national curriculum.”
Asked by: Richard Fuller (Conservative - North East Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many child contact centres operated in England in each of the last five years for which figures are available.
Answered by Edward Timpson
Child contact centres are run by a variety of independent organisations that form the membership of the National Association of Child Contact Centres (NACCC), along with affiliated members such as family lawyers, CAFCASS, CAFCASS CYMRU and the judiciary. As such this information is not collected by the Department for Education. However, the NACCC has a ‘find a centre’ feature on its website at: http://www.naccc.org.uk/.
Asked by: Richard Fuller (Conservative - North East Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many instances of financial malpractice and irregularity in (a) free schools and academies and (b) community schools have occurred in each of the last three years; and what proportion of each type of school they have occurred in.
Answered by Edward Timpson
(a) The reported incidents of financial malpractice and irregularity (includes fraud, theft and irregularity) in free schools and academies in the last three financial years are set out in the table below. The proportion of each type of academy or free school they have occurred in is recorded in the corresponding brackets.
Financial Year | Cases investigated by the EFA | Self-Reported by Institutions | TOTAL | |||
Academies | Free Schools | Academies | Free Schools | Academies | Free Schools | |
2013/14 | 10 (0.3%) | 3 (1.7%) | 28 (0.8%) | 1 (0.6%) | 38 (1.0%) | 4 (2.3%) |
2014/15 | 10 (0.2%) | 1 (0.4%) | 21 (0.5%) | 0 (0%) | 31 (0.7%) | 1 (0.4%) |
2015/16 | 7 (0.1%) | 0 (0%) | 43 (0.8%) | 0 (0%) | 50 (1.0%) | 0 (0%) |
Totals of % may not add up due to rounding
January Census data each year:
Year | Academies | Free Schools | TOTAL |
2014 | 3,653 | 174 | 3,827 |
2015 | 4,467 | 255 | 4,722 |
2016 | 5,171 | 303 | 5,474 |
Source: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-school-and-pupil-numbers
Local authorities are responsible for the financial management of maintained schools, and they will usually be the point of contact for any allegations of financial impropriety. The Department for Education is careful not to overburden local authorities with monitoring requirements. Local authorities are required to provide an annual assurance that school funding has been used properly. However, the Department does not centrally monitor the number of allegations reported to each local authority
Asked by: Richard Fuller (Conservative - North East Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answers of 8 September 2016 to Questions 44446 and 44447, what steps she plans to take to ensure that specific language and communication, including sign language, guidelines are in place to ensure that deaf and hard of hearing pre-school children benefit from the financial investment and the early years workforce strategy referred to in those Answers.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
As part of our recent consultation on early years funding, the government is proposing to introduce a new targeted Disability Access Fund, which will support early years providers to make initial reasonable adjustments and build the capacity of their settings to support disabled children. The government is also proposing that all local authorities should set up an early years SEN inclusion fund. Such a structure will help settings and local authorities to work together to identify children with SEN in the early years, and to ensure that the appropriate support is in place to best support child development. We are currently considering responses to the consultation and are planning to publish the government’s response in the autumn.
The workforce strategy will set out how government will support early years staff to access training that equips them with the knowledge and skills to support the development of all children including those with special educational needs and disabilities. This will build on the work of the SEND champions programme which is funded through government and delivered by the National Day Nurseries Association. The programme identifies and trains SEND specialists to support other staff to provide appropriate learning opportunities for children with SEND.
Asked by: Richard Fuller (Conservative - North East Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the number of sign language interpreters and electronic note takers registered with the Disabled Students Allowance Quality Assurance Group to provide support to deaf students from September 2016.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
The Department is currently working with Disabled Students’ Allowances Quality Assurance Group to review the number of support workers that have registered to provide each support role funded through Disabled Students’ Allowances. Organisations and individuals are continuing to register to provide these roles, so final figures are not yet available. We will not be able to confirm these numbers until the first DSA QAG audit cycle is completed (which will include an audit of staff details), in December 2017.
The Student Loans Company will monitor any reports about the supply of non-medical support so as to identify whether there are any issues with their availability.
Asked by: Richard Fuller (Conservative - North East Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many deaf young people aged 16 to 24 achieved (a) intermediate, (b) advanced and (c) higher apprenticeships in 2014-15; and what their destinations were following apprenticeship completion.
Answered by Robert Halfon
Information on apprenticeship achievements is published as part of a Statistical First Release, which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/learner-participation-outcomes-and-level-of-highest-qualification-held
Table 1 shows apprenticeship achievements by 16-24 year olds with hearing impairments in 2014/15, by level.
Table 1: Apprenticeship Achievements by 16-24 year old learners with hearing impairments | ||||||
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Level | 2014/15 |
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Intermediate Level Apprenticeships | 250 |
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Advanced Level Apprenticeships | 130 |
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Higher Apprenticeships | - |
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All Apprenticeships | 380 |
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Notes: |
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1) Data source is the Individualised Learner Record. | ||||||
2) Volumes are rounded to the nearest ten. "-" indicates a base value of less than 5. | ||||||
3) Learners with hearing impairments figures are based upon self-declaration by the learner, where the provider has indicated that they have a disability, learning difficulty or health problem. | ||||||
Information on the destinations of learners to this level of detail is not centrally collected.