Roberta Blackman-Woods

Teaching is a graduate profession. We do not stipulate a minimum degree class for trainee teachers; however, initial teacher training providers have the freedom to set their own entry requirements. Through the use of bursaries, we encourage those with a higher degree class to enter teaching. Details of bursaries for those beginning courses in 2017/18 can be found here: https://getintoteaching.education.gov.uk/funding-and-salary/overview

The degree class of current postgraduate trainees is provided in Tables 2 and 2a in the Main tables section on:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/initial-teacher-training-trainee-number-census-2016-to-2017.

It includes a breakdown by subject and route.

Teaching is a graduate profession. We do not stipulate a minimum degree class for trainee teachers; however, initial teacher training providers have the freedom to set their own entry requirements. Through the use of bursaries, we encourage those with a higher degree class to enter teaching. Details of bursaries for those beginning courses in 2017/18 can be found here: https://getintoteaching.education.gov.uk/funding-and-salary/overview

The degree class of current postgraduate trainees is provided in Tables 2 and 2a in the Main tables section on:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/initial-teacher-training-trainee-number-census-2016-to-2017.

It includes a breakdown by subject and route.

To teach in a state maintained secondary, primary, or state or non-state maintained special school you must have qualified teacher status (QTS). Routes that lead to the award of QTS, including those which assess previous teaching experience, are outlined on the Get Into Teaching website:

https://getintoteaching.education.gov.uk/explore-my-options/teacher-training-routes.

Teachers who trained outside England may be able to have their teaching qualification recognised as equivalent to QTS. To do so, such teachers must apply to the National College for Teaching and Leadership (NCTL) to be awarded QTS before they can take up a teaching post in a maintained school or non-maintained special school in England. Individuals who hold qualified teacher learning and skills (QTLS) status are also eligible to work as a qualified teacher in schools in England.

Further information on eligibility and equivalencies is available on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/qualified-teacher-status-qts.

The criteria used to determine eligibility for multi-year allocations are set out in the 2017-18 allocations methodology published in September 2016. For postgraduate providers, these include Ofsted grade (based on published initial teacher education inspection data) but do not refer to provider size or location.

We will publish a detailed technical methodology on how three-year allocations were determined, alongside a full list of allocations for 2017-18, in due course.

The criteria used to determine the allocations universities received are set out on pages 7-8 of the 2017/18 allocations methodology, published September 2016.

We intend to publish a full list of allocations and three-year allocations for 2017-18 in due course. This will be supported with a methodological and technical guide on how three-year initial teacher training allocations were determined.

We did not apply different weightings to the criteria – they all have equal weighting. The criteria on how we determined three-year allocations is outlined on pages 7-8 of the 2017/18 allocations methodology, published September 2016.

It is for individual businesses to determine how they meet the skills challenges arising from the Government’s ambitious home building programme.

Our reforms to apprenticeships will be a key tool to enable employers to meet their skills needs and the construction sector is currently developing a range of apprenticeship standards as part of the reform process.

The training that is delivered for apprentices is monitored by Ofsted and the Skills Funding Agency, which set minimum standards for achievement rates. Both organisations have intervention regimes in place if training falls short of minimum requirements.

The current apprenticeships programme has a clear emphasis on improving quality.

There are apprenticeship standards in development for both plastering and bricklaying, and both are intended to be three years in duration. We have a further 25 construction apprenticeship standards in development. We are working with the construction sector to ensure that these apprenticeships are relevant, robust, high-quality and are of sufficient duration for the apprentice to be competent in their chosen occupation.

The government believes that all children should have the opportunity to receive a high quality and appropriate sex and relationship education (SRE). SRE is compulsory in all maintained secondary schools, and many primary schools also teach it in an age-appropriate way. Academies do not have to teach SRE but many choose to do so as part of their statutory duty to provide a broad and balanced curriculum.

Schools and teachers should decide what to teach based on their pupils’ needs, and taking account of pupil and parent views. Teachers are encouraged to develop their practice with the support of specialist organisations and expert professionals, as they deem appropriate, and schools work with a number of partners to deliver SRE in schools.

Since April 2013, Local Authorities have been responsible for public health locally, including school nursing, and decisions should be based around local needs. According to NHS Digital there are 1,100 qualified school nurses (Specialist Community Public Health Nurses) in England and the workforce numbers have remained relatively stable over the last few years. More information can be found at: http://digital.nhs.uk/searchcatalogue?productid=21584&topics=0%2fWorkforce&sort=Relevance&size=10&page=1#top

Since 2012 the UK has pledged £2.46 billion in response to the Syria crisis, the UK’s largest ever response to a single humanitarian crisis. As well as supporting children with food, shelter and healthcare, the UK helped to launch UNICEF’s No Lost Generation Initiative, which provides education, protection, and mental health support for children in Syria and neighbouring countries. At the 2016 London Syria Conference we did not make a specific pledge for education inside Syria, but in 2016/17 alone DFID helped ensure that over 350,000 children accessed formal primary and secondary education in Syria, and that over 80,000 benefitted from non-formal education.

In line with the Conservative Manifesto, this Government is pressing for the rules that govern how, on whom, and for what purpose development assistance is spent to better reflect the breadth of our assistance around the world. The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development’s Development Assistance Committee (OECD-DAC) determines what may be counted as Official Development Assistance. As it operates by consensus, we are working with our DAC partners and other stakeholders to achieve this.

DFID led the way in the crisis as the international community’s largest bilateral donor. In Bangladesh we made the first international contribution of £660,000 to help over 60,000 people with food, shelter, and water and sanitation. Following flooding earlier in the year, we allocated £3m for early recovery in North East Bangladesh. In Nepal, we provided water, hygiene, sanitation and shelter support to 30,000 people through pre-positioned supplies, and gave £400,000 to the Nepal Red Cross Society for the response. In Pakistan, we committed over £410,000 for emergency response, which included cash support for 1,300 families to repair damaged homes, and provide temporary access to clean drinking water to 400,000 people. In India, we committed £400,000 through the multi-donor START fund in India.

Over several years DFID has helped Bangladesh and Nepal to prepare for natural disasters. Previous UK support in Bangladesh funded emergency flood shelters, and in Nepal the UK funded the construction of a humanitarian staging area at Kathmandu airport. In addition, DFID Bangladesh is earmarking £7.9 million for disaster preparedness from 2016-2021, and DFID Nepal is setting aside £46 million between 2016 and 2022, for strengthening disaster resilience and responding to humanitarian emergencies.

The UK leads the world in our long-term support for comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR): from tackling HIV, to family planning, to maternal and newborn health, to combatting Female Genital Mutilation and child, early and forced marriage, to supporting safe abortion. We are the second largest donor to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria; the largest donor to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and we recently opened bids for innovative civil society consortia to address SRHR.

In July 2017 the UK again rose to the challenge, hosting the London summit on family planning, and committing to spend an average of £225m every year on family planning for the next five years, an increase of 25%, which we estimate will prevent 6 million unintended pregnancies.

While our first priority has been to deliver life-saving assistance to those affected by Hurricanes Irma and Maria, the UK government has also started work on recovery and reconstruction in the affected Territories. A team of technical experts will be starting discussions this week with the Overseas Territory Governments to help them develop plans to meet their reconstruction needs.

DFID is working closely with member states and the Commonwealth Secretariat to develop policy proposals for the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting 2018 and for the UK's full period as Chair-In-Office until 2020. Malaria is one of the issues under consideration. The UK is a leading global actor in fighting malaria through a wide range of interventions.

I am pleased that the Agreed Conclusions reached by member states at the 58th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) included a call for a dedicated goal on gender equality, women's and girls' empowerment and the human rights of girls and women. It also called for ending all forms of violence against women and girls; economic empowerment; leadership and participation in decision making; and ending harmful practice, including Child, Early and Forced Marriage, and Female Genital Mutilation.

The UK statement at the CSW highlighted the need for a dedicated goal on gender equality, and the empowerment of girls and women in the post -2015 framework. We are working with others across the international community, including civil society, to ensure that this is achieved.