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Written Question
Arts: Secondary Education
Tuesday 21st May 2019

Asked by: Roger Godsiff (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to promote arts and creative subject provision in secondary schools.

Answered by Nick Gibb

All state-maintained secondary schools must teach art and design and music to pupils at Key Stage 3 (pupils aged 11 – 14). Drama is taught as part of the English curriculum and dance is included in PE & sport. At Key Stage 4 (pupils aged 14 – 16), there is a statutory entitlement for every pupil to take an arts subject, if they wish to do so. Academies must teach a broad and balanced curriculum.

Ofsted’s new education inspection framework, which comes into effect in September, has a strong emphasis on ensuring schools provide a broad and balanced curriculum for all their pupils.

Between 2016-20 we are spending almost £500 million on a range of arts and cultural education programmes.


Written Question
Schools: Finance
Tuesday 23rd April 2019

Asked by: Roger Godsiff (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 4 April to Question 234655 on School Resource Management Advisers (SRMAs), if he will publish a breakdown of the £35 million of savings and revenue generation opportunities identified as part of the SRMA pilot programme in 2017-18.

Answered by Nick Gibb

The Department intends to publish a breakdown of the opportunities identified by School Resource Management Advisers as part of a wider published evaluation of the pilot programme later this year.


Written Question
Schools: Finance
Thursday 4th April 2019

Asked by: Roger Godsiff (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate his Department has made of the savings accrued to the public purse identified by School Resource Management Advisers in relation to (a) the sale of unused buildings and land, (b) catering, (c) letting of facilities, (d) transport costs, (e) energy costs, (f) premises costs, (g) exam fees, (h) marketing, (i) recruitment and (j) IT systems and computers.

Answered by Nick Gibb

In 2017-18, School Resource Management Advisers (SRMAs) identified the potential for over £35 million savings and revenue generation opportunities as part of a pilot programme. The Department is now working with schools and academy trusts to compile data on the areas where SRMAs’ recommendations have been realised and actual savings made. This work will support schools to better manage their resources and deliver excellent education.

Schools spend more than £10 billion per year on non-staffing costs and the Department is supporting schools to get the best value for all their purchases through deals on insurance, recruitment, agency supply and many other categories. For example, advertising vacancies alone costs schools in the region of £75 million per year, and our Teaching Vacancies site provides free listings for all schools in England.


Written Question
Schools: Cost-effectiveness
Wednesday 13th March 2019

Asked by: Roger Godsiff (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many school efficiency advisers have been deployed in each region since 2017.

Answered by Nick Gibb

There are currently 94 accredited School Resource Management Advisors (SRMAs). SRMAs are not employed directly by the Department and each is signed up to a provider organisation that is responsible for their management and deployment. More can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/esfa-extends-schools-resource-management-adviser-pilot.

SRMAs have undertaken or are currently undertaking 221 deployments (130 completed and 91 in progress) to academy trusts, University Technical Colleges (UTCs) and local authorities. Deployments to trusts, local authorities and UTCs have been in the following Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) areas:

  • 56 to the ESFA North areas (covering the ‘North’ and ‘Lancashire & West Yorkshire’ Regional School Commissioner (RSC) regions);
  • 48 to the ESFA Central areas (covering ‘West Midlands’ and ‘East Midlands & Humber’ RSC regions);
  • 42 to the ESFA South Central and East areas (covering ‘NW London and South Central’ and ‘East of England and North East London’ RSC regions); and
  • 75 to the ESFA South areas. (covering ‘South East and South London’ and ‘South West’ RSC regions).


Written Question
Schools: Cost-effectiveness
Wednesday 13th March 2019

Asked by: Roger Godsiff (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many school efficiency advisers have been (a) employed and (b) deployed by his Department since 2017.

Answered by Nick Gibb

There are currently 94 accredited School Resource Management Advisors (SRMAs). SRMAs are not employed directly by the Department and each is signed up to a provider organisation that is responsible for their management and deployment. More can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/esfa-extends-schools-resource-management-adviser-pilot.

SRMAs have undertaken or are currently undertaking 221 deployments (130 completed and 91 in progress) to academy trusts, University Technical Colleges (UTCs) and local authorities. Deployments to trusts, local authorities and UTCs have been in the following Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) areas:

  • 56 to the ESFA North areas (covering the ‘North’ and ‘Lancashire & West Yorkshire’ Regional School Commissioner (RSC) regions);
  • 48 to the ESFA Central areas (covering ‘West Midlands’ and ‘East Midlands & Humber’ RSC regions);
  • 42 to the ESFA South Central and East areas (covering ‘NW London and South Central’ and ‘East of England and North East London’ RSC regions); and
  • 75 to the ESFA South areas. (covering ‘South East and South London’ and ‘South West’ RSC regions).


Written Question
Children: Social Services
Thursday 13th December 2018

Asked by: Roger Godsiff (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the overspend on children’s services in the 2017-18 financial year; and how much additional investment for children’s services was announced in Budget 2018.

Answered by Nadhim Zahawi

Local authorities are required under Section 251 of the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act (2009) to submit education and children’s social care budget and expenditure statements. This data is published in statistical releases annually. The most recent release shows a difference of approximately £1 billion in 2017 to 2018 when their planned spend is compared to their actual spend.

At Autumn Budget, my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced an extra £410 million to address pressures on adult and children social care services, along with £84 million over five years to support up to 20 local authorities to improve their social work practice and decision-making, enabling them to work more effectively with the most vulnerable children and their families. This builds on the £200 billion the government has already made available to councils up to 2020 to provide services in the best interests of local residents, including those for children and young people.


Written Question
Teachers: Pay
Tuesday 16th October 2018

Asked by: Roger Godsiff (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for what reason the first one per cent of the teachers' pay award is funded from existing school budgets.

Answered by Nick Gibb

Schools, as part of their routine financial planning, will have already set budgets for their current funding year, which began in April for maintained schools and September for academies. 1% is the minimum schools should have anticipated for increases in teachers’ pay, in line with the previous public sector pay policy. Funding therefore needs to cover the difference between this minimum and the award itself, which the Department has provided for in full.

The Department will be supporting schools in England to implement the award with an investment of £508 million through a new teachers’ pay grant of £187 million in 2018-19 and £321 million in 2019-20. The grant will provide additional support to all maintained schools and academies, over and above the funding that they receive through the National Funding Formula.


Written Question
Teachers: Pay
Tuesday 16th October 2018

Asked by: Roger Godsiff (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the ability of schools to fund the first one per cent of the teachers’ pay award from existing budgets.

Answered by Nick Gibb

Schools, as part of their routine financial planning, will have already set budgets for their current funding year, which began in April for maintained schools and September for academies. 1% is the minimum schools should have anticipated for increases in teachers’ pay, in line with the previous public sector pay policy. Funding therefore needs to cover the difference between this minimum and the award itself, which the Department has provided for in full.

The Department will be supporting schools in England to implement the award with an investment of £508 million through a new teachers’ pay grant of £187 million in 2018-19 and £321 million in 2019-20. The grant will provide additional support to all maintained schools and academies, over and above the funding that they receive through the National Funding Formula.


Written Question
Teachers: Pay
Tuesday 16th October 2018

Asked by: Roger Godsiff (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on (a) schools’ budgets and (b) the quality of education schools are able to provide of the decision that the first one per cent of the teacher's pay award will be funded from existing school budgets.

Answered by Nick Gibb

Schools, as part of their routine financial planning, will have already set budgets for their current funding year, which began in April for maintained schools and September for academies. 1% is the minimum schools should have anticipated for increases in teachers’ pay, in line with the previous public sector pay policy. Funding therefore needs to cover the difference between this minimum and the award itself, which the Department has provided for in full.

The Department will be supporting schools in England to implement the award with an investment of £508 million through a new teachers’ pay grant of £187 million in 2018-19 and £321 million in 2019-20. The grant will provide additional support to all maintained schools and academies, over and above the funding that they receive through the National Funding Formula.


Written Question
Teachers: Pay
Tuesday 16th October 2018

Asked by: Roger Godsiff (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what representations he has received from (a) schools and (b) teachers on the effect on the financial sustainability of schools of the first one per cent of the teacher's pay award being funded from existing school budgets.

Answered by Nick Gibb

Schools, as part of their routine financial planning, will have already set budgets for their current funding year, which began in April for maintained schools and September for academies. 1% is the minimum schools should have anticipated for increases in teachers’ pay, in line with the previous public sector pay policy. Funding therefore needs to cover the difference between this minimum and the award itself, which the Department has provided for in full.

The Department will be supporting schools in England to implement the award with an investment of £508 million through a new teachers’ pay grant of £187 million in 2018-19 and £321 million in 2019-20. The grant will provide additional support to all maintained schools and academies, over and above the funding that they receive through the National Funding Formula.