Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to provide (a) support and (b) training to school staff in respect to teaching pupils about violence against women and girls.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department has overhauled the curriculum with a new, reformed relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) curriculum that champions healthy attitudes and relationships to equip our children with the tools they need to tackle harmful influences and help them thrive. The government does not prescribe what training resources schools should use. Schools are free to choose the materials and support that best suits their need.
On 18 December, the government published its strategy to address violence against women and girls. The department is investing an additional £11 million to support the strategy and will be piloting three programmes to support teachers implement the RSHE curriculum in the best possible way; to encourage healthy relationships in children; and to tackle harmful sexual behaviours. Further details of the programmes will be shared in due course.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment has she made of the adequacy of the training resources provided to (a) classroom teachers and (b) senior leadership teams in schools in respect of teaching students about violence against women and girls.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department has overhauled the curriculum with a new, reformed relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) curriculum that champions healthy attitudes and relationships to equip our children with the tools they need to tackle harmful influences and help them thrive. The government does not prescribe what training resources schools should use. Schools are free to choose the materials and support that best suits their need.
On 18 December, the government published its strategy to address violence against women and girls. The department is investing an additional £11 million to support the strategy and will be piloting three programmes to support teachers implement the RSHE curriculum in the best possible way; to encourage healthy relationships in children; and to tackle harmful sexual behaviours. Further details of the programmes will be shared in due course.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to help support schools to educate parents on safeguarding children in respect to online content.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Keeping children safe is an absolute priority for this government, and schools play a critical role in this.
The department’s statutory safeguarding guidance, ‘Keeping children safe in education’ makes clear that schools and colleges should adopt a whole-school approach to safeguarding. This includes considering how online safety is reflected in relevant school policies and processes, and strategies for engaging parents in conversations about online safety. It also signposts to resources specifically aimed at parents to help them keep their children safe online.
Alongside this, the department is conducting a research project to help us understand what more we can do to support parents to keep their children safe online.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to remove the 50% faith cap on newly opened schools.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell
The previous government launched a consultation proposing to lift the 50% faith admissions cap that applies to free schools designated with a religious character, where they are oversubscribed. The consultation closed last year and the department will respond in due course.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the average amount of interest accrued on student finance loans for women on maternity leave in the latest period for which data is available.
Answered by Janet Daby
Student loans are subject to interest, to ensure that those who can afford to contribute to the full cost of their degree can do so.
The student finance system protects borrowers in cases where they see a reduction in their income for whatever reason, including women on maternity leave or any other person on parental leave. Student loan repayments are based on a borrower’s monthly or weekly income, not the interest rate or amount borrowed, and no repayments are made for earnings below the relevant student loan repayment threshold. Any outstanding debt, including interest accrued, is written off at the end of the loan term with no detriment to the borrower.
A full equality impact assessment of how the student loan reforms may affect graduates, including detail on changes to average lifetime repayments under Plan 5, was produced and published in February 2022, and can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/higher-education-reform-equality-impact-assessment.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for what reason interest rates are applied to student finance loans for women on maternity leave.
Answered by Janet Daby
Student loans are subject to interest, to ensure that those who can afford to contribute to the full cost of their degree can do so.
The student finance system protects borrowers in cases where they see a reduction in their income for whatever reason, including women on maternity leave or any other person on parental leave. Student loan repayments are based on a borrower’s monthly or weekly income, not the interest rate or amount borrowed, and no repayments are made for earnings below the relevant student loan repayment threshold. Any outstanding debt, including interest accrued, is written off at the end of the loan term with no detriment to the borrower.
A full equality impact assessment of how the student loan reforms may affect graduates, including detail on changes to average lifetime repayments under Plan 5, was produced and published in February 2022, and can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/higher-education-reform-equality-impact-assessment.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of the proposed closure of Falcons Pre-preparatory school in Chiswick on the ability of nearby local authorities to meet their statutory duty to provide schooling.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Secretary of State has not received any representations from Alpha Plus Group regarding the proposed closure of Falcons pre-preparatory school in Chiswick.
The Secretary of State has not made any assessment of the potential impact of the proposed closure of Falcons Pre-preparatory school in Chiswick.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has received representations from the Alpha Plus Group on the proposed closure of Falcons pre-preparatory school in Chiswick.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Secretary of State has not received any representations from Alpha Plus Group regarding the proposed closure of Falcons pre-preparatory school in Chiswick.
The Secretary of State has not made any assessment of the potential impact of the proposed closure of Falcons Pre-preparatory school in Chiswick.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the support given by local authority social services departments to children who have a parent in prison.
Answered by David Johnston
‘Working Together to Safeguard Children’ (2018) sets out local areas’ responsibilities to provide support and services. It highlights dependent children of imprisoned parents as a cohort which practitioners should be particularly aware of and provide appropriate needs-based advice and support where needed. Ofsted is responsible for assessing the performance of children’s social care services delivered by local authorities.
Our ambition is for every family to receive the right support, at the right time. In ‘Stable Homes, Built on Love’, the department outlined the strategy for whole system reform, including family help, which will provide effective and intensive support to any family facing significant challenges.
Prison Mother and Baby Units Admission Boards must be in receipt of a Children’s Services assessment in order to facilitate a Board. Every assessment by a social worker should reflect children’s needs within their family and community context, which would include taking account of a parent being in prison. These children’s circumstances vary considerably and therefore local agencies are best placed to determine what support is needed whether early help, statutory social care services, or support for other needs such as mental health.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of support given by local authorities for children who have a parent in prison.
Answered by David Johnston
‘Working Together to Safeguard Children’ (2018) sets out local areas’ responsibilities to provide support and services. It highlights dependent children of imprisoned parents as a cohort which practitioners should be particularly aware of and provide appropriate needs-based advice and support where needed. Ofsted is responsible for assessing the performance of children’s social care services delivered by local authorities.
Our ambition is for every family to receive the right support, at the right time. In ‘Stable Homes, Built on Love’, the department outlined the strategy for whole system reform, including family help, which will provide effective and intensive support to any family facing significant challenges.
Prison Mother and Baby Units Admission Boards must be in receipt of a Children’s Services assessment in order to facilitate a Board. Every assessment by a social worker should reflect children’s needs within their family and community context, which would include taking account of a parent being in prison. These children’s circumstances vary considerably and therefore local agencies are best placed to determine what support is needed whether early help, statutory social care services, or support for other needs such as mental health.