Asked by: Sally-Ann Hart (Conservative - Hastings and Rye)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to ensure that academy trusts publish details of (a) how their schools' annual grants are pooled and (b) (i) how and (ii) for what purposes funding is allocated to each school.
Answered by Damian Hinds
A trust with multiple academies can pool the general annual grant (GAG) to form one central fund. The ability to pool funding gives trusts the ability to direct funds to meet improvement priorities and running costs across its schools and deliver a successful financial operating model for their trust. The Academy Trust Handbook (ATH) requires that if a trust decides to pool their GAG, then it must consider the funding needs and allocations of each constituent academy.
The department requires a high level of accountability and transparency of academy trusts. Academy trusts’ status as companies, charities and public sector bodies, means they have a rigorous tri-partite framework and are held up to greater scrutiny. Trusts must account properly for their money and publish annual accounts, which must set out how much funding was held by each of their academies. In addition, a breakdown of each academy’s income and expenditure is available on the schools financial benchmarking website.
Asked by: Sally-Ann Hart (Conservative - Hastings and Rye)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance her Department provides on the powers (a) she and (b) local education authorities have to remove a school from an academy trust without the agreement of the trust.
Answered by Damian Hinds
The circumstances in which the department can remove a school from an academy trust without the agreement of the trust are set out in published guidance, which is titled ‘Schools causing concern’. In summary, the department can remove a school in circumstances where my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education’s, powers are triggered to terminate its funding agreement. Academies are accountable to the Secretary of State and therefore local authorities have no powers to remove an academy from a trust.
Asked by: Sally-Ann Hart (Conservative - Hastings and Rye)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the costs for remedying cases of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) on the availability of capital budget for (a) new school builds and (b) UTC Sleeves.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Nothing is more important than the safety of children and staff. It has always been the case that where we are made aware of a building that may pose an immediate risk, the Department takes immediate action.
It is the responsibility of those who run schools – academy trusts, Local Authorities, and voluntary-aided school bodies – who work with their schools on a day-to-day basis, to manage the safety and maintenance of their schools and to alert us if there is a concern with a building.
The Department has acted decisively and proactively to tackle this issue. This Government has taken more proactive action on RAAC than any other in the UK. The Department issued comprehensive guidance in 2018, and subsequent years, to all responsible bodies highlighting the potential risks associated with RAAC and supporting them to identify this within their buildings, as well as to take appropriate steps in meeting their obligations to keep buildings safe. The most recent guidance is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/reinforced-autoclaved-aerated-concrete-estates-guidance.
There are over 22,000 schools and colleges in England, and the vast majority are unaffected. A significant proportion of the estate was built outside the period where RAAC was used, with around one third of the estate built since 2001, therefore, the Department has focused efforts on buildings built in the post-war decades.
The Department issued a questionnaire in March 2022, asking responsible bodies to inform the Department of any suspected RAAC identified in their estates. Responsible bodies have submitted questionnaires for over 98% of schools with blocks built in the target era, of which there are 14,900. We are pressing all remaining schools to get checks completed, to determine which schools require surveys.
The Department is contacting responsible bodies to help them respond to this request and to advise on what needs to be done, so that they can establish whether they believe they have RAAC. This work will continue until we have a response for all target era schools.
Schools and colleges where RAAC is suspected are being fast tracked for surveying, which is used to confirm whether RAAC is actually present. All schools and colleges that have already told us they suspect they might have RAAC will be surveyed within a matter of weeks, in many cases in a matter of days.
All schools where RAAC is confirmed are provided with a dedicated caseworker to support them and help implement a mitigation plan and minimise the disruption to children’s learning.
Across Government, Departments have been asked to report on the current picture of suspected and confirmed RAAC in their estates as soon as possible. This will be updated on a regular basis as new buildings are identified and surveying and remediation are carried out. The Department for Education published lists of education settings confirmed as having RAAC on Wednesday 6 September, and committed to providing further updates.
Schools will contact parents where RAAC is identified and inform them of any impacts on their child. The vast majority of schools are unaffected. Any parents that are unsure if their child’s school is affected should contact their school directly.
While some short term disruption is inevitable, all available measures will be taken to minimise disruption to pupil learning and ensure that pupils continue to receive face-to-face teaching. Where there is any disturbance to face-to-face education, schools will prioritise attendance for vulnerable children and young people and children of key workers. The guidance published by the Department in August also includes guidance on provision for pupils with SEND and sets out expectations that schools continue to provide free school meals to eligible pupils.
The Department will fund emergency mitigation work needed to make buildings safe, including installing alternative classroom space where necessary. Where schools and colleges need additional help with revenue costs, like transport to locations or temporarily renting a local hall or office, the department will provide that support for all reasonable requests. The Department will also fund longer term refurbishment projects, or rebuilding projects where these are needed, to rectify the RAAC issue in the long term.
All previously confirmed Schol Rebuilding Programme projects announced in 2021 and 2022 will continue to go ahead. A full list of confirmed projects can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-rebuilding-programme-schools-in-the-programme.
Further information on RAAC in education settings is available on the Education Hub: https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2023/09/06/new-guidance-on-raac-in-education-settings/.
Asked by: Sally-Ann Hart (Conservative - Hastings and Rye)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking at (a) primary and (b) secondary level to encourage more girls into STEM subjects.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Department is committed to ensuring that anyone, regardless of their gender or background, can pursue an education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects. To support this, the Department has committed substantial spending to STEM education.
The Department funds the Isaac Physics programme to increase the numbers of students, particularly from typically underrepresented backgrounds, studying physics in higher education. The Department also funds the Inclusion in Schools project to increase the uptake of A level physics from underrepresented students, including girls.
Additionally, the Department is funding the Advanced Mathematics Support Programme, which provides tailored national support for teachers and students in all state funded schools and colleges in England with additional provision for those in priority areas, in particular girls and disadvantaged groups. The Department’s Maths Hubs programme focuses on improving attainment gaps, which may be associated with disadvantage, gender, or other factors.
The Department is allocating £100 million of funding into the National Centre for Computing Education to drive increased participation in computer science and funding research programmes looking into how to tackle gender balance in STEM subjects.
Secondary schools are expected to provide pupils with at least one meaningful interaction with employers per pupil per year, with a particular focus on STEM employers. These interactions introduce pupils to a range of different career possibilities and challenge stereotypes, as well as helping to prepare them for the workplace. This can be facilitated through programmes such as the STEM Ambassadors programme, a nationwide network of volunteers and STEM related employers providing a range of engaging and inspiring activities for pupils. Approximately 45% of these ambassadors are women and 15% are from minority ethnic backgrounds, providing young people with a variety of role models.
Asked by: Sally-Ann Hart (Conservative - Hastings and Rye)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the SEND and alternative provision improvement plan, published on 2 March 2023, if she will take steps with relevant stakeholders to introduce an apprenticeship for roles such as teachers of the deaf before 2025 to help increase the numbers available to teach deaf children and young people.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Shadow Minister (Equalities)
As stated in the SEND and Alternative Provision Improvement Plan, published 2 March 2023, the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) are developing an apprenticeship for teachers of sensory impairment. They are working with universities, local authorities and sector representatives, including the National Deaf Children’s Society, the Royal National Institute of Blind People and the British Association of Teachers of Deaf Children and Young People to develop the qualification. Subject to approval by IfATE, the apprenticeship will be published this year, but the department does not currently expect it to be delivered until 2025; allowing for providers to prepare the courses for delivery.
Asked by: Sally-Ann Hart (Conservative - Hastings and Rye)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans he has to increase the provision of technical education and skills in coastal towns; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Andrea Jenkyns
The department is investing £3.8 billion more in further education and skills over the Parliament as a whole, to ensure people can access high-quality training and education that leads to good jobs, addresses skills gaps, boosts productivity and supports levelling up across the country, including in coastal areas.
This includes more investment for apprenticeships and employers in coastal communities can access funding for apprenticeships to meet their skills needs.
We have also launched T Levels, which are world-class programmes developed with over 250 leading employers to the same quality standards as apprenticeships and will ensure more young people gain the skills and knowledge demanded by employers. T Levels are already being delivered across the country, including in coastal areas such as Scarborough, Blackpool, Hastings, Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft.
Skills Bootcamps are available online across the country, with training also being delivered in many coastal towns including South Shields (construction, engineering, green skills), North Shields (engineering, green skills), Hartlepool (creative industries), Poole (HGV driving), and Weston-Super-Mare (digital).
The Free Courses for Jobs offer gives eligible adults the chance to access high value Level 3 qualifications for free. There are over 400 qualifications on offer in areas such as engineering, social care and accounting, alongside many others, which are delivered in all of England’s coastal areas, for example Bournemouth and Poole College and Weston College.
The government is also in the process of rolling out employer-led Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIPs), together with supporting funding, which will help deliver a key aim of putting employers more firmly at the heart of the skills system. The policy builds on the experience from eight trailblazers, including Cumbria, Kent, Sussex, Tees Valley and West of England, which have coastal towns economies. Developing and delivering a LSIP will be a collaborative process and the expectation is that the plans will provide an agreed set of actionable local skills priorities that employers, providers, and stakeholders in an area can get behind to drive change. By ensuring skills training is more responsive to the needs of employers and local economies, people will more easily be able to develop the skills they need to get good jobs and increase prospects.
Asked by: Sally-Ann Hart (Conservative - Hastings and Rye)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the policy proposal in the SEND Review to make mediation mandatory before allowing families to go to the SEND Tribunal, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of that proposal on the time it takes families with disabled children to access the support they need.
Answered by Will Quince
Throughout the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) Review, parents and carers told the department how lengthy, stressful, and often expensive, the tribunal process can be.
In the current system, in most cases, families must secure a mediation certificate before registering an appeal with the tribunal, but they do not have to participate in the mediation itself. If the parent or young person does decide to proceed with mediation, then the local authority must ensure that a mediation session takes place within 30 days. There were 5,100 mediation cases held during 2021. Of these, 74% were settled without the need to progress to Tribunal.
Waiting for a SEND tribunal hearing can take significantly longer, the tribunal has a performance measure that 75% of appeals should be brought to hearing and the decision issued within 22 weeks.
This government’s proposals seek to resolve issues earlier and improve relationships locally by strengthening mediation, including consulting on making it mandatory. Parents will still be able to go to tribunal if necessary.
The green paper is now out for public consultation on its proposals until 22 July.
Asked by: Sally-Ann Hart (Conservative - Hastings and Rye)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of OCR's proposal for a GCSE in natural history.
Answered by Robin Walker
It is vital that children are taught about environmental and sustainability issues, which is why these are covered in the science and geography curriculums.
The department is exploring proposals for a new GCSE in natural history and has engaged with the examination board, OCR, on this matter. The department is carefully considering these proposals and will provide further details in due course.
Asked by: Sally-Ann Hart (Conservative - Hastings and Rye)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on improving the provision of technical education in coastal towns; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Alex Burghart - Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, and officials within his department meet with counterparts in other government departments regularly to discuss education and skills matters.
In 2021 the department worked with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and other government departments, by contributing to its work on the Future of Seaside Towns and setting out the department’s proposals to boost skills and technical education around the country, including in coastal towns.
We are investing £3.8 billion more in further education and skills over the Parliament as a whole, to ensure people can access high-quality training and education that leads to good jobs, addresses skills gaps, boosts productivity and supports levelling up. This includes more investment for apprenticeships and employers in coastal communities can access funding for apprenticeships to meet their skills needs.
We have also launched T Levels, which are world-class programmes developed with over 250 leading employers to the same quality standards as apprenticeships and will ensure more young people gain the skills and knowledge demanded by employers. T Levels are already being delivered across the country, including in coastal areas such as Scarborough and Blackpool.
The government is rolling out Local Skills Improvement Plans, which will set out the key changes needed to make technical education and training more responsive to local labour market skills needs. They will be developed by local employer representative bodies working closely with further education colleges, other providers and key local stakeholders, and will be tailored to the challenges and opportunities most relevant to local areas. We have started by trailblazing these Plans in eight local areas across England in 2021-22, including in Cumbria, Kent, Sussex and Tees Valley, which have coastal towns.
Asked by: Sally-Ann Hart (Conservative - Hastings and Rye)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on improving the provision of technical education in coastal towns; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Alex Burghart - Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, and officials within his department meet with counterparts in other government departments regularly to discuss education and skills matters.
In 2021 the department worked with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and other government departments, by contributing to its work on the Future of Seaside Towns and setting out the department’s proposals to boost skills and technical education around the country, including in coastal towns.
We are investing £3.8 billion more in further education and skills over the Parliament as a whole, to ensure people can access high-quality training and education that leads to good jobs, addresses skills gaps, boosts productivity and supports levelling up. This includes more investment for apprenticeships and employers in coastal communities can access funding for apprenticeships to meet their skills needs.
We have also launched T Levels, which are world-class programmes developed with over 250 leading employers to the same quality standards as apprenticeships and will ensure more young people gain the skills and knowledge demanded by employers. T Levels are already being delivered across the country, including in coastal areas such as Scarborough and Blackpool.
The government is rolling out Local Skills Improvement Plans, which will set out the key changes needed to make technical education and training more responsive to local labour market skills needs. They will be developed by local employer representative bodies working closely with further education colleges, other providers and key local stakeholders, and will be tailored to the challenges and opportunities most relevant to local areas. We have started by trailblazing these Plans in eight local areas across England in 2021-22, including in Cumbria, Kent, Sussex and Tees Valley, which have coastal towns.