Asked by: Sarah Coombes (Labour - West Bromwich)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of above average unauthorised absence rates on educational outcomes in Sandwell local authority area.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Improving school attendance is central to the government’s Opportunity Mission to drive high and rising standards for every child. The government has inherited an epidemic of school absence which is one of the biggest barriers to opportunity, damaging learning, health and wellbeing.
Each day of lost learning can do serious harm. Days missed add up quickly. We know there is a link between absence and attainment, and that can have a knock-on effect on lifetime outcomes.
Analysis produced by the department in 2016 found that overall absence due to family holiday has a statistically significant negative link to attainment at both key stage 2 and key stage 4. The analysis is available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a808fdee5274a2e8ab50d9f/The-link-between-absence-and-attainment-at-KS2-and-KS4-2013-to-2014-academic-year.pdf. This is further supported by a 2023 study by the Office for the Children’s Commissioner using departmental data which shows of the pupils who were persistently absent in year 10 and 11, 36% passed at least 5 GCSEs, including English and mathematics, compared to 78% who were rarely absent. The full details of the analysis can be found in the ‘Missing Children, Missing Grades’ report, which is accessible here: https://assets.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/wpuploads/2023/11/CC-REPORT-_-Attendance-and-Attainment-_-Oct-23.pdf.
Absence does not just harm the attainment of those not in school, it can impact children in the classroom too. Children thrive on stability, but a steady churn of absences disrupts the learning of every child. The work of staff to cultivate a sense of community and belonging is weakened, and it increases workload for teachers who have to replan lessons.
The department’s ‘Working together to improve school attendance’ guidance, which became statutory in August 2024, emphasises the importance of a 'support first' approach, setting clear expectations that schools and local authorities should work with families to address barriers to attendance in a sensitive way.
The department is also supporting school attendance through broader investments, such as funded breakfast clubs across all primary schools to ensure children start their day ready to learn and providing access to specialist mental health professionals in every school.
Asked by: Sarah Coombes (Labour - West Bromwich)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to reduce persistent absences in primary and secondary schools in West Bromwich constituency.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
This government is determined to tackle the generational challenge of school absence which is a fundamental barrier to learning and life chances. Missing school regularly is harmful to a child’s attainment, safety and physical and mental health, which limits their opportunity to succeed. There is evidence that more students are attending school this year compared to last, thanks to the sector’s efforts although around 1.6 million children remain persistently absent and miss 10% or more of lessons.
The department has a national approach to supporting all schools to tackle absence, including those in the West Bromwich constituency. Central to this approach are stronger expectations of local authorities and schools, as set out in the ‘Working together to improve school attendance’ guidance, which was made statutory on 19 August 2024. The guidance promotes a 'support first' approach, encouraging schools, trusts and local authorities to work with families in addressing attendance barriers.
Every state school in England should now be sharing their daily attendance register data with the department, local authorities and trusts. These bodies can access this data through a secure, interactive dashboard which is maintained by the department, allowing them to target attendance interventions more effectively.
The department recognises the importance of creating opportunities within the sector to share existing best practice on how to improve attendance. This is why the department has set up a network of 31 attendance hubs, who have offered support to 2000 schools and shared their strategies and resources for improving attendance.
In addition to this work, the department also aims to improve the existing evidence on which interventions work to improve attendance. Over £17 million is being invested across two mentoring projects that will support at least 12,000 pupils in 15 areas. These programmes will be evaluated and the effective practice shared with schools and local authorities nationally.
From early 2025, new Regional Improvement for Standards and Excellence (RISE) teams will support all state schools by facilitating networking, sharing best practice across areas, including attendance, and empowering schools to feel they can better access support and learn from one another. For schools requiring more intensive support, RISE teams and supporting organisations will work collaboratively with their responsible body to agree bespoke packages of targeted support, based on a school’s particular circumstances.
School attendance is also supported by broader investments, such as funded breakfast clubs, across all primary schools to ensure children start their day ready to learn.
We are working across government on plans to provide access to specialist mental health professionals in every school, new Young Futures hubs, including access to mental health support workers, and an additional 8,500 new mental health staff to treat children and adults.
Schools can also allocate pupil premium funding, which has now increased to over £2.9 billion for the 2024/25 financial year, to support pupils with identified needs to attend school regularly.
Asked by: Sarah Coombes (Labour - West Bromwich)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she is taking steps she to prevent the closure of private after-school childcare providers.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department does not hold this information.
This government recognises the vital work that private, voluntary and independent (PVI) providers, including childminders, undertake to deliver before-school, after-school and holiday childcare. The government knows that they are an important part of the system, bringing expertise, resources and capacity to the provision of school aged childcare. Local authorities are currently working in close collaboration with PVIs as part of the wraparound childcare programme to deliver new and expanded wraparound childcare places, so that parents can work and receive education and training, making everyone better off, not just the few.
Asked by: Sarah Coombes (Labour - West Bromwich)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many after-school childcare providers have closed since 2020.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department does not hold this information.
This government recognises the vital work that private, voluntary and independent (PVI) providers, including childminders, undertake to deliver before-school, after-school and holiday childcare. The government knows that they are an important part of the system, bringing expertise, resources and capacity to the provision of school aged childcare. Local authorities are currently working in close collaboration with PVIs as part of the wraparound childcare programme to deliver new and expanded wraparound childcare places, so that parents can work and receive education and training, making everyone better off, not just the few.
Asked by: Sarah Coombes (Labour - West Bromwich)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on the number of qualified teachers who were unemployed on 8 October 2024.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
High quality teaching is the factor that makes the biggest difference to a child’s education.
This government is focused on supporting qualified teachers, be they newly qualified or returning to the profession, and helping them find teaching jobs that help both them and their pupils achieve the best possible outcome. The department has established its own vacancy listing service for state-funded schools in England, Teaching Vacancies, to provide an effective and simple process for teachers to find the right jobs. Schools can list all their vacancies on the service, including support staff roles, for free. Over 85% of state-funded schools now use this service to advertise teaching roles. Support is also provided to jobseekers on searching, applying and interviewing for a school that feels like the right fit.
For qualified teachers returning to the profession, the department offers additional support, including the Return to Teaching Advisory (RTTA) service, specialised events, and the Return to Teaching webpage. The RTTA provides tailored support from a one-to-one adviser who can help with the application and interview process, increasing classroom readiness and finding suitable vacancies. This year, we have seen an increase in the number of teachers returning to teach in state-funded schools in England; 17,388 (FTE) teachers returned this year, which is 669 more than last year (16,719).
The department does not hold data on the number of qualified teachers who are unemployed. The School Workforce Census measures the number of qualified teachers employed in the state sector and does not cover those employed by the independent sector. Further data on the teacher workforce is available through the publication of the School Workforce Census data, which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/school-workforce-in-england-november-2023.
Asked by: Sarah Coombes (Labour - West Bromwich)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to support unemployed teachers into teaching jobs.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
High quality teaching is the factor that makes the biggest difference to a child’s education.
This government is focused on supporting qualified teachers, be they newly qualified or returning to the profession, and helping them find teaching jobs that help both them and their pupils achieve the best possible outcome. The department has established its own vacancy listing service for state-funded schools in England, Teaching Vacancies, to provide an effective and simple process for teachers to find the right jobs. Schools can list all their vacancies on the service, including support staff roles, for free. Over 85% of state-funded schools now use this service to advertise teaching roles. Support is also provided to jobseekers on searching, applying and interviewing for a school that feels like the right fit.
For qualified teachers returning to the profession, the department offers additional support, including the Return to Teaching Advisory (RTTA) service, specialised events, and the Return to Teaching webpage. The RTTA provides tailored support from a one-to-one adviser who can help with the application and interview process, increasing classroom readiness and finding suitable vacancies. This year, we have seen an increase in the number of teachers returning to teach in state-funded schools in England; 17,388 (FTE) teachers returned this year, which is 669 more than last year (16,719).
The department does not hold data on the number of qualified teachers who are unemployed. The School Workforce Census measures the number of qualified teachers employed in the state sector and does not cover those employed by the independent sector. Further data on the teacher workforce is available through the publication of the School Workforce Census data, which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/school-workforce-in-england-november-2023.