Asked by: Steve Brine (Conservative - Winchester)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will publish details of spending of early years entitlement funding by each local authority.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
Early years entitlement funding is one of the funding blocks of the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG). The latest information regarding early years funding is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-funding-2023-to-2024.
As part of the annual Section 251 budget return, local authorities return data on their planned early years spending for the next financial year, which is then published by the department. The latest published planned expenditure data is for the 2022/23 financial year and is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/planned-la-and-school-expenditure.
The data collection process for planned expenditure data for the 2023/24 financial year is ongoing and will be published in the autumn of 2023. Local authorities also submit less detailed outturn data regarding spend which is published by the department. The latest available outturn data is for the 2021/22 financial year and can be found in the file named ‘LA expenditure on schools, other education and community’ at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-catalogue/la-and-school-expenditure/2021-22.
Asked by: Steve Brine (Conservative - Winchester)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information the Government holds on whether any underspends in childcare funding in local councils have been ringfenced for early years education as of June 2023.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
Early years funding is one of the funding blocks of the dedicated schools grant (DSG). Whilst the department does collect information around the total level of DSG underspend from local authorities, specific information regarding which funding blocks within the DSG the underspends have originated from is not collected.
Asked by: Steve Brine (Conservative - Winchester)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether there will be further investment funds, such as a new Post-16 capacity fund, for sixth form colleges to bid from in future.
Answered by Robert Halfon
Sixth-form colleges have been eligible to bid into all rounds of the Post-16 Capacity Fund to date, for a share of £238 million to increase the capacity of their estate due to demographic increases in the local 16-19 population. The current bidding round, which will distribute funding secured in this spending review period, closes on 11 November 2022.
Funding beyond this spending review period is subject to consideration in future spending reviews.
Sixth-form colleges are also eligible to bid to the Condition Improvement Fund (CIF) for estate expansion projects. The CIF 2023/24 application round is currently open for applications, and eligible sixth form colleges have been invited to submit an application.
Asked by: Steve Brine (Conservative - Winchester)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many Ofsted registered (a) nurseries and (b) childminders have closed in each of the last 12 months.
Answered by Vicky Ford
This is a matter for Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman. I have asked her to write to my hon. Friend and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Asked by: Steve Brine (Conservative - Winchester)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent guidance his Department has issued to schools on overseas trips during the covid-19 pandemic.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Department for Education’s ‘Actions for Schools during the coronavirus outbreak guidance’ – which includes advice to schools regarding educational visits and school trips, both overseas and domestic - was last updated on 3 June. The guidance can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-school-closures/guidance-for-schools-about-temporarily-closing.
The guidance states that the Government advises against any overseas or domestic visits for children under 18 organised by schools and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) advises against all non-essential international travel. The Department for Transport’s advice to avoid public transport and unnecessary journeys and Public Health England (PHE) social distancing measures remain in place. Schools affected by these restrictions should work with their tour operator and/or insurance company. The Department will continue to review this position based on FCO and PHE advice.
Further information is available in the guidance ‘Coronavirus (COVID-19): travel advice for educational settings’, which can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-travel-advice-for-educational-settings.
Asked by: Steve Brine (Conservative - Winchester)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what adjustments will be made to GCSE grade boundaries to make allowance for the fact that year 10 children will have not received their full entitlement to education due to the covid-19 outbreak when they take GCSE examinations in 2021.
Answered by Nick Gibb
We recognise that students who are studying GCSE, A level or equivalent courses, and are due to take exams and assessments in 2021, will have experienced disruption to their education. We are working with Ofqual and the awarding organisations to develop our approach to next year’s exams and assessments in light of this.
Asked by: Steve Brine (Conservative - Winchester)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidelines her Department issues on inset days at schools in England.
Answered by Nick Gibb
This is a matter for schools to decide. We have empowered schools to lead the delivery of high-quality professional development for their teachers through the creation of the national network of teaching schools, and we are supporting this through the development of a new Standard for Teachers’ Professional Development. Decisions relating to teachers’ professional development rightly rest with schools, head teachers, and teachers themselves, as they are in the best position to judge their own requirements.
The School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document specifies that teachers must be available for work for 195 days each year and that they may only be required to perform duties other than teaching pupils on five of those days. It is for schools to decide for themselves how best to make use of those five days, including whether they should be used for in-service training.
Asked by: Steve Brine (Conservative - Winchester)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support her Department has given to primary schools to ensure that they can provide sufficient places.
Answered by David Laws
We are investing £5 billion over this Parliament to support local authorities in their duty to secure sufficient school places for their area.
This has already enabled local authorities to create 260,000 additional pupil places between May 2010 and May 2013, including 212,000 primary places, with more in the pipeline for September 2015.