Asked by: Lord McCabe (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment he has made of the (a) financial challenges being experienced by university students and (b) potential impact of those challenges on students' ability to undertake their studies.
Answered by Andrea Jenkyns
The department recognises the additional cost of living pressures that have arisen and impacted students this year. Many higher education (HE) providers have hardship funds that students can apply to for assistance.
To support disadvantaged students and those in need of additional help, the department has confirmed in our guidance to the Office for Students (OfS) on funding for the 2022/23 financial year that universities will continue to be able to support students in hardship through their own hardship funds and the student premium, for which up to £261 million is available for the 2022/23 academic year.
We have also worked closely with the OfS to clarify that English providers can draw upon this funding now, to provide hardship funds and support disadvantaged students impacted by cost-of-living pressures.
Maximum grants and loans for living costs have also been increased by 2.3% this 2022/23 academic year. Students who have been awarded a loan for living costs for the 2022/23 academic year that is lower than the maximum, and whose household income for the tax year 2022/23 has dropped by at least 15% compared to the income provided for their original assessment, can apply for their entitlement to be reassessed.
In addition, maximum tuition fees, and the subsidised loans available from the department to pay them remain at £9,250 for the 2022/23 academic year, in respect of standard full-time courses. The department is also freezing maximum tuition fees for the 2023/24 and 2024/25 academic years. By 2024/25, maximum fees will have been frozen for seven years. As well as reducing debt levels for students, the continued fee freeze will help to ensure that the HE system remains sustainable while also promoting greater efficiency at providers.
The Energy Price Guarantee announced on 8 September will save the average household at least £1,000 a year based on current energy prices from October. This is in addition to the £400 energy bills discount for all households. Students who buy their energy from a domestic supplier are eligible for the energy bills discount.
As part of the package of support for rising energy bills, the government is also giving a council tax rebate payment of £150 to households that were living in a property in council tax bands A to D as their main home on 1 April 2022. This includes full-time students that do not live in student halls or in property that is not considered a House in Multiple Occupation for council tax purposes.
Asked by: Lord McCabe (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of financial challenges on the dropout rate amongst university students in the 2022-23 academic year.
Answered by Andrea Jenkyns
The department recognises the additional cost of living pressures that have arisen and impacted students this year. Many higher education (HE) providers have hardship funds that students can apply to for assistance.
To support disadvantaged students and those in need of additional help, the department has confirmed in our guidance to the Office for Students (OfS) on funding for the 2022/23 financial year that universities will continue to be able to support students in hardship through their own hardship funds and the student premium, for which up to £261 million is available for the 2022/23 academic year.
We have also worked closely with the OfS to clarify that English providers can draw upon this funding now, to provide hardship funds and support disadvantaged students impacted by cost-of-living pressures.
Maximum grants and loans for living costs have also been increased by 2.3% this 2022/23 academic year. Students who have been awarded a loan for living costs for the 2022/23 academic year that is lower than the maximum, and whose household income for the tax year 2022/23 has dropped by at least 15% compared to the income provided for their original assessment, can apply for their entitlement to be reassessed.
In addition, maximum tuition fees, and the subsidised loans available from the department to pay them remain at £9,250 for the 2022/23 academic year, in respect of standard full-time courses. The department is also freezing maximum tuition fees for the 2023/24 and 2024/25 academic years. By 2024/25, maximum fees will have been frozen for seven years. As well as reducing debt levels for students, the continued fee freeze will help to ensure that the HE system remains sustainable while also promoting greater efficiency at providers.
The Energy Price Guarantee announced on 8 September will save the average household at least £1,000 a year based on current energy prices from October. This is in addition to the £400 energy bills discount for all households. Students who buy their energy from a domestic supplier are eligible for the energy bills discount.
As part of the package of support for rising energy bills, the government is also giving a council tax rebate payment of £150 to households that were living in a property in council tax bands A to D as their main home on 1 April 2022. This includes full-time students that do not live in student halls or in property that is not considered a House in Multiple Occupation for council tax purposes.
Asked by: Lord McCabe (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if his Department will make a comparative assessment of the (a) physics, (b) biology and (c) chemistry subject content which is taught as part of the (i) science T-Level and (ii) equivalent science BTEC qualification.
Answered by Alex Burghart - Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
The department has already completed a mapping exercise of the science concepts in the Science T Level Technical Qualification to the BTEC National Extended Diploma in Applied Science, and this information is publicly available. The mapping also extends to AS and A levels in biology, chemistry, and physics. This activity was undertaken to support higher education providers in setting entry requirements for T Levels for relevant degree courses, and we will continue to complete similar exercises for relevant T Levels in future waves. These publications should be reviewed alongside the relevant T Level Technical Qualification specification.
It is important to note that the primary purpose of a T Level is to support entry to employment, although we recognise that some T Level students will want to continue to study their chosen subject at a higher level.
Full publications of the mapping for the Health and Science and Science T Levels are available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1057645/Science_content_common_to_all_T_Levels_within_the_Health_and_Science_route.pdf and here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1057651/Science_content_in_the_T_Level_Technical_Qualification_in_Science_.pdf.
Asked by: Lord McCabe (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will take steps to improve the ability of academy schools to (a) set the curriculum they teach and (b) amend the current national curriculum within their own institutions.
Answered by Robin Walker
Academies have the autonomy to set their own school curriculum. However, they are required to teach a broad and balanced school curriculum, including maths, English and science, that is comparable in breadth and ambition to the national curriculum as a piece of statutory guidance.
For academies, the national curriculum acts as a benchmark for a high-quality, knowledge-rich school curriculum. Many academy schools choose to deliver the full national curriculum, but this is not a requirement. With their freedom, multi-academy trusts have been at the forefront of curriculum innovation, and they have led the development of evidence-based, subject-level teacher development programmes, resources, and research.
Ministers have no intention of using regulatory reforms to interfere in the day-to-day management of academies, other than in cases of failure. Ministers have no intention to restrict the freedoms that enable academies to collaborate, innovate, and organise themselves to deliver the best outcomes for pupils.
All schools are held accountable for delivering a broad and balanced curriculum through their performance in tests and exams and Ofsted inspections. Ofsted aims to reduce curriculum narrowing through the implementation of the 2019 education inspection framework, available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/education-inspection-framework. This framework evaluates the intent, implementation, and impact of each school's curriculum.
Oak National Academy was created in April 2020 as a rapid response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Teachers and colleagues from leading education organisations came together to support schools’ efforts to keep children learning. This included several multi-academy trusts who contributed to the development of lessons and online resources and continue to work with Oak as curriculum partners.
Building on the success of Oak National Academy’s work in the pandemic, the department announced in the Schools White Paper that we will establish a new arms-length curriculum body. It will work with thousands of teachers to co-design, create and continually improve packages of optional, free, adaptable digital curriculum resources and video lessons. These optional resources will be available across the UK, helping teachers deliver a high-quality curriculum. This sector-led approach will draw on expertise and inputs from across the country, involving teachers, schools, trusts, subject associations, national centres of excellence and educational publishers.
The resources are to be optional, non-Ofsted endorsed and intended to exemplify high-quality curriculum design to improve system curriculum thinking and support teachers across the country with their lesson planning and teaching.
Asked by: Lord McCabe (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the current flexibility of academy schools in setting the criteria for the curriculum they teach.
Answered by Robin Walker
Academies have the autonomy to set their own school curriculum. However, they are required to teach a broad and balanced school curriculum, including maths, English and science, that is comparable in breadth and ambition to the national curriculum as a piece of statutory guidance.
For academies, the national curriculum acts as a benchmark for a high-quality, knowledge-rich school curriculum. Many academy schools choose to deliver the full national curriculum, but this is not a requirement. With their freedom, multi-academy trusts have been at the forefront of curriculum innovation, and they have led the development of evidence-based, subject-level teacher development programmes, resources, and research.
Ministers have no intention of using regulatory reforms to interfere in the day-to-day management of academies, other than in cases of failure. Ministers have no intention to restrict the freedoms that enable academies to collaborate, innovate, and organise themselves to deliver the best outcomes for pupils.
All schools are held accountable for delivering a broad and balanced curriculum through their performance in tests and exams and Ofsted inspections. Ofsted aims to reduce curriculum narrowing through the implementation of the 2019 education inspection framework, available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/education-inspection-framework. This framework evaluates the intent, implementation, and impact of each school's curriculum.
Oak National Academy was created in April 2020 as a rapid response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Teachers and colleagues from leading education organisations came together to support schools’ efforts to keep children learning. This included several multi-academy trusts who contributed to the development of lessons and online resources and continue to work with Oak as curriculum partners.
Building on the success of Oak National Academy’s work in the pandemic, the department announced in the Schools White Paper that we will establish a new arms-length curriculum body. It will work with thousands of teachers to co-design, create and continually improve packages of optional, free, adaptable digital curriculum resources and video lessons. These optional resources will be available across the UK, helping teachers deliver a high-quality curriculum. This sector-led approach will draw on expertise and inputs from across the country, involving teachers, schools, trusts, subject associations, national centres of excellence and educational publishers.
The resources are to be optional, non-Ofsted endorsed and intended to exemplify high-quality curriculum design to improve system curriculum thinking and support teachers across the country with their lesson planning and teaching.
Asked by: Lord McCabe (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of support available for victims of bullying in schools.
Answered by Robin Walker
The department has sent a clear message that bullying should never be tolerated and we are committed to supporting schools to tackle it. The department provides advice for schools, outlining their responsibilities. The advice makes clear that schools should make appropriate provision for a bullied child's social, emotional and mental health needs. The advice is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/preventing-and-tackling-bullying.
The department is providing over £2 million of funding, between 10 August 2021 and 31 March 2023, to five anti-bullying organisations to support schools to tackle bullying. This includes projects targeting bullying of particular groups, such as those who are victims of hate-related bullying and homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying.
The department is also making sure that all children in England will learn about respectful relationships, in person and online, as part of mandatory relationships, sex and health education. This includes content on the different types of bullying, the impact it has, the responsibility of bystanders, and how to get help.
The department has published ‘Respectful School Communities’, a self-review and signposting tool to support schools to develop a whole-school approach which promotes respect and discipline, available here: https://educateagainsthate.com/resources/respectful-school-communities-self-review-signposting-tool-2/. This can combat bullying, harassment and prejudice of any kind, including hate-based bullying.
The department is also committed to ensuring all schools should be calm, safe and supportive environments for pupils to learn and thrive in. To this end, we are investing £10 million through behaviour hubs so that schools that want and need to turn around their behaviour can work closely with schools with exemplary positive behaviour cultures, alongside a central offer of support and a taskforce of advisers, to improve their culture, and spread good practice across the country. The behaviour hubs programme includes mandatory modules on consequences, including sanctions and rewards and creating systems and social norms which are vital in enabling children to generate and maintain behavioural standards.
The department has not made an assessment of the adequacy of support in schools for victims of bullying. All schools should set clear, reasonable and proportionate expectations of pupil behaviour in line with the department’s ‘behaviour and discipline in schools’ guidance, available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/behaviour-and-discipline-in-schools. It is for individual schools to develop their own best practice for managing behaviour in their school.
Asked by: Lord McCabe (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to tackle bullying in schools.
Answered by Robin Walker
The department has sent a clear message that bullying should never be tolerated and we are committed to supporting schools to tackle it. The department provides advice for schools, outlining their responsibilities. The advice makes clear that schools should make appropriate provision for a bullied child's social, emotional and mental health needs. The advice is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/preventing-and-tackling-bullying.
The department is providing over £2 million of funding, between 10 August 2021 and 31 March 2023, to five anti-bullying organisations to support schools to tackle bullying. This includes projects targeting bullying of particular groups, such as those who are victims of hate-related bullying and homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying.
The department is also making sure that all children in England will learn about respectful relationships, in person and online, as part of mandatory relationships, sex and health education. This includes content on the different types of bullying, the impact it has, the responsibility of bystanders, and how to get help.
The department has published ‘Respectful School Communities’, a self-review and signposting tool to support schools to develop a whole-school approach which promotes respect and discipline, available here: https://educateagainsthate.com/resources/respectful-school-communities-self-review-signposting-tool-2/. This can combat bullying, harassment and prejudice of any kind, including hate-based bullying.
The department is also committed to ensuring all schools should be calm, safe and supportive environments for pupils to learn and thrive in. To this end, we are investing £10 million through behaviour hubs so that schools that want and need to turn around their behaviour can work closely with schools with exemplary positive behaviour cultures, alongside a central offer of support and a taskforce of advisers, to improve their culture, and spread good practice across the country. The behaviour hubs programme includes mandatory modules on consequences, including sanctions and rewards and creating systems and social norms which are vital in enabling children to generate and maintain behavioural standards.
The department has not made an assessment of the adequacy of support in schools for victims of bullying. All schools should set clear, reasonable and proportionate expectations of pupil behaviour in line with the department’s ‘behaviour and discipline in schools’ guidance, available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/behaviour-and-discipline-in-schools. It is for individual schools to develop their own best practice for managing behaviour in their school.
Asked by: Lord McCabe (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the UCL Institute of Education report, entitled School break and lunch times and young people's social lives: A follow-up national study, published May 2019, what assessment he has made of the possible adverse impact on children’s mental wellbeing of the declining opportunity for play whilst attending school.
Answered by Will Quince
The department has not made a specific assessment related to play in schools, but the government is clear about the importance of play to children and young people.
The department recognises the important role lunchtime play and activities have in providing enriching activities which support children’s physical and mental health, as well as the development of skills and attitudes which promote their wellbeing. It can provide children with an opportunity to connect with peers, develop friendships, and be physically active, all of which may contribute to a range of outcomes including enjoyment of school, social development and learning.
The department considers supporting access to play as part of what nurseries, schools and colleges can do to support the mental wellbeing and physical, social and emotional development of children and young people. We work closely with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Department of Health and Social Care counterparts on how that links into wider provision, opportunities and support for children and families.
We think it is right that decisions on how to structure a school day, including ensuring opportunities for children to engage in play, should be made by schools. However, as set out in the department’s recently published Schools White Paper, we have set a minimum expectation on the length of the school week of 32.5 hours for all mainstream state-funded schools. This will provide pupils with increased opportunities for learning, socialisation with peers and enrichment activities including chance to play.
Under Ofsted’s inspection framework, which took effect in September 2019, inspectors will look at how the curriculum is implemented through teaching and the wider experience of pupils in school. In the early years of education, Ofsted would expect play to be part of this. Inspectors would want to look at how the wide spectrum of play develops children’s communication skills, and demonstrates how behaviour is taught and managed, and how staff identity what a child needs to learn and how to learn it, either through explicit teaching or through play. When staff are clear on what children already know and can do, and what their next steps are, they can decide effectively on the teaching activities, including play, that will help children progress. Play should not, however, be evaluated separately, but as part of the curriculum, underling its role in supporting and embedding learning.
Asked by: Lord McCabe (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to his Department's research paper entitled Infographics for GCSEs, 2021, published on 12 August 2021, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the data showing that 63.8 per cent of pupils in the West Midlands achieved grades 4 or C and above in 2019 while 70.6 per cent of pupils in London achieved those grades that year.
Answered by Robin Walker
Between 2011 and 2019, the attainment gap between disadvantaged children and their more advantaged peers narrowed 13% at key stage 2 and 9% at key stage 4. However, the department is aware that even before the pandemic there was still further to go. The department recognises the attainment gap that persists between vulnerable and disadvantaged pupils compared to their peers. The Schools White Paper sets out the department’s long-term vision for a school system that helps every child to fulfil their potential by ensuring that they receive the right support, in the right place, at the right time – founded on achieving world-class literacy and numeracy.
The Schools White Paper sets out two ambitions for 2030:
The department aims to build capacity where it is needed most, and the government’s Levelling Up White Paper identified 55 Education Investment Areas (EIAs), where efforts will focus on driving school improvement. This includes building trust capacity, using part of the £86 million the department has committed to investing in trust capacity over the next three years. Additionally, schools in EIAs that have been judged less than Good in two or more successive Ofsted inspections could be moved into strong trusts to help drive up standards. The department is currently consulting on plans to support schools not making necessary improvements. Additionally, the Levelling Up premium, worth up to £3,000 tax-free for eligible teachers working in disadvantaged schools, including in EIAs, will be used to tackle staffing issues. EIAs include one-third of local authorities in England where educational attainment is currently weakest, and there are five EIAs in the West Midlands.
More recently, in the Schools White Paper, the department announced a subset of 24 Priority EIAs, where more intensive investment and support will be provided to address entrenched underperformance. This includes Sandwell, Stoke-on-Trent, and Walsall which were selected due to particularly low attainment and high rates of disadvantage. Priority EIAs will have access to a share of approximately £40 million to address specific local needs with bespoke interventions, a multi academy trust CEO development programme and comprehensive support for digital connectivity through Connect the Classroom. They will also have priority access to other Department for Education programmes, such as bids for new free schools.