Asked by: Tobias Ellwood (Conservative - Bournemouth East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make it her policy to legislate for an additional statutory duty of care for students in higher education.
Answered by Robert Halfon
It is a departmental priority that students are provided with the mental health support they need so that everyone, regardless of the challenges they face, is given the opportunity to thrive.
The department understands the arguments for a statutory duty of care and shares the aims of those calling for this, which are to protect those who study at university and to prevent future tragedies. If creating a statutory duty of care in this space was the right way to achieve this, it would have the government’s full backing. However, the department believes creating such a duty for higher education (HE) providers is not the most effective way to improve outcomes for students.
Currently, a duty of care exists in common law as part of the law of negligence. This legal position is recognised in Universities UK guidance. The department is aware that the decision in Abrahart v. University of Bristol is being appealed in the High Court and will be monitoring this closely.
There are other relevant legal protections that already apply. The Equality Act 2010 imposes a duty on providers to make reasonable adjustments where students with a mental health disability would otherwise be put at a substantial disadvantage. Providers must also fully observe health and safety obligations and requirements to safeguard vulnerable adults, as well as contractual obligations.
There may be unintended consequences of legislating at this time. There is a risk that a one-size-fits-all prescriptive approach might stifle new and innovative practices, given there is no consensus yet on which interventions are most effective. While HE providers need to provide excellent pastoral services, we must be careful not to place a duty on them which requires them to provide services the NHS has more specialism in delivering.
The department believes there are more effective solutions to improve outcomes for students in the near term. Our approach is focussed on three pillars:
As part of the first pillar, the department has asked the Office for Students (OfS) to distribute £15 million this academic year so support can be targeted towards students who are starting university for the first time. This funding will also enable effective partnerships between providers and local NHS services so students can better navigate the pathways for mental health provision.
Through our second pillar, we are challenging the sector to deliver on supporting student mental health, including by setting a target for all eligible universities to sign up to the Mental Health Charter by September 2024. The department is confident the sector will rise to the challenge, having made great progress with the production of robust frameworks for best practice over recent years If we do not see a proactive and positive response from the sector, the department will not hesitate to ask the OfS to explore targeted regulation to protect student interests.
We have also made clear to the sector that we expect all relevant providers to follow broader best practice guidance shared with them by Universities UK and mental health experts.
Through work with the LEARN Network, the Student Support Champion Professor Edward Peck has identified areas for further improvement, which forms the third pillar of our approach. To deliver on this, Edward Peck will Chair a Higher Education Mental Health Implementation Taskforce, which will produce a plan for better early identification of students at risk, a University Student Commitment on dealing with students sensitively on disciplinary issues, and a set of clear targets for improvements in practice by providers. The Taskforce will include parent and students, mental health experts, and sector representatives. An interim plan is expected to be put in place later this year, with a final report to follow by May 2024.
The department wants to ensure all universities can learn from tragic instances of suicide by ensuring lessons are shared across the sector. A National Review of University Suicides will be commissioned, to be carried out by an independent organisation.
We owe it to our students to do even more to protect their mental health and wellbeing. This can only be achieved by the government, the sector, experts, parents, and students working together collectively towards this shared goal.
Asked by: Tobias Ellwood (Conservative - Bournemouth East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has plans to fund British Sign Language classes for families with deaf children.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
The department understands the great importance of British Sign Language (BSL) for bridging barriers to communication between hearing and deaf people. We also appreciate the vital need for families with deaf children to be able to access BSL courses, as early access to language is essential to help children learn and thrive.
Funding is available through the Adult Education Budget (AEB) for qualifications in or focussing on BSL, up to and including level 2. These qualifications include, for example, the Level 1 Award in BSL which allows learners to communicate in BSL on a range of topics that involve simple, everyday language use, thereby giving them the basic skills and confidence in production and reception of BSL. It will depend on an individual’s circumstances as to whether they are entitled to free provision or expected to meet part of the cost (through co-funding).
About 60% of the AEB has been devolved to Mayoral Combined Authorities and the Greater London Authority, who determine which provision to fund for learners who live in their areas. The Education and Skills Funding Agency provides the remaining funding for learners who live in non-devolved areas. Where community learning providers offer BSL courses, those providers are responsible for determining the course fees, including levels of fee remission.
For some BSL courses, Advanced Learner Loans (ALLs) are available, and parents can find more information about which qualifications are eligible here: https://www.qualifications.education.gov.uk/Search. More general information about the provision of ALLs is available at: https://www.gov.uk/advanced-learner-loan.
For parents learning BSL on an AEB funded course, there is also additional support available. The AEB provides funding to colleges and providers to help adult learners overcome barriers preventing them from accessing learning. Providers have discretion to help learners meet costs such as transport, accommodation, books, equipment, and childcare. Learning support funding also helps colleges and training providers to meet the additional needs of learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and the costs of reasonable adjustments, as set out in the Equality Act 2010.
Asked by: Tobias Ellwood (Conservative - Bournemouth East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support parents of deaf children in Bournemouth East constituency.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
The department recognises the importance of supporting parents of all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including deaf children or those with a hearing impairment.
On 2 March 2023, the government published the SEND and Alternative Provision Improvement Plan in response to the Green Paper. The Improvement Plan outlines the department’s approach to building capacity to achieve the behaviours and culture required for the successful implementation of these policy reforms. These reforms will give families greater confidence that their child will be able to fulfil their potential through improved mainstream provision in their local setting.
For those children and young people with SEND who do require an education, health and care (EHC) plan and specialist provision, the department will ensure they get prompt access to the support they need, and that parents do not face an adversarial system to secure this.
We will strengthen accountability across the system so that everyone is held to account for supporting children and young people with SEND.
The department also works closely with Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole local authority to ensure that all children’s needs are met, including support with its written statement of action.
Asked by: Tobias Ellwood (Conservative - Bournemouth East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to answer Question 165328 from the Rt Hon Member for Bournemouth East, tabled on 14 March for answer on 17 March.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
I can confirm that a response to Question 165328 has been provided to the right hon. Member for Bournemouth East.
Asked by: Tobias Ellwood (Conservative - Bournemouth East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support the provision of early years childcare in Bournemouth East constituency.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
In the Spring Budget 2023, the government announced a number of transformative reforms to childcare for parents and children. This government will expect to be spending in excess of £8 billion every year on free hours and early education by 2027/28, helping working families with their childcare costs. This announcement represents the single biggest investment in childcare in England.
From September 2025, working parents will be able to access 30 hours of free childcare a week for 38 weeks a year, from the point their child is 9 months to when their child starts school. The department is ensuring a phased implementation of the expansion to the 30 hours offer to allow the market to develop the necessary capacity. We are working closely with the sector on the implementation of these reforms.
The government will also increase support for those parents on Universal Credit who face the highest childcare costs, by increasing the Universal Credit childcare cost maximum amount and providing support with childcare costs upfront rather than arrears.
The reforms announced build on the department’s current early education entitlements that the government offers, which includes a universal 15 hour offer for all 3 and 4-year-olds, a 15 hour offer for the most disadvantaged 2-year-olds, the existing 30 hours offer for 3 and 4-year-olds, Tax-Free Childcare, and Universal Credit Childcare.
My right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, also announced that the hourly rates for the entitlements will be substantially uplifted, on top of additional investments announced at the 2021 Spending Review and on 16 December 2022.
We will provide £204 million from September 2023, increasing to £288 million by 2024/25, or local authorities to further increase hourly funding rates to providers, with further uplifts to follow each year. This will include an average 30% increase in the national average 2-year-old hourly rate from September 2023 and means that the average hourly rate for 2-year-olds will rise from the current £6 per hour in 2023/24 to around £8 per hour. The average 3 and 4-year-old rate will rise in line with inflation to over £5.50 per hour from September 2023, with further uplifts beyond this.
This funding is in addition to the £4.1 billion that the government will provide by 2027/28 to facilitate the expansion of the new free hours offer.
The government is investing up to £180 million in a package of training, qualifications, expert guidance, and targeted support for the early years sector to support the learning and development of the youngest and most disadvantaged children.
Designed to support all areas of the early years sector, the Early Years Education Recovery Programme offers national programmes focusing on continuing professional development, with training on child development, communication and language, early maths and personal, social and emotional development, leadership of settings, supporting caregivers in their home learning environment, and speech and language skills of children in reception year.
The department will be providing additional funding for qualifications for graduate level specialist training leading to early years teacher status, accredited level 3 early years Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators qualification, and improving the Early Years level 3 qualification. We will also be providing support and guidance to early years settings through Stronger Practice Hubs and Experts and Mentors.
The department acknowledges that recruitment and retention are key issues for the early years sector. Supporting this workforce continues to be a priority for the department, and we are working proactively with the sector and local authorities to grow, develop, and support the workforce.
Asked by: Tobias Ellwood (Conservative - Bournemouth East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if the School Rebuilding Programme will include funding to any educational institutions in Bournemouth East constituency.
Answered by Nick Gibb
On 16 December 2022, the Department announced the next round of 239 schools to be included in the School Rebuilding Programme, prioritised on the basis of their condition. A list of these schools is available in the attached table.
Of the 400 schools selected so far, none are in Bournemouth East constituency. There are six schools in Bournemouth, Christchurch, and Poole Local Authorities.
Asked by: Tobias Ellwood (Conservative - Bournemouth East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if his Department will increase funding for schools and colleges in the context of rising inflation.
Answered by Jonathan Gullis
Schools and colleges will benefit from the Government’s Energy Price Guarantee, which commences on the 1 October 2022 and will be available until at least 31 March 2023. This will cap how much schools and colleges need to spend on their energy, giving greater certainty over their budgets over the winter months.
The Government is also providing schools with the largest cash boost in a decade. Following the 2021 Spending Review, core schools funding (including funding for both mainstream schools and high needs) will increase by £7 billion in 2024/25, compared to 2021/22. This includes a £4 billion increase in 2022/23 compared to the previous year which is a cash increase of 7% per pupil. A further £1.5 billion will be available in 2023/24.
The 2021 Spending Review has also made available an extra £1.6 billion for 16-19 education in the 2024/25 financial year, compared with financial year 2021/22.
The 2021 Spending Review announced a total of £19.4 billion of capital funding to support the education sector between 2022/23 and 2024/25. We are investing £6 billion in 2022/23, including £1.8 billion to help maintain and improve the condition of school buildings; over £700 million to create new places and improve facilities for children and young people with SEND or who require alternative provision; and nearly £530 million for new mainstream school places. In addition, we have announced £750 million to create new places and improve facilities for children and young people with SEND or who require alternative provision for 2024; and £940 million to create new mainstream school places needed for 2024 and 2025.
We are investing £2.8 billion of capital funding in skills over the Spending Review period, including funding to improve the condition of the further education college estate. This investment also provides funding for specialist equipment and facilities for T Levels, capital funding for more places for 16-19 year olds, and for Institutes of Technology.
Every school’s circumstances are different, and where schools are in serious financial difficulty, they should contact their local authority or the Education and Skills Funding Agency. Support for colleges is available from the Further Education Commissioner and the Education and Skills Funding Agency.
Asked by: Tobias Ellwood (Conservative - Bournemouth East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department are taking to encourage schools to increase the number of pupils admitted on pupil premiums.
Answered by Jonathan Gullis
Admission arrangements are set and applied locally. Provided they are lawful and comply with the School Admissions Code, it is for the school’s admission authority to decide what admissions criteria to set, and how they are applied.
In 2014, the Code was revised to allow school admissions authorities to choose to prioritise children in receipt of pupil premium in their admissions oversubscription criteria. The Department published guidance for schools on how they can best use this criterion.
The recent School’s White Paper, ‘Opportunity for All’, made clear that trusts, as admission authorities, will be expected to act inclusively, providing the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children with the opportunity to attend the best schools.
Asked by: Tobias Ellwood (Conservative - Bournemouth East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent steps his Department has taken to support students' mental health following the outbreak of covid-19.
Answered by Andrea Jenkyns
In the longer term, the department is offering all state schools and colleges a grant to train a senior mental health lead by 2025, enabling them to introduce effective, whole school approaches to mental health and wellbeing. Over 8,000 schools and colleges are already receiving grants and this year, we are providing an additional £10 million, so two thirds of state schools and colleges will have access to a grant by March 2023.
In further education, we are investing over £800 million across the next 3 academic years to fund an average of 40 additional learning hours for band 5 and T Level students in 16 to 19 education. The additional hours can be used to support areas, including mental health and wellbeing, where these are a barrier for students effectively accessing teaching and learning.
Whilst it is for higher education (HE) providers to determine what welfare and counselling services they need to provide to their students to offer that support, the government and the Office for Students (OfS) are proactive in funding and promoting effective practice in this area, ensuring that providers can access evidence to inform their approaches.
We have worked with the OfS and Student Minds to provide Student Space, which is designed to work alongside existing services, to bridge any gaps in support for students arising from the pandemic. Funded with up to £3.6 million by the OfS and the HE Funding Council Wales, Student Space has now received a funding commitment of £262,500 annually, for three years, to extend this provision of online mental health support to all students in England and Wales to 2026.
We have also asked the OfS to distribute £15 million of funding in the 2022/23 financial year to give additional support for transitions from school or college to university, and through targeting funding to support partnership working with NHS services to provide pathways of care for students.
In the Budget and Spending Review for 2021, the government announced £82 million to create a network of family hubs in 75 areas. This is part of a wider £302 million package to transform services for parents, carers, babies and children in half of council areas across England. The 75 local authorities eligible to receive the funding were announced on 2 April 2022. Information on support for vulnerable families can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/infants-children-and-families-to-benefit-from-boost-in-support.
Asked by: Tobias Ellwood (Conservative - Bournemouth East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to help improve post-18 education options for young people in the Bournemouth East constituency.
Answered by Andrea Jenkyns
The department is continuing to invest in adult education for adults aged 19 and over, through the Adult Education Budget (AEB), which was £1.34 billion in each of the 2019/20, 2020/21, and 2021/22 academic years. The AEB fully funds or co-funds skills provision for eligible adults aged 19 and above, from pre-entry to level 3, to support adults to gain the skills they need for work, an apprenticeship, or further learning.
As part of the £2.5 billion National Skills Fund, Skills Bootcamps offer free, flexible courses of up to 16 weeks, giving people the opportunity to build up sector-specific skills and fast-track to an interview with an employer.
Eligible learners in Bournemouth aged 19 and over can also take advantage of the free level 3 courses for job offers. Over 400 qualifications are on offer, which have been identified for their strong wage outcomes and ability to meet key skills needs. A list of these qualifications can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/find-a-free-level-3-qualification/list-of-free-level-3-qualifications-available-to-eligible-adults.
Adults can also be supported to access qualifications not included in the free courses for jobs offer through Advanced Learner Loans. Advanced Learner Loans are income-contingent loans that provide extensive coverage of regulated level 3 to level 6 qualifications, helping to meet the up-front tuition fees.
The department also wants to see more people in Bournemouth benefit from apprenticeships that offer high-quality training and opportunities for progression. There are over 640 high-quality, employer-designed apprenticeship standards available in a variety of industries. To support the growth of apprenticeships across the country, we are increasing apprenticeships funding to £2.7 billion by 2024/25.
The department continues to work with employers and providers to develop traineeships that provide clear progression routes for 16 to 24-year-olds, providing an opportunity to further develop skills. These include English, maths, and digital skills, alongside work preparation training and a work placement. It also includes support to help them prepare for progression into an apprenticeship, or another job.
Bournemouth and Poole College is developing new post-18 options for adults and progressing younger students, including shorter higher education (HE) provision, which is more directly linked to immediate careers to support adults who might not normally engage with HE. Around two thirds of the college’s 1,900 apprentices are adults participating across a broad range of sectors. The college will be introducing two new apprenticeship programmes in 2023/24. It will also be creating new engagement and progression strands for under-skilled adults through its recent Strategic Development Fund for investing in electric vehicle charging point training.