Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) primary and (b) secondary school students have been identified as requiring Special Education school provision outside mainstream schools in Derbyshire; and how many such children attend specialist schools.
Answered by David Johnston
The department does not hold the data requested. The department does publish data online in relation to special educational needs (SEN), including:
The local authority can provide further information on children with SEN in Derbyshire.
Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much the ring-fenced apprenticeship budget was in each year since 2017-18; and what proportion was raised by the Apprenticeship Levy in each of those years.
Answered by Robert Halfon
The UK government, via His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs, collects an apprenticeship levy of 0.5% on total payroll from businesses across the UK with an annual payroll expenditure of more than £3 million. The amount raised by the apprenticeship levy is available in this publication: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/hmrc-tax-and-nics-receipts-for-the-uk.
From this, His Majesty’s Treasury sets an English apprenticeships budget for the department, and the devolved administrations receive a share of the funding calculated using the Barnett formula.
The apprenticeships budget in England is used to fund the training and assessment of new apprenticeship starts for all employers of all sizes, both those who pay the levy and those who do not. The budget is also used to cover the ongoing costs of apprentices already in training and any additional payments made to employers, providers and apprentices. Apprenticeships are employer led, and the department does not allocate a specific percentage of the budget to either levy paying or non-levy paying employers.
The table below shows the total apprenticeship budget and spend in England in the last five financial years, with spend broken down by levy payers and non-levy payers. It also includes the budget for the 2022/23 and 2023/24 financial years. In addition, the table reflects the spend on apprenticeships that started prior to the introduction of the levy, and the department’s spend on the operation of the wider apprenticeship system, such as the cost of running digital services, marketing and communications campaigns.
Financial Year | 2017/18 | 2018/19 | 2019/20 | 2020/21 | 2021/22 | 2022/23 | 2023/24 |
Apprenticeship budget £m | 2,010 | 2,231 | 2,469 | 2,467 | 2,466 | 2,554 | 2,585 |
Levy spend | 268 | 864 | 1,156 | 1,251 | 1,592 | - | - |
Non-levy spend | 189 | 528 | 650 | 557 | 817 | - | - |
Spend on apprenticeships started | 1,086 | 305 | 65 | 22 | 7 | - | - |
Wider apprenticeship | 43 | 41 | 48 | 33 | 39 | - | - |
Total spend | 1,586 | 1,738 | 1,919 | 1,863 | 2,455 | - | - |
Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of the ring-fenced apprenticeship budget has been allocated to apprenticeship funding for non-levy paying employers in each financial year since 2017-18.
Answered by Robert Halfon
The UK government, via His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs, collects an apprenticeship levy of 0.5% on total payroll from businesses across the UK with an annual payroll expenditure of more than £3 million. The amount raised by the apprenticeship levy is available in this publication: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/hmrc-tax-and-nics-receipts-for-the-uk.
From this, His Majesty’s Treasury sets an English apprenticeships budget for the department, and the devolved administrations receive a share of the funding calculated using the Barnett formula.
The apprenticeships budget in England is used to fund the training and assessment of new apprenticeship starts for all employers of all sizes, both those who pay the levy and those who do not. The budget is also used to cover the ongoing costs of apprentices already in training and any additional payments made to employers, providers and apprentices. Apprenticeships are employer led, and the department does not allocate a specific percentage of the budget to either levy paying or non-levy paying employers.
The table below shows the total apprenticeship budget and spend in England in the last five financial years, with spend broken down by levy payers and non-levy payers. It also includes the budget for the 2022/23 and 2023/24 financial years. In addition, the table reflects the spend on apprenticeships that started prior to the introduction of the levy, and the department’s spend on the operation of the wider apprenticeship system, such as the cost of running digital services, marketing and communications campaigns.
Financial Year | 2017/18 | 2018/19 | 2019/20 | 2020/21 | 2021/22 | 2022/23 | 2023/24 |
Apprenticeship budget £m | 2,010 | 2,231 | 2,469 | 2,467 | 2,466 | 2,554 | 2,585 |
Levy spend | 268 | 864 | 1,156 | 1,251 | 1,592 | - | - |
Non-levy spend | 189 | 528 | 650 | 557 | 817 | - | - |
Spend on apprenticeships started | 1,086 | 305 | 65 | 22 | 7 | - | - |
Wider apprenticeship | 43 | 41 | 48 | 33 | 39 | - | - |
Total spend | 1,586 | 1,738 | 1,919 | 1,863 | 2,455 | - | - |
Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much from the public purse her Department ringfenced for the apprenticeship budget for England in (a) 2022-23 and (b) 2023-24.
Answered by Robert Halfon
The UK government, via His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs, collects an apprenticeship levy of 0.5% on total payroll from businesses across the UK with an annual payroll expenditure of more than £3 million. The amount raised by the apprenticeship levy is available in this publication: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/hmrc-tax-and-nics-receipts-for-the-uk.
From this, His Majesty’s Treasury sets an English apprenticeships budget for the department, and the devolved administrations receive a share of the funding calculated using the Barnett formula.
The apprenticeships budget in England is used to fund the training and assessment of new apprenticeship starts for all employers of all sizes, both those who pay the levy and those who do not. The budget is also used to cover the ongoing costs of apprentices already in training and any additional payments made to employers, providers and apprentices. Apprenticeships are employer led, and the department does not allocate a specific percentage of the budget to either levy paying or non-levy paying employers.
The table below shows the total apprenticeship budget and spend in England in the last five financial years, with spend broken down by levy payers and non-levy payers. It also includes the budget for the 2022/23 and 2023/24 financial years. In addition, the table reflects the spend on apprenticeships that started prior to the introduction of the levy, and the department’s spend on the operation of the wider apprenticeship system, such as the cost of running digital services, marketing and communications campaigns.
Financial Year | 2017/18 | 2018/19 | 2019/20 | 2020/21 | 2021/22 | 2022/23 | 2023/24 |
Apprenticeship budget £m | 2,010 | 2,231 | 2,469 | 2,467 | 2,466 | 2,554 | 2,585 |
Levy spend | 268 | 864 | 1,156 | 1,251 | 1,592 | - | - |
Non-levy spend | 189 | 528 | 650 | 557 | 817 | - | - |
Spend on apprenticeships started | 1,086 | 305 | 65 | 22 | 7 | - | - |
Wider apprenticeship | 43 | 41 | 48 | 33 | 39 | - | - |
Total spend | 1,586 | 1,738 | 1,919 | 1,863 | 2,455 | - | - |
Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much of the apprenticeship budget has been spent by (a) apprenticeship levy payers and (b) non-levy payers in each year since 2017.
Answered by Robert Halfon
The UK government, via His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs, collects an apprenticeship levy of 0.5% on total payroll from businesses across the UK with an annual payroll expenditure of more than £3 million. The amount raised by the apprenticeship levy is available in this publication: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/hmrc-tax-and-nics-receipts-for-the-uk.
From this, His Majesty’s Treasury sets an English apprenticeships budget for the department, and the devolved administrations receive a share of the funding calculated using the Barnett formula.
The apprenticeships budget in England is used to fund the training and assessment of new apprenticeship starts for all employers of all sizes, both those who pay the levy and those who do not. The budget is also used to cover the ongoing costs of apprentices already in training and any additional payments made to employers, providers and apprentices. Apprenticeships are employer led, and the department does not allocate a specific percentage of the budget to either levy paying or non-levy paying employers.
The table below shows the total apprenticeship budget and spend in England in the last five financial years, with spend broken down by levy payers and non-levy payers. It also includes the budget for the 2022/23 and 2023/24 financial years. In addition, the table reflects the spend on apprenticeships that started prior to the introduction of the levy, and the department’s spend on the operation of the wider apprenticeship system, such as the cost of running digital services, marketing and communications campaigns.
Financial Year | 2017/18 | 2018/19 | 2019/20 | 2020/21 | 2021/22 | 2022/23 | 2023/24 |
Apprenticeship budget £m | 2,010 | 2,231 | 2,469 | 2,467 | 2,466 | 2,554 | 2,585 |
Levy spend | 268 | 864 | 1,156 | 1,251 | 1,592 | - | - |
Non-levy spend | 189 | 528 | 650 | 557 | 817 | - | - |
Spend on apprenticeships started | 1,086 | 305 | 65 | 22 | 7 | - | - |
Wider apprenticeship | 43 | 41 | 48 | 33 | 39 | - | - |
Total spend | 1,586 | 1,738 | 1,919 | 1,863 | 2,455 | - | - |
Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what representations she has received about the adequacy of the key stage two English reading test that was taken on 10 May 2023.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Standards and Testing Agency (STA) is an executive agency of the Department with responsibility for the development and delivery of national curriculum tests and assessments. Its work on National Curriculum assessments is regulated by Ofqual.
The STA works independently on test materials. Ministers have no involvement in test development or in the selection of the content of the test. Ministers do not have access to the test materials until they are published after the end of the timetable variation window, which is five school days after the scheduled test date. Ministers likewise are not involved in the standards maintenance process which determines the threshold for the expected standard each year.
The STA has met with stakeholders, including teacher and school leader unions and headteachers, to understand their views on the end of Key Stage 2 National Curriculum tests this year, and are responding to correspondence from schools, parents and other individuals regarding the tests.
The STA will continue to engage with schools, unions, and other stakeholders to understand their views on the papers this year, and in regard to all aspects of primary assessment.
Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department had taken steps to increase the difficulty of the Year 6 National Reading Tests on 10 May 2023; and what changes had been made to the previous years' tests.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Standards and Testing Agency (STA) is an executive agency of the Department. STA is responsible for the development and delivery of National Curriculum tests and assessments.
STA works independently on the test materials, which remain confidential until all pupils have taken the test. This may be up to five school days after the scheduled date of the test, as schools are permitted to vary the timetable in some circumstances.
Ministers do not have any influence on test content or challenge. In constructing the tests, STA follows the criteria set out in the National Curriculum test frameworks, which are available at: www.gov.uk/government/collections/national-curriculum-assessments-test-frameworks.
There has been no change to the specification for the content, structure, format, or difficulty of the National Curriculum tests for 2023.
Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 24 October 2022 to Question 59062 on T-levels: Expenditure, what the actual total spend was on the T Level Programme between the financial years 2017-18 and 2022-23.
Answered by Robert Halfon
I refer the hon. Member for Chesterfield to the answer of 19 April 2023 to Question 180516.
Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of (a) all apprenticeship courses started and (b) the amount apprenticeship levy spent were for (i) Level 6 and (ii) Level 7 apprenticeships in each year since 2016.
Answered by Robert Halfon
Degree-level apprenticeships provide people with high-quality training, and are important in supporting productivity, social mobility, and widening participation in higher education and employment. There are now 159 standards at degree level (Level 6 and 7), including Doctor, Construction Quantity Surveyor and Midwife. The department is providing an additional £40 million in Strategic Priorities Grant funding over the next two years to support degree apprenticeship providers in expanding and helping more people access this provision, on top of our £8 million investment in the 2022/23 financial year.
We have seen year-on-year growth of degree-level apprenticeships with almost 180,000 starts since their introduction in the 2014/15 academic year. Starts at levels 6 and 7 now represent 16.2% of all starts (33,180) so far this year (Aug-Jan), and volumes are up by 12% when compared to the same period in 2021/22 (29,580).
The table below shows the proportion of apprenticeship starts at Level 6 and Level 7 in each academic year since 2016/17.
Apprenticeships starts (%) by academic year | Level 6 | Level 7 |
2016/17 | 0.3% | 0.0% |
2017/18 | 1.7% | 1.2% |
2018/19 | 2.8% | 3.0% |
2019/20 | 4.7% | 4.8% |
2020/21 | 6.1% | 6.1% |
2021/22 | 6.7% | 5.6% |
The table below shows the apprenticeships spend on Levels 6 and 7, rounded to the nearest £ million. This is the total spend for apprenticeships at Levels 6 and 7 by both levy-paying and non-levy paying employers and includes apprenticeships started in previous years.
Overall spend on Level 6 and 7 apprenticeships, by academic year (£ million) | Level 6 | Level 7 |
2016/17 | 12 | 0 |
2017/18 | 33 | 11 |
2018/19 | 78 | 57 |
2019/20 | 133 | 118 |
2020/21 | 203 | 186 |
2021/22 | 290 | 216 |
Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 24 October 2022 to Question 59062, on T-levels: Expenditure, what the total cost to the public purse has been for T levels in each financial year since 2017-18; and what the forecast spend is for each of the next three financial years.
Answered by Robert Halfon
T Levels are important new programmes for young people, designed in partnership with employers to prepare students for entry into skilled employment, an apprenticeship, or related technical study through further or higher education. Funding has been used to develop T Levels and grow the capacity to deliver them effectively.
The information given in the previous response was taken from the Government’s Major Projects Portfolio data and relates to the baselined Whole Life Costs (WLC), rather than spend, at £918.5 million, and is not split by financial year. The total includes supporting teachers to deliver them effectively. Of this total, approximately £400 million capital funding has been provided to colleges and other providers for the first four waves of T Level delivery, starting in September 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 to improve the quality of facilities and equipment that will be used to deliver T Levels.
Forecast data for T Level spend is dependent upon the number of young people who decide to take up a T Level, and the size of future T Levels depends on factors including the qualification specification, which in some cases is still being developed. An accurate forecast for the next 3 financial years is therefore not available.