Asked by: Tulip Siddiq (Labour - Hampstead and Highgate)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help support families caring for disabled children.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Shadow Minister (Equalities)
It is the responsibility of local authorities, schools, and further education settings to commission appropriately qualified staff to support the education of children and young people in their area.
The department’s reforms, as set out in the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities and Alternative Provision Improvement Plan and the Children’s Social Care Implementation strategy, detail the department’s commitments for providing stronger support for disabled children, including:
Asked by: Tulip Siddiq (Labour - Hampstead and Highgate)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to support individuals on student loan plans (a) 2 and (b) 4.
Answered by Robert Halfon
Decisions on student finance have to be taken alongside other spending priorities to ensure the system remains financially sustainable and the costs of higher education (HE) are shared fairly between students and taxpayers, not all of whom have benefited from going to university.
The government has continued to increase maximum loans and grants for living and other costs for plan 2 student loans each year. Maximum support has been increased by 2.3% for the 2022/23 academic year, with a further 2.8% increase announced for 2023/24. In addition, the department is freezing maximum tuition fees for the 2023/24 and 2024/25 academic years to deliver better value for students and to keep the costs of HE under control. By 2024/25, maximum fees will have been frozen for seven years.
The government recognises the additional cost of living pressures that have arisen this year and that are impacting students. The department has made £276 million of student premium and mental health funding available for the 2023/24 academic year to support successful outcomes for students, including disadvantaged students.
Student loans are available to all eligible students, irrespective of background or financial history, and include significant protections. Monthly student loan repayments are calculated by income rather than by interest rates or the amount borrowed. If a borrower’s earnings are below the relevant repayment threshold, they will not be required to make any repayments. At the end of the loan term, or in case of death or disability, any outstanding loan debt, including interest accrued, will be written off at no detriment to the borrower. No commercial loans offer this level of protection. To further protect borrowers, where the government considers that the student loan interest rate is too high in comparison to the prevailing market rate, it will reduce the maximum plan 2, plan 3 and plan 5 interest rate.
Plan 4 student loans are issued by the Scottish Government, which has responsibility for HE in Scotland and determines the student finance arrangements for Scottish students.
Asked by: Tulip Siddiq (Labour - Hampstead and Highgate)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help ensure that teachers are trained to identify signs of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder as early as possible.
Answered by Nick Gibb
All teachers are teachers of Special Education Needs and Disabilities (SEND), and high quality teaching is central to ensuring that pupils with SEND are given the best possible opportunity to achieve at school.
There are already a number of measures in place to support teachers in identifying and implementing support for pupils who face difficulties, including working with a dedicated SEND coordinator.
From September 2020, all new teachers have benefited from at least three years of evidence based professional development and support, starting with Initial Teacher Training (ITT) based on the new ITT Core Content Framework (CCF), and followed by a new two-year induction, underpinned by the Early Career Framework (ECF). The Department is reviewing the ITT CCF and ECF this year. This includes working with experts to identify opportunities to improve how the frameworks can support new teachers to be more confident in meeting the needs of pupils with SEND.
In addition, all ITT courses must be designed so that trainee teachers can demonstrate that they meet the Teachers’ Standards at the appropriate level. This includes the requirement in Standard 5, that all teachers must have a clear understanding of the needs of all pupils, including those with special educational needs, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Asked by: Tulip Siddiq (Labour - Hampstead and Highgate)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of removing interest on student loans.
Answered by Robert Halfon
I refer the hon. Member for Hampstead and Kilburn to the answer given on 4 May 2023 to Question 182652.
Asked by: Tulip Siddiq (Labour - Hampstead and Highgate)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of reforming Statutory Assessments in primary schools.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Primary assessments play a crucial role in supporting pupils’ basic understanding of reading, writing and mathematics, and to prepare pupils for secondary school. They allow parents and schools to understand pupils’ achievements in relation to the age related attainment expectations outlined in the National Curriculum.
In 2017, the Department carried out a consultation into primary assessment in England, with the aim of creating a settled policy in this area. The consultation received over 4,000 responses from a diverse range of backgrounds and specialisms, providing a broad and informed range of views. The Rochford review consultation took place in parallel. In total it received 594 submissions. The Government response was published in September 2017, which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/primary-school-pupil-assessment-rochford-review-recommendations.
The reform programme was designed to bring higher standards to primary assessment and to put in place an assessment system that helps teachers and head teachers help all children to succeed. The Department has reached the end of the programme of reform to the current primary assessment system that followed these consultations and has no current plans to undertake further major reform. The Department will continue to engage with schools, unions, and other stakeholders to understand their views on assessment.
The Department remains committed to producing and publishing school level accountability measures, using full cohort assessment data, which provide important information to support parents when choosing schools. The Department keeps all school performance measures under review and welcomes feedback on how they can be further improved.
Asked by: Tulip Siddiq (Labour - Hampstead and Highgate)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of removing interest on student loans.
Answered by Robert Halfon
The student finance and funding system must provide value for money for all at a time of rising costs. It is important that a sustainable student finance system is in place, that is both fair to students and fair to taxpayers. Interest is an important part of this. If interest payments were removed, it would increase the burden to the taxpayer. In 2022/23 student loan interest reduced public sector net debt by around £4.8 billion according to published data from Spring 23 OBR Economic Outlook. The government has no plans to remove interest rates on student loans.
New students who start courses on or after 1 August 2023, will receive their loans on new Plan 5 terms. Students with Plan 5 loans will benefit from a reduction in the interest rate to RPI only. This change ensures that borrowers on the new Plan 5 terms will not repay more than they originally borrowed over the lifetime of their loans, when adjusted for inflation.
Repayments are calculated as a fixed percentage of earnings above the relevant repayment threshold and do not change as a result of the interest rate charged or the amount borrowed.
The student finance system continues to protect lower earners and borrowers who experience a reduction in their income. If a borrower’s income drops, so does the amount they repay. If income is below the relevant repayment threshold, or a borrower is not earning, then they do not have to make repayments at all. Any outstanding debt, including interest accrued, is written off after the loan term ends, or in case of death or disability, at no detriment to the borrower.
The department is freezing maximum tuition fees for the 2023/24 and 2024/25 academic years. This benefits student borrowers directly. By 2024/25, maximum fees will have been frozen for seven years. We believe that a continued fee freeze achieves the best balance between ensuring that the system remains financially sustainable, offering good value for the taxpayer and reducing debt levels for students in real terms.
Asked by: Tulip Siddiq (Labour - Hampstead and Highgate)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of introducing safeguarding and training programmes in schools to (a) protect Black and minority ethnic students and (b) assist them to deal with racism.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Shadow Minister (Equalities)
The government condemns and strives to tackle all forms of racial discrimination, prejudice and harassment. Under the Equality Act 2010, schools have a duty to take steps to eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation, to advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations across all protected characteristics, including between people of different ethnic backgrounds. The department has published advice to support schools to fulfil their duties under the Equality Act 2010, which can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/equality-act-2010-advice-for-schools?msclkid=9ce22dddcc5d11ec9a0a2d6e2fd0a666.
Challenging intolerant, racist or discriminatory views, where these are shared at school, should be seen as part of schools’ wider anti-bullying and safeguarding duties. All schools are required by law to have a behaviour policy which outlines measures to encourage good behaviour and prevent all forms of bullying amongst pupils. The policy should set out the behaviour expected of pupils, the sanctions that will be imposed for misbehaviour, and recognition for good behaviour. This should be communicated to all pupils, school staff and parents.
The department’s statutory safeguarding guidance, ‘Keeping children safe in education’, which applies to all schools, makes it clear that all staff should receive appropriate safeguarding and child protection training which is regularly updated. It also makes clear that all staff should receive safeguarding and child protection updates as required, and at least annually, to continue to provide them with relevant skills and knowledge to safeguard children effectively. The department does not mandate specific programmes as we believe that schools and colleges are best placed to decide on the training needs of their staff, taking into account local issues. The guidance can be found at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1101454/Keeping_children_safe_in_education_2022.pdf.
The department publishes information, guidance and support for teachers and school leaders on how to challenge radical views, including racist and discriminatory beliefs, on the Educate Against Hate website. One of these resources is the Respectful School Communities toolkit, a self-review and signposting tool to support schools in developing a whole-school approach which promotes respect and discipline. This can help to combat bullying, harassment and prejudice of any kind, including hate-based bullying, and is available here: https://educateagainsthate.com/resources/respectful-school-communities-self-review-signposting-tool-2/.
The department is also providing over £2 million of funding, between 10 August 2021 and 31 March 2024, to five anti-bullying organisations to support schools in tackling bullying. This includes projects targeting bullying of particular groups, such as those who are victims of hate related bullying.
Asked by: Tulip Siddiq (Labour - Hampstead and Highgate)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to tackle racism in (a) schools and (b) amongst young people.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Shadow Minister (Equalities)
The government condemns and strives to tackle all forms of racial discrimination, prejudice and harassment. Under the Equality Act 2010, schools have a duty to take steps to eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation, to advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations across all protected characteristics, including between people of different ethnic backgrounds. The department has published advice to support schools to fulfil their duties under the Equality Act 2010, which can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/equality-act-2010-advice-for-schools?msclkid=9ce22dddcc5d11ec9a0a2d6e2fd0a666.
Challenging intolerant, racist or discriminatory views, where these are shared at school, should be seen as part of schools’ wider anti-bullying and safeguarding duties. All schools are required by law to have a behaviour policy which outlines measures to encourage good behaviour and prevent all forms of bullying amongst pupils. The policy should set out the behaviour expected of pupils, the sanctions that will be imposed for misbehaviour, and recognition for good behaviour. This should be communicated to all pupils, school staff and parents.
The department’s statutory safeguarding guidance, ‘Keeping children safe in education’, which applies to all schools, makes it clear that all staff should receive appropriate safeguarding and child protection training which is regularly updated. It also makes clear that all staff should receive safeguarding and child protection updates as required, and at least annually, to continue to provide them with relevant skills and knowledge to safeguard children effectively. The department does not mandate specific programmes as we believe that schools and colleges are best placed to decide on the training needs of their staff, taking into account local issues. The guidance can be found at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1101454/Keeping_children_safe_in_education_2022.pdf.
The department publishes information, guidance and support for teachers and school leaders on how to challenge radical views, including racist and discriminatory beliefs, on the Educate Against Hate website. One of these resources is the Respectful School Communities toolkit, a self-review and signposting tool to support schools in developing a whole-school approach which promotes respect and discipline. This can help to combat bullying, harassment and prejudice of any kind, including hate-based bullying, and is available here: https://educateagainsthate.com/resources/respectful-school-communities-self-review-signposting-tool-2/.
The department is also providing over £2 million of funding, between 10 August 2021 and 31 March 2024, to five anti-bullying organisations to support schools in tackling bullying. This includes projects targeting bullying of particular groups, such as those who are victims of hate related bullying.
Asked by: Tulip Siddiq (Labour - Hampstead and Highgate)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support his Department has provided to university students to help with the cost of living.
Answered by Robert Halfon
The government reviews the support provided to cover students’ living costs on an annual basis.
On 11 January 2023, the department boosted this year's student premium by £15 million to support more students. Meaning this year we provided £276 million of support though student premium funding. This extra funding will complement the help universities are providing through their own bursary, scholarship, and hardship support schemes. The department works with the Office for Students (OfS) to ensure universities support students using both hardship funds and drawing on the student premium.
We have continued to increase maximum loans and grants each year, with a 2.3% increase for the current 2022/23 academic year and a further 2.8% increase for 2023/24.
Loans that support with students’ living costs are a contribution towards their living costs while attending university, with the highest levels of support targeted at students who need it the most, such as students from low-income families. 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.
All households will save on their energy bills through the Energy Price Guarantee and the £400 Energy Bills Support Scheme discount. Students who buy their energy from a domestic supplier are eligible for the energy bills discount. The Energy Prices Act passed on 25 October 2022 includes the provision which requires landlords to pass any benefits they receive from energy price support onto end users, as appropriate. Further details of the requirements under this Act are set out in the legislation.
Asked by: Tulip Siddiq (Labour - Hampstead and Highgate)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the uptake of free school meals amongst eligible children.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Department wants to make sure as many eligible pupils as possible are claiming free school meals (FSM).
The latest published statistics show that around 1.9 million pupils are claiming benefits related FSM. This equates to 22.5% of all pupils, up from 20.8% in 2021. Together, with a further 1.25 million infants supported through the Universal Infant Free School Meal policy, over one third of pupils receive a FSM in school.
The Department’s last estimate is that uptake is around 89% of those who are eligible.
The Department provides an Eligibility Checking System to make the checking process as quick and straightforward as possible for schools and Local Authorities. The Department has also developed a model registration form to help schools encourage parents to sign up for FSM and provided guidance to Jobcentre Plus advisers so that they can make Universal Credit recipients aware that they may also be entitled to wider benefits, including FSM.