Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to Ofsted's report entitled Review of sexual abuse in schools and colleges, published on 10 June 2021, what discussions her Department has had with Ofsted on the extent to which it has implemented the recommendations under actions for the inspectorates.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
The department has regular discussions with Ofsted on a wide range of aspects, including its approaches to inspection and the safeguarding of children and young people. On the specific matter of Ofsted’s implementation of the actions set out in its report, I have asked His Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Sir Martyn Oliver to write to the hon. Member directly and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the cost to her Department was of Ministerial severance payments during each year from 19 December 2019 to 30 May 2024; which Ministers received a severance payment; and how much each Minister received.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The provision of severance payments for Ministers is set out in legislation.
Details of the severance payments made to ministers when leaving office are published in the Departments’ Annual Reports and Accounts.
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on the number of (a) students that studied texts by female authors and (b) female authors included in exam board syllabi for GCSE English Literature.
Answered by Damian Hinds
The National Curriculum for English aims to ensure that all pupils appreciate the UK’s rich and varied literary heritage. It encourages pupils to read a range of books, poems and plays to encourage the development of a life-long love of literature.
It is statutory that maintained schools follow the English programmes of study. These do not set out specific reading lists. However, at secondary level, they set out categories from which schools should choose texts. Exam boards will set out a range of choices within these categories, from which schools can select texts. Those taking a GCSE in English Literature must study at least one play by Shakespeare; at least one nineteenth-century novel; a selection of poetry since 1789, including representative Romantic poetry; and fiction or drama from the British Isles from 1914 onwards. The GCSE specification encourages students to read widely within these categories, to broaden their knowledge of literature, and enhance critical and comparative understanding. Teachers have flexibility in the choice of books and plays to teach within the context of the National Curriculum.
Schools make their own decisions on choosing texts, within the set requirements. The department provides guidance for teachers on how to make their choices of texts, with literacy organisations and reading charities offering suggestions, book lists, guidance, research and support.
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to provide additional funding to music hubs for the increased employer contributions to the teachers’ pension scheme.
Answered by Damian Hinds
Music Hubs have a vital role in ensuring pupils across the country can access high quality music education. I value the many achievements that the existing Music Hub network has made since 2012. As part of the Music Hubs Investment Programme, including the re-competition of Music Hub Lead Organisations which is currently taking place, Arts Council England informed potential bidders on 15 June 2023 that the Department is providing a core revenue grant totalling around £76 million from September 2024 for academic year 2024/25, alongside a new capital grant totalling £25 million. There are no plans to change the revenue grant to reflect teacher pension scheme costs, and any subsequent changes to the grant from 2025/26 onwards is subject to the next spending review.
The grant funding has consistently provided, on average, around 40% of a hubs total income and music hubs have been using this to leverage other income streams over the lifespan of the programme, this will also be the case for the new programme from September 2024. As set out in the investment programme, organisations applying to become lead organisations will need to evidence how at least 50% of a hub’s total income should come from sources other than the revenue grant provided by the Department by the end of the current funding period.
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
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 suicide prevention as a compulsory part of the personal, social, health and economic education curriculum.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Health Education became a statutory part of the National Curriculum in September 2020, for all pupils in state funded schools of compulsory school age.
The aim of teaching pupils about physical health and mental wellbeing is to provide the information they need to make good decisions about their own health and wellbeing, recognise issues in themselves and others and, when issues arise, seek support as early as possible from appropriate sources.
At primary school, pupils will be taught to recognise and talk about their emotions, the benefits of exercise, and simple self care techniques. At secondary school, pupils will be taught common types of mental ill health and how to recognise the early signs of mental wellbeing concerns. Schools can teach older pupils about suicide in an age appropriate and sensitive way.
The Department has brought forward the review of the relationships, sex and health education statutory guidance. The Department will consult on an amended draft of the statutory guidance in the autumn with a view to publishing the final version in early 2024.
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether schools in England will participate in the next PISA creative thinking assessment.
Answered by Nick Gibb
England did not participate in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2022 creative thinking assessment, the results of which will be published in 2024.
The organiser of PISA, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, has not announced whether the creative thinking assessment will be repeated in a future cycle of PISA.
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when the new geographies for music hubs will be published.
Answered by Nick Gibb
In June 2022, the Department for Education and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport published ‘The power of music to change lives: a national plan for music education’. The plan sets out the Government’s priorities until 2030 for music education for children and young people, including plans to strengthen the success of Music Hubs.
As part of the plan, the Department announced its intention to re-compete the role of Music Hub Lead Organisations and to transition to a Music Hub structure, where Hubs strategically cover multiple Local Authority areas.
Arts Council England, as the fundholder of the Music Hub Programme, has led on the consultation process. To date, there has been a series of focus groups which were conducted in January 2023 and surveys regarding the proposal to change the Music Hub’s structure and geographical areas. In March 2023, Arts Council England published the proposed new areas and invited those affected by the proposed changes to provide feedback via a survey.
Arts Council England published the new Music Hub geographical areas on Tuesday 6 June, and issued a public notification on the timetable for the Music Hubs competition on 25 May 2023. They will also share how the final areas were informed by sector feedback from the most recent consultation in March.
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much Start for Life funding her Department budgeted for distribution to participating local authorities in the 2022-23 financial year; and how much and what proportion of that funding was received by those local authorities as of 31 January 2023.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Shadow Minister (Equalities)
The department budgeted the following to spend on grants for the 75 local authorities on the Family Hubs Start for Life Programme in 2022/23:
The remainder of the grants paid to local authorities for the Family Hubs Start for Life Programme in 2022-23 are grants from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC). These grants cover perinatal mental health, including parent and infant relationships, infant feeding, parent and carer panels, Start for Life publishing, and workforce trials.
As of 31 January 2023, all local authorities had been paid their first of two grants for 2022/23. The Department have paid the following in grants to local authorities up to and including 31 January 2023:
Local authorities will receive their second and final grant payment for 2022/23 in March 2023, with the majority receiving this by 13 March 2023.
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
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 funding provision for early years settings.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Shadow Minister (Equalities)
In the 2021 Spending Review the department announced additional funding for early years of £160 million in 2022/23, £180 million in 2023/24 and £170 million in 2024/25, compared to the 2021/22 financial year.
The department has recently announced that we will invest an additional £20 million into early years funding in 2023/24, on top of the additional funding announced in the 2021 Spending Review. Taken together, this will help support providers at a national level with the additional National Living Wage costs associated with delivering the free childcare entitlements next year. The department will also be investing an additional £10 million into Maintained Nursery School supplementary funding from 2023/24.
In 2023/24, local authorities are set to receive average funding increases of 3.4% for the 3- and 4-year-old free childcare entitlements and 4% for the 2- year-old entitlement, compared to their 2022/23 rates.
The department has again increased the early years pupil premium, which for 2023/24 will provide up to £353 per eligible child per year to support better outcomes for disadvantaged 3- and 4-year- olds. The department has also increased the Disability Access Fund, which will be worth at least £828 per eligible child per year.
The department continues to engage with sector stakeholders and local authorities to monitor the sufficiency of childcare places and sustainability of the early years sector.
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department has assessed the potential merits of sourcing more British produce for the School Fruit and Vegetable scheme.
Answered by Nick Gibb
In the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ food strategy, published in June 2022, the Government set out its commitment to conduct a review of the policy and delivery of the School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme. The Department is working together with officials from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) on the review. The scope of the programme and sustainability of produce will be factors for consideration.
The School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme is operated by a private contractor on behalf of DHSC. Seasonal produce is used as part of the scheme and organic produce may be used. Officials in DHSC and the Department have been working together in recent months on how the scheme might be improved in the future.