Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty's Government which reviews were announced in the Educational Excellence Everywhere White Paper (Cm 9320), published in March 2016; and what work has been undertaken in respect of each such review.

The Educational Excellence Everywhere white paper announced reviews in the following areas: behaviour management content for initial teacher training (ITT); teacher workload; the approach to governance training; the functions and responsibilities of local authorities in relation to children; the Achieving Excellence Area methodology; the citizenship programme of study; special educational needs and disability practice; and accountability for alternative provision providers.

Progress has been made across all these areas with the outcomes publicly available. Tom Bennett’s ‘Developing behaviour management content for ITT’ report, his ‘Independent review of behaviour in schools’ report, and the response to the review by the former Secretary of State for Education (Justine Greening), my right hon. Friend for Putney, are attached.

The Report of the Independent Teacher Workload Review Group, the governance handbook for academies, multi-academy trusts, and maintained schools, the ‘Good intentions, good enough?’ review, the ‘Creating Opportunity for all’ report, and the Opportunity Areas Selection Methodology are publicly available and will be deposited in the libraries of both Houses.

In relation to citizenship, the government is currently developing proposals to help young people gain the attributes needed for active and positive citizenship.

In relation to local authority responsibilities, the department established an advisory group and continues to hold regular discussions with representatives from local authority stakeholders.

Our approach to supporting areas of the country with weaker educational outcomes (known as Achieving Excellence Areas (AEA) in the 2016 White Paper) has progressed. In 2016 the department launched the Opportunity Areas programme which used the AEA methodology as part of its selection methodology.

In 2018 the department announced Opportunity North East, which focuses on improving secondary outcomes in the region. This continues to build on our approach to supporting areas of the country with weaker educational outcomes.