Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the percentage of disadvantaged participants by sector in the Turing Scheme.

Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The success rate of schools applying to participate in the Turing Scheme over the two years the scheme has operated are:

• 2021/22 academic year: 131 schools applied, 114 were successful, 87% success rate, which equated to 5,139 individual student placements.
• 2022/23 academic year: 157 schools applied, 70 were successful, 45% success rate, which equated to 4,721 individual student placements.

All applications were independently assessed by sector experts, who ensured all successful projects met the quality standards required. 70 applications failed on the levelling up criterion. Others had less well-developed projects. This could be due to some of those applicants having less experience in designing projects of this type and securing applying for funding for them. 67% of applicants for the 2022/23 academic year were new applicants, and 71% of applicants that failed were new applicants.

The Turing Scheme has a strong focus on supporting levelling up by providing opportunities for pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds. In the 2021/22 academic year, 48% of 41,000 approved placements for all sectors, which includes schools, further education/vocational education and training (FE/VET), and higher education (HE) were for participants from disadvantaged backgrounds. 52% of 38,000 approved placements for all sectors in the 2022/23 academic year are for participants from disadvantaged backgrounds. The Turing Scheme uses a range of measures based on sector standards across the UK to define what we mean by participants from disadvantaged backgrounds. These are listed in full on the Turing Scheme website and can be found here: https://www.turing-scheme.org.uk/about/widening-access/.

The tables below show the percentage of placements allocated for participants from disadvantaged backgrounds, by sector, for the 2021/22 and 2022/23 academic years.

Table 1: Placements by sector for the 2021/22 academic year

Table 2: Placements by sector for the 2022/23 academic year

A full breakdown is provided on the Turing Scheme website.

The application form for the Turing Scheme is framed around the main objectives of the scheme, requiring applicants to set out how their planned projects will support priorities, including Global Britain and levelling up. This year’s application form entailed fewer questions than last year’s, in response to feedback from applicants.

The department will keep engaging with stakeholders so that we can continue to develop the scheme in subsequent years, to ensure it delivers on its objectives, supports students to make the most of their international experiences, and is aligned with government priorities. This will include the application experience.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the success rate of applications to the Turing Scheme by disadvantaged pupils and students from each (1) sector of the education system, and (2) region.

Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The success rate of schools applying to participate in the Turing Scheme over the two years the scheme has operated are:

• 2021/22 academic year: 131 schools applied, 114 were successful, 87% success rate, which equated to 5,139 individual student placements.
• 2022/23 academic year: 157 schools applied, 70 were successful, 45% success rate, which equated to 4,721 individual student placements.

The Turing Scheme is demand-led and competitive. There has been significant interest in the Turing Scheme this year, with many more applications than last year. All successful applications received funding, but may not have received their full requested budget due to high demand.

Successful applications are required to score at least 50 marks out of 100, and at least 50% in each of four qualitative criteria which are:

• Global Britain
• Levelling up
• Positive impact and value for money
• Project planning

All applications were independently assessed by sector experts, who ensured all successful projects met the quality standards required. 70 applications failed on the levelling up criterion. Others had less well-developed projects. This could be due to some of those applicants having less experience in designing projects of this type and securing funding for them. 67% of applicants for the 2022/23 academic year were new applicants, and 71% of applicants that failed were new applicants.

The Turing Scheme has a strong focus on supporting levelling up by providing opportunities for pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds. In the 2021/22 academic year, 48% of 41,000 approved placements for all sectors, which includes schools, further education/vocational education and training, (FE/VET) and higher education (HE), were for participants from disadvantaged backgrounds. 52% of 38,000 approved placements for all sectors in the 2022/23 academic year are for participants from disadvantaged backgrounds. The Turing Scheme uses a range of measures based on sector standards across the UK to define what we mean by participants from disadvantaged backgrounds. These are listed in full on the Turing Scheme website: https://www.turing-scheme.org.uk/about/widening-access/.

The tables below show the percentage of placements allocated for participants from disadvantaged backgrounds, by sector, for the 2021/22 and 2022/23 academic years.

Table 1: Placements by sector for the 2021/22 academic year

Table 2: Placements by sector for the 2022/23 academic year

A full regional breakdown of schools, FE/VET, and HE is provided on the Turing Scheme website: https://www.turing-scheme.org.uk/funding-opportunities/funding-results-2022-23/. Data is subject to change until grant agreements are in place.