Feb. 22 2024
Source Page: Immigration Rules archive: 31 January 2024 to 18 February 2024Found: “Independent School” means: (a) a school in England or Wales (which is not an Academy, a school maintained
Mentions:
1: Baroness D'Souza (XB - Life peer) school meals and support quality childcare costs. - Speech Link
2: Viscount Younger of Leckie (Con - Excepted Hereditary) The pupil premium will ensure that targeted funding continues to help schools to support disadvantaged - Speech Link
Mentions:
1: Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe (Lab - Life peer) The significant issue, on which action still needs to be taken, is the quality of school meals. - Speech Link
2: Lord Vaizey of Didcot (Con - Life peer) I was always a great sceptic about free school meals, and I have done a complete volte-face on that as - Speech Link
3: Lord Storey (LD - Life peer) It is no answer to say that it can be provided from the pupil premium; that is already overstretched - Speech Link
Feb. 20 2024
Source Page: Immigration Rules archive: 28 December 2023 to 15 January 2024Found: “Independent School” means: (a) a school in England or Wales (which is not an Academy, a school maintained
Correspondence Feb. 20 2024
Committee: Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee (Department: Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities)Found: within Aggregate External Finance (excluding LGFS grants) Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) 30,970.0 Pupil
Mentions:
1: Tim Loughton (Con - East Worthing and Shoreham) The additional support available for school meals, and the activities, exercise and everything else that - Speech Link
2: Helen Hayes (Lab - Dulwich and West Norwood) We will introduce free breakfast clubs for every primary school pupil in England, providing every child - Speech Link
3: Damian Hinds (Con - East Hampshire) the heart of our philosophy—that has been accompanied by other things we have been doing, such as the pupil - Speech Link
Feb. 15 2024
Source Page: 16 to 19 funding allocations supporting documents for 2024 to 2025Found: Meals (FSM) provision and are therefore not eligible for free meals in further education (FE).
Feb. 15 2024
Source Page: 16 to 19 funding allocations supporting documents for 2024 to 2025Found: not included in this calculation as they are covered by Free School Meals (FSM) provision and are therefore
Feb. 15 2024
Source Page: 16 to 19 funding allocations supporting documents for 2024 to 2025Found: in this calculation as they are covered by Free School Meals (FSM) provision and are therefore not eligible
Asked by: Nick Fletcher (Conservative - Don Valley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has taken steps to implement recommendation 27 on page 260 of the Equality and Human Rights Commission's report entitled Equality and Human Rights Monitor, published in November 2023, on the under-performance of boys relative to girls in primary and secondary education.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
Raising attainment for all pupils, no matter their gender or background is at the heart of this government’s agenda and the government is committed to providing a world-class education system for all.
The latest data shows that, while girls continue to outperform boys across most headline measures, the gender gap between boys and girls is narrowing.
At key stage 2 in 2022/23, the gender gap between boys and girls at the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics has decreased since 2022 and is the lowest it has been since 2016. Key stage 4 results show the gender gap has narrowed across all headline measures when comparing 2022/23 with both 2018/19 and 2021/22.
The Schools White Paper, published in March 2022, was clear about the direction of travel needed to improve attainment. It set out the department’s long-term vision for a school system that helps every child to fulfil their potential by ensuring that they receive the right support, in the right place, at the right time – founded on achieving world-class literacy and numeracy.
This is supported by significant investment in education with the overall core school budget totalling over £59.6 billion in 2024/25 which is the highest ever level in real terms per pupil. This will help schools in their vital work to close attainment gaps, and level up educational opportunities.
Alongside this, the department takes a range of steps to improve attainment and outcomes for all pupils, including improving the quality of teaching and curriculum resources, strengthening the school system, increasing attendance, and providing targeted support where needed.
The department is aware that disadvantaged pupils and those with additional needs are more likely to fall behind and need extra support to reach their full potential. This is why the department has provided additional funding to support disadvantaged pupils through the pupil premium, which will rise to over £2.9 billion in 2024/25, an increase of £80 million from 2023/24.
Programmes such as free school meals that support 2 million children, the Holiday Activities and Food programme, and support for up to 2,700 breakfast clubs also support disadvantaged pupils.
The department continues to collaborate with other government departments to address out-of-school factors that we know have a significant impact on attainment outcomes.