Asked by: Gen Kitchen (Labour - Wellingborough)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department has taken to improve children's oracy skills in Wellingborough constituency.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The department recognises the importance of oracy, which is why spoken language is part of the national curriculum for English for 5 to 16 year olds.
In early years, the department is investing up to £17 million in the Nuffield Early Language Intervention, improving the language skills of reception age children who need it most following the pandemic. In addition, the department have secured over £28 million to support the speech and language of young children worst affected by the pandemic, today’s 3 and 4 year olds, delivered through the new Family Hubs network.
In secondary schools, the GCSE English Language qualification ensures that students are able to listen to and understand spoken language and use spoken Standard English effectively. 2023 data published by Ofqual shows that overall entries to GCSE English Language increased by 4.9% in summer 2023, compared to summer 2022. This data can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/provisional-entries-for-gcse-as-and-a-level-summer-2023-exam-series/provisional-entries-for-gcse-as-and-a-level-summer-2023-exam-series#gcse-entries.
The department funds the National Poetry Recitation Competition, which encourages both primary and secondary schools to participate to improve pupils’ knowledge and enjoyment of poetry and to improve oracy through poetry recitation and recall. The competition provides an opportunity for pupils to enjoy sharing poems aloud.
The £67 million English Hubs Programme, launched in 2018, is dedicated to improving the teaching of reading, with a focus on phonics, early language development and reading for pleasure. Since its launch, the English Hubs Programme has provided appropriate and targeted support to several thousands of schools across England.
Wellingborough’s local English Hub, Roade English Hub, is working hard to engage and support primary schools across the region. Currently, 45 schools are receiving intensive partner school support from Roade English Hub. This is in addition to the 32 schools that have already graduated from the programme.
Mar. 17 2009
Source Page: Table showing list of educational initiatives funded through the Standards Fund, with the amount allocated to each, for each year from 1998/99 to 20/10/11. 18 p.Found: Strategy - Primary24882720.0National Numeracy Strategy: Intensive Training8999760.0Literacy & Numeracy: Summer
Asked by: Lloyd Russell-Moyle (Labour (Co-op) - Brighton, Kemptown)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to increase the provision of British Sign Language GCSE in mainstream secondary schools.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The department published British Sign Language GCSE subject content in December 2023, following a public consultation last summer. Exam boards are now able to develop detailed specifications, which must be reviewed and accredited by Ofqual before schools and colleges are able to teach them. As such, no schools are currently offering the GCSE. The department’s aim is that exam board specifications will be available to schools who wish to offer the GCSE from September 2025.
Asked by: Lloyd Russell-Moyle (Labour (Co-op) - Brighton, Kemptown)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of secondary (a) mainstream and (b) maintained special schools offered British Sign Language GCSE in each of the last five years.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The department published British Sign Language GCSE subject content in December 2023, following a public consultation last summer. Exam boards are now able to develop detailed specifications, which must be reviewed and accredited by Ofqual before schools and colleges are able to teach them. As such, no schools are currently offering the GCSE. The department’s aim is that exam board specifications will be available to schools who wish to offer the GCSE from September 2025.
Sep. 23 2010
Source Page: Table showing grants to Bedford Borough Council and Central Bedfordshire Council outside main per pupil funding for the years 1996/97 to 2010/11. 15 p.Found: Training & Development: 4 yr olds35030.0Lifelong Learning Development Plans31761.0Applications for Education
Jul. 12 2010
Source Page: Table showing grants to Bury Metropolitan Council for schools outside main per pupil funding from 1996/97 to 2010/11. 15 p.Found: Table showing grants to Bury Metropolitan Council for schools outside main per pupil funding from 1996
Correspondence May. 14 2024
Committee: Education, Children and Young People CommitteeFound: with a focus on immersion and bilingual teaching practices in schools.
Mar. 03 2008
Source Page: Permanent and fixed period exclusions from primary, secondary and special schools from 1997/98 to 2005/06. National Statistics First Release SFR 21/2007. 16 p.Found: Permanent and fixed period exclusions from primary, secondary and special schools from 1997/98 to 2005
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance her Department provides to schools on engaging with parents of children of (a) primary and (b) secondary school age in the event that there is persistent absence or school refusal.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The department has a comprehensive strategy to support schools, trusts, and local authorities to tackle school absence, and is supporting schools to engage effectively with parents.
The department’s ‘working together to improve school attendance’ guidance for schools, trusts, and local authorities, which will become statutory in autumn 2024, is clear that engaging with parents and families is central to taking a ‘support first’ approach. The guidance outlines how schools should build strong relationships and work jointly with families, listening to and understanding barriers to attendance and working in partnership with families to remove them. The guidance can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/working-together-to-improve-school-attendance.
To support schools and local authorities to engage parents, the department has:
Additionally, as part of the department’s national communication campaign to parents on the importance of school attendance, it has provided schools and local authorities with resources to amplify the campaign and support their communication with parents, which can be found here: https://dfegovukassets.blob.core.windows.net/assets/Attendance%20campaign/Attendance%20campaign%20commuications%20toolkit%20for%20schools.pdf, and here: https://dfegovukassets.blob.core.windows.net/assets/Attendance%20campaign/Attendance%20communications%20toolkit%20for%20local%20authority%20attendance%20teams%20and%20other%20stakeholders.pdf.
Written Evidence May. 21 2024
Inquiry: Boys’ attainment and engagement in educationFound: BAE0004 - Boys’ attainment and engagement in education Oxford Brookes University Written Evidence