Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when her Department plans to commence the tender process for the administration of the Turing Scheme after the existing contract with Capita ends in 2024.
Answered by Robert Halfon
The Turing Scheme, the government’s global programme to study and work abroad, is going into its third year with £110 million invested for this academic year. This year, the Scheme is unlocking opportunities for more than 38,000 participants to gain international experience. This includes more than 23,400 Higher Education placements, more than 9,900 Further Education and Vocational Education and Training placements, and more than 4,900 schools placements.
The Scheme is opening up international opportunities to students who might not otherwise be able to access them. 51% of the international placements being made available across 160 countries all over the world have been earmarked for participants from disadvantaged backgrounds.
The department will confirm the delivery approach for the fourth year of the Turing Scheme in the coming months. Dependent on the delivery approach, any assessment criteria for bids will be designed proportionately and appropriately.
Funding for the 2025/26 academic year and beyond can only be agreed as part of future Spending Reviews.
The Turing Scheme is an outward mobility scheme for UK participants and there are currently no plans to fund inbound mobility. The Turing Scheme prioritises opportunities for UK students to study and work abroad, and we expect other countries to make their own arrangements for their students. The UK continues to be an attractive destination for international degree students, with international student enrolments rising by 12% to 679,970 in the 2021/22 academic year.
The Turing Scheme does not provide funding directly to participants. It is the responsibility of grant recipients, largely education providers, to make timely requests for payments in line with their planned placements and to disburse funding to their participants.
Some organisations have experienced issues navigating the process for claiming Turing Scheme funds, including providing the correct evidence on projects, which has led to delays in payment being processed. The Turing Scheme delivery partner, Capita, has already taken steps to help organisations better understand the process. This includes video instructions, written guidance and one to one telephone support when requested. Departmental officials are also working with Capita to review how it can improve the overall customer experience while obtaining assurance that Turing Scheme funds are being appropriately spent, within the grant terms.
All Turing Scheme applicants are required to apply on an annual basis. This is because UK government funding must be used within the period for which it has been allocated to keep in line with UK government spending requirements. The annual application window gives eligible organisations across all sectors, all over the country, the opportunity to access available funding and tailor their application for their cohort for the relevant academic year.
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool, Walton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure Official Development Assistance funding for education strengthens public education institutions (a) where state provision is weak or non-existent and (b) generally.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
UK research - including the Research in Improving Systems of Education programme - has improved global understanding of how to support education reform. This has shaped the UK's education portfolio to deliver quality, safe education for all children. We are the largest donor to the Global Partnership for Education which works to strengthen government education systems with government, including in fragile and conflict affected countries. UK-led projects - such as the Girls' Education Challenge - work closely with governments where state provision is weak, using UK-led research, to influence policy on how to reach the most marginalised. The Girls' Education Challenge has supported over 1.5 million children to receive education.
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool, Walton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to increase basic education Official Development Assistance investments in countries where foundational learning levels are lowest but the UK has not recently provided any assistance.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The FCDO prioritises basic reading, maths and socio-emotional skills (foundational learning) for all. In 2022, we launched the Commitment to Action on Foundational Learning to reduce learning poverty (being unable to read and understand a simple text by age 10) by 50 percent by 2030. Our education research investments, including the What Works Hub for Global Education, supports middle-income countries such as Brazil, Pakistan and Kenya to learn from each other to understand what works to reduce learning poverty. The UK supports children in over 80 countries through our £430 million contribution to the Global Partnership for Education and £80 million contribution to Education Cannot Wait.
Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the SEND review: right support, right place, right time, published on 29 March 2022, what steps her Department is taking to make it easier for parents of disabled children to receive financial support.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
The government has announced further support for next year designed to target the most vulnerable households, including those families raising disabled children. This cost of living support is worth £26 billion in 2023/24 in addition to benefits uprating, which is worth £11 billion to working-age households and people with disabilities. Further details on cost of living payments in 2023/24 is available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/cost-of-living-payments-2023-to-2024.
This means that over eight million households across the UK will be supported via additional Cost of Living Payments. The government is also increasing benefits in line with September inflation by 10.1% and will continue to provide support to all households through the Energy Price Guarantee, which caps the price households will pay for each unit of energy. This will save the average UK household £500 in 2023/24.
In addition, over six million people across the UK on eligible ‘extra costs’ disability benefits will receive a further £150 Disability Cost of Living Payment in 2023/24, to help with the additional costs they face. This is in addition to the cost of living payments for households on means-tested benefits and pensioner households, if eligible.
In 2023/24, the government is investing £27.3 million in Support for Families with Disabled Children Funding to support low-income families raising seriously ill or children with disabilities in England, by providing small grants to purchase equipment, goods, and activities, which would otherwise be inaccessible. This funding is currently administered by our delivery partner, the Family Fund Trust.
The government has provided £842 million for 2023/24 to County Councils and Unitary Authorities in England to support those most in need, and to help with global inflationary challenges and the rising cost of living via the Household Support Fund. Local authorities can decide how to run this scheme and who is eligible, but the funding is aimed at anyone who is vulnerable or cannot pay for essentials, which can include families raising children with disabilities.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to promote awareness of the (a) Commonwealth of Nations, (b) Monarchy and (c) Commonwealth realms in (i) primary and (ii) secondary schools.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Topics relating to the Commonwealth and the Monarchy are covered within the citizenship curriculum. Citizenship is compulsory for maintained secondary schools, and all primary and secondary schools are encouraged to teach it as part of a broad and balanced curriculum.
Programmes of study for citizenship at Key Stages 3 and 4 include content on local, regional and international governance, and the UK’s relations with the rest of Europe, the Commonwealth, the United Nations and the wider world. They also cover the development of the political system of democratic government in the UK, including the roles of citizens, Parliament and the Monarch.
Primary schools can choose to teach citizenship. They are encouraged to follow the non-statutory framework for citizenship which includes opportunities for pupils to discuss topics of school, local, national, European, Commonwealth and global concern.
There is also scope within the history programmes of study for pupils to be taught about these topics, across Key Stages 1 to 3.
Asked by: Julian Knight (Independent - Solihull)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans her Department has to improve diversity and inclusion in the UK’s science and technology education and workforce.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Research and Development People and Culture Strategy sets out the actions that Government and the sector need to take to ensure the UK has the talented workforce it needs to be a global science superpower. This included a review of youth engagement (including the STEM Ambassadors programme), and its effects to encourage more diverse young people into research and innovation.
The Department supports a range of work to improve diversity and inclusion in UK science and technology education in schools. This includes funding an Inclusion in Schools project designed to increase the uptake of A level physics from pupils in underrepresented groups, including girls. It also includes funding the Isaac Physics programme, an online platform of GCSE and A level physics materials developed by Cambridge University designed to increase the numbers of pupils, particularly from typically underrepresented backgrounds, studying physics in higher education.
The Department is investing £84 million into the National Centre for Computing Education to drive increased participation in computer science and funding research programmes on how to improve gender balance in STEM subjects.
Positive progress has been made on uptake of STEM in further education which will help to improve diversity in the workplace.
With over 350 high-quality apprenticeship standards available in STEM sectors, apprenticeships are supporting people of all backgrounds to begin, or progress in, careers in science and technology. The number of STEM apprenticeship starts by women has increased year-on-year, with 14,110 starts in the 2021/22 academic year, an increase of 56% compared to the 9,020 starts in the 2017/18 academic year. The Department is promoting STEM apprenticeships in schools through our Apprenticeship Knowledge and Support programme and our Apprenticeships Diversity Champions Network of influential employers promotes best practices in recruiting and retaining people from all backgrounds in STEM apprenticeships.
The Department is also working with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology to deliver new postgraduate AI and data science conversion courses to boost diversity in AI jobs. The conversion courses provide people with the opportunity to find new employment in AI and data science sectors, even for those who had no previous experience in the field. In the first year of the programme, 76% of the scholarships awarded have gone to women, 45% to black students, and 24% to students with disabilities. There will be an additional 2,000 scholarships to be delivered between 2023 and 2025.
Asked by: Julian Knight (Independent - Solihull)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what (a) recent steps and (b) funding his Department has provided to ensure that children across the world have access to education.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
Ensuring 12 years of quality education for all children is an FCDO priority. We have made significant investments through global funds to achieve this, pledging £430 million to the Global Partnership for Education in 2021, as well as £80 million to Education Cannot Wait in February 2023 and £10 million for projects to support education in emergencies. Last year we launched the Commitment to Action on foundational learning to reduce learning poverty by 50 percent by 2030. We run bilateral education programmes in 19 countries and our Girls' Education Challenge programme has given 1.6 million marginalised girls access to quality education.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to improve literacy for girls and women.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The FCDO prioritises foundational learning for all - basic reading, maths and socio-emotional skills. We support this through the UK Girls' Education Challenge programme, which has helped over a million girls and women make progress in education. Through our 2021 G7 Presidency we secured endorsement of two global objectives, including 20 million more girls reading by age ten by 2026. We have invested in leading research to understand how to improve learning globally. In 2022, we launched the Commitment to Action on foundational learning. The UK's commitment to the Global Partnership for Education and bilateral programmes champions quality basic education.
Asked by: Florence Eshalomi (Labour (Co-op) - Vauxhall)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help (a) provide access to universal testing and treatment and (b) supress the virus for all children and adolescents living with HIV in Africa.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The Government welcomes the Dar Es Salaam Declaration for Action to End AIDS in Children, launched on 1 February. The UK's pledge to the 7th replenishment of the Global Fund will help to save over 1 million lives including by providing medicine for 170,000 mothers to prevent HIV transmission to their babies. We also continue to support UNAIDS to deliver on its mandate to provide effective leadership for the global HIV response and implement the ambitious new Global AIDS Strategy. The UK continues to fund other key international partners, including UNITAID, the Robert Carr Fund, the Global Financing Facility and others on combatting HIV and AIDS in Africa and in children, pregnant women and mothers. These investments are aligned to our commitments in the International Development Strategy on women and girls and global health. Furthermore, our integrated approach ensures that countering HIV is embedded in FCDO's health systems strengthening work and our work to end the preventable deaths of mothers, babies and children, including through our bilateral programming. Our Women's Integrated Sexual Health programme has supported the provision of integrated services in sub-Saharan Africa and the integration of comprehensive sexuality education modules, including HIV prevention, into the national school curriculum in Sierra Leone.
Asked by: Matt Western (Labour - Warwick and Leamington)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to update the stated ambitions of the International Education Strategy 2019.
Answered by Robert Halfon
The department continues to work towards the two ambitions in the International Education Strategy to increase the value of our education exports to £35 billion per year, and to continue to host at least 600,000 international students in the UK per year, both by 2030.
In 2019, the total UK revenue from education-related exports and transnational education activity was estimated to be £25.2 billion. The 600,000 international students’ ambition was met for the first time in 2020/2021, and around 10 years early with 605,130 international students studying in the UK. We are now focusing on bringing in £35 billion from our education exports by 2030.
Education exports make an important contribution to the UK economy as well as helping us build global relationships and international students enrich the university experience for all students, including those from the UK themselves. Attracting the brightest students from around the world is good for our universities and delivers growth at home, as well as supporting the creation of more places for UK students.