Asked by: Baroness Sater (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to improve the provision of financial education for pupils eligible for free school meals.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department wants all schools to offer high standard of financial education. In delivering the curriculum, including financial education, schools should take account of pupils with particular needs and adapt lessons accordingly.
Education on financial matters helps to ensure that pupils are taught the functions and uses of money, the importance of personal budgeting, money management and managing financial risk. Finance education forms part of the citizenship national curriculum which can be taught at all key stages and is compulsory at key stages 3 and 4: https://www.gov.uk/national-curriculum. At secondary school, pupils are taught about income and expenditure, credit and debt, insurance, savings and pensions, financial products and services, and how public money is raised and spent.
The department has also introduced a rigorous mathematics curriculum, which provides young people with the knowledge and financial skills to make important financial decisions. In the primary mathematics curriculum, there is a strong emphasis on the essential arithmetic knowledge that pupils should be taught. This knowledge is vital, as a strong grasp of numeracy and numbers will underpin pupils’ ability to manage budgets and money, including, for example, using percentages. There is also some specific content about financial education, such as calculations with money.
The department has not made any specific requirement for financial education provision for pupils who are eligible for free school meals, however, as with other aspects of the curriculum, schools have flexibility over how they deliver these subjects. This means schools can develop an integrated approach that is sensitive to the needs and background of their pupils.
The Money and Pensions Service published financial education guidance for primary and secondary schools in England, to support school leaders to enhance the financial education currently delivered in their schools to make it memorable and impactful. The guidance is available here: https://maps.org.uk/2021/11/11/financial-education-guidance-for-primary-and-secondary-schools-in-england/.
The department will continue to work closely with the Money and Pensions Service and other stakeholders, such as HM Treasury, to consider learning from other sector initiatives and whether there is scope to provide further support for the teaching of financial education in schools.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children have been (a) of school age, (b) with an education, health and care plan (EHCP) and of school age, (c) in receipt of free school meals and (d) in receipt of free school meals, with an EHCP and of school age in each of the last 15 years.
Answered by Will Quince
The figures requested are provided in the attached table. Data is sourced from the school census and includes state-funded nursery, primary, secondary, and special schools, non-maintained special schools, and pupil referral units. Data from independent schools is not available at this level of detail.
Asked by: Seema Malhotra (Labour (Co-op) - Feltham and Heston)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment his Department has made of the change in the attainment gap since March 2020 for pupils in Feltham and Heston constituency in (a) EYFS, (b) primary school and (c) secondary school.
Answered by Robin Walker
The department does not hold information on the proportion of pupils deemed school ready for primary school in Feltham and Heston. As a proxy, the percentage of children achieving at least the expected level across all early learning goals can be used to assess readiness for year 1. This is only available to local authority level. In the 2017/18 academic year, in Hounslow, 69.9% of children met this level compared to 70.2% in England. In the 2018/19 academic year, 71.9% of children in Hounslow met this level compared to 70.7% in England. Due to temporary disapplications and modifications to certain elements of the early years foundation stage (EYFS) during the pandemic, data relating to academic years 2019/20 and 2020/21 are not available.
The department does not yet hold attainment data for the 2021/22 academic year. Data relating to EYFS, key stage 2 (KS2), and key stage 4 (KS4) will be published in autumn 2022.
Parliamentary constituency data for Feltham and Heston is available for all pupils at the end of KS2 in academic years 2017/18 to 2018/19, and for all pupils at the end of KS4 in academic years 2017/18 to 2020/21 in the attached files. KS2 data in academic years 2019/20 or 2020/21 was not recorded because of the cancellation of statutory national curriculum assessments at KS2 due to the pandemic.
The department does not publish an attainment gap by pupil characteristics at parliamentary constituency level. The department does publish the disadvantaged pupils’ attainment gap index at KS2 and KS4. This looks at changes in the attainment gap between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged pupils at a national level in state-funded schools in England.
For EYFS, the latest published data are in the annual ‘Early Years Foundation Stage Profile Results’ statistical release: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/early-years-foundation-stage-profile-results. As a proxy for disadvantage, the gap in average point score between children who are eligible for free school meals (FSM) and those who are not can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/dfdb83f9-f54f-4f11-b590-28d3064e3a79.
For KS2, the latest published figure is in Figure 1 of the ‘2018/19 National Curriculum Assessments at Key Stage 2’ statistical release: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/851798/KS2_Revised_publication_text_2019_v3.pdf.
For KS4, the latest published figure is in Figure 6/Table 14 of the ‘2020/21 Key Stage 4 Performance' statistical release: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/key-stage-4-performance-revised.
Alternatively, information at local authority level is published that allows users to compare attainment by pupil characteristics. The closest information is for Hounslow.
At EYFS, the gap in the average point score between those eligible for FSM and those not in Hounslow increased from 1.8 in 2017/18 to 1.9 in 2018/19 (academic years).
At KS2, the percentage of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing, and maths between disadvantaged pupils and non-disadvantaged pupils in Hounslow decreased from 18 percentage points in 2017/18 to 17.5 percentage points in 2018/19 (academic years).
At KS4, the latest data show that the gap in the average Attainment 8 score between disadvantaged pupils and non-disadvantaged pupils in Hounslow has widened since 2018/19 from 7.5 points to 7.7 points in 2019/20, and to 9.0 points in 2020/21 (academic years).
Asked by: David Evennett (Conservative - Bexleyheath and Crayford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to improve literacy standards amongst children from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Answered by Robin Walker
The ‘Schools White Paper – Opportunity for all: strong schools with great teachers for your child’, which was published on 28 March 2022, sets out our 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. The cornerstones of a broad, academic, knowledge-rich curriculum are literacy and numeracy. The full White Paper can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/opportunity-for-all-strong-schools-with-great-teachers-for-your-child.
As set out in the White Paper, our ambition for literacy and numeracy is that by 2030 90% of primary school children will achieve the expected standard in reading, writing, and mathematics, and the percentage of children meeting the expected standard in the worst performing areas will have increased by a third.
The White Paper adds to this by setting an ambition that in secondary schools the national GCSE average grade in both English language and in mathematics increases from 4.5 in 2019 to 5 by 2030. These aims are not for any one school or teacher to achieve alone, but a measurement of success across the country at a system level. The department’s strategy to improve literacy and numeracy outcomes for all children carefully considers how we do this for vulnerable or disadvantaged groups, including children who are on free school meals or those with special educational needs.
The White Paper builds on the department’s record of supporting the improvement of literacy standards over the past decade, including the introduction of the phonics screening check, the English Hubs programme, the publication of the reading framework, and the validation of phonics programmes. The English Hubs are currently delivering intensive support to over 1000 partner schools, reaching approximately 50,000 pupils in reception and year 1. Supported schools containing an above-average proportion of free school meal pupils over-represented in the programme, along with those schools underperforming in phonics. These dedicated Hubs will continue to support schools to drive up literacy standards, including driving improvements in the quality of early reading teaching.
In addition, from autumn 2022, the National Professional Qualification (NPQ) for Leading Literacy will be available. The qualification has been designed to develop teacher expertise in leading the development of pupils’ language, reading, and writing in all key stages. It is aimed at teachers and leaders who have, or are aspiring to have, responsibilities for leading literacy across a school, year group, key stage, or phase. The content framework which underpins this qualification was published in October 2021 here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-professional-qualifications-frameworks-from-september-2021. Further details around eligibility and funding for this qualification will be announced in due course.
Asked by: John Penrose (Conservative - Weston-super-Mare)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to improve the financial literacy of school children in Weston-super-Mare.
Answered by Robin Walker
All schools are required to provide a broad and balanced curriculum. Education on financial matters helps to ensure that young people are prepared to manage their money well, make sound financial decisions and know where to seek further information when needed.
The mathematics programmes of study provide young people with the knowledge and financial skills to make important financial decisions. In the primary mathematics curriculum, there is a strong emphasis on the essential arithmetic knowledge that pupils should be taught. This knowledge is vital, as a strong grasp of numeracy and numbers will underpin pupils’ ability to manage budgets and money, including, for example, using percentages. There is also some specific content about financial education, such as calculations with money.
In 2014 financial literacy was made statutory within the national curriculum as part of the citizenship curriculum for 11 to 16-year-olds. The department also published a non-statutory citizenship curriculum for 5 to 11-year-olds, which is clear that, by the end of primary education, pupils should be taught how to look after their money and realise that future wants and needs may be met through saving.
Primary schools are free to include additional content on financial management in their curricula, including working with external experts to ensure they develop the right teaching approach for their particular context.
The Money and Pensions Service (MAPS) published financial education guidance for primary and secondary schools in England on 11 November 2021, during Talk Money week. The guidance is designed to support school leaders to enhance the financial education currently delivered in their schools to make it memorable and impactful. The department supported MAPS with their communications activities during Talk Money week and is looking for future appropriate opportunities to promote the guidance. The guidance is available here: https://maps.org.uk/2021/11/11/financial-education-guidance-for-primary-and-secondary-schools-in-england/.
In the COVID-19 School Snapshot survey from June-September 2021, all leaders were asked if their school teaches pupils about managing money, such as how to make good decisions about spending and saving. The summary of findings showed that most did so but that it was more common amongst secondary schools (86%) than primary schools (60%). Schools with the lowest proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals were more likely than those on the highest proportion to teach pupils about managing money (70% vs. 59%).
MAPS are planning to carry out a UK wide children and young people financial capability survey later this year. The Delivery Plans for each nation are being published shortly and will detail plans to increase the provision of financial education for more children and young people across the UK.
The department will continue to work closely with MAPS and other stakeholders such as Her Majesty's Treasury, to consider learning from other sector initiatives and whether there is scope to provide further support for the teaching of financial education in schools.
Asked by: John Penrose (Conservative - Weston-super-Mare)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will estimate how many UK schools are currently delivering financial education programmes.
Answered by Robin Walker
All schools are required to provide a broad and balanced curriculum. Education on financial matters helps to ensure that young people are prepared to manage their money well, make sound financial decisions and know where to seek further information when needed.
The mathematics programmes of study provide young people with the knowledge and financial skills to make important financial decisions. In the primary mathematics curriculum, there is a strong emphasis on the essential arithmetic knowledge that pupils should be taught. This knowledge is vital, as a strong grasp of numeracy and numbers will underpin pupils’ ability to manage budgets and money, including, for example, using percentages. There is also some specific content about financial education, such as calculations with money.
In 2014 financial literacy was made statutory within the national curriculum as part of the citizenship curriculum for 11 to 16-year-olds. The department also published a non-statutory citizenship curriculum for 5 to 11-year-olds, which is clear that, by the end of primary education, pupils should be taught how to look after their money and realise that future wants and needs may be met through saving.
Primary schools are free to include additional content on financial management in their curricula, including working with external experts to ensure they develop the right teaching approach for their particular context.
The Money and Pensions Service (MAPS) published financial education guidance for primary and secondary schools in England on 11 November 2021, during Talk Money week. The guidance is designed to support school leaders to enhance the financial education currently delivered in their schools to make it memorable and impactful. The department supported MAPS with their communications activities during Talk Money week and is looking for future appropriate opportunities to promote the guidance. The guidance is available here: https://maps.org.uk/2021/11/11/financial-education-guidance-for-primary-and-secondary-schools-in-england/.
In the COVID-19 School Snapshot survey from June-September 2021, all leaders were asked if their school teaches pupils about managing money, such as how to make good decisions about spending and saving. The summary of findings showed that most did so but that it was more common amongst secondary schools (86%) than primary schools (60%). Schools with the lowest proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals were more likely than those on the highest proportion to teach pupils about managing money (70% vs. 59%).
MAPS are planning to carry out a UK wide children and young people financial capability survey later this year. The Delivery Plans for each nation are being published shortly and will detail plans to increase the provision of financial education for more children and young people across the UK.
The department will continue to work closely with MAPS and other stakeholders such as Her Majesty's Treasury, to consider learning from other sector initiatives and whether there is scope to provide further support for the teaching of financial education in schools.
Asked by: John Penrose (Conservative - Weston-super-Mare)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to increase the provision of financial education in primary schools.
Answered by Robin Walker
All schools are required to provide a broad and balanced curriculum. Education on financial matters helps to ensure that young people are prepared to manage their money well, make sound financial decisions and know where to seek further information when needed.
The mathematics programmes of study provide young people with the knowledge and financial skills to make important financial decisions. In the primary mathematics curriculum, there is a strong emphasis on the essential arithmetic knowledge that pupils should be taught. This knowledge is vital, as a strong grasp of numeracy and numbers will underpin pupils’ ability to manage budgets and money, including, for example, using percentages. There is also some specific content about financial education, such as calculations with money.
In 2014 financial literacy was made statutory within the national curriculum as part of the citizenship curriculum for 11 to 16-year-olds. The department also published a non-statutory citizenship curriculum for 5 to 11-year-olds, which is clear that, by the end of primary education, pupils should be taught how to look after their money and realise that future wants and needs may be met through saving.
Primary schools are free to include additional content on financial management in their curricula, including working with external experts to ensure they develop the right teaching approach for their particular context.
The Money and Pensions Service (MAPS) published financial education guidance for primary and secondary schools in England on 11 November 2021, during Talk Money week. The guidance is designed to support school leaders to enhance the financial education currently delivered in their schools to make it memorable and impactful. The department supported MAPS with their communications activities during Talk Money week and is looking for future appropriate opportunities to promote the guidance. The guidance is available here: https://maps.org.uk/2021/11/11/financial-education-guidance-for-primary-and-secondary-schools-in-england/.
In the COVID-19 School Snapshot survey from June-September 2021, all leaders were asked if their school teaches pupils about managing money, such as how to make good decisions about spending and saving. The summary of findings showed that most did so but that it was more common amongst secondary schools (86%) than primary schools (60%). Schools with the lowest proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals were more likely than those on the highest proportion to teach pupils about managing money (70% vs. 59%).
MAPS are planning to carry out a UK wide children and young people financial capability survey later this year. The Delivery Plans for each nation are being published shortly and will detail plans to increase the provision of financial education for more children and young people across the UK.
The department will continue to work closely with MAPS and other stakeholders such as Her Majesty's Treasury, to consider learning from other sector initiatives and whether there is scope to provide further support for the teaching of financial education in schools.
Asked by: John Penrose (Conservative - Weston-super-Mare)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to require primary schools to provide education on financial matters.
Answered by Robin Walker
All schools are required to provide a broad and balanced curriculum. Education on financial matters helps to ensure that young people are prepared to manage their money well, make sound financial decisions and know where to seek further information when needed.
The mathematics programmes of study provide young people with the knowledge and financial skills to make important financial decisions. In the primary mathematics curriculum, there is a strong emphasis on the essential arithmetic knowledge that pupils should be taught. This knowledge is vital, as a strong grasp of numeracy and numbers will underpin pupils’ ability to manage budgets and money, including, for example, using percentages. There is also some specific content about financial education, such as calculations with money.
In 2014 financial literacy was made statutory within the national curriculum as part of the citizenship curriculum for 11 to 16-year-olds. The department also published a non-statutory citizenship curriculum for 5 to 11-year-olds, which is clear that, by the end of primary education, pupils should be taught how to look after their money and realise that future wants and needs may be met through saving.
Primary schools are free to include additional content on financial management in their curricula, including working with external experts to ensure they develop the right teaching approach for their particular context.
The Money and Pensions Service (MAPS) published financial education guidance for primary and secondary schools in England on 11 November 2021, during Talk Money week. The guidance is designed to support school leaders to enhance the financial education currently delivered in their schools to make it memorable and impactful. The department supported MAPS with their communications activities during Talk Money week and is looking for future appropriate opportunities to promote the guidance. The guidance is available here: https://maps.org.uk/2021/11/11/financial-education-guidance-for-primary-and-secondary-schools-in-england/.
In the COVID-19 School Snapshot survey from June-September 2021, all leaders were asked if their school teaches pupils about managing money, such as how to make good decisions about spending and saving. The summary of findings showed that most did so but that it was more common amongst secondary schools (86%) than primary schools (60%). Schools with the lowest proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals were more likely than those on the highest proportion to teach pupils about managing money (70% vs. 59%).
MAPS are planning to carry out a UK wide children and young people financial capability survey later this year. The Delivery Plans for each nation are being published shortly and will detail plans to increase the provision of financial education for more children and young people across the UK.
The department will continue to work closely with MAPS and other stakeholders such as Her Majesty's Treasury, to consider learning from other sector initiatives and whether there is scope to provide further support for the teaching of financial education in schools.
Asked by: John Penrose (Conservative - Weston-super-Mare)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will conduct a UK-wide assessment of the financial capability of young people.
Answered by Robin Walker
All schools are required to provide a broad and balanced curriculum. Education on financial matters helps to ensure that young people are prepared to manage their money well, make sound financial decisions and know where to seek further information when needed.
The mathematics programmes of study provide young people with the knowledge and financial skills to make important financial decisions. In the primary mathematics curriculum, there is a strong emphasis on the essential arithmetic knowledge that pupils should be taught. This knowledge is vital, as a strong grasp of numeracy and numbers will underpin pupils’ ability to manage budgets and money, including, for example, using percentages. There is also some specific content about financial education, such as calculations with money.
In 2014 financial literacy was made statutory within the national curriculum as part of the citizenship curriculum for 11 to 16-year-olds. The department also published a non-statutory citizenship curriculum for 5 to 11-year-olds, which is clear that, by the end of primary education, pupils should be taught how to look after their money and realise that future wants and needs may be met through saving.
Primary schools are free to include additional content on financial management in their curricula, including working with external experts to ensure they develop the right teaching approach for their particular context.
The Money and Pensions Service (MAPS) published financial education guidance for primary and secondary schools in England on 11 November 2021, during Talk Money week. The guidance is designed to support school leaders to enhance the financial education currently delivered in their schools to make it memorable and impactful. The department supported MAPS with their communications activities during Talk Money week and is looking for future appropriate opportunities to promote the guidance. The guidance is available here: https://maps.org.uk/2021/11/11/financial-education-guidance-for-primary-and-secondary-schools-in-england/.
In the COVID-19 School Snapshot survey from June-September 2021, all leaders were asked if their school teaches pupils about managing money, such as how to make good decisions about spending and saving. The summary of findings showed that most did so but that it was more common amongst secondary schools (86%) than primary schools (60%). Schools with the lowest proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals were more likely than those on the highest proportion to teach pupils about managing money (70% vs. 59%).
MAPS are planning to carry out a UK wide children and young people financial capability survey later this year. The Delivery Plans for each nation are being published shortly and will detail plans to increase the provision of financial education for more children and young people across the UK.
The department will continue to work closely with MAPS and other stakeholders such as Her Majesty's Treasury, to consider learning from other sector initiatives and whether there is scope to provide further support for the teaching of financial education in schools.
Asked by: Bridget Phillipson (Labour - Houghton and Sunderland South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate his Department has made of maintained school revenue balances in 2020-21 by share of FSM-eligible children in schools.
Answered by Robin Walker
The department pays close attention to the financial health of the sector, analysing maintained schools’ consistent financial reporting returns and academies’ accounting returns. The latest published figures show both maintained schools and academy trusts have on average been able to add to their reserves in the latest reporting year.
The schools financial benchmarking website allows schools and trusts to compare their financial data with other schools that share similar characteristics, including similar levels of free school meal (FSM) eligibility. The website is available here: https://schools-financial-benchmarking.service.gov.uk/.
A full dataset used to produce this analysis for schools can be found here: https://schools-financial-benchmarking.service.gov.uk/Help/DataSources.
In financial year 2022-23, the National Funding Formula (NFF) will allocate £6.7 billion (17% of all funding allocated by the NFF) through additional needs factors, including pupils eligible for FSM. That includes an increase of £225 million, or 6.7%, in the amount distributed through deprivation factors. In addition, in financial year 2022-23, schools will receive a supplementary grant, which will provide significant further funding for deprivation: £85 for each primary pupil and £124 for each secondary pupil who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years (FSM6). Schools’ individual allocations from the supplementary grant will be finalised in the coming months.
On top of this core funding, pupil premium funding rates are increasing by 2.7% in financial year 2022-23, to £1,385 for each FSM6 primary pupil and £985 for each FSM6 secondary pupil. This means that the per pupil funding rate will be the highest, in cash terms, since the introduction of the pupil premium in 2011. Total pupil premium funding will increase to over £2.6 billion in 2022-23, from £2.5 billion this year.
All schools continue to be able to access a wide range of school resource management tools so they can more effectively invest their resources into areas that improve educational outcomes for all pupils. Schools in serious financial difficulty should contact their local authority or the Education and Skills Funding Agency.