Asked by: Andrew Bridgen (Independent - North West Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help disadvantaged children access (a) traineeships and (b) apprenticeships.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
Apprenticeships offer great opportunities for young people who are starting out in their careers, and the department is committed to supporting young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to access these opportunities more easily.
The Apprenticeship Support and Knowledge (ASK) programme, funded at £3.2 million per year, provides schools and further education colleges across England with a free, bespoke package of comprehensive information and supports young people from all backgrounds and areas to access apprenticeships. The department is expanding the ASK Development Schools project in the 2023/24 academic year from 40 to 60 schools, including those in disadvantaged areas. This provides bespoke support for students in years 10 and 11 at levels one and below, who have the potential to progress into an apprenticeship but who are facing significant personal barriers such as learning difficulties, disabilities, or emotional, behavioural development issues.
The department has also tripled the care leavers’ bursary for apprentices under the age of 25 from £1000 to £3000, helping even more young people to access and complete their apprenticeships, and continues to pay an additional £1,000 to employers and providers to support apprentices aged 16-18, care leavers and those with an Education, Health and Care plan aged 24 and under. The department is also supporting young people to undertake apprenticeships by fully funding training costs for new apprentices aged 16-21 in non-levy paying employers, who tend to be small and medium-sized enterprises, from April 2024.
As part of the government’s commitment to provide a comprehensive and clear skills offer for employers and individuals, in August 2023 the traineeships programme was integrated into the 16-19 study programme and adult education provision. All the elements of the traineeship programme, English and mathematics, work experience, employability, and occupational skills and qualifications will continue to be funded for 16-19 year olds as part of the national 16-19 study programme. Providers with access to funding can continue to offer traineeship type programmes for young people who need support to get into work, apprenticeships, or further learning.
Asked by: Andrew Bridgen (Independent - North West Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on the number of books that discuss critical race theory in school libraries.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
All pupils deserve to be taught a knowledge-rich curriculum that promotes the extensive reading of books and other texts, both in and out of school. School libraries complement public libraries in allowing pupils to do this. It is for individual schools to decide how best to provide and maintain a library service for their pupils, including which books the library stocks, or whether to employ a qualified librarian.
Given this autonomy, which is granted to schools, the department does not collect information about book stocks.
In February 2022, the department published guidance to help schools understand their legal duties regarding political impartiality. The law is clear that schools must remain politically impartial, not promote partisan political views and should ensure the balanced treatment of political issues.
Asked by: Andrew Bridgen (Independent - North West Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to reduce waiting times for Education, Health and Care plan assessments in (a) North West Leicestershire constituency and (b) the UK.
Answered by David Johnston - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department has invested £1 million through the ‘Delivering Better Value’ programme to support the ‘Transforming SEND and Inclusion in Leicestershire’ programme, which aims to improve how the Leicestershire Area Partnership (LAP) supports children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and their families. Following the Ofsted inspection published in January 2023, the LAP was required to produce an Accelerated Progress Plan to address systemic weaknesses in the quality of their Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans. The department monitors progress against this plan at regular intervals. In addition, the department has commissioned specific support and challenge for the LAP, targeted at improving both the timeliness and quality of EHC plan assessments.
Within the SEND and Alternative Provision Improvement Plan, the department has set out its proposals for EHC plan reform. The department has co-produced an EHC plan template and supporting guidance, which will shortly be piloted in the Change Programme for local authorities, which, alongside the other measures described in the Improvement Plan, will help create a nationally consistent EHC plan process which makes greater use of digital technology, with the aim to improve the quality, consistency and experience of getting EHC plans.
Asked by: Andrew Bridgen (Independent - North West Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, the number of legal claims that have been submitted against the Education and Skills Funding Agency by private providers since its formation.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Complaints made about the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman are published in the ESFA’s Annual Report and Accounts on GOV.UK, and can be found through the following links:
On the number of legal claims submitted against the ESFA by private providers, there is no central record of legal cases held by the department.
Asked by: Andrew Bridgen (Independent - North West Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many complaints her Department has received on the conduct of the Education and Skills Funding Agency since its formation.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Complaints made about the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman are published in the ESFA’s Annual Report and Accounts on GOV.UK, and can be found through the following links:
On the number of legal claims submitted against the ESFA by private providers, there is no central record of legal cases held by the department.
Asked by: Andrew Bridgen (Independent - North West Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of assessments carried out by (a) full-time regulatory Ofsted and (b) contract non-Ofsted employed inspectors were Inadequate or Needs Improvement judgments in the Early Years sector in each of the last five years.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
This is a matter for His Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman. I have asked her to write to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Asked by: Andrew Bridgen (Independent - North West Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he is planning to review the methods of assessing the financial health of training providers in receipt of funding from the ESFA.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
We continue to keep our approach to managing the sector’s financial position under review and update our guidance to reflect changing financial standards and prevailing economic conditions. Our guidance is freely available for public scrutiny.
A small team of highly experienced contract managers has been set up to focus on delivering enhanced monitoring and oversight of the top, approximately, 30 largest and most complex independent training providers. This work includes a more in-depth understanding and monitoring of these providers’ future strategy and financial position so that the likelihood and impact of large-scale provider failure is reduced.
As part of the flagship apprenticeship provision, organisations new to apprenticeship delivery are subject to an early monitoring regime. To maximise successful provision overall, we offer enhanced financial monitoring to organisations we perceive may be in financial difficulty.
Access to apprenticeship delivery is strictly controlled and targets not only an organisation’s financial status, but also its assessed ability to deliver and the grades awarded by Ofsted.
Ofsted inspects further education providers in line with its published ‘frequency of inspection guidance’ determined by the provider’s previous grade. Ofsted also uses a broad range of information to assess risk and performance when selecting providers for inspection.
The ESFA sets out in its guidance and removal from the register of apprenticeship training providers guidance what action may be taken if there is a poor Ofsted outcome.
Asked by: Andrew Bridgen (Independent - North West Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Education:
If he will ensure covid-19 catch-up funding for 16 to 19 year olds is not limited to students with low prior attainment in GCSE English and maths.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
Catch up funding for 16- to 19-year-olds is provided through the 16-19 Tuition Fund. This is focused on supporting those young people who are at significant disadvantage and whose learning has been impacted most severely by the COVID-19 outbreak.
We have targeted this funding among 16–19 -year-old students for those with low prior attainment because:
Those without GCSE English and/or maths at the expected standard at age 16 is the agreed measure used for disadvantage in 16-19 education and an established part of the 16-19 funding formula.
Funding is available to spend on those students without a grade 5 or above in English and/or maths GCSE. However, providers are required to prioritise support for students who have not achieved a grade 4 in English and/or maths. If providers have funding available within their allocations, they can consider whether any young people with a grade 4 also needs catch up support.
As further evidence emerges, we will consider if refinements to eligibility for future funding are needed to maximise its value and impact in providing catch-up support for 16-19 students.
Asked by: Andrew Bridgen (Independent - North West Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans her Department has to increase the level of transparency of the Construction Industry Training Board's administration of levy income and grants.
Answered by Anne Milton
The department is reviewing the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) as part of the Post-16 Skills Plan in July 2016. Along with ministers in DCLG and BEIS, I published an open letter to the Chair of CITB in July 2017 which confirms government support for CITB, conditional on reform and industry support during the vote taking place on the levy rate during summer 2017. It is my intention to publish the Industry Training Board (ITB) Review in October 2017.
The CITB produces and publishes information regarding the administration of its grant scheme as part of its Annual Report, which was laid before Parliament on 29 June 2017. CITB also published a funding impact report on 1 September 2017, which set out how CITB grants are used to support training in industry.
CITB have recently developed and publicised significant plans for reform, including plans to automate and digitalise the payment of grants to employers that will reduce administrative burden, particularly for small business. These reforms will supplement and reinforce any proposals to help increase the transparency of CITB’s decision making, and accountability to industry, made in the ITB Review.
Asked by: Andrew Bridgen (Independent - North West Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance her Department has issued to schools on the (a) teaching of the EU and (b) referendum on the UK's membership of the EU.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Department has not issued any guidance to schools on the teaching of the EU, or the referendum on the UK's membership of the EU.
Schools are aware of their duties regarding impartiality and treatment of political issues. Sections 406 and 407 of the Education Act 1996 require maintained schools to prevent political indoctrination and secure the balanced treatment of political issues. This duty is reflected in the model funding agreement for academies and free schools. Schools are best-placed to understand their pupils’ needs and to tailor their curricula accordingly. They are aware of their duties regarding impartiality and treatment of political issues, and are required to prevent political indoctrination and secure the balanced treatment of political issues. Teaching should equip pupils to explore political and social issues critically, to weigh evidence, to debate, and to make reasoned arguments. It should also prepare them to take their place in society as responsible citizens. At key stage 4, the national curriculum includes teaching about local, regional and international governance and the United Kingdom’s relations with the rest of Europe, the Commonwealth, the United Nations and the wider world.