Asked by: Rachel Maclean (Conservative - Redditch)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the average annual cost per child of an education, health and care plan was in each of the last 10 years.
Answered by David Johnston - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department does not hold this information.
However, the department is reforming the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system so that, where children require an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan and specialist provision, they get access to the support they need and parents do not face an adversarial system to secure this. Through Multi-Agency Panels, templates and supporting materials for the EHC plan process, tailored lists and strengthened mediation arrangements, the department’s SEND reforms focus on:
The department is also significantly increasing the high needs budget, which is worth £10.54 billion by 2024/25 and worth 60% more than in 2019/20.
Asked by: Rachel Maclean (Conservative - Redditch)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the average class size was in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in each year group in each local authority in the latest period for which data is available.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The department publishes annual statistics on the number of pupils at schools in England according to the kind of school they attend. The most recent figures are for January 2023 and are available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics/2022-23.
The department does not collect year group data for independent school pupils as these schools are not required to follow the national curriculum and year groups may not apply. The department does publish figures by age. A table showing independent school pupils by age as of January 2023 is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/8b927366-344b-4505-8cc9-08dc706299c6. Generally, national curriculum year 1 corresponds to pupils aged 5 years old at the start of the school year and compulsory schooling ends at year 11 with pupils aged 15 years old at the start of the school year.
Average class size figures are published by local authority for state-funded primary and secondary schools but not by year groups within those schools. The attached table contains the breakdowns requested.
Asked by: Rachel Maclean (Conservative - Redditch)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the number of pupils that attend independent schools in each school year group in each local authority.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The department publishes annual statistics on the number of pupils at schools in England according to the kind of school they attend. The most recent figures are for January 2023 and are available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics/2022-23.
The department does not collect year group data for independent school pupils as these schools are not required to follow the national curriculum and year groups may not apply. The department does publish figures by age. A table showing independent school pupils by age as of January 2023 is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/8b927366-344b-4505-8cc9-08dc706299c6. Generally, national curriculum year 1 corresponds to pupils aged 5 years old at the start of the school year and compulsory schooling ends at year 11 with pupils aged 15 years old at the start of the school year.
Average class size figures are published by local authority for state-funded primary and secondary schools but not by year groups within those schools. The attached table contains the breakdowns requested.
Asked by: Rachel Maclean (Conservative - Redditch)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Care Standards Act 2000, what the annual spend on children's homes was in each of the last 20 years.
Answered by David Johnston - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Spend on children’s homes takes place at a Local Authority (LA) level. Annual LA expenditure statistics based on Section 251 (Outturn) returns are available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/la-and-school-expenditure.
Within this release, expenditure on children looked after in residential care shows the spend on children’s homes. Residential care expenditure includes expenditure on residential care in voluntary children’s and registered children’s homes as defined in the Children Act 1989, which can be found here: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1989/41/contents.
The latest publication on 25 January 2024 providers cumulative expenditure data for LAs in England from the 2015/16 to 2022/23 financial years.
Asked by: Rachel Maclean (Conservative - Redditch)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the average cost was of educating a pupil in a (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in each local authority area in the latest period for which data is available.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The department holds data on funding levels. However, it does not hold data on the specific local authority level costs of educating primary and secondary pupils.
The published dedicated schools grant (DSG) for 2024/2025 includes information on the amount of core schools funding allocated by the department nationally as well as to each local authority. The published information can be found here: https://skillsfunding.service.gov.uk/view-latest-funding/national-funding-allocations/DSG/2024-to-2025. The published information includes the amount of funding allocated in respect of primary and secondary pupils in mainstream schools, referred to as the ‘primary schools unit of funding’ and ‘secondary schools unit of funding’.
In addition to the funding from the DSG, schools may also receive additional school funding from other grants in the 2024/25 financial year, including:
Additional grants provided on an academic year basis include:
Asked by: Rachel Maclean (Conservative - Redditch)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much was spent by each local authority on home to school transport for children with (a) special educational needs and (b) an education, health and care plan in each of the last 10 years.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
Section 251 of the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009 requires local authorities to submit information about their education expenditure to the department. They must include information about their expenditure on home-to-school travel for children with special educational needs (SEN), but they are not required to specify whether each child has an Education Health and Care plan.
The information collected from local authorities is published on GOV.UK and can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/la-and-school-expenditure. Local authority gross expenditure on SEN transport covering the 2012/13 to 2022/23 financial years can be viewed using the create a table function. This is set out in the attached table.
Asked by: Rachel Maclean (Conservative - Redditch)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of capping existing ground rents (a) to a peppercorn, (b) to £250 per annum and (c) in another way on the operation of (i) pension funds and (ii) financial markets.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
The Government’s consultation on restricting ground rents for existing leases ran from 8 December to 17 January.
Whilst we will publish a full response shortly, we can confirm that the general response to the consultation has confirmed that ground rents represent, at most, a small percentage of total UK pension assets. In addition, no substantive evidence has been provided within the consultation that suggests that there is a systemic risk to the operation of pension funds or the financial markets. Even the sector itself, in its so-called “option 6” alternative, has recognised the necessity of reform in this policy area.
Having concluded the consultation and reviewed the responses provided, we intend to set out the future proposed approach in this policy area shortly.
Asked by: Rachel Maclean (Conservative - Redditch)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what estimate he has made of the potential impact of capping ground rent to (a) a peppercorn and (b) £250 on the returns of UK pension funds.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
The Government’s consultation on restricting ground rents for existing leases ran from 8 December to 17 January.
Whilst we will publish a full response shortly, we can confirm that the general response to the consultation has confirmed that ground rents represent, at most, a small percentage of total UK pension assets. In addition, no substantive evidence has been provided within the consultation that suggests that there is a systemic risk to the operation of pension funds or the financial markets. Even the sector itself, in its so-called “option 6” alternative, has recognised the necessity of reform in this policy area.
Having concluded the consultation and reviewed the responses provided, we intend to set out the future proposed approach in this policy area shortly.
Asked by: Rachel Maclean (Conservative - Redditch)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Government has provided funding to 50:50 Parliament in the last five years.
Answered by Alex Burghart - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Cabinet Office finance system does not show any transactions to 50:50 Parliament in the last five years, including grants issued by the department. The Cabinet Office does not hold financial data for other departments.
Asked by: Rachel Maclean (Conservative - Redditch)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what clinical definition of anxiety his Department uses.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department does not use a specific clinical definition of anxiety as Work Capability Assessments and Personal Independence Payment assessments are functional assessments that focus on the impacts of a person’s health condition or disability on their daily life, rather than the diagnosis itself.