Asked by: Rebecca Long Bailey (Labour - Salford and Eccles)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of legal costs (a) to her Department and (b) to the academies and local authorities affected arising following the transfer of all local authority school land to the Secretary of State under the plans to convert all schools to academies; and what estimate she has made of such costs of the granting of leases to each academy under those plans.
Answered by Edward Timpson
In our recent White Paper, Educational Excellence Everywhere, we announced our intention for the freehold of land at community schools to transfer to the Secretary of State on their conversion to Academy status. We are clear that we want all schools to become academies and are considering proposals to remove obstacles for schools - there are too many cases where negotiations over the use of land have delayed conversion to academy status.
We are now working closely with local authorities to explore how these transfers will work in practice, including how we can best minimise the costs local authorities already face in relation to resolving land issues during conversion. The Secretary of State for Education already has the power to direct that where academy land is no longer required for a school, the land or any proceeds of sale can be returned to the local authority. That power will remain unchanged. We will, in considering how best to implement these measures, of course ensure that local needs are taken into account.
Asked by: Rebecca Long Bailey (Labour - Salford and Eccles)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the number of pupils taking creative subjects does not fall as a result of the introduction of the English Baccalaureate.
Answered by Nick Gibb
This Government’s aim is that at least 90% of pupils will enter GCSEs in the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) subjects of English, maths, science, humanities and languages.
The EBacc has been designed to be limited in its size in order to provide a rigorous academic core whilst leaving space in the curriculum for pupils to study other subjects of their choice, including creative subjects, alongside the EBacc subjects. Since the EBacc was announced in 2010, the proportion of pupils in state-funded schools entered for at least one arts GCSE has increased from 45.8% in 2011 to 49.6% in 2015.[1]
On 3 November 2015, the Secretary of State for Education launched a public consultation seeking views on the government’s proposals for the implementation of the English Baccalaureate.[2] The consultation closed on 29 January 2016 and the Government response will be published in due course.
[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ebacc-and-non-ebacc-subject-entries-and-achievement
[2] https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/implementing-the-english-baccalaureate
Asked by: Rebecca Long Bailey (Labour - Salford and Eccles)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will consider including young adult carers in the vulnerable bursary criteria for the 16 to 19 Bursary Fund.
Answered by Sam Gyimah
The Government recognises the extremely valuable service that young carers provide to their community as well as to their families.
Additional disadvantage funding is given to schools and colleges through Block 1 and 2 funding to provide extra educational and pastoral support for students whose education has fallen behind for any reason, such as having caring responsibilities.
The 16 to 19 vulnerable bursary targets specific groups of vulnerable young people whom we know experience financial hardship and we have no plans to change the qualifying criteria.
The 16 to 19 discretionary bursary is available to support any student who needs financial assistance to stay in education and we will strengthen the guidance provided to the schools and colleges that administer discretionary bursary funds to ensure the needs of young carers are recognised.
Asked by: Rebecca Long Bailey (Labour - Salford and Eccles)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will allocate additional funding to local authorities which have a shortfall of nursery and school places to expand existing schools.
Answered by Sam Gyimah
Supporting local authorities to create places where they are needed most is one of the Department’s top priorities. We have committed £7billion in capital funding between 2015 and 2021 to help local authorities create places in reception to year 11. We have invited free schools to apply for capital funding for nursery provision, and local authorities have the freedom to spend some of their capital funding on nursery places if this is a local priority.