The Department for Education is responsible for children’s services and education, including early years, schools, higher and further education policy, apprenticeships and wider skills in England.
Oral Answers to Questions is a regularly scheduled appearance where the Secretary of State and junior minister will answer at the Dispatch Box questions from backbench MPs
Other Commons Chamber appearances can be:Westminster Hall debates are performed in response to backbench MPs or e-petitions asking for a Minister to address a detailed issue
Written Statements are made when a current event is not sufficiently significant to require an Oral Statement, but the House is required to be informed.
| Date | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|
| Jun. 22 | Oral Questions | Oral Answers to Questions |
| Jun. 22 | Topical Questions | Topical Questions |
| May. 13 | Urgent Questions | Covid-19: School Reopening |
| Jul. 01 | Written Statements | Reform of Early Years Foundation Stage |
| Mar. 12 | Westminster Hall | Self-defence Training in Schools |
| Jun. 18 | Adjournment Debate | Education Standards: Stoke-on-Trent |
Department for Education has not tabled any Bills during the current Session.
| Dates | Department | Title | Type |
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Laid 18 Jun 2020 In Force 9 Jul 2020 |
Department for Education | Education (Pupil Information) (England) (Coronavirus) (Amendment) Regulations 2020 Parliamentary Status - Legislation | Made negative procedure |
| These Regulations amend Schedule 1 to the Education (Pupil Information) (England) Regulations 2005 (“Schedule 1”), which requires head teachers of maintained schools to provide an annual report to parents and adult pupils in respect of every registered pupil at the school, in light of changes to pupil attendance and the cancellation of assessments due to the coronavirus pandemic. | |||
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Laid 17 Jun 2020 In Force Not stated |
Department for Education | Industrial Training Levy (Engineering Construction Industry Training Board) Order 2020 Parliamentary Status - Legislation | Draft affirmative procedure |
| This Order gives effect to levy proposals of the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (“the Board”) which were submitted to the Secretary of State under section 11 of the Industrial Training Act 1982 (c. 10) (“the Act”). | |||
| Current Signatures | Final Signatures | Title | Petition Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|
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187,902 Petition Closed |
School should start at 10am as teenagers are too tired Gov Responded - 22 Mar 2019 Debated on - 11 Feb 2019 |
4 Apr 2019 closed 1 year, 3 months ago |
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Teenagers are so tired due to having to wake up very early to get to school. The Government should require secondary schools to start later, which will lead to increased productivity at school. |
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165,932 Petition Closed |
Change the GCSE English Literature exam from closed book to open book. Gov Responded - 6 Feb 2018 Debated on - 26 Mar 2018 |
18 Mar 2018 closed 2 years, 3 months ago |
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Last year, lots of students struggled with GCSE English Literature as it was a closed book exam. Because of this many failed. How can they expect us to remember quotes from 15 poems, plus how to analyse them, plus remembering the whole plot, themes, characters and quotes from another book. |
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118,050 Petition Closed |
Give parents the right to opt their child out of Relationship and Sex Education Gov Responded - 9 Jan 2019 Debated on - 25 Feb 2019 |
18 Jun 2019 closed 1 year ago |
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We believe it is the parent’s fundamental right to teach their child RSE topics or to at least decide who teaches them and when and how they are taught. We want the right to opt our children out of RSE when it becomes mandatory in Sept 2020. |
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Department for Education Select Committee Home Page
Select Committees are a formally established cross-party group of backbench MPs tasked with holding a Government department to account.
At any time there will be number of ongoing investigations into the work of the Department, or issues which fall within the oversight of the Department. Witnesses can be summoned from within the Government and outside to assist in these inquiries, and the Select Committee will occasionally publish formal reports of their findings.
| Date | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Jul. 03 | Education Secretary's statement on coronavirus (COVID-19): 02 July 2020 | News and Communications |
| Jul. 03 | National professional qualifications (NPQs) reforms | Policy paper |
| Jul. 03 | Thousands of children offered nutritious breakfasts during summer | News and Communications |
Written Questions are submitted by Members of Parliament and the House of Lords to receive information or updates from a Department.
Departments are required to respond in a timely fashion and provide a response or requested information. Written Questions can compel detailed and specific information to be produced, and are frequently used as the source of news stories about the work of a Department.
| Date | Title | Questioner |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Jul 2020, 4:09 p.m. | Free School Meals | Tulip Siddiq |
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Question To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children with No Recourse to Public Funds have been in receipt of free school meals since his Department extended provision to that group. Answer (Vicky Ford) As both my right hon. Friends, the Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer, have made clear, the government will do whatever it takes to support people affected by COVID-19. Our latest guidance for schools on free school meals is available here: During the COVID-19 outbreak, we are temporarily extending free school meal eligibility to include some children of groups who have no recourse to public funds. As per our published guidance, the extension is temporarily in place to support families facing difficulties due to the current unique circumstances. These extensions will end when schools have reopened to all children. The guidance is available at: We do not hold information on the number of children of groups who have no recourse to public funds that have received free school meals since we extended eligibility during this period. These are rapidly developing circumstances. We continue to keep the situation under review and will keep Parliament updated accordingly. |
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