Asked by: Baroness Garden of Frognal (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to meet representatives of with Barnardo’s to discuss how local authorities can work with partners to prevent the over-criminalisation of Black children in the care system.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Shadow Minister (Education)
The department considers charity sector colleagues to be key stakeholders in work taking place across the department, including on children’s social care reform, as outlined in 'Stable Homes, Built on Love'. The department regularly engages with the Chief Executive and Policy Leads from Barnardo’s on children’s social care policy, as well as their counterparts at Action for Children, The Children’s Society, National Children’s Bureau and NSPCC. The charity sector is also represented in a variety of reference groups on specific aspects of children’s social care policy.
The majority of children in care do not have any interaction with the criminal justice system. Offending rates for children in care are now at 2%, down from 5% in 2015.
The department has a national protocol in place on reducing the unnecessary criminalisation of looked after children and care leavers and is taking action on risk factors that can lead to criminal behaviour including through the department’s work to improve school attendance.
The department continues to work urgently across government and with local authorities to ensure that all vulnerable children, no matter their age or circumstances, are kept safe and receive the support they need.
Asked by: Baroness Garden of Frognal (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to encourage small businesses to engage in apprenticeship programmes aimed at delivering a skilled pipeline of electrical contractors into the workforce.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Shadow Minister (Education)
Apprenticeships provide a fantastic opportunity for people to acquire the knowledge and skills needed to progress into electrical occupations, and the department is increasing investment in apprenticeships to £2.7 billion by 2024/25 to support employers of all sizes to grow their apprenticeships workforce.
The department’s employer-designed apprenticeship standards ensure that apprentices are gaining relevant industry experience to progress in over 690 different occupations, including in electrical occupations such as Level 3 domestic electrician, Level 4 building energy management systems controls engineer and Level 6 electro-mechanical engineer.
The department has made it easier for smaller employers to recruit the next generation of talent removing the limit on the number of apprentices they can take on and cutting by a third the number of steps needed to register to take on an apprentice. The department continues to fund 95% of the cost of apprenticeships in small employers who do not pay the levy and meet 100% of the cost for the smallest employers (fewer than 50 staff) when they take on eligible young apprentices. The levy transfer system has also been simplified so smaller employers can more easily benefit from transferred funds.
Asked by: Baroness Garden of Frognal (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support students studying a classroom-based electrical technical diploma to transition into the workforce.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Shadow Minister (Education)
Further education outcomes are published annually and include information on the employment and further learning destinations of adult learners in the academic year after achieving their learning aim. The outcomes are available to view online at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/further-education-outcome-based-success-measures. Earnings outcomes are also tracked in each of the five academic years after achievement of the learning aim. Users can break down the data to view the outcomes for learners achieving specific qualifications. The most recent published data relates to adult learners who achieved their qualification in the 2020/21 academic year and their destinations in the following academic year (2021/22).
For example, the following table shows the sort of learner outcome measures that can be found in the publication. The outcomes relate to the year after achievement of the qualification. Full methodology is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/methodology/further-education-outcomes.
Qualification title | Sustained employment and/or learning | Sustained employment | Sustained learning | Median earnings |
Advanced Technical Diploma in Electrical Installation | 78% | 75% | 11% | c |
Diploma in Electrical Installation | 90% | 77% | 56% | £17,730 |
Diploma in Electrical Installations (Buildings and Structures) | 89% | 79% | 49% | £21,460 |
Advanced Diploma in Electrical Installation | 86% | 85% | 10% | c |
Diploma in Electrical Installation (Engineering) | 93% | 83% | 60% | z |
Diploma in Electrical/Electronic Engineering | 83% | 75% | 58% | z |
Intermediate Diploma in Electrical Installation | 93% | 85% | 66% | z |
c denotes where a figure has been suppressed for confidentiality reasons and z denotes where data is unavailable.
The department expects further education providers to ensure students are well informed about the world of work and their options for employment, and to tailor careers activities to the needs of their students. Providers should deliver support and advice on transitional pathways into further/higher education, training or into employment. These expectations are underpinned by funding agreements that require further education colleges and sixth form colleges to secure access to independent careers guidance for all students up to the age of 18 and to 19- to- 24-year-olds with an Education, Health and Care Plan. Further education colleges also have a statutory duty under the Education Act 1997 to provide persons attending the college with access to both guidance materials and reference materials relating to careers education and career opportunities.
Asked by: Baroness Garden of Frognal (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to measure the learner outcomes and career progression of students completing electrical technical diplomas.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Shadow Minister (Education)
Further education outcomes are published annually and include information on the employment and further learning destinations of adult learners in the academic year after achieving their learning aim. The outcomes are available to view online at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/further-education-outcome-based-success-measures. Earnings outcomes are also tracked in each of the five academic years after achievement of the learning aim. Users can break down the data to view the outcomes for learners achieving specific qualifications. The most recent published data relates to adult learners who achieved their qualification in the 2020/21 academic year and their destinations in the following academic year (2021/22).
For example, the following table shows the sort of learner outcome measures that can be found in the publication. The outcomes relate to the year after achievement of the qualification. Full methodology is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/methodology/further-education-outcomes.
Qualification title | Sustained employment and/or learning | Sustained employment | Sustained learning | Median earnings |
Advanced Technical Diploma in Electrical Installation | 78% | 75% | 11% | c |
Diploma in Electrical Installation | 90% | 77% | 56% | £17,730 |
Diploma in Electrical Installations (Buildings and Structures) | 89% | 79% | 49% | £21,460 |
Advanced Diploma in Electrical Installation | 86% | 85% | 10% | c |
Diploma in Electrical Installation (Engineering) | 93% | 83% | 60% | z |
Diploma in Electrical/Electronic Engineering | 83% | 75% | 58% | z |
Intermediate Diploma in Electrical Installation | 93% | 85% | 66% | z |
c denotes where a figure has been suppressed for confidentiality reasons and z denotes where data is unavailable.
The department expects further education providers to ensure students are well informed about the world of work and their options for employment, and to tailor careers activities to the needs of their students. Providers should deliver support and advice on transitional pathways into further/higher education, training or into employment. These expectations are underpinned by funding agreements that require further education colleges and sixth form colleges to secure access to independent careers guidance for all students up to the age of 18 and to 19- to- 24-year-olds with an Education, Health and Care Plan. Further education colleges also have a statutory duty under the Education Act 1997 to provide persons attending the college with access to both guidance materials and reference materials relating to careers education and career opportunities.
Asked by: Baroness Garden of Frognal (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of financial incentives on the recruitment and retention of teachers in schools serving disadvantaged communities.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Shadow Minister (Education)
The department offers bursaries worth up to £27,000 tax-free and scholarships worth up to £29,000 tax-free, to encourage talented trainee teachers in key subjects such as mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing.
The National Foundation for Educational Research has published independent research which corroborates the department’s analysis that a £1,000 increase in bursary value results in an approximately 3% increase in applicants on average, all other things being equal.
There is evidence that schools serving disadvantaged communities face greater teacher workforce challenges. This is why the department is also offering a Levelling Up Premium worth up to £3,000 tax-free for mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing teachers in the first five years of their careers who choose to work in disadvantaged schools, including in Education Investment Areas. This will support the retention of specialist teachers in these subjects and in the schools and areas that need them most.
The Levelling Up Premium is informed by the previous maths and physics teacher retention payments pilot. A University College London evaluation of this found that teachers who received these £2,000 tax-free payments were 23% less likely to leave teaching, showing retention payments can help solve teacher shortages.
Asked by: Baroness Garden of Frognal (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential impact on teacher retention of reducing teacher timetables in schools serving disadvantaged communities.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Shadow Minister (Education)
School and trust leaders decide how best to allocate their teacher timetables.
Teacher retention is key to ensuring effective teacher supply and quality, and the department is taking action to support teachers to stay in the profession. The department has published a range of resources to help address teacher workload and wellbeing, and support schools to introduce flexible working practices.
The department is offering a Levelling Up Premium worth up to £3,000 tax-free for mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing teachers in the first five years of their careers who choose to work in disadvantaged schools, including in Education Investment Areas. This will support the retention of specialist teachers in these subjects and in the schools and areas that need them most.
Asked by: Baroness Garden of Frognal (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of proposed cuts to university mathematics departments, including Birkbeck University, on their ambition for the UK to become a science and technology superpower.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Shadow Minister (Education)
Higher education (HE) providers are independent, autonomous institutions responsible for their own decisions on staffing issues, including how they structure themselves to deliver research and teaching priorities. Where it is necessary to reshape their activities, it is important that universities carefully consider the impact of job losses on staff and students, and the overall sustainability of teaching and research in this country.
The department will continue to work closely with the Office for Students (OfS) and various parties, including a variety of HE providers across the sector, mission groups and other Government departments, to understand the ongoing impacts and changing landscape of financial sustainability in the HE sector.
We want to provide a ladder of opportunity for everyone to get the education and skills they need for job security and prosperity and to support levelling up across the country. Access to HE should be based on a student’s attainment and their ability to succeed, rather than background.
The government has issued guidance to the OfS, asking it to refocus the entire access and participation regime to create a system that supports young people from disadvantaged backgrounds by ensuring students are able to make the right choices and to access and succeed on high quality courses that are valued by employers and lead to good graduate employment.
John Blake, as the Director for Fair Access and Participation, is driving forward this important change. Using his experience and expertise from the schools’ sector, he is supporting and challenging providers to identify what will ultimately help students progress on their course and obtain good outcomes from their degree, such as programmes of intervention in schools, summer schools, and targeted bursaries to assist with living costs.
The government is committed to cementing the UK’s status as a science and technology superpower, levelling up across the country.
To achieve this, the UK needs talented people with the right knowledge, skills, and experience. We are investing in programmes that do this at all levels of education, including through:
Asked by: Baroness Garden of Frognal (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of proposed budget cuts to Birkbeck University’s Mathematics and Statistics Department on opportunities for (1) mature, and (2) Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME), students.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Shadow Minister (Education)
Higher education (HE) providers are independent, autonomous institutions responsible for their own decisions on staffing issues, including how they structure themselves to deliver research and teaching priorities. Where it is necessary to reshape their activities, it is important that universities carefully consider the impact of job losses on staff and students, and the overall sustainability of teaching and research in this country.
The department will continue to work closely with the Office for Students (OfS) and various parties, including a variety of HE providers across the sector, mission groups and other Government departments, to understand the ongoing impacts and changing landscape of financial sustainability in the HE sector.
We want to provide a ladder of opportunity for everyone to get the education and skills they need for job security and prosperity and to support levelling up across the country. Access to HE should be based on a student’s attainment and their ability to succeed, rather than background.
The government has issued guidance to the OfS, asking it to refocus the entire access and participation regime to create a system that supports young people from disadvantaged backgrounds by ensuring students are able to make the right choices and to access and succeed on high quality courses that are valued by employers and lead to good graduate employment.
John Blake, as the Director for Fair Access and Participation, is driving forward this important change. Using his experience and expertise from the schools’ sector, he is supporting and challenging providers to identify what will ultimately help students progress on their course and obtain good outcomes from their degree, such as programmes of intervention in schools, summer schools, and targeted bursaries to assist with living costs.
The government is committed to cementing the UK’s status as a science and technology superpower, levelling up across the country.
To achieve this, the UK needs talented people with the right knowledge, skills, and experience. We are investing in programmes that do this at all levels of education, including through:
Asked by: Baroness Garden of Frognal (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reach a negotiated settlement with trade unions representing the teaching profession in the ongoing industrial dispute over teacher pay and conditions.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Shadow Minister (Education)
The department thoroughly appreciates the work the teaching profession does to build a world class education system and offer an excellent education to all. The department acknowledges the dedication and passion of those within the sector.
By 2024/25 school funding will reach £58.8 billion. This investment will be funding schools, in real terms per pupil, at the highest ever level in history. In 2023/24 mainstream school funding will increase, on average, by 5.6% per pupil. The department implemented the School Teacher Review Body’s recommendation of a significant 8.9% pay uplift to teacher starting salaries outside London, keeping us on track to deliver the manifesto commitment of £30,000 starting salaries. We also implemented a 5% uplift for experienced teachers. This is the highest pay award for experienced teachers in 30 years and underlines the importance this government attaches to schools. On top of this, around 40% of teachers will get pay increases through progression or promotion of up to 15.9%.
Department officials and Ministers meet regularly with teaching unions and other representative bodies to discuss a wide range of school and college policy issues, including actions to improve the daily working lives of teachers. Since confirmation of a formal trade dispute, Ministers have met with unions on multiple occasions. The department will continue to engage going forwards.