Asked by: Baroness Morgan of Huyton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government to whom schools report if a pupil is taken off-roll to be home-schooled.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
Parents have a duty to ensure that their children of compulsory school age are receiving suitable full-time education. Some parents may elect to educate their children at home and may withdraw them from school at any time, unless they are subject to a school attendance order.
Where a parent notifies the school, in writing, that they are home educating, the school must delete the child’s name from the admission register and inform the local council. Schools must notify the local council when a pupil’s name is to be removed from the admission register, at a non-standard transition point, as soon as the grounds for removal is met and no later than the time at which the pupil’s name is removed from the register. If parents orally indicate that they intend to withdraw their child to be home educated, the school should consider notifying the local council at the earliest opportunity.
Asked by: Baroness Morgan of Huyton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether Ofsted asks schools about pupils who have been removed from the school roll to be home-schooled.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
This is a matter for Her 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: Baroness Morgan of Huyton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many pupils in the last academic year were taken out of school to be home-schooled.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
The department does not collect information on the number of children that are home educated. Parents are not under any duty to register with their local council when they home educate and so there is no reliable basis on which to collect statistics.
Asked by: Baroness Morgan of Huyton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the number of pupils who were taken out of school to visit families abroad, in (1) Pakistan, and (2) elsewhere, and who are subsequently home-schooled following their return in the last five years; and what proportion of those students were teenage girls.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
The department does not collect information on the number of children that are home educated. Parents are not under any duty to register with their local council when they home educate and so there is no reliable basis on which to collect statistics.
Asked by: Baroness Morgan of Huyton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the number of children who are excluded and subsequently home-schooled.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
The department does not collect information on the number of children that are home educated. Parents are not under any duty to register with their local council when they home educate and so there is no reliable basis on which to collect statistics.
Asked by: Baroness Morgan of Huyton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the number of children in unregistered schools who are notionally home-schooled.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
National statistics are not centrally collected for the number of children being taught at unregistered schools who are notionally home schooled.
Asked by: Baroness Morgan of Huyton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government when the new technical curricula will be launched; and how the information on any new qualifications will be disseminated to schools and colleges planning for September 2016.
Answered by Lord Nash
In 2012 the government introduced reforms that ensure that only high quality technical qualifications, that meet rigorous criteria, will be reported in performance tables. The government introduced Technical Awards for 14-16 year olds, and Tech Levels, Applied General Qualifications and Technical Certificates for 16-19 year olds. All qualifications offer progression to further study or a direct route to employment.
Schools and colleges have already been made aware of the technical qualifications that have been approved for teaching from September 2016 for reporting in the 2018 performance tables. The lists of approved qualifications for 14-16 and 16-19 year olds are available on GOV.UK.
The Department for Education will update these published lists in due course and schools and colleges will be informed through communications on the department’s website and social media as well as their member organisations and other routes.
We are also planning further reforms to technical education to raise standards. These reforms, which will be driven by employers, will simplify the 16+ skills system by providing clear progression routes into employment. They will ensure that young people gain the skills and knowledge demanded by employers and universities. An independent panel, chaired by Lord Sainsbury, is developing proposals in this area and will report to government in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Morgan of Huyton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government which university technical colleges are operating in the 2015–16 academic year; and how many students in years 10, 11, 12, and 13 were (1) enrolled in each institution at the date of the October 2015 census, and (2) included in the budget forecast return submitted by each college to the EFA in June 2015.
Answered by Lord Nash
There are 39 University Technical Colleges (UTCs) open in this academic year, 2015/16.
The Department for Education does not hold the information requested as budget forecast returns submitted to the Education Funding Agency do not include student numbers on roll. However, each October, the Department publishes the number of pre-16 pupils funded in UTCs which were open as of the start of that financial year. This data is attached and can be found on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/466234/Annex_A_-_Schools_block_Allocations_data_file_2015-16.xlsx
Data for UTCs which opened after the start of the 2015-16 financial year is due to be published in October 2016.
The number of post-16 pupils funded in each UTC for the academic year 2015/16 is attached and also available on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/468295/YP_FASS_Published_Allocation_Dataset_2015_to_2016-1.xlsx