Asked by: Baroness Taylor of Bolton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the email from the Secretary of State for Education to school leaders and others on 20 July entitled 'Thank you for your work this year', (1) how many people were sent that email, (2) what proportion of recipients were sent it by virtue of (a) having signed up to receive it, (b) being school leaders, or (c) both, (3) what were the open rates for that email in respect of each of the categories above, and (4) what codes of guidance around the political nature of emails govern the (i) tone, and (ii) content, sent to headteachers by the Secretary of State.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The end of term email from the Secretary of State was sent to 45,418 email addresses. Of those recipients:
The email has a 45% unique open rate. It was opened 60,245 times as of 26 July 2023, indicating that it had been forwarded beyond the original contact list. The open rate cannot be broken down by categories of school leaders versus subscribers.
As with all departmental communications, Civil Service advice is provided on tone and content, along with factual accuracy checks to ensure it meets the needs of the audience it is intended for.
Asked by: Baroness Taylor of Bolton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Department for Education records the academic proprietor in respect of complaints they receive about (1) academy schools, and (2) multi-academy trusts; and whether they will publish a table of the number of complaints received in respect of each trust in each of the past five years.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department does not intend to publish a table of the information requested. The department’s remit is to consider whether the academy school or multi-academy trust has a complaints procedure that is compliant with Part 7 of the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014, and that they have allowed their own complaints procedure to be completed, when handling complaints received. The department does not consider the subject of the complaint, as academies are autonomous bodies and they are responsible for handling complaints raised against them.
Asked by: Baroness Taylor of Bolton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many staff have been reprimanded for inappropriate political activity given the nature of their employment at (1) the Department for Education, (2) Ofqual, (3) Ofsted, and (4) each of the Executive Agencies for which the Secretary of State for Education is the Minister, in each of the last five years.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
In the last five years, no employees of the department or its Executive Agencies have been reprimanded for inappropriate political activity.
Asked by: Baroness Taylor of Bolton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government when each of the Ministers in the Department for Education were last photographed either by, or on behalf of, the Department for Education.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Four digital photographs of my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, were taken since 7 September 2022. These were welcome photos featuring the department’s Permanent Secretary for use on the internal staff intranet. These were all taken in-house at no cost. Four photos were additionally taken for use on social media.
Since 15 September 2021, approximately 20 photos of those who have held the post of Secretary of State for Education are currently stored by the department’s social media team.
Regarding the most recent photography captured with the department’s ministers, the dates are as follows:
These photos were taken in-house at zero cost for use on our staff intranet and social media channels. Photos of the department’s ministerial team that are featured on gov.uk are provided by Parliament.
Asked by: Baroness Taylor of Bolton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many separate digital photographs are currently stored by the Department for Education of those individuals who have held the post of Secretary of State for Education since 15 September 2021.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Four digital photographs of my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, were taken since 7 September 2022. These were welcome photos featuring the department’s Permanent Secretary for use on the internal staff intranet. These were all taken in-house at no cost. Four photos were additionally taken for use on social media.
Since 15 September 2021, approximately 20 photos of those who have held the post of Secretary of State for Education are currently stored by the department’s social media team.
Regarding the most recent photography captured with the department’s ministers, the dates are as follows:
These photos were taken in-house at zero cost for use on our staff intranet and social media channels. Photos of the department’s ministerial team that are featured on gov.uk are provided by Parliament.
Asked by: Baroness Taylor of Bolton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many separate digital photographs have been taken at public expense of the Secretary of State for Education since 7 September this year.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Four digital photographs of my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, were taken since 7 September 2022. These were welcome photos featuring the department’s Permanent Secretary for use on the internal staff intranet. These were all taken in-house at no cost. Four photos were additionally taken for use on social media.
Since 15 September 2021, approximately 20 photos of those who have held the post of Secretary of State for Education are currently stored by the department’s social media team.
Regarding the most recent photography captured with the department’s ministers, the dates are as follows:
These photos were taken in-house at zero cost for use on our staff intranet and social media channels. Photos of the department’s ministerial team that are featured on gov.uk are provided by Parliament.
Asked by: Baroness Taylor of Bolton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what was the total expenditure on the 95 per cent co-payments for apprenticeships in apprenticeship levy partners who have spent all their levy funds in each of the last five years.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The table below shows the total value of co-investment by the government to support apprenticeships in levy-paying employers in the 2017/18, 2018/19, 2019/20 and 2020/21 financial years.
Financial Year | Total co-investment spend by government for levy paying employers (£million) |
2017/18 | 14 |
2018/19 | 52 |
2019/20 | 76 |
2020/21 | 106 |
The government pays 95% of training costs for employers that don't pay the levy, who are often small and medium sized enterprises, with these employers required to co-invest the remaining 5%. Apprenticeships that started before 1 April 2019, when the co-investment rate was reduced to 5%, continue at the previous co-investment rate of 10%.
The table below shows the total value of co-investment by the government to support apprenticeships in non-levy paying employers in the 2017/18, 2018/19, 2019/20 and 2020/21 financial years.
Financial Year | Total co-investment spend by government for non-levy paying employers (£million) |
2017/18 | 189 |
2018/19 | 528 |
2019/20 | 650 |
2020/21 | 557 |
To note, the expenditure in both tables includes spend on additional payments to employers and providers, such as for English and maths training and for learner support. These costs are met by government, through the wider apprenticeship budget for all employers, and are not deducted from the balance of funds in employers’ apprenticeship service accounts.
The department’s accounts for 2021/22 financial year have not yet been audited and published.
Asked by: Baroness Taylor of Bolton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what was the total expenditure on the 95 per cent co-payments for SME apprenticeships in each of the last five years.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The table below shows the total value of co-investment by the government to support apprenticeships in levy-paying employers in the 2017/18, 2018/19, 2019/20 and 2020/21 financial years.
Financial Year | Total co-investment spend by government for levy paying employers (£million) |
2017/18 | 14 |
2018/19 | 52 |
2019/20 | 76 |
2020/21 | 106 |
The government pays 95% of training costs for employers that don't pay the levy, who are often small and medium sized enterprises, with these employers required to co-invest the remaining 5%. Apprenticeships that started before 1 April 2019, when the co-investment rate was reduced to 5%, continue at the previous co-investment rate of 10%.
The table below shows the total value of co-investment by the government to support apprenticeships in non-levy paying employers in the 2017/18, 2018/19, 2019/20 and 2020/21 financial years.
Financial Year | Total co-investment spend by government for non-levy paying employers (£million) |
2017/18 | 189 |
2018/19 | 528 |
2019/20 | 650 |
2020/21 | 557 |
To note, the expenditure in both tables includes spend on additional payments to employers and providers, such as for English and maths training and for learner support. These costs are met by government, through the wider apprenticeship budget for all employers, and are not deducted from the balance of funds in employers’ apprenticeship service accounts.
The department’s accounts for 2021/22 financial year have not yet been audited and published.
Asked by: Baroness Taylor of Bolton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations the Department for Education has made to either (1) the UK Health Security Agency, or (2) the Department of Health and Social Care, to encourage school staff to be given priority for COVID-19 booster vaccinations.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Identifying priority groups for vaccinations are clinical decisions taken by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), informed by advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccinations and Immunisation (JCVI). JCVI advised that the primary objective of the 2022 autumn booster programme is to augment immunity in those at higher risk from COVID-19 and thereby optimise protection against severe COVID-19, specifically hospitalisation and death, over winter 2022/23.
Other school staff are currently not eligible to receive an autumn booster as part of this programme. However, staff who meet the central eligibility criteria are entitled to a free flu vaccination through the NHS, and schools can choose to provide flu vaccines for their staff through their occupational health services.
Asked by: Baroness Taylor of Bolton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government on which dates the Secretary of State for Education met the Secretary of State for Transport to discuss travel contingencies for students travelling by rail to (1) school, (2) college, or (3) university, during periods of disruption to rail services.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
My right hon. Friend, the former Secretary of State for Education, did not formally meet in a one to one format with my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Transport, between 15 September 2021 and 20 June 2022.
Ministers and officials in the department regularly attend meetings alongside other government departments, including the Department for Transport, and have done so in the lead up to the strike action. These meetings have been to prepare for the industrial action, highlighting risks and contingencies for our sectors. Daily meetings are taking place, both at an official and ministerial level, to monitor how the rail disruption may be impacting pupils and students.
The department will continue to closely monitor the impact of the rail strikes.