Asked by: Lord Beecham (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the average salary for (1) head teachers, and (2) other teaching staff, in (a) private schools, (b) academies, and (c) local education authority schools, at (i) primary, and (ii) secondary level.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
The information requested is published in the statistical first release ‘School Workforce in England, November 2016’ available at the following web link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-school-workforce.
The average salary for full and part-time head teachers in service at primary and secondary academies and local council maintained schools is published in table 9d, copy attached.
Tables 9a, Table 9b and Table 9c, copy attached, show the average salaries for those employed full and part-time, in service at primary and secondary academies and local council maintained schools. This includes:
Teachers (including heads, deputy heads, assistant heads, advisory teachers, classroom teachers and leading practitioners);
Classroom teachers (including classroom and leading practitioners); and
Leadership teachers (including heads, deputy, assistant heads and advisory teachers).
Salary information for teachers in private schools is not collected by the department.
Asked by: Lord Beecham (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the number of foster children in England who are excluded from the entitlement to 15 additional hours of free childcare per week.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
As of March 2017, there were 3,030 three and four year olds looked after in foster care and subsequently excluded from receiving the 15 additional hours of free childcare. However, we do not know how many children in foster care would access the additional hours if the eligibility criteria were applied to fostering households. No estimate has therefore been made.
Asked by: Lord Beecham (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to extend the provision of 15 additional hours of free childcare under the Childcare Act 2016 to foster children in England; and if not, why not.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
Foster carers play a vital role in supporting some of our most vulnerable children and it’s vital that they are given effective support.
That’s why children in foster care are already entitled to the universal 15 hours’ free childcare and foster carers also receive funding and support for the care of their foster child, including a national minimum allowance, and favourable treatment in the tax and benefits system.
We are in the first term of the 30 hours’ free childcare offer and we will continue to keep the policy and how it works for families, including those fostering, under review.
Asked by: Lord Beecham (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the need to provide courses in English as a Second Language for refugees; and what additional resources are planned for this purpose.
Answered by Lord Nash
The government supports English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) as part of its wider strategy to improve adult literacy in England, support integration and break down barriers to employment. As soon as adults are granted refugee status or humanitarian protection, they become eligible for skills funding – including for fully-funded ESOL courses - through a provider’s education budget that is drawn from the Adult Education Budget for England. In 2015/16 over £90m was drawn from the Adult Education Budget to support all types of ESOL funding. In December 2016 an additional £3 million was also distributed to colleges and other providers that deliver to learners in the areas identified by DWP as having the greatest ESOL need. In addition, all local authorities resettling Syrian families through the resettlement scheme must offer English language provision within a month of them arriving, and government is providing substantial funding to support this, including an additional £10m of ESOL funding which we announced in September last year.
Asked by: Lord Beecham (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 will no longer be able to receive more than 15 hours child care a week as a result of changes to their policy on child care, and how much it would cost local authorities to fund such provision.
Answered by Lord Nash
The Government will be investing £6 billion per year in childcare by the end of this Parliament. That includes doubling the free offer for three- and four-year-olds with working parents to 30 hours, supporting families with the cost and flexibility of childcare, introducing tax-free childcare worth up to £2,000 per child per year and increasing support for low-income parents on Universal Credit.
Every three- and four-year-old, and the most disadvantaged two-year-olds will continue to benefit from 15 hours a week of free early education. Local authorities may also choose to provide additional hours of childcare. Such decisions are a matter for individual local authorities.
Asked by: Lord Beecham (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress they have made in developing a new formula for school funding; and when the new formula will be applied.
Answered by Lord Nash
In July, the Secretary of State committed to introduce national funding formulae for schools and high needs from financial year 2018-19. We are considering the options carefully, taking into account the need to give schools and local authorities stability, and the importance of getting these historic reforms right. We will set out detailed proposals later in the autumn, and make decisions early next year, for the new system to be in place from April 2018.
Asked by: Lord Beecham (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Nash on 1 August (HL1311), whether they intend to publish the response to the consultation on Sure Start; and if not, why not.
Answered by Lord Nash
I refer Lord Beecham to my Written Answer on 13 September to HL1466. The Prime Minister has been clear that tackling poverty and disadvantage, and delivering real social reform, will be a priority for this Government. We will consider future policy on children’s centres as part of this. We will provide further detail in due course and will make clear how stakeholders and members of the public can contribute.
Asked by: Lord Beecham (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Nash on 1 August (HL1311), what progress has been made so far in relation to the consultation on the future of Sure Start; whether they intend to publish the result of that consultation; and if so, when.
Answered by Lord Nash
The Prime Minister has been clear that tackling poverty and disadvantage, and delivering real social reform, will be a priority for this Government. We will consider future policy on children’s centres as part of this. We will provide further detail in due course and will make clear how stakeholders and members of the public can contribute.
Asked by: Lord Beecham (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they still intend to publish the consultation on the future of Sure Start, which they promised to initiate in July 2015, and if so when.
Answered by Lord Nash
This Government is committed to improving social mobility and extending opportunity so that everyone has the chance to realise their full potential.
Our approach to improving life chances will focus on tackling the root causes of poverty such as worklessness, educational attainment and family stability and we will consider future policy on children’s centres as part of this. We will make it clear how stakeholders and members of the public can contribute in due course.