Asked by: Lord Jones of Cheltenham (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to increase the number of apprentices going into construction to keep up with existing demand.
Answered by Baroness Berridge
As the economy recovers from the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak, it is more important than ever that businesses in the construction sector are equipped and empowered to recruit the right people and develop the skills that they need to build the right things better, greener, and faster than before.
To support new apprenticeship starts, employers in all sectors are now able to claim £2,000 for every new apprentice they hire under the age of 25 before 31 March 2021, in recognition of the particular impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak on the employment prospects of this group, and £1,500 for new apprentices aged 25 and over.
There are currently 105 high-quality apprenticeship standards in construction available for employers to use. We are working closely with the construction sector to make sure that businesses can take advantage of the benefits of apprenticeships. We are working with the Department for Work and Pensions to enable young people to progress from Kickstart onto an apprenticeship and create another entry route into the construction sector.
As part of our commitment to expand apprenticeship opportunities, we have set out plans to improve the transfers system so that unspent levy funds can better support apprenticeships in small and medium sized enterprises. We are working with the construction sector so that apprenticeships can better recognise prior learning and experience and enable certain construction apprentices to complete their apprenticeship more quickly. From April 2021 employers in construction will be able to front-load training for certain apprenticeship standards. In addition, we are working with employers to develop a bespoke construction traineeship, to further support young people entering the construction industry.
Through the Construction Skills Delivery Group, we are collaborating with industry leaders to develop and deliver these policies. This work contributes to ‘Project-Speed’ – a cross-Whitehall Taskforce, led by my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, which will accelerate, improve and reduce the costs of developing, designing and delivering vital economic and social infrastructure projects.
Asked by: Lord Jones of Cheltenham (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of male teachers; and what plans they have to encourage men to enter the teaching profession.
Answered by Baroness Berridge
As of November 2019, there were over 117,000 full time equivalent male teachers in the state funded sector.
One of our top priorities is to ensure that we continue to attract the high-quality teachers we need, regardless of their gender. We have announced plans for salaries for new teachers to rise to £30,000 by academic year 2022/23. This will make starting salaries significantly more competitive in the graduate labour market.
In addition, we are continuing to offer bursaries, worth up to £24,000, to encourage graduates to train to teach high priority subjects, such as chemistry, computing, mathematics and physics. Candidates with (or expecting) a 2:2 or above, in all subjects, can also access free one-to-one support throughout their journey into teaching from our Teacher Training Advisers.
Our ‘Teaching – Every Lesson Shapes A Life’ recruitment campaign is targeted at audiences of students, recent graduates and potential career changers inclusive of all genders, and the department takes every effort to ensure that our advertising is fully reflective of this across the full range of marketing materials we use.
We are also working to increase the diversity of the existing teaching workforce. That is why, in October 2018, we published our Statement of Intent, setting out our commitment to increasing the diversity of the teaching workforce alongside ten key sector co-signatories who also pledged supporting activity.
Asked by: Lord Jones of Cheltenham (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to enable colleges to reopen safely; and what assessment they have made of the remarks by the Chief Executive of the Association of Colleges that colleges face a £2 billion income loss next year and some will go bankrupt unless they receive emergency help.
Answered by Baroness Berridge
Many further education providers are already open for 16 to 19 learners on the first year of a two-year study programme and all learners under 19 years old can be offered a face-to-face meeting before the end of the summer term - subject to the required safety measures being met. Our guidance on how to phase the return of learners in further education is underpinned by our latest understanding of COVID-19 and we will continue to be led by the scientific evidence.
From Autumn 2020, all learners, including those who are 16 to 19 and adults will return to a full high-quality education programme delivered by their college or post 16 learning provider. This is as well as continuing to re-introduce face to-face support for 16 to 19 learners who are:
Colleges should plan on the basis that, from September 2020, all learners will return to a full high-quality education programme.
The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) will continue to pay grant funded providers their scheduled monthly profiled payments for the remainder of the 2019/20 funding year and for 2020/21 which should give colleges the security of their agreed funding allocations. For colleges that are experiencing significant financial difficulties, the existing support arrangements remain in place, including short-term emergency funding. The further education commissioner and his highly experienced team are able to talk through plans, concerns and issues as are local ESFA teams.
My right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister announced a £1 billion support package for schools to help pupils catch up on lost teaching time. It is our ambition that all students have the chance to make up for lost education and where breaks in learning have been required, we want to ensure learners can resume their ‘classroom’ learning and continue to a successful completion. We will continue to work with the sector to establish the best way to support students to make up for the disruption due to COVID-19.
Asked by: Lord Jones of Cheltenham (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government why colleges were not included in the £1 billion student catch-up programme.
Answered by Baroness Berridge
Many further education providers are already open for 16 to 19 learners on the first year of a two-year study programme and all learners under 19 years old can be offered a face-to-face meeting before the end of the summer term - subject to the required safety measures being met. Our guidance on how to phase the return of learners in further education is underpinned by our latest understanding of COVID-19 and we will continue to be led by the scientific evidence.
From Autumn 2020, all learners, including those who are 16 to 19 and adults will return to a full high-quality education programme delivered by their college or post 16 learning provider. This is as well as continuing to re-introduce face to-face support for 16 to 19 learners who are:
Colleges should plan on the basis that, from September 2020, all learners will return to a full high-quality education programme.
The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) will continue to pay grant funded providers their scheduled monthly profiled payments for the remainder of the 2019/20 funding year and for 2020/21 which should give colleges the security of their agreed funding allocations. For colleges that are experiencing significant financial difficulties, the existing support arrangements remain in place, including short-term emergency funding. The further education commissioner and his highly experienced team are able to talk through plans, concerns and issues as are local ESFA teams.
My right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister announced a £1 billion support package for schools to help pupils catch up on lost teaching time. It is our ambition that all students have the chance to make up for lost education and where breaks in learning have been required, we want to ensure learners can resume their ‘classroom’ learning and continue to a successful completion. We will continue to work with the sector to establish the best way to support students to make up for the disruption due to COVID-19.
Asked by: Lord Jones of Cheltenham (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will continue the provision of food vouchers for children in need beyond the summer period.
Answered by Baroness Berridge
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.
During this period, we are asking schools to support children who are eligible for and claiming benefits-related free school meals at home, by providing meals or food parcels through their existing food providers wherever possible. We know that many schools are successfully delivering food parcels or arranging food collections for eligible children, and we encourage this approach where it is possible. Where this is not possible, we have introduced a national voucher scheme to provide headteachers with additional flexibility to decide what is best for families at their schools. Edenred has reported that over £183 million worth of voucher codes has been redeemed into supermarket eGift cards by schools and families through the scheme as of Wednesday 24 June.
More information about the national voucher scheme is available here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-free-school-meals-guidance/covid-19-free-school-meals-guidance-for-schools.
Provision for free school meals is ordinarily term time only. However, owing to the COVID-19 outbreak, the government understands that children and parents face an entirely unprecedented situation over the summer. To reflect this, we will be providing additional funding for a COVID Summer Food Fund which will enable families with children who are eligible for benefits-related free school meals to receive food vouchers covering the 6-week holiday period.
Our guidance on the COVID Summer Food Fund is available here:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/covid-summer-food-fund.
Through the COVID Summer Food Fund, schools can support eligible pupils with a £90 voucher to cover the 6-week holiday period. Schools must order the vouchers at least one week before their school term ends. If a school receives a claim for an eligible child during the final week before the school’s summer holidays, it will be possible for the school to place an exceptional order for that child via our supplier Edenred.
We are working to ensure all children can return in September, allowing them to have their free school meal at school. The department will be setting out more detail on plans for September in due course.
Asked by: Lord Jones of Cheltenham (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to add the history of the slave trade to the school curriculum.
Answered by Baroness Berridge
The history curriculum gives teachers and schools the freedom and flexibility to use specific examples from history to teach pupils about the history of Britain and the wider world. Schools and teachers can determine which examples, topics and resources to use to stimulate and challenge pupils and reflect key points in history.
There are opportunities within the themes and eras of the history curriculum for teachers and schools to teach the history of the slave trade at key stages 1 to 3. Schools can teach it at key stage 1, when teaching about events beyond living memory that are significant nationally or globally or the lives of significant individuals in the past who have contributed to national and international achievements; at key stage 2, when teaching about the Roman Empire and its impact on Britain, or a study of an aspect or theme in British history that extends pupils’ chronological knowledge beyond 1066 ; and at key stage 3, where within the theme “ideas, political power, industry and empire: Britain, 1745-1901” a specific example is given of “Britain’s transatlantic slave trade: its effects and its eventual abolition”. The local history study element within each key stage offers opportunities to teach about the slave trade in relation to Britain. The slave trade also falls within the scope of the subject content set out for GCSE History.
Asked by: Lord Jones of Cheltenham (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whey they suspended the Regulating Independent Educational Institutions consultation, rather than extending the timeframe for submissions; and what steps they are taking to ensure the (1) safety, and (2) education, of pupils who attend these institutions.
Answered by Baroness Berridge
It is an important principle that consultations take account of the groups being consulted and are conducted in a way that enables interested parties to express their view. We were concerned that completing the consultation while many stakeholders had their operation disrupted by the COVID-19 outbreak may not fairly provide all stakeholders with an opportunity to respond as they would like, undermining the value of the consultation. The department therefore suspended the consultation before it was due to end. The department intends to reopen the consultation when stakeholders are less likely to be significantly affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. Responses received to date will be combined with responses received after the consultation reopens and fully reviewed after the consultation finally closes.
It is not yet appropriate to set a date for reopening the consultation as the situation in relation to the COVID-19 outbreak continues to change. Similarly, the consultation was not extended because it was not clear what date would be reasonable to conclude the consultation at this stage.
Ofsted continues to investigate potential illegal schools including consideration of new intelligence. Where appropriate, Ofsted have liaised with local authorities and other statutory bodies to consider whether there is appropriate action that should be taken, for example, to close settings where people are gathering illegally during the COVID-19 outbreak.
Asked by: Lord Jones of Cheltenham (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether disciplinary measures (1) can, and (2) will, be instigated against teachers who refuse to return to work on the grounds that they fear contracting COVID-19.
Answered by Baroness Berridge
The department’s guidance on implementing protective measures explains who should and should not attend nurseries and schools, and sets out the measures that should be followed for staff that are either clinically vulnerable or clinically extremely vulnerable, or who live with someone in either of these groups. This guidance can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-implementing-protective-measures-in-education-and-childcare-settings/coronavirus-covid-19-implementing-protective-measures-in-education-and-childcare-settings.
Whilst other staff should be able to come into school, it is natural that some staff will be worried about doing so even if the risks for them are very low. In agreeing the best approach for their schools, headteachers and school leaders should work closely with employees and unions, where appropriate. School leaders will be in the best position, knowing their staff and school circumstances, to decide how to proceed in individual cases.
Asked by: Lord Jones of Cheltenham (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to ask schools to stay open during what is normally regarded as the summer holiday period.
Answered by Baroness Berridge
There are no plans to open schools during the summer holidays.
The department understands that the COVID-19 outbreak has caused disruption to young people’s education as teachers and parents have had to adapt to remote education. We are doing everything possible to make sure every child, whatever their background, has the support they need to deal with the impact of coronavirus on their education and wellbeing and are working with partners to consider the best ways to deliver this ongoing support.
Asked by: Lord Jones of Cheltenham (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the risk of teachers infecting each other with COVID-19 when schools reopen.
Answered by Baroness Berridge
Children, young people and teachers’ safety is our top priority. This is why we are taking a phased approach to opening for more children, to limit the risk of increasing the rate of transmission. We have issued guidance to childcare settings, schools and colleges on the protective measures they should put in place to reduce risk further.
This guidance includes advice to reduce the risk of transmission to and between teachers and other staff, for example, by keeping the same staff and teachers with the same class or groups, where possible, and staggering the use of staff rooms and offices to limit occupancy. Schools should talk to staff about plans for wider opening, including discussing whether training to implement protective measures would be helpful.
School teachers and staff are already eligible for testing, and all staff and students who are attending an education or childcare setting will have access to a test if they display symptoms of coronavirus. Where a child, young person or staff member tests positive, the rest of their class or group within their setting should be sent home and told to self-isolate for 14 days.