Asked by: Lord Kamall (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that all primary school pupils leave school with the ability to swim competently and an understanding of water safety.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Swimming and water safety are vital life skills that are compulsory elements of the PE National Curriculum at key stages 1 and 2. In addition, the changes made to the department’s statutory relationships, sex and health education guidance will ensure all pupils are taught about the water safety code, supporting them to be safe in different types of water. To support schools, Oak National Academy offers swimming and water safety units as part of its PE curriculum, developed in partnership with Swim England.
In June, my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister announced a new national approach to PE and school sport as part of which we will establish a PE and School Sport Partnership Network, designed to build stronger links between schools, local clubs, and National Governing Bodies. It will identify and remove barriers to participation in PE and school sport, including swimming.
The department is also providing a grant of up to £300,000 to deliver Inclusion 2028, a programme which upskills teachers to deliver high quality, inclusive PE, including swimming and water safety, to pupils with special educational needs and disabilities.
Asked by: Lord Kamall (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the announcement of the end of international recruitment of social care workers, what plans they have to train British residents, in particular those who are unemployed, to become part of the social care workforce through (1) Skills England, and (2) other ring-fenced funding programmes.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Skills England, and its predecessor the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE), has worked with employers to develop apprenticeships covering a range of occupations in the care services sector. These are designed to enable an individual to acquire full competence in an occupation whilst undertaking paid work and provide a progression route in the sector. These products are available for both public and private sector employers to use, with funding to support the training from the Growth and Skills Levy.
In addition, a Health and Social Care foundation apprenticeship has been developed and will be available for delivery from autumn this year. This is specifically aimed at young people who are not yet ready for work, and will provide the individual with a mix of employability and sectoral skills designed to provide a good grounding for a career in the health or adult social care sector.
To support the awareness of careers in adult social care, the National Careers Service, a free, government funded careers information, advice and guidance service, uses a range of labour market information to support and guide individuals. The Service website gives customers access to a range of digital tools and resources, including ‘Explore Careers’ which includes more than 130 industry areas and more than 800 job profiles including a range of construction and health and social care roles, describing what the roles entail, qualifications needed and entry routes.