Asked by: Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, how many children have moved schools in each year for the past five years in England; and how many school moves were due to families being forced to move due to no fault evictions.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Shadow Minister (Education)
Every year, the department collects and publishes data on the total number of applications and offers made for entry into primary and secondary school. The information is summarised in the table below and can be found at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/secondary-and-primary-school-applications-and-offers.
Number of applications received for primary and secondary schools in England between 2018/19 and 2022/23 | ||||||
| 2018/19 | 2019/20 | 2022/21 | 2021/22 | 2022/23 |
|
Primary | 608,180 | 608,957 | 612,146 | 580,771 | 576,147 |
|
Secondary | 582,761 | 604,496 | 600,352 | 605,206 | 614,059 |
|
Parents may also request for their child to move schools at any other point, for example, due to a house move. These are called ‘in year’ admissions. The department does not hold data on the total number of children admitted to school in-year each year. The department does not hold data on the number of school moves as a result of no fault evictions.
Asked by: Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Barran on 4 July (HL1123), how those eligible for a free place on the Holiday Activities and Food Programme will be notified of this to ensure that none of those eligible for free school meals will miss out during the summer holidays; and what will be done to ensure that this programme is implemented successfully by local councils across England.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Shadow Minister (Education)
Local authorities have the discretion to provide free or subsidised holiday club places for children who are not in receipt of free school meals, but who the local authority believes could benefit from holiday activities and food (HAF) provision.
Guidance and grant letters provide a clear structure for local authorities in performing their role as HAF coordinators, while encouraging innovation and ensuring the programme is appropriate for the local area. They are encouraged to work with a wide range of organisations and partners across their local area and ensure schools and other services are on board with directing children and families to the programme.
To support local authorities, the department has appointed a national support partner, Childcare Works, which helps local authorities use their funding as effectively as possible and to target their programme at those most in need. Childcare Works facilitates local networks and forums where local authorities can exchange ideas, learn from each other, and work together. The department has also provided local authorities with a communication toolkit to support local promotion of the programme.
The department is working with national and local partners to build on the success of the HAF programme. On 14 June, we held a roundtable event with representatives from supermarkets and sport organisations, many of whom are already providing support to the programme.
The department is monitoring delivery carefully, including through the regular reports that local authorities send to the department. During the summer of 2021, the HAF programme reached over 600,000 children and young people in England in total, including over 495,000 children eligible for free school meals. This means hundreds of thousands of children from low-income families are benefitting from healthy food and better nutrition.
Asked by: Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to require that children's temperatures be monitored during the school day.
Answered by Baroness Berridge
The government’s current plans do not require that children’s temperatures be monitored during the school day. This is not a reliable method for identifying COVID-19.
The department has published comprehensive guidance to schools and nurseries on the protective measures that should be implemented to substantially reduce the risk of transmission of COVID-19. This can be found 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.
The guidance advises that if anyone in an education or childcare setting develops a new, continuous cough, a high temperature, or has a loss of, or change in, their normal sense of taste of smell (anosmia), they must be sent home to self-isolate for at least 7 days and should arrange to have a test.
Asked by: Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they have taken to ensure the calculated grades given to students due to sit A Level exams this summer are fair.
Answered by Baroness Berridge
This is a matter for Ofqual, the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation. I have asked its Chief Regulator, Sally Collier, to write to the noble Lord, and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.