Asked by: Lord Pearson of Rannoch (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Baroness Berridge on 12 May (HL Deb, cols 566–9), and to their publication, Relationships education, relationships and sex education (RSE) and health education: FAQs, what options will be available to parents who do not want their primary school-aged children to be taught about LGBT relationships if their child's school decides to teach them.
Answered by Baroness Berridge
We are making Relationships Education compulsory for primary school-aged pupils, Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) compulsory for secondary school-aged pupils and Health Education compulsory for pupils in all state-funded schools, from September 2020.
These subjects are designed to give pupils the knowledge they need to lead happy, safe and healthy lives and to foster respect for other people and for difference. Through these subjects, children will be taught about the importance of respectful relationships and the different types of relationships that exist. This can be done in a way that respects everyone’s views.
The statutory guidance states that all pupils should receive teaching on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) relationships during their school years, and that secondary schools should include LGBT content in their teaching. Primary schools are encouraged and enabled, when teaching about different types of family, to include families with same sex parents.
In all schools, the religious background of all pupils must be taken into account when planning teaching, so that topics included in the statutory guidance are handled appropriately. Schools must ensure they comply with the relevant provisions of the Equality Act 2010. The statutory guidance is attached and can be accessed via the following link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/805781/Relationships_Education__Relationships_and_Sex_Education__RSE__and_Health_Education.pdf.
Schools are also required to consult with parents when developing and reviewing their policies for Relationships Education (primary) and RSE (secondary), which will inform schools’ decisions on when and how certain content is covered. Schools should ensure that parents know what will be taught and when, and clearly communicate the fact that parents have the right to request that their child be withdrawn from some or all of sex education delivered as part of statutory RSE.
Asked by: Lord Pearson of Rannoch (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to give schools discretion over what they teach under relationships education, relationships and sex education; and if so, what safeguards there will be to ensure that such teaching will be age-appropriate and have regard for the religious background of pupils.
Answered by Baroness Berridge
We are making Relationships Education compulsory for primary school-aged pupils, Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) compulsory for secondary school-aged pupils and Health Education compulsory for pupils in all state-funded schools, from September 2020.
These subjects are designed to give pupils the knowledge they need to lead happy, safe and healthy lives and to foster respect for other people and for difference. Through these subjects, children will be taught about the importance of respectful relationships and the different types of relationships that exist. This can be done in a way that respects everyone’s views.
The statutory guidance states that all pupils should receive teaching on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) relationships during their school years, and that secondary schools should include LGBT content in their teaching. Primary schools are encouraged and enabled, when teaching about different types of family, to include families with same sex parents.
In all schools, the religious background of all pupils must be taken into account when planning teaching, so that topics included in the statutory guidance are handled appropriately. Schools must ensure they comply with the relevant provisions of the Equality Act 2010. The statutory guidance is attached and can be accessed via the following link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/805781/Relationships_Education__Relationships_and_Sex_Education__RSE__and_Health_Education.pdf.
Schools are also required to consult with parents when developing and reviewing their policies for Relationships Education (primary) and RSE (secondary), which will inform schools’ decisions on when and how certain content is covered. Schools should ensure that parents know what will be taught and when, and clearly communicate the fact that parents have the right to request that their child be withdrawn from some or all of sex education delivered as part of statutory RSE.
Asked by: Lord Pearson of Rannoch (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Agnew of Oulton on 13 February (HL1377), whether they assess whether extremist ideology is being taught in madrasas; and if so, how.
Answered by Baroness Berridge
Madrasas are generally considered to be out-of-school settings and, as indicated in the answer provided by my predecessor, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the School System, on 13 February 2020, out-of-school settings are not captured by a single dedicated regulatory framework. Therefore, they are not subject to assessment regarding their teachings by the department or Ofsted.
However, as explained previously, the department is taking forward a package of measures to enhance safeguarding in out-of-school settings – safeguarding children from all forms of harm, including extremism. This includes a £3 million pilot scheme as previously outlined by my predecessor in his response on 16 January 2020. The pilot scheme will be used to inform development of best practice on how to identify and intervene in out-of-school settings of concern.
If the department became aware of a setting where extremist activity was taking place resulting in children being at risk of harm, we would work closely with relevant agencies, such as the local authority and police, to take action.
Asked by: Lord Pearson of Rannoch (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Agnew of Oulton on 4 February (HL646), how many madrasas in the UK are teaching for less than 18 hours per week; and how they assess whether extremist ideology is being taught in them.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
A madrasa operating for fewer than 18 hours per week would generally be considered to be an out-of-school setting. The department does not hold data on the number of out-of-school settings in the UK and therefore does not collect data on the number of children who are attending these settings.
As indicated in the answer I gave on 4 February 2020, out-of-school settings are not captured by a regulatory framework, therefore they are not subject to any assessment regarding their teachings. However, as set out in my previous answer, the department is taking forward a package of measures to enhance safeguarding in out-of-school settings – safeguarding children from all forms of harm, including extremism.
If the department became aware of a setting where extremist activity was taking place resulting in children being at risk of harm, we would work closely with the local authority, police and other relevant agencies to take action. For guidance that covers both out-of-school settings and unregistered schools setting out how the department, Ofsted and local authorities can work collaboratively to help ensure that children attending unregistered independent schools and out-of-school settings, are safe and are receiving a suitable education is attached and available from: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/690495/La_Guidance_March_2018.pdf
Asked by: Lord Pearson of Rannoch (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Agnew of Oulton on 4 February (HL646), what estimate they have made of the number of pupils that are taught in madrasas in the UK.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
A madrasa operating for fewer than 18 hours per week would generally be considered to be an out-of-school setting. The department does not hold data on the number of out-of-school settings in the UK and therefore does not collect data on the number of children who are attending these settings.
As indicated in the answer I gave on 4 February 2020, out-of-school settings are not captured by a regulatory framework, therefore they are not subject to any assessment regarding their teachings. However, as set out in my previous answer, the department is taking forward a package of measures to enhance safeguarding in out-of-school settings – safeguarding children from all forms of harm, including extremism.
If the department became aware of a setting where extremist activity was taking place resulting in children being at risk of harm, we would work closely with the local authority, police and other relevant agencies to take action. For guidance that covers both out-of-school settings and unregistered schools setting out how the department, Ofsted and local authorities can work collaboratively to help ensure that children attending unregistered independent schools and out-of-school settings, are safe and are receiving a suitable education is attached and available from: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/690495/La_Guidance_March_2018.pdf
Asked by: Lord Pearson of Rannoch (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Agnew of Oulton on 16 January (HL157), whether they assess what is being taught in madrasas in the UK; if so, how; and what plans they have to introduce inspections for such schools.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
As stated in my answer of 16 January, religious settings such as madrasas would generally be considered an out-of-school setting. As a large and diverse sector these settings are not captured by a single dedicated regulatory framework; and as such, are not subject to assessment or inspection by the department or Ofsted.
There are currently a number of legal powers in place to protect children attending these settings – for example, child protection legislation, health and safety and fire safety law – and there are no plans by the department, at this time, to introduce a new system of regulation or inspection of these settings.
However, the department is taking forward a package of measures aimed at enhancing the safeguarding of children in this sector. This includes a £3 million pilot scheme outlined in my previous response, which will be used to inform the development of best practice on how existing legal powers, held by local authorities and other agencies, can best be used to identify and intervene in out-of-school settings of concern. This work started in summer 2018 and is due to conclude in March 2020.
Alongside this, we have also been developing a voluntary code of practice for out-of-school setting providers to support them to understand what they need to do to run a safe setting. There is accompanying guidance for parents and carers to help them make more informed choices when considering out-of-school settings for their children, as well as understanding the steps they can take where they have concerns. We consulted on these documents last year and will respond and publish the final guidance in due course. The consultation can be found here: https://consult.education.gov.uk/regulatory-framework-unit/out-of-school-settings-voluntary-safeguarding-code/.
Asked by: Lord Pearson of Rannoch (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to remove the restriction on Ofsted's inspection of schools which teach for less than 18 hours a week.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
Settings that only have pupils attending for less than 18 hours per week are not considered full time and are therefore not required to register as schools. As they are not registered as schools, such settings are not subject to inspection. In March 2018, the department published guidance setting out how the government, Ofsted and local authorities can work collaboratively to help ensure children attending unregistered schools and out-of-school settings are safe and are receiving a suitable education. This guidance is attached and can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/independent-school-registration.
Part-time settings should be considered to be out-of-school settings, which the department currently defines as “any institution providing tuition, training, instruction or activities to children in England, without their parents’ or carers supervision, that is not a school, college, 16-19 academy or provider caring for children under 8 years old, which is registered with Ofsted or a childcare agency.” This covers a large, broad and diverse sector, ranging from: settings offering part-time or supplementary education to support mainstream or home education and religious settings offering education in their own faith, to extra-curricular clubs and activities, such as dance classes, sports tuition, as well as uniformed youth organisations.
In 2015, the government consulted on proposals to introduce a new system regulation of the sector. However, in 2018 following careful consideration of the large number of wide ranging views and representations received, the government decided not to pursue the model proposed, but to instead further develop the evidence base for a national approach, including future legislation where gaps in existing powers might be identified. In connection with this, the government is currently taking forward a package of measures aimed at enhancing the safeguarding of children in this sector, including the provision of £3 million of targeted funding, in 16 local authorities, to test different approaches to multi-agency working. This work will be used to inform best practice on how existing legal powers, held by local authorities and other agencies, such as the Police, Ofsted and the Charity Commission can best be used to intervene in settings of concern and to help inform the need for any further legislation.
Some part-time settings provide alternative provision which is commissioned by a school or local authority. Ofsted can look at such a part-time setting as part of an inspection of the commissioner. In all cases (whether commissioning a place for a child in care or any other child), the local authority or school acting as the alternative provision commissioner should assure themselves that the setting is registered where applicable and that the provision is delivered by high quality staff with suitable training, experience and safeguarding checks.
Asked by: Lord Pearson of Rannoch (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the withdrawal of pupils from Parkfield School because their parents did not want them to attend lessons about LGBT rights and homophobia, what consideration they have given to suspending the requirement for such lessons in order to carry out a consultation with parents and schools into the provision of such lessons.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
The department is actively engaged in the situation at Parkfield Community School where parents are objecting to an educational programme, No Outsiders, which contains elements of teaching around lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues. Parkfield Community School have stated that, as previously planned, there will be no further teaching of the No Outsiders programme for the remainder of the school term, and that they will be undertaking a consultation with parents during this time.
Senior officials from the Regional School Commissioner’s Office have been on site regularly since the start of this issue and are working to facilitate conversations between the community, the academy and Excelsior Multi Academy Trust. They are already working closely with the right hon. Member for Birmingham, Hodge Hill, Birmingham City Council and Birmingham Education Partnership to resolve the conflict and, as such, end pupil absences as soon as possible.
Asked by: Lord Pearson of Rannoch (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reported difficulties experienced by the London Diocesan Board for Schools in obtaining restricted certificates of sponsorship for teacher visas; and of the impact this may have on teacher recruitment in London.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
The government recognises the important contribution that international teachers, and other highly skilled migrants, make to the UK and we keep all of our immigration routes under review.
On 15 June, the government announced changes to the allocation of places within the Tier 2 (General) cap of 20,700 migrants. The change will be implemented through amended immigration rules coming into effect on 6 July 2018. It will exempt all doctors and nurses needed in the UK from the cap. This change, which is intended to be temporary, alleviates pressure on the NHS. It also creates extra space within the cap for other sectors of the economy, including international teachers.
As part of this announcement, the government will be asking the independent Migration Advisory Committee to review the full composition of the Shortage Occupation List.
Asked by: Lord Pearson of Rannoch (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the average A-level achievement of those entering Bachelor of Education degree courses.
Answered by Viscount Younger of Leckie - Shadow Minister (Work and Pensions)
The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) collects and publishes statistics on students studying at UK higher education institutions (HEIs).
The following table, which is attached, is taken from HESA’s publication ‘UK Performance Indicators 2016/17: Widening participation’. It shows the distribution of entry qualifications for UK domiciled young entrants to full-time first degrees in education subjects and compares this with the distribution across all subjects.