Asked by: Lord Pendry (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that no children are harmed during the anti-vaccination protests outside schools.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
It is never acceptable for anyone to pressurise or intimidate pupils, teachers or the wider school community, and protestors engaging in this type of behaviour should immediately bring it to an end.
The department has provided guidance for schools on how to handle any misinformation or disruption, details of which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-vaccination-resources-for-schools/covid-19-vaccination-programme-for-children-and-young-people-guidance-for-schools. In the event of a protest or disruptive activity outside a school, or if schools know a protest is planned, they should alert the School Age Immunisation Service provider, local authority and local police contacts to discuss the best way to manage the situation.
Should a protest contravene the law, the police have comprehensive powers to deal with activities that spread hate or deliberately raise tensions through violence or public disorder. This does not negate the right to peaceful protest.
Asked by: Lord Pendry (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what support they are providing to international students stranded in universities across the England due to the coronavirus crisis.
Answered by Baroness Berridge
We have been working closely with the higher education sector to ensure that it provides the additional support needed for international students who have decided to remain in the UK or who are unable to travel at present. Universities have an obligation to ensure that students have continued accommodation and access to essential services in the UK for the duration of their stay. Universities are also offering a range of support to students, including support for catering and cleaning, and providing support for mental health.
We have worked closely with the Office for Students to enable providers to draw upon existing funding to increase hardship funds and to support disadvantaged students – both domestic and international – impacted by COVID-19. As a result, providers will be able to use the funding – worth around £23 million per month for April and May – towards student hardship funds, including for the purchase of IT equipment and mental health support as well as to support providers’ access and participation plans.
We are pleased to see that the sector is making every effort to enable students to continue their studies – including moving learning online either in the UK or in the student's home country – so that their teaching and assessment can proceed. Many providers are also bolstering their existing mental health services and adapting delivery to means other than face-to-face.
The government is also applying discretion under the current circumstances to ensure that international students are not negatively impacted if they find themselves in a position where they cannot comply with certain visa rules. The government has published bespoke Tier 4 visa guidance for students and sponsors who are affected by changes to UK immigration and borders due to COVID-19. This guidance includes the latest information for those who might have questions around visa expiry, switching visa category within the UK and distance learning.
Asked by: Lord Pendry (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the impact of COVID-19 on the provision of education, what discussions they have had with universities about adjusting tuition fees.
Answered by Baroness Berridge
Universities offering high quality tuition online will continue to charge fees. Fee loans are being paid directly to the university at the start of the third term.
We are working closely with sector representative bodies to understand the impact of COVID-19 and the immediate financial implications for students and providers. It is important that students continue to receive a good standard of education.
The government has made it clear that, if institutions are unable to deliver adequate online teaching, it would be unacceptable for students to be charged for any additional terms as, effectively, they would be charged twice.??Whether an individual student is entitled to a refund of their fees will depend on specific contractual arrangements between the higher education providers and the student.
In the first instance, students should speak to their university. We expect student complaints and appeals processes to be operated flexibly, accessibly and sympathetically by institutions to resolve any concerns. Students who are not satisfied with their institution’s final response can ask the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education to consider their complaint if their institution is based in England or Wales.
Asked by: Lord Pendry (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to prevent supporters from mainland China bullying and intimidating fellow students from Hong Kong in British universities who are carrying out legitimate activities in support of those demonstrating in Hong Kong in favour of the Sino-British Joint Declaration.
Answered by Baroness Berridge
Universities have a duty of care to all students, domestic and international, and must take reasonably practicable steps to ensure freedom of speech, within the law, is secured for staff, students and visiting speakers.
Studying for a degree gives students from different backgrounds and perspectives the freedom to explore contrasting views and the skills to evaluate information, including that about the current situation in Hong Kong. It is critically important that we protect this freedom. That is why we extended the existing freedom of speech duty to all providers registered with the Office for Students (OfS) through the Higher Education and Research Act. The approach of the OfS is to implement regulation as outlined in their regulatory framework, as attached.
We expect all institutions to ensure that freedom of speech is not restricted as a result of bullying or intimidation.
Asked by: Lord Pendry (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the merits of including the Opium Wars in the history curriculum in order to facilitate a greater understanding of (1) the UK’s colonial history, and (2) UK–Chinese relations.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
The current national curriculum programmes of study for history, which have been taught since September 2014, set the framework for the teaching of the subject in maintained schools in terms of the broad time periods and themes to be taught. Academies may design and follow their own curricula.
The government does not specify what the content of lessons on particular topics should be or how teachers should present information. We trust teachers, as professionals, to plan their own lessons and select their own resources.
However, the curriculum does aim to make sure that pupils know and understand how Britain has influenced and been influenced by the wider world. Therefore, Empire and colonialism is a significant theme, and a suggested topic within the ‘challenges for Britain, Europe and the wider world 1901 to the present day’ theme is ‘Indian independence and end of Empire’.
Programmes of study also require at least one study of a significant society or issue in world history and its interconnections with other world developments. While not mandatory, a suggested topic is ‘China’s Qing dynasty 1644-1911’, which encompasses the period within which the Opium Wars took place.
The national curriculum programmes of study for history for key stages 1-3 are attached and are available here: www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-curriculum-in-england-history-programmes-of-study.
We have no current plans to change the history curriculum. In order to provide a period of stability to schools, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education has committed to making no new changes to the national curriculum during this Parliament.
Asked by: Lord Pendry (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the merits of revising the history curriculum to provide an honest and critical portrayal of the UK’s colonial history.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
The current national curriculum programmes of study for history, which have been taught since September 2014, set the framework for the teaching of the subject in maintained schools in terms of the broad time periods and themes to be taught. Academies may design and follow their own curricula.
The government does not specify what the content of lessons on particular topics should be or how teachers should present information. We trust teachers, as professionals, to plan their own lessons and select their own resources.
However, the curriculum does aim to make sure that pupils know and understand how Britain has influenced and been influenced by the wider world. Therefore, Empire and colonialism is a significant theme, and a suggested topic within the ‘challenges for Britain, Europe and the wider world 1901 to the present day’ theme is ‘Indian independence and end of Empire’.
Programmes of study also require at least one study of a significant society or issue in world history and its interconnections with other world developments. While not mandatory, a suggested topic is ‘China’s Qing dynasty 1644-1911’, which encompasses the period within which the Opium Wars took place.
The national curriculum programmes of study for history for key stages 1-3 are attached and are available here: www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-curriculum-in-england-history-programmes-of-study.
We have no current plans to change the history curriculum. In order to provide a period of stability to schools, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education has committed to making no new changes to the national curriculum during this Parliament.
Asked by: Lord Pendry (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales in 2002 and Pope Francis’ encyclical on climate change Laudato Si: On Care for Our Common Home, published in 2015, what assessment they have made of the priority that teaching on climate change has been given in Catholic schools; and what steps they are taking to give increased priority to the teaching of climate change in state schools.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
The government has not made any specific assessment of the priority that Catholic schools give to teaching about climate change. Like all schools, faith schools are required to teach a broad and balanced curriculum that includes science.
The government believes it is vital that all children are informed about climate change. For this reason, relevant topics are included throughout the geography and science national curriculum and qualifications. For example, as part of the science curriculum in secondary schools, pupils will consider the evidence for human causes of climate change. In addition, as part of GCSE geography they will study the spatial and temporal characteristics of climatic change and evidence for different causes, including human activity.
Asked by: Lord Pendry (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the report by the UCL Institute of Education School break times and young people’s social lives: A follow-up national study, published in May, what assessment they have made of the impact of shortening school break times on (1) childhood obesity, (2) academic performance, and (3) children’s social lives; and what steps they are taking to address any such impact.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
The government has not made a specific assessment of the impact of the length of school break times on obesity, academic performance or children’s social lives. Schools have the autonomy to make decisions about the structure and duration of their school day to suit their own circumstances. However, the department is clear that pupils should be given an appropriate break and expects school leaders to make sure this happens.
The government recognises the importance of physical activity in schools to improve physical and mental wellbeing and support attainment. That is why our Childhood Obesity strategy reflects the Chief Medical Officer’s guidelines that primary age children should get at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity a day and the aim that 30 minutes of that should be during the school day.
Asked by: Lord Pendry (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the relative levels of study of Chinese in private and state schools; what steps they are taking to increase the teaching of Chinese in state schools; and what assessment they have made of the importance of developing Chinese language skills to the UK’s trade relationship with China post-Brexit.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
The government is encouraging pupils to take a language at GCSE as one of the academic subjects making up the English Baccalaureate school performance measure. To target Mandarin uptake in particular, the government’s £10 million Mandarin Excellence Programme (MEP) aims to have at least 5,000 young people on track towards fluency in Mandarin by 2020. As of September 2018, there are over 60 state-funded schools on the programme, meaning we are on track to delivering the MEP’s target.
The proportion of pupils taking Mandarin at GCSE has increased over time, with the number of entries at GCSE and A level both increasing this year. Pupil matched data for 2018 will be available in the autumn.[1]
The time series for the number of GCSE entries in Chinese for the most recent five years of published data in England is given in the attached table (a).
The time series for the number of A level entries in Chinese for the most recent five years of published data in England is given in the attached table (b).[2]
[1] Joint Council of Qualifications data 2018, https://www.jcq.org.uk/examination-results. This data is not discounted and is not comparable to the data in the tables below. We will have comparable data in autumn 2018.
[2] These figures are all published as part of the 16-18 performance tables publications: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-attainment-at-19-years.
Asked by: Lord Pendry (Labour - 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 2 November (HL2292), which schools have participated in the Mandarin Excellence Programme so far and which of them are state schools and which are private.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
The schools listed below have participated in the Mandarin Excellence Programme so far. They are all state schools.
Year one 2016/17:
Alexandra Park School, London
Anglo European School, Ingateston
Beths Grammar School, Bexley
Bohunt School, Liphook
Dartford Grammar School, Dartford
Finham Park School, Coventry
Fortismere School, London
Gumley House Convent School, Isleworth
Homewood School & Sixth Form Centre, Tenterden
Kingsford Community School, London
Queen Mary's Grammar School, Walsall
St Joseph's College, London
St Mary Magdalene Academy, London
Upton Hall School FCJ, Upton, Wirral
Year two 2017/18:
All Hallows Catholic College, Macclesfield
Bay House School, Gosport
Bohunt Worthing, Worthing
Christ’s College Finchley, London
Christopher Whitehead Language College & Sixth Form, Worcester
Cowley International College, Saint Helens
Didcot Girls' School, Didcot
Evelyn Grace Academy, London
Finham Park 2, Coventry
Highdown School and Sixth Form Centre, Reading
Hove Park, Hove
Ingleby Manor Free School & Sixth Form, Stockton-on-Tees
Lambeth Academy, London
Lyng Hall, Coventry
Mayfield Grammar School, Kent
Melbourn Village College, Cambridge
Queen Mary’s High School, Walsall
Shevington High School, Wigan
St Catherine’s College, Eastbourne
St Gregory's, Bath
The Crossley Heath School, Halifax
Wilmington Grammar School for Girls, Wilmington
UCL Academy, London