Asked by: Lord Stevenson of Balmacara (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment Ofsted has made of Ofcom's progress towards improving the online media literacy of internet users.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Ofsted is not responsible for evaluating the work of Ofcom and has made no assessment of Ofcom’s progress on this matter.
Ofsted sets clear expectations that schools teach pupils how to understand and recognise risks they may encounter online. This should include a well constructed relationship, sex and health education curriculum that addresses online abuse and harassment, online safeguarding risks, and what constitutes a healthy relationship online. Ofsted also expects schools to act to ensure bullying, discrimination, sexual harassment, sexual abuse, and sexual violence, online or offline, are unacceptable and dealt with quickly, consistently, and effectively should they occur.
Asked by: Lord Stevenson of Balmacara (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to increasing the time devoted to online media literacy as part of the national curriculum.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The Department continues to support schools to deliver media literacy education. There are many opportunities across the national curriculum for pupils to acquire knowledge of online media literacy. It is taught through the compulsory subjects of computing and citizenship and relationships, sex and health education (RSHE), which was introduced in September 2020. Non-online media literacy is also covered in history and English.
The computing curriculum teaches children how to use technology safely. This includes understanding the internet, using search technologies effectively, and being discerning when evaluating digital content.
Citizenship education equips pupils with the knowledge to explore issues critically, weigh evidence, make reasoned arguments, and take informed action. Pupils are taught the role of responsible journalism in democratic society, enabling them to identify misinformation.
The RSHE curriculum includes online relationships, the implications of sharing private or personal data, including images, online, harmful content and contact, cyberbullying, overreliance on social media, and where to get help and support for issues that occur online.
Asked by: Lord Stevenson of Balmacara (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the statutory basis for the decision to transfer Bourne End Academy from Wycombe High School Academy Trust to E-ACT; and what guarantees have been given to parents whose children currently attend Bourne End Academy about its long-term future.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
Bourne End Academy (BEA) was transferred to E-ACT, following a joint decision by the department and Wycombe High School Academies Trust. It was agreed that the next phase for BEA would be for the school to move into a larger multi academy trust with the resources and capacity to continue to build on the improvements already achieved. BEA was subsequently transferred to E-ACT on 1 September 2018. A consultation is now open to consider the closure of E-ACT Burnham Park Academy, with pupils currently attending the school expected to complete their studies at BEA.
The department is committed to securing the best possible educational outcomes for pupils at BEA, working with all relevant parties to secure this. Ofsted will retain its responsibility for monitoring the school and for conducting any future inspections.
Asked by: Lord Stevenson of Balmacara (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to continue the funding and support they give to First4Adoption, the national information service for people interested in adopting a child in England.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
First4Adoption has operated under the Department for Education’s National Gateway for Adoption contract since its launch in 2012. The contract ends on 31 March 2018. The department intends to ensure that materials developed under the contract remain free to access so that prospective adopters can still benefit from this information.
The government continues to invest in adoption through the development of Regional Adoption Agencies, as well as announcing 16 new Practice Improvement Fund projects last year. The government also supports the Adoption Support Fund, which has provided more than £66 million to support thousands of families since launching in May 2015.
Asked by: Lord Stevenson of Balmacara (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will take action in response to the recent report by Local Equal Excellent that children with a Pakistani background sitting the 11-plus entrance examination in Buckinghamshire are only half as likely as their white classmates to secure a place at one of the grammar schools in that area.
Answered by Lord Nash
The School Admissions Code requires school admission arrangements to be ‘fair, clear and objective’. It further requires that ‘admission authorities must ensure that their arrangements will not disadvantage unfairly, either directly or indirectly, a child from a particular social or racial group’.
Those who consider an admission policy, including a selection test, to breach the School Admissions Code can submit an objection to the independent Schools Adjudicator. If the Adjudicator agrees that the policy is unfair or otherwise breaches the Code she can require schools to amend their admission arrangements.
Asked by: Lord Stevenson of Balmacara (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the not-for-profit company that sets and co-ordinates the 11 plus exam in Buckinghamshire is subject to the public sector equality duty.
Answered by Lord Nash
The Department for Education holds no responsibility for the 11 plus exams. These are commercial products which local authorities and independent schools implement at their discretion.
The 11 plus exam, or newly-named ‘Transfer Test’, in Buckinghamshire is developed by the Centre for Evaluation and Monitoring (CEM) at the University of Durham, which is an independent educational supplier. Private and voluntary organisations are subject to the public sector equality duty under the Equality Act 2010 when they carry out public functions. The duty may therefore apply to CEM’s public functions only, but the Department cannot advise on this.
Asked by: Lord Stevenson of Balmacara (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will support the proposal by the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead to invite the Sir William Borlase Grammar School to open a new grammar school in Maidenhead in the near future.
Answered by Lord Nash
Current legislation prohibits the introduction of a new grammar school. The government has been clear that we have not changed the law in this area.
The government is supportive of all good and outstanding schools that seek to expand, in order to deliver more school places and greater choice to parents. Any school proposing such an expansion would need to demonstrate that it was a genuine continuation of an existing school. Schools that have successfully proposed an expansion have met a high threshold and other schools would need to do the same.
Asked by: Lord Stevenson of Balmacara (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, following the August 2014 Ofsted inspection report which found Buckinghamshire County Council's children's services (particularly in relation to the protection of children) to be "inadequate"; who has been appointed as Buckinghamshire County Council Children's Social Care Adviser; and when it is expected that Buckinghamshire County Council will resume direct responsibility for its children's services.
Answered by Lord Nash
Buckinghamshire County Council continues to be responsible for delivering and improving its own children’s services; the Government has appointed Red Quadrant as an adviser for a period of eighteen months to support it in doing so. The Department for Education’s intervention arrangements will, however, remain in place until the performance of children’s services in Buckinghamshire reaches the required level.