Asked by: Lord Watson of Invergowrie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many maintained schools were converted to academy status through sponsorship or other means from September 2010 to March 2022; and how many were converted in each academic year during that period.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
As of March 2022, there were 9,205 open converter and sponsored academies. The tables attached show the annual net growth in the number of these schools from 2011 to March 2022, as well as the total number of converter and sponsored academies as of January each year.
This information is derived from the annual School Census data available via School, Pupils, and their Characteristics. This can be accessed here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/.
Data from 2022 reflects those schools opened in January, February and March of this year and is derived from Get Information About Schools via this link: https://get-information-schools.service.gov.uk/Downloads.
Asked by: Lord Watson of Invergowrie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Secretary of State for Education is able to require local authorities to develop local strategic plans to bring local authority maintained schools into the academy system.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, does not have the power to require local authorities to develop strategic plans to bring local authority-maintained schools into the academy system. The Schools Bill contains a power for local authorities to support schools in joining academy trusts by applying for academy orders on their behalf.
Asked by: Lord Watson of Invergowrie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many schools they expect to convert to academy status though sponsorship or other means between March 2022 and December 2030.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The Schools White Paper sets out the department’s intention that by 2030, all children will benefit from being taught in a family of schools, with their school in a strong multi-academy trust, or with plans to join or form one. The best trusts in the system will work where they are needed most, levelling up standards, and transforming previously underperforming schools.
The policies set out in the White Paper will remove barriers that are preventing schools from benefiting from the support of a strong trust, whilst ensuring that all parts of the system can play their part in building a single, coherent system.
Local authorities will be able to add new capacity to the system by establishing new strong trusts. Additionally, the department will ensure there are statutory protections for academies with a religious character, equivalent to those for maintained schools with a religious character. Appropriate financial support will be provided to Dioceses and other religious bodies to enable the growth and establishment of trusts.
Regional directors will engage local partners to determine the best way to develop a strong trust landscape that suits their area, investing up to £86 million over the next three years in building trust capacity, focused particularly on Education Investment Areas.
The department is keen to continue engaging with the sector on how best to achieve a fully trust-led system by 2030.
Asked by: Lord Watson of Invergowrie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the total cost of converting maintained schools to academy status through sponsorship or other means from March 2022 to December 2030; and what is their expectation of the average cost of converting each school to academy status.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The average costs of converting maintained schools to academy status will vary significantly by project and based on the different approaches taken with partners, including whether the conversion is via the sponsored or converter route. The approach taken will depend on the circumstances of the school at the time.
The department has a range of existing grant regimes to support schools to convert in a variety of circumstances. For sponsored academy projects, pre-opening grant funding is available, supporting pre-opening costs such as staff recruitment, project management, legal advice, and any other school improvement interventions, helping to improve pupil outcomes. Funding values vary depending on the type of school, ranging from £70,000 to £150,000. Converter academies are eligible to apply for the £25,000 support grant, following approval of the conversion application.
Additionally, the department is investing up to £86 million over the next three years in building trust capacity, focused particularly in Education Investment Areas where pupil outcomes are weakest, and within these, Priority Education Investment Areas. The Trust Capacity Fund helps trusts take on underperforming schools for defined growth projects which have been approved by a regional director. Regional directors will engage local partners to determine the best way to develop a strong trust landscape that suits their area.
Being part of a strong trust can also unlock financial benefits. By centralising operational and administrative functions, schools within a multi-academy trust can save time and money. This can then be reinvested directly into the areas which have the greatest impact on children’s outcomes, including unlocking capacity to support weaker schools.
Asked by: Lord Watson of Invergowrie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to their guidance to keep windows in classrooms open to improve ventilation, what assessment they have made of (1) the amount of extra carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere because of higher energy use in all schools, and (2) the average increase in carbon dioxide emissions in (a) primary schools, and (b) secondary schools.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the department has provided guidance to settings on how to manage ventilation, in addition to providing over 360,000 CO2 monitors to state-funded education providers in England. As well as helping to identify areas that are poorly ventilated, CO2 monitors can be useful to help education providers balance good ventilation with keeping classrooms warm.
Ensuring adequate ventilation does not need to be at the expense of keeping classrooms warm. Education providers do not need to keep windows fully open at all times. Opening windows regularly for 10 minutes, or a small amount continuously, can still improve ventilation substantially. The department’s guidance has also been clear that when CO2 monitors indicate good ventilation, there is no need to open additional windows. The guidance can be found in full here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-ventilation-of-indoor-spaces-to-stop-the-spread-of-coronavirus.
Maintaining adequate ventilation remains the responsibility of individual education providers. The department does not hold the information requested on the increase in energy usage or carbon emissions due to opening windows. This will vary according to a range of factors, including how individual education providers manage ventilation in their estate.
Asked by: Lord Watson of Invergowrie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by Kinship Out of the shadows: A vision for kinship care in England, published on 24 March; and what steps they are taking to ensure kinship carers can access (1) information, (2) advice, and (3) support.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The March 2022 ‘Out of the Shadows: A vision for kinship care in England’ report offers an insightful analysis of the challenges kinship carers face.
Statutory guidance issued under the Children Act 1989 places legal duties on local authorities to provide support to kinship carers. The guidance sets out a framework for the provision of support to family and friends’ carers, whatever the legal status of the children they are caring for.
All local authorities in England are required to have a published family and friends’ policy. It should be designed to ensure children receive the support they and their carers need to keep them safe and well. Local family and friends’ policies should also support the promotion of good information about the full range of services for children, young people, and families in the area. It should highlight the availability of advice from independent organisations.
In 2021, the department provided £1 million funding for one year to the charity Kinship to deliver more high-quality peer support groups for kinship carers across the country. Through this work, the department will offer more support, more access to expert advice and information, and more opportunities for kinship carers to connect with each other.
The department also continues to fund the Family Rights Group’s family and friends helpline to provide free information and advice to kinship carers in need of legal and practical support.
The independent review of children’s social care led by Josh MacAlister has had a key focus on kinship care. The government looks forward to considering any recommendations it makes when the report publishes in the spring.
Asked by: Lord Watson of Invergowrie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how the (1) number, and (2) percentage, of Ofsted inspectors who are (a) current, and (b) former, school senior leaders has changed in each year since 2010.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
These are matters for Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman. I have asked her to write to the noble Lord directly and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Asked by: Lord Watson of Invergowrie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how the (1) number, and (2) percentage, of Ofsted inspectors who are (a) current, and (b) former, headteachers has changed in each year since 2010.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
These are matters for Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman. I have asked her to write to the noble Lord directly and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Asked by: Lord Watson of Invergowrie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Ofsted inspectors are (1) headteachers, (2) former headteachers, (3) senior leaders in schools, and (4) former senior leaders in schools; and what percentage of all inspectors each group makes up.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
These are matters for Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman. I have asked her to write to the noble Lord directly and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Asked by: Lord Watson of Invergowrie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the results of the poll undertaken by Parentkind, published in March; in particular, what assessment they have made of the findings that (1) 86 per cent of parents do not consider SAT results as important when choosing a school for their child, with 70 per cent not looking into a prospective school’s SAT results at all, (2) 95 per cent of parents reported that SATs had a negative impact on their children’s wellbeing, and (3) 89 per cent of parents would support SATs being replaced by an alternative measure, such as ongoing teacher assessment, checked by external monitors.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Key stage 2 (KS2) assessments are important as they enable parents and schools to understand pupil achievements in relation to age-related attainment expectations outlined in the national curriculum and help teachers identify pupils who need the most support.
Furthermore, school performance measures from these assessments play an important role in supporting schools to improve, as well as helping parents when choosing schools for their child. The department remains committed to having a broad range of school performance measures at KS2.
Research conducted by University College London Institute of Education found that there was ‘little evidence to changes in [pupil] wellbeing around the time of key stage 2 tests, or that children in England become happier – either in general or about school – once these tests are over’. Nevertheless, although schools should encourage pupils to work hard and achieve well, we do not recommend that they devote excessive preparation time to assessment, and certainly not at the expense of pupils’ mental health and wellbeing. We trust schools to administer assessments in the appropriate way.
Formative teacher assessment informs teaching and has a crucial role in supporting pupils to progress and achieve their full potential. In certain instances, such as English writing, it is used currently as part of school accountability measures. The introduction of teacher assessment for all primary assessment would, however, likely introduce an additional burden for schools that would not be conducive to the department’s aim of reducing teacher workload. Also of relevance are the views of Ofqual, the regulator for qualifications, examinations and assessments in England, on teacher assessment and moderation in primary assessment. They state that although ‘teacher assessment can be a highly valid and effective approach to assessment, where it informs school accountability measures this can place pressure both on the assessment and also on the teachers being asked to make the judgements’.
The department currently has no plans to replace KS2 assessments with an alternative measure.