Asked by: Baroness Brown of Silvertown (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate he has made of the number of overseas university students resident in the UK who have not paid full fees in each of the last three years; what recent assessment he has made of the impact of non-payment of full fees due to the effects of the covid-19 pandemic on (a) university finances, (b) overseas students being unable to complete their courses and (c) overseas students losing their migration status; and what recent steps he has taken to support overseas university students whose difficulty paying fees is related to the covid-19 pandemic.
Answered by Alex Burghart - Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
The setting and payment of fees is a matter for universities as autonomous institutions and therefore, the department does not hold data on the exact number of international students in the UK who have not paid full fees in each of the last three years.
The Office for Students (OfS) collects and analyses financial data from higher education (HE) providers in England to ensure they have an up to date understanding of the sustainability of the sector. We work closely with the OfS and recognise that although there is variation in the performance and strengths of individual institutions the overall financial position of the HE sector remains sound.
Where the OfS identifies concerns about the financial viability of an HE provider, they will implement enhanced monitoring of that provider.
Payment of tuition fees and course progression is a matter between a student and their sponsor (HE institution). If a sponsor decides to withdraw a student from a course for non-payment of fees, they are required to notify the UK Visas and Immigration which may subsequently result in the student’s visa being cancelled
During the COVID-19 pandemic the department, alongside the government, worked hard to ensure that international students were supported throughout this difficult time, including visa concessions so that students who could not travel to the UK during the pandemic were not adversely impacted.
In addition, the department provided grant funding to the OfS for the 2021/22 financial year included an allocation of £5 million to HE providers in England in order to provide additional support for student hardship. This hardship funding could be accessed by international students and would be allocated by providers to where the need was greatest.
Asked by: Baroness Brown of Silvertown (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans his Department has to change student loan eligibility for young people who do not obtain GCSEs in English and Maths.
Answered by Michelle Donelan
In the higher education policy statement and reform consultation, which closed on 6 May, the department started a conversation on the principle of a minimum eligibility requirement (MER) for access to student finance for those intending to study a degree-level qualification.
The department intends that this policy would apply to students accessing English student finance for full-time level 6 study in the UK. This is so that publicly funded access to university courses is directed to those students who are more likely to benefit from level 6 study.
We have consulted on a MER set at either two E grades at A level, or a grade 4 in GCSE English and maths. We have also consulted on proposed exemptions from a MER, including for part-time and mature students, and, for a MER set at GCSE (grade 4 in English and maths), for students who have gone on to achieve CCC at A level (or equivalent).
A decision has not yet been made on whether to introduce a MER. The department is considering consultation responses and will publish the government's response in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Brown of Silvertown (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when he plans to announce future funding for the primary PE and sport premium; and what assessment he has made of the impact on (a) the efficacy of programmes for pupil health and wellbeing, (b) additional costs for participant schools and (c) staff job security of announcing the level of PE and sport premium funding less than three months before the start of the next school year.
Answered by Will Quince
The department is aware of the importance of giving primary schools as much notice as possible of the funding for PE and sport premium in order to support its effective use. We will confirm the level of funding for the PE and sport premium for the 2022/23 academic year in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Brown of Silvertown (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department plans to publish guidance for schools on how to support trans children in 2022; and what contact his Department has had with the Equality and Human Rights Commission on previous plans for that guidance.
Answered by Will Quince
The department is continuing to work with others across government and in the sector to understand how we can support schools with these complex and sensitive matters.
My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, has recently written to the Chair of the Equalities and Human Rights Commission to accept her offer of advice and support as we determine our next steps in this area and across other equalities issues for schools.
Asked by: Baroness Brown of Silvertown (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will commit in the next six months to long-term funding for (a) physical education and (b) sport in schools.
Answered by Will Quince
I refer the hon. Member for West Ham to the answer I gave on 9 December 2021 to Question 86530.
Asked by: Baroness Brown of Silvertown (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans he has for the future of the primary PE and Sport Premium funding.
Answered by Will Quince
I refer the hon. Member for West Ham to the answer I gave on 9 December 2021 to Question 86530.
Asked by: Baroness Brown of Silvertown (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans he has for the funding of the School Games Organiser network beyond March 2022.
Answered by Will Quince
I refer the hon. Member for West Ham to the answer I gave on 9 December 2021 to Question 86530.
Asked by: Baroness Brown of Silvertown (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of teaching children about the risks of (a) cryptocurrency speculation and (b) scams involving cryptocurrencies in the context of the history of (i) scams involving novel financial products and (ii) financial bubbles.
Answered by Robin Walker
Education on financial matters helps to ensure that young people are prepared to manage their money well, make sound financial decisions and know where to seek further information when needed. Pupils receive financial education through the national curriculum for mathematics and citizenship which, for secondary school-aged pupils, includes compulsory content covering the functions and uses of money, financial products and services, and the need to understand financial risk.
As with other aspects of the curriculum, schools have flexibility over how they deliver the curriculum so they can develop an integrated approach that is sensitive to the needs and background of their pupils. The Money and Pensions Service published financial education guidance for primary and secondary schools in England during Talk Money Week, 8-12 November 2021, an annual event that encourages people of all ages to talk about money: https://maps.org.uk/2021/11/11/financial-education-guidance-for-primary-and-secondary-schools-in-england/. This guidance was developed in consultation with financial education experts and is designed to support school leaders and education decision makers to enhance the financial education currently delivered in their schools. The guidance includes links to quality assured resources for schools, including specific content and activities on cryptocurrencies and the knowledge and skills to equip pupils to protect their personal data, critically evaluate online content and identify scams.
There are also other opportunities across the national curriculum to teach pupils about cryptocurrencies. For example, the computing curriculum teaches the knowledge and skills that empower children and teachers to make well-informed choices about technology: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-curriculum-in-england-computing-programmes-of-study. It covers the principles of e-safety at all key stages, with progression in the content to reflect the different and escalating risks that young people face.
The department will continue to work closely with the Money and Pensions Service and other stakeholders, such as Her Majesty’s Treasury, to support the teaching of financial education to children and young people including novel financial products. The government takes fraud very seriously. We continue to work closely with the industry to close down the vulnerabilities that fraudsters exploit and ensure members of the public have the information they need to spot a scam and stand up to fraudsters.
Asked by: Baroness Brown of Silvertown (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children known to children’s services teams in England and Wales have had child criminal exploitation noted as a risk factor in each of the past three years.
Answered by Will Quince
Information on the number of children known to children’s services teams in England, that have child criminal exploitation recorded as a factor at the end of assessment, is not yet collected centrally by the department.
Data on child criminal exploitation will be collected for the first time in the 2021 to 2022 children in need census and included in the associated statistics release, scheduled for publication at the end of October 2022. More information on the children in need census can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/children-in-need-census-2021-to-2022-guide.
Further information on the child criminal exploitation factor is included in the 'Additional guide on the factors identified at the end of assessment' document which is available under the subheading 'Factors identified at the end of assessment' here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/children-in-need-census.
Asked by: Baroness Brown of Silvertown (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the report, Out of sight: Girls in the Children and Young People’s Secure Estate, published by Centre for Mental Health on 5 October 2021, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the geographic spread of secure children’s home capacity to enable accommodation of children within a reasonable distance of home areas.
Answered by Will Quince
This report raises a number of important issues of concern to all those who are responsible for the care and provision of accommodation for girls within the secure estate.
The responsibility to ensure there is adequate secure welfare provision rests with local authorities as they have a statutory duty to ensure that there is sufficient provision in their area to meet the needs of all children in their care.
The department has taken a number of steps to support local authorities in fulfilling this duty. The department established the Secure Welfare Coordination Unit in 2016 and continue to fund its work to help plan and coordinate welfare placements and to highlight capacity issues.
The department understands that local authorities sometimes find themselves in a position where the most appropriate placement is difficult to access, particularly for children with the most complex needs. That is why the government announced £24 million of investment to start a programme of work to support local authorities to maintain capacity and expand provision in secure children’s homes and will mean children can live closer to their families and support networks, addressing geographic disparities, in provision that meets their needs.
In addition, as part of this year’s Spending Review (SR), the government announced £259 million over the SR period to maintain capacity and expand provision in secure and open residential children’s homes. The department will announce more details on this funding shortly and the findings of the Centre for Mental Health’s report will be useful to inform the future design of the secure welfare estate.