Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 29 February 2024 to Question 15463 on Academies: Sports, if she will publish a list of academy trusts where consent was granted by her Department of freehold sale of publicly funded land which were not subject to conditions specifying that capital receipt should be reinvested in improving sports provision.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The department’s general policy is that the freehold sale of playing field land requires improvement to playing field in the educational estate by reinvesting capital receipt in sporting provision. Capital receipt from the sale of non-playing field land can be used for other benefits to the education estate, such as capital projects, save for any exceptional circumstances.
The department currently publishes a list of all playing field land disposals considered by the School Playing Field Advisory Panel since 2010, including freehold disposals, which is available on GOV.UK. This list is currently being updated for the period May to December 2023. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-land-decisions-about-disposals/decisions-on-the-disposal-of-school-land.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 29 February 2024 to Question 15463 on Academies: Sports, what steps her Department takes to monitor compliance by academy trusts with her Department's conditions of consent for the sale of publicly funded playing field land.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
In addition to the requirement for an academy trust’s Accounting Officer to sign and return an acknowledgement letter, the department is considering measures to monitor compliance of conditions by academy trusts and other Responsible Bodies.
Measures under consideration include carrying out spot checks on cases, contacting academy trusts directly for confirmation that the conditions have been met and asking trusts to notify the department once they have been met.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 21 February 2024 to Question 13588, on Academies, how her Department monitors whether capital receipts from the disposal of publicly funded playing fields by an academy trust are reinvested in improving sports provision at (a) the affected school and (b) local schools.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
Consent to the freehold sale of publicly funded playing field land by an academy trust will usually be subject to a condition specifying how the capital receipt should be reinvested.
The department requires the trust’s Accounting Officer to sign and return an acknowledgement letter attached to the consent letter confirming that the trust will comply with all conditions of consent. Failure to comply with any conditions will mean that the trust may be in breach of its funding agreement.
Departmental officials will only mark a case closed once the signed acknowledgement letter is received by the department.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many applications by academy trusts in Norwich to her Department to sell school grounds have been successful.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
Departmental officials have checked records from 1 January 2020 to 12 February 2024, and the total number of successful applications from academy trusts for the freehold sale of school land is 49.
The department’s policy is that capital receipts from the disposal of publicly funded playing field land should ordinarily be reinvested in improving sports provision at the affected school or local schools. Capital receipts from the disposal of publicly funded non-playing field land should be reinvested in capital projects at the affected school or local schools. Playing field land is defined widely as: land in the open air which is provided for the purposes of physical education or recreation.
Departmental officials have checked the records from 1 January 2020 to 12 February 2024, and the department has not received any applications from academy trusts in Norwich to sell school land.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many applications by academy trusts to her Department to sell school grounds have been successful.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
Departmental officials have checked records from 1 January 2020 to 12 February 2024, and the total number of successful applications from academy trusts for the freehold sale of school land is 49.
The department’s policy is that capital receipts from the disposal of publicly funded playing field land should ordinarily be reinvested in improving sports provision at the affected school or local schools. Capital receipts from the disposal of publicly funded non-playing field land should be reinvested in capital projects at the affected school or local schools. Playing field land is defined widely as: land in the open air which is provided for the purposes of physical education or recreation.
Departmental officials have checked the records from 1 January 2020 to 12 February 2024, and the department has not received any applications from academy trusts in Norwich to sell school land.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support children in school who have reported an allegation of sexual assault or rape by a peer.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Department’s statutory safeguarding guidance ‘Keeping children safe in education (KCSIE)’ provides schools and colleges with advice on handling allegations of sexual assault or rape by a peer. All schools and colleges must have regard to this guidance when carrying out their duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of pupils.
KCSIE does not provide, nor would it be possible to provide, detailed guidance on what to do in every case. Instead, it provides effective safeguarding practice and principles for schools to consider in their decision making process.
Part five of KCSIE provides clear advice on what schools should do to manage any reports of child on child sexual violence or sexual harassment. It provides detailed information on schools’ legal responsibilities, best practice, and advice on managing reports of harmful sexual behaviour or abuse, with links to specialist advice and support for children.
The Department consults bi-annually on KCSIE to ensure that it provides school and college safeguarding leads with the information they need to keep pupils safe.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department is taking steps to ensure that only Structural Engineers who are Licenced Asbestos Contractors will be used to carry out inspections of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) products.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) does not contain asbestos.
Any intrusive works that are required to assess the presence of RAAC, are carried out by licensed asbestos contractors where asbestos containing materials are suspected, as Health and Safety Executive guidance dictates.
Further information on RAAC in education settings is available at: https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2023/09/06/new-guidance-on-raac-in-education-settings/. Background on RAAC management information can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/reinforced-autoclaved-aerated-concrete-raac-management-information/background-on-raac-management-information.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an assessment of the prevalence of the use of asbestos in reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) products.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) does not contain asbestos.
Any intrusive works that are required to assess the presence of RAAC, are carried out by licensed asbestos contractors where asbestos containing materials are suspected, as Health and Safety Executive guidance dictates.
Further information on RAAC in education settings is available at: https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2023/09/06/new-guidance-on-raac-in-education-settings/. Background on RAAC management information can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/reinforced-autoclaved-aerated-concrete-raac-management-information/background-on-raac-management-information.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department has had discussions with Girls' Day School Trust on planned industrial action by members of the NASUWT and NEU over the Trust's plan to withdraw from the Teachers’ Pension Scheme.
Answered by Robin Walker
The department has not had discussions with the Girls' Day School Trust about its proposal to withdraw from the teachers’ pension scheme (TPS).
Independent schools participate in the TPS voluntarily and are therefore free to leave the scheme, following appropriate consultation with their staff and provision of alternative pension arrangements, if they wish to do so.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, on what date all university students will be able to return to campus and resume in-person teaching.
Answered by Michelle Donelan - Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
Following the review into when the remaining higher education students can return to in-person teaching and learning, the government has announced that the remaining students should return to in-person teaching no earlier than 17 May 2021, alongside Step 3 of the roadmap. Students and institutions will be given at least a week’s notice of any further return in accordance with the timing of Step 3 of the roadmap.
The government roadmap is designed to maintain a cautious approach to the easing of restrictions to reduce public health risks and ensure that we can maintain progress towards full reopening. However, the government recognises the difficulties and disruption that this may cause for many students and their families and that is why the government is making a further £15 million of additional student hardship funding available for this academic year 2020/21. In total we have made an additional £85 million of funding available for student hardship.
We are supporting universities to provide regular twice weekly asymptomatic testing for all students and staff on-site and, from May, at home. This will help break chains of transmission of the virus.