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Written Question
Schools: Internet
Monday 24th October 2022

Asked by: Damian Hinds (Conservative - East Hampshire)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what data his Department holds on usage of the 2019 guidance on Teaching online safety in school; and what plans he has to update that guidance.

Answered by Kelly Tolhurst

The ‘Teaching online safety in schools’ guidance was first published in 2019 and focuses on how schools can ensure pupils understand how to stay safe online, as part of existing curriculum requirements. It brings together information that will help schools deliver online safety content within their curriculum and embed it within their wider whole school approach.

The guidance is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/teaching-online-safety-in-schools.

Between 2019 and 2022, it has been viewed as follows:

Year

Page Views

2019

41,304

2020

16,374

2021

15,323

2022

9,140

The department is currently finalising an update of the guidance and we expect to publish it by the end of the year. The updated guidance will reflect that the relationships, sex and health education curriculum became statutory from September 2020 and will include updated weblinks, where these have changed over time.


Written Question
Childcare: Research
Monday 24th October 2022

Asked by: Damian Hinds (Conservative - East Hampshire)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of (a) UK and (b) international academic research on the impact of childcare support programmes on workforce participation.

Answered by Kelly Tolhurst

In assessing the impact of its free childcare entitlements, the department regularly looks at evidence from a range of different research publications. This includes the Families and Labour Market release from the Office for National Statistics and the department’s Childcare and Early Years Survey of Parents series, the latest results of which can be accessed at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/childcare-and-early-years-survey-of-parents.

The department also monitors take-up of the entitlements via national statistics from the Early Years census, conducted in the third week of January each year. Further information can be accessed at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/education-provision-children-under-5.

External evidence is used to help make international comparisons on the impacts of increasing employment rates, for example modelling that underpins the PwC Women in Work Index 2022. Further information can be accessed here: https://www.pwc.co.uk/services/economics/insights/women-in-work-index.html. This forms part of a wider evidence base, with caution taken when comparing childcare provision in different countries due to broader differences in school start date, funding models, and parental leave arrangements.

More specifically, the department carried out evaluations on both the early and full rollouts of our 30 hours free childcare entitlement to review its early impact. The evaluation of the early rollout is available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/642007/Evaluation_of_early_rollout_of_30-hours_free_childcare.pdf. The evaluation of the first year of national delivery is also accessible at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/30-hours-free-childcare-final-evaluation-of-the-national-rollout.

The department regularly asks parents about the effect that 30 hours free childcare has on their families, including on their ability to work. This is undertaken through the Childcare and Early Years Survey of Parents.


Written Question
Childcare: Research
Monday 24th October 2022

Asked by: Damian Hinds (Conservative - East Hampshire)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department has used (a) UK and (b) international academic research on the workforce participation effect of childcare support programmes to inform its childcare policies.

Answered by Kelly Tolhurst

In assessing the impact of its free childcare entitlements, the department regularly looks at evidence from a range of different research publications. This includes the Families and Labour Market release from the Office for National Statistics and the department’s Childcare and Early Years Survey of Parents series, the latest results of which can be accessed at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/childcare-and-early-years-survey-of-parents.

The department also monitors take-up of the entitlements via national statistics from the Early Years census, conducted in the third week of January each year. Further information can be accessed at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/education-provision-children-under-5.

External evidence is used to help make international comparisons on the impacts of increasing employment rates, for example modelling that underpins the PwC Women in Work Index 2022. Further information can be accessed here: https://www.pwc.co.uk/services/economics/insights/women-in-work-index.html. This forms part of a wider evidence base, with caution taken when comparing childcare provision in different countries due to broader differences in school start date, funding models, and parental leave arrangements.

More specifically, the department carried out evaluations on both the early and full rollouts of our 30 hours free childcare entitlement to review its early impact. The evaluation of the early rollout is available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/642007/Evaluation_of_early_rollout_of_30-hours_free_childcare.pdf. The evaluation of the first year of national delivery is also accessible at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/30-hours-free-childcare-final-evaluation-of-the-national-rollout.

The department regularly asks parents about the effect that 30 hours free childcare has on their families, including on their ability to work. This is undertaken through the Childcare and Early Years Survey of Parents.


Written Question
Children: Protection
Monday 24th October 2022

Asked by: Damian Hinds (Conservative - East Hampshire)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will bring forward the annual publication of the final version of Keeping Children Safe in Education to avoid clashing with the start the school year.

Answered by Jonathan Gullis

The Department publishes a near final version of the keeping children safe in education (KCSIE) statutory guidance in late spring or early summer. This approach ensures that schools and colleges have sufficient time to digest revisions and to plan any necessary training, ahead of implementation in the next school year.

It is rare for material changes to be made between the for-information version and the final publication in September. Where this does occur, changes are strictly limited to reflect vital information in response to unexpected or emerging issues.

To bring forward the final version publication date would mean the guidance would be released during the summer holidays, which schools and colleges have signalled is not appropriate. However, the Department will consider adding a question when we next consult on KCSIE in relation to preferred scheduling.


Written Question
Cultural Heritage and Tourist Attractions: T-levels
Friday 26th March 2021

Asked by: Damian Hinds (Conservative - East Hampshire)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for what reason his Department has decided not to proceed with developing a T Level in Cultural Heritage and Visitor Attractions.

Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education

In July 2020, the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education took the decision to halt development of the T Level in Cultural Heritage and Visitor Attractions (CHVA). The Institute consulted extensively before making this decision, both with organisations from the sector as well as employers involved in the creation of relevant occupational standards.

The Institute concluded that a T Level in CHVA would have limited employer demand and insufficient interest from students, and that the needs of the sector could be met through other T Levels. For example, feedback from employers suggested that T Levels in business and administration were well placed to develop the skills that are relevant to many occupations within the Cultural Heritage and Visitor Attraction sector. Students would then be able to tailor their programme by taking their industry placement with a relevant employer in the sector.


Written Question
Remote Education: Printing Machinery
Thursday 21st January 2021

Asked by: Damian Hinds (Conservative - East Hampshire)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the availability of printers in pupils’ homes by (a) phase of education, (b) free school meals eligibility, and (c) any other division of data available.

Answered by Nick Gibb

The Department does not have data or estimates of the availability of printers in pupils’ homes.

Schools can provide printed resources, such as textbooks and workbooks, to structure learning. We expect schools to work to overcome any barriers experienced by pupils in accessing remote education. This could include distributing school owned laptops or supplementing digital provision with different forms of remote education such as printed resources or textbooks. This should be supplemented with other forms of communication to keep pupils and students on track or answer questions about work.

The Government is supporting access to remote education and online social care services, through an investment of over £400 million that includes securing 1.3 million laptops and tablets for disadvantaged children and young people who do not have access to their own device. Over 800,000 laptops and tablets have been delivered to schools, academy trusts and local authorities by 17 January.

We have also partnered with the UK’s leading mobile operators to provide free data to help disadvantaged children get online as well as delivering 4G wireless routers for pupils without connection at home.

Support is available for schools to get set up on Google or Microsoft platforms. These platforms bring together the school community, pool resources and give pupils the opportunity to work with their peers remotely. As of 5 January 2021, 6,900 schools have applied for a digital education platform.


Written Question
Oak National Academy: Coronavirus
Thursday 21st January 2021

Asked by: Damian Hinds (Conservative - East Hampshire)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will publish data on relative usage levels for Oak National Academy in the current covid-19 lockdown compared to previous periods.

Answered by Nick Gibb

To support the hard work of schools in delivering remote education, Oak National Academy was very quickly brought together by over 40 teachers, their schools and other education organisations. The Department has made £4.84 million available for Oak both for the summer term of the academic year 2019-20, and then for the 2020-21 academic year, to provide video lessons in a broad range of subjects for Reception up to Year 11. Specialist content for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) is also available.

The number of users to have visited the Oak National Academy platform (correct as of 12 January 2021) can be found in the following table:

Average users/ day

Total users

April- July 2020

200K-250K

4.7M

September- December 2020

50-100K

2.3M

4 – 12 January 2021

950K-1M

3.5M

Oak will remain a free optional resource for 2020-21.


Written Question
Remote Education
Thursday 14th January 2021

Asked by: Damian Hinds (Conservative - East Hampshire)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made from previous periods of remote learning of the level of use by (a) schools, (b) pupils and (c) families of (i) Oak National Academy learning, (ii) third party online virtual learning environments, (iii) schools’ own materials, (iv) broadcast TV, (v) BBC Bitesize and (vi) others.

Answered by Nick Gibb

Given the critical importance of ensuring that all children and young people continue to learn during the national lockdown, we have updated the remote education guidance for schools and colleges to clarify and strengthen expectations while on-site attendance is restricted, drawing on our evolving understanding of best practice in remote education.

Schools are expected to provide a set number of hours of remote education for pupils – increased from the government’s previous minimum expectations – that includes time for independent study and also either recorded or live direct teaching. Pupils will be set between three and five hours per day of remote education depending on their age, with daily check-ins on their engagement, and involving the effective use of digital education platforms.

To help schools and colleges meet the remote education expectations set out in guidance, the Government is investing over £400 million to support access to remote education and online social care services. A comprehensive package of support is available to help schools meet these expectations which can be accessed through the Get Help with Remote Education page on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/get-help-with-remote-education.

The Department has made £4.84 million available for Oak both for the summer term of the academic year 2019-20, and then for the 2020-21 academic year, to provide video lessons in a broad range of subjects for Reception up to Year 11. Since the start of the autumn term, 2,280,706 users have visited the Oak National Academy platform and 12,998,483 lessons have been viewed (as of 4 January 2021). For schools that do not already have a full remote education curriculum or resources in place or where staffing capacity is challenging, we strongly recommend that they consider using Oak National Academy or other high-quality resource providers. We have also published guidance on accessing and buying remote education resources, available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/help-with-accessing-and-buying-resources-for-remote-education.

Support is also available for schools to get set up on Google or Microsoft platforms. These platforms bring together the school community, pool resources and give pupils the opportunity to work with their peers remotely. As of 5 January 2021, 6900 schools have applied to the DfE Digital Platforms programme that forms part of the Get Help With Technology programme.

In addition, the BBC has adapted their education support for the spring term 2021 and will be making educational content available on the television. Bitesize Daily primary and secondary will also air every day on BBC Red Button as well as episodes being available on demand on BBC iPlayer. This TV offer is in addition to the BBC’s online offer, which parents, children, and teachers can access when and where they need it.


Written Question
Foster Care
Tuesday 22nd December 2020

Asked by: Damian Hinds (Conservative - East Hampshire)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what comparative assessment he has made of trends in the number of people (a) expressing an interest in foster parenting and (b) completing the foster parent application process in the last five years.

Answered by Vicky Ford

The Department for Education does not collect this data. This data is currently captured by Ofsted.

Ofsted have seen an increase in enquires to independent fostering agencies (IFA) between the financial year 2015-2019, but in the same period enquiries have decreased for local authorities. At the end of March 2020, we have seen an increase in applications compared to 2015. However, application rates have remained fairly static over the past 2 years.

Ofsted estimate that there were around 137,200 initial enquiries from prospective fostering households in the year ending 31 March 2020. This was an increase of around 7% compared to the financial year 2018 to 2019. The reported figure of 135,075, from the data provided by 94% of all eligible agencies, was itself an increase on the previous year (127,850).

Ofsted estimate that around 76% enquiries received were within the IFA sector, up from 72% in 2018 to 2019. This results from a 14% increase in enquiries to the IFA sector, and a 10% decrease for local authorities, compared with last year.

A breakdown of enquiries received over the past 5 years are as follows:

Year

Total number of enquiries received

2015/16

101,795

2016/17

114,425

2017/18

117,335

2018/19

127,850

2019/20

135,080

In relation to applications approved, across the sectors, the conversion rate of applications received to applications approved was very similar. Around 1 in 4 applications were approved in both sectors. However, IFAs accounted for both more applications and approvals than local authorities.

A breakdown of applications received and approved by local authorities are as follows:

Year

Total number of applications received

Total number of applications approved

2015/16

4,525

1,150

2016/17

4,940

1,140

2017/18

4,710

985

2018/19

4,390

1,020

2019/20

3,570

905

A breakdown of applications received and approved by IFAs are as follows:

Year

Total number of applications received

Total number of applications approved

2015/16

4,060

1,140

2016/17

4,405

1,260

2017/18

5,830

1,455

2018/19

5,350

1,395

2019/20

5,235

1,230

Among local authorities, 43% of completed applications were approved, while 35% were approved among IFAs. The difference is mostly accounted for by a higher proportion of withdrawals by applicants among IFAs (49% compared to 36% for local authorities).


Written Question
Pupils: Sanitary Protection
Tuesday 24th November 2020

Asked by: Damian Hinds (Conservative - East Hampshire)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 13 November 2020 to Question 113060, if he will disaggregate the take-up rate of the period products programme by (a) primary schools, (b) secondary schools and (c) colleges.

Answered by Vicky Ford

As previously answered in question 113060, on 20 January 2020, the department launched a new scheme which makes free period products available for state-funded primary schools, secondary schools and colleges, in England.

Our delivery partner, phs Group, reported in August, that since the scheme launched, almost 40% of eligible organisations have placed orders for period products and we are continuing to monitor the scheme closely.