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Written Question
European University Institute
Tuesday 11th October 2022

Asked by: Edward Leigh (Conservative - Gainsborough)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for what reasons the Government ended the UK's membership of the European University Institute.

Answered by Andrea Jenkyns

The Convention setting up a European University Institute (EUI) states that accession to the Convention is restricted to European Union (EU) member states. When the UK ceased to be an EU member state, our formal membership of the Institute ended. The UK has been operating under the terms of an interim arrangement with the EUI since 2020, while discussions took place to explore the possibilities for future UK participation. It has not been possible to conclude a partnership agreement between us at this time.

The UK remains committed to strong research collaboration with our European partners, and remains open to exploring other opportunities for collaboration with the EUI in the future. UK universities will be able to continue to work with the EUI and engage in the collaborative research projects it leads.


Written Question
Sex and Relationship Education
Tuesday 20th April 2021

Asked by: Edward Leigh (Conservative - Gainsborough)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether it is his Department's policy that schools retain discretion as to the use of the resources recommended within the Relationships and sex education statutory guidelines including the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare's Abortion Care Factsheet.

Answered by Nick Gibb

The Department does not comment on individual resources and schools retain discretion over the resources they use. Schools must have in place a written policy for Relationships Education and Relationships and Sex Education (RSE), and they must consult with parents in developing and reviewing their policy.

The Department expects schools to make reasonable decisions about the content of their curriculum and use of resources. The implementation guidance for the RSE and Health Education (RSHE) curriculum, which came into force in September 2020, sets out clear advice for schools in choosing resources. It states that schools should assess all resources carefully to ensure they are age appropriate, meet the outcome of the relevant part of the curriculum, and are in line with the school’s legal duties in relation to impartiality. The list at annex B of the statutory guidance for RSHE illustrates some of the free resources that are available to schools.

The Department does not have a role in reviewing the content of the resources listed and cannot advise schools on which resources will be the most suitable to use. Schools operate in a variety of different contexts and have both the expertise and knowledge that makes them best placed to make these decisions.

The statutory guidance makes clear that by the end of secondary education young people should know the facts relating to pregnancy and states that there should be medically and legally impartial information on all options. Pupils should be made aware of the relevant legal provisions when particular topics are being taught. It is for schools to decide how best to comply with this in order to meet the needs of their pupils.

To support teachers to deliver these topics safely and with confidence the Department has produced RSHE Teacher Training Modules which are available for all schools. The intimate and sexual relationships training, including a sexual health teacher training module, covers pregnancy specifically. Each training module covers safeguarding to make sure teachers, pastoral staff, and the designated safeguarding lead are equipped to deal with sensitive discussions and disclosures.


Written Question
Faith Schools: Admissions
Wednesday 3rd March 2021

Asked by: Edward Leigh (Conservative - Gainsborough)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make it his policy to remove the 50 per cent cap on faith-based admissions to religious schools.

Answered by Nick Gibb

The Government strongly supports schools with a religious character and recognises that they are often high performing and popular with parents.

We are pleased that the Voluntary-Aided scheme has allowed the creation of new Catholic and Church of England schools, but we recognise that some groups, including the Catholic Church, feel unable to participate in the free schools programme because of the 50% cap on faith admissions.

We will continue to keep the 50% cap under review and are open to discussing this issue with groups who provide schools with a religious character, including the Catholic Church.


Written Question
Home Education
Thursday 13th June 2019

Asked by: Edward Leigh (Conservative - Gainsborough)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether (a) weekday evenings, (b) Saturdays and (c) Sundays are classified as normal school hours for the purposes of the Government's consultation entitled Children not in school: proposed legislation, launched on 2 April 2019.

Answered by Anne Milton

​The purpose of the proposed register is to enable local authorities to track the main daytime weekday educational settings for children in scope, and to take action if it appears that a suitable education is not being received in usual school hours. This purpose would not be served by bringing into coverage the register activities carried on in places or at times not relevant to determining suitability, or by including places which are simply hosting educational visits rather than providing tuition and it is not our intention to do so.

Issues such as the definition of usual school hours, and what is a relevant setting for the purposes of providing local authorities with information about children on the proposed register of children not in school, will be considered based on responses received to the consultation, which closes on 24 June. Implementation issues such as these are an important part of the consultation, information for which is available here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/children-not-in-school.


Written Question
Home Education
Thursday 13th June 2019

Asked by: Edward Leigh (Conservative - Gainsborough)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether (a) morning prayer meetings, (b) afternoon bible studies and (c) evening youth group meetings are included in the scope of education settings for the purposes of the Government's consultation entitled Children not in school: proposed legislation, launched on 2 April 2019.

Answered by Anne Milton

​The purpose of the proposed register is to enable local authorities to track the main daytime weekday educational settings for children in scope, and to take action if it appears that a suitable education is not being received in usual school hours. This purpose would not be served by bringing into coverage the register activities carried on in places or at times not relevant to determining suitability, or by including places which are simply hosting educational visits rather than providing tuition and it is not our intention to do so.

Issues such as the definition of usual school hours, and what is a relevant setting for the purposes of providing local authorities with information about children on the proposed register of children not in school, will be considered based on responses received to the consultation, which closes on 24 June. Implementation issues such as these are an important part of the consultation, information for which is available here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/children-not-in-school.


Written Question
Pupils: Attendance
Thursday 13th June 2019

Asked by: Edward Leigh (Conservative - Gainsborough)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether (a) museums, (b) art galleries, (c) sports clubs, (d) National Trust and English Heritage properties, (e) leisure centres and (f) Parliament are included in the scope of education settings for the purposes of the Government's consultation entitled Children not in school: proposed legislation, launched on 2 April 2019.

Answered by Anne Milton

​The purpose of the proposed register is to enable local authorities to track the main daytime weekday educational settings for children in scope, and to take action if it appears that a suitable education is not being received in usual school hours. This purpose would not be served by bringing into coverage the register activities carried on in places or at times not relevant to determining suitability, or by including places which are simply hosting educational visits rather than providing tuition and it is not our intention to do so.

Issues such as the definition of usual school hours, and what is a relevant setting for the purposes of providing local authorities with information about children on the proposed register of children not in school, will be considered based on responses received to the consultation, which closes on 24 June. Implementation issues such as these are an important part of the consultation, information for which is available here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/children-not-in-school.


Written Question
Sex and Relationship Education
Monday 15th October 2018

Asked by: Edward Leigh (Conservative - Gainsborough)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to his oral statement of 19 July 2018, Official Report, column 615 on Relationships and Sex Education, to which case law he was referring when he said that a right for parents to withdraw their child up to 18 years of age is no longer compatible with English case law or the European convention on human rights.

Answered by Nick Gibb

With regard to the parental right to withdraw their child from sex education, we have proposed regulations that are compatible with the law as it now stands. The case law in relation to a child’s competence to make their own decisions has evolved over time. This is shown, for example, in the 2006 case of R (Axon) v Secretary of State for Health.

The draft regulations and associated guidance are currently subject to consultation. They include our proposed approach to the right for children to be withdrawn from sex education. The consultation closes on 7 November, and can be accessed via this link: https://consult.education.gov.uk/pshe/relationships-education-rse-health-education/.


Written Question
Schools: Finance
Monday 10th October 2016

Asked by: Edward Leigh (Conservative - Gainsborough)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to reduce differences in urban and rural school funding.

Answered by Justine Greening

The government is committed to a national funding formula that will deliver fairness to all parts of the country – rural and urban, north and south.

In the first stage of our consultation, we proposed including a sparsity factor which would help rural schools, as well as a lump sum factor which would help small schools everywhere.

We will both respond to the first consultation and launch the second stage consultation later in the autumn.


Written Question
Out-of-school Education
Wednesday 2nd March 2016

Asked by: Edward Leigh (Conservative - Gainsborough)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department's consultation on out-of-school education settings, launched on 26 November 2015, whether proposals to register out-of-school settings will require Ofsted inspectors to travel to Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland to inspect tuition, training or instruction given outside of England by English-based institutions.

Answered by Edward Timpson

The Government wants children to be educated in a safe environment where they are not taught hateful and extremist views that undermine British values.

The proposal to regulate out-of-school education settings, as set out in the recently published call for evidence, applies to settings located and operating in England only. It is not proposed that Ofsted inspect settings operating in the devolved administrations.

Officials in the Department have been in contact with their counterparts in Wales and Scotland to discuss the proposal, but oversight of out-of-school education settings operating in those countries is a matter for the devolved administrations.


Written Question

Question Link

Wednesday 14th May 2014

Asked by: Edward Leigh (Conservative - Gainsborough)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans he has to reform faith-based admissions to free schools.

Answered by Michael Gove - Minister for Intergovernmental Relations

Faith designated free schools can use faith as a criterion for admitting up to 50% of their pupils, when oversubscribed. I have no plans to change this rule.