Asked by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has plans to ensure that speech and language therapists are included in the local multidisciplinary Family Help teams recommended by the Independent Review of Children's Social Care.
Answered by Will Quince
The department will carefully consider the recommendations of the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care relating to multidisciplinary Family Help teams. Further information will be provided in the publication of a detailed and ambitious implementation strategy later this year.
Asked by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the report by the Children's Commissioner for England entitled Voices of England’s Missing Children, published in June 2022, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of locating (a) education psychologists, (b) emotional learning support assistants and (c) speech and language therapists within (i) individual and (ii) networks of schools.
Answered by Will Quince
Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.
The department is grateful to the Commissioner for her report on the ‘Voices of England’s Missing Children’, and her commitment to ensuring that the voices of children and young people are heard. The department shares her ambition to support the most disadvantaged and vulnerable children and young people, through high-quality education and local services, to ensure no one is left behind.
Through the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities and Alternative Provision Green Paper, the department is publicly consulting on a number of proposals to bring together a multidisciplinary support offer, and to provide more timely access to specialist support from health and social care partners.
Meanwhile, the department is taking steps to increase the capacity of the specialist workforce. Since 2020, we have increased the number of educational psychologist trainees that we fund from 160, to over 200 per annum, and have invested £30 million to train three more cohorts for academic years 2020, 2021 and 2022. In February 2022, the department announced a further investment of over £10 million to train over 200 more educational psychologists, who will begin their courses in September 2023.
The department is actively exploring the impact of embedding multi-disciplinary specialist teams in education providers. Since November 2021, we have established specialist taskforces in 22 alternative provision schools, in areas where serious youth violence is most prevalent. Through this work, professionals, including speech and language therapists, youth workers and mental health specialists, are delivering targeted support to minimise the risk of children and young people disengaging from education.
The department has worked with the Youth Endowment Fund to commission an evaluator to understand the impacts that the specialist taskforces are having.
Asked by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether mainstream schools are able to use the School-Led tutoring grant to pay for additional speech and language therapy support, where children have fallen behind in their speech, language and communication development as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Robin Walker
There are a limited number of speech and language therapists (SALTs) available in the sector and their remit must remain on providing speech and language therapy. Therefore, the school-led tutoring (SLT) grant cannot be used to help subsidise the cost of SALTs. This applies to all schools, including special schools
However, special schools can use their higher rate of recovery premium funding to help subsidise the cost of SALTs should they wish to do so.
In special schools, the SLT grant can be used for tutoring to support catch-up in the broader curriculum, such as practising and consolidating techniques in speech and language therapy. In practice, tutors and internal staff will understand the pupils’ individual learning needs and can ensure support is tailored accordingly. They may also choose to support pupils further by incorporating exercises set by the SALT into the tutoring session. It is important to note that this provision must be additional to a pupil’s existing learning programme set out by the school or an education, health and care plan.
Asked by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans his Department has to mark Verbal Dyspraxia Awareness Day on 14 May 2022.
Answered by Will Quince
Verbal Dyspraxia Awareness Day on 14 May 2022 was an important opportunity to raise awareness of this condition.
The department is committed to ensuring that all children and young people with special education needs and disabilities (SEND), including those with speech and language needs, receive the support they need to succeed in their education.
On 29 March 2022, we published the SEND and AP green paper, which sets out our plans to create a coherent education, health and care system that works for all children and young people with SEND in England. We have launched a full, accessible consultation on these proposals so that everyone can have their say.
Asked by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
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 the finding in the report by the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, The residential schools investigation, that children in residential special schools are particularly vulnerable because their communication needs may impact on their ability to tell people about sexually abusive behaviours.
Answered by Will Quince
We welcome the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse’s report on residential schools, published on 1 March 2022. We will carefully consider the Inquiry’s recommendations and will respond within the Inquiry’s deadline of 6 months.
Asked by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
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 the findings in the report by the Disabled Children’s Partnership and Let Us Learn Too, The SEND Money Survey, that 33 per cent of parents and carers said that they could not afford to spend money on speech and language therapy, occupational therapy and physiotherapy in the last five years, that 26 per cent of parents and carers said that they had spent between £1,000 and £5,000 on those therapies and that 11 per cent said that had spent between £5,000 and £10,000 on those therapies.
Answered by Will Quince
The government recognises that the current special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system does not consistently deliver the outcomes we want and expect for children and young people with SEND, their families or the people and services who support them, as highlighted by the SEND Money Survey conducted by Let Us Learn Too and the Disabled Children’s Partnership.
We are conducting a Review of the SEND system and looking at ways to make sure the system is more consistent, high quality, and integrated across education, health, and care. The outcome of that Review will be published as a green paper for full public consultation by the end of March 2022.
Throughout the Review, we have engaged with people and organisations, including representatives from Let Us Learn Too and the Disabled Children’s Partnership. We will continue to do so through a full, public consultation following publication.
We know that COVID-19 has impacted on services and, as a result, many specialist services have adjusted their delivery models during their recovery. As services resume, we are keen to ensure the right support is available and that children and young people are given access to therapies and equipment. We continue to work closely with the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England to look at ways to improve therapies access. In support of this, we issued joint guidance in September 2021 for education and health providers, working with a cross-sector group including the Royal Colleges and professional organisations. This guidance sets out the expectations for the delivery of specialist support for children and young people, and is available here: https://councilfordisabledchildren.org.uk/about-cdc/media-centre/news-opinion/delivery-specialist-11-and-group-interventions-children-and.
Education policy is a devolved matter, so arrangements covering SEND policy and provision in Wales are a matter for the Welsh Government.
Asked by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
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 the finding in the final report of the spotlight inquiry by the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Looked After Children and Care Leavers, published on 22 February 2022, that speech, language and communication needs can be a key barrier which when unsupported can act to limit the development of important relationships and community networks.
Answered by Will Quince
The department wants all children and young people, no matter what their special educational need or disability, to be able to reach their full potential and receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life. This includes looked-after children and care leavers with speech, language and communication needs (SLCN).
All local authorities must appoint a virtual school head (VSH), who has a statutory duty to promote the educational achievement of all children in their care, wherever they live or are educated. All looked-after children attract pupil premium plus funding of £2,345 per child per year, which is managed by the VSH to address educational and development needs, including SLCN, identified in their personal education plan, and the support needed to address them.
Under the Children and Families Act 2014, all schools are required to identify and address the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) of the pupils they support, including looked-after children and care leavers with SLCN. Schools are also required to make sure that a child or young person gets the support they need.
The government recognises that the current SEND system does not deliver the outcomes we want and expect for all children and young people with SEND, their families or the people and services who support them. The government is reviewing the system and looking at ways to make sure it is more consistent, high quality, and integrated across education, health and care. The outcome of that review will be published as a green paper for full public consultation by the end of March 2022.
Asked by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much his Department spent in total on social media advertising in (a) 2019, (b) 2020, (c) 2021 and (d) 2022 as of 28 February 2022; and on which platforms that money was spent.
Answered by Michelle Donelan - Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
Every year, the department runs a range of campaigns to support essential work, including recruiting and retaining teachers and social workers, increasing awareness of the full range of opportunities available for young people when they leave school and for adults looking to retrain or boost their skills. The department uses paid media channels to target audiences who will take up these opportunities or training.
The information on spend is only available in financial years rather than calendar years. To cover as much of the period requested as possible, social media spend is included for the following financial years: a) 2018/19, b) 2019/20, c) 2020/21 and d) 2021/22. For 2021/22, information is currently only available for April to December 2021.
The department’s total spend on social media was as follows:
Financial year | Total spend |
2018/19 | £2,471,709 |
2019/20 | £2,513,328 |
2020/21 | £2,351,368 |
2021/22 (April-December 2021 only) | £1,735,055 |
In 2018/19 and 2019/20 the channels used were Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Snapchat and Twitter. In 2020/21 and 2021/22 the channels used were Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Snapchat, Twitter and YouTube.
All spend information over £25,000 is available to view here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cabinet-office-spend-data.
Asked by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies on protection of (a) children and (b) adults in educational establishments from infection with covid-19, including the omicron variant, of the study entitled The removal of airborne SARS-CoV-2 and other bioaerosols by air filtration on COVID-19 surge units, by Andrew Conway Morris an others, published by Oxford University Press for the Infectious Diseases Society of America on 30 October 2021.
Answered by Robin Walker
During the autumn term, we provided over 350,000 CO2 monitors to all state-funded education providers, including early years, schools and further education colleges, backed by £25 million in government funding. Feedback suggests that schools are finding the monitors helpful to manage ventilation and, in the majority of providers, existing ventilation measures are sufficient.
Where an area of poor ventilation has been identified that cannot be resolved through simple measures such as opening doors and windows, schools are advised to explore what remedial works may be required to improve ventilation. Where it is not possible to maintain adequate ventilation, it may be appropriate to consider the use of an air cleaning unit while the underlying ventilation issue is addressed.
When used properly, air cleaning units can help reduce airborne contaminants in a poorly ventilated space, including viruses like COVID-19. Air cleaning units are not a substitute for ventilation and should never be used as a reason to reduce ventilation. They are not necessary in spaces that are adequately ventilated.
The department’s decision to make up to 8,000 air cleaning units available for poorly ventilated spaces in education and care institutions has been informed by advice from the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) and external consultation with specialists. The academic paper on portable air cleaners referenced is part of a wider body of scientific literature considered by the department, including: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/939173/S0867_EMG_Potential_application_of_air_cleaning_devices_and_personal_decontamination_to_manage_transmission_of_COVID-19.pdf. The department will continue to develop its policy and guidance on ventilation in line with the latest scientific advice and in consultation with industry wide experts.
Deliveries of air cleaning units will start from this week to special educational needs and disabilities and alternative provision providers. These were allocated in the first application round announced in November for special and alternative provision . The second round of applications is open until 9am on 17 January. All state funded schools (primary and secondary), further education colleges and nurseries can apply. Special and alternative provision providers that were not successful or did not apply in the first round are also eligible to apply in this round. Once applications have closed, all applications will be assessed against strict criteria and allocated to providers based on need. Providers with successful applications will be contacted individually to arrange delivery, with deliveries expected from February 2022.
For those providers that are not eligible for funded units, the online marketplace provides a route to purchasing air cleaning units directly from suppliers at a suitable specification and competitive price. The marketplace is available to view here: https://s107t01-webapp-v2-01.azurewebsites.net/list/air-cleaning.
Throughout the COVID-19 outbreak, we have emphasised the importance of ventilation and provided guidance to providers on ventilation requirements. In addition to our existing guidance on ventilation we have provided schools, colleges and nurseries with guidance on how to use the air cleaning units as well as how to order a unit via the marketplace. The application process has been communicated to providers via our Daily Bulletin and we continue to support schools, colleges and nurseries with their queries via the department’s Coronavirus Helpline.
Asked by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to encourage applications by schools to buy air cleaning units through its online marketplace to help reduce covid-19 transmission.
Answered by Robin Walker
During the autumn term, we provided over 350,000 CO2 monitors to all state-funded education providers, including early years, schools and further education colleges, backed by £25 million in government funding. Feedback suggests that schools are finding the monitors helpful to manage ventilation and, in the majority of providers, existing ventilation measures are sufficient.
Where an area of poor ventilation has been identified that cannot be resolved through simple measures such as opening doors and windows, schools are advised to explore what remedial works may be required to improve ventilation. Where it is not possible to maintain adequate ventilation, it may be appropriate to consider the use of an air cleaning unit while the underlying ventilation issue is addressed.
When used properly, air cleaning units can help reduce airborne contaminants in a poorly ventilated space, including viruses like COVID-19. Air cleaning units are not a substitute for ventilation and should never be used as a reason to reduce ventilation. They are not necessary in spaces that are adequately ventilated.
The department’s decision to make up to 8,000 air cleaning units available for poorly ventilated spaces in education and care institutions has been informed by advice from the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) and external consultation with specialists. The academic paper on portable air cleaners referenced is part of a wider body of scientific literature considered by the department, including: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/939173/S0867_EMG_Potential_application_of_air_cleaning_devices_and_personal_decontamination_to_manage_transmission_of_COVID-19.pdf. The department will continue to develop its policy and guidance on ventilation in line with the latest scientific advice and in consultation with industry wide experts.
Deliveries of air cleaning units will start from this week to special educational needs and disabilities and alternative provision providers. These were allocated in the first application round announced in November for special and alternative provision . The second round of applications is open until 9am on 17 January. All state funded schools (primary and secondary), further education colleges and nurseries can apply. Special and alternative provision providers that were not successful or did not apply in the first round are also eligible to apply in this round. Once applications have closed, all applications will be assessed against strict criteria and allocated to providers based on need. Providers with successful applications will be contacted individually to arrange delivery, with deliveries expected from February 2022.
For those providers that are not eligible for funded units, the online marketplace provides a route to purchasing air cleaning units directly from suppliers at a suitable specification and competitive price. The marketplace is available to view here: https://s107t01-webapp-v2-01.azurewebsites.net/list/air-cleaning.
Throughout the COVID-19 outbreak, we have emphasised the importance of ventilation and provided guidance to providers on ventilation requirements. In addition to our existing guidance on ventilation we have provided schools, colleges and nurseries with guidance on how to use the air cleaning units as well as how to order a unit via the marketplace. The application process has been communicated to providers via our Daily Bulletin and we continue to support schools, colleges and nurseries with their queries via the department’s Coronavirus Helpline.