Asked by: Lisa Nandy (Labour - Wigan)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the average GCSE score is of students currently enrolled at (a) sixth form colleges, (b) school and academy sixth forms and (c) 16-19 free schools in England.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The attached table shows the average GCSE score of students at the end of their 16-18 study, in each of the requested school types for 2016/17.
Asked by: Lisa Nandy (Labour - Wigan)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education,what steps her Department are taking to tackle the barriers to fostering for people in work outside of the home.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
Foster carers play a vital role in supporting some of our most vulnerable children and it is right that they receive the support they need to meet the needs of the children they look after.
We have introduced the foster-family-friendly employer policy, with the Department for Education leading by example in ensuring support and flexibility for its employees who foster. The National Fostering Stocktake, a comprehensive review of the fostering system, is also underway. The Stocktake is looking at a wide range of issues including the recruitment and retention of foster carers and the support foster carers receive. The reviewers will report to me with recommendations at the end of the year.
Foster carers are able to access the universal 15 hours of free childcare for all children in their care. We need to consider whether it is possible for children in foster care to take up the additional 15 hours in a way that promotes the best interests of the child.
Asked by: Lisa Nandy (Labour - Wigan)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what financial support her Department provides to foster carers to meet childcare costs.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
Foster carers play a vital role in supporting some of our most vulnerable children and it is right that they receive the support they need to meet the needs of the children they look after.
Foster carers are able to access the universal 15 hours of free childcare and they will receive an allowance to help with the costs of caring for the child. They also receive favourable treatment through the tax and benefits system.
Asked by: Lisa Nandy (Labour - Wigan)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of fostered children are currently excluded from the provision of 15 additional hours of free childcare.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
I am sorry, but the department does not hold the data requested.
Asked by: Lisa Nandy (Labour - Wigan)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the national minimum fostering allowance in order to account for the cost of childcare.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
Foster carers play a vital role in supporting some of our most vulnerable children. It is right that foster carers receive the support they need to meet the needs of the children they look after.
Foster carers are able to access the universal 15 hours of free childcare for their own children. We also need to consider whether it is possible for children in foster care to take up the additional 15 hours in a way that promotes the best interests of the child.
Asked by: Lisa Nandy (Labour - Wigan)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has to extend the provision of 15 additional hours of free childcare to children in foster care in England.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
Foster carers play a vital role in supporting some of our most vulnerable children. It is right that foster carers receive the support they need to meet the needs of the children they look after.
Foster carers are able to access the universal 15 hours of free childcare for their own children. We also need to consider whether it is possible for children in foster care to take up the additional 15 hours in a way that promotes the best interests of the child.
Asked by: Lisa Nandy (Labour - Wigan)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children went missing from local authority care in (a) 2014, (b) 2015 and (c) 2016.
Answered by Edward Timpson
The available information is published in table G1 of the Statistical First Release ‘Children looked after in England including adoption: 2015 to 2016’, which is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoption-2015-to-2016
Asked by: Lisa Nandy (Labour - Wigan)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the Government's plans to introduce statutory sex and relationships education will include a requirement to teach children about consent.
Answered by Edward Timpson
The key aim of the new Relationships Education and Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) subjects is to support young people to stay safe and prepare them for life in modern Britain. The statutory guidance must include issues relating to safety in forming and maintaining relationships and the characteristics of healthy relationships.
We have committed to conducting a wide-ranging engagement process to determine the content of regulations and statutory guidance on Relationships Education and RSE. As a result, and as we set out in our policy statement, we expect the subjects will cover the issue of consent in relationships. The regulations will be made via the affirmative resolution procedure, allowing debate and a vote in Parliament, and we will consult on the details of the guidance.
Asked by: Lisa Nandy (Labour - Wigan)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many approved foster carers there were in England in April of each year since 2010 to date.
Answered by Edward Timpson
This is a matter for Ofsted. I have asked Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman, to write to the Honourable Member for Wigan with the information requested.
Asked by: Lisa Nandy (Labour - Wigan)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the total number of places in children's homes is in England and Wales.
Answered by Edward Timpson
This is a matter for Ofsted. I have asked Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman, to write to the Honourable Member for Wigan with the information requested.