Asked by: Michael Tomlinson (Conservative - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many looked-after children and care leavers went on to key stage 5 in 2016-17.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
The information requested is not held centrally.
The number of care leavers aged 17 and 18 years old who were in education other than higher education in the year ending 31 March 2017, was 4,610. Information on care leavers aged 17 and 18 years old was collected for the first time for the year ending 31 March 2016 and is published as experimental statistics.
These figures were published in 2017 in table F3 of the statistical release ‘Children looked after in England including adoption: 2016 to 2017 (SFR 50/2017)’ at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoption-2016-to-2017.
Education other than higher education means all studies excluding degrees, diplomas in higher education, teaching and nursing qualifications, HNDs, ONDs, and BTEC levels 4-5, all of which fall under the category higher education.
Asked by: Michael Tomlinson (Conservative - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) looked-after children and (b) care leavers went on to further education in 2016-17.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
The information requested is not held centrally.
The number of care leavers aged 19 to 21 years old, who were in education other than higher education in the year ending 31 March 2017, was 5,090. For care leavers aged 17 to 18, the number was 4,610. Information on care leavers aged 17 and 18 years old was collected for the first time for the year ending 31 March 2016 and is published as experimental statistics.
These figures were published in 2017, in the statistical release ‘Children looked after in England including adoption: 2016 to 2017 (SFR 50/2017)’ at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoption-2016-to-2017.
Education other than higher education refers to all studies excluding degrees, diplomas in higher education, teaching and nursing qualifications, HNDs, ONDs, and BTEC levels 4-5, all of which fall under the category of higher education.
Asked by: Michael Tomlinson (Conservative - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans his Department has to ensure guidance and regulations on Relationships and Sex Education in secondary schools makes reference to marriage; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Children and Social Work Act (2017) places a duty on the Secretary of State for Education to make relationships education mandatory in all primary schools, and relationships and sex education mandatory in all secondary schools, in England. The Act also provides a power for the Secretary of State to make Personal, Social, Health and Economic education, or elements therein mandatory in all schools in England.
The Department has conducted the first stage of a thorough engagement process. As part of this process, the Department has received more than 20,000 responses to the call for evidence. The evidence collected will help determine the content of the regulations and statutory guidance. The Department will ensure the subjects are designed to safeguard and support pupils whilst also being deliverable for schools. The Departments expect the guidance to reflect issues relating to marriage and civil partnerships, such as the value of strong and stable relationships based on commitment.
The draft regulations and guidance will be subject to a full public consultation before the regulations are laid in Parliament for debate and vote.
Asked by: Michael Tomlinson (Conservative - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the proportion of average living costs covered by the average student loan for a (a) student and (b) disabled student.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
The Student Income and Expenditure Survey (SIES) reports on the average living costs across demographic groups. The 2014-15 report will be published shortly.
Loans for living costs are a contribution towards a full-time student’s costs while attending University rather than covering them in full. All full-time students qualify for some loan for living costs with the most support available for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Disabled students can also apply for Disabled Students’ Allowances (DSAs), which are not income assessed and are not repayable, to cover essential, additional, learning-related expenditure.
Asked by: Michael Tomlinson (Conservative - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for what reasons interest rates on student loans are set at their present level; and what the potential merits are of lowering those levels.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
The interest rates for income contingent student loans are prescribed by secondary legislation. The rates for all three schemes are set annually and apply from 1 September to 31 August the following year. The rates are based on the retail price index (RPI) from the previous March.
Interest rates for student loans in repayment vary with the income of the borrower. Borrowers earning less than £21,000 p.a. are charged interest at RPI only. Interest then increases on a sliding scale with income up to a maximum of RPI+3% for borrowers earning over £41,000.
Government-issued student loans have much more favourable terms than commercial loans, and are subsidised by the Government. Borrowers are protected. Monthly repayments are linked to income and not to the amount borrowed. Borrowers earning less than the repayment threshold of £21,000 repay nothing at all. Borrowers earning above £21,000 repay 9% of their income above the threshold, irrespective of the amount borrowed. Any outstanding loan balance, including interest, is written off after 30 years with no detriment to the borrower. Student loans are available to all eligible students regardless of their previous financial history. The Department is not aware of any commercial loans that offer this level of borrower protection.
This system of variable interest rates based on income is progressive, and ensures that higher earners make a fair contribution to the sustainability of the higher education system. Reducing interest rates would only benefit higher earning borrowers, who would pay back less than they do currently. Low-earning borrowers, who will have a proportion of their debt written off at the end of the loan period, would not benefit from a reduction in rates.
Asked by: Michael Tomlinson (Conservative - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what provision her Department makes to assist with the living costs of disabled students attending university.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
Disabled and non-disabled students alike can apply for loans to help pay for university or college tuition fees and to help with living costs. Some students may also be eligible for additional support where they have children or adults who depend on them. Disabled students can also apply for Disabled Students’ Allowances (DSAs), which are not income assessed and are not repayable, to cover essential, additional, learning-related expenditure they are obliged to incur because of their disability. Information on student support including DSAs is available at https://www.gov.uk/student-finance/extra-help.
Asked by: Michael Tomlinson (Conservative - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with the Skills Funding Agency about allowing functional skills in English and mathematics to be permitted on the Early Years Educator Programme from April 2017.
Answered by Robert Halfon
The current GCSE English and Maths requirements for early years educator (EYE) staff at level 3 have been broadened to include level 2 functional skills alongside other suitable qualifications. This is in response to the government consultation on the literacy and numeracy requirements for EYE staff and as part of the early years workforce strategy. The Skills Funding Agency will amend the apprenticeship funding rules, the Hub and the ILR validation rules so that anyone who started an early years apprenticeship on or after 1 September 2014 can now meet English and Maths requirements through the achievement of level 2 functional skills or other suitable qualifications.
Asked by: Michael Tomlinson (Conservative - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will set a target for (a) disabled and (b) autistic people within the overall Government target of the number of apprenticeships.
Answered by Robert Halfon
We are delivering all of the recommendations made by the Maynard taskforce and expect to have fully implemented them by April 2018. The recommendations focused on a range of disabilities, including autism. We expect the actions taken to improve access to and completion of apprenticeships for a broad range of people with learning difficulties and disabilities, including those with autism.
Alongside our work to implement the recommendations of the taskforce, in March 2017 we announced a new disability success measure to increase the proportion of apprenticeships starts by people with learning difficulties and disabilities by 20% by 2020 in our Apprenticeship Reform Programme: Benefits Realisation document. Whilst we have not limited success measures for specific groups with learning difficulties and disabilities, for example, individuals with autism, we expect our work on implementing the recommendations and working towards achieving our success measures to have an impact on a broad range of people with different learning difficulties and disabilities.
Data is not collected in such a way as to be able to identify apprentices with autism. Achievements for those apprentices that have declared a learning difficulty or disability for the 2013/14 and 2014/15 academic years can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/504335/apprenticeships-achievements-by-geography-learner-demographics-and-sector-subject-area.xls. Data for the 2015/16 academic year will be published in due course.
Asked by: Michael Tomlinson (Conservative - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to monitor the effect of the work of the Apprenticeships Taskforce on autism employment.
Answered by Robert Halfon
We are delivering all of the recommendations made by the Maynard taskforce and expect to have fully implemented them by April 2018. The recommendations focused on a range of disabilities, including autism. We expect the actions taken to improve access to and completion of apprenticeships for a broad range of people with learning difficulties and disabilities, including those with autism.
Alongside our work to implement the recommendations of the taskforce, in March 2017 we announced a new disability success measure to increase the proportion of apprenticeships starts by people with learning difficulties and disabilities by 20% by 2020 in our Apprenticeship Reform Programme: Benefits Realisation document. Whilst we have not limited success measures for specific groups with learning difficulties and disabilities, for example, individuals with autism, we expect our work on implementing the recommendations and working towards achieving our success measures to have an impact on a broad range of people with different learning difficulties and disabilities.
Data is not collected in such a way as to be able to identify apprentices with autism. Achievements for those apprentices that have declared a learning difficulty or disability for the 2013/14 and 2014/15 academic years can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/504335/apprenticeships-achievements-by-geography-learner-demographics-and-sector-subject-area.xls. Data for the 2015/16 academic year will be published in due course.
Asked by: Michael Tomlinson (Conservative - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many autistic people completed apprenticeships in (a) 2013-14, (b) 2014-15 and (c) 2015-16.
Answered by Robert Halfon
We are delivering all of the recommendations made by the Maynard taskforce and expect to have fully implemented them by April 2018. The recommendations focused on a range of disabilities, including autism. We expect the actions taken to improve access to and completion of apprenticeships for a broad range of people with learning difficulties and disabilities, including those with autism.
Alongside our work to implement the recommendations of the taskforce, in March 2017 we announced a new disability success measure to increase the proportion of apprenticeships starts by people with learning difficulties and disabilities by 20% by 2020 in our Apprenticeship Reform Programme: Benefits Realisation document. Whilst we have not limited success measures for specific groups with learning difficulties and disabilities, for example, individuals with autism, we expect our work on implementing the recommendations and working towards achieving our success measures to have an impact on a broad range of people with different learning difficulties and disabilities.
Data is not collected in such a way as to be able to identify apprentices with autism. Achievements for those apprentices that have declared a learning difficulty or disability for the 2013/14 and 2014/15 academic years can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/504335/apprenticeships-achievements-by-geography-learner-demographics-and-sector-subject-area.xls. Data for the 2015/16 academic year will be published in due course.