Asked by: Richard Burgon (Labour - Leeds East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will allocate at least 50 per cent of the income from the Soft Drinks Industry Levy to food-related projects in schools.
Answered by Vicky Ford
In 2016, the government announced investments in several children’s health initiatives alongside the introduction of the Soft Drinks Industry Levy, including doubling the primary sports premium to £320 million a year from September 2017, and introducing the National Schools Breakfast Programme from March 2018.
The Spending Review 2020 has now concluded and confirmed the Department for Education’s overall budget for the 2021/22 financial year. In due course, the department will confirm how much funding from within that settlement has been allocated to these schools programmes for 2021/22.
Asked by: Richard Burgon (Labour - Leeds East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate his Department has made of the number of students of secondary school age who would be, due to lack of access to technology, unable to engage in remote learning in (a) Leeds East constituency, (b) Leeds (c) Yorkshire and the Humber and (d) nationwide.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Government wants to do everything it can to support schools to deliver remote education. The Department has invested over £195 million to support remote education and access to online social care, delivering over 220,000 laptops and tablets during the summer term for disadvantaged children who would not otherwise have access to a digital device.
The Department is adding to this support by making over 340,000 additional laptops and tablets available to support children that might face disruption to their education. Since September 2020, over 100,000 of these have been delivered to schools.
The Department allocated a number of devices to each school based on how many devices they would need if the school closed fully. To arrive at this allocation, the Department used data on the number of pupils eligible for free school meals in each school along with an estimate of the number of devices the school already owns.
Attendance data suggests most schools are not closing fully, and are instead supporting small groups of children that are not able to attend school because they are self-isolating. The Department changed the number of devices allocated to each school to reflect this, because original allocations were based on a school’s total need should they fully close.
This more targeted approach to allocations mean as many schools and disadvantaged children as possible benefit from receiving a device in the event that their face-to-face education is disrupted.
Asked by: Richard Burgon (Labour - Leeds East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate his Department has made of the number of students of primary school age who, due to lack of access to technology, would be unable to engage in remote learning in (a) Leeds East constituency, (b) Leeds (c) Yorkshire and the Humber and (d) nationwide.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Government wants to do everything it can to support schools to deliver remote education. The Department has invested over £195 million to support remote education and access to online social care, delivering over 220,000 laptops and tablets during the summer term for disadvantaged children who would not otherwise have access to a digital device.
The Department is adding to this support by making over 340,000 additional laptops and tablets available to support children that might face disruption to their education. Since September 2020, over 100,000 of these have been delivered to schools.
The Department allocated a number of devices to each school based on how many devices they would need if the school closed fully. To arrive at this allocation, the Department used data on the number of pupils eligible for free school meals in each school along with an estimate of the number of devices the school already owns.
Attendance data suggests most schools are not closing fully, and are instead supporting small groups of children that are not able to attend school because they are self-isolating. The Department changed the number of devices allocated to each school to reflect this, because original allocations were based on a school’s total need should they fully close.
This more targeted approach to allocations mean as many schools and disadvantaged children as possible benefit from receiving a device in the event that their face-to-face education is disrupted.
Asked by: Richard Burgon (Labour - Leeds East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 20 May 2020 to Question 47377 on Children: Coronavirus, if he will publish the estimates referred to in that Answer of the number of eligible children that do not have access to a device.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Department is providing laptops and tablets to support disadvantaged children who would otherwise not have access and are preparing for examination in Year 10, receiving support from a social worker or are a care leaver.
The Department has allocated devices to local authorities and academy trusts based on its estimates of the number of eligible children that do not have access to a device. The Department estimated there were up to 220,000 eligible children without access to a device. These estimates were based on the proportion of children in receipt of Free School Meals, an estimate of private devices ownership and an estimate of existing devices held by schools which could be loaned out to meet the needs of these children.
Asked by: Richard Burgon (Labour - Leeds East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 4 May 2020 to Question 41551, how many pupils who have been supplied with a computer or laptop for use at home during the covid-19 outbreak are (a) preparing for examinations in Year 10, (b) receiving support from a social worker, (c) a care leaver and (d) in pre-school.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Government has committed over £100 million to support vulnerable and disadvantaged children in England to access remote education, including by providing laptops, tablets and 4G routers.
The Department is providing laptops and tablets to disadvantaged children who would otherwise not have access and are preparing for examinations in Year 10, receiving support from a social worker or are a care leaver. Where care leavers, children with a social worker at secondary school and disadvantaged children in Year 10 do not have internet connections, we are also providing 4G routers.
Local authorities and academy trusts are best place to identify and prioritise children and young people who need devices. The Department is agreeing the number of devices allocated to each local authority and academy trust based on its estimates of the number of eligible children that do not have access to a device.
Asked by: Richard Burgon (Labour - Leeds East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 4 May 2020 to Question 41551, how many (a) laptops and (b) 4G internet hotspots his Department has provided to pupils in (a) Leeds, (b) Yorkshire and the Humber and (c) the UK since the schools closed due to the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Government has committed over £100 million to support vulnerable and disadvantaged children in England to access remote education, including by providing laptops, tablets and 4G routers.
The Department is providing laptops and tablets to disadvantaged children who would otherwise not have access and are preparing for examinations in Year 10, receiving support from a social worker or are a care leaver. Where care leavers, children with a social worker at secondary school and disadvantaged children in Year 10 do not have internet connections, we are also providing 4G routers.
Local authorities and academy trusts are best place to identify and prioritise children and young people who need devices. The Department is agreeing the number of devices allocated to each local authority and academy trust based on its estimates of the number of eligible children that do not have access to a device.
Asked by: Richard Burgon (Labour - Leeds East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of children eligible for free school meals have received vouchers since that scheme was opened in (a) Leeds, (b) Yorkshire & the Humber and (c) the UK.
Answered by Vicky Ford
As both my right hon. Friends the Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer have made clear, the government will do whatever it takes to support people affected by COVID-19.
Around 1.3 million children are eligible for and claiming benefits-related free school meals. During this period, we are asking schools to support these children by providing meals or food parcels through their existing food providers wherever possible. We know that many schools are successfully delivering food parcels or arranging food collections for eligible children, and we encourage this approach where it is possible.
However, we recognise that providing meals and food parcels is not a practicable option for all schools. That is why on 31 March we launched a national voucher scheme as an alternative option, with costs covered by the Department for Education.
We are monitoring the use of the scheme on a daily basis. As of 28 April, our supplier Edenred reported that over 16,500 schools had placed orders for the scheme, and as of 4 May, Edenred reported that more than £47 million worth of voucher codes had been redeemed into supermarket eGift cards by schools and families through the scheme. We do not hold the specific data requested for the scheme at a local or regional level.
Once an eCode has been ordered, it will be sent within four days. Edenred is keeping schools informed of the status of orders once they have been placed. Schools can choose to ‘bulk order’ eCodes for regular distribution (e.g. on a weekly basis), in which case the eCode will be sent on or before the date specified. The eCodes must then be redeemed to create an eGift card, which will be received within 24 hours. We continue to work closely with our supplier and with schools to increase the speed at which orders can be processed.
On 4 May, Edenred reported that on the previous day, the average wait time for families and schools accessing the website to redeem their voucher codes was under 30 minutes. Edenred are aiming to respond to all email queries within 2 working days. We are very grateful to families and schools for their understanding and patience while Edenred upgrade this service to meet increased demand.
These are rapidly developing circumstances; we continue to keep the situation under review and will keep Parliament updated accordingly.
Asked by: Richard Burgon (Labour - Leeds East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what average waiting time is for schools to access the website to obtain free school meal vouchers in (a) Leeds, (b) Yorkshire & the Humber and (c) the UK.
Answered by Vicky Ford
As both my right hon. Friends the Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer have made clear, the government will do whatever it takes to support people affected by COVID-19.
Around 1.3 million children are eligible for and claiming benefits-related free school meals. During this period, we are asking schools to support these children by providing meals or food parcels through their existing food providers wherever possible. We know that many schools are successfully delivering food parcels or arranging food collections for eligible children, and we encourage this approach where it is possible.
However, we recognise that providing meals and food parcels is not a practicable option for all schools. That is why on 31 March we launched a national voucher scheme as an alternative option, with costs covered by the Department for Education.
We are monitoring the use of the scheme on a daily basis. As of 28 April, our supplier Edenred reported that over 16,500 schools had placed orders for the scheme, and as of 4 May, Edenred reported that more than £47 million worth of voucher codes had been redeemed into supermarket eGift cards by schools and families through the scheme. We do not hold the specific data requested for the scheme at a local or regional level.
Once an eCode has been ordered, it will be sent within four days. Edenred is keeping schools informed of the status of orders once they have been placed. Schools can choose to ‘bulk order’ eCodes for regular distribution (e.g. on a weekly basis), in which case the eCode will be sent on or before the date specified. The eCodes must then be redeemed to create an eGift card, which will be received within 24 hours. We continue to work closely with our supplier and with schools to increase the speed at which orders can be processed.
On 4 May, Edenred reported that on the previous day, the average wait time for families and schools accessing the website to redeem their voucher codes was under 30 minutes. Edenred are aiming to respond to all email queries within 2 working days. We are very grateful to families and schools for their understanding and patience while Edenred upgrade this service to meet increased demand.
These are rapidly developing circumstances; we continue to keep the situation under review and will keep Parliament updated accordingly.
Asked by: Richard Burgon (Labour - Leeds East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the average time has been from order to delivery for free school meals vouchers since the scheme was introduced in (a) Leeds, (b) Yorkshire & the Humber and (c) the UK.
Answered by Vicky Ford
As both my right hon. Friends the Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer have made clear, the government will do whatever it takes to support people affected by COVID-19.
Around 1.3 million children are eligible for and claiming benefits-related free school meals. During this period, we are asking schools to support these children by providing meals or food parcels through their existing food providers wherever possible. We know that many schools are successfully delivering food parcels or arranging food collections for eligible children, and we encourage this approach where it is possible.
However, we recognise that providing meals and food parcels is not a practicable option for all schools. That is why on 31 March we launched a national voucher scheme as an alternative option, with costs covered by the Department for Education.
We are monitoring the use of the scheme on a daily basis. As of 28 April, our supplier Edenred reported that over 16,500 schools had placed orders for the scheme, and as of 4 May, Edenred reported that more than £47 million worth of voucher codes had been redeemed into supermarket eGift cards by schools and families through the scheme. We do not hold the specific data requested for the scheme at a local or regional level.
Once an eCode has been ordered, it will be sent within four days. Edenred is keeping schools informed of the status of orders once they have been placed. Schools can choose to ‘bulk order’ eCodes for regular distribution (e.g. on a weekly basis), in which case the eCode will be sent on or before the date specified. The eCodes must then be redeemed to create an eGift card, which will be received within 24 hours. We continue to work closely with our supplier and with schools to increase the speed at which orders can be processed.
On 4 May, Edenred reported that on the previous day, the average wait time for families and schools accessing the website to redeem their voucher codes was under 30 minutes. Edenred are aiming to respond to all email queries within 2 working days. We are very grateful to families and schools for their understanding and patience while Edenred upgrade this service to meet increased demand.
These are rapidly developing circumstances; we continue to keep the situation under review and will keep Parliament updated accordingly.
Asked by: Richard Burgon (Labour - Leeds East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the average time has been for Edenred to respond to emails from (a) schools and (b) parents in relation to free school meal vouchers in (a) Leeds, (b) Yorkshire & the Humber and (c) the UK.
Answered by Vicky Ford
As both my right hon. Friends the Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer have made clear, the government will do whatever it takes to support people affected by COVID-19.
Around 1.3 million children are eligible for and claiming benefits-related free school meals. During this period, we are asking schools to support these children by providing meals or food parcels through their existing food providers wherever possible. We know that many schools are successfully delivering food parcels or arranging food collections for eligible children, and we encourage this approach where it is possible.
However, we recognise that providing meals and food parcels is not a practicable option for all schools. That is why on 31 March we launched a national voucher scheme as an alternative option, with costs covered by the Department for Education.
We are monitoring the use of the scheme on a daily basis. As of 28 April, our supplier Edenred reported that over 16,500 schools had placed orders for the scheme, and as of 4 May, Edenred reported that more than £47 million worth of voucher codes had been redeemed into supermarket eGift cards by schools and families through the scheme. We do not hold the specific data requested for the scheme at a local or regional level.
Once an eCode has been ordered, it will be sent within four days. Edenred is keeping schools informed of the status of orders once they have been placed. Schools can choose to ‘bulk order’ eCodes for regular distribution (e.g. on a weekly basis), in which case the eCode will be sent on or before the date specified. The eCodes must then be redeemed to create an eGift card, which will be received within 24 hours. We continue to work closely with our supplier and with schools to increase the speed at which orders can be processed.
On 4 May, Edenred reported that on the previous day, the average wait time for families and schools accessing the website to redeem their voucher codes was under 30 minutes. Edenred are aiming to respond to all email queries within 2 working days. We are very grateful to families and schools for their understanding and patience while Edenred upgrade this service to meet increased demand.
These are rapidly developing circumstances; we continue to keep the situation under review and will keep Parliament updated accordingly.