Asked by: Adam Afriyie (Conservative - Windsor)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that freedom of speech is protected in UK universities.
Answered by Michelle Donelan - Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
The government believes that freedom of speech and academic freedom are fundamental pillars of our higher education (HE) system and that protecting these principles should be a priority for universities.
The Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill, introduced on 12 May 2021, will strengthen existing freedom of speech duties and directly address gaps within the existing law. This includes the fact there is no clear way of enforcing the current law when an HE provider breaches it, as well as applying the duties directly to students’ unions and constituent colleges including those at the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge. The Bill introduces a role on the Office for Students board, with responsibility for overseeing its strengthened duties to promote freedom of speech and investigate where potential breaches of the duties occur.
The changes will introduce clear consequences for breaches of the new duties and ensure that these principles are upheld.
The Bill will reach report stage in the House of Commons shortly.
Asked by: Adam Afriyie (Conservative - Windsor)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether one to one music lessons can continue during the November lockdown, provided that they are covid secure.
Answered by Nick Gibb
On Saturday 31 October 2020, my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister, announced new national restrictions from Thursday 5 November 2020 until Wednesday 2 December 2020 to control the spread of the COVID-19 outbreak. On 4 November 2020, the Department for Education published guidance for schools and nurseries regarding the impact of these restrictions. The guidance can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/education-and-childcare-settings-new-national-restrictions-from-5-november-2020.
The Government continues to prioritise the wellbeing and long-term futures of children and young people and will not be closing early years settings, schools, further education colleges or universities.
The Government is committed to all pupils receiving a high-quality education. Music, including one-to-one lessons, can be undertaken in school, college, or university so long as safety precautions are undertaken.
Advice is provided in the full opening guidance which sets out how teaching music can be conducted safely in schools. This includes visits by peripatetic teachers for the purposes of one-to-one music lessons, such as tutors from music education hubs.
Where provision is taking place before or after the school day, this should only operate where the provision is reasonably necessary to enable parents to work, search for work, or attend education or training, or where the provision is used for the purposes of respite care, including for vulnerable children.
Out-of-school activities that are primarily used by home educating parents as part of their arrangements for their child to receive a suitable full-time education (which could include, for example, private tutors, tuition centres, supplementary schools) may also continue to operate.
All other out of school activities, not being primarily used by parents for these purposes, should close for face to face provision but can offer remote education for the duration of the national restrictions.
Asked by: Adam Afriyie (Conservative - Windsor)
Question to the Department for Education:
What steps he is taking to increase the use of technology by schools.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Department for Education's EdTech Strategy, 'Realising the potential of technology in education', aims to support educational providers to embed and use technology effectively to support teacher workload reductions, cost savings and improved student outcomes. This includes supporting schools and colleges to spread best practice in effective technology use through our Demonstrator Programme, which is due to launch in the Spring.
The Demonstrator Programme will help tech enabled schools and colleges to provide peer-to-peer support to other schools to help them use technology in the most effective way.
Asked by: Adam Afriyie (Conservative - Windsor)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department has taken to support small providers of apprenticeship training.
Answered by Anne Milton
Since May 2017, all providers who want to deliver apprenticeship training must be on the register of apprenticeship training providers (RoATP). The introduction of the RoATP, which currently has over 2,600 providers listed, has made it easier for new providers, including small providers, to enter the apprenticeship training market. Ahead of the opening of the RoATP, the Education and Skills Funding Agency raised awareness of the requirement to register and the application process. This included providing webinars, direct engagement and information through representative bodies. Providers who are not on the RoATP, including small providers, are able to operate as a sub-contractor to a main provider who is on the RoATP, up to a limit of £100,000 a year.