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Written Question
Schools: Standards
Wednesday 13th March 2019

Asked by: Alex Burghart (Conservative - Brentwood and Ongar)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools which were classified at their previous inspection as (a) outstanding, (b) good, (c) requires improvement and (d) inadequate were subsequently classified in an inspection in 2018 or 2019 as (a) outstanding, (b) good, (c) requires improvement and (d) inadequate.

Answered by Nick Gibb

This is a matter for Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman. I have asked her to write to my hon. Friend and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.


Written Question
Pupils: Essex
Monday 11th March 2019

Asked by: Alex Burghart (Conservative - Brentwood and Ongar)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the funding per pupil at (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in (i) Brentwood and Ongar constituency and (ii) Essex in (A) 2016-17, (B) 2017-18, (C) 2018-19, (D) 2019-20 and (E) 2020-21.

Answered by Nick Gibb

The table below shows the per pupil funding allocated to Essex through the schools block of the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) for 2018/19 to 2019/20:

Primary

Secondary

Total schools block allocation

2018/19

£3,777

£4,976

£837.9 million

2019/20

£3,843

£5,018

£855.8 million


Prior to 2018/19 schools block allocations were not calculated at phase level. The table below shows the total and per pupil schools block funding that Essex received in 2016/17 and 2017/18.

Per pupil

Total schools block allocation

2016/17

£4,392

£814.7 million

2017/18

£4,347

£819.5 million

Since 2018/19, schools block allocations have been calculated through the national funding formula (NFF), based on individual schools’ characteristics. The following table outlines notional NFF allocations per pupil for Brentwood and Ongar schools in 2018/19 and 2019/20. These figures include the premises and mobility factors so are not directly comparable to the local authority figures provided above. Constituency level per pupil funding data prior to this is not held centrally.

Primary per pupil

Secondary per pupil

2018/19

£3,821

£4,871

2019/20

£3,892

£4,886

The Department is unable to provide figures for 2020/21 as spending plans beyond 2019/20 will be set at the next Spending Review and these decisions cannot be pre-empted.

In addition to funding through the schools block of the DSG, schools also receive funding from separate funding streams and additional grants, such as the high needs blocks of the DSG and the Pupil Premium.

To provide stability for schools, local authorities will continue to be responsible for designing the distribution of funding in their areas in 2018/19 through to 2020/21. Because of this, the actual amount that schools receive may be different to the amount they are attracting through the national funding formula. Local authorities set their local formula in consultation with schools.


Written Question
Unemployment: Young People
Monday 14th May 2018

Asked by: Alex Burghart (Conservative - Brentwood and Ongar)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 19 March 2018 to Question 131803 on Unemployment: Young People, if he will provide the same figures for children of the Gypsy, Traveller and Roma communities.

Answered by Anne Milton

The table below shows the number and proportion of Gypsy, Traveller of Irish heritage and Roma pupils who were not in education, employment or training for the whole of academic year 2013-14, three years after finishing key stage 4 by eligibility for free school meals between the academic ages of 10 and 15 and whether or not they were in the Children in Need census.

Eligible for free school meals between 10 and 15

Not eligible for free school meals between 10 and 15

In the Children in Need census

Not in the Children in Need census

In the Children in Need census

Not in the Children in Need census

Gypsy, Traveller of Irish heritage and Roma

100 (33%)

100 (20%)

less than 50 (23%)

less than 50 (10%)

Numbers are rounded to the nearest 100


Written Question
Unemployment: Young People
Monday 19th March 2018

Asked by: Alex Burghart (Conservative - Brentwood and Ongar)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to his Answer of 6 March to Question 129597 on Unemployment: Young People, how many and what proportion of pupils who were (a) eligible for free school meals, (b) not eligible for free school meals, who were (i) included in the Children in Need census, (ii) not included in the Children in Need census, were not in education, employment or training for the whole of academic year 2013-14, three years after finishing key stage 4, in each ethnic group.

Answered by Anne Milton

The following tables show the number and proportion of pupils that were not in education, employment or training for the whole of academic year 2013-14, three years after finishing key stage 4. These figures include those eligible for free school meals, whether or not they were in the Children in Need census and their summary ethnic group. Pupils whose eligibility for free school meals is unknown are not included in these tables.

Eligible for free school meals between 10 and 15

Not eligible for free school meals between 10 and 15

Summary ethnic group

In the Children in Need census

Not in the Children in Need census

In the Children in Need census

Not in the Children in Need census

White

7,900 (26%)

6,300 (9%)

4,800 (19%)

6,400 (2%)

Mixed

500 (22%)

300 (6%)

200 (17%)

200 (2%)

Black

400 (15%)

300 (3%)

200 (14%)

200 (1%)

Asian

200 (11%)

300 (2%)

200 (10%)

300 (1%)

Any other group

100 (12%)

100 (2%)

100 (22%)

less than 100 (1%)

Unknown

600 (31%)

300 (10%)

300 (21%)

300 (1%)

Total

9,600 (24%)

7,500 (7%)

5,800 (18%)

7,400 (2%)


Numbers are rounded to the nearest 100.


Written Question
Universal Credit
Monday 19th March 2018

Asked by: Alex Burghart (Conservative - Brentwood and Ongar)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the annual cost of extending (a) free school meals, (b) the pupil premium to all pupils whose parents are in receipt of universal credit in (i) each of the next four years and (ii) once universal credit has been fully rolled out.

Answered by Nadhim Zahawi

We estimate that providing free school meals to all children from households receiving Universal Credit would result in around half of all pupils becoming eligible for free school meals – over three times as many as the 1.1 million (14%) that are eligible for and claiming free school meals in the latest figures[1]. We estimate that this would cost in excess of £3 billion more a year, including the cost of the extra meals and associated school deprivation funding, such as the pupil premium – the additional meal costs alone would be in excess of £450 million per year.

Costs in each of the next four years will be lower than this as the proportion of the pupil population living in households receiving Universal Credit will be lower prior to the completion of rollout. We have not provided precise estimates for the next four years as we believe the level of uncertainty around these figures means that releasing them would not be in the public interest.


[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/eligibility-for-free-school-meals-and-the-early-years-pupil-premium-under-universal-credit


Written Question
Unemployment: Young People
Tuesday 6th March 2018

Asked by: Alex Burghart (Conservative - Brentwood and Ongar)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to his Department's report, Characteristics of young people who are long-term NEET, published on 8 February, what proportion of young people who are classified as (a) white, eligible for free school meals, and Children in Need, (b) white, eligible for free school meals, and not Children in Need, (c) any ethnicity, eligible for free school meals, and not Children in Need, were not in education, employment or training in 2013-14.

Answered by Anne Milton

26 per cent of white pupils who were eligible for free school meals and included within the Children in Need census, were not in education, employment or training for the whole of academic year 2013/14, three years after finishing key stage 4.

9 per cent of white pupils who were eligible for free school meals and not included within the Children in Need census, were not in education, employment or training for the whole of academic year 2013/14, three years after finishing key stage 4.

7 per cent of pupils who were eligible for free school meals and not included within the Children in Need census, were not in education, employment or training for the whole of academic year 2013/14, three years after finishing key stage 4.


Written Question
Young People: Unemployment
Tuesday 6th March 2018

Asked by: Alex Burghart (Conservative - Brentwood and Ongar)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to his Department's report, Characteristics of young people who are long-term NEET, published on 8 February, what proportion of young people who are classified as (a) white, eligible for free school meals, and Children in Need, (b) white, eligible for free school meals, and not Children in Need, (c) any ethnicity, eligible for free school meals, and not Children in Need, were not in education, employment or training in 2013-14.

Answered by Anne Milton

26 per cent of white pupils who were eligible for free school meals and included within the Children in Need census, were not in education, employment or training for the whole of academic year 2013/14, three years after finishing key stage 4.

9 per cent of white pupils who were eligible for free school meals and not included within the Children in Need census, were not in education, employment or training for the whole of academic year 2013/14, three years after finishing key stage 4.

7 per cent of pupils who were eligible for free school meals and not included within the Children in Need census, were not in education, employment or training for the whole of academic year 2013/14, three years after finishing key stage 4.


Written Question
Universities
Thursday 1st February 2018

Asked by: Alex Burghart (Conservative - Brentwood and Ongar)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions the Government has had with UK universities on the negotiations for the UK leaving the EU.

Answered by Sam Gyimah

We regularly engage with a wide range of higher education (HE) stakeholders – including universities and representative bodies such as Universities UK – at both ministerial and official levels to ensure we fully understand the sector’s priorities for EU exit. This engagement includes the High Level Stakeholder Working Group on EU Exit, Universities, Research and Innovation, which I chair as Minister for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation. This group brings together voices from across the HE and research sector, and is also attended by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the Department for Exiting the European Union. We value this close engagement and we want to maintain a dialogue with the sector as discussions on the UK’s future relationship with the EU progress.


Written Question
Offences against Children
Tuesday 31st October 2017

Asked by: Alex Burghart (Conservative - Brentwood and Ongar)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to publish her response to the consultation on mandatory reporting and acting on child abuse and neglect.

Answered by Robert Goodwill

The consultation 'Reporting and acting on child abuse and neglect' sought views on the advisability, risk, nature and scope of a mandatory duty to report child abuse and neglect and an alternative duty focused on taking appropriate action, as well as the effects of embedding current government reforms. The government has committed to laying a report before Parliament on the outcome of the consultation. Submissions are being considered and a government response will be published in due course. Just as it was right to consider in depth the evidence around these questions, it is important that we apply equally careful consideration to formulating our response in such a complex policy area, with such vitally important implications for the safety and welfare of children.


Written Question
Students: Fees and Charges
Monday 7th August 2017

Asked by: Alex Burghart (Conservative - Brentwood and Ongar)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the cost of abolishing university tuition fees.

Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone

The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has estimated that abolishing tuition fees would increase the fiscal deficit for the 2017/18 student cohort by around £11bn, with the long-term cost of student funding increasing by around £6.5bn.

The major reforms to English higher education in 2012 have significantly increased average per-student funding. Graduates do not start repaying loans until their annual incomes reach £21,000, and loans are written off after 30 years.

By enabling English universities to charge current tuition fees, the Government no longer has to ration access to higher education via a cap on student numbers. This enables it to offer more places, including to young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, who are now going to university at a record rate – they are 43% morelikely to go to university 43%more likely to go to university than they were in 2009.*

Graduates earn, on average, substantially more than people with A levels who did not go to university.

Various pieces of research show that Higher Education graduates earn, on average, at least £100,000 more over their lifetimes than those without a degree but with 2 or more A-Levels. The most recent BIS commissioned research shows that, on average, a male graduate could expect to earn £170,000 more and a female graduate £250,000 more over their lifetimes, than someone without a degree but with 2 or more A-levels, net of tax and other costs (2012 prices).

Abolishing tuition fees would be socially regressive: as well as unfairly burdening the general taxpayer, it would benefit mainly those students going on to well-paid jobs, who repay their loans in full.

*https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201617/ldselect/ldsecleg/92/9207.htm