Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what body was awarded the contract for the Adult Education Budget in the Yorkshire region.
Answered by Alex Burghart - Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
The providers who bid to deliver in the Yorkshire and Humber region, and were awarded an Adult Education Budget (AEB) procured contract for the 2021/22 funding year, are listed in the attached spreadsheet.
It is important to note that adult skills in South and West Yorkshire is a devolved matter and that AEB is funded through the mayoral combined authority.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the success of the covid-19 infection control measures in place in schools in the last six months.
Answered by Robin Walker
In February 2021, the government set out a roadmap out of lockdown, including for easing restrictions and the control measures that would remain at each step, including in education. In order to take each step, led by data not dates, an assessment was made by the government against four tests.
In July 2021, after a pause to Step 4, it was assessed that the four tests had been met for this – with the success of the vaccination rollout allowing for the safe and gradual lifting of many remaining restrictions across settings including education, whilst continuing to manage COVID-19 through vaccination and remaining control measures proportionate to the COVID-19 outbreak. Details are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-response-summer-2021-roadmap/moving-to-step-4-of-the-roadmap. This includes continued guidance for schools to ensure they keep good hygiene measures in place, keep spaces well ventilated and follow public health advice on testing, self-isolation and managing confirmed cases. In addition, those 12 and over are now being offered the COVID-19 vaccine. Most recently, in September 2021, the Government’s COVID-19 Response: Autumn and Winter Plan 2021 assessed preparedness for autumn and winter, including plans for control measures. Details are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-response-autumn-and-winter-plan-2021.
In making decisions on control measures in education, we have continually balanced the impact of measures on education, health and wellbeing, and the functioning of school settings, as well as the COVID-19 risks. As the balance of risks has shifted, given vaccination rollout, it has been appropriate to step down measures, as for the rest of the economy and society – with the imperative to maximise face-to face attendance and minimise disruption to education. The department published Evidence Summaries to accompany key decision points in February and July 2021: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/evidence-summary-covid-19-children-young-people-and-education-settings.
The department continues to monitor the latest and emerging scientific literature and to work with the Department of Health and Social Care, Office for National Statistics and UK Health Security Agency to develop our guidance for education and childcare settings. The UK Health and Security Agency leads on assessing the overall epidemiological picture and produces weekly surveillance reports, which include data on outbreaks in education and confirmed cases in school age children. Details are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/national-flu-and-covid-19-surveillance-reports-2021-to-2022-season.
The department collects and publishes attendance data for state-funded school settings. Attendance is currently higher than at the end of the summer term, when contact isolation was still in place in education settings. Details are available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/attendance-in-education-and-early-years-settings-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of increasing education around the Sikh faith in Key Stage 1 of the national curriculum.
Answered by Robin Walker
There are no plans to introduce teaching about specific faiths in any of the subjects of the national curriculum at any of the key stages.
The teaching about the Sikh faith by any school would be expected to be part of the religious education (RE) curriculum. The RE curriculum must reflect the fact that the religious traditions in the UK are in the main Christian, whilst taking account of the teaching and practices of the principal religions represented in the UK, including Sikhism.
The RE curriculum is part of the basic curriculum, rather than one of the subjects within the national curriculum. In addition, the RE curriculum is compulsory in all state-funded schools from age 5 to 18, which includes Key Stage 1.
Schools have the freedom to include content about specific faiths as part of their teaching of the subjects in the national curriculum, such as history or citizenship, but this would need to be in line with the purpose and aims of the subjects themselves.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans the Government has to prioritise removing all limits to group sizes for youth residential activities under Step 4 of the covid-19 roadmap on 19 July 2021.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Department recognises the significant benefits that youth residentials and summer camps can have for children’s mental health and wellbeing, as well as their educational and social development.
That is why the Government has prioritised the recommencement of residential visits, including youth residentials and summer camps, for children at Step 3 of the roadmap. It has also increased limits on group sizes to 30 from 21 June 2021.
As the Government moves to Step 4 of the roadmap, and the majority of COVID-19 restrictions across all parts of society are relaxed, key restrictions on all education and childcare settings will come to an end. This includes current advice on consistent groups (bubbles) and limits on group sizes for all residential visits. Our priority is to ensure all education and childcare settings are able to offer high quality, face to face provision for children and young people.
At Step 4 of the roadmap, youth residential providers will be able to undertake residential visits in groups of any number, and without the need to keep children in consistent groups: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-response-summer-2021-roadmap/covid-19-response-summer-2021.
The Department has published new guidance for providers, setting out the actions they can take to reduce the risk of transmission from Step 4: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/999758/OOSS_Provider_Guidance_PDF_Step_4.pdf.