Asked by: Andrew Murrison (Conservative - South West Wiltshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, on what dates she has met with further education college representatives to discuss further education funding in preparation for Phase 2 of the Spending Review.
Answered by Janet Daby
My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, my noble Friend, the Minister for Skills, and other members of the Ministerial team at the department regularly meet with further education colleges and their representatives. There have been several recent meetings which have touched on funding.
Asked by: Andrew Murrison (Conservative - South West Wiltshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether Bristol University has shared with him the results and conclusions of its investigation into Professor David Miller's conduct towards Jewish students launched in March 2021.
Answered by Michelle Donelan
The views of Professor Miller are ill-founded and wholly reprehensible, and the government wholeheartedly rejects them. We consider that the University of Bristol could do more to make its condemnation of that conduct clear to current and future students.
I understand the university is currently investigating these comments. The university has not yet completed the investigation. The government is not involved in this process and all details will remain confidential to the university until it has reached its conclusion.
I met with representatives of the University of Bristol in May 2021. I was reassured that the university recognises its obligations to keep Jewish students safe and to support them if they feel in any way threatened. I understand they are committed to completing the confidential investigation as quickly as possible with the rigour required for a complex investigation of this kind.
Asked by: Andrew Murrison (Conservative - South West Wiltshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has received any representations on the views expressed by Professor David Miller at Bristol University on Jewish students and organisations.
Answered by Michelle Donelan
The views of Professor Miller are ill-founded and wholly reprehensible, and the government wholeheartedly rejects them. We consider that the University of Bristol could do more to make its condemnation of that conduct clear to current and future students.
I understand the university is currently investigating these comments. The university has not yet completed the investigation. The government is not involved in this process and all details will remain confidential to the university until it has reached its conclusion.
I met with representatives of the University of Bristol in May 2021. I was reassured that the university recognises its obligations to keep Jewish students safe and to support them if they feel in any way threatened. I understand they are committed to completing the confidential investigation as quickly as possible with the rigour required for a complex investigation of this kind.
Asked by: Andrew Murrison (Conservative - South West Wiltshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether music teachers can undertake one-to-one instruction in (a) school and (b) home environments during the current phase of the easing of the covid-19 lockdown restrictions; and what guidance for the safe working of those music teachers is (i) available and (ii) in preparation.
Answered by Nick Gibb
One-to-one instruction, including in music, can take place in school and home environments, as long as the relevant guidance is followed. The Department published detailed guidance on 2 July for schools for all children and young people to return to full-time education from September 2020. This guidance provides schools, colleges and nurseries with the details needed to plan for a full return, as well as reassuring parents about what to expect for their children, this guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/guidance-for-full-opening-schools.
The Department has also published guidance for community activities, holiday and after-school clubs, as well as other out-of-school provision for children over the age of five, which sets out the protective measures that need to be in place to ensure that such out-of-school provision can open as safely as possible. This guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/protective-measures-for-holiday-or-after-school-clubs-and-other-out-of-school-settings-for-children-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak/protective-measures-for-out-of-school-settings-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak.
More detailed guidance on music will be published shortly.
The Government has also published specific guidance for people working out of the home, this can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/working-safely-during-coronavirus-covid-19/homes.
Asked by: Andrew Murrison (Conservative - South West Wiltshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to his Department's press release of 11 March 2019, Thousands of places created in new special free schools, what criteria was used to determine those local authorities selected to receive new special free schools.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
On 11 March 2019, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, announced the approval of 37 special free schools and 2 alternative provision free schools, providing thousands of new school places for children with special educational needs or those facing additional challenges in mainstream education.
The criteria used to assess local authority bids has now been removed from GOV.UK and is in the process of being uploaded onto the national archives web archives at: www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/webarchive/. A copy has been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Asked by: Andrew Murrison (Conservative - South West Wiltshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
o ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to his Department's press release of 11 March 2019, Thousands of places created in new special free schools, where in the South West he plans for those new special free schools providing 500 new places to be located.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
On 11 March 2019, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, announced the approval of 37 special free schools and 2 alternative provision free schools, providing thousands of new school places for children with special educational needs or those facing additional challenges in mainstream education. This includes the approval of 6 new special schools in the south-west. The schools will open in the following local authority areas: Cornwall, Dorset, North Somerset, Plymouth, Somerset and Wiltshire. The new school to be opened in Wiltshire local authority will be located in Salisbury and will also cater for students in the surrounding areas.
Asked by: Andrew Murrison (Conservative - South West Wiltshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to his Department's press release of 11 March 2019, Thousands of places created in new special free schools, to which local authorities that £365 million funding has been allocated.
Answered by Nick Gibb
On 11 March 2019, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education announced 37 new special and 2 alternative provision free schools, providing thousands of new school places for children with special educational needs or those facing additional challenges in mainstream education.
Separately, the Department’s special provision capital fund is allocated to local authorities to build new places and improve facilities for children with special educational needs and disabilities across a range of settings, including mainstream and special schools. This totals £365 million from 2018-19 to 2020-21.
Allocations can be found on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/send-provision-capital-funding-for-pupils-with-ehc-plans.