Asked by: Anna Turley (Labour (Co-op) - Redcar)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to give teaching of the law more prominence in the national curriculum.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The teaching of the legal system in the UK is a key element of the National Curriculum as part of the citizenship education taught at Key Stages 3 and 4. Citizenship education aims to ensure that all pupils develop a sound knowledge and understanding of the role of law and the justice system in our society. The subject also fosters pupils’ keen awareness of democracy, Government and how laws are made and upheld.
Asked by: Anna Turley (Labour (Co-op) - Redcar)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many places were available for trainee teachers who wish to specialise in citizenship education on teacher training courses in each of the last 10 years.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The number of places initially allocated for citizenship each year since the academic year 2013/14 is shown in the table below:
Academic year (of training) | Initial allocation of citizenship places |
2013/14 | 147 |
2014/15 | 149 |
2015/16 | 175 |
Source: Published ITT Allocations Official Statistics.[1]
Data for earlier years are not directly comparable with those shown in the table as they include allocations for Personal, Social and Health Education and Social Studies within the total for Citizenship.
[1] This includes postgraduate and undergraduate allocated places.
Asked by: Anna Turley (Labour (Co-op) - Redcar)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to review the national curriculum's citizenship programme of study as proposed in the Government's White Paper Education Excellence Everywhere, published in March 2016.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Government is committed to ensuring that high quality citizenship education helps to provide pupils with knowledge, skills and understanding to prepare them to play a full and active part in society.
Citizenship education is therefore part of the National Curriculum at Key Stages 3 and 4. The revised programmes of study were introduced in September 2014 and seek to direct teaching towards the core knowledge of citizenship, and to give schools more scope to decide how to teach citizenship.
The Secretary of State is considering the proposal in the White Paper regarding citizenship.
Teachers are encouraged to develop their practice with the support of specialist organisations and expert professionals such as subject associations.
Ofsted, in its inspections of schools, considers the breadth and balance of the curriculum, including provision for pupils’ personal development, behaviour and welfare, as well as their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. This includes how pupils develop and demonstrate skills and attitudes that will allow them to participate fully in and contribute positively to life in modern Britain. Ofsted have strengthened their inspection frameworks so that inspectors assess how well all schools protect pupils from the risks of extremism and radicalisation, and promote fundamental British values.
We are also supporting schools to meet their obligations to protect pupils from radicalisation and promote fundamental British values, and to help them build pupils’ resilience to extremism through knowledge so that they can question information, weigh arguments, and make reasoned judgments.
We are currently working with the Association of Citizenship Teaching on producing guidance and resources packs to help teachers lead knowledge based debates on topics relating to extremism, fundamental British values and contemporary political and social issues.
Asked by: Anna Turley (Labour (Co-op) - Redcar)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure effective teaching of citizenship education in schools in England; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Government is committed to ensuring that high quality citizenship education helps to provide pupils with knowledge, skills and understanding to prepare them to play a full and active part in society.
Citizenship education is therefore part of the National Curriculum at Key Stages 3 and 4. The revised programmes of study were introduced in September 2014 and seek to direct teaching towards the core knowledge of citizenship, and to give schools more scope to decide how to teach citizenship.
The Secretary of State is considering the proposal in the White Paper regarding citizenship.
Teachers are encouraged to develop their practice with the support of specialist organisations and expert professionals such as subject associations.
Ofsted, in its inspections of schools, considers the breadth and balance of the curriculum, including provision for pupils’ personal development, behaviour and welfare, as well as their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. This includes how pupils develop and demonstrate skills and attitudes that will allow them to participate fully in and contribute positively to life in modern Britain. Ofsted have strengthened their inspection frameworks so that inspectors assess how well all schools protect pupils from the risks of extremism and radicalisation, and promote fundamental British values.
We are also supporting schools to meet their obligations to protect pupils from radicalisation and promote fundamental British values, and to help them build pupils’ resilience to extremism through knowledge so that they can question information, weigh arguments, and make reasoned judgments.
We are currently working with the Association of Citizenship Teaching on producing guidance and resources packs to help teachers lead knowledge based debates on topics relating to extremism, fundamental British values and contemporary political and social issues.
Asked by: Anna Turley (Labour (Co-op) - Redcar)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the change in responsibilities of teaching assistants since 2010; and what steps her Department takes to support teaching assistants who have taken on additional responsibilities.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Head teachers are responsible for the deployment of their teaching assistants, which is based on the existing guidance available such as the Education Endowment Foundation’s report “Making Best Use of Teaching Assistants”.
The report offers the latest evidence and identifies ways that schools can deploy teaching assistants in different contexts to deliver high quality support to pupils. It also recommends that teaching assistants should be fully prepared for their role by having the knowledge and training necessary to carry out their work. The report is available at: https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/uploads/pdf/TA_Guidance_Report_Interactive.pdf
Asked by: Anna Turley (Labour (Co-op) - Redcar)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to ensure that teaching assistants receive full remuneration for the responsibilities they undertake.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Government believes that all decisions on the use, deployment and pay of teaching assistants are best made at a local level, in a way that reflects the specific needs of schools in that area.
Asked by: Anna Turley (Labour (Co-op) - Redcar)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many school leavers in Redcar and Cleveland who were (a) entitled and (b) not entitled to free school meals went to university in the last three years for which information is available.
Answered by Edward Timpson
The table below shows information on the number and percentage of students completing key stage 5 (e.g. A level) study in mainstream state funded schools and colleges and progressing to study at a UK Higher Education Institution for at least two terms the following year; in each of the last three years for which information is available.
Numbers of pupils are shown rounded to the nearest ten, as published. Percentages are calculated on unrounded figures.
In the latest year around 50 students in Redcar & Cleveland who had been eligible for free school meals in year 11, or 55% of the key stage 5 cohort, progressed to Higher Education. This compares with 38% of pupils elsewhere in the North East and 44% of free school meal eligible students nationally.
In the latest year around 490 students in Redcar & Cleveland who had not been recorded as eligible for free school meals in year 11, or 55% of the key stage 5 cohort, progressed to Higher Education. This compares with 51% of pupils elsewhere in the North East and 49% of non-eligible students nationally.
Information on pupil destinations is published annually on gov.uk at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-destinations
Students with sustained destinations at UK Higher Education Institutions, mainstream state-funded schools and colleges, 2011/2 to 2013/14
Redcar & Cleveland | Number of students completing KS5 (rounded to nearest 10) | Number at UK Higher Education Institution (rounded to nearest 10) | % at UK Higher Education Institution (calculated on unrounded figures) | ||||
FSM | Non-FSM | FSM | Non-FSM | FSM | Non-FSM | ||
2013/14 (2012/13 KS5 cohort) | 100 | 880 | 50 | 490 | 55% | 55% | |
2012/13 (2011/12 KS5 cohort) | 100 | 850 | 40 | 490 | 40% | 57% | |
2011/12 (2010/11 KS5 cohort) | 80 | 780 | 40 | 490 | 53% | 62% | |
North East | Number of students completing KS5 (rounded to nearest 10) | Number at UK Higher Education Institution (rounded to nearest 10) | % at UK Higher Education Institution (calculated on unrounded figures) | ||||
FSM | Non-FSM | FSM | Non-FSM | FSM | Non-FSM | ||
2013/14 (2012/13 KS5 cohort) | 1,750 | 15,430 | 660 | 7,920 | 38% | 51% | |
2012/13 (2011/12 KS5 cohort) | 1,560 | 14,450 | 550 | 7,250 | 36% | 50% | |
2011/12 (2010/11 KS5 cohort) | 1,370 | 14,610 | 510 | 7,930 | 37% | 54% | |
England | Number of students completing KS5 (rounded to nearest 10) | Number at UK Higher Education Institution (rounded to nearest 10) | % at UK Higher Education Institution (calculated on unrounded figures) | ||||
FSM | Non-FSM | FSM | Non-FSM | FSM | Non-FSM | ||
2013/14 (2012/13 KS5 cohort) | 35,390 | 323,580 | 15,550 | 157,220 | 44% | 49% | |
2012/13 (2011/12 KS5 cohort) | 31,670 | 314,120 | 14,140 | 150,300 | 45% | 48% | |
2011/12 (2010/11 KS5 cohort) | 28,770 | 306,720 | 13,540 | 163,010 | 47% | 53% | |
Asked by: Anna Turley (Labour (Co-op) - Redcar)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to provide support to parents of children experiencing emotionally-based school refusal.
Answered by Edward Timpson
All children of compulsory school age are entitled to a full time education which is suitable to their age, ability, aptitude and any special educational needs they may have. Schools and local authorities are empowered to keep absences to a minimum and have measures available to support and promote good attendance.
Where parents are struggling to get their child to go to school, the school and local authorities can provide support and work with families to improve their child’s attendance. The Department’s advice on school attendance sets out that a conversation between parents and the school is the first step. It also sets out how schools and local authorities can help with wider issues. This guidance can be found on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/school-attendance-absence/help-with-getting-your-child-to-go-to-school
Where there is an underlying mental health issue, such as a social anxiety disorder, schools should look to secure the right support. To help schools identify underlying mental health problems in young people, in June 2014, the Department issued advice on mental health and behaviour to ensure all young people get the help they need, which can be found on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mental-health-and-behaviour-in-schools--2
To secure specialist support where it is needed, the Government is making £1.4 billion available over the course of this Parliament to transform local children and young people’s mental health services to deliver more integrated and accessible services. We have also contributed to a £3 million joint pilot of single points of contact in schools and specialist mental health services to ensure students have timely access to appropriate specialist support where needed.
We are also promoting support for parents on mental health. We continue to provide funding to Young Minds for their Parent Helpline. We have also funded the MindEd website to provide a new section for parents – the materials include information for parents on children who refuse to go to school and what steps to take, this information is attached.