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Written Question
Social Services: Ethnic Groups
Monday 15th January 2024

Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Streatham)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will meet with the hon. Member for Streatham and Barnardo’s to discuss how local authorities can work with partners to prevent the over-criminalisation of Black children in the care system.

Answered by David Johnston - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

I refer the hon. Member for Streatham and the hon. Member for Liverpool, Riverside to the answer of 15 January 2024 to Question 8094: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2024-01-05/8094.


Written Question
Foster Care: Ethnic Groups
Monday 15th January 2024

Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Streatham)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will meet with the hon. Member for Streatham and Barnardo's to discuss developing a Black foster care network.

Answered by David Johnston - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

I refer the hon. Member for Streatham to the answer of 15 January 2024 to Question 8232: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2024-01-05/8232.


Written Question
Schools: Buildings
Wednesday 20th September 2023

Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Streatham)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to publish a list of schools that are at risk of collapse due to (a) disrepair and (b) unsafe building materials.

Answered by Nick Gibb

Departments have been asked to report on the current picture of suspected and confirmed RAAC in their estates as soon as possible. This will be updated on a regular basis as new buildings are identified and surveying and remediation are carried out.

The Government published lists of education settings confirmed as having RAAC on Wednesday 6 September, updated on Tuesday 19 September.


Written Question
Pre-school Education: Staff
Monday 17th April 2023

Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Streatham)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help increase the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of staff in early years education.

Answered by Claire Coutinho - Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero

In the 2023 Spring Budget, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced transformative reforms to childcare for parents, children and the economy. By 2027/28, the government will expect to be spending in excess of £8 billion every year on free hours and early education, helping working families with their childcare costs. This represents the largest ever investment in childcare in England. Following this announcement, we will work closely with the sector to develop a plan to grow and develop the workforce.

The department is providing a package of training, qualifications, expert guidance, and targeted support for the early years sector to focus on the development of the youngest and most disadvantaged children and help to address existing recruitment and retention challenges. We are funding a range of programmes, including additional funding for graduate level specialist training leading to early years teacher status and an accredited level 3 early years special education needs coordinator qualification.


Written Question
Teachers: Training
Monday 9th January 2023

Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Streatham)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if department will reintroduce the PGCE student bursary for current PGCE students.

Answered by Nick Gibb

The bursaries the Department offers for Initial Teacher Training (ITT) are intended to incentivise applications to ITT courses. The Department reviews the bursaries each year to take account of factors including historic recruitment, forecast economic conditions, and teacher supply need in each subject. This provides flexibility to respond to the need to attract new teachers.

For those starting ITT in the 2023/24 academic year, the Department is offering a £27,000 tax-free bursary in chemistry, computing, mathematics and physics. Prestigious scholarships worth £29,000 tax-free will be offered in chemistry, computing, mathematics and physics. A languages scholarship worth £27,000 tax-free will be available in French, German and Spanish. The Department is also offering a £25,000 tax-free bursary for geography and languages, including ancient languages, a £20,000 tax-free bursary for biology and design & technology and a £15,000 tax-free bursary for English.

Schools offering the Postgraduate Teaching Apprenticeship or School Direct (salaried) routes will continue to be able to access funding equivalent to the bursary amount.


Written Question
Special Educational Needs: Training
Monday 9th January 2023

Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Streatham)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of introducing mandatory SEND training for all (a) teachers and (b) education staff.

Answered by Nick Gibb

The Department is committed to ensuring that all pupils can reach their potential and receive excellent support from their teachers. The Teachers’ Standards set clear expectations that teachers must understand the needs of all pupils, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

Consideration of SEND underpins both the Initial Teacher Training (ITT) Core Content Framework and Early Career Framework (ECF) which were both produced with the support of sector experts.

ITT courses must be designed so that teacher trainees can demonstrate that they meet all of the Teachers' Standards at the appropriate level, including the requirement in Standard 5 that all teachers must have a clear understanding of the needs of all pupils. All trainees who achieve Qualified Teacher Status must demonstrate that they can adapt teaching to respond to the strengths and needs of all pupils, including those with SEND.

The ECF has been designed around how to support all pupils to succeed and seeks to widen access for all. This includes those pupils identified within the four areas of need set out in the SEND code of practice, and children in need of help and protection as identified in the Children in Need Review. Head teachers use their professional judgement to identify any further training, including specific specialisms, for individual staff that is relevant to them, the school, and its pupils.

The Universal Services programme, which commenced this year with a budget of nearly £12 million, provides SEND specific training and support to the school workforce and the further education workforce, so they can identify and meet the needs of children and young people with SEND earlier and more effectively. It will also help to successfully prepare children and young people for adulthood, including employment. It is available for all teachers, leaders, and other staff at all stages of their careers, at the point of need, with a particular focus on mainstream settings.

All maintained mainstream schools and mainstream academy schools (including free schools) must have a qualified teacher, or the head teacher, designated as the Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO). SENCOs appointed after 1 September 2009, are required to achieve a National Award for SEN Coordination (NASENCO) within three years of appointment.


Written Question
Primary Education: Physical Education and Sports
Thursday 23rd June 2022

Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Streatham)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department has determined how much funding will be allocated for the PE and sport premium for the 2022-23 academic year; and when he plans to announce details of that premium.

Answered by Will Quince

I refer the hon. Member for East Ham, the hon. Member for Streatham and the hon. Member for Denton and Reddish, to the answer I gave on 16 June 2022 to Question 16901.


Written Question
Children: Coronavirus
Thursday 10th February 2022

Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Streatham)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment his Department has made on the impact of covid-19 lockdowns and school closures on children’s mental health.

Answered by Will Quince

The department knows that the COVID-19 outbreak and the associated measures and restrictions, such as social distancing and school closures, has been impacting the mental wellbeing of some children and young people. The department published its third annual state of the nation report on 8 February, identifying trends in children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing recovery over the course of the 2020/21 academic year, as well as their views about society and the future. Details of the report can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/state-of-the-nation-2021-children-and-young-peoples-wellbeing.

The findings show that overall, children’s wellbeing has remained largely stable across previous years although increasing virus prevalence rates and changing restrictions have coincided with fluctuation in levels of wellbeing throughout the period covered by the report.

The report also shows that while the proportion of children and young people with a probable mental disorder increased from 11.6% of 6-to-16-year-olds in 2017 to 16% in summer 2020, this increasing trend has stabilised with 16.4% of this age group having a probable disorder in spring 2021.

Evidence that children and young people with particular characteristics may have experienced more negative effects due to the COVID-19 outbreak has also been identified, such as those with special educational needs, from disadvantaged backgrounds or those with long-term physical health. This information has been used to inform the support measures put in place by the government.

The department continues to work closely with health partners, voluntary sector partners, and clinical experts to understand and monitor impact and children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing through recovery and respond in the current context. A summary of relevant published sources of information is available in the children and young people chapter of the Office for Health Improvement & Disparities COVID-19 mental health and wellbeing surveillance report, which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-mental-health-and-wellbeing-surveillance-report/7-children-and-young-people.


Written Question
Pupils: Coronavirus
Thursday 10th February 2022

Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Streatham)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment his Department has made of the impact of children’s ability to catch up with learning missed during the outbreak of covid-19 on children's mental health.

Answered by Will Quince

Understanding the impact of the COVID-19 disruption on the attainment and progress of all students is a key research priority for the government. The department has commissioned an independent research and assessment agency to provide a baseline assessment of catch-up needs for pupils in schools in England and monitor progress over the course of the 2020/21 academic year. The department’s latest evidence suggests that, in summer 2021, primary pupils were on average around 1 month behind in reading and around 3 months behind in maths compared to where the department would expect them to be in a ‘normal year’. Secondary pupils were behind in their learning in reading by around 2 months.

The department is also examining the evidence on mental health wellbeing. The department's third annual state of the nation report, published on 8 February, identifies trends in children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing recovery over the course of the 2020/21 academic year, as well as their views about society and the future. The findings show that overall, children’s wellbeing has remained largely stable across previous years although increasing virus prevalence rates and changing restrictions have coincided with fluctuation in levels of wellbeing throughout the period covered by the report.


Written Question
Schools: Assessments
Wednesday 9th February 2022

Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Streatham)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the potential relationship between examinations and levels of depression and anxiety among people under 18.

Answered by Will Quince

The government is clear that education providers should encourage pupils and students to work hard, but not at the expense of their wellbeing. Examinations are, by their very nature, stressful. Schools and colleges should be able to identify signs of exam-related stress whenever it emerges and be in a position to respond appropriately.

Individual young people's mental wellbeing is affected in different ways by issues in their lives. It is important that they receive support where they need it, including from their school or college. The government has provided a wide range and training and resources to schools and colleges to help them support the wellbeing of their pupils and students. Our recent £15 million wellbeing for education recovery and return programmes have provided free expert training, support and resources for staff dealing with children and young people experiencing additional pressures from COVID-19, including anxiety and stress. Approximately 12,000 schools and colleges across the country benefited from wellbeing for education return.

The government announced £9.5 million in May 2021 to offer senior mental health lead training to around a third of all state schools and colleges in England in the academic year 2021/22. An additional £3 million was provided on 8 February 2021, to extend this training to more schools and colleges given high demand, so that everyone eligible who wishes to access training before the end of May will be able to. The senior mental health lead is a strategic leadership role, with responsibility for overseeing the school’s ‘whole school approach’ to mental health and wellbeing. As part of this training, leads will learn about how to develop a culture and ethos that promotes positive mental health wellbeing, as well as how to make the best use of local resources to support children and young people experiencing issues.