Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will hold discussions with education sector trades unions on the provision of funding for (a) an above-inflation pay rise for staff in that sector and (b) increased levels of staffing in the 2024-25 financial year.
Answered by Damian Hinds
Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.
Teachers’ and leaders’ pay in England is set based on recommendations from the independent School Teachers’ Review Body. Last year, after following this process, the government announced the largest pay award in three decades, which shows that the department is delivering for teachers. Over the last two years, teachers and leaders have seen pay increases of more than 12% on average. The government also met its manifesto commitment for at least £30,000 starting salaries for teachers across the country.
There are 468,400 teachers in full time employment in England, which is an increase of 2,800 since last year and an increase of 27,000 since 2010 when the school workforce census began.
The department also continues to work closely with trade unions on the issues that matter to the sector, from workload to recruitment and retention.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact on industrial relations and service provision of a 3.5 percent pay increase recommendation to the School Teachers Pay Review Body for 2023-24, as set out in her Department's evidence document of 21 February 2023.
Answered by Nick Gibb
My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, continues to work with Cabinet colleagues to seek a fair and reasonable resolution to the pay dispute with teachers. She has made a serious offer to the leaders of the National Education Union (NEU) to pause the planned strikes so that we can talk about pay, conditions and reforms. The NEU, however, refused to call off strike action last week, once again causing disruption to families and thousands of children who missed out on their education.
Teacher pay is set by the School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB) and the Government respects its independence. The Government published its written evidence to the School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB) on 21 February 2023, giving views and input to help them form their recommendations for teachers’ pay. This evidence sets out how a 3.5% overall award, which includes raising starting salaries to £30,000, would be manageable within schools’ budgets, on average. The Department recognises that this year this judgment is particularly finely balanced, with the possibility that changing conditions, such as an improvement to energy prices, might allow schools to accommodate a higher award.
The Department has asked the STRB to carefully consider this evidence setting out the Department’s views on a fair pay award for teachers, the recruitment and retention challenges, and the impact that pay rises will have on schools’ overall budgets.
The Government values the independent advice of the STRB and the final pay award decisions for the 2023/24 academic year will be determined in light of the STRB’s recommendations.
Pay rises for teachers in the 2023/24 academic year must strike a careful balance between recruiting and retaining the best teachers and recognising their vital importance, alongside considering both affordability for schools and the wider economic context.
The Secretary of State has been clear that her offer to the NEU still stands. It is in the best interests of children, parents, and teachers for the NEU to take up her offer an engage in talks on all areas of their dispute.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 1 November 2022 to Question 69827 on Carers: Leave, what progress her Department has made on creating an allowance and a new entitlement to kinship leave for all special guardians and kinship carers with a Child Arrangements Order in place.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Shadow Minister (Equalities)
Kinship carers play an extremely important role in both their kin children’s lives and in the Children’s Social Care system.
The department published the consultation and implementation strategy: Stable Homes, Built on Love, on 2 February 2023, which sets out how we will achieve broad, system-wide transformation. Through this strategy we have made a commitment to implement each of the Review’s recommendations on kinship care.
The department has committed to working across government to explore possible additional workplace entitlements and options for an extension of legal aid for kinship carers with a special guardianship order (SGO) or child arrangement order (CAO). The department is also exploring the case for mandating a financial allowance for kinship carers with SGOs and CAOs in every local authority.
The department is committed to publishing a national kinship care strategy by the end of 2023. This will provide an update on reform activity such as exploring financial allowances. The strategy will set out a long-term vision for kinship care, and detail how we can better support children and carers. The department sees this as a pivotal moment for kinship care and will be an opportunity to make real and lasting change.
Statutory guidance issued to local authorities already makes it clear that children and young people should receive the support that they and their carers need to safeguard and promote their welfare. There is no limit on the level of support, including financial support, that local authorities can provide. All local authorities should have in place clear eligibility criteria in relation to the provision of support services.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the independent report entitled the independent review of children’s social care: final report, published 23 May 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of that report's recommendations.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Shadow Minister (Equalities)
Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.
On 2 February 2023, the department published the consultation and implementation strategy: Stable Homes, Built on Love, which sets out how we will achieve broad, system-wide transformation.
Ireland is not affected by the proposed reforms in Stable Homes, Built on Love, although the Competitions and Markets Authority (CMA) report contained recommendations for England, Scotland, and Wales. Throughout delivery, we will continue to engage with the devolved administrations across relevant reform areas.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will review the eligibility criteria for free school meals before the beginning of the next school year.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Education, including free school meals (FSM), is a devolved matter and the response outlines the information for England only.
The latest published statistics from the Department are available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics. The figures show that around 1.9 million pupils are claiming FSM. This equates to 22.5% of all pupils, up from 20.8% in 2021. Together with a further 1.25 million infants supported through the Universal Infant Free School Meal policy, over one third of school children are now provided with FSM, at a cost of over £1 billion a year. The Department currently has protections in place, ensuring that eligible pupils keep their FSM entitlement even if their household circumstances improve.
The Department believes that the current eligibility threshold level, which enables children in low income households to benefit from FSM while remaining affordable and deliverable for schools, is the right one. The Department will continue to keep FSM eligibility under review to ensure that these meals are supporting those who most need them, as well as continuing to monitor current issues that impact disadvantaged families, such as the rising cost of living, and its impact on FSM.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the number of children living in (a) relative and (b) absolute low income who are not eligible for free school meals.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Education, including free school meals (FSM), is a devolved matter and the response outlines the information for England only.
The latest published statistics from the Department are available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics. The figures show that around 1.9 million pupils are claiming FSM. This equates to 22.5% of all pupils, up from 20.8% in 2021. Together with a further 1.25 million infants supported through the Universal Infant Free School Meal policy, over one third of school children are now provided with FSM, at a cost of over £1 billion a year. The Department currently has protections in place, ensuring that eligible pupils keep their FSM entitlement even if their household circumstances improve.
The Department believes that the current eligibility threshold level, which enables children in low income households to benefit from FSM while remaining affordable and deliverable for schools, is the right one. The Department will continue to keep FSM eligibility under review to ensure that these meals are supporting those who most need them, as well as continuing to monitor current issues that impact disadvantaged families, such as the rising cost of living, and its impact on FSM.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children living in (a) relative and (b) absolute low income are not eligible for free school meals in each constituency.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Education, including free school meals (FSM), is a devolved matter and the response outlines the information for England only.
The latest published statistics from the Department are available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics. The figures show that around 1.9 million pupils are claiming FSM. This equates to 22.5% of all pupils, up from 20.8% in 2021. Together with a further 1.25 million infants supported through the Universal Infant Free School Meal policy, over one third of school children are now provided with FSM, at a cost of over £1 billion a year. The Department currently has protections in place, ensuring that eligible pupils keep their FSM entitlement even if their household circumstances improve.
The Department believes that the current eligibility threshold level, which enables children in low income households to benefit from FSM while remaining affordable and deliverable for schools, is the right one. The Department will continue to keep FSM eligibility under review to ensure that these meals are supporting those who most need them, as well as continuing to monitor current issues that impact disadvantaged families, such as the rising cost of living, and its impact on FSM.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of establishing a right to kinship leave for special guardians and kinship carers with a child arrangements order.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Shadow Minister (Equalities)
The recently published Independent Review of Children’s Social Care set out recommendations on how the government can better support kinship families. The department is currently considering how we can take these recommendations forward, including the recommendations to create an allowance and a new entitlement to kinship leave for all special guardians and kinship carers with a Child Arrangements Order in place.
The department is rapidly working up an ambitious and comprehensive implementation strategy in response to the recommendations in the Review, which will be announced in due course.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the potential cost of providing kinship carers with a non-means tested allowance at the same rate as foster carers who look after a child in care.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Shadow Minister (Equalities)
The recently published Independent Review of Children’s Social Care set out recommendations on how the government can better support kinship families. The department is currently considering how we can take these recommendations forward, including the recommendations to create an allowance and a new entitlement to kinship leave for all special guardians and kinship carers with a Child Arrangements Order in place.
The department is rapidly working up an ambitious and comprehensive implementation strategy in response to the recommendations in the Review, which will be announced in due course.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his Department’s policies on (a) the teaching arrangements for religious education and (b) collective worship in primary schools of the judgment of Mr Justice Colton of the Northern Ireland High Court handed down on 5 July 2022 relating to Christian-focused education in primary schools in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Jonathan Gullis
Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.
The Department has read and considered the legislative framework for teaching religious education in Northern Ireland and is of the view that it is not authoritative on the teaching of religious education or delivery of collective worship in England.
The Department currently has no plans to amend or repeal the legal duty on schools to provide a daily act of collective worship. The Government believes that the law in England is both inclusive and flexible in allowing all schools to tailor their provision to suit their pupils’ needs and it provides a unique opportunity for schools to develop and celebrate their ethos and values. Collective worship also allows schools the opportunity to promote the moral and social development of their pupils in a way that best suits the needs of the community.