Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact the omission of a minimum age limit for sex education within the revised Relationship, Sex and Health Education statutory guidance on pupils under the age of 9.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.
Sex education is not compulsory in primary schools, but the statutory guidance for relationship, sex and health education (RSHE) recommends that primaries teach sex education in years 5 and/or 6, in line with content about conception and birth, which forms part of the national curriculum for science.
The guidance is absolutely clear that schools are responsible for ensuring that lesson content is age-appropriate, whilst trusting teachers to respond to issues at the right time, allowing flexibility to develop a curriculum that meets the needs of their pupils, and this is one of the guiding principles of all RSHE.
The guidance is also clear that primary schools should consult parents about the content of anything that will be taught within sex education, including giving advice about parents’ right to request withdrawal from sex education.
Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking with Cabinet colleagues to expand access to apprenticeships in defence-related sectors in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Janet Daby
Apprenticeship and skills policy is devolved to Northern Ireland, and any measures regarding apprenticeships there are a matter for the Northern Irish government.
Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to provide (a) tuition fee, (b) financial and (c) other support to students from Northern Ireland studying at universities in Great Britain.
Answered by Janet Daby
The Northern Ireland Executive has devolved responsibility for higher education in Northern Ireland and determines the student finance arrangements for Northern Irish students, including those students studying in England, Scotland and Wales.
Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her planned timetable is for publication of the latest Relationships, Sex, Health and Education statutory guidance.
Answered by Damian Hinds
The department aims to be in a position to publish a draft of the guidance for the consultation very shortly so that the new guidance will be available as soon as possible this year.
Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to tackle antisemitism in UK universities.
Answered by Robert Halfon
This report that shows that the National Union of Students (NUS) has, over a number of years, systematically failed to represent the interests of Jewish students, and failed to tackle antisemitic practices within its own organisation. This is not acceptable. The NUS should be an organisation where Jewish students not only feel safe to be themselves, but where their full and equal participation is actively welcomed.
Higher education (HE), more broadly, should do all it can to root out antisemitism. The recent Community Security Trust (CST) report showing a 22% increase in antisemitic incidents on campus over the last two years is deeply concerning.
The department has encouraged HE providers to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, to have absolute clarity of what constitutes antisemitic behaviour. 245 providers in England have adopted the IHRA definition, including the vast majority of universities. We would urge those providers that have not yet adopted to the definition to do so, and for those that have, to ensure that they are fully complying with the definition.
Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of (a) primary and (b) post-primary school pupil in England have been expelled in each of the last three years.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Department publishes figures from the school census on permanent exclusions and suspensions from state-funded schools in England. The latest full academic year figures are for the 2020/21 academic year and are available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/permanent-and-fixed-period-exclusions-in-england/2020-21.
A table from this publication showing rates of permanent exclusions in primary, secondary, and special schools in England in the 2018/19 to 2020/21 academic years is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/5141203d-8691-4288-2cd5-08dafaf734a0.
Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to increase the affordability of childcare for low income families.
Answered by Will Quince
Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only. Devolved administrations have their own specific offers. Information on funding can be found here: https://www.education-ni.gov.uk/articles/applying-funded-pre-school-place-202223.
The department recognises that the cost of childcare is a key concern for parents, which is why the government has made an unprecedented investment in childcare over the past decade, with over £3.5 billion spent in each of the past three years on our early education entitlements.
We have also introduced Tax-Free Childcare, which is available for working parents of children aged 0-11 (or up to 16 if their child is disabled). This scheme can save parents up to £2,000 per year (or up to £4,000 for children with disabilities) from their childcare costs.
Working parents on a low income, including those returning from maternity leave, may also be eligible for help with up to 85% of their childcare costs through the childcare element of Universal Credit. This is subject to a monthly limit of £646 for one child or £1108 for two or more children aged 0-16.
The government’s range of childcare offers includes 15 hours free early education for all three and four year olds, regardless of parental income or working status. This helps children to develop social skills and prepare them for school, regardless of their background.
Working parents of three and four-year-olds may also be eligible for an additional 15 hours of free childcare, known as 30 hours free childcare. To be eligible for 30 hours free childcare, a lone parent must earn from just over £7,400 a year, and a couple, where both parents are working, from just over £14,800 per year, to access 30 hours.
Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many knife possession orders have been issued in relation to (a) primary schools, (b) secondary schools and (c) higher educational establishments in the last five years.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Department does not hold data on the number of children found in possession of a knife at school. However, the School Snapshot Survey from winter 2019 showed that 29% of schools were actively dealing with knife crime as a safeguarding issue: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-snapshot-survey-winter-2019. Secondary schools were 4 times more likely to be actively dealing with knife crime than primary schools.
Schools and colleges have a duty and responsibility to protect pupils and staff. We support them with a range of guidance to help them fulfil their responsibilities, including advice on health and safety and school and college security. The school and college security guidance includes a suite of resources to assist schools and colleges with the development of policies and culture to help address a wide range of security related issues.
Relationships, Sex and Health Education is now compulsory, and schools can build on the core content to address local issues such as gang activity and recognising and avoiding exploitative relationships. In serious violence hotspot areas, schools, alternative provision settings and colleges are working with police and health through Violence Reduction Units to run interventions to tackle serious youth violence.