Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make an assessment of the potential contribution of the arts and creative development subjects to secondary school pupils' education recovery following disruption caused by the covid-19 outbreak; and, with reference to page 4 of the costings document for the Conservative and Unionist Party manifesto 2019, if he will make it his policy to deliver an arts premium to secondary schools in (a) 2021-22, (b) 2022-23 and (c) 2023-24; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Robin Walker
The government is committed to high-quality education for all pupils, and the arts and music are integral to this. With the significant impact of COVID-19 on children’s learning, the department’s priorities have inevitably had to focus on education recovery in the recent Spending Review. The government remains committed to the ambitions in the Plan for Cultural Education published in 2013, and will give consideration for a future arts premium in due course.
In recognition of the merit of these subjects and how they contribute to a broad and balanced education in and out of school settings, the department will continue to invest around £115 million per annum in cultural education over the next three years, though our music, arts and heritage programmes.
With the real terms per pupil increases to core school funding and the additional £1 billion new funding announced specifically for recovery, schools will continue to have the flexibility to deliver a broad and ambitious curriculum and enrichment activities.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what criteria his Department is using to determine whether proposals for a Sharia-compliant alternative student finance system will be included in the conclusion of the Review of Post-18 Education and Funding; if he will publish the (a) timetable for considering the recommendations made by the independent panel that reported to that review and (b) estimated date of conclusion of that review; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Michelle Donelan
The government has been carefully considering an alternative student finance product, alongside wider reforms to the higher education system, and an update will be provided alongside the conclusion to the Review of Post-18 Education and Funding. The interim conclusion of the review was published on 21 January 2021, and we will conclude the review in full at a future date.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make it his policy to provide Government funded schools with the funding to install portable high efficiency particulate filters in classrooms where existing ventilation is inadequate to reduce the transmission of covid-19; what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on providing long-term funding for schools to install or upgrade mechanical ventilation systems; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Robin Walker
The department is providing CO2 monitors to state-funded education settings, including early years, schools, and further education providers, backed by £25 million in government funding.
The new monitors will provide further reassurance that existing ventilation measures are working, helping balance the need for good ventilation with keeping classrooms warm. The department has also provided new information on how to use CO2 monitors to better manage ventilation.
In the case of persistent red readings on CO2 monitors, settings should initially look at whether doors or windows can be opened, and/or mechanical ventilation systems fixed.
If this is not feasible and CO2 readings cannot be improved, settings should look at undertaking further works to address the underlying problem. Remedial works to improve ventilation remain the responsibility of individual settings. Schools receive an annual devolved formula capital allocation to spend on small capital projects or capital purchases.
For more substantial capital works, schools and those responsible for school buildings have access to funding to improve the condition of their buildings through different routes depending on their size and type. Further details are available at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/school-capital-funding. Day to day maintenance, including minor repairs to improve ventilation, should be typically funded from revenue budgets.
The case for additional support for settings to maintain good ventilation will be kept under review as the programme continues and schools, colleges, and nurseries use the monitors to further assess their ventilation needs.
Department officials and Ministers regularly meet with a wide range of other government departments and external organisations to discuss the government's COVID-19 outbreak response. This includes the use of public health measures in education settings such as ventilation.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 2 November 2021 to Question 58363, Schools: Mental Health Services, if he will provide additional Government funding to enable every place of education to (a) fulfill the Government's expectation in guidance that all schools should make counselling services available to their pupils and (b) ensure that every child in full-time education has access through their place of education to an appropriately-qualified and professionally registered counsellor with experience of working with young people.
Answered by Will Quince
The government is taking action to help schools in a number of ways to build their capability to promote children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing, as well as making sure those who need help with their mental health receive appropriate support. In May, we announced more than £17 million to build on existing mental health support available in education settings, including £7 million for Wellbeing for Education Recovery and £9.5 million to funding training for senior mental health leads in around a third of all state schools and colleges this financial year, as part of plans to offer training to all schools and colleges by 2025.
This is on top of the £79 million to boost mental health support for children and young people announced in March. This includes increasing the number of Mental Health Support Teams working with schools and colleges – from 59 to 400 by April 2023 – supporting nearly 3 million children, as well as expanding community mental health services. 22,500 more children and young people will have access to such services next year, and an additional 345,000 by 2024. This also includes expanding access to eating disorder services, helping 2,000 more children, and continuing to provide 24/7 crisis lines for young people facing a mental health crisis, with additional funding for follow up treatments at home if necessary.
In addition to this, we are investing up to £5 billion to support recovery for children and young people who need it most. This includes an additional £1 billion of new recovery premium funding for disadvantaged pupils – and our guidance is clear that schools can use this funding, as well as other funding such as pupil premium, to support their pupils’ mental health and wellbeing - including for counselling or other therapeutic services, alongside supporting their academic attainment.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will take steps to help ensure that every child in full time education has access through their place of education to an appropriately-qualified and professionally registered counsellor with experience of working with young people; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Will Quince
Schools and colleges have an important role to play in supporting the resilience and mental health of their pupils and students. The department recognises that counselling, by well-qualified practitioners, can play a particularly effective role as part of a whole school or college approach to supporting mental health and wellbeing, guidance for which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/promoting-children-and-young-peoples-emotional-health-and-wellbeing.
Many schools and colleges already provide their pupils access to counselling support, and we have set out a strong expectation in guidance that, over time, all schools should make counselling services available to their pupils. However, the provision of access to counselling in schools and colleges is not mandatory. It is up to schools and colleges to decide what level of counselling to provide, working with other organisations including local authorities and the NHS who may fund counselling locally. It is also important there is freedom for each school or college to decide what support to offer to children and young people and staff based on their particular needs and drawing on an evidence base of effective practice. This support can come from a number of sources, including counselling.
The department has published a blueprint for school counselling services, focusing on supporting the provision of counselling in schools with practical, evidence-based advice, informed by schools and counselling experts, on how to deliver high-quality school-based counselling. It sets out that counselling works best within a whole school or college approach to mental health and wellbeing, which considers issues such as promoting wellbeing, raising awareness of, and reducing stigma around, mental health issues and providing an effective pastoral system. It also offers information on how to ensure that vulnerable children, including those with special educational needs and disabilites, looked after children, and those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender, who have a higher prevalence of mental illness, can access counselling provision, details of which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/counselling-in-schools.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make it his policy to raise the rate of funding for sixth form education to at least £4,760 per student in the upcoming Spending Review; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Alex Burghart - Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
We have invested an extra £291 million in 16-19 education in the 2021-22 financial year. This is in addition to the £400 million awarded in the 2019 Spending Review, which was the biggest injection of new money into 16-19 education in a single year since 2010. This has allowed us to raise the base rate of funding for all providers of 16-19 education, including school sixth forms and sixth-form colleges, from £4,000 in the 2019/20 academic year to £4,188 in the 2020/21 and 2021/22 academic years, as well as to make further funding increases targeted on high value and high cost programmes.
As a result, the average total programme funding per 16-19 student has increased by nearly 10% from £4,516 in 2019/20 published allocations, to £4,958 in 2020/21 published allocations[1]. We will need to consider the outcome of the 2021 spending review and what this will mean for funding rates beyond the 2021/22 academic year.
[1] This calculation only includes institutions that have students receiving total programme funding. Some institutions receive only high needs funding, their students are not included in this calculation. In addition, the Condition of Funding adjustment for English and maths and the Advanced Maths Premium have been incorporated in total programme funding in 2019/20 to make this consistent with the definition in 2020/21.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will provide additional funding to support trainee and newly-qualified science teachers; what discussions he has had with the Royal Society of Chemistry on that matter; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Early Career Framework (ECF) reforms will create a step change in support for all early career teachers, including early career science teachers, providing a funded entitlement to a structured two year package of high quality professional development. The Royal Society of Chemistry was consulted as the ECF reforms were developed.
All state-funded schools offering statutory induction will receive additional funding to deliver the ECF reforms. The funding will cover 5% off timetable in the second year of induction for all early career teachers to undertake induction activities including training and mentoring. The funding will also cover 20 hours of mentoring across the academic year to allow mentors to support early career teachers in the second year of induction.
It is expected that most schools will use a Department for Education (DfE) funded training provider who will design and deliver a comprehensive programme of face to face and online training to support their early career teachers. Schools using a DfE funded, provider-led programme will also receive additional funding for mentor backfill for time off timetable for training.
In recognition of the challenging initial teacher training and induction that newly qualified teachers (NQTs) have experienced due to the COVID-19 outbreak, all state-funded schools that currently have an NQT who is due to complete induction this summer will be eligible for a one-off payment of funding. This will be the equivalent of an additional 5% off timetable for the next academic year so these teachers have additional time to invest in their development.
The Department offers a £24,000 tax-free bursary to teacher trainees training in the highest priority subjects, including chemistry and physics, along with prestigious tax-free scholarships worth £26,000. The Initial Teacher Training (ITT) scholarship programme provides selected ITT trainees with a range of support during their ITT year and beyond to enhance teaching ability and increase their subject knowledge.
A £7,000 tax-free bursary is also available for biology trainees. All science trainee teachers on tuition fee-funded ITT routes can apply for a tuition fee loan and maintenance loan to support their living costs. Additional student finance is also available depending on individual circumstances, such as the Childcare Grant.
Subject Knowledge Enhancement courses are available in Chemistry, Physics or Biology for ITT candidates who have a conditional offer to gain the depth of knowledge needed to teach their chosen subject.
The Department is also piloting two retention payment schemes for science teachers. The Teachers’ Student Loan Reimbursement Pilot scheme aims to increase recruitment and retention of teachers in physics, chemistry and biology. It allows these teachers in 25 local authorities to claim back student loan repayments for up to 11 years after qualifying. Physics and chemistry teachers who completed ITT in the 2020/21 academic year will also be able to claim Early Career Payments (ECPs) of £2,000 each in the second, third and fourth years of teaching, or uplifted £3,000 ECPs if teaching in one of 39 local authorities.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will issue guidance on covid-19 safety measures for recent 18 year olds who are (a) due to go to University in autumn 2021 and (b) all other recent 18 year olds; what discussions he has had with (i) Directors of Public Health and (ii) relevant higher education and health stakeholders on provision of covid-19 vaccinations at universities; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Michelle Donelan
On 14 July 2021, we updated the higher education (HE) operational guidance for the sector on how HE settings can manage the risks of transmission and outbreaks as students return to campus. This is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/higher-education-reopening-buildings-and-campuses.
This includes advice on testing prior to arrival at university and measures on ventilation and outbreak management.
We routinely engage stakeholders in our plans including via the HE Task Force, involving representatives from across government and the HE sector, which meets to explore the challenges currently facing the sector as it continues to deal with the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak.
We also regularly engage with the Department of Health and Social Care, and we are working with them to ensure students have easy access to vaccinations at university if needed. We expect universities to work closely with their directors of health, especially for the development of outbreak management plans.
The COVID-19 vaccination is now being offered to everyone aged 18 and over, and we strongly encourage all students to take up the opportunity to be vaccinated as soon as possible, to protect themselves and those around them.
Students should register with a GP to be actively invited for a vaccination, though they can easily request to book a COVID-19 vaccine as an unregistered patient. More information on accessing vaccines can be found on the NHS published student frequently asked questions. HE providers should encourage students to consult with this advice, which are available here: https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/wp-content/uploads/sites/52/2021/06/C1317-COVID-19-vaccination-FAQs-students-in-Higher-Education-Institutions-.pdf.
Students and staff should continue to test twice a week, either using home test kits or at an on-site facility throughout the summer break where settings remain open. Testing will pause in settings that are closed.
Students should expect to test before they travel back to university, by ordering a free test online or collection from their local pharmacy. On arrival at university, students should take two lateral flow device tests – either using home test kits or at an on-site testing facility – 3 to 4 days apart. This is to reduce the risk of transmission following the movement of students across the country. Final decisions about testing on return and ongoing regular asymptomatic testing in the autumn term will take into account public health advice. The position will be confirmed in the coming weeks.