Asked by: Cheryl Gillan (Conservative - Chesham and Amersham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the situation relating to covid-19, what plans his Department has to arrange for children with chronic lung conditions to be taken out of school.
Answered by Nick Gibb
COVID-19 is an unprecedented situation and the Department’s highest priority.
We are working closely with colleagues across Government to ensure that all appropriate arrangements, and support, are in place for all Department for Education sectors – from early years and childcare, schools and children’s social care – and for vulnerable groups including children with long-term medical conditions.
Schools should continue to support their pupils’ health needs as normal and let staff and parents know that there is NHS guidance available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-information-for-the-public.
Asked by: Cheryl Gillan (Conservative - Chesham and Amersham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what legal costs have been incurred by the National College for Advanced Transport and Infrastructure formerly known as the National College for High Speed Rail in relation to proceedings on the publication of Ofsted's report on the college.
Answered by Gillian Keegan
The National College for Advanced Transport and Infrastructure is an independent organisation. Legal expenditure is governed and managed by the College itself. Any information about this is likely to be available in the college’s annual accounts once they are published.
Asked by: Cheryl Gillan (Conservative - Chesham and Amersham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the cost has been to the public purse of rebranding the National College for High Speed Rail as the National College for Advanced Transport and Infrastructure.
Answered by Gillian Keegan
?The National College for Advanced Transport and Infrastructure is an independent organisation. While the college has received revenue funding support from the department, its expenditure, including on branding, is governed and managed by the College itself. Any information about on the costs of rebranding are likely to be available in the College’s annual accounts once they are published.
Asked by: Cheryl Gillan (Conservative - Chesham and Amersham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will place copies of the board minutes of the National College for Advanced Transport and Infrastructure and the National College for High Speed Rail in the Library.
Answered by Gillian Keegan
As the National College for Advanced Transport and Infrastructure is an independent organisation outside the control of the department and its agencies, publication of minutes is decided by its own board.
Asked by: Cheryl Gillan (Conservative - Chesham and Amersham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will publish the most recent Ofsted Report into the National College for Advanced Transport and Infrastructure.
Answered by Gillian Keegan
The National College for Advanced Transport and Infrastructure’s latest Ofsted report was published on 24 February 2020. The Further Education Commissioner and the Education and Skills Funding Agency have viewed the report and made recommendations for the college to follow. These supplementary documents were also published on 24 February 2020 and are available to access here: https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/31/144789.
Asked by: Cheryl Gillan (Conservative - Chesham and Amersham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will place in the Library the annual accounts for the National College for High Speed Two, now named the National College for Advanced Transport and Infrastructure.
Answered by Gillian Keegan
The National College for High Speed Rail (NCHSR), now known as the National College for Advanced Transport and Infrastructure (NCATI) is an independent financial organisation outside the control of the department and its agencies and is responsible for the publication of its annual reports and financial statements. The department expects that the college will publish its 2018/19 accounts once signed off by its board. However, the college’s previous annual accounts are already published and available on the college’s website.
Asked by: Cheryl Gillan (Conservative - Chesham and Amersham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for what reasons minutes of the board meetings of the National College for advanced Transport and Infrastructure have not been published since 12 December 2018.
Answered by Gillian Keegan
As the National College for Advanced Transport and Infrastructure is an independent organisation outside the control of the department and its agencies, publication of minutes is decided by its own board in accordance with its governance documents, available on its website.
Asked by: Cheryl Gillan (Conservative - Chesham and Amersham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which Minister authorised the payment of £4.55 million grant to the National College for Advanced Transport and Infrastructure referred to in that organisation's Board Minutes dated 12 December 2018; in what amounts and on what dates that grant was paid; and whether further applications for funding of that organisation have been received by his Department.
Answered by Gillian Keegan
In December 2018, in recognition of the National College for Advanced Transport and Infrastructure’s (NCATI) future potential to deliver high level technical education in the advanced transport industry and understanding the college’s intent to rebrand itself to attract a wider market share, the former Minister of State for Apprenticeships and Skills, the right hon. Anne Milton, approved revenue grant provision to the value of £4.55 million to the National College for High Speed Rail (now known as the NCATI). Payments of this funding were to be allocated as follows:
Financial Year | Funding |
2018-19 | £2 million |
2019-20 | £1.75 million |
2020-21 | £0.8 million |
The forecasted number of learners during the October 2019 intake was lower than expected. As a result, the college was awarded an emergency payment of £600,000, paid in January 2020 to keep it operational, in place of the £800,000 due to be awarded from 1 April 2020. This emergency payment triggered an Education and Skills Funding Agency Financial Notice to Improve and a Further Education Commissioner’s visit, resulting in a recommendation for a Structure and Prospects Appraisal (SPA). An application for further funding (up to a maximum of £1.6 million) has been agreed. This will be paid to the college in monthly installments, on evidence of need, and is to be used for educational purposes only to keep the college operational during the SPA.
Asked by: Cheryl Gillan (Conservative - Chesham and Amersham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many student places the National College for Advanced Transport and Infrastructure has; and how many students have (a) enrolled on, (b) completed and (c) failed to finish or continue their course.
Answered by Michelle Donelan
There are 1200 learner places available at the National College for Advanced Transport and Infrastructure each year. Since it opened in September 2017, there have been 504 enrolments. 99 students have completed their courses and 92 learners withdrew.