Christian Wakeford Portrait

Christian Wakeford

Labour - Bury South

First elected: 12th December 2019

Opposition Whip (Commons)

(since October 2022)



Division Voting information

During the current Parliament, Christian Wakeford has voted in 812 divisions, and 8 times against the majority of their Party.

19 Jan 2021 - Trade Bill - View Vote Context
Christian Wakeford voted No - against a party majority and against the House
One of 34 Conservative No votes vs 319 Conservative Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 319 Noes - 308
1 Dec 2020 - Public Health - View Vote Context
Christian Wakeford voted No - against a party majority and against the House
One of 53 Conservative No votes vs 290 Conservative Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 291 Noes - 78
13 Oct 2020 - Public Health: Coronavirus Regulations - View Vote Context
Christian Wakeford voted No - against a party majority and against the House
One of 42 Conservative No votes vs 298 Conservative Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 299 Noes - 82
17 Jun 2020 - Health and Personal Social Services - View Vote Context
Christian Wakeford voted Aye - against a party majority and in line with the House
One of 104 Conservative Aye votes vs 124 Conservative No votes
Tally: Ayes - 253 Noes - 136
22 Nov 2021 - Health and Care Bill - View Vote Context
Christian Wakeford voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 1 Conservative Aye votes vs 296 Conservative No votes
Tally: Ayes - 194 Noes - 298
22 Nov 2021 - Health and Care Bill - View Vote Context
Christian Wakeford voted No - against a party majority and against the House
One of 19 Conservative No votes vs 269 Conservative Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 272 Noes - 246
14 Dec 2021 - Public Health - View Vote Context
Christian Wakeford voted No - against a party majority and against the House
One of 97 Conservative No votes vs 224 Conservative Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 369 Noes - 126
14 Dec 2021 - Public Health - View Vote Context
Christian Wakeford voted No - against a party majority and against the House
One of 60 Conservative No votes vs 258 Conservative Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 385 Noes - 100
View All Christian Wakeford Division Votes

Debates during the 2019 Parliament

Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.

Sparring Partners
Jacob Rees-Mogg (Conservative)
(26 debate interactions)
Penny Mordaunt (Conservative)
Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
(25 debate interactions)
Boris Johnson (Conservative)
(17 debate interactions)
View All Sparring Partners
Department Debates
Department for Education
(40 debate contributions)
Home Office
(33 debate contributions)
View All Department Debates
View all Christian Wakeford's debates

Bury South Petitions

e-Petitions are administered by Parliament and allow members of the public to express support for a particular issue.

If an e-petition reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will issue a written response.

If an e-petition reaches 100,000 signatures the petition becomes eligible for a Parliamentary debate (usually Monday 4.30pm in Westminster Hall).

Petition Debates Contributed

We want the UK to be neutral in the conflict between Israel and Palestine, and withdraw offers of support for Israel.

We want the Government to seek a ceasefire and also seek to address the root cause of the current conflict by promoting dialogue and advocating for the end of Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

The UK Government should urge the Israeli Government to stop the blockade of Food, Fuel and Electricity to the already impoverished city of Gaza

No general statutory duty of care exists in HE. Yet, a duty of care is owed to students, and the Government should legislate for this. HE providers should know what their duty is. Students must know what they can expect. Parents expect their children to be safe at university.

There is no excuse for the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to continue to effectively fund the slaughter of bears for ceremonial headgear since an indistinguishable alternative has been produced, which is waterproof, and mimics real bear fur in appearance and performance.

Endometriosis and PCOS are two gynaecological conditions which both affect 10% of women worldwide, but both are, in terms of research and funding, incredibly under prioritised. This petition is calling for more funding, to enable for new, extensive and thorough research into female health issues.

Recognise the state of Palestine to help stop the conflict from Israel. Not recognising the Palestinian state allows Israel to continue their persecution of the Palestinians.

The Government should introduce sanctions against Israel, including blocking all trade, and in particular arms.

Every year more and more people, animals and wildlife get hurt by fireworks. It’s time something was fine to stop this. There are enough organised firework groups around for us to still enjoy fireworks safely so please help me stop the needless sale of them to the public!


Latest EDMs signed by Christian Wakeford

18th May 2022
Christian Wakeford signed this EDM on Wednesday 25th May 2022

Implementation of the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review recommendations

Tabled by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Fleetwood)
That this House notes that sodium valproate can cause serious problems in a developing baby; further notes that 10 percent of babies whose mothers take sodium valproate during pregnancy are at risk of having a birth defect, and up to 40 percent have problems with development and learning as they …
27 signatures
(Most recent: 26 Oct 2023)
Signatures by party:
Labour: 15
Scottish National Party: 5
Plaid Cymru: 3
Social Democratic & Labour Party: 1
Liberal Democrat: 1
Democratic Unionist Party: 1
Conservative: 1
Independent: 1
16th May 2022
Christian Wakeford signed this EDM on Friday 20th May 2022

Dame Deborah James

Tabled by: Tracey Crouch (Conservative - Chatham and Aylesford)
That this House congratulates Dame Deborah James on her richly deserved Damehood; recognises her phenomenal fundraising efforts through the BowelBabe Fund for Cancer Research UK; thanks her, Lauren Mahon, the late Rachael Bland and Steve Bland for raising awareness and talking openly about cancer in the podcast You, Me & …
22 signatures
(Most recent: 12 Jul 2022)
Signatures by party:
Labour: 11
Conservative: 4
Independent: 3
Democratic Unionist Party: 1
Alba Party: 1
Scottish National Party: 1
Green Party: 1
View All Christian Wakeford's signed Early Day Motions

Commons initiatives

These initiatives were driven by Christian Wakeford, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.

MPs who are act as Ministers or Shadow Ministers are generally restricted from performing Commons initiatives other than Urgent Questions.


1 Urgent Question tabled by Christian Wakeford

Thursday 13th October 2022

2 Adjournment Debates led by Christian Wakeford

Thursday 6th January 2022
Thursday 10th June 2021

Christian Wakeford has not introduced any legislation before Parliament


Latest 50 Written Questions

(View all written questions)
Written Questions can be tabled by MPs and Lords to request specific information information on the work, policy and activities of a Government Department
6 Other Department Questions
19th Feb 2024
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps her Department is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help reduce barriers to (a) education and (b) employment for women and girls.

The Government has taken wide ranging action to ensure everyone, regardless of their sex, can take advantage of the same opportunities in both education and employment, some examples are outlined here.

To prevent girls from missing school due to the cost of period products the DfE funds a period product scheme which provides free period products to pupils and students. The scheme covers all state-funded schools with female learners in year 5 or above and DfE-funded 16-19 education organisations in England. Since the scheme’s launch in January 2022, 99% of secondary schools, 94% of 16-19 education organisations and 75% of primary schools have placed an order for products.

To increase the take up of computer science qualifications the DfE have invested in the National Centre for Computing Education (NCCE), which supports the ‘I Belong’ programme, available to secondary schools. Focused on Key Stage 3, ‘I Belong’ aims to improve schools’ awareness of the barriers to girls’ engagement with computing so they are better able to remove them.

The Government also supports the STEM Ambassadors programme, a nationwide network of 30,000 registered volunteers from over 7,000 STEM and related employers. Approximately 48% of Ambassadors are women and 17% are from minority ethnic backgrounds, providing young people with a variety of role models, and encouraging increasing numbers of girls to take STEM subjects.

To make sure these gains are not lost as women move from education into employment, the Government has enhanced several legal protections which particularly benefit women, including; enhancing flexible working, extending redundancy protection for those on maternity leave, introducing carers leave, and strengthening the protections against harassment in the workplace.

Maria Caulfield
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
19th Feb 2024
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what recent progress her Department has made on promoting women's representation in leadership positions within (a) Government, (b) local government and (c) business.

The Prime Minister has made clear his commitment to greater representation at the highest levels of Government, having appointed many talented women to his cabinet, and in ministerial positions. When it comes to local government, political parties are responsible for their candidate selection and should be leading the way in improving the diversity of representation. I am aware that most national parties provide additional support to women looking to become candidates.

Turning to business, almost 40% of UK FTSE 100 board positions are now held by women. To continue this progress, the Government supports the FTSE Women Leaders Review - which is independent, voluntary and business-led. The review uses data transparency to support talented, diverse leadership in the UK’s top companies. Now in its third stage, it continues to set stretching targets for firms to ensure a diverse pipeline of talent.

This Government is fully committed to ensuring that everyone, regardless of their background, has the opportunity to reach their full potential.

Maria Caulfield
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
19th Feb 2024
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps her Department is taking to (a) tackle the gender pay gap and (b) promote equal pay for equal work.

In 2017 we introduced mandatory gender pay gap reporting for large employers, building on the robust equal pay protections we already have in the Equality Act. This has motivated employers to look at their pay data and improve workplace equality; including routing out instances of unequal pay.

The national gender pay gap has fallen by approximately a quarter in the last decade; however, we are not complacent. To accelerate progress we are ensuring that people can balance their work and home lives. To this end we have supported legislation to: enhance flexible working, extend redundancy protection for those on maternity leave, and introduce carers leave. We have also announced the single biggest investment in childcare in England ever, in order to help working families with their childcare costs.

Maria Caulfield
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
19th Oct 2023
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what progress her Department has made on bringing forward legislative proposals to ban conversion therapy.

No one in this country should be harmed or harassed for who they are and attempts at so-called ‘conversion therapy’ are abhorrent. That is why we are carefully considering this very complex issue. We will be setting out further details on this in due course.

Stuart Andrew
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
8th Jul 2021
To ask the President for COP26, whether the Government plans to raise the climate and environmental impact of global intensive animal agriculture in its climate mitigation discussions with world leaders at the COP26 summit.

As COP26 Presidency, we are calling for global ambition and action to reduce emissions across all sectors, in order to meet net zero by 2050 – including in agriculture, forestry and other land use, which is collectively responsible for 23% of global emissions.

We have already seized the opportunities of our G7 and COP26 Presidencies to drive international action and commitments on sustainable agriculture. The G7 Leaders’ Summit was a critical point as we work towards COP26. The G7 leaders committed to achieve net zero no later than 2050, with deep emissions reduction targets in the 2020s – consistent with keeping 1.5 degrees within reach. The G7 Leaders also acknowledged the harmful effects of some subsidies on the environment and the need to reform policies with recognised impacts on nature – and committed to work to accelerate an inclusive global transition to sustainable and climate resilient agriculture.

Together with the World Bank, we are co-hosting an international Policy Dialogue on the ‘Transition to Sustainable Agriculture through redirecting public policies and support and scaling innovation’. Through the Dialogue, we are developing a Policy Action Agenda on the transition to sustainable agriculture.

Alok Sharma
COP26 President (Cabinet Office)
30th Sep 2020
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, when his Department plans to publish an updated list of Parliamentary Private Secretaries.

The full list of Parliamentary Private Secretaries, updated 1 October 2020, can be found on gov.uk.

Julia Lopez
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
27th Apr 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to support nuclear technology companies.

The Government provides a range of support to nuclear technology companies. This includes:

  • Investment of £700m to develop the Sizewell C project;
  • Grant schemes such as the up to £120m Future Nuclear Enabling Fund and up to £75m Nuclear Fuel Fund to support, respectively, new nuclear projects and the UK’s nuclear fuel supply chain;
  • R&D initiatives like the up to £385m Advanced Nuclear Fund that funds Small Modular Reactor (SMR) and Advanced Modular Reactor development. Up to £210m of this is helping to develop Rolls Royce’s SMR design; and
  • Launching Great British Nuclear to drive delivery of new nuclear projects.
Andrew Bowie
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
19th Feb 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to promote (a) innovation and (b) research and development in (i) technology, (ii) green energy, (iii) healthcare and (iv) other key sectors of the economy.

The Government is working to unleash the power of research & development and innovation across the economy - backed by the highest-ever levels of public spending on R&D, which will rise to £20 billion in 2024/25. As set out in our recent Science and Technology Framework update, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology is removing barriers to success in technology-led sectors such as, telecoms, life sciences, and space.

Andrew Griffith
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
16th Dec 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the decision of 14 December 2021 by the UK ETS Authority not to intervene in the UK Emissions Trading Scheme after the cost containment mechanism was triggered, what assessment he has made of the compatibility of that decision with the Government's policy on support for industry in an energy transition to a low carbon economy; and what the criteria are for intervention by the UK ETS Authority to be approved.

The UK ETS Authority determined that a decision to not intervene on this occasion would uphold the objectives of the UK ETS as a market-based approach to reducing emissions and incentivising participants to find the most cost-effective solutions to decarbonise. The Government has set up multiple funding streams to support industry’s transition to net zero, including the Industrial Energy Transformation Fund worth £315 million and £1 billion set aside for the Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage Fund.

Should the CCM be triggered again, the UK ETS Authority will consider up to date evidence from the market that enables a decision to be taken based on the most relevant factors affecting UK ETS allowance prices at that time.

Greg Hands
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
30th Jun 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the opportunities to create new, highly skilled jobs through the decarbonisation of the UK steel industry.

Levelling up and ensuring high-quality employment across every region of the UK is a key element in the Government’s Plan for Growth. It is estimated that the UK low-carbon economy could grow more than four times faster than the rest of the economy between 2015 and 2030 and support up to 2 million jobs. The Government will ensure that the benefits of our growing low-carbon economy are shared fairly in every region.

The Steel Council offers the forum for government, industry and trade unions to work in partnership on the shared objective of creating an achievable, long-term plan to support the sector’s transition to a competitive, sustainable and low carbon future. The UK steel sector will be given the opportunity to bid into industrial fuel switching innovation programmes under the £1bn NZIP portfolio, which is intended to promote switching away from more carbon-intensive fuel sources. The Government has also announced a £250 million Clean Steel Fund to support the UK steel sector to transition to lower carbon iron and steel production, through investment in new technologies and processes.

30th Jun 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the opportunities for hydrogen-based steelmaking projects to help level up the UK.

The Industrial Decarbonisation Strategy, published on 17 March, commits to work with the newly constituted Steel Council to consider the implications of the recommendation of the Climate Change Committee to ‘set targets for ore-based steelmaking to reach near-zero emissions by 2035’.

Hydrogen-based steelmaking, CCUS (carbon capture, utilisation and storage),

and electrification are some of the technological approaches being examined as part of this process. The Steel Council offers the forum for government, industry and trade unions to work in partnership on the shared objective of creating an achievable, long-term plan to support the sector’s transition to a competitive, sustainable and low carbon future.

In order to support these efforts, the Government has announced a £250 million Clean Steel Fund to support the UK steel sector to transition to lower carbon iron and steel production, through investment in new technologies and processes. The decarbonisation of the steel sector and industry more widely will also be supported through the £1 billion CCUS Infrastructure Fund (CIF) and £240m Net-Zero Hydrogen Fund.

30th Jun 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he plans to publish the Hydrogen Strategy; and (b) and whether that strategy will be backed by funding to launch and expand new hydrogen projects in the UK.

My Rt hon Friend the Prime Minister’s 10 Point Plan and Energy White Paper confirmed our commitment to publish the UK’s first ever Hydrogen Strategy.

The Strategy will set out how we intend to meet our aim, working with industry, to deliver 5GW of low carbon hydrogen production capacity by 2030 for use across the economy.

Alongside this, we will consult on the design and delivery of the £240m Net Zero Hydrogen Fund (NZHF) for co-investment in new low carbon hydrogen production and on our preferred hydrogen business model to overcome the cost gap between low carbon hydrogen and higher carbon counterfactuals fuels. As set out in the 10 Point Plan these are some of the key measures to bring through low carbon hydrogen projects and support the 2030 ambition.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan
Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
30th Jun 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the future abilities of hydrogen projects such as HyNet in the North West to help decarbonise (a) the UK’s steel sector and (b) other heavy industries.

The Industrial Decarbonisation Strategy, published on 17 March 2021, sets out how industry can decarbonise in line with net zero, while remaining competitive and without pushing emissions abroad. This strategy marks the beginning of a process which will see wide deployment of key abatement technologies across industry, and refinement of Government’s policy approach to incentivise and support decarbonisation.

Hydrogen has significant potential for decarbonising industry across many different processes and sectors. We are supporting the scale up of low carbon hydrogen production, for use across the economy, through schemes such as the £240m Net Zero Hydrogen Fund. There will be further discussion of the role of hydrogen in decarbonising industry in the forthcoming Hydrogen Strategy.

UK steel plays a critical role in the economy as a foundation industry and the Government remains committed to the steel industry and it having a decarbonised future, supporting local economic growth and our levelling-up agenda. Hydrogen-based steelmaking is one of the possible decarbonisation pathways for the steel sector that is being considered.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan
Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
25th Jun 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent discussions officials in his Department have had with colleagues in the Home Office and the Treasury on the shortage of door supervisor staff available to work in the night time economy sector.

We regularly engage with hospitality businesses and are aware of their concerns to understand the issue of a shortage of door security staff. We are working with Home Office, who are responsible for the policy on the regulation of the private sector security industry, including door supervisors, to keep the situation under review and assess the scale of the problem.

29th Sep 2020
What steps his Department is taking to tackle climate change.

We are taking action now to meet our net zero target by delivering world-leading clean growth. This year, the government has set out over £5 billion for our low-carbon economy. We will be bringing forward sectoral decarbonisation plans, including an Energy White Paper, to stay on track as we lead global climate action through our COP26 and G7 Presidencies.

Amanda Solloway
Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
28th Apr 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy what steps his Department is taking to restrict the availability of firework sales on high streets.

The sale of fireworks is already restricted to seasonal periods unless a retailer is specifically licensed by their Local Authority to sell outside those periods.

Without a licence, retailers can only sell fireworks from 15th October to 10th November; the 3 days prior to and including Chinese New Year, Diwali; and the 6 days up to and including New Year. There is also a ban on the sale of fireworks to any person under the age of 18.

There are no plans for further restrictions.

28th Apr 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps the Government is taking to (a) prevent and (b) tackle firework noise complaints during the covid-19 lockdown.

The Government expects the public to use fireworks in a responsible and law-abiding way and to be considerate of their neighbours, particularly during the response to CoVid19.

The law sets noise limits for fireworks, available for consumers to buy. There is also a curfew on their use between 11pm and 7am, except for 5th November, Diwali, New Year and Chinese New Year when this is extended to 12 am and 1 am.

Local Authorities are continuing to deal with any noise complaints during this period including any caused by inconsiderate use of fireworks.

28th Apr 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy what steps he is taking to establish lower noise level fireworks at (a) public events and (b) on private property.

Existing legislation limits noise from fireworks available to consumers to a maximum of 120 decibels.

The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) has engaged with a wide range of views to develop a fact-based evidence base on the key issues that have been raised around fireworks including noise, as well as anti-social behaviour, non-compliance, environmental impact, and the impact on humans and animals. This builds a full picture of the data around fireworks in order to identify whether any further action is appropriate.

6th Jan 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent progress her Department has made on improving online safety.

The Online Safety Bill will drive a step-change in online safety by holding tech companies to account.

Following the conclusion of the pre-legislative scrutiny of the draft Bill, we are carefully considering the Joint Committee’s recommendations and thank the Committee for its work.

The Government is committed to introducing the Bill as soon as possible.

Chris Philp
Minister of State (Home Office)
15th Oct 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the self-regulatory approach used for alcohol marketing and its effectiveness of protecting children from exposure to alcohol marketing.

UK Government has measures in place to protect children and young people from alcohol advertisements. Material in the Committee of Advertising Practice and Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice Codes (CAP and BCAP codes) relating to the advertising and marketing of alcohol products is exceptionally robust and to date, very effective.

The government, along with regulators, recognises the social imperative of ensuring that alcohol advertising is responsible and in particular that children and young people are suitably protected. If new evidence emerges that clearly highlights major problems with the existing Codes, then the Advertising Standards Authority has a duty to revisit the Codes and take appropriate action.

Julia Lopez
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
9th Jun 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps the Government is taking with telecommunications companies to provide IT equipment for people who are isolated, with no access to a phone or computer.

My Department has been promoting the DevicesDotNow campaign, which is working with community organisations to distribute devices to vulnerable adults and help them get online. As part of this, I have also written to a number of industry Chief Executives of organisations to ask them to donate devices and funding to the DevicesDotNow campaign. to help vulnerable and digitally excluded adults.The aim is to enable elderly and vulnerable people, particularly those who are shielding, to communicate with the outside world and get access to vital services.

As part of Government’s response to Covid-19, we have already agreed a package of measures with the UK’s major fixed and mobile providers to support and protect consumers with their connectivity needs. This package was agreed on 29 March 2020, with further companies signing up on 18 May. As part of the commitments, providers have agreed to provide new and generous offers to their vulnerable customers, ranging from free mobile data boosts to free landline calls.

19th Feb 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what fiscal steps she is taking to support (a) training programmes, (b) apprenticeships and (c) other efforts to promote (i) job creation and (ii) skills development in Bury South constituency.

The government is committed to creating a world leading skills system which is employer-focused, high quality and fit for the future. The government’s reforms are strengthening higher education (HE) and further education (FE) to help more people get good jobs and upskill and retrain throughout their lives, as well as to improve national productivity and economic growth. The government’s reforms are backed with an additional investment of £3.8 billion over the course of this Parliament to strengthen HE and FE.

This additional funding will help providers such as those in Bury to deliver high quality education and training.

Bury College serves the Bury South constituency and received £25.3 million to deliver learning and skills training programmes in 2022/23 for 16 to18 year olds and apprentices for local employers. Bury College has also received capital investment of over £12 million since 2019.

Bury College offers a wide range of post-16 education and training from pre-entry level qualifications, A levels, T Levels, vocational courses at Levels 1 to 3, and apprenticeships in health and public services, business administration, engineering, retail and commercial enterprise, and education and training. It also has a University Centre and works in partnership with several local universities to deliver a range of HE courses at Higher National Diploma, Foundation Degree and Degree level to the local community. Bury College also receives funding for adult education programmes via Greater Manchester Combined Authority.

Bury College is a partner of the Greater Manchester Institute of Technology, led by The University of Salford, and has received £1.353 million of funding for refurbishments and specialist equipment in Heath Innovation, Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, Enterprise and Sports provision. Bury College will account for 25% of all learners at the Institute of Technology. This equates to approximately 200 learners in 2023/24.

The area is also served by Holy Cross College, a Catholic sixth form college, which received £12.89 million to deliver learning programmes for 16 to18 year olds in 2022/23. It delivers a largely academic Level 3 programme and a small Level 2 cohort. Holy Cross College has a University Centre delivering HE both through a direct contract with Office for Students and in partnership with Liverpool Hope University.

The department is increasing investment in the apprenticeships system in England to £2.7 billion by 2024/25 to support employers of all sizes and in all areas of the country, including Bury South, to grow their businesses with the skilled apprentices they need. Since 2010, there have been 11,380 apprenticeship starts in Bury South.

The department has introduced the Free Courses for Jobs scheme which enables eligible adults to gain a qualification for free. Residents in Bury can access provision in a range of sector subject areas delivered through colleges and training providers in the area.

In addition, the department has also introduced Skills Bootcamps, which are free, flexible courses of up to 16 weeks, giving people the opportunity to build up sector-specific skills and fast track to an interview with an employer. In each of the 2023/24 and 2024/25 financial years, the department has allocated £7.5 million to Greater Manchester Combined Authority to deliver Skills Bootcamps in the Greater Manchester area, including in Bury South via grant funding.

T Levels will equip more young people with the skills, knowledge and experience to access skilled employment or further study. From September 2023, 18 T Levels will be available and will be delivered through nearly 300 providers across all regions of the country. Bury college is delivering T Levels in business administration, legal, financial, and accounting, education and childcare, and health and engineering in 2023/24. The college intends to introduce further T Levels in catering and hospitality, construction and the built environment, creative and digital, and hair and beauty in 2024/25.

Robert Halfon
Minister of State (Education)
19th Sep 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 14 September 2023 to Question 198639 on Childcare, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure the adequacy of (a) trained staff, (b) safe premises and (c) registered places in Bury North constituency by the start of September 2025 to offer eligible children aged nine months and above access to 30 hours a week of free childcare for 38 weeks each year until the end of the term before they start primary school.

Having enough staff in place to deliver high-quality education and care will be key to ensuring the successful delivery of our record expansion of early years entitlements. Driving up interest in early years careers and ensuring there are enough opportunities for career development is a priority for this government.

In the government’s Spring Budget 2023, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced transformative reforms to childcare for parents, children and the economy. By 2027/28, this 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 single biggest investment in childcare in England ever.

The department is developing a range of new workforce initiatives including the launch of a new national campaign, planned for the beginning of 2024, to boost interest in the sector and support the recruitment and retention of talented staff. To increase interest in early years, we are working to remove unnecessary barriers to entering the sector as well as considering how to make early years qualifications more accessible, coordinated and relevant.

Over the summer the department launched a competition for Early Years Skills Bootcamps with a pathway to an accelerated level 3 Early Years Educator apprenticeship, and we will consider degree apprenticeship routes so everyone from junior staff to senior leaders can easily move into or indeed enhance their career in the sector. We are also working across government to boost early years career awareness by collaborating with the Department for Work and Pensions and Careers & Enterprise Company to promote the importance and value of a career in early years.

Regarding safe premises, with a growing number of staff joining the sector, the safety of our youngest children remains as important as ever. All new and existing early years providers must keep children safe and promote their welfare. The Early Years Foundation Stage statutory framework sets the standards that all early years providers in England must meet to ensure that children are kept healthy and safe. More information can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1170108/EYFS_framework_from_September_2023.pdf.

Under these requirements, all owners and managers of childcare settings have a responsibility to ensure that their premises, including overall floor space and outdoor spaces, are fit for purpose and suitable for the age of children cared for and the activities provided on the premises. All providers must also comply with the requirements of health and safety legislation, including fire safety and hygiene requirements. At all times when children are present, at least one person who has a current paediatric first aid certificate must be on the premises.

Under Section 6 of the Childcare Act 2006, local authorities are responsible for ensuring that the provision of childcare is sufficient to meet the requirements of parents in their area. Part B of the Early education and childcare statutory guidance for local authorities highlights that local authorities should report annually to elected council members on how they are meeting their duty to secure sufficient childcare, and to make this report available and accessible to parents. More information can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-education-and-childcare--2.

The Department has regular contact with each local authority in England about their sufficiency of childcare and any issues they are facing. Where local authorities report sufficiency challenges, we discuss what action the local authority is taking to address those issues and where needed support the local authority with any specific requirements through our childcare sufficiency support contract.

David Johnston
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
19th Sep 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 14 September 2023 to Question 198639 on Childcare, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure the adequacy of (a) trained staff, (b) safe premises and (c) registered places in Bury South constituency by the start of September 2025 to offer eligible children aged nine months and above access to 30 hours a week of free childcare for 38 weeks each year until the end of the term before they start primary school.

Having enough staff in place to deliver high-quality education and care will be key to ensuring the successful delivery of our record expansion of early years entitlements. Driving up interest in early years careers and ensuring there are enough opportunities for career development is a priority for this government.

In the government’s Spring Budget 2023, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced transformative reforms to childcare for parents, children and the economy. By 2027/28, this 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 single biggest investment in childcare in England ever.

The department is developing a range of new workforce initiatives including the launch of a new national campaign, planned for the beginning of 2024, to boost interest in the sector and support the recruitment and retention of talented staff. To increase interest in early years, we are working to remove unnecessary barriers to entering the sector as well as considering how to make early years qualifications more accessible, coordinated and relevant.

Over the summer the department launched a competition for Early Years Skills Bootcamps with a pathway to an accelerated level 3 Early Years Educator apprenticeship, and we will consider degree apprenticeship routes so everyone from junior staff to senior leaders can easily move into or indeed enhance their career in the sector. We are also working across government to boost early years career awareness by collaborating with the Department for Work and Pensions and Careers & Enterprise Company to promote the importance and value of a career in early years.

Regarding safe premises, with a growing number of staff joining the sector, the safety of our youngest children remains as important as ever. All new and existing early years providers must keep children safe and promote their welfare. The Early Years Foundation Stage statutory framework sets the standards that all early years providers in England must meet to ensure that children are kept healthy and safe. More information can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1170108/EYFS_framework_from_September_2023.pdf.

Under these requirements, all owners and managers of childcare settings have a responsibility to ensure that their premises, including overall floor space and outdoor spaces, are fit for purpose and suitable for the age of children cared for and the activities provided on the premises. All providers must also comply with the requirements of health and safety legislation, including fire safety and hygiene requirements. At all times when children are present, at least one person who has a current paediatric first aid certificate must be on the premises.

Under Section 6 of the Childcare Act 2006, local authorities are responsible for ensuring that the provision of childcare is sufficient to meet the requirements of parents in their area. Part B of the Early education and childcare statutory guidance for local authorities highlights that local authorities should report annually to elected council members on how they are meeting their duty to secure sufficient childcare, and to make this report available and accessible to parents. More information can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-education-and-childcare--2.

The Department has regular contact with each local authority in England about their sufficiency of childcare and any issues they are facing. Where local authorities report sufficiency challenges, we discuss what action the local authority is taking to address those issues and where needed support the local authority with any specific requirements through our childcare sufficiency support contract.

David Johnston
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
6th Jul 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the National Tutoring Programme.

Since 2020, the National Tutoring Programme (NTP) has delivered over 3 million courses of tutoring to pupils most in need of catch up following the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic. There is extensive evidence that tutoring is one of the most effective ways to accelerate academic progress. This is why the Department is providing more than £1 billion for tutoring, so that pupils can catch up through accessing high quality tuition.

The Year 2 Implementation and Process Evaluation report explored the implementation of the NTP, particularly the School Led Tutoring (SLT) route, which was new in the 2021/22 academic year. It also explored teacher and leader perceptions of whether the NTP has affected workloads, the effect of the NTP on pupil premium spend on tutoring, reasons for non engagement in the NTP overall or its individual routes, and perceptions of impact on pupils, staff and schools.

The Year 2 Implementation and Process evaluation report was published in October 2022 and is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-tutoring-programme-year-2-implementation-and-process-evaluation.

The Year 2 Implementation and Process Evaluation report found most school leaders were satisfied with the NTP programme overall, and with the individual routes they were participating in. It found that all three routes of the NTP were perceived by head teachers to be having a positive effect on pupils’ attainment, self-confidence, and helping them catch up with their peers. It also found that most schools were prioritising pupil premium eligible pupils for tutoring across all routes.

The Year 2 Implementation and Process Evaluation compliments a quantitative impact evaluation, which explores the impact of NTP in its second year on educational attainment outcomes for pupils. This is due to be published in the autumn, alongside the Year 3 Implementation and Process Evaluation.

11th Nov 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help improve young people’s understanding of buy-now-pay-later schemes.

Education on financial matters helps to ensure that young people are prepared to manage their money well, make sound financial decisions and know where to seek further information when needed.

Finance education forms part of the citizenship National Curriculum, at Key Stages 3 and 4, but can be taught by all schools at all Key Stages. Citizenship covers the functions and uses of money; the importance of personal budgeting; money management; and managing financial risk. At secondary school, pupils are taught information on income and expenditure; credit and debt; insurance, savings and pensions; financial products and services and the need to understand financial risk, including any emerging financial trends. Further information can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/national-curriculum.

The current mathematics curriculum at primary level includes financial education and relevant skills, including calculations with money and using percentages, which provides young people with the knowledge and financial skills to make important financial decisions. The secondary mathematics curriculum develops pupils’ understanding and skills in relation to more complex personal finance issues, such as calculating loan repayments, interest rates and compound interest.

The Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) published financial education guidance for primary and secondary schools in England in November 2021, to support school leaders to enhance their financial education provision. The guidance is available at: https://maps.org.uk/2021/11/11/financial-education-guidance-for-primary-and-secondary-schools-in-england/. This guidance includes links to quality assured resources for schools, including content and activities on cryptocurrencies and buy now, pay later schemes. It also sets out the knowledge and skills pupils need to protect their personal data, critically evaluate online content and identify scams.

The Department is working with MaPS on a series of joint financial education webinars during the 2022/23 academic year, to help both primary and secondary schools, to improve pupils’ skills and knowledge and build teachers’ confidence in this area.

11th Nov 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the disparities in (a) access to and (b) quality of financial education in primary schools.

Financial education is taught within the compulsory mathematics curriculum at primary level, which provides young people with the knowledge to make important financial decisions. There is a strong emphasis on the essential arithmetic that pupils should be taught. This is vital, as a strong grasp of arithmetic will underpin pupils’ ability to manage budgets and money, including, for example, using percentages. The mathematics curriculum also includes specific content on financial education, such as calculations with money.

Primary schools can also teach financial education through citizenship. Although this is not part of the national curriculum until Key Stage 3, the Department has published a non-statutory citizenship curriculum for Key Stages 1 and 2, to support schools in ensuring that pupils are taught how to look after their money and realise that future wants and needs may be met through saving. There also is a wide range of resources available for schools, including the Money and Pension Service’s (MaPS) financial education guidance for primary and secondary schools in England, which can be found here: https://maps.org.uk/2021/11/11/financial-education-guidance-for-primary-and-secondary-schools-in-england/.

The Department does not monitor financial education in primary schools, but it continues to work with MaPS and HM Treasury to consider the evidence and explore opportunities to promote the importance of financial education to schools. To this end, the Department is currently working with MaPS on a series of joint financial education webinars during this academic year, to promote the importance of financial education to school leaders of primary and secondary schools, and to build teachers’ confidence in this area.

11th Nov 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of adding financial education to the primary school national curriculum.

Financial education is taught within the compulsory mathematics curriculum at primary level, which provides young people with the knowledge to make important financial decisions. There is a strong emphasis on the essential arithmetic that pupils should be taught. This is vital, as a strong grasp of arithmetic will underpin pupils’ ability to manage budgets and money, including, for example, using percentages. The mathematics curriculum also includes specific content on financial education, such as calculations with money.

Primary schools can also teach financial education through citizenship. Although this is not part of the national curriculum until Key Stage 3, the Department has published a non-statutory citizenship curriculum for Key Stages 1 and 2, to support schools in ensuring that pupils are taught how to look after their money and realise that future wants and needs may be met through saving. There also is a wide range of resources available for schools, including the Money and Pension Service’s (MaPS) financial education guidance for primary and secondary schools in England, which can be found here: https://maps.org.uk/2021/11/11/financial-education-guidance-for-primary-and-secondary-schools-in-england/.

The Department does not monitor financial education in primary schools, but it continues to work with MaPS and HM Treasury to consider the evidence and explore opportunities to promote the importance of financial education to schools. To this end, the Department is currently working with MaPS on a series of joint financial education webinars during this academic year, to promote the importance of financial education to school leaders of primary and secondary schools, and to build teachers’ confidence in this area.

15th Oct 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the findings of the survey by Team Teach on the Hidden Education Challenges during the Pandemic, whether he is taking steps to tackle behavioural matters arising in schools as a result of the measures taken to combat the covid-19 outbreak.

Attending school or college in person plays a central role in promoting well-being for pupils. The department is pursuing an ambitious programme of work to improve behaviour in schools and to improve the mental health and well-being of pupils and teachers.

The department’s £10 million behaviour hubs programme, launched in April, is projected to support more than 500 schools over 3 years. It will support schools to learn from the best in developing excellent behaviour cultures. In June 2021, the department also launched a call for evidence on managing good behaviour and how schools’ behaviour policies have changed in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. This evidence will be considered alongside a public consultation later this year on the Behaviour and Discipline in Schools guidance. The guidance will provide practical advice to schools about how to encourage good behaviour and respond effectively to incidents of poor behaviour in and out of the classroom and support staff in tackling behavioural issues that have arisen from COVID-19.

The department’s mental health and behaviour guidance for schools includes specific information about supporting pupils’ mental health and wellbeing: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mental-health-and-behaviour-in-schools--2. This is in addition to the £79 million to boost children and young people’s mental health support announced in March 2021, which will include increasing the number of Mental Health Support Teams in schools and colleges to around 400, covering an estimated 3 million children and young people by 2023.

To provide further support for staff dealing with children and young people experiencing additional pressures from the last year, including trauma, anxiety, or grief, the government announced the £7 million additional funding for local authorities to deliver Wellbeing for Education Recovery programme in May 2021. Alongside this, we are providing £9.5 million to train a Senior Mental Health lead in up to 7,800 schools and colleges in England in this academic year; and funding an adapted ‘Link’ programme which is designed to improve partnerships between health and education leaders in local areas.

15th Oct 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of increasing the provision of pastoral and behaviour support available to (a) pupils, (b) education staff and (c) parents.

Attending school or college in person plays a central role in promoting well-being for pupils. The department is pursuing an ambitious programme of work to improve behaviour in schools and to improve the mental health and well-being of pupils and teachers.

The department’s £10 million behaviour hubs programme, launched in April, is projected to support more than 500 schools over 3 years. It will support schools to learn from the best in developing excellent behaviour cultures. In June 2021, the department also launched a call for evidence on managing good behaviour and how schools’ behaviour policies have changed in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. This evidence will be considered alongside a public consultation later this year on the Behaviour and Discipline in Schools guidance. The guidance will provide practical advice to schools about how to encourage good behaviour and respond effectively to incidents of poor behaviour in and out of the classroom and support staff in tackling behavioural issues that have arisen from COVID-19.

The department’s mental health and behaviour guidance for schools includes specific information about supporting pupils’ mental health and wellbeing: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mental-health-and-behaviour-in-schools--2. This is in addition to the £79 million to boost children and young people’s mental health support announced in March 2021, which will include increasing the number of Mental Health Support Teams in schools and colleges to around 400, covering an estimated 3 million children and young people by 2023.

To provide further support for staff dealing with children and young people experiencing additional pressures from the last year, including trauma, anxiety, or grief, the government announced the £7 million additional funding for local authorities to deliver Wellbeing for Education Recovery programme in May 2021. Alongside this, we are providing £9.5 million to train a Senior Mental Health lead in up to 7,800 schools and colleges in England in this academic year; and funding an adapted ‘Link’ programme which is designed to improve partnerships between health and education leaders in local areas.

15th Oct 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the findings of the survey by Team Teach on the Hidden Education Challenges during the Pandemic, what recent assessment he has made of the impact of new behaviours and the emergence of new behaviour trends on (a) pupils' and teachers' mental health and (b) teaching.

Attending school or college in person plays a central role in promoting well-being for pupils. The department is pursuing an ambitious programme of work to improve behaviour in schools and to improve the mental health and well-being of pupils and teachers.

The department’s £10 million behaviour hubs programme, launched in April, is projected to support more than 500 schools over 3 years. It will support schools to learn from the best in developing excellent behaviour cultures. In June 2021, the department also launched a call for evidence on managing good behaviour and how schools’ behaviour policies have changed in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. This evidence will be considered alongside a public consultation later this year on the Behaviour and Discipline in Schools guidance. The guidance will provide practical advice to schools about how to encourage good behaviour and respond effectively to incidents of poor behaviour in and out of the classroom and support staff in tackling behavioural issues that have arisen from COVID-19.

The department’s mental health and behaviour guidance for schools includes specific information about supporting pupils’ mental health and wellbeing: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mental-health-and-behaviour-in-schools--2. This is in addition to the £79 million to boost children and young people’s mental health support announced in March 2021, which will include increasing the number of Mental Health Support Teams in schools and colleges to around 400, covering an estimated 3 million children and young people by 2023.

To provide further support for staff dealing with children and young people experiencing additional pressures from the last year, including trauma, anxiety, or grief, the government announced the £7 million additional funding for local authorities to deliver Wellbeing for Education Recovery programme in May 2021. Alongside this, we are providing £9.5 million to train a Senior Mental Health lead in up to 7,800 schools and colleges in England in this academic year; and funding an adapted ‘Link’ programme which is designed to improve partnerships between health and education leaders in local areas.

15th Oct 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment his Department has made of the impact of the covid-19 outbreak on pupil behaviour (a) in schools and (b) at home.

Attending school or college in person plays a central role in promoting well-being for pupils. The department is pursuing an ambitious programme of work to improve behaviour in schools and to improve the mental health and well-being of pupils and teachers.

The department’s £10 million behaviour hubs programme, launched in April, is projected to support more than 500 schools over 3 years. It will support schools to learn from the best in developing excellent behaviour cultures. In June 2021, the department also launched a call for evidence on managing good behaviour and how schools’ behaviour policies have changed in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. This evidence will be considered alongside a public consultation later this year on the Behaviour and Discipline in Schools guidance. The guidance will provide practical advice to schools about how to encourage good behaviour and respond effectively to incidents of poor behaviour in and out of the classroom and support staff in tackling behavioural issues that have arisen from COVID-19.

The department’s mental health and behaviour guidance for schools includes specific information about supporting pupils’ mental health and wellbeing: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mental-health-and-behaviour-in-schools--2. This is in addition to the £79 million to boost children and young people’s mental health support announced in March 2021, which will include increasing the number of Mental Health Support Teams in schools and colleges to around 400, covering an estimated 3 million children and young people by 2023.

To provide further support for staff dealing with children and young people experiencing additional pressures from the last year, including trauma, anxiety, or grief, the government announced the £7 million additional funding for local authorities to deliver Wellbeing for Education Recovery programme in May 2021. Alongside this, we are providing £9.5 million to train a Senior Mental Health lead in up to 7,800 schools and colleges in England in this academic year; and funding an adapted ‘Link’ programme which is designed to improve partnerships between health and education leaders in local areas.

20th Sep 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans his Department has to encourage more young people to study T Levels.

We want as many young people as possible to benefit from T Levels. The T Level communications campaign launched in October 2019, aimed at potential students and parents of 14-16 year olds. We are working with the Careers and Enterprise Company to ensure that careers staff can articulate their benefits to students and have included T Levels in the Apprenticeships Support and Knowledge programme, which offers free support and resources to schools to upskill their staff.

We continue to support T Level providers with their recruitment, and going forward T Levels will be part of a new ‘Young People’s Futures’ campaign. This will support 14-19 year olds to understand the range of education, training and work options open to them, including T Levels. T Levels also feature in our Employer Support campaign, helping to increase awareness nationally.

Alex Burghart
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
20th Sep 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of T Levels on social mobility in Bury South constituency.

The provision of high-quality technical education is key to improving social mobility, and we want as many young people as possible to benefit from T Levels. The introduction of T Levels will help raise the standard of technical education, so that it is seen as equal in esteem to our world class academic route. The industry placement element of T Levels helps to build students’ employability skills, developing their confidence in the workplace and giving young people from all backgrounds a head start in accessing skilled work. T Levels carry UCAS points in line with three A levels so will also allow progression to higher education. We have also developed a T Level Transition Programme, which is aimed at students who have potential to complete a T Level but need extra support.

The first T Level providers are situated across the country and we have ensured they are represented in opportunity areas. From this academic year, Bury College and other providers in the wider Bury area began offering T Levels, boosting access to high quality technical education for young people in the area.

Alex Burghart
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
20th Sep 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans his Department has to encourage more colleges and schools to provide T Levels.

We are introducing T Levels in a phased implementation with the number of providers increasing year on year. Just over 100 providers are now teaching T Levels and from next September this number will rise to around 200. For this initial rollout we selected high performing providers to ensure high-quality from the start. Providers are now registering their interest to deliver T Levels from 2023 at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/how-to-register-to-deliver-t-levels-in-2023-to-2024-academic-year, and we have seen a positive response to this.

We continue to work closely with sector representatives, such as the Association of Colleges and Association of School and College Leaders, as well as academy trusts and local/combined authorities to raise awareness and encourage providers to register for 2023 delivery.

Alex Burghart
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
20th Sep 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many students studying T Levels in Bury South constituency (a) there were in the 2020-21 academic year and (b) there are in the 2021-22 academic year.

We are introducing T Levels in a phased implementation - 43 providers started teaching these pioneering qualifications last September to around 1,300 students. In this first wave of rollout, no providers based specifically in Bury offered T Levels.

From this September, provider numbers have grown to just over 100, which includes Bury College. In the wider area providers include Hopwood Hall, Bolton College and Oldham College. Providers are still enrolling students at this point and data on student numbers nationally will be available later in the autumn, with provider level data available next year.

Keeping provider numbers small in these initial stages of rollout has meant we can work closely with them to ensure a high-quality start. Feedback from students and providers involved in the first year of teaching has been positive.

Alex Burghart
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
20th Sep 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans his Department has to encourage more businesses to offer T Level placements.

We have provided an extensive programme of employer and provider support to help with the delivery of high-quality industry placements. We have invested £165 million over the past 3 years to help providers build their capacity and relationships with employers and we have published practical industry placement delivery guidance for both providers and employers. We are engaging directly with employers through the National Apprenticeship Service to provide a strong pipeline of employers ready to offer placements and there is a comprehensive package of support available for employers offering online guidance, webinars and direct hands-on support to help them prepare for industry placements. We have established a T Level employer ambassador network to engage with others in their industries on T Levels and placements, and we are further developing our communications materials to continue to raise the profile of T Levels to an employer audience. We have also recently put in place a short-term incentive fund, offering employers £1,000 per industry placement, to encourage employer engagement in the post COVID-19 outbreak period.

Alex Burghart
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
6th Sep 2021
What steps his Department is taking to tackle anti-Semitism on university campuses.

There is no place in our society, including within higher education (HE), for antisemitism. The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition is an important tool in tackling antisemitism. Adopting the widely recognised definition sends a strong signal that HE providers take these issues seriously.

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, wrote to the sector in October 2020, calling upon leaders to adopt the IHRA definition. He repeated this message in May 2021, reinforcing the government's expectation that providers adopt the IHRA definition, stressing the even greater importance of doing so in light of increased number of antisemitic incidents recorded (as a result of the conflict in the Middle East). We are aware of over 100 HE providers which have now adopted the IHRA definition. This includes over 80 universities.

In his February 2021 strategic guidance letter, the Secretary of State for Education also asked the Office for Students (OfS) to undertake a scoping exercise, to identify providers which are reluctant to adopt the definition. On 29 July 2021, the OfS announced they intend to publish a list of HE providers who have adopted the IHRA working definition of antisemitism in autumn 2021, alongside resources for providers.

The decision on adoption of the definition rests with individual providers, but the government will continue to urge them to adopt the definition and ensure that HE is a genuinely fulfilling and welcoming experience for everyone.

Adoption of the IHRA definition is only a first step, and while the government considers that adoption of the definition is crucial, it is not enough on its own. That is why I will continue to work with the sector to ensure it better understands antisemitism and does more to end it.

Michelle Donelan
Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
3rd Sep 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether any schools in Bury South will be supported by the new National School Breakfast Programme in the 2021-22 academic year.

The government is committed to continuing support for school breakfast clubs and we are investing up to £24 million to continue our national programme for the next two years. This funding will support around 2,500 schools in disadvantaged areas meaning that thousands of children from low-income families will be offered free nutritious breakfasts to better support their attainment, wellbeing and readiness to learn.

The focus of the programme is to target the most disadvantaged areas of the country, including the Department for Education’s Opportunity Areas. Schools’ eligibility for the programme is based on the Income deprivation affecting children index (IDACI) – a nationally recognised indicator of need – to ensure provision is directed where it is most needed. Schools will be eligible for the programme if they have 50% or more pupils within bands A-F of the IDACI scale.

The enrolment process for schools joining the programme is currently ongoing, and we have seen a strong interest so far from eligible schools since we invited the expressions of interest. Schools are currently still able to apply to join the programme. As we are still registering schools for the programme, it is too early to publish a list of participating schools. However, we will consider the best opportunities to share information on the programme as it progresses.

3rd Sep 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department plans to take in the event that the size of food orders under the new school breakfast tender decrease in the third term of support when schools must cover 25 per cent of the cost of food orders.

The government is committed to continuing support for breakfast clubs and we are funding up to a further £24 million to continue our programme over the next two years. This funding will support around 2,500 schools in disadvantaged areas meaning that thousands of children in low-income families will be offered nutritious breakfasts. The focus of the programme is to target the most disadvantaged areas of the country, including the Department for Education’s Opportunity Areas.

In terms of the schools’ financial contribution, this is an attractive offer to schools, providing free breakfasts for their pupils for two terms followed by a very substantial discount for the following four terms. Asking schools to contribute a small proportion of the costs means that the overall funding of up to £24 million can go further, reaching a higher number of schools, and therefore more disadvantaged children overall. We have seen strong interest from eligible schools so far since we invited expressions of interest, and our programme will make a real difference in terms of children’s health, attainment, wellbeing and readiness to learn.

Our provider, Family Action, is ensuring that schools fully understand and are committed to their financial contribution when they join the programme. The department and Family Action are continually monitoring the programme and will act upon any issues that may arise.

20th Jul 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether it is his policy to increase the funding available for students taking pure mathematics at university.

In January 2021, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, asked the Office for Students (OfS) to reform the Strategic Priorities Grant for academic year 2021/22. The OfS consulted on the Secretary of State for Education’s proposals and has recently published its conclusions. The consultation responses were carefully analysed, and the issues raised were considered by both the OfS and the Secretary of State for Education in reaching their respective decisions about the allocation of the Strategic Priorities Grant in 2021/22.

Mathematics is in price group C2 of the Strategic Priorities Grant and therefore does not receive a high-cost subject funding top-up.

Funding for future years will be subject to the Spending Review.

Michelle Donelan
Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
20th Jul 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to help increase the number of students studying mathematics at (a) A Level and (b) degree level.

Since 2014, mathematics has been the most popular subject for students to study at A level. The Government remains committed to increasing participation in post-16 mathematics. The Department has introduced reformed A levels which provide a better foundation to study mathematics at a higher level. The Department also funds the Advanced Mathematics Support Programme (AMSP) which supports schools and colleges to improve the effectiveness of level 3 mathematics teaching and increase participation, including by providing tailored support to schools and colleges in areas with low levels of progression. The AMSP also provides targeted support for students preparing to study mathematics at higher education.

11th May 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will take steps to ensure that businesses are included in his Department's plans for a literacy recovery strategy.

The Department recognises that extended school and college restrictions have had a substantial impact on children and young people’s education. We are committed to helping pupils make up education lost due to the COVID-19 outbreak. To address this challenge, my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister, committed to working with parents, teachers, schools and colleges to develop a long-term plan to help schools and colleges support pupils to make up their education over the course of this Parliament.

In addition, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, has appointed Sir Kevan Collins as Education Recovery Commissioner to advise on the development of the long-term recovery plan. Sir Kevan will engage with parents, pupils, and teachers in advising on the development of this plan and review how evidence-based interventions can be used to address the impact the COVID-19 outbreak has had on education. Further details will be shared in due course.

On literacy specifically, the Government is committed to continuing to raise literacy standards, ensuring all children, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds, can read fluently and with understanding. The Government will continue to work closely with a wide range of organisations, including businesses, to achieve this aim, and values the contribution of businesses to supporting children’s education. For example, in June 2020 we announced a £1 billion catch-up package, including a National Tutoring Programme and a catch-up premium for this academic year. In February 2021, we committed to further funding of £700 million to fund summer schools, the expansion of our tutoring programmes, and a recovery premium for the next academic year. Funding will support pupils across nurseries, schools, and 16-19 colleges.

19th Apr 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans the Government has to increase funding for the mentoring of vulnerable children in or on the edge of care.

Local authorities set their own children’s services budget from their core spending power, based on local need and priorities.

An additional £300 million has been provided to local authorities this year for the social care grant, giving councils a total grant of £1.7 billion for children’s and adults’ social care in the financial year 2021-22. This is part of the total £51.3 billion core spending power available to local authorities this year for their services, including services for vulnerable children and those on the edge of care. The government has increased core spending power by 4.6% this year.

Local authorities will also receive an additional £1.55 billion of grant funding to support COVID-19 expenditure pressures this year, including children’s services. This funding is un-ringfenced, recognising local authorities are best placed to decide on where to allocate resources, and is on top of the £4.6 billion of grant funding which the government has already provided to support councils through the COVID-19 outbreak.

The Department for Education will work with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and Her Majesty's Treasury ahead of the next Spending Review, which will establish funding levels across the government.

19th Apr 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the report by Serenity Welfare entitled Lives transformed, potential fulfilled, published in April 2021, what assessment his Department has made of the implications for its policies of the finding in that report that adequate provision of care and early interventions for vulnerable children and young people by local authorities could unlock £7 billion by 2030.

The department has received a copy of the report and will study the findings with interest.

The report highlights that local authorities can make savings through reducing the number of children in care. I am committed to enabling as many children as possible to stay at home, in safe and stable family environments, so that fewer children are taken into care. That is why the 'Strengthening Families, Protecting Children' programme is investing £84 million over five financial years, from 2019-20 to 2023-24, to support 17 local authorities with high or rising numbers of children in care. These local authorities will be supported to embed one of three models, developed by Leeds, Hertfordshire, and North Yorkshire, that have the most promising evidence from the Children’s Social Care Innovation Programme of safely reducing the number of children being taken into care.

We are also investing a further £17 million through the 'Supporting Families: Investing in Practice' programme, enabling local authorities to help keep families safe by embedding Family Drug and Alcohol Courts, Family Group Conferencing, and the Mockingbird Family Model. We are working with the What Works Centre for Children’s Social Care to evaluate the impact of these programmes. The findings from these programmes, alongside the recommendations made by the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care – which was launched on 15 January 2021 to take a fundamental look at the needs, experiences, and outcomes of the children it supports – will inform our future strategy for children’s social care.

19th Apr 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what data his department collects on the handcuffing or restraining of children in the care system.

All children’s homes, including secure children’s homes, are governed by the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 which have provisions around behaviour and restraint.

The regulations and the quality standards require homes to have a behaviour management policy that focuses on establishing positive relationships with young people, encourages acceptable behaviour and sets out the acceptable restraint measures.

There is a requirement for homes to record any incidents of restraint under Regulation 35 of the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015. There is also a requirement under Regulation 40 of the same regulations for the Registered Person to inform Ofsted of any incident in relation to a child that they consider to be serious. We are clear that restraint is only permissible in a very narrow range of circumstances as set out in Regulation 20 and must always be necessary and proportionate.

In 2019, the government published guidance on reducing the need for restraint and restrictive intervention, which can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/812435/reducing-the-need-for-restraint-and-restrictive-intervention.pdf. The department does not collect any information on the use of handcuffs for children in the care system.

4th Feb 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans he has to increase the funding available for technical support on accessing remote education platforms.

The Government is investing over £400 million to support remote education, including by providing laptops and tablets and internet access for those who need it most, ensuring every school has access to free, expert technical support to get set up on Google for Education or Microsoft’s Office 365 Education, and offering peer training and support from schools and colleges leading the way with the use of technology.

There is budget remaining to continue to provide technical support to help schools set up accounts for Google and Microsoft to access remote education during the COVID-19 lockdown.

The Microsoft and Google platforms were chosen as they are free to use to the education sector and had the unified technology and support to set up and deliver effective remote education provision.

Google and Microsoft are not only free to use but offer a number of features and functionalities that are suitable for school needs.

We want to ensure all schools are set up with a remote learning platform and are keeping this under constant review.