Asked by: Clive Betts (Labour - Sheffield South East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many funds are allocated to local authorities by his Department through a process of competitive bidding; and if he will publish the names of those funds.
Answered by Michelle Donelan
The department is currently collating 2020-21 grant award data which we expect to be available in the new year following accuracy and completeness checks. The data is due to be published by Cabinet Office in March 2022 but may not contain the recipient category.
The 2019-20 scheme and award grant data is available on the link below in the DfE sheet. The 2019-20 scheme data does not contain the recipient category, but the recipient names are available in the awards data as is the allocation methodology and the grant scheme.
Asked by: Clive Betts (Labour - Sheffield South East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the legal position is on the wearing of face masks and social distancing on school transport.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Government has provided guidance on minimising the risk of transmission of COVID-19 on dedicated school transport in the autumn term. It is available here:www.gov.uk/government/publications/transport-to-school-and-other-places-of-education-autumn-term-2020/transport-to-school-and-other-places-of-education-autumn-term-2020#part-b-guidance-for-dedicated-transport-to-schools-and-other-places-of-education-for-autumn-term-2020.
The guidance explains that the social distancing guidelines for public transport, 2 metres or 1 metre plus other suitable precautions wherever possible, need not be uniformly applied on dedicated school transport, but that distancing should be maximised wherever possible. This approach is necessary to ensure all children can get to school or college. It is proportionate because dedicated transport often carries the same group of children or young people on a regular basis and they do not mix with the general public on those journeys. This helps limit the number of people with whom they come into contact.
The law that requires people aged 11 and over to wear a face covering on public transport does not apply to dedicated school transport. However, our guidance recommends that local authorities advise people aged 11 and over to wear a face covering unless they are exempt. We believe most local authorities expect children and young people to wear a face covering on dedicated school transport, and we support them in that.
Asked by: Clive Betts (Labour - Sheffield South East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has any plans to assess the effect of differing levels of access to digital technology on pupils' access to education during the school closure period.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Department is providing over 200,000 laptops and tablets to vulnerable and disadvantaged children who would otherwise not have access and are preparing for examinations in Year 10, receiving support from a social worker, including pre-school children, or are a care leaver. Where care leavers, children with a social worker at secondary school and disadvantaged children in Year 10 do not have internet connections, we are providing 4G wireless routers.
Local authorities and academy trusts are best placed to identify and distribute the laptops and tablets to children and young people who need devices. In May, the Department invited local authorities to order devices for the most vulnerable children first - children with a social worker and care leavers.
Earlier this month, the Department started inviting academy trusts and local authorities to order their devices for disadvantaged year 10 pupils.
For those in rural areas or without a connection, schools will be able to draw on support from the BBC, which is broadcasting lessons on television via the red button, and may choose to draw on the many resources offers which have been made by publishers across the country. The Department’s remote education guidance includes examples of how schools can support pupils without internet access by, for example, providing physical work packs.
Asked by: Clive Betts (Labour - Sheffield South East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he plans to address barriers to access to online education for disadvantaged primary school children.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Department is providing over 200,000 laptops and tablets to vulnerable and disadvantaged children who would otherwise not have access and are preparing for examinations in Year 10, receiving support from a social worker, including pre-school children, or are a care leaver. Where care leavers, children with a social worker at secondary school and disadvantaged children in Year 10 do not have internet connections, we are providing 4G wireless routers.
Local authorities and academy trusts are best placed to identify and distribute the laptops and tablets to children and young people who need devices. In May, the Department invited local authorities to order devices for the most vulnerable children first - children with a social worker and care leavers.
Earlier this month, the Department started inviting academy trusts and local authorities to order their devices for disadvantaged year 10 pupils.
For those in rural areas or without a connection, schools will be able to draw on support from the BBC, which is broadcasting lessons on television via the red button, and may choose to draw on the many resources offers which have been made by publishers across the country. The Department’s remote education guidance includes examples of how schools can support pupils without internet access by, for example, providing physical work packs.