Asked by: Damian Hinds (Conservative - East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what data his Department holds on usage of the 2019 guidance on Teaching online safety in school; and what plans he has to update that guidance.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
The ‘Teaching online safety in schools’ guidance was first published in 2019 and focuses on how schools can ensure pupils understand how to stay safe online, as part of existing curriculum requirements. It brings together information that will help schools deliver online safety content within their curriculum and embed it within their wider whole school approach.
The guidance is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/teaching-online-safety-in-schools.
Between 2019 and 2022, it has been viewed as follows:
Year | Page Views |
2019 | 41,304 |
2020 | 16,374 |
2021 | 15,323 |
2022 | 9,140 |
The department is currently finalising an update of the guidance and we expect to publish it by the end of the year. The updated guidance will reflect that the relationships, sex and health education curriculum became statutory from September 2020 and will include updated weblinks, where these have changed over time.
Asked by: Damian Hinds (Conservative - East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of (a) UK and (b) international academic research on the impact of childcare support programmes on workforce participation.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
In assessing the impact of its free childcare entitlements, the department regularly looks at evidence from a range of different research publications. This includes the Families and Labour Market release from the Office for National Statistics and the department’s Childcare and Early Years Survey of Parents series, the latest results of which can be accessed at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/childcare-and-early-years-survey-of-parents.
The department also monitors take-up of the entitlements via national statistics from the Early Years census, conducted in the third week of January each year. Further information can be accessed at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/education-provision-children-under-5.
External evidence is used to help make international comparisons on the impacts of increasing employment rates, for example modelling that underpins the PwC Women in Work Index 2022. Further information can be accessed here: https://www.pwc.co.uk/services/economics/insights/women-in-work-index.html. This forms part of a wider evidence base, with caution taken when comparing childcare provision in different countries due to broader differences in school start date, funding models, and parental leave arrangements.
More specifically, the department carried out evaluations on both the early and full rollouts of our 30 hours free childcare entitlement to review its early impact. The evaluation of the early rollout is available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/642007/Evaluation_of_early_rollout_of_30-hours_free_childcare.pdf. The evaluation of the first year of national delivery is also accessible at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/30-hours-free-childcare-final-evaluation-of-the-national-rollout.
The department regularly asks parents about the effect that 30 hours free childcare has on their families, including on their ability to work. This is undertaken through the Childcare and Early Years Survey of Parents.
Asked by: Damian Hinds (Conservative - East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department has used (a) UK and (b) international academic research on the workforce participation effect of childcare support programmes to inform its childcare policies.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
In assessing the impact of its free childcare entitlements, the department regularly looks at evidence from a range of different research publications. This includes the Families and Labour Market release from the Office for National Statistics and the department’s Childcare and Early Years Survey of Parents series, the latest results of which can be accessed at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/childcare-and-early-years-survey-of-parents.
The department also monitors take-up of the entitlements via national statistics from the Early Years census, conducted in the third week of January each year. Further information can be accessed at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/education-provision-children-under-5.
External evidence is used to help make international comparisons on the impacts of increasing employment rates, for example modelling that underpins the PwC Women in Work Index 2022. Further information can be accessed here: https://www.pwc.co.uk/services/economics/insights/women-in-work-index.html. This forms part of a wider evidence base, with caution taken when comparing childcare provision in different countries due to broader differences in school start date, funding models, and parental leave arrangements.
More specifically, the department carried out evaluations on both the early and full rollouts of our 30 hours free childcare entitlement to review its early impact. The evaluation of the early rollout is available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/642007/Evaluation_of_early_rollout_of_30-hours_free_childcare.pdf. The evaluation of the first year of national delivery is also accessible at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/30-hours-free-childcare-final-evaluation-of-the-national-rollout.
The department regularly asks parents about the effect that 30 hours free childcare has on their families, including on their ability to work. This is undertaken through the Childcare and Early Years Survey of Parents.
Asked by: Damian Hinds (Conservative - East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will bring forward the annual publication of the final version of Keeping Children Safe in Education to avoid clashing with the start the school year.
Answered by Jonathan Gullis
The Department publishes a near final version of the keeping children safe in education (KCSIE) statutory guidance in late spring or early summer. This approach ensures that schools and colleges have sufficient time to digest revisions and to plan any necessary training, ahead of implementation in the next school year.
It is rare for material changes to be made between the for-information version and the final publication in September. Where this does occur, changes are strictly limited to reflect vital information in response to unexpected or emerging issues.
To bring forward the final version publication date would mean the guidance would be released during the summer holidays, which schools and colleges have signalled is not appropriate. However, the Department will consider adding a question when we next consult on KCSIE in relation to preferred scheduling.
Asked by: Damian Hinds (Conservative - East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for what reason his Department has decided not to proceed with developing a T Level in Cultural Heritage and Visitor Attractions.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
In July 2020, the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education took the decision to halt development of the T Level in Cultural Heritage and Visitor Attractions (CHVA). The Institute consulted extensively before making this decision, both with organisations from the sector as well as employers involved in the creation of relevant occupational standards.
The Institute concluded that a T Level in CHVA would have limited employer demand and insufficient interest from students, and that the needs of the sector could be met through other T Levels. For example, feedback from employers suggested that T Levels in business and administration were well placed to develop the skills that are relevant to many occupations within the Cultural Heritage and Visitor Attraction sector. Students would then be able to tailor their programme by taking their industry placement with a relevant employer in the sector.