Asked by: Derek Thomas (Conservative - St Ives)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if his Department will take steps to help ensure that students who receive offers for university places can be assured of face-to-face lectures and seminars.
Answered by Michelle Donelan - Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
Face-to-face teaching is a vital part of getting a high-quality student experience. With the removal of the Plan B measures, there are no COVID-19 restrictions that apply to higher education (HE) and providers should ensure that they are delivering the full programme of face-to-face teaching and learning that they were providing before the COVID-19 outbreak.
In response to the COVID-19 outbreak, HE providers have delivered new and innovative approaches to teaching and learning and some providers continue to use some of these approaches alongside in-person provision. However, online learning should only be offered to enhance the student experience, not to detract from it, and it should not be used as a cost-cutting measure. The Office for Students will be monitoring to ensure this is the case, and that universities are being open about what students can expect.
On 29 October I wrote to all English HE providers to make clear that we expect them to be offering a high-quality face-to-face student experience and, on 17 January, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education wrote an open letter to students about face-to-face teaching, setting out what they can do if they feel they are not getting the teaching they signed up for, details of which can be found here: https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2022/01/17/face-to-face-teaching-is-a-vital-part-of-getting-a-high-quality-student-experience-education-secretary-nadhim-zahawi-writes-to-students/. In addition, I have been speaking with a number of university Vice Chancellors to ensure they are offering students the amount of in-person teaching they should expect.
If students have concerns about the delivery of their teaching, or other matters, they should first raise them with their HE provider. If their concerns remain unresolved, students at HE providers in England or Wales can ask the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for HE to consider their complaint.
Asked by: Derek Thomas (Conservative - St Ives)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department has taken to ensure all pupils have good access to toilets and wash rooms throughout the school day during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Nick Gibb
On 2 July we published guidance to help schools prepare for all pupils, in all year groups, to return to school full-time from the beginning of the autumn term. The guidance can be viewed at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/guidance-for-full-opening-schools.
The guidance sets out the system of controls, which provides a framework for school leaders to put in place proportionate protective measures for children and staff.
As part of the system of controls, pupils and staff must clean their hands thoroughly more often than usual. Schools should consider whether they have enough hand washing or hand sanitiser ‘stations’ available so that all pupils and staff can clean their hands regularly. Skin friendly cleaning wipes can be used as an alternative. Schools must also introduce enhanced cleaning, including regular cleaning of toilets. Schools can consider allocating different groups their own toilet blocks to help pupils to maintain the appropriate distance but this is not a requirement if the site does not allow for it.
Following a risk assessment, some schools may determine that small adaptations to their site are required, such as additional wash basins. This will be at the discretion of individual schools, based on their particular circumstances. We do not consider it necessary for schools to make significant adaptations to their site to enable them to welcome all children back to school.
Drinking water must be provided free of charge at all times to registered pupils on school premises. It is for schools to consider the most appropriate way to do this, within their wider system of controls. It is still recommended that pupils limit the amount of equipment they bring into school each day to essentials, but this can include water bottles.
Asked by: Derek Thomas (Conservative - St Ives)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to ensure all school pupils continue to have easy access to drinking water throughout the coronavirus outbreak.
Answered by Nick Gibb
On 2 July we published guidance to help schools prepare for all pupils, in all year groups, to return to school full-time from the beginning of the autumn term. The guidance can be viewed at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/guidance-for-full-opening-schools.
The guidance sets out the system of controls, which provides a framework for school leaders to put in place proportionate protective measures for children and staff.
As part of the system of controls, pupils and staff must clean their hands thoroughly more often than usual. Schools should consider whether they have enough hand washing or hand sanitiser ‘stations’ available so that all pupils and staff can clean their hands regularly. Skin friendly cleaning wipes can be used as an alternative. Schools must also introduce enhanced cleaning, including regular cleaning of toilets. Schools can consider allocating different groups their own toilet blocks to help pupils to maintain the appropriate distance but this is not a requirement if the site does not allow for it.
Following a risk assessment, some schools may determine that small adaptations to their site are required, such as additional wash basins. This will be at the discretion of individual schools, based on their particular circumstances. We do not consider it necessary for schools to make significant adaptations to their site to enable them to welcome all children back to school.
Drinking water must be provided free of charge at all times to registered pupils on school premises. It is for schools to consider the most appropriate way to do this, within their wider system of controls. It is still recommended that pupils limit the amount of equipment they bring into school each day to essentials, but this can include water bottles.
Asked by: Derek Thomas (Conservative - St Ives)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support his Department is providing to Head Teachers to help ensure that the expectation on pupils to wear a face covering does not exclude those pupils who have a good reason not to wear one.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Schools and colleges have the discretion to require the use of face coverings for staff, visitors and pupils in schools for children in Year 7 and above in communal areas where social distancing cannot be safely managed.
When an area moves to a local COVID-19 alert level of high or very high, in settings where pupils in Year 7 and above are educated, face coverings should be worn by adults and pupils when outside of classrooms, such as in corridors and communal areas, where social distancing cannot easily be maintained. This does not apply to children in primary schools and in early years settings where the risks to children are lower.
As set out in our guidance on GOV.UK, some individuals are exempt from wearing face coverings, and we expect adults and pupils to be sensitive to those needs. No one should be excluded from education on the grounds that they are not wearing a face covering.
The guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/face-coverings-in-education/face-coverings-in-education.
Asked by: Derek Thomas (Conservative - St Ives)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to support local leaders to deliver the best outcomes for children through the delivery of high quality children’s services.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
The department is improving the quality of leadership through £2 million for the Local Government Association to provide support to lead members and chief executives, and are increasing our support of directors of children’s services. We have an ambitious programme to improve the social work workforce, which underpins transformative children’s services. We are also improving the quality of social work initial education through £24 million supporting Teaching Partnerships, and our fast-track entry programmes, Step Up to Social Work and Frontline, which have seen over 1,450 social workers trained. We are investing in professional development with £5 million annually for high quality programmes for those starting as social work practitioners, and over £4 million in total on supervisors and practice leaders.
Alongside this, we are creating effective system infrastructure to ensure high quality professional practice and standards become the norm, through the introduction of Social Work England and the National Assessment and Accreditation System. We are supporting innovation and regionally targeted improvement support (through the innovation programme and Partners in Practice), and building understanding of the evidence on what drives system improvement through the What Works Centre in social care.
Asked by: Derek Thomas (Conservative - St Ives)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment he has made of the sustainability of local authority children’s services budgets.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
Funding for children’s services is made available through the Local Government Finance Settlement. The department is in the final year of a multi-year settlement deal worth over £200 billion in the five years to 2020.
At the Autumn Budget 2018, the government made £410 million available to local authorities, in 2019/20, for adult and children social care. The government also announced £84 million in targeted, evidence-based interventions which will transform services to reduce demand, saving money for local authorities but most importantly, improving the quality of services for our most vulnerable children.
The government will continue to work closely with the sector to consider long-term children’s services funding as part of the upcoming 2019 Spending Review.
Asked by: Derek Thomas (Conservative - St Ives)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of trends in the level of demand for children’s services provided by local authorities.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
Department data shows that since 2013, the number of children in need, children on child protection plans and looked after children, at 31 March 2018 have risen by 7.1%, 24.5% and 10.7% respectively.
The government is working, between now and the Spending Review 2019, to get a sharper picture of demand for children’s services.
The department is also working with MHCLG on the fair funding review of relative needs and resources, which is looking in more detail at levels of demand in local authorities.
Asked by: Derek Thomas (Conservative - St Ives)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department has plans to introduce LGBT teaching for primary school age children.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Government’s ambition is to ensure all pupils have the knowledge they need to stay safe and prepare them for life in modern Britain.
The Department has recently consulted a wide range of expert stakeholders to support the introduction of compulsory Relationships Education in primary schools, including a call for evidence to seek public views on what should be included in these subjects. The findings from this process are helping the Department to reach evidence-based decisions on subject content.
From this, the Government will develop the regulations and accompanying statutory guidance for these subjects and both will be subject to public consultation followed by a debate on the regulations in Parliament. The Department expects both subjects to be inclusive and to meet the needs of all young people, in an age-appropriate way.
Asked by: Derek Thomas (Conservative - St Ives)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the consultation on changes to teaching of sex and relationship education, and PSHE, published on 19 December 2017, was sent to (a) parents and (b) guardians.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Between December 2017 and February 2018, the Department for Education undertook a call for evidence on Relationships Education in primary schools and Relationships and Sex Education in secondary schools, alongside a consideration of Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education. This sought views from parents and carers; teachers and other school staff; children and young people; and other interested parties.
The Department used a range of media channels to raise awareness and encourage participation from parents and other interest groups. In addition, the Department met with representative groups as part of the wider engagement process, including the Parent-Teacher Association and Mumsnet.
The findings of the call for evidence and wider engagement process will support development of regulations and statutory guidance on the subjects. These will be subject to a full consultation before the regulations are laid in Parliament for debate.
Asked by: Derek Thomas (Conservative - St Ives)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to promote arts subjects in schools.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Government believes that every child should experience a high quality arts education throughout their time at school. All schools, including academies and free schools, must provide a broad and balanced curriculum that promotes the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils at the school.
The National Curriculum, which includes music, art and design, drama, and dance, is compulsory for maintained schools. Academies and free schools are not required to teach the National Curriculum, but can use it as a benchmark.
Last month, we announced a multimillion pound investment in music and cultural education. This includes: