Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Higher education coronavirus (COVID-19) operational guidance published on 10 May 2021, if he will publish the evidential basis for the return to in-person teaching and learning being no earlier than 17 May 2021.
Answered by Michelle Donelan
We have worked extremely closely with scientists and the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) to understand and model various scenarios to inform our plan to re-open the country without putting unsustainable pressure on the NHS. We have also examined economic and social data to get a balanced understanding of the impacts of carefully easing restrictions. The government has also carefully considered data on the impact of COVID-19 and lockdown on ethnic minority communities, the vulnerable, the young, and low-income groups.
The government considered all the scientific advice and models that suggested that allowing additional indoor mixing at an earlier stage when prevalence was higher and fewer people had been vaccinated could result in significantly higher numbers of infections and that is why restrictions outdoors were eased before restrictions on most indoor activity. As the number of people vaccinated increased, we have been able to take steps to ease restrictions further.
A wealth of data, papers and evidence is being published at the same time as the roadmap, to ensure transparency on the information the government has had available to it in reaching its decisions. This includes the following information from Public Health England:
The papers from SAGE include:
Additional papers published by SAGE in relation to Step 3 of the roadmap can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/sage-meetings-may-2021.
Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessments his Department made to inform decisions on reopening (a) secondary schools and (b) university campuses as covid-19 restrictions are eased.
Answered by Nick Gibb
At every stage since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak, decisions have been informed by the scientific and medical evidence, including the risk of COVID-19 infection, transmission and illness, and the known risks to children and young people not attending school.
On 22 February the Department published its COVID-19 evidence summary which is available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/963639/DfE_Evidence_summary_COVID-19_-_children__young_people_and_education_settings.pdf.
The return of the remaining university students is not considered in isolation but as part of the Government’s overall roadmap. All areas included in the roadmap, as well as higher education, are informed by advice from scientific and medical experts, where data and evidence are considered regularly. This includes the Joint Biosecurity Centre, Public Health England, and the Chief Medical Officers.
The Department is working closely with scientists and The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) to understand and model various scenarios to inform plans that seek to enable us to re-open the country without putting unsustainable pressure on the NHS. We have also examined economic and social data to get a balanced understanding of the impacts of carefully easing restrictions. The Government has also carefully considered data on the impact of COVID-19 and lockdown on ethnic minority communities, the vulnerable, the young, and low income groups.
SAGE also regularly publish papers and minutes following each SAGE meeting, including a collection of papers from the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Modelling, on the re-opening of schools and the Independent Scientific Pandemic Insights Group on Behaviours on return to campus for the spring terms and the risk of increased transmission from student migration. The list of papers published are available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/scientific-evidence-supporting-the-government-response-to-coronavirus-covid-19.
A wealth of data, papers and evidence is being published at the same time as the roadmap, to ensure transparency on the information the Government has had available to it in reaching its decisions. This includes information from Public Health England on the Pfizer vaccinations effectiveness and reports with detailed findings from Sarscov2 Immunity & REinfection EvaluatioN (SIREN) and Severe Acute Respiratory Infections-Watch.
Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the effect of slow broadband speeds on the education of children living in rural areas.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Access to gigabit capable broadband for communities and schools is being addressed through programmes rolled out in partnership between the Department for Education and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. We are investing an unprecedented £5 billion of subsidy to support the deployment of gigabit broadband in the hardest to reach areas of the country. This coverage will also include even more rural schools that would otherwise not be reached without the Government taking action.
To support children and young people to connect with remote education, the Get Help with Technology programme has partnered with the UK’s leading mobile operators to provide free data to help over 30,000 disadvantaged children get online as well as delivering over 70,000 4G wireless routers for pupils without connection at home.
Where pupils continue to experience barriers to digital remote education, we expect schools and further education institutions to work to overcome these barriers. This could include distributing school or further education institution-owned laptops or supplementing digital provision with different forms of remote education such as printed resources or textbooks. This should be supplemented with other forms of communication to keep pupils on track or answer questions about work.
Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the need for new skills training on working in a remote environment.
Answered by Gillian Keegan
The government appreciates how difficult it can be for both employers and employees to adjust to new and different working environments and recognises they have adapted well across the country during the COVID-19 outbreak. However, remote working arrangements and any training needed for remote working are matters for relevant employers and not this department. Many employers and organisations have developed best practice and guidance in their areas, such as the Local Government Association, which has made available advice on remote working here: https://local.gov.uk/our-support/workforce-and-hr-support/wellbeing/remote-working-top-tips.
We recognise the importance of digital skills for employability and participation in society. Therefore, we introduced a legal entitlement in August 2020 for adults with no or low digital skills to study new Essential Digital Skills Qualifications (EDSQs) at entry level and level 1 for free. The digital entitlement mirrors the existing legal entitlements for English and maths and will provide adults with the digital skills needed for life and work. EDSQs are a new qualification type, based on new national standards for essential digital skills, designed to meet the diverse needs of adults with no or low digital skills.
We also support the provision of basic digital skills training for adults in community settings through the Adult Education Budget.
The department funds a wide range of support and training to help teachers to develop their skills and confidence in using technology and teaching effectively online.
Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department has taken to ensure career guidance has been delivered to secondary schools pupils since the start of the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Gillian Keegan
We remain committed to supporting young people to access high quality careers guidance during the COVID-19 outbreak.
Through The Careers & Enterprise Company, we continue to work to support schools and colleges to deliver the Gatsby Benchmarks of Good Career Guidance and increase young people’s exposure to the world of work. There are more than 4000 secondary schools and colleges in the Enterprise Adviser Network working with business volunteers to strengthen links with employers, and over 2200 schools and colleges working together in Careers Hubs to drive improvements in the Gatsby Benchmarks through local collaboration.
We have also provided additional support to schools and colleges since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Through the “My Choices” programme, The Careers & Enterprise Company have developed a collection of resources to support careers leaders in helping young people as they prepare for their next stages of education, employment, or training. This consisted of ‘on-demand’ virtual events, developed in collaboration with Learn Live UK, where young people heard directly from employers and apprenticeship providers about the opportunities available to them. Funding was also provided to Careers Hubs and Local Enterprise Partnerships for an ongoing series of local “My Choices” careers events and specific guides have been made available for Careers Leaders, students, and parents/carers via The Careers & Enterprise Company’s website: https://www.careersandenterprise.co.uk/schools-colleges/my-choices-transition-resources.
In line with the Gatsby Benchmarks, schools and colleges are expected to provide a personal guidance interview for every student by age 16 and another by age 18. We are working closely with The Careers & Enterprise Company to support schools and colleges to maximise the value and impact of personal guidance interviews. This includes providing resources and practical advice to support the delivery of activity online, by telephone and face to face: https://resources.careersandenterprise.co.uk/resources/careers-context-2020-can-do-guide-career-leaders.
Through the National Careers Service, we continue to offer in-depth information, advice, and guidance for everyone over the age of 13 via telephone-based advisers, web chat or the National Careers Service website. This includes the exam results helpline, which operated between 12 August and 18 September 2020 to ensure that young people who received their exam results last summer got advice from qualified advisers.
Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans he has to update career guidance for school children.
Answered by Gillian Keegan
As set out in the recently published Skills for Jobs white paper, we are building on the 2017 careers strategy. We will update the statutory guidance for careers later this year.
Since September 2012, schools have had a statutory duty to secure independent and impartial careers guidance on the full range of education and training options, including apprenticeships. This originally applied to year 9 to 11 pupils and was extended to year 8 to 13 in September 2013.
The current statutory responsibilities include:
- Compliance with the Baker Clause (provider access duty).
- The appointment of a Careers Leader.
- The publication of information about the careers programme for children and their parents.
In January 2018, following the publication of the Careers Strategy, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/careers-strategy-making-the-most-of-everyones-skills-and-talents, the department published new statutory guidance for secondary schools on careers and access for education and training providers, which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/careers-guidance-provision-for-young-people-in-schools. This set the expectation that schools should work towards meeting all eight Gatsby Benchmarks of Good Careers Guidance.
In February 2018, the department published careers guidance for further education colleges and sixth-form colleges, setting out what they should do to meet the Gatsby Benchmarks. The careers statutory guidance for secondary schools and colleges was updated in October 2018.
Through our investment in The Careers & Enterprise Company and the National Careers Service, a strengthened careers education system is emerging.
Four in five schools and colleges in England have adopted the Gatsby Benchmarks to develop and improve their careers programmes and support their statutory careers duties. The Careers & Enterprise Company is increasing young people’s exposure to the world of work. For the employer encounters benchmark, every school should offer every young person seven encounters with employers – at least one each year from year 7 to year 13. Progress towards meeting the Gatsby Benchmarks has been greatest in Careers Hubs. Over 2200 schools and colleges (45%) are now in Careers Hubs.
The National Careers Service provides tools and resources to support schools, colleges and local authorities in implementing their statutory careers duties.
Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to work with providers of student accommodation to reimburse fees where students have been prohibited from occupying rooms during covid-19 lockdowns.
Answered by Michelle Donelan
Universities and private accommodation providers are autonomous and responsible for setting their own rent agreements. The government plays no direct role in the provision of student accommodation.
This has been a very difficult time for students, and we encourage universities and accommodation providers to review their accommodation policies to ensure they are fair, transparent and have the best interests of students at heart.
Officials speak regularly with representatives of private and university owned accommodation, as well as sector bodies. The government worked closely with universities to ensure they were well prepared for the return of students in the autumn term, and we have published updated guidance to help them keep students and staff as safe as possible.
If students have concerns about their accommodation fees, they should first raise their concerns with their accommodation provider. If their concerns remain unresolved, and their higher education provider is involved in the provision of the accommodation, students at providers in England or Wales can ask the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education to consider their complaint.
If a student thinks their accommodation provider is treating them unfairly, they can raise a complaint under the accommodation codes of practice as long as their provider is a code member. The codes can be found at: https://www.thesac.org.uk/, https://www.unipol.org.uk/the-code/how-to-complain and https://www.rla.org.uk/about/nrla-code-of-practice.shtml
We recognise that in these exceptional circumstances some students may face financial hardship. The Department for Education has worked with the Office for Students to clarify that providers are able to draw on existing funds, worth around £256 million for academic year 2020/2021, towards hardship support. On the 2 February 2021 we announced that we are making available a further £50 million of hardship funding for this financial year, for higher education providers to use to support students in greatest need. This funding is in addition to the £20 million of hardship funding made available in December 2020.