Asked by: Gareth Snell (Labour (Co-op) - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many apprenticeship starts at level 7 there were in the academic years (a) 2023-24 and (b) 2024-25 for individuals aged 16-21.
Answered by Janet Daby
There were 2,710 apprenticeship starts at level 7 by learners aged under 22 in the 2023/24 full academic year. So far for 2024/25 (August 2024 to January 2025), there have been 2,540 apprenticeship starts reported.
Asked by: Gareth Snell (Labour (Co-op) - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to provide an Answer to Question 50886 on Apprentices: Taxation, tabled on 8 May 2025.
Answered by Janet Daby
The response to Written Parliamentary Question 50886 was published on 21 May 2025.
Asked by: Gareth Snell (Labour (Co-op) - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many organisations were consulted on the decision to cut funding for specialist software from the Disabled Student's Allowance.
Answered by Janet Daby
The department engaged with disability experts who support disabled students to gather their feedback and insights on the decision to remove non-specialist spelling and grammar software from Disabled Students’ Allowance funding. These persons contributed in a personal capacity.
The department does not expect that students will be negatively impacted by the changes, because specific technology packages will no longer be funded where free-to-access versions, with the required functionality, are available to meet students’ disability-related support needs.
Asked by: Gareth Snell (Labour (Co-op) - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of changes to levy funding for level 7 apprenticeships on the educational opportunities available in Stoke-on-Trent.
Answered by Janet Daby
I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Stoke-on-Trent Central to the answer of 9 April 2025 to Question 43275.
Asked by: Gareth Snell (Labour (Co-op) - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has to increase access to adult education on media literacy.
Answered by Janet Daby
The adult skills fund (ASF) fully funds or co-funds education and skills training for eligible adults aged 19 and above from pre-entry to level 3, including media literacy education.
Currently, approximately 62% of the ASF is devolved to 9 mayoral strategic authorities and the Greater London Authority. These authorities are responsible for the provision of ASF-funded adult education for their residents and allocation of the ASF to learning providers to best meet their local needs. The department is responsible for the remaining ASF in non-devolved areas. In non-devolved areas, adults who earn less than £25,000 in annual gross salary are eligible for full funding, but it is the responsibility of providers to decide what training to offer.
More broadly, civil society and community organisations are instrumental in delivering media literacy programmes to adults, leveraging their expertise to support diverse and vulnerable groups.
The Digital Inclusion Action Plan outlines steps toward delivering digital inclusion and media literacy for everyone in the UK, including supporting local and community initiatives to increase digital participation.
Under updated media literacy duties, Ofcom is developing a ‘place-based’ model to embed media literacy into community digital strategies, working with the Good Things Foundation to support Digital Inclusion Hubs.
Asked by: Gareth Snell (Labour (Co-op) - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will ensure that media literacy becomes a core component of the Curriculum and Assessment Review in the context of generative AI.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell
I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Stoke-on-Trent Central to the answer of 1 May 2025 to Question 47184 .
Asked by: Gareth Snell (Labour (Co-op) - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many students are studying an applied general qualification of 720 guided learning hours or more in a T level route.
Answered by Janet Daby
The government has affirmed its commitment to T Levels as a high quality qualification and that these should be the qualifications of choice for 16 to 19-year-olds wishing to study large qualifications.
In the 2022/23 academic year there were 63,840 16 to 19-year-olds, enrolled on a study programme taking an Applied General Qualification over 720 guided learning hours, which appear on performance tables in the same sector subject areas as a T Level. The data is the total number of enrolled students on those qualifications, so will include students on the multiple years of study.
Students deserve high quality qualifications that meet their needs, and the department must continue to develop and improve qualifications so that they support the government’s key missions of spreading opportunity and supporting economic growth. Through our work on the qualifications reform rapid review and the Curriculum and Assessment Review, we will ensure a curriculum that meets the needs of students and employers, which is backed up by high quality qualifications that deliver strong outcomes.
Asked by: Gareth Snell (Labour (Co-op) - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the average programme funding is for 16 to 19 year olds studying T levels and other Level 3 qualifications.
Answered by Janet Daby
The Autumn Budget 2024 provided an additional £300 million revenue funding for further education (FE) for the 2025/26 financial year to ensure young people are developing the skills this country needs.
The department uses the 16 to 19 funding formula to calculate an allocation of funding to each institution, each academic year. The starting point for these allocations are the funding rates, which depend on the size of students’ study programmes or T Levels. The rates for 2024/25 can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/16-to-19-funding-information-for-2024-to-2025#national-funding-rate-for-2024-to-2025. The other elements of the funding formula are then applied, which include a number of adjustments, including for higher cost programmes. Further detail on how the funding formula works can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/16-to-19-funding-how-it-works#funding-formula.
The average total programme funding per 16 to 19 student is £6,219 in the 2024/25 academic year, according to published allocations.
Asked by: Gareth Snell (Labour (Co-op) - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of reducing tuition fees for foundation year in-classroom-based subjects on the finances of universities.
Answered by Janet Daby
On 20 January 2025, the department published a regulatory impact assessment covering the reduction in tuition fee and loan limits for higher education foundation years in classroom-based subjects, which is available here: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukia/2025/13/pdfs/ukia_20250013_en.pdf.
Asked by: Gareth Snell (Labour (Co-op) - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions her Department has had with the Teachers Pension Scheme on delays in providing Remediable Service Statements to retired teachers.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell
Delays have been encountered with the approach to calculating the remediable service statement (RSS) values for retired members of the Teachers’ Pension Scheme whilst cross-scheme issues were resolved.
130,000 retired teachers require a rectification RSS. The scheme administrator estimates that approximately 100,000 will be issued by 31 March 2025.
Whilst the delays have been out of the scheme administrator’s control, the department continues to have daily discussions about reducing the timescales for the RSSs that will not have been issued by then, focusing on operations, resources, processes and IT. Progress is also discussed with the administrator, Teachers’ Pensions, at dedicated weekly and monthly meetings.
Whilst the department is working to ensure that all RSSs are issued as soon as practically possible, the department would like to reassure that any adjustment to pension that is in payment as a result of the member’s choice will be inclusive of interest.