Asked by: Greg Knight (Conservative - East Yorkshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of funding available to education authorities covering largely rural areas.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The schools national funding formula accounts for the challenges faced by small schools in rural areas through the ‘sparsity’ factor. This recognises that some schools are necessarily small because they are remote and do not have the same opportunities to grow or make efficiency savings as other schools, and that such schools often play a significant role in the rural communities they serve.
Given the importance of local schools to rural communities, the government has made changes to the sparsity factor, including reforms which mean that more schools are now eligible for this funding. Following these reforms, the total funding allocated through the sparsity factor has increased from £42 million in the 2021/22 financial year to £98 million in the 2024/25 financial year.
Asked by: Greg Knight (Conservative - East Yorkshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans he has to ensure that more school pupils, especially those from urban and inner city areas, are taught about and encouraged to take an interest in wildlife conservation; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Topics related to climate, the environment and sustainability, including wildlife conservation issues, are covered in the science and geography National Curriculum and in GCSEs. In Key Stages 1 and 2, pupils are taught about seasons and habitats, as well as climate zones and how environments can change. Secondary school pupils are taught in geography how human and physical processes interact to influence and change landscapes, environments and the climate.
As the National Curriculum is a framework setting out the content of what the Department expects schools to cover in each subject, we expect teachers to use the flexibility and freedom they have to determine how they deliver the content in the way that best meets the needs of their pupils. If teachers wish, they can choose to cover particular topics, such as wildlife conservation, in greater depth.
Asked by: Greg Knight (Conservative - East Yorkshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make an assessment of the availability and adequacy of education facilities for children diagnosed with autism and other special needs in each county; what plans he has to ensure that future demand for such facilities is met; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Vicky Ford
We are investing £300 million of capital funding in the 2021-22 financial year to support local authorities to deliver new places and improve existing provision for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or who require alternative provision. This funding is on top of the £365 million we have invested through the Special Provision Capital Fund from the financial years 2018-19 to 2020-21, and our continued investment in the free schools programme. We are also providing an increase in revenue funding for those children and young people with more complex needs, of nearly a quarter (24%) over 2 years, bringing the total high needs budget to more than £8 billion in the 2021-22 financial year.
The department will continue to work with local authorities to better understand future demand for SEND provision, including for children with autism, as it considers how it can best support the sector going forwards. Funding for places required in future years will be subject to the outcomes of the next government Spending Review, where we will have a chance to consider how we can best support the sector in the round.
The SEND review is looking at ways to make sure the SEND system is consistent, high quality, and integrated across education, health and care. It is also considering measures to make sure that money is being spent fairly, efficiently and effectively, and that the support available to children and young people is sustainable in the future.
Asked by: Greg Knight (Conservative - East Yorkshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to encourage more secondary school pupils to consider pursuing a career in (a) medicine and (b) the NHS, particularly in areas where NHS recruitment is low; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
It is essential that young people have information on a wide range of jobs and careers so that they can make informed choices. The Careers & Enterprise Company (CEC) connects schools and colleges with employers from a variety of sectors, including medicine and the NHS, to provide meaningful encounters with the world of work for young people. They do this through their Enterprise Adviser Network and Careers Hubs, in collaboration with Local Enterprise Partnerships who tailor support according to local labour market information.
Thirteen NHS Trusts, including Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals, which are all large healthcare employers, are part of CEC’s Cornerstone employers’ group. Cornerstone employers are major employers who target support for young people in disadvantaged areas. Four in five schools and colleges in England have adopted the eight Gatsby Benchmarks of good careers guidance. These include learning from career and labour market information, encounters with employers and employees, and experiences of workplaces. 3.3 million secondary aged school and college students now benefit from regular and meaningful employer encounters – an increase of 70% in two years.
From September this year, T Levels in Health and Healthcare Science are being introduced. During these two-year programmes, students will develop the core knowledge and skills that are needed for entry to a range of healthcare occupations. Both T Levels include a minimum of nine weeks working with an employer on an industry placement.
The National Careers Service provides independent, professional advice on skills and the labour market. Secondary school pupils can find information on a variety of careers, including those in medicine and the NHS, on the National Careers Service website. Young people aged 13 to 18 can also access ongoing in-depth guidance via local telephone-based advisers and web chat.
Asked by: Greg Knight (Conservative - East Yorkshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that young people are being appropriately educated on (a) safe use of the highway and (b) the contents of the highway code.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Schools are free to cover teaching about road safety and the highway code as part of their duty to provide a broad and balanced curriculum, including through their personal, social, health and economic education provision. Schools can draw on resources available from many providers including, in relation to road safety, the THINK! Campaign developed by the Department for Transport, which is accessible here: https://www.think.gov.uk.
The Government also funds the Bikeability scheme which provides pupils with high quality cycling training. Bikeability allows pupils to gain practical skills and understanding of how to cycle on roads, and increases pupils’ confidence and skills for all types of cycling.
Asked by: Greg Knight (Conservative - East Yorkshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many apprenticeship starts there were in (a) East Yorkshire constituency and (b) Yorkshire in each year since 2015.
Answered by Michelle Donelan - Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
The number of apprenticeship starts in the East Yorkshire parliamentary constituency and the Yorkshire and the Humber region in each academic year since 2005/06 are given in the attached table.
More detailed breakdowns of starts in local areas, by characteristics such as age, level and sector subject area are available in the further education data library:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/fe-data-library-apprenticeships.
Asked by: Greg Knight (Conservative - East Yorkshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will introduce animal welfare education into the national curriculum; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The new national curriculum was introduced in September 2014 and focuses on the essential knowledge that must be taught, allowing teachers to take greater control over the wider curriculum in schools and how it is taught. The national curriculum is compulsory in maintained schools, and academies and free schools can use it as a benchmark. As part of the science national curriculum primary pupils will be taught about the basic needs of animals for survival including appropriate habitat, food, water and air. Schools should also teach pupils how to take care of animals taken from their local environment and the need to return them safely after study.
Schools have the freedom to teach topics such as animal welfare as part of subjects such as Personal, Social, Health and Economic education.
Asked by: Greg Knight (Conservative - East Yorkshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will require road safety and information on the dangers of the highway to be taught to all children in all schools as part of the national curriculum.
Answered by Edward Timpson
Schools can choose to teach about road safety in their personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) lessons and the non-statutory programme of study for PSHE education includes road safety, cycle safety and safety in the community.
The government expects all schools to teach PSHE and made this expectation clear in the introduction to the national curriculum. It is for schools to tailor their PSHE programme to reflect the needs of their pupils.
Schools may wish to use the resources provided by organisations such as the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (ROSPA), which offer a range of materials to help schools and teachers incorporate road safety education into lessons and school activities. ROSPA’s resources are available free on their website: http://www.rospa.com/road-safety/resources/free/teachers/
Asked by: Greg Knight (Conservative - East Yorkshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to reduce salt content in school meals.
Answered by Sam Gyimah
The School Food Standards severely restrict foods high in salt. Foods high in salt are included in Schedule 3 of the School Food Standards, which came into effect this January. The standards are available at: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2014/1603/pdfs/uksi_20141603_en.pdf
Asked by: Greg Knight (Conservative - East Yorkshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has issued guidance to nursery and primary schools on the installation of wi-fi in classrooms.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Secretary of State for Education has not discussed this matter with her French counterpart and no discussion is currently planned.
The Department for Educaiton has not issued guidance to nursery and primary schools on the installation of wi-fi in classrooms. The department provides advice to schools on health and safety, and it is for individual schools to decide whether or not to implement wi-fi technology in order to meet their needs. Public Health England leads on this issue and has advised that it sees no reason why schools should not use wi-fi equipment. Schools must take reasonable steps to ensure that staff and pupils are not exposed to health and safety risks by conducting a risk assessment and, if necessary, putting measures in place to minimise any known risk.