Asked by: Helen Goodman (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the oral contribution by the Chancellor of the Exchequer to the Treasury Committee on 12 December 2016, in response to Q311, who in her Department is responsible for assessing whether grant applications for Horizon 2020 funding are (a) value for money and (b) in line with Government objectives.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to her by my rt. hon. Friend the Chief Secretary to the Treasury to Question UIN 57694:
Asked by: Helen Goodman (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that nurseries in County Durham recruit well qualified staff including early years teachers.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
The Department does not hold data on the workforce for specific Local Authority areas as the duty to ensure sufficient childcare places resides with the individual Local Authority.
However, as a Government we want to continue to attract and retain good quality staff to deliver good quality early years provision and the Government has committed to developing a workforce strategy to help employers to do this. As part of this strategy we are focussed on removing the barriers to attracting, retaining and developing staff so that new and existing staff can achieve their potential and forge a successful career in early years.
The Government has recently published a consultation on the literacy and numeracy skills needed to perform as a Level 3 Early Years Educator in response to messages from the sector that the current requirements are creating a barrier to attracting and retaining high quality staff: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/level-3-early-years-educator-numeracy-and-literacy-requirements
Between 2008 and 2013, the proportion of full day care staff with a degree or higher increased from 5 to 13%. To support this, the Department delivers early years initial teacher training and provides financial support for eligible graduates in the form of bursaries.
Asked by: Helen Goodman (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the potential cost to the public purse of replacing her Department's funded assistive listening devices, such as radio aids used by deaf children in schools, in the event that such devices suffer from interference as a result of the release of the 2.35 to 2.39 GHz spectrum bands.
Answered by Edward Timpson
Under the Equality Act, schools and local authorities are required to provide auxiliary aids when it would be reasonable to do so and if such an aid would alleviate any substantial disadvantage that the pupil faces in comparison to non-disabled pupils.
We are protecting the core schools budget in real terms throughout this Parliament, enabling a per pupil protection for the dedicated schools grant, which includes funding for high needs. Local authorities have also received an additional £92.5m high needs funding as part of their dedicated school grant this year, which will help them meet the costs of special educational needs and disability provision in their area.
The Office of Communications (OFCOM) is managing the release of the 2.35 to 2.39 GHz spectrum bands. OFCOM have carried out careful tests of listening devices and sought evidence from across the deaf community to ensure these devices will not be affected by future mobile signals.
Asked by: Helen Goodman (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 15 September 2016 to Question 45985 on extracurricular activities: offenders, what measures are in place to protect children when such classes are provided (a) privately and (b) on private property.
Answered by Edward Timpson
Any measures to protect children where they are attending privately run classes, including those provided on private property, rest entirely with parents. It is a matter of parental choice to allow their children to attend and to make a considered decision about the suitability of the individuals running the class.
Asked by: Helen Goodman (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions she has had with the Home Secretary on work permits and immigration rules for EU citizens working in higher education, research and academia after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
Department for Education officials meet regularly with Home Office officials to discuss a range of issues regarding EU students and staff. The two departments will continue to work closely as these issues progress.
Asked by: Helen Goodman (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what child protection steps have been taken to prevent self-employed adults with violent or sexual convictions providing extracurricular activities for children when no governing body exists for that sport or activity.
Answered by Edward Timpson
Schools are aware of their responsibilities in ensuring that any self-employed individual who is providing extra-curricular classes or sessions on their behalf has been subject to the necessary and appropriate checks, which could include checking individual status with the relevant sports or activity governing body.
If those checks reveal convictions for violence the school will then determine the appropriateness or otherwise of allowing that individual to continue to provide classes or sessions.
Asked by: Helen Goodman (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she has taken to prevent self-employed adults with violent convictions providing extracurricular classes or sessions to children for sports or activities which have no governing body.
Answered by Edward Timpson
Schools are aware of their responsibilities in ensuring that any self-employed individual who is providing extra-curricular classes or sessions on their behalf has been subject to the necessary and appropriate checks, which could include checking individual status with the relevant sports or activity governing body.
If those checks reveal convictions for violence the school will then determine the appropriateness or otherwise of allowing that individual to continue to provide classes or sessions.
Asked by: Helen Goodman (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with her Cabinet colleagues on preventing self-employed adults with violent or sexual convictions providing extracurricular classes or sessions to children where there is no governing body for that sport or activity.
Answered by Edward Timpson
Schools are aware of their responsibilities in ensuring that any self-employed individual who is providing extra-curricular classes or sessions on their behalf has been subject to the necessary and appropriate checks, which could include checking individual status with the relevant sports or activity governing body.
If those checks reveal convictions for violence the school will then determine the appropriateness or otherwise of allowing that individual to continue to provide classes or sessions.
Asked by: Helen Goodman (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an assessment of the number of secondary school pupils who have been unable to participate in a school trip directly related to a statutory aspect of the national curriculum in each of the last three years.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Department does not collect data on the number of pupils who are unable to participate in school trips related to a statutory aspect of the national curriculum. All schools have a duty to teach a balanced and broadly based curriculum which, for maintained schools includes the national curriculum. It is the responsibility of schools to decide how best to teach the curriculum and this includes whether school trips could help enhance pupils’ experience and education and allow pupils to achieve better outcomes.
Asked by: Helen Goodman (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools teach sex education and consent in PSHE lessons.
Answered by Edward Timpson
The Department for Education does not hold data on the number of schools teaching sex education or consent.
The Government believes that all children should have the opportunity to receive a high quality and appropriate sex and relationships education (SRE). SRE is compulsory in maintained secondary schools. Primary schools can choose to teach SRE in an age-appropriate way. All schools providing SRE, including academies and primary schools, must have regard to the Secretary of State’s Sex and Relationship Education Guidance (2000).
Schools often choose to teach sex and relationships education as part of Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education (PSHE), and consent may be a part of this.