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Written Question
Childcare: Manchester Withington
Thursday 19th October 2023

Asked by: Jeff Smith (Labour - Manchester, Withington)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 14 September 2023 to Question 198639 on Childcare, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure the adequacy of (a) trained staff, (b) safe premises and (c) registered places in Manchester Withington constituency by the start of September 2025 to offer eligible children aged nine months and above to access 30 hours a week of free childcare for 38 weeks each year until the end of the term before they start at primary school.

Answered by David Johnston - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Having enough staff in place to deliver high-quality education and care will be key to ensuring the successful delivery of our record expansion of early years entitlements. Driving up interest in early years careers and ensuring there are enough opportunities for career development is a priority for this government.

In the government’s Spring Budget 2023, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced transformative reforms to childcare for parents, children and the economy. By 2027/28, this Government will expect to be spending in excess of £8 billion every year on free hours and early education, helping working families with their childcare costs. This represents the single biggest investment in childcare in England ever.

The department is developing a range of new workforce initiatives including the launch of a new national campaign, planned for the beginning of 2024, to boost interest in the sector and support the recruitment and retention of talented staff. To increase interest in early years, we are working to remove unnecessary barriers to entering the sector as well as considering how to make early years qualifications more accessible, coordinated and relevant.

Over the summer the department launched a competition for Early Years Skills Bootcamps with a pathway to an accelerated level 3 Early Years Educator apprenticeship, and we will consider degree apprenticeship routes so everyone from junior staff to senior leaders can easily move into or indeed enhance their career in the sector. We are also working across government to boost early years career awareness by collaborating with the Department for Work and Pensions and Careers & Enterprise Company to promote the importance and value of a career in early years.

Regarding safe premises, with a growing number of staff joining the sector, the safety of our youngest children remains as important as ever. All new and existing early years providers must keep children safe and promote their welfare. The Early Years Foundation Stage statutory framework sets the standards that all early years providers in England must meet to ensure that children are kept healthy and safe. More information can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1170108/EYFS_framework_from_September_2023.pdf.

Under these requirements, all owners and managers of childcare settings have a responsibility to ensure that their premises, including overall floor space and outdoor spaces, are fit for purpose and suitable for the age of children cared for and the activities provided on the premises. All providers must also comply with the requirements of health and safety legislation, including fire safety and hygiene requirements. At all times when children are present, at least one person who has a current paediatric first aid certificate must be on the premises.

Under Section 6 of the Childcare Act 2006, local authorities are responsible for ensuring that the provision of childcare is sufficient to meet the requirements of parents in their area. Part B of the Early education and childcare statutory guidance for local authorities highlights that local authorities should report annually to elected council members on how they are meeting their duty to secure sufficient childcare, and to make this report available and accessible to parents. More information can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-education-and-childcare--2.

The Department has regular contact with each local authority in England about their sufficiency of childcare and any issues they are facing. Where local authorities report sufficiency challenges, we discuss what action the local authority is taking to address those issues and where needed support the local authority with any specific requirements through our childcare sufficiency support contract.


Written Question
Environment Protection: Technology
Monday 15th May 2023

Asked by: Jeff Smith (Labour - Manchester, Withington)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps with Cabinet colleagues to provide specific (a) educational opportunities and (b) training programmes to help the oil and gas workforce make the transition to work in green technologies.

Answered by Robert Halfon

The department has a range of existing skills and training offers that can support workers looking to transition between oil and gas, and other offshore energy sectors.

​Skills Bootcamps are free, flexible courses of up to 16 weeks that give adults the opportunity to build sector-specific skills and access an interview. This can meet the needs of existing workers looking to upskill, as well as new entrants to a sector. Courses are available in energy skills, including offshore renewables and wind turbine blade repair.

​Apprenticeships are available in a range of occupational standards and can give employers and employees the skills they need to grow. The apprenticeships offer includes training in a huge range of disciplines, from logistics and project management to engineering and manufacturing. Flexibilities within apprenticeships include accelerated apprenticeships, which support those with existing industry experience to complete more quickly by recognising their prior leaning. This would suit people looking to move between sectors with transferable skills. Training is available for a range of engineering occupations crucial to the offshore energy sector including level 7 system integration engineer, level 3 plate welder, and level 4 asset manager.

In March 2021, The North Sea Transition Deal commited to supporting up to 40,000 direct and indirect supply chain jobs in decarbonising UK Continental Shelf jobs, and in Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) and Hydrogen. In May 2022, the government tasked offshore energy skills organisation, OPITO with developing an Integrated People and Skills Strategy. This work is complimented by the October 2021 Net Zero Strategy which commits the UK to net zero carbon emissions by 2050. The Green Jobs Delivery Group is also covering the oil and gas industry in its detailed work on workforce and skills. The Group will be publishing a Net Zero and Nature Workforce and Skills Action Plan in the first half of 2024.

​According to the Integrated People and Skills Strategy, there are approximately 118,400 workers in oil and gas, and 148,500 in offshore energy overall. The Strategy forecasts offshore energy sector jobs increasing to 350,000 by 2050. It estimates 90% of the existing UK oil and gas workforce has skills transferable to other offshore energy sectors. Additionally, it states over half of the oil and gas workforce would consider moving into renewable energy jobs, provided they were supported with the right training. The Strategy commits to developing transition pathways to support offshore energy workers open to moving between sectors. This includes integration with the Armed Forces Covenant.

​A digital skills passport is in development that allows people working in offshore energy to be occupationally competent across oil and gas, CCUS, Hydrogen, and offshore wind. According to the Green Jobs Taskforce report, published in July 2021, approximately 50%, or 100,000, of the UK’s offshore energy jobs by 2030 are predicted to be filled by workers transferring from oil and gas to offshore renewable roles, as well as new entrants from outside the sector. ​


Written Question
Teachers: Manchester Withington
Monday 24th April 2023

Asked by: Jeff Smith (Labour - Manchester, Withington)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in Manchester Withington constituency do not have qualified teacher status.

Answered by Nick Gibb

Information on the school workforce in England is published in the annual ‘School Workforce in England’ national statistics release, available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england.

The number of teachers without qualified teacher status in all state funded schools in England, including a breakdown by primary and secondary, and by local authority, is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/29d83b82-2aba-44c7-bb82-08db371944c7.

Data relating to schools in individual constituencies can be found in the ‘teacher and support staff numbers by school’ file, within the additional supporting files section, available at: https://content.explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/api/releases/0728fb07-f014-492c-aac9-fd11bb441601/files/2dfcc772-c410-46ac-cb9d-08da713e9200.

There are 24,000 more teachers now than in 2010. The quality of teaching is the most important in school factor in improving outcomes for children, especially for those from disadvantaged backgrounds. Evidence is clear that high quality professional development can lead to improved pupil attainment.

The Department has invested in transforming training for teachers and head teachers. Every teacher and head teacher now has access to high quality, evidence based training and professional development at every stage of their career, starting with initial teacher training (ITT).

By 2024, a reformed ITT provider market will be delivering quality assured training leading to qualified teacher status (QTS) that places a greater emphasis than ever before on embedding structured practice into courses, ensuring trainees are ready to thrive in the classroom.

A new system of higher quality training provider partnerships will be supported by £36 million to introduce new Quality Requirements, including better training for mentors and the delivery of new, cutting edge, intensive training, and practice activity. Every teaching school hub will be involved in ITT to ensure that training places are available across the country.

QTS is considered desirable for teachers in most schools in England. In some schools, including academies, free schools, and independent schools, QTS is not a legal requirement. Academies have a fundamental freedom to employ talented people who do not necessarily have QTS.

Most teachers in all schools, including academies, have QTS and have undertaken initial teacher training. In the 2021/22 academic year, the latest data available, 14,771 teachers (headcount) did not have qualified teacher status, equivalent to 2.9% of teachers.


Written Question
Further Education: Qualifications
Thursday 17th March 2022

Asked by: Jeff Smith (Labour - Manchester, Withington)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which of the post-16 level 2 and below qualifications are in scope for removal for the consultation which launched on 2 March 2022, by title and level.

Answered by Alex Burghart - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The consultation focuses on the groups of post-16 level 2, level 1, and entry level qualifications we propose should be funded in future, rather than individual qualifications. Subject to the consultation, where qualifications do not meet future criteria for these qualification groups, we propose that they have funding approval removed. No decisions have been made about individual qualifications or what is in scope for removal, as we are still consulting and we have not yet developed the specific criteria that will be used to make that assessment.


Written Question
Out-of-school Education
Wednesday 10th June 2020

Asked by: Jeff Smith (Labour - Manchester, Withington)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will reopen the suspended consultation on Regulating independent educational institutions in order to close legal loopholes that enable (a) illegal and (b) unregistered schools to operate.

Answered by Nick Gibb

The Department intends to re-open the suspended consultation when stakeholders are less likely to be significantly affected by the COVID-19 outbreak.

As many stakeholders in the consultation were no longer able to operate due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the Department suspended the consultation before it was due to end. The decision to suspend the consultation was due to concern that not all stakeholders may have the opportunity to respond to the consultation as they would like, therefore undermining its value.

The consultation responses that have been received to date will be combined with responses received after the consultation re-opens and they will be fully reviewed after the consultation finally closes.

It is not yet appropriate, however, to set a date for re-opening the consultation as the situation in relation to the COVID-19 outbreak continues to change.


Written Question
Sex and Relationship Education: LGBT People
Tuesday 11th June 2019

Asked by: Jeff Smith (Labour - Manchester, Withington)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he will take to monitor whether schools are teaching fully LGBT-inclusive Relationships and Sex Education when the subject becomes compulsory in 2020.

Answered by Nick Gibb

From 2020, relationships education will become compulsory for all primary aged pupils and relationships and sex education (RSE) for all secondary aged pupils in England. Alongside this, we are introducing health education for all pupils in state funded schools. The guidance will be published in due course and information concerning the guidance is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/relationships-and-sex-education-and-health-education.

Pupils should receive teaching on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) relationships during their school years. Primary schools are enabled and encouraged to cover LGBT content if they consider it age appropriate to do so. This would be delivered, for example, through teaching about different types of family.

RSE in secondary schools should meet the needs of all pupils, regardless of their developing sexuality or identity. The guidance sets out that secondary pupils should be taught the facts and the law about sex, sexuality and gender identity. When teaching the subjects, schools should ensure there is equal opportunity to explore the features of stable and healthy same-sex relationships. This should be integrated appropriately into the RSE programme, rather than addressed separately or in only one lesson.

All schools, including faith schools, must have regard to the draft guidance. In all schools, the religious background of all pupils must be considered when planning teaching so that the topics that are included in the core content are handled appropriately. Schools must also ensure they comply with the relevant provisions of the Equality Act 2010. The guidance includes an example of how schools can address LGBT relationships in a faith context; for example, the Catholic Education Service currently publishes a model RSE curricula.

Key aspects of relationships education, RSE and health education are in scope for Ofsted inspection; for example, through inspectors’ consideration of pupils’ personal development, behaviour and welfare; and pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Information about how Ofsted inspects schools is set out in its published school inspection handbook. The new Ofsted framework from September 2019 will also introduce a separate grade for ‘personal development’.

We have also committed to reviewing the guidance every three years. This will enable us to monitor the implementation of these subjects and make changes in future where required.


Written Question
Sex and Relationship Education: LGBT People
Tuesday 11th June 2019

Asked by: Jeff Smith (Labour - Manchester, Withington)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how children who are or who may later identify as LGBT and their peers will learn about LGBT issues in a fully inclusive and tolerant manner if state-funded religious schools are permitted to omit such content from RSE.

Answered by Nick Gibb

From 2020, relationships education will become compulsory for all primary aged pupils and relationships and sex education (RSE) for all secondary aged pupils in England. Alongside this, we are introducing health education for all pupils in state funded schools. The guidance will be published in due course and information concerning the guidance is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/relationships-and-sex-education-and-health-education.

Pupils should receive teaching on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) relationships during their school years. Primary schools are enabled and encouraged to cover LGBT content if they consider it age appropriate to do so. This would be delivered, for example, through teaching about different types of family.

RSE in secondary schools should meet the needs of all pupils, regardless of their developing sexuality or identity. The guidance sets out that secondary pupils should be taught the facts and the law about sex, sexuality and gender identity. When teaching the subjects, schools should ensure there is equal opportunity to explore the features of stable and healthy same-sex relationships. This should be integrated appropriately into the RSE programme, rather than addressed separately or in only one lesson.

All schools, including faith schools, must have regard to the draft guidance. In all schools, the religious background of all pupils must be considered when planning teaching so that the topics that are included in the core content are handled appropriately. Schools must also ensure they comply with the relevant provisions of the Equality Act 2010. The guidance includes an example of how schools can address LGBT relationships in a faith context; for example, the Catholic Education Service currently publishes a model RSE curricula.

Key aspects of relationships education, RSE and health education are in scope for Ofsted inspection; for example, through inspectors’ consideration of pupils’ personal development, behaviour and welfare; and pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Information about how Ofsted inspects schools is set out in its published school inspection handbook. The new Ofsted framework from September 2019 will also introduce a separate grade for ‘personal development’.

We have also committed to reviewing the guidance every three years. This will enable us to monitor the implementation of these subjects and make changes in future where required.


Written Question
Sex and Relationship Education: LGBT People
Tuesday 11th June 2019

Asked by: Jeff Smith (Labour - Manchester, Withington)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will issue guidance on LGBT issues to schools to guarantee that all children, regardless of their religious or non-religious background, receive age-appropriate LGBT-inclusive Relationships and Sex Education when the new subject is introduced in 2020.

Answered by Nick Gibb

From 2020, relationships education will become compulsory for all primary aged pupils and relationships and sex education (RSE) for all secondary aged pupils in England. Alongside this, we are introducing health education for all pupils in state funded schools. The guidance will be published in due course and information concerning the guidance is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/relationships-and-sex-education-and-health-education.

Pupils should receive teaching on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) relationships during their school years. Primary schools are enabled and encouraged to cover LGBT content if they consider it age appropriate to do so. This would be delivered, for example, through teaching about different types of family.

RSE in secondary schools should meet the needs of all pupils, regardless of their developing sexuality or identity. The guidance sets out that secondary pupils should be taught the facts and the law about sex, sexuality and gender identity. When teaching the subjects, schools should ensure there is equal opportunity to explore the features of stable and healthy same-sex relationships. This should be integrated appropriately into the RSE programme, rather than addressed separately or in only one lesson.

All schools, including faith schools, must have regard to the draft guidance. In all schools, the religious background of all pupils must be considered when planning teaching so that the topics that are included in the core content are handled appropriately. Schools must also ensure they comply with the relevant provisions of the Equality Act 2010. The guidance includes an example of how schools can address LGBT relationships in a faith context; for example, the Catholic Education Service currently publishes a model RSE curricula.

Key aspects of relationships education, RSE and health education are in scope for Ofsted inspection; for example, through inspectors’ consideration of pupils’ personal development, behaviour and welfare; and pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Information about how Ofsted inspects schools is set out in its published school inspection handbook. The new Ofsted framework from September 2019 will also introduce a separate grade for ‘personal development’.

We have also committed to reviewing the guidance every three years. This will enable us to monitor the implementation of these subjects and make changes in future where required.


Written Question
Sixth Form Education: Finance
Wednesday 17th April 2019

Asked by: Jeff Smith (Labour - Manchester, Withington)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make an increase to the national funding rate for sixth form students a priority in his Department’s spending review submission.

Answered by Anne Milton

We are looking carefully at funding for 16 to 19 year olds in all types of institutions in preparation for the Spending Review and we do recognise the funding challenges in the sector at the moment. We are considering how effective our funding and regulatory structures are in supporting high quality provision, and in line with the aims of the Post-18 Review, to ensure a coherent vision for further and higher education.


Written Question
Schools: Greater Manchester
Friday 6th July 2018

Asked by: Jeff Smith (Labour - Manchester, Withington)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the funding for schools in Manchester in (a) 2017-18 and (b) 2018-19.

Answered by Nick Gibb

Schools in Manchester were allocated £43.2 million through the pupil premium in 2017-18 and £43.4 million in 2018-19.[1] [2] The pupil premium targets funding at pupils from the most deprived backgrounds to help them achieve their full potential.

In 2017-18, schools in Manchester were allocated £5,281 per pupil through the schools block of the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG). The average per pupil funding for England as a whole was £4,619 per pupil.[3]

In 2018-19, schools in Manchester were allocated £5,267 per pupil through the schools block of the DSG. The average per pupil funding for England as a whole was £4,630 per pupil.[4]

The figures for the two years are not comparable. In 2018-19 the Department created the central school services block, which was previously in the schools block. This is given to local authorities so that they can provide central services for schools.

[1] Full details of Pupil Premium in 2017-18 can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pupil-premium-conditions-of-grant-2017-to-2018.

[2] Full details of Pupil Premium in 2018-19 can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pupil-premium-conditions-of-grant-2018-to-2019.

[3] Full details of the DSG in 2017-18 can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dedicated-schools-grant-dsg-2017-to-2018.

[4] Full details of the DSG in 2018-19 can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dedicated-schools-grant-dsg-2018-to-2019.