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Written Question
Schools: North West
Wednesday 31st January 2018

Asked by: Jeff Smith (Labour - Manchester Withington)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much per pupil funding was allocated to schools in (a) Manchester, Withington constituency, (b) Manchester and (c) the North West in each of the last five years.

Answered by Nick Gibb

Funding from the Department is primarily allocated at a local authority level.

The average schools block unit of funding for the Manchester local authority, the North West, and all other local authorities for the last five years can be found at the links below:

2013-14: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dedicated-schools-grant-2013-to-2014.

2014-15: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dedicated-schools-grant-2014-to-2015.

2015-16: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dedicated-schools-grant-dsg-2015-to-2016.

2016-17: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dedicated-schools-grant-dsg-2016-to-2017.

2017-18: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dedicated-schools-grant-dsg-2017-to-2018.

Since 2011-12 schools have received the Pupil Premium which targets funding at pupils from the most deprived backgrounds to help them achieve their full potential. In
2011-12, the Premium was allocated for each pupil known to be eligible for Free School Meals, looked after children and children of parents in the armed services. In 2012-13 coverage was expanded to include pupils known to have been eligible for Free School Meals at any point in the last six years. The per pupil amounts for each type of pupil for the last five years are shown in following table in cash terms:

Pupil Premium per pupil (£)

2013-2014

2014-2015

2015-2016

2016-2017

2017-2018

Free School Meal Pupil Primary

£953

£1323

£1320

£1320

£1320

Free School Meal Pupil Secondary

£900

£935

£935

£935

£935

Service Children

£300

£300

£300

£300

£300

Looked After Children

£900

£1900*

£1900*

£1900*

£1900*

*Also includes children adopted from care

Details of provider level allocations for all schools and academies for the last five years can also be found at the links below. These cover the DSG schools block allocations made by local authorities.

2013-14: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/schools-block-funding-allocations-2013-to-2014.

2014-15: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/schools-block-funding-allocations-2014-to-2015.

2015-16: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/schools-block-funding-allocations-2015-to-2016.

2016-17: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/schools-block-funding-allocations-2016-to-2017.

2017-18: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/schools-block-funding-allocations-2017-to-2018.


Written Question
Children: Day Care
Monday 29th January 2018

Asked by: Jeff Smith (Labour - Manchester Withington)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many eligibility codes for 30 hours free childcare have been (a) generated and (b) validated in (i) Manchester Withington constituency and (b) Manchester.

Answered by Nadhim Zahawi

The department is committed to ensuring all parents who are eligible for the 30 hours free childcare entitlement are able to take up a place that suits their childcare needs. We have already provided significant support to local authorities and providers through our delivery contractor, ‘Childcare Works’, providing tailored support to help progress implementation plans.

In November 17, we also launched the ‘Delivery Support Fund’ to support local authorities, and enable them to support their providers,

On 19 December 2017, we published ’30 hours free childcare: autumn term 2017’. This showed that, in the first term of delivery, an estimated 1,094 children were in a 30 hours place in Manchester – this was 82% of those issued with a 30 hours eligibility code.

Furthermore, as of 8 January, 2,235 30 hours eligibility codes had been issued in Manchester for the spring term and 1,311 of these codes had been validated via the department’s eligibility checking system. This data was published in the management information release: ‘30 hours free childcare eligibility codes issued and validated: January 2018’: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/30-hours-free-childcare-eligibility-codes-issued-and-validated.

We will continue to publish regular management information on the rollout of 30 hours free childcare at a national and local level.



Written Question
Children: Day Care
Monday 29th January 2018

Asked by: Jeff Smith (Labour - Manchester Withington)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department has taken to roll out 30 hours of free childcare in (a) Manchester, Withington constituency and (b) Manchester.

Answered by Nadhim Zahawi

The department is committed to ensuring all parents who are eligible for the 30 hours free childcare entitlement are able to take up a place that suits their childcare needs. We have already provided significant support to local authorities and providers through our delivery contractor, ‘Childcare Works’, providing tailored support to help progress implementation plans.

In November 17, we also launched the ‘Delivery Support Fund’ to support local authorities, and enable them to support their providers,

On 19 December 2017, we published ’30 hours free childcare: autumn term 2017’. This showed that, in the first term of delivery, an estimated 1,094 children were in a 30 hours place in Manchester – this was 82% of those issued with a 30 hours eligibility code.

Furthermore, as of 8 January, 2,235 30 hours eligibility codes had been issued in Manchester for the spring term and 1,311 of these codes had been validated via the department’s eligibility checking system. This data was published in the management information release: ‘30 hours free childcare eligibility codes issued and validated: January 2018’: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/30-hours-free-childcare-eligibility-codes-issued-and-validated.

We will continue to publish regular management information on the rollout of 30 hours free childcare at a national and local level.



Written Question
Further Education
Thursday 7th December 2017

Asked by: Jeff Smith (Labour - Manchester Withington)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has plans to devolve post-16 skills policy to Mayoral Combined Authorities.

Answered by Anne Milton

The department is planning to devolve the Adult Education Budget to the Mayoral Combined Authorities in 2019/20, subject to agreement over readiness conditions. This will allow these authorities flexibility to shape adult education provision in order to meet local economic needs.

We are establishing Skills Advisory Panels, in partnership with Mayoral Combined Authorities and Local Enterprise Partnerships, to help identify the skills needs and employer demands at a local level. The department have no further plans to devolve post-16 skills policy to Mayoral Combined Authorities.


Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 11 Sep 2017
Oral Answers to Questions

"13. What recent estimate she has made of the level of teacher shortages...."
Jeff Smith - View Speech

View all Jeff Smith (Lab - Manchester Withington) contributions to the debate on: Oral Answers to Questions

Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 11 Sep 2017
Oral Answers to Questions

"That is a very complacent answer. The Secretary of State’s predecessor, the right hon. Member for Loughborough (Nicky Morgan), said that the public sector pay cap is having a clear impact on recruitment and retention. Does the Minister agree with his right hon. Friend that the policy makes it harder …..."
Jeff Smith - View Speech

View all Jeff Smith (Lab - Manchester Withington) contributions to the debate on: Oral Answers to Questions

Speech in Westminster Hall - Tue 11 Jul 2017
Social Mobility

"My hon. Friend is right to refer to the report, because it is a powerful document. Much of it talks about the need for investment in early years and schools as the vehicle for social mobility. How does she think the Government can square that with the cuts to early …..."
Jeff Smith - View Speech

View all Jeff Smith (Lab - Manchester Withington) contributions to the debate on: Social Mobility

Written Question
Pre-school Education: Standards
Monday 26th June 2017

Asked by: Jeff Smith (Labour - Manchester Withington)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she plans to take to improve nursery care to ensure that all children are ready for school age at five.

Answered by Robert Goodwill

The latest results from the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Profile show that the number of children who have achieved a good level of development at the end of reception is increasing year on year: 69.3% of children achieved a good level of development in 2016, compared to 66.3% in 2015, 60.4% in 2014 and 51.7% in 2013.

The evidence is clear that a high quality workforce has a significant impact on the quality of provision and outcomes for children. The Government published the Early Years Workforce Strategy in March 2017 to support the development of a well-qualified workforce with the appropriate knowledge, skills and experience. Further information can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-workforce-strategy

The strategy sets out:

  • actions we will take to improve the quality of early years training and access to continuous professional development; and
  • funding to support the sector to develop quality improvement support in partnership with schools and local authorities.

We are also exploring the content of the early learning goals and how the EYFS Profile might be improved to better assess a child’s level of development at the end of the early years, through the Department’s recent consultation on assessment arrangements in reception (part of the wider Primary Assessment Consultation).

The consultation closed on 22 June, and a Government response will be issued in due course.


Speech in Commons Chamber - Thu 27 Oct 2016
Oral Answers to Questions

"3. If the Government will take steps to provide further transitional support to women affected by the increase in the state pension age. ..."
Jeff Smith - View Speech

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Speech in Commons Chamber - Thu 27 Oct 2016
Oral Answers to Questions

"It is clear that the members of the Women Against State Pension Inequality Campaign and their many supporters around the country think that the Government have not done enough. Will the Minister commit herself to publishing all assessments of the impact of the 2011 changes, and any analysis that has …..."
Jeff Smith - View Speech

View all Jeff Smith (Lab - Manchester Withington) contributions to the debate on: Oral Answers to Questions