Asked by: John Spellar (Labour - Warley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when he plans to reply to the letter of 1 May 2020 from the right hon. Member for Warley on funding to apprenticeship training providers.
Answered by Nick Gibb
I can confirm that the letter, dated 1 May 2020, from the right hon. Member for Warley has been responded to. A response was sent via email to the right hon. Member on 23 June 2020.
Asked by: John Spellar (Labour - Warley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of trends in the level of central Government funding for local authorities on the adequacy of children's services provided by local authorities.
Answered by Michelle Donelan - Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
The number of inadequate local authorities has fallen by a third from 30 in April 2017 to 17 at the end of October 2019, as a result of our reforms.
Local authorities have been given access to over £200 billion in the 5 years since Spending Review 2015. The Spending Round 2019 also confirmed an additional £1 billion grant for adult and children’s social care services in 2020-21 in addition to the continuation of existing social care grants.
Asked by: John Spellar (Labour - Warley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support his Department is providing to improve local authority support for vulnerable children.
Answered by Michelle Donelan - Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
All children should have access to the support they need to keep them safe, provide them with a stable and nurturing home, and overcome challenges to achieve their potential. That is why, at the Spending Round 2019, the government confirmed an additional £1 billion grant for adult and children’s social care in 2020-21 in addition to the continuation of all existing social care grants.
Local authorities core spending power is expected to rise from £46.2 billion to £49.1 billion in 2020/21, an estimated 4.3% real terms increase.
We also provide targeted help and support to drive improvement in local authorities. We are investing £20 million in regional sector-led improvement to get ahead of failure. Our strong ‘Partner in Practice’ authorities have already helped over 70 local authorities, getting upstream of the risk of failure, with work underway to broker support for many more. Additionally, we are investing £2 million in improving leadership in children's services with support being delivered through the local government authority. In addition to the £84 million targeted fund, the Autumn Budget made £410 million available to local authorities for adults and children’s social care in 2019/20.
Asked by: John Spellar (Labour - Warley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many undergraduates are currently studying courses for (a) veterinary surgery, (b) architecture and (c) web design.
Answered by Chris Skidmore
The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) collects and publishes data on students enrolled in higher education (HE). HESA published data for undergraduates currently studying courses for veterinary surgery, architecture and web design at the following link: https://www.hesa.ac.uk/data-and-analysis/students/table-22.
Information on undergraduate students enrolled in each principal subject area at HE institutions in 2017/18 has been provided in Table 1 which has been attached. This includes the principal subjects that encompass veterinary surgery and architecture. There is no direct classification for web design.
Asked by: John Spellar (Labour - Warley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions his Department has had with Lancashire County Council on the Council's ban on halal and kosher meat in school meals.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
The department has had no discussions with Lancashire County Council with regards to their ban on halal and kosher meat in school meals. The government sets out required minimum standards for school food in the School Food Standards to ensure that children are served healthy, nutritious meals at school. The standards do not specify food requirements in terms of cultural and religious needs.
Headteachers, governors and their caterers are best placed to make decisions about their school food policies, which includes acting reasonably to provide choices that take account of cultural, religious and special dietary needs. Schools that choose to arrange their school meals through a local authority or another catering organisation may wish to take this into consideration. Schools may consider providing both halal and non-halal or kosher food each day, or ensuring that dishes are clearly labelled to allow pupils to select the appropriate choice.
Asked by: John Spellar (Labour - Warley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when (a) he and (b) officials in his Department were made aware of the financial concerns relating to Bright Tribe academy trust; and what steps his Department has taken to address those concerns.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) have a robust intervention strategy, built on a clear framework and communicated and regulated through trusts’ funding agreements and the Academies Financial Handbook.
The former Secretary of State (Nicky Morgan), my right hon. Friend for Loughborough, was initially made aware of the financial concerns relating to Bright Tribe Trust in July 2015.
The ESFA has worked closely with Bright Tribe Trust since 2015. An initial Financial Management and Governance Review was completed in November 2015, with follow up visits in September 2016 and August 2017. In June 2018, we made a further visit to Bright Tribe Trust in relation to the outstanding capital issues at The Whitehaven Academy.
The ESFA reviews all allegations received about Bright Tribe Trust and individual schools within the trust. Following most recent allegations, a warning letter was issued by the EFSA on 7 August 2018.
Asked by: John Spellar (Labour - Warley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many school leavers in (a) Warley constituency and (b) Sandwell who went to university in the last five years for which figures are available were (i) entitled and (ii) not entitled to free school meals.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
Information is given on the number and percentage of students completing key stage 5 study (A level and other level 3 qualifications) in mainstream state-funded schools and colleges, before progressing to study at a UK higher education institution for at least two terms the following year, in each of the last five years for which information is available. Free school meal eligibility is as recorded when students were in Year 11.
The table below show figures for the Warley constituency for the years 2010/11 to 2014/15. Numbers of pupils are shown rounded to the nearest ten, in line with how published information was shown in these years. Percentages are calculated using unrounded figures.
In each of the last five years, 20 to 60 students in the Warley constituency (rounded to the nearest ten), who had been eligible for free school meals in Year 11 and completed key stage 5 study, progressed to higher education. This compares to between 140 and 190 students who had not been eligible for free school meals. Due to the small numbers of students involved, these proportions have varied year on year.
Comparable information on pupil destinations for Sandwell is published annually at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-destinations
| Number of students completing KS5 | Number at UK Higher Education Institution | % at UK Higher Education Institution (calculated on unrounded figures) | |||
(rounded to nearest 10) | (rounded to nearest 10) | |||||
FSM | Non-FSM | FSM | Non-FSM | FSM | Non-FSM | |
2014/15 (2013/14 KS5 cohort) | 90 | 300 | 60 | 190 | 65% | 65% |
2013/14 (2012/13 KS5 cohort) | 70 | 340 | 40 | 190 | 57% | 56% |
2012/13 (2011/12 KS5 cohort) | 60 | 250 | 30 | 140 | 56% | 56% |
2011/12 (2010/11 KS5 cohort) | 90 | 280 | 60 | 180 | 65% | 63% |
2010/11 (2009/10 KS5 cohort) | 40 | 210 | 20 | 150 | 47% | 70% |
Asked by: John Spellar (Labour - Warley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to ensure that her Department's purchasing policies support British (a) industry and (b) agriculture.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Department's purchasing policies support the Government’s commitment to do all it can to ensure UK suppliers can compete effectively for public sector contracts, in line with our current international obligations and guidance issued by the Crown Commercial Service.
Asked by: John Spellar (Labour - Warley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her policy is on the use of private companies to arrange foster care placements.
Answered by Edward Timpson
The arrangement of foster care placements is the duty of local authorities. All placements must be made with consideration to the child's assessed needs through a robust care planning process.
The Fostering Services (England) Regulations 2011 set the statutory framework for all fostering services, including Independent Fostering Providers. The regulatory framework for the provision of foster care placements is clear that local authorities must have access to sufficient placements to meet the needs of the children they look after. As long as placements meet the needs of the child, it is for local authorities to determine whether placements are provided in-house or by independent providers.
Asked by: John Spellar (Labour - Warley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her Department's policy is on the use of umbrella companies for supply teachers.
Answered by David Laws
Schools and local authorities are responsible for the recruitment of their supply teachers and deciding whether to use private supply agencies to recruit and employ supply teachers. If a supply teacher is employed by a private agency, this is a private commercial arrangement between the school and the agency.
The Department for Education is not responsible for the regulation of teacher supply agencies or their umbrella organisations. Teacher supply agencies are regulated by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills under the employment agency provisions in the Employment Agencies Act 1973 and the Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2003.