Asked by: Julie Elliott (Labour - Sunderland Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on the number of (a) girls and (b) boys who play (i) football and (ii) other sports at (A) primary and (B) secondary school.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The department does not routinely collect data about which sports pupils participate in during the school day. It is up to schools to decide which sports they offer, so that they can meet the needs of their pupils. Factors influencing which sports schools may offer include the space and equipment available.
The department asked what types of sports were available to Year 7 to Year 11 pupils in the Parent, Pupil and Learner Panel, covering the 2021/22 academic year. Girls reported that they were less likely to have football, basketball, cricket and rugby available to them during PE lessons in comparison to boys. By contrast, girls did report that they were more likely to have rounders, netball, badminton, dance, gymnastics and volleyball available to them. Further information can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/parent-pupil-and-learner-panel-omnibus-surveys-for-2021-to-2022. Schools can and do separate sporting experiences for boys and girls on the grounds of safety and fairness, but they should take the time to reflect on how this affects girls and boys accessing the same sports equally.
The Active Lives Children and Young People Survey data for the 2022/23 academic year was published by Sport England on 7 December 2023 and shows a significant increase of 4 percentage points of girls in Years 1-11 playing football over the last week compared to the baseline data collected in the 2017/18 academic year. This data is accessible at: https://sportengland-production-files.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/2023-12/Active%20Lives%20Children%20and%20Young%20People%20Survey%20-%20academic%20year%202022-23%20report.pdf?VersionId=3N7GGWZMKy88UPsGfnJVUZkaTklLwB_.
On 8 March 2023, the department announced over £600 million in for the primary PE and sport premium in the 2023/24 and 2024/25 academic years, and £57 million up to March 2025 for the Opening School Facilities programme. Schools can use this funding to increase their sport provision, raise overall quality of PE and improve the opportunities for all boys and girls to access sports.
In July 2023, the government published the School Sport and Activity Action Plan, which set out the expectation for schools to provide girls and boys with the same access and opportunity to play sports in PE and wider school sport. To encourage this, the government has overseen a change to the School Games Mark, which is delivered by the Youth Sport Trust. From September 2023, schools must demonstrate how they are overcoming gender barriers faced by girls and boys in PE and wider school sport as part of their planning and delivery.
Asked by: Julie Elliott (Labour - Sunderland Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Spring Budget 2023, how many schools have participated in the wraparound pathfinder scheme in 2023; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by David Johnston - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
As the programme is yet to launch, the department is unable to provide data about participation in the programme.
In the Spring Budget 2023, the Chancellor announced a transformative set of childcare reforms aimed at increasing labour market participation. This included the largest ever investment in childcare, including expansions of early years entitlements and wraparound childcare.
The government is investing £289 million in a new wraparound childcare programme which will support local authorities to work with primary schools and providers, including childminders, to set up and deliver more wraparound childcare before and after school in the term time. The government’s ambition is for all parents of primary school children who need it, to access childcare in their local area from 8am to 6pm.
Parents should expect to see an expansion in the availability of wraparound childcare from September 2024, with every parent who needs it able to access term-time wraparound childcare by September 2026. Programme funding allocations for local authorities were announced on 27 October 2023.
Asked by: Julie Elliott (Labour - Sunderland Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools have introduced childcare (a) before and (b) after the school day as a result of the pathfinder scheme.
Answered by David Johnston - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
As the programme is yet to launch, the department is unable to provide data about participation in the programme.
In the Spring Budget 2023, the Chancellor announced a transformative set of childcare reforms aimed at increasing labour market participation. This included the largest ever investment in childcare, including expansions of early years entitlements and wraparound childcare.
The government is investing £289 million in a new wraparound childcare programme which will support local authorities to work with primary schools and providers, including childminders, to set up and deliver more wraparound childcare before and after school in the term time. The government’s ambition is for all parents of primary school children who need it, to access childcare in their local area from 8am to 6pm.
Parents should expect to see an expansion in the availability of wraparound childcare from September 2024, with every parent who needs it able to access term-time wraparound childcare by September 2026. Programme funding allocations for local authorities were announced on 27 October 2023.
Asked by: Julie Elliott (Labour - Sunderland Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has taken recent steps to determine the prevalence of reinforced autoclave aerated concrete (RAAC) in school sport facilities; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of RAAC on (a) student access to sport facilities and (b) the Government's target of having equal access to sport for girls by 2025.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Nothing is more important than the safety of pupils and staff. It has always been the case that when made aware of a building that may pose an immediate risk, the Department has taken immediate action.
The Department has acted decisively and proactively to tackle this issue. The Department is working at pace to understand the prevalence of RAAC in our education estate, including in school sport facilities.
The Department issued a questionnaire in March 2022, asking responsible bodies to inform the Department of any suspected RAAC identified in their estates. Responsible bodies have submitted questionnaires for over 98% of schools with blocks built in the target era. The questionnaire remains open, and it is important that all responsible bodies submit and update their responses as more information becomes available.
Schools and colleges where RAAC is suspected are being fast-tracked for surveying, which is used to confirm whether RAAC is actually present. All schools and colleges that have already confirmed they suspect they might have RAAC will be surveyed within a matter of weeks, in many cases in a matter of days.
The School Sport and Activity Action Plan published in July 2023 set out how the Government funded School Games Mark will phase in equality criteria from September 2023 and become a mandatory part of the School Games Mark from September 2024.
The Government has committed to publishing non-statutory guidance by the end of the calendar year to support schools to learn from other schools who are delivering equality of access in the context of their wider curriculum.
In November 2021, the Department awarded the girls competitive sport contract to SLQ, worth up to £980,000 until 31 March 2024. The programme provides girls aged 8-16 with the skills and confidence to overcome some of the known barriers to their continued participation in competitive and sports leadership opportunities.
The Government understands that school facilities provide pupils with some of their first experiences of accessing sport and physical activity, which can support them to lead a lifetime of playing sport and being physically active. The Department has made up to £57 million available until March 2025 to support up to 1,350 schools to open their sport facilities outside of core school hours.
Schools can organise and deliver a diverse and challenging PE and school sport offer that best suits the needs of their pupils. Factors influencing that decision will include the impact of RAAC on spaces available for sports.
Asked by: Julie Elliott (Labour - Sunderland Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many visits were made by (a) the Secretary of State and (b) each Minister in his Department to a (i) Government Hub and (ii) ministerial office outside of London in (A) 2022 and (B) 2023.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The information requested is not centrally collated and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Julie Elliott (Labour - Sunderland Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has to ensure girls and young women to access physical education during secondary school.
Answered by Nick Gibb
On 8 March 2023, the Government announced a package to support girls’ equal opportunity to PE and Sport lessons and extra-curricular activities. The announcement included the expansion of the School Games Mark to reward parity of provision for girls.
The Department is also funding a programme worth up to £980,000 over three years run by Sports Leaders Qualification that specifically focuses on improving opportunities for girls aged 8 to 16 in competitive sport and sport leadership. The programme will run until the end of March 2024.
Sport England has also provided £1.5 million of funding to develop a new digital resource, called Studio You, which supports teachers to engage less active teenage girls in their PE and Sport lessons.
Asked by: Julie Elliott (Labour - Sunderland Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he holds information on the number of times the Secretary of State for Education’s departmental pass was used to enter and exit the Department from 5 July to 7 July 2022 for the Secretary of State who served during that period.
Answered by Will Quince
The Secretary of State for Education can enter and exit the department either by use of their departmental security pass to gain access electronically, or if they are afforded VIP access to enter and exit by reception staff.
Whilst our electronic records show that they did not use their pass to enter or exit the department, each individual holding the post of Secretary of State that week, including my right hon. Friend the Member for Chippenham, the former Secretary of State for Education, were in their offices within the department during this period.
Asked by: Julie Elliott (Labour - Sunderland Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much his Department will spend on the pension entitlement of the Secretary of State for Education for her time served in position from 5 to 7 July 2022.
Answered by Will Quince
Under Ministerial Pension Scheme rules, there are no pension contributions for the former Secretary of State for Education, funded by the department.
The scheme rules for the Ministerial Pension Scheme are available here ministerial-pension-scheme-rules.pdf (mypcpfpension.co.uk)
Asked by: Julie Elliott (Labour - Sunderland Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to help prevent spiking incidents at universities.
Answered by Andrea Jenkyns
On 24 May 2022, the former Secretary of State for Education launched a new working group dedicated to tackling the scourge of spiking attacks against university students. This forms part of the wider government mission to tackle violent and sexual crimes, and strengthen victims’ rights. The group brings together vice-chancellors, police, campaigners, and victims to produce plans for practical action to help keep students safe. It will report back before the start of the autumn term.
Professor Lisa Roberts, University of Exeter Vice Chancellor, has been appointed to lead the working group and coordinate the higher education sector’s response.
Insight and evidence gathered by the working group will be used to inform the government’s report to Parliament on spiking, due to be published in spring 2023.
The government has already taken action to reclassify gamma hydroxybutyrate and closely related substances which have been used for drink spiking. It will work with law enforcement and local authorities to tackle spiking incidents, including considering the case for a specific criminal offence for spiking.
Many universities have also set up their own initiatives to tackle the issue. The University of Exeter is offering drink safety test strips, and Nottingham Trent University is funding and delivering bystander intervention training to staff in night-time city venues. The new working group will look at these and other solutions being tested on campuses across the country.
Asked by: Julie Elliott (Labour - Sunderland Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make an estimate of the average number of weekly hours spent on physical activity by (a) girls and (b) boys at (i) primary and (ii) secondary school in each year since 2010.
Answered by Brendan Clarke-Smith
The department does not collect data on the average number of weekly hours spent on physical activity by pupils in school.
Sport England’s ‘Active Lives Children and Young People Survey’ provides a comprehensive overview of activity levels in children across England aged 5-16 (Years 1 to 11). The latest report focused on the 2020/21 academic year and can be found online at https://activelives.sportengland.org/Result?queryId=71770.