Asked by: Justin Tomlinson (Conservative - North Swindon)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the number of people in (a) apprenticeships and (b) vocational educations in (i) Swindon and (b) England.
Answered by Alex Burghart - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The latest published apprenticeship starts data covers the 2020/21 academic year and was published in November 2021 in the apprenticeships and traineeships statistics publication: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/apprenticeships-and-traineeships/2020-21.
Apprenticeship participation for Swindon between academic years 2018/19 and 2020/21 is contained in the below table:
| 2018/19 | 2019/20 | 2020/21 |
Participation | 3,030 | 2,920 | 2,720 |
More data on apprenticeship participation by region can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/fast-track/7cb8ccbd-43d2-4909-822d-6cac2fae30eb
Apprenticeship participation for England between 2018/19 and 2020/21 is contained in the below table:
| 2018/19 | 2019/20 | 2020/21 |
England - Participation | 742,400 | 719,000 | 713,000 |
More information on apprenticeship participation can be explored here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/8b98defb-9b2b-4edd-89a5-4177bbf27fed
Asked by: Justin Tomlinson (Conservative - North Swindon)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will take steps to ensure that regional school commissioners encourage multi-academy trusts to follow the national curriculum.
Answered by Robin Walker
Every state-funded school must offer a curriculum which is balanced and broadly based, which promotes the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental, and physical development of pupils, and prepares them for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of adult life.
Academies and free schools have greater freedom and autonomy in how they operate for areas such as the curriculum. They are expected to teach a curriculum that is comparable in breadth and ambition to the national curriculum, and many choose to teach the full national curriculum to achieve this.
The curriculum at an academy or free school is the responsibility of the academy trust. The curriculum provided in each academy to pupils up to the age of 16 is set out in their academy and free school funding agreement, which provides the framework for an academy or free school to operate in. This is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/academy-and-free-school-funding-agreements.
If autonomous academies or multi academy trusts wish to deliver the national curriculum in their schools, they can do so. Academies may use their freedoms to develop their own curricula, tailored to meet the particular needs of their pupils, local area, or the particular ethos of the school.
Asked by: Justin Tomlinson (Conservative - North Swindon)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will provide the overall cost to the public purse for regional schools commissioners since their inception.
Answered by Robin Walker
The annual workforce budgets for the National Schools Commissioner, Regional Schools Commissioners and wider Regional Delivery Directorate (RDD) that support them in their roles is set annually through the internal departmental business planning process. Funding is allocated proportionately amongst commissioners according to the size of region, delivery challenges and staffing requirements. However, the directorate works flexibly and collaboratively to ensure priorities are delivered in an effective and efficient manner.
Since the financial year 2014-15, the overall cost for the National Schools Commissioner, Regional Schools Commissioners and the regional teams that support them is £197.65 million.
Workforce budget spend for Regional Schools Commissioners and RSC regions | ||||||||
Financial Year | 2014-15 | 2015-16 | 2016-17 | 2017-18 | 2018-19 | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 [1] |
£ million | £4.10 | £4.75 | £26.35 | £31.55 | £32.31 | £32.07 | £34.67 | £32.15 |
[1] forecast as at November 2021.
With regard to the costs set out above, the costs for the National Schools Commissioner, Regional Schools Commissioners and their teams were £4.1 million in financial year 2014-15 and £4.75 million in 2015-16. This was funded from existing departmental resources.
As a result of structural changes within the Department for Education in 2016-17, the Academies Regional Delivery Group (ARDG) was created, which amalgamated the National Schools Commissioner and Regional Schools Commissioners with complementary regional and other functions. Workforce costs for ARDG and its successor, RDD, are therefore not comparable with predecessor structures and organisation.
Asked by: Justin Tomlinson (Conservative - North Swindon)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the annual budget is for regional schools commissioners; and how that budget is allocated among commissioners.
Answered by Robin Walker
The annual workforce budgets for the National Schools Commissioner, Regional Schools Commissioners and wider Regional Delivery Directorate (RDD) that support them in their roles is set annually through the internal departmental business planning process. Funding is allocated proportionately amongst commissioners according to the size of region, delivery challenges and staffing requirements. However, the directorate works flexibly and collaboratively to ensure priorities are delivered in an effective and efficient manner.
Since the financial year 2014-15, the overall cost for the National Schools Commissioner, Regional Schools Commissioners and the regional teams that support them is £197.65 million.
Workforce budget spend for Regional Schools Commissioners and RSC regions | ||||||||
Financial Year | 2014-15 | 2015-16 | 2016-17 | 2017-18 | 2018-19 | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 [1] |
£ million | £4.10 | £4.75 | £26.35 | £31.55 | £32.31 | £32.07 | £34.67 | £32.15 |
[1] forecast as at November 2021.
With regard to the costs set out above, the costs for the National Schools Commissioner, Regional Schools Commissioners and their teams were £4.1 million in financial year 2014-15 and £4.75 million in 2015-16. This was funded from existing departmental resources.
As a result of structural changes within the Department for Education in 2016-17, the Academies Regional Delivery Group (ARDG) was created, which amalgamated the National Schools Commissioner and Regional Schools Commissioners with complementary regional and other functions. Workforce costs for ARDG and its successor, RDD, are therefore not comparable with predecessor structures and organisation.
Asked by: Justin Tomlinson (Conservative - North Swindon)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, on how many occasions regional schools commissioners have made interventions in each year since their inception in 2014.
Answered by Robin Walker
Regional Schools Commissioners (RSC) take key operational decisions delegated to them by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, and will intervene in schools in the following circumstances:
The below table sets out how many sponsored academies have been opened because of an academy order being issued to a local authority-maintained school having been judged inadequate. It also shows how many academies and free schools have been judged inadequate between academic years 2014/15 and 2021/22 and therefore the number of academies and free schools that have been eligible for intervention over this period. The department’s policy on intervening in inadequate academies is set out in the published schools causing concern guidance.
Source: Get Information About Schools, and Ofsted Official Statistics 2014/15 to 2021/22
Academic Year | Number of sponsored academies that have been opened due to intervention | Number of inadequate academies |
2014/2015 | / | 92 |
2015/2016 | 2 | 71 |
2016/2017 | 98 | 131 |
2017/2018 | 139 | 89 |
2018/2019 | 151 | 92 |
2019/2020 | 90 | 57 |
2020/2021 | 96 | 5 |
2021/2022 | 10 | 0 |
Total | 586 | 537 |
Asked by: Justin Tomlinson (Conservative - North Swindon)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, who holds regional schools commissioners accountable for their performance.
Answered by Robin Walker
Regional Schools Commissioners (RSCs) are Senior Civil Servants who act on behalf of my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, and are held to account by the National Schools Commissioner. Their performance is managed through the normal and existing service arrangements for Senior Civil Servants. The department publishes annual reports relating to school and academies performance, within which the work of RSCs is included, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dfe-annual-reports.
Asked by: Justin Tomlinson (Conservative - North Swindon)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what progress the Government is making on encouraging more girls into STEM careers.
Answered by Alex Burghart - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The department recognises the demand for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) skills is growing, which is why ensuring that anyone, regardless of their background, can pursue a career in a STEM occupation is a key priority for this government.
We are pleased to see that since 2010, there has been a 26% proportional increase in the number of STEM A level entries from girls in England. In 2020, girls made up just over half of science A level entries (in biology, chemistry and physics), and there was an increase in the number of female students taking both mathematics and further mathematics, by 4.2% and 4.8% respectively. We recognise, however, that there is still some way to go to address the gender gap in physics and the mathematical subjects.
In order to address this, and encourage more young people into STEM subjects and careers, the government is funding informal learning programmes to inspire young people in schools. For example, the STEM Ambassadors scheme is a nationwide network of over 37,000 volunteers representing over 7,000 employers, who provide engaging extracurricular activities for young people to increase their interest in STEM subjects and to raise awareness of the range of careers that STEM qualifications offer. STEM Ambassadors are relatable role models - 57% are under 35, 45% are female and 15% are from UK minority ethnic backgrounds.
Secondary schools are expected to provide pupils with at least one meaningful interaction with employers per pupil per year, with a particular focus on STEM employers. These interactions open young people’s eyes to a range of different career possibilities and challenge stereotypes, as well as helping to prepare them for the workplace. Furthermore, the Careers and Enterprise Company, working with STEM Learning, have launched a series of STEM toolkits to support teachers to link careers to the STEM curriculum.
In September 2020, we began the phased rollout of T Levels - new technical courses for 16-19 year olds which are equivalent to three A levels. A number of T Level subjects now being taught are related to STEM, such as Construction, Digital, Healthcare and Science. T Levels in Engineering and Manufacturing will be taught from September 2022. The content of these courses is designed by relevant employers and other industry experts, ensuring that students leave their course with the skills most needed by STEM employers. We want as many students as possible to be able to take advantage of T Levels – and to challenge any stereotypes which may hold young people back from applying. Our T Level ambassadors showcase a wide range of voices.
Apprenticeships are a great way for young people to receive high quality training and begin a successful career in STEM. There are over 340 employer-designed apprenticeship standards in STEM, including Cyber Security Technician at level 3 and Civil Engineer (degree) at level 6. In the 2020/21 academic year 24% of all apprenticeship starts were in STEM and it is encouraging to see that female representation in STEM apprenticeships is increasing. We are continuing to promote apprenticeships in schools through the Apprenticeship Support and Knowledge programme and working with our Apprenticeship Diversity Champions Network of influential employers to promote best practices in encouraging and retaining more women in STEM apprenticeships.
Asked by: Justin Tomlinson (Conservative - North Swindon)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Government is taking to encourage uptake in school sports and physical activities.
Answered by Will Quince
The cross-government School Sport and Activity Action Plan (July 2019) aims to ensure that sport and physical activity are an integral part of both the school day and after school activities so that all children can take part in at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day. The government has confirmed its intention to publish an update to the action plan shortly.
In October 2021 the government announced that it will invest nearly £30 million per year to open up school sport facilities in England, as well as to improve the teaching of physical education (PE) at primary school. More detail will be confirmed on this additional investment in due course.
Through the primary PE and sport premium, the government has invested over £1.6 billion of ringfenced funding to primary schools to improve PE and sport since 2013.
Asked by: Justin Tomlinson (Conservative - North Swindon)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Government is taking to (a) encourage more academies to adopt school uniforms and (b) make school uniforms more affordable.
Answered by Robin Walker
The department sets out in statutory guidance that it strongly encourages schools to have a uniform and recognises the valuable role that uniforms can play in promoting the ethos of a school, setting an appropriate tone for education and providing a sense of belonging and identity.
It is for the governing body of a school (or the academy trust, in the case of academies) to decide whether there should be a school uniform, and if so, what it should be.
The government published statutory guidance on the cost of school uniforms on 19 November 2021, to ensure the cost of school uniforms is reasonable and secures the best value for money for parents. The department’s guidance states that schools should keep the use of branded items to a minimum and should ensure that their supplier arrangements give the highest priority to cost and value for money. The guidance also requires schools to ensure that second-hand uniforms are available for parents to acquire.
The department’s statutory guidance on the cost of school uniform can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cost-of-school-uniforms/cost-of-school-uniforms.
Asked by: Justin Tomlinson (Conservative - North Swindon)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Government is taking to educate young people on crypto currencies.
Answered by Robin Walker
Education on financial matters helps to ensure that young people are prepared to manage their money well, make sound financial decisions and know where to seek further information when needed. Pupils receive financial education through the national curriculum for mathematics and citizenship which, for secondary school-aged pupils, includes compulsory content covering the functions and uses of money, financial products and services, and the need to understand financial risk.
Schools have flexibility over how they design their curricula, and can tailor it to the needs of their pupils. The Money and Pensions Service published financial education guidance for primary and secondary schools in England during Talk Money Week (8-12 November 2021), an annual event that encourages people of all ages to talk about money. I provided a supportive foreword for the guidance, which was developed in consultation with financial education experts and is designed to support school leaders and education decision makers to enhance the financial education currently delivered in their schools. The guidance includes links to quality assured resources for schools, including specific content and activities on cryptocurrencies. It also sets out the knowledge and skills pupils need to protect their personal data, critically evaluate online content and identify scams. The guidance is available to view here: https://maps.org.uk/2021/11/11/financial-education-guidance-for-primary-and-secondary-schools-in-england/.
There are also other opportunities across the national curriculum to teach pupils about cryptocurrencies. For example, the computing curriculum teaches the fundamental knowledge and skills that support pupils to make well-informed choices about technology. It covers the principles of e-safety at all key stages, with progression in the content to reflect the different and escalating risks that young people face. The computing curriculum is available to view here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-curriculum-in-england-computing-programmes-of-study.
The department will continue to work closely with the Money and Pensions Service and other stakeholders such as Her Majesty's Treasury, to support the teaching of financial education to children and young people, including novel financial products.