Asked by: Karen Lumley (Conservative - Redditch)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support her Department offers to schools making applications to the Regional Academies Growth Fund.
Answered by Edward Timpson
Trusts wanting to apply for the Regional Academy Growth Fund (RAGF) can seek advice on the application process and priorities from their Regional Schools Commissioner’s (RSC) office.
Applications to the RAGF are open to established Academy Trusts and Multi-Academy Trusts. Guidance, contact details for RSCs and the RAGF application form can be found on the Government’s website, at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/regional-academy-growth-fund.
Asked by: Karen Lumley (Conservative - Redditch)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to provide interim funding to schools before the fairer funding formula is introduced in 2018-19.
Answered by Nick Gibb
We have confirmed that no area will see a reduction in per pupil schools funding in the coming year, and the extra £390 million was added to the schools budget in the last Parliament will remain in the baseline. We will confirm local authorities’ final budgets in December, reflecting the latest pupil numbers from the October census, and we will apply an uplift for high needs funding. As my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, said at the Education Select Committee in September, we currently do not plan to allocate additional schools funding in 2017-18.
Asked by: Karen Lumley (Conservative - Redditch)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance her Department provides to schools on teaching pupils about current affairs within the curriculum.
Answered by Nick Gibb
All schools are required to teach a balanced and broadly based curriculum that promotes the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils, and prepares them for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life. The National Curriculum sets out the subjects and programmes of study which must be taught to children of compulsory school age in maintained schools in England. It serves an important purpose in setting out an example of a knowledge-based, ambitious, academically rigorous education which every child should experience. If autonomous academies or Multi-Academy Trusts wish to deliver the National Curriculum in their schools, they can do so confidently. We want academies to use their freedoms to innovate and build more stretching and tailored curricula, to meet the particular needs of their pupils.
The new National Curriculum, taught from September 2014, focuses on the essential knowledge that pupils should acquire during their time at school so that teachers can design a wider school curriculum that best meets the needs of their pupils. The programmes of study for citizenship set out that teaching should equip pupils with the knowledge to explore political and social issues critically, to weigh evidence, debate and make reasoned arguments. Beyond the prescribed curriculum, schools have the freedom to teach topics, such as current affairs, to ensure that children receive a rounded education.
Asked by: Karen Lumley (Conservative - Redditch)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions her Department has had with teachers and other education providers on the training required by teachers to effectively tackle homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
Bullying, including homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying, is unacceptable and should not be tolerated in our schools. The Government is committed to tackling it in all forms.
All schools are required by law to have a behaviour policy with measures to tackle bullying among pupils. Schools are free to develop their own anti-bullying strategies but they are held clearly to account for their effectiveness through Ofsted. We trust schools to decide for themselves what training their staff need in order to be able to do this effectively.
However, we know that individuals who are, or perceived to be, homosexual, bisexual or transgender are disproportionately affected by bullying. In 2015, research by the UCL Institute of Education identified that 56% of young LGB people aged 14-16 were bullied compared to 45% of their heterosexual peers. To help schools to tackle bullying and support victims, in September 2016 the Department for Education and the Government Equalities Office announced £4.4m of funding for 10 projects to tackle bullying, including £2.8 million for projects tackling specifically homophobic, transphobic and biphobic bullying. This programme focuses on primary and secondary schools in England which currently have no, or ineffective, measures in place. The funding will involve voluntary sector organisations engaging with teachers and schools through training, and supporting them to work through a whole school approach. Further information can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/thousands-more-children-to-benefit-from-anti-bullying-app.
Asked by: Karen Lumley (Conservative - Redditch)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to promote the road safety message to pupils, particularly during periods of the year when the UK is not on daylight saving time.
Answered by Andrew Jones
The Government’s THINK! road safety campaign promotes road safety learning amongst children and young people via its online educational resource programme. THINK! have a suite of downloadable materials - tailored by age group - available to teachers, parents and road safety professionals to help them deliver road safety education to pupils.
Included in these resources is practical information and advice for how children can stay safe on our roads during the winter months when the nights are longer.
THINK! is in the process of reviewing the child and teen resource to ensure that the materials are consistent with modern educational approaches.
Asked by: Karen Lumley (Conservative - Redditch)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what diplomatic steps his Department is taking to support security and political stability in the Balkan states.
Answered by Alan Duncan
In the last month, the Foreign Secretary has met the Prime Ministers of Serbia, Kosovo and Albania, as well as the Chair of the BiH Presidency, in order to support security and political stability in the region.
The announcement that we will host the 2018 Western Balkans Summit, our senior bilateral contacts, and our engagement through our Embassies and programme funds, all support this Government's commitment to drive forward reform and embed stability in the Western Balkans.
Asked by: Karen Lumley (Conservative - Redditch)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what funding his Department provides to charities and trusts that support people diagnosed with HIV.
Answered by Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford
Nationally funded work on HIV through the charitable and voluntary sector is focused on prevention of infection in those at higher risk of acquiring HIV.
The HIV Prevention Innovation Fund is open to voluntary sector organisations to deliver projects, preferably of up to 12 months duration, that explore new ways to address high risk behaviours in those communities most affected by HIV. A total of £0.6 million was allocated to the fund in 2016/17 and addressing HIV-associated stigma was identified as one of the priorities. This is only one element of our funding for HIV Prevention and Sexual Health Promotion for which there is £2.5 million funding in 2016/17.
Asked by: Karen Lumley (Conservative - Redditch)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Transport on the steps that Department is taking to provide pensioners with (a) affordable and (b) safe public transport options.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
The Secretary of State regularly discusses relevant issues with the Secretary of State for Transport, who is responsible for policies on the affordability and safety of public transport in England.
Asked by: Karen Lumley (Conservative - Redditch)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that racism, hate crime and dog whistle tactics are routinely condemned during the UK's negotiations on leaving the EU.
Answered by David Jones
Hate crime of any kind, directed against any community, race or religion, has absolutely no place in our society. The government is firmly committed to tackling hate crime, which is why we have published a new Hate Crime Action Plan which focuses on reducing hate crime, increasing reporting and improving support for victims. We have also launched a new funding scheme to help protect places of worship.
Asked by: Karen Lumley (Conservative - Redditch)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will take steps to ensure that people diagnosed with HIV infection will retain the same standards of care under the new structuring of contaminated blood payment structure as they do at present.
Answered by Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford
Work is ongoing on the detailed design of a new scheme, to secure appropriate support for those infected with HIV and hepatitis C. The standards of care provided by the National Health Service will continue.