Asked by: Laurence Robertson (Conservative - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to increase the uptake of physics and chemistry at A-level.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The number of pupils studying physics at A-level has increased by 16% since 2010. The number of pupils studying chemistry has increased by 18% since 2010. These are important subjects for a dynamic and productive economy fit for the future.
In 2016, the Department introduced more rigorous and challenging science GCSEs which will provide students with better foundations to study science at A level. The Government funds a number of programmes that improve the quality of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) teaching in primary and secondary schools. These include the national network of Science Learning Partnerships, Project Enthuse bursaries, and the Stimulating Physics Network. The Department also funds Isaac Physics, which provides online support for A level physics students and their teachers.
The Department is following various avenues for raising awareness amongst children of the range of careers that science qualifications offer. This includes the STEM Ambassadors programme, a nationwide network of over 30,000 volunteers, drawn from a wide range of employers, who work with schools and non-school organisations across the UK.
Asked by: Laurence Robertson (Conservative - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he is taking steps to secure compensation for students affected by strike action by university lecturers; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Sam Gyimah
Universities are autonomous institutions and it is for them to ensure that they meet their obligations to their students. We remain concerned about any impact of strike action on students and expect universities to put in place measures to maintain the quality of education that students should receive. I am aware that during this period universities are putting in place measures to mitigate the impact of the industrial action on students, and that some are putting withheld salaries into student support funds. I would expect universities to offer financial compensation where the quality of a student’s experience has been seriously affected. I am pleased that some have already said they will consider this and I would urge others to do so.
Asked by: Laurence Robertson (Conservative - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of consumer protections in place for higher education students.
Answered by Sam Gyimah
Higher education providers have obligations under consumer law. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has produced advice on consumer protection law for UK higher education providers. This sets out that providers should give students the information they need to make informed decisions before applying; clear and transparent terms and conditions and information about complaints process, which must be fair and transparent.
The regulatory framework for the Office for Students (OfS) includes as a registration condition that providers ‘must demonstrate that in developing and implementing its policies, procedures and terms and conditions it has given due regard to relevant guidance, such as the CMA’s, about how to comply with consumer protection law’.
In its ministerial guidance to the OfS, government has asked the OfS to go further and take steps to assess the provision of information by providers to students; to assess the availability of impartial advice and support for students; and drive communications actively to raise awareness among students of their rights as consumers. The guidance can be found on the OfS website at: https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/media/1044/strategicguidancetotheofs.pdf.
Asked by: Laurence Robertson (Conservative - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to ensure support is available for students affected by strike action to complete their degrees.
Answered by Sam Gyimah
Universities are autonomous institutions and it is for them to ensure that they meet their obligations to their students. We remain concerned about any impact of strike action on students and expect universities to put in place measures to maintain the quality of education that students should receive. I have called on Universities UK and the University and College Union to continue to talk in order to find a solution that avoids further disruption to students.
Asked by: Laurence Robertson (Conservative - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment he has made of the extent of counselling services provided in schools in (a) England and (b) Gloucestershire; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Government's nationally representative survey ‘Supporting mental health in schools and colleges’ showed that 61% of schools and colleges in England already provide counselling services, including 84% of state secondary schools, and 56% of state primary schools. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/supporting-mental-health-in-schools-and-colleges.
To support more schools to provide counselling the Government has published a blueprint for school counselling services. This provides practical, evidence-based advice on how to deliver high quality school-based counselling to all pupils. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/counselling-in-schools.
Asked by: Laurence Robertson (Conservative - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the number of families unable to access 30 hours free childcare allowance as their chosen registered childminder is a relative.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
Childminders cannot receive entitlement funding for related children because legislation excludes care by a relative from the definition of ‘childcare’.
Although parents cannot claim their entitlements through related childminders, they can find details of providers that offer the entitlement in the local area through local authorities’ family information services.
Asked by: Laurence Robertson (Conservative - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of student loans have been repaid in full (a) since the new system was introduced and (b) from the establishment of the original scheme.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
Statistics covering English student loans are published annually by the Student Loans Company (SLC) in the Statistical First Release (SFR) ‘Student Loans in England’.
The number and proportion of higher education income contingent repayment (ICR) student loan borrowers who have fully repaid their loan as at April 2017 can be found in table 3A of the SFR. These statistics are available by year of entry into repayment, rather than by type of loan.
Student loan borrowers typically enter repayment in the April after they leave their course, however borrowers with loans under the post-2012 student loan arrangements only started to enter repayment in 2016. At this point in time, post-2012 loan borrowers are at a very early stage of repayment, and so a direct comparison with pre-2012 loan borrowers is not possible.
Students entering higher education prior to the academic year 1998/99 were eligible for mortgage style loans to cover the cost of their studies.
Asked by: Laurence Robertson (Conservative - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to bring forward further proposals for a National Funding Formula; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Nick Gibb
We published our response to the first stage of our consultation on a national funding formula for schools in December 2016. The response to this consultation can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/schools-national-funding-formula.
We are considering the more than 25,000 responses we received to the consultation on the National Funding Formula, and will publish our response in due course.
Asked by: Laurence Robertson (Conservative - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the average cost of educating a pupil in schools with (a) up to 100, (b) 101 to 500, (c) 501 to 1,000 and (d) more than 1,000 pupils.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Government is committed in addressing unfairness by introducing a national funding formula for schools from April 2018. In our current consultation, we have proposed that over 90% the funding available for schools should be distributed on the basis of pupil numbers and characteristics.
Evidence shows that pupils with particular characteristics, such as coming from a disadvantaged background, are more likely not to reach their full potential and therefore need more support. Where a child is eligible for multiple factors, their school would attract additional funding for each. Funding received on account of these factors would not vary according to school size. The table below shows the proposed factor values for the main formula factors, before the area cost adjustment is applied:
Factor | Per-pupil/school funding under the proposed national funding formula. | ||||
NB These exclude area cost adjustment funding. | |||||
Primary | Secondary | ||||
Basic per-pupil funding | KS1 | £2,712 | KS3 | £3,797 | |
(£ per pupil) | KS2 | KS4 | £4,312 | ||
Deprivation (£ per pupil) | Ever6 FSM | £540 | £785 | ||
Current FSM | £980 | £1,225 | |||
IDACI A | £575 | £810 | |||
IDACI B | £420 | £600 | |||
IDACI C | £360 | £515 | |||
IDACI D | £360 | £515 | |||
| IDACI E | £240 | £390 | ||
| IDACI F | £200 | £290 | ||
Low prior attainment (£ per pupil) | £1,050 | £1,550 | |||
English as an additional language (£ per pupil) | £515 | £1,385 | |||
Lump Sum (£ per pupil) | £110,000 | £110,000 | |||
Sparsity (£ per pupil) | £0 - £25,000 | £0 - £65,000 | |||
In addition, we propose to include a fixed lump sum factor of £110,000, to contribute to costs that do not vary with pupil numbers. Under our proposals, schools of up to 100 pupils would receive at least an additional £1100 per pupil through the lump sum factor, on top of funding based on pupil numbers and characteristics; schools of 101-500 pupils a further £220-£1100 per pupil; schools of 501-1000 pupils a further £110-£220 per pupil and schools of 1001 or more pupils up to £110 per pupil.
Asked by: Laurence Robertson (Conservative - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what strategy her Department has to find school places for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children.
Answered by Edward Timpson
Identifying an appropriate school place for looked after children, including unaccompanied asylum seeking children, rests with the local authority responsible for them. Statutory Guidance for local authorities on ‘promoting the education of looked after children’ is clear that, in arranging a school placement, the child’s social worker and local authority’s Virtual School Head should seek the school or other education setting best suited to the child’s needs.
The School Admissions Code, which sets out the requirements for admitting children to schools, supports this objective by ensuring looked after children have top priority in school admissions.