Asked by: Liz Kendall (Labour - Leicester West)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 20 July 2022 to Question 37614 on Schools: Buildings, which schools in (a) Leicester West, (b) Leicester East and (c) Leicester South constituencies had at least one construction element in condition grade (i) C and (ii) D when that data was collated; and which of those schools (A) have received funding and (B) are expected to receive funding in the next two years from the School Rebuilding Programme.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Condition Data Collection (CDC) is one of the largest and most comprehensive data collection programmes in the UK’s public sector. It collected data on the building condition of government funded schools in England. It provides a robust evidence base to enable the Department to target capital funding for maintaining and rebuilding school buildings.
The key, high level findings of the CDC programme were published in May 2021 in the ‘Condition of School Buildings Survey: Key Findings’ report. This is available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/989912/Condition_of_School_Buildings_Survey_CDC1_-_key_findings_report.pdf.
Individual CDC reports have been shared with every school and their responsible body to use alongside their existing condition surveys to plan maintenance schedules and investment plans. The Department plans to publish detailed school level CDC data. The data is being prepared and will be published as soon as possible.
Well maintained, safe school buildings are a priority for the Department. Our funding is directed both to maintaining the condition of the school estate and rebuilding schools. The Department has allocated over £13 billion for improving the condition of schools since 2015, including £1.8 billion committed this financial year.
The ten year School Rebuilding Programme (SRP) is condition led. 400 of the 500 available places on the programme have been provisionally allocated. A list of these schools and the methodology used to select them is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-rebuilding-programme-schools-in-the-programme.
The following table shows the constituencies specified that have schools or colleges selected for SRP:
Parliamentary constituency | Schools selected for SRP |
Leicester East | Catherine Infant School, announced February 2021 Orchard Mead Academy, announced December 2022 Shenton Primary School, announced December 2022 |
West Bromwich West | Ocker Hill Academy, announced December 2022 |
Workington | Cockermouth School, announced December 2022 |
Chichester | Littlegreen Academy, announced December 2022 |
East Surrey | de Stafford School, announced December 2022 |
Harlow | Burnt Mill Academy, announced July 2021 St Mark's West Essex Catholic School, announced July 2022 |
Richmond (Yorks) | Michael Syddall Church of England Aided Primary School, announced July 2021 Roseberry Academy, announced December 2022 |
The 239 schools announced in December 2022 will enter delivery at a rate of approximately 50 per year, over a five year period from 2023. The Department is currently undertaking due diligence on these schools prior to scheduling them, with schools prioritised according to the condition of their buildings, readiness to proceed, and efficiency of delivery. The scope and funding for each project will be confirmed following detailed feasibility studies and condition surveys of buildings.
Where a school identifies significant safety issues with a building, that cannot be managed within local resources, the Department considers additional support on a case-by-case basis. This includes applications for Urgent Capital Support (UCS) from eligible institutions. Schools eligible for Condition Improvement Fund (CIF) can apply for UCS where there are urgent health and safety issues that threaten school closure and cannot wait until the next CIF bidding round.
Asked by: Liz Kendall (Labour - Leicester West)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding was allocated to the Office of the Children’s Commissioner in each of the last five years.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
The Office of the Children’s Commissioner’s total funding allocation for the last five financial years is set out below:
Asked by: Liz Kendall (Labour - Leicester West)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many people of each gender work in her Department.
Answered by Nick Gibb
As at 31 December 2015, there were 1468 men and 2026 women working in the Department for Education.
Asked by: Liz Kendall (Labour - Leicester West)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the disparity in reading ability between different socio-economic groups at age four in each of the last five years.
Answered by Sam Gyimah
The government is committed to improving education to make sure that children from all backgrounds have the skills necessary to succeed in life. The early years curriculum sets out the key areas that early years providers must follow. This includes a focus on literacy, communication and language. We have introduced Early Years Teachers who are expected to meet the same entry and qualification requirements as teachers of older children. We have also introduced a robust set of standards for Early Years Educator (EYE) qualifications (A Level standard) and, from September 2014, EYEs operating in the workforce at level 3 are required to hold GSCE English and maths at grade C or above.
The information requested is not available. The department does not collect data on the socio economic background of parents of 4-year-olds.
However, reception teachers must complete the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile (EYFSP) in the final term of the year in which the child reaches age five. Teachers must assess whether children are at the expected level, above it, or below it in relation to each of 17 early learning goals. They must also complete a short assessment of each child’s skills and abilities against three characteristics of effective learning. The EYFSP results are published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/early-years-foundation-stage-profile-results-2013-to-2014
Asked by: Liz Kendall (Labour - Leicester West)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of early years educators qualified to Level 6 were working with children aged (a) two, (b) three and (c) four in each of the last five years.
Answered by Sam Gyimah
The Department for Education does not hold the data you have requested. However, the Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey 2013 includes data on the proportion of staff qualified to level 3 and level 6 in childcare settings. The survey can be found online here at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/childcare-and-early-years-providers-survey-2013
The Early Years Foundation Stage Framework requires the manager of group nursery settings to be qualified to at least level 3.
Asked by: Liz Kendall (Labour - Leicester West)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of early years educators qualified to level 3 were working with children aged (a) two, (b) three and (c) four in each of the last five years.
Answered by Sam Gyimah
The Department for Education does not hold the data you have requested. However, the Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey 2013 includes data on the proportion of staff qualified to level 3 and level 6 in childcare settings. The survey can be found online here at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/childcare-and-early-years-providers-survey-2013
The Early Years Foundation Stage Framework requires the manager of group nursery settings to be qualified to at least level 3.