Asked by: Louise Ellman (Independent - Liverpool, Riverside)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans he has to increase funding for children's services in Liverpool; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
We have confirmed our settlement for local government for 2019-20, which sees a real-terms increase in local government spending power next year. Core spending power increases from £45.1 billion in 2018-19 to £46.4 billion in 2019-20. For Liverpool, core spending power will rise from £449 million in 2018-19 to £458 million in 2019-20.
All long-term spending decisions are for this year’s Spending Review, when the government will set out its approach for the future.
Asked by: Louise Ellman (Independent - Liverpool, Riverside)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the effect of a requirement for EU students to obtain Study Visas on student numbers in (A) universities and (b) English Language Teaching after the UK has left the EU; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Sam Gyimah
EU students make a powerful contribution to our world-class higher education sector. The government wants that contribution to continue and we are confident – given the quality of our higher education sector – that it will. We are similarly committed to the English language teaching sector and recognise the opportunities and value this brings to institutions in both the UK and abroad.
The government is undertaking a comprehensive and wide-ranging programme of ongoing analysis in support of our EU exit negotiations and preparations. In addition, the independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) recently published its report on the impact of international students in the UK, which highlighted the important part that international students play in the UK education sector, the economy and our society. The MAC report will inform our decision-making and we will consider their recommendations carefully before setting out further detail on the UK’s future immigration system; the government plan to publish a white paper on the future immigration system later this year.
In the meantime, to help provide certainty for prospective students and the sector, we have given assurances on student finance for EU students starting courses in 2019/20 academic year or before. We have also reached an agreement with the EU guaranteeing the rights of EU citizens living in the UK and of UK nationals living in the EU. EU citizens living in the UK by 31 December 2020, along with their family members, will be able to stay with the same access to work, study, benefits and public services that they enjoy now.
Asked by: Louise Ellman (Independent - Liverpool, Riverside)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the effect of a requirement for EU students to obtain Study Visas on student numbers in (A) universities and (b) English Language Teaching after the UK has left the EU; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Sam Gyimah
EU students make a powerful contribution to our world-class higher education sector. The government wants that contribution to continue and we are confident – given the quality of our higher education sector – that it will. We are similarly committed to the English language teaching sector and recognise the opportunities and value this brings to institutions in both the UK and abroad.
The government is undertaking a comprehensive and wide-ranging programme of ongoing analysis in support of our EU exit negotiations and preparations. In addition, the independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) recently published its report on the impact of international students in the UK, which highlighted the important part that international students play in the UK education sector, the economy and our society. The MAC report will inform our decision-making and we will consider their recommendations carefully before setting out further detail on the UK’s future immigration system; the government plan to publish a white paper on the future immigration system later this year.
In the meantime, to help provide certainty for prospective students and the sector, we have given assurances on student finance for EU students starting courses in 2019/20 academic year or before. We have also reached an agreement with the EU guaranteeing the rights of EU citizens living in the UK and of UK nationals living in the EU. EU citizens living in the UK by 31 December 2020, along with their family members, will be able to stay with the same access to work, study, benefits and public services that they enjoy now.
Asked by: Louise Ellman (Independent - Liverpool, Riverside)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department plans to change its policy on the threshold for self-contribution of disabled students in receipt of Disabled Students' Allowance; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Sam Gyimah
The requirement that students in receipt of Disabled Students’ Allowance make a £200 contribution towards the costs of computer hardware was introduced in 2015. The government has no current plans to review the size of that contribution.
Asked by: Louise Ellman (Independent - Liverpool, Riverside)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment has he made of the effect of changes to free school meals as a result of universal credit on children in Liverpool; and will he make a statement.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
Our new criteria for free school meals eligibility will increase the number of children eligible for this vital benefit. We have not made city-level analyses of the effect of the changes. Due to the generous protections we will provide, all children receiving free school meals at the point the threshold is introduced, and all those who gain eligibility as Universal Credit rolls out, will continue to receive free school meals until the end of Universal Credit rollout. After this point, those children who were protected – if they are still in school – will continue to be protected until the end of their phase of education. While we estimate that around 50,000 more children nationally will benefit from our proposals once Universal Credit rollout is complete, many more children again will benefit as a result of our transitional arrangements.
Asked by: Louise Ellman (Independent - Liverpool, Riverside)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the continuation of apprenticeships in Liverpool that have been affected by the liquidation of Carillion; and will he make a statement.
Answered by Anne Milton
The government’s priority is to minimise disruption to the apprentices that have been affected by the liquidation of Carillion, and to find them new employers.
The Construction Industry Training Board has been identified as the best placed alternative training provider. They are on the register of approved apprenticeship training providers, and deliver good quality provision, with a proven track record of delivering the specific frameworks and standards that current Carillion apprentices are studying.
CITB centres are geographically situated between what is anticipated to be a reasonable travel time for the apprentices – and critically, they have the capacity and capability to take on displaced apprentices and study programme learners.
A dedicated team of advisers and assessors in the CITB are working with their established network of college partners to support all affected apprentices and study programme learners to complete their programmes. They are also using their existing employer contacts in the sector to find the apprentices alternative employers to complete their apprenticeships with. CITB has got in touch with 40,000 external contacts.
The Education and Skills Funding Agency has written to all affected apprentices, and the CITB have contacted over 1100. Over 550 apprentices have already been matched to an employer by CITB.
CITB have established a dedicated helpline for apprentices seeking support - carillion.apprenticeshipsupport@citb.co.uk or 0344 994 4010. CITB have also delivered a series of workshops for learners, which provided advice on next steps and 1 to 1 support as required.
CITB have written to all MPs outlining their support offer, including contact information which can then be shared with affected individuals within constituencies.
Asked by: Louise Ellman (Independent - Liverpool, Riverside)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 2 November to Question 110214 on Science: Teachers, what analysis has been conducted to assess the effect of increasing bursaries on the retention of staff in subjects identified as areas where it is difficult to recruit; and will she make a statement.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Bursaries are a recruitment incentive designed to attract the best people into teaching, in the subjects where the need for new teachers is greatest. Though bursaries are not intended as a retention device, the vast majority of bursary recipients gain qualified teacher status and go straight into the classroom. In 2015/16, the latest year for which data is available, 94 per cent of trainee teachers who received a bursary found a teaching post within six months of gaining qualified teacher status.
The Department is piloting a new approach for maths trainee teachers this year to test whether offering a proportion of the bursary as a retention incentive remains as effective in encouraging candidates to train to teach. Maths trainees for 2018/19 will receive £20,000 during training with two further payments of £5,000 in their third and fifth year of teaching.
The Department is undertaking analysis of the effects of bursaries for retention, which will track the progress of bursary recipients from training into the classroom. We will publish our findings later this year and they will be used to shape future approaches to financial incentives.
Asked by: Louise Ellman (Independent - Liverpool, Riverside)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many representations has she received on the accuracy of the Ever 6 model in assessing the eligibility of Pupil Premium for all pupils in schools with growing pupil rolls; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
The department counts the numbers of pupils eligible for pupil premium using a single census point in January to enable it to allocate pupil premium to schools by June. This gives certainty to schools about their pupil premium budget to allow them to plan it’s use effectively.
To make in-year adjustments to reflect the movement of pupils would introduce uncertainty. The EVER6 FSM measure is designed as a proxy measure to reflect relative deprivation in schools and is not intended to allocate a specific amount to an individual pupil. Schools have the ability to use their pupil premium allocation flexibly to meet the various needs of all eligible pupils. The funding model does take into account growing pupil numbers for schools that are newly opened or are continuing to grow by year group following opening. The department rarely receives queries from schools on this issue.
Asked by: Louise Ellman (Independent - Liverpool, Riverside)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, in pursuant to the Answer of 21 December 2017 to Question 120011, whether she has made an assessment of the accuracy of the Ever 6 model in establishing entitlement to Pupil Premium in schools with growing pupil rolls; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
The department counts the numbers of pupils eligible for pupil premium using a single census point in January to enable it to allocate pupil premium to schools by June. This gives certainty to schools about their pupil premium budget to allow them to plan it’s use effectively.
To make in-year adjustments to reflect the movement of pupils would introduce uncertainty. The EVER6 FSM measure is designed as a proxy measure to reflect relative deprivation in schools and is not intended to allocate a specific amount to an individual pupil. Schools have the ability to use their pupil premium allocation flexibly to meet the various needs of all eligible pupils. The funding model does take into account growing pupil numbers for schools that are newly opened or are continuing to grow by year group following opening. The department rarely receives queries from schools on this issue.
Asked by: Louise Ellman (Independent - Liverpool, Riverside)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will conduct a review of the appropriateness of the Pupil Premium scheme in relation to schools where the Ever 6 model does not reflect the number of pupils on roll; and will she make a statement.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
The pupil premium provides schools with additional funding to raise the attainment of disadvantaged students of all abilities. This complements our work since 2010 to raise standards through reforms to the curriculum, assessment and accountability. The pupil premium, worth almost £2.5 billion this year alone, has so far provided about £11 billion of further funding for schools to improve the outcomes of their disadvantaged pupils.
As well as £1,900 for each pupil who is in care or who has left care through specific routes, schools receive £1,320 for primary-aged pupils and £935 for secondary-aged pupils who are currently or have been registered for free school meals (FSM) at any point in the last six years (‘Ever 6 FSM’). Ever 6 FSM was one of several eligibility options set out in the 2010 public consultation on the pupil premium, and was adopted as the clear public preference. Analysis shows that pupils who have claimed FSM at any point in the past six years often under-achieve in comparison with their peers.
Schools have worked hard to identify eligible pupils who have not registered for FSM. We have published effective practice, including guidance and a model registration form at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/free-school-meals-and-pupil-premium-registration-form that seeks to help schools increase the proportion of eligible pupils that register for FSM; this will in turn lead to an increase in the pupil premium allocation awarded to the school.