Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate her Department has made of the number of children who have (a) received a Statement of Special Education Needs and (b) do not have access to the necessary funding to support those needs.
Answered by David Johnston
There were 517,049 children and young people with an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan in England at January 2023. EHC plans replaced statements of Special Educational Needs following the introduction of Special Educational Needs and Disability provisions in the Children and Families Act 2014 on 1 September 2014.
Local authorities are responsible for securing the special educational provision specified in the EHC plans they maintain. Children and young people with an EHC plan are supported and funded from local authorities’ high needs budgets.
High needs funding is increasing to over £10.5 billion next year (2024/25), which is an increase of over 60% from the 2019/20 allocations. This funding will help local authorities, schools and colleges with the costs of supporting children and young people with EHC plans.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the annual cost of educating a non-English speaking child in secondary schools.
Answered by Damian Hinds
Schools have autonomy over how they use their budgets, as they are best placed to assess the needs of their pupils who have English as an additional language (EAL), as well as the type of support they need.
Pupils with EAL, and who have started in the state-funded school system in England within the last three years, attract additional funding to their school through the EAL factor in the schools National Funding Formula (NFF). In the 2024/25 financial year, 1.1% (£484 million) of the total funding in the NFF will be allocated through the EAL factor (for both primary and secondary pupils). For secondary school pupils specifically, total EAL funding for 2024/25 is £141 million, with the EAL factor set at £1,585 per eligible secondary pupil.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an estimate of the number and proportion of children who were given special arrangements to sit (a) GCSE and (b) A Level examinations in each of the last three years in England.
Answered by Damian Hinds
This is a matter for Ofqual, the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation. I have asked its Chief Regulator, Dr Jo Saxton, to write to the hon. Member for Hendon, and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department holds information on the economic status of families of children who have special learning requirements in primary schools.
Answered by David Johnston
The department does not hold information on the economic status of families of children who have special learning requirements in primary schools.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to (a) promote and (b) improve lifelong learning.
Answered by Robert Halfon
The government understands the importance of lifelong learning, adult education and the need for adults to be able to train, re-train and upskill throughout their lives.
The department recognises that clear information and guidance is essential for learners, education providers and employers alike to navigate the government’s skills and adult education offer.
The department has launched the Skills for Life strategy and website, which is designed to support people to access the education and training they need and signposts them to the appropriate programmes. It targets adult learners in priority sectors to help them to access the skills they need to get the job they want, whatever their stage in life. The site showcases hundreds of government-funded skills opportunities to raise awareness and boost understanding among adults and help maximise uptake across the country.
The National Careers Service provides free, up-to-date, impartial information, advice and guidance on careers, skills, and the labour market in England. It offers intensive support for low-skilled adults without a qualification at Level 3, as one of six priority groups for the service. Professionally qualified careers advisers can support customers to explore the range of learning routes to determine the best route for them and to develop a careers action plan.
The government is committed to investing £2.5 billion across the financial years from 2022 to 2025 (£3 billion when including Barnett funding for devolved administrations) as a part of the department’s skills reforms to help adults learn valuable skills and prepare for the economy of the future.
The Adult Education Budget (AEB) provides £1.34 billon in the 2022/23 financial year to fund skills provision for adults to help them gain the skills they need for work, an apprenticeship or further learning. The department’s ‘essential skills’ legal entitlements, funded through the AEB, provide the opportunity of free study for adults who do not have essential literacy and numeracy skills up to and including Level 2 and digital skills up to and including Level 1.
Community Learning plays a vital role within AEB provision of supporting those furthest from the workplace, and in improving the health and well-being of learners. It is an important stepping-stone for learners who are not ready for formal accredited learning, or who would benefit from learning in a more informal way, particularly for (post-19) disadvantaged learners. It is a flexible and wide-ranging offer, responding to local needs and is delivered in nearly every local authority area across England through adult education services, further education colleges, Institutes of Adult Learning and Community Learning.
The Free Courses for Jobs offer gives eligible adults the chance to access high value Level 3 qualification for free, which can support them to gain higher wages or a better job. There has been strong uptake of over 45,000 cumulative enrolments between April 2021 and April 2023.
Skills Bootcamps offer free, flexible courses of up to 16 weeks, giving people the opportunity to build up sector-specific skills with a job interview upon completion. The department delivered 40,040 Skills Bootcamps starts in the 2022/23 financial year and has invested £550 million across the financial years from 2022 to2025 to significantly expand Skills Bootcamps further with a target of 64,000 learner starts a year in the2024/25 financial year so that more adults can get the skills they need for good jobs.
Apprenticeships are available for everyone over the age of 16 and provide a unique opportunity for people to develop the knowledge and skills needed to start, enhance, or change careers. There are high-quality apprenticeship routes into more than 680 occupations and the department is providing £2.7 billion of funding by the 2024/25 financial year to support employers to take up these opportunities. The Autumn 2023 Statement also announced a £50 million investment in a two-year apprenticeships pilot to explore ways to increase apprenticeship opportunities in growth sectors, and address barriers to entry in high-value apprenticeships.
From the 2025/26 academic year, the department will introduce the Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE). This is a transformation of the student finance system which will provide individuals with a loan entitlement equivalent to four years of post-18 education to use over their working lives (£37,000 in today’s fees). The LLE will be available for both full years of study at Levels 4-6 as well as, for the first time, modules of high-value courses, regardless of whether they are provided in colleges or universities. Under this flexible system, people will be able to space out their studies and learn at a pace that is right for them, including choosing to build up their qualifications over time, within both further education and higher education providers.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to tackle antisemitism in higher education.
Answered by Robert Halfon
The department is deeply concerned about the increase in antisemitic incidents on campuses since the horrific 7 October 2023 terrorist attacks against Israel. This government takes antisemitism extremely seriously. That is why on 22 November, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced in his Autumn 2023 Statement an additional £7 million over 3 years to tackle antisemitism in education.
My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, and I wrote to all schools, colleges and universities on 11 October, urging them to respond swiftly to hate-related incidents and actively reassure Jewish students that they can study without fear of harassment or intimidation. I wrote again to Vice Chancellors on 16 November, further emphasising the use of disciplinary measures against perpetrators and the importance of police engagement, as well as the suspension of student visas where the student is a foreign national. This was one of the key actions I set out in the five-point plan for tackling antisemitism in higher education, which was published on 5 November. Details of the plan can be found here: https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2023/11/05/how-were-protecting-jewish-students-on-university-campuses/.
On 21 November, the Secretary of State and I attended a round table hosted by the Union of Jewish Students, at University College London, where we heard directly about the impact of antisemitism on campus.
The department continues to remind providers of their obligations under the Prevent duty, where they should be working to prevent people from being drawn into or supporting terrorism. Departmental officials have assessed evidence of antisemitism and racial hatred linked to incidents at English universities. There is an online ’Reporting Extremism’ form where members of the public can raise concerns to the department directly. Where concerns have arisen, officials have reached out to the relevant universities to understand what actions they have taken, including reporting issues to the police where appropriate.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on which universities have not ratified the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of anti-Semitism.
Answered by Robert Halfon
As of 13 October 2023, the Office for Students’ (OfS) list of higher education providers that have adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism stands at 245 providers in England. This includes the vast majority of universities. The OfS’s list of providers is based on publicly available information and confirmation of adoption from providers. The latest list can be accessed at: https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/student-wellbeing-and-protection/prevent-and-address-harassment-and-sexual-misconduct/tackling-antisemitism/.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has published guidance on the recognition of neurodiversity conditions at Further and Higher Education facilities.
Answered by Robert Halfon
The department wants to provide all young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), including those with neurodiverse conditions, with good opportunities which allow them to transition from education into a fulfilling adult life.
We know that with the right preparation and support, the overwhelming majority of young people with SEND are capable of sustained, paid employment. All professionals working with them should share that presumption and should provide the career advice and support that help young people to develop the skills and experience, and achieve the qualifications, that they need to succeed in their careers.
Further education (FE) providers must use their best endeavours to secure the special educational provision called for by the student’s Special Educational Needs (SEN). In addition, FE providers also have duties and obligations under the Equality Act 2010 to ensure that they are acting inclusively and not discriminating against disabled students. They are obliged to make reasonable adjustments to prevent disabled students being placed at a substantial disadvantage.
Furthermore, under the SEND Code of Practice, FE providers should ensure there is a named person with oversight of SEND provision in every FE setting. They are responsible for co-ordinating, supporting and contributing to the strategic and operational management of the setting. Curriculum and support staff in an FE setting should know who to go to if they need help in identifying a student’s SEN, are concerned about their progress, or need more advice.
The government expects all higher education (HE) providers to fulfil their responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010 to be making reasonable adjustments for all students, including students with neurodiverse conditions, and disabled HE students, not just those in receipt of Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA).
In terms of funding, DSA is available in addition to the standard support package to help students with the additional costs they may face in HE because of their disability, including long-term health conditions, mental health conditions, or specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia.
DSA is not means tested and does not have to be repaid. It is available to full-time and part-time students at undergraduate and postgraduate level, alongside support available from HE providers, and in line with the recommendations of the student’s DSA Needs Assessment. There is no list of approved disabilities: to receive DSA, any student must be eligible for the main support package and disabled in line with the definition contained in the Equality Act 2010.
Wherever possible, disabled students and students with neurodiverse conditions should expect to have their needs met through inclusive learning practices and individual reasonable adjustments made by their HE providers.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the number of looked after children who have died whilst living in (a) regulated and (b) unregulated care placements in the last 10 years.
Answered by David Johnston
Every death of a child or young person is a tragedy, and the following information is sensitive in nature. Figures for the number of deaths of children looked after in regulated and unregulated accommodation by age in the last ten years are shown below.
Number of deaths of children looked after[1] whilst living in regulated or unregulated[2],[3] accommodation by age group[4], for the ten-year period 1 April 2012 - 31 March 2022[5]
Coverage: England
Age group | Regulated Accommodation | Unregulated Accommodation |
Under 1 year | 100 | 0 |
1 to 4 years | 70 | 0 |
5 to 9 years | 40 | 0 |
10 to 15 years | 110 | 0 |
16 years and over | 80 | 50 |
Total | 390 | 50 |
|
| Source: Children looked after data return (SSDA903) |
[1] Figures exclude children looked after under a series of short-term placements.
[2] Regulated accommodation includes children in the following placement types: Foster placements, Secure Children’s Homes, Children’s Homes subject to Children’s Homes Regulations, residential care home, National Health Service (NHS)/health trust or other establishment providing medical or nursing care, Young Offender Institution (YOI), and all residential schools. Unregulated accommodation includes children in the following placement types: Independent living or placements in semi-independent accommodation not subject to children’s home regulations.
[3] Excludes the following placement types which do not fall into either the regulated or unregulated category: placed for adoption, placed with own parent(s) or other person(s) with parental responsibility, residential employment, family centre or mother and baby unit, other placement.
[4] Age is as at the date the episode of care ceased.
[5] Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Totals may not add up due to rounding.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what data her Department holds on the ages of looked after children who have died whilst living in (a) regulated and (b) unregulated care placements in the last 10 years.
Answered by David Johnston
Every death of a child or young person is a tragedy, and the following information is sensitive in nature. Figures for the number of deaths of children looked after in regulated and unregulated accommodation by age in the last ten years are shown below.
Number of deaths of children looked after[1] whilst living in regulated or unregulated[2],[3] accommodation by age group[4], for the ten-year period 1 April 2012 - 31 March 2022[5]
Coverage: England
Age group | Regulated Accommodation | Unregulated Accommodation |
Under 1 year | 100 | 0 |
1 to 4 years | 70 | 0 |
5 to 9 years | 40 | 0 |
10 to 15 years | 110 | 0 |
16 years and over | 80 | 50 |
Total | 390 | 50 |
|
| Source: Children looked after data return (SSDA903) |
[1] Figures exclude children looked after under a series of short-term placements.
[2] Regulated accommodation includes children in the following placement types: Foster placements, Secure Children’s Homes, Children’s Homes subject to Children’s Homes Regulations, residential care home, National Health Service (NHS)/health trust or other establishment providing medical or nursing care, Young Offender Institution (YOI), and all residential schools. Unregulated accommodation includes children in the following placement types: Independent living or placements in semi-independent accommodation not subject to children’s home regulations.
[3] Excludes the following placement types which do not fall into either the regulated or unregulated category: placed for adoption, placed with own parent(s) or other person(s) with parental responsibility, residential employment, family centre or mother and baby unit, other placement.
[4] Age is as at the date the episode of care ceased.
[5] Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Totals may not add up due to rounding.