Asked by: Michael Fallon (Conservative - Sevenoaks)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the new funding formula for 2018-19 will reflect the effect on schools of staff pay increases.
Answered by Nick Gibb
In July 2017 we announced an additional £1.3billion for schools and high needs across 2018-19 and 2019-20, in addition to the schools budget set at Spending Review 2015. This means funding per pupil for schools and high needs will be maintained in real terms for the next two years. Following our announcement in September 2017, under the national funding formula, school funding will be distributed based on the individual needs and characteristics of every school in the country.
We will publish evidence on the affordability and value for money of increases to teachers’ pay as part of the Department’s input to the School Teachers’ Review Body consideration on teachers’ pay for 2018/19.
Asked by: Michael Fallon (Conservative - Sevenoaks)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to secure sufficient recruitment and retention in the teaching profession.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The number of teachers is at an all-time high: there are now 457,300 full time equivalent teachers, up 15,500 from 2010. The number of new teachers entering our classrooms continues to outnumber those who retire or leave, and the number of teachers returning to the profession is 8% higher than in 2011.
We are continuing to offer generous bursaries to recruit the best graduates into the profession. From 2018 we are increasing funding across all high priority subjects. Our prestigious scholarship scheme will also continue, offering a package of tailored support and up to £28,000 tax-free for scholars in six subjects.
Teachers will benefit from the newly announced rise in the student loan repayment threshold and we will be piloting a new student loan reimbursement programme for science and Modern Foreign Language teachers in the early years of their career, targeted in the areas of the country that need them most.
We are taking action to address the factors that influence the decisions of those teachers who do decide to leave the profession. We recognised the problem of unnecessary workload when we launched the Workload Challenge in 2014. Our responses to this and the 2016 Teacher Workload Survey set out comprehensive programmes of action to be taken, including spreading best practice about workload reduction. We will continue our extensive work with the profession, teaching unions and Ofsted to support the retention of teachers.
Asked by: Michael Fallon (Conservative - Sevenoaks)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to prevent smaller schools from closing in (a) England and (b) Kent.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Most small schools are rural and the Government recognises the importance of these schools to their communities. That is why there is a presumption against the closure of rural primary schools. While the presumption does not mean that rural primary schools will never close, it does require decision makers to consider factors such as the likely effect of the closure of the school on the local community, educational standards at the school, the impact on standards at neighbouring schools, the availability of transport to other schools, and any alternatives to the closure of the school.
We recognise that some schools are necessarily small because they are remote and do not have the same opportunities to grow or make efficiency savings as other schools. These schools can be especially important to their local communities, and ensure children do not have to travel long distances to school. That is why we have included dedicated sparsity funding in our new national funding formula (NFF), which will target funding to 19 of the most remote schools in Kent. Under the NFF, Kent would see an increase of 7.4% for its schools compared to 3.5% nationally.
Asked by: Michael Fallon (Conservative - Sevenoaks)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what schools she plans to visit in November 2017.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
In November 2017, the Secretary of State visited Oasis Academy Media City (M50 3UQ), Putney High School (SW15 6BH), The Alton School (SW15 4PD), Swanlea School (E1 5DJ) and Broadford Primary School (RM3 8JS).
Asked by: Michael Fallon (Conservative - Sevenoaks)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she takes to ensure enforcement of laws that prohibit exclusion of pupils on the grounds of academic ability.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
The department’s legislation and statutory guidance on exclusion makes it clear that any decision to exclude a pupil from school should be lawful, reasonable and fair. Schools must have regard to the exclusion guidance and follow the formal exclusion process set out in it.
Schools can exclude pupils, either permanently or for a fixed period, for disciplinary reasons, and the department supports schools in using exclusion where this is warranted. Exclusion on any grounds other than discipline is unlawful. Where a pupil is asked to leave the school, the formal exclusions process set out in the statutory exclusion guidance must be followed. Schools may not exclude pupils because of their academic attainment or ability. In September the department wrote to all secondary schools and local authorities to remind them of these rules. The government recently announced an externally led review of the use of exclusions and implications for pupil groups disproportionately represented in the national statistics. Further details on the review will be made available in due course.
Asked by: Michael Fallon (Conservative - Sevenoaks)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department takes to (a) identify and (b) reprimand schools and other educational institutions that fail to meet the requirements of section 52 of the Education Act 2002.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
The department’s legislation and statutory guidance on exclusion makes it clear that any decision to exclude a pupil from school should be lawful, reasonable and fair. Schools must have regard to the exclusion guidance and follow the formal exclusion process set out in it.
Schools can exclude pupils, either permanently or for a fixed period, for disciplinary reasons, and the department supports schools in using exclusion where this is warranted. Exclusion on any grounds other than discipline is unlawful. Where a pupil is asked to leave the school, the formal exclusions process set out in the statutory exclusion guidance must be followed. Schools may not exclude pupils because of their academic attainment or ability. In September the department wrote to all secondary schools and local authorities to remind them of these rules. The government recently announced an externally led review of the use of exclusions and implications for pupil groups disproportionately represented in the national statistics. Further details on the review will be made available in due course.
Asked by: Michael Fallon (Conservative - Sevenoaks)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what powers Ofsted has to identify instances where pupils have been unfairly or illegally excluded from schools or other educational institutions.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
This is a matter for Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman. I have asked her to write to you and a copy of her reply will be placed in the House library.
Asked by: Michael Fallon (Conservative - Sevenoaks)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help schools find the first £6,000 needed to secure SEND funding.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
Pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in mainstream schools attract funding to their schools through the formula set by the school’s local authority. The funding formula is decided by each local authority in consultation with its schools, and local authorities are required to delegate funds through the formula to a level that enables schools to meet the additional cost of pupils with SEND up to £6,000 per annum. This constitutes each school’s notional SEND budget. Local authorities use various factors to give an estimate of the number of children with SEND a school is likely to have, and consequently the notional SEND budget that the school will receive. The introduction of a national funding formula for determining schools and local authorities’ funding from April 2018 will not change this arrangement.
The School and Early Years Finance (England) Regulations 2017 state that local authorities must identify each school’s notional SEND budget from which schools are expected to meet the additional costs of their pupils with SEND, up to £6,000 per annum. Schools should therefore discuss with their local authority how much is needed for this purpose.
Asked by: Michael Fallon (Conservative - Sevenoaks)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what representations she has received from educational organisations in Kent on the effectiveness of SEND funding since 2015.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
Pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in mainstream schools attract funding to their schools through the formula set by the school’s local authority. The funding formula is decided by each local authority in consultation with its schools, and local authorities are required to delegate funds through the formula to a level that enables schools to meet the additional cost of pupils with SEND up to £6,000 per annum. This constitutes each school’s notional SEND budget. Local authorities use various factors to give an estimate of the number of children with SEND a school is likely to have, and consequently the notional SEND budget that the school will receive. The introduction of a national funding formula for determining schools and local authorities’ funding from April 2018 will not change this arrangement.
The School and Early Years Finance (England) Regulations 2017 state that local authorities must identify each school’s notional SEND budget from which schools are expected to meet the additional costs of their pupils with SEND, up to £6,000 per annum. Schools should therefore discuss with their local authority how much is needed for this purpose.