Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the cost of living on the mental health of young people.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The Department is acutely aware of the impact of the cost of living on mental health. Information on the support available to help with the cost of living is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/cost-of-living
Through the NHS Long Term Plan, the Government continues to expand and transform mental health services in England, so that more young people get the support they need for their mental health. We will also help thousands of young people into work through the £795 million expansion of NHS Talking Therapies and Individual Placement and Support schemes.
Furthermore, there are around 65 locally funded Early Support Hubs in England. These hubs will support young people aged 11 to 25 years old who are experiencing anxiety or stress, including those who need support around financial circumstances. On 25 October we announced £4.92 million of new funding to deliver and evaluate innovative community-based mental health and wellbeing support for young people at 10 sites across England until the end of 2024/25.
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the teacher Supply Model target for the 2024 entry into initial teacher training is, by subject; and whether that number has been recruited in a previous year.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
There are multiple routes into teaching, including those returning to the profession, those that are new to the English state-funded schools sector, assessment only, and initial teacher training. Approximately 50% of teachers entering into the school workforce each year are newly qualified, with the vast majority of them having been trained via postgraduate initial teacher training (ITT) in the previous academic year.
Each year the department sets a target for enrolment on postgraduate certificates in education (PGCE) courses, with the majority of those students entering the teaching workforce in the following year. This is the only route for which the department sets a recruitment target, and this is calculated within the Teacher Workforce Model (TWM).
The postgraduate ITT recruitment targets for those trainees starting in September of the 2024/25 academic year will be published as official statistics in the coming months. However, it will be 2025/26 before those trainees enter into the workforce as newly qualified entrants. The specific publication date will be announced in due course, with all upcoming official statistics publications being announced via the department’s statistics release calendar, which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/search/research-and-statistics?content_store_document_type=upcoming_statistics&organisations%5B%5D=department-for-education&order=updated-newest.
Statistics on recruitment against the 2024/25 targets will be published in late 2024 as part of the ITT census official statistics publication. Data on previous recruitment against historical targets may be found within previously published versions of the ITT census. The 2023/24 version of the census is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/initial-teacher-training-census/2023-24.
The 2023/24 version of the postgraduate ITT recruitment targets publication, calculated by the department’s TWM, is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/postgraduate-initial-teacher-training-targets-2023-to-2024.
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will publish pass rates for level 1 functional skills qualifications in (a) English and (b) maths among people aged 19 and over; and if she will provide a breakdown of those figures by (i) previous qualifications in (A) English and (B) maths and (ii) socio-economic background.
Answered by Robert Halfon
Qualification achievement rates for individual functional skills qualifications are published in the Further education and skills statistics publication and are available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/further-education-and-skills/2022-23.
The latest adult (19+) figures covering qualifications ending in the 2021/22 hybrid end year (the latter of the achievement, planned, actual, or reporting year) are available via the following link: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/01301c62-9206-496a-5d02-08dc227985c9.
The department does not hold further breakdowns of these figures by previous English or mathematics qualification held, or socio-economic background.
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will publish pass rates for level 2 functional skills qualifications in (a) English and (b) maths among people aged 19 and over; and if she will provide a breakdown of those figures by (i) previous qualifications in (A) English and (B) maths and (ii) socio-economic background.
Answered by Robert Halfon
Qualification achievement rates for individual functional skills qualifications are published in the Further education and skills statistics publication and are available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/further-education-and-skills/2022-23.
The latest adult (19+) figures covering qualifications ending in the 2021/22 hybrid end year (the latter of the achievement, planned, actual, or reporting year) are available via the following link: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/01301c62-9206-496a-5d02-08dc227985c9.
The department does not hold further breakdowns of these figures by previous English or mathematics qualification held, or socio-economic background.
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 24 January 2024 to Question 10317 on English Language and Mathematics: GCSE, how many and what proportion of young people from a disadvantaged background achieve a pass in GCSE (a) English and (b) maths in 16-19 education by their prior grade at age 16 in the corresponding qualification only.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The attached table presents post-16 English and mathematics GCSE attainment by prior attainment in those subjects by disadvantage status in 2021/22, the latest academic year where the data is available. It is based on the cohort of young people who turned 19 in 2021/22, but were educated in the state-sector at age 15 to enable analysis by pupil characteristics. Prior attainment is determined by matching a young person’s attainment post-16 to that pre-16 as recorded by awarding bodies. In some cases, prior attainment will not be known if the young person has no record of taking any assessment.
Trends in attainment at GCSE post-16 should be read alongside trends in other level 2 qualifications taken by the 16 to 19 cohort, as there could be changes over time in the types of qualifications young people enter at that level. Further information on level 2 qualifications in English and mathematics entered by disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged young people over time is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/0c8db91f-4d8a-4300-e6ed-08dc2185b3c8.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the summer exam series for the 2019/20 and 2020/21 academic years were cancelled. Instead, for 2020/21, pupils were only assessed on the content they had been taught for each course. Schools were given flexibility to decide how to assess their pupils’ performance, for example through mock exams, class tests, and non-exam assessment already completed. GCSE grades were then determined by teachers based on the range of evidence available and they are referred to as teacher-assessed grades. Attainment rates for these periods should be considered with this in mind.
We know that English and mathematics attainment is important and want to ensure everyone leaves education with the English and mathematics skills they need to participate in society, and climb the ladder of opportunity towards better jobs, better wellbeing and better options for the future. That is why all 16 to 18-year-olds who do not hold a GCSE grade 9 to 4 (a standard pass grade) or equivalent qualification in English and/or mathematics are required to continue studying these crucial subjects. Students with a GCSE grade 2 or below are not required to sit GCSEs again and can study towards a pass in functional skills level 2. To further enhance the support for these students as part of our plans for the Advanced British Standard, the department has announced increased investment of around £150 million per year across each of the next two years.
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 24 January 2024 to Question 10317 on English Language and Mathematics: GCSE, how many and what proportion of young people achieve a pass in GCSE (a) English and (b) maths in 16-19 education by their prior grade at age 16 in the corresponding qualification only.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The attached table presents post-16 English and mathematics GCSE attainment by prior attainment in those subjects by disadvantage status in 2021/22, the latest academic year where the data is available. It is based on the cohort of young people who turned 19 in 2021/22, but were educated in the state-sector at age 15 to enable analysis by pupil characteristics. Prior attainment is determined by matching a young person’s attainment post-16 to that pre-16 as recorded by awarding bodies. In some cases, prior attainment will not be known if the young person has no record of taking any assessment.
Trends in attainment at GCSE post-16 should be read alongside trends in other level 2 qualifications taken by the 16 to 19 cohort, as there could be changes over time in the types of qualifications young people enter at that level. Further information on level 2 qualifications in English and mathematics entered by disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged young people over time is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/0c8db91f-4d8a-4300-e6ed-08dc2185b3c8.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the summer exam series for the 2019/20 and 2020/21 academic years were cancelled. Instead, for 2020/21, pupils were only assessed on the content they had been taught for each course. Schools were given flexibility to decide how to assess their pupils’ performance, for example through mock exams, class tests, and non-exam assessment already completed. GCSE grades were then determined by teachers based on the range of evidence available and they are referred to as teacher-assessed grades. Attainment rates for these periods should be considered with this in mind.
We know that English and mathematics attainment is important and want to ensure everyone leaves education with the English and mathematics skills they need to participate in society, and climb the ladder of opportunity towards better jobs, better wellbeing and better options for the future. That is why all 16 to 18-year-olds who do not hold a GCSE grade 9 to 4 (a standard pass grade) or equivalent qualification in English and/or mathematics are required to continue studying these crucial subjects. Students with a GCSE grade 2 or below are not required to sit GCSEs again and can study towards a pass in functional skills level 2. To further enhance the support for these students as part of our plans for the Advanced British Standard, the department has announced increased investment of around £150 million per year across each of the next two years.
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will provide a breakdown of the number of people starting level (a) 3, (b) 4 and (c) higher apprenticeships in the last 12 months by age; and how many and what proportion of those people had passed a level 2 qualification in (i) English and (ii) maths when they started.
Answered by Robert Halfon
The number of apprenticeship starts in the 2022/23 academic year by age and detailed level can be found in the following link: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/61f7174f-5980-4983-e812-08dc1e6f466d.
The department does not hold information relating to prior achievement for English and mathematics qualifications.
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to table 9.1 of her Department's publication entitled Initial teacher training applications for courses starting in the 2024 to 2025 academic year, published on 22 January 2024, how many candidates there were for each secondary subject by (a) region, (b) nation and (c) each other geographical breakdown available.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The department is working to ensure teaching remains an attractive, high-status profession, and will recruit and retain the best teachers in the subjects and areas they are needed most.
The department publishes Initial Teacher Training (ITT) recruitment statistics each month, providing insight into ITT candidates applying for courses that start in the 2024/25 academic year. The most recent monthly publication was released on the 22 January 2024 and covers candidates that have applied to ITT courses up to this date. This is available at: https://www.apply-for-teacher-training.service.gov.uk/publications/monthly-statistics.
Table 9.1 of the publication focusses on the number of candidates who have applied to secondary courses by subject. Table 10 of the publication provides further information about candidate applications to training providers, split by region. Additional breakdowns of ITT subject-level data, which splits candidates by the area they have applied from, is available to download in section 11, accessible at: https://www.apply-for-teacher-training.service.gov.uk/publications/monthly-statistics#downloads.
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether her Department plans to update the Digital Inclusion Strategy, published 4 December 2014.
Answered by Saqib Bhatti - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government is committed to ensuring no-one is left behind in this digital age. The 2022 UK Digital Strategy outlined work that will promote digital inclusion and help people to get online, including committing to at least 85% gigabit broadband coverage by 2025 and delivering legislation that will mitigate online harms through the Online Safety Bill (now Act).
Rather than write a standalone Digital Inclusion strategy, the Government is focused on delivering work that will address this issue. This is a cross-Government effort, with work being overseen by a new ministerial group, which will meet twice a year to drive progress.
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of young people achieve a pass in Functional Skills Level 2 (a) English and (b) maths in 16-19 education by (i) prior attainment at age 16, (ii) whether they are from a disadvantaged background or not and (iii) region.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The department collects data on entries into GCSE and Functional Skills English and maths by students aged 16 to18 attending schools and colleges in England, including independent schools. Most students aged 16 to 18 enter below level 3 English and maths qualifications because they did not achieve a GCSE pass at grade 9 to 4 or equivalent during key stage 4, and so are required to continue to study those subjects under condition of funding rules. More information on condition of funding rules can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/16-to-19-funding-maths-and-english-condition-of-funding.
Data is published in the ‘A level and other 16 to 18 results’ national statistics release and provides the number of entries and pass rates in each year. A link to this publication is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/a-level-and-other-16-to-18-results.
Tables 1 and 2 of the attached spreadsheet provide the data by the breakdowns requested. Data by year group is not available.
Note that a student may appear in the data more than once, for example if they entered exams both at the start of the academic year and in the following summer. Further, whilst the data shows many more entries by 16 to18 year olds in GCSEs versus Functional Skills at level 2, this to some extent follows differences in data collected by awarding organisations, where each recorded ‘entry’ in Functional Skills possibly reflects multiple assessment attempts. Local practice will vary and practices in large individual colleges can have impact on regional rates.
The department also publishes related data in the ‘Level 2 and 4 attainment by age 16 to 25’ national statistics release.
This tracks the attainment in English and maths for students in the mainstream state sector in year 11, which is the final year of secondary school, to age 19 (so 16 to 19), and includes data on achievement of 19 year olds in level 2 English or maths broken down by disadvantage status and prior attainment. More information can be accessed via the links below: