Asked by: Nicholas Brown (Independent - Newcastle upon Tyne East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what opportunities there are to have non-recognised ICT qualifications validated when there is evidence that these qualifications have been demonstrated in the workplace; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Nick Boles
The previous government introduced measures to raise the quality and rigour of technical and vocational qualifications. Only those qualifications that meet the required quality standards are recognised in the school and college performance tables.
The Department for Education runs an annual process to identify qualifications that meet the required standards and can count in performance tables. This includes a requirement for evidence that a qualification supports progression to the next stage of education, training or employment. If an awarding organisation can demonstrate that a qualification meets the criteria, it can be included in performance tables.
As a result of our reforms, students can now choose from consistently high quality and appropriate qualifications across all sectors that have genuine currency for the purposes of progression. The criteria for qualifications for 14-16 year olds are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/412515/14-16_qualifications_technical_guide_2017_and_2018_performance_tables.pdf
The criteria for qualifications for 16-18 year olds are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/412526/16-19_qualifications_technical_guide_2017_and_2018_performance_tables.pdf
Asked by: Nicholas Brown (Independent - Newcastle upon Tyne East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the reasons for changes in the looked after children rate in (a) Newcastle upon Tyne and (b) the UK since 2009-10.
Answered by Edward Timpson
The numbers of children looked-after and the rate per 10,000 children under 18 years in Newcastle upon Tyne and England are as follows:
Children looked after at 31 March1,2,3 | |||||||||||
Years ending 31 March 2010 to 2014 | |||||||||||
Numbers |
Rates per 10,000 children aged under 18 years | ||||||||||
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 | ||
Newcastle Upon Tyne |
525 |
530 |
550 |
550 |
555 |
98 |
99 |
101 |
100 |
102 | |
England |
64,470 |
65,500 |
67,070 |
68,060 |
68,840 |
57 |
58 |
59 |
60 |
60 | |
Source: SSDA903
1. Figures exclude children looked after under an agreed series of short term placements.
2. England and Regional totals have been rounded to the nearest 10. Local authority figures have been rounded to the nearest 5.
3. The rates per 10,000 children under 18 years have been derived using the mid-year population estimates provided by the Office for National Statistics.
The rate of referrals to children’s services has also increased over that time.
Rate per 10,000 children aged under 18 years, England | |||||
2009-10 | 2010-11 | 2011-12 | 2012-13 | 2013-14 | |
Referrals1 to children's social care services |
537.5 |
545.3 |
533.5 |
520.7 |
573.0 |
Initial assessments2 completed |
352.0 | 389.9 | 398.1 | 387.4 | .. 3 |
Source: Children in need census
1. If a child has more than one referral in the year then each referral will be counted.
2. An initial assessment is defined as a brief assessment of each child referred to children's social care with a request for services to be provided. If a child was the subject of more than one initial assessment during the reporting year, each assessment should be coded separately.
3. Rates have not been calculated for 2013-14 as many local authorities have completed initial assessments for only part of the year and have moved to completing continuous assessments.
It is for local authorities and the courts to determine when a child is to become looked-after.
The looked-after population is the largest it has been for some time. This can be explained in part by demographic changes (the population of under 18s has steadily increased over recent years). However, there has also been a rise in the proportion of children who are looked-after over recent years, and the rate of referrals is also considerably higher now than it was in 2010. The impact of recent high profile cases is one possible explanation and local authorities are clearly taking firm and timely action where they assess that there is a risk of significant harm to children. In addition, the Department for Education issued revised statutory guidance on ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children’ in 2013, which reinforced the need for professionals to make referrals whenever it is considered that a child may be in need (as defined in the Children Act 1989), or where the child has suffered significant harm or is likely to do so.[1] The safety of children at risk must always be the paramount concern for LAs
[1] www.gov.uk/government/publications/working-together-to-safeguard-children
Asked by: Nicholas Brown (Independent - Newcastle upon Tyne East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much was spent on supply teachers in England and Wales in the academic year 2013-14.
Answered by David Laws
Local authority (LA) maintained schools’ funding is allocated per financial year, whereas academy school funding is allocated on the basis of the academic year.
In the financial year 2012-13 the amount spent on supply teachers[1] in LA maintained schools in England was £893,389,000. The 2013-14 data for LA maintained schools will be available in December. The amount spent on supply teachers in academies[2] in England in the 2012-13 academic year was £176,384,000. The 2013/14 data for academies will be available in the summer of 2015.
Academies have responsibilities that maintained schools do not, particularly around services previously provided by the local authority (library services, behavioural support services, audit costs, etc.) and maintenance of capital assets. This can affect what the academy spends its funding on, meaning that an academy, by its nature, is likely to have a different pattern of spend than a maintained school. For this reason, figures for academies and maintained schools are not directly comparable.
Expenditure on supply teachers in Wales is a devolved matter.
[1] Includes salaries and wages for supply teaching staff employed directly by the school, premiums paid to insurers for supply teacher cover and includes costs paid to an agency for teaching staff that have been brought in to cover teacher absence. Includes cover of any period and for all reasons including illness, absence for training, and any leave.
[2] The figures quoted for academies only include 1633 Single Academy Trusts and 135 Multi Academy Trusts that returned an accounting return (AR) for at least the full academic year of 2012/13. Multi academy trusts where one or more school within the trust was not open for the full 2012/13 academic year are not included.
Asked by: Nicholas Brown (Independent - Newcastle upon Tyne East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the average annual cost for a looked after child was in each local authority in the most recent year for which figures are available.
Answered by Edward Timpson
Information on the weekly unit costs of looked after children for each local authority is published on the Department for Education’s local authority interactive tool (LAIT).[1]
The figures can be found in the children’s services unit costs section of the tool.
[1] www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-authority-interactive-tool-lait
Asked by: Nicholas Brown (Independent - Newcastle upon Tyne East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of teacher workloads.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Recent assessments of teacher workloads have been made from the 2013 Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) and the 2013 Teachers’ Workload Diary Survey. The key finding from TALIS is that teachers in England work a 46 hour week in term time on average compared with the international average of 38 hours. The 2013 workload diary survey showed an increase in the average total hours recorded as worked by classroom teachers. We are working closely with teachers and the unions to reduce the burden of unnecessary workload so that they spend more time in the classroom teaching.
Asked by: Nicholas Brown (Independent - Newcastle upon Tyne East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what value of land has been sold by academy trusts since 2010.
Answered by Edward Timpson
Whenever the Secretary of State for Education is asked for consent to a disposal, the academy trust provides an estimate of the land value on which to base his decision. This must be a Red Book valuation provided by a chartered surveyor.
About two thirds of all academy trusts hold their land on leases from the local authority, and consent is granted to the local authority if it applies to sell that land. The local authority would be responsible for accounting for any sale in its accounts for the year in which the sale completes. Similarly, where any freehold academy trust has been granted consent to dispose of land, it is responsible for including the actual receipt in its accounts. The majority of land transaction details are published online at: www.landregistry.gov.uk
Asked by: Nicholas Brown (Independent - Newcastle upon Tyne East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many proposed transactions relating to land sold by academy trusts he has (a) approved and (b) declined since 2010.
Answered by Edward Timpson
Since July 2011, my Rt hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, has approved 175 transactions relating to land disposed of by academy trusts. He has rejected one case as he was not satisfied that the academy trust was receiving the best value from the proposed lease.
Many of these were leased back to local authorities, publicly funded education providers or not-for-profit organisations.
Asked by: Nicholas Brown (Independent - Newcastle upon Tyne East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans he has to allow academy trusts to raise capital finance based on the value of school title deeds.
Answered by Edward Timpson
As is the case with all schools, academies receive capital funding through devolved formula capital allocations. Academies also receive capital funding through the Academies Capital Maintenance Fund. Academies are not allowed to borrow and there are strict rules protecting publicly-funded land used by academies, regardless of who holds the freehold. This is set out in guidance, which is published online at:
www.gov.uk/government/publications/protection-of-school-playing-fields-and-public-land-advice
Asked by: Nicholas Brown (Independent - Newcastle upon Tyne East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much has been paid to converter academies towards pre-opening costs since 2010.
Answered by Edward Timpson
The total pre-opening costs for converter academies from 2010 to the end of March 2014 are £102 million.
Asked by: Nicholas Brown (Independent - Newcastle upon Tyne East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which organisations collect subscriptions through the employers' payroll service in his Department and its agencies.
Answered by Elizabeth Truss
The Department is currently consulting on removing its check-off provision.
The following organisations received subscriptions from staff salaries through the Department's payroll provider in May 2014:
Benenden Health
Birmingham Hospital Saturday Fund
British Healthcare Association
Charity for Civil Servants
Charity Trust
Civil Service Club
Civil Service Sports Club
FDA
Forester Health
Give As You Earn
Health Sure Group
Hospital Saturday Fund
HSA Crown Simply Health
HSA Individual Simply Health
Leeds Hospital Fund
Merseyside Health
PCS
Prospect
Westfield Health