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Written Question
Union Learning Fund: Finance
Tuesday 28th November 2017

Asked by: Paula Sherriff (Labour - Dewsbury)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding her Department provided to the Union Learning Fund in each of the last two financial years.

Answered by Anne Milton

Funding for Unionlearn was previously provided by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) but following the machinery of government changes in 2017, this responsibility moved across to the Department for Education.

BIS provided Unionlearn with £14 million in the financial year 2015-16 and £12 million in the financial year 2016-17.

The department is providing £11.89 million funding in the current financial year and a further £12 millon in financial year 2018-19 and £12 million in financial year 2019-20.


Written Question
Unionlearn: Finance
Tuesday 28th November 2017

Asked by: Paula Sherriff (Labour - Dewsbury)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to paragraph 4.23 of Autumn Budget 2017, how much her Department will provide to Unionlearn in each of the next two years.

Answered by Anne Milton

Funding for Unionlearn was previously provided by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) but following the machinery of government changes in 2017, this responsibility moved across to the Department for Education.

BIS provided Unionlearn with £14 million in the financial year 2015-16 and £12 million in the financial year 2016-17.

The department is providing £11.89 million funding in the current financial year and a further £12 millon in financial year 2018-19 and £12 million in financial year 2019-20.


Written Question
Department for Education: Equality
Monday 6th February 2017

Asked by: Paula Sherriff (Labour - Dewsbury)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, who the diversity champion is on her departmental board.

Answered by Caroline Dinenage

The diversity champion on the Departmental Board is Juliet Chua.


Written Question
Department for Education: Pay
Friday 16th December 2016

Asked by: Paula Sherriff (Labour - Dewsbury)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the average hourly earnings are of (a) female, (b) male, (c) BAME and (d) non-BAME employees of her Department.

Answered by Caroline Dinenage

The table below shows the average hourly earnings of the Department for Education (DfE) staff, including the Government Equalities Office (GEO) staff, by a) female b) male c) BME and d) non-BME.

Average Earnings of DfE Staff (including GEO)

Nov-16

Female

£20.61

Male

£21.97

BME

£18.98

Non-BME

£21.93

The following table shows the average hourly earnings of GEO staff by a) female and b) male.

Average earnings of GEO Staff

Nov-16

Female

£24.11

Male

£25.10

The Department and GEO records earnings as annual salaries. In order to convert the annual salaries to hourly rates the following calculation has been used: ((Gross Basic Salary*FTE)/52)/Weekly hours.

The pay gap is lower when analysed at grade level for men and women and BME and non-BME. The gaps can be largely attributed to the fact that is greater proportions of women and BME staff of the lower pay bands.


Written Question
Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education
Monday 5th September 2016

Asked by: Paula Sherriff (Labour - Dewsbury)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to tackle hate crime through education in schools.

Answered by Edward Timpson

Our vision is to ensure that pupils develop the knowledge, skills and understanding to succeed academically; protect themselves from harm; and play a full and active part in society. Schools play an important role in preventing hate crime by empowering young people to question and tackle the underlying beliefs of prejudice and intolerance that can lead to hatred and bigotry.

Schools are required to promote the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs. This includes challenging prejudice and promoting tolerance. Schools are also subject to the Equality Act and to the Public Sector Equality Duty which require schools to have regard to the need to eliminate discrimination, harassment and victimisation, advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations between communities. There are a variety of approaches that schools can adopt in meeting these duties and in raising issues relating to hate crime, including:

  • using teaching materials which help pupils to understand and build knowledge of the diverse cultures and faiths in modern Britain.
  • encouraging classroom debate, and giving pupils the opportunity to discuss topical issues, to challenge each other and themselves, and to build the resilience and critical thinking skills they need to challenge views which are unacceptable.
  • teaching in Citizenship to include preparing pupils to take their place in society as responsible citizens.
  • ensuring pupils are taught about safeguarding through teaching and learning opportunities as part of a broad and balanced curriculum - this may include covering relevant issues through personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE).

In equipping pupils for life in modern, multi-cultural Britain, the Department wants to ensure that schools have access to good quality resources to support them. In January 2016, we launched the Educate Against Hate[1] website to provide practical advice to parents, teachers and school leaders on how to protect children from extremism and promote fundamental British values. The website includes resources to assist teachers to explore hatred and its consequences with their pupils and to develop their respect for diversity in their own cultural and religious traditions and in others. It also includes the Crown Prosecution Service’s resource packs for schools on hate crime.

[1] http://educateagainsthate.com/