Asked by: Peter Aldous (Conservative - Waveney)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which local authorities applied to his Department for permission to transfer funding from the school's block to the high needs block within the Dedicated Schools Grant for the financial years 2021-22 and 2022-23; and what the outcomes of those applications were.
Answered by Robin Walker
The dedicated schools grant (DSG) conditions of grant permit local authorities to transfer 0.5% or below of their schools block funding, with the consent of their schools forum. Where the schools forum does not agree, or the transfer is above 0.5%, the local authority can apply to my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, to disapply the conditions of grant. This is known as a disapplication request.
In the 2021/22 financial year, the department received 16 block movement disapplication requests. One of these was withdrawn before a decision was made.
The table below details the further 15 requests, the name of the local authority, the amount of transfer requested in both percentage and cash, and the final decision. To note, the table below represents what was approved. Actual amounts transferred may differ.
Local Authority Name | Amount as a % of the schools block | Amount £ | Decision |
Swindon | 0.12% | £191,100 | Rejected |
West Sussex | 0.50% | £2,500,000 | Rejected |
Oxfordshire | 0.50% | £2,000,000 | Rejected |
Surrey | 0.50% | £3,400,000 | Rejected |
Cheshire East | 0.50% | £1,100,000 | Rejected |
Cambridgeshire | 1.00% | £3,800,000 | Rejected |
Dudley | 1.00% | £2,180,000 | Rejected |
Barnsley | 1.00% | £1,633,650 | Approved |
Kent | 1.00% | £12,266,780 | Approved |
BCP* | 1.10% | £2,406,161 | Rejected (Forum agreed 0.50%) |
Southwark | 1.20% | £3,100,000 | Approved |
South Gloucestershire | 1.30% | £2,200,000 | Approved |
Norfolk | 1.50% | £8,000,000 | Rejected (Forum agreed 0.50%) |
Rotherham | 1.50% | £3,000,000 | Approved |
Hillingdon | 2.30% | £5,500,000 | Rejected |
In the 2022/23 financial year, the department received 19 block movement disapplication requests. Six of these were withdrawn before a decision was made. The table below details the further 13 requests, the name of the local authority, the amount of transfer requested in both percentage and cash, and the final decision. To note, the table below represents what was approved. Actual amounts transferred may differ.
Local Authority Name | Amount as a % of the schools block | Amount £ | Decision |
Leicestershire | 0.50% | £2,300,000 | Rejected |
Staffordshire | 0.50% | £2,800,000 | Rejected |
Wokingham | 0.50% | £630,000 | Rejected |
Cheshire East | 0.50% | £1,200,000 | Rejected |
Oxfordshire | 0.50% | £1,600,000 | Rejected |
West Northamptonshire | 0.69% | £2,100,000 | Approved |
Merton | 0.70% | £1,000,000 | Approved |
Halton | 1.00% | £1,017,926 | Approved |
Kent | 1.00% | £10,000,000 | Approved |
Barnsley | 1.00% | £1,697,773 | Approved |
South Gloucestershire | 1.18% | £2,200,000 | Approved |
Norfolk | 1.50% | £8,473,445 | Approved |
Rotherham | 1.50% | £3,235,707 | Approved |
*BCP = Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
Asked by: Peter Aldous (Conservative - Waveney)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when his Department plans to publish proposals for the GCSE in British Sign Language; and what his timetable is for including that subject in the National Curriculum.
Answered by Robin Walker
The department is aiming to introduce a GCSE in British Sign Language (BSL) as soon as possible, if it meets the rigorous requirements that apply to all GCSEs. Officials are currently working closely with subject experts and Ofqual to develop the draft subject content. The department plans to consult publicly on the draft content later this year.
There are no current plans to make BSL a compulsory part of the national curriculum. Schools are free to teach BSL as part of their school curriculum to meet the needs of their pupils.
Asked by: Peter Aldous (Conservative - Waveney)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he will provide in-year funding for Further Education college courses that help tackle skills gaps in the economy.
Answered by Alex Burghart - Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
The lagged funding mechanism for 16-19 education provides institutions with clear allocations, allowing them to make plans with confidence. However, from the 2020/21 academic year we have introduced T Levels which are currently funded in-year and have been developed in collaboration with employers and businesses so that the content meets the needs of industry. Further education colleges can also benefit from a High Value Course Premium (HVCP) of £400 per student. The HVCP was introduced in the 2020/21 academic year to encourage and support delivery of courses that are both associated with higher earnings and strategically important. We have announced this premium will increase by 50% to £600 per student in the 2022/23 academic year, to further strengthen the impact of the premium in encouraging and supporting colleges to deliver these key subjects.
In the 2021/22 financial year we made £95 million available for further education providers to deliver the free courses for jobs offer, which gives all adults access to their first level 3 qualifications in sector subject areas with strong wage outcomes and the ability to address key skills needs. It was confirmed at Budget that funding will be available for the next three years, and from April 2022 eligibility for the level 3 free courses for jobs offer will be expanded to also include any adult in England who is unemployed or earns under the national living wage annually, even if they have a level 3 qualification or higher.
We are continuing to invest in education and skills training for adults through the Adult Education Budget (AEB) (£1.34 billion in 2021/22). The principal purpose of the AEB is to engage adults and provide the skills and learning they need to equip them for work, an apprenticeship or further learning.
Currently, approximately 60% of the AEB is devolved to nine Mayoral Combined Authorities and the Mayor of London, acting where appropriate through the Greater London Authority. These authorities are now responsible for the provision of AEB-funded adult education for their residents and allocation of the AEB to providers. The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) will continue to be responsible for the remaining AEB in non-devolved areas.
ESFA providers’ AEB allocations for financial year 2021/22 have stayed the same as in 2020/21, with adjustments for the impact of devolution and to remove allocations that were for one year only. This was the fairest approach, enabling providers to support local economic recovery in 2021/22.
In-year performance management processes and rules are in place and these are detailed in the Adult education budget (AEB) funding rules 2021 to 2022, found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/adult-education-budget-aeb-funding-rules-2021-to-2022.
For the financial year 2021/22, we are also giving providers the opportunity to earn an additional 3% on top of their ESFA AEB allocation for over-delivery to support growth in adult skills participation.
Asked by: Peter Aldous (Conservative - Waveney)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the IFS's briefing note, Further education and sixth form spending in England, published on 18 August 2021, what assessment he has made of potential effect the IFS-predicted 17% rise in the number of these students aged between 16-18 between 2019 and 2024 on education provision; and if he will provide a longer-term revenue and capital budget for education for students aged between 16-18.
Answered by Gillian Keegan
The department forecasts 16-19 year old student numbers, taking into account population forecasts, when considering the need for future education funding for 16-19 year olds. The future budgets for this education provision will be considered in the Spending Review this autumn.
The department invested an additional £291 million in 16-19 education in the 2021-22 financial year. This was in addition to the £400 million awarded in the 2019 Spending Review. This allowed us to maintain the base rate of funding at £4,188 for all types of providers and to continue with the increased funding for high value and high cost subjects, including the High Value Courses Premium.
This year, the department has also made £83 million in capital funding available through the Post-16 Capacity Fund to support eligible post-16 providers to accommodate the upcoming increase in 16-19 year olds. Bids are currently being assessed and the outcome will be announced in due course.