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Written Question
Special Educational Needs: Cerebral Palsy
Monday 15th January 2024

Asked by: Peter Dowd (Labour - Bootle)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for what reason the SEND and alternative provision improvement plan does not make specific reference to (a) cerebral palsy and (b) physical disability; and what steps her Department is taking to ensure that children with cerebral palsy are not overlooked by the SEND and alternative provision implementation board.

Answered by David Johnston - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department wants all children and young people to be able to reach their full potential and receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life.

The Special Education Needs and Disability (SEND) and Alternative Provision Improvement Plan is designed to support all children, rather than being restricted to specific conditions, and to meet those needs within a fair and financially sustainable system, by improving national consistency. This will mean that the right support is provided in the right place at the right time for children and young people with SEND.

Under the Children and Families Act 2014, mainstream schools and colleges must use their best endeavours to make sure any child or young person who has Special Educational Needs, including those with cerebral palsy and physical disabilities, gets the special educational provision they need. Alongside this, all schools have duties under the Equality Act 2010 towards individual disabled children and young people. They must make reasonable adjustments, including the provision of auxiliary aids and services for disabled children, to prevent them being put at a substantial disadvantage.


Written Question
Special Educational Needs: Cerebral Palsy
Monday 15th January 2024

Asked by: Peter Dowd (Labour - Bootle)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children with cerebral palsy in (a) Bootle constituency and (b) England and Wales have been assigned education, health and care plans.

Answered by David Johnston - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department’s ambition is for all children and young people, no matter what their Special Educational Need (SEN), to receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life. The department wants them to achieve well in early years, at school (whether mainstream or special), in further education and to live more fulfilling and independent adult lives with improved employment outcomes. The department is creating a new single national SEN and disability system in England for how needs are identified and met across education, health and care, including for those with cerebral palsy.

The department does not hold the data requested.

The department collects data from schools in England on pupils with SEN, but type of need is held according to the categories specified in the school census.


Written Question
Pupils: Cerebral Palsy
Monday 15th January 2024

Asked by: Peter Dowd (Labour - Bootle)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of children with cerebral palsy attend mainstream schools.

Answered by David Johnston - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department’s ambition is for all children and young people, no matter what their Special Educational Need (SEN), to receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life. The department wants them to achieve well in early years, at school (whether mainstream or special), in further education and to live more fulfilling and independent adult lives with improved employment outcomes. The department is creating a new single national SEN and disability system in England for how needs are identified and met across education, health and care, including for those with cerebral palsy.

The department does not hold the data requested.

The department collects data from schools in England on pupils with SEN, but type of need is held according to the categories specified in the school census.


Written Question
Initial Teacher Training Market Review: Equality
Tuesday 7th March 2023

Asked by: Peter Dowd (Labour - Bootle)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the the potential impact of the initial Teacher Training Market Review on its objective to recruit more teachers from diverse backgrounds.

Answered by Nick Gibb

In the 2019 Teacher Recruitment and Retention Strategy, the Department committed to reviewing the Initial Teacher Training (ITT) market, with the aim to make it more effective.

The subsequent ITT accreditation process was recommended by an expert advisory group and implemented following public consultation. The process was designed to assess providers’ capacity to deliver high quality, reformed ITT from September 2024, in line with the new Quality Requirements identified in the advisory group’s ITT Market Review.

The consultation invited views on any impact people considered could arise from implementation of the proposed Quality Requirements in relation to equalities issues. The Department also assessed the potential equalities impacts of the reforms and published the findings here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1037339/Government_response_to_the_initial_teacher_training__ITT__market_review_report_-_equalities_impact_assessment.pdf.

The Department continues to provide support to attract the best possible candidates to teacher training. £181 million has been made available in bursaries and scholarships to attract trainee teachers in high priority subjects for the 2023/24 academic year, which is a £52 million increase on the current academic year. As graduates in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects attract the highest salaries outside teaching, the Department is offering a £27,000 tax free bursary and a £29,000 tax free scholarship in chemistry, computing, mathematics, and physics. In addition, a Levelling Up Premium worth up to £3,000 tax free annually is available for maths, physics, chemistry and computing teachers who choose to work in disadvantaged schools early in their career. This reflects the priority the Department places on training teachers to teach STEM subjects and on supporting the recruitment and retention of specialist teachers in the subjects, schools and areas that need them most.

The Department wants to attract and retain diverse, talented teachers from all backgrounds and support all teachers in their career journeys. The Department is committed to dismantling the stereotype of what a good teacher looks like and supporting people into teaching, regardless of their gender or background.

The new Apply for Teacher Training service, rolled out in October 2021, will allow the Department to collect more data, giving a greater insight into candidate behaviour and the behaviour of providers of teacher training, so that the Department can identify barriers and work to address them. The Department will continue to work closely with ITT providers to explore, design and test new interventions to ensure teaching is an inclusive career that is open to candidates from all backgrounds.


Written Question
Initial Teacher Training Market Review: STEM Subjects
Tuesday 7th March 2023

Asked by: Peter Dowd (Labour - Bootle)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the impact of its most recent round of Initial Teacher Training accreditation on recruitment in STEM subjects.

Answered by Nick Gibb

In the 2019 Teacher Recruitment and Retention Strategy, the Department committed to reviewing the Initial Teacher Training (ITT) market, with the aim to make it more effective.

The subsequent ITT accreditation process was recommended by an expert advisory group and implemented following public consultation. The process was designed to assess providers’ capacity to deliver high quality, reformed ITT from September 2024, in line with the new Quality Requirements identified in the advisory group’s ITT Market Review.

The consultation invited views on any impact people considered could arise from implementation of the proposed Quality Requirements in relation to equalities issues. The Department also assessed the potential equalities impacts of the reforms and published the findings here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1037339/Government_response_to_the_initial_teacher_training__ITT__market_review_report_-_equalities_impact_assessment.pdf.

The Department continues to provide support to attract the best possible candidates to teacher training. £181 million has been made available in bursaries and scholarships to attract trainee teachers in high priority subjects for the 2023/24 academic year, which is a £52 million increase on the current academic year. As graduates in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects attract the highest salaries outside teaching, the Department is offering a £27,000 tax free bursary and a £29,000 tax free scholarship in chemistry, computing, mathematics, and physics. In addition, a Levelling Up Premium worth up to £3,000 tax free annually is available for maths, physics, chemistry and computing teachers who choose to work in disadvantaged schools early in their career. This reflects the priority the Department places on training teachers to teach STEM subjects and on supporting the recruitment and retention of specialist teachers in the subjects, schools and areas that need them most.

The Department wants to attract and retain diverse, talented teachers from all backgrounds and support all teachers in their career journeys. The Department is committed to dismantling the stereotype of what a good teacher looks like and supporting people into teaching, regardless of their gender or background.

The new Apply for Teacher Training service, rolled out in October 2021, will allow the Department to collect more data, giving a greater insight into candidate behaviour and the behaviour of providers of teacher training, so that the Department can identify barriers and work to address them. The Department will continue to work closely with ITT providers to explore, design and test new interventions to ensure teaching is an inclusive career that is open to candidates from all backgrounds.


Written Question
Initial Teacher Training Market Review
Tuesday 7th March 2023

Asked by: Peter Dowd (Labour - Bootle)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department conducted an Equality Impact Assessment for the most recent round of Initial Teacher Training accreditation.

Answered by Nick Gibb

In the 2019 Teacher Recruitment and Retention Strategy, the Department committed to reviewing the Initial Teacher Training (ITT) market, with the aim to make it more effective.

The subsequent ITT accreditation process was recommended by an expert advisory group and implemented following public consultation. The process was designed to assess providers’ capacity to deliver high quality, reformed ITT from September 2024, in line with the new Quality Requirements identified in the advisory group’s ITT Market Review.

The consultation invited views on any impact people considered could arise from implementation of the proposed Quality Requirements in relation to equalities issues. The Department also assessed the potential equalities impacts of the reforms and published the findings here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1037339/Government_response_to_the_initial_teacher_training__ITT__market_review_report_-_equalities_impact_assessment.pdf.

The Department continues to provide support to attract the best possible candidates to teacher training. £181 million has been made available in bursaries and scholarships to attract trainee teachers in high priority subjects for the 2023/24 academic year, which is a £52 million increase on the current academic year. As graduates in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects attract the highest salaries outside teaching, the Department is offering a £27,000 tax free bursary and a £29,000 tax free scholarship in chemistry, computing, mathematics, and physics. In addition, a Levelling Up Premium worth up to £3,000 tax free annually is available for maths, physics, chemistry and computing teachers who choose to work in disadvantaged schools early in their career. This reflects the priority the Department places on training teachers to teach STEM subjects and on supporting the recruitment and retention of specialist teachers in the subjects, schools and areas that need them most.

The Department wants to attract and retain diverse, talented teachers from all backgrounds and support all teachers in their career journeys. The Department is committed to dismantling the stereotype of what a good teacher looks like and supporting people into teaching, regardless of their gender or background.

The new Apply for Teacher Training service, rolled out in October 2021, will allow the Department to collect more data, giving a greater insight into candidate behaviour and the behaviour of providers of teacher training, so that the Department can identify barriers and work to address them. The Department will continue to work closely with ITT providers to explore, design and test new interventions to ensure teaching is an inclusive career that is open to candidates from all backgrounds.


Written Question
Special Educational Needs: Sefton
Friday 21st October 2022

Asked by: Peter Dowd (Labour - Bootle)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the amount of time it takes for a young person to be accepted for an education, health and care plan in the Sefton Council area.

Answered by Kelly Tolhurst

The department does not have specific detailed information on the Bootle constituency. However, 602 requests for assessments were received by Sefton Council in the 12 months up to January 2022. In the same time period, 321 new education, health and care plans were issued by Sefton Council. This compares to 431 requests and 296 plans issued in the 12 months preceding January 2021.

In 2021 61.1% of new assessments were completed by Sefton Council within the statutory 20-week timescale. The national average in this time period was 59.9%.


Written Question
Special Educational Needs: Bootle
Friday 21st October 2022

Asked by: Peter Dowd (Labour - Bootle)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many requests for Education Health and Care Plan were (a) requested by parents or (b) signed off by Sefton Council for students in the Bootle constituency.

Answered by Kelly Tolhurst

The department does not have specific detailed information on the Bootle constituency. However, 602 requests for assessments were received by Sefton Council in the 12 months up to January 2022. In the same time period, 321 new education, health and care plans were issued by Sefton Council. This compares to 431 requests and 296 plans issued in the 12 months preceding January 2021.

In 2021 61.1% of new assessments were completed by Sefton Council within the statutory 20-week timescale. The national average in this time period was 59.9%.


Written Question
Special Educational Needs: Bootle
Friday 21st October 2022

Asked by: Peter Dowd (Labour - Bootle)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) exclusions of SEN pupils and (b) total exclusions of students there were in schools in Bootle constituency in each of the last three years.

Answered by Jonathan Gullis

The table below shows the numbers of permanent exclusions and suspensions in total and by special educational needs (SEN) provision for Bootle constituency in academic years 2018/19 to 2020/21.

Type

Year

Total

No SEN

Education health and care plan

SEN support

Permanent exclusions

2020/21

4

3

0

1

2019/20

4

2

0

2

2018/19

8

2

0

6

Suspensions

2020/21

259

125

6

128

2019/20

283

166

8

109

2018/19

441

276

15

150


Written Question
Pupils: Sanitary Protection
Monday 26th September 2022

Asked by: Peter Dowd (Labour - Bootle)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make it his policy to make the free period products scheme permanent.

Answered by Kelly Tolhurst

The period products scheme launched in January 2020, and has most recently been extended until July 2024.

The department will make information available about any extensions or changes to the scheme in due course.