Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham Edgbaston)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate he has made of the number of vacancies in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools for roles with SEND responsibilities in (i) Birmingham and (ii) the West Midlands.
Answered by Will Quince
Information on the school workforce in state-funded schools in England, including the number of teacher vacancies and temporarily filled posts, is published in the annual ‘school workforce in England’ national statistics site, which is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england. The latest information is as of November 2021.
Information on the role of staff vacancies, such as special educational needs and disabilities responsibilities, is not collected by the department.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham Edgbaston)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate he has made of the number of teacher training placements that have been filled for the 2022-23 intake in (a) chemistry, (b) computing, (c) mathematics and (d) physics in (i) Birmingham and (ii) the West Midlands.
Answered by Will Quince
As of 19 June 2022, the number of candidates who have been recruited or have accepted offers (pending conditions) to start a postgraduate initial teacher training (ITT) course (excluding High Potential ITT) in the 2022/23 academic year with an ITT provider in the West Midlands is: 53 for chemistry, 47 for computing, 176 for mathematics and 37 for physics.[1]
ITT recruitment data is available by subject and region. The department does not hold analysis of the number of acceptances at a local authority district level.
[1] The data provided counts all acceptances by the area of the provider the student applied to. Provider areas are derived from their contact address. These areas may be different to where students do their training. The data provided is based on the region of the training provider, not the accrediting provider.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham Edgbaston)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether adjustments have been made to the target number of trainee secondary teachers being recruited for (a) modern foreign languages and (b) religious education in 2022-23 on the basis of historical recruitment levels.
Answered by Robin Walker
The attached table shows the new entrants to postgraduate Initial Teacher Training for modern foreign languages and religious education for the recruitment years from 2017/18 to 2021/22. These figures have been taken from the ITT Census publication which can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/initial-teacher-training-census/2021-22#releaseHeadlines-tables.
The table also presents the postgraduate ITT recruitment targets for those subjects as well as the percentage of the target reached in each of the recruitment years. It is not recommended to add up shortfalls to targets over several years to obtain a ‘cumulative shortfall’. This would likely over-state the true recruitment shortfall over the period - a consequence of the methodology used to set the targets each year.
The 2022/23 recruitment year Postgraduate Initial Teacher Training (PGITT) targets include an adjustment to build in impacts of recruitment being below targets for the two PGITT rounds prior to 2022/23 (the 2020/21 and 2021/22 recruitment year rounds).
The 2022/23 recruitment year Modern Foreign Languages (including Classics) PGITT target of 2,170 trainees includes such an adjustment due to missed targets in the two previous ITT cycles.
For Religious Education, the 2022/23 recruitment year PGITT target of 450 trainees does not include any adjustments for under-recruitment in the two previous ITT cycles. Whilst the 2021/22 recruitment year target for Religious Education was slightly below target (99% of target), this under-recruitment was offset by increases in supply from other routes such as returners to teaching.
For more information on the 2022/23 recruitment year PGITT targets and the underlying methodology, please see the following link: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/postgraduate-initial-teacher-training-targets/2022-23#releaseHeadlines-summary.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham Edgbaston)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate his Department has made of the percentage shortfall in the cumulative targets for recruitment of trainee secondary teachers of (a) religious education and (b) modern foreign languages for the recruitment period 2017-18 to 2021-22, excluding the 2020-21 recruitment year.
Answered by Robin Walker
The attached table shows the new entrants to postgraduate Initial Teacher Training for modern foreign languages and religious education for the recruitment years from 2017/18 to 2021/22. These figures have been taken from the ITT Census publication which can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/initial-teacher-training-census/2021-22#releaseHeadlines-tables.
The table also presents the postgraduate ITT recruitment targets for those subjects as well as the percentage of the target reached in each of the recruitment years. It is not recommended to add up shortfalls to targets over several years to obtain a ‘cumulative shortfall’. This would likely over-state the true recruitment shortfall over the period - a consequence of the methodology used to set the targets each year.
The 2022/23 recruitment year Postgraduate Initial Teacher Training (PGITT) targets include an adjustment to build in impacts of recruitment being below targets for the two PGITT rounds prior to 2022/23 (the 2020/21 and 2021/22 recruitment year rounds).
The 2022/23 recruitment year Modern Foreign Languages (including Classics) PGITT target of 2,170 trainees includes such an adjustment due to missed targets in the two previous ITT cycles.
For Religious Education, the 2022/23 recruitment year PGITT target of 450 trainees does not include any adjustments for under-recruitment in the two previous ITT cycles. Whilst the 2021/22 recruitment year target for Religious Education was slightly below target (99% of target), this under-recruitment was offset by increases in supply from other routes such as returners to teaching.
For more information on the 2022/23 recruitment year PGITT targets and the underlying methodology, please see the following link: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/postgraduate-initial-teacher-training-targets/2022-23#releaseHeadlines-summary.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham Edgbaston)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues about establishing a scheme to allow medical students from Ukraine to be placed at UK universities to complete their studies.
Answered by Michelle Donelan
Universities in Ukraine are striving to maintain the education of their students under extremely challenging conditions. We are working closely with the Medical Schools Council and the Council of Deans of Health who are liaising with universities in Ukraine to help ensure online learning materials are available to medical students to continue their education remotely, which may be particularly beneficial for students who are nearing the end of their course.
Universities in England are autonomous and responsible for their own admissions however I have urged higher education providers to look at how they can support students returning from Ukraine to continue their studies in the UK and show as much flexibility as possible.
Individuals will need to consider their own circumstances and what is right for them. Students who wish to explore their options with higher education providers in England should engage in conversations with their preferred provider to understand the full range of options available specifically to them. This may include restarting their course or studying related courses in the biological sciences or subjects allied to medicine.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham Edgbaston)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment he has made of the (a) affordability of childcare and (b) impact of that matter on (i) household debt and (ii) rent arrears of families with children in Birmingham.
Answered by Will Quince
The early years of a child’s life are the most crucial, which is why the department has invested more than £3.5 billion in each of the last three years to deliver free childcare offers, including the 30 hours per week for working parents, which is supporting thousands of families. We have introduced tax-free childcare and, through Universal Credit, parents can claim back up to 85% of their childcare costs, which is significantly more generous than the previous benefits system. The department is also investing millions in family hubs, where families can access important support services.
The most recent data, published by Ipsos Mori, on parental views of affordability of childcare is from between 9-13 July 2021, and is available to view here: https://www.ipsos.com/en-uk/childcare-use-perceived-impact-child-development-and-information-working-home-families-0-4-year. The data concludes that, among those who used formal childcare before COVID-19 and who are currently using (paid) formal childcare, for just over half (51%) the affordability of their weekly childcare costs is unchanged compared to before COVID-19. For 30%, their weekly childcare costs are easier to meet, and for 19% their weekly childcare costs are more difficult to meet. Among those who used formal childcare before COVID-19 and who are currently using formal childcare, for 46% their weekly childcare costs are unchanged compared to before COVID-19. For 29%, the costs have risen, and for 12% they have fallen.
In the Spending Review, the department announced that we are investing additional funding for the early years entitlements worth £160 million in the 2022/23 financial year, £180 million in 2023/24 and £170 million in 2024/25, compared to the 2021/22 financial year. Furthermore, we are investing £180 million of recovery support in the early years sector. We will build a stronger, more expert workforce, enabling early years providers to deliver high quality teaching and help address the impact of the pandemic on the youngest children, particularly those in the most disadvantaged areas.
The department will continue to look for ways to improve the cost, choice and availability of childcare. Alongside this, we have recently announced the biggest increase in the National Living Wage since its introduction from April 2022 to support working families more widely.
The department does not hold information on the interaction between cost of childcare and rental arrears in the Birmingham area, or on the interaction with household debt.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham Edgbaston)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what progress he has made on acting on the findings of the Social Mobility Commission report dated August 2020 that (a) one in eight of the early years workforce is paid under £5 an hour and (b) the average wage is £7.42 an hour.
Answered by Will Quince
The government recognises that high-quality childcare, with a well-qualified workforce, has a powerful impact on children’s outcomes. As part of the Spending Review on 27 October we announced that we are investing additional funding for the early years entitlements worth £160 million in 2022-23, £180 million in 2023-24 and £170 million in 2024-25, compared to the current financial year. This funding is for local authorities to increase hourly rates paid to childcare providers for the government’s free childcare entitlement offers and reflects the costs of inflation and national living wage increases.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham Edgbaston)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what progress he has made in implementing the recommendations of the Timpson Review on school exclusions.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Good behaviour and discipline in schools is crucial if children are to reach their full potential. The Department backs head teachers to use suspensions and expulsions when required as part of creating the calm and disciplined classrooms needed to support effective teaching. The Department is also clear that expulsions should only be used as a last resort and expulsion from school should not mean exclusion from education.
Since the publication of the Timpson Review and agreeing the recommendations in principle, the Government has been pursuing a programme of work to support effective behaviour management across the school system. In April, the Department commenced the Behaviour Hubs programme, investing £10 million to help schools develop and sustain cultures where good pupil behaviour is normal. The Department has reformed training and development for teachers as part of the Early Career Framework, so that all new teachers will be shown how to effectively manage behaviour in their first two years in the profession from September 2021. The Department has also continued to work with Ofsted to tackle ‘off-rolling’ which is an unacceptable practice. Additionally, the Department will be consulting on how to help head teachers to remove phones in schools, and other revisions to the Department’s behaviour, discipline and suspensions and expulsions guidance, later in the year.
The Department intends to go further and is committed to improving outcomes for children and young people in alternative provision who are most at risk of expulsion and disengaging from education. The Department will set out its plans in the forthcoming SEND review.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham Edgbaston)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what progress he has made in implementing the recommendations of the Timpson Review on school exclusions.
Answered by Nick Gibb
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham Edgbaston)
Question to the Department for Education:
To the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the average number of credits not taken per student as a result of no detriment policies implemented by universities in the 2019-20 academic year.
Answered by Michelle Donelan
As autonomous institutions, higher education (HE) providers are responsible for the administration of their own exams and assessments. HE students and providers have faced unique challenges as providers have had to adapt teaching, learning and assessment methods in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Some providers have put in place policies stating that students should not be awarded a degree classification below their level of academic performance prior to the COVID-19 outbreak. A ‘No detriment policy’ is designed by providers as a safety net for students to help ensure they are not unfairly impacted by these challenging circumstances. This approach may not be appropriate for all providers and we recognise that there are a number of ways to assess students which will lead to a wide variety of measures being put in place.
The government continues to work closely with the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education, professional bodies and the Office for Students to ensure students continue to leave university with qualifications that have real value, reflect their hard work and allow people to progress. The professional bodies have put alternative requirements in place for graduation to maintain standards, building on similar arrangements which were made for graduation last year.
I am aware that the majority of universities adopted ‘No detriment’ policies last year. We have not made a detailed assessment, or estimate, of the extent of these policies in terms of student numbers, credits not undertaken or the impact on future employment prospects.
However, I have been clear that I expect providers to make all reasonable efforts for student achievement to be reliably assessed and for qualifications to be awarded securely. It is vital that a fair approach to exams and assessment is in place and understood by students. Any policies universities put in place to ensure students are not unfairly affected by the circumstances should continue to maintain standards – and awarding powers must be used responsibly to preserve the world-class reputation of our HE.
Providers should seek to ensure this and last years’ students are not disadvantaged in the labour market by whatever measures are taken and should provide assurances as appropriate to enable employers to have confidence in qualifications awarded.