Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate his Department has made of the number of unauthorised school absences in (a) Witham constituency, (b) Essex and c) the UK in the last three years for which data is available.
Answered by Nick Gibb
It is a priority to reduce overall school absence as part of the Government’s ambition to create a world-class education system.
Data on the number of unauthorised absences are published in the termly “Pupil absence in schools in England” statistical releases, and can be found here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-pupil-absence.
Information for each school, local authority and England is provided in the underlying data. Information by local authority and England is also provided in the “National and local authority” tables.
The Department has already taken a number of steps to reduce the number of unauthorised absence and tackle persistent absence. In 2013, the Government amended legislation to make it clear that leave of absence could be authorised by maintained schools only in exceptional circumstances. It is up to individual schools to decide what constitutes exceptional circumstances.
Overall school attendance is improving, and absence rates have followed a general downward trend since 2006-7. The Department recognises that persistent absence is hard to tackle. Children may be persistently absent from school for a number of reasons including long term sickness.
To enable schools to act earlier in dealing with patterns of poor attendance, the Department has tightened up the definition of persistent absence in national statistics and equipped schools and local authorities with a range of sanctions they can use to tackle poor attendance. This includes penalty notices, parenting orders, fast track programmes, parenting contracts, and ultimately prosecution.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of (a) unauthorised and (b) persistent absences of students from school.
Answered by Nick Gibb
It is a priority to reduce overall school absence as part of the Government’s ambition to create a world-class education system.
Data on the number of unauthorised absences are published in the termly “Pupil absence in schools in England” statistical releases, and can be found here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-pupil-absence.
Information for each school, local authority and England is provided in the underlying data. Information by local authority and England is also provided in the “National and local authority” tables.
The Department has already taken a number of steps to reduce the number of unauthorised absence and tackle persistent absence. In 2013, the Government amended legislation to make it clear that leave of absence could be authorised by maintained schools only in exceptional circumstances. It is up to individual schools to decide what constitutes exceptional circumstances.
Overall school attendance is improving, and absence rates have followed a general downward trend since 2006-7. The Department recognises that persistent absence is hard to tackle. Children may be persistently absent from school for a number of reasons including long term sickness.
To enable schools to act earlier in dealing with patterns of poor attendance, the Department has tightened up the definition of persistent absence in national statistics and equipped schools and local authorities with a range of sanctions they can use to tackle poor attendance. This includes penalty notices, parenting orders, fast track programmes, parenting contracts, and ultimately prosecution.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if his Department will increase capital funding to expand provision at special schools in Essex.
Answered by Nick Gibb
During 2018, the Department increased investment in the Special Provision Capital Fund by £150 million, taking the total investment from £215 million to £365 million across 2018-2021. This will support local authorities to create further school places and improve facilities for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities. The investment is not ring-fenced and therefore local authorities can use it as they see fit in their local area. Essex has been allocated £9.8 million from our £365 million investment, the fourth largest allocation in the country. More information on this fund can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/send-provision-capital-funding-for-pupils-with-ehc-plans.
The Department provides basic need funding which is based on local authorities’ own data on school capacity and pupil forecasts. Essex received £205.9 million to provide new school places from 2011-2018, and has been allocated a further £57 million from 2018-2021. This funding is also not ring-fenced, allowing local authorities greater flexibility to make decisions that are best for their local area. More information on this fund can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/basic-need-allocations.
The Department is also investing in special provision in Essex via the free schools programme. There are currently 3 special free schools in pre-opening in Essex; The Hawthorns and Beckmead schools will be located in Chelmsford and Chatten special school which will be located in Witham. In addition, Essex County Council have also bid to establish a further special free school in the current alternative provision and special free school round. The successful local authority areas will be announced shortly.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the change in the the number of pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) permanently excluded from school in Essex in the last three years; and what steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of pupils with SEND being permanently excluded.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The number of pupils with special educational needs (SEN) or disability permanently excluded from school is published by local authority within the local authority characteristics underlying data file at:
The Department’s statutory guidance on exclusions is clear that schools should take appropriate steps to address the underlying causes of poor behaviour, which could include pupils’ SEN or disability. This should include an assessment of whether appropriate provision is in place to support any SEN or disability that a pupil may have to avoid exclusion, and that schools should consider the use of a multi-agency assessment. The full guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-exclusion.
In March 2018, the Government launched an externally led review of exclusions practice, led by Edward Timpson CBE. The review is exploring how head teachers use exclusion, and why pupils with particular characteristics such as those with special educational needs are more likely to be excluded from school. It is also considering the differences in exclusion rates across primary and secondary schools in England.
The review has gathered substantial evidence, including over 900 submissions to the call for evidence. Edward Timpson has also chaired a series of roundtables and the review has met with over 100 organisations and individuals, including schools, local authorities, parents and children. The review will report in due course.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate his Department has made of the number of pupils with Education, Health and Care Plans attending (a) special schools and (b) mainstream schools in Essex in the most recent period for which figures are available.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
The number of pupils with education, health and care plans attending special schools and mainstream schools in Essex is available in Table 14 of the local authority tables in the ‘Special Educational Needs in England: January 2018’ publication available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/special-educational-needs-in-england-january-2018.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to increase the availability of defibrillators in schools.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
There is no legal requirement for schools to purchase an automated external defibrillator (AED), but the government encourages them to do so as part of their first aid equipment.
School-age children are at a relatively low risk of cardiac arrest but to ensure that any risk, no matter how small, is minimised, AEDs are currently available for schools and other education providers in the UK to purchase through the NHS Supply Chain at a reduced cost. These arrangements are available to all UK schools, including academies and independent schools, sixth-form colleges, FE institutions and early years settings (including holiday and out-of-school providers).
The government has produced guidance for schools on buying, installing and using an AED, which can be viewed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/automated-external-defibrillators-aeds-in-schools.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the announcement on 3 January 2019 that life-saving skills and first-aid education will be compulsory in all schools from 2020, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of installing defibrillators in all schools.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
There is no legal requirement for schools to purchase an automated external defibrillator (AED), but the government encourages them to do so as part of their first aid equipment.
School-age children are at a relatively low risk of cardiac arrest but to ensure that any risk, no matter how small, is minimised, AEDs are currently available for schools and other education providers in the UK to purchase through the NHS Supply Chain at a reduced cost. These arrangements are available to all UK schools, including academies and independent schools, sixth-form colleges, FE institutions and early years settings (including holiday and out-of-school providers).
The government has produced guidance for schools on buying, installing and using an AED, which can be viewed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/automated-external-defibrillators-aeds-in-schools.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if his Department will add stem cell donation to the statutory guidance relating to Health Education for secondary school pupils.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The national curriculum includes substantial content which could be used by teachers as an opportunity to inform pupils about organ, stem cell and blood donation. Pupils are taught about the function of the heart, blood vessels and blood as part of Key Stage 2 science, and about stem cells as part of the Key Stage 4 science. The national curriculum is compulsory in state maintained schools, and is often used as a benchmark by academies.
In addition, the Government is proposing to introduce compulsory Health Education, alongside Relationships Education and Relationships and Sex Education, and is currently consulting on draft regulations and draft statutory guidance on the subjects. Under the topic of physical health and fitness, the draft guidance sets out that pupils should know the facts about wider issues such as organ and blood donation.
The consultation on the guidance closes on 7 November.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans his Department has to amend the School Admissions Code to ensure that summer born children can (a) be admitted to reception at the age of five if on request of their parents and (b) remain with that cohort as they progress through (i) primary and (ii) secondary school.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Department is committed to amending the School Admissions Code so that summer born children can be admitted to a reception class at the age of five when their parents believe it to be in their best interests, and can remain with the cohort with which they are admitted as they progress through their education.
The Department is giving careful consideration to how changes might be made in a way that avoids unintended consequences elsewhere in the system. Any changes to the Admissions Code will require a full statutory process, including consultation and parliamentary scrutiny. The Department will consider the appropriate time for consulting on these changes in the context of competing pressures on the parliamentary timetable.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if his Department will integrate information on the need for stem cell donation among (a) BAME communities and (b) others into the formal curriculum.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Pupils are taught about stem cells as part of the new Key Stage 4 science curriculum, GCSE combined science and GCSE biology. The national curriculum is compulsory in maintained schools and can be used as a benchmark by academies and free schools. The new national curriculum focuses on the essential knowledge in each subject, which allows teachers to take greater control over the wider curriculum in schools. Content includes the function of stem cells and the potential benefits and risks associated with the use of stem cells in medicine. Teachers are free to use this as an opportunity to discuss stem cell donation with pupils.
In April 2018, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, announced that the Government would make no further changes to the national curriculum and to existing GCSEs for the rest of this Parliament. This announcement was made to promote stability for schools and teachers.
In order to continue providing lifesaving support for those who need stem cell transplants and find the best possible matches, the Department for Health and Social Care supports Anthony Nolan and NHS Blood and Transplant to continue to grow both their cord blood banks and their bone marrow donor registers. In particular, they aim to increase the numbers of BAME donors and cord blood units on the register that are available for patients from BAME backgrounds that are in need of a stem cell transplant.