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 ensure that all schools are following statutory guidance on supporting pupils with medical conditions.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
In 2014, the government introduced a new duty on schools to support pupils with medical conditions and published statutory guidance, ‘Supporting pupils at school with medical conditions’, available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/supporting-pupils-at-school-with-medical-conditions--3.
The guidance is clear that schools, local authorities, health professionals, commissioners and other support services should work together to ensure that children with medical conditions receive a full education.
Ofsted’s Common Inspection Framework requires inspectors, in making judgements upon schools, to pay particular attention to the outcomes of different groups of pupils, including those with medical needs. Ofsted included guidance to inspectors on this matter in its March 2017 school inspection update, available at:
This guidance reminds inspectors that as part of looking at how a school is supporting the welfare and teaching and learning of pupils with medical conditions the school’s policy on supporting students with medical conditions and its implementation.
Excluding children with medical conditions from participating in extra-curricular activities is unacceptable practice and we expect all children to be included in school life, whatever their needs. It is up to the governing bodies to ensure that arrangements are in place in schools to support pupils with medical conditions. Where parents have concerns over the support their child is receiving we encourage them to raise the matter with the school. If they feel that the school is not meeting its obligations, they have recourse to make a complaint through the school’s complaint process.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department plans to take against schools which contravene statutory guidance and exclude pupils with medical conditions from participating in extra-curricular activities.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
In 2014, the government introduced a new duty on schools to support pupils with medical conditions and published statutory guidance, ‘Supporting pupils at school with medical conditions’, available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/supporting-pupils-at-school-with-medical-conditions--3.
The guidance is clear that schools, local authorities, health professionals, commissioners and other support services should work together to ensure that children with medical conditions receive a full education.
Ofsted’s Common Inspection Framework requires inspectors, in making judgements upon schools, to pay particular attention to the outcomes of different groups of pupils, including those with medical needs. Ofsted included guidance to inspectors on this matter in its March 2017 school inspection update, available at:
This guidance reminds inspectors that as part of looking at how a school is supporting the welfare and teaching and learning of pupils with medical conditions the school’s policy on supporting students with medical conditions and its implementation.
Excluding children with medical conditions from participating in extra-curricular activities is unacceptable practice and we expect all children to be included in school life, whatever their needs. It is up to the governing bodies to ensure that arrangements are in place in schools to support pupils with medical conditions. Where parents have concerns over the support their child is receiving we encourage them to raise the matter with the school. If they feel that the school is not meeting its obligations, they have recourse to make a complaint through the school’s complaint process.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Department for Education:
What steps his Department is taking to support more pathways from education into employment for young people.
Answered by Anne Milton
We are developing 15 prestigious technical routes that will set a clear pathway through apprenticeships and new flagship T level programmes to skilled employment for young people.
High quality apprenticeships offer an excellent means of progression for many young people leaving education, giving them the skills valued by employers.
T levels are classroom based, level 3 study programmes and will provide a distinctive and rigorous technical alternative to A levels. A substantial, high-quality industry placement will be an essential part of each T level giving students the chance to put into practice the technical skills they have learned in the classroom.
Training and qualifications within the technical education routes are being designed and developed by employers - so that students can be confident they are getting the skills that employers need.
The reformed technical routes will ensure we unlock all the talents of young people across the country, no matter where they come from, and support them into strong, rewarding jobs and careers.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of pupils in Witham constituency (a) attained and (b) exceeded the minimum standard for reading at (i) key stage 1 and (ii) key stage 2 in each of the last 10 years.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The information requested is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. The Department has published some statistics for Key Stage 2 attainment for individual parliamentary constituencies since 2011/2[1]. Please be aware that the headline measures used across the years have changed and that comparison between years is not advised.
The Department does not publish constituency level attainment data for Key Stage 1.
[1] For 2011/12 – 2013/14 the information is located here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/national-curriculum-assessments-at-key-stage-2-2014-revised - open the ‘parliamentary constituency tables’, you can change year in the top right. This table provides the percentage achieving level 4 or above in each subject.
For 2014/15, the information is located here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/national-curriculum-assessments-at-key-stage-2-2015-revised - open the ‘additional tables’ and then tab ‘Table B3’. This table provides the percentage achieving level 4 or above in each subject.
For 2015/16, the information is located here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/national-curriculum-assessments-key-stage-2-2016-revised - open the ‘additional tables’ and then tab ‘Table A5’. This table provides the percentage achieving the epected standard in each subject.
For 2016/17 the information is located here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/national-curriculum-assessments-key-stage-2-2017-revised - open the ‘additional tables’ and then tab ‘Table A5’, this table provides the progress score of pupils in each subject, in line with the updated headline measures for key stage 2 attainment.
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 raise standards of literacy at schools in Essex.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Being able to read is vital for children’s future success. Thanks to the Government reforms and the hard work of teachers across the country, 154,000 more six year olds are on track to become fluent readers, and international evidence has shown that our nine year olds have achieved their highest ever scores in reading. In 2017, 82% of children in Essex passed the phonics screening check, slightly above the national average. Schools in Essex are benefitting from funding to support school improvement in reading outcomes for boys in primary and secondary schools, and to improve the teaching of phonics in primary schools.
The Department wants to build on these successes by supporting teachers to further raise standards for all children. We have announced that we will set up a new Centre of Excellence for Literacy Teaching and a national network of 35 English Hubs across the country. The exact locations of hubs will be decided in due course.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many organisations have (a) paid the Apprenticeship Levy and (b) utilised funds from the Apprenticeship Levy to date.
Answered by Anne Milton
Information on the number of organisations that have paid the apprenticeship levy is not available in the format requested. Data on the apprenticeship levy is reported to Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs via the Pay As You Earn scheme rather than by organisation.
The department plans to publish statistics on registrations and commitments for the levy in due course.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when he plans to issue guidelines to Apprenticeship Levy payers on forthcoming measures to enable them to transfer of up to 10 per cent of their funds to another employer of an apprenticeship training agency; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Anne Milton
The department will be issuing guidance to levy-paying employers regarding measures that will allow them to transfer up to 10% of the annual value of funds entering their apprenticeship service account to another employer or an apprenticeship training agency. This guidance will be issued prior to the introduction of these measures in April 2018.
The levy allows employers to spend their funds on the apprenticeship training that they judge best meets their needs. Funds in an employer’s levy account can only be used towards the cost of approved apprenticeship training and assessment. The purpose of the levy and the associated funds is to drive the uptake of quality apprenticeship training.
The government will continue to work with employers and providers on how the apprenticeship levy is best spent to meet employers’ needs and support productivity across the country.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of enabling funds raised from the Apprenticeship Levy to be used to support the provision of skills and training courses that are not provided by apprenticeships.
Answered by Anne Milton
The department will be issuing guidance to levy-paying employers regarding measures that will allow them to transfer up to 10% of the annual value of funds entering their apprenticeship service account to another employer or an apprenticeship training agency. This guidance will be issued prior to the introduction of these measures in April 2018.
The levy allows employers to spend their funds on the apprenticeship training that they judge best meets their needs. Funds in an employer’s levy account can only be used towards the cost of approved apprenticeship training and assessment. The purpose of the levy and the associated funds is to drive the uptake of quality apprenticeship training.
The government will continue to work with employers and providers on how the apprenticeship levy is best spent to meet employers’ needs and support productivity across the country.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what processes her Department has put in place to (a) monitor, (b) collate cost information on, (c) review and (d) respond to requests to amend or revoke regulations introduced by her Department.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
The attached spreadsheet lists every regulation introduced by the department since May 2010, ordered by year (see tabs at the bottom of the spreadsheet), and indicates which of these regulations have been amended, and which have been revoked (including partial revocations and pending amendments).
As requested, these regulations have been ordered by month. In the absence of further instructions, they have been ordered by the month in which they came into force (commencement date).
The changes to regulations affecting business during the 2010-15 parliament made by the department, and the associated costs or savings, are recorded in ‘Statements of New Regulation’ that were published every six months. These are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/one-in-two-out-statement-of-new-regulation. During the 2010-15 parliament, the department made five changes to regulation which had a total cost to business of £2.8 million, and made 16 deregulatory changes which had a total saving to business of £13.54 million, a net saving of £10.74 million. Any costs arising for the public sector are calculated in line with the guidance in the ‘Better Regulation Framework Manual’.
For the 2015-17 Parliament, the government will shortly publish its final report on the savings to business delivered during that parliament. For the current parliament, the government is committed to maintaining a proportionate approach to regulation to enable business growth while maintaining public protections. This will be monitored through the target that the government is required to set under the ‘Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015’.
In line with the government’s Principles of Regulation, regulations are not introduced or amended unless the department has demonstrated that satisfactory outcomes cannot be achieved by alternative approaches, that the regulatory approach is substantially superior to alternative approaches, and that the regulation and its enforcement framework can be implemented in a proportionate, accountable, consistent, transparent and targeted manner.
The government has published guidance for departments on the statutory requirement that all new regulations contain a requirement for a review at a suitable point after their implementation. This can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/small-business-enterprise-and-employment-act-statutory-review-requirements. The department has issued advice to its officials to explain and reinforce the statutory guidance. The impact assessment for a new regulation should set out the plan for a post-implementation review of the measure, typically within five years of it coming into force. The review should assess if the objectives of the regulation were achieved, remain valid and relevant, and whether they could be achieved in a less burdensome way.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the title was of each set of regulations introduced by her Department in each month since May 2010; which of those regulations have been (a) subject to the (i) one in one out and (ii) one in two out procedure and (b) (i) revoked and (ii) amended; and what the net cost to (A) the public purse; and (B) business of those regulations is.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
The attached spreadsheet lists every regulation introduced by the department since May 2010, ordered by year (see tabs at the bottom of the spreadsheet), and indicates which of these regulations have been amended, and which have been revoked (including partial revocations and pending amendments).
As requested, these regulations have been ordered by month. In the absence of further instructions, they have been ordered by the month in which they came into force (commencement date).
The changes to regulations affecting business during the 2010-15 parliament made by the department, and the associated costs or savings, are recorded in ‘Statements of New Regulation’ that were published every six months. These are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/one-in-two-out-statement-of-new-regulation. During the 2010-15 parliament, the department made five changes to regulation which had a total cost to business of £2.8 million, and made 16 deregulatory changes which had a total saving to business of £13.54 million, a net saving of £10.74 million. Any costs arising for the public sector are calculated in line with the guidance in the ‘Better Regulation Framework Manual’.
For the 2015-17 Parliament, the government will shortly publish its final report on the savings to business delivered during that parliament. For the current parliament, the government is committed to maintaining a proportionate approach to regulation to enable business growth while maintaining public protections. This will be monitored through the target that the government is required to set under the ‘Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015’.
In line with the government’s Principles of Regulation, regulations are not introduced or amended unless the department has demonstrated that satisfactory outcomes cannot be achieved by alternative approaches, that the regulatory approach is substantially superior to alternative approaches, and that the regulation and its enforcement framework can be implemented in a proportionate, accountable, consistent, transparent and targeted manner.
The government has published guidance for departments on the statutory requirement that all new regulations contain a requirement for a review at a suitable point after their implementation. This can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/small-business-enterprise-and-employment-act-statutory-review-requirements. The department has issued advice to its officials to explain and reinforce the statutory guidance. The impact assessment for a new regulation should set out the plan for a post-implementation review of the measure, typically within five years of it coming into force. The review should assess if the objectives of the regulation were achieved, remain valid and relevant, and whether they could be achieved in a less burdensome way.