Asked by: Roger Godsiff (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department plans to introduce a tapered income for entitlement to free school meals under universal credit in order to incentivise being in employment.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
Our new criteria for free school meals eligibility will set an annual earned income threshold of £7,400 for families in receipt of Universal Credit. This will, depending on a family’s exact circumstances, typically equate to an annual household income of between £18,000 and £24,000 when benefits are taken into account.
Establishing an earnings threshold for free school meals eligibility gives us a clear and practical system for schools and local authorities to deliver, and our Eligibility Checking System will make the checks simple and straightforward. We do not have any plans to introduce tapered eligibility criteria for free school meals. Such an option would add complexity for families and increase the administrative burden on schools and local authorities.
Asked by: Roger Godsiff (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 26 February 2018 to Question 128396, on Schools: Admissions, for what reason the Department exceeded the 12-week guideline on responding to consultations in the case of the Schools that work for everyone consultation; whether the Government plans to update that 12-week guideline; and for what reason the Department did not provide complete answers to the questions on (a) when the Department plans to respond to that consultation and (b) for what reason the Department has not yet responded to that consultation.
Answered by Nick Gibb
As set out in the response to the hon. Member for Birmingham Hall Green’s question of 19 February, the department has been considering the responses to the proposals set out in the ‘Schools that Work for Everyone’ consultation, and we will be responding to the consultation in due course.
Asked by: Roger Godsiff (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 25 January 2018 to Question 123349, by whom the £500 per day to be paid to school efficiency advisors is to be paid.
Answered by Nick Gibb
School Efficiency Advisers (SEA) are experts working with schools as part of our initial pilot to support school leaders to optimise their use of resources and to deliver educational outcomes and contribute to whole-school improvement.
The daily rate for an SEA will be £400, and up to £100 in travel expenses. This will be paid by the Department. Payment will either go directly to the school for releasing their school business professional for deployment, in the case of SEAs who are self-employed – payment will go directly to the SEA.
Asked by: Roger Godsiff (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to his Department's consultation on Analysing family circumstance and education, which closed in July 2017, when his Department plans to respond to that consultation; and for what reason his Department has not yet responded.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
The Department for Education has been considering the representations made in this consultation and will be publishing shortly.
Asked by: Roger Godsiff (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how his Department monitors the requirement that schools must consult on their admissions arrangements at least once every seven years; and what information his Department collects on such consultations.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The School Admissions Code (the Code) places a statutory duty on school admission authorities to consult locally before making any changes to their admission arrangements. Where no changes are proposed, they must consult at least once every seven years to ensure that the admission arrangements continue to meet local needs.
The Department does not collect information on the consultation process of individual admission authorities.
Admission authorities are responsible for ensuring that they comply with the requirements of the Code, including those around consultation.
Anyone who believes that an admission authority has not complied with the Code, may make an objection to the Office of the Schools Adjudicator. The decision reached by the Schools Adjudicator is binding and enforceable by the Secretary of State.
Asked by: Roger Godsiff (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to his Department's consultation on Schools that work for everyone, which closed in December 2016; when his Department plans to respond to that consultation; for what reason the Department has not yet responded to that consultation; and whether the Government has any plans to amend the guidance on consultation principles which state a response should be issued within 12 weeks of a consultation.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Department has been considering the responses to the proposals set out in the ‘Schools that Work for Everyone’ consultation, and plans to respond in due course.
Asked by: Roger Godsiff (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding has been provided to the Institute of School Business Leadership (ISBL) for the school efficiency adviser programme for the 2017-18 financial year; by what process the ISBL was chosen as the provider of that programme; and whether there was an open tendering process.
Answered by Nick Gibb
We are currently conducting a pilot on the use of school efficiency advisers (SEAs). We have contracted the Institute of School Business Leadership (ISBL) for administrative and accreditation support as an interim measure during the pilot phase, in order that we can deliver this scheme as quickly as possible for the benefit of schools and trusts with the greatest need. ISBL offers a skilled, established, group of professionals who are currently practising in the sector.
To date, we have spent approximately £33,000 on the contract with ISBL to support the pilot. Once the pilot concludes, and assuming a decision is made to proceed to roll out the approach, we intend to conduct an open procurement process which would be launched later this year.
Asked by: Roger Godsiff (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the required level of (a) qualifications and (b) experience is for school efficiency advisers; how such advisers are recruited; and what the average rate of pay has been of such advisers in the last 12 months.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Institute of School Business Leaders Fellows are an established, experienced resource with current knowledge of the sector and of school business leadership. In order to achieve fellowship status, they must have demonstrated a high level of professional expertise.
The Department has introduced a robust training and accreditation process, which is designed to provide assurance that school efficiency advisers (SEA) are proficient and can take a consistent approach to the analysis of key efficiency metrics.
The day rate of a SEA will be £500, including travel. These experts will start working with schools in early 2018 as part of our initial pilot.
Asked by: Roger Godsiff (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which schools and trusts will receive support from schools efficiency advisers during the pilot phase; and how such schools and trusts were selected.
Answered by Nick Gibb
In this pilot phase, the Department is prioritising support to trusts and schools which have the greatest need. As part of the pilot, we are taking a more proactive approach with local authorities to support their work with maintained schools and, where required, the Education and Skills Funding Agency will consider the use of School Efficiency Advisers (SEAs). Over time, and subject to the outcome of the pilot, we will expand the pool of SEAs and therefore be able to support a wider range of trusts/schools.
The Department has used schools’ and trusts’ financial data to build a picture of the sector as a whole. Using this data, and discussions with trusts, we have identified those trusts who may benefit from working with a SEA.
Asked by: Roger Godsiff (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding will be available for the schools efficiency adviser programme; and how much has been spent or allocated to date.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The pilot will test how school efficiency advisers (SEAs) deliver value for money for the taxpayer and drive significant savings in schools at a cost efficient rate. We will monitor effectiveness and cost as part of the pilot, which will be used to determine the ultimate size of the programme.
To date, we have spent approximately £33,000 on the contract with Institue of School Business Leaders to support the pilot.