Asked by: Rosie Duffield (Independent - Canterbury)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the effect of the covid-19 outbreak on fulfilling the core objectives of the national curriculum physical education programme for primary school children.
Answered by Will Quince
The department recognises that the extended school closures have had a substantial impact on children and young people’s education.
While we do not collect detailed data on PE outcomes, we have been monitoring the effect of the COVID-19 outbreak on education. The department’s school snapshot panel survey in December 2020 provided insights into the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on PE provision, showing a mixed picture. 73% of schools had changed their delivery of PE in some way, for 90% the change was around delivering different or modified activities. 19% of all schools reported increased PE time, for example due to pupils attending school in PE kit reducing changing time, and 15% of all schools reported reduced time for PE often due to the lack of appropriate inside space. The school recovery report of January 2022 shows that whilst some schools report increased hours for PE, 56% of primary schools have reported reducing hours for some subjects, such as PE.
The department’s COVID-19 guidance has supported schools to continue to provide PE, sport and physical activity through COVID-19 restrictions, and online PE lessons have been available through Oak National Academy.
PE will play an important role in supporting recovery. We are continuing to support schools to provide high quality PE. Primary schools continue to receive the £320 million PE and sport premium, which is supporting improvements to the quality of the PE, sport and physical activity which they offer. In October 2021 the government also announced nearly £30 million a year will go towards improving the teaching of PE at primary school, as well as to improving and opening up school sport facilities in England.
Asked by: Rosie Duffield (Independent - Canterbury)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of available nursery places in (a) Canterbury constituency, (b) Canterbury district, during the (i) 2021-22 and (ii) 2022-23 school year.
Answered by Will Quince
Department for Education officials monitor the sufficiency of childcare places in England through a combination of regular surveys, telephone calls and email contact with local authority early years teams. We have not seen councils reporting any substantial place supply issues, and we have not seen a substantial number of parents unable to secure a childcare place this term or since early years settings re-opened fully on 1 June 2020. Kent County Council, which holds the statutory duty to secure sufficient childcare places in Canterbury, is not reporting any issues with childcare places at present.
According to Ofsted data published on 30 November, the number of places offered by non-domestic providers on the Early Years Register in the Kent County Council area has remained broadly stable between August 2015 and August 2021, as is true across England.
Asked by: Rosie Duffield (Independent - Canterbury)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Prime Minister's announcement of 10 May 2020, whether primary school children returning to a school setting on 1 June 2020 will return on a full-time basis where possible until the end of the summer term.
Answered by Nick Gibb
From the week commencing 1 June, at the earliest, we will be asking primary schools to welcome back children in nursery, reception, year 1 and year 6 on a full-time basis, alongside priority groups. We will only do this provided that the five key tests set by the Government justify the changes at the time. We are asking schools to plan on this basis, ahead of confirmation that the tests are met.
Guidance for schools and childcare settings to prepare for wider opening from 1 June 2020 can be found here:
Asked by: Rosie Duffield (Independent - Canterbury)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will provide financial support to universities to establish hardship funds for students residing in (a) private rented and (b) university accommodation.
Answered by Michelle Donelan
Many higher education providers will have hardship funds to support students in times of need, including emergencies. The expectation is that where any student requires additional support, providers will support them through their own hardship funds. In addition, students will continue to receive payments of maintenance loans for the remainder of the current academic year.
Students with a part time employment contract should speak to their employer about the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme which has been set up to help pay staff wages and keep people in employment. HMRC are working urgently to get the scheme up and running and we expect the first grants to be paid within weeks.
Universities are being asked to provide accommodation for those who cannot travel home or have no alternative residence, and to offer a range of other support services to students, including catering, cleaning, student mental health and welfare. Students should stay put where possible, though we appreciate that many will have already returned to be with their families at this difficult time.
While it is for universities and private halls providers to make their own decisions about charging rents to absent students, we would encourage them to consider the fairness of doing so. A number of universities and private providers have already waived rents for the summer term and it is encouraging to see students’ interests being considered in this way.
It is also important to stress that accommodation providers should not have instructed any student to leave. If any accommodation provider did formally instruct a student to leave the property then it would be unacceptable to continue to charge student rents.
We asked providers to prioritise mental health services, and adapt delivery to means other than face-to-face, and these services are likely to be an important source of support for students during this period of isolation.
We will continue working together with providers to understand any further financial impacts on the sector, and consider how we can best support it.
Asked by: Rosie Duffield (Independent - Canterbury)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will take steps to ensure that universities allow students to terminate their accommodation contracts early without incurring financial penalties during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Michelle Donelan
We expect universities to communicate clearly with residential students on rents for this period and administer accommodation provision in a fair manner. I have written to all vice-chancellors informing them of this expectation. This letter is available here: https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/media/1eb027c9-9e36-4841-849b-57b5ed334cbb/minister-donelan-letter_260320.pdf.
Accommodation providers should not instruct students to return home. If any accommodation provider did formally instruct a student to leave the property then it would be unacceptable to continue to charge student rents.
Asked by: Rosie Duffield (Independent - Canterbury)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department will underwrite losses incurred by private nurseries that have been mandated to stay open by Government during the covid-19 pandemic.
Answered by Vicky Ford
The government has set out specific measures to support childcare providers during the COVID-19 outbreak:
Childcare providers will also benefit from the wider measures the Chancellor of the Exchequer has announced to support the people and businesses of the UK:
The government is also providing the following additional support:
The latest guidance from the department for early years and childcare providers can be found here:
Asked by: Rosie Duffield (Independent - Canterbury)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on flexibility for private nurseries that have been mandated to stay open during the covid-19 outbreak to allow their staff to go on furlough and then to bring them back into work should demand require it.
Answered by Vicky Ford
As both my right hon. Friends the Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer have made clear, the Government will do whatever it takes to support people affected by COVID 19.
Our latest guidance on financial support for education, early years and children’s social care is set out below:
These are rapidly developing circumstances; we continue to keep the situation under review and will keep Parliament updated accordingly.
Asked by: Rosie Duffield (Independent - Canterbury)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of delaying the date of the 2020 Kent Test as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Arrangements for the Kent 11 plus test, including the timing of the test, are a matter for Kent County Council to decide.
The Department recognises admission authorities may have concerns about the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on arrangements for selection tests for selective schools. We are keeping the situation under review and will provide advice to the sector in due course.