Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding has been made available under the free period products scheme for schools in 2020 to date.
Answered by Vicky Ford
On 20 January 2020, the department launched a new scheme which makes free period products available for state-funded primary schools, secondary schools and colleges in England. The scheme remained in operation during partial school and college closures, and these organisations are still able to order a range of period products and distribute them to learners.
This scheme is in place to ensure that no learner misses out on education due to their period, and we continue to work with our delivery partner, phs, to encourage engagement with the scheme. Schools and colleges should have period products available should learners need them, and they may choose to order products through this scheme or through an alternative route.
Each eligible organisation has been allocated a budget for the scheme in 2020 based on 35% of the number of learners whose legal gender is female and who, based on age, are likely to have started their period. 35% is an assumed take-up rate, reflecting the fact that not all learners will have a need for products all of the time. This mirrors the assumed take-up rate used in the scheme to provide learners in Scotland with access to free period products. The total amount spent through the scheme will depend on the value of period products ordered by schools and colleges.
We are continuing to monitor the scheme closely and we will make information available about any extensions or changes to the scheme in due course.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the amount his Department will spend under the free period products scheme by the end of 2020.
Answered by Vicky Ford
On 20 January 2020, the department launched a new scheme which makes free period products available for state-funded primary schools, secondary schools and colleges in England. The scheme remained in operation during partial school and college closures, and these organisations are still able to order a range of period products and distribute them to learners.
This scheme is in place to ensure that no learner misses out on education due to their period, and we continue to work with our delivery partner, phs, to encourage engagement with the scheme. Schools and colleges should have period products available should learners need them, and they may choose to order products through this scheme or through an alternative route.
Each eligible organisation has been allocated a budget for the scheme in 2020 based on 35% of the number of learners whose legal gender is female and who, based on age, are likely to have started their period. 35% is an assumed take-up rate, reflecting the fact that not all learners will have a need for products all of the time. This mirrors the assumed take-up rate used in the scheme to provide learners in Scotland with access to free period products. The total amount spent through the scheme will depend on the value of period products ordered by schools and colleges.
We are continuing to monitor the scheme closely and we will make information available about any extensions or changes to the scheme in due course.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding will be made available for the free period products scheme in 2021.
Answered by Vicky Ford
On 20 January 2020, the department launched a new scheme which makes free period products available for state-funded primary schools, secondary schools and colleges in England. The scheme remained in operation during partial school and college closures, and these organisations are still able to order a range of period products and distribute them to learners.
This scheme is in place to ensure that no learner misses out on education due to their period, and we continue to work with our delivery partner, phs, to encourage engagement with the scheme. Schools and colleges should have period products available should learners need them, and they may choose to order products through this scheme or through an alternative route.
Each eligible organisation has been allocated a budget for the scheme in 2020 based on 35% of the number of learners whose legal gender is female and who, based on age, are likely to have started their period. 35% is an assumed take-up rate, reflecting the fact that not all learners will have a need for products all of the time. This mirrors the assumed take-up rate used in the scheme to provide learners in Scotland with access to free period products. The total amount spent through the scheme will depend on the value of period products ordered by schools and colleges.
We are continuing to monitor the scheme closely and we will make information available about any extensions or changes to the scheme in due course.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many eligible institutions have (a) registered for and (b) ordered free period products under his Department's free period product scheme since that scheme was launched in January 2020.
Answered by Vicky Ford
On 20 January 2020, the department launched a new scheme which makes free period products available for state-funded primary schools, secondary schools and colleges in England. This is an important step to ensure that menstruation does not present a barrier to learning and that no-one is held back from reaching their potential.
The scheme remained in operation during partial school closures, and schools and colleges were still able to order a range of period products through the online portal and distribute them to students.
All eligible schools and colleges were automatically registered for the scheme and were sent a welcome email in January. There have since been further email campaigns to all eligible schools and colleges, encouraging them to engage with the scheme.
Our delivery partner, phs Group, reported that since the scheme launched, almost 40% of eligible organisations have placed orders for period products.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department for Education:
What discussions he has had with Ofqual on the arrangements for awarding GCSE, AS and A level grades for the 2019-20 academic year.
Answered by Nick Gibb
I meet the Ofqual Chief Regulator regularly as do our officials. Given the current unprecedented circumstances, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, has also issued a direction to Ofqual to help shape its work in developing calculated grades for students in place of exam results, ensuring outcomes are as fair as possible.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans he has to review agency fees in relation to supply teachers.
Answered by Nick Gibb
There are no current plans to review agency fees in relation to supply teachers, as these remain to be determined between schools and agencies.
The Department has launched a new deal in conjunction with the Crown Commercial Service to support schools with getting value for money when hiring agency supply teachers and other temporary staff. Agencies on the deal must be open and consistent with schools and staff about the rates they charge, conduct that is expected, rigorous background screening checks and adhere to strict controls around the charging of temporary-to-permanent fees.
The Department continues to recommend schools to use suppliers that offer the best rates and value for money for their agency staffing needs.
Information on the guidance included in the deal is available here:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/deal-for-schools-hiring-supply-teachers-and-agency-workers.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of a school’s budget was spent on supply teachers in (a) The London Borough of Hounslow, (b) Greater London and (c) England in the most recent period for which figures are available.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Department publishes the income and expenditure, including on supply teachers, annually for local authority maintained schools and for academies.
Published schools’ Consistent Financial Reporting and Academies’ Accounting Returns are available at the following link: https://schools-financial-benchmarking.service.gov.uk/.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he's taken to support access to schooling for children with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
We are clear that all pupils with medical conditions are properly supported in school so that they can play a full and active role in school life, remain healthy, achieve their academic potential and have the same opportunities as any other child.
In September 2014, we introduced the duty to require governing bodies to make arrangements to support their pupils with medical conditions and provided statutory guidance that outlines schools’ responsibilities in this area, available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/supporting-pupils-at-school-with-medical-conditions--3.
Schools also have duties under the Equality Act 2010 to make reasonable adjustments and not to discriminate against disabled children, including those with long-term health conditions, in relation to their access to education and associated services. Schools must make reasonable adjustments to their practices, procedures and policies to ensure that they are not putting those with long-term health problems at a substantial disadvantage.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when the review on allowing schools to admit summer-born children to reception class at the age of five will be published.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Department is concerned that some summer born children may be missing the reception year at school. The Department remains committed to amending school admissions policy so that summer born children can be admitted to a reception class aged 5, where parents believe this to be in the best interests of their child. The Department is continuing to review the implications of any changes.
It is encouraging that many admission authorities are now more responsive to requests for delayed entry to the reception year. Data from a survey of local authorities, published by the Department in May 2018, indicated that requests to delay entry are agreed in around 75% of cases. This data is available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/707417/Delayed_school_admissions_for_summer-born_pupils.pdf.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of expanding the list of non-EEA countries that are recognised for the purposes of awarding Qualified Teacher Status in England.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Department for Education recognises the valuable contribution made to schools in England by overseas-trained teachers. Teachers from the non-EEA countries Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the USA may apply to have their Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) automatically recognised, as these countries are considered to have education systems suitably similar to that of England. The decision on which non-EEA countries are eligible to apply for QTS automatically is based upon a comprehensive comparative analysis of international initial teacher training systems, conducted by the UK National Academic Recognition Information Centre (NARIC). This assessment concluded that there were no other countries with teacher training systems sufficiently similar to England’s to allow their teachers to apply directly without further training or conditions. However, if teachers from non-EEA countries have significant teaching experience, they may be able to undergo a school-based assessment of their abilities, known as the ‘Assessment Only’ route, which can lead to the award of QTS.