Asked by: Stephanie Peacock (Labour - Barnsley East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what funding is available to support the mental health of pupils and staff at (a) school and (b) home for the duration of the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Vicky Ford
Schools already support the mental wellbeing of their pupils as part of their curriculum provision and pastoral support. This is paid for from schools’ core funding, which is rising in each financial year by £2.6 billion in 2020/21, £4.8 billion in 2021/22 and £7.1 billion in 2022/23, compared to 2019/20 funding levels. Pastoral support is a core job for schools; we do not place restrictions on spending because it is important that schools are free to decide how best to use the core funding they receive.
We have also put in place a £1 billion COVID “catch-up” package, with £650 million shared across early years, schools and 16-19 providers over the 2020/21 academic year to support education settings in putting the right catch-up and pastoral support in place. The Education Endowment Foundation have published a COVID-19 support guide to support schools to direct this funding, which includes further information about interventions to support pupils’ mental health and wellbeing.
The Wellbeing for Education Return, a Department for Education led initiative alongside the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), Health Education England, Public Health England, and key voluntary sector organisations, backed by £8 million, has trained local experts to provide additional advice and resources for schools and colleges. This is to help support pupil, student, parent, carer, and staff wellbeing, resilience, and recovery, in light of the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 outbreak and lockdown. Alongside this, the department has launched a £95,000 pilot led by the Education Support charity to provide online peer-support and telephone counselling from experts to around 250 school leaders. The pilot will end in March 2021. The outcome of the pilot will inform any future wellbeing and mental health interventions for staff.
The College Collaboration Fund is a £5.4 million grant funding programme open to all statutory further education colleges, to be delivered in the 2020/21 financial year. We particularly welcomed applications that address one of five specific quality improvement needs. Five of the funded projects are designed to provide remote/online mental health and wellbeing support to students and/or staff.
We worked closely with DHSC on their wellbeing and mental health support plan for COVID-19. The plan sets out the support available for individuals in the context of a second wave, and the winter months, including support for children and young people. As part of taking forward this work, the department will also be convening a mental health action group to look at the effects on children, young people and staff in the education system. We will confirm the next steps as soon as possible.
For children and young people who need specialist support, the government continues to invest in and prioritise mental health for all, with an additional investment of £2.3 billion a year by the 2023/24 financial year through the NHS Long Term Plan. The NHS will also receive approximately an additional £500 million this financial year, to address waiting times for mental health services, give more people the mental health support that they need, and invest in the NHS workforce. The government has also provided £9 million in funding to mental health charities, including Mind, the Samaritans, Young Minds, and Bipolar UK, to help them adapt, expand, and reach those who are most vulnerable. We have also extended the Barnardo’s See Hear, Respond support for vulnerable children, including support for mental health.
In the long term, we remain committed to our joint green paper delivery programme with DHSC and NHS England, including introducing new mental health support teams for all schools and colleges, providing training for senior mental health leads in schools and colleges, and testing approaches to faster access to NHS specialist support. The department will be convening an action group to look at the effects on children, young people and staff in the education system and we will confirm the next steps as soon as possible.
Asked by: Stephanie Peacock (Labour - Barnsley East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment his Department has made of the effect of covid-19 outbreak on the (a mental and (b) physical health of (i) teachers and (ii) school and college staff.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Department recognises the pressure that teachers and leaders in schools and colleges are under. We are enormously grateful to them for their efforts, resilience and service to our country’s children and young people as we continue to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak.
The Department has been working closely with members of our Expert Advisory Group on staff wellbeing throughout the COVID-19 outbreak, and we understand the pressures that teachers and leaders are facing.
The Department has taken decisive action to fund a pilot with Education Support to provide professional supervision from experts and peer support for school leaders, managing the pressures caused by COVID-19. This service will run until at least December 2020, and the outcome of the pilot will inform future wellbeing and mental health interventions. Alongside this, the £8 million Wellbeing for Education Return training programme is already supporting staff in schools and colleges to respond to the additional pressures children and young people may be experiencing because of the COVID-19 outbreak.
In June, the Department announced a range of commitments to support the wellbeing of teachers and other education professionals in schools and colleges. These include the creation of a wellbeing charter for the teaching sector. The charter will help create an open culture around wellbeing and mental health, breaking down stigma, and will include a range of commitments by the Government and for employers in schools and colleges to promote and protect staff wellbeing. Further information on this is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/extra-mental-health-support-for-pupils-and-teachers.
Asked by: Stephanie Peacock (Labour - Barnsley East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to develop a long term plan for education during and beyond the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Education recovery is a priority for the Department as schools recover from the disruption caused by COVID-19. Schools have been open for all pupils full-time since the start of the autumn term. It continues to be the Department’s aim that all pupils remain in school full-time as this is the best place for them to be for their education, development and wellbeing.
The Department recognises that all children and young people have had their education disrupted as a result of COVID-19. The Department has announced a catch up package worth £1 billion, including a ‘Catch up Premium’ worth a total of £650 million to support schools to make up for lost teaching time. Alongside the Catch up Premium, the Department has announced a new £350 million National Tutoring Programme, which will increase access to high-quality tuition for the most disadvantaged young people.
The Department is also delivering a remote education support package which includes access to the right technology to deliver remote education, peer to peer training on how to use this effectively, and practical tools, guidance and webinars. Additionally, over 340,000 laptops and tablets, owned by schools, trusts or local authorities, are being made available by the Department this term to support disadvantaged children in Years 3 to 11 whose face-to-face education may be disrupted.
Understanding the long term impact of COVID-19 disruption on attainment and progress is a key research priority for the Department , and it has commissioned an independent research and assessment agency to consider catch up needs and monitor progress over the course of the year. This will help inform strategic policy for supporting the school system.
Asked by: Stephanie Peacock (Labour - Barnsley East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support his Department is providing to schools to help disadvantaged pupils catch-up on time missed as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Vicky Ford
All children have had their education disrupted by the COVID-19 outbreak, but it is likely that disadvantaged and vulnerable groups will have been hardest hit. The government has announced a catch-up package worth £1 billion, including a catch-up premium worth a total of £650 million to support schools to make up for lost teaching time. To help schools make the best use of this funding, the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) has published a support guide for schools, which is available here:
https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/covid-19-resources/national-tutoring-programme/covid-19-support-guide-for-schools/#nav-covid-19-support-guide-for-schools1.
The guidance includes evidence-based approaches to catch-up for all students and a further school planning guide: 2020 to 2021, which is available here:
https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/covid-19-resources/guide-to-supporting-schools-planning/.
Alongside this universal grant, a National Tutoring Programme worth £350 million will deliver proven, successful interventions to the most disadvantaged young people. Research shows high-quality individual and small group tuition can add up to five months of progress for disadvantaged pupils.
Schools continue to receive the pupil premium, worth almost £2.4 billion this year. We strongly encourage school leaders to review their Pupil Premium Strategy to ensure that it responds to the needs of pupils as they resume learning in the autumn term.
Asked by: Stephanie Peacock (Labour - Barnsley East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that early intervention children's services are adequately funded.
Answered by Vicky Ford
The government has provided over £3.2 billion of additional funding to support local authorities in meeting COVID-19 related pressures including on children’s services and early intervention. This will be kept under very close review over the coming weeks and months.
We have also committed over £100 million to support access to social care services and remote education, including by providing laptops, tablets and 4G wireless routers to vulnerable and disadvantaged children. Further, we have committed additional funding worth £26.4 million directly to charities to support them and £1.6 million to expand the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children’s helpline.
In order to ensure engagement with all children in their care and to support effective risk assessment, through emergency legislation and with Social Work England, we have reinstated the professional registration of 8,000 former social workers so that they can re-join the profession, providing additional resource where it is required.
Asked by: Stephanie Peacock (Labour - Barnsley East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to ensure that children's services have adequate resources to support vulnerable children effectively (a) during and (b) after the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Vicky Ford
The government has provided over £3.2 billion of additional funding to support local authorities in meeting COVID-19 related pressures including on children’s services and early intervention. This will be kept under very close review over the coming weeks and months.
We have also committed over £100 million to support access to social care services and remote education, including by providing laptops, tablets and 4G wireless routers to vulnerable and disadvantaged children. Further, we have committed additional funding worth £26.4 million directly to charities to support them and £1.6 million to expand the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children’s helpline.
In order to ensure engagement with all children in their care and to support effective risk assessment, through emergency legislation and with Social Work England, we have reinstated the professional registration of 8,000 former social workers so that they can re-join the profession, providing additional resource where it is required.
Asked by: Stephanie Peacock (Labour - Barnsley East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of funding for children's services in light of the finding of the report published by Barnardo's, the Children's Society, Action for Children, the NSPCC and the National Children's Bureau that there has been a £2.2 billion decline in available funding for children's services over the last decade.
Answered by Vicky Ford
The government announced at the Local Government Finance Settlement that English councils' core spending power is rising by over £2.9 billion this financial year. This includes £1 billion of new grant funding that can be used flexibly by local authorities to deliver adult and children’s social care services. Further to this, the government has provided over £3.2 billion of additional funding to support local authorities in meeting COVID-19 related pressures including on children’s services. We will keep this under very close review over the coming weeks and months.
Longer term funding decisions are for this year’s Spending Review.
Asked by: Stephanie Peacock (Labour - Barnsley East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans he has to support teachers in providing face-to-face and online support to students in different year groups and classes during the proposed phased re-opening of schools.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Department has asked primary schools to welcome back children in nursery, Reception, year 1 and year 6, alongside priority groups (vulnerable children and children of key workers), from 1 June. From 15 June, secondary schools can invite year 10 and 12 pupils (years 10 and 11 for alternative provision schools) back into school for some face-to-face support with their teachers, to supplement their remote education, which will remain the predominant mode of education for these pupils this term. Priority groups can continue to attend full-time.
The Department has published guidance to help schools prepare for wider opening which includes sections on curriculum as well as staff workload and wellbeing. The guidance is available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-educational-and-childcare-settings-to-prepare-for-wider-opening-from-1-june-2020/actions-for-education-and-childcare-settings-to-prepare-for-wider-opening-from-1-june-2020.
The Department has also published a planning guide for primary schools which includes a section on what to teach and how. The guidance is available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/preparing-for-the-wider-opening-of-schools-from-1-june/planning-guide-for-primary-schools.
Guidance for secondary school provision is also available: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/preparing-for-the-wider-opening-of-schools-from-1-june/planning-guide-for-secondary-schools.
Teachers will continue to be able to access support to deliver remote teaching to year groups not eligible to be in school at this time. Schools are encouraged to consider how Oak National Academy or other remote education platforms can provide additional support, as well as how education delivered in school, if manageable, could be made available to pupils learning remotely. The Department has provided a range of information, guidance and support for teachers on educating children during the COVID-19 outbreak which is available at:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/remote-education-during-coronavirus-covid-19.
Asked by: Stephanie Peacock (Labour - Barnsley East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment he has made of the capacity of Edenred to meet the demand for free school meals while schools are closed during the covid-19 outbreak.
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.
During this period, we are asking schools to support children who are eligible for and claiming benefits-related free school meals by providing meals or food parcels through their existing food providers wherever possible. We know that many schools are successfully delivering food parcels or arranging food collections for eligible children, and we encourage this approach where it is possible.
However, we recognise that providing meals and food parcels is not a practicable option for all schools. That is why on 31 March we launched a national voucher scheme as an alternative option, with costs covered by the Department for Education.
Schools are best placed to make decisions about the most appropriate arrangements for eligible pupils, and this can include food parcel arrangements, provision through the national voucher scheme or alternative voucher arrangements. We do not hold details of how many schools are making arrangements outside of the national voucher scheme.
We are working very closely with our national voucher scheme supplier, Edenred, to improve the performance of the scheme. Edenred has reported that over £65 million worth of voucher codes has been redeemed into supermarket eGift cards by schools and families through the scheme as of Monday 11 May. Edenred has also reported that over 16,500 schools had placed orders for the scheme as of Tuesday 28 April. We are very grateful to families and schools for their understanding and patience while we upgrade this service to meet increased demand.
These are rapidly developing circumstances; we continue to keep the situation under review and will keep Parliament updated accordingly.
Asked by: Stephanie Peacock (Labour - Barnsley East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the timely provision to families with children on free school meals of vouchers to spend in a supermarket of their choice.
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.
During this period, we are asking schools to support children who are eligible for and claiming benefits-related free school meals by providing meals or food parcels through their existing food providers wherever possible. We know that many schools are successfully delivering food parcels or arranging food collections for eligible children, and we encourage this approach where it is possible.
However, we recognise that providing meals and food parcels is not a practicable option for all schools. That is why on 31 March we launched a national voucher scheme as an alternative option, with costs covered by the Department for Education.
Schools are best placed to make decisions about the most appropriate arrangements for eligible pupils, and this can include food parcel arrangements, provision through the national voucher scheme or alternative voucher arrangements. We do not hold details of how many schools are making arrangements outside of the national voucher scheme.
We are working very closely with our national voucher scheme supplier, Edenred, to improve the performance of the scheme. Edenred has reported that over £65 million worth of voucher codes has been redeemed into supermarket eGift cards by schools and families through the scheme as of Monday 11 May. Edenred has also reported that over 16,500 schools had placed orders for the scheme as of Tuesday 28 April. We are very grateful to families and schools for their understanding and patience while we upgrade this service to meet increased demand.
These are rapidly developing circumstances; we continue to keep the situation under review and will keep Parliament updated accordingly.