Asked by: Stephen Hammond (Conservative - Wimbledon)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he plans to take to ensure the continued viability of subject-specialist universities after the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Michelle Donelan - Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
The government recognises that the COVID-19 outbreak is bringing significant financial challenges to the higher education (HE) sector and we have been working closely with the sector, including specialist providers, to monitor its likely impacts.
On 4 May 2020, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, announced a package of measures to ensure sustainability in HE at a time of unprecedented uncertainty.
We will stabilise the admissions system and pull forward tuition fee payments, expected to be worth £2.6 billion, for HE providers so that they receive more cash in the first term of the 2020/21 academic year. This will have no impact on students but will allow providers to better manage financial risks over the autumn. This will be available to all providers across the UK.
In reprofiling these payments, we are clear in our expectation that providers should use the cashflow benefits appropriately, taking significant steps to improve efficiencies and manage their finances in order to avoid cashflow problems in the future. Reprofiling in this way is a one-off intervention for the autumn term only, to help providers take all necessary steps now to prepare for the future.
On Friday 5 June, the department announced Sir Steve Smith as the International Education Champion, a key deliverable of the 2019 International Education Strategy. Sir Steve will assist with opening up export growth opportunities for the whole UK education sector, tackling international challenges such as those posed to attracting international students and forging lasting global connections.
In England, we will also bring forward £100 million of quality-related research funding for providers to the current academic year to help to address some of the immediate pressures faced by university research activities.
The department will consider purchasing land and buildings where they can be used for new or expanding schools and colleges in England. This will take place as part of existing programmes and using established procedures. This financial year (across purchases from all suitable vendors and including but not limited to HE providers), we have budgeted up to £100 million to acquire sites for planned projects in England. Details are available on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-support-package-for-universities-and-students.
The government has also confirmed that providers are eligible to apply for its support packages, including business loan support schemes. The Office for Students (OfS), the regulator in England, estimates that this could be worth at least £700 million to the sector. We will only intervene further where we believe there is a case to do so and where we believe that intervention is possible and appropriate and as a last resort.
In such instances, we will work with providers to review their circumstances and to assess the need for restructuring and any attached conditions. The department will be working with HM Treasury and other government departments and with the devolved administrations to develop this restructuring regime.
Asked by: Stephen Hammond (Conservative - Wimbledon)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans he has to support nursery schools which are experiencing a reduction in their dedicated schools grant money as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Vicky Ford
The government has announced unprecedented support for businesses, including the early years sector, to protect against the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
On 21 April the Department for Education announced that local authorities could use their Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) for the free early education entitlement funding differently and redistribute it in exceptional cases. This is only as a last resort and should be in a focussed and targeted way in order to secure childcare for children of critical workers and for vulnerable children, where their usual arrangements are no longer possible. Guidance on using DSG funding during coronavirus (COVID-19) be found at:
If a provider sees their early years DSG income reduced by their local authority in order to fund childcare places elsewhere, they may be able to increase the proportion of their salary bill eligible for Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme in the next furlough period.
Guidance for the early years sector on the interaction between early years entitlements funding and the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-financial-support-for-education-early-years-and-childrens-social-care/coronavirus-covid-19-financial-support-for-education-early-years-and-childrens-social-care#sector-specific-guidance.
Further guidance on the support available for early years providers is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-early-years-and-childcare-closures.
Asked by: Stephen Hammond (Conservative - Wimbledon)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what progress his Department has made on giving summer-born and premature children the right to start reception at the age of five.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Department is giving careful consideration to how these changes may be made in a way that avoids unintended consequences elsewhere in the system. Any changes to the Admissions Code will require a statutory process, including consultation and parliamentary scrutiny. The Department will consider the appropriate time for consulting on these changes in the context of competing pressures on the parliamentary timetable.
Asked by: Stephen Hammond (Conservative - Wimbledon)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate his Department has made of the cost to the public purse of giving summer-born and premature children the right to start reception at the age of five.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The costs of this change would depend on the level of take up, which is difficult to predict. We are gathering evidence to help us better estimate the likely take up and costs. If large numbers of parents choose to delay their summer born child’s entry to reception, the costs could be significant.
Asked by: Stephen Hammond (Conservative - Wimbledon)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will consider setting a lower interest rate for student loans.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
The student funding system is fair and progressive. It removes financial barriers for anyone hoping to study and is backed by the taxpayer, with outstanding debt written off after 30 years. Monthly student loan repayments are linked to income, not to interest rates or the amount borrowed. Borrowers earning less than the repayment threshold (£21,000) repay nothing at all.
Once borrowers leave study, those earning less than £21,000 are charged an interest rate of RPI only. Post-study interest rates are variable based on income, tapering up from RPI for those earning less than £21,000 to RPI+3% for borrowers earning £41,000 and above. The system of variable interest rates based on income makes the system more progressive, as higher earners contribute more to the sustainability of the higher education system.
We have a world class student finance system that is working well, and that has led to record numbers of disadvantaged students benefiting from higher education. As ever, we will keep the detailed features of the system under review to ensure it remains fair and effective.
Asked by: Stephen Hammond (Conservative - Wimbledon)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what progress her Department has made on changing the schools admissions code to give summer-born and premature children the right to start reception at compulsory school age.
Answered by Nick Gibb
We are concerned that some summer born children, whose parents elect to defer their entry to school, may be missing the reception year where the essential teaching of early reading and arithmetic takes place. We are giving careful consideration to how we might make any changes. Further information will be available in due course.
Asked by: Stephen Hammond (Conservative - Wimbledon)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will estimate the costs of establishing a pilot initiative based across two or more locally authority areas make provision for children who were born prematurely in the summer months to provide flexibility around timing of school entry to summer-born children in order to gather evidence to inform implementation of the School Admissions Code policy changes.
Answered by Nick Gibb
We are currently undertaking evidence gathering and analysis to estimate the potential costs of providing more flexibility for summer born children. This is complex and it is important that we take the time to consider how to implement any possible changes and what new arrangements we might put in place. Any changes we do make will be subject to a full statutory process.
Asked by: Stephen Hammond (Conservative - Wimbledon)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what progress the Minister of State for School Standards has made on assessing the potential costs of changing the Schools Admissions Code to provide more flexibility for summer-born children.
Answered by Nick Gibb
We are currently undertaking evidence gathering and analysis to estimate the potential costs of providing more flexibility for summer born children. However, it is complex and will depend on how we implement any changes, the level of parental take up and whether those children take up free early education.
Asked by: Stephen Hammond (Conservative - Wimbledon)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what progress her Department has made on preparing to amend the Admissions Code to give parents of summer-born children a right to defer their start to school; and when a consultation on those amendments will take place.
Answered by Nick Gibb
On 8 September, I announced the government’s intention to amend the School Admissions Code, subject to parliamentary approval, so that children born in summer can be admitted to the reception class at the age of five where this is the wish of their parents. This intention is set out in an open letter to parents, schools and local authorities which is available online at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/summer-born-children-nick-gibbs-letter-about-school-admissions
Work is now underway to assess what other changes it might be appropriate to make to the Admissions Code. We hope to have a draft Code ready for consultation in the New Year.
Asked by: Stephen Hammond (Conservative - Wimbledon)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has assessed the implications of using a premature child's due date, rather than his or her birth date, for the purpose of determining when that child should start school.
Answered by Nick Gibb
We have announced the intention to amend the School Admissions Code so that, subject to parliamentary approval, children born in summer can be admitted to the reception class at the age of five, where this is the wish of their parents. Work is currently underway to assess what other changes it might be appropriate to make to the Code. As part of this process, we will consider whether it would be appropriate to use a prematurely-born child’s expected birth date in the admissions process.