Asked by: Steve Reed (Labour (Co-op) - Streatham and Croydon North)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of adequacy of the national minimum fostering allowance paid to foster carers to provide high quality care for the children they are fostering.
Answered by Vicky Ford
No foster parent should be out of pocket because of their fostering role. The National Minimum Standards for fostering services are clear that every foster parent should receive an allowance that covers the full cost of caring for a child. Whilst it is for fostering services to decide the level of financial support offered to foster parents in their area, the Department for Education recommends the National Minimum Allowance (NMA) as a minimum benchmark. No foster parent should expect to receive anything less than the NMA per week. The NMA is uplifted annually to keep in line with inflation.
Over and above the NMA, it is for fostering services to set their own payment systems. Many fostering services currently operate local fee payments for foster parents, which is often based on their skills, experience and qualifications, and/or tier based on the complexity of the child’s needs. Many local authorities also offer additional allowances for equipment costs or to cover expenses such as travel or emergency clothing or initial set-up costs.
Asked by: Steve Reed (Labour (Co-op) - Streatham and Croydon North)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Adoption Support Fund, how many claims have been received on behalf of previously looked after children on special guardianship orders by financial year; how many of those claims have been successful (a) in total and (b) by local authority area; and what the average amount awarded was for those claims (i) in total and (ii) by local authority area.
Answered by Michelle Donelan
As at the end of December 2019, the total number of approved applications on behalf of previously looked-after children on special guardianship orders was 3,619 with an average funding of £3,033. The number of rejected applications was 13 (0.4%). The breakdown by financial year and local authority area is attached.
As at December 2019, the total number of approved applications were 42,103 with an average funding of £3,321. The total number of rejected applications was 176 (0.4%). The breakdown by financial year and local authority area is attached.
Asked by: Steve Reed (Labour (Co-op) - Streatham and Croydon North)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Adoption Support Fund, how many claims have been received by financial year; how many of those claims have been successful (a) in total and (b) by local authority area; and what the average amount awarded was for those claims (i) in total and (ii) by local authority area.
Answered by Michelle Donelan
As at the end of December 2019, the total number of approved applications on behalf of previously looked-after children on special guardianship orders was 3,619 with an average funding of £3,033. The number of rejected applications was 13 (0.4%). The breakdown by financial year and local authority area is attached.
As at December 2019, the total number of approved applications were 42,103 with an average funding of £3,321. The total number of rejected applications was 176 (0.4%). The breakdown by financial year and local authority area is attached.
Asked by: Steve Reed (Labour (Co-op) - Streatham and Croydon North)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what data his Department holds on the number of non-residential university buildings that are (a) under and (b) over 18m in height that have aluminium composite material cladding.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The safety of students and staff across the education estate remains a high priority. Since the Grenfell fire, the department has worked closely with the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) on fire safety. In line with the cross-government approach, we identified university-owned residential buildings over 18 metres with potentially dangerous aluminium composite material cladding. In the light of updated building safety guidance for owners of residential buildings published on 20 January 2020 by MHCLG, the department will gather any additional information required on residential buildings across the education estate, and we will continue to work with building owners to ensure that any subsequent remediation work, if any, is undertaken. The department does not hold information on cladding of non-residential university buildings.
Asked by: Steve Reed (Labour (Co-op) - Streatham and Croydon North)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what data his Department holds on the number of non-residential university buildings that are (a) under and (b) over 18m in height that have high pressure laminate cladding.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The safety of students and staff across the education estate remains a high priority. Since the Grenfell fire, the department has worked closely with the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) on fire safety. In line with the cross-government approach, we identified university-owned residential buildings over 18 metres with potentially dangerous aluminium composite material cladding. In the light of updated building safety guidance for owners of residential buildings published on 20 January 2020 by MHCLG, the department will gather any additional information required on residential buildings across the education estate, and we will continue to work with building owners to ensure that any subsequent remediation work, if any, is undertaken. The department does not hold information on cladding of non-residential university buildings.
Asked by: Steve Reed (Labour (Co-op) - Streatham and Croydon North)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what data his Department holds on the number of non-residential university buildings that are (a) under and (b) over 18m in height that have combustible cladding that is neither high pressure laminate or aluminium composite material.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The safety of students and staff across the education estate remains a high priority. Since the Grenfell fire, the department has worked closely with the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) on fire safety. In line with the cross-government approach, we identified university-owned residential buildings over 18 metres with potentially dangerous aluminium composite material cladding. In the light of updated building safety guidance for owners of residential buildings published on 20 January 2020 by MHCLG, the department will gather any additional information required on residential buildings across the education estate, and we will continue to work with building owners to ensure that any subsequent remediation work, if any, is undertaken. The department does not hold information on cladding of non-residential university buildings.
Asked by: Steve Reed (Labour (Co-op) - Streatham and Croydon North)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many previously looked after children on a (a) special guardianship order, (b) child arrangements order and (c) residence order and (d) adoption order in each local authority area received a pupil premium plus grant in 2019-20.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The numbers of children previously looked after counted for pupil premium plus in each local authority in 2019-20 are shown in the attached table, including the numbers of those on (a) special guardianship order, (b) child arrangements order, (c) residence order and (d) adoption order.
Asked by: Steve Reed (Labour (Co-op) - Streatham and Croydon North)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has made an assessment of the implications for his policies of the effect on the development of children of the increasing use of smart speakers among 5-15 year olds; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The EdTech Strategy, published in April last year, set out our vision for the use of technology in education and included commitments to help improve the evidence base on the impact of technology. The strategy, funded by £10 million, seeks to support the use of technology to help drive efficiencies, cut teacher workload, support inclusion, and ultimately, improve outcomes for children and young people. The strategy marks the development of the EdTech Demonstrator Schools and Colleges programme which aims to spread good practice in the use of technology. The programme is due to launch across the country in the Spring.
Asked by: Steve Reed (Labour (Co-op) - Streatham and Croydon North)
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 introducing a yearly standardised mental health questionnaire for all secondary school children.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Schools make a real difference to the mental wellbeing of their pupils, and the Government recognises that this is already a priority for many of them. According to the Department’s school snapshot survey published in winter 2018, 92% of secondary schools and 86% of primary schools already use tools such as surveys to monitor their pupils’ wellbeing.
To help more schools to access evidence-based approaches to measure and support wellbeing, the Government will provide wellbeing measurement advice that will enable schools to navigate the resources and tools available to them.
The Government will continue to engage with leading experts on the measurement of mental health and wellbeing in schools. Nationally, the Government draws upon large-scale sample surveys to understand trends in children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing, and we recently published the first ‘State of the nation’ report on this vitally important issue.
Asked by: Steve Reed (Labour (Co-op) - Streatham and Croydon North)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when his Department plans to respond to the Call for Evidence on Building Bulletin 100: Design for Fire Safety in Schools, (BB100), that closed on 31 May 2019.
Answered by Nick Gibb
?The Department for Education will publish the response to the Call for Evidence on Building Bulletin 100: Design for Fire Safety in Schools in due course.