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Written Question
Arts: Recruitment
Monday 18th September 2023

Asked by: Thangam Debbonaire (Labour - Bristol West)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of trends in entries for art and design GCSEs and A-levels on the future ability of creative industries to recruit skilled staff.

Answered by Robert Halfon

The government set out plans for addressing the skills needs of the creative industries in the Creative Industries Sector Vision published by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport in June. As the vision sets out, the skills needs of the creative industries are complex and qualifications needed to enter the wide range of posts available in the industry will vary. In light of this, an assessment of the specific impact of art and design GCSE and A-level entry on the creative industry has not been carried out. The department is, however, delivering a wide range of skills programmes and reforms to deliver the skills needed by employers in this industry.

Employers in the Creative and Design sector have developed 58 high-quality apprenticeship standards including Creative Venue Technician, VFX artist, and Media Production Coordinator. Alongside this, T Levels, which are aligned to the same employer-led standards as apprenticeships, will also support the pipeline of talent into the creative industries. New T Levels in Craft and Design, and Media, Broadcast and Production will be rolled out in 2024.

The department’s reforms to higher technical education (level 4/5) include the introduction of Higher Technical Qualifications (HTQs). These are current (and new) level 4-5 qualifications approved, and quality marked by the Institute for Apprenticeships & Technical Education as providing the skills demanded in the workplace by employers.  31 Digital HTQs launched for AY 22/23. Creative and Design HTQs will be available for teaching from September 2025.


Written Question
Childcare: Students
Tuesday 7th March 2023

Asked by: Thangam Debbonaire (Labour - Bristol West)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Answer of 25 February 2021 to Question 155406 on Children: Day Care, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending the 30 hours of free childcare a week to full-time postgraduate students.

Answered by Claire Coutinho - Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero

The government is not currently planning to extend the 30 hours of free childcare a week. However, the department recognises the value of parents continuing in education and we provide a range of support for students in further or higher education to assist them with childcare.

All parents are eligible for the universal 15 hours of free early education, which is available to all three and four-year-olds, regardless of family circumstances.

Working parents of three and four-year-olds may be eligible for an additional 15 hours of free childcare if they earn the equivalent of 16 hours a week at national minimum or living wage and under £100,000 per year. This entitlement aims to help working parents with the costs of childcare, so they can take up paid work if they want to, or work additional hours. Students who participate in paid work in addition to their studies and meet the income requirements will be eligible for the additional hours.

Parents who meet these income criteria may also be able to receive support from Tax Free Childcare, which can be worth up to £2,000 per year for children aged 0-11, or up to £4,000 per year for disabled children until the age of 17.

In addition to the above, eligible students starting a postgraduate master’s degree can receive a postgraduate master’s loan of up to £11,836 for students starting their courses in the 2022/23 academic year. The loan is intended as a contribution to the cost of study, rather than to specifically cover tuition fees or livings costs.

Further information on the childcare offers available to parents can be found at: https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/.


Written Question
Childcare: Labour Turnover
Friday 20th January 2023

Asked by: Thangam Debbonaire (Labour - Bristol West)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she will take to improve staff retention at nurseries and other early years childcare settings.

Answered by Claire Coutinho - Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero

The department is providing a package of training, qualifications, expert guidance, and targeted support for the early years sector to focus on the development of the youngest and most disadvantaged children, and to help address retention challenges. We are funding a range of programmes, including additional funding for graduate level specialist training, leading to early years teacher status and an accredited level 3 early years special education needs coordinator qualification. More information on the early years education recovery programme can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-education-recovery-programme.

The department also has a range of support for staff who take advantage of training opportunities. For example, the early years initial teacher training programme includes an employer incentive payment to cover trainee travel costs, to support release time for trainee mentoring and for other associated costs such as purchasing training materials. Similarly, across all three phases of the professional development programme, nurseries and childminders receive a day rate for programme attendees, to cover various costs including travel and subsistence and to cover for staff absence. Our early years experts and mentors, recruited from the sector to support those most in need, will be paid a day rate to ensure costs do not fall to their employer.


Written Question
Pre-school Education: Bristol West
Tuesday 20th December 2022

Asked by: Thangam Debbonaire (Labour - Bristol West)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Government is taking to address staffing gaps in nursery and childcare sectors in Bristol West constituency.

Answered by Claire Coutinho - Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero

The department acknowledges that recruitment and retention are key issues for the early years sector in England. Supporting the early years workforce continues to be a priority for the department, and we are working proactively with the sector and local authorities, including those in the Bristol West area, to build our understanding of the situation and how we might support the sector to attract more staff to work in early years education and childcare.

The department is providing a package of training, qualifications, expert guidance, and targeted support for the early years sector to focus on the development of the youngest and most disadvantaged children and help to address existing recruitment and retention challenges. This includes providing additional funding for graduate level specialist training leading to early years teacher status and an accredited level 3 early years special education needs coordinator (SENCO) qualification. More information on the early years education recovery programme can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-education-recovery-programme.


Written Question
Schools: Bristol West
Thursday 20th October 2022

Asked by: Thangam Debbonaire (Labour - Bristol West)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 28 September 2022 to Question 51633 on Schools: Solar Power, how many school buildings in Bristol West constituency were inspected as part of the Condition Data Programme.

Answered by Jonathan Gullis

The Department is preparing detailed analysis of the data collected for the Condition Data Collection (CDC) programme and plan to publish the details by the end of the year.

The key, high-level findings of the CDC programme, were published in May 2021 in the report ‘Condition of School Buildings Survey – Key Findings’.

The report is available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/989912/Condition_of_School_Buildings_Survey_CDC1_-_key_findings_report.pdf.

The Department has no plans to make a statement.


Written Question
Schools: Bristol West
Thursday 20th October 2022

Asked by: Thangam Debbonaire (Labour - Bristol West)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to his Answer of 27 September 2022 to Question 51628 on Schools: Buildings, which schools in Bristol West constituency have one or more buildings classified in Category D of condition need; how long each of those buildings has been classified in that category; and if he will make a statement.

Answered by Jonathan Gullis

The Department is preparing detailed analysis of the data collected for the Condition Data Collection (CDC) programme and plan to publish the details by the end of the year.

The key, high-level findings of the CDC programme, were published in May 2021 in the report ‘Condition of School Buildings Survey – Key Findings’.

The report is available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/989912/Condition_of_School_Buildings_Survey_CDC1_-_key_findings_report.pdf.

The Department has no plans to make a statement.


Written Question
Children: Bristol West
Wednesday 19th October 2022

Asked by: Thangam Debbonaire (Labour - Bristol West)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) Ofsted-registered childminders work in and (b) children aged (i) one to three and (ii) four to 11 live in constituency Bristol West; what assessment he has made of the adequacy of childcare provision in that constituency; and if he will make a statement.

Answered by Kelly Tolhurst

A breakdown in the number of Ofsted registered childminders who are working, and the number of children aged 1-3 and 4-11 by parliamentary constituency and local authorities requested, can be found in the attached table. Childminders are generally the most affordable and flexible form of childcare and form an important part of the broader childcare market.

Under Section 6 of the Childcare Act 2006, local authorities are responsible for ensuring that the provision of childcare is sufficient to meet the requirements of parents in their area. At present, all local authorities report that they are fulfilling their duty to ensure sufficient childcare.


Written Question
Children: Protection
Tuesday 18th October 2022

Asked by: Thangam Debbonaire (Labour - Bristol West)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 21 September 2022 to Question 48396 on Hong Kong: Foreign Nationals, where in (a) his Department's guidance entitled Keeping children safe in education 2022, published on 1 September 2022, and (b) other guidance it is stated that employers are sometimes required to obtain Certificates of No Criminal Conviction; and whether this requirement is (i) mandatory, (ii) recommended or (iii) suggested.

Answered by Jonathan Gullis

Keeping children safe in education (KCSIE) is statutory guidance that all schools and colleges must consider when carrying out their duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. Paragraphs 280-284 of this guidance set out the checks that apply to individuals who have lived or worked outside the UK.

The Department uses the terms “must” and “should” throughout this guidance. Where the term “must” is used, the person in question is legally required to do something, and where the term “should” is used, the advice set out should be followed unless there is good reason not to.

KCISE makes clear that individuals who have lived or worked outside the UK must undergo the same checks as all other staff in schools or colleges. In addition, that schools and colleges must make any ‘further checks’ they think appropriate so that any relevant events that occurred outside the UK can be considered.

KCSIE also provides information on what these ‘further checks’ could include. Where such information is not available, KCSIE is clear that schools and colleges should seek alternative methods of checking suitability and undertake a risk assessment that supports informed decision making on whether to proceed with the appointment.

Individuals seeking employment in a school or college in England are eligible and able to obtain Certificates of No Criminal Conviction from Hong Kong, which must be endorsed by a letter from a recognised education body, such as a school or college.


Written Question
Students: Loans
Tuesday 24th May 2022

Asked by: Thangam Debbonaire (Labour - Bristol West)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what provision has been made for participants of the (a) Homes for Ukraine Scheme and (b) Ukraine Family Visa scheme to access the student loan scheme with home fee status so that they can attend higher education.

Answered by Michelle Donelan - Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology

I refer the hon. Member for Bristol West, to the answer I gave on 19 May 2022 to Question 304.


Written Question
Refugees: Ukraine
Thursday 19th May 2022

Asked by: Thangam Debbonaire (Labour - Bristol West)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what provision has been made within the (a) Homes for Ukraine scheme and (b) Ukraine Family Visa scheme to access (i) student loan scheme and (ii) home fee status so that Ukrainian refugees can attend higher education.

Answered by Michelle Donelan - Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology

We are extending access to Higher Education (HE) student support, home fee status, tuition fee caps, Advanced Learner Loans and FE19+ funding for those who are granted leave under one of the three schemes for Ukrainians introduced recently by the Home Office, the Homes for Ukraine Sponsorship scheme, the Ukraine Family scheme, and the Ukraine Extension scheme. This ensures Ukrainians who have been affected by the war in Ukraine can access support on the same basis as those within other protection-based categories (such as refugees).

In line with those within existing protection-based categories, these persons would not be required to meet a three-year period of ordinary residence for HE support, Advanced Learner Loans or FE19+ funding, but would need only to have been ordinarily resident in the UK since their grant of leave.

I have written to English HE providers asking that they exercise flexibility in their approach to eligibility for home fees and draw upon the £4million of additional funding made available to distribute to students from Ukraine in need of financial assistance.

Access to student support is crucial in enabling students from Ukraine to attend education to improve their skills and enhance the ability of Ukrainians to contribute to the UK, or to the rebuilding of their home country.