Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding the Government allocated to agricultural colleges in (a) 2017, (b) 2018, (c) 2019 and (d) 2020.
Answered by Gillian Keegan
Allocation values are supplied for institutions specified as Agricultural and Horticultural Colleges and includes the institution name and UK Provider Reference Number as the identifier in the accompanying excel document.
Allocations are on an academic year basis (August to July) and therefore span multiple years. We have provided the values from August 2016 to July 2021, where this is not the case it is caveated in the notes.
The data does not contain information relating to:
Each year will have policy changes which are not detailed in the notes.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether dormitory rooms at outdoor education centres in England and Wales will be subject to individual occupancy restrictions once overnight residentials are permitted from 17 May 2021 as covid-19 restrictions are eased.
Answered by Nick Gibb
In line with the Government’s roadmap, the Department advises against domestic residential educational visits until at least step 3, no earlier than 17 May 2021: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-response-spring-2021/covid-19-response-spring-2021 and https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/schools-coronavirus-covid-19-operational-guidance#educational-visits.
The Department will update guidance in line with the timetable set out in the roadmap, including advice on educational visits.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how portable apprenticeships will operate.
Answered by Gillian Keegan
We are committed to supporting greater use of apprenticeships in sectors where flexible working practices are commonplace, including short periods of project-based employment.
To support these sectors, we are launching a £7 million fund to support the creation and expansion of apprenticeship training agencies which offer portable apprenticeships, enabling apprentices to move between different host employers as they complete their training.
We continue to work closely with the creative and agricultural industries in increasing the portability of apprenticeships and will set out further details in due course.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how portable apprenticeships will be defined.
Answered by Gillian Keegan
We are committed to supporting greater use of apprenticeships in sectors where flexible working practices are commonplace, including short periods of project-based employment.
To support these sectors, we are launching a £7 million fund to support the creation and expansion of apprenticeship training agencies which offer portable apprenticeships, enabling apprentices to move between different host employers as they complete their training.
We continue to work closely with the creative and agricultural industries in increasing the portability of apprenticeships and will set out further details in due course.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Government's Covid-19 Response: Spring 2021 roadmap, on what date Outdoor Education services are expected to open for (a) day visits and non-residential activities and (b) overnight residential stays.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Schools are advised against all educational visits at this time. The Department will issue advice to schools on the planning and booking of residential trips when it is safe to do so and in line with the Government’s roadmap to recovery, as set out in: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-response-spring-2021/covid-19-response-spring-2021.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many electronic devices have been (a) issued to (i) children and (ii) schools and (b) requested by schools to support children during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Government has provided laptops and tablets to disadvantaged children who would otherwise not have access and are preparing for examinations in year 10, receiving support from a social worker or are a care leaver. Where care leavers, children with a social worker at secondary school and children in year 10 do not have internet connections, the Government has provided 4G wireless routers.
The Department has delivered laptops, tablets and 4G wireless routers to local authorities and academy trusts based on the Department’s estimates of the number of eligible children that do not have access to a device. Local authorities and academy trusts are best placed to identify children and young people who need devices and prioritise their needs.
The Department has published information about how many laptops, tablets and 4G wireless routers have been delivered or dispatched to local authorities and academy trusts in total, which can be viewed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/laptops-tablets-and-4g-wireless-routers-progress-data.
As of the end of June, over 202,000 laptops and tablets and over 47,000 4G wireless routers had been delivered or dispatched to local authorities and academy trusts. Where local authorities and academy trusts provided evidence of a need for eligible children that is greater than their initial allocation, the Department has been working with them to provide additional devices.