Asked by: Tracey Crouch (Conservative - Chatham and Aylesford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to improve PE training for trainee primary school teachers.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The government does not prescribe the curriculum of initial teacher training (ITT) courses. The ITT Core Content Framework (CCF) sets out a minimum entitlement to training that accredited ITT providers must incorporate into their primary and/or secondary ITT courses. The ITT Core Content Framework does not set out the full ITT curriculum for trainee teachers. It remains for individual providers to design curricula appropriate for the subject, phase and age range that the trainees will be teaching. Providers should ensure their curricula encompass the full entitlement described in the ITT Core Content Framework, as well as integrating additional analysis and critique of theory, research and expert practice as they deem appropriate. The ITT CCF is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/initial-teacher-training-itt-core-content-framework.
The department is continually exploring opportunities to further improve teacher training and professional development, including reviewing the content of the CCF alongside the Early Career Framework. The review is due to be published in early 2024.
Primary schools can use the PE and sport premium to provide staff with professional development, mentoring, training and resources to help them improve the quality of their PE, sport and physical activity provision to all pupils, and to embed physical activity across the school day.
Asked by: Tracey Crouch (Conservative - Chatham and Aylesford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that all school-aged girls have access to a range of team sports within the PE curriculum.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The government is committed to supporting all boys and girls to access sports and physical activities at school. Schools can organise and deliver a diverse and challenging PE and school sport offer which best suits the needs of their pupils. Factors influencing that decision include the spaces available for sports, along with available equipment.
On 8 March 2023, the department announced over £600 million in the 2023/24 and 2024/25 academic years for the primary PE and sport premium, and £57 million up to March 2025 for the Opening School Facilities programme. Schools can use this funding to increase their sport provision, raise overall quality of PE, and improve the opportunities for all boys and girls to access team sports.
In July 2023, the department published the School Sport and Activity Action Plan, which set out the expectation for schools to provide girls and boys with the same access and opportunity to play sports in PE and wider school sport. To encourage this, the government has overseen a change to the School Games Mark, which is delivered by the Youth Sport Trust. From September 2023, schools must demonstrate how they are overcoming gender barriers faced by girls and boys in PE and wider school sport as part of their planning and delivery.
To tackle the specific barriers faced by girls in accessing PE and sport, the department has invested almost £980,000 in the 'Your Time' programme. The programme has provided girls with opportunities to access competitive team sports during PE and extracurricular time.
Additionally, the department plans to publish non-statutory guidance to exemplify how schools already offer equal access to PE and wider school sport. Departmental officials are currently working closely with a wide range of stakeholders, such as subject associations and other sporting bodies like the Football Association (FA) and Women in Sport, to finalise this non-statutory guidance for publication in early 2024.
Asked by: Tracey Crouch (Conservative - Chatham and Aylesford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many parents of deaf children participated in British sign language courses that were funded through the adult education budget in Kent and Medway in each of the last three years.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
The department is continuing to invest in education and skills training for adults through the Adult Education Budget (AEB), which was £1.34 billion in the 2022/23 financial year.
This includes qualifications in, or focusing on, British Sign Language (BSL) up to and including level 2. These qualifications include, for example, the Level 1 Award in BSL which allows learners to communicate in BSL on a range of topics that involve simple, everyday language use, thereby giving them the basic skills and confidence in production and reception of BSL.
About 60% of the AEB has been devolved to Mayoral Combined Authorities and the Greater London Authority, who determine which provision to fund for learners who live in their areas. The Education and Skills Funding Agency provides the remaining funding for learners who live in non-devolved areas. Where community learning providers offer BSL courses, those providers are responsible for determining the course fees, including levels of fee remission.
There were 60 adult (19+) education and training learning aim enrolments in the 2021/22 academic year by learners living in Kent or Medway with ‘British Sign Language’ or ‘BSL’ in their aim title. In 2020/21, there were 35 enrolments and in 2019/20, there were 87. The department does not hold information as to whether the learners taking these aims have deaf children.
These figures do not correspond to learners, as learners may enrol on multiple aims. Additionally, these are funded adult (19+) education and training aim enrolments. This will include AEB-funded learning, as well as other funding provision, such as advanced learner loans.
Asked by: Tracey Crouch (Conservative - Chatham and Aylesford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many defibrillators have been delivered to state-funded schools in (a) Medway and (B) Kent in 2023 as part of her Department's work with the Oliver King foundation.
Answered by Nick Gibb
On 20 January 2023, the Department announced that the first deliveries of defibrillators had taken place. More information on the announcement can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/defibrillator-deliveries-begin-for-all-schools-that-need-one.
Since this announcement, as part of the ongoing rollout, the Department has delivered over 3,500 defibrillators to state funded schools.
As of 12 April 2023, 98 defibrillators have been delivered to state funded schools in Kent and 31 to schools in Medway Local Authorities. All eligible schools in Kent and Medway are expected to receive a defibrillator by the end of the 2022/23 academic year. Schools will be contacted by the supplier, Lyreco, once their defibrillator has been dispatched.
The Department would again like to express thanks to Mark King and the Oliver King Foundation.
Asked by: Tracey Crouch (Conservative - Chatham and Aylesford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance is issued to early years providers on the collection of fees for children who are self-isolating due to a positive Covid-19 test in their family.
Answered by Vicky Ford
The department thanks those who work in the early years sector and those who have dedicated their time, effort, and skills to providing high-quality early years education and childcare during these challenging circumstances. The Competition and Markets Authority issued an open letter on 28 July 2020 to the early years sector, following complaints from parents about allegedly unfair charging practices early during the COVID-19 outbreak. The letter supports the government’s position that providers must be balanced and fair in their dealings with parents, and that they must avoid unfair charging practices. This letter is available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/904194/Open_letter_to_Nursery_and_Early_Years__settings.pdf.
The department is not aware of any significant rise in consumer complaints since the open letter was published. Since then, the circumstances providers are operating in have changed, but the principles set out in this letter are still relevant. While contracts are a private arrangement between consumers and providers, the provisions of the letter are still broadly applicable. If parents or their children test positive for COVID-19, or are contacted by NHS Test and Trace, the principle that parents should not be charged for a service that cannot be provided without breaching government legal requirements would apply.
Asked by: Tracey Crouch (Conservative - Chatham and Aylesford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans he has to extend the Primary PE and Sport Premium beyond 2020-21; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Government will confirm arrangements for the PE and Sport Premium in the 2020-21 academic year as soon as possible. The position for the 2021-22 academic year and beyond will be considered at the forthcoming Spending Review.
Asked by: Tracey Crouch (Conservative - Chatham and Aylesford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Primary PE and Sport Premium; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The primary PE and sport premium survey, published in July 2019, assessed the impact of the doubling of the PE and sport premium to £320 million from September 2017.
The findings indicated that a large majority of schools identified that, following the doubling of the premium, there had been increases in:
The detailed findings can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/primary-pe-and-sport-premium-survey.
Local Active Partnerships also conduct an annual review of a large sample of schools’ uses of their PE and sport premium, including impact, and report the results of this review to the Department.
Asked by: Tracey Crouch (Conservative - Chatham and Aylesford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans he has to support eco-friendly solutions to tackle air pollution in schools.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The department has recently published guidance, Building Bulletin 101 (BB101), on achieving good indoor air quality in new and refurbished schools. BB101 promotes best practice in controlling both external and internal pollutants and setting maximum standards for levels of pollutants in classrooms. The published guidance for school design and construction can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/school-design-and-construction.
Outdoor air quality is the responsibility of local authorities who should prepare air quality action plans to ensure the level of pollutants is reduced. In January 2019, the Government published the Clean Air Strategy setting out plans to deal with all sources of pollution.
Asked by: Tracey Crouch (Conservative - Chatham and Aylesford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what funds her Department has allocated to the Alcohol and Drug Education and Prevention Information Service in 2015-16.
Answered by Nick Gibb
No decision has been made about allocation of funding in 2015-16.
Effective drug and alcohol education plays an important role in helping to ensure that young people are equipped with the information they need to make informed, healthy decisions and to keep themselves safe. Drugs education is a statutory part of the new national curriculum for science. Pupils should be taught about the effects of recreational drugs, including substance misuse, on behaviour, health and life processes. Teaching in this area can be further strengthened through PSHE education.
ADEPIS have produced a range of resources for schools to support teachers when they provide drug education. In particular, ADEPIS help teachers to tackle difficult topics by producing briefing papers on themes such as ‘Novel Psychoactive Substances’ or ‘Alcohol, drugs and sexual health’.
ADEPIS have also produced a toolkit which aims to help schools when reviewing their drug and alcohol policy, including practical advice on consulting with parents, teachers, pupils and others in the community.
Asked by: Tracey Crouch (Conservative - Chatham and Aylesford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to his Department's press release, Deal to provide life-saving defibrillators to schools, published in April 2014, what progress has been made on securing a supplier who will offer defibrillators to all schools at a reduced price in time for autumn term.
Answered by David Laws
Officials from the Department for Education are currently working in partnership with Department of Health colleagues and stakeholders to explore a range of options.