Asked by: Tracy Brabin (Labour (Co-op) - Batley and Spen)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what procedure is in place to allow privately- educated students who had their Centre Assessed Grades rejected by exam boards to seek recourse.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Where schools and colleges had accepted entries from external candidates (students who they did not teach themselves because they were home-educated, followed distance-learning programmes or studied independently), those students should have been taken account of in the process of producing centre assessment grades, where the head teacher or principal was confident that they and their staff had seen sufficient evidence of the student’s achievement to make an objective judgement.
Not all external candidates were able to be awarded centre assessed grades this summer because they were not able to provide sufficient evidence to enable their exam centre to include them in their centre assessment grades and rankings. Students in this position will need to sit exams to get their grades, either in the autumn or in summer 2021.
Students wishing to enter for autumn exams should do so via the school or college where they were due to sit their exams in the summer. The exception is students who did not achieve a grade 4 or above in english or maths GCSE. These students will take those exams at their post September institution.
Asked by: Tracy Brabin (Labour (Co-op) - Batley and Spen)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance the Government plans to provide for (a) singing and (b) wind instrument teachers to enable them to safely return to work as covid-19 lockdown restrictions are eased.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Department has published detailed guidance for schools to prepare for all children and young people to return to full-time education from September 2020. The guidance published on 2 July outlines that there may be an additional risk of infection in environments where you or others are singing, chanting, playing wind or brass instruments or shouting, and provides further information on steps that schools should take to keep staff and pupils safe. The guidance can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/schools-and-colleges-to-reopen-in-full-in-september.
Asked by: Tracy Brabin (Labour (Co-op) - Batley and Spen)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment he has made of the ability of organisations in the creative industries to utilise the apprenticeship levy.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
The apprenticeship levy is at the centre of our reforms to build an employer-led apprenticeship system and transform the quality of apprenticeship training. We continue to engage with employers in all sectors of the economy to help them realise the benefits of apprenticeships. In the creative sector, we work closely with industry bodies, such as the Creative Industries Council, Creative and Cultural Skills, and ScreenSkills.
In response to this engagement, we introduced transfers in 2018 to offer employers greater flexibility. This gives apprenticeship levy-paying employers the freedom to transfer funds to any employer, including smaller employers in their supply chain, or Apprenticeship Training Agencies and charities. In April 2019, we increased the cap from 10% to 25% of employers’ funds that can be transferred each year. An Apprenticeship Training Agency acts as the apprentice’s employer throughout their training, allowing them to complete the 12-month minimum apprenticeship duration through a series of shorter placements with different employers.
We are also working with employers and the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education to prioritise the development of 17 new standards in the creative sector to help address skills gaps.
We recognise that some employers in the creative industries experience challenges in utilising the apprenticeship levy to support starts in their business or the wider sector. The Department for Education and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport are working with ScreenSkills and industry partners on an innovative film and TV pilot which will enable 20 apprentices to benefit from hands-on experience on the sets of major films and TV shows. Launched on 23 January, it will explore a new model for how apprenticeships can be used to deliver multiple placements on film and TV productions, as well as addressing skills shortages.
Asked by: Tracy Brabin (Labour (Co-op) - Batley and Spen)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many Ofsted registered nurseries have been sold to new owners in each of the last 12 months.
Answered by Nick Gibb
This is a matter for Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman. I have asked her to write to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Asked by: Tracy Brabin (Labour (Co-op) - Batley and Spen)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many Ofsted registered (a) nurseries and (b) childminders have closed for business in each of the last 12 months.
Answered by Nick Gibb
This is a matter for Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman. I have asked her to write to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Asked by: Tracy Brabin (Labour (Co-op) - Batley and Spen)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Loneliness Strategy, published in October 2018, what progress his Department has made on publishing guidance on schools maximising the use of their premises, as well as other forms of income generation that can be beneficial to the community.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Department intends to publish guidance for schools on income generation in due course. The guidance will set out different types of income generation activities, including letting out premises, working with local businesses, selling goods and services and applying for grants.
Our aim is to level the playing field between schools in their ability to generate income and help them build strong community links at the same time.