Asked by: Vicky Ford (Conservative - Chelmsford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools in Chelmsford constituency received school improvement grants in (a) 2010-2017 and (b) 2017-2023; how many grants were received in each period; and what the total amount for each school was in each period.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
Departmental records show that between 2010 and 2017 five schools in Chelmsford constituency received or benefited from specific school improvement grants, and between 2017 and the end of December 2023 ten schools received or benefited from specific school improvement grants.
The following grants have been included in this analysis:
The department has also included grants allocated for sponsored academy conversions (2010 to date), as well as grants for transferring academies between trusts (2012 to date) because these grants may include elements for school improvement activities.
The department has limited this analysis to these grants as they can be quantified for some of the time periods requested. The department's policy of retaining financial records for seven years limits access to data before the 2016/17 financial year. Other department grants may contribute less directly to wider school improvement. In addition, many of these and other grants are allocated via academy trusts or other organisations, and so schools may benefit indirectly without being the designated recipient from department. Finally, not all grant programs have been operational throughout the entire period between 2010 and 2023.
For a summary of the grants awarded, and for relevant school-level data, please refer to the tables below:
Table 1: Summary of school improvement grants paid for supporting schools in Chelmsford constituency.
| Number of institutions in receipt of a school improvement grant and their total value | |
Grant programme | (a) 2010 to 2017 | (b) 2017to2023 (to end December 2023) |
Regional Academy Growth Fund** | RAGF 2016-2017 2 trusts each with 1 school in Chelmsford* | N/A |
Multi-academy Trust Development and Improvement Fund** | N/A* | 2 trusts, one with 2 schools and 1 with 1 school in Chelmsford* |
Trust Capacity Fund ** | N/A* | 1 trust with 2 schools in Chelmsford* |
Strategic School Improvement Capital Budget | N/A* 2010-2017 | None |
Environmental Improvement Grant | None for 2016-17. | None |
Emergency Strategic Improvement Fund | N/A as fund started in 2017-18 | None |
Sponsored conversions to academy status | 3 academies, totalling £210,000 | None |
Transfer of an academy | None | None |
School Improvement Offer | N/A* | 1 school, totalling £1,800 |
Trust and School Improvement offer | N/A* | 4 schools, totalling £16,800 |
* Grant programme not operating during this period.
** The RAGF, MDIF, and TCAF funds support growth in the capacity of academy trusts to oversee academies. Funding is allocated to trusts, and available data only reflects the total amounts received at the trust level. We are unable to attribute specific portions of the funding awarded under the RAGF, MDIF or TCaF programmes to individual school improvement efforts within any given trust or locality.
Table 2: Value of school improvement grants awarded where it is possible to identify a value attributable to the Chelmsford constituency.
Name of school or trust | Grant name | Year funding allocated or first payment made | Amount paid or allocated |
Melbourne Park Primary and Nursery School | Pre-opening sponsored grant | 2014 | £70,000 |
Meadgate Primary School | Pre-opening sponsored grant | 2013 | £70,000 |
Larkrise Primary School | Pre-opening sponsored grant | 2016 | £70,000 |
Newlands Spring Primary School | School Improvement Offer Tier 1 | 2019 | £1,800 |
South Essex Academy Trust | Trust and School Improvement Offer | 2022 | £3,000 |
Bridge Academy Trust | Trust and School Improvement Offer | 2022 | £1,800 |
The Chelmsford Learning Partnership | Trust and School Improvement Offer | 2023 | £6,000 |
Attain Academy Partnership | Trust and School Improvement Offer | 2023 | £6,000 |
Asked by: Vicky Ford (Conservative - Chelmsford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the per pupil funding to schools (a) in Essex and (b) nationally was in (i) 2016/17 and (ii) 2023/24; and what the percentage increase adjusted for inflation for schools (A) in Essex and (B) nationally was between those years.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The department publishes statistics on schools funding at the national level, including revenue funding to state-funded schools in England for pupils aged 5 to 16, in cash and real terms. Statistics for the 2010/11 to 2023/24 financial years are available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-funding-statistics.
In 2016/17 national per pupil funding in cash terms was £5,590 and in 2023/24 this had risen to £7,460 in cash terms. This represents a cumulative growth in per pupil funding since 2016/17 of 9.9% in real terms, as measured by the GDP deflator.
The published information has been designed to capture core funding for schools and be as consistent and comparable as possible across these years, given that the funding system has changed significantly during that time. It covers mainstream primary and secondary schools, special schools, alternative provision, pupil referral units and non-maintained special schools. Information about the methodology can be found at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/methodology/school-funding-statistics-methodology. The department does not have a breakdown of this time series at local authority level, therefore equivalent figures are not available for Essex.
At local authority level, the department instead publish per pupil units of funding for the schools block of the dedicated schools grant (DSG) in cash terms. In 2016/17 for Essex, this was £4,392. Following changes to the funding system in 2017/18, the primary and secondary per pupil units of funding were provided separately and, in 2023/24 for Essex, these were £4,720 and £6,116 respectively. These figures are for mainstream schools only and do not include any additional grant funding outside of the DSG, such as the mainstream schools additional grant and teachers’ pay additional grant. The national equivalent to these local authority figures is £4,636 for 2016/17 and £4,954 and £6,422 for 2023/24 for primary and secondary schools respectively.
Asked by: Vicky Ford (Conservative - Chelmsford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has had recent discussions with his Sudanese counterpart on (a) travel permissions for international humanitarian relief workers, (b) transport permissions for humanitarian aid and (c) other bureaucratic barriers to delivering humanitarian aid in east Sudan.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK condemns the lack of humanitarian access into and across Sudan, as a result of the actions of the parties to the conflict. Lack of security remains the biggest constraint for international agencies and national NGOs seeking to deliver much-needed life-saving assistance. We continue to raise humanitarian access, including bureaucratic and administrative impediments, with the warring parties, our international partners and in international fora such as the UN.
Asked by: Vicky Ford (Conservative - Chelmsford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has had recent discussions with his (a) UN and (b) other international counterparts on taking steps with the Sudanese government to (i) provide travel permissions for international humanitarian relief workers, (ii) provide transport permissions for humanitarian aid and (iii) tackle other bureaucratic barriers to delivering humanitarian aid in east Sudan.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK condemns the lack of humanitarian access into and across Sudan, as a result of the actions of the parties to the conflict. Lack of security remains the biggest constraint for international agencies and national NGOs seeking to deliver much-needed life-saving assistance. We continue to raise humanitarian access, including bureaucratic and administrative impediments, with the warring parties, our international partners and in international fora such as the UN.
Asked by: Vicky Ford (Conservative - Chelmsford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what diplomatic steps his Department is taking to help prevent weapons being supplied to the Rapid Support Forces by the United Arab Emirates via (a) Chad and (b) other neighbouring countries.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK condemns any actions that further fuel the brutal conflict in Sudan. There is a UN Arms Embargo and Sanctions Regime on Darfur, which the UK renewed in March 2023, and which complements a longstanding bilateral UK arms embargo in place for the whole of Sudan. These regimes have been used to constrain the flow of weapons into the country and support efforts to stop those who pose a threat to stability in Darfur. The UN Arms Embargo and Sanctions Regime on Darfur will be reviewed by September 2024. Ministers continue to place emphasis on the importance of neutrality and of supporting a ceasefire and civilian political transition.
Asked by: Vicky Ford (Conservative - Chelmsford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of imposing financial sanctions on (a) Omdurman National Bank and (b) Al-Khalij Bank in the context of their association with factions in the war in Sudan.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
In response to the ongoing conflict and deteriorating humanitarian situation in Sudan, on 12 July I announced a package of six sanctions under the UK's Sudan (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020. The UK has imposed an asset freeze on three commercial entities linked to the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and three commercial entities linked to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), as the two main parties to the conflict. These sanctions, which target entities which the SAF and RSF have used to support their war efforts, are designed to press the parties into a permanent ceasefire, allow unfettered humanitarian access and commit to a sustained and meaningful peace process.
Asked by: Vicky Ford (Conservative - Chelmsford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending sanctions to the (a) subsidiaries, (b) suppliers and (c) buyers of businesses that have been sanctioned for funding of the war in Sudan.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
In response to the ongoing conflict and deteriorating humanitarian situation in Sudan, on 12 July I announced a package of six sanctions under the UK's Sudan (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020. The UK has imposed an asset freeze on three commercial entities linked to the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and three commercial entities linked to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), as the two main parties to the conflict. These sanctions, which target entities which the SAF and RSF have used to support their war efforts, are designed to press the parties into a permanent ceasefire, allow unfettered humanitarian access and commit to a sustained and meaningful peace process.
Asked by: Vicky Ford (Conservative - Chelmsford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether Sudanese applicants who were notified that they had been selected for Chevening scholarships will be granted visas to the UK.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
Student visa applications for Chevening scholars will be considered on their individual merits and in line with immigration rules.
The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office have confirmed that Sudanese nationals who have been offered a Chevening award for the 2023-24 academic year and are unable to take up the scholarship due to the conflict and travel restrictions are able to defer their award to the 2024-25 academic year.
Asked by: Vicky Ford (Conservative - Chelmsford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking as a member of the Core Group of the Expanded Mechanism under the leadership of the African Union to help ensure that tangible measures are taken by the African Union to tackle the conflict in Sudan.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK believes the African Union is best placed to coordinate an African-led international response to the crisis in Sudan. As a member of the African Union-led Core Group, the UK is working with regional and international partners to end hostilities in Sudan, push for urgently needed humanitarian access, particularly in Khartoum and Darfur, and to secure a viable peace process, including support for the emergence of an all-inclusive civilian and political platform for dialogue on a future vision for Sudan. We will continue to pursue all diplomatic avenues to secure an end to the violence, protection of civilians and humanitarian access. We urge both parties to the conflict to engage in an inclusive dialogue that will deliver a political transition to a democratic process as called for by the Sudanese people.
Asked by: Vicky Ford (Conservative - Chelmsford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if his Department will impose targeted sanctions on the financial networks of the warring parties in Sudan and on Sudanese individuals (a) inside and (b) outside the country who are advocating the continuation of the war and disseminating hate speech against Sudan’s civilian and political pro-democracy leaders.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
In response to the ongoing conflict and deteriorating humanitarian situation in Sudan, I announced on 12 July a UK package of six sanctions under the Sudan (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020. We are freezing the assets of three commercial entities linked to each party involved in the conflict: the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). These sanctions, which target entities which the SAF and RSF have used to support their war efforts, are designed to press the parties to engage in a sustained and meaningful peace process, allow humanitarian access and to commit to a permanent cessation of hostilities.