Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will undertake a review of the requirements non-UK nationals face when applying to train to become an educator.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
The department keep the requirements for applying to train to be a teacher under regular review to ensure that the best candidates wherever they are from can continue to access the appropriate training to become great teachers.
In addition to the requirements that apply to all candidates, those from overseas will need to show that they meet the eligibility requirements to get a visa and demonstrate that their school and university qualifications are equivalent to the required standard of a UK Bachelor’s degree and GSCEs (Grade 4) in mathematics, English and for teaching in primary schools science. They can do this by getting a statement of compatibility from the UK European Network of Information Centres.
Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
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 the Safety Valve agreement on the provision of special educational needs support in Surrey.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
The department is continuing to work with Surrey to deliver their safety valve plan, including providing ongoing support from both expert advisers. We regularly review the implementation of all safety valve agreements through our monitoring process, which takes place 3 times a year. Safety valve agreements were only made if both the local authority and the department’s expert special educational needs and disabilities advisers agreed that the proposals would give children and young people a better service and comply with the local authority’s statutory obligations.
Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to consider Surrey County Council's request to extend the deadline for balancing the Dedicated Schools Grant by 2026-27.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
The department is continuing to work with Surrey County Council to deliver their safety valve plan, including ongoing support from both financial and special educational needs and disabilities advisers. We regularly review the implementation of all safety valve agreements through our monitoring process which takes place three times a year. Where local authorities are struggling to meet the terms of their agreement, we provide additional support to develop alternative plans and mitigations to deliver the aims of their plan.
Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she plans to take to help ensure that Surrey County Council meets its Safety Valve support package conditions.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
The department is continuing to work with Surrey County Council to deliver their safety valve plan, including ongoing support from both financial and special educational needs and disabilities advisers. We regularly review the implementation of all safety valve agreements through our monitoring process which takes place three times a year. Where local authorities are struggling to meet the terms of their agreement, we provide additional support to develop alternative plans and mitigations to deliver the aims of their plan.
Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to amend the Construction Industry Training Board’s legislative scope order to include (a) plumbing and (b) electrical work.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Plumbing and electrical works are excluded from the Industrial Training Board’s (ITBs) current legislative scope order.
The 2023 independent review of the two remaining ITBs, Construction and Engineering Construction, recommended that there should be consultation with industry on a modified legislative scope order, aimed at resolving the most obvious anomalies.
The department is establishing a steering group to oversee the implementation of the accepted review recommendations and will explore out of scope sectors.
Whilst this is likely to primarily focus on new and emerging sectors, part of the exercise will be to listen to views from industry. Where there is strong evidence to support inclusion of different sectors this will be considered before legislative changes are progressed.
Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 27 March 2025 to Question 42205 on Overseas Students: Ukraine, what is meant by the term generally in relation to Ukrainian refugees qualifying for (a) home fee status and (b) student support.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government sets the maximum fees that higher education (HE) providers can charge home fee students on undergraduate courses. HE providers are autonomous and responsible for setting their own fees up to the maximum caps provided for in legislation. The department does not formally monitor the fee levels charged for home students, such as those with Ukraine scheme leave, or other students who may be subject to international fees.
The term ‘generally’ used in the context of the answer to Question 42205, means that persons with Ukraine scheme leave must also meet other eligibility requirements to be eligible for home fee status and student finance, such as the requirement to be ordinarily resident in England on the course start date for student support, or in the UK for home fee status. They must also show they have remained ordinarily resident in the UK and Islands (Channels Islands and Isle of Man) since being granted Ukraine scheme leave.
Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department monitors the fee levels charged by higher education providers to (a) Ukrainian students and (b) other students.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government sets the maximum fees that higher education (HE) providers can charge home fee students on undergraduate courses. HE providers are autonomous and responsible for setting their own fees up to the maximum caps provided for in legislation. The department does not formally monitor the fee levels charged for home students, such as those with Ukraine scheme leave, or other students who may be subject to international fees.
The term ‘generally’ used in the context of the answer to Question 42205, means that persons with Ukraine scheme leave must also meet other eligibility requirements to be eligible for home fee status and student finance, such as the requirement to be ordinarily resident in England on the course start date for student support, or in the UK for home fee status. They must also show they have remained ordinarily resident in the UK and Islands (Channels Islands and Isle of Man) since being granted Ukraine scheme leave.
Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking with local authorities to ensure that homeless children receive additional (a) educational and (b) pastoral support in schools.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Too often, opportunity for children and young people is defined by their background. Children whose families are experiencing homelessness face barriers to education and this is not acceptable. The Opportunity Mission will break the link between young people’s background and their future success.
As part of this mission, work is progressing urgently to publish the Child Poverty Strategy. The Strategy will tackle overall child poverty, including a focus on those children in deepest poverty lacking essentials.
Alongside this, homeless children are included in the Fair Access Protocol, a mandatory mechanism developed by local authorities in partnership with all schools in their area. This aims to ensure vulnerable children, and those having difficulty in securing a school place in-year, are allocated a school place as quickly as possible.
From April 2025, the department started to roll out Family Help reforms to children’s social care. These reforms prioritise supporting the whole family. Lead practitioners will undertake assessments of all the needs of the family, including families experiencing, or at risk of experiencing, homelessness. Practitioners will intervene at the earliest opportunity to prevent challenges escalating.
This financial year, over £500 million is available to local authorities to roll out the Families First Partnership programme which includes Family Help.
Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to extend the eligibility of the Apprenticeship Levy to include (a) pre-employment and (b) employability schemes.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government’s new levy-funded growth and skills offer will introduce greater flexibility to employers and learners in England, creating routes into good, skilled jobs in growing industries, aligned with the government’s industrial strategy. This will include introducing new foundation apprenticeships for young people, as well as shorter-duration apprenticeships.
Foundation apprenticeships will be a work-based training offer that will provide young people with clear progression pathways into further work-based training and employment. Construction will be one of the key sectors that will benefit from new foundation apprenticeships, which will be launching in August 2025.
Further development of the growth and skills offer will be informed by the work of Skills England who will work closely with employers and other key partners to identify priority skills gaps. This will help to ensure that the levy-funded growth and skills offer delivers value for money, meets the needs of business and helps kick-start economic growth.
Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the fee status is of Ukrainian refugees when applying for university; which fee level they fall under; and what financial support they are provided with.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Those who have been granted leave under one of the Ukraine schemes generally qualify for home fee status and higher education student support in England, without being required to meet the normal 3 year ordinary residence test.
Higher education providers set their own fees in line with the relevant legislation.