Asked by: Zarah Sultana (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of phasing out BTEC qualifications on the number of (a) young people and (b) young people from (i) working class and (ii) marginalised backgrounds choosing to begin further education; and whether it is taking steps to address concerns on phasing out those qualifications raised by the Protect Student Choice campaign.
Answered by Andrea Jenkyns
Qualifications such as BTECs continue to play an important role for 16 to 19-year-olds and adults. The qualifications review will ensure that these qualifications are approved for funding, where there is a clear need for skills and knowledge that A levels and T Levels cannot provide, and where they meet new quality standards.
An assessment of the potential equalities impacts of the removal of funding for level 3 qualifications, which includes some BTECs, was carried out as part of the impact assessment published alongside the July 2021 policy statement on level 3 qualifications. This is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/reforms-to-post-16-qualifications-at-level-3-in-england. Overall, the department expects the impact of our reforms to be positive. Students will have clearer choices and access to higher quality qualifications in future, including new T Levels. This will put students, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds, in a stronger position to progress into further study or skilled employment.
The department is committed to supporting students to progress onto level 3 qualifications in future. This is why we have launched the T Level Transition Programme for those who are not yet ready to progress to a T Level, but have the potential to succeed on it after some further preparation. Additionally, in our recent consultation on qualifications at level 2 and below, the department confirmed our intention to pilot an Academic Progression Programme to support students who may have the potential to take an academic programme at level 3, but who are not ready to do so when entering post-16 education.
We expect to publish the government response to the consultation in due course.
Asked by: Zarah Sultana (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the National Deaf Children’s Society policy briefing on the SEND review, published on 4 July 2022, what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department’s policies of that briefing's findings and proposals.
Answered by Will Quince
Over the course of the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Review, and throughout the consultation period on the department’s SEND and Alternative Provision (AP) Green Paper, the department has spoken to many children and young people, their families, and those working in the SEND sector to understand more about the challenges facing the system. This includes meetings with the National Deaf Children’s Society.
The consultation on the Green Paper has recently closed and the department is carefully considering the responses we have received. This includes considering reports such as the one from the National Deaf Children’s Society. The department has committed to publishing the department’s response to the consultation alongside a national SEND and AP implementation strategy later this year.
Asked by: Zarah Sultana (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of (a) SATs and (b) statutory testing on pupil mental health and wellbeing; and if he will make it his policy to pause such testing to allow for a profession-led review of the potential impact of the current assessment system in primary schools on pupil wellbeing.
Answered by Robin Walker
Schools should support a culture of wellbeing amongst staff and pupils. The department understands that the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people, and that this will have an impact in the longer-term. Although schools should encourage all pupils to work hard and achieve well in primary assessments, the department does not recommend that they devote excessive time to preparation, and certainly not at the expense of pupils’ mental health and wellbeing.
Assessments are a crucial part of a child’s schooling and are fundamental in a high-performing education system. Statutory assessments at primary school are an essential part in ensuring that all pupils master the basics of reading, writing, and maths to prepare them for secondary school. Assessment data also enables parents, schools, and the department to understand the impact of lost time in education and recovery initiatives.
In 2017, the government carried out a consultation into primary assessment in England. The consultation received over 4,000 responses from a diverse range of backgrounds and specialisms, providing a broad and informed range of views that informed policy on the current primary assessment system. Additionally, the department engages with teachers, parents and their representatives on a regular basis to understand their views on primary assessment.
The department has no current plans to undertake further major reform of assessments.
Asked by: Zarah Sultana (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department plans to facilitate British national students studying medicine and other degrees in Ukraine, who have had to leave their studies due to the war in that country, to transfer to the same courses at UK universities.
Answered by Michelle Donelan - Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
Unfortunately, it is not possible for British Nationals who were studying in Ukraine to transfer automatically into medical and dental courses in England. However, I have urged institutions in England to consider students' circumstances sensitively and show as much flexibility as possible when considering students' applications to UK courses.
The number of places available to study medicine and dentistry is regulated by the government and controlled through intake targets operated by the Office for Students. These places are quality assured by the General Medical Council to ensure the availability of sufficient provision of high-quality education, training, and clinical placements and therefore have all been allocated for this coming academic year. There are also complex issues surrounding transferring students whose prior learning has taken place overseas directly onto medical places here in the UK.
However, the department is continuing to work closely with the education sector and across Government to ensure that students are supported and have a range of options available to them during this difficult time. These options include:
Separately I can confirm the Student Loans Company will treat students who were living in England before leaving to study in Ukraine, and who join a course on return to the UK, as being temporary absent when assessing the requirement for three years’ ordinary residence in the UK or Crown Dependencies prior to study. Students should contact Student Finance England (or other relevant funding body if you lived in one of the Devolved Administrations prior to study in Ukraine) for further details.
Asked by: Zarah Sultana (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if his Department will take steps to meet Sense's call for a £34.3 million multi-sensory impairment (MSI) education fund to ensure that children who need a trained MSI teacher have access to one.
Answered by Will Quince
The department is committed to ensuring that children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including those with multi-sensory impairments, receive the support they need to succeed in their early years, at school, and at college.
High needs funding, which is specifically for supporting children with more complex SEND, including those with multi-sensory impairment, is increasing by £1 billion in the 2022/23 financial year, bringing the overall total funding for high needs to £9.1 billion. This unprecedented increase of 13%, compared to the 2021/22 financial year, comes as well as the £1.5 billion increase over the last two years.
The department has no current plans to create a new funding stream specifically for the education of children with multi-sensory impairment. Under the Children and Families Act 2014, local authorities and schools have responsibilities for supporting all children and young people with SEND, including those with multi-sensory impairments. As a result, they are best placed to decide how to prioritise their spending on the range of resources and activities that will best support their pupils.
Asked by: Zarah Sultana (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 21 September 2021 to Question 49129, on Students: Loans, when his Department plans to publish the conclusion to the Post-18 education and funding review.
Answered by Michelle Donelan - Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
Further to the Interim Conclusion to the Review of Post-18 Education and Funding published in January of this year, we continue to consider the recommendations made by the independent panel that reported to the review, and plan to conclude it in full in due course.
Asked by: Zarah Sultana (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of commissioning an independent review of childcare funding and affordability in the UK.
Answered by Will Quince
The department’s officials are in regular discussions with Her Majesty's Treasury, and as we prepare for the forthcoming Spending Review settlement for the 2022-23 financial year and beyond, we will continue to press the importance of the early years sector across government. We will not be launching an independent review of childcare at this time.
This issue was debated in Westminster Hall on 13 September pursuant to e-petition 586700, and I refer the hon. Member for Coventry South to the transcript of this debate available here: https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2021-09-13/debates/55E6BB12-54B7-4C08-8D68-00140DFFB5B1/Childcare.
Asked by: Zarah Sultana (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the effect on students from disadvantaged backgrounds of the Government's recent decision to remove funding for the provision of BTEC qualifications.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
Employers are facing a skills shortage that we must act to address. It is vital in a fast moving and high-tech economy that technical education closes the gap between what people study and the needs of employers. This is why we are introducing over 20 T Levels, developed with 250 leading employers, and reviewing the wider post-16 qualifications system at level 3 and below.
The department’s plans for reform of level 3 qualifications were published on 14 July 2021. We will continue to fund high quality qualifications that can be taken alongside or as alternatives to T Levels and A levels where there is a clear need for skills and knowledge that T Levels and A levels cannot provide. This may include some Pearson BTECs, provided they meet the new quality criteria for funding approval.
The impact assessment published alongside the consultation response recognised that some students may find it more difficult to achieve level 3 qualifications in future. However, the assessment stated that the changes will generally be positive as students will have access to higher quality qualifications in the future, including new T Levels. This will put students in a stronger position to progress onto further study or skilled employment. The assessment acknowledged that students from disadvantaged backgrounds are more likely to take qualifications that could have their funding approval removed. These students should gain the most from these changes because they are the most likely to be taking qualifications that do not deliver the skills employers need. We are committed to ensuring that T Levels are accessible to all young people and have introduced flexibilities for students with SEND. The T Level Transition Programme will support young people who are not yet ready to progress to a T Level but have the potential to succeed on it after some further preparation.
All qualifications will need to meet new quality criteria to be approved for funding in future. Technical qualifications will need to be approved by the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (the Institute) to be considered for funding approval. For academic qualifications, the department will set criteria to ensure all qualifications approved for funding are necessary alongside A levels. Ofqual will provide advice about quality to both the Institute and the department. This will ensure that all qualifications are high quality and provide the skills needed to support progression either into skilled employment or further study.
Alongside our reforms to level 3 qualifications, the department wants to improve study at level 2 and below, which has been neglected for too long. Improving level 2 and below is key to making sure that every student has a clear progression route, whether that is to high quality level 3 qualifications, apprenticeships, traineeships, or directly into skilled employment at level 2. The department is considering feedback to the call for evidence, which ran from 10 November 2020 to 14 February 2021, and there will be consultation on reform proposals later this year.
Asked by: Zarah Sultana (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance his Department plans to provide to higher education institutions on the respective provision of online and face-to-face teaching for the 2021-22 academic year.
Answered by Michelle Donelan - Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
The roadmap is delayed not derailed. By the autumn term, we have every expectation that we will have already been able to move forward with Step 4, meaning that there will be no further restrictions on the provision of in person teaching and learning.
During the COVID-19 outbreak, many providers have developed their digital offering, and as autonomous institutions some might choose to retain elements of this approach. However, they will not have to do this because of COVID-19 restrictions, and our expectation is very clear: universities should maintain the quality and quantity of tuition and ensure it is accessible.
We expect providers to have contingency plans to deal with any identified positive cases of COVID-19 or outbreaks. Higher education (HE) providers should communicate clearly to their students what they can expect from planned teaching and learning under different circumstances and scenarios, so that they are able to make informed choices.
The Office for Students, as regulator for English HE providers, has made it clear that HE providers must continue to comply with registration conditions relating to quality and academic standards, which set out requirements to ensure that courses are high-quality, that students are supported and achieve good outcomes and that standards are protected.
We intend to update HE guidance in due course to support the return of students for the new academic year.
Asked by: Zarah Sultana (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will provide a breakdown of the amount spent by local authorities on (a) foster care companies, (b) psychiatrists, (c) private social workers and (d) other third parties in the children’s social care sector in each of the last 12 months.
Answered by Vicky Ford
The department does not collect monthly children’s social care spend data from local authorities.
The department collects annual local authority children and young people’s services spend data (Section 251 LA and school expenditure) that covers a range of spend data across children’s and young people’s services. The latest data for the 2019-20 financial year is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/la-and-school-expenditure/2019-20.