Asked by: Zarah Sultana (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment with Cabinet colleagues of the potential (a) merits of extending eligibility for Disabled Students’ Allowance to international students and (b) impact of the existing eligibility criteria on educational inequalities in higher education.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
The government appreciates the significant economic and cultural contribution that international students make to UK higher education (HE). The department’s offer to international students remains very competitive and the department is committed to ensuring the UK remains a destination of choice for the brightest and best international students from across the globe.
To be eligible for Disabled Students Allowance, students must: (a) meet the personal eligibility criteria for student finance within the Education (Student Support) Regulations 2011 and be studying a course designated for student support; and (b) have a disability as defined in the Equality Act 2010.
Entitlement to student support and home fee status is limited to eligible students who are undertaking HE courses offered by UK institutions that are designated for support. This is to ensure that the HE student finance system remains financially sustainable. The government has no plans to extend home fee status and student support to international students.
All HE providers must fulfil their responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010 in their support for all disabled HE students regardless of whether they are home or international students.
Asked by: Zarah Sultana (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the impact of trends in the level of funding of Adult and Community Education since 2010 on that sector; and whether she plans to restore funding to 2010 levels.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
The department is continuing to invest in education and skills training for adults through the Adult Education Budget (AEB), the Multiply programme and Skills Bootcamps.
The AEB is worth £1.34 billion in 2023/24 and approximately 60% of the AEB is devolved to nine Mayoral Combined Authorities (MCA) and the Greater London Authority (GLA). These authorities are now responsible for the provision of AEB-funded adult education for their residents. The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) is responsible for the remaining AEB in non-devolved areas.
In ESFA AEB areas, the department applied a 2.2% increase to the final earnings for all AEB formula-funded provision, excluding associated learner and learning support, in 2022/23 and 2023/24. The department also applied a 20% boost on top of earnings for all AEB formula-funded provision in six sector subject areas: Engineering, Manufacturing Technologies, Transport Operations and Maintenance, Building and Construction, ICT for Practitioners, and Mathematics and Statistics. Additionally, in 2024/25, as part of the AEB transition to the Adult Skills Fund, the department will introduce five new funding rates that will apply to the ESFA Adult Skills Fund with 78% of qualifications seeing a funding increase.
Prior to devolution, the Community Learning portion of the AEB amounted to approximately £230 million in 2018/19. The department does not collect data on what MCAs and the GLA currently spend on Community Learning.
In 2024/25, as part of the Adult Skills Fund, the term Tailored Learning brings together what was the AEB Community Learning, formula-funded AEB non-regulated learning, which was previously delivered through the adult skills, and new employer-facing innovative provision that is not qualification based.
The department is also providing up to £270 million directly to local areas in England to deliver innovative interventions to improve adult numeracy through the Multiply programme. The department is also building the evidence base on what works to improve adult numeracy, including through randomised control trials.
Skills Bootcamps are free, flexible courses of up to 16 weeks, giving people the opportunity to build up sector-specific skills, with an offer of a job interview upon completion. This is supported by £550 million over the current Spending Review period as well as £170 million in grant funding to MCAs and local areas in 2024/25.
Spend by the department on further education is reported through publication of the Annual Report and Accounts. This can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dfe-annual-reports.
Asked by: Zarah Sultana (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support parents of twins and other multiples with the cost of (a) childcare and (b) other costs associated with raising children.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
In the Spring Budget 2023, my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced transformative reforms to childcare for parents, children, and the economy. By 2027/28, the government will expect to be spending in excess of £8 billion every year on free hours and early education, helping working families with their childcare costs. This represents the single biggest investment in childcare in England ever.
The department’s reforms include:
In the past five years the department has spent more than £20 billion supporting families with the cost of childcare. Hundreds of thousands of children aged 3 and 4 are registered for a 30 hours place, saving eligible working parents up to £6,000 per child per year. Expanding this entitlement will help even more working parents with childcare costs.
The government is also taking action to support parents on Universal Credit with childcare costs upfront when they need it, rather than in arrears. We are increasing support for these parents by increasing the childcare cost maximum amounts up to £951 for one child and £1,630 for two or more children, a rise of 47% from the previous limits.
Additionally, Tax-Free Childcare is available for working parents of children aged 0-11, or up to 17 for eligible disabled children. This can save parents up to £2,000 per year, or up to £4,000 for eligible children with disabilities, and has the same income criteria as 30 hours free childcare.
There is no maximum limit, so regardless of the number of children claimed for, the parent can benefit provided they meet the criteria.
Asked by: Zarah Sultana (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of making people who are not British citizens but are resident in the UK eligible for home fee status for the payment of tuition fees.
Answered by Robert Halfon
To qualify for home fee status in the UK, a person must have settled status or a recognised connection to the UK. This includes people who are covered by the EU Withdrawal Agreement or who have been granted international protection by the Home Office.
Additionally, in 2016 the department introduced a new category for those who can demonstrate a substantial connection to the UK by virtue of their long residence. Students may be eligible for home fee status if they are:
Those applying under the long residency category also need to demonstrate three years’ ordinary lawful residence in the UK immediately preceding the beginning of the first academic year of their course, in line with most other students.
Where a student does not meet the criteria for automatic home fee status, a provider has the discretion to waive, or reduce the fees where they consider it appropriate.
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Asked by: Zarah Sultana (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that apprenticeship degrees are provided in Coventry.
Answered by Robert Halfon
Employers have designed over 155 high-quality degree level apprenticeship standards to support them in developing the skilled workforces they need. There were over 43,000 starts at levels 6 and 7 in the 2021/22 academic year, which is an increase of 10.3% on the previous year. Of those, 240 apprenticeship starts at levels 6 and 7 in the 2021/22 academic year were by learners living in the Coventry local authority area. The department is working to expand these opportunities further, so that they are accessible to more people across England, including in Coventry.
The department has made £8 million available in the 2022/23 financial year to higher education (HE) institutions through the Strategic Priorities Grant, to enable them to grow degree level apprenticeship provision and form new employer partnerships. As part of this, Coventry University has been awarded over £200,000 this year to develop degree apprenticeship provision, and a further £62,000 for Level 4 and 5 provision.
All university Vice-Chancellors have been contacted with details on how the HE sector can drive forward the government’s ambitious skills agenda through the expansion of degree level apprenticeships.
The department has worked with employers across the country to help them showcase higher and degree level apprenticeship vacancies. During National Apprenticeship Week, we published a listing featuring hundreds of vacancies that are available for people to apply for now, including in the West Midlands. This listing is available at: https://amazingapprenticeships.com/app/uploads/2022/11/Higher-Degree-Listing-FEB-2023.pdf.
In addition, the department continues to work on a programme of ‘simplification’, exploring ways we can remove unnecessary bureaucracy, complexity, and barriers to engagement for apprentices, employers, and providers. We recognise that universities are already subject to significant regulation, and are working with the University Vocational Awards Council (UVAC) and HE institutions to identify and remove barriers to universities offering more degree apprenticeship programmes.
Asked by: Zarah Sultana (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Government is taking to support students with the cost of living; and if she will make it her policy to implement the NUS’ recommendations to (a) tie student maintenance support with inflation, (b) reform Universal Credit to include fair access for students, (c) cap rents to prevent a student homelessness crisis, (d) provide funding to education providers to deliver improved hardship funds and (e) adjust maintenance loan thresholds to reflect changes to family income.
Answered by Robert Halfon
The government reviews the support provided to cover students’ living costs on an annual basis.
The government recognises the additional cost of living pressures that have arisen this year which have impacted students.
On 11 January 2023, the department announced a one-off reallocation of funding to add £15 million to this year's student premium to support additional hardship requests. There is now £276 million of student premium funding available this academic year to support disadvantaged students. This extra funding will complement the help universities are providing through their own bursary, scholarship and hardship support schemes. The department works with the Office for Students (OfS) to ensure universities support students using both hardship funds and drawing on the student premium.
In the 2022/23 academic year, there has been an increase of 2.3% in loans for living costs, and there will be a further increase of 2.8% for the 2023/24 academic year. Decisions on student finance have had to be taken alongside other spending priorities to ensure the system remains financially sustainable and the costs of higher education are shared fairly between students and taxpayers, not all of whom have benefited from going to university. Students who have been awarded a loan for living costs for the 2022/23 academic year that is lower than the maximum, and whose household income for the tax year 2022/23 has dropped by at least 15% compared to the income provided for their original assessment, can apply for their entitlement to be reassessed.
Loans for living costs are a contribution towards students’ living costs while attending university. The highest levels of support are targeted at students who need it the most, such as students from low-income families.
The Primary source of financial help for students is provided through the student support system. As such, students on full-time higher education courses cannot normally satisfy the entitlement conditions for Universal Credit. Exceptions are only made where students have additional needs that are not met through the student support system, for example, they are responsible for a child. Further details on claiming Universal Credit as a student which includes a list of students who may qualify for Universal Credit can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/universal-credit-and-students.
The government plays no role in the provision of student residential accommodation. Universities and private accommodation providers are autonomous and are responsible for setting their own rent agreements. We encourage universities and private landlords to review their accommodation policies to ensure they are fair, clear, and have the interests of students at heart. This includes making accommodation available at a range of affordable price points where possible.
More widely, Government does not support the introduction of rent controls in the private rented sector to set the level of rent at the outset of a tenancy. The White Paper, ‘A Fairer Private Rented Sector’, published on 16 June outlines our proposed reforms which will help prevent unfair rent increases for tenants, while ensuring landlords can continue to make necessary changes to rent. The measures include only allowing increases to rent once per year, ending the use of rent review clauses, and improving tenants’ ability to challenge excessive rent increases through the First Tier Tribunal.
Asked by: Zarah Sultana (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to help ensure educational psychologists' pay is increased in line with inflation; what steps her Department is taking to help ensure local councils recruit and retain sufficient numbers of educational psychologists to support children with special educational needs and disabilities; and if she will take steps to help ensure that the pay of public sector jobs relating to her Department's remit is increased in line with inflation.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
In November 2022, the department announced an investment of £21 million to train 400 more educational psychologists. The first cohort of trainees will start their courses in 2024, graduate and enter the workforce in 2027, continuing the supply of educational psychologists into local authorities. This is in addition to £10 million announced earlier this year, which will train over 200 more educational psychologists beginning their courses in September 2023, and graduate and enter the local authority workforce in 2026.
The specific employment terms for educational psychologists, including pay, are governed by the education psychologist’s contract of employment with their employer.
The department recognises the concern faced by educational psychologists in the context of cost of living challenges.
The government has announced further support for next year designed to target the most vulnerable households, providing them with £12 billion direct support in 2023/24.This is on top of the £37 billion of cost of living support provided by the Government this year, including help for workers to keep more of what they earn through changes to the personal tax system and providing eligible households with a £400 discount on their energy bill this autumn and winter.
Asked by: Zarah Sultana (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make it her policy to ensure that students on T-level work placements are (a) paid for their labour in line with the national living wage and (b) have opportunities to develop relevant skills and experience on such placements.
Answered by Robert Halfon
The department is committed to ensuring students have access to high quality T Level industry placements. Industry placements provide young people with the knowledge and experience needed to open the door into skilled employment, further study, or a higher apprenticeship.
T Level industry placements are about providing students with high-quality, meaningful training, rather than providing job roles. As the placement is forming part of a course of further education, there is no legal requirement or expectation to pay students on industry placements. However, employers can optionally choose to pay students, or fund students’ travel and subsistence, if they would like to.
The department has provided an extensive programme of employer and provider support to help with the delivery of high-quality placements where students can develop relevant skills and experiences for their T Level and beyond. The support offers providers and employers tailored advice, guidance, and hands-on support to deliver high-quality placements at scale. We have invested over £240 million over the past 4 years to help providers build their capacity and relationships with employers and have developed a comprehensive package of advice and guidance to support providers to deliver placements, as well as networking opportunities to share best practice.
To provide a strong pipeline of employers across all sectors and areas of the country, the department is engaging directly with employers of all sizes throughout the UK, via the department’s employer engagement teams, to promote the benefits of T Levels and of hosting industry placements. We have a T Level Ambassador Network that is continuing to recruit T Level advocates across key industries to inspire engagement in the T Level programme, and in January this year we launched our ‘Join the Skills Revolution’ campaign, which promotes government’s training and employment schemes, including T Levels, to employers.
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 Independent Provider of Special Education Advice's submissions to the SEND review: right support, right place, right time, if he will publish a response to that organisation's questions and recommendations on the SEND Green Paper.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
The department is aware of the submission from the Independent Provider of Special Education Advice (IPSEA) and the recommendations it sets out for the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system, including strengthening accountability measures to ensure that every child and young person has access to support that meets their needs.
The SEND and alternative provision (AP) green paper set out our proposals for how the department will improve the SEND system, so that it delivers better outcomes, improved experiences, and financial sustainability.
The department received extensive feedback on these proposals during the consultation period and we will publish a SEND and AP Improvement Plan that will set out the consultation feedback and our next steps.
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 increased rate of inflation and rising food prices, (a) on what basis the rate paid to schools for providing free school meals is calculated, (b) when she next plans to review that rate, (c) what recent assessment she has made of the impact of the increased price of food on (i) the ability of schools to provide free school meals and (ii) overall school budgets, (d) if she will make it her policy to increase the rate in line with inflation and (d) if she will make it her policy to extend free school meal provision to all pupils in order to help prevent a rise in food poverty.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
Schools pay for the provision of free school meals (FSM) from their core funding allocations. Overall, core schools funding, including funding for both mainstream schools and high needs, is increasing by £4 billion in 2022/23 compared to the previous year, representing a 7% increase in cash terms per pupil.
The core allocations schools attract through the national funding formula (NFF) include funding in respect of the FSM factor. The FSM factor is intended to broadly reflect the costs schools face in providing school meals. Following extensive consultation when the NFF was first introduced, schools attracted £440 per pupil through the FSM factor in 2018/19 and 2019/20.
Each year, the department has set the NFF factor values to be used in the forthcoming funding year. Since the introduction of the NFF, the per pupil FSM rate has increased in line with forecast inflation in every year, as measured by the latest GDP deflator at the time.
The FSM factor is worth £470 per eligible pupil in 2022/23. This will increase to £480 in 2023/24. The factor values for each year are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-funding-formula-for-schools-and-high-needs. In reviewing future FSM rates, many factors will be taken into consideration, including cost of living pressures and inflation.
The department also spends around £600 million on Universal Infant Free School Meals each year. The per meal rate has been increased from £2.34 to £2.41, and backdated to 1 April 2022, in recognition of increased costs.
The department continues to monitor the situation surrounding the rising cost of living whilst working with other government departments on support surrounding this issue. The department thinks it is right that provision is aimed at supporting the most disadvantaged, those out of work or on the lowest incomes. We do not have any plans to extend universal provision, but we will continue to review FSM eligibility to ensure that these meals are supporting those who most need them.