Found: connections between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK in areas such as trade, transport, education

Found: The articles of the UNESCO Convention emphasise the importance of formal and informal education and research

Found: Correspondence to the Department of Education regarding Written Parliamentary Questions answering performance

Found: infrastructure) from issues of economic development, housing, and public services (including healthcare and education

Found: worked example from real life applicable to the procurement of future defence systems and in their education

Found: One by the Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History); (b) One by the President of the Board of Education

Found: framework may also make it possible for members of the legal profession to specialise in housing via education

Found: business is focused on a number of key sectors: health & care, insurance, charities, life sciences, education

Found: is especially difficult for vulnerable clients and those with emotional cases such as special education

Found: one by the Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History), one by the President of the Board of Education

Found: if he did not': The hall has been developing its public benefit activities recently, including education

Found: Its surplus also enables it to operate an extensive public benefit programme, which includes education

Found: one by the Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History), one by the President of the Board of Education

Found: as Community Ordinaries to Members by the President only if: (i) The event forms part of the Hall's Education

Found: National Disabil ity Strategy Correspondence to the Minister for S kills, Apprenticeships and Higher Education

Found: One by the Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History); (b) One by the President of the Board of Education

Found: Council members – one appointed by each of The Secretary of State (then the President of the Board of Education

Found: (subject to certain conditions) for the purpose of asylum accommodation or to provide training or education

Found: This can often be coupled with a lack of financial education and affinity type criminality whereby

Found: suggest that the Committee should consider supporting three further developments: a) A consumer education

Found: fact, entry levels into the service are low, and many current CFOs have not come through a higher education

Found: for example, incident reporting, root cause analysis, the use of simulation training in clinical education

Found: NHS providers and Integrated Care Boards to provide senior safety leadership. 4.deliver widespread education

Found: Yours sin cerely Professor Colin Melville, Medical Director Director, Education and Standards

Found: AccountsHC 253 7th Armoured Vehicles: the Ajax programme HC 259 8th Financial sustainability of the higher education

Found: businesses closer together, gets goods to local, national and global markets, provides opportunities for education

Found: reliable digital connectivity has already become a passenger expectation for business, work and education

Found: passenger demand in the UK post-pandemic, not only due to the surge in demand for leisure and education

Found: connecting businesses with their customers and suppliers and providing convenient access to employment, education

Found: Through our information and advice line we provide advice, support and education for over 250 disabled

Found: work across all sectors of the economy including engineers, humanitarian aid workers, scientists, education

Found: Exploration of Collaborative High Street Design; published in the Journal Charrette Ideas for Huyton: Education

Found: “... leisure and recreation, employment, tourism, heritage, culture, housing, employment, education

Found: literature shows that poor health and low life expectancy are correlated with low income and low education

Found: Collaborating with the education sector and engaging with younger demographics is essential to shape

Found: include not just shops but a mix of uses such as various forms of housing and accommodation, offices, education

Found: Sheffield’s world-shaping research feeds into its excellent education.

Found: unable to cope with life” since the start of the pandemic, rising to 40% among those not in work, education

Found: opportunity to live like a local during their stay For all: experiences in food, drink, arts, heritage, education

Found: community hubs that combine housing, leisure, experiences, food and drink, heritage, culture, health and education

Found: a central place that can service the needs of the catchment by way of services, leisure, retail, education

Found: ECL0056 - Education and Careers in Land-based Sectors Martin Emmett Written Evidence

Found: they be brought within a regulatory framework or can we do more in terms of consumer protection and education

Found: During the Easter 2023 incident, many operators found themselves unable to comply with Department for Education

Found: Many functions exercised by local authorities in Britain (such as education and skills) remain exercised

Found: Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities ] are working in partnership with the Department for Education

Found: and a wide range of core co-sponsors on resolutions on the realisation of the equal right to education

Found: cooperation in local public policy are active, this included Sino-lead initiatives to combat anti-poverty, education

Found: Education of motorists: As Dehenna and Richard previously explained, effective communication to motorists

Found: providing a platform for up-and-coming bands and music professionals, as well as space for rehearsals, education

Found: Development Funds, which focus on a variety of areas such as: capital investment programmes, cultural education

Found: Correspondence from Landex, regarding updates on its work with the Department for Education and Higher

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to The national strategy for autistic children, young people and adults: 2021 to 2026, published in July 2021, how many additional children have received diagnoses of autism and related support as a result of the expansion of the school-based identification programme.

Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)

Through the Opportunity Area scheme, in 2021/22 the Department of Health and Social Care and the Department for Education invested £600,000 into a pilot in Bradford through the Born in Bradford programme, which looked to improve early identification of autism and other neurodiverse conditions. This was subsequently adopted by four other Opportunity Areas as Early Identification of Autism Projects.

Information on how many additional children have received diagnoses of autism, and related support as a result of the programme, is not centrally held. The University of Manchester was commissioned to evaluate the Early Identification of Autism Projects, and their report will be published in due course.

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 employing veterans in schools to provide courses on leadership and resilience for (a) teachers and (b) students.

Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)

A key principle behind the government's plan for education is to give teachers and school leaders the freedom to use their professional judgement to do what works best for their pupils. As such, headteachers are ultimately responsible for employment in their schools and the department trusts them to take decisions about the right mix of qualifications, skills and experience that they expect teachers in their schools to have.

The department recently reviewed the Initial Teacher Training (ITT) Core Content Framework (CCF) and Early Career Framework (ECF) alongside each other and revised the ITT CCF and the ECF into the combined and updated Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework (ITTECF). This now covers the first three years or more at the start of a teacher’s career, and sets out the entitlement of every trainee and early career teacher (ECT) to the core body of knowledge, skills and behaviours that define great teaching. The ITTECF is universal and designed to work for all teachers, across all phases and subjects.

Beyond this, school leaders are responsible for ensuring their workforce has appropriate training to meet the needs of all pupils, which is in line with the department’s position on school autonomy and school leaders being best placed to assess the needs of their pupils and workforce.

The government remains committed to supporting veterans with a passion for teaching to enter the profession, both in schools and the further education sector. The department is working with the Ministry of Defence to ensure veterans are aware of the range of programmes and support available through the department’s services and bursaries.

Veterans are eligible for a tax-free undergraduate bursary of £40,000 if they are:

• A veteran who has left full-time employment with the British Army, Royal Air Force or Royal Navy no more than 5 years before the start of the teacher training course.
• Training to teach secondary biology, chemistry, computing, languages, maths or physics.
• Doing an undergraduate degree leading to qualified teacher status (QTS) in England.

Graduate veterans may also be eligible for a postgraduate scholarship or bursary if they are training to teach priority subjects.

More information on how the department support veterans to become teachers, including the offer of one-to-one support from a teacher training advisor, can be found here: https://getintoteaching.education.gov.uk/funding-and-support/if-youre-a-veteran.

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 introducing veteran awareness training for teachers.

Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)

A key principle behind the government's plan for education is to give teachers and school leaders the freedom to use their professional judgement to do what works best for their pupils. As such, headteachers are ultimately responsible for employment in their schools and the department trusts them to take decisions about the right mix of qualifications, skills and experience that they expect teachers in their schools to have.

The department recently reviewed the Initial Teacher Training (ITT) Core Content Framework (CCF) and Early Career Framework (ECF) alongside each other and revised the ITT CCF and the ECF into the combined and updated Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework (ITTECF). This now covers the first three years or more at the start of a teacher’s career, and sets out the entitlement of every trainee and early career teacher (ECT) to the core body of knowledge, skills and behaviours that define great teaching. The ITTECF is universal and designed to work for all teachers, across all phases and subjects.

Beyond this, school leaders are responsible for ensuring their workforce has appropriate training to meet the needs of all pupils, which is in line with the department’s position on school autonomy and school leaders being best placed to assess the needs of their pupils and workforce.

The government remains committed to supporting veterans with a passion for teaching to enter the profession, both in schools and the further education sector. The department is working with the Ministry of Defence to ensure veterans are aware of the range of programmes and support available through the department’s services and bursaries.

Veterans are eligible for a tax-free undergraduate bursary of £40,000 if they are:

• A veteran who has left full-time employment with the British Army, Royal Air Force or Royal Navy no more than 5 years before the start of the teacher training course.
• Training to teach secondary biology, chemistry, computing, languages, maths or physics.
• Doing an undergraduate degree leading to qualified teacher status (QTS) in England.

Graduate veterans may also be eligible for a postgraduate scholarship or bursary if they are training to teach priority subjects.

More information on how the department support veterans to become teachers, including the offer of one-to-one support from a teacher training advisor, can be found here: https://getintoteaching.education.gov.uk/funding-and-support/if-youre-a-veteran.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to paragraph 3.15 of the Spring Budget 2024, HC 560, what weighting was given to (a) average earnings growth, (b) changes in the National Living Wage and (c) the (i) consumer price index and (ii) other measures of inflation when estimating that there would be £500 million of additional funding in the 2025-26 and 2026-27 financial years.

Answered by David Johnston - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The last economic data available at the time funding rates are set will be used to determine the proportions allocated in the 2025/6 and 2026/7 financial years.

The department estimates the changing costs to providers by using the annual results of the Survey of Childcare and Early Years Providers and the department’s cost pressures model, which also takes account of the different ages of children, as both reported staff-child ratios and the relative proportion of entitlement hours delivered by different provider types vary by child age. Separate calculations are therefore performed in respect of the different entitlements.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 15 March 2024 to Question 17304 on Teachers: Veterans, how many people applied for the undergraduate veteran teaching bursary in the academic years (a) 2022-23 and (b) 2023-24; and what steps he is taking to increase the number of undergraduate veteran teachers.

Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)

Initial teacher training (ITT) providers are responsible for the management and administration of bursary payments, including assessment of eligibility. Trainees do not need to apply for a bursary and will automatically receive this from their ITT provider if eligible.

The undergraduate veteran teaching bursary is paid over the final two years of the course, with £20,000 payable in each year. In the 2022/23 and 2023/24 academic years, five individual trainees received the undergraduate veteran teaching bursary, three of whom received a bursary in both years. Figures may be subject to change due to ongoing data collection and assurance.

The department supports veterans into teaching in primary, secondary, and further education through its broad support services and bursaries. Since the publication of its commitments in the ‘Veterans Strategy Action Plan 2022 to 2024’, the department has tailored support and communications for the veteran community including dedicated teacher training advisers, webpages, case study blogs on the ‘Get Into Teaching’ website and information in Civvy Street publications. More information from Get Into Teaching is available here: https://getintoteaching.education.gov.uk/funding-and-support/if-youre-a-veteran and here: https://getintoteaching.education.gov.uk/blog/from-the-army-to-teacher-training. More information from Civvy Street can be found here: https://civvystreetmagazine.co.uk/2023/05/bring-your-unique-perspective-to-the-classroom-get-into-teaching-2/.

Also available are bespoke webinars, and the opportunity to attend regional employer fairs with the Career Transition Partnership (CTP) and British Forces Resettlement Service (BFRS). More information about the CTP can be found here: https://www.ctp.org.uk/job-finding/directory/get-into-teaching. More information about the BFRS can be found here: https://www.bfrss.org.uk/profiles/companies/986419/.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the prevalence of schools (a) educating pupils on organ donation and (b) using resources produced by NHS Blood and Transplant.

Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)

Schools have flexibility over how they deliver the curriculum and cover important topics within it in a way that works for their context and communities. The department does not have data on how and whether schools are teaching about organ donation, but there are plenty of opportunities within the national curriculum for them to do so.

The teaching of blood, tissue and organs is covered in the biology national curriculum to pupils in England between the ages of 11 and 14 in key stage 3. While organ donation is not specifically mentioned in the national curriculum, schools may choose to cover it here.

At primary level, schools can talk about organ donation more generally in an age-appropriate way as part of the relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) curriculum, which includes content on physical health and mental wellbeing. The Oak National Academy, an arm's length public body responsible for creating free curriculum resources, has produced a lesson that can be taught to pupils between the ages of 7 and 11 in key stage 2. This includes a section on organs, the transplant waiting list and relevant legislation.

Organ donation can be covered in more detail in RSHE for pupils aged 14 to 16 in key stage 4 within the context of healthy lifestyles and the choices that individuals make in adulthood.

Departmental officials are working with NHS Blood and Transplant to arrange to signpost schools to education resources on organ donation developed by NHS Blood and Transplant and its charity partners.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to paragraph 3.15 of the Spring Budget 2024, HC 560, how much and what proportion of the estimated £500 million of additional funding she plans to allocate in the (a) 2025-26 and (b) 2026-27 financial year.

Answered by David Johnston - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The last economic data available at the time funding rates are set will be used to determine the proportions allocated in the 2025/6 and 2026/7 financial years.

The department estimates the changing costs to providers by using the annual results of the Survey of Childcare and Early Years Providers and the department’s cost pressures model, which also takes account of the different ages of children, as both reported staff-child ratios and the relative proportion of entitlement hours delivered by different provider types vary by child age. Separate calculations are therefore performed in respect of the different entitlements.

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.

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 changes to the graduate visa route on (a) the financial sustainability of the university sector and (b) local economies.

Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)

The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) has been commissioned to provide further evidence to support the government’s understanding of how the Graduate Route is operating in practice. The focus of the Graduate Route review will be to prevent abuse and ensure the integrity and quality of our world-leading UK higher education (HE) sector is protected. No decisions have been made on the future of the Graduate Route and the department awaits the report of the MAC in May.

​

​The Office for Students (OfS), as the independent regulator of HE in England, is responsible for monitoring and reporting on the sustainability of HE providers. The department works closely with the OfS to understand the impact of international student recruitment on HE provider financial sustainability.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the impact of the tuition fee-based funding model on the financial stability of the higher education sector.

Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)

As autonomous organisations, higher education (HE) providers have a high degree of financial independence and it is for them to make appropriate and necessary decisions around income, funding, spending and borrowing which ensure their continued financial viability and sustainability.

The department believes that the current fee freeze achieves the best balance between ensuring that the system remains financially sustainable, offering good value for the taxpayer and reducing debt levels for students in real terms.

The Office for Students (OfS), as the regulator of HE in England, is responsible for monitoring the financial sustainability of registered HE providers. The department continues to work closely with the OfS and other parties including providers, mission groups and other government departments to understand the ongoing impacts and changing landscape of financial sustainability across the sector.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Spring Budget 2024, whether he has made an estimate of the potential return on investment of (a) violence reduction units, (b) hot spot policing, (c) increasing the capacity of children's homes and (d) the building of 15 new special free schools.

Answered by Laura Trott - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

These measures are part of the Public Sector Productivity Review, which will deliver up to £1.8 billion worth of benefits by 2029.

We have committed £75 million to expand the Violence Reduction Unit model across England and Wales, supporting a prevention-first approach to serious violence. Violence Reduction Units enable local public services such as health boards, schools and police leaders to coordinate their joint strategy to tackle serious violence among young people, preventing violent crime and reducing burdens on healthcare, schools and criminal justice.

As part of the Anti-Social Behaviour Action Plan, we committed £66.3 million to scale up hotspot enforcement. From April 2024, hotspot response will be rolled out across every police force area in England and Wales, which will see thousands of additional high visibility patrols in the places most affected by Serious Violence and Anti-Social Behaviour.

An independent evaluation found that in 2022/23, VRUs and hotspot policing prevented 3,220 hospital admissions from violent injury – a statistically significant drop. Please find a link to the evaluation here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/violence-reduction-units-year-ending-march-2023-evaluation-report/violence-reduction-units-2022-to-2023#:~:text=In%202022%2C%20a%20further%202,data%20sharing%20and%20analysis.

On increasing the capacity of children’s homes, the Government announced £165 million of funding over the next 4 years to reduce the reliance of local authorities on costly emergency provision.

Finally, the building of 15 new special free schools through £105 million of investment over the next 4 years will deliver over 2,000 additional special places for children with special education needs and disabilities.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the decline in international postgraduate student numbers on the UK’s economy.

Answered by Laura Trott - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

International students make a significant positive contribution to the British economy. According to a study by HEPI and Kaplan, the lifetime net economic benefit of the 21/22 cohort of international students was £37bn with each student making a net contribution of nearly £100,000 on average.

The independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) make a net migration forecast to underpin their economic and fiscal forecasts, which reflects the latest data and migration policy. At Spring Budget, the OBR assessed migration to fall more sharply than the ONS net migration projections in the short-term before it reaches 315,000 at the end of the forecast period. Rising emigration and effect of policy explain their adjustment.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to help tackle (a) knife crime by and (b) the online sale of bladed weapons to people under the age of 18 in Wales.

Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)

Since 2019, the Home Office has provided over £5 million of funding for a Violence Reduction Unit in Wales (known as the Wales Violence Prevention Unit (VPU)) which is providing a multi-agency, preventative response designed to tackle the drivers of serious violence and knife crime. Over the same period, we have invested c.£3.5 million (including c.£535k in 2023/24) in ‘hotspot policing’ to boost the policing response to serious violence in South Wales. In 24/25, we are providing c.£4.4 million of funding to all force areas in Wales under the Hotspot Response fund to deliver high-visibility patrols and problem-solving tactics in the streets and neighbourhoods worst affected by serious violence and Anti Social Behaviour.

The Wales VPU is tasked with investing in evidence-based approaches designed to steer vulnerable young people away from involvement in violence. As part of this approach, the VPU is funding local interventions including A&E Navigators, delivering advice, support and guidance to patients of any age who have experienced violence with injury, with the aim of engaging with those injured whilst they are in hospital to help break the cycle of violence at the point of crisis. The VPU is also funding youth workers to deliver sessions to young people within both education and community settings covering issues such as knife crime. Additionally, just under £1m was awarded in 2023/24 to support delivery of the Serious Violence Duty across Wales.

We have also introduced new legislation which, subject to parliamentary approval, will ban zombie-style knives and machetes from 24 September 2024. Through the Criminal Justice Bill 2023, we are providing more powers for police to seize knives held in private that they believe will be used for unlawful violence, increasing the maximum penalty for the offences of selling prohibited weapons and selling knives to under 18s and creating a new offence of possessing an article with blade or point or an offensive weapon with intent to commit unlawful violence.

It is an offence to sell bladed articles to people under the age of 18 and with measures in the Offensive Weapons Act 2019 we strengthened the requirements for age verification, and made it an offence to send bladed articles to residential addresses after they are bought online, unless the seller has arrangements in place with the delivery company to ensure that the product would not be delivered into the hands of a person under 18. This legislation is enforced by Trading Standards and the police. The Home Office does not hold enforcement data in relation to breaches of this legislation.

The Online Safety Act 2023 has finished its parliamentary passage and received Royal Assent on 26 October 2023. The Government's intention is to have the regime operational as soon as possible.

Ofcom published the first draft codes of practice on illegal content for consultation on 9 November 2023. The Government expects these to be finalised in late 2024. These codes of practice will set out the steps companies can take to fulfil the duties for illegal content. In scope services will either need to follow these codes, or show their approach is equally effective. Tech companies will need to remove and limit the spread of illegal content. This means less illegal content online and when it does appear it will be removed quicker.

Schedule 7 of the Act sets out a series of priority offences which includes the sale of weapons. Companies will need to take particularly robust action to prevent the proliferation of this content online and ensure that their services are not used for offending. This means companies will need to proactively mitigate the risk that their services are used for illegal activity or to share this illegal content, to design their services to mitigate the risk of this occurring and to remove any content that does appear as soon as they are made aware of it.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what is the projected budget deficit for maintained nursery schools in England in the financial year (a) 2023-24, (b) 2024-25 and (c) 2025-26 by local authority.

Answered by David Johnston - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The data you requested for the 2021/22 financial year can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/la-and-school-expenditure-2021-to-2022-financial-year.

The data for the 2022/23 financial year can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/la-and-school-expenditure.

This data can be found on GOV.UK in Local Authority and School Expenditure data. In summary: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/09ae561f-1997-46da-4c66-08dc5d297e6b.

The latest available data is for the 2022/23 financial year and therefore the department is unable to answer the questions related to 2023/24 and 2024/25.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what is the projected budget deficit for maintained nursery schools in England in the financial year (a) 2023-24, (b) 2024-25 and (c) 2025-26.

Answered by David Johnston - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The data you requested for the 2021/22 financial year can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/la-and-school-expenditure-2021-to-2022-financial-year.

The data for the 2022/23 financial year can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/la-and-school-expenditure.

This data can be found on GOV.UK in Local Authority and School Expenditure data. In summary: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/09ae561f-1997-46da-4c66-08dc5d297e6b.

The latest available data is for the 2022/23 financial year and therefore the department is unable to answer the questions related to 2023/24 and 2024/25.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what was the budget deficit for maintained nursery schools in England in the financial year (a) 2021-22 and (b) 2022-23 by local authority.

Answered by David Johnston - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The data you requested for the 2021/22 financial year can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/la-and-school-expenditure-2021-to-2022-financial-year.

The data for the 2022/23 financial year can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/la-and-school-expenditure.

This data can be found on GOV.UK in Local Authority and School Expenditure data. In summary: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/09ae561f-1997-46da-4c66-08dc5d297e6b.

The latest available data is for the 2022/23 financial year and therefore the department is unable to answer the questions related to 2023/24 and 2024/25.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what was the total budget deficit for maintained nursery schools in England in the financial year (a) 2021-22 and b) 2022-23.

Answered by David Johnston - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The data you requested for the 2021/22 financial year can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/la-and-school-expenditure-2021-to-2022-financial-year.

The data for the 2022/23 financial year can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/la-and-school-expenditure.

This data can be found on GOV.UK in Local Authority and School Expenditure data. In summary: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/09ae561f-1997-46da-4c66-08dc5d297e6b.

The latest available data is for the 2022/23 financial year and therefore the department is unable to answer the questions related to 2023/24 and 2024/25.

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 encouraging veterans to become school governors.

Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)

The department recognises the valuable skills, experience and perspectives that former military personnel can bring to schools and academy trusts. The department will continue to encourage schools and academy trusts, and the organisations that support them, to look for volunteers with a broad range of backgrounds, so that pupil outcomes can benefit from the best possible governance.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he has made a recent assessment of the effectiveness of the enforcement of regulations on the sale of bladed items (a) to and (b) by persons under the age of 18.

Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)

Since 2019, the Home Office has provided over £5 million of funding for a Violence Reduction Unit in Wales (known as the Wales Violence Prevention Unit (VPU)) which is providing a multi-agency, preventative response designed to tackle the drivers of serious violence and knife crime. Over the same period, we have invested c.£3.5 million (including c.£535k in 2023/24) in ‘hotspot policing’ to boost the policing response to serious violence in South Wales. In 24/25, we are providing c.£4.4 million of funding to all force areas in Wales under the Hotspot Response fund to deliver high-visibility patrols and problem-solving tactics in the streets and neighbourhoods worst affected by serious violence and Anti Social Behaviour.

The Wales VPU is tasked with investing in evidence-based approaches designed to steer vulnerable young people away from involvement in violence. As part of this approach, the VPU is funding local interventions including A&E Navigators, delivering advice, support and guidance to patients of any age who have experienced violence with injury, with the aim of engaging with those injured whilst they are in hospital to help break the cycle of violence at the point of crisis. The VPU is also funding youth workers to deliver sessions to young people within both education and community settings covering issues such as knife crime. Additionally, just under £1m was awarded in 2023/24 to support delivery of the Serious Violence Duty across Wales.

We have also introduced new legislation which, subject to parliamentary approval, will ban zombie-style knives and machetes from 24 September 2024. Through the Criminal Justice Bill 2023, we are providing more powers for police to seize knives held in private that they believe will be used for unlawful violence, increasing the maximum penalty for the offences of selling prohibited weapons and selling knives to under 18s and creating a new offence of possessing an article with blade or point or an offensive weapon with intent to commit unlawful violence.

It is an offence to sell bladed articles to people under the age of 18 and with measures in the Offensive Weapons Act 2019 we strengthened the requirements for age verification, and made it an offence to send bladed articles to residential addresses after they are bought online, unless the seller has arrangements in place with the delivery company to ensure that the product would not be delivered into the hands of a person under 18. This legislation is enforced by Trading Standards and the police. The Home Office does not hold enforcement data in relation to breaches of this legislation.

The Online Safety Act 2023 has finished its parliamentary passage and received Royal Assent on 26 October 2023. The Government's intention is to have the regime operational as soon as possible.

Ofcom published the first draft codes of practice on illegal content for consultation on 9 November 2023. The Government expects these to be finalised in late 2024. These codes of practice will set out the steps companies can take to fulfil the duties for illegal content. In scope services will either need to follow these codes, or show their approach is equally effective. Tech companies will need to remove and limit the spread of illegal content. This means less illegal content online and when it does appear it will be removed quicker.

Schedule 7 of the Act sets out a series of priority offences which includes the sale of weapons. Companies will need to take particularly robust action to prevent the proliferation of this content online and ensure that their services are not used for offending. This means companies will need to proactively mitigate the risk that their services are used for illegal activity or to share this illegal content, to design their services to mitigate the risk of this occurring and to remove any content that does appear as soon as they are made aware of it.

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 introducing a veteran awareness day in schools.

Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)

The department wants all children to leave school with the knowledge, skills, and values that will enable them to understand the world around them and prepare them to be active and responsible citizens in modern Britain. This could include activities focusing on the role of the armed forces and learning from the experiences of veterans.

It is important for schools to have flexibility over the design of their curriculum to ensure that it meets the needs of their pupils and the local context. Schools are able to use this flexibility to include a veterans awareness day or to teach about British veterans and the armed forces through subjects within the national curriculum, such as citizenship, history or English literature, or as part of wider remembrance activities.

Extended and virtual reality in education

Found: to the guidance issued under subsection (1); and (a) (b) take reasonable steps to provide education

Found: Higher Education (Student Finance and Skills Shortages) Bill [AS INTRODUCED] CONTENTS 1 Student

Found: to the guidance issued under subsection (1); and (a) (b) take reasonable steps to provide education

Found: if he did not': The hall has been developing its public benefit activities recently, including education

Found: Its surplus also enables it to operate an extensive public benefit programme, which includes education

Found: One by the Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History); (b) One by the President of the Board of Education

Found: as Community Ordinaries to Members by the President only if: (i) The event forms part of the Hall's Education

Found: one by the Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History), one by the President of the Board of Education

Found: one by the Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History), one by the President of the Board of Education

Found: safeguards as required under Article 23(2) of the UK GDPR in the context of health, social work, education

Found: Council members – one appointed by each of The Secretary of State (then the President of the Board of Education

Found: safeguards as required under Article 23(2) of the UK GDPR in the context of health, social work, education

Found: together) comprises a public service for the dissemination of information and for the provision of education

Found: Second, I want to recognise the essential role that UNRWA plays in providing health and education services

Found: As the former Universities Minister, I know first hand how our world-class higher education system forms

Found: UK also supports your other Security Dialogues, including on Humanitarian Mine Action and Military Education

Found: Africa: Total health and education expenditure, median by level of capital flight 157 20.

Found: The Federal Department for Economic Affairs, Education and Research would formulate a credit request

Found: This commitment to education and skill-building is fundamental in ensuring the continued success and

Found: Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO) dataset

Found: for Students, the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education or the Education and Training

Found: examining the skills pipeline and demand across these sectors would help inform how secondary and higher education

Found: Correspondence ESFA Update: 17 April 2024 Latest information and actions from the Education

Found: Leaders are keen to improve the quality of education in RE.

Found: Provide a high-quality training environment for all Sellafield apprentices, working with a range of education

Found: interests but can include non -financial interests, for example: enhancement of an individual’s career, education

Found: • Any potential social benefits e.g. culture, education, community .

Found: The site comprises raw material storage, boiler house, education centre and production lines 1, 2, 3,

Found: Subject report series: religious education

Found: As there is no breach of the cost control mechanism , there is no requirement for the Department of Education

Found: (Northern Ireland) .5 Current Department of Education (Northern Ireland) decides on the assumptions

Found: Improvement vs. 96.9% in 2016 Key headlines The system the Department of Education (Northern Ireland)

Found: assumptions report for that valuation, located at the following link: 2016_Assumptions_report.pdf (education

Found: Report on membership data PDF, 1.17 MB, 43 pages Details At the request of the Department of Education

Found: other assumptions Walker & Goodwin The Goodwin legal challenge was brought against The Department for Education

Found: Following consultation with the Department for Education and SPPA, we do not see sufficient evidence

Found: PSBs should provide education, encouragement and mechanisms to support staff who wish to get involved

Found: Baroness Barran Department for Education Minister & Women and Equalities Lords Spokesperson Cabinet

Found: party material requests seen in the case file review, requests included requests for GP records, education

Found: Regarding updated figures on research and de velopment (R&D) workers in the UK : • Higher Education

Found: amended to bring it in line with that put forward in the Knowledge and Skills Framework created by NHS Education

Found: MSP F/T: 0300 244 4000 E: scottish.ministers @gov.scot   Sue Webber MSP Convener, Education

Found: Individual training account scheme Letter from the Minister for Higher and Further Education; and Minister

Found: practice, regulating 350,000 registrants across fifteen professions by : • Setting standards for education

Found: Scottish Government response March 2024 Correspondence to the Convener from Neil Rennick, Director-General Education

Found: o Creation of jobs opportunities and work placements – targeting the local area and those not in education

Found: travel to reach the mainland and larger islands to access key services such as secondary and higher education

Found: She will speak to NHS Education for Scotland (NES) about the gap identified (or consider if this would

Found: Practices, and those working within Public Health Scotland (PHS), Business Intelligence Teams, NHS Education

Found: The Scottish Government commissioned NHS Education Scotland (NES) to progress development of the Digital

Found: Social Justice ; Minister for Victims & Community Safety ; DG Education

Found: Raises concern that an impact of covid pandemic is that sex education for younger people will create

Found: Jedburgh £68,757.95 Travelsure Coaches Ltd £27,034.84 Comhairle Nan Eilean Siar £25,977.13 Moray Council Education

Found: £40,437.18 John Ferguson Minibus Hirer £32,021.10 Edinburgh Coach Lines Ltd £51,969.06 Moray Council Education

Found: Education and capacity building – building understanding of infant mental health and the work we do,

Found: £50,410,240 0.6% Arts, entertainment and recreation £96,510,771 1.1% Construction £2,067,334,975 23.4% Education

Found: takes a wh ole-systems approach to early detection and encompasses primary care, diagnostics , public education

Found: spread of improvement and change sciences to the broader Scottish public and third sectors including education

Found: Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) provides Palestinians in Gaza with shelter, emergency health care, education

Found: Education Scotland IT training spend from 2021 - 2024: FOI release

Found: Strategic Board Teacher Education Meeting papers – May 2023

Found: Strategic Board Teacher Education Meeting papers – May 2023

Found: BAU/Do Minimum Major improvement Major improvement 2.3a Goal 5 - Embrace innovation Education & training

Found: Business Gateway National Unit at the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, further or higher education

Found: was LI25: Through reporting of Children’s Services, Regional Improvement Collaboratives and Annual Education

Found: Over the last 20 years, he has held a number of senior roles supporting skills, education and economic

Found: References Redmond, C. (2013) Birds in Zoos in England: An Assessment of Welfare, Conservation and Education

Found: Commission ReferencesRedmond, C. (2013) Birds in Zoos in England: An Assessment of Welfare, Conservation and Education

Found: Commission ReferencesRedmond, C. (2013) Birds in Zoos in England: An Assessment of Welfare, Conservation and Education

Found: Business Gateway National Unit at the Convention of Scott ish Local Authorities, further or higher education

Found: The Education and Skills portfolio is receiving additional funding of £5 4.1 million.

Found: too fast Page 9 • look into having another Youth Arts Strategy • encourage culture and education

Found: The Education and Skills portfolio is receiving additional funding of £54.1 million.

Found: Education and Training Page 3 6 G.

Found: that, the work has been included within the Early Years and Children's Mental Health allocation to NHS Education

Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on how many children and young people from a different legal jurisdiction are currently in a care setting in Scotland, and how it ensures that the rights of any such children or young people under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) are upheld.

Answered by Don, Natalie - Minister for Children, Young People and Keeping the Promise

While the Scottish Government does not collect statistical data on the total number of children and young people from a different legal jurisdiction who are currently in a care setting in Scotland, there is a range of data available which enables us to monitor cross-border placements made in to residential and secure care accommodation. This includes –

• The latest Secure Care Statistics which show that, on average, 22 children and young people from outside Scotland were in secure care in 2022-23.
• The Cross-Border Placements (Effect of Deprivation of Liberty Orders) (Scotland) Regulations 2022 , which require placing authorities from other jurisdictions to notify Scottish Ministers, and a range of other Scottish partners, of the placement of children and young people into Scotland who are subject to a Deprivation of Liberty Order. This information is collated and monitored by the Scottish Government. At the time of writing, there were a total of 10 live Deprivation of Liberty order placements notified to Scottish Government.
• A regulatory requirement for residential and secure care services to notify the Care Inspectorate when a child or young person moves in or out of placement in Scotland from a different legal jurisdiction within the UK. This data is collated by the Care Inspectorate and shared with the Scottish Government. From this data, we know, at time of writing there to be approximately 180 children and young people in residential and secure care who have been placed in Scotland from a different legal jurisdiction.

The Care Inspectorate inspects residential and secure care homes at least once each year and has a responsibility to ensure that services are upholding, protecting and promoting the rights of children and young people; meeting their needs; and keeping children, young people and others safe.

The Children (Care and Justice) (Scotland) Bill ("the Bill”) is currently proceeding through the Scottish Parliament and contains new powers in relation to cross-border placements. If passed by Parliament, the new powers in the Bill will enable Ministers to bolster the existing regulatory framework in relation to cross-border placements to protect and uphold the rights of all children placed in Scotland. This would include regulating for matters such as: notification of an amendment to/end of placements; ensuring appropriate access to services is secured such as health, education and any other supports that the child or young person may require for the duration of their placement; and transition planning for the child’s return to home jurisdiction.

Question

To ask the Scottish Government what (a) discussions it has had regarding and (b) consideration it has given to the use of integrated cognitive behaviour treatment (I-CBTE) for patients with eating disorders and anorexia.

Answered by Todd, Maree - Minister for Social Care, Mental Wellbeing and Sport

The Scottish Government is supporting the NHS to offer the best evidence-based care and treatment to anyone who needs it. Decisions on what the best, and most appropriate, treatment options are for patients are informed by official guidelines, and clinical and professional involvement in someone’s care.

In 2022, the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN), produced for the first time Scottish specific eating disorder treatment guidelines. These guidelines cover referrals, management of medical and mental health risks, choice of treatments and management of transitions. In addition NHS Education Scotland have recently published the updated evidence summary for the treatment of Anorexia Nervosa.

We recognise that anyone who might be suffering with an eating disorder needs to get the help they need, when they need it. We therefore expect mental health services across Scotland to respond rapidly and decisively to the needs of our vulnerable people, particularly those with eating disorders.

Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the outcome was of the pilot of the NHS Education for Scotland training module on myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS).

Answered by Minto, Jenni - Minister for Public Health and Women's Health

NHS Education for Scotland expect this module to be ready for publishing on their website and available to members by June 2024. Updates will be detailed in their newsletter to Practice Based Small Group Learning (PBSGL) members.

Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of childcare voucher schemes on any policies that it has in place to support parents and carers to return to work.

Answered by Don, Natalie - Minister for Children, Young People and Keeping the Promise

Childcare voucher schemes were part of UK-wide tax legislation on employer supported childcare. They were closed to new entrants in 2018 and as such, parents and carers who are taking up new employment are not able to access them. While some Scottish families may still be using them, they have largely been replaced by Tax Free Childcare. As the Scottish Government is not involved in the administration or regulation of childcare voucher schemes, we have not conducted an assessment of them.

We are aware of the wealth of evidence that shows that access to affordable and flexible childcare can improve standards of living and address child poverty through reducing pressures on family income and enabling parents and carers, particularly women, to participate in work, education or training. There is more information on this evidence base in ‘Best Start - strategic early learning and school age childcare plan 2022 to 2026: https://www.gov.scot/publications/best-start-strategic-early-learning-school-age-childcare-plan-scotland-2022-26/pages/10/

In the Plan, we have also set out our commitment to continue to engage with and seek to influence the UK Government to deliver better outcomes for children and families through childcare policy.

Question

To ask the Scottish Government what advances in training on perinatal mental health have been made following the recommendations made in the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee's 1st Report, 2022 (Session 6), Inquiry into perinatal mental health (SP Paper 104), which was published on 8 February 2022.

Answered by Todd, Maree - Minister for Social Care, Mental Wellbeing and Sport

The Scottish Government has worked with NHS Education for Scotland (NES) to develop ‘Perinatal mental health curricular framework : a framework for maternal and infant mental health’. This framework sets out the different levels of knowledge and skills required by members of the Scottish workforce who have contact with mothers and their babies, to enable them to support mothers, babies and their families to have positive well-being and good mental health during the perinatal period.

The Scottish Government has also worked with NES to advance training on Perinatal and Infant Mental Health. Training in evidence-based approaches and interventions is delivered to staff across sectors and across practice types including informed, skilled, enhanced and specialist, as appropriate to their role.

This includes education and training within Perinatal and Infant Mental Health through e-learning modules which are available on TURAS, covering seven topic areas of essential knowledge. We have also worked with NES to create a specialist Perinatal and Infant Mental Health Learning Programme which allows NES to track the progress of staff in Specialist Perinatal and Infant Mental Health Services including Mother and Baby Units, Community Perinatal Mental Health Teams and Maternity and Neonatal Psychological Interventions.

During 2024-25, NES will continue to promote training at all levels across the sectors that support the development of positive relationships and attachment in the early years. This will be achieved through increasing workforce capacity to deliver evidence-based parent-child relationships focused interventions and approaches from the antenatal period, through infancy and across childhood.

Question

To ask the Scottish Government what impact its reported proposed reduction of £500,000 to the Gaelic Education, Culture and Arts budget will have on (a) (i) Sabhal Mòr Ostaig and (ii) Storlann and (b) the ability of each organisation to deliver their respective services.

Answered by Gilruth, Jenny - Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills

Following the 2024-25 budget settlement, the Scottish Government reviewed a number of budget lines in Education and Skills. In relation to Gaelic the outcome of this review is that there will now be no reduction to the MG ALBA funding for 2024-25. There will also be no reduction of the Gaelic, Education and Culture budget line which would have had an impact on the funding of Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, Storlann and other organisations and the Scottish Government has now provided additional funding to enable Bòrd na Gidhlig to continue its support for the Gaelic Officers’ Scheme in 2024-25.

Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the recommendation in the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee's 1st Report, 2022 (Session 6), Inquiry into perinatal mental health, which was published on 8 February 2022, whether it has established a comprehensive strategy to improve communication, collaboration, co-operation and exchanges of best practice between third sector and statutory perinatal mental health support to make sure that women and families are appropriately and adequately supported.

Answered by Todd, Maree - Minister for Social Care, Mental Wellbeing and Sport

The Perinatal and Infant Mental Health Managed Clinical Network Scotland (PIMHNS) has developed a workstream ‘Parents as Patients’ to develop guidance around joined-up working (i) between perinatal/infant mental health services and other mental health services (e.g. general adult mental health, unscheduled care, liaison mental health), and (ii) between perinatal/infant mental health services and other relevant medical care services (particularly primary care and acute hospital care). The important role of the third sector will feature in both. Initial meetings of two Short Life Working Groups (SLWG) have taken place to progress these workstreams, along with amending the existing care pathways which were published in 2021 ( https://www.nn.nhs.scot/pmhn/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2021/06/Care-Pathways-full.pdf ) .

Both SLWGs will focus on the themes of:

• Interfaces – to cover both care between specialist and general or universal services. This would also include principles of joint working and good practice.
• Education and training – to address knowledge of parent infant relationships and infant mental health needs as well as child protection issues and risks in relation to childbearing.

The final guidance and updated care pathways are due to be published in the final quarter of the financial year.

Question

To ask the Scottish Government what impact its reported proposed reduction of £516,000 to the Gaelic Broadcasting budget will have on MG ALBA and its ability to deliver its services.

Answered by Gilruth, Jenny - Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills

Following the 2024-25 budget settlement, the Scottish Government reviewed a number of budget lines in Education and Skills. In relation to Gaelic the outcome of this review is that there will now be no reduction to the MG ALBA funding for 2024-25. There will also be no reduction of the Gaelic, Education and Culture budget line which would have had an impact on the funding of Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, Storlann and other organisations and the Scottish Government has now provided additional funding to enable Bòrd na Gidhlig to continue its support for the Gaelic Officers’ Scheme in 2024-25.

Question

To ask the Scottish Government what data it collects about care experienced young people's school (a) attendance, (b) achievement, (c) attainment and (d) positive destinations; how any such data is analysed, and when it will next be reviewed.

Answered by Gilruth, Jenny - Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills

Data on education outcomes of care experienced young people is collected and published as part of the annual Education Outcomes of Looked After Children (EOLAC) Official Statistics publication. This covers pupils in publicly funded mainstream schools in the 32 local authorities, and one grant aided school. For the latest EOLAC 2021-22 publication, information was linked from:

• Looked After Children statistics, 2008-09 - 2021/22
• School Leaver Initial destination data
• School Leaver Follow-up Destination data
• Achievement of Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) Levels data

Information on the methodology used to match looked after children’s data is available in the background notes of the EOLAC 2021-22 publication. The latest education outcomes for looked after children statistics include analysis for:

• All children looked after within the year
• Children looked after for the full year
• Children looked after for part of the year
• Children who had been looked after at some point for any duration since age 5, and since age 12. These statistics were published for the first time in the 2021-22 publication as Experimental Statistics.

The experimental statistics will be reviewed before the next iteration of the statistics, planned for publication in August 2024.

Data on (b) achievement , (c) attainment and (d) positive destinations is collected annually. Further information on the types of analysis breakdowns provided for these education outcomes can be found in the supporting Tables document of the 2021-22 publication. Data on (a) attendance is collected every second year, and was last published in 2020-21. Further information on the types of analysis breakdowns provided for attendance can be found in the supporting Tables document of the 2020-21 publication. Information on the groups each of these education outcomes is analysed for can be found in the respective section of the publication report, as per the hyperlinks provided above.

Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether NHS Education for Scotland has undertaken any work to support (a) the development of best practice guidelines and (b) training opportunities for GP receptionists.

Answered by Gray, Neil - Cabinet Secretary for NHS Recovery, Health and Social Care

NHS Education for Scotland (NES) support the development and delivery of healthcare education and training for the NHS, health and social care sector and other public bodies. This includes the development of best practice guidelines as appropriate.

With regards to GP receptionists, NES published the Core Competency Framework for General Practice Administration Staff and Practice Managers in September 2023, which includes an accompanying learning needs analysis tools and training packages.

Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-24425 by Jenny Gilruth on 22 January 2024, whether it will provide an update on whether it has established the cost of (a) consulting on, (b) establishing, (c) launching and (d) the ongoing running of the Centre for Teaching Excellence (CTE); whether it will publish any updates regarding the work to establish the CTE by the Education Reform Programme, and, in light of its previous answer confirming that the costs had not been established at that stage, on what basis it determined that there will be sufficient funding for the CTE through "repurposing investment currently directed to Regional Improvement Collaboratives".

Answered by Gilruth, Jenny - Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills

The Scottish Government has been engaging with stakeholders since the intention to establish a Centre for Teaching Excellence was announced in October last year. The Co-Production Group has also now been established and stakeholders are involved in detailed discussion around the role and remit of the Centre. The group met on 27 February and 26 March. Minutes of meetings and other material will be published on the Scottish Government website. The only anticipated cost of the co-production process are the staffing costs for the team working on the Centre’s development.

The Centre for Teaching Excellence is initially being resourced through funding previously allocated to the Regional Improvement Collaboratives. The Scottish Government is working with the Co-Production Group to ensure the Centre maximises its impact and complements wider work across the education sector. It is anticipated that the co-production of the Centre will conclude by the summer, following which there will be a formal process to determine hosting arrangements.

Question

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to (a) promote the use of British Sign Language (BSL) in public spaces and (b) improve the availability of BSL education, in light of the aims of Sign Language Week, which takes place from 18 to 24 March 2024.

Answered by Gilruth, Jenny - Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills

The Scottish Government recognises the importance of Sign Language Week in promoting British Sign Language (BSL) given its positive impact on both culture and community in Scotland. During this week the First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills reiterated support of BSL and the Scottish Government’s commitments within the BSL National Plan 2023 – 2029.

In response to (a), the Scottish Government published the BSL National Plan 2023 – 2029 in November 2023. This plan sets out our approach to making Scotland the best place in the world for BSL users to live, visit, work, and learn; it sets out 45 commitments across ten priority areas including health, education, and justice. The BSL (Scotland) Act 2015 also requires listed authorities to publish their own Authority Plans; they are our key partners in promoting the use of BSL in public spaces.

In response to (b), the Additional Support for Learning Act places education authorities under duties to identify, provide for and review the additional support needs of their pupils, including those affected by deafness. The level of support required, and input from a specialist teacher of deaf children and young people, will vary depending on a child’s individual needs. To support deaf children and young people the Scottish Government provides funding of £150,000 to The Scottish Sensory Centre to support staff training enabling effective support to deaf pupils. In addition, Education Scotland has developed a professional learning resource which seeks to support practitioners to engage more effectively with British Sign Language users. This can be found on their website at the following link: https://education.gov.scot/resources/good-practice-in-working-with-deaf-learners-their-parents-and-families-bsl-plan/

Education Scotland has published a BSL toolkit setting out the key national legislation and General Teaching Council for Scotland standards which practitioners should be aware of when working with BSL users. Information to help practitioners understand BSL, Deaf culture and identity is provided throughout the Toolkit alongside some of the key definitions and terms used when working with parents and families. You can view the Toolkit here: British Sign Language (BSL) - Toolkit for Practitioners | Resources | Education Scotland . Education Scotland also published resources to help families support their children’s learning, which can be found at: BSL | Parentzone Scotland | Education Scotland

Question

To ask the Scottish Government what targeted training is currently offered to teachers to help them to assess, monitor and improve the health and wellbeing of pupils.

Answered by Gilruth, Jenny - Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills

In June 2021, the Scottish Government published a new professional learning resource for school staff aimed at providing essential learning required to support children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing https://www.cypmh.co.uk/

Education Scotland also offers a comprehensive suite of professional learning resources to support teachers in assessing, monitoring, and enhancing the health and wellbeing of pupils. These include trauma-informed training delivered to over 1,000 practitioners in collaboration with NHS Education for Scotland. Additional Education Scotland resources, such as the Cycle of Wellbeing and Positive Mental Wellbeing guide practitioners in fostering positive change, are also available.

The Inclusion, Wellbeing, and Equalities Professional Learning Framework , launched by Education Scotland in November 2023, further supports educators in building capacity and understanding across the four key themes of Inclusion, Rights and Equalities, Relationships and Wellbeing and Care.

Question

To ask the Scottish Government what joint training is currently offered to teachers and youth workers across Scotland.

Answered by Gilruth, Jenny - Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills

In Scotland, youth work is recognised as being part of the wider professional sector known as Community Learning and Development (CLD).

Education Scotland offer professional learning which is open to all educators including CLD practitioners (Adult Learning, Community Development and Youth Work) across Scotland, such as the Educator Leadership Programme (ELP), Learning for Sustainability (LfS) & Building Racial Literacy (BRL).

The Education Scotland CLD team have also been working with YouthLink Scotland to support the development and implementation of joint work between teachers and youth workers, as part of a national SAC funded project https://www.youthlink.scot/education-skills/scottish-attainment-challenge/

Additionally, through Scottish Attainment Challenge and Pupil Equity Fund, at a local level, some local authorities are encouraging joint-training opportunities for teachers and CLD youth workers to facilitate greater understanding of the twin approaches to learning and skills development. These opportunities are based on the individual programme focus and are variable in duration, delivery style and formality.

Question

To ask the Scottish Government what progress NHS Education for Scotland has made on its commissioned piece of work to develop a national midwifery career framework.

Answered by Minto, Jenni - Minister for Public Health and Women's Health

In conjunction with Scottish Government and wider stakeholders, NHS Education for Scotland (NES) are leading the development of a national midwifery career framework, although this is not a formal commissioned piece. The work is being overseen by a steering group, chaired by the Chief Midwifery Officer.

The steering group has already developed a Midwifery Preceptorship Framework to support those starting their career in the midwifery workforce and a Midwifery Development Framework Ecosystem has also been created to underpin the framework activity. A development framework for Level 2-4 Perinatal Healthcare Support Workers is nearing completion with a draft framework for consultation anticipated in April 2024.

In addition, the group will consider career development in Bands 5-9 across the four pillars of practice.

Found: When disaggregating this analysis by age, sex, employment status and level of education, no subgroup

Found: missing people to take actions like: supporting a dependent (for example paying for care, healthcare or education