Asked by: Luke Murphy (Labour - Basingstoke)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of trends in the availability of flexible, remote or hybrid working on mothers with childcare responsibilities, including in Basingstoke; whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of (a) school hours, (b) school holidays and (c) the availability of informal childcare on women’s participation in the labour market; and whether his Department plans to take steps to help encourage employers to offer flexible roles that enable parents to (i) maintain employment, (ii) develop skills and (iii) reduce reliance on out-of-work benefits.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We’re delivering a modern deal for working parents through the Employment Rights Act. Improving access to flexible working to allow parents to fit work around their family life, and employers will be expected to agree flexible working requests unless there is a clear and reasonable reason why they can’t.
Access to childcare support is essential in enabling parents to move into or progress in employment. Eligible Universal Credit (UC) customers can be reimbursed up to 85% of their registered childcare costs each month up to the maximum amounts (caps). The UC childcare offer can be used alongside the Department for Education’s early years and childcare entitlements in England to help cover costs of childcare during school holidays and before or after the school day, and there are similar offers in the Devolved Nations.
To deliver our long-term ambition, the Department for Education is leading a cross-government review of early education and childcare support to design and deliver a simpler system that maximises benefits for child development and parents’ ability to work or work more hours.
We are also investing up to £289m in Wraparound Childcare places before and after school, and during the school holidays, rolling out Free Universal Breakfast Clubs in every primary school, and spending over £200m each year on free Holiday Childcare places for our most disadvantaged children. These policies will ensure that parents have access to affordable, quality childcare so they can work, study, and train.
Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding her Department has provided towards supplying schools with (a) tablets, (b) laptops and (c) other electronic devices to children since 2015, broken down by (i) local authority area and (ii) year.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
Schools, trusts and local authorities can use their budgets at their discretion to purchase technology for their pupils. The department does not mandate a specific device to pupil ratio or recommend how much funding should be allocated for devices.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the department delivered over 1.95 million laptops and tablets to schools, academy trusts and local authorities in England through the ‘Get Help With Technology’ programme, launched in March 2020, which supported remote learning for disadvantaged children. The last devices were delivered by March 2022 and the service closed in June 2022.
The programme represented an investment of approximately £400 million, covering procurement and distribution of devices, alongside connectivity support for families without internet access.
Data on dispatched devices is published in statistical releases via the Explore Education Statistics portal here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/laptops-and-tablets-data/2022-april.
The department monitors pupil access to devices via the Technology in Schools Survey here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/technology-in-schools-survey-report-2022-to-2023.
Asked by: Lord Browne of Belmont (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that children from disadvantaged backgrounds have equal access to digital learning resources and technology.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Shadow Minister (Education)
Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.
Schools are responsible for making decisions about what technology to buy to meet their pupils’ needs, and how best to use it support their teaching.
The government delivered over 1.95 million laptops and tablets to schools, trusts, local authorities and further education (FE) providers for disadvantaged children and young people as part of a £520 million government investment to support access to remote education and online social care services. These laptops and tablets are now owned by schools, trusts, local authorities or FE providers, who can lend them to children and young people who need them the most. These laptops and tablets were an injection of support on top of the estimated 2.9 million that were already owned by schools before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Building on its success in the pandemic, Oak National Academy was established as an arm’s length body on 1 September 2022, working independently of the government and collaboratively with the education sector. Oak aims to support teachers to improve curriculum delivery, reduce workload and support improved pupil outcomes, and continues to provide a remote education contingency. Oak will work with teachers across the country, giving them and their pupils access to free, optional, and adaptable high-quality digital curriculum resources.
The government has provided over £2.6 billion of pupil premium funding in the 2022/23 financial year to support pupils from lower income families. Rates will increase by 5% for 2023/24, taking total pupil premium funding to £2.9 billion. As set out in the menu of approaches, schools can use both pupil premium and recovery premium on technology and other resources that support high quality teaching.
Social tariffs offer low-cost landline and broadband services for those on certain means tested benefits. The government is encouraging those providers who do not currently offer social tariff packages, to do so. A range of affordable tariffs, designed specifically to support low-income families, are now available to 99% of UK households. BT, Virgin Media O2, Sky, Vodafone, and other providers offer broadband and mobile social tariffs for as little as £10 per month, representing a significant saving for households in receipt of Universal Credit and other means tested benefits.
In addition, the government secured a range of commitments from the UK’s major broadband and mobile providers to support families through the global rise in the cost of living. These commitments include more manageable payment plans, switching to a cheaper package free of charge, or taking a more affordable social tariff if the customer is eligible. The government encourages people to contact their provider to see what support is available. Awareness and take up of social tariffs need to improve. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is working with the sector to urge those providers who have yet to offer a social tariff to do so, and for the industry to ensure that offers are publicised.
Asked by: Seema Malhotra (Labour (Co-op) - Feltham and Heston)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department is taking steps to help schools give pupils from families with low incomes access to (a) broadband and (b) computers at home to support their learning.
Answered by Robin Walker
A survey by Ofcom showed that during 2021, 94% of children (aged 0 to 17) in England had internet access and used it in the home, and figures for the UK show that almost half (47%) of children aged 3 to 17 used a laptop or netbook to go online, and 17% used a desktop. Use of more personal and portable devices was more common, with more than four in ten children (43%) saying they only used any device other than a laptop, netbook, or desktop to go online. The survey is available here: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0024/234609/childrens-media-use-and-attitudes-report-2022.pdf.
The department has data on the number of devices distributed to local authorities. However, we only know where devices were shipped. The devices distributed through the department are owned by schools, trusts, local authorities or further education (FE) providers who can lend these devices to children and young people who need them the most. The department does not have visibility of how devices move or how ownership was transferred after receipt.
10,272 devices were distributed to Hounslow local authority as part of the get help with technology scheme, including 9,685 laptops or tablets and 587 4G routers.
For all London constituencies, the total number of devices distributed was 354,493, including 334,075 laptops or tablets and 20,418 4G routers.
The department does not have data for the number of devices distributed to Feltham and Heston constituency.
The department has delivered over 1.95 million laptops and tablets to schools, trusts, local authorities and further education providers for disadvantaged children and young people as part of a £520 million government investment to support access to remote education and online social care services.
The department also provided support for over 130,000 families to get online through uplifts in mobile data and 4G wireless routers. This included partnering with the UK’s leading mobile operators to provide free data to help over 33,000 disadvantaged children get online and delivering over 100,000 4G wireless routers for pupils without connection at home. The government also provided funding to support schools and FE providers in providing internet access for disadvantaged pupils whose face-to-face education is disrupted due to COVID-19.
The get help with technology service is transitioning to provide further support to schools and colleges on meeting technology standards, including in relation to connectivity and devices. This is focused now on levelling up technology in schools and other education providers rather than in homes, but the support and funding already provided should give schools the flexibility to provide remote education support and can continue to be used in the longer term.
Asked by: Seema Malhotra (Labour (Co-op) - Feltham and Heston)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate he has made of the number of children in (a) Feltham and Heston constituency, (b) Hounslow, (c) London and (d) England without access (i) to broadband at home and (ii) to a computer at home to support their learning.
Answered by Robin Walker
A survey by Ofcom showed that during 2021, 94% of children (aged 0 to 17) in England had internet access and used it in the home, and figures for the UK show that almost half (47%) of children aged 3 to 17 used a laptop or netbook to go online, and 17% used a desktop. Use of more personal and portable devices was more common, with more than four in ten children (43%) saying they only used any device other than a laptop, netbook, or desktop to go online. The survey is available here: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0024/234609/childrens-media-use-and-attitudes-report-2022.pdf.
The department has data on the number of devices distributed to local authorities. However, we only know where devices were shipped. The devices distributed through the department are owned by schools, trusts, local authorities or further education (FE) providers who can lend these devices to children and young people who need them the most. The department does not have visibility of how devices move or how ownership was transferred after receipt.
10,272 devices were distributed to Hounslow local authority as part of the get help with technology scheme, including 9,685 laptops or tablets and 587 4G routers.
For all London constituencies, the total number of devices distributed was 354,493, including 334,075 laptops or tablets and 20,418 4G routers.
The department does not have data for the number of devices distributed to Feltham and Heston constituency.
The department has delivered over 1.95 million laptops and tablets to schools, trusts, local authorities and further education providers for disadvantaged children and young people as part of a £520 million government investment to support access to remote education and online social care services.
The department also provided support for over 130,000 families to get online through uplifts in mobile data and 4G wireless routers. This included partnering with the UK’s leading mobile operators to provide free data to help over 33,000 disadvantaged children get online and delivering over 100,000 4G wireless routers for pupils without connection at home. The government also provided funding to support schools and FE providers in providing internet access for disadvantaged pupils whose face-to-face education is disrupted due to COVID-19.
The get help with technology service is transitioning to provide further support to schools and colleges on meeting technology standards, including in relation to connectivity and devices. This is focused now on levelling up technology in schools and other education providers rather than in homes, but the support and funding already provided should give schools the flexibility to provide remote education support and can continue to be used in the longer term.
Asked by: Robert Halfon (Conservative - Harlow)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate his Department has made of the number of school children that do not have a personal laptop or tablet.
Answered by Robin Walker
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the department has delivered over 1.95 million laptops and tablets to schools, trusts, local authorities, and further education providers for disadvantaged children and young people. This is part of a £520 million government investment to support access to remote education and online social care services.
The laptops and tablets distributed through the department are owned by schools, trusts, local authorities, or further education providers who can lend these to children and young people who need them the most. These laptops and tablets are an injection of support on top of an estimated 2.9 million already owned by schools before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. These devices are intended to give schools the flexibility to provide remote education support and can continue to be used in the longer term either in the classroom or from home.
Asked by: Seema Malhotra (Labour (Co-op) - Feltham and Heston)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment his Department has made on the impact of the home learning environment on children's school outcomes; and what steps he is taking to support children's learning at home.
Answered by Robin Walker
The department recognises that teachers and leaders have been working incredibly hard to provide high quality on-site and remote education, with much being achieved during the pandemic.
The department has announced nearly £5 billion for a multi-year education recovery plan which includes high quality tutoring, world class training for teachers and early years practitioners, additional funding for schools, and extending time in colleges by 40 hours. We are supporting the most disadvantaged, vulnerable and those with the least time left in education, wherever they live, to make up for education lost during the pandemic and are carefully monitoring the progress being made by children in school.
Through the department’s Get Help with Technology programme, we have delivered over 1.9 million laptops and tablets to schools, trusts, local authorities and further education providers for disadvantaged children and young people as part of a £520 million government investment to support access to remote education and online social care services.
These laptops and tablets are intended to give schools the flexibility to provide remote education support and can continue to be used in the longer term either in the classroom or from home.
The priority should always be for schools to deliver high quality face-to-face education to all pupils and remote education should only ever be considered as a short-term measure and as a last resort where in person attendance is not possible.
When in-person attendance in school is either not possible or contrary to government guidance schools should continue to provide remote education to allow children and young people who are well enough to keep pace with their education.
The department will publish updated guidance to support schools with remote education and will continue to work with the sector on this, learning from the many examples of excellent practice developed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
An appropriate home education environment is also essential for parents who opt to provide their children with elective home education. The government is committed to a form of local authority registration for children not in school as well as a duty on local authorities to provide support to home educators when it is required. Further details on this are in the Children Not In School consultation response which was published on 3 February 2022. We hope to legislate on this measure at the next suitable opportunity.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many 4G wireless routers his Department has purchased for educational settings that have not been distributed.
Answered by Robin Walker
The department has now delivered 101,955 4G wireless routers to schools, colleges, academy trusts and local authorities, to enable disadvantaged children and young people to access remote education and essential social care services during the COVID-19 outbreak. All routers that we have purchased have been delivered.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to provide parents with catch-up vouchers for each day their child is absent from school due to COVID-19 in order to help pay for the costs of remote learning.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Shadow Minister (Education)
The department’s priority is for schools to deliver face-to-face, high-quality education to all pupils. The evidence is clear that being out of education causes significant harm to educational attainment, life chances, mental and physical health.
School attendance is mandatory for all pupils of compulsory school age and it is the department’s priority to ensure that as many children as possible regularly attend school. The department’s current guidance for remote education states that schools affected by the remote education temporary continuity direction must provide remote education for state-funded, school-aged pupils whose attendance would be contrary to public health advice or government guidance or law relating to COVID-19 during the 2021/22 academic year. This means that schools should be offering remote education to pupils who test positive for COVID-19 or present with COVID-19 symptoms, where they are well enough to learn from home. Schools must also have regard to the expectations for remote education published here: https://get-help-with-remote-education.education.gov.uk/statutory-obligations.
The government has committed to an ambitious and long-term education recovery plan, including an investment to date of nearly £5 billion to support the tutoring programme, deliver world class training for teachers, provide additional direct recovery funding to schools, and to extend time in colleges by 40 hours a year. This support will help children and young people make up for education lost and get back on track.
The department’s overall direct investment in education recovery includes funding for up to 100 million tutoring hours for 5-19 year olds, the multi-year recovery premium so schools can deliver evidence-based interventions based on pupil needs, summer schools, extra time in 16-19 education and 500,000 training opportunities for school teachers and early years practitioners.
Recovery programmes have been designed to allow early years, school, and college leaders the flexibility to support those pupils most in need, including the most disadvantaged.
Alongside overall investment in education recovery, the department has delivered over 1.7 million laptops and tablets to schools, trusts, local authorities and further education colleges for disadvantaged children and young people as part of a £520 million government investment to support access to remote education and online social care services.
The department has previously announced funding to support schools and colleges in providing internet access for disadvantaged pupils whose face-to-face education is disrupted due to the COVID-19 outbreak and has enabled ordering of 4G routers for schools and colleges.
Asked by: Gill Furniss (Labour - Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment he has made of the impact of No Recourse to Public Funds on children's ability to access (a) the internet and (b) a computer to complete school work.
Answered by Robin Walker
The department is investing over £520 million to support access to remote education and online social care through the Get Help with Technology programme. This programme has already provided over 1.35 million devices to enable disadvantaged children and young people to access education stay in touch with their school and peers and improve their digital skills. On 22 October, the department announced a further rollout of an additional 500,000 devices. Schools and colleges decide how to best use the devices to make sure all pupils, no matter their background, can access education.
In addition, the programme also provided support for over 110,000 families to get online through uplifts in mobile data and 4G wireless routers. This included partnering with the UK’s leading mobile operators to provide free data to help over 33,000 disadvantaged children get online and delivering over 77,000 4G wireless routers for pupils without connection at home. The department has announced new funding to support schools and colleges in providing internet access for disadvantaged pupils whose face-to-face education is disrupted during the autumn term and enabled ordering of 4G routers for schools and colleges.
The department supports the role of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport in leading digital inclusion across government and welcomes the efforts of organisations such as the Digital Poverty Alliance in improving understanding of digital inclusion impacts, co-ordinating the wide range of existing local and national initiatives and highlighting gaps in support.