Asked by: Christopher Pincher (Independent - Tamworth)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of access to school (a) playgrounds, (b) playing fields and (c) play areas for children with disabilities; and what steps she is taking to increase that access.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
The department does not collect information on the adequacy of access to school playgrounds, school playing fields, or school play areas for children with disabilities. The department has published area guidelines for schools in Building Bulletin 103, and specific guidance for special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) schools and alternative provision (AP) sites in Building Bulletin 104. These documents include guidance and expectations around size, type, and design of outdoor PE space, informal and social areas, and the use of habitat areas.
Schools must also comply with their duties under the Equality Act 2010. This includes making reasonable adjustments and carrying out accessibility planning for disabled pupils. Schools must prepare and implement accessibility plans, which should include plans for improving the physical environment of schools to enable disabled pupils to take better advantage of education, benefits, facilities, and services provided. Ofsted may review a school’s accessibility plan as part of school inspections.
In March 2022, the department announced High Needs Provision Capital Allocations (HNPCA) amounting to over £1.4 billion of new investment. This funding is to support local authorities to deliver new places for the 2023/24 and 2024/25 academic years, and to improve the suitability and accessibility of existing provision for children and young people with SEND or who require AP.
It is ultimately up to local authorities to determine how to best prioritise their funding to address their local priorities, including improving the accessibility of school play areas. Local authorities can work with any school in their local area to do so.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to media reports of financial strain on National Park Authorities, if he will publish the (a) land, (b) buildings, (c) visitor centres and (d) children’s outdoor education centres at risk of being sold off or closed in order to cover Authorities’ short term budgetary shortfalls.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
National Park Authorities are responsible for balancing their budgets and we are aware that they are considering options to manage current inflationary pressures. No final decisions have yet been taken and therefore DEFRA does not hold the specific information requested.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the proportion of children accessing the Holiday activities and food programme who come from the most deprived areas.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
The department is investing over £200 million a year in the holiday activities and food (HAF) programme, providing healthy meals, enriching activities and free childcare places to children from low-income families, benefiting their heath, wellbeing and learning through the provision of healthy free meals, nutritional education, and physical activities on a daily basis.
Good nutrition is essential to children’s health, development and their ability to fulfil their potential in life. The department’s HAF clubs ensure that children have access to healthy food and enriching activities throughout the school holidays.
The department’s external evaluation of the 2021 HAF summer programme found that children attending HAF reported significantly higher levels of participation in both outdoor and indoor sports and games than their non-HAF peers during a normal week. Children attending HAF were also significantly more likely to feel that they ate healthy foods over the summer. Evidence suggests HAF helped children feel more socially connected, taught them new things, and that they felt safe and enjoyed their HAF experience.
The evaluation also found that HAF local authority coordinators reported almost three-quarters of a million (730,000) children attended a HAF summer holiday club in person, of which 616,000 children’s places were directly funded by HAF and 498,000 were eligible for benefits-related FSM. The evaluation also indicated that two-thirds of HAF attendees lived in one of the 30% most deprived areas across the country.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the effect of the Holiday activities and food programme on children's diets.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
The department is investing over £200 million a year in the holiday activities and food (HAF) programme, providing healthy meals, enriching activities and free childcare places to children from low-income families, benefiting their heath, wellbeing and learning through the provision of healthy free meals, nutritional education, and physical activities on a daily basis.
Good nutrition is essential to children’s health, development and their ability to fulfil their potential in life. The department’s HAF clubs ensure that children have access to healthy food and enriching activities throughout the school holidays.
The department’s external evaluation of the 2021 HAF summer programme found that children attending HAF reported significantly higher levels of participation in both outdoor and indoor sports and games than their non-HAF peers during a normal week. Children attending HAF were also significantly more likely to feel that they ate healthy foods over the summer. Evidence suggests HAF helped children feel more socially connected, taught them new things, and that they felt safe and enjoyed their HAF experience.
The evaluation also found that HAF local authority coordinators reported almost three-quarters of a million (730,000) children attended a HAF summer holiday club in person, of which 616,000 children’s places were directly funded by HAF and 498,000 were eligible for benefits-related FSM. The evaluation also indicated that two-thirds of HAF attendees lived in one of the 30% most deprived areas across the country.
Asked by: Christopher Pincher (Independent - Tamworth)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of access to school play areas for children with disabilities; and what plans she has to improve access for disabled children.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
The department does not collect information on the adequacy of access to school play areas for children with disabilities. The department publishes area guidelines for schools in Building Bulletin 103: Area Guidelines for Mainstream Schools, and specific guidance for special educational needs and disability (SEND) schools and alternative provision (AP) sites in Building Bulletin 104: Area Guidelines for SEND and alternative provision, which can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/905692/BB103_Area_Guidelines_for_Mainstream_Schools.pdf and here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/905693/BB104.pdf.
These documents include guidance and expectations around size, type, and design of outdoor PE space, informal and social areas, and the use of habitat areas.
Schools must also comply with their duties under the Equality Act 2010, including making reasonable adjustments and carrying out accessibility planning for disabled pupils. Schools must prepare and implement accessibility plans which should include plans for improving the physical environment of schools to enable disabled pupils to take better advantage of education, benefits, facilities and services provided. Ofsted may review a school’s accessibility plan as part of school inspections.
In March 2022 the department announced High Needs Provision Capital Allocations amounting to over £1.4 billion of new investment. This funding is to support local authorities to deliver new places for academic years 2023/24 and 2024/25, and improve the suitability and accessibility of existing provision for children and young people with SEND or who require AP. It is ultimately up to local authorities to determine how to best prioritise their funding to address their local priorities, including improving the accessibility of school play areas, and they can work with any school in their local area to do so.
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what (a) financial support and (b) guidance his Department provides to state schools on the provision and expansion of extra-curricular activities before, during and after school.
Answered by Jonathan Gullis
The Department is committed to ensuring young people have access to high-quality extra-curricular opportunities.
This is why we support a range of initiatives to expand access to high quality extra-curricular activities through schools, such as:
To support schools, the Department has produced a new menu of evidence-based approaches which will help schools to make effective decisions about pupil premium and recovery premium spend. This will help schools to balance their funding across high-quality teaching, targeted academic support, and wider strategies, including those focused on extra-curricular activities such as sports, outdoor activities, arts, culture, and trips.
The Department is looking to build on this foundation, going further to improve access to high-quality extra-curricular activities. The Department is exploring whether it can provide further guidance that will be helpful to schools, ensuring they can navigate the resources available to develop their extra-curricular offer and make these activities a success. We are also working with DCMS to help schools ensure their pupils are getting the most out of the National Youth Guarantee, ensuring that children and young people have offers available both inside and outside of school.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make it his policy to fund a) air pollution monitors and b) air purification systems for schools in areas where air pollution levels exceed WHO guideline limits.
Answered by Jonathan Gullis
The Department is not currently planning to fund air quality monitors or fund additional air cleaning units for schools in areas where air pollution levels exceed World Health Organisation guideline limits. More information on the number of air cleaning units delivered to schools with poor ventilation can be found at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/delivery-of-air-cleaning-units
The Department has published guidance in the Building Bulletin 101 (BB101), which provides guidelines on indoor and outdoor air quality in new and refurbished schools: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/building-bulletin-101-ventilation-for-school-buildings(opens in a new tab). BB101 guidance promotes best practice in controlling pollutants and setting maximum standards for levels of pollutants in indoors.
Outdoor air quality is the responsibility of local authorities who should prepare air quality action plans to ensure the level of pollutants is reduced. In January 2019, the Government published the Clean Air Strategy setting out plans to deal with all sources of pollution.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if his Department will take steps to help tackle variations in offsite access to nature for school pupils.
Answered by Will Quince
The department recognises the significant and wide-ranging benefits that access to nature can bring.
As announced at COP26 in November 2022, as part of the sustainability and climate change strategy for the education and children’s services systems, the department is launching the National Education Nature Park in autumn 2022. This will provide teachers, children and young people with access to activities and learning resources to further their knowledge of climate change and develop their scientific and digital skills whilst working in the natural environment.
For those schools in more urban areas with limited access to the natural environment, the Park’s website will signpost opportunities in the local community to engage with nature, be that through local community groups, parks or allotments. There are many community groups that are keen to engage with schools and by mapping what is available in one portal, it will make it easier for teachers to source the venues and advice they need to ensure that all pupils have access to nature. As the Park matures, we also envisage that grants will be made available to enable those in more disadvantaged areas to participate in the Park’s activities.
The Park will be accessed through a website which will showcase engaging activities and resources related to sustainability and climate change that could be undertaken by all education settings. These activities will be applicable to even the most limited sites, such as building ‘bug hotels’ or installing raised planting beds to increase biodiversity. Changes in biodiversity will be captured via a geospatial mapping tool which will enable staff, children and young people to identify, measure, report and monitor the progress of their own education setting over time. The department has been working closely with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to learn lessons from their Access to Nature programme, which will also be fed into the design of the Park.
The department is in the process of appointing a world class provider with outstanding expertise on these issues to deliver the Park and linked Climate Leaders Award, which will launch in autumn 2022.
Asked by: John Howell (Conservative - Henley)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the answer of 14 July 2022 to question 33745 on Prisons, if he will take steps to ensure that all prisoners in England and Wales are afforded a minimum of at least one hour of outdoor exercise each day in compliance with the (a) United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, (b) European Prison Rules and (c) the standards of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
HMPPS recognises the importance to prisoners of outdoor exercise and spending time in the open air. Subject to weather conditions and the need to maintain good order and discipline, current policy provides for all prisoners to be afforded a minimum of 30 minutes in the open air daily. Governors strive to deliver above the minimum 30 minutes requirement where operationally possible, which means that many prisoners may regularly benefit from a greater amount of time in the open air, including through participation in activities/physical education and exercise. There are no immediate plans to review the policy.
Asked by: Barry Sheerman (Labour (Co-op) - Huddersfield)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department is taking steps to encourage schools to install HEPA filters in classrooms.
Answered by Will Quince
The department has published guidance, Building Bulletin 101 (BB101), which provides guidelines on indoor and outdoor air quality in new and refurbished schools. More information on BB101 can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/building-bulletin-101-ventilation-for-school-buildings.
To support schools, the department provided over 8,000 air cleaning units with HEPA filters as a temporary measure while any identified, underlying ventilation issues were addressed. More information can be found at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/delivery-of-air-cleaning-units.
Indoor air pollutants can be managed using mechanical or natural ventilation systems. Air cleaning units are not a substitute for ventilation and should never be used as a reason to reduce ventilation. They are not necessary in spaces that are adequately ventilated.