Asked by: Emma Lewell-Buck (Labour - South Shields)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the roles and responsibilities of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of States in his Department are.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
I have been appointed as the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Children and Families at the Department of Education, and my responsibilities will be confirmed in due course.
Lord Agnew is the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the School System. His responsibilities currently include:
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to page 123 of the report, UK Poverty: Causes and Solutions, published by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation on 6 September 2016, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of implementing the recommendations in that report on providing all children with an excellent education.
Answered by Edward Timpson
We are taking wide-ranging action to address the issues raised by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation report and ensure that all children are provided with an excellent education.
In the Schools that work for everyone consultation we signalled our intention to build a diverse education system in which all children can receive a high-quality education that is right for them, regardless of their background or postcode. We are seeking to overturn the ban on new selective schools to ensure that the best and brightest students can enjoy a stretching curriculum, implementing this reform in a way that places conditions on grammar schools, as well as independent schools and universities, to ensure that they do more to raise standards across the whole system.
Working with head teachers and other sector experts we have reformed the National Professional Qualifications to better prepare leaders for the range of roles in today’s school system and have funded the High Potential Middle Leaders and High Potential Senior Leaders programmes to develop excellent leaders in challenging schools. An independent expert group convened by the department has defined a new standard for teachers’ professional development and we have announced plans to invest around £75 million in the Teaching and Leadership Innovation Fund over the next three years to support high-quality professional development for teachers and school leaders in the areas of the country and schools that need it most.
Our £137 million investment in the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) is expanding the evidence base on what works to raise the attainment of disadvantaged pupils. As part of its dissemination activity the EEF, in partnership with the Institute for Effective Education, has established a network of Research Schools to support the use of evidence in improving teaching practice.
Reforms brought in by the Children and Families Act 2014 are transforming the support available to children and young people with SEN and disabilities (SEND) by joining up services for 0-25 year olds across education, health and social care and by focusing on positive outcomes for education, employment, housing, health and community participation. Building on effective practice to support disadvantaged pupils we have funded the development of the SEND Review, based on the model of the Pupil Premium Review, to support SEND focussed school-to-school improvement. Since 2015, we have funded the Whole School SEND consortium to embed the SEND review nationally and encourage school leaders to give greater priority to improving their SEND provision.
Schools have a clear legal duty not to discriminate against pupils under the Equality Act 2010. Statutory guidance on exclusions is clear that head teachers should make additional efforts to consider what extra support is needed to avoid exclusion for groups with disproportionately high rates of exclusion, including those with SEND and pupils from Gypsy Roma Traveller communities. Our plans to reform the use of alternative provision (AP) include making schools accountable for the ongoing education and outcomes of pupils who require AP, such as those who are permanently excluded. This will further strengthen incentives for schools to take earlier action where problems emerge that put pupils at risk of exclusion.
Asked by: Emma Lewell-Buck (Labour - South Shields)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children with special educational needs and disability (SEND) were excluded from school; and what the total number of days lost to fixed-term exclusions was for children with SEND in each of the last three years.
Answered by Edward Timpson
The numbers of exclusions of pupils with special educational needs are available from the permanent and fixed-period exclusions in England statistical first releases, which can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-exclusions
The number of days ‘lost’ to fixed-term exclusions for pupils with special educational needs is not held. Schools must arrange alternative provision from the sixth day of a fixed-period exclusion, and may do so earlier.
Asked by: John Pugh (Liberal Democrat - Southport)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many pupils on the National Schools Database are not assigned to a specific school or registered for home tuition.
Answered by Edward Timpson
The information requested is not held centrally.
We do not recognise the term ‘National Schools Database’ but interpret it to mean one of two things:
The welfare of children unassigned to maintained schools or home educated is a Local Authority responsibility.
Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children with autism spectrum disorders are excluded from secondary school in Year 10; and what comparative assessment she has made of the level of such exclusions in Year 10 and in other years.
Answered by Edward Timpson
In the academic year 2013/14, there were 700 fixed period exclusions and 10 permanent exclusions for Year 10 pupils with an autistic spectrum disorder primary need. In percentage terms, 15.33% of such pupils were excluded for a fixed period, while 0.23% were permanently excluded.
A table showing the number of exclusions for these pupils is attached. The rate of exclusions for these Year 10 pupils is consistent with the rate in Years 7 through 11.
We recognise that pupils with an autism spectrum disorder can be vulnerable to exclusion. The department is working with the National Autistic Society and is funding their project to help reduce exclusions. The project includes advice to professionals on early intervention, information for parents and guidance on good practice in alternative provision.
Asked by: Karin Smyth (Labour - Bristol South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that parents of children and young people with autism receive appropriate support, guidance and information.
Answered by Edward Timpson
The comprehensive reforms to the Special Educational Needs (SEN) system under the Children and Families Act 2014 introduced a range of measures to improve outcomes and support for children and young people with SEN or a disability (SEND) and to ensure their parents are well supported and informed.
Many aspects of the reforms are of particular benefit to the parents of children and young people with autism. In particular, the move to Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans requires local authorities and other agencies to ensure that parents are fully involved at all stages of the process, with opportunities to voice their opinions and concerns. The reforms also introduced Independent Supporters to guide parents through the EHC process.
In addition, schools are required by the 0-25 SEND code of practice to inform parents when they are making special educational provision for a child, to keep them informed of progress and to involve them in planning support for their child. The reforms also make provision to ensure that parents, children and young people are able to access impartial information, advice and support. This is available through a local, dedicated and easily identifiable service which includes help to prepare them for meetings with schools, health professionals or other agencies. Parent carer forums are also a valuable source of information and support for parents of all children with special educational needs, including those whose children have autism.
The department recognises that children and young people with autism can be particularly vulnerable to exclusion from school and that parents may need extra support. In 2015-16 the department is funding a project by the National Autistic Society to provide parents and young people with access to advice and information about exclusions, alternative provision and disability discrimination.
The department also provided £1.5 million during 2013-15 to the Autism EducationTrust. This is an organisation which provides training to early years providers, schools and FE colleges to help deliver an effective education for all children and young people who are autistic. The Department is providing a further £650,000 2015-16 to extend the training and to revise its national autism standards and competency framework for education staff. Since March 2012 over 66,000 education staff have received training.
Asked by: Lord Quirk (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many secondary school pupils who were (1) permanently excluded, or (2) excluded for one or more fixed periods since 2000, subsequently passed a GCSE in (a) one, (b) two, or (c) three or more subjects.
Answered by Lord Nash
The information requested is only available at disproportionate cost.
All children, regardless of circumstance or setting deserve a good education. We have taken a range of actions to drive up the quality of education for those children who are educated in alternative provision (AP) following an exclusion, including through the introduction of AP academies and AP free schools.
Information on the number of permanent and fixed period exclusions since 2000 is published in the “Permanent and fixed period exclusions from schools in England: 2011 to 2012 academic year” Statistical First Release[1]. Information on fixed period exclusions was collected for the first time in 2003/04. Information for 2012/13 will be published on 31 July 2014.
Asked by: Karen Lumley (Conservative - Redditch)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the potential role of the local offer in reducing the number of pupils with autism affected by official and unofficial exclusion.
Answered by Edward Timpson
An interim evaluation of the school exclusions pilot, published in March 2013, found early indications of schools taking more responsibility for pupils at risk of exclusion, collaborating with each other and working in partnership with local authorities to improve alternative provision in their areas. Such approaches benefit all pupils vulnerable to exclusion, including those with autism.
The Department for Education has introduced wide ranging reforms through the Children and Families Act 2014 to improve provision and support for children and young people with special educational needs or a disability.
The Act requires local authorities to publish a local offer of services for children and young people with special educational needs (SEN) or a disability. The local offer will set out in one place information about provision families can expect to be available across education, health and social care for children and young people who have SEN or are disabled, including those who do not have education, health and care (EHC) plans.
The local offer will provide children, young people and parents with clear, comprehensive and accessible information about the services and support available and how to access it, including that from schools.
It will make provision more responsive to local needs and aspirations by directly involving families and service providers in its development and review, enabling them to have a greater say in how services and support develop over time.
This should therefore have an important role to play in improving outcomes and reducing exclusions for children and young people with SEN, including those with autism.
Asked by: Karen Lumley (Conservative - Redditch)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the effect of the school exclusions pilot on pupils with autism.
Answered by Edward Timpson
An interim evaluation of the school exclusions pilot, published in March 2013, found early indications of schools taking more responsibility for pupils at risk of exclusion, collaborating with each other and working in partnership with local authorities to improve alternative provision in their areas. Such approaches benefit all pupils vulnerable to exclusion, including those with autism.
The Department for Education has introduced wide ranging reforms through the Children and Families Act 2014 to improve provision and support for children and young people with special educational needs or a disability.
The Act requires local authorities to publish a local offer of services for children and young people with special educational needs (SEN) or a disability. The local offer will set out in one place information about provision families can expect to be available across education, health and social care for children and young people who have SEN or are disabled, including those who do not have education, health and care (EHC) plans.
The local offer will provide children, young people and parents with clear, comprehensive and accessible information about the services and support available and how to access it, including that from schools.
It will make provision more responsive to local needs and aspirations by directly involving families and service providers in its development and review, enabling them to have a greater say in how services and support develop over time.
This should therefore have an important role to play in improving outcomes and reducing exclusions for children and young people with SEN, including those with autism.