Asked by: Lord Johnson of Marylebone (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many international students on student visas who complete postgraduate taught courses and leave the UK within 12 months do not subsequently return to the UK on that visa.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Home Office does not publish data on the proportion of student visas for postgraduate taught courses or how long people were resident in the UK on student visas.
The Home Office publishes data on sponsored study visas in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on the outcomes of student visas are published in table ‘Vis_D02’ of the detailed entry clearance visas dataset. Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. The latest data relates up to the end of December 2023.
The Home Office also publishes data on how people move through the immigration system in the Migrant Journey report. The report contains information on the number of people starting a journey each year broken down by immigration route (e.g. study) and for how long they continue to hold leave. It does not contain information on how long people were resident in the UK or the level of qualification for which they were studying. The latest report covers up to the end of 2022.
Asked by: Lord Johnson of Marylebone (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government why all international students on postgraduate taught courses are counted as migrants, even though a proportion of those students leave the UK after less than a year.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Long-term international migration estimates are produced by the independent Office for National Statistics (ONS). Any decision around the methodology used to estimate net migration would be for the ONS. They use the “UN-recommended definition of a long-term international migrant”, a person who moves to another country other than their own for at least a year (12 months). Students who leave the UK within one year of their arrival are not considered to be long-term migrants. In their ‘Reason for international migration, international students update’ they said:
“An international student is currently defined as someone who arrives in the UK to study and remains for a period of 12 months or more. In line with the current United Nations (UN) definition of a long-term migrant, international students are included in our estimates of long-term immigration.”
Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure a smooth transition for students with special educational needs and disabilities from (a) key stage 2 to key stage 3 and (b) key stage 4 to key stage 5.
Answered by David Johnston - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government is committed to ensuring that all children and young people have access to a world-class education that sets them up for life and supports them to achieve positive outcomes.
Mainstream schools and colleges should use their best endeavours to make sure a child or young person with special educational needs gets the special educational provision they need. This might include tailored support to prepare for transitions.
In addition, for those with an Education, Health, and Care (EHC) plan, there must be a focus from year 9 onwards on preparing the young person for transitions as part of their plan’s annual review. Planning for the transitions should result in clear outcomes being agreed that are ambitious, stretching, and which are tailored to the needs and interests of the young person.
The department is developing good practice guidance to support consistent, timely, high-quality transitions for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and for those in alternative provision (AP). This will ultimately look at transitions between all stages of education from early years and will focus initially on transitions into and out of post-16 settings. This includes transitions into higher education, employment, adult services, and, for young people leaving AP at the end of key stage 4, building on learning from the recent Alternative Provision Transition Fund.
The department is working with the Department for Work and Pensions and key partners from the SEND and post-16 sectors, including the Association of Colleges and Natspec, to develop the guidance. The department is working with young people with different types of need, including those with and without EHC plans, to co-produce the guidance to ensure it improves experiences and outcomes. The department will also involve parents and carers.
Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment has been made of the potential impact of the withdrawal of the WJEC Level 3 qualification in Criminology on the (a) diversity and (b) inclusivity of post-16 education (i) for students from (A) disadvantaged backgrounds and (B) underrepresented groups and (ii) generally.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
Qualifications reform aims to streamline the qualifications landscape, simplify choices for students and only fund qualifications that are necessary, high-quality and lead to good progression outcomes.
Between October 2020 and January 2021, the government consulted on proposals to reform post-16 technical and academic qualifications at Level 3. A subsequent policy statement, published in July 2021, considered all the evidence submitted by consultation respondents. This can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/reforms-to-post-16-qualifications-at-level-3-in-england.
Qualification reform places A levels and T Levels at the heart of study programmes, which evidence shows provide the best foundation to progress, either into higher education (HE) or skilled employment. The department recognises there is a need for alternative academic qualifications (AAQs) in a small range of subjects aimed at progression to HE, to support the A level offer. The department will fund small AAQs where they are necessary because there is no A level in the sector subject area or where it is strategically important to do so.
Qualifications reforms are being undertaken in cycles. Criminology qualifications will be considered in cycle 2. An announcement, on which qualifications will be approved and which will see funding removed, will be made in 2025 and implemented from 1 August 2026. Criminology is contained in the sector subject area of sociology and social policy which also contains a sociology A level that will serve students wishing to progress to HE. For those wishing to progress into other careers, such as police or prison officer, they could undertake small AAQs in subjects such as uniformed protective services alongside A levels such as physical education and sociology. Our reforms also allow for technical occupational entry qualifications to be developed. Consequently, criminology has not been listed as an area where the department would accept a small AAQ.
An impact assessment was undertaken to consider the post-16 reforms at Level 3 as a whole, which can be read here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1091841/Revised_Review_of_post-16_qualifications_at_level_3_in_England_impact_assessment.pdf.
For students from disadvantaged backgrounds and underrepresented groups, the department expects the impact to be generally positive, as those learners will see the biggest improvement in the quality of qualifications, and their outcomes thereafter. Students are expected to benefit from a more rigorous qualification system, with qualifications that better equip students with the necessary skills for progression into employment or further study. This in turn should help improve their economic returns and employability. However, the department recognises that for a small minority of students, Level 3 may not be achievable in future. That is why the department is raising the quality of qualifications at Level 2 and below so that there is plenty to offer students from all backgrounds who cannot access Level 3 straightaway, or for students who wish to exit into valuable occupations at Level 2.
There will also be provision available for students who require additional help and support to reach Level 3. This includes the academic progression programme pilot and the T Level foundation year, where the department has seen 49% of students progress to Level 3 or higher from the first cohort.
Asked by: Lloyd Russell-Moyle (Labour (Co-op) - Brighton, Kemptown)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will provide support to schools and colleges to help prepare minority ethnic young people to transition into work.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
High-quality careers information, advice and guidance is key to helping all young people make informed decisions about their future, including being able to find out about and consider the different options available to them.
The department funds the Careers and Enterprise Company (CEC) to support schools and colleges to deliver high-quality careers programmes, to increase young people’s exposure to the world of work and to smooth the transition into their next step.
The support provided by CEC is universal and provides young people in every part of the country, no matter what their background, with high-quality, tailored advice and guidance. Secondary schools are expected to develop and improve their careers provision for young people in line with the world-class Gatsby Benchmarks, including benchmark 3 which focuses on addressing the individual needs of each pupil.
To support schools to address the individual needs of each pupil, in September 2021 CEC launched the Future Skills Questionnaire (FSQ), which is a student self-completion questionnaire that measures career readiness at points of transition across secondary education. Careers Leaders in secondary schools use FSQ insights to identify those students that require additional support in making their next career learning choice.
Careers Hubs in the 2023/24 academic year are providing additional funding to deliver three distinct strands of activity focused on supporting more disadvantaged pupils:
Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to support schools and colleges to adapt their curriculum offering following the withdrawal of the WJEC Level 3 qualification in criminology (a) where the qualification was a significant component of vocational education programmes and (b) generally.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
The intentions of the reforms to qualifications at Level 3 and below are to streamline the qualifications landscape, simplify choices for students, and only fund qualifications that are high-quality and lead to good progression outcomes. By ensuring that approved qualifications meet new, more rigorous criteria, young people can be confident that they will be able to progress to university and higher technical education and directly into apprenticeships and skilled employment.
Qualification reform puts A levels and T Levels at the heart of study programmes. Qualifications reforms are being undertaken in cycles.
Criminology qualifications will be considered in cycle 2 of the qualification’s reforms. An announcement, on which qualifications will be approved and which will see funding removed, will be made in 2025 and will be implemented from 1 August 2026. For students interested in the police, prison service, and other uniformed or emergency services, large applied general qualifications in uniformed protective services will remain funded until 2026. After this, qualifications in these subjects will either be approved as small alternative academic qualifications (AAQs), or technical qualifications mapped against relevant Level 3 occupational standards. Criminology is contained in the sector subject area of sociology and social policy. This sector subject area also contains a sociology A level which will serve students wishing to progress to higher education.
Students will have the option to choose A levels or a mixed study programme. A student aspiring to be a police constable for example, could study a small AAQ alongside appropriate A levels such as law, physical education, or sociology. Alternatively, they can study a relevant technical occupational entry qualification, which will be based on the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education approved occupational standards. These have been designed by employers to give the skills, knowledge and behaviours needed for the occupations to which they pertain. Consequently, criminology has not been listed as an area where the department would accept a small AAQ.
Over the last six months the department has invited all providers to attend one of ten in-person events in five cities across England to support them in understanding the details and timeline for reform and to provide information to help planning and designing their curriculum offer. The department has launched a set of web pages that provide colleges with the information they need. These web pages can be found here: https://support.tlevels.gov.uk/hc/en-gb/sections/16829562632850-Qualifications-Review.
The department will continue to support schools and colleges through online information, future guides and events as the dates where the new qualifications landscape is introduced move closer.
Asked by: Matt Western (Labour - Warwick and Leamington)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of students came from a sixth form or college within 15 miles of their university in the period between 2015 and 2023.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
The information is not readily available or held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Derek Thomas (Conservative - St Ives)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking with the Secretary of State for the Home Department to help prevent people (a) promoting, (b) encouraging and (c) glorifying terrorism at universities.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
Higher education (HE) providers must comply with the statutory Prevent duty to have 'due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism'. The statutory Prevent duty can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/prevent-duty-guidance/prevent-duty-guidance-for-england-and-wales-accessible.
HE providers should have effective policies and procedures in place to safeguard individuals susceptible to radicalisation. This includes assessing the risk of learners becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism. The Office for Students has delegated responsibility from the Secretary of State for Education for monitoring compliance of the Prevent duty in Registered HE Bodies.
The department has a team of Prevent Regional Education Co-ordinators who work directly with HE institutions in England to provide advice, support and training to ensure providers are well equipped to prevent people from being drawn into or supporting terrorism. Further guidance, including bespoke training material for HE providers, can be found on GOV.UK.
In the 'Independent Review of Prevent: One year on' progress report, the department announced that it is committed to publishing research on the implementation of the Prevent duty in HE, and guidance for universities on managing external speakers on campus. The Independent Review of Prevent can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/independent-review-of-prevents-report-and-government-response/independent-review-of-prevent-one-year-on-progress-report-accessible.
Asked by: Helen Grant (Conservative - Maidstone and The Weald)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to encourage take up of degree-level apprenticeships.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
Degree-level apprenticeships (Levels 6 and 7) provide people with high-quality training and are important in supporting productivity, social mobility and widening participation in higher education and employment. There are now over 170 degree-level apprenticeships available in exciting occupations such as Doctor and Nuclear Scientist. More broadly, the department has now developed nearly 700 high-quality apprenticeship standards with employers, so today nearly 70% of occupations are available via an apprenticeship.
The department has seen year-on-year growth of degree-level apprenticeships, with 229,970 starts since their introduction in the 2014/15 academic year. The department want to further accelerate the growth of degree level apprenticeships and are providing an additional £40 million over two financial years to support providers expand their offers, improving access to young people and disadvantaged groups. The department has also teamed up with UCAS so that students can now see apprenticeship vacancies on their service, putting apprenticeships on an equal footing with traditional academic routes, and continuing outreach work in schools and colleges through the Apprenticeship Support and Knowledge programme.
Asked by: Peter Gibson (Conservative - Darlington)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to ensure that universities are following English proficiency requirements for foreign students.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI), as part of their compliance activities, conduct on-site audits of sponsors and check what assessment methods sponsors have used and their relevant evidence. Where there are any compliance breaches, UKVI take compliance action which can include formal action plans or revocation of the sponsor licence. English language assessments are also considered as part of the Basic Compliance Assessment which sponsors are required to pass on an annual basis.