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  • Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-06-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 15 June 2016 to Question 40256, what steps she is taking to ensure that a school which is not required formally to consult about academy conversion takes into account the views of local stakeholders.

    Edward Timpson

    As set out in the answer to question 40256, the Education and Adoption Act 2016 requires that where schools are eligible for intervention, the incoming sponsor of the academy is required to communicate to parents its plans for improving the school. The Department will confirm that sponsors have complied with this duty prior to enter into a Funding Agreement with the Trust.

  • Carol Monaghan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Carol Monaghan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Carol Monaghan on 2016-06-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if her Department will take steps to ensure STEM-qualified teachers are exempt from the £35,000 income threshold for settlement for non-EU workers.

    Nick Gibb

    The Government announced in 2012 that from 6 April 2016, Tier 2 visa holders who apply for settlement in the UK will be required to meet a minimum annual salary requirement of £35,000. Secondary education teachers from non-EU countries in the subjects of mathematics, chemistry and physics are on the shortage occupation list and thus are exempt from the £35,000 threshold.

  • Carol Monaghan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Carol Monaghan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Carol Monaghan on 2016-06-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure schools continue to recruit and retain non-EU nationals in STEM subjects who do not meet the £35,000 income threshold for settlement.

    Nick Gibb

    The Government announced in 2012 that from 6 April 2016, Tier 2 visa holders who apply for settlement in the UK will be required to meet a minimum annual salary requirement of £35,000. Secondary education teachers from non-EU countries in the subjects of mathematics, chemistry and physics are on the shortage occupation list and thus are exempt from the £35,000 threshold.

  • Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-06-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what powers she has to prevent multi-academy trusts from expanding faster than their capacity to maintain a strong record on school improvement.

    Edward Timpson

    Regional Schools Commissioners (RSCs) take decisions in the name of the Secretary of State. RSCs are responsible for intervening where there is underperformance and for the creation of new academies.

    When schools are converting to academy status as part of a Multi Academy Trust (MAT) or joining an existing MAT, it is the RSC’s role to decide whether to approve or decline the application. The RSC, supported by their headteacher board, will want to be assured that the governance and leadership of the MAT is clear and robust; and that the MAT has the capacity to drive improvement across all schools within it.

    The RSC will reassess MATs at key milestones throughout the academic year (such as following exam results) and at key stages of their growth to consider their capacity to support and enable the academies within their MAT to improve.

    This information is publically available and can be found in the RSC decision-making framework on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/517565/RSC-Decision-Making-Framework.pdf

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  • Imran Hussain – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Imran Hussain – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2016-06-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she made an assessment of the potential merits of providing additional funding to schools with high teacher vacancy rates for teacher salaries.

    Nick Gibb

    From 2017, we have committed to introduce a national funding formula so that we can allocate funding more fairly, based on the needs of schools and the characteristics of their pupils. That will mean schools are better placed to manage their budgets and make informed decisions about their spending. Our pay reforms have given schools greater flexibility to determine teachers’ pay and to decide what salary to offer to new teachers on appointment. This increased flexibility helps schools to attract and recruit the teachers they need.

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-06-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much her Department spent in the last five years on the provision of English language teachers for students recently arrived in the UK with little knowledge of that language.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    The department distributes school funding to local authorities through the dedicated schools grant. Each local authority then devises a formula through which it allocates funding to schools in its locality. No funding is allocated on the basis of pupils who have recently arrived from overseas, either from central government to local authorities or from local authorities to individual schools.

    Local authorities can include an ‘English as an additional language’ (EAL) factor in their funding formulae. EAL funding is determined on the basis of census data which records whether or not a pupil’s first language is English. Funding allocated through this factor forms part of the school’s core budget and it is for school leaders to determine how best to use their whole budget so that all pupils can reach their full potential.

    We will introduce a national funding formula from 2017-18 so that funding is fair and matched to need. Our first consultation proposed that the formula should include an EAL factor. We will set out the precise detail of the formula in our second consultation.

  • David Anderson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    David Anderson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Anderson on 2016-06-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will publish the pass rates for the year one phonics screening check by the birth month of the pupils.

    Nick Gibb

    We will publish phonics results for Year 1 pupils by month of birth at national level for 2016. The data will be published at the end of September in a statistical first release at: www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-key-stage-1

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  • Judith Cummins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Judith Cummins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Judith Cummins on 2016-06-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the number of children in (a) Bradford South constituency and (b) Yorkshire and the Humber who do not meet the expected levels of speech and communication skills in the Early Years Foundation Stage assessment.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    The Government wants all children, regardless of their background, to have access to high quality early education and childcare, as we know this is what makes the difference to outcomes. To help close the gap between disadvantaged children and their better off peers, we introduced the two-year-old entitlement of 15 hours of free early education in September 2013. Already 70% of two-year-olds are benefitting from the free early education entitlement. We have also invested over £50 million in the Early Years Pupil Premium, to further help disadvantaged children in the early years.

    While the Department does not carry out analysis at constituency level on the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Profile results, information at Bradford local authority level shows a significant increase in the proportion of children reaching the expected level in communication and language. The most recent EYFS Profile results show that the gap has narrowed:

    • For Bradford local authority: 78.3% in 2015, compared to 71.2% in 2014 and 66.6% in 2013; and
    • For the Yorkshire and Humberside region: 79.5% in 2015, compared to 75.7% in 2014 and 69.9% in 2013.

    The national picture shows a similar trend with the gap narrowing to 80.3% in 2015 from 77.1% in 2014 and 72.2% in 2013.

  • Nic Dakin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Nic Dakin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nic Dakin on 2016-06-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 6 June 2016 to Question 38401, whether she plans to publish her response to the School Teachers’ Review Body report on teachers’ pay from September 2016 and the draft 2016 School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions document for consultation and information before 14 July 2016.

    Nick Gibb

    We will continue to consider carefully the report from the School Teachers’ Review Body and its recommendations. We will publish the report, together with our response and a draft revised School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document, as soon as we have completed our consideration of it.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-06-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many Civil Service employees of her Department were based in Coventry in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

    Nick Gibb

    The numbers of employees of the Department for Education based in Coventry in each of the last five years is shown in the table below.

    Year

    2012

    2013

    2014

    2015

    2016

    Number at 31st March

    182

    411

    369

    367

    373

    Source: RM