Author: admin

  • Amanda Solloway – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Amanda Solloway – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Amanda Solloway on 2016-06-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to ensure that deaf parents receive adequate support so that they can participate in their children’s schooling and all related school activities undertaken by parents.

    Edward Timpson

    The Public Sector Equality Duty (at section 149 of the Equality Act 2010) requires public bodies, and those carrying out public functions, such as schools, to have due regard to the following aims when designing policies and delivering services:

    • eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation and any other conduct that is prohibited by or under the Equality Act 2010
    • advance equality of opportunity, and;
    • foster good relations between people who share a relevant protected characteristic and those who do not.

    This includes discrimination against people with a disability, such as deafness. Public bodies must be able to show how equality issues have been considered when they develop, implement, evaluate and review policies, services and processes.

    We are committed to ensuring all parents have a more significant voice in all schools. Through the new Parent Portal, we will ensure parents have access to clear and simple information about the school system and how to support their child. This will work alongside the new performance tables website which is making it easier for parents to find out how well their child’s school is performing and to compare schools across a range of key measures.

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

    Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-06-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her policy is on taking account of local communities producing a Neighbourhood Plan using powers in the Localism Act 2011 when a local authority makes a separate school site disposal application to her Department.

    Edward Timpson

    The Secretary of State considers any application to dispose of publicly funded school land on a case by case basis. Before consenting to a disposal she will consider the impact on the local community, including any community interest in the land or local plans for the site. The requirement to seek consent from the Secretary of State for the disposal of school land is however, an entirely separate process to any local planning considerations or requirements. Such matters are the responsibility of the local authority.

  • Jason McCartney – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Jason McCartney – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jason McCartney on 2016-06-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that local authorities provide sufficient short breaks to children with life-shortening conditions in England.

    Edward Timpson

    Since 2011, local authorities have been under a duty to provide a range of short breaks services and to publish a local Short Breaks Duty Statement showing what services are available, how they are responding to the needs of local parent carers, and how short breaks can be accessed, including any eligibility criteria. Local authorities are responsible for funding this short breaks provision.

    Between April 2011 and March 2015, the government made available £800 million to local authorities for short break provision, along with an additional £80 million of capital funding for equipment and infrastructure.

    Between April 2015 and March 2016, we awarded £250,555 to the Short Breaks Partnership (a consortium made up of Contact a Family, the Council for Disabled Children, Action for Children, and KIDS) to provide information and advice to those involved in designing, commissioning, providing, and taking up short breaks for disabled children. The Department for Education has allocated £200m funding over the next 4 years to support innovation and improvement to children’s social work practice. We are currently considering how we can use some of this funding to support local innovative approaches to short breaks for disabled children and their families and for making services more accessible.

    The Department’s Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Advisory Team is continuing to offer support and challenge to local authorities to help make sure they meet all of their statutory requirements and that quality continues to improve. From this summer, there will be opportunities through the new Ofsted/Care Quality Commission SEND inspections framework for local areas to consider how well they are providing for the education, health and care needs of those with SEND, including their need for short breaks services. In addition, Together for Short lives, the UK charity for children and young people with life limiting conditions, received £551,029 from the Department for Education over a 3 year period – between April 2013 and March 2016, to help ensure children and young people with life limiting conditions benefited from the SEND reforms.

  • Jess Phillips – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Jess Phillips – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jess Phillips on 2016-06-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many multi-academy trusts trustees have been removed from post under the Companies Act 2006.

    Edward Timpson

    The department’s model articles of association for academy trusts provide several routes by which trustees (directors) can be removed from their post, in addition to the Companies Act 2006. There is no role for the Secretary of State in removing a director using the procedure set out in that Act.

    When a director is removed from post, retires or resigns, the remaining directors must notify Companies House within 14 days, as required by the Act. There is no requirement to specify whether this was carried out using the procedure set out in the Act or using a different route. Separately, there is a requirement to notify the Secretary of State – via the Education Funding Agency – of the vacating or filling of the positions of chair of trustees, accounting officer and chief financial officer and all new appointments of trustees and members.

  • Jess Phillips – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Jess Phillips – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jess Phillips on 2016-06-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many complaints her Department has received about consultations relating to new free schools.

    Edward Timpson

    Free schools trusts are required, under Section 10 of the Academies Act 2010, to consult those they think appropriate on whether to enter into a Funding Agreement with the Secretary of State to open the school, and to have due regard to the outcome of that consultation. The duty to consult rests solely with the trust and the Department does not direct trusts on how to execute their duty.

    Complaints about a particular consultation can be made directly to the Department. However the total number of complaints received relating to free school consultations is not recorded.

  • Jess Phillips – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Jess Phillips – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jess Phillips on 2016-06-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the value is of property not in use which was purchased by the Education Funding Agency since 2012.

    Edward Timpson

    The Department currently holds two sites, acquired at a cost of £2.635 million, which are not currently allocated for a Free School project. We are currently considering the options for each of these properties.

  • Jess Phillips – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Jess Phillips – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jess Phillips on 2016-06-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many of the academy trusts approved to receive the Northern Fund for academy sponsors in the first competition which concluded in July 2015 operated schools which had not been inspected by Ofsted since becoming an academy.

    Edward Timpson

    Nine academy trusts were approved to receive the Northern Fund from the two competitions. All nine trusts (five in the first competition, and four in the second) were operating one or more schools that had not been inspected by Ofsted since becoming an academy at the time decisions were taken to award funding. Equally, all nine trusts had one of more schools that had been inspected at the time decisions were taken to award funding.

    Academy trusts will, at any point in time, be likely to have a mixture of academies, some of which will have been inspected as academies and some not. That is the nature of the inspection arrangements, and is why we considered a broad set of factors, including the overall performance of the trusts, to assess whether the Northern Fund would enhance their capacity and capability to improve underperforming schools.

  • Jess Phillips – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Jess Phillips – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jess Phillips on 2016-06-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many of the academy trusts approved to receive the Northern Fund for academy sponsors in the second competition which concluded in February 2016 operated schools which had not been inspected by Ofsted since becoming an academy.

    Edward Timpson

    Nine academy trusts were approved to receive the Northern Fund from the two competitions. All nine trusts (five in the first competition, and four in the second) were operating one or more schools that had not been inspected by Ofsted since becoming an academy at the time decisions were taken to award funding. Equally, all nine trusts had one of more schools that had been inspected at the time decisions were taken to award funding.

    Academy trusts will, at any point in time, be likely to have a mixture of academies, some of which will have been inspected as academies and some not. That is the nature of the inspection arrangements, and is why we considered a broad set of factors, including the overall performance of the trusts, to assess whether the Northern Fund would enhance their capacity and capability to improve underperforming schools.

  • Fiona Mactaggart – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Fiona Mactaggart – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Fiona Mactaggart on 2016-06-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which schools in Slough are partner schools for Teach First.

    Nick Gibb

    Teach First currently has two cohorts of trainees participating in its two year Leadership Development Programme in Slough. They are placed in the following schools:

    • Foxborough Primary School

    • Marish Primary School

    • Montem Academy

    • St Anthony’s Catholic Primary School

    • St Ethelbert’s Catholic Primary School

    • Slough and Eton Church of England Business and Enterprise College

    • Wexham Court Primary School

    • Willow Primary School

  • Mark Menzies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Mark Menzies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Menzies on 2016-06-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, for what reasons the Committee of Climate Change report on the compatibility of UK onshore petroleum with meeting UK carbon budgets has not yet been laid before Parliament; and when she plans to publish the Government’s response to that report.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The Government has received the Committee on Climate Change (CCC) report. We are carefully considering the report to ensure it is given the proper consideration it is due.

    Under the Infrastructure Act 2015, the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change is required to lay the CCC report and our response before Parliament together. They will be published as soon as practicable once our response is complete.