The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cheryl Gillan on 2016-04-27.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her policy is on the provision of free school transport for children who receive the higher rate of the mobility component of disability living allowance.
Nick Gibb
I refer my Rt Hon Friend to the reply given to written questions 31573 and 31574 on 22 March 2016.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nic Dakin on 2016-04-27.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answers of 2 and 8 February 2016 to Questions 25202 and 23871, and the update provided by Ofqual, what further progress has been made on A levels in (a) French, (b) German, (c) Spanish, (d) Religious Studies and (e) Geography being approved ready for first teaching from September 2016.
Nick Gibb
This is a matter for Ofqual, the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation. I have therefore asked its Chief Regulator, Sally Collier, to write directly to the Honourable Member. A copy of her reply will be placed in the House of Commons Library.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2016-04-27.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will instruct exam boards to offer GCSE and A-Level examinations in Persian after 2018; and if she will make a statement.
Nick Gibb
Examination boards are independent organisations and the Secretary of State cannot instruct them to offer any particular qualifications. On 22 April we announced the successful preservation of community language qualifications following negotiation with the examination boards. This fulfilled the commitment made by the Government in 2015. The announcement can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/future-of-community-language-qualifications-secured.
It remains open to the exam boards to decide to offer qualifications in Persian in future.
“
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Harriet Harman on 2016-04-27.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will instruct Ofsted, when drawing up a report on a school, to consult parents who live locally but do not send their children to that school.
Nick Gibb
There are no plans for the Secretary of State to instruct Ofsted on this matter.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jess Phillips on 2016-04-27.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the average time taken is for an academy school to be re-brokered to another academy sponsor.
Edward Timpson
Where an academy is not meeting the required standard or needs a change of sponsor, the Regional Schools Commissioner strives to ensure that this change happens as quickly as possible, with minimum impact to the school. The Department does not hold a central record of the time taken for re-brokerage.
The Education and Adoption Act 2016 gives Regional Schools Commissioners powers to tackle underperformance in academies more quickly, by allowing them to terminate their funding agreement and re-broker an academy as soon as it is judged inadequate by Ofsted or identified as coasting.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jess Phillips on 2016-04-27.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many academy schools have been re-brokered to other academy sponsors in each year since 2010.
Edward Timpson
There have been 130 academies and free schools (2% of academies) moved from a trust that had not been able to secure necessary improvements, to a strong sponsor. Regional Schools Commissioners (RSCs) are looking at the appropriate action to take with those that currently have no formal action, working with trusts to improve school performance or looking at sponsor solutions where they feel that the trust is not meeting the required standards.
The table below shows the numbers of academies which have been re-brokered to other academy sponsors, split by academic year.
|
Academic Year |
Number of academies re-brokered to other academy sponsors |
|
2011/12 |
2 |
|
2012/13 |
2 |
|
2013/14 |
13 |
|
2014/15 |
64 |
|
2015/16 |
49 |
|
Total |
130 |
There are 38 academies in the process of moving from a trust that has not been able to secure necessary improvements, to a strong sponsor.
The Department does not hold information on the number of academies which are awaiting re-brokerage. RSCs will work with schools in a number of ways before considering moving them to a new sponsor.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jess Phillips on 2016-04-27.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many academy schools are (a) in the process of being re-brokered and (b) awaiting re-brokering.
Edward Timpson
There have been 130 academies and free schools (2% of academies) moved from a trust that had not been able to secure necessary improvements, to a strong sponsor. Regional Schools Commissioners (RSCs) are looking at the appropriate action to take with those that currently have no formal action, working with trusts to improve school performance or looking at sponsor solutions where they feel that the trust is not meeting the required standards.
The table below shows the numbers of academies which have been re-brokered to other academy sponsors, split by academic year.
|
Academic Year |
Number of academies re-brokered to other academy sponsors |
|
2011/12 |
2 |
|
2012/13 |
2 |
|
2013/14 |
13 |
|
2014/15 |
64 |
|
2015/16 |
49 |
|
Total |
130 |
There are 38 academies in the process of moving from a trust that has not been able to secure necessary improvements, to a strong sponsor.
The Department does not hold information on the number of academies which are awaiting re-brokerage. RSCs will work with schools in a number of ways before considering moving them to a new sponsor.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jess Phillips on 2016-04-27.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many academy schools are not members of a multi-academy trust.
Edward Timpson
As of 1 April 2016, 1,928 academies and free schools are not members of a multi-academy trust.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jess Phillips on 2016-04-27.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on the number of times the Key Stage 1 spelling, punctuation and grammar test, which was due to be sat in May 2016 but was subsequently cancelled, was downloaded from the Standard and Testing Agency’s website.
Nick Gibb
The version of the key stage 1 spelling test administration guidance which contained the live test content was downloaded by 18,986 individual users between 24 December 2015 and 20 April 2016.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-04-27.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support her Department is providing to schools engaging in consultation processes on the Government’s policy that all schools should become academies to allow maximum stakeholder participation; and if she will make a statement.
Edward Timpson
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.