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  • Frank Field – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Frank Field – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2015-11-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much public funding has been spent by Magic Breakfast in each parliamentary constituency to date.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    Magic Breakfast currently receive central government funding from a contract with the Department for Education. The objective of the project is to set up and run 184 breakfast clubs in schools where 35% or more children are eligible for free school meals, to ensure that children are fed and are at school on time and ready to learn. Magic Breakfast are required to develop plans to enable the breakfast clubs to be self-sustaining beyond the contract period. The project is being externally evaluated.

    The value of the contract is £1.087m, of which £518,523 has so far been paid. This is the only central government funding currently provided to Magic Breakfast in England. Any funding in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland would be a matter for the relevant governments. The Department does not hold a breakdown of contract expenditure by parliamentary constituency.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Jim Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-11-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the amount spent on advertising campaigns aimed at teacher recruitment in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

    Nick Gibb

    The estimated amount spent on advertising campaigns aimed at teacher recruitment in each of the last five years is:

    2010-11

    2011-12

    2012-13

    2013-14

    2014-15

    Total spend

    £4,210,000

    £4,630,000

    £6,020,000

    £1,800,000

    £4,770,000

    These estimates include advertising campaign costs, such as production and purchased media space in TV, newspapers, online and social media.

  • Helen Jones – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Helen Jones – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Jones on 2015-11-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to encourage more teachers with qualifications in English and mathematics to take up posts in further education colleges.

    Nick Boles

    Our Further Education Workforce Strategy[1] published in 2014 sets out the steps government has already taken to encourage more teachers with qualifications in English and Mathematics to take up posts in further education colleges.

    Since 2013, bursaries of up to £25,000 have been available to attract new graduates with relevant degrees to teach English and Mathematics, and to specialise in teaching students with SEN within the FE sector. To date, over 950 bursaries have been provided to graduates. The government is committed to supporting the development of the teaching workforce in FE and has invested over £30m since 2013 to fund a range of programmes and incentives to improve the quality of leadership, teaching and support staff in the sector – with a priority on English and Maths.

    Furthermore, 3,800 existing FE teachers have benefited from enhancement programmes designed to improve teacher confidence and knowledge of new GCSE English and Maths qualifications.

    Further information on Further Education teacher training can be found in the ‘Get into Teaching’ website[2] and FE advice websites[3].

    [1] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/further-education-workforce-strategy

    [2]https://getintoteaching.education.gov.uk/

    [3] https://www.feadvice.org.uk/

  • Derek Twigg – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Derek Twigg – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Derek Twigg on 2015-11-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the average amount spent on new school textbooks in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in each year since 2010.

    Nick Gibb

    The Department for Education does not collect data on the specific amount schools spend on textbooks.

    The department publishes the amount of money spent on educational resources, including textbooks. This information is published in releases which can be found online at GOV.UK.[1]

    [1] https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/schools-education-and-childrens-services-spending-2013-to-2014

    https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/income-and-expenditure-in-academies-in-england-2013-to-2014

  • Seema Malhotra – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Seema Malhotra – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Seema Malhotra on 2015-11-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate she has made of the average cost to a (a) school and (b) local authority of employing a (i) teacher and (ii) classroom assistant; and what forecast she has made of that cost in each year from 2016-17 to 2019-20.

    Nick Gibb

    The government published a statistical release in July 2015, ‘School Workforce in England: November 2014’, which contains the latest statistics on average salaries for teachers employed by schools and local authorities in England. This release can be found online at: www.gov.uk/government/statistics/school-workforce-in-england-november-2014

    The latest available statistics on the average salaries of teaching assistants employed by schools and local authorities in England were published in response to PQ856 in June 2015. This can be found online at: www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2015-06-02/856/

    The Department for Education’s pay reforms have given schools greater flexibility to decide how much to pay their teachers and how quickly their pay progresses over time.

    Future average salaries of teachers will be informed by the annual recommendations of the School Teachers Pay Review Body. The pay of teaching assistants and school support staff are set by schools themselves. The department does not produce forecasts of future average pay for these staff.

  • Seema Malhotra – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Seema Malhotra – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Seema Malhotra on 2015-11-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department has taken to implement the conclusions of Fixing the foundations: creating a more prosperous nation, Cm 9098, published in July 2015, and simplify and streamline the number of qualifications.

    Nick Boles

    Compared to other countries, technical and professional education in England is still too complex. The government’s ambition is for a system that provides individuals with clear, high-quality routes to employment.

    Following Professor Alison Wolf’s 2011 Review of Vocational Education, the government has already removed thousands of low-quality qualifications, which were not valued by employers, from the school and college performance tables.

    Building on these reforms we will introduce up to 20 specific new professional and technical routes will be created, leading up to employment or degree-level study. This will simplify the system so individuals no longer need to choose from thousands of qualifications.

    To advise on these reforms, the government has appointed an Independent Panel on Technical and Professional Education, headed by Lord Sainsbury, former Minister of Science and Innovation.

  • Robert Jenrick – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Robert Jenrick – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Robert Jenrick on 2015-11-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many secondary school aged pupils living in the Newark area travel out of that area to attend secondary schools in (a) Tuxford, (b) Southwell, (c) Bingham, (d) Nottingham and (e) Lincolnshire.

    Nick Gibb

    The Department for Education publishes figures for the number of pupils who attend school in a local authority separate to that in which they reside. This information can be found at GOV.UK[1].

    The department does not, however, hold data on the movements of pupils between areas smaller than local authorities.

    Movements of pupils are a factor when considering the availability of school places.

    [1] https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2015 – the cross border movement matrix tables have figures for each combination of home and school local authority.

  • Caroline Ansell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Caroline Ansell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Ansell on 2015-11-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support her Department provides to local education authorities and academy trusts when they have been the victim of fire; and if she will make a statement.

    Edward Timpson

    Local education authorities and academy trusts are expected to take responsibility for managing the risks and issues of fire related incidents and must make appropriate arrangements to insure against fire damage and associated disruption.

  • Douglas Chapman – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Douglas Chapman – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Chapman on 2015-11-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 20 October 2015 to Questions 11484, on Army: Scotland, for what reasons the figures cited for 6 SCOTS and 7 SCOTS do not reflect the general increase in reserve numbers forecast in the Future Reserves 2020 programme.

    Mr Julian Brazier

    It is assumed that the question relates to the reduction in the establishment figures for 6 and 7 SCOTS. These changes reflect the move to a standard structure for all reserve infantry battalions with three companies rather than four as part of the Future Reserves 2020 programme.

    In practice Army Reserve manning levels have been historically below establishment. Actual numbers are now increasing in 6 and 7 SCOTS, as they are across the Army Reserve.

    The following table shows the manning levels of the reserve battalions of the Royal Regiment of Scotland, complete with establishment and strength as at April of each year between 2004 and 2014.

    2004

    2005

    2006

    2007

    2008

    2009

    2010

    2011

    2012

    2013

    2014

    52nd Lowland Regiment/6 SCOTS

    392

    452

    406

    406

    406

    406

    406

    406

    406

    406

    367

    273

    278

    280

    182

    216

    190

    196

    186

    155

    160

    188

    51st Highland Regiment/7 SCOTS

    557

    656

    627

    471

    472

    471

    472

    472

    472

    472

    367

    390

    425

    425

    338

    294

    253

    262

    191

    237

    205

    270

    Unit details are single service estimates only and have not been produced by Defence Statistics.

  • Douglas Chapman – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Douglas Chapman – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Chapman on 2015-11-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answers of 10 June 2015 and 20 October 2015 to Questions 794 and 11461, when the decision was made not to commission an investigation into the reasons for the delay between ministerial endorsement of CWS and its entry into service referred to in the conclusions of the report attached to the first of those Answers; and what the reasons for that decision were.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    The answers to Questions 794 and 11461 relate to document D/VCDS&2ndPUS/8/1/4 PR 11 which refers to a report into improving our processes for assessing equipment safety risk, not the commissioning of an investigation into the reasons for the delay between Ministerial endorsement of CWS and its entry into service.