Blog

  • Steve McCabe – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Steve McCabe – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2015-10-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what options are available to parents who cannot send their children to a co-educated secondary school because of a lack of local availability and do not wish to set up a free school themselves.

    Edward Timpson

    Local authorities are under a statutory duty to provide a sufficient supply of schools and school places that meet the needs of the communities they serve.

    When a parent is refused a school place they have an unqualified right of appeal to an independent appeal panel. The decision of the appeal panel is binding – if the appeal is upheld, the admission authority must offer the child a place at the school.

    If a local authority decides that there is a need for additional co-educational places in its area, it could either expand an existing co-educational school or set up a new Free School, via the free school presumption route.

  • Chris Stephens – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Chris Stephens – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Stephens on 2015-10-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what meetings her Department has had with representatives of (a) the Taxpayers’ Alliance, (b) the Confederation of British Industry, (c) the Institute of Economic Affairs, (d) the Adam Smith Institute, (e) the Freedom Association, (f) the Politics and Economic Research Trust and (g) the Midlands Industrial Council in the last 12 months.

    Nick Gibb

    The information requested is not held centrally and could be compiled only at disproportionate cost.

    The Department publishes information about Ministers’ meetings with external organisations on GOV.UK and will publish data from the last 12 months in due course.

  • Mark Menzies – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Mark Menzies – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Menzies on 2015-10-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to adequately resource schools to meet the increased demand for school places from new residents of large housing developments in Fylde.

    Edward Timpson

    Local authorities are responsible for planning and securing sufficient school places in their area, and supporting them to do so is one of this Government’s top priorities.

    Basic need funding is allocated to local authorities to support them in creating new school places. We use data provided by local authorities to ensure funding is targeted according to levels of need in each area. This Government has committed to investing a further £7 billion to create new school places between 2015 and 2021. Lancashire will receive £46 million of basic need funding from 2015-2018.

    Where place pressure is created by future housing developments, we expect local authorities to seek contributions from developers as they are an important way of helping to meet the cost of future places. It is for the local planning authority to negotiate developer contributions through section 106 agreements or Community Infrastructure Levies, and to decide on the local infrastructure needs that this contribution should support.

  • Iain Wright – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Iain Wright – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Iain Wright on 2015-10-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her policy is on continuing free school meals for children between the ages of four and seven; and if she will make a statement.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    The continuation of universal infant free school meals was a commitment in the Conservative Party’s election manifesto.

    The government is currently conducting a Spending Review across all its programmes.

  • Conor McGinn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Conor McGinn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Conor McGinn on 2015-10-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that those free schools which have not yet published their performance results do so as soon as practicable.

    Edward Timpson

    All performance data for free schools is published in performance tables for all schools KS2, KS4 and 16-18 results, including free schools, and colleges that have results for pupils at the end of each of the key stages and /or post-16 study. There are no exemptions and schools and colleges cannot request that they be removed from performance tables.

    Information about the performance tables can be found at: http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/performance/

    “

  • Charlotte Leslie – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Charlotte Leslie – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charlotte Leslie on 2015-10-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what requirements there are on schools commissioners to (a) declare and (b) publish professional and financial interests.

    Nick Gibb

    Regional Schools Commissioners are civil servants and are bound by the same rules on the declaration and publication of professional and financial interests as all other civil servants of a similar grade. Regional Schools Commissioners are required to declare any professional or business interest within the past five years, which may, or may be seen as, influencing their judgement in performing their role.

    The Department for Education keeps a register of all declared interests for the Regional Schools Commissioners. This register is reviewed on a quarterly basis and published online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/schools-commissioners-group/about/our-governance

    “

  • Barry Sheerman – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Barry Sheerman – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2015-10-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her policy is on free school meals for children aged between four and seven.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    The government recognises the benefits of providing a healthy school meal to the most disadvantaged children. Children in England who receive, or whose parents receive, specified benefits[1] are entitled to receive free school meals. Free meals were also extended to disadvantaged students in further education institutions from September 2014.

    Since 1 September 2014, state-funded schools in England have been required by law to provide free lunches to all pupils in reception, year one or year two.

    The provision of universal infant free school meals was a commitment in the Conservative Party Manifesto.

    [1] Income Support (IS); Income Based Jobseekers Allowance (IBJSA); an income-related employment and support allowance; support under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999; Child Tax Credit (provided they are not entitled to Working Tax Credit) with an annual income, as assessed by Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC), that does not exceed £16,190; the guarantee element of State Pension Credit; or Universal Credit. Where a parent is entitled to Working Tax Credit run-on – the payment someone receives for a further four weeks after they stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit -their children are entitled to free school meals.

  • Matthew Pennycook – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Matthew Pennycook – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Pennycook on 2015-10-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will (a) issue new guidance and (b) amend the school admissions code to give parents of multiple birth children the right to insist their children are not split up across different schools or classes within the same school.

    Nick Gibb

    The School Admissions Code already allows schools to admit multiple birth siblings as exceptions to the infant class size limit so that these children can be educated at the same school.

    Once children have been admitted to school, it is for individual schools to make decisions about matters of internal organisation of classes, including how children should be split between classes in a year group with two or more forms. We would expect schools to take into account the views of parents in making such decisions.

  • Barry Sheerman – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Barry Sheerman – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2015-10-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to assist disadvantaged children by the provision of free school meals.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    The government recognises the benefits of providing a healthy school meal to the most disadvantaged children. Children in England who receive, or whose parents receive, specified benefits[1] are entitled to receive free school meals. Free meals were also extended to disadvantaged students in further education institutions from September 2014.

    Since 1 September 2014, state-funded schools in England have been required by law to provide free lunches to all pupils in reception, year one or year two.

    The provision of universal infant free school meals was a commitment in the Conservative Party Manifesto.

    [1] Income Support (IS); Income Based Jobseekers Allowance (IBJSA); an income-related employment and support allowance; support under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999; Child Tax Credit (provided they are not entitled to Working Tax Credit) with an annual income, as assessed by Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC), that does not exceed £16,190; the guarantee element of State Pension Credit; or Universal Credit. Where a parent is entitled to Working Tax Credit run-on – the payment someone receives for a further four weeks after they stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit -their children are entitled to free school meals.

  • 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 2015-10-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the average cost of building a primary school in England was in 2014 excluding the cost of land.

    Edward Timpson

    The Department for Education does not centrally collect data on building new primary schools across all local authorities in England. The cost of building schools varies significantly depending on local factors, including the size of the school. Local authorities report the cost per place of providing new school places through the annual School Capacity data collection. For primary schools this data has been used to produce basic need scorecards. The scorecards detail the cost per place, including for new schools, for each local authority. The latest published scorecards are for the academic year 2013/14 and can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/primary-school-places-local-authority-basic-need-scorecards-2014.

    “