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Tag: Baroness Morgan of Huyton

  • Baroness Morgan of Huyton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Baroness Morgan of Huyton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Morgan of Huyton on 2016-03-21.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government which university technical colleges are operating in the 2015–16 academic year; and how many students in years 10, 11, 12, and 13 were (1) enrolled in each institution at the date of the October 2015 census, and (2) included in the budget forecast return submitted by each college to the EFA in June 2015.

    Lord Nash

    There are 39 University Technical Colleges (UTCs) open in this academic year, 2015/16.

    The Department for Education does not hold the information requested as budget forecast returns submitted to the Education Funding Agency do not include student numbers on roll. However, each October, the Department publishes the number of pre-16 pupils funded in UTCs which were open as of the start of that financial year. This data is attached and can be found on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/466234/Annex_A_-_Schools_block_Allocations_data_file_2015-16.xlsx

    Data for UTCs which opened after the start of the 2015-16 financial year is due to be published in October 2016.

    The number of post-16 pupils funded in each UTC for the academic year 2015/16 is attached and also available on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/468295/YP_FASS_Published_Allocation_Dataset_2015_to_2016-1.xlsx

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  • Baroness Morgan of Huyton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Baroness Morgan of Huyton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Morgan of Huyton on 2016-03-21.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government when the new technical curricula will be launched; and how the information on any new qualifications will be disseminated to schools and colleges planning for September 2016.

    Lord Nash

    In 2012 the government introduced reforms that ensure that only high quality technical qualifications, that meet rigorous criteria, will be reported in performance tables. The government introduced Technical Awards for 14-16 year olds, and Tech Levels, Applied General Qualifications and Technical Certificates for 16-19 year olds. All qualifications offer progression to further study or a direct route to employment.

    Schools and colleges have already been made aware of the technical qualifications that have been approved for teaching from September 2016 for reporting in the 2018 performance tables. The lists of approved qualifications for 14-16 and 16-19 year olds are available on GOV.UK.

    The Department for Education will update these published lists in due course and schools and colleges will be informed through communications on the department’s website and social media as well as their member organisations and other routes.

    We are also planning further reforms to technical education to raise standards. These reforms, which will be driven by employers, will simplify the 16+ skills system by providing clear progression routes into employment. They will ensure that young people gain the skills and knowledge demanded by employers and universities. An independent panel, chaired by Lord Sainsbury, is developing proposals in this area and will report to government in due course.

  • Baroness Morgan of Huyton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Baroness Morgan of Huyton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Morgan of Huyton on 2016-03-21.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are planning to promote higher apprenticeships to inform pupils currently in key stage 3 of their future options.

    Lord Nash

    Higher apprenticeships are widening access to the professions, providing the higher level technical skills employers need to improve productivity and giving young people who do not go to university an equally valid career route.

    The government is taking a number of steps to ensure that apprenticeship opportunities at all levels are widely understood by young people from a young age so that they can make better informed decisions at key transition points. Schools have a legal duty to secure independent careers guidance for all pupils from year 8 onwards. This must include information on apprenticeships. Statutory guidance which underpins the duty is clear that schools should cooperate with other providers to ensure that young people are aware of the full range of education and training options available to them. The government will be launching a new apprenticeships campaign in May aimed at young people, their influencers and employers – it builds on the previous successful Get In Go Far campaign.

    The government is funding The Careers & Enterprise Company to roll out and manage its Enterprise Adviser Network, which was launched in September 2015. This is a network of employer volunteers coordinated by Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) who are working in schools and colleges to support their careers and enterprise strategies and increase the number and effectiveness of employer-school interactions.

    Apprenticeships take-up is one of the criteria that LEPs are using to prioritise this support and advisers will be helping schools with their activity to provide well-informed information on apprenticeships. However, the range of information that young people receive remains too narrow and we want to go further. The government intends to bring forward legislation at the earliest opportunity that will require schools to allow other education and training providers the opportunity to talk to pupils about their offer on school premises. Schools will be required by law to collaborate with colleges, university technical colleges and other training providers, including apprenticeship providers, in putting those arrangements in place. This will ensure that young people hear much more consistently about the merits of alternatives to academic and school-based routes and are aware of all the routes to higher skills and into the workplace.

  • Baroness Morgan of Huyton – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Baroness Morgan of Huyton – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Morgan of Huyton on 2014-04-08.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, in the light of the introduction of regulations to stop parcels being sent to prisoners, they have plans to improve prison libraries.

    Lord Wallace of Saltaire

    Prison library services are, in the majority of prisons, provided by Public Library Authorities. Prison libraries enable prisoners to receive, subject to the constraints of operating within a custodial environment, a service equivalent to that provided for library users in the community.

    We have no plans to make changes to these services.

  • Baroness Morgan of Huyton – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Baroness Morgan of Huyton – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Morgan of Huyton on 2014-04-08.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the Ministry of Justice’s March 2013 report showing a link between employment and reduced re-offending, what plans they have to improve literacy education for prisoners.

    Lord Newby

    We are taking a number of steps to enhance and build upon the current learning and skills offer to prisoners. We firmly believe that giving offenders the skills and training they need to get and keep jobs on release reduces their likelihood of re-offending.

    Officials from the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) are working with the Skills Funding Agency and providers of the Offenders’ Learning and Skills Service (OLASS) to continually improve the quality of the teaching and learning experienced by prisoners through the development and dissemination of good practice. New approaches to literacy in particular include an increase in the use of peer mentors, embedded learning as part of other regime activities, and the introduction of aNational Reading Network in association with the Shannon Trust.

    Later this year we will be introducing mandatory education assessment by the OLASS providers for all newly-received prisoners. This will ensure that all prisoners, not just those who go on to learning, receive a learning assessment (focused around literacy and numeracy but also covering learning difficulties and disabilities). NOMS and its partners are also working towards implementing better data-sharing arrangements between prisons and OLASS providers, so that more is known about prisoners’ previous assessments, progress, and achievements, as well as their current educational needs.

    Intensive literacy and numeracy courses, based on the Army’s model, have also been piloted in prisons, particularly to address the needs of prisoners serving short sentences. Prison Governors and OLASS providers are working together to deliver such courses where appropriate.

    Prison Governors do not have targets regarding the improvement of prisoners’ literacy skills. As noted previously, we are taking considerable steps both to further identify literacy learning needs and then to address them.

  • Baroness Morgan of Huyton – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Baroness Morgan of Huyton – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Morgan of Huyton on 2014-04-08.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether prison governors have targets for the improvement of literacy skills of prisoners; and whether those targets are monitored.

    Lord Newby

    We are taking a number of steps to enhance and build upon the current learning and skills offer to prisoners. We firmly believe that giving offenders the skills and training they need to get and keep jobs on release reduces their likelihood of re-offending.

    Officials from the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) are working with the Skills Funding Agency and providers of the Offenders’ Learning and Skills Service (OLASS) to continually improve the quality of the teaching and learning experienced by prisoners through the development and dissemination of good practice. New approaches to literacy in particular include an increase in the use of peer mentors, embedded learning as part of other regime activities, and the introduction of aNational Reading Network in association with the Shannon Trust.

    Later this year we will be introducing mandatory education assessment by the OLASS providers for all newly-received prisoners. This will ensure that all prisoners, not just those who go on to learning, receive a learning assessment (focused around literacy and numeracy but also covering learning difficulties and disabilities). NOMS and its partners are also working towards implementing better data-sharing arrangements between prisons and OLASS providers, so that more is known about prisoners’ previous assessments, progress, and achievements, as well as their current educational needs.

    Intensive literacy and numeracy courses, based on the Army’s model, have also been piloted in prisons, particularly to address the needs of prisoners serving short sentences. Prison Governors and OLASS providers are working together to deliver such courses where appropriate.

    Prison Governors do not have targets regarding the improvement of prisoners’ literacy skills. As noted previously, we are taking considerable steps both to further identify literacy learning needs and then to address them.