The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jess Phillips on 2016-07-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what (a) legal and (b) other costs were incurred by local authorities in relation to special educational needs and disability tribunals in each of the last five years.
Mr Marcus Jones
Information on the costs incurred by local authorities in relation to special educational needs and disability tribunals is not collected by the Department.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jess Phillips on 2016-10-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many level 2 apprenticeships have been available in her Department in each year since 2010; how many such apprenticeships were completed in full; and how many such apprentices subsequently progressed to level 3 or above.
Robert Halfon
The table below shows numbers of apprentices in the Department for Education in each financial year since 2009/10.
|
Financial Year |
Number of Apprentices in DfE |
Level |
|
2009/2010 |
19 |
All Level 3 |
|
2010/2011 |
12 |
all Levels 2 and 3 |
|
2011/2012 |
0 |
|
|
2012/2013 |
32 |
all Levels 2 and 3 |
|
2013/2014 |
15 |
all Level 4 |
|
2014/2015 |
34 |
20 Level 4 14 Levels 2 and 3 |
|
2015/16 |
64 |
48 Level 4 16 Levels 2 and 3 |
The Level 4 apprentices were all from the Civil Service Fast-track apprenticeship scheme, which lasts at least two years. The Level 2 and Level 3 apprentices were recruited directly by the Department.
The Department does not hold information about progression between levels or numbers completing apprenticeships.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jess Phillips on 2016-10-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many university technical colleges have fewer pupils on roll than they have capacity for.
Edward Timpson
46 of 48 UTCs have opened since 2013 and understandably it will take a number of years for these UTCs to reach full capacity. To date only the JCB Academy, which opened in 2010, has reached full capacity.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jess Phillips on 2016-01-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will exempt (a) domestic violence refuges and (b) other supported accommodation where higher rates of housing benefit are paid from planned changes to the housing benefit cap.
Justin Tomlinson
The introduction of Local Housing Allowance limits to social sector tenants in receipt of Housing Benefit or the housing element of Universal Credit will only apply from April 2018 where new tenancies have been taken out or renewed after April 2016.
The Department is working on the exact policy design details for tenants in supported accommodation which includes domestic violence refuges.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jess Phillips on 2016-02-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many complaints Ofsted has received about the quality of PHSE education in schools since 2010.
Nick Gibb
This is a matter for Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw. I have asked him to write to you and a copy of his reply will be placed in the library of the House.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jess Phillips on 2016-03-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many pupil referral units have employed trainees on an employment-based teacher-training basis in each of the last four years.
Nick Gibb
Of those Pupil Referral Units that provided information to the School Workforce Census, there were 11 in 2014 and 11 in 2013 that reported having trainees on an employment-based teacher-training basis in service. The employment based training routes covered include the Graduate Teacher Programme, Overseas Trained Teacher Programme, Registered Teacher Programme, School Direct (Salaried) and Teach First Programme. In both years there were 11.3 full-time equivalent trainees employed by the 11 Pupil Referral Units.
Information for previous years is not available.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jess Phillips on 2016-04-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many of the 22 new free schools announced by her Department on 5 February 2016 will be located in but not adjacent to planning areas where there will be a need for additional school places by September 2017.
Edward Timpson
Of the 22 new free schools announced on 5 February 2016, 17 are mainstream schools for which basic need in the areas was assessed. Five of the 22 schools are not mainstream schools, so have been excluded; basic need does not apply in their application. Of these 17 schools, 13 are in planning areas where there is projected to be a need for places in September 2017.
When assessing both the basic need for places in the local area and the standards of local schools, we define local schools as those that fall within the ‘straight-line’ distance of the proposed free school location within which at least 80% of the pupils in the area travel to school (at the relevant phase). This is intended to act as a proxy catchment area for the new free school. The local area is then defined as the planning areas in which these local schools are situated. Of the 17 schools, 15 have need for 2017 and one has need beyond 2017.
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 Jess Phillips on 2016-05-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many of the academy trusts approved to receive the Northern fund for academy sponsors were operating schools that had (a) received a requires improvement rating, (b) received an inadequate rating and (c) had been placed in special measures by Ofsted.
Edward Timpson
The Northern Fund was announced by the Chancellor in the 2014 Autumn Statement, to boost academy sponsorship in the North of England as a means of turning around standards in some of the most educationally deprived parts of the country.
The first competition was run in June and July 2015, with awards being announced in November 2015. Two further competitions were run in January and February 2016.
A total of 65 academy sponsors received an award under the Northern Fund. At that time, the number of sponsors operating schools in these categories breaks down as follows:
22 sponsors were operating schools that had received a requires improvement rating.
Seven sponsors were operating schools that had received an inadequate rating; and, of these seven sponsors, five were operating schools that had been placed in Special Measures, which is a subset of the inadequate category.
By definition, approved academy sponsors are working with groups of schools, some of which have the most deeply ingrained challenges. Sponsors will often have a mixed portfolio of schools at different stages of both absolute performance and improvement. The Northern Fund is designed to help selected sponsors develop additional capacity in geographical locations of need. Ministers and Regional Schools Commissioners are confident that recipients of the Northern Fund will be able to benefit schools that need their help.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jess Phillips on 2016-06-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will estimate the number of unregistered schools in England.
Edward Timpson
We are currently investigating institutions that may be operating as unregistered independent schools in England, as referred to by Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector Sir Michael Wilshaw in his recently published letter. We will make a statement about progress in due course.
It is important to recognise that new settings come to our attention and existing ones close, or are confirmed not to be operating as schools on a regular basis.
Sir Michael Wilshaw’s published letter can be accessed on GOV.UK at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/unregistered-schools-ofsted-advice-note
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