Tag: Lucy Powell

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lucy Powell on 2015-10-28.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with how many headteachers who would like to recruit teachers through its STEM international recruitment programme her Department is discussing that programme.

Nick Gibb

Schools have always been able to recruit teachers from overseas. Outstanding mathematics and physics teachers are in demand across the globe, and where schools wish to recruit from overseas we want to ensure they are able to do so and from those countries whose education standards are as high as our own.

The Department for Education is committed to ensuring that schools are able to recruit appropriately to fill their teacher vacancies. We are working to grow a strong pipeline of teachers from within the UK and have a package of measures in place to support both recruitment of trainees and retention of existing teachers.

The Department for Education recently embarked on an additional £67 million package of measures to target recruitment of 2,500 additional specialist maths and physics teachers and up-skill 15,000 existing non specialist teachers in these subjects. The vast majority of these additional 2,500 teachers will come from within the UK, but the government recognises the valuable contribution made by overseas trained teachers particularly for certain shortage subjects. Therefore a small part of the package is focused on supporting schools to recruit internationally for qualified maths and physics teachers where necessary.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lucy Powell on 2016-03-18.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraph 1.27 of Budget 2016, for what reason the full academisation of schools in England is not included in his Department’s Budget 2016 policy costings report; and what costings his Department has related to that policy.

Greg Hands

The Budget ensured that the Department for Education is fully funded to support the additional costs of delivering a fully-academised school system.

The additional funding committed to at the Budget is in addition to considerable funding allocated at the Spending Review, supporting further growth in the academies programme.

The policy costings document published at the Budget sets out the assumptions and methodologies underlying costings for tax and AME policy decisions. It does not include DEL spending measures.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lucy Powell on 2015-10-28.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, on what grounds she decided that the recently approved annexe to the Weald of Kent grammar school is in an area that is easily accessible to the community that the school serves.

Edward Timpson

The Weald of Kent School has set out its plans in expansion proposals. Pupils at the Sevenoaks annexe will attend the Tonbridge site at least once a week to attend a whole school assembly and additional lessons. The school will also operate a house system across the expanded school, regularly bringing students together on a range of curriculum projects. The length of the school day is a matter for the academy trust.

The newly expanded school will better meet the needs of parents in the community that the school currently serves. Over 41% of pupils at the Tonbridge site already travel from the Sevenoaks area. The travel arrangements between the sites will use existing bus companies to transport pupils who live in Sevenoaks to the Tonbridge site. The proposal indicates that the journey time is approximately 17 minutes and no additional funding is being provided to the academy to cover the costs.

The decision issued on 15 October 2015 was in respect of a proposal received on 14 September 2015. The Department can comment on the costs of external legal advice once we have the final costs bill.

The school would not have the required capital funding to expand on this scale at the existing site.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lucy Powell on 2015-10-28.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the cost was of (a) external and (b) internal legal advice on the approved and rejected proposals for an annexe to the Weald of Kent Grammar School.

Edward Timpson

The Weald of Kent School has set out its plans in expansion proposals. Pupils at the Sevenoaks annexe will attend the Tonbridge site at least once a week to attend a whole school assembly and additional lessons. The school will also operate a house system across the expanded school, regularly bringing students together on a range of curriculum projects. The length of the school day is a matter for the academy trust.

The newly expanded school will better meet the needs of parents in the community that the school currently serves. Over 41% of pupils at the Tonbridge site already travel from the Sevenoaks area. The travel arrangements between the sites will use existing bus companies to transport pupils who live in Sevenoaks to the Tonbridge site. The proposal indicates that the journey time is approximately 17 minutes and no additional funding is being provided to the academy to cover the costs.

The decision issued on 15 October 2015 was in respect of a proposal received on 14 September 2015. The Department can comment on the costs of external legal advice once we have the final costs bill.

The school would not have the required capital funding to expand on this scale at the existing site.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lucy Powell on 2016-10-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to include training on selective mutism and other speech, language and communication needs in initial teacher training.

Nick Gibb

All initial teacher training (ITT) courses must ensure that trainee teachers can meet the Teachers’ Standards in full. The standards require trainees to have a clear understanding of the needs of all pupils, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Teachers must also be able to adapt teaching to the needs of all pupils, and have an understanding of the factors that can inhibit learning and how to overcome them.

In July 2016, the Government published a new framework of core content for ITT, developed by an expert group chaired by Stephen Munday CBE. The new framework includes detailed content on SEND training, with emphasis on speech language and communication needs (SLCN). It specifies that: “Providers should ensure that trainees understand the principles of the SEND Code of Practice, are confident working with the four broad areas of need it identifies, and are able to adapt teaching strategies to ensure that pupils with SEND (including, but not limited to, autism, dyslexia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), sensory impairment or speech, and language and communication needs (SLCN)) can access and progress within the curriculum.”

The new framework of content will help to ensure that all trainee teachers are equipped with the skills and knowledge they need to meet the Teachers’ Standards at the appropriate level.

The new framework of core content for ITT can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/536890/Framework_Report_11_July_2016_Final.pdf.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lucy Powell on 2015-10-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on (a) how many staff will be employed on contracts to work at both the recently approved grammar school site in Kent and the existing grammar school that it will be annexed to and (b) how frequently staff will be expected to work on both these sites.

Edward Timpson

The expansion proposal from the Weald of Kent confirms that the school intends to provide students with a range of opportunities across the curriculum, utilising facilities on both sites. Extra-curricular activities and assemblies will also be shared across both locations.

The proposal confirms that the expanded school will have the same leadership, governance, and management arrangements as the existing academy. A single governing body, one headteacher, and one senior leadership team (SLT) with whole school responsibilities will ensure that the current ethos, standards, and quality of learning would be secured in the expanded school.

In addition to the headteacher and SLT, heads of department will work across both sites. All new staff contracts will include a requirement that staff may be deployed across the school estate, and all staff will attend training sessions at both sites.

The frequency of movement will be in line with delivery of the curriculum.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lucy Powell on 2015-10-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what governance, leadership and management arrangements will be put in place to oversee the recently approved grammar school site in Kent.

Edward Timpson

The expansion proposal from the Weald of Kent confirms that the school intends to provide students with a range of opportunities across the curriculum, utilising facilities on both sites. Extra-curricular activities and assemblies will also be shared across both locations.

The proposal confirms that the expanded school will have the same leadership, governance, and management arrangements as the existing academy. A single governing body, one headteacher, and one senior leadership team (SLT) with whole school responsibilities will ensure that the current ethos, standards, and quality of learning would be secured in the expanded school.

In addition to the headteacher and SLT, heads of department will work across both sites. All new staff contracts will include a requirement that staff may be deployed across the school estate, and all staff will attend training sessions at both sites.

The frequency of movement will be in line with delivery of the curriculum.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lucy Powell on 2015-10-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on how (a) playing fields and (b) other facilities and resources available at the recently approved grammar school site in Kent and the existing grammar school that it will be annexed to will be shared.

Edward Timpson

The expansion proposal from the Weald of Kent confirms that the school intends to provide students with a range of opportunities across the curriculum, utilising facilities on both sites. Extra-curricular activities and assemblies will also be shared across both locations.

The proposal confirms that the expanded school will have the same leadership, governance, and management arrangements as the existing academy. A single governing body, one headteacher, and one senior leadership team (SLT) with whole school responsibilities will ensure that the current ethos, standards, and quality of learning would be secured in the expanded school.

In addition to the headteacher and SLT, heads of department will work across both sites. All new staff contracts will include a requirement that staff may be deployed across the school estate, and all staff will attend training sessions at both sites.

The frequency of movement will be in line with delivery of the curriculum.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lucy Powell on 2015-10-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on how whole-school activities will be managed by the recently approved grammar school site in Kent and the existing grammar school that it will be annexed to.

Edward Timpson

The expansion proposal from the Weald of Kent confirms that the school intends to provide students with a range of opportunities across the curriculum, utilising facilities on both sites. Extra-curricular activities and assemblies will also be shared across both locations.

The proposal confirms that the expanded school will have the same leadership, governance, and management arrangements as the existing academy. A single governing body, one headteacher, and one senior leadership team (SLT) with whole school responsibilities will ensure that the current ethos, standards, and quality of learning would be secured in the expanded school.

In addition to the headteacher and SLT, heads of department will work across both sites. All new staff contracts will include a requirement that staff may be deployed across the school estate, and all staff will attend training sessions at both sites.

The frequency of movement will be in line with delivery of the curriculum.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lucy Powell on 2015-02-09.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to paragraph 2.2 of the report The Performance of the Cabinet Office 2013-14, published by the National Audit Office in November 2014, when he expects the reports commissioned by his Department on examining the barriers faced by people (a) who declare disabilities, (b) from minority ethnic backgrounds and (c) who are LGBT in the civil service to be published.

Mr Francis Maude

All three reports will be published in the coming weeks.