Tag: Lucy Powell

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, why the Weald of Kent Grammar School was not able to expand on its existing site.

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 2016-10-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the amount and proportion of funding for the free childcare entitlement which is currently retained by local authorities to support wider early years work.

Caroline Dinenage

Data from local authority planned spend for 2016-17 shows that nationally local authorities plan to centrally retain 7% (£149 million) of their delegated budget for three and four year olds and 7% (£36m) for the two year old entitlement. The total local authority delegated budget for three and four year olds is £2.3 billion and £523 million for two year olds. This excludes the planned budget for the early years pupil premium.

This data is as reported by the local authorities.

Our recent consultation on changes to funding for three- and four-year-olds proposed that all local authorities must pass 93% in 2017-18 then 95% in 2018-19 of early years funding to providers. This would maximise funding to the frontline.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much time pupils will spend at each site of Weald of Kent Grammar School when its new site is open; by what mode of transport they will move and how that will be funded; what estimate she has made of the amount of time that it will take pupils to move between sites; and whether the school day will be extended to make up that time.

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 2016-10-18.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many times the Childcare Implementation Taskforce has met since its creation; and what the full attendance was at each such meeting.

Chris Skidmore

Information relating to the proceedings of Implementation Taskforces, including when and how often they meet is not disclosed as to do so could harm the frankness and candour of internal discussion.

The Government published a list of Cabinet Committees and Implementation Taskforces and their members on 18 October 2016. This can be found at the following web address: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-cabinet-committees-system-and-list-of-cabinet-committees

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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.