Tag: Nic Dakin

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nic Dakin on 2016-03-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the conclusion of the report from the charity Sense, Making the case for play, published in February 2016, that a misguided interpretation and approach to health and safety is creating a barrier to accessing play settings and activities for children with multiple needs.

Mr Sam Gyimah

The government recognises that play has an important role in supporting all young children to develop and prepare for later learning, and the Early Years Foundation Stage is clear that “practitioners must consider the individual needs, interests, and stage of development of each child in their care… to plan a challenging and enjoyable experience for each child in all of the areas of learning and development.” Health and safety should not create a barrier to accessing play activities for children with multiple needs.

The staff working in early years settings as Early Years Educators (level 3) and Early Years Teachers (graduates) are required to have an understanding of different pedagogical approaches, including the role of play in supporting early learning and development. The criteria for the Early Years Educator and standards for Early Years Teacher Status qualifications are set by the department. However, it is the responsibility of early years settings to provide play opportunities for their children and pupils, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

Ofsted conducts a regular cycle of inspection to ensure that provision meets the required quality and safety standards and assesses the extent to which the learning and care provided by the setting meets the needs of the range of children who attend, including the needs of any children who have SEND.

The Childcare Act 2016 expands the free childcare entitlement from 15 to 30 hours for three- and four-year-olds of working parents. As part of the Early Implementer Package announced on 2 February 2016, local authorities involved will be using the opportunity to test and showcase how childcare can be delivered in a way that improves access for children with SEND. The department also launched a consultation on 3 April 2016 seeking views on key elements of the operation and delivery of the 30 hours and we welcome views on provision for children with SEND. The consultation is available on GOV.UK at: www.gov.uk/government/consultations/30-hour-free-childcare-entitlement

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nic Dakin on 2016-04-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to paragraph 2.12 of her Department’s White Paper, Educational excellence everywhere, published in March 2016; how she plans to reform the National College of Teaching and Leadership so that it can ensure the national and regional supply of teachers.

Nick Gibb

All executive agencies are required to undertake a review every three years. The National College of Teaching and Leadership (NCTL) Triennial Review is being led by Roger Pope, Chair of NCTL.

We expect to confirm the results of that review later this year.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nic Dakin on 2016-05-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many students were on the roll of university technical colleges in (a) 2013, (b) 2014, (c) 2015 and (d) 2016.

Nick Boles

According to published January census data, the number of pupils on roll in all University Technical Colleges (UTCs) was 795 in academic year 2012/13, 2,946 in 2013/14 and 6,363 in 2014/15.

The census data for January 2016 has not yet been published. However, the 2015 October census data shows 9,454 pupils on roll in all UTCs in the 2015/16 academic year.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nic Dakin on 2016-06-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to support British jobs and industry through its procurement process.

Mr Philip Dunne

The Ministry of Defence spends some £20 billion a year in the UK, making us British Industry’s largest single customer. Around half of this spend is in manufacturing and some £4 billion with small and medium-sized enterprises. We are determined to drive greater innovation into defence procurement, maximising opportunities for small and medium-sized businesses, investing in skills and supporting responsible exports, to help ensure we maintain a healthy and competitive UK defence sector.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nic Dakin on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Skills Plan, what her policy is on the future provision of BTECs.

Robert Halfon

As set out in our Post 16 Skills Plan, we will take forward the recommendations of the Sainsbury Review to put in place a world-class technical option that provides preparation for highly skilled employment. The technical option will be a prestigious and high-quality option for 16 year olds as an alternative to academic study. Applied general qualifications such as BTECs are not designed to be part of the technical education option. We plan to review the contribution of these qualifications to preparing students for higher education and the impact any reform would have on widening participation. We will announce our decisions later in the year.

It is important that individuals are able to switch between the academic and technical options so that students’ options are not closed down. Flexible learning will be important to learners of all ages, given the changing labour market. We accepted the Sainsbury panel’s recommendation that there should be appropriate bridging courses to make movement between the two options easily accessible and will be looking at options for putting these courses in place.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nic Dakin on 2015-10-29.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what progress his Department has made in extending reassessment periods for claimants in the employment and support allowance support group (a) generally and (b) who have degenerative brain conditions.

Priti Patel

Despite routine re-assessments are currently suspended to focus on new claims, we have made an exception for deteriorating conditions where a repeat assessment can be requested. As a consequence no changes have been made to the re-referral periods for people in the Support Group.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nic Dakin on 2015-11-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 16 September 2015 to Question 10091, what the implications for his policies are of the decision by NHS England to remove (a) the pancreatic cancer drug Abraxane and (b) 22 other drugs and indications from the Cancer Drugs Fund List.

George Freeman

We remain committed to continuing to invest in the Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF).

NHS England is responsible for the operational management of the Fund. Following appeals and further discussions with pharmaceutical companies, 18 drug and indication combinations, including Abraxane for pancreatic cancer, were removed from the national CDF list on 4 November 2015.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nic Dakin on 2015-11-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the effect on the academic performance of sixth form students of the use of unconditional offers of places by universities.

Nick Boles

It is for individual higher education institutions to determine their own admission arrangements. No assessment has been made of the effect on the academic performance of sixth form students of the use of unconditional offers of places by universities.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nic Dakin on 2016-01-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much of her Department’s budget has been spent on the Troops to Teachers scheme to date; and on what that budget was spent.

Nick Gibb

To date, £4.3m has been spent on the programme, the majority of which has been initial, one-off start-up costs. The funding has been allocated to trainee salaries in addition to programme costs to deliver the degree qualification and teacher training requirements.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nic Dakin on 2016-02-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which specialist contractors her Department has hired to advise regional school commissioners.

Edward Timpson

The Department will publish an award notice on GOV.UK that names suppliers that have been awarded contracts, business addresses and contract values over £20,000. The Department will also be publishing related supplier contracts that support the academy and free school programme on Contract Finder on GOV.UK by 31 March 2016.