Topical Questions

Answer from Gavin Williamson (The Secretary of State for Education)

A great and important strength of our university sector has always been its ability to attract students from across the globe, and we have been working with Universities UK and all universities to ensure they are properly supported. We are supporting them with a campaign to attract more students to the UK and working across Government to make sure that students applying for visas can do so with ease. The Home Office has been incredibly supportive in ensuring that for those who want to come and study here it has been a positive experience.

Answer from Gavin Williamson (The Secretary of State for Education)

The hon. Lady raises an important point about the importance of wraparound care. We are working with all schools to ensure it is provided to parents. We have issued guidance setting out how this can be done safely and cautiously and in a way that works for those who work in schools and, importantly, for the children who benefit from this wraparound care as well as the parents who depend on it.

Answer from Gavin Williamson (The Secretary of State for Education)

I thank my hon. Friend for raising this important case in her constituency. Uppingham Community College is actually covered by risk protection arrangements, and I know that officials in my Department are working closely with it to see what is needed in order to ensure that there is provision. I know that Baroness Berridge would be delighted to meet with my hon. Friend to discuss in more detail some of the particular issues that she faces in Rutland and how we can best support her and, most importantly, the provision of education in her constituency.

Answer from Gavin Williamson (The Secretary of State for Education)

I would be more than happy to meet with such a delegation, and I know from my own experience of having a child who arrived prematurely some of the challenges that can come about. I would be very interested to listen and to see what more can be done to provide support in the future.

Answer from Gavin Williamson (The Secretary of State for Education)

I know that as a former teacher my hon. Friend was itching to get back into the classroom if there was a need for extra teaching support. He was ready, willing and most certainly able to do so had the call come. He will probably have seen that schools in his constituency are seeing a more than £47 million cash increase, which will be followed in the next financial year by a substantial cash increase, and then in the third financial year there will also be a substantial cash increase. Schools were one of the few areas, if not the only area, that were able to get a three-year deal, and I believe this will have a real impact in helping them plan for the future delivery of the best education.

Answer from Gavin Williamson

My right hon. Friend raises the important point about young people's mental health during the pandemic. We have worked closely with universities to ensure a safe return, recognising that covid has presented challenges to mental health. A £9 million fund was announced to support additional mental health work in the education sector.

Answer from Gavin Williamson

I will certainly go back to the Department and immediately check why the hon. Member has not received that letter. I can only apologise for it not arriving.

Answer from Nick Gibb

We have funded the National Association for Special Educational Needs on behalf of the Whole School SEND Consortium to recruit teachers for high-quality teaching across all types of special educational needs. We also funded targeted support focused on areas flagged by Ofsted and CQC, with £730 million coming next year on top of an additional £780 million this year.

Answer from Nick Gibb

We want all children to return to school safely, including those with SEND. We have provided guidance to schools and an open letter from the Under-Secretary to parents about returning. Families concerned about safety should talk to their headteacher for reassurance.

Answer from Gavin Williamson

Cornwall College is a beneficiary of £1.4 million extra funding towards further education capital build. I would be delighted to meet my hon. Friend and the college to discuss their plans for St Austell and hear about transforming educational outcomes in Cornwall.

Answer from Gavin Williamson

I agree with a robust regulatory framework around algorithm usage. Algorithms are used annually to manage grade boundaries for GCSEs and A-levels, which has always been the case and will continue.

Answer from Gavin Williamson

West Nottinghamshire College has seen an impressive turnaround despite difficult times. I would be happy to work with my hon. Friend to see what opportunities can be created in the future, delivering the best for young people in his constituency.

Answer from The Secretary of State for Education (Gavin Williamson)

I am happy to join my hon Friend in congratulating Bungay High School on its new specialist facility, and I pay tribute to him for his passion and support for a GCSE in British Sign Language. As this is a brand new subject at GCSE, we have been taking care to consult experts very closely on the detail of the subject content. The covid pandemic has affected the timeline for developing the GCSE, but my hon Friend will be pleased to know that that work has now been resumed.