Education

EU Youth Mobility Scheme

Selaine’s response:

I am pleased that young people in Britain already have opportunities to live, work and study abroad through existing Youth Mobility Schemes. Agreements are in place with 13 countries including Australia, Canada, Japan and South Korea, and new schemes with Andorra and Uruguay took effect in January 2024.

I know the Government remains open to negotiating new arrangements with other countries and territories, including EU Member States.

However, the Government has no plans to introduce an EU wide youth mobility scheme. The British public voted to leave the EU in 2016. Free movement within the EU therefore ended and there are no plans to reintroduce it. It is right that the Government is open to agreeing schemes with individual EU countries, where it's in the UK's interest and supports the skills and opportunities of British young people.

April 2024

Turing Scheme

Selaine’s response:

I note the calls of the Young European Movement for the Erasmus+ Programme to be reinstated in the UK. The Government has no plans to reinstate Erasmus and is instead delivering the innovative Turing Scheme.

The Turing Scheme gives students the chance to develop new skills, gain vital international experience and boost their employability. They can also develop a wide range of soft skills, language skills and a better understanding of other cultures.

I am therefore delighted that universities, schools, and further education colleges have been awarded grants from the £110 million scheme. This is enabling over 40,000 students to study and work abroad in over 160 destinations across the globe. Over £105 million of funding has been allocated this year for more than 22,800 Higher Education placements, more than 10,500 further education and Vocational Education and Training placements, and more than 6,700 school placements.

The Turing Scheme has significant advantages over the Erasmus+ programme, with higher numbers of students from disadvantaged backgrounds able to study abroad. In 2014/15, those with parents in managerial or professional occupations from the UK were taking part in Erasmus+ at a rate 50% higher than those whose parents had working class jobs. By contrast, under the Turing Scheme, nearly two thirds of participants this academic year are from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Overall, the Turing Scheme is widening access to international opportunities, with 22,800 higher education placements this year compared to 16,596 under Erasmus+ in the 2019/20 academic year.

I am pleased that the Turing scheme is at the heart of the Government's post-Brexit vision where young people have greater opportunity to experience other cultures and learn vital skills for life and work, regardless of their background.

March 2024

Autism and Education

Selaine’s response:

I am planning to attend the National Autistic Society’s parliamentary event and appreciated the opportunity to learn about the barriers autistic people face at school. I fully acknowledge that people with autism face a number of challenges at school. On the 11th of January, I participated in a parliamentary debate on SEN provision, where I called for early intervention for children who require special educational needs. My colleagues at the Department for Education are aware of these barriers and are working to ensure that all students with autism receive the education they deserve. You can view my full speech at: https://www.selainesaxby.org.uk/send-debate-11th-january-2024.

In March 2023, the Government published its Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Alternative Provision (AP) Improvement Plan. The Improvement Plan sets out that the Government will establish a single national system that delivers for every child and young person with special educational needs and disabilities from birth to age 25 so that they enjoy their childhood, achieve good outcomes, and are well prepared for their next step, whether that’s employment, higher education or adult services.

The transformation of the system will be underpinned by new national SEND and AP standards, which will give families confidence in what support they should receive and who will provide and pay for it, regardless of where they live. There will be new guides for professionals to help them provide the right support in line with the national standards but suited to each child’s unique experience, setting out for example how to make adjustments to classrooms to ensure a child remains in mainstream education.

This package forms part of the Government’s significant investment into children and young people with SEND and in AP, with investment increasing by more than 60%, compared with 2019-20, to over £10.5 billion by 2024-25.

January 2024

School Funding

Selaine’s response:

I am absolutely determined that children in North Devon and around the country should receive a high quality education.

I note the concerns raised by the School Cuts campaign. All future funding commitments are a matter for the Treasury, which will outline its spending plans at the Autumn Statement shortly. However, I hope that the Government’s delivery of record investment in schools gives confidence that this Government is committed to delivering world class education.

More money than ever before is being invested in schools, ensuring every child gets a world class education. In 2024-25, the total core schools budget will be at its highest ever level, in both real terms and in real terms per pupil. This budget will total over £59.6 billion in 2024-25, an over £1.8 billion increase from this year – on top of the more than £3.9 billion rise in 2023-24.

Mainstream schools in England will receive an average of around £6,000 for each pupil from next year through the National Funding Formula, with additional funding for teacher pay on top of that. Overall, funding will be at its highest ever level in real terms per pupil in 2024-25, as measured by the independent Institute for Fiscal Studies, underlining the Government’s commitment to education.

This money can be spent on staff salaries, school trips and classroom equipment which will help raise school standards and education outcomes. These increases form part of the additional £9.8 billion being invested in the schools core budget by 2024-25, compared to 2021-22.

This follows the Government giving teachers in England the highest pay award for 30 years of 6.5%, after the Government accepted in full the recommendations set out by the independent pay review body. In doing so, the Government will be delivering on its manifesto commitment to raise the minimum starting salary for teachers to £30,000 from September. This deal will allow teachers and school leaders to call off strike action.

The Department for Education also committed to a long term School Rebuilding Programme, renovating 500 schools in England over the next decade. In December 2022, the Government announced that a further 239 schools and sixth form colleges have been provisionally selected for the School Rebuilding Programme, which means that in total 400 schools have benefitted to date. The Government has allocated over £13 billion since 2015 to maintain and improve school facilities across England, including £1.8 billion for the 2022-23 financial year, and an additional £500 million in capital funding to schools and colleges this financial year for energy efficiency upgrades.

November 2023

Autism and Education

Selaine’s response:

I fully acknowledge that people with autism face a number of challenges at school. My colleagues at the Department for Education are aware of these barriers and are working to ensure that all students with autism receive the education they deserve. I have had ongoing discussions with former Minister for Children, Claire Coutinho and the current Minister, David Johnston about SEN funding for schools in North Devon.

In March this year, the Government published its Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Alternative Provision (AP) Improvement Plan. The Improvement Plan sets out that the Government will establish a single national system that delivers for every child and young person with special educational needs and disabilities from birth to age 25 so that they enjoy their childhood, achieve good outcomes, and are well prepared for their next step, whether that’s employment, higher education or adult services.

October 2023

School Food

Selaine’s response:

All children should be able to enjoy healthy food at school every day and develop healthy eating habits that will stay with them throughout their lives.

As set out in the Requirements for School Food Regulations 2014, schools should provide children with healthy food and drink options, and ensure that children get the necessary energy and nutrition throughout the school day. These regulate the food and drink provided at both lunchtime and at other times of the school day. The standards set out that meat or poultry must be provided on three or more days each week, and milk must be available for drinking every day.

Current standards provide a robust yet flexible framework to ensure that pupils receive high quality and nutritious food that builds healthy eating habits for life. The Government continues to promote compliance with the School Food Standards and will keep this under review.

In February 2022, the Levelling Up White Paper outlined the Government’s plan to strengthen adherence. This includes piloting work with the Foods Standards Agency, funding of up to £200,000 in a pilot Governor Training Scheme and encouraging schools to complete a statement on their websites setting out their whole school approach to food.

I note your concerns over the existing requirements for meat and dairy servings at schools. Although the School Food Standards regulate the food and drink provided at both lunchtime and at other times of the school day, the Government believes that head teachers, school governors and caterers are best placed to make decisions about their school food policies, taking into account local circumstances and the needs of their pupils. This applies, for example, to the provision of vegan meals.

My personal view is that location of production is also a key component of the emissions of our food. Devon is home to some of the best food production in the world, with minimal food miles to reach our tables and I believe we should also support out local farmers and food producers, reducing emissions in transport.

Schools should therefore make reasonable adjustments for pupils with particular requirements, such as dietary and cultural needs. The Government is encouraging schools to speak to parents about their school meals provision and act reasonably to ensure it best meets the needs and beliefs of their school community.

Schools must also provide access on their premises, at all times, to free drinking water. I would encourage schools to consider whether they are doing all they can to make free water visible and easily available.

September 2023

Transgender Guidance in Schools

Selaine’s response:

This is a complex and sensitive subject for schools to navigate. Guidance is being developed to support schools both in relation to transgender pupils and those who are questioning their gender. The guidance will be clear that, apart from in exceptional circumstances, schools should involve parents in any decision about their child.

Recognising the complexity of this subject, the Government will be taking more time to speak to teachers, parents and lawyers to ensure that the guidance provides clarity for schools and colleges, and reassurance to patients. The Government has committed to holding a full public consultation on the draft guidance prior to publication, to which anyone can respond.

In the meantime, my colleague Gillian Keegan, the Education Secretary, has stated clearly that schools and colleges should not agree to any changes that they are not absolutely confident are in the best interests of that child and their peers. Schools should also prioritise safeguarding and meeting their existing legal duties to protect single-sex spaces and fairness in single sex sport.

August 2023

School Attendance

Selaine’s response:

The Government is committed to ensuring that all children, especially the most vulnerable in our society, are safe and have access to an excellent education.

In May, the Department for Education launched a call for evidence on ‘Improving Support for Children Missing Education’ in England, which closed on 20 July 2023. This strategy is designed to build on other policies to improve the lives of children including the children’s social care implementation strategy ‘Stable Homes, Built on Love’, and plans to reform special educational needs provision via the ‘Special Educational Needs and Disabilities and Alternative Provision Improvement Plan’.

Children missing education (CME) are children of compulsory school age who are not registered pupils at a school and are not receiving suitable education otherwise than at school. CME are at significant risk of underachieving and becoming not in education, employment, or training later in life. More immediately, they are also at significant risk of becoming victims of harm, exploitation, or radicalisation.

CME make up a very small minority of school aged children and some will be missing education for a short period, for example, while they move between schools during the academic year. Children who miss longer periods of education present greater concerns, and it is especially important that these children can be effectively identified and supported.

The legislative framework places responsibilities for CME on parents, schools and local authorities. In 2016, the Department issued statutory ‘Children missing education’ guidance outlining key principles to enable local authorities in England to carry out their legal duty to make arrangements for identifying CME.

The ‘Improving Support for Children Missing Education’ call for evidence aimed to strengthen understanding of CME and the challenges those responsible for addressing CME face. Now that the call for evidence has closed, the Department will carefully consider the responses and publish its own response in due course.

July 2023

Free School Meals for All Children

Selaine’s response:

I believe it is imperative that children have regular healthy and balanced meals throughout the day to ensure they are able to thrive in the classroom. The Government is also keenly aware of the impact that the cost-of-living crisis is having on families across the country.

Over a third of pupils in England currently receive free school meals in education settings and the Government has just announced a further investment in the National School Breakfast Programme, extending the programme for another year until July 2024, backed by up to £30 million.

The Department spends over £1 billion each year on free school meals, including through the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme and school breakfast clubs. This includes around £600 million on Universal Infant Free School Meals (UIFSM). In June 2022, the Government allocated £18 million of additional funding for UIFSM to help schools provide for the 1.25 million children in reception, Year 1 and Year 2 with a free, healthy and nutritious lunch, in recognition of the rising cost of living.

The Government funds over £200 million a year on HAF, which provides healthy meals and holiday club places to children from low-income families. The Government is allocating £30 million over two years for the National School Breakfast Programme, which benefits over 2,000 schools across the country.

As announced in the Autumn Statement, for those who require extra support, the Government is providing an additional £1 billion to help with the cost of household essentials, for the 2023-24 financial year, on top of what has already been provided since October 2021, bringing total funding for this support to £2.5 billion.

December 2022

Children and Young People with Sight Loss

Selaine’s response:

Thank you to those constituents who contacted me about the Guide Dogs report on children and young people with vision impairment. I understand that it makes a number of recommendations for the Government to consider. As such, I am glad that a number of measures are in place to support children who are visually impaired and I have met with the Guide Dogs team at Westminster and seen the work they are doing to support children with visual impairments.

I believe it is very important that measures are taken to ensure that visually impaired children have all the necessary support in educational settings, and more widely at home. As such, I welcomed that high needs funding, which is specifically for supporting children with more complex SEND, will be increasing by £1 billion during the 2022-23 financial year. This will bring the overall funding for high needs to £9.1 billion, and this unprecedented increase of 13% comes on top of the £1.5 billion increase over the last two years. I understand that decisions about how funding is used, including for the employment of specialist teachers for visually impaired children, are made by local authorities and schools.

More broadly, I welcomed the publication of the Department for Education's SEND Green Paper which proposes to establish a single, national SEND system. This will set clear standards for provision, processes and systems, clear roles and responsibilities, and set strengthened accountabilities at every level. This will help to improve outcomes and improve consistency for children and young people with SEND, including the visually impaired.

August 2022

Multi-Sensory Impairment Support

Selaine’s response:

I am aware that the Department for Education is committed to ensuring that children with special education needs and disabilities, including those with visual impairments receive the support they need to achieve in their early years, at school and at college. As such, it is a legal requirement for qualified teachers of classes of pupils who have sensory impairments to hold the relevant mandatory qualification for sensory impairment (MQSI). To offer MQSIs, I understand that providers must be approved by the Secretary of State for Education.

The Department for Education intends to develop a new approval process to determine providers of MQSIs from the start of the 2022-23 academic year. This will mean that there will be a steady supply of teachers of children with visual, hearing, and multi-sensory impairment, in both specialist and mainstream settings.

April 2022

Teachers of the Deaf

Selaine’s response:

I believe it is vital that young people with disabilities can access the services they need for a good education. I am assured that the system for identifying and meeting the needs of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) is designed to deliver the right support where it is needed.

To be awarded teacher status, all trainees must satisfy the teachers’ standards, including a requirement that they have a clear understanding of the needs of SEND pupils and are able to support them. I am pleased that the Whole School SEND Consortium have been awarded a contract to embed SEND within approaches to school improvement and to equip the school workforce to deliver high quality teaching for all pupils with SEND. The programme of work includes building a Community of Practice with the involvement of 10,000 schools by 2020, and 15,000 schools by 2022, across the 8 Regional School Commissioner regions.

Colleagues tell me the Department for Education has considered the National Deaf Children’s Society (NDCS) proposals for a government funded bursary scheme. Officials are now working with the NDCS and other organisations in the sensory impairment sector to identify other solutions to support teachers wishing to train as Teachers of the Deaf, and qualified teachers of the sensory impaired more widely.

More generally, I am encouraged that the 2021 Spending Review has provided £2.6 billion during the 2021-22 financial year to create school places for children with special educational needs and disabilities. This more than triples the current capital funding levels to over £900 million by 2024-25. Ministers have also assured me that high needs funding will be increased by a further £780 million for 2022-23, which is specifically for children with more complex SEND.

March 2022

Primary School Assessments

Selaine’s response:

I firmly believe that children should receive the best possible primary education to prepare them for later life. I am also very aware of the impact that the school closures have had on children including on their learning, development, and mental health. Ministers are committed to ensuring that no child is left behind and all pupils receive the necessary support they need.

I understand there are some concerns regarding the assessments that primary school children must take including the Reception Baseline Assessment (RBA) and SATs. However, I believe that these assessments are crucial to ensuring that great schools are recognised and help to improve those that can learn from others.

As I understand it, assessments such as the RBA are used to inform the way that the Department for Education measures progress that primary school pupils make. I have been assured that no preparation is required from pupils, and data from the assessment will only be used once children reach the end of primary school. The information will not be used to judge, track, or label individual pupils.

Similarly, although they were cancelled for the 2020/21 academic year, SATs taken by Year Six pupils are important for accountability and help the Department for Education understand which schools are falling below expected levels of progress. Furthermore, it enables teachers to see how their pupils are performing in relation to national expectations and allows them to provide extra support for individuals where required.

I very much welcome the vast amount of additional support that has been provided to teachers and schools during the pandemic. This includes a £79 million funding boost for mental health teams at schools and colleges. The most disadvantaged children will also benefit from the £350 million National Tutoring Programme which has been expanded by £83 million, to provide additional, targeted support for those children that need the most help.

I will continue to monitor this issue closely, ensuring that all primary school assessments are carried out fairly and with the utmost consideration for the pupils’ mental health and wellbeing.

January 2022

Funding for Early Years Education

Selaine’s response:

I strongly believe that early years are crucial to giving every child the best start in life. I therefore welcome the doubling of free childcare for working parents of three and four-year-olds and the introduction of tax-free childcare. More than one million disadvantaged two-year-olds have also benefited from 15 hours of free childcare since it was introduced.

In order to realise this ambitious expansion, a fairer funding system for early years providers was introduced in 2017. The previous system had been based on historic expenditure, leading to significant variations in funding for local authorities. The new Early Years National Funding Formula is ensuring funding is allocated fairly, transparently and on a sustainable basis.

I am encouraged that the Department for Education has committed to providing £208 million in new funding for early years by 2024-25. This will include £170 million by 2024-25 to increase the hourly rate to be paid to early years providers, to deliver the Government's free hours offers, which builds on the £44 million increase confirmed at the last Spending Review. It will also provide £18 million in 2024-25 to create a network of family hubs to improve access to services for families and £20 million for parenting support. The Department has also reaffirmed £150 million for the training of early years staff to support children's learning and development, as part of the £1.4 billion announced in June 2021 to help children catch up on lost learning.

These changes have created a fairer system that better provides the affordable and high-quality childcare needed to give children all over the country the best opportunity to reach their full potential. Whilst I was unfortunately unable to attend the Westminster Hall Debate on 13 September, I will closely follow this important issue.

November 2021

Climate Emergency Education

Selaine’s response:

I take climate change extremely seriously, as I know my colleagues across Government do. This shows in the ambitious action taken by the UK. I became a member of the Conservative Environment Network in order to support conservation and decarbonisation, and I am Vice Chair of the Walking and Cycling All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) which aims to encourage more people to cycle and walk over to reduce emissions and improve public health.

The UK was the first country to legislate to eliminate our contribution to climate change by 2050, and is the fastest in the G20 to cut emissions. The Government has announced around £2 billion for new policies since setting the net zero targets and the Prime Minister-chaired Cabinet Committee on Climate Change continues to ensure all arms of government are focussed on tackling this challenge. At the same time, the Environment Bill is being introduced to protect and improve the environment for future generations, enshrining in law environmental principles and legally-binding targets.

It is vital that young people are taught about climate change. This education starts in primary school, and continues in secondary school throughout both the science and geography curricula and GCSEs. Should students wish to specialise in this area, a new environmental science A level was introduced in 2017.

The Department for Education also supports energy efficiency in educational facilities through capital funding and programmes, both to reduce the carbon footprint and save schools money on energy. Almost £9 billion has been allocated in condition funding since 2015 to maintain and improve school buildings. In addition, interest free loans for energy efficiency projects have been made available through the Salix finance scheme.

March 2021

Vocational Courses

Selaine's response:

I fully believe that skills are crucial to our economy, and that vocational courses need to be fit for the future. That is why I welcome Ministers’ emphasis on skills as a core enabler of the Government's ambition to ‘level up’.

The Prime Minister has set out a series of reforms to ensure that everyone can build the skills they need. The new Lifetime Skills Guarantee, open from April, is central to these reforms and will offer a free, fully-funded college course to all adults over the age of 24 without an A-Level or equivalent qualification. There are almost 400 fully-funded courses included in this offer and I am delighted that courses are available in environmental conservation, science, and the designing, engineering, and construction of sustainably built environments, amongst others. Given the cross-cutting nature of climate change, I would expect the environment to play a prominent role in this programme.

The economy has incurred substantial change as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and I am pleased that Ministers have now published the Further Education White Paper. It will ensure that people can get the education and training they need to get great jobs, and employers can fill the skills gaps they currently face, boosting our productivity and improving our international competitiveness.

March 2021

Uni fees and Covid

Selaine's response:

I fully understand that many students will be feeling frustrated at paying full tuition fees when learning has been moved to remote provision. Universities are autonomous and it is up to each university to choose whether they charge up to the Government-set maximum fees cap. However, Ministers and the Office for Students (OfS) have been explicit that whether they are delivering face-to-face, online, or blended provision, universities must continue delivering a high quality academic experience that helps all students achieve qualifications that they, and employers, value. It is worth remembering that several universities have an existing track record of offering highly regarded online-only courses.

The OfS are taking the potential impacts on teaching and learning of moving online very seriously, and are actively monitoring universities and collecting evidence to ensure that providers maintain the quality of their provision. This includes making all reasonable efforts to ensure online learning is accessible for all students, and being clear in their communications to students about how arrangements for teaching and learning may change throughout this year. If the OfS have any concerns, they will investigate further.

I welcome the further £70 million of hardship funding that has been announced, which, along with the original £256 million, is being distributed by universities to those students in need of help.

Where a student believes their provider has failed to deliver a high quality academic experience they are entitled to complain, in the first instance to the university and then to the OfS.

February 2021

Make Early Years Safe Campaign Response

Selaine's response

This pandemic has been a difficult time for us all, and I know childcare providers have been put under unusual pressures. As such, I am pleased that throughout the pandemic Ministers have taken significant steps to support childcare providers. A range of support has been made available, including a business rates holiday for one year and the continuation of full funding until the end of 2020, despite lower attendance rates. Broader support schemes, such as the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, have also been available to childcare providers.

Following the announcement of a further lockdown, which includes the closure of schools and colleges, I understand that early years childcare providers may have concerns about the safety of staying open. The Prime Minister has said education settings are not unsafe for children or staff. It remains the case that the work done already to implement protective measures in early years settings, such as increased cleaning and reducing 'pinch points', has created an inherently safer environment for staff to work in. Scientific advice has consistently shown that education workers are at no greater risk of contracting coronavirus compared to other key workers. Additionally, there is evidence that younger children are less likely than their counterparts in primary and secondary schools to spread the virus.

Addressing the concern over Spring 2021 Funding Allocations, attendance at early years settings has been lower than usual levels both before and after Christmas, which could cause issues in the early years sector. Ministers want to move forward with the early years census as it provides important and useful information, however, Ministers have indicated they will be looking at different approaches of how to support the early years sector and how funding will be working this year.

January 2021

Closing Schools

Selaine's response:

I appreciate that many people wanted to see schools closing, or at least see the opening delayed at the start of this year. I did not want to see schools close as I am acutely aware of how important face-to-face education is. I am also aware of the huge amount of work undertaken by schools to ensure their premises were as Covid-secure as possible.

We could not, however, ignore the exceptional rise in cases nationally from late December where it is now estimated that 1 in 50 people in England are Covid positive. The national lockdown is to reduce people’s movement, not because schools are not safe, and have been taken as a last resort to protect the NHS.

Schools will continue to be open for vulnerable children and the children of critical workers. This in itself is a challenge, but having spoken to a number of schools one that they are well prepared for. Schools are also much better prepared for online learning than they were in March and I welcome the fact that the BBC will be broadcasting lessons during this lockdown.

To date the Government have invested over £300 million to help schools and colleges as they transition to remote education provision. This includes £4.84 million to fund the Oak National Academy, an online resource, designed by teachers, which provides video lessons across a wide range of subjects for every year group from Reception to Year 10.

The Department of Education has taken the difficult decision that exams will not go ahead as planned this summer. Instead the Education Secretary is working with Ofqual to put in place alternative arrangements based on teacher assessed grades, the full details of which will be announced shortly. There are also significant concerns about technical qualifications, many will be taking exams this month and I have sought urgent guidance for our further education providers.

I do want schools to reopen to more children as soon as possible. I do genuinely worry about the longer term damage to this generation’s education and life chances. I am glad that this fact is generally recognised but of course, we can only reopen when we have brought down case numbers and reduced hospitalisations.

January 2021

SATS and Coronavirus

Selaine's response:

I am delighted that children are now back in school. It will be vital this year to understand the impact coronavirus (COVID-19) has had on children's education, and so I am pleased to hear that Ministers are preparing for primary assessments to take place in 2021. This will help to understand the impact of COVID-19 and target ongoing support to those that need it most. Ministers have been working closely with Ofqual, the exam boards, groups representing teachers, schools, colleges, students, and teaching unions to consider the approach to exams and other assessments next year.

I recognise that this year has placed extra burdens on schools and children alike. However, not holding the regular primary assessments this year could risk disadvantaging this year's cohort of learners. It is important that the current cohort is treated consistently with their peers.

Ministers are planning on the basis that primary assessments will take place in 2020/21 to allow us to understand the remaining impact of COVID-19 and target ongoing support to those that need it most. Timings for SATs in 2021 will be confirmed shortly.

November 2020

Free School Meals - Opposition Day Debate

Selaine's response:

The vote on Wednesday was on an Opposition Day motion which means that if the motion had passed, there would have been no change in the law or change to the free school meals scheme.

Contrary to what some people have been saying, I have not voted to take free school meals from children. Supporting vulnerable children, families and individuals has been at the heart of all I have done at this challenging time.

The Opposition know this, but they prefer to frame these votes as more than they are in a cynical attempt to play politics with a serious issue.

As a matter of principle, the best way to help support children is through the welfare system. I agree that those who need it should be provided with free meals when they are in school, but we must be careful not to overburden schools with tasks which rightly fall under the remit of the broader welfare system. Accordingly, the Government have introduced a broad range of measures to support children during the pandemic.

When schools were closed to most pupils during lockdown, free school meals continued in recognition of the extraordinary circumstances in which we found ourselves. Families also received over £380 million in supermarket vouchers through the National Voucher Scheme. The Government has allocated an additional £9.3 billion for this financial year, which means an extra £1,040 a year for families on Universal Credit and Working Tax Credits. On top of that, the Local Housing Allowance has been increased and a range of welfare schemes administered by local councils have been set up. The Government have also provided direct income support through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme.

I think this is the right way to support those most in need. As I said earlier, one of my primary concerns is the burden on schools and this concern was exacerbated by the Labour Party’s inability to say when their proposals would come to an end. It would be valuable for us to have a debate about the best ways in which to support the most vulnerable, and there is room for reasonable disagreement about whether free school meals or other welfare schemes are the best way to do this.

I am part of the Department of Work and Pensions Select Committee and just last week we set out a selection of proposals to improve Universal Credit including improving the timeliness of payments, increasing the flexibility of when and how people are paid. It is through work such as this that I as an MP can make a real and lasting difference for my constituents. It is disingenuous on the part of the Labour Party to suggest that voting against their motion meant Conservative MPs do not care about their constituents. Whether this motion had passed or not would not have resulted in any change. As so often in politics, this was a disagreement about means, not ends, and to portray it as anything else is to make national politics a more poisonous place.

October 2020

School Breakfast Bill

Selaine's response:

I agree with you that all children should have access to a good breakfast before school for the benefit of their learning, attendance, behaviour and attainment. I know that Ministers also share this goal and are committed to ensuring that no child starts the school day hungry. It is welcome that many support programmes are already in place that provide healthy and nutritious breakfasts to many thousands of children across the country.

The Government has spearheaded numerous policy initiatives to ensure that no child goes hungry, such as the National School Breakfast (NSB) Programme which was extended in January with £11.8m of additional Government funding. So far, 1,800 school breakfast clubs have been created by the Programme which now offers support to over 280,000 children in some of the most deprived areas of England. Funding for the NSB Programme beyond March 2021 is due to be evaluated in this autumn’s Comprehensive Spending Review and I will be pressing ministerial colleagues to ensure this important programme can continue.

In addition to the NSB Programme, £9m of funding was provided for the Holiday Activities and Food Programme over the Summer. This initiative enabled over 50,000 children to access healthy meals and enriching activities during the holidays.

I understand that Ministers are also considering the recommendations put forward recently in Part One of the National Food Strategy. I hope that this response has reassured you that substantial action, including unprecedented additional support during the Covid-19 pandemic, is already being taken to ensure that children do not go hungry. I will continue to work to ensure all children get a nutritious breakfast before school and I know Ministers will do the same.

October 2020

Reception Baseline Assessment (RBA)

Selaine's response:

Primary education is fundamental to ensuring every child receives the best possible start in life. The primary assessment and accountability system plays an important role in ensuring that every child, no matter what their background, benefits from a high-quality primary education. These assessments help ensure great schools are recognised and help to improve those that can learn from others.

The reception baseline assessment (RBA) will be used to inform the way the Department for Education measures the educational progress that primary schools help their pupils to make. The RBA is not a test. It is a short, teacher-led assessment of children’s communication, language, literacy and early mathematics skills. No preparation will be required, either at home or at school. It will enable the Department for Education to develop improved progress measures which will take into account the work that primary schools do with their pupils in the reception year and throughout the first two years of schooling. Data from the assessment will only be used once children reach the end of primary school, and will not be used to judge, track or label individual pupils.

It is important to note that this assessment will replace existing end-of-key stage 1 tests, which will be made non-mandatory once the new reception baseline has become established.

I know Ministers appreciate the challenging circumstances schools are facing. The Department for Education is keeping progress towards the reception baseline assessment (RBA) under regular review and gathering feedback from stakeholders on a range of options. Further guidance on the RBA will be provided to schools in the summer term.

June 2020

Reception Baseline Assessment (RBA)

Selaine's response:

high-quality primary education. These assessments help ensure great schools are recognised and help to improve those that can learn from others.

It is important to note that this assessment will replace existing end-of-key stage 1 tests, which will be made non-mandatory once the new reception baseline has become established.

June 2020

Coronavirus and Free School Meals

Selaine's response:

As you may be aware, the provision for free school meals is ordinarily term time only. However, during the Easter and half term holidays the Department for Education met the costs of the national voucher scheme to provide free school meals for eligible pupils. I welcome that in recognition of the unprecedented situation facing parents this summer, a new Covid Summer Food Fund has been announced. Additional funding will enable children who are eligible for free school meals to claim a 6-week voucher to cover the summer holiday period.

In addition, I welcome that during this challenging period, the eligibility criteria for FSM is temporarily being extended. This includes some groups who have no recourse to public funds. Further details can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-free-school-meals-guidance/guidance-for-the-temporary-extension-of-free-school-meals-eligibility-to-nrpf-groups.

June 2020