The Westminster lensArchive · Written questions · 609 tabled · 580 answered

Written questions by Dance.

Every parliamentary written question tabled by Adam Dance this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.

Department:All (609)Department of Health and Social Care (155)Department for Education (123)Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (66)Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (53)Department for Transport (44)Department for Work and Pensions (42)Treasury (27)Home Office (20)Ministry of Defence (14)Department for Business and Trade (13)Ministry of Justice (13)Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (12)

Showing 101120 of 123 · Department for Education

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26 Mar 2025·Department for Education·Answered
Asked

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of reducing funding for level 7 healthcare apprenticeships on skills shortages in the NHS; and what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on that funding.

Reply

I refer the hon. Member for Yeovil to the answer of 28 March 2025 to Question 39819.

26 Mar 2025·Department for Education·Answered
Asked

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of reducing funding for level 7 apprenticeships on the number of chartered town planners in local government.

Reply

I refer the hon. Member for Yeovil to the answer of 20 January 2025 to Question 23140.

26 Mar 2025·Department for Education·Answered
Asked

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of reducing funding for level 7 healthcare apprenticeships on the NHS long-term workforce plan.

Reply

I refer the hon. Member for Yeovil to the answer of 28 March 2025 to Question 39819.

20 Mar 2025·Department for Education·Answered
Asked

What plans she has to improve the (a) mental health and (b) wellbeing of teachers in Somerset.

Reply

I refer the hon. Member for Yeovil to the answer of 14 February 2025 to Question 29516.

20 Mar 2025·Department for Education·Answered
Asked

What plans she has to improve teacher (a) recruitment and (b) retention in Somerset.

Reply

High quality teaching is the most important in-school factor to a child’s educational outcomes. Recruiting and retaining more qualified, expert teachers is therefore critical to the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and boost the life chances for every child. This is why the department will recruit 6,500 new expert teachers, get more teachers into shortage subjects, support areas that face recruitment challenges and tackle retention issues. To deliver this pledge we are resetting the relationship with the sector to ensure teaching is once again a valued and attractive profession.We agreed a 5.5% pay award for teachers this year, 2024/25, and we have increased the funding available for bursaries for trainee teaches to £233 million from 2025/26, to support teacher trainees with tax-free bursaries of up to £29,000 and scholarships of up to £31,000 in some shortage subjects. The department has also expanded its school teacher recruitment campaign, ‘Every Lesson Shapes a Life’, and the further education teacher recruitment campaign ‘Share your Skills’.A successful recruitment strategy starts with a strong retention strategy, and in addition to recruiting high quality teachers, we want to ensure teachers stay and thrive in this profession. New teachers of mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing in the first five years of their careers will now receive a targeted retention incentive of up to £6,000, after-tax, if working in disadvantaged schools. There are six schools in the Yeovil constituency where teachers are eligible for targeted retention incentives.The department has also taken steps to improve teachers’ workload and wellbeing, to support retention and help re-establish teaching as an attractive profession. This includes opportunities for greater flexible working, such as allowing planning, preparation and assessment time to be undertaken remotely, and making key resources to support wellbeing, developed with school leaders, available to teachers​.The department is also funding bespoke support provided by flexible working ambassador schools and multi-academy trusts, ensuring schools are capturing the benefits of flexible working, whilst protecting pupils’ face-to-face teacher time.Malmesbury School of the Athelstan Trust is the flexible working ambassador school providing local, tailored peer support for Yeovil schools.High quality continuing professional development is also key to ensuring the retention of an effective teaching workforce. Through the revised Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework, new teachers will benefit from at least three years of evidence-based training, across initial teacher training and into their induction. The department has also launched an updated suite of national professional qualifications (NPQs) for teachers and school leaders at all levels, from those who want to develop expertise in high quality teaching practice to those leading multiple schools across trusts. Teaching School Hubs play a significant role in delivering the initial teacher training, the early career framework and NPQs. The Five Counties Teaching School Hubs Alliance is a partnership of Teaching School Hubs supporting teacher training and development across Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Bath and Bristol.

5 Mar 2025·Department for Education·Answered
Asked

What plans she has to support technical colleges to provide specialist support for dyslexic students in (a) Somerset and (b) the South West.

Reply

We are the department for opportunity. As part of this we are committed to help every learner to achieve and thrive, through excellent teaching and high standards. This includes a focus on children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).The SEND Code of Practice is clear that all children and young people with SEND should be prepared for adulthood.Preparation for adulthood means higher education and/or employment, independent living, participation in society and being as healthy as possible in adult life.All local authorities must set out the support available to help children and young people with SEND move into adulthood as part of their local offer.All education and training providers, including Technical Colleges, and other related service providers, have a duty to make reasonable adjustments for disabled people, so they are not disadvantaged compared to non-disabled students. This includes people with a learning difficulty. This duty is set out under section 20 of the Equality Act 2010, which is available at: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/15/section/20.There is a range of support on offer for dyslexic students. Students should discuss their needs with the college or education provider before the course begins. They will assess needs by consulting the student, their previous school and (if appropriate, and with permission) parents. Over the age of 16, the student should be fully involved in the discussions around special educational needs support.The college must explain what support they will provide to meet the person’s individual learning needs. They should regularly review this support, keep records of the student’s progress and discuss this with them.Support can include the use of additional time for tasks and exams, assistive technology, specialist tuition, note-takers and one-to-one or small group learning support.The British Dyslexia Association offers advice and guidance on how students should be supported, which is available at: https://www.bdadyslexia.org.uk/advice/educators.Disability Rights UK have information available which describes how reasonable adjustments can be provided for students with disabilities. This can be accessed at: https://www.disabilityrightsuk.org/resources/adjustments-disabled-students-and-apprentices.

5 Mar 2025·Department for Education·Answered
Asked

What plans she has to improve specialist teacher training on supporting dyslexic students in secondary schools.

Reply

The department is committed to improving support for all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including those with dyslexia and other neurodiverse conditions. The government is focusing on improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools, and is working with families and education and care experts to deliver this in the best interests of all children and to improve parents’ trust. High-quality teaching is the most important in-school factor for improving outcomes for all children, particularly those with SEND or from disadvantaged backgrounds, and the department is committed to ensuring that all pupils receive excellent support from their teachers. The Teachers’ Standards set clear expectations that teachers must understand the needs of all pupils, including those with SEND such as dyslexia. All initial teacher training (ITT) providers must ensure that their courses enable trainee teachers to meet the Teachers’ Standards to be recommended for the award of qualified teacher status. The ITT Core Content Framework and Early Career Framework (ECF), for trainee and early career teachers (ECTs) respectively, cover the first three years or more at the start of a teacher’s career. They set out the core body of knowledge, skills and behaviours that define great teaching. From September 2025, they will be superseded by the combined Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework (ITTECF), which sets out a minimum entitlement to training and must be used by providers of ITT and those delivering provider-led early career training to create their curricula. From September 2025 all ECTs will be entitled to a two-year induction that is underpinned by the ITTECF, known as the Early Career Teacher Entitlement (ECTE). The department’s review of content for the ITTECF paid particular attention to the needs of trainees and ECTs when supporting pupils with SEND. There is now significantly more content related to adaptive teaching and supporting pupils with SEND, some of which has been adapted from the new national professional qualification for special educational needs co-ordinators to be relevant for trainees and ECTs. We have edited existing statements to improve inclusivity for SEND throughout the framework, including, for example, developing an understanding of different pupil needs, and learning how to provide opportunities for success for all pupils, including those with dyslexia. From September 2025, the department has also enhanced the requirement on providers of ECT training to develop SEND training materials. The department tested this approach with SEND educational experts with consensus that the approach of ‘quality-first teaching’ would be the best way to improve outcomes for all children. The department recognises that continuous improvement is essential and has recently committed to a full review of the ECTE in 2027 to ensure it continues to provide the best possible support for ECTs. This review will focus on the support we provide new teachers in teaching pupils with SEND.

5 Mar 2025·Department for Education·Answered
Asked

Pursuant to the Answer of 2 September 2024 to Question 2285 on Pupils: Dyslexia, what discussions she has had with (a) families and (b) education care experts on delivering the best educational outcomes for children with (i) dyslexia and (ii) other neurodivergent conditions in (A) Somerset and (B) the South West.

Reply

The department is committed to improving support for all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including those with dyslexia and other neurodiverse conditions.The department is working closely with experts on reforms, including Dame Christine Lenehan as a Strategic Advisor for SEND, who is playing a key role in convening and engaging with the sector, including leaders, practitioners, children and families, as we consider the next steps for the future of SEND reform.We know that consistent, meaningful co-production is vital to improving the experiences of all children, young people and their families, and local authorities must ensure that children, young people and parents are provided with the information, advice and support necessary to enable them to participate in discussions and decisions about their support. We will continue to offer training and support, via our contracted delivery partners, to SEND Information, Advice and Support Services (SENDIASS).The English Hubs programme is dedicated to improving the teaching of reading, with a focus on supporting children making the slowest progress in reading. As part of the continuous professional development provided by the English Hubs, the Reading Ambition for All programme has been launched to improve outcomes for children who need additional support with reading, including those with SEND.In the South West, there are six English Hubs: Cornerstone, Ilsham, Kernow, Mangotsfield, Ramsbury and Unlocking Excellence. This academic year, they are supporting a total of 130 schools with the Reading Ambition for All programme.The Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (PINS) programme brings together integrated care boards, local authorities and schools, working in partnership with parents and carers to support schools to better meet the needs of neurodivergent children. PINS was co-produced with parent carers with input from education and health professionals.Since the programme launched in November 2023, PINS has deployed health and education specialists to strengthen training for teachers and staff in around 1,650 mainstream primary schools (10%).PINS is successfully operating in Somerset, Devon and Cornwall, with specialist neurodiversity training and parent carer engagement currently being delivered in participating schools. The PINS programme is being evaluated and the learning will inform future policy development around how schools support neurodivergent children.Additionally, the department has brought together a group of leading neurodiversity experts to work closely with us to help improve inclusivity and expertise in mainstream settings in a way that works for neurodivergent children and young people.

5 Mar 2025·Department for Education·Answered
Asked

What plans she has to improve specialist teacher training on supporting dyslexic students in primary schools.

Reply

The department is committed to improving support for all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including those with dyslexia and other neurodiverse conditions. The government is focusing on improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools, and is working with families and education and care experts to deliver this in the best interests of all children and to improve parents’ trust. High-quality teaching is the most important in-school factor for improving outcomes for all children, particularly those with SEND or from disadvantaged backgrounds, and the department is committed to ensuring that all pupils receive excellent support from their teachers. The Teachers’ Standards set clear expectations that teachers must understand the needs of all pupils, including those with SEND such as dyslexia. All initial teacher training (ITT) providers must ensure that their courses enable trainee teachers to meet the Teachers’ Standards to be recommended for the award of qualified teacher status. The ITT Core Content Framework and Early Career Framework (ECF), for trainee and early career teachers (ECTs) respectively, cover the first three years or more at the start of a teacher’s career. They set out the core body of knowledge, skills and behaviours that define great teaching. From September 2025, they will be superseded by the combined Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework (ITTECF), which sets out a minimum entitlement to training and must be used by providers of ITT and those delivering provider-led early career training to create their curricula. From September 2025 all ECTs will be entitled to a two-year induction that is underpinned by the ITTECF, known as the Early Career Teacher Entitlement (ECTE). The department’s review of content for the ITTECF paid particular attention to the needs of trainees and ECTs when supporting pupils with SEND. There is now significantly more content related to adaptive teaching and supporting pupils with SEND, some of which has been adapted from the new national professional qualification for special educational needs co-ordinators to be relevant for trainees and ECTs. We have edited existing statements to improve inclusivity for SEND throughout the framework, including, for example, developing an understanding of different pupil needs, and learning how to provide opportunities for success for all pupils, including those with dyslexia. From September 2025, the department has also enhanced the requirement on providers of ECT training to develop SEND training materials. The department tested this approach with SEND educational experts with consensus that the approach of ‘quality-first teaching’ would be the best way to improve outcomes for all children. The department recognises that continuous improvement is essential and has recently committed to a full review of the ECTE in 2027 to ensure it continues to provide the best possible support for ECTs. This review will focus on the support we provide new teachers in teaching pupils with SEND.

5 Mar 2025·Department for Education·Answered
Asked

What plans she has to improve specialist teacher training on supporting dyslexic students in the post-16 education sector.

Reply

We are the department for opportunity. As part of this we are committed to help every learner to achieve and thrive, through excellent teaching and high standards. This includes a focus on children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).The department has put measures in place to support students with SEND. All publicly funded further education (FE) teacher training routes are required to support trainees to achieve the learning and skills teacher occupational standard. The standard requires trainee teachers to actively promote equality of opportunity and inclusion by responding to the needs of all students, including children and young people with SEND and/or dyslexia.The department has also continued to offer financial incentives for those undertaking teacher training for the FE sector in priority subject areas. We confirmed that FE teacher training bursaries will be offered for a further year, the 2025/26 academic year. We have set the bursaries for SEND at £15,000.All education and training providers, including technical colleges, and other related service providers, have a duty to make reasonable adjustments for disabled people, so they are not disadvantaged compared to non-disabled students. This includes people with a learning difficulty. This duty is set out under section 20 of the Equality Act 2010, which is available here: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/15/section/20.

3 Mar 2025·Department for Education·Answered
Asked

What steps her Department is taking to support children diagnosed with dyslexia in Yeovil constituency.

Reply

The department is committed to improving support for all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including those with dyslexia and other neurodiverse conditions.We are providing £1 billion more for high needs budgets in 2025/26 financial year, bringing total high needs funding to £11.9 billion. This funding will help local authorities and schools with the increasing costs of supporting children and young people with complex SEND.Early identification of need and support is critical to improving outcomes for children and young people with SEND, including those with dyslexia. There are already a number of measures to help teachers do this, including the phonics screening check and statutory assessments at the end of key stage 2.Schools should apply a ‘graduated approach’ to identify a child’s needs, plan appropriate support, implement that support and review it regularly to ensure it continues to meet their identified needs. Through this, schools should develop personalised approaches to supporting the unique needs of individual pupils. Schools should involve pupils and their parents in this process, taking their views into consideration.The core content framework and early career framework, for trainee and Early Career Teachers (ECTs) respectively, cover the first three years or more at the start of a teacher’s career. They set out the core body of knowledge skills and behaviours that define great teaching, and from September 2025 will be superseded by the combined Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework (ITTECF), which sets out a minimum entitlement to training and must be used by providers of initial teacher training and those delivering training to ECTs to create their curricula. The ITTECF contains significantly more content related to adaptive teaching and supporting pupils with SEND.Measures have also been introduced to support the effective teaching of reading, including for those at risk of falling behind. This includes the English Hubs programme, the publication of the reading framework and an updated list of high-quality systematic synthetic phonics programmes for schools.The English Hubs programme is dedicated to improving the teaching of reading, with a focus on supporting children making the slowest progress in reading. As part of the continuous professional development provided by the English Hubs, the Reading Ambition for All programme has been launched to improve outcomes for children who need additional support with reading, including those with SEND.In the South West there are 6 English Hubs: Cornerstone, Ilsham, Kernow, Mangotsfield, Ramsbury and ‘Unlocking Excellence’. This academic year, they are supporting a total of 130 schools with the Reading Ambition for All programme.

3 Mar 2025·Department for Education·Answered
Asked

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of support for dyslexic students in mainstream education in (a) Somerset and (b) the South West.

Reply

The department is committed to improving support for all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including those with dyslexia and other neurodiverse conditions.We are providing £1 billion more for high needs budgets in 2025/26 financial year, bringing total high needs funding to £11.9 billion. This funding will help local authorities and schools with the increasing costs of supporting children and young people with complex SEND.Early identification of need and support is critical to improving outcomes for children and young people with SEND, including those with dyslexia. There are already a number of measures to help teachers do this, including the phonics screening check and statutory assessments at the end of key stage 2.Schools should apply a ‘graduated approach’ to identify a child’s needs, plan appropriate support, implement that support and review it regularly to ensure it continues to meet their identified needs. Through this, schools should develop personalised approaches to supporting the unique needs of individual pupils. Schools should involve pupils and their parents in this process, taking their views into consideration.The core content framework and early career framework, for trainee and Early Career Teachers (ECTs) respectively, cover the first three years or more at the start of a teacher’s career. They set out the core body of knowledge skills and behaviours that define great teaching, and from September 2025 will be superseded by the combined Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework (ITTECF), which sets out a minimum entitlement to training and must be used by providers of initial teacher training and those delivering training to ECTs to create their curricula. The ITTECF contains significantly more content related to adaptive teaching and supporting pupils with SEND.Measures have also been introduced to support the effective teaching of reading, including for those at risk of falling behind. This includes the English Hubs programme, the publication of the reading framework and an updated list of high-quality systematic synthetic phonics programmes for schools.The English Hubs programme is dedicated to improving the teaching of reading, with a focus on supporting children making the slowest progress in reading. As part of the continuous professional development provided by the English Hubs, the Reading Ambition for All programme has been launched to improve outcomes for children who need additional support with reading, including those with SEND.In the South West there are 6 English Hubs: Cornerstone, Ilsham, Kernow, Mangotsfield, Ramsbury and ‘Unlocking Excellence’. This academic year, they are supporting a total of 130 schools with the Reading Ambition for All programme.

3 Mar 2025·Department for Education·Answered
Asked

What plans she has to improve (a) inclusivity and (b) expertise on dyslexia in mainstream schools in (i) Somerset and (ii) the South West.

Reply

The department is committed to improving support for all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including those with dyslexia and other neurodiverse conditions.We are providing £1 billion more for high needs budgets in 2025/26 financial year, bringing total high needs funding to £11.9 billion. This funding will help local authorities and schools with the increasing costs of supporting children and young people with complex SEND.Early identification of need and support is critical to improving outcomes for children and young people with SEND, including those with dyslexia. There are already a number of measures to help teachers do this, including the phonics screening check and statutory assessments at the end of key stage 2.Schools should apply a ‘graduated approach’ to identify a child’s needs, plan appropriate support, implement that support and review it regularly to ensure it continues to meet their identified needs. Through this, schools should develop personalised approaches to supporting the unique needs of individual pupils. Schools should involve pupils and their parents in this process, taking their views into consideration.The core content framework and early career framework, for trainee and Early Career Teachers (ECTs) respectively, cover the first three years or more at the start of a teacher’s career. They set out the core body of knowledge skills and behaviours that define great teaching, and from September 2025 will be superseded by the combined Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework (ITTECF), which sets out a minimum entitlement to training and must be used by providers of initial teacher training and those delivering training to ECTs to create their curricula. The ITTECF contains significantly more content related to adaptive teaching and supporting pupils with SEND.Measures have also been introduced to support the effective teaching of reading, including for those at risk of falling behind. This includes the English Hubs programme, the publication of the reading framework and an updated list of high-quality systematic synthetic phonics programmes for schools.The English Hubs programme is dedicated to improving the teaching of reading, with a focus on supporting children making the slowest progress in reading. As part of the continuous professional development provided by the English Hubs, the Reading Ambition for All programme has been launched to improve outcomes for children who need additional support with reading, including those with SEND.In the South West there are 6 English Hubs: Cornerstone, Ilsham, Kernow, Mangotsfield, Ramsbury and ‘Unlocking Excellence’. This academic year, they are supporting a total of 130 schools with the Reading Ambition for All programme.

3 Mar 2025·Department for Education·Answered
Asked

What steps her Department is taking to ensure early diagnosis of dyslexia in schools.

Reply

The department is committed to improving support for all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including those with dyslexia and other neurodiverse conditions.We are providing £1 billion more for high needs budgets in 2025/26 financial year, bringing total high needs funding to £11.9 billion. This funding will help local authorities and schools with the increasing costs of supporting children and young people with complex SEND.Early identification of need and support is critical to improving outcomes for children and young people with SEND, including those with dyslexia. There are already a number of measures to help teachers do this, including the phonics screening check and statutory assessments at the end of key stage 2.Schools should apply a ‘graduated approach’ to identify a child’s needs, plan appropriate support, implement that support and review it regularly to ensure it continues to meet their identified needs. Through this, schools should develop personalised approaches to supporting the unique needs of individual pupils. Schools should involve pupils and their parents in this process, taking their views into consideration.The core content framework and early career framework, for trainee and Early Career Teachers (ECTs) respectively, cover the first three years or more at the start of a teacher’s career. They set out the core body of knowledge skills and behaviours that define great teaching, and from September 2025 will be superseded by the combined Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework (ITTECF), which sets out a minimum entitlement to training and must be used by providers of initial teacher training and those delivering training to ECTs to create their curricula. The ITTECF contains significantly more content related to adaptive teaching and supporting pupils with SEND.Measures have also been introduced to support the effective teaching of reading, including for those at risk of falling behind. This includes the English Hubs programme, the publication of the reading framework and an updated list of high-quality systematic synthetic phonics programmes for schools.The English Hubs programme is dedicated to improving the teaching of reading, with a focus on supporting children making the slowest progress in reading. As part of the continuous professional development provided by the English Hubs, the Reading Ambition for All programme has been launched to improve outcomes for children who need additional support with reading, including those with SEND.In the South West there are 6 English Hubs: Cornerstone, Ilsham, Kernow, Mangotsfield, Ramsbury and ‘Unlocking Excellence’. This academic year, they are supporting a total of 130 schools with the Reading Ambition for All programme.

4 Feb 2025·Department for Education·Answered
Asked

What assessment she has made of the potential (a) administrative and (b) psychological impact of children not being on school registers on home schooling families of neurodivergent children.

Reply

There is currently no duty on parents to notify local authorities when they have elected to home educate their child. The ‘Children Not in School’ measures in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill will help remedy this by placing a duty on local authorities to maintain compulsory registers of all children not in school in their areas, and accompanying duties on parents and out-of-school education providers to provide information for these registers.Information recorded on registers could include whether an eligible child has special educational needs. This would enable local authorities to provide tailored support to these children and their families, and for a more accurate assessment to be made of the impact on these children of not being on school registers. Statutory guidance will be produced to go alongside the measures, which will set out requirements for local authorities and parents.The department has conducted an Equalities Impact Assessment on the ‘Children Not in School’ measures. As part of this assessment, we have considered the potential impact on children with special educational needs and disabilities, including those who are neurodivergent.

29 Jan 2025·Department for Education·Answered
Asked

What estimate she has made of the potential cost to local authorities of the provisions of the Children’s Wellbeing and School Bill.

Reply

I refer the hon. member for Yeovil to the answer of 20 January to Question 24930.

29 Jan 2025·Department for Education·Answered
Asked

What steps she is taking to reduce bullying in schools.

Reply

I refer the hon. Member for Yeovil to the answer of 23 January 2025 to Question 22877.

29 Jan 2025·Department for Education·Answered
Asked

What estimate she has made of the cost of home schooling a child for (a) parents and (b) local education authorities in this financial year.

Reply

The department does not hold data on the cost of elective home education for parents or local authorities.As set out in our elective home education guidance, parents who home educate assume the full financial responsibility for their child’s education, since a state-funded school place is available for their child.The new duties created by the Children Not in School measures in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill will include the creation of a duty on local authorities to create and maintain Children Not in School registers and a duty to provide support to home educating families, should it be requested. Local authority delivery will be funded by central government in line with the New Burdens Doctrine. To determine the level of funding, the department will carry out a new burdens assessment.

29 Jan 2025·Department for Education·Answered
Asked

What steps she is taking to help improve (a) vocational education and (b) apprenticeships in agriculture.

Reply

The government is developing a comprehensive strategy for post‐16 education and skills to break down barriers to opportunity, support the development of a skilled workforce in all sectors, including agriculture and drive economic growth through our industrial strategy.We have established Skills England to ensure we have the highly trained workforce required to deliver the national, regional and local skills needs of the next decade. It will ensure that the skills system is clear and navigable for individuals, both young people and older adults, strengthening careers pathways into jobs across the economy.The department’s reformed growth and skills offer, which will have apprenticeships at its core, will deliver greater flexibility for learners and employers. As a key first step towards greater flexibility, we are introducing new foundation apprenticeships for young people as well as shorter apprenticeships. These will help more people learn high-quality skills at work and fuel innovation in businesses across the country. During autumn 2024, Skills England engaged with employers and other key stakeholders on initial priorities for the new offer. The department will set out more detail on the offer in due course.The department will continue to support learners who wish to have a career in agriculture through its technical education offer, with a range of high-quality qualifications and apprenticeship opportunities at all levels. We recognise the crucial role that land-based colleges and providers play in delivering the skills training and innovation needed for the current and future workforce.Employers have developed several apprenticeships in the agriculture sector to support them to develop skilled workforces, including general farm worker (level 2), livestock unit technical (level 3) and assistant farm manager (level 4).21 T Levels are being delivered in a range of in-demand subjects. T Levels in Agriculture, Land Management and Production, and Animal Care and Management are now being taught across the country, providing students with the core knowledge and skills needed for entry to a range of occupations in the rural sector.Higher Technical Qualifications (HTQs), which are occupation-focussed level 4-5 qualifications, are approved and quality marked as providing the skills demanded in the workplace by employers. To date, 263 HTQs have been approved for delivery across a range of occupational routes, with the Agriculture, Environmental and Animal Care route becoming available for first teach from September 2025.

27 Nov 2024·Department for Education·Answered
Asked

What steps she is taking to encourage upskilling for tradespeople.

Reply

The department is developing a comprehensive strategy for post‐16 education and skills, to break down barriers to opportunity, support the development of a skilled workforce and drive economic growth through our Industrial Strategy. My noble Friend, the M...

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