Written questions by Turner.

How many air cleaning units were provided to education facilities in (a) Birmingham Northfield constituency, (b) Birmingham, (c) the West Midlands and (d) England since 2020.

Between January 2022 and April 2023, the department provided over 9,000 air cleaning units to over 1,300 education and childcare settings that had been identified with poor ventilation.Four air cleaning units were provided to education settings in the Birmingham Northfield constituency, 269 units were provided to education settings in the Birmingham City Council area and 996 units were provided to education settings in the West Midlands. In total, 8,848 air cleaning units were delivered to education settings in England. These figures do not include units provided to early years settings.The department has published guidance on how to use CO2 monitors and air cleaning units, which can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/using-co-monitors-and-air-cleaning-units-in-education-and-care-settings.

With reference to the Answer of 11 December 2014 to Question 217660 on Teachers, whether the programme of talks referred to is ongoing.

Following the 2024 general election, the Programme of Talks forum was stood down to enable the department to develop new and improved ways of working with employer organisations, unions and other key stakeholders. This government is committed to resetting the relationship with the sector, where we work together on priority areas for reform, building on decades of the sector’s experience and excellence. Tackling high workload for school staff remains a key focus for this government.

What progress her Department has made on the guidance for schools on mitigating poor air quality.

The department regularly reviews its guidance to ensure that it aligns with best practice and industry standards, to deliver high-quality school environments.Between January 2022 and April 2023, the department provided over 9,000 air cleaning units to over 1,300 settings that had been identified with poor ventilation. The department has published guidance on how to use CO2 monitors and air cleaning units, which can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/using-co-monitors-and-air-cleaning-units-in-education-and-care-settings.The department also publishes non-statutory guidance on indoor and outdoor air quality in ‘Building Bulletin 101: Guidelines on ventilation, thermal comfort and indoor air quality in schools’ (BB101), which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/building-bulletin-101-ventilation-for-school-buildings.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of extending the provision of air cleaning units to education facilities.

The department regularly reviews its guidance to ensure that it aligns with best practice and industry standards, to deliver high-quality school environments.Between January 2022 and April 2023, the department provided over 9,000 air cleaning units to over 1,300 settings that had been identified with poor ventilation. The department has published guidance on how to use CO2 monitors and air cleaning units, which can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/using-co-monitors-and-air-cleaning-units-in-education-and-care-settings.The department also publishes non-statutory guidance on indoor and outdoor air quality in ‘Building Bulletin 101: Guidelines on ventilation, thermal comfort and indoor air quality in schools’ (BB101), which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/building-bulletin-101-ventilation-for-school-buildings.

With reference to page 98 of the Education and Skills Funding Agency's publication entitled Annual report and accounts for the year ended 31 March 2024, published on 29 July 2024, if she will break down the table entitled Financial outcomes: error / suspected fraud by (a) academy trusts, (b) further education colleges and (c) independent training providers.

The information requested can be found in the attached table.

What information her Department holds on the (a) number and (b) proportion of school support staff in state-funded schools in England who are employed on (i) zero-hour and (ii) term time-only contracts.

Information on the school workforce is published in the ‘School Workforce in England’ statistical publication here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england.The school workforce census does not collec...

With reference to the Answer of 10 December 2020 to Question 126005, on Classroom Assistants: Pay, if she will provide the same salary data for (a) 2020, (b) 2021, (c) 2022, and (d) 2023.

Information on the school workforce is published in the ‘School workforce in England’ statistical publication, which can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england.The attached table prov...

With reference to the report by her Department entitled Academic year 2022/23: Key stage 4 destination measures, published on 24 October 2024, how many and what proportion of students who left key stage 4 study

The department publishes information on the destinations of pupils from state-funded mainstream schools in the year following completion of key stage 4, which shows the numbers and percentages of pupils continuing to a sustained education, employment or a...

Pursuant to the Answer of 25 November 2024 to Question 15056 on Non-teaching Staff: Pay, if she will provide a version of that table further broken down by (a) local authority maintained, (b) academy and (c) fr

Information on the school workforce is published in the ‘School Workforce in England’ statistical publication here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england.The attached table provides the pay ranges ...

With reference to the Answer of 10 May 2024 to Question 24203 on Youth Endowment Fund, whether it remains her Department's policy to (a) fund and (b) promote the alternative provision specialist taskforce progr

The alternative provision specialist taskforces (APST) programme has placed multi-professional teams, including youth workers, family workers and speech and language therapists, within alternative provision (AP) in 22 areas in England. The objective of th...

With reference to the report by her Department entitled Academic year 2022/23: Progression to higher education or training, published on 24 October 2024, how many and what proportion of students who left 16-to-

The department publishes information on the percentage of level 3 pupils continuing to a sustained education or training destination at level 4 or higher, such as degrees, higher apprenticeships and higher national diplomas.The data in the links below con...

What recent progress she has made on establishing the School Support Staff Negotiating Body.

School support staff are an essential part of the school workforce, and the department recognises that they are crucial to ensuring we give children the best possible life chances. That is why the reinstatement of the School Support Staff Negotiating Body...

With reference to section 7.2.12 of her Department's publication entitled School workforce census guide 2024: Guide for schools including academies within a Multi Academy Trust, published on 11 October 2024, ho

Information on the school workforce is published in the ‘School Workforce in England’ statistical publication, which can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england.The attached table prov...

Pursuant to the Answer of 7 October 2024 to Question 5620 on Schools: Buildings, what stage of the School Rebuilding Programme are (a) Green Meadow Primary School and (b) King Edward VI Balaam Wood Academy in B

Green Meadow Primary School is in group 2 of the School Rebuilding Programme. Projects in group 2 are expected to commence with planning and feasibility work from April 2025.King Edward VI Balaam Wood Academy is in group 3 and is currently expected to com...

If she will have discussions with the Standards and Testing Agency on its planned timetable for responding to the representation made by King Edwards VI Balaam Wood Academy on 10 September 2024.

The Standards and Testing Agency received an allegation of maladministration from King Edwards VI Balaam Wood Academy on 10 September. It is currently carrying out an investigation in line with its standard procedures. The outcome of the investigation wil...

With reference to section 8.1.1 of her Department's publication entitled School workforce census guide 2023: Guide for schools including academies within a Multi Academy Trust, published in July 2023, if she wi

School support staff play a vital role in children’s education and development. The department values and recognises the professionalism of the entire school workforce and will address recruitment and retention challenges by reinstating the School Support...

Whether local authorities are required to monitor the average cost of delivering Education, Health, and Care Plans within their area.

Local authorities are not required to monitor the average cost of delivering education, health, and care (EHC) plans within their area. Local authorities are required to submit data on education spending, including spending relating to special educational...

How many apprenticeships have started in Birmingham Northfield constituency in each of the last five years.

Apprenticeship starts by parliamentary constituency are published in the Apprenticeships Statistics publication. Figures for Birmingham Northfield constituency can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/2abb827d-653c-4a6f-5350-08dca71310d3. Note: Figures are based on parliamentary constituency boundaries as at July 2024. Further information on apprenticeship starts can be found in the Apprenticeships Statistics publication, which can be accessed at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/apprenticeships.

What the average funding per pupil was in mainstream schools in (a) Birmingham Northfield constituency, (b) Birmingham, (c) the West Midlands and (d) England in each of the last five years.

The tables below provide average per-pupil funding from 2020/21 to 2024/25. For Birmingham, the West Midlands and England, the figures represent the funding provided through the schools block of the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG). All of the figures in table one exclude growth funding but include premises and additional funding from grants. The DSG is allocated at local authority level, and as such the equivalent figures are not available for Birmingham Northfield constituency. The constituency level data for Birmingham Northfield is therefore instead calculated based on the notional schools national funding formula (NFF) allocations for all mainstream schools in the constituency. The figures in table two are not comparable to those in table one, not only because DSG funding cannot be aggregated down to constituency level, but also because the context of the funding figures are not the same. The figures in table two do not include the money that schools in the Birmingham Northfield constituency have received through additional grants, such as the Schools Supplementary Grant (SSG) and the Mainstream Schools Additional Grant (MSAG), therefore making the constituency-level funding appear to rise slower than that of the others presented. Table oneYearDSG Schools Block per-pupil fundingBirminghamWest MidlandsEngland​2020-21£5,162£4,823£4,845​2021-22£5,518£5,198£5,228​2022-23£5,830£5,506£5,534​2023-24£6,144£5,815£5,8382024-25£6,244£5,931£5,957 Table twoNFF Schools Block per-pupil funding *YearBirmingham Northfield constituency​2020-21£5,429​2021-22£5,562​2022-23£5,707​2023-24£5,9912024-25£6,304 * The allocations that schools within a constituency actually receive are determined by the local funding formula in their area.

Whether she expects a third independent report into Birmingham City Council’s SEND service to be published in 2024.

The department aims to publish the report within the coming months, in line with existing practice.