School Meat Mandate
September 2023
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. 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. I believe in providing people with choice in what to eat, rather than forcing them to eat a certain diet by restricting what is available.
Education Sector Strikes
August 2023
I am delighted that the Government has accepted the recommendations made by the independent School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB) of a 6.5 per cent pay rise for teachers and school leaders. This is the largest ever recommendation from the STRB. A 6.5 per cent increase recognises the vital role that teachers play in our country and ensures that teaching will continue to be an attractive profession. The Government has also agreed to bring forward wider reforms to reduce teacher and leader workload in partnership with all four unions.
Importantly, the Government’s offer is properly funded for schools. The Government has committed that all schools will receive additional funding above what was proposed in March - building on the additional £2 billion given to schools in the Autumn Statement. The Government will also provide a hardship fund of up to £40 million to support those schools facing the greatest financial challenges.
Transgender Guidance in Schools
July 2023
In short, I am largely on the side of J K Rowling and Sharon Davies in this debate.
The Government understands that 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. Schools should also prioritise safeguarding and meeting their existing legal duties to protect single sex spaces and fairness in single sex sport.
NHS England has now developed a draft policy that makes clear that puberty blockers should no longer be routinely available on the NHS and only provided in the context of clinical research (except in truly exceptional cases, when decisions will be taken with careful oversight). This draft policy position is consistent with advice from the Cass Review which highlighted the significant uncertainty surrounding the use of hormone treatments and has been informed by the evidence reviews conducted by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence in 2020. NHS England intend to finalise the policy, following a period of public consultation, by the time the new service providers start seeing patients later this year.
You may also be interested to know that a new national Children and Young People’s Gender Dysphoria Research Oversight Board has been established, chaired by Professor Sir Simon Wessely, a non-executive director of NHS England’s board. Sir Simon’s appointment reflects the commitment of the most senior leaders in the NHS to high quality, evidence-based care for children experiencing gender dysphoria. The Research Oversight Board has now approved the development of a study into the impact of puberty blockers on gender dysphoria in children and young people with early-onset gender dysphoria. The study will be taken forward through the National Research Collaboration Programme in place between NHS England and National Institute for Health and Care Research. Subject to the usual ethical and scientific approvals, it is anticipated that the study will commence in 2024. For children with later-onset gender dysphoria, the Board asked that further engagement is undertaken to identify evidence gaps, recognising that there is even greater uncertainty in terms of the supporting clinical evidence base and clinical practice for this group.
Marking Boycott
June 2023
Leaving University and receiving one’s final grades is a stressful time as it is without the looming sceptre of industrial action. Students pay a considerable amount to attend Cambridge University and they have a right to expect the University to uphold their side of the deal. It is unfortunate that industrial action is taking place again and while I understand the issues involved, I am concerned about the impact this will have on the educational outcome of students affected. This is particularly important given the effect the pandemic has had on students over the past three years.
Universities are autonomous and responsible for the pay and pension provision of their staff. As such, it is up to individual universities to consider the impact the strikes will have on their students. While the Government plays no role in such disputes, the Department for Education and Office for Students (OfS) are urging all parties to reach an agreement that delivers good value for students, staff and the universities, so that industrial action can be avoided. The OfS expects institutions to do all they can to avoid disruption for students, and has also highlighted institutions’ obligations under consumer protection law in relation to the effects of industrial action.
The Department for Education has regular meetings with representatives of trade unions that have members in the higher education sector, including the University and College Union, as well as Universities UK and the Universities and Colleges Employers Association. These discussions include matters related to industrial disputes, such as use of fixed-term and casual contracts, the health of the Universities Superannuation Scheme pension fund and data on impacts of strikes on students and their learning, but not the industrial disputes themselves.
It is disappointing that students who have already suffered during the Covid-19 pandemic face further disruption to their learning due to industrial action. The Department hopes that all sides can work together so that students do not suffer with further learning loss.
Industrial Action in Higher Education
May 2023
Universities are autonomous and responsible for the pay and pension provision of their staff. As such, it is up to individual universities to consider the impact the strikes will have on their students. While the Government plays no role in such disputes, the Department for Education and Office for Students (OfS) are urging all parties to reach an agreement that delivers good value for students, staff and the universities, so that industrial action can be avoided. The OfS expects institutions to do all they can to avoid disruption for students, and has also highlighted institutions’ obligations under consumer protection law in relation to the effects of industrial action.
The Department for Education has regular meetings with representatives of trade unions that have members in the higher education sector, including the University and College Union, as well as Universities UK and the Universities and Colleges Employers Association. These discussions include matters related to industrial disputes, such as use of fixed-term and casual contracts, the health of the Universities Superannuation Scheme pension fund and data on impacts of strikes on students and their learning, but not the industrial disputes themselves.
It is disappointing that students who have already suffered during the Covid-19 pandemic face further disruption to their learning due to industrial action. The Department hopes that all sides can work together so that students do not suffer with further learning loss.
Industrial Action in Schools
April 2023
I certainly understand that teachers have faced real terms pay cuts in the last 13 years. Ultimately, when the Conservative Government took office in 2010, they took over an extraordinarily difficult economic situation. There was, to quote the infamous phrase, no money left, and tough decisions were unavoidable.
The manifesto on which I stood in 2019, committed to a £14 billion increase in spending on schools and to a dramatic increase in the starting salaries of teachers to boost recruitment into the profession. The Institute for Fiscal Studies has calculated that by 2024 the education sector will have returned to 2010 levels of funding. Schools will receive an additional £2 billion in 2023 to 2024, and in 2024 to 2025, taking school funding to its highest level in history.
Energy costs are forecast to fall at a faster rate than previously expected, as a consequence an average pay rise of 4% is now judged to be affordable for schools. Combining the existing headroom with the additional funding pledged in recent talks, schools will be able to give teachers an average pay increase of 4.5% without making cuts to other things. In cash-terms, school spending per pupil is due to increase by about 8% per year in both 2022–23 and 2023–24. This is above estimates of the likely increases in the specific costs faced by schools, which we estimate will increase by about 6% in 2022–23 and about 4% in 2023–24.
That being said, I do not dismiss the concerns of teachers and I know they did not take the decision to go on strike lightly. Whilst I fully support the Government’s approach currently, I regularly discuss teachers to learn more about their perspective. This afternoon, I met with NEU affiliated teachers to discuss the reasoning behind their strikes this week. My priority is ensuring that all children in Britain get a first-class education. Collaboration and conversation between teachers and politicians is crucial to resolving this situation – I will continue to do my part to engage in this debate constructively.
Bullying in Schools
April 2023
Bullying has no place in our schools or wider society. Bullying is absolutely unacceptable and should not be tolerated in our schools. All state schools in England are required to have a behaviour policy in place that includes measures to prevent all forms of bullying among pupils. While schools are free to develop their own anti-bullying strategies, they are held to account for their effectiveness by Ofsted.
School Funding in Cambridgeshire
April 2023
Since my election in 2019, I have worked to address the issue of the underfunding of our schools. I have been pushing for an increase in pupil funding for every child in our area. I also have the target of visiting every school in my constituency in order to better understand their challenges and to meet with the schools’ leadership team. Most weeks I visit primary or secondary schools in South Cambridgeshire.
The Secretary of State for Education continues to work with Cabinet colleagues to seek a fair and reasonable resolution to the pay dispute with teachers. Teachers in England have been offered a pay rise after the Government set out an offer on pay, conditions and workload to the education unions. The offer follows more than a week of intensive talks between the Government and the National Education Union (NEU), National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT), the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) and NASUWT.
The Government's offer includes pay increases for teachers for this academic year and next year. Teachers will receive a one-off payment of £1,000 for the current academic year. This is on top of the average pay rise of 5.4 per cent which teachers received in September 2022. Teachers and leaders have been offered an average pay rise of 4.5 percent in 2023-24. This is above the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) forecast for inflation at the end of this calendar year, which is 2.9 per cent and forecast to fall further. The starting salary for new teachers will rise 7.1 per cent to £30,000, delivering on the Government’s manifesto commitment.
Pay rises for teachers in the 2023/24 academic year must strike a careful balance between recruiting and retaining the best teachers and recognising their vital importance, alongside considering both affordability for schools and the wider economic context. After two years of disrupted education due to the Covid-19 pandemic, every single day spent in school with experienced teachers who know their students makes a difference to a child’s development.
In the Autumn Statement 2022, the Chancellor confirmed that schools in England will receive an additional £2 billion of funding next year and the year after. This will be the highest real terms spending on schools in history, totalling £58.8 billion by 2024/25. It is my sincere hope that these talks lead to a successful conclusion that will address the concerns that teachers have around pay and terms and conditions, whilst avoiding further disruption to the education of children and their families who have been affected by recent strike action.
Draft School Attendance (Pupil Registration) (England) 2023
March 2023
Between June and July 2022, the Department for Education consulted on plans to modernise school attendance and admission registers which included a draft set of regulations.
The consultation asked questions about, amongst other topics, a proposal where if a pupil had an Education Health Care Plan, Children Protection Plan or Children in Need Plan the consent of the local authority (or the Secretary of State, if local authority consent is not given) would need to be obtained before the pupil’s name could be deleted from the admission register.
The consultation also had a question asking respondents to detail any potential equalities impacts that the proposed changes might have.
The Department has taken all responses to that consultation into consideration and a response will be published in due course. I would like to reassure you that these remain draft proposals and, their and other parents’ representations, as well as legal advice, will be fully considered before any decision is made.
Strikes in the Education Sector
March 2023
I completely understand your frustration regarding school closures due to strike action. It is ordinary working people and families that are impacted the most by these disputes. Trade union laws are designed to support an effective and collaborative approach to resolving industrial disputes. While the Government and I continue to support the right to strike, this should always be a last resort. As you may be aware, the Government is not responsible for decisions on pay. Well-established independent pay review process is the right way to set public sector pay – it provides independent, expert advice and is a neutral process in which all parties play a role.
That said, the Government recognises the particular economic challenges the country faces this year. A balance must be struck between giving workers a fair and reasonable settlement and taking steps to continue to bring down inflation and protect households’ budgets. In this time of economic difficulties, inflation-matching pay awards that many of the unions are demanding will make the fight against inflation more challenging, risking interest rates, mortgage payments and bills rising for people as a result. This would erode the value of any pay increase for public sector workers and hurt households across the country.
Nevertheless, the Government hugely respects and values the work of our public sector workers, and it is committed to avoid prolonged industrial action. We must resolve the strikes and deliver on the promise of halving inflation and reducing debt. Therefore, the Government is inviting trade unions to meet for honest, constructive conversations about what is fair and affordable in public sector pay settlements for 2023-24, and Secretaries of State are inviting unions to sit down and discuss the evidence that the Government will be submitting to the pay review bodies.
The rights of some workers to strike must be balanced against the rights of the wider public to get on with their daily lives. Strikes can, and do, cause significant disruption. That is particularly the case when they take place in important public services such as transport or education. It cannot be right that trade unions can, as we saw in the case of the recent rail strikes, seek to hold the country to ransom if their demands are not met.
The Government also has a duty to the public to ensure their safety, protect their access to vital public services, and help them go about their daily lives. Therefore, the Government has introduced the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill for vital public services including health, education, fire and rescue, transport, nuclear decommissioning, and border security to maintain critical and in many cases life-saving services.
We will consult first on MSLs for ambulances, fire, and rail. While the Bill contains provisions for other parts of the NHS, education, nuclear decommissioning, and border security, we hope that voluntary agreements will continue to be sufficient. This new legislation will allow the Government, NHS, the public and other services to plan properly for the running of services in times of strike – and ensure that striking workers are not inadvertently putting the public at risk. This package of measures will see the UK align with many countries across the world such as France and Spain that already have minimum service agreements in place, to prevent large swathes of their economies being ground to a halt by industrial action.
Disabled Children's Partnership
February 2023
As part of the COVID-19 recovery, the Government has made available £2 billion in 2021/22 and a further £8 billion from April 2022 to March 2025 to increase activity and reduce waiting times for patients, including children with disabilities.
This funding could deliver the equivalent of approximately nine million more checks, scans and procedures, and allow the NHS in England to deliver 30 per cent more elective activity by 2024/25 compared to pre-pandemic levels. A further £5.9 billion of capital funding was announced in October 2021 to support elective recovery, diagnostics and technology.
The Government is also supporting access to appropriate disability equipment via the NHS Supply Chain, which maintains a framework contract for the supply of rehabilitation and disabled services equipment, such as paediatric wheelchairs, to the NHS and other healthcare settings. Regarding your concerns about the mental health challenges of disabled children and their families, the NHS Long Term Plan commits to increasing funding for NHS mental health services by approximately £2.3 billion a year by 2023/24, to allow a further two million people to access mental health support.
Suicide Prevention in Schools
February 2023
Every case of suicide is a tragedy many times over: for the person who could see no way out; for their family and friends, often left with an intolerable burden of guilt; and also, for society as a whole in its failure to provide greater support. I am aware of the ‘3 Dads Walking’ campaign. There is no doubt that Andy, Tim and Mike are inspirations. They have been through every parent’s worst nightmare. The work they have done on ensuring no parent goes through what they have is remarkable.
All pupils in schools are taught about mental health as part of the relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) curriculum, which the Department for Education made mandatory in 2020 to ensure that all pupils are taught about important topics. Schools can teach older pupils about suicide in an age-appropriate and sensitive way. The RSHE statutory guidance advises that schools should approach teaching about self-harm and suicide carefully and should be aware of the risks to pupils from exposure to materials that are instructive rather than preventative, including websites or videos that provide instructions or methods of self-harm or suicide. The guidance is clear that where teachers have concerns about a specific pupil in relation to self-harm or suicidal thoughts, they must follow safeguarding procedures immediately.
Free School Meals
December 2022
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.
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