It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

It has not proved possible to respond to the right hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

We are committed to making this a country where everyone has a fair chance to go as far as his or her talent and hard work will allow. The pupil premium provides schools with significant additional funding - £2.5bn this year alone – to raise the achievement of their disadvantaged pupils and so close the attainment gap. Our guarantee to maintain current per-pupil funding levels for the rest of this Parliament will ensure schools continue to have the support they need to improve disadvantaged pupils’ outcomes.

This year, disadvantaged pupils in South Cambridgeshire will benefit from £2.6 million in pupil premium funding.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

The Department does not collect data on school attendance orders.

This year, in 2017-18, the average per pupil funding amount for schools in the City of Bristol local authority, provided through the Schools Block of the Dedicated School Grant is £4,684. This is an average amount across both primary and secondary schools in the local authority area. The distribution of funding between schools (including the balance between primary and secondary schools) is a matter for local discretion. Decisions about school funding in future years will be subject to the outcome of the national funding formula consultation. In the consultation, we made available data illustrating the amount each school would have received if the proposed formula had been implemented in full in 2016-17, and a projection of schools’ allocations in the first year of transition. This data is published at https://consult.education.gov.uk/funding-policy-unit/schools-national-funding-formula2/.

The Government is committed in addressing unfairness by introducing a national funding formula for schools from April 2018. In our current consultation, we have proposed that over 90% the funding available for schools should be distributed on the basis of pupil numbers and characteristics.

Evidence shows that pupils with particular characteristics, such as coming from a disadvantaged background, are more likely not to reach their full potential and therefore need more support. Where a child is eligible for multiple factors, their school would attract additional funding for each. Funding received on account of these factors would not vary according to school size. The table below shows the proposed factor values for the main formula factors, before the area cost adjustment is applied:

In addition, we propose to include a fixed lump sum factor of £110,000, to contribute to costs that do not vary with pupil numbers. Under our proposals, schools of up to 100 pupils would receive at least an additional £1100 per pupil through the lump sum factor, on top of funding based on pupil numbers and characteristics; schools of 101-500 pupils a further £220-£1100 per pupil; schools of 501-1000 pupils a further £110-£220 per pupil and schools of 1001 or more pupils up to £110 per pupil.

This is a matter for Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman. I have asked her to write to you and a copy of her reply will be placed in the libraries of the House.

In 2016/17 the school census was amended to collect additional pupil characteristic information. This included a question, for pupils whose language is recorded as anything other than English, as to their level of proficiency in English. The lowest level of proficiency which can be recorded is ‘New to English’.

As stated in parliamentary question 62925 (9 February 2017)[1], it is our intention to publish information on the new data, including proficiency in English, nationality and country of birth, in the form of anonymised research within a statistical report. This will be made available later this year following completion of processing, analysis and assessment of data quality.

[1] Found at http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2017-02-02/62925/

The Government is committed to ensuring equity of opportunity so that all pupils, irrespective of background, can fulfil their potential.

In the current system, whether a school receives any English as an additional language (EAL) funding, how long for, and how much they receive, all depends on the particular local funding formula.

By contrast, under our proposals for a national funding formula, any qualifying pupil will be funded at the same rate. The EAL factor will include any pupil who entered the state education system in the last three years and is recorded on the census as having a first language other than English.

As in the current system, under a national funding formula, schools will continue to be responsible for deciding how to use their total funding allocation in order to support all their pupils.

The Government is committed to ensuring equity of opportunity so that all pupils, irrespective of background, can fulfil their potential.

In the current system, whether a school receives any English as an additional language (EAL) funding, how long for, and how much they receive, all depends on the particular local funding formula.

By contrast, under our proposals for a national funding formula, any qualifying pupil will be funded at the same rate. The EAL factor will include any pupil who entered the state education system in the last three years and is recorded on the census as having a first language other than English.

As in the current system, under a national funding formula, schools will continue to be responsible for deciding how to use their total funding allocation in order to support all their pupils.

We want schools to have the resources they need, and through our careful management of the economy we have been able to protect the core schools budget in real terms. School funding is now at its highest level on record at almost £41bn in 2017-18 - and that is set to rise, as pupil numbers rise, to £42 billion by 2019-20.

We are going to end the historic post code lottery in school funding and under the proposed national schools funding formula, more than half of England’s schools will receive a cash boost.

Our proposals include significant protections so that no school would face reductions of more than 1.5% per year or 3% overall per pupil as a result of this formula, and on high needs funding for pupils with special education needs and disabilities, no area would lose funding at all.

We recognise the increasing cost pressures schools are facing and will continue to provide advice and support to help them use their funding in cost effective ways, and improve the way they buy goods and services, so‎ they get the best possible value for their pupils. We have produced tools, information and guidance for schools financial health and efficiency, which can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/schools-financial-health-and-efficiency.

The open consultation on Analysing family circumstances and education provided a range of supporting analysis. Supplementary tables with additional analysis will be published by the department as part of the consultation response.

The Department does not hold data on absence due to children's dental problems. Figures for absence by reason, including authorised absence for illness and medical/dental appointments, are published in “Pupil absence in schools in England: 2015 to 2016”, available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/pupil-absence-in-schools-in-england-2015-to-2016

The Department does not issue guidance to schools on menstrual health specifically for pupils with learning difficulties. However, menstruation does feature in guidance on Sex and Relationships Education (SRE), and is covered in the science curriculum at key stage three. All maintained schools must follow the national curriculum and other schools can use it as a benchmark. We encourage schools to consider carefully how to support all their pupils to be safe, healthy and ready to learn each day.

The Schools that Work for Everyone consultation outlined proposals for increasing the number of good school places available, including proposals to allow existing selective schools to expand and new selective schools to open. We proposed in the consultation that new and expanding schools should ensure that there are opportunities to join selective schools at different ages, such as 14 and 16, as well as 11. The consultation closed on 12 December. The government is considering the submissions received and will publish its response in due course.

Good mental health and wellbeing are a priority for the Department. We have high aspirations for all children and want them to be able to fulfil their potential, both academically and in terms of their mental health. There is a lot that schools can do to prepare pupils well to take tests and exams, and to help parents support their children. Good teaching is one of the most important factors in making sure that pupils feel ready. Good leaders know that positive mental wellbeing supports attainment, and make that part of the overall school ethos.

We want to look across the whole school system to identify where mental health provisions need to be improved, whether that is in schools or how we better connect schools into services that may be more specialised. We have supported schools by:

• Funding the PSHE Association to publish guidance and a set of age –appropriate lesson plans on teaching about mental health issues;

• Publishing of a blueprint for school counselling services which provides schools with practical, evidence-based advice on how to deliver high quality school-based counselling to all pupils;

• Issuing advice on behaviour and mental health which provides teachers with information and tools that will help them to identify pupils who need help, provide effective early support and understand when a referral to a specialist mental health service may be necessary; and

• Funding the development of MindEd, a free online resource which allows all those working with children and young people to access information on a range of mental health issues.

The Prime Minister’s speech in January has further emphasised this Government’s commitment to improve mental health for all children and young people and announced that the Departments for Health and Education would publish a green paper on CYP’s mental health

The Green Paper aims to secure effective activity from prevention to provision of specialist support, at different stages and different settings across health, education and care settings, as well as access to services, and the role of social media.