The department was notified on 18 August 2022 that some students had not received their level 3 BTEC results as they had expected to on A level results day, due to issues with finalising grades. Ministers were informed of this on the same day.

The department immediately contacted Ofqual. As the regulator, Ofqual are responsible for ensuring that awarding organisations deliver qualifications in line with their regulations. Ofqual is currently undertaking a review of the process with awarding organisations and centres to ensure that lessons are learnt from this year’s results. Recommendations will be published later in the autumn.

The awarding organisations held data on the number of students affected, and published updates on their own websites regularly.

Ofqual conducted a thorough review of the full range of questions in the Core examination papers for Health, Healthcare Science and Science T Levels and concluded that the assessments did not secure a sufficiently valid or reliable measure of student performance.

The department wrote to providers who started teaching T Levels in Health, Healthcare Science and Science in September 2021. The letter confirmed that in light of Ofqual’s findings, students’ grades for the core could be revised to be based entirely on their employer set project grade. To ensure that students were not unfairly penalised by this decision, any students who secured a higher grade in their overall core component than their employer set project were able to carry forward the higher mark.

Ofqual has initiated an investigation into the Northern Council for Further Education’s (NCFE) production of assessment materials for the Health and Science T Level Technical Qualifications to identify how the issues with the Summer 2022 exams occurred.

Ofqual accepted an undertaking from NCFE, published on October 12 2022, as an interim measure, to minimise the risk of any issues in the upcoming core exam papers and to secure assurance that these issues will not be repeated in future assessment series for any of NCFE’s Technical Qualifications. This can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ncfe-undertaking-october-2022.

NCFE will review its Technical Qualification core exam papers and mark schemes before the autumn 2022 series to provide assurance to Ofqual that these assessments will be valid and of good quality.

We are committed to improving the cost, choice, and availability of childcare. We continue to look at ways to make childcare more affordable and to encourage families to use government-funded support they are entitled to.

In assessing the impact of its free childcare entitlements, the department regularly reviews the impact on parents from a range of different research publications. This includes the Families and the Labour Market release (from the Office for National Statistics) and the Childcare and Early Years Survey of Parents.

As part of the Childcare and Early Years Survey of Parents, we also regularly ask parents about the effect that 30 hours free childcare has on families, including their ability to work. Almost 2 in 5 families using the 30 hours offer said that without the entitlement they would work fewer hours.

Ensuring that everyone can access world-class education remains a priority. In 2021, we saw record higher education progression rates for disadvantaged white students who had free school meals. The Government are investing £3.8 billion more in high-quality education, skills and training provision, leading to good outcomes for young people and getting them the skills needed for economic growth, whichever good-quality route they choose.

For pupils with complex needs, high-needs education funding is increasing by £1 billion in the 2022-23 financial year, bringing the total funding to £9.1 billion. The Department also provides £27.3 million per annum to deliver grants to support low-income families raising disabled or seriously ill children and young people.

If she will take steps with the Secretary of State for Education to help ensure that the proportion of white state-school educated students obtaining a place in higher education is raised to the same proportion as mixed heritage, Black, Asian and Chinese students.

On the Government’s own figures, the percentage of state school pupils getting a higher education place by ethnicity is Chinese 72%, Asian 55%, black 49%, mixed heritage 41% and white 33%. Are the Government concerned about those widening disparities, and if so, what are they going to do to level up university entry?

What steps he is taking with the Secretary of State for Education to help ensure equality of opportunity for children with special educational needs and disabilities in the context of the cost of living crisis.

I welcome that support, but constituents who are parents of disabled children often tell me that they feel it is like an obstacle race and there are many hurdles put in their way to get the support they need for

their children, both at home and at school. Can the Government make it easier to access essential special educational needs and disabilities support?

As we face the worst cost of living crisis in memory, it is becoming increasingly difficult for parents to provide important life experiences for their children. Springfield House in Birmingham is a wonderful SEND school, which many students across Coventry North West attend. For many years it has provided away nights for pupils, giving children the chance to spend time away from home, with their peers, in a safe environment. Because of Government cuts, those away nights are being axed. Will the Minister speak to her counterpart in the Department for Education to ensure that families in Coventry do not lose that much-needed service?

Employers in the engineering and manufacturing route have designed 148 apprenticeship standards to meet their skills needs, and there are a further 17 in development.

Apprenticeship starts in the engineering and manufacturing technologies sector increased by 2.2% in the 2020/21 academic year on the previous year, and now make up 14.7% of all apprenticeship starts

The department wants to continue to improve and grow apprenticeships so more employers and individuals can benefit from them, including those within the engineering and manufacturing sectors. We are making apprenticeships more flexible by encouraging the use of more flexible training models including front-loaded training which is being successfully used within the engineering and manufacturing sector. We are also supporting employers to make greater use of their levy and improving the transfers process, so that unspent funds can more easily support apprenticeships in both larger companies and SMEs.

The department is working with the Apprenticeships in Manufacturing (AiM) group, which includes industry partners such as Make UK, Enginuity, and the UK Metals Council, and sector representatives, such as the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB), to grow the number of high-quality apprenticeships in the manufacturing sector. The AiM group has developed employer toolkits and is providing information, advice and guidance to young people, schools and influencers to promote apprenticeship opportunities in the sector.

The department is committed to supporting more employers in all sectors, in all areas of the country, including in the North, to use apprenticeships to develop the skilled workforces they need. We are also committed to supporting more people to benefit from the high-quality training that apprenticeships offer.

Since August 2018, there has been a total of 422,100 apprenticeship starts across the North East, North West, and Yorkshire and the Humber.

To support more employers and learners to access apprenticeships the department is increasing funding for apprenticeships in England to £2.7 billion by 2024/25 financial year.

The department is also encouraging more flexible training models, such as front-loaded, accelerated and flexi-job apprenticeships, to make it easier for employers to access apprenticeship training in the way that works best for them.

The department continues to make improvements to the apprenticeship levy transfer system to make it easier for large employers to make full use of their levy funds and support starts in their supply chain, sector, or local area. This will also support more employers, including small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), to meet local or sectoral skills needs.

We have launched a new SME pathfinder, that will support SMEs in the North East, North West, and Yorkshire and the Humber, who face barriers in recruiting apprentices to access the skills training they need to grow.

The department is raising awareness of the benefits of apprenticeships for learners through our ‘Skills for Life’ and ‘Get the Jump’ campaigns. In addition, our new ‘Career Starter Apprenticeships’ campaign showcases apprenticeship standards which offer great opportunities for those looking for their first role after leaving full-time education.

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.

The government recognises the additional cost of living pressures that have arisen as a result of global events this year and that have impacted students. Many higher education (HE) providers have hardship funds that students can apply to for assistance.

To support disadvantaged students and those who need additional help, the department confirmed in guidance to the Office for Students (OfS) on funding for the 2022/23 financial year that universities will continue to be able to support students in hardship through their own hardship funds and the student premium, for which up to £261 million is available for academic year 2022/23.

Maximum loans for living costs and grants have been increased this academic year, 2022/23. The government is reviewing options for uprating maximum loans and grants for the 2023/24 academic year. An announcement will follow in due course.

In addition, maximum tuition fees have been capped at £9,250 for the 2022/23 academic year, in respect of standard full-time courses. The department is also freezing maximum tuition fees for the 2023/24 and 2024/25 academic years. By 2024/25, maximum fees will have been frozen for seven years.

As part of the package of support for rising energy bills, the government is also giving a council tax rebate payment of £150 to households that were living in a property in council tax bands A to D as their main home on 1 April 2022. This includes full-time students that do not live in student halls or in property that is not considered a House in Multiple Occupation for council tax purposes.

All households will save money on their energy bills through the Energy Price Guarantee. This is in addition to the £400 energy bills discount for all households. Students who buy their energy from a domestic supplier are eligible for the energy bills discount.

The Energy Prices Bill introduced on 12 October includes the provision to require landlords to pass benefits they receive from energy price support, as appropriate, onto end users. Further details of the requirements under this legislation will be set out in regulations.

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.

The government recognises the additional cost of living pressures that have arisen as a result of global events this year and that have impacted students. Many higher education (HE) providers have hardship funds that students can apply to for assistance.

To support disadvantaged students and those who need additional help, the department confirmed in guidance to the Office for Students (OfS) on funding for the 2022/23 financial year that universities will continue to be able to support students in hardship through their own hardship funds and the student premium, for which up to £261 million is available for academic year 2022/23.

Maximum loans for living costs and grants have been increased this academic year, 2022/23. The government is reviewing options for uprating maximum loans and grants for the 2023/24 academic year. An announcement will follow in due course.

In addition, maximum tuition fees have been capped at £9,250 for the 2022/23 academic year, in respect of standard full-time courses. The department is also freezing maximum tuition fees for the 2023/24 and 2024/25 academic years. By 2024/25, maximum fees will have been frozen for seven years.

As part of the package of support for rising energy bills, the government is also giving a council tax rebate payment of £150 to households that were living in a property in council tax bands A to D as their main home on 1 April 2022. This includes full-time students that do not live in student halls or in property that is not considered a House in Multiple Occupation for council tax purposes.

All households will save money on their energy bills through the Energy Price Guarantee. This is in addition to the £400 energy bills discount for all households. Students who buy their energy from a domestic supplier are eligible for the energy bills discount.

The Energy Prices Bill introduced on 12 October includes the provision to require landlords to pass benefits they receive from energy price support, as appropriate, onto end users. Further details of the requirements under this legislation will be set out in regulations.

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.

The government recognises the additional cost of living pressures that have arisen as a result of global events this year and that have impacted students. Many higher education (HE) providers have hardship funds that students can apply to for assistance.

To support disadvantaged students and those who need additional help, the department confirmed in guidance to the Office for Students (OfS) on funding for the 2022/23 financial year that universities will continue to be able to support students in hardship through their own hardship funds and the student premium, for which up to £261 million is available for academic year 2022/23.

Maximum loans for living costs and grants have been increased this academic year, 2022/23. The government is reviewing options for uprating maximum loans and grants for the 2023/24 academic year. An announcement will follow in due course.

In addition, maximum tuition fees have been capped at £9,250 for the 2022/23 academic year, in respect of standard full-time courses. The department is also freezing maximum tuition fees for the 2023/24 and 2024/25 academic years. By 2024/25, maximum fees will have been frozen for seven years.

As part of the package of support for rising energy bills, the government is also giving a council tax rebate payment of £150 to households that were living in a property in council tax bands A to D as their main home on 1 April 2022. This includes full-time students that do not live in student halls or in property that is not considered a House in Multiple Occupation for council tax purposes.

All households will save money on their energy bills through the Energy Price Guarantee. This is in addition to the £400 energy bills discount for all households. Students who buy their energy from a domestic supplier are eligible for the energy bills discount.

The Energy Prices Bill introduced on 12 October includes the provision to require landlords to pass benefits they receive from energy price support, as appropriate, onto end users. Further details of the requirements under this legislation will be set out in regulations.

The table below provides the number of apprenticeship starts in England for the 2017/18 academic year through to the 2021/22 academic year.

Please note that the data provided for the 2021/22 academic year remains provisional until the publication of our annual apprenticeships and traineeships statistical release in November 2022. When published, this data will be available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/announcements/apprenticeships-and-traineeships-november-2022.

The department’s reforms to apprenticeships have empowered employers to develop more than 650 high-quality apprenticeship standards, helping them to build the skilled workforces they need to grow. Employers make the decision about which apprenticeships are right for them and choose when they take on apprentices to meet the needs of their business.

The department wants to support employers of all sizes to offer more apprenticeship opportunities, so that even more individuals can benefit from high-quality opportunities to earn whilst learning. We are increasing the funding available for apprenticeships to £2.7 billion by the 2024/25 financial year and making apprenticeship training more flexible so that apprenticeships are accessible to employers in all sectors.

The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) has confirmed that it wishes to step down from the Designated Quality Body role at the end of March 2023. Arrangements for consulting the sector on the de-designation of the QAA will be confirmed imminently.

On 14 October 2022, the Office for Students (OfS) published an update on arrangements for assessing quality and standards from 1 April 2023.This update confirmed that the OfS will undertake a number of assessment activities that are currently delivered by the QAA on an interim basis from 1 April 2023. These include quality and standards reviews for providers seeking OfS registration, standards assessments for the purpose of assessing initial condition B8 of the OfS regulatory framework, and assessments for degree awarding powers.

The department has been working closely with the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education and the OfS on plans to deliver external quality assurance of end-point assessments for integrated and higher degree apprenticeships.

The department is also working closely with the OfS on ensuring these responsibilities are fulfilled effectively, and that they will continue to ensure the world-class standard of our higher education institutions is maintained.

The Secretary of State for Education will receive advice from officials and the OfS on permanent arrangements for the assessment of quality and standards. There are currently a number of options for future designation arrangements under consideration.

The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) has confirmed that it wishes to step down from the Designated Quality Body role at the end of March 2023. Arrangements for consulting the sector on the de-designation of the QAA will be confirmed imminently.

On 14 October 2022, the Office for Students (OfS) published an update on arrangements for assessing quality and standards from 1 April 2023.This update confirmed that the OfS will undertake a number of assessment activities that are currently delivered by the QAA on an interim basis from 1 April 2023. These include quality and standards reviews for providers seeking OfS registration, standards assessments for the purpose of assessing initial condition B8 of the OfS regulatory framework, and assessments for degree awarding powers.

The department has been working closely with the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education and the OfS on plans to deliver external quality assurance of end-point assessments for integrated and higher degree apprenticeships.

The department is also working closely with the OfS on ensuring these responsibilities are fulfilled effectively, and that they will continue to ensure the world-class standard of our higher education institutions is maintained.

The Secretary of State for Education will receive advice from officials and the OfS on permanent arrangements for the assessment of quality and standards. There are currently a number of options for future designation arrangements under consideration.