Department for Education

The Department for Education is responsible for children’s services and education, including early years, schools, higher and further education policy, apprenticeships and wider skills in England.



Secretary of State

 Portrait

Bridget Phillipson
Secretary of State for Education

Shadow Ministers / Spokeperson
Liberal Democrat
Munira Wilson (LD - Twickenham)
Liberal Democrat Spokesperson (Education, Children and Families)

Conservative
Laura Trott (Con - Sevenoaks)
Shadow Secretary of State for Education

Green Party
Ellie Chowns (Green - North Herefordshire)
Green Spokesperson (Education)

Liberal Democrat
Lord Mohammed of Tinsley (LD - Life peer)
Liberal Democrat Lords Spokesperson (Education)
Junior Shadow Ministers / Deputy Spokesperson
Conservative
Baroness Barran (Con - Life peer)
Shadow Minister (Education)
Saqib Bhatti (Con - Meriden and Solihull East)
Shadow Minister (Education)
Ministers of State
Baroness Smith of Malvern (Lab - Life peer)
Minister of State (Education)
Georgia Gould (Lab - Queen's Park and Maida Vale)
Minister of State (Education)
Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State
Seema Malhotra (LAB - Feltham and Heston)
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
Josh MacAlister (Lab - Whitehaven and Workington)
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Olivia Bailey (Lab - Reading West and Mid Berkshire)
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
There are no upcoming events identified
Debates
Wednesday 4th February 2026
Select Committee Docs
Tuesday 3rd February 2026
10:21
Select Committee Inquiry
Sunday 23rd November 2025
Reading for Pleasure

Reading brings a range of benefits to children, young people and their families, but the number of children reading for …

Written Answers
Thursday 5th February 2026
Teaching Methods: Artificial Intelligence
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will ensure disadvantaged children from Yeovil constituency will be able …
Secondary Legislation
Thursday 22nd January 2026
Further Education (Initial Teacher Training) Regulations 2026
These Regulations introduce measures to improve the quality of courses of initial teacher training for further education (“ITT(FE) courses”).
Bills
Tuesday 17th December 2024
Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill 2024-26
A Bill to make provision about the safeguarding and welfare of children; about support for children in care or leaving …
Dept. Publications
Wednesday 4th February 2026
15:54

Department for Education Commons Appearances

Oral Answers to Questions is a regularly scheduled appearance where the Secretary of State and junior minister will answer at the Dispatch Box questions from backbench MPs

Other Commons Chamber appearances can be:
  • Urgent Questions where the Speaker has selected a question to which a Minister must reply that day
  • Adjornment Debates a 30 minute debate attended by a Minister that concludes the day in Parliament.
  • Oral Statements informing the Commons of a significant development, where backbench MP's can then question the Minister making the statement.

Westminster Hall debates are performed in response to backbench MPs or e-petitions asking for a Minister to address a detailed issue

Written Statements are made when a current event is not sufficiently significant to require an Oral Statement, but the House is required to be informed.

Most Recent Commons Appearances by Category
Jan. 19
Oral Questions
Feb. 04
Written Statements
Jan. 28
Adjournment Debate
View All Department for Education Commons Contibutions

Bills currently before Parliament

Department for Education does not have Bills currently before Parliament


Acts of Parliament created in the 2024 Parliament

Introduced: 9th October 2024

A bill to transfer the functions of the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education, and its property, rights and liabilities, to the Secretary of State; to abolish the Institute; and to make amendments relating to the transferred functions.

This Bill received Royal Assent on 15th May 2025 and was enacted into law.

Department for Education - Secondary Legislation

These Regulations introduce measures to improve the quality of courses of initial teacher training for further education (“ITT(FE) courses”).
These Regulations amend the Higher Education (Fee Limits and Fee Limit Condition) (England) Regulations 2018 (S.I. 2018/903) (“the 2018 Regulations”) and the Higher Education (Fee Limits for Accelerated Courses) (England) Regulations 2019 (S.I. 2019/214) (“the 2019 Regulations”). The amendments introduce new, increased course fee limits for qualifying courses provided by certain English higher education providers. The new fee limits apply to academic years beginning on or after 1st August 2026 but before 1st August 2027 and academic years beginning on or after 1st August 2027. The fee limits apply only to courses which begin before 1 January 2027.
View All Department for Education Secondary Legislation

Petitions

e-Petitions are administered by Parliament and allow members of the public to express support for a particular issue.

If an e-petition reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will issue a written response.

If an e-petition reaches 100,000 signatures the petition becomes eligible for a Parliamentary debate (usually Monday 4.30pm in Westminster Hall).

Trending Petitions
Petition Open
110,001 Signatures
(16,982 in the last 7 days)
Petition Open
20,235 Signatures
(3,152 in the last 7 days)
Petition Open
8,662 Signatures
(941 in the last 7 days)
Petition Open
1,738 Signatures
(603 in the last 7 days)
Petition Debates Contributed

We’re seeking reform to the punitive policy for term time leave that disproportionately impacts families that are already under immense pressure and criminalises parents that we think are making choices in the best interests of their families. No family should face criminal convictions!

166,496
Petition Closed
25 Oct 2025
closed 3 months, 1 week ago

We call on the Government to withdraw the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill. We believe it downgrades education for all children, and undermines educators and parents. If it is not withdrawn, we believe it may cause more harm to children and their educational opportunities than it helps

Support in education is a vital legal right of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). We ask the government to commit to maintaining the existing law, so that vulnerable children with SEND can access education and achieve their potential.

View All Department for Education Petitions

Departmental Select Committee

Education Committee

Commons Select Committees are a formally established cross-party group of backbench MPs tasked with holding a Government department to account.

At any time there will be number of ongoing investigations into the work of the Department, or issues which fall within the oversight of the Department. Witnesses can be summoned from within the Government and outside to assist in these inquiries.

Select Committee findings are reported to the Commons, printed, and published on the Parliament website. The government then usually has 60 days to reply to the committee's recommendations.


11 Members of the Education Committee
Helen Hayes Portrait
Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Education Committee Member since 11th September 2024
Mark Sewards Portrait
Mark Sewards (Labour - Leeds South West and Morley)
Education Committee Member since 21st October 2024
Darren Paffey Portrait
Darren Paffey (Labour - Southampton Itchen)
Education Committee Member since 21st October 2024
Caroline Johnson Portrait
Caroline Johnson (Conservative - Sleaford and North Hykeham)
Education Committee Member since 21st October 2024
Sureena Brackenridge Portrait
Sureena Brackenridge (Labour - Wolverhampton North East)
Education Committee Member since 21st October 2024
Jess Asato Portrait
Jess Asato (Labour - Lowestoft)
Education Committee Member since 21st October 2024
Caroline Voaden Portrait
Caroline Voaden (Liberal Democrat - South Devon)
Education Committee Member since 28th October 2024
Manuela Perteghella Portrait
Manuela Perteghella (Liberal Democrat - Stratford-on-Avon)
Education Committee Member since 28th October 2024
Chris Vince Portrait
Chris Vince (Labour (Co-op) - Harlow)
Education Committee Member since 28th October 2025
Peter Swallow Portrait
Peter Swallow (Labour - Bracknell)
Education Committee Member since 28th October 2025
Rebecca Paul Portrait
Rebecca Paul (Conservative - Reigate)
Education Committee Member since 1st December 2025
Education Committee: Upcoming Events
Education Committee - Oral evidence
Early Years: Improving Support for Children and Families
10 Feb 2026, 9:30 a.m.
At 10:00am: Oral evidence
Ann Graham - Director of Children's Services Haringey Council at Association of Directors of Children's Services (ADCS)
Mike Short - Head of local government and education at UNISON
Clare Reid - Children’s Services Director at Early Years Alliance
Clare Roberts OBE - Founder and Chief Executive of Kids Planet at National Partnership in Early Learning and Childcare
Jayne Coward - Deputy Director for Early Years Regulatory Policy and Practice at Ofsted

View calendar - Save to Calendar
Education Committee: Previous Inquiries
The impact of COVID-19 on education and children’s services Support for Home Education Behaviour and discipline in schools Careers Guidance for Young People The role of School Governing Bodies School sports following London 2012 School Partnerships and Cooperation School Direct Recruitment 2013-14 Great teachers-follow up The role and performance of Ofsted Services for young people Participation in education and training for 16-19 year olds English Baccalaureate Residential children's homes Underachievement in Education by White Working Class Children School Places Ofsted Annual Report in Education 2012-13 Child Well-Being in England 16 Plus Care Options Academies and free schools Children First follow-up PSHE and SRE in schools Fairer Schools Funding 2015-16 one-off Exams for 15-19 year olds in England - follow up Foundation Years: Sure Start children’s centres – Government response Department for Education Annual Report 2012-13 Extremism in Birmingham Schools Careers guidance for young people: follow-up Apprenticeships and traineeships for 16 to 19 year olds Pre-appointment hearing: Children's Commissioner Ofsted Schools and Further Education and Skills Annual Report 2013-14 Evidence check: National College for Teaching and Leadership inquiry Sure Start children’s centres: Follow up Evidence check: Starting school inquiry The work of the Committee in the 2010-15 Parliament Priority Schools Building Programme inquiry The work of Ofsted inquiry The role of Regional Schools Commissioners inquiry Responsibilities of the Secretary of State for Education The work of Ofqual Purpose and quality of education in England inquiry Supply of teachers inquiry Holocaust education inquiry Mental health and wellbeing of looked after children inquiry The Children's Commissioner for England Education in the north inquiry Fourth Industrial Revolution Life chances inquiry Special educational needs and disabilities inquiry School and college funding inquiry The future of the Social Mobility Commission inquiry Nursing apprenticeships inquiry Appointment of the Chair of the Social Mobility Commission Knife crime inquiry Opportunity areas inquiry Children’s social care workforce inquiry Adult skills and lifelong learning inquiry Appointment of the Chair of the Office for Students inquiry Alternative provision inquiry Fostering inquiry Integrity of public examinations inquiry The quality of apprenticeships and skills training inquiry Accountability hearings Value for money in higher education inquiry Post-16 education area reviews inquiry School funding reform inquiry Adult skills and lifelong learning Appointment of the Ofsted Chief Inspector inquiry Fostering inquiry Primary assessment inquiry The impact of exiting the European Union on higher education inquiry Selective education inquiry Narey review of children's residential care inquiry Social Work Reform inquiry Financial management at the Department for Education Appointment of the Ofqual Chief Regulator Multi-academy trusts inquiry Left behind white pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds Home Education Support for childcare and the early years Persistent absence and support for disadvantaged pupils Teacher recruitment, training and retention Ofsted’s work with schools Screen Time: Impacts on education and wellbeing Financial Education Impact of industrial action on university students Children’s social care Boys’ attainment and engagement in education International students in English universities Reform of level 3 qualifications Solving the SEND Crisis Further Education and Skills Higher Education and Funding: Threat of Insolvency and International Student Early Years: Improving support for children and parents Reading for Pleasure Accountability hearings Adult skills and lifelong learning Children’s social care workforce Education in the north Fourth Industrial Revolution Integrity of public examinations Knife crime Life chances Opportunity areas School and college funding Special educational needs and disabilities

50 most recent Written Questions

(View all written questions)
Written Questions can be tabled by MPs and Lords to request specific information information on the work, policy and activities of a Government Department

28th Jan 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the (a) revenue from the international student levy on higher education providers’ income from international students and (b) cost of introducing maintenance grants for the most disadvantaged students.

The International Student Levy (ISL) will require higher education providers to pay a flat fee of £925 per international student per year. An impact analysis of the ISL published in November 2025 estimated that the levy would raise £445 million in the 2028/29 financial year, rising to £480 million in 2030/31. The full impact analysis is available here: https://consult.education.gov.uk/international-student-levy-unit/international-student-levy/supporting_documents/international-student-levy-impact-analysispdf.


Proceeds from the ISL will be fully reinvested into higher education and skills, to support the reintroduction of targeted maintenance grants, progression through the post-16 system, and for wider skills. This will make sure that revenue from international students directly benefits domestic students from low-income households.

Josh MacAlister
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
28th Jan 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much alternative funding has been provided to the local authorities of the 18 cancelled special and AP free schools, to create specialist spaces in mainstream schools.

For the 18 schools where no trust had been appointed and which were in the earliest stages of development local authorities will receive funding for 2487 school places in Summer 2026, equivalent to places the school would have provided.

For local authorities with the choice between accepting the alternative funding offer or continuing with the free school, the deadline to confirm their choice is 27 February 2026. After this date, we will know how many local authorities have accepted the alternative funding offer and the total funding amount.

Funding for delivery of free school projects are provided at different stages of a project’s development, in line with key delivery milestones. Most of the projects in scope of the alternative funding offer are at the earliest stages of development and therefore have not received any funding. Where sites have been secured for these schools, details and costs of acquisitions will have been set out on the Land Registry website. Additionally, the department will have published contract details and costs for all free school construction contracts on Contracts Finder.

Josh MacAlister
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
28th Jan 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much alternative funding has been provided to the local authorities who have decided to not proceed with the building of the proposed special and AP free schools, following the review of planned special and AP free schools.

For the 18 schools where no trust had been appointed and which were in the earliest stages of development local authorities will receive funding for 2487 school places in Summer 2026, equivalent to places the school would have provided.

For local authorities with the choice between accepting the alternative funding offer or continuing with the free school, the deadline to confirm their choice is 27 February 2026. After this date, we will know how many local authorities have accepted the alternative funding offer and the total funding amount.

Funding for delivery of free school projects are provided at different stages of a project’s development, in line with key delivery milestones. Most of the projects in scope of the alternative funding offer are at the earliest stages of development and therefore have not received any funding. Where sites have been secured for these schools, details and costs of acquisitions will have been set out on the Land Registry website. Additionally, the department will have published contract details and costs for all free school construction contracts on Contracts Finder.

Josh MacAlister
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
28th Jan 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding was originally made available for the provision of the planned 92 new special and AP free schools that were commissioned by the previous Government and were subject to a value for money review by this Government.

For the 18 schools where no trust had been appointed and which were in the earliest stages of development local authorities will receive funding for 2487 school places in Summer 2026, equivalent to places the school would have provided.

For local authorities with the choice between accepting the alternative funding offer or continuing with the free school, the deadline to confirm their choice is 27 February 2026. After this date, we will know how many local authorities have accepted the alternative funding offer and the total funding amount.

Funding for delivery of free school projects are provided at different stages of a project’s development, in line with key delivery milestones. Most of the projects in scope of the alternative funding offer are at the earliest stages of development and therefore have not received any funding. Where sites have been secured for these schools, details and costs of acquisitions will have been set out on the Land Registry website. Additionally, the department will have published contract details and costs for all free school construction contracts on Contracts Finder.

Josh MacAlister
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
28th Jan 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much their department spent on X and xAI since July 2024.

I refer the hon. Member for Bromley and Biggin Hill to the answer of date, month, year to Question 106861, an identical question asked by his colleague, the hon. Member for Windsor, on 19 January 2026.

Olivia Bailey
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
28th Jan 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her expected timetable is for publication of the call for evidence on safeguarding children out of school settings.

The government launched the call for evidence on 29 May 2025 to better understand current practice in the out-of-school settings sector and invite views on possible approaches to further strengthen safeguarding standards.

This closed on 21 September 2025 and the department is currently analysing responses, with support from independent external analysts, given the significance of this issue.

The department also intends to carry out further engagement, including focus groups with parents and small providers, and sector roundtables with safeguarding experts and sector representatives, before issuing a full response.

Josh MacAlister
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
19th Jan 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much their department spent on X and xAI since July 2024.

During the period 1 July 2024 to 19 January 2026, the department and its executive agencies spent £27,118.12 on sector comms and awareness with X and its predecessor platform/brand Twitter.

xAI acquired X on 28 March 2025. £4,834.80 was spent before the acquisition by xAI. £22,283.32 was spent after the acquisition by xAI.

Olivia Bailey
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
28th Jan 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the answer of 23 January 2026 to Question 105701 on Turing: Finance, whether the Turing scheme will continue in 2027-28; and what her target is for the number of outbound UK students using the Turing scheme in 2026-27.

Guidance on the Turing Scheme for the 2026/27 academic year has been published on GOV.UK, with applications for funding now open and closing at 16:00 on Monday 16 March. Looking ahead, we remain committed to international mobility. That’s why the UK has agreed association with Erasmus+ on better financial terms for the UK. Decisions on the Turing Scheme for future years will be shared in due course.

The Turing Scheme is a demand led, competitive programme, so providers can shape applications to the needs of their students. The department does not set targets for the number of Turing Scheme placements in each year as this is highly dependent on the numbers of students that individual providers intend to send, where they intend to go and how long they intend to go for. Instead, we allocate funding in a way that prioritises the participation of students from disadvantaged backgrounds and those with special educational needs and disabilities.

Josh MacAlister
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
23rd Jan 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of a reduction in the number of experienced childminders on the availability of early years and out-of-school childcare places in the context of the expansion of funded childcare hours.

This department is taking a range of measures to support the financial sustainability of childminding businesses and other early years providers. From April 2026, local authorities will be required to pass at least 97% of their funding directly to providers (an increase from 96%). We are also working with local authorities and others to ensure that childminders and other early years providers can be paid monthly for the funded hours they provide, making their income more stable. Furthermore, from 1 November 2024, the government introduced new flexibilities to help childminders join and stay in the profession, supporting the government’s commitment to roll out expanded childcare entitlements and give children the best start in life.

In addition, the expansion of the early years entitlements could benefit childminders in different ways. For example, the national average three and four year-old hourly funding rate of local authorities is increasing by 4.1%, the two year-old hourly funding rate is increasing by 3.3%, and the nine months to two year-old hourly funding rate is increasing by 3.4%. Childminders may also benefit from an expected increase in demand for places.

Olivia Bailey
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
22nd Jan 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help reduce child bed poverty and it's potential impact on education.

The government’s Child Poverty Strategy, ‘Our Children, Our Future: Tackling Child Poverty’, was published on 5 December 2025. It sets out the steps this government will take to reduce child poverty in the short term, as well as putting in place the building blocks we need to create long-term change. The measures set out in the strategy will lift 550,000 children out of poverty, the largest expected reduction in child poverty over any parliamentary session since comparable records began.

The government is investing in the future of our children and putting money into families' pockets, enabling them to afford the essentials that are necessary to give children what they need to learn and grow by introducing key measures such as removing the two-child limit in Universal Credit.

Furthermore, government is helping families who need support to access essential household items through the Crisis and Resilience Fund, a £1 billion fund to ensure families have a safety net when they need it, and Pride in Place Programme, which will deliver up to £5 billion in funding to 244 in-need neighbourhoods across the country. This will give communities the option to invest in measures that support families with the cost of living, which could include establishing new community shops with access to discounted food and school uniforms or directly supporting families with essential household items, such as beds and white goods.

Olivia Bailey
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
22nd Jan 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps schools are expected to take to help ensure that pupils and families experiencing (a) furniture or (b) appliance poverty are directed to sources of support.

The government’s Child Poverty Strategy, ‘Our Children, Our Future: Tackling Child Poverty’, was published on 5 December 2025. It sets out the steps this government will take to reduce child poverty in the short term, as well as putting in place the building blocks we need to create long-term change. The measures set out in the strategy will lift 550,000 children out of poverty, the largest expected reduction in child poverty over any parliamentary session since comparable records began.

The government is investing in the future of our children and putting money into families' pockets, enabling them to afford the essentials that are necessary to give children what they need to learn and grow by introducing key measures such as removing the two-child limit in Universal Credit.

Furthermore, government is helping families who need support to access essential household items through the Crisis and Resilience Fund, a £1 billion fund to ensure families have a safety net when they need it, and Pride in Place Programme, which will deliver up to £5 billion in funding to 244 in-need neighbourhoods across the country. This will give communities the option to invest in measures that support families with the cost of living, which could include establishing new community shops with access to discounted food and school uniforms or directly supporting families with essential household items, such as beds and white goods.

Olivia Bailey
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
21st Jan 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of designating Portage services as a targeted early years and SEND support offer across all local authorities; what steps she is taking to address regional variation in access to Portage provision; and what consideration she has given to providing (a) sustainable and predictable funding, (b) national training standards and (c) further research and evaluation to support the consistent delivery of evidence-based early intervention services.

Help for families of children with additional needs is central to the Best Start in Life Strategy, which spotlights high-quality, inclusive and joined-up services.

The department is considering delivery expectations for how Best Start Family Hubs (BSFHs) can deliver special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) support, alongside flexibility to meet community needs.

From April, BSFHs will receive funding to recruit a dedicated SEND practitioner for every hub to support parents, identify emerging needs sooner and coordinate services. Evaluation of BSFHs will build the evidence base to inform future reform.

We will fund partnerships between early years settings and schools to test and implement different approaches to improving transitions to reception, including for children with SEND. These will allow staff to spend time to share expertise, help parents and children build relationships with schools and help teachers spot issues early.

Plans for reform will be in the upcoming Schools White Paper.

Olivia Bailey
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
22nd Jan 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Commissioner for Public Appointment annual report 2024-25, published in December 2025, Appendix: direct appointments, what the business case was for appointing a non-executive director for three years; and whether she has had correspondence with the Commissioner.

The departmental board provides important strategic oversight and challenge. We had an existing non-executive director vacancy and made this appointment to bring in highly valuable delivery expertise. The direct appointment process was followed in full in line with the guidance, including consultation via correspondence with the Commissioner for Public Appointments.

Olivia Bailey
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
29th Jan 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will include educators from Yeovil constituency in the co-creation of Artificial Intelligence tutoring tools.

The department will work with educators, experts and developers to co-create and trial artificial intelligence (AI) tutoring tools. These tools will be aligned to the curriculum and safe by design, ensuring they support pupils’ learning. Educators from across the country will have opportunities to contribute to this co‑creation and testing to ensure tools meet classroom needs.

Our ambition is that pupils, including those who would not usually be able to access private tuition, can benefit from high quality, individualised support. Evidence from these trials will help schools to make informed choices and ensure solutions are effective, inclusive and grounded in national teaching practice.

Alongside this, we are developing new sovereign education benchmarks, to ensure AI tools used in schools reflect national expectations for pedagogy and safety. Further details on the programme will be announced in due course.

Olivia Bailey
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
29th Jan 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will ensure disadvantaged children from Yeovil constituency will be able to access the Safe Artificial Intelligence tutoring tools that will be available by the end of 2027.

The department will work with educators, experts and developers to co-create and trial artificial intelligence (AI) tutoring tools. These tools will be aligned to the curriculum and safe by design, ensuring they support pupils’ learning. Educators from across the country will have opportunities to contribute to this co‑creation and testing to ensure tools meet classroom needs.

Our ambition is that pupils, including those who would not usually be able to access private tuition, can benefit from high quality, individualised support. Evidence from these trials will help schools to make informed choices and ensure solutions are effective, inclusive and grounded in national teaching practice.

Alongside this, we are developing new sovereign education benchmarks, to ensure AI tools used in schools reflect national expectations for pedagogy and safety. Further details on the programme will be announced in due course.

Olivia Bailey
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
22nd Jan 2026
To ask His Majesty's Government what the membership is of the early years screen time advisory group.

The early years screen time advisory group is comprised of the following members:

  • Professor Russell Viner (co-chair) – Professor in Adolescent Health, University College London, and former Chief Scientific Adviser to the Department for Education.
  • Dame Rachel de Souza (co-chair) – Children’s Commissioner for England.
  • Professor Catherine Davies – Professor of Language Development, University of Leeds.
  • Professor Pasco Fearon – Professor of Family Research, University of Cambridge.
  • Professor Rosie Flewitt – Emeritus Professor of Early Childhood Communication, Manchester Metropolitan University.
  • Dr Jeanelle de Gruchy – Deputy Chief Medical Officer for England.
  • Professor Sonia Livingstone – Professor of Social Psychology, London School of Economics and Political Science.
  • Professor Amy Orben – Programme Leader of the Digital Mental Health Research Programme, University of Cambridge.
  • Professor Paul Ramchandani – LEGO Professor of Play in Education, Development and Learning, University of Cambridge.
  • Professor Kathy Sylva – Honorary Research Fellow and Professor of Educational Psychology, University of Oxford.

All members of the group attended the first meeting of the early years screen time advisory group on 22 January, alongside officials from the Department for Education, the Department of Health and Social Care and the Office of the Children’s Commissioner for England.

This introductory meeting focused on agreeing ways of working, including delivery timelines and approaches to evidence gathering, and the scope of the early years screen time guidance. The group also discussed the dissemination of the guidance.

Minutes of the meeting will be published in due course.

Baroness Smith of Malvern
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
22nd Jan 2026
To ask His Majesty's Government who attended the first meeting of the early years screen time advisory group on 22 January; and what was discussed in that meeting.

The early years screen time advisory group is comprised of the following members:

  • Professor Russell Viner (co-chair) – Professor in Adolescent Health, University College London, and former Chief Scientific Adviser to the Department for Education.
  • Dame Rachel de Souza (co-chair) – Children’s Commissioner for England.
  • Professor Catherine Davies – Professor of Language Development, University of Leeds.
  • Professor Pasco Fearon – Professor of Family Research, University of Cambridge.
  • Professor Rosie Flewitt – Emeritus Professor of Early Childhood Communication, Manchester Metropolitan University.
  • Dr Jeanelle de Gruchy – Deputy Chief Medical Officer for England.
  • Professor Sonia Livingstone – Professor of Social Psychology, London School of Economics and Political Science.
  • Professor Amy Orben – Programme Leader of the Digital Mental Health Research Programme, University of Cambridge.
  • Professor Paul Ramchandani – LEGO Professor of Play in Education, Development and Learning, University of Cambridge.
  • Professor Kathy Sylva – Honorary Research Fellow and Professor of Educational Psychology, University of Oxford.

All members of the group attended the first meeting of the early years screen time advisory group on 22 January, alongside officials from the Department for Education, the Department of Health and Social Care and the Office of the Children’s Commissioner for England.

This introductory meeting focused on agreeing ways of working, including delivery timelines and approaches to evidence gathering, and the scope of the early years screen time guidance. The group also discussed the dissemination of the guidance.

Minutes of the meeting will be published in due course.

Baroness Smith of Malvern
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
22nd Jan 2026
To ask His Majesty's Government what funding per student is provided in England for specialist provision for students with education, health and care plans, broken down by local education authority.

Although funding allocated to local authorities through the high needs block of their dedicated schools grant is mainly for specialist provision, a significant proportion is allocated locally to schools outside their area who have students with education, health and care (EHC) plans, to mainstream provision for those students with EHC plans and for those without EHC plans who require special educational needs support. It is therefore impossible to compare local authorities’ per-student funding for specialist provision on any like-for-like measure using the data available.

Baroness Smith of Malvern
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
22nd Jan 2026
To ask His Majesty's Government what funding per student is provided in Cumbria for specialist provision for students with education, health and care plans, broken down by local education authority.

Although funding allocated to local authorities through the high needs block of their dedicated schools grant is mainly for specialist provision, a significant proportion is allocated locally to schools outside their area who have students with education, health and care (EHC) plans, to mainstream provision for those students with EHC plans and for those without EHC plans who require special educational needs support. It is therefore impossible to compare local authorities’ per-student funding for specialist provision on any like-for-like measure using the data available.

Baroness Smith of Malvern
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
22nd Jan 2026
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of variations between local education authorities in England in the levels of funding per student for specialist provision for students with education, health and care plans.

Although funding allocated to local authorities through the high needs block of their dedicated schools grant is mainly for specialist provision, a significant proportion is allocated locally to schools outside their area who have students with education, health and care (EHC) plans, to mainstream provision for those students with EHC plans and for those without EHC plans who require special educational needs support. It is therefore impossible to compare local authorities’ per-student funding for specialist provision on any like-for-like measure using the data available.

Baroness Smith of Malvern
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
22nd Jan 2026
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to extend the fruit and vegetables initiative for schools to nursery schools and other early years settings.

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

The School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme is available to pupils in key stage 1 attending fully state‑funded primary schools. The scheme entitles schools to claim a free piece of fruit or vegetable for all children aged 4 to 6 for each school day. The government has no current plans to extend the scheme.

However, we remain committed to deliver on our pledge to provide a free breakfast club in every state-funded school with primary-aged children. This will ensure that every child, regardless of circumstance, has a supportive start to the school day, including access to a healthy breakfast which includes fruit. So far, we have delivered over 5 million breakfasts and, following the success of our early adopter scheme, we are rolling out to an additional 2,000 schools between April 2026 and March 2027. This will benefit around half a million more children.


Baroness Smith of Malvern
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
22nd Jan 2026
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the additional cost required to extend the fruit and vegetable initiative for schools to nursery schools and other early years settings.

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

The School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme is available to pupils in key stage 1 attending fully state‑funded primary schools. The scheme entitles schools to claim a free piece of fruit or vegetable for all children aged 4 to 6 for each school day. The government has no current plans to extend the scheme.

However, we remain committed to deliver on our pledge to provide a free breakfast club in every state-funded school with primary-aged children. This will ensure that every child, regardless of circumstance, has a supportive start to the school day, including access to a healthy breakfast which includes fruit. So far, we have delivered over 5 million breakfasts and, following the success of our early adopter scheme, we are rolling out to an additional 2,000 schools between April 2026 and March 2027. This will benefit around half a million more children.


Baroness Smith of Malvern
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
29th Jan 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance her Department provides to local authorities on the use of prosecutions for school non-attendance in cases where a pupil’s absence is related to special educational needs and disabilities.

The department recognises that pupils with additional needs, such as special educational needs and disabilities, may face more complex barriers to school attendance, and our statutory guidance is clear that schools should take a sensitive, “support first” approach to supporting their attendance. The ’Working Together to Improve School Attendance’ guidance emphasises that schools and local authorities should be working with children and their families to remove any barriers to attendance and building strong and trusting relationships. It makes clear that legal intervention should only be considered when support has been exhausted, not engaged with, or in the cases such as term time holidays, not appropriate.

While some pupils may face additional challenges, we expect schools to have the same attendance ambitions for all pupils, and to put support in place where required.

Olivia Bailey
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
29th Jan 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of parents who have been prosecuted for their child's non-attendance at school have a child that has (a) Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) and (b) special educational needs and does not have a EHCP in each quarter of the last five years.

Data for prosecution of offences in England, including offences for non-attendance, is collected by the Ministry of Justice. The Department for Education does not collect data on the protected characteristics of the children of individuals who have been prosecuted for an offence related to their child’s non-attendance at school.

Nevertheless, we recognise that pupils with special educational needs and disabilities may face more complex barriers to school attendance and guidance requires schools to take a ’support first’ approach to tackling non-attendance for these pupils.

Our guidance makes clear that legal intervention, including prosecution, should only be considered where support has been exhausted, not engaged with or, in the cases of term-time holidays, not appropriate. We expect schools to work with these children and their families to remove any barriers to attendance and building strong and trusting relationships.

Olivia Bailey
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
27th Jan 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of Plan 2 student loan repayments and interest rates on graduates from different socio-economic backgrounds.

Plan 2 student loans were designed and implemented by previous governments. Students in England starting degrees under this government have different arrangements.

Plan 2 loans interest rates are applied at the Retail Price Index (RPI) only, then variable up to RPI +3% depending on earnings. Interest rates do not impact monthly repayments made by student loan borrowers, which stay at a constant rate of 9% above an earnings threshold to protect lower earners. If a borrower’s salary remains the same, their monthly repayments will also stay the same. Any outstanding loan and interest is written off at the end of the loan term, and debt is never passed on to family members or descendants.

Josh MacAlister
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
27th Jan 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what consideration she has given to linking Plan 2 student loan interest rates to inflation only.

Plan 2 student loans were designed and implemented by previous governments. Students in England starting degrees under this government have different arrangements.

Plan 2 loans interest rates are applied at the Retail Price Index (RPI) only, then variable up to RPI +3% depending on earnings. Interest rates do not impact monthly repayments made by student loan borrowers, which stay at a constant rate of 9% above an earnings threshold to protect lower earners. If a borrower’s salary remains the same, their monthly repayments will also stay the same. Any outstanding loan and interest is written off at the end of the loan term, and debt is never passed on to family members or descendants.

Josh MacAlister
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
27th Jan 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of further and higher education funding.

The department has increased investment in 16-19 education by £400 million in the 2025/26 financial year. From the Spending Review, we will invest nearly £800 million extra in 2026/27, including and fully consolidating the £190 million boost to 2025/26 funding provided in May.

The department is investing in education and skills training for adults through the Adult Skills Fund (ASF), spending £1.4 billion in the 2025/26 academic year. The ASF fully funds or co-funds skills provision for eligible adults aged 19 and above from pre-entry to level 3, to support adults to gain the skills they need for work, an apprenticeship or further learning.

To support long‑term stability in higher education, the department is increasing maximum tuition fees in line with inflation, by 2.71% in 2026/27 and 2.68% in 2027/28, in addition to the 3.1% increase delivered for the current academic year. The government provides £1.31 billion in Strategic Priorities Grant (SPG) funding for the 2025/26 academic year to support teaching, high‑cost subjects and disadvantaged students, and we are working with the Office for Students to reform the SPG to better target priority skills needs and access and participation.

Josh MacAlister
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
27th Jan 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has considered requiring state-funded schools with defibrillators to make those devices publicly accessible where it is safe and practicable to do so.

The department’s defibrillator programme provided over 20,000 defibrillators to state-funded schools in England, ensuring that all schools have access to a device.

Schools are best placed to make decisions on community access based on their individual circumstances. The primary concern should be locating defibrillators where they will best meet the needs of the school, and community access will not be suitable in all circumstances.

The department’s defibrillator guidance advises schools on the factors they should consider when deciding whether to allow community access. More information can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/automated-external-defibrillators-aeds-in-schools.

The department encourages all schools to register their defibrillators on the national defibrillator network, The Circuit. This ensures that local ambulance services know where defibrillators are kept, meaning they can be called upon in an emergency to help save a life. More information, including how to register, can be found here: https://www.thecircuit.uk/.

Josh MacAlister
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
27th Jan 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to respond to the consultation entitled Government Statistical Service Harmonisation: Assessing user needs for additional response options for the new ethnicity harmonisation standard.

The Government Statistical Service ethnicity consultation has been promoted across the department’s analytical community. While individual staff may submit responses in their own capacity, the department is gathering input from data collection, statistical publication and policy teams to inform any collective contribution it may make to the consultation.

The department welcomes the opportunity to input into updated harmonised standards and expects to implement them across departmental data collections and statistics where appropriate in due course.

Olivia Bailey
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
27th Jan 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department classifies (a) Sikhs and (b) Jews as (i) an ethnic and (ii) a religious group.

The department collects information on the ethnicity of pupils annually through the spring school census, in line with the harmonised standards set by the Office for National Statistics and the Government Statistical Service.

The department publishes the data code sets that must be used when submitting information as part of the Common Basic Data Set (CBDS). The CBDS ethnicity code set does not include separate categories for Sikhs or Jews.

The department does not collect information on pupils’ religion.

Olivia Bailey
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
27th Jan 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of levels of unemployment and underemployment among qualified teachers; and what steps she is taking to help improve increase retention and re-entry levels.

In the government’s Plan for Change, the department committed to recruiting an additional 6,500 expert teachers across secondary and special schools, and our colleges, over the course of this Parliament.

Delivery is already underway: retaining more skilled teachers is key to delivering our pledge and our ‘Improve workload and wellbeing for school staff’ service, developed alongside school leaders, provides a range of resources for schools to review and reduce workload, and improve staff wellbeing. We are also providing targeted retention incentives worth up to £6,000 after tax for early career teachers in key subjects. These incentives are available alongside trainee bursaries worth up to £31,000 tax-free to improve recruitment, and a pay rise of nearly 10% over two years.

We are already seeing improvement. The workforce has grown by 2,346 Full Time Equivalent between 2023/24 and 2024/25 in secondary and special schools. This year has one of the lowest leaver rates since 2010, with 1,700 fewer teachers leaving the state-funded sector, and more teachers are returning to state schools than at any point in the last ten years. The latest data showed 17,274 teachers returned to the classroom.

Georgia Gould
Minister of State (Education)
27th Jan 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help tackle gaps in public knowledge on the origins of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Improved media literacy builds resilience to misinformation and disinformation and fosters critical thinking. The government is improving media literacy through coordinated cross-government work, including funding innovative community-based interventions and launching an awareness campaign to build digital resilience and critical thinking skills online. The Online Safety Act updated Ofcom’s statutory duty to promote media literacy. This includes raising the awareness and understanding of misinformation and harmful content, especially where it affects vulnerable groups.

The government’s independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, published on 5 November 2025, emphasised the value of secure knowledge, the process of questioning and critical enquiry and weighing up evidence across information and sources. The government’s response to the review committed to strengthening media literacy content in the curriculum to ensure vital applied knowledge and skills in media and digital literacy are embedded into the revised curriculum, that subject-specific disciplinary skills including critical thinking and problem solving are clearly articulated in the refreshed programmes of study.

Georgia Gould
Minister of State (Education)
27th Jan 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to support civic education initiatives aimed at strengthening resilience to foreign propaganda.

Improved media literacy builds resilience to misinformation and disinformation and fosters critical thinking. The government is improving media literacy through coordinated cross-government work, including funding innovative community-based interventions and launching an awareness campaign to build digital resilience and critical thinking skills online. The Online Safety Act updated Ofcom’s statutory duty to promote media literacy. This includes raising the awareness and understanding of misinformation and harmful content, especially where it affects vulnerable groups.

The government’s independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, published on 5 November 2025, emphasised the value of secure knowledge, the process of questioning and critical enquiry and weighing up evidence across information and sources. The government’s response to the review committed to strengthening media literacy content in the curriculum to ensure vital applied knowledge and skills in media and digital literacy are embedded into the revised curriculum, that subject-specific disciplinary skills including critical thinking and problem solving are clearly articulated in the refreshed programmes of study.

Georgia Gould
Minister of State (Education)
29th Jan 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies on media literacy and citizenship education of the findings of the report by Resilience and Reconstruction entitled Disinformation, UK Democracy, and Attitudes toward Ukraine & Russia in the UK, published in January 2026, on passive exposure to misinformation via social media.

Improved media literacy builds resilience to misinformation and disinformation and fosters critical thinking. The government is improving media literacy through coordinated cross-government work, including funding innovative community-based interventions and launching an awareness campaign to build digital resilience and critical thinking skills online. The Online Safety Act updated Ofcom’s statutory duty to promote media literacy. This includes raising the awareness and understanding of misinformation and harmful content, especially where it affects vulnerable groups.

The government’s independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, published on 5 November 2025, emphasised the value of secure knowledge, the process of questioning and critical enquiry and weighing up evidence across information and sources. The government’s response to the review committed to strengthening media literacy content in the curriculum to ensure vital applied knowledge and skills in media and digital literacy are embedded into the revised curriculum, that subject-specific disciplinary skills including critical thinking and problem solving are clearly articulated in the refreshed programmes of study.

Georgia Gould
Minister of State (Education)
27th Jan 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, on what evidential basis her Department has based its assessment that GCSEs and iGCSEs are comparable qualifications.

GCSEs are long-standing, credible and well-respected by students, teachers, parents, further and higher education providers, and employers. International GCSEs, which include iGCSEs, are different qualifications. International GCSEs were introduced to serve the large international market for British qualifications and are also offered by some independent schools. Unlike GCSEs, international GCSEs are not regulated by Ofqual or funded for use in state schools. International GCSEs have also not counted in school performance tables since GCSEs were last reformed.

In 2019, the department published an analysis of GCSE and international GCSE progress and attainment data, which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/comparing-international-gcses-and-gcses-in-england-2018. The publication noted it is difficult to make precise judgements about how standards in these qualifications compare given the clear differences between them.

Georgia Gould
Minister of State (Education)
27th Jan 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential benefits of state schools offering iGCSEs.

GCSEs are long-standing, credible and well-respected by students, teachers, parents, further and higher education providers, and employers. International GCSEs, which include iGCSEs, are different qualifications. International GCSEs were introduced to serve the large international market for British qualifications and are also offered by some independent schools. Unlike GCSEs, international GCSEs are not regulated by Ofqual or funded for use in state schools. International GCSEs have also not counted in school performance tables since GCSEs were last reformed.

In 2019, the department published an analysis of GCSE and international GCSE progress and attainment data, which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/comparing-international-gcses-and-gcses-in-england-2018. The publication noted it is difficult to make precise judgements about how standards in these qualifications compare given the clear differences between them.

Georgia Gould
Minister of State (Education)
27th Jan 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an assessment of whether iGCSEs result in higher grades than GCSEs.

GCSEs are long-standing, credible and well-respected by students, teachers, parents, further and higher education providers, and employers. International GCSEs, which include iGCSEs, are different qualifications. International GCSEs were introduced to serve the large international market for British qualifications and are also offered by some independent schools. Unlike GCSEs, international GCSEs are not regulated by Ofqual or funded for use in state schools. International GCSEs have also not counted in school performance tables since GCSEs were last reformed.

In 2019, the department published an analysis of GCSE and international GCSE progress and attainment data, which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/comparing-international-gcses-and-gcses-in-england-2018. The publication noted it is difficult to make precise judgements about how standards in these qualifications compare given the clear differences between them.

Georgia Gould
Minister of State (Education)
27th Jan 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure universities and employers are aware of the differences between awarded GCSEs and iGCSEs.

GCSEs are long-standing, credible and well-respected by students, teachers, parents, further and higher education providers, and employers. International GCSEs, which include iGCSEs, are different qualifications. International GCSEs were introduced to serve the large international market for British qualifications and are also offered by some independent schools. Unlike GCSEs, international GCSEs are not regulated by Ofqual or funded for use in state schools. International GCSEs have also not counted in school performance tables since GCSEs were last reformed.

In 2019, the department published an analysis of GCSE and international GCSE progress and attainment data, which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/comparing-international-gcses-and-gcses-in-england-2018. The publication noted it is difficult to make precise judgements about how standards in these qualifications compare given the clear differences between them.

Georgia Gould
Minister of State (Education)
15th Dec 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to include one or more representatives of providers of home-to-school transport for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities on the SEND Ministerial Development Group.

The special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) ministerial development group brings together voices from across the SEND sector. This group considers a range of perspectives and tests potential solutions to the key challenges the SEND system faces to ensure that policy proposals are informed by the knowledge and experiences of children, their families and those working in the system.

Additional participants are invited on a rolling basis according to the topics under discussion. This approach allows the group to include expertise relevant to specific areas as appropriate.

Outside of the group, the department already holds bi-monthly forums to which all local authority home to school travel teams are invited to enable to them to share best practice and so that we understand the challenges they face.

Georgia Gould
Minister of State (Education)
14th Jan 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of freezing student loan repayment thresholds and interest rates from 2027 on the total amount repaid over the lifetime of a loan, broken down by graduate income decile.

It was announced at the Autumn Budget that the repayment and interest thresholds for Plan 2 student loans will be frozen from the 2026/27 financial year until April 2030, when they will increase annually by inflation.

The department produced the following analysis regarding the impact of freezing the repayment and interest thresholds:

Average lifetime repayments (2024/25 financial year prices)

Baseline (£)

Post- policy (£)

Impact

£

%

Entire cohort

27,000

28,300

1,300

5

Average

Lifetime graduate earnings decile

1

2,000

2,000

0

0

2

4,300

4,700

400

9

3

7,700

8,100

400

5

4

11,600

13,000

1,400

12

5

16,900

18,500

1,600

9

6

23,100

25,200

2,100

9

7

31,300

33,600

2,300

7

8

41,200

43,500

2,300

6

9

54,500

56,100

1,600

3

10

59,100

59,500

400

1

No freeze has been announced relating to interest rates.

The department will release an equalities impact assessment, including the impact on lifetime repayments, alongside other borrower impacts for the Plan 2 repayment threshold and interest threshold freeze announced at the Autumn Budget. Published results may differ from those provided due to model and data updates.

Josh MacAlister
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
13th Jan 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many people started apprenticeships who were aged a) 16, b) 17, c) 18, d) 19, e) 20, f) 21, g) 22, h) 23, i) 24 in each year since 2017-18.

Apprenticeship starts in England for the individual ages requested are available in the accompanying file.

Further information on apprenticeship starts can be found in the department’s apprenticeships statistics publication, which can be accessed here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/apprenticeships.

Josh MacAlister
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
27th Jan 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance her Department issues to local Government on safeguarding procedures for drivers transporting pupils to and from school.

Local authorities are responsible for arranging free home-to-school travel for eligible children. The department publishes statutory guidance to assist local authorities in meeting their duties.

The statutory guidance makes clear that local authorities must ensure the arrangements they make are suitable for the needs of the children concerned. They should ensure drivers and passenger assistants have undergone an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check with a check of the children’s barred list, and that they have received training in safeguarding and any other training they need to meet the specific needs of the children travelling.

In addition, health and safety law requires local authorities to assess risk and put in place reasonably practicable control measures to protect their employers and others, including the children for whom they arrange travel, from harm.

Georgia Gould
Minister of State (Education)
21st Jan 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will give an update on her progress of appointment of an expert advisory group for the development of CCTV guidance for the early years sector.

The ‘Early years foundation stage’ statutory framework requires early years providers to have safeguarding policies that address the use of mobile phones, cameras, and other electronic devices with imaging and sharing capabilities. Decisions about installing and using CCTV are for individual providers, subject to safeguarding and data protection requirements.

As part of the department’s ongoing review of safeguarding requirements in early years settings, an expert advisory panel will be appointed to inform sector guidance on the safe and effective use of digital devices and CCTV within safeguarding. This guidance will consider whether CCTV should be mandated and will set out best practice, technical advice and clear expectations.

The department is working at pace to establish the expert advisory panel and ensure we have the most suitable experts and groups represented to ensure that the guidance is high quality and evidence informed. We will provide more details in the coming weeks.

Olivia Bailey
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
6th Jan 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her department is taking to ensure all nursery staff receive sufficient training regarding safe sleep for babies.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) statutory framework, which all early years providers are required to follow, includes a requirement for babies to be placed down to sleep in line with the latest government safety guidance

The Early Years qualification requirements and standards document sets out the minimum qualification requirements that staff must meet to work within early years settings. Both the Level 2 and Level 3 qualification criteria include knowledge of rest and sleep provision. This document is accessible at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-qualification-requirements-and-standards.

In September 2024, the department worked in collaboration with The Lullaby Trust to produce guidance, which is available on the Foundation Years platform. This covers unsuitable sleeping products, suitable sleeping surfaces and the safe use of blankets. This guidance can be found at: https://www.foundationyears.org.uk/2024/09/safer-sleeping-practices-for-early-years-educators/.

To make the existing requirements clearer for all, we plan to add further detail to the EYFS frameworks. We have worked with safer sleep experts, including The Lullaby Trust, on proposed new wording and plan to introduce these changes as soon as possible.

Olivia Bailey
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
6th Jan 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the Government has plans to increase levels of safe sleep regulations for babies in the Early years foundation stage statutory framework.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) statutory framework, which all early years providers are required to follow, includes a requirement for babies to be placed down to sleep in line with the latest government safety guidance

The Early Years qualification requirements and standards document sets out the minimum qualification requirements that staff must meet to work within early years settings. Both the Level 2 and Level 3 qualification criteria include knowledge of rest and sleep provision. This document is accessible at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-qualification-requirements-and-standards.

In September 2024, the department worked in collaboration with The Lullaby Trust to produce guidance, which is available on the Foundation Years platform. This covers unsuitable sleeping products, suitable sleeping surfaces and the safe use of blankets. This guidance can be found at: https://www.foundationyears.org.uk/2024/09/safer-sleeping-practices-for-early-years-educators/.

To make the existing requirements clearer for all, we plan to add further detail to the EYFS frameworks. We have worked with safer sleep experts, including The Lullaby Trust, on proposed new wording and plan to introduce these changes as soon as possible.

Olivia Bailey
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
6th Jan 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment her Department has made about the effectiveness of the Early years foundation stage statutory framework in offering sufficient guidance on safe sleep for babies.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) statutory framework, which all early years providers are required to follow, includes a requirement for babies to be placed down to sleep in line with the latest government safety guidance

The Early Years qualification requirements and standards document sets out the minimum qualification requirements that staff must meet to work within early years settings. Both the Level 2 and Level 3 qualification criteria include knowledge of rest and sleep provision. This document is accessible at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-qualification-requirements-and-standards.

In September 2024, the department worked in collaboration with The Lullaby Trust to produce guidance, which is available on the Foundation Years platform. This covers unsuitable sleeping products, suitable sleeping surfaces and the safe use of blankets. This guidance can be found at: https://www.foundationyears.org.uk/2024/09/safer-sleeping-practices-for-early-years-educators/.

To make the existing requirements clearer for all, we plan to add further detail to the EYFS frameworks. We have worked with safer sleep experts, including The Lullaby Trust, on proposed new wording and plan to introduce these changes as soon as possible.

Olivia Bailey
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
12th Dec 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her expected timeline is for publishing the Schools White Paper including the SEND reform package.

The department will publish the Schools White Paper early this year. It will set out our proposed reforms to the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system, underpinned by our belief that high standards and inclusion are two sides of the same coin.

To ensure these reforms are as effective as possible, and building on conversations to date, we launched a public engagement campaign spanning every region of the country. This put families at the heart of plans to create a reformed SEND system that will stand the test of time.

As part of this campaign, I have hosted regional face-to-face events across the country, run in partnership with the Council for Disabled Children. The department also set up a number of online events, including a panel of experts, in discussions covering the department’s five principles of reform. Further details can be found at: https://consult.education.gov.uk/send-reform-national-conversation/.

The experiences and insights shared during these engagement opportunities will be vital in ensuring that our proposals effectively deliver meaningful reforms for families.

Georgia Gould
Minister of State (Education)
27th Jan 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help tackle educational underachievement.

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

All children and young people should have every opportunity to succeed, but too many face barriers holding them back, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

The government’s Plan for Change sets our intention to give every child the best start in life, setting a milestone of a record proportion of children starting school ready to learn, backed by investment close to £1.5 billion over the next three years, subject to the spending review.

High and rising standards are the key to strengthening outcomes for every child. The department is driving standards in every school through regional improvement for standards and excellence teams, a refreshed high quality curriculum and assessment system, and recruiting an additional 6,500 additional teachers.

The Schools White Paper will build on our existing work to drive school standards and improve outcomes for all children.

This is alongside wider work to improve outcomes for all children, including tackling child poverty and our Post-16 Education and Skills Strategy.

Georgia Gould
Minister of State (Education)
27th Jan 2026
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help increase the number of teachers in England.

The latest school workforce census reported that the workforce has grown by 2,346 FTE between 2023/24 and 2024/25 in secondary and special schools. This year has one of the lowest leaver rates since 2010, with 1,700 fewer teachers leaving the state-funded sector and more teachers returning to state schools than at any point in the last ten years. The latest data showed 17,274 teachers returned to the classroom.

This government agreed a 5.5% pay award for 2024/25 and a 4% pay award for 2025/26, meaning teachers and leaders will see an increase in their pay of almost 10% over two years. In 2024/25, we also confirmed targeted retention incentives worth up to £6,000 after tax for teachers in the first five years of teaching in maths, physics, chemistry and computing in the most disadvantaged schools.

The government manages Teaching Vacancies, a website where schools can list their teaching, leadership and support vacancies. The service helps schools save money by removing advertising costs for their recruitment activities.

Georgia Gould
Minister of State (Education)