Asked by: Alex Burghart (Conservative - Brentwood and Ongar)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the answer of 23 January 2026 to Question 105698 on Erasmus+ Programme, what estimate her Department has made of the number of inbound EU students who will study in the UK.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The UK has agreed to associate to Erasmus+ in 2027 on terms that represent a fair balance between the UK’s contribution and the benefits the programme offers.
We have agreed a 30% discount compared to the default terms in the Trade and Cooperation Agreement, as well as a review of the UK’s participation in the programme ten months after our association, including data concerning demand for funding in the UK.
In 2018/19, there were approximately 31,000 inbound higher education (HE) student mobilities via the Erasmus+ programme. There were approximately 16,000 outbound HE student mobilities in the same year. The department expects there will be a greater number of HE mobilities on reassociation, given the expansion of the programme.
In real terms, the Erasmus+ budget for 2027 is 50% higher than in 2019. Due to this increased budget, we expect that over 100,000 people could benefit from mobility and partnership opportunities from participation in 2027 across all sectors.
Asked by: Earl of Clancarty (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they periodically review the effect of the structure of the Progress 8 and accountability measures in arts subjects in schools.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The department has reviewed Progress 8 and determined that it has had an impact, including on arts subjects. As a result, as part of the government response to the Curriculum and Assessment Review, published on 5 November 2025, we announced our intention to consult shortly on an improved version of Progress 8 that will recognise the value of subjects, including the arts, which strengthen our economy and society, and the importance of a broad pre-16 curriculum. We will continue to monitor patterns in subject entry, including arts subjects, in the future.
Asked by: Baroness Freeman of Steventon (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what diploma qualifications they will fund for trainee stonemasons from September 2026.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
On 20 October 2025, alongside the publication of the Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper, the department published a consultation on post-16 level 3 and below pathways, which closed on 12 January 2026. As part of our consultation, we have been engaging with the sector on transition arrangements. We will set out our response to the consultation in due course.
We will update the information on qualifications funded in the 2026/27 academic year as soon as possible.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to ensure vulnerable children in care are given the best start in life.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.
Reforming children’s social care is essential to ensuring vulnerable children have the best start in life. We are shifting the system toward early, preventative support so more families can stay safely together.
Our plans will help children remain with their families wherever possible, increase support for kinship carers and foster families and improve outcomes for children in care and care leavers, including through the rollout of the Staying Close programme. We will also fix the care market to reduce profiteering and put children’s needs first, alongside strengthening multi‑agency approaches to keep children safe.
Backed by £2.4 billion over the next three years, national reforms to Family Help, Multi‑Agency Child Protection and Family Group Decision Making will be delivered through the Families First Partnership programme, with local authorities deciding how best to use these resources to support vulnerable children in care. A further £1.5 billion will improve access to affordable early education, raise early years quality and strengthen family services.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will publish an assessment of the economic impact on early years providers of changes to employers national insurance.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The government position was to compensate public sector employers only for the National Insurance Contributions (NICs) increase announced in Budget 2024. For eligible early years settings, this was provided through the dedicated £25 million Early Years NICs and Teachers’ Pay Grant in 2025/26.
We recognise the impact on the early years sector and remain committed to protecting investment. We expect to invest over £9.5 billion in 2026/27, an above-inflation increase on 2025/26. National average funding rate increases reflect full costs of delivering a full year of expanded entitlements for early years providers.
Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of internal exclusion on pupil behaviour, attendance and educational outcomes; and what plans she has to strengthen monitoring, reporting and quality assurance mechanisms to ensure consistency and adequacy of provision for pupils placed in internal exclusion settings.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The department will consult on an internal suspension framework to help schools use these sanctions effectively within their behaviour policies, supporting pupils to remain engaged in their education and reducing lost learning. The consultation will seek views on appropriate requirements for recording and reporting internal suspension to ensure consistent practice, transparency, and effective oversight.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of applying an interest rate of RPI plus 3% to Plan 2 student loans for graduates earning over £50,270 on the disposable income of those graduates.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
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 debit is never passed on to family members or descendants.
Asked by: Baroness Penn (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
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.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The early years screen time advisory group is comprised of the following members:
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.
Asked by: Baroness Penn (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what the membership is of the early years screen time advisory group.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The early years screen time advisory group is comprised of the following members:
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.
Asked by: Lord Walney (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
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.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
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.