Asked by: Charlotte Cane (Liberal Democrat - Ely and East Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an assessment of the suitability of the examination system for dyslexic pupils.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Ofqual, as independent regulator of qualifications, is responsible for ensuring the exams system is fair and accessible for all students. Under the Equality Act 2010, awarding organisations are required to make reasonable adjustments where a disabled person would be at a substantial disadvantage in undertaking exams and assessments. A range of access arrangements are also available for all national curriculum tests, and guidance is provided by the Standards and Testing Agency.
In line with the recommendations made by the independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, we will work with Ofqual and awarding organisations to ensure that accessibility implications are fully considered for all young people throughout the qualification development process, including for those with special educational needs and disabilities, such as dyslexia.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the report by the NAO entitled Home to School Transport, published on 31 October 2025, what recent discussions she has had with local authorities about the increasing demand for home to support transport; and whether she intends to include policies to support home to school transport provision as part of the forthcoming Government White Paper on SEND.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Department officials hold regular forums to which all local authority home-to-school travel teams are invited. These meetings provide the department with valuable information about the challenges local authorities face.
We have committed to reform the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system to enable more children to thrive in local mainstream settings, whilst guaranteeing access to excellent specialist provision where needed. This will mean fewer children will need to travel long distances to access education which will reduce the financial and logistical burden on local authorities and leave the service better able to meet the needs of the children that continue to rely on it. These reforms to the SEND system will be set out in a Schools white paper early in the new year.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with Essex County Council on the impact of the We Rise Business Mentoring Programme on (a) youth employment and (b) skills development.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department does not hold data on the impact of the We Rise Business Mentoring Programme, as it is part of the ‘Essex Year of Opportunity’, a campaign by Essex County Council. Departmental officials and Essex County Council regularly discuss how to improve opportunities for young people in Essex.
Asked by: Alistair Strathern (Labour - Hitchin)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she will take to support children’s media and digital literacy education before 2028.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Media literacy is covered in the current citizenship, relationships, sex and health education (RSHE), and digital literacy is covered in the computing curriculum.
In July the government published updated RSHE statutory guidance containing new content related to artificial intelligence (AI), online safety and pornography, which will be mandatory from September 2026. The independent Curriculum and Assessment Review’s final report was published on 5 November 2025 and includes recommendations for reform to the curriculum, which the government has accepted. Vital applied knowledge and skills in media and digital literacy will be embedded into the revised curriculum from 2028.
To support schools with teaching in the meantime, Oak National Academy, an independent arm’s length body, provides adaptable, optional and free curriculum support for schools, including resources for computing and secondary citizenship, which can be found here: https://www.thenational.academy/.
The ’Educate Against Hate’ website hosts a series of online media literacy resources to support teachers and school leaders to build resilience to extremist narratives online in children and young people. The website is available at: https://www.educateagainsthate.com/.
The National Centre for Computing Education provides teachers with continuing professional development and resources to support the teaching of computing topics, including digital literacy and AI.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 23 October 2025 to Question 82987 on Jobcentres: Neurodiversity and Young People, what recent discussions she has had with (a) education providers and (b) local authorities on recent trends in the performance of children and young people with SEND across the country.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Over the last year, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, and the former Minister for School Standards, alongside expert advisers like Tom Rees and Dame Christine Lenehan, have listened to the voices of parents, teachers and young people to guide policy development and we have made good progress on plans to build a truly inclusive system where high quality support is provided at the earliest opportunity.
To help us deliver the most effective set of reforms we can, we have taken the decision to have a further period of engagement, with the view of bringing forward a full Schools White Paper early in the new year. Through this period of engagement with parents, educators, experts, local authorities and representative organisations, we will test policy options being considered and seek views through listening sessions in every region of the country, and Ministerial meetings with parent and expert groups.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to Answer of 12 November 2025 to Question 87656, what plans she has to issue updated guidance to higher education providers in the context of the Office for Students’ assessment that reliance on international student fee income presents a risk to financial sustainability.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Higher education (HE) providers are responsible for managing their finances. As such, they must continue to adapt to uncertainties and financial risks. However, this government is committed to putting the HE sector on a secure financial footing so that it can face the challenges of the next decade.
Our decision to raise tuition fees annually in line with inflation, alongside refocusing the Office for Students (OfS) on monitoring the sector’s financial health, demonstrates this commitment.
The government does not currently have any plans to issue guidance to higher education providers in light of the Office for Student’s (OfS) assessment of the HE sector’s reliance on international student fee income. The OfS is responsible for monitoring and reporting on the financial sustainability of the sector, including risks relating to international student recruitment.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to support higher education providers to (a) diversify their income sources and (b) reduce financial vulnerability arising from international recruitment.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Higher education (HE) providers are responsible for managing their finances. As such, they must continue to adapt to uncertainties and financial risks. However, this government is committed to putting the HE sector on a secure financial footing so that it can face the challenges of the next decade.
Our decision to raise tuition fees annually in line with inflation, alongside refocusing the Office for Students (OfS) on monitoring the sector’s financial health, demonstrates this commitment.
The government does not currently have any plans to issue guidance to higher education providers in light of the Office for Student’s (OfS) assessment of the HE sector’s reliance on international student fee income. The OfS is responsible for monitoring and reporting on the financial sustainability of the sector, including risks relating to international student recruitment.
Asked by: Ian Sollom (Liberal Democrat - St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many state school students took the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme in each of the last five years; and what proportion of those students were female.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The data requested is below. Data relating to 2024/25 will be available in February 2026.
The number and proportion of state-funded student entries for international baccalaureate by sex
Time Period | Sex | Number of State-Funded Students | Proportion (%) |
2023/24 | Female | 764 | 55.9 |
2023/24 | Male | 602 | 44.1 |
2022/23 | Female | 661 | 55.8 |
2022/23 | Male | 524 | 44.2 |
2021/22 | Female | 772 | 57.3 |
2021/22 | Male | 574 | 42.6 |
2020/21 | Female | 763 | 59.5 |
2020/21 | Male | 519 | 40.5 |
2019/20 | Female | 737 | 58.5 |
2019/20 | Male | 522 | 41.5 |
*Source: A level and other 16 to 18 results
*Coverage: All institutions, England
To note regarding the data:
Asked by: Ellie Chowns (Green Party - North Herefordshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has conducted an equalities impact assessment of the age limit for Lifelong Learning Entitlement tuition fee loans; and what steps her Department is taking to ensure that knowledge of the age limit is widely promoted amongst people who are over 60 years old.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department conducted an equalities impact assessment (EIA) in 2023 that considered the availability of Lifelong Learning Entitlement tuition loans up to the age of 60. The EIA can be found in the public domain and is available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/64061b31e90e0740d2e5a80b/Lifelong_loan_entitlement_-_equality_analysis.pdf.
The department has published guidance about the availability of the Lifelong Learning Entitlement which is accessible here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/lifelong-learning-entitlement-lle-overview/lifelong-learning-entitlement-overview . The Student Loans Company has also published information on its website: https://www.heinfo.slc.co.uk/lle/lle-faq/lifelong-learning-entitlement-faq/.
Asked by: Patrick Hurley (Labour - Southport)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of continued professional development on the ability of teachers to tackle misinformation, disinformation and conspiracy theories in the classroom.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The initial teacher training and early career framework sets out the foundational core content that defines great teaching. This includes anticipating common misconceptions within particular subjects, which is an important aspect of curricular knowledge. In the context of misinformation, this can help teachers to spot pupil misconceptions that may arise from various sources. Beyond this, providers can design a curriculum which is responsive to participant needs, including additional training where necessary.
In October 2024, Ofcom published its three-year media literacy strategy, which commits to supporting teachers through continuing professional development, evaluation of training outcomes and stronger collaboration with regional partners to share learnings and effective practices.
The independent Curriculum and Assessment Review’s final report was published on 5 November 2025 and includes recommendations for reform to the curriculum, which the government has accepted. Vital applied knowledge and skills in media and digital literacy will be embedded into the revised curriculum from 2028.
To support schools in the meantime, Oak National Academy provides adaptable, optional and free curriculum support for schools, including resources for computing and secondary citizenship, which can be found here: https://www.thenational.academy/.