Asked by: Cameron Thomas (Liberal Democrat - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure SEN children have access to suitable educational provision.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
We are investing £4 billion in special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) reform programmes over the next three years to strengthen inclusive provision. This includes £1.6 billion to help expand readily available support in schools, early years settings, and colleges so that needs are met earlier and more effectively. This is in addition to £1.8 billion to increase access to specialist expertise, and over £200 million to train the education workforce. We will develop National Inclusion Standards that set out evidence-informed tools, strategies and approaches for educators to draw on to identify and support children and young people with additional needs.
We are also investing at least £3.7 billion in high needs capital between 2025/26 and 2029/30 to support local authorities to provide suitable places for children and young people with SEND, or those requiring alternative provision. Gloucestershire County Council was allocated just under £6.9 million and just over £9.4 million in 2025/26 and 2026/27, respectively. This funding can be used to improve SEND provision across the county, including in Tewkesbury, by expanding inclusion bases, improving accessibility in mainstream settings, or creating additional special school places for pupils with the most complex needs.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Labour (Co-op) - Edmonton and Winchmore Hill)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will conduct an equalities impact assessment for student loan repayment freezes.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Edmonton and Winchmore Hill, to the answer of 27 March 2026 to Question 112385.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 26 March 2026 to Question 114747 on Erasmus+ Programme, if she will place in the Library the guidance for higher education institutes to apply for the Erasmus Charter for Higher Education; and whether applications to the Erasmus Charter for Higher Education are to the (a) European Education and Culture Executive Agency or (b) UK managing authority.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The deadline for applying for the Erasmus Charter for Higher Education (ECHE) for institutions intending to participate in the 2027 funding call was 24 March 2026. The ECHE is awarded by the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Applications are submitted directly to the EACEA via the EU Funding and Tenders Portal.
The guidance for higher education institutions on applying for the ECHE is published by the European Commission and is publicly available on its Erasmus+ webpages.
Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
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 kinship care preventing children entering the statutory care system on Bedford Borough Council; and how this informs funding policy for kinship carers.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Kinship care plays a vital role in keeping children safe within their wider family networks, helping to provide stability and loving homes while reducing the need for statutory care.
The department has launched the kinship allowance pilot in seven local authority areas, known as Kinship Zones, with £126 million of funding confirmed for the first two years. This level of funding reflects the investment required to test the provision of an allowance paid at the Fostering National Minimum Allowance rate and to support a robust evaluation at scale.
The pilot areas were selected to reflect a mix of geographies and service models so that findings are informative nationally. Those local authorities that are not currently Kinship Zones either did not apply to participate or were unsuccessful.
The pilot has been designed as a test‑and‑learn programme to understand what support works best for kinship families and to build strong evidence on impact, implementation and value for money of the pilot, including whether it improves outcomes for children, supports stable placements and reduces pressure on the care system and other public services. This will inform future policy decisions, including for areas outside the pilot such as Bedford. No decisions have been taken on national rollout.
While the pilot is underway, all kinship carers can continue to access support through their local authority and department funded national provision, including advice, training and peer support. We encourage local authorities to review their local offer and learn from best practice across the country.
Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her Department's timeline is for national implementation of kinship care financial support; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the time taken on kinship carers in Bedford Borough.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Kinship care plays a vital role in keeping children safe within their wider family networks, helping to provide stability and loving homes while reducing the need for statutory care.
The department has launched the kinship allowance pilot in seven local authority areas, known as Kinship Zones, with £126 million of funding confirmed for the first two years. This level of funding reflects the investment required to test the provision of an allowance paid at the Fostering National Minimum Allowance rate and to support a robust evaluation at scale.
The pilot areas were selected to reflect a mix of geographies and service models so that findings are informative nationally. Those local authorities that are not currently Kinship Zones either did not apply to participate or were unsuccessful.
The pilot has been designed as a test‑and‑learn programme to understand what support works best for kinship families and to build strong evidence on impact, implementation and value for money of the pilot, including whether it improves outcomes for children, supports stable placements and reduces pressure on the care system and other public services. This will inform future policy decisions, including for areas outside the pilot such as Bedford. No decisions have been taken on national rollout.
While the pilot is underway, all kinship carers can continue to access support through their local authority and department funded national provision, including advice, training and peer support. We encourage local authorities to review their local offer and learn from best practice across the country.
Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that kinship carers in Bedford Borough and other local authority areas do not wait for financial reform while kinship care pilot schemes are evaluated.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Kinship care plays a vital role in keeping children safe within their wider family networks, helping to provide stability and loving homes while reducing the need for statutory care.
The department has launched the kinship allowance pilot in seven local authority areas, known as Kinship Zones, with £126 million of funding confirmed for the first two years. This level of funding reflects the investment required to test the provision of an allowance paid at the Fostering National Minimum Allowance rate and to support a robust evaluation at scale.
The pilot areas were selected to reflect a mix of geographies and service models so that findings are informative nationally. Those local authorities that are not currently Kinship Zones either did not apply to participate or were unsuccessful.
The pilot has been designed as a test‑and‑learn programme to understand what support works best for kinship families and to build strong evidence on impact, implementation and value for money of the pilot, including whether it improves outcomes for children, supports stable placements and reduces pressure on the care system and other public services. This will inform future policy decisions, including for areas outside the pilot such as Bedford. No decisions have been taken on national rollout.
While the pilot is underway, all kinship carers can continue to access support through their local authority and department funded national provision, including advice, training and peer support. We encourage local authorities to review their local offer and learn from best practice across the country.
Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions her Department has had with Bedford Borough Council on the financial support needs of kinship carers; and whether Bedford has been considered for inclusion in kinship care pilot schemes.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Kinship care plays a vital role in keeping children safe within their wider family networks, helping to provide stability and loving homes while reducing the need for statutory care.
The department has launched the kinship allowance pilot in seven local authority areas, known as Kinship Zones, with £126 million of funding confirmed for the first two years. This level of funding reflects the investment required to test the provision of an allowance paid at the Fostering National Minimum Allowance rate and to support a robust evaluation at scale.
The pilot areas were selected to reflect a mix of geographies and service models so that findings are informative nationally. Those local authorities that are not currently Kinship Zones either did not apply to participate or were unsuccessful.
The pilot has been designed as a test‑and‑learn programme to understand what support works best for kinship families and to build strong evidence on impact, implementation and value for money of the pilot, including whether it improves outcomes for children, supports stable placements and reduces pressure on the care system and other public services. This will inform future policy decisions, including for areas outside the pilot such as Bedford. No decisions have been taken on national rollout.
While the pilot is underway, all kinship carers can continue to access support through their local authority and department funded national provision, including advice, training and peer support. We encourage local authorities to review their local offer and learn from best practice across the country.
Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the decision to allocate £126 million to kinship care pilot schemes.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Kinship care plays a vital role in keeping children safe within their wider family networks, helping to provide stability and loving homes while reducing the need for statutory care.
The department has launched the kinship allowance pilot in seven local authority areas, known as Kinship Zones, with £126 million of funding confirmed for the first two years. This level of funding reflects the investment required to test the provision of an allowance paid at the Fostering National Minimum Allowance rate and to support a robust evaluation at scale.
The pilot areas were selected to reflect a mix of geographies and service models so that findings are informative nationally. Those local authorities that are not currently Kinship Zones either did not apply to participate or were unsuccessful.
The pilot has been designed as a test‑and‑learn programme to understand what support works best for kinship families and to build strong evidence on impact, implementation and value for money of the pilot, including whether it improves outcomes for children, supports stable placements and reduces pressure on the care system and other public services. This will inform future policy decisions, including for areas outside the pilot such as Bedford. No decisions have been taken on national rollout.
While the pilot is underway, all kinship carers can continue to access support through their local authority and department funded national provision, including advice, training and peer support. We encourage local authorities to review their local offer and learn from best practice across the country.
Asked by: Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat - Chichester)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to expand supported internships to further education students on individual support plans.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department is consulting on proposals to reform the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system, and you can access the consultation here: https://consult.education.gov.uk/send-strategy-division/send-reform-putting-children-and-young-people-firs/. We are considering the impact of the proposed reforms on specific programmes including supported internships.
We are already piloting supported internships for young people with SEND who do not have education, health and care plans. We have seen positive outcomes from the pilot and have recently announced that we are investing £9 million to continue this for a further year. The pilot is being evaluated and this learning will inform future policy development.
Supported Internships remain a proven pathway to employment for young people furthest from the labour market, with thousands of high-quality opportunities now available across the country with a range of employers, following significant investment.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that the enrichment entitlement is received by young people in Leeds Central and Headingley constituency.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The government is committed to ensuring all young people across England can access a variety of enrichment opportunities at school and college as part of our mission to break down barriers to opportunity.
To support delivery of the enrichment entitlement set out in the government’s response to the Curriculum and Assessment Review, and the 'Every Child Achieving and Thriving’ schools White Paper, we are developing a new Enrichment Framework for publication this academic year. Developed with the department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), and experts across education, youth, sports and the arts, the framework will set out benchmarks to help schools and colleges plan high-quality enrichment more intentionally and strategically and will include case studies and signposting to tools and resources.
We recognise schools and colleges cannot do this on their own and are putting in place support for wider provision including Music Hubs, and the £22.5 million programme developed with DCMS to support the enrichment offer of up to 400 schools in disadvantaged communities.