Asked by: Iqbal Mohamed (Independent - Dewsbury and Batley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has received representations on the (a) adequacy and (b) scope of consultation on SEND reforms; and what steps she has taken in response.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Listening to the views of families and experts has been critical as the department has developed special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) reforms, and it is more important than ever now our formal consultation is open.
As is set out clearly on GOV.UK, we welcome views across the full set of proposals relating to SEND reform and we will consider views on all aspects of SEND reform.
Asked by: Iqbal Mohamed (Independent - Dewsbury and Batley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether any policy decisions relating to SEND reform were taken prior to the conclusion of formal consultation exercises; and whether stakeholders were informed where consultation did not extend to specific proposals.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Listening to the views of families and experts has been critical as the department has developed special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) reforms, and it is more important than ever now our formal consultation is open.
As is set out clearly on GOV.UK, we welcome views across the full set of proposals relating to SEND reform and we will consider views on all aspects of SEND reform.
Asked by: Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat - Chichester)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of removing the wear and tear allowance on (a) the finances of childminders and (b) early years and childcare provision in Chichester constituency.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
Under HMRC’s ‘Making Tax Digital’ system, childminders can still claim tax relief for things they buy, repair, or replace for their business, such as furniture, equipment, and household items. This change standardises the way that sole traders record and claim business expenses and means that any business expenses related to childminding will be included in childminder’s tax calculations.
We are however aware of the strength of feeling amongst childminders and those who work with them. We have been talking regularly to Coram Pacey, HMRC and others to understand the issue, the effect that it is having on the childminding sector and to make sure that the concerns of childminders are clearly understood. The department continues to support childminders, who provide high-quality and flexible early education in a way that families across the country greatly value.
The expansion to 30 hours per week of government funded childcare will save families using their full entitlement up to £7,500 per eligible child per year, compared to paying for it themselves.
Thanks to the hard work of early years providers and local authorities, over half a million children have already benefitted from the expansion of 15 funded hours for children aged nine months to two years old, and many parents have increased their working hours, boosting family income and lifting more children out of poverty.
Asked by: Vikki Slade (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of amending the statutory guidance on school attendance to allow exemptions for term-time holiday fines for families where the parents have to work during school holidays.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The school year is structured so that there are opportunities for holidays outside of term-time. All schools have the discretion to grant leave of absence in exceptional circumstances, judging each application on the specific facts. However, generally a holiday would not constitute an exceptional circumstance. Schools and local authorities also have considerable flexibility to plan term dates themselves and hold inset days and other occasional days at quieter times of the year, helping families to plan breaks at times that suit them.
Where term-time holidays are taken without permission, it is right that the law protects children’s right to a full-time education. The national framework for penalty notices is designed to improve fairness by ensuring they are considered at a consistent point across the country, and on an individual basis, preventing schools from having blanket rules.
Asked by: Iqbal Mohamed (Independent - Dewsbury and Batley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children with Education, Health and Care Plans are not currently receiving education in formal school settings; and what steps she is taking to consider this cohort in the development of SEND policy reforms.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Information on the placements of children and young people with an education, health and care (EHC) plan, including those not in formal education settings, is published annually here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/education-health-and-care-plans. The most recent data was published on 26 June 2025 and the next publication is scheduled for summer 2026.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, in pursuant to the Answer to Question104912, what recent progress her Department has made on updating the Early Years Foundation Stage framework; and whether she plans to introduce new (a) statutory requirements, (b) strengthened inspection processes and (c) mandatory CCTV in early‑years settings.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
We keep the early years foundation stage (EYFS) frameworks, under ongoing review. The EYFS frameworks can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-foundation-stage-framework--2.
Following safeguarding updates in September 2025, we are working on making the safe sleep requirements clearer by adding the essential details in the frameworks themselves. Subject to the parliamentary and legislative process, the updated frameworks would come into force from September 2026.
Ofsted began inspecting under the revised education inspection framework in November 2025 to assess whether providers are meeting statutory EYFS requirements and taking appropriate action to keep children safe. Settings now receive an Ofsted report card following an inspection.
As of April 2026, we are funding Ofsted to inspect all new early years providers within 18 months of opening and to move towards inspecting all providers at least once every four years, compared to the previous six-year window. Ofsted is also receiving further investment to improve inspection quality and consistency through stronger quality assurance and targeted inspector training.
The EYFS requires providers to have safeguarding policies that address the use of mobile phones, cameras and other electronic devices with imaging and sharing capabilities. An expert advisory panel has been established to review how CCTV and digital devices are used in early years settings from a safeguarding perspective.
Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will (a) introduce a dedicated employment status for foster carers, (b) establish an independent register and appeals system for foster carers and (c) launch a public inquiry into the fostering system.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Fostering is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.
The government does not believe that fostering should be considered a form of employment. Foster care is a family-based vocation and fostering homes should feel like family homes with people who love them, not a workplace with staff. Foster carers should not need to be considered workers to get the support and respect they deserve.
The department recently launched a Call for Evidence on a national fostering register, including purpose, scope, design features and safeguards. We are analysing responses and will publish results and our response in the summer. The Independent Review Mechanism provides independent panels that review decisions made by fostering providers.
Our focus is on delivering on our ambitious action plan to renew foster care, published in February 2026. By April 2029, we will create 10,000 more foster places, providing a foster place for every child who needs one. We have no current plans to launch a fostering inquiry. There have been several independent reviews into fostering and the wider care system, including ‘Foster Care in England’ (2018), the ‘Independent Review of Children’s Social Care’ (2022) and the Education Select Committee’s 2025 inquiry into Children’s Social Care.
Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with local authorities in Surrey on delivering Best Start Family Hubs in the area.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The government has committed to provide funding for all local authorities to deliver Best Start Family Hubs, backed by over £900 million. In October 2025, the department paid a £351,991 development grant to Surrey local authority, the start of the investment to be provided to rebuild family services. Surrey local authority has a funding allocation of £7,709,100.00 to deliver Best Start Family Hubs from 2026/29 and they now have two Best Start Family Hubs open in Guildford and Reigate.
The department works closely with local authorities to monitor implementation and ensure they are meeting programme expectations. Each local authority has a named contact responsible for overseeing delivery, and the department intends to work in close partnership with local authorities to review progress, share effective practice, and ensure areas are appropriately supported to drive improvements for children and families. Guidance for Best Start Family Hubs and Healthy Babies was provided to local authorities on delivery expectations for April 2026 to March 2029 and is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/best-start-family-hubs-and-healthy-babies-guidance-for-local-authorities.
Asked by: Adrian Ramsay (Green Party - Waveney Valley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Sutton Trust’s Selective Inclusion report, what assessment she has made of the extent to which low-income pupils with SEND are currently underrepresented in the top-performing comprehensive schools.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The School Admissions Code requires admission arrangements to be fair, clear and objective. A school must admit a child where it is named in the child’s education health and care plan.
The ‘Every Child Achieving and Thriving’ White Paper sets out the government’s commitment to developing new resources to support and encourage schools to use existing provisions within the Code, such as a pupil premium priority, to adopt more inclusive admission arrangements. We have also committed to strengthen scrutiny of all pupil movement including unacceptable off-rolling practice by developing a new, internal dashboard that identifies school level trends in how children move through the education system, paying particular attention to schools where special educational needs and disabilities, free school meals or demographic trends appear significantly out of sync with their local context.
Asked by: Carla Denyer (Green Party - Bristol Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if her Department will publish regular impact assessments for the International Student Levy.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Impact analysis on the International Students Levy was published in November 2025. Any further analysis will be published in the usual way.