Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help ensure that children from non-privileged backgrounds continue to have access to music and dance training, including through supporting the Music and Dance Scheme Schools.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
I refer the hon. Member for Richmond Park to the answer of 12 February 2026 to Question 111332.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans her Department has to provide long-term funding certainty for schools supported by the Music and Dance Scheme.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
I refer the hon. Member for Richmond Park to the answer of 12 February 2026 to Question 111332.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how she plans to support the Music and Dance Scheme Schools that face financial challenges.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
I refer the hon. Member for Richmond Park to the answer of 12 February 2026 to Question 111332.
Asked by: Sarah Pochin (Reform UK - Runcorn and Helsby)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the teacher workforce strategy includes consideration of aligning maternity (a) pay and (b) leave arrangements for classroom teachers more closely with the equivalent arrangements available to civil servants, in the context of efforts to improve teacher retention.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The government is committed to tackling recruitment and retention challenges and supporting teachers to stay in the profession and thrive.
We recognise women aged 30-39 are the largest group of leavers from the teacher workforce. To address this, we are taking action to promote and expand flexible working opportunities in schools, without impacting pupils’ education hours. This includes offering practical support on combining flexible working and career progression. We also provide support for those returning having taken an extended break following parental leave.
The Burgundy Book outlines how maternity provision applies in schools. This is a national agreement negotiated with employers by the six teachers’ organisations.
Further information can be found on the Local Government Association website and views can be fed in via the organisations involved in that negotiation.
Asked by: Sarah Pochin (Reform UK - Runcorn and Helsby)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has assessed the potential impact of differences in maternity (a) pay and (b) leave arrangements between classroom teachers and Department for Education civil servants on teacher retention, with particular reference to teachers aged 30 to 39.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The government is committed to tackling recruitment and retention challenges and supporting teachers to stay in the profession and thrive.
We recognise women aged 30-39 are the largest group of leavers from the teacher workforce. To address this, we are taking action to promote and expand flexible working opportunities in schools, without impacting pupils’ education hours. This includes offering practical support on combining flexible working and career progression. We also provide support for those returning having taken an extended break following parental leave.
The Burgundy Book outlines how maternity provision applies in schools. This is a national agreement negotiated with employers by the six teachers’ organisations.
Further information can be found on the Local Government Association website and views can be fed in via the organisations involved in that negotiation.
Asked by: Sarah Pochin (Reform UK - Runcorn and Helsby)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what analysis her Department has undertaken of the role of (a) maternity pay and (b) family-friendly employment conditions in levels of retention of experienced teachers.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The government is committed to tackling recruitment and retention challenges and supporting teachers to stay in the profession and thrive.
We recognise women aged 30-39 are the largest group of leavers from the teacher workforce. To address this, we are taking action to promote and expand flexible working opportunities in schools, without impacting pupils’ education hours. This includes offering practical support on combining flexible working and career progression. We also provide support for those returning having taken an extended break following parental leave.
The Burgundy Book outlines how maternity provision applies in schools. This is a national agreement negotiated with employers by the six teachers’ organisations.
Further information can be found on the Local Government Association website and views can be fed in via the organisations involved in that negotiation.
Asked by: Chris Coghlan (Liberal Democrat - Dorking and Horley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to respond to the email of 18 December 2025 from the hon. Member for Dorking and Horley on Surrey County Council's management of their statutory SEND responsibilities.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department attaches great importance to the handling of correspondence from parliamentarians and is working to provide a response to the email from the hon. Member for Dorking and Horley.
Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the (a) adequacy and (b) clarity of the information provided to prospective students about the terms of Plan 2 student loans at the point of application.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Plan 2 loans were designed and implemented by previous governments. Prospective students had access to a wide range of information across a range of platforms before they submit their loan application.
Student loan terms and conditions make clear that the conditions of the loan may change in line with the regulations that govern the loans. Students sign these terms and conditions before any money is paid to them.
The student finance system is designed to function differently to a commercial loan. Repayments are calculated solely on earnings, not on amount borrowed or the rate of interest applied. Crucially, Plan 2 student loans are cancelled after 30 years, regardless of outstanding balances.
Asked by: Claire Young (Liberal Democrat - Thornbury and Yate)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate her Department has made of the (a) proportion of Plan 2 student loans that will be fully repaid within the 30-year term and (b) average total interest accrued by a Plan 2 borrower over the lifetime of their loan.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Based on current modelling, 32% of the 2022/23 cohort of England-domiciled Plan 2 student loan borrowers are expected to fully repay their loans within the 30 year loan term. Student loan forecasts can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/methodology/student-loan-forecasts-for-england.
The department does not hold information on the average total interest accrued by a Plan 2 borrower over the lifetime of their loan. However, interest rates only affect the total amount repaid by high-earning borrowers and those with small balances, who will pay back all, or very nearly all, their student loans.
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 estimate her Department has made of the cost to the public purse of funding undergraduate courses that do not lead to sustained graduate-level employment.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
All first-degree subjects typically lead to high rates of sustained employment, with Longitudinal Education Outcomes data showing that the proportion of graduates in “sustained employment with or without further study” five years after graduation ranges from 77.4% to 92.2% across subjects (in the latest available data, i.e. the 2022/23 tax year). This compares to a 68.0% employment rate among working-age non-graduates (in the latest Graduate Labour Market Statistics release, i.e. for 2024).
Current administrative data does not provide a breakdown of outcomes by whether employment is at graduate-level. Similarly, evidence is not available on the breakdown of government costs of student finance at course or subject level.
Courses with specific quality concerns related to graduate outcomes are addressed through the Office for Students quality regime.