Department for Education

The digital elements of the reception baseline assessment (RBA) have been in development since 2019 and subject to extensive trials with teachers and pupils, using the Standards and Testing Agency’s internationally recognised assessment development approach. This has included item validation trials in 2020, 2021 and 2023 involving 2,801 pupils across 277 schools, and a technical pre-test trial in 2022 where 2,406 assessments were completed across a nationally representative sample of 254 schools. In November and December 2024, a voluntary trial involving over 1,000 schools took place, and participating schools undertook key activities needed to administer the assessment, including completing a sample assessment with three pupils. Input from the trials and extensive review by early years experts and teachers has helped shape the content and the digital platform to meet the needs of schools and pupils.

The revised RBA remains interactive and play-based, retaining the use of small toys and verbal responses for other questions. Pupils can respond verbally to on-screen questions if they do not wish to interact with the screen, and a paper-based alternative is available where this is more suitable for the pupil.

Schools, trusts, and local authorities are responsible for making decisions that best meet their educational and operational needs regarding the use of technology in the classroom. The department does not set specific requirements for how often schools should use tablets. To help schools make informed decisions when procuring technology, the department has published advice and guidance to schools through the digital and technology standards and the plan technology for your school service.

The digital elements of the reception baseline assessment (RBA) have been in development since 2019 and subject to extensive trials with teachers and pupils, using the Standards and Testing Agency’s internationally recognised assessment development approach. This has included item validation trials in 2020, 2021 and 2023 involving 2,801 pupils across 277 schools, and a technical pre-test trial in 2022 where 2,406 assessments were completed across a nationally representative sample of 254 schools. In November and December 2024, a voluntary trial involving over 1,000 schools took place, and participating schools undertook key activities needed to administer the assessment, including completing a sample assessment with three pupils. Input from the trials and extensive review by early years experts and teachers has helped shape the content and the digital platform to meet the needs of schools and pupils.

The revised RBA remains interactive and play-based, retaining the use of small toys and verbal responses for other questions. Pupils can respond verbally to on-screen questions if they do not wish to interact with the screen, and a paper-based alternative is available where this is more suitable for the pupil.

Schools, trusts, and local authorities are responsible for making decisions that best meet their educational and operational needs regarding the use of technology in the classroom. The department does not set specific requirements for how often schools should use tablets. To help schools make informed decisions when procuring technology, the department has published advice and guidance to schools through the digital and technology standards and the plan technology for your school service.

The digital elements of the reception baseline assessment (RBA) have been in development since 2019 and subject to extensive trials with teachers and pupils, using the Standards and Testing Agency’s internationally recognised assessment development approach. This has included item validation trials in 2020, 2021 and 2023 involving 2,801 pupils across 277 schools, and a technical pre-test trial in 2022 where 2,406 assessments were completed across a nationally representative sample of 254 schools. In November and December 2024, a voluntary trial involving over 1,000 schools took place, and participating schools undertook key activities needed to administer the assessment, including completing a sample assessment with three pupils. Input from the trials and extensive review by early years experts and teachers has helped shape the content and the digital platform to meet the needs of schools and pupils.

The revised RBA remains interactive and play-based, retaining the use of small toys and verbal responses for other questions. Pupils can respond verbally to on-screen questions if they do not wish to interact with the screen, and a paper-based alternative is available where this is more suitable for the pupil.

Schools, trusts, and local authorities are responsible for making decisions that best meet their educational and operational needs regarding the use of technology in the classroom. The department does not set specific requirements for how often schools should use tablets. To help schools make informed decisions when procuring technology, the department has published advice and guidance to schools through the digital and technology standards and the plan technology for your school service.

Through our Giving Every Child the Best Start in Life strategy, the department will make inclusive practice standard practice in the early years by embedding an inclusive approach in our workforce education, training and leadership opportunities.

In 2023 the Early Years Educator level 3 qualification criteria were updated following a consultation with the sector. The new criteria include special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) provision as a standalone criterion, ensuring that there is now a greater focus on supporting children with SEND.

The department is funding training for 1,000 early years Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators (SENCOs) to achieve their level 3 Early Years SENCO qualification by the end of the 2025/26 financial year, having already funded training for up to 7,000 early years SENCOs in previous years.

We have also published new resources, including a free online training module and SEND assessment guidance, to help early educators to identify, assess and support children in their settings.

I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Warrington South to the answer of 2 May 2025 to Question 47954.

The department spends over £1.5 billion annually supporting schools to provide free meals to around 3.4 million children. We have recently confirmed that free meals will be extended to all households receiving Universal Credit from September 2026. This expansion is being backed by £1 billion in additional funding over the multi-year spending review period and will benefit half a million pupils.

The department provides free school meals (FSM) funding to schools, who have flexibility to provide meals in the way that works best for them. FSM are currently funded at £495 per pupil annually.

As with all programmes, we continue to keep funding for FSM under review to ensure that schools can continue to provide hot and nutritious meals that support pupil attainment and health. Departmental officials meet regularly with the sector, including the school catering industry, and use these insights to inform our work.

Starting school is a big step, and the department wants every child in reception to feel confident, supported and ready to learn. Preparing children for this transition should be a partnership between parents, early years settings, health services and schools.

Reception is a vital foundation year that sets children up for success. That’s why we are expanding support through tailored improvement offers, helping parents feel confident in their child’s progress, and strengthening teaching in early literacy and numeracy.

From September 2026, schools will benefit from specialist training and support, reaching around 10,000 more children. Our regional improvement for standards and excellence teams have made reception a national priority, offering universal, enhanced and intensive support to schools.

The department is also funding new partnerships between schools and nurseries to improve transitions, strengthen relationships and share best practice. This joined-up approach will help children feel ready and at home in the classroom.

Finally, the department is enhancing professional development, including more early years content in the national professional qualification (NPQ) for headship, new training for reception teachers, and more places on the NPQ in early years leadership.

Together, these measures will ensure every child gets the best possible start to their school journey.

Starting school is a big step, and the department wants every child in reception to feel confident, supported and ready to learn. Preparing children for this transition should be a partnership between parents, early years settings, health services and schools.

Reception is a vital foundation year that sets children up for success. That’s why we are expanding support through tailored improvement offers, helping parents feel confident in their child’s progress, and strengthening teaching in early literacy and numeracy.

From September 2026, schools will benefit from specialist training and support, reaching around 10,000 more children. Our regional improvement for standards and excellence teams have made reception a national priority, offering universal, enhanced and intensive support to schools.

The department is also funding new partnerships between schools and nurseries to improve transitions, strengthen relationships and share best practice. This joined-up approach will help children feel ready and at home in the classroom.

Finally, the department is enhancing professional development, including more early years content in the national professional qualification (NPQ) for headship, new training for reception teachers, and more places on the NPQ in early years leadership.

Together, these measures will ensure every child gets the best possible start to their school journey.

Starting school is a big step, and the department wants every child in reception to feel confident, supported and ready to learn. Preparing children for this transition should be a partnership between parents, early years settings, health services and schools.

Reception is a vital foundation year that sets children up for success. That’s why we are expanding support through tailored improvement offers, helping parents feel confident in their child’s progress, and strengthening teaching in early literacy and numeracy.

From September 2026, schools will benefit from specialist training and support, reaching around 10,000 more children. Our regional improvement for standards and excellence teams have made reception a national priority, offering universal, enhanced and intensive support to schools.

The department is also funding new partnerships between schools and nurseries to improve transitions, strengthen relationships and share best practice. This joined-up approach will help children feel ready and at home in the classroom.

Finally, the department is enhancing professional development, including more early years content in the national professional qualification (NPQ) for headship, new training for reception teachers, and more places on the NPQ in early years leadership.

Together, these measures will ensure every child gets the best possible start to their school journey.

As part of our strategy to give every child the best start in life, the department is committed to make it easier for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to access early education and childcare by investing in the support available to them in the early years and improving the way funding is distributed to providers.

New early years inclusion funding will give providers additional resources to support inclusion and early intervention, helping to prevent needs from escalating. The department will work with local authorities to reduce bureaucracy, encourage greater consistency and ensure that support reaches the children who need it quickly.

The department works closely with local authorities where education, health and care plan timeliness is a concern, supporting them to identify challenges and put in place effective recovery plans. This includes specialist SEND adviser support where needed.

Further details of the government's intended approach to SEND reform, including for the early years, will be set out in a Schools White Paper in the autumn.

The government has launched a review of the parental leave system, which will consider whether the current support available meets the needs of working families who do not qualify for existing leave and pay entitlements, including kinship carers.

We are legislating through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill to mandate local authorities to publish a local offer for children and families in kinship care arrangements. This will help kinship families better understand what support may be available to them locally. However, the content of the local offer is decided by the local authority, based on their assessment local needs, and therefore the content of local offers may vary significantly between areas.

Eligibility for access to the adoption and special guardianship support fund (ASGSF) is unchanged, and the revised criteria for the ASGSF will enable as many children and families as possible to access funding.

The department is providing an increase of £1 billion for high needs budgets in England in the 2025/26 financial year, following the Autumn Budget 2024. This brings total high needs funding for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to over £12 billion. Of that total high needs funding, Nottinghamshire County Council is being allocated over £130 million through the high needs funding block of the dedicated schools grant (DSG).

In addition to the DSG, local authorities also receive a separate core schools budget grant (CSBG) in the 2025/26 financial year, for local authorities to pass on to specialist settings in their area to support with the costs of teacher and support staff pay awards, and national insurance contributions costs.

Local authorities allocate their high needs funding to support specialist settings, and also mainstream schools with pupils identified as having more complex SEND where the additional support costs for those mainstream pupils are more than £6,000 per annum. The provision that is funded can include adaptations to the curriculum and learning environment, and targeted teaching support where necessary.

The department also allocates annual capital funding to support local authorities to meet their statutory duty to provide sufficient school places for children with SEND or who require alternative provision.

The department has published allocations for £740 million in High Needs Provision Capital Allocations (HNPCA) for the 2025/26 financial year. Of this, Nottinghamshire have been allocated £14 million. The funding can be used to adapt schools to be more accessible for children with SEND, to create specialist facilities within mainstream schools that can deliver more intensive support adapted to suit the pupils’ needs and to create special school places for pupils with the most complex needs.

The department is considering the funding required for future years and how it is to be allocated, following the conclusion of the recent spending review. Our objective is that future funding for SEND supports our plans for reforming the SEND system, which will be set out in further detail in a White Paper in the autumn.

The department is providing an increase of £1 billion for high needs budgets in England in the 2025/26 financial year, following the Autumn Budget 2024. This brings total high needs funding for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to over £12 billion. Of that total high needs funding, Nottinghamshire County Council is being allocated over £130 million through the high needs funding block of the dedicated schools grant (DSG).

In addition to the DSG, local authorities also receive a separate core schools budget grant (CSBG) in the 2025/26 financial year, for local authorities to pass on to specialist settings in their area to support with the costs of teacher and support staff pay awards, and national insurance contributions costs.

Local authorities allocate their high needs funding to support specialist settings, and also mainstream schools with pupils identified as having more complex SEND where the additional support costs for those mainstream pupils are more than £6,000 per annum. The provision that is funded can include adaptations to the curriculum and learning environment, and targeted teaching support where necessary.

The department also allocates annual capital funding to support local authorities to meet their statutory duty to provide sufficient school places for children with SEND or who require alternative provision.

The department has published allocations for £740 million in High Needs Provision Capital Allocations (HNPCA) for the 2025/26 financial year. Of this, Nottinghamshire have been allocated £14 million. The funding can be used to adapt schools to be more accessible for children with SEND, to create specialist facilities within mainstream schools that can deliver more intensive support adapted to suit the pupils’ needs and to create special school places for pupils with the most complex needs.

The department is considering the funding required for future years and how it is to be allocated, following the conclusion of the recent spending review. Our objective is that future funding for SEND supports our plans for reforming the SEND system, which will be set out in further detail in a White Paper in the autumn.

The department is providing an increase of £1 billion for high needs budgets in England in the 2025/26 financial year, following the Autumn Budget 2024. This brings total high needs funding for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to over £12 billion. Of that total high needs funding, Nottinghamshire County Council is being allocated over £130 million through the high needs funding block of the dedicated schools grant (DSG).

In addition to the DSG, local authorities also receive a separate core schools budget grant (CSBG) in the 2025/26 financial year, for local authorities to pass on to specialist settings in their area to support with the costs of teacher and support staff pay awards, and national insurance contributions costs.

Local authorities allocate their high needs funding to support specialist settings, and also mainstream schools with pupils identified as having more complex SEND where the additional support costs for those mainstream pupils are more than £6,000 per annum. The provision that is funded can include adaptations to the curriculum and learning environment, and targeted teaching support where necessary.

The department also allocates annual capital funding to support local authorities to meet their statutory duty to provide sufficient school places for children with SEND or who require alternative provision.

The department has published allocations for £740 million in High Needs Provision Capital Allocations (HNPCA) for the 2025/26 financial year. Of this, Nottinghamshire have been allocated £14 million. The funding can be used to adapt schools to be more accessible for children with SEND, to create specialist facilities within mainstream schools that can deliver more intensive support adapted to suit the pupils’ needs and to create special school places for pupils with the most complex needs.

The department is considering the funding required for future years and how it is to be allocated, following the conclusion of the recent spending review. Our objective is that future funding for SEND supports our plans for reforming the SEND system, which will be set out in further detail in a White Paper in the autumn.

The department is providing an increase of £1 billion for high needs budgets in England in the 2025/26 financial year, following the Autumn Budget 2024. This brings total high needs funding for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to over £12 billion. Of that total high needs funding, Nottinghamshire County Council is being allocated over £130 million through the high needs funding block of the dedicated schools grant (DSG).

In addition to the DSG, local authorities also receive a separate core schools budget grant (CSBG) in the 2025/26 financial year, for local authorities to pass on to specialist settings in their area to support with the costs of teacher and support staff pay awards, and national insurance contributions costs.

Local authorities allocate their high needs funding to support specialist settings, and also mainstream schools with pupils identified as having more complex SEND where the additional support costs for those mainstream pupils are more than £6,000 per annum. The provision that is funded can include adaptations to the curriculum and learning environment, and targeted teaching support where necessary.

The department also allocates annual capital funding to support local authorities to meet their statutory duty to provide sufficient school places for children with SEND or who require alternative provision.

The department has published allocations for £740 million in High Needs Provision Capital Allocations (HNPCA) for the 2025/26 financial year. Of this, Nottinghamshire have been allocated £14 million. The funding can be used to adapt schools to be more accessible for children with SEND, to create specialist facilities within mainstream schools that can deliver more intensive support adapted to suit the pupils’ needs and to create special school places for pupils with the most complex needs.

The department is considering the funding required for future years and how it is to be allocated, following the conclusion of the recent spending review. Our objective is that future funding for SEND supports our plans for reforming the SEND system, which will be set out in further detail in a White Paper in the autumn.

The department is providing an increase of £1 billion for high needs budgets in England in the 2025/26 financial year, following the Autumn Budget 2024. This brings total high needs funding for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to over £12 billion. Of that total high needs funding, Nottinghamshire County Council is being allocated over £130 million through the high needs funding block of the dedicated schools grant (DSG).

In addition to the DSG, local authorities also receive a separate core schools budget grant (CSBG) in the 2025/26 financial year, for local authorities to pass on to specialist settings in their area to support with the costs of teacher and support staff pay awards, and national insurance contributions costs.

Local authorities allocate their high needs funding to support specialist settings, and also mainstream schools with pupils identified as having more complex SEND where the additional support costs for those mainstream pupils are more than £6,000 per annum. The provision that is funded can include adaptations to the curriculum and learning environment, and targeted teaching support where necessary.

The department also allocates annual capital funding to support local authorities to meet their statutory duty to provide sufficient school places for children with SEND or who require alternative provision.

The department has published allocations for £740 million in High Needs Provision Capital Allocations (HNPCA) for the 2025/26 financial year. Of this, Nottinghamshire have been allocated £14 million. The funding can be used to adapt schools to be more accessible for children with SEND, to create specialist facilities within mainstream schools that can deliver more intensive support adapted to suit the pupils’ needs and to create special school places for pupils with the most complex needs.

The department is considering the funding required for future years and how it is to be allocated, following the conclusion of the recent spending review. Our objective is that future funding for SEND supports our plans for reforming the SEND system, which will be set out in further detail in a White Paper in the autumn.

The department is investing in the future of T Levels, boosting their expansion through £28 million of capital funding in 2025 so that students have access to industry-standard equipment. We are increasing industry placement provision with a targeted Employer Support Fund and changes to delivery approaches to unlock opportunities for students and employers.

Nationally over 25,500 students started a T Level in the 2024/25 academic year, a significant increase of nearly 60% from the previous year, and 21 T Levels are now available. A new T Level in marketing launches this September.

Further education colleges across Tees Valley, including those in Middlesbrough, Darlington and Hartlepool, are now delivering T Levels in a range of subjects, from construction to health and engineering and manufacturing to accounting.

The statutory duty to provide sufficient school places for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or who require alternative provision sits with local authorities.

The requested data on state-funded special schools can be found in the annual School Capacity statistics publication here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-capacity/2023-24. This has been available since March 2025.

School level capacity data can be combined with information on constituency from ‘Get Information About Schools’ (GIAS), which can be accessed here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-capacity/2023-24. For ease, data on the special school in Rushcliffe parliamentary constituency can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/1da3dffd-c9cd-4d3c-a168-08dde2cf2374.

Nationally, local authorities reported that there were 153,000 special school places in England as of 1 May 2024.

The department has now published allocations for £740 million in High Needs Provision Capital Allocations (HNPCA) for the 2025/26 financial year. The funding can be used to adapt schools to be more accessible for children with SEND, to create specialist facilities within mainstream schools that can deliver more intensive support adapted to suit the pupils’ needs and to create special school places for pupils with the most complex needs.

Nottinghamshire County Council has been allocated just below £14 million for the 2025/26 financial year. It is up to local authorities to make decisions about the places they create and to prioritise their funding to meet local needs.

The information requested is available in our published transparency data, which can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/disclosure-of-scs-posts-and-salary-information.

The department is determined that the higher education (HE) system should deliver for our economy, for providers and for students. Whilst we have already taken action to help move the sector towards a more stable financial footing, we recognise that a real change of approach is needed, both from the government and from the sector itself, to support our broader plans for HE. That is why we will publish our plans for HE reform soon as part of the Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper.

Support for people with visual impairments in further education, higher education (HE), and apprenticeships is guided by legal duties under the Equality Act 2010 and the special educational needs and disabilities code of practice, with tailored provisions depending on the setting and the needs of the individual.

All education and training providers and other related service providers have a duty to make reasonable adjustments for disabled people, including those with visual impairments, so they are not placed at a substantial disadvantage compared to non-disabled students.

Reasonable adjustments can include adapting teaching methods (providing materials in accessible formats or using assistive technology), modifying assessments (offering extra time or alternative formats), ensuring physical accessibility (ramps or accessible accommodation), and offering personalised support services (including note-takers, interpreters, or mental health support).

In apprenticeships, learning support funding of £150 per month is available to training providers to make reasonable adjustments which support apprentices with learning difficulties and disabilities.

Disabled Students’ Allowance is available for eligible HE students for the provision of more specialist support, including specialist equipment, travel costs and non-medical helpers such as specialist note-takers or printing materials in large print or braille in addition to any reasonable adjustments made by their HE provider.

Through the student loan system, the highest levels of maintenance support are paid to students from the lowest income families, while those from more affluent families receive a smaller contribution towards their living costs. In addition to support for living costs from Student Finance England, students may be eligible for additional financial assistance from their university.

The Student Income and Expenditure Survey 2021/22 reported on the average living costs for full-time and part-time English undergraduate students and across different demographic groups for the 2021/22 academic year. The survey, including all income and expenditure tables, can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/student-income-and-expenditure-survey-2021-to-2022.

The department has made health education compulsory in all state-funded schools, helping pupils to make good decisions about their health and wellbeing and seek support when needed.

While there is no national curriculum in post-16, the government encourages a whole-institution approach to mental health and wellbeing. This includes supporting the Association of Colleges in their goal for 100% sign-up to their Mental Health Charter and to align it with the University Mental Health Charter.

All further education (FE) colleges are funded to provide health and wellbeing tuition as part of their extra-curricular personal development activities. Many FE colleges have counselling services providing mental health support and 41% of learners in post-16 institutions are now covered by NHS-funded mental health support teams.

The government is committed to continuing the higher education (HE) Mental Health Implementation Taskforce. The Taskforce includes students, parents, mental health experts and the HE sector, and the government will soon appoint a new HE Student Support Champion as chair.

The government recognises the impact that the cost-of-living crisis has had on students. However, we need to ensure that the student funding system is financially sustainable.

The government has increased maximum loans for living costs for full-time and part-time undergraduate students by 3.1% for the 2025/26 academic year. A 3.1% increase is in line with forecast inflation based on the RPIX inflation index.

The department wants to support the aspiration of every person who meets the requirements and wants to go to university, regardless of their background, where they live and their personal circumstances.

The government has increased maximum loans for living costs by 3.1% for the 2025/26 academic year, in line with forecast RPIX inflation. The government also provides means-tested non-repayable grants to low-income full-time students with children and adults who are financially dependent on them. Students with disabilities can apply for non-means tested disabled students’ allowance to support additional disability-related study costs. For the 2025/26 academic year, maximum dependants’ grants and disabled students’ allowance are being increased by 3.1%.

Student Premium funding rates that are available through the Strategic Priorities Grant are being maintained for 2025/26 to support successful outcomes for students. All English higher education providers registered with the Office for Students (OfS) that intend to charge higher level tuition fees must have an Access and Participation Plan approved by the OfS.

I refer the hon. Member for Surrey Heath to the answer of 9 June 2025 to Question 54948.

Information on the school workforce in England, including numbers of teachers with and without qualified teacher status (QTS) by school type, is published in the ‘School workforce in England’ statistical publication, which can be accessed here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england.

I refer the hon. Member for East Grinstead and Uckfield to the answer of 2 July 2025 to Question 62198.

The most recent data shows that in the 2023/24 academic year, 75% of pupils met the expected standard in reading at key stage 2 in the North East. This matches the national average in 2023/24.

In the 2023/24 academic year, 73% of pupils met the expected standard in mathematics at key stage 2 in the North East. This compares to the national average of 74% in 2023/24.

In the 2023/24 academic year, 62.3% of pupils achieved grades 4 or above in English and maths GCSEs in the North East. This compares to 65.4% of pupils achieving grades 4 or above in English and mathematics GCSEs in England.

The department is providing an increase of £1 billion for high needs budgets in England in the 2025/26 financial year. Total high needs funding for children and young people with complex special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) is over £12 billion in 2025/26.

Of that total, the Southwest is being allocated over £983 million through the high needs funding block of the dedicated schools grant (DSG), an increase of £71 million on last year’s DSG high needs block, calculated using the high needs national funding formula. Of this amount, Dorset is being allocated over £60 million, an increase of £4 million on last year.

The department intends to set out plans for reforming the SEND system in further detail in a Schools White Paper in the autumn and are considering the funding for future years following the spending review that concluded in June. We will also set out later this year how the government will support local authorities to deal with their historic deficits.

The department publishes figures on pupil attendance using daily data submitted by state-funded schools. The latest data for the 2024/25 academic year to date, including regional breakdowns, is published here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/pupil-attendance-in-schools/2025-week-29.

Student loans are subject to interest so that those who can afford to do so contribute to the full cost of their degree. To consider both students and taxpayers and ensure the real value of the loans over the repayment term, interest rates are linked to inflation.

Interest rates on student loans do not affect monthly repayments made by borrowers. Regular repayments are based on a fixed percentage of earnings above the applicable student loan repayment threshold. Any outstanding debt, including interest built up, is written off after the loan term ends (or in case of death or disability) at no detriment to the borrower.

A full equality impact assessment of how the student loan reforms may affect graduates, including detail on changes to average lifetime repayments under Plan 5, was produced and published under the previous government in February 2022 and can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/higher-education-reform-equality-impact-assessment.

The government is committed to rolling out a network of Young Futures Hubs. These will bring together services to help improve children and young people’s access to support to reduce crime and improve mental health and careers opportunities.

The design and implementation of hubs is a cross-government endeavour. Expertise has been brought together from across departments, particularly the Department for Education, Department for Culture, Media and Sport, Home Office, Department of Health and Social Care, Ministry of Justice and Department for Work and Pensions, to deliver on this manifesto commitment.

The government will be engaging with national and local partners, local communities and children and young people to explore options for the design and delivery of the hubs, ahead of the first hubs becoming operational this year.

The government is evolving apprenticeships into a new growth and skills offer to provide greater flexibility for employers and learners, aligned with the Industrial Strategy. In response to business needs, the offer will boost skills in the manufacturing sector through key initiatives such as:

• The engineering skills package: Over £100 million will be invested to grow skills through further and higher education, apprenticeships and the launch of technical excellence colleges focused on critical sectors such as advanced manufacturing.
• Foundation apprenticeships: Launching August 2025, employment-based programmes will help young people gain vital skills and paid experience in key sectors like engineering.
• Shorter apprenticeships: Launching August 2025, early adopters will include green energy.
• Short Courses: Starting April 2026, new digital, artificial intelligence, and engineering courses funded via the growth and skills levy will support priority sectors like advanced manufacturing.

The Advanced Manufacturing Sector Plan, published in June, is addressing skills gaps through a range of targeted programmes, such as the Upskilling and Reskilling Programme, which is being co-developed with industry to ensure training provision aligns with sector needs. The Department of Business and Trade is working closely with Skills England on the development of these programmes to ensure alignment with national skills priorities.

Upskilling the country’s workforce is vital to meet the government’s clean energy by 2030 mission, with apprenticeships playing a key role in supporting employers to develop the skills they need.

Employers across England, including Tees Valley, can benefit from over 40 apprenticeships that directly relate to delivering the government’s clean energy mission. This includes the level 3 low carbon heating technician and the level 4 corporate responsibilities and sustainability practitioner apprenticeships. We are also reducing the apprenticeship minimum duration to eight months so that shorter apprenticeships are possible from August 2025. This includes the level 2 dual fuel smart meter installers apprenticeship, which can be completed in eight months, enabling learners to achieve occupational competence more quickly.

In addition, Skills England continues to work with employers to ensure that new and existing apprenticeships reflect green skills.

The response to Written Parliamentary Question 61769 was published on 23 July 2025.

As announced in the spending review, the department is making over £1 billion of additional investment per year in skills by 2028/29. This will support and grow the wide range of technical routes and work-based training available for people of all ages across the country. This includes:

• Widening the apprenticeships offer into a growth and skills offer, including new foundation apprenticeships, which will give more young people a foot in the door at the start of their working life.
• T levels, which are a high quality technical education option for young people, including a valuable workplace industry placement which prepares them work.
• Higher Technical Qualifications, which are occupation-focused level 4-5 qualifications, approved and quality marked as providing the skills demanded in the workplace by employers.
• Skills Bootcamps, giving learners the chance to build sector-specific skills with a job interview on completion and free courses for jobs, giving learners the chance to access high value level 3 qualifications.

The department has also strengthened legislation to ensure all secondary pupils have multiple opportunities for meaningful encounters with providers of technical education and apprenticeships.

Teachers’ Pensions employs a wide range of communication methods to contact members of the scheme including via member portal, website, telephone contact centre, webchat, text messaging, post, email and social media platforms.

The department regularly discusses the frequency, timeliness and content of key member updates with Teachers’ Pensions and how they are made available to relevant members.

I refer the hon. Member for West Dorset to the answer of 14 July 2025 to Question 65182.

The department wants every child, regardless of background, to have a rich and broad, inclusive and innovative curriculum.

Art and design, music, dance (included in physical education) and drama (included in English) are in the national curriculum and are compulsory in all maintained schools. From key stages 1-3 for art and design, music, and dance; and key stages 1-4 for drama. At key stage 4, all pupils in maintained schools have an entitlement to study an arts subject, if they wish.

The independent Curriculum and Assessment Review aims to ensure that all pupils gain knowledge and skills that set them up for life. The Review will publish its final report in the autumn, and the government will respond.

Alongside the Review, we have announced our intention to launch a new National Centre for Arts and Music Education, to help meet the government’s ambitions for improved and more equitable arts education.

It is the department’s ambition that all families have access to high quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, giving every child the best start in life and delivering on our Plan for Change. The government is boosting availability and increasing access to childcare for families through the school-based nurseries programme, including school-led provision and private, voluntary and independent providers operating from school sites.

The key measure of sufficiency is whether the supply of available places is sufficient to meet the requirements of parents and children. We have regular contact with each local authority in England about their sufficiency of childcare and any issues they are facing. Where local authorities report sufficiency challenges, we discuss what action the local authority is taking and, where needed, support the local authority with any specific requirements through our childcare sufficiency support contract.

Childcare Works, a government-supported initiative designed to help local authorities, schools, and early years providers deliver our childcare reforms, additionally provides one-to-one targeted support for local authorities who need it, alongside a wider package of support for all local authorities to support them to deliver the childcare expansion programme.

It is the department’s ambition that all families have access to high quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, giving every child the best start in life and delivering on our Plan for Change. The government is boosting availability and increasing access to childcare for families through the school-based nurseries programme, including school-led provision and private, voluntary and independent providers operating from school sites.

The key measure of sufficiency is whether the supply of available places is sufficient to meet the requirements of parents and children. We have regular contact with each local authority in England about their sufficiency of childcare and any issues they are facing. Where local authorities report sufficiency challenges, we discuss what action the local authority is taking and, where needed, support the local authority with any specific requirements through our childcare sufficiency support contract.

Childcare Works, a government-supported initiative designed to help local authorities, schools, and early years providers deliver our childcare reforms, additionally provides one-to-one targeted support for local authorities who need it, alongside a wider package of support for all local authorities to support them to deliver the childcare expansion programme.

The government has committed to expand coverage of mental health support teams (MHSTs) to cover every school, and one of the functions of an MHST is to support mental health leads to introduce or develop a whole school or college approach in their setting.

Training grants for mental health leads in education settings were available from October 2021 until December 2024.

Demand for training grants fell in the final months of the scheme and education staff surveys identified a different need, for practical resources. The department now provides a mental health lead resource hub, a targeted support toolkit for schools and colleges.

There are no plans to re-open the scheme providing mental health lead training grants.

The department is working closely with all local authorities on the rollout of the expanded childcare offer. The department has regular contact with each local authority in England about their sufficiency of childcare and any issues they are facing, including impacts to rural areas. Where local authorities report sufficiency challenges, we support the local authority, where needed, through our childcare sufficiency support contract.

To support delivery of the expansion, our national recruitment campaign urges the public to ‘Do something BIG’ and consider working in nurseries or pre-schools, as a childminder, or in wraparound care roles. On average, the campaign website receives over 37,000 visits weekly, which directs potential applicants to the Department for Work and Pension’s ‘Find a Job’ vacancy platform to search for early years roles.

To address childcare capacity, schools could apply for up to £150,000 of capital funding in autumn 2024 to create or expand a school-based nursery, creating up to 6,000 places with most available from September 2025. This is the first stage in a long-term commitment to expand school-based nurseries across England.

The latest data shows there are over 5,800 more providers delivering childcare entitlements than last year, the first increase in five years, and the biggest increase since data became available in 2018. This comes alongside an 18,000 increase in the number of staff delivering the entitlements in private, voluntary and independent nurseries. This is backed by significant government investment totalling over £8 billion for early years entitlements in 2025/26.