Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Restore Britain - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much Student Loans Company funding was paid in respect of students studying at campuses operated by UK Management College in the latest academic year for which figures are available.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
To the nearest 10, the number of students studying courses run by UK Management College in receipt of Student Loans Company (SLC) support in the 2024/25 academic year was 3,360, as of 31 August 2025.
To the nearest million, the total amount of Student Finance England funding paid to students studying courses run by UK Management College in receipt of SLC support for the 2024/25 academic year was £62 million, as of 31 August 2025.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Restore Britain - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many students studying at campuses operated by UK Management College were in receipt of Student Loans Company support in the latest academic year for which figures are available.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
To the nearest 10, the number of students studying courses run by UK Management College in receipt of Student Loans Company (SLC) support in the 2024/25 academic year was 3,360, as of 31 August 2025.
To the nearest million, the total amount of Student Finance England funding paid to students studying courses run by UK Management College in receipt of SLC support for the 2024/25 academic year was £62 million, as of 31 August 2025.
Asked by: Max Wilkinson (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of transferring responsibility for the commissioning and full funding of alternative provision placements for children with special needs from schools to local authorities.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Local authorities are currently responsible for the commissioning and funding of all alternative provision in their area under section 19 of the Education Act 1996.
Schools can use their own budgets to place children in alternative provision or another school through an off-site direction, or provide education from the sixth day (or earlier) of a suspension for any child of compulsory school age.
In February, the department launched its SEND reform consultation. This reform sets out a clear vision for alternative provision and the key roles it will fulfil in mainstream settings and the specialist sector to support children and young people with complex and additional needs. We will publish our response to the consultation in due course.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Enrichment Expansion programme announced on 18 September 2026, what additional financial support will be available to secondary schools in Walsall borough that are outside the selected programme areas to meet the Government’s Enrichment Benchmarks in (a) 2026–27 and (b) 2027–28.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The government is committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity and ensuring all children and young people can access high-quality enrichment.
The recently published Enrichment Framework supports schools and colleges to develop a strategic, inclusive enrichment offer through guidance, case studies, benchmarks and improvement tools to evaluate provision. Ambassadors have been appointed as experts within their areas to identify and highlight effective enrichment practice across schools and wider settings, and to use their expertise to help develop and expand opportunities for young people.
This sits alongside wider government programmes, including PE and School Sport Partnerships, the National Centre for Arts Education, National Education Nature Parks, the Cadet Expansion Programme, Erasmus+ and Building Equal Access to Chess in Schools. In addition, the Every Child Can programme will invest £132.5 million of dormant assets funding in new enrichment activities through schools, community programmes, weekend activities and holiday provision.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the role of schools in helping pupils understand the implications of climate change for public health, the economy and national resilience.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Young people have consistently expressed a strong desire for greater depth in climate change, nature and sustainability education. This is an engaging topic for young people and is important in preparing them for life and work in a changing world.
Last year, Professor Becky Francis led an independent review of the national curriculum and made several recommendations for earlier sequencing and updated environmental content within the national curriculum subjects of citizenship, geography, science, and design and technology. There will be a public consultation on the proposals for the new national curriculum in due course.
Alongside this, the department funds resources to support schools to teach these topics through Oak National Academy and the National Education Nature Park.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support her Department provides to teachers to deliver high-quality education on climate change, sustainability and environmental issues.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Young people have consistently expressed a strong desire for greater depth in climate change, nature and sustainability education. This is an engaging topic for young people and is important in preparing them for life and work in a changing world.
Last year, Professor Becky Francis led an independent review of the national curriculum and made several recommendations for earlier sequencing and updated environmental content within the national curriculum subjects of citizenship, geography, science, and design and technology. There will be a public consultation on the proposals for the new national curriculum in due course.
Alongside this, the department funds resources to support schools to teach these topics through Oak National Academy and the National Education Nature Park.
Asked by: Lord Watson of Invergowrie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have conducted a review of whether the use of powers under section 26 (Collaboration between schools) of the Education Act 2002 and section 166 (Collaboration arrangements: maintained schools and further education bodies) of the Education and Inspections Act 2006 is enabling educational bodies to collaborate effectively; and if not, why not.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The government wants to build a more collaborative, inclusive and higher-quality education system, in which local authorities, schools and other education providers work together, share expertise and improve outcomes for children and young people.
Existing legislation provides a range of mechanisms and duties to support collaboration and co-operation between maintained schools, and between maintained schools and further education bodies, as well as co-operation in relation to 14 to 19 education and training and co-operation between local authorities, schools and other educational bodies in relation to special educational needs and disabilities. These arrangements remain available where institutions consider them appropriate.
Additionally, the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 strengthens cooperation across the education and children’s services systems. This includes new duties for schools and local authorities to cooperate on school place planning and alternative provision, alongside provisions for multi-agency child protection teams, statutory information sharing and local authority registers of children not in school.
Asked by: Lord Watson of Invergowrie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have conducted a review of whether section 85 (Co-operation as regards provision of 14–19 education and training) of the Education and Skills Act 2008 is enabling effective co-operation between educational bodies; and if not, why not.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The government wants to build a more collaborative, inclusive and higher-quality education system, in which local authorities, schools and other education providers work together, share expertise and improve outcomes for children and young people.
Existing legislation provides a range of mechanisms and duties to support collaboration and co-operation between maintained schools, and between maintained schools and further education bodies, as well as co-operation in relation to 14 to 19 education and training and co-operation between local authorities, schools and other educational bodies in relation to special educational needs and disabilities. These arrangements remain available where institutions consider them appropriate.
Additionally, the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 strengthens cooperation across the education and children’s services systems. This includes new duties for schools and local authorities to cooperate on school place planning and alternative provision, alongside provisions for multi-agency child protection teams, statutory information sharing and local authority registers of children not in school.
Asked by: Lord Watson of Invergowrie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have conducted a review of the statutory framework in sections 10 (Co-operation to improve well-being), 12A (Establishment of Children’s Trust Boards), 12B and 12C (Functions and procedures of CTBs), 17 (Children and young people's plans) and 17A (Children and young people's plans: implementation) of the Children Act 2004, which place a duty to co-operate on local authorities, schools and other relevant partners to achieve the objectives set out in the agreed local plan; and whether that framework is consistent with the proposals set out in Chapter 6 (Collaboration between schools and with other partners) of Every Child Achieving and Thriving (CP 1508-I), published in February 2026.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The government keeps the legislative framework for children's services under review but has not carried out a specific review of the provisions cited.
‘Every Child Achieving and Thriving’ sets out the government's ambition for a school system rooted in partnership, collaboration and collective responsibility for improving outcomes for children and young people.
The principles underpinning Chapter 6 are consistent with the longstanding objective of effective partnership working between local authorities, schools, trusts and other local partners to improve outcomes for children and young people.
Section 2 of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 amended section 16 of the Children Act 2004 to require statutory safeguarding partners to automatically secure the participation of childcare and education settings in their arrangements to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether loans from Student Finance England are being advanced to students from countries with a poor record of repayment.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.
Eligibility for student finance is not based on nationality, but on immigration status and residency. This ensures that access to support reflects an individual’s established connection to the UK rather than their nationality alone.
Generally, a student must be ordinarily resident in England and be settled or have a recognised connection with the UK to be eligible. They must also have been ordinarily resident in the UK and Islands, including the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, for the three years preceding the first day of the first academic year of their course. Those granted international protection by the Home Office do not need to have settled status or meet the usual three-year ordinary residence requirement.
When a borrower moves overseas, their obligation to repay their student loan remains. If a borrower chooses not to engage with the Student Loan Company (SLC), arrears will build up on the student loan account. The SLC work with a debt collection agency to target borrowers with outstanding arrears. Further action, including legal proceedings, may also be taken to recover the debt.