Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with (a) parents, (b) students and (c) teachers on the management of mobile phone use in schools.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

​Mobile phones have no place in our schools.

Schools should prohibit the use of mobile phones and other smart technology with similar functionality to mobile phones throughout the school day, including during lessons, the time between lessons, breaktimes and lunchtime, as set out in the ‘Mobile phones in schools’ guidance, published in 2024.

The department expects all schools to take steps in line with this guidance to ensure mobile phones do not disrupt pupils’ learning.

New research from the Children’s Commissioner, with responses from nearly all schools and colleges in England, shows that most schools (99.8% of primary schools and 90% of secondary schools) already have policies in place that limit or restrict the use of mobile phones during the school day.

We will continue to build a robust evidence base on the effectiveness on school mobile phone policies.

The department engages regularly with parents, teachers and pupils on a range of issues, including pupil behaviour and mobile phone use.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to strengthen the home learning environment to support literacy in early years and school-age children.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)

I refer the noble Lord to the answer of 08 July 2025 to Question 60798.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of her Department's guidance on mobile phone use among young people in schools, published in February 2024, on the use of mobile phones in schools.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

​Mobile phones have no place in our schools.

Schools should prohibit the use of mobile phones and other smart technology with similar functionality to mobile phones throughout the school day, including during lessons, the time between lessons, breaktimes and lunchtime, as set out in the ‘Mobile phones in schools’ guidance, published in 2024.

The department expects all schools to take steps in line with this guidance to ensure mobile phones do not disrupt pupils’ learning.

New research from the Children’s Commissioner, with responses from nearly all schools and colleges in England, shows that most schools (99.8% of primary schools and 90% of secondary schools) already have policies in place that limit or restrict the use of mobile phones during the school day.

We will continue to build a robust evidence base on the effectiveness on school mobile phone policies.

The department engages regularly with parents, teachers and pupils on a range of issues, including pupil behaviour and mobile phone use.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of mobile phone usage in schools on (a) levels of bullying and (b) safeguarding.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

​Mobile phones have no place in our schools.

Schools should prohibit the use of mobile phones and other smart technology with similar functionality to mobile phones throughout the school day, including during lessons, the time between lessons, breaktimes and lunchtime, as set out in the ‘Mobile phones in schools’ guidance, published in 2024.

The department expects all schools to take steps in line with this guidance to ensure mobile phones do not disrupt pupils’ learning.

New research from the Children’s Commissioner, with responses from nearly all schools and colleges in England, shows that most schools (99.8% of primary schools and 90% of secondary schools) already have policies in place that limit or restrict the use of mobile phones during the school day.

We will continue to build a robust evidence base on the effectiveness on school mobile phone policies.

The department engages regularly with parents, teachers and pupils on a range of issues, including pupil behaviour and mobile phone use.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of mobile phone use on (a) student behaviour and (b) academic performance in schools.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

​Mobile phones have no place in our schools.

Schools should prohibit the use of mobile phones and other smart technology with similar functionality to mobile phones throughout the school day, including during lessons, the time between lessons, breaktimes and lunchtime, as set out in the ‘Mobile phones in schools’ guidance, published in 2024.

The department expects all schools to take steps in line with this guidance to ensure mobile phones do not disrupt pupils’ learning.

New research from the Children’s Commissioner, with responses from nearly all schools and colleges in England, shows that most schools (99.8% of primary schools and 90% of secondary schools) already have policies in place that limit or restrict the use of mobile phones during the school day.

We will continue to build a robust evidence base on the effectiveness on school mobile phone policies.

The department engages regularly with parents, teachers and pupils on a range of issues, including pupil behaviour and mobile phone use.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support (a) teachers and (b) school leaders to enforce mobile phone usage policies in schools.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

​Mobile phones have no place in our schools.

Schools should prohibit the use of mobile phones and other smart technology with similar functionality to mobile phones throughout the school day, including during lessons, the time between lessons, breaktimes and lunchtime, as set out in the ‘Mobile phones in schools’ guidance, published in 2024.

The department expects all schools to take steps in line with this guidance to ensure mobile phones do not disrupt pupils’ learning.

New research from the Children’s Commissioner, with responses from nearly all schools and colleges in England, shows that most schools (99.8% of primary schools and 90% of secondary schools) already have policies in place that limit or restrict the use of mobile phones during the school day.

We will continue to build a robust evidence base on the effectiveness on school mobile phone policies.

The department engages regularly with parents, teachers and pupils on a range of issues, including pupil behaviour and mobile phone use.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has commissioned research on the use of mobile phones by young people outside of school.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

​Mobile phones have no place in our schools.

Schools should prohibit the use of mobile phones and other smart technology with similar functionality to mobile phones throughout the school day, including during lessons, the time between lessons, breaktimes and lunchtime, as set out in the ‘Mobile phones in schools’ guidance, published in 2024.

The department expects all schools to take steps in line with this guidance to ensure mobile phones do not disrupt pupils’ learning.

New research from the Children’s Commissioner, with responses from nearly all schools and colleges in England, shows that most schools (99.8% of primary schools and 90% of secondary schools) already have policies in place that limit or restrict the use of mobile phones during the school day.

We will continue to build a robust evidence base on the effectiveness on school mobile phone policies.

The department engages regularly with parents, teachers and pupils on a range of issues, including pupil behaviour and mobile phone use.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to introduce a single unique identifier for children in care.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)

The single unique identifier for children which the government promised in its manifesto is intended to apply to all children, including those in care, and is part of the solution to improve data sharing to stop children falling through the cracks. The legislation to enable its designation and use is currently before Parliament as part of the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Smith of Malvern on 28 April (HL6277), how many pupils were attending the 20 schools referred to.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)

The information is available on Get Information about Schools and shows these schools had over 1,500 pupils.

Overall pupil numbers at these schools combined were only at 51% of the combined capacity of these schools in January 2024 - before details of tax changes were announced. Low pupil numbers relative to capacity can be a risk factor associated with subsequent closure.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether a sixth form college that has moved to academy status will be covered by the provisions in the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)

The Children’s Wellbeing and School Bill will provide a core guarantee of quality education in every school. It will create a floor but no ceiling, enabling healthy competition and innovation beyond a core framework to bring all schools to the level of the very best.

16 to 19 academies are principally concerned with the education of young people above compulsory school age and below the age of 19. They are defined separately to academy schools under the Academies Act 2010 and operate within a policy, financial and operational framework that reflects the type of education that they provide. In keeping with the existing regulatory approach, 16 to 19 academies, including those that were previously sixth-Form colleges, remain out of scope of most of the measures in the Bill that will apply to schools, including academy schools. Under clause 36 of the Bill, 16 to 19 academies remain outside of the scope of Chapter 1 of Part 4 of the Education and Skills Act 2008, which is the main regulatory framework for independent schools, including academy schools.

Clause 49, which introduces a power to secure the performance of an academy proprietor’s duties, will apply to 16 to 19 academies, as well as academy schools. Robust accountability mechanisms play a critical role in the school system by setting clear requirements and expectations, encouraging behaviours that put children first, help them to achieve and thrive, and keep them safe.

This measure will allow my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education to direct any academy trust to comply with their legal duties and address unreasonable actions in a way that is more proportionate than the current intervention regime provided through academy funding agreements.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support journalism training that helps future journalists deal with AI-generated content and misinformation.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Higher education providers are independent bodies responsible for designing their own journalism qualifications. However, the quality of courses is regulated by the independent regulator the Office for Students (OfS). Courses must be up-to-date and teach students skills relevant to the subject and level of the course. Relevant skills could include, but not be limited to, cognitive skills, practical skills, transferable skills and professional competences.

A course designed to lead to a particular profession should require students to demonstrate the skills necessary for success in that profession, including where specific skills are required for accreditation by a professional body.

For example, the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ) and the Broadcast Journalism Training Council accredit courses delivered by providers in the UK. In addition, the NCTJ offers its own popular journalism diploma, which is also delivered in some further education colleges as well as other level 3 provision. It is for employers, providers and sector bodies to ensure that content meets learner and employer needs.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support Surrey County Council to improve support for children who go missing or are at risk of exploitation.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Following support from the department and others, Surrey County Council's children's services were judged by Ofsted to be ‘Good’ in March 2025.

Statutory guidance ‘Working together to safeguard children’ (2023), is clear that children at risk of or experiencing harm from outside their home should receive a multi-agency safeguarding response, recognising threats may arise from school, peer groups, online or the wider community.

In 2023, we published a set of multi-agency practice principles to guide local areas in their response to keeping children and young people safe from child exploitation and extra-familial harm. The principles bring together the best available evidence in this area and have been developed through extensive consultation with professionals, children, young people, parents and carers. These principles are available here: https://tce.researchinpractice.org.uk/.

Our Families First Partnership Programme, backed by over £500 million investment per year over the next three years, is rolling out reforms to family help and multi-agency child protection, including where harm is outside the home.

We expect safeguarding partners to work together to reduce the chances of children going missing, to respond effectively when they do and understand why.

We have provided clear guidance about responsibilities for all children who go missing.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support Surrey County Council improve collaborative safety planning.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Following support from the department and others, Surrey County Council's children's services were judged by Ofsted to be ‘Good’ in March 2025.

Statutory guidance ‘Working together to safeguard children’ (2023), is clear that children at risk of or experiencing harm from outside their home should receive a multi-agency safeguarding response, recognising threats may arise from school, peer groups, online or the wider community.

In 2023, we published a set of multi-agency practice principles to guide local areas in their response to keeping children and young people safe from child exploitation and extra-familial harm. The principles bring together the best available evidence in this area and have been developed through extensive consultation with professionals, children, young people, parents and carers. These principles are available here: https://tce.researchinpractice.org.uk/.

Our Families First Partnership Programme, backed by over £500 million investment per year over the next three years, is rolling out reforms to family help and multi-agency child protection, including where harm is outside the home.

We expect safeguarding partners to work together to reduce the chances of children going missing, to respond effectively when they do and understand why.

We have provided clear guidance about responsibilities for all children who go missing.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of increasing the breadth of subjects students study at A-Level on (a) life chances, (b) employability and (c) the economy.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

High and rising school standards are at the heart of the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and give children and young people the best life chances. The government has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, covering ages 5 to 18, chaired by Professor Becky Francis CBE.

The Review aims to ensure that the assessment system captures the strengths of every child and young person and the breadth of curriculum and prepare children with the skills for future life and work.

The independent Review’s interim report sets out that many areas of the curriculum and assessment system are working well, including A levels.

During the panel’s next phase of work, it is addressing subject-specific challenges, aiming to ensure a rich, broad, inclusive and innovative curriculum that readies young people for life and work.

The Review’s final report and recommendations will be published in autumn, at which point the government will respond.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to support research into dyscalculia.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

High-quality teaching is the most important in-school factor for improving outcomes for all children, particularly those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), and we are committed to ensuring that all pupils receive excellent support from their teachers, including those with dyscalculia.

We have commissioned evidence reviews from University College London to identify the most effective tools, strategies and approaches for teachers and other relevant staff in mainstream settings to identify and support children and young people (age 0-25) with different types of needs, including cognition and learning needs such as dyscalculia.

The ‘What Works in SEND’ programme will soon begin researching educational needs assessment tools used by schools to identify the needs of neurodivergent children.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many UK universities that are registered with the Office for Students publish the (a) quantity and (b) type of contact hours for courses advertised to prospective students.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The Office for Students (OfS) does not routinely collect or publish data on the number of registered higher education providers that disclose the quantity and type of contact hours for courses advertised to prospective students.

However, all registered providers are expected to comply with consumer protection law, including providing clear and accurate information to students about their courses. The Competition and Markets Authority has issued guidance to support providers in meeting these obligations, which includes transparency around contact hours and modes of delivery. The OfS expects providers to have due regard to this guidance as part of their registration conditions.

Where students believe that information provided has been misleading or insufficient, they are encouraged to raise concerns through their provider’s complaints process and can escalate complaints to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education if necessary. Additionally, any students, staff or members of the public who feel a university is not meeting the OfS’ registration requirements may submit a notification to the OfS.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to improve the (a) identification and (b) support for neurodivergent girls at school.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

This government’s ambition is that all children with special educational needs receive the right support to succeed in their education.

We have established a neurodivergence task and finish group, chaired by Professor Karen Guldberg from Birmingham University, to provide an expert view and make recommendations on how to best meet the needs of neurodivergent children and young people within mainstream education settings. Additionally, the Expert Advisory Group (EAG) for inclusion, led by Tom Rees, is providing sector-led advice on inclusive education practice.

The department introduced the Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (PINS) programme in 2024. The programme deploys health and education specialists to build teacher and staff capacity to identify and better meet the needs of neurodivergent children in mainstream primary schools and was delivered in over 1650 (around 10%) of all mainstream primary schools in its first year.

Building on this success, the programme has been extended for the 2025/26 financial year to a further cohort of around 1200 additional mainstream primary schools.

The programme is being evaluated, and learning from delivery of PINS approach is informing policy development around how schools support neurodivergent children.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with the Child Poverty Taskforce on family hubs, in the context of the development of the Child Poverty Strategy.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

I refer the hon. member for East Antrim to the answer of 3 July 2025 to Question 63139. The information given in the linked response relates to England only.

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 providing foster carers with the same legal status as (a) health workers and (b) teachers.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

I pay tribute to the vital efforts of foster carers, who carry out a challenging role that requires skill, dedication and love. This government’s investments in foster care will recruit hundreds more new foster families and strengthen support to retain existing carers to improve the life chances of thousands of children.

Health workers and teachers are classed as either workers or employees in law. Our assessment is that worker or employee status would not be appropriate for the family-centred nature of foster care, in which foster carers are committed to children as if they were their own. Instead of care being provided by staff in an institutional framework, children are provided with support and nurture in a loving family home.

We are committed to reviewing our guidance and working with the sector to improve the support that foster carers receive.

The Children Act 1989 and subsequent statutory guidance (Vol. 4: Fostering Services) set out strong safeguards to protect foster carers from unfair treatment, including the requirement for fostering services to have a complaints procedure and whistleblowing policy.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Centre for Young Lives report, entitled Everything to Play For, published in June 2025, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of decline in the duration of free playtime during school breaktimes on children's (a) development and (b) wellbeing.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

The department supports active lunch and break times, and government guidance sets a minimum school week of 32.5 hours, inclusive of breaks, to allow time for play.

The early years foundation stage framework is clear that play is essential for learning and development, with schools and providers responsible for ensuring the school day includes opportunities for social interaction, physical activity and enrichment.

The department also values understanding pupils’ school experience and has recently committed to publishing annual data on, amongst other things, pupils’ sense of belonging, enjoyment and safety at school. In 2026, we will also publish a national best practice framework to support pupil engagement, offering guidance and case studies for schools.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many young people accessed the Music and Dance Scheme in each of the last five academic years; and how many students will be supported by the scheme in the academic year 2025-26.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

The Music and Dance Scheme operates on an academic year basis.

Information is available for the final number of students with a Music and Dance Scheme bursary after the end of the academic year, in order to account for in-year starters.

The information for the 2021/22, 2022/23, 2023/24 and 2024/25 academic years is in the table below. Please note the information for the 2024/25 academic year 2024/25 is provisional.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to publish her Department's White Paper on reforms to the SEND system.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life.

We are clear that the current system is difficult for parents, carers and young people to navigate and simply not delivering the outcomes we want to see for our children.

Details of the government's intended approach to SEND reform will be set out in a Schools White Paper in the autumn.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether investment in family hubs will be included in the upcoming Child Poverty Strategy.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

I refer the hon. Member for Harpenden and Berkhamsted to the answer of 03 July 2025 to Question 63139.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure more students from less affluent areas are taught by trained maths teachers.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

Recruiting and retaining high-quality teachers is critical to the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity. This is why the government’s Plan for Change has committed to recruiting an additional 6,500 new expert teachers in secondary and special schools and in our colleges, over the course of this Parliament.

The department has announced an initial teacher training financial incentives package for the 2025/26 recruitment cycle worth £233 million, including bursaries worth £29,000 tax-free and scholarships worth £31,000 tax-free mathematics.

For 2024/25 and 2025/26, mathematics teachers in the first five years of their careers who choose to work in disadvantaged schools will also receive a targeted retention incentive worth up to £6,000 after tax.

Our High Potential Initial Teacher Training (HPITT) programme, delivered by Teach First, specifically supports schools in disadvantaged communities to recruit the teachers they need. Over the last three cohorts in 2022, 2023 and 2024, an average of 82% of HPITT participants across all subjects have been placed in disadvantaged schools.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking with Cabinet colleagues to expand access to apprenticeships in defence-related sectors in Northern Ireland.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Apprenticeship and skills policy is devolved to Northern Ireland, and any measures regarding apprenticeships there are a matter for the Northern Irish government.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to increase the number of pupils learning modern foreign languages to GCSE level in Bournemouth.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

The department is providing funding to support the uptake of languages across the country. We continue to fund the National Consortium for Languages Education, which delivers online continuing professional development for teachers and a new model of language support for schools. This programme is designed to have national reach, ensuring that all schools can benefit regardless of their location.

To further support languages education, the department is offering a £26,000 tax-free bursary for trainee language teachers starting courses in 2025, or alternatively, a £28,000 tax-free scholarship for those training to teach French, German, or Spanish. Additionally, Oak National Academy is developing modern foreign languages lesson resources for key stages 2 to 4, to be fully released by autumn 2025, helping teachers deliver high-quality lessons and reduce planning time.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she is taking steps to introduce a GCSE on British Sign Language.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.

The department is in the process of developing a British Sign Language (BSL) GCSE. This landmark GCSE is an important step towards greater recognition of BSL as a language and will foster better communication between deaf and hearing communities.

The department published subject content for the BSL GCSE in December 2023. As is the usual process for introducing a qualification, the independent qualifications regulator, Ofqual, recently ran a public consultation on its proposed assessment arrangements and expects to confirm its decision on the qualification rules in autumn 2025. At this point, any exam board that chooses to offer the GCSE will be able to start developing specifications.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of (a) a hub and spoke model and (b) the utilisation of detached youth work within Young Futures Hubs on (i) outreach and (ii) access for young people.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The government has committed to the creation of a new Young Futures Programme, which will establish a network of Young Futures Hubs and Young Futures Prevention Partnerships. Young Futures Hubs will bring together services to improve access to opportunities and support for young people at community level, promoting positive outcomes and enabling them to thrive.

Officials from across several departments are already working jointly, using evidence of what works to start to shape the Young Futures Hubs model. We are engaging with local areas, communities, statutory partners, charities, and other stakeholders, including assessing evidence they have supplied, to support the design of the Young Futures Hubs and explore options for their delivery. This includes considering how best to engage with those young people who would benefit most from support.

Across Young Futures Hubs and Young Futures Prevention Partnerships, the government is adopting a phased approach to learn from what works. To roll-out Young Futures Hubs, building on the success of existing infrastructure and provision, we will establish a number of early adopter hubs, the locations of which will be determined by where they will have the most impact. These early adopters and work in local areas and will inform the longer-term development of the programme, including how quickly we move to a greater number of hubs.

Young Futures Hubs are just one part of delivering support within a much wider youth landscape and they will work closely with core services and wider initiatives spanning youth, education, employment, social care, mental health, youth justice and policing. The government is developing a National Youth Strategy to set out a new long-term vision for young people and an action plan for delivering this.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how local areas will be supported to implement Young Futures Hubs.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The government has committed to the creation of a new Young Futures Programme, which will establish a network of Young Futures Hubs and Young Futures Prevention Partnerships. Young Futures Hubs will bring together services to improve access to opportunities and support for young people at community level, promoting positive outcomes and enabling them to thrive.

Officials from across several departments are already working jointly, using evidence of what works to start to shape the Young Futures Hubs model. We are engaging with local areas, communities, statutory partners, charities, and other stakeholders, including assessing evidence they have supplied, to support the design of the Young Futures Hubs and explore options for their delivery. This includes considering how best to engage with those young people who would benefit most from support.

Across Young Futures Hubs and Young Futures Prevention Partnerships, the government is adopting a phased approach to learn from what works. To roll-out Young Futures Hubs, building on the success of existing infrastructure and provision, we will establish a number of early adopter hubs, the locations of which will be determined by where they will have the most impact. These early adopters and work in local areas and will inform the longer-term development of the programme, including how quickly we move to a greater number of hubs.

Young Futures Hubs are just one part of delivering support within a much wider youth landscape and they will work closely with core services and wider initiatives spanning youth, education, employment, social care, mental health, youth justice and policing. The government is developing a National Youth Strategy to set out a new long-term vision for young people and an action plan for delivering this.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 4 July 2025 to Question 63093 on Nurseries: Fylde, what steps her Department took to advertise the opportunity to participate in the programme to schools in Fylde at the last round of allocations; and if she will make an assessment of the effectiveness of the advertisement process.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

To promote the School-Based Nursery Capital Grant 2024/25, the department published detailed information on GOV.UK and the Education Hub, supported by social media posts. We held two webinars for schools and one for local authorities to explain the programme and answer questions. Additional communications were shared in a variety of ways with local authorities and stakeholders to help cascade information to schools.

The programme received 642 applications, which was more than double the number of available grants. The North West, where Fylde is located, submitted 115 applications (18% of the total), the highest of any region and above its 15% share of primary schools nationally.

The government has committed nearly £370 million to further expand school-based nursery places, with next steps to be announced shortly. Schools in Fylde are encouraged to stay in touch with their local authority about upcoming opportunities to create or expand school-based nursery provision.

The department is reviewing its communications to inform future rounds.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the post- (a) 16 and (b) 18 support for young people raised in kinship.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

This government is committed to ensuring more children are supported in a strong kinship care arrangement, avoiding care where possible, because we know that this leads to better outcomes.

We are legislating through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill to require local authorities to publish a local offer for children and families in kinship arrangements and requiring local authorities to offer family group decision making to families with children on the edge of care. These measures will ensure more children are supported within their family networks, and with kinship carers instead of entering care.

Some children in kinship care, such as those placed with kinship foster carers, are entitled to leaving care support if they have been in care for a minimum of 13 weeks, some of which was after they reached age 16, when they cease to be looked after. This includes support from a Personal Adviser up to the age of 25, and support to engage in education, employment or training, including a £2,000 bursary if they attend higher education.

This support will also include providing continuity of support and relationships when care leavers reach age 18 through the ‘Staying Put’ programme and investing in family-finding, mentoring and befriending programmes.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 18 June 2025 to Question 58204 on Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund, if she will publish the data her Department collected on the costs of applications for (a) therapeutic interventions and (b) specialist assessments funded by the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department published management data from the adoption and special guardianship support fund for the first time in September 2024 and is planning to publish updated data for 2024/25 in the autumn. This will include cost information data.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has considered opening new specialist SEND schools, in the context of trends in the number of education, health and care plans.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

We recognise the vital role that special schools play catering to children and young people with the most complex needs.

The statutory duty to provide sufficient school places for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or who require alternative provision sits with local authorities. The department provides local authorities with capital funding to support them to meet this duty and has published allocations for £740 million in High Needs Provision Capital Allocations for the 2025/26 financial year.

This funding can be used to improve access to schooling for children and young people with a variety of SEND. It is intended to adapt schools to be more accessible, 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.

We also want more children and young people to receive the support they need to achieve and thrive in their local mainstream school, reducing the need for pupils to travel a long way to access a specialist placement. Many mainstream settings are already committed to delivering specialist provision locally, including through Resourced Provision and special educational needs units.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what action they are taking to ensure that children in poverty receive early years support.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)

The government’s Plan for Change commits to giving children the best start in life. From age 2, children from low-income families, those with education, health and care plans, and looked-after children are eligible for 15 hours of funded early education. Disadvantaged children may also receive the Early Years Pupil Premium (EYPP), which supports high quality early education. In December 2024, EYPP funding was increased by 45%.

As part of the Opportunity Mission, £37 million has been awarded to 300 primary schools to create or expand nurseries, opening from September 2025.

From September 2026, all pupils in school-based settings whose families receive Universal Credit will be entitled to free school meals. This will benefit over 500,000 children, lift 100,000 out of poverty, and support families ahead of the Child Poverty Strategy.

Additionally, £126 million will be invested in 2025/26 to expand the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme. Already, 75 local authorities have opened over 400 family hubs in some of the country’s most deprived areas.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the number of disabled children not reinstated in school when an independent review panel has quashed a permanent exclusion.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department does not collect the pupil characteristics data for reinstated when an Independent Review Panel (IRP) has quashed a permanent exclusion.

The department is taking action to strengthen the oversight and monitoring of all exclusion data collected through the school census, particularly for pupils who may be disproportionately affected by exclusion. This includes strengthening the monitoring of IRP decisions, with a stronger focus on the reinstatement of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to make changes to the collection of data in relation to (a) suspensions and (b) permanent exclusions in England.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department does not collect the pupil characteristics data for reinstated when an Independent Review Panel (IRP) has quashed a permanent exclusion.

The department is taking action to strengthen the oversight and monitoring of all exclusion data collected through the school census, particularly for pupils who may be disproportionately affected by exclusion. This includes strengthening the monitoring of IRP decisions, with a stronger focus on the reinstatement of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to make a further announcement on the future of the Bedford Free School.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The review of mainstream free schools has focused on ensuring that government funding is targeted where it is most needed.

We understand that trusts and local authorities want to have certainty about their projects as soon as possible. We will provide an update on next steps to trusts and local authorities in due course.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the most common causes of school absences were in the 2024-25 academic year.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

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 is published here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/pupil-attendance-in-schools/2025-week-24.

According to the absence codes recorded by schools, the most commonly used code is ‘authorised illness absence’, followed by ‘unauthorised other absence’. A full breakdown of absence codes used is available at the aforementioned link.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps is she taking to improve the use of technology to support inclusion for children with SEND in schools in Bournemouth.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

Assistive technology has the potential to improve early intervention and enable more children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to achieve and thrive in a mainstream setting, by supporting both confidence and independence.

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education has announced £740 million for high needs capital in 2025/26 to support children and young people with SEND or who require alternative provision. Local authorities can use this to create new places, but also to adapt classrooms to be more accessible for children with SEND, including through investment in assistive technology interventions to support pupils in mainstream settings. Of this £740 million, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council has been allocated over £4 million in 2025/26.

We will continue to build our evidence base on the potential for assistive technology to improve inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools, including testing a pilot of assistive technology lending libraries through the SEND and alternative provision Change Programme. This will allow up to 4,000 mainstream schools in participating local authorities to borrow and trial technology on a temporary basis, to identify the right products to support their pupils.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent progress her Department has made on the Mainstream Schools Review; and when she expects to announce the outcome.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The review has focused on ensuring that government funding is targeted where it is most needed. In the past, a significant proportion of spending on free schools has created surplus capacity, resulting in subsequent closure of new schools. Some of that funding could have been put to better use by improving the deteriorating condition of our existing schools and colleges.

The department understands that trusts and local authorities want to have certainty about their projects as soon as possible. We will provide an update on next steps to trusts and local authorities in due course.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to encourage more young people to undertake vocational training to become (a) plumbers and (b) electricians.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department continues to make available education and training opportunities in electrical and plumbing sectors, including:

• A range of apprenticeships, including the level 3 plumbing and domestic heating technician standard and the level 3 domestic electrician standard. We are also developing foundation apprenticeships in priority sectors, including construction from August.

• A T Level in Building Services Engineering for Construction provides students with the core knowledge and skills needed for entry to a range of occupations in the electrical and plumbing sectors.

• Investment of an additional £625 million in a construction skills package, expected to deliver up to 60,000 additional skilled construction workers, including in electrical and plumbing, this Parliament. This includes establishing ten technical excellence colleges specialising in construction skills, opening in September 2025.

The department continues to raise awareness amongst young people of the vocational training that is available. Secondary schools have legal requirements to provide independent careers guidance, including at least six opportunities for providers of technical education or apprenticeships to speak to all pupils. Our government-funded network of Careers Hubs, coordinated by the Careers and Enterprise Company, supports schools and colleges to maximise these opportunities.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of trends in the level of drop-outs from vocational courses; and what steps she is taking to increase course completion rates.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department's Qualification Achievement Rates (QARs) include official statistics on levels of achievement for a range of qualifications, including vocational learning. Latest published statistics show overall achievement rates within the 19+ education and training cohort have increased from 86.8% in 2022/23 to 87.4% in 2023/24, an increase of 0.6 percentage points. Compared with 2021/22, they are up by 1.2 percentage points. Links to QAR data from current and previous years is available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/introduction-to-qualification-achievement-rates-qars.

Retention rates are also improving at ages 16 to 18. The retained and assessed rate for students who finished their T Level across 16 subjects in summer 2024 was up five percentage points from the previous year in over 10 subjects. The rate for large Vocational Technical Qualifications was up three percentage points. Further details on provisional T Level results for the 2023/24 academic year are available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/provisional-t-level-results/2023-24.

Alongside T Levels, the department continues to develop and improve qualifications to ensure that they meet the needs of learners. Newly reformed qualifications will become available for delivery at levels 2 and 3 at the start of the next academic year, and we are in the process of approving new level 3 qualifications for delivery from August 2026. These are high-quality, aligned to occupational standards in technical routes, and offer learners clear routes to higher education or skilled employment.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to improve access to (a) training and (b) education for careers in (i) horticulture and (ii) the wider environmental sector in Surrey Heath constituency.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

It is for providers and local areas, such as Surrey Heath, to determine what skills provision to deliver based on learner and employer demand.

A range of provision is available to support people to pursue careers in horticulture and environmental sectors, including:

• High quality apprenticeship standards between levels 2 and 7 in roles such as Horticulture or Landscape Operative, Professional Arboriculturist and Charted Landscape Professional.

• A range of Skills Bootcamps such as Grounds & Estates Horticulture, Horticulture and Forestry & Arboriculture.

• T Levels in Agriculture, Land Management and Production pathways, which include environmental horticulture and landscaping and tree and woodland management and maintenance.

• A number of qualifications related to horticulture or the wider environmental sector as part of Free Courses for Jobs, such as a diploma in Work-based Horticulture, advanced technical diploma in Horticulture, diploma in Forestry and Arboriculture, and advanced technical extended diploma in Forestry and Arboriculture.

There are also a number of land-based colleges in the country that specialise in horticulture and environmental provision, including Merrist Wood College in Surrey which delivers 160 courses including T Levels and apprenticeships.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he plans to increase (a) the number of technical excellence colleges and (b) AI skills training to support the (i) advanced manufacturing and (ii) clean energy sectors in South Northamptonshire constituency, in the context of the skill commitments set out in the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy, published on 23 June 2025.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Our Industrial Strategy puts skills at the heart of economic growth. This means ensuring training opportunities match growth areas like artificial intelligence (AI).

We are introducing Technical Excellence Colleges (TECs) to specialise in training skilled workforces for priority sectors, starting with Construction TECs. The number and design of TECs will reflect sectors’ needs, and further information will be published in due course. The government will introduce short courses in England, funded through the Growth and Skills Levy, in areas such as digital, AI and engineering.

The Technology Adoption Review (June 2025) considered barriers to adoption of transformative technologies across the Industrial Strategy’s priority sectors. The AI Opportunities Action Plan (January 2025) considered barriers for AI take-up across the economy aligned with the Industrial Strategy. The government will take forward all 50 recommendations, including recommendations on AI Skills and Talent.

The Advanced Manufacturing Sector Plan (June 2025) set out government’s approach to supporting AI, including via one-stop-shops to offer expert advice for businesses around technology adoption.

The Clean Energy Industries Sector Plan (June 2025) establishes actions the government is taking to integrate AI into clean energy sectors, including accepting the findings of the Technology Adoption Review.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 25 June 2025 to question 57351 on Students: Loans; what assessment her Department has made on the reason for the gender difference in the number of borrowers whose loans have increased despite making regular payments.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The previous government considered gender differences in lifetime repayments, including detail on changes to average lifetime repayments, when introducing Plan 5. The full equality impact assessment was produced and published in February 2022 and can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/higher-education-reform-equality-impact-assessment.

Student loans are not like commercial loans and carry significant protections for borrowers. Borrowers will be liable to repay after leaving study only when earning over the relevant student loan repayment threshold.

The system is designed to ensure that those who benefit financially from higher education contribute towards the cost of it. This is why repayments are linked to income and not the loan balance, with regular repayments increasing with borrower income. Those earning below the student loan repayment threshold repay nothing.

Crucially, at the end of the loan term, any outstanding loan balance, 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. This subsidy is a conscious investment in the skills capacity, people and economy of this country.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she is taking steps to improve the (a) HR and (b) strategy support provided by her Department to SMEs to help take on apprentices.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

This government is continuing to cut red tape and simplify the apprenticeships system so that employers, including small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), can focus on supporting apprentices.

The government has already introduced a range of system improvements in response to employer and learner needs, including a more streamlined and timely approach to apprenticeship assessment that is being rolled out. The department has also redesigned the digital apprenticeship service to make access to apprenticeships a one-click process. This reduces the time employers have to spend entering information and approving digital apprentice records, removing significant administrative burdens on SMEs.

The department is also improving the apprenticeships payments system to reduce the actions required by employers. From August 2025, we will allow training providers to add new apprenticeships on the apprenticeship service. Employers will still have ownership and need to approve all new apprenticeships added.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much her Department has spent on (a) social media promotions, (b) influencer marketing and (c) online advertising in the last 12 months.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Commercial sensitivities exist around aspects of this spend, which could prejudice commercial interests. All spend in these areas are subject to the standard value for money assessments.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Smith of Malvern on 30 May (HL7545), whether they will meet pupils of Meath School in Ottershaw in respect of UNICEF UK's "Rights Respecting Schools Award"; and whether they plan to provide funding for the scheme in England.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)

The government is committed to upholding the principles of the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child and safeguarding the rights of children, as we continue to do through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill.

We know that some schools choose to follow the UNICEF scheme ‘Rights Respecting Schools Award’, which puts children’s rights at the heart of school policy and practice, and we welcome that commitment to promoting the rights of children. However, there are no plans to provide funding for the ‘Rights Respecting Schools Award’ scheme in England.

All schools in England have specific duties to promote the spiritual, moral, social and cultural (SMSC) development of their pupils and prepare them for the opportunities and responsibilities of adult life.

Schools in England are required to promote the fundamental British values of democracy, rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs. Citizenship education is an effective way of doing this, and we expect teachers to reinforce these values as well as to support pupils’ SMSC development.

Ministers welcome the opportunity to meet children and would be grateful for requests to be sent to the office of my hon. Friend, the Minister for School Standards.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support estranged and care-experienced students in higher education.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department is committed to ensuring that care experienced and estranged people can access, participate and achieve in higher education (HE).

All looked-after children must have a personal education plan, which should set out the support needed to help realise their short and long-term academic outcomes. To ensure they have a greater chance of achieving the prior attainment needed to access HE, the government provides £14 million per year of additional funding to support looked-after children up to the age of 19. This is administered by virtual school heads and can be used on attainment raising activity such as tuition, mentoring or careers advice and other activities based on the individual needs of each looked-after child.

In addition to a statutory £2,000 Care Leavers in HE bursary, all HE providers registered with the Office for Students (OfS) that intend to charge higher level tuition fees must have an Access and Participation Plan (APPs) approved by the OfS. These plans articulate how providers will improve equality of opportunity for underrepresented groups. Care experienced and estranged students are classed as ‘at risk’ groups in the Equality of Opportunity Risk Register and providers should take account of inequalities they may experience when developing their APPs.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure bachelors degree courses represent value for money.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Students and the taxpayer rightly expect a good return on their significant investment in higher education (HE). However, the Student Academic Experience Survey report 2025, published this month by the Higher Education Policy Institute and Advance HE, shows that only 37% of students think they are getting ‘good’ or ‘very good’ value for money.

Value for money is also about ensuring graduates contribute to the economy and society through the skills they acquire, and we know from the September 2024 report from Skills England, ‘Driving Growth and Widening Opportunities’, that many of England’s businesses are dependent on graduate skills. Yet the latest release of the Graduate Labour Market Statistics shows that only 67.9% of working age graduates are in high skilled employment.

This government is determined to change this and to ensure that our HE system delivers value for money. Sir David Behan’s Independent Review of the Office for Students (OfS) recommended that the OfS refocus its work on four key priorities: the quality of HE, the financial sustainability of HE providers, acting in the student interest, and protecting how public money is spent. The government has accepted the Review’s recommendations and will continue to work with the OfS to hold providers to account for the quality of students’ experiences and the outcomes they achieve.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the updated school food standards will include measures to increase the intake of UK-grown (a) fruit, (b) vegetables and (c) pulses in school meals.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department is engaging with stakeholders on revising the School Food Standards, to ensure they support our work to create the healthiest generation of children in history. The current Standards state one or more portions of vegetables as an accompaniment and one or more portions of fruit must be provided every day and at least three different fruits and three different vegetables each week. Schools are responsible for their school meals service and how and where they choose to buy their produce. Schools can voluntarily follow the government buying standards.

Additionally, the National Procurement Policy Statement, published in February 2025, underscores the government's commitment to increasing the procurement of food that meets higher environmental standards and upholding ethical sourcing practises across public sector contracts, which we believe our high quality British producers are well-placed to meet.

Alongside this, the department’s Food Strategy will deliver clear long-term outcomes that create a healthier, fairer, and more resilient food system, boosting food security, improving health, ensuring economic growth, and delivering environmental sustainability.

As with all aspects of the School Food Standards review, the department will consider our approaches to procurement of UK-grown produce.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to assess the impact of the adoption and special guardianship support fund changes on (1) adoptive and kinship placement disruption, and (2) adopter recruitment.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)

The new criteria for the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund will enable as many children and families as possible to access the available funding. The department always assesses the impact of changes on vulnerable children. This includes reviewing the equalities impact assessment, which will be made available in the House Libraries in due course.

The department routinely monitors data on adoptive and kinship placement disruption, as well as on adopter recruitment. The department is working closely with Adoption England to improve its monitoring of placement disruption and is funding them to deliver specific projects designed to improve adopter recruitment and family support.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will carry out an impact assessment of the adoption and special guardianship support fund changes; and if so, when they will publish that impact assessment.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)

The new criteria for the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund will enable as many children and families as possible to access the available funding. The department always assesses the impact of changes on vulnerable children. This includes reviewing the equalities impact assessment, which will be made available in the House Libraries in due course.

The department routinely monitors data on adoptive and kinship placement disruption, as well as on adopter recruitment. The department is working closely with Adoption England to improve its monitoring of placement disruption and is funding them to deliver specific projects designed to improve adopter recruitment and family support.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to review how attendance at schools is recorded for students who have been transferred to another school.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Once a pupil has been transferred to another school, their name is deleted from both the admission and attendance registers.

The ’Working together to improve school attendance’ guidance sets out the process clearly for schools in paragraphs 222-224. The guidance was drawn up following full public consultation and can be accessed here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/66bf300da44f1c4c23e5bd1b/Working_together_to_improve_school_attendance_-_August_2024.pdf.

This guidance explains the legal process set out in Regulation 9(1)(a) of The School Attendance (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2024, which can be accessed here: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2024/208/regulation/9/made.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support the uptake of apprenticeships in (a) Eastbourne and (b) East Sussex.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

This government is transforming the apprenticeships offer into a new growth and skills offer, which will provide greater flexibility to employers and learners across the country, including in Eastbourne and East Sussex, and support the industrial strategy.

From August, the department will be introducing seven new foundation apprenticeships for young people in targeted sectors, including construction and the built environment, digital, and health and social care. We are also reducing the apprenticeship minimum duration to eight months so that shorter apprenticeships are possible from August. These flexibilities will help more people learn new high-quality skills at work and fuel innovation in businesses across the country.

To support employers to access apprenticeships, the government pays £1,000 to employers when they take on apprentices aged 16 to 18 years old, and for apprentices aged 19 to 24 years old who have an education, health and care plan or have been in local authority care. We will also provide £2,000 payments to employers for every foundation apprentice they take on and retain. Employers also benefit from not being required to pay anything towards employees’ National Insurance for all apprentices aged up to 25 when they earn less than £50,270 a year.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help ensure adequate provision of apprenticeships in Ashfield constituency.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

This government is transforming the apprenticeships offer into a new growth and skills offer, which will provide greater flexibility to employers and learners across the country, including in Ashfield, and support the industrial strategy.

From August, the department will be introducing seven new foundation apprenticeships for young people in targeted sectors, including construction and the built environment, digital, and health and social care. We are also reducing the apprenticeship minimum duration to eight months so that shorter apprenticeships are possible from August. These flexibilities will help more people learn new high-quality skills at work and fuel innovation in businesses across the country.

To support employers to access apprenticeships, the government pays £1,000 to employers when they take on apprentices aged 16 to 18 years old, and for apprentices aged 19 to 24 years old who have an education, health and care plan or have been in local authority care. We will also provide £2,000 payments to employers for every foundation apprentice they take on and retain. Employers also benefit from not being required to pay anything towards employees’ National Insurance for all apprentices aged up to 25 when they earn less than £50,270 a year.

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 requiring schools to (a) implement (i) individual healthcare plans for pupils at risk of anaphylaxis and (ii) other allergy policies and (b) provide regular staff training on allergy management.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

Governing bodies must ensure that the arrangements they put in place are sufficient to meet their statutory responsibilities and that policies, plans, procedures and systems are properly and effectively implemented. This includes the duty under Section 100 of the Children and Families Act 2014 to make arrangements for supporting pupils with medical conditions and the duties under the Equality Act 2010.

Statutory guidance, ‘Supporting pupils at school with medical conditions’, recommends the use of individual healthcare plans as good practice. They can help schools support pupils with medical conditions, providing clarity about what needs to be done, when and by whom. The school, healthcare professionals and parents should agree, based on evidence, when a healthcare plan would be appropriate. ‘Supporting pupils at school with medical conditions’ can be found at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5ce6a72e40f0b620a103bd53/supporting-pupils-at-school-with-medical-conditions.pdf.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has had recent discussions with NHS Employers on planned changes to funding for Level 7 apprenticeships.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

This government has a driving mission to break down barriers to opportunity.

From January 2026, the government will no longer fund level 7 apprenticeships, equivalent to master’s degree level, except for young apprentices under the age of 22. This will enable apprenticeship opportunities to be rebalanced towards young people, whose rate of apprenticeship starts has fallen by almost 40% over the last decade.

This decision was informed by a wide range of evidence, including Skills England’s analysis of official apprenticeship statistics and engagement with relevant stakeholders, including NHS employers.

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 changes to funding for Level 7 apprenticeships on costs to the public purse in each of the next five years.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

This government has a driving mission to break down barriers to opportunity.

From January 2026, we will no longer fund level 7 apprenticeships, equivalent to master’s degree level, except for young apprentices under the age of 22. This will enable government funding to be rebalanced towards young people and training at lower levels.

Apprenticeship spend is dependent on employers choosing to offer apprenticeships and learners choosing to take them.

The department does not publish information on projected apprenticeship spend.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help reduce waiting times for the completion of Education and Health Care Plans.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

The department wants to ensure that, where required, education, health and care (EHC) plan assessments are progressed promptly and, if needed, plans are issued as quickly as possible so that children and young people can access the support they need.

Local authorities have a statutory responsibility to assess whether children and young people have special educational needs that require an EHC plan. Plans must be issued within twenty weeks of the needs assessment commencing so that children and young people can access the support they need.

The department continues to monitor and work closely with local authorities that have issues with EHC plan timeliness. Where there are concerns about a local authority’s capacity to make the required improvements, we help them to identify the barriers to this and put in place an effective recovery plan. This includes, where needed, securing a specialist special educational needs and disabilities adviser.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an estimate of the number of people working for state schools who possess a Level 7 apprenticeship qualification.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The requested information is not collected centrally.

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 bringing forward legislative proposals to oblige local authorities to provide family hubs.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

On 11 June 2025, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, set out plans for spending and public sector reforms through the Spending Review 2025. This announcement confirmed departmental budgets for 2026/27 onwards and committed that the government will continue to invest in and expand the Family Hubs programme, working with parents to help give children the best start in life.

On 7 July 2025, the government published the policy paper ‘Giving every child the best start in life’, which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/giving-every-child-the-best-start-in-life.

This outlines the government’s commitment to delivering a new Best Start Family Service to bring together parenting, healthcare and education support services, as well as creating and funding Best Start Family Hubs in every local authority to give children the best start in life by strengthening and joining up family services.

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 publishing a national outcomes framework for family hubs.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

On 11 June 2025, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, set out plans for spending and public sector reforms through the Spending Review 2025. This announcement confirmed departmental budgets for 2026/27 onwards and committed that the government will continue to invest in and expand the Family Hubs programme, working with parents to help give children the best start in life.

On 7 July 2025, the government published the policy paper ‘Giving every child the best start in life’, which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/giving-every-child-the-best-start-in-life.

This outlines the government’s commitment to delivering a new Best Start Family Service to bring together parenting, healthcare and education support services, as well as creating and funding Best Start Family Hubs in every local authority to give children the best start in life by strengthening and joining up family services.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding has been allocated to family hubs for each year of the Spending Review 2025.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

On 11 June 2025, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, set out plans for spending and public sector reforms through the Spending Review 2025. This announcement confirmed departmental budgets for 2026/27 onwards and committed that the government will continue to invest in and expand the Family Hubs programme, working with parents to help give children the best start in life.

On 7 July 2025, the government published the policy paper ‘Giving every child the best start in life’, which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/giving-every-child-the-best-start-in-life.

This outlines the government’s commitment to delivering a new Best Start Family Service to bring together parenting, healthcare and education support services, as well as creating and funding Best Start Family Hubs in every local authority to give children the best start in life by strengthening and joining up family services.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she plans to take to roll out integrated family hubs.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

On 11 June 2025, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, set out plans for spending and public sector reforms through the Spending Review 2025. This announcement confirmed departmental budgets for 2026/27 onwards and committed that the government will continue to invest in and expand the Family Hubs programme, working with parents to help give children the best start in life.

On 7 July 2025, the government published the policy paper ‘Giving every child the best start in life’, which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/giving-every-child-the-best-start-in-life.

This outlines the government’s commitment to delivering a new Best Start Family Service to bring together parenting, healthcare and education support services, as well as creating and funding Best Start Family Hubs in every local authority to give children the best start in life by strengthening and joining up family services.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that that integrated family hubs are available to support families in local communities.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

On 11 June 2025, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, set out plans for spending and public sector reforms through the Spending Review 2025. This announcement confirmed departmental budgets for 2026/27 onwards and committed that the government will continue to invest in and expand the Family Hubs programme, working with parents to help give children the best start in life.

On 7 July 2025, the government published the policy paper ‘Giving every child the best start in life’, which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/giving-every-child-the-best-start-in-life.

This outlines the government’s commitment to delivering a new Best Start Family Service to bring together parenting, healthcare and education support services, as well as creating and funding Best Start Family Hubs in every local authority to give children the best start in life by strengthening and joining up family services.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that family hubs are available in all areas.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

On 11 June 2025, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, set out plans for spending and public sector reforms through the Spending Review 2025. This announcement confirmed departmental budgets for 2026/27 onwards and committed that the government will continue to invest in and expand the Family Hubs programme, working with parents to help give children the best start in life.

On 7 July 2025, the government published the policy paper ‘Giving every child the best start in life’, which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/giving-every-child-the-best-start-in-life.

This outlines the government’s commitment to delivering a new Best Start Family Service to bring together parenting, healthcare and education support services, as well as creating and funding Best Start Family Hubs in every local authority to give children the best start in life by strengthening and joining up family services.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she plans to take to ensure a wide roll out the Family Hubs programme.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

On 11 June 2025, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, set out plans for spending and public sector reforms through the Spending Review 2025. This announcement confirmed departmental budgets for 2026/27 onwards and committed that the government will continue to invest in and expand the Family Hubs programme, working with parents to help give children the best start in life.

On 7 July 2025, the government published the policy paper ‘Giving every child the best start in life’, which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/giving-every-child-the-best-start-in-life.

This outlines the government’s commitment to delivering a new Best Start Family Service to bring together parenting, healthcare and education support services, as well as creating and funding Best Start Family Hubs in every local authority to give children the best start in life by strengthening and joining up family services.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to support the introduction of more vocational education pathways for students in Lincolnshire.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

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 including in Cambridgeshire. 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, a high-quality technical education option for young people, including a valuable workplace industry placement which prepares them work.

• Higher Technical Qualifications, occupation-focussed 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.

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

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what is the per-pupil funding when taking into account increased National Insurance contributions costs and increased eligibility for free school meals in each year of the Spending Review 2025 (CP1336); and what assessment they have made the level of per-pupil funding in those years compared to (1) 2023–24, and (2) 2024–25.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)

​​The department is providing schools with over £930 million in the 2025/26 financial year to support schools with the increases to employer National Insurance contributions from April 2025. This funding will be rolled into the schools national funding formula from 2026/27, ensuring that this additional funding forms an on-going part of schools’ core budgets. Total schools funding will increase by a further £4.2 billion, by the end of the Spending Review period.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of therapeutic sessions available to a child who has undergone a specialist assessment funded by the adoption and special guardianship support fund.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)

The number of therapeutic sessions available to a child after a specialist assessment funded by the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF) is dependent on a variety of factors. This includes the cost of the specialist assessment, the cost of the therapy and in which financial year the specialist assessment was completed. It is also important to note that additional funding may be made available by the local authority or Regional Adoption Agency beyond that provided by the ASGSF, therefore increasing the amount of therapy available, should the specialist assessment recommend this.

The department estimates that £3,000 of funding will fund an average of 19 to 20 hours of therapy. This is a significant package of support, which may be tailored to meet a child’s individual needs.

Outcomes measurement tool data enables the efficacy of ASGSF-funded support to be monitored at local and national level. The department started to collect data from outcomes measurement tools for ASGSF-funded therapies in December 2023. As therapy treatment comes to an end, this data will give an overall picture of the impact and adequacy of individual ASGSF-funded therapies. We are currently developing tools and methods for assessing this emerging information.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to develop a national outcomes framework for family hubs.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

On 11 June 2025, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, set out plans for spending and public sector reforms through the Spending Review 2025. This announcement confirmed departmental budgets for 2026/27 onwards and committed that the government will continue to invest in and expand the Family Hubs programme, working with parents to help give children the best start in life.

On 7 July 2025, the government published the policy paper ‘Giving every child the best start in life’, which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/giving-every-child-the-best-start-in-life.

This outlines the government’s commitment to delivering a new Best Start Family Service to bring together parenting, healthcare and education support services, as well as creating and funding Best Start Family Hubs in every local authority to give children the best start in life by strengthening and joining up family services.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will require local authorities to provide family hubs in communities.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

On 11 June 2025, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, set out plans for spending and public sector reforms through the Spending Review 2025. This announcement confirmed departmental budgets for 2026/27 onwards and committed that the government will continue to invest in and expand the Family Hubs programme, working with parents to help give children the best start in life.

On 7 July 2025, the government published the policy paper ‘Giving every child the best start in life’, which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/giving-every-child-the-best-start-in-life.

This outlines the government’s commitment to delivering a new Best Start Family Service to bring together parenting, healthcare and education support services, as well as creating and funding Best Start Family Hubs in every local authority to give children the best start in life by strengthening and joining up family services.

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Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, in the context of children under the age of two who are separated from their mothers in prison, if she will publish (a) a list of types of setting in which those children are looked after and (b) the (i) number and (ii) proportion of children looked after by setting type.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

Data on the number of babies accommodated in Mother and Baby Units (MBUs) in England is published at Table 10.1 of the HMPPS Annual Digest 2023-2024:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/hmpps-annual-digest-april-2023-to-march-2024/hmpps-annual-digest-2023-to-2024#mother-and-baby-units-mbus-pregnant-prisoners-and-births.

The Annual Digest 2024 - 2025 is scheduled for publication at the end of July. Owing to our obligations under the Code of Practice for Statistics, we are unable to provide the latest data as this time, as they are intended for future publication.

Women who are pregnant, or who have children up to and around the age of 18 months, can apply for a place in an MBU. MBUs normally accommodate babies up until the age of 18 months, though in exceptional circumstances a child may remain beyond 18 months.

Data is not held on the number of mothers in prison who are separated from children under the age of two, or on the care arrangements for those children. While applications for MBU placements are recorded, there is no central record of children who are not placed in MBUs or the reasons for separation.

Care decisions are made by local authorities in accordance with their safeguarding responsibilities under the Children Act 1989 and the statutory guidance Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023.

We recognise that parental imprisonment is an adverse childhood experience. We are working closely with the Department for Education to determine how we identify these children effectively, and the best way to provide support for affected children and their parent in prison.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many mothers in prison (a) are currently separated from their children under the age of two and (b) have been separated from their babies and children under the age of two in the last 12 months.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

Data on the number of babies accommodated in Mother and Baby Units (MBUs) in England is published at Table 10.1 of the HMPPS Annual Digest 2023-2024:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/hmpps-annual-digest-april-2023-to-march-2024/hmpps-annual-digest-2023-to-2024#mother-and-baby-units-mbus-pregnant-prisoners-and-births.

The Annual Digest 2024 - 2025 is scheduled for publication at the end of July. Owing to our obligations under the Code of Practice for Statistics, we are unable to provide the latest data as this time, as they are intended for future publication.

Women who are pregnant, or who have children up to and around the age of 18 months, can apply for a place in an MBU. MBUs normally accommodate babies up until the age of 18 months, though in exceptional circumstances a child may remain beyond 18 months.

Data is not held on the number of mothers in prison who are separated from children under the age of two, or on the care arrangements for those children. While applications for MBU placements are recorded, there is no central record of children who are not placed in MBUs or the reasons for separation.

Care decisions are made by local authorities in accordance with their safeguarding responsibilities under the Children Act 1989 and the statutory guidance Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023.

We recognise that parental imprisonment is an adverse childhood experience. We are working closely with the Department for Education to determine how we identify these children effectively, and the best way to provide support for affected children and their parent in prison.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many babies and children under the age of two are (a) in Mother and Baby Units in prisons in England and (b) have been in Mother and Baby Units in prisons in England in the last twelve months.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

Data on the number of babies accommodated in Mother and Baby Units (MBUs) in England is published at Table 10.1 of the HMPPS Annual Digest 2023-2024:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/hmpps-annual-digest-april-2023-to-march-2024/hmpps-annual-digest-2023-to-2024#mother-and-baby-units-mbus-pregnant-prisoners-and-births.

The Annual Digest 2024 - 2025 is scheduled for publication at the end of July. Owing to our obligations under the Code of Practice for Statistics, we are unable to provide the latest data as this time, as they are intended for future publication.

Women who are pregnant, or who have children up to and around the age of 18 months, can apply for a place in an MBU. MBUs normally accommodate babies up until the age of 18 months, though in exceptional circumstances a child may remain beyond 18 months.

Data is not held on the number of mothers in prison who are separated from children under the age of two, or on the care arrangements for those children. While applications for MBU placements are recorded, there is no central record of children who are not placed in MBUs or the reasons for separation.

Care decisions are made by local authorities in accordance with their safeguarding responsibilities under the Children Act 1989 and the statutory guidance Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023.

We recognise that parental imprisonment is an adverse childhood experience. We are working closely with the Department for Education to determine how we identify these children effectively, and the best way to provide support for affected children and their parent in prison.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Education on the potential fiscal implications of ending Strategic Priorities Grant funding for journalism courses.

Answered by Darren Jones - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

My department regularly discusses Strategic Priorities Grant funding and its fiscal implications with the Department for Education. As a result of the challenging fiscal context that we inherited, we are prioritising support for high-cost subjects that are essential to delivery of our industrial strategy – such as science, engineering and medicine – and core funding to support access to higher education for disadvantaged groups. It is important that the targeted funding allocated through the Strategic Priorities Grant supports provision of subjects that have higher costs of delivery and the key sectors set out in the Industrial Strategy.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the withdrawal of Strategic Priorities Grant funding from journalism courses on the future sustainability of the journalism sector.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The Government has had to make tough prioritisation decisions driven by the challenging fiscal context that we inherited. For the Department of Education, this has meant prioritising support for high-cost subjects that are essential to delivery of our industrial strategy and core funding to support access to higher education for disadvantaged groups. It is important that the targeted funding allocated through the Strategic Priorities Grant (SPG) supports courses that have higher costs of delivery and our Plan for Growth.

The Government remains committed to supporting the invaluable role which journalism plays in the fabric of our society. We acknowledge journalism as an important and valued subject in higher education, alongside numerous other subjects that do not attract SPG high-cost subject funding, such as history, languages, economics, maths and law.

DCMS officials are engaging with the Department for Education, as well as the press sector and the key journalism professional bodies, to better understand the impact this will have on the journalism industry, as part of the wider creative industries.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the withdrawal of Strategic Priorities Grant funding for journalism courses on the creative industries.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The Government has had to make tough prioritisation decisions driven by the challenging fiscal context that we inherited. For the Department of Education, this has meant prioritising support for high-cost subjects that are essential to delivery of our industrial strategy and core funding to support access to higher education for disadvantaged groups. It is important that the targeted funding allocated through the Strategic Priorities Grant (SPG) supports courses that have higher costs of delivery and our Plan for Growth.

The Government remains committed to supporting the invaluable role which journalism plays in the fabric of our society. We acknowledge journalism as an important and valued subject in higher education, alongside numerous other subjects that do not attract SPG high-cost subject funding, such as history, languages, economics, maths and law.

DCMS officials are engaging with the Department for Education, as well as the press sector and the key journalism professional bodies, to better understand the impact this will have on the journalism industry, as part of the wider creative industries.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Education on the decision to end Strategic Priorities Grant funding for journalism courses in higher education.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The Government has had to make tough prioritisation decisions driven by the challenging fiscal context that we inherited. For the Department of Education, this has meant prioritising support for high-cost subjects that are essential to delivery of our industrial strategy and core funding to support access to higher education for disadvantaged groups. It is important that the targeted funding allocated through the Strategic Priorities Grant (SPG) supports courses that have higher costs of delivery and our Plan for Growth.

The Government remains committed to supporting the invaluable role which journalism plays in the fabric of our society. We acknowledge journalism as an important and valued subject in higher education, alongside numerous other subjects that do not attract SPG high-cost subject funding, such as history, languages, economics, maths and law.

DCMS officials are engaging with the Department for Education, as well as the press sector and the key journalism professional bodies, to better understand the impact this will have on the journalism industry, as part of the wider creative industries.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to help reduce the number of missing children in the West Midlands; and what steps she is taking to help reduce the number of Black and Asian missing children.

Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The Missing Persons Authorised Professional Practice, issued by the College of Policing, sets out best practice guidance for all missing person investigations, including missing children.

The Government recognises the need for an effective multi-agency response to missing person investigations. To this end, the Home Office and Department for Education have been supporting the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) lead for Missing Persons in the development of a ‘Missing Children from Care’ framework, which has been piloted in West Yorkshire. This framework outlines good practice that can be adopted by local areas when setting up their own multi-agency protocols for the strategic and operational response to a missing incident, with an aim to ensure that the appropriate safeguarding partner responds in the best interest of the missing person.

The Home Office has also funded the NPCC for Missing Persons to conduct research to explore disproportionality and discrimination in police missing persons investigations; comparing how risk is categorised in different ethnic groups. The final report is nearing completion.

Question

To ask the Leader of the House whether she has contacted the Permanent Secretaries at the Foreign Office, the Department for Education, and the Department for Health and Social Care to ask for explanations as to why these departments have failed to answer questions for written answer, tabled in May but still awaiting an answer in July.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Basildon - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal

I have personally reminded Ministers of the 10 day target for their department throughout my time as Leader. As well as this my office routinely contacts departments and Secretaries of State who have breached the target, reminding them of their duty to ensure the target is met and to ascertain the reasons why deadlines have been missed. I have not at present written to any Permanent Secretaries but I will do so if the issue persists.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to support (a) parents and (b) teachers who are concerned about smartphone use (i) children and (ii) teenagers.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

By the end of this month the Online Safety Act will bring in protections for children to make sure their experiences are appropriate for their age.

Ofcom – the Act’s regulator - has set out measures for services to take to comply with the Act’s child safety duties, and will consider parental controls for future iterations Codes.

The Department for Education has issued guidance on mobile phones in schools to support teachers, and the UK Chief Medical Officers have published advice to support parents on children’s screen use.

This is the foundation, we will not hesitate to go further, to ensure the children’s safety online.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of parental controls on (a) social media platforms and (b) smartphones.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

By the end of this month the Online Safety Act will bring in protections for children to make sure their experiences are appropriate for their age.

Ofcom – the Act’s regulator - has set out measures for services to take to comply with the Act’s child safety duties, and will consider parental controls for future iterations Codes.

The Department for Education has issued guidance on mobile phones in schools to support teachers, and the UK Chief Medical Officers have published advice to support parents on children’s screen use.

This is the foundation, we will not hesitate to go further, to ensure the children’s safety online.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of raising the minimum age for social media access.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

By the end of this month the Online Safety Act will bring in protections for children to make sure their experiences are appropriate for their age.

Ofcom – the Act’s regulator - has set out measures for services to take to comply with the Act’s child safety duties, and will consider parental controls for future iterations Codes.

The Department for Education has issued guidance on mobile phones in schools to support teachers, and the UK Chief Medical Officers have published advice to support parents on children’s screen use.

This is the foundation, we will not hesitate to go further, to ensure the children’s safety online.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effect of artificial intelligence technologies on the customer service sector; and what steps they are taking to support job security in the sector.

Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

In November 2023, the Department for Education published a report showing the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on areas within the UK labour market and education The impact of AI on UK jobs and training - GOV.UK. The report noted that professional occupations are more exposed to AI, particularly those associated with more clerical work and across finance, law and business management roles.

The Government is committed to ensuring both learners and employers have access to crucial digital and artificial intelligence skills that have the potential to increase productivity and create new high value jobs in the UK economy. To achieve this, the Government is reforming the skills system. The Government has established Skills England to form a coherent national picture of skills gaps and to help shape the technical education system so that it is responsive to skills needs.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the capacity of the NHS to contribute to the provisions for Multi Agency Child Protection Teams in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, introduced in Parliament on 17 December, will protect children at risk of abuse, by stopping vulnerable children from falling through the cracks in services. The bill will place a duty on local safeguarding partners to establish multi-agency child protection teams (MACPTs), aimed at strengthening the multi-agency child protection response to all types of harm. These teams will have a minimum membership, nominated by safeguarding partners, of a social worker, a police officer, a registered health practitioner, and a person with experience of education.

MACPTs have been embedded in 10 local areas through the Families First for Children Pathfinders programme. Based on the learning from these pathfinders, the teams are being rolled out nationally through the Families First Partnership (FFP) programme, launched in April 2025. The FFP programme guide enables flexibility in the composition of MACPTs, which are designed according to local need.

NHS England is supporting and learning from the nine integrated care boards (ICBs) currently working with the Families First for Children Pathfinders programme, which includes MACPTs. The national safeguarding leads are collaborating with the Department for Education and the Department of Health and Social Care to profile how ICBs might implement MACPTs alongside local statutory partners, using Section 75 collaborative funding arrangements in order to optimise the Spending Review budget for the national rollout of the Families First Partnership programme and MACPTs.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Education on tackling county lines gangs in schools.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office works closely with the Department for Education to tackle knife crime and the criminal exploitation of children.

Ministers from both Departments met recently for a targeted conversation on tackling child criminal exploitation and county lines.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to recommendation 14 of the report commissioned by his Department entitled AI Opportunities Action Plan, published on 13 January 2025, when he plans to publish an updated assessment of skills required.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Reducing the AI skills gap is critical for increasing the UK’s productivity and delivering long-term growth. In June, the Department for Education published an analysis of the skills needs for 10 priority sectors, including digital technology, and we are working with them and Skills England to further assess the skills gap and map pathways to fill it. We additionally announced a joint commitment with industry to upskill 7.5 million workers with vital AI skills. DSIT also regularly reviews the status of the UK’s AI labour market and has commissioned a survey of the labour market, which will be published later this year.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the UK's artificial intelligence skills gap; and whether they plan to incentivise skilled workers to migrate to the UK to work in the sector.

Answered by Lord Vallance of Balham - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Reducing the AI skills gap is critical for increasing the UK’s productivity and delivering long-term growth. DSIT regularly reviews the status of the UK’s AI labour market and has commissioned a survey of the labour market, which will be published later this year. We are also working with DfE and Skills England to assess the AI skills gap and map pathways to fill it and recently announced a joint commitment with industry to upskill 7.5 million workers with vital AI skills.

As set out in the AI Opportunities Action Plan and reaffirmed at the Spending Review, we have also confirmed that we will be expanding AI education in universities, launching Pioneer Fellowships for cross-disciplinary upskilling, and introducing the Sparck AI Scholarships to attract and nurture top talent in UK institutions.

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Found: For example, NHS bodies reporting under NHS England, and DfE reporting on behalf of Schools.

Found: ) In 2017, the Department for Education (DfE) launched a fresh, systems-thinking based review

Found: A case study4 from the Department for Education (DfE), which aimed to address concerns around low take-up

Found: shown in Figure 15, and public versions of this such as in the NHS (NHS Digital, 2021) and Department for Education

Found: an intervention over in Department for Work and Pensions was going to have an impact on Department for Education

Found: Susan Acland-Hood Permanent Secretary, Department for Education and Joint Head of the Policy Profession

Found: individual support from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy or the Department for Education

Found: education records held by NHS England, the Department of Health and Social Care and the Department for Education

Found: An example of a delivery landscape, for the Department for Education and Skills, is below.

Found: national child protection guidelines e.g. for people working in England, Department for Education’s (DfE

Found: with the relevant national child protection guidelines e.g. for people working in England, Department for Education

Found: , and what the Chair of the IAP described as one of the top two national programmes delivering the DfE

Found: These differ from “Near Neighbours”, that others, such as the Department for Education, use.

Found: I have also asked my officials to engage with their colleagues at the Department for Education and Skills

Found: In 2024/25 Gigahubs will deliver gigabit capable broadband to Schools, working closely with DfE.

Found: In 2024/25 Gigahubs will deliver gigabit capable broadband to Schools, working closely with DfE.

Found: In 2024/25 Gigahubs will deliver gigabit capable broadband to Schools, working closely with DfE.

Found: year are: 10 ● Liaising with library stakeholders so they could respond to the Department for Education

Found: grants5.74.5Total grants and subsidies104.1122.4EntityGrant2023-242022-23£bn£bnDepartment for Education (DfE

Found: £ billion)Transport: DfT + TfL e.g. roads and rail712Defence: MOD e.g. military assets136Education: DfE

Found: The Department for Education (DfE) has alternative reporting arrangements for the academies sector as

Found: Prevention of VAWG is a wide-reaching area requiring cross-government effort across DfE, DCMS, MHCLG

Found: Prevention of VAWG is a wide-reaching area requiring cross-government effort across DfE, DCMS, MHCLG

Found: In future editions of PESA the Department for Education will look to improve apportionment of spending

Found: spending is therefore presented using HM Treasury’s own sub-functional classification.(3) The Department for Education

Found: spending is therefore presented using HM Treasury’s own sub-functional classification.(7) The Department for Education

Found: spending is therefore presented using HM Treasury’s own sub-functional classification.(6) The Department for Education

Found: School Education, Chapter on The Importance of Human Capital for Economic Outcomes 97 Department for Education

Found: . • (Pharma and MedTech) By the end of 2025: The Department for Education will develop a new Post-16

Found: keeping, usually during the delivery of a service (for example: the National Pupil Database held by DfE

Found: We agreed our framework document with our sponsor the Department for Education, in consultation with

Found: We agreed our framework document with our sponsor the Department for Education, in consultation with

Found: The Department for Education (DfE) sponsored us as a Crown non-departmental public body (NDPB).

Found: As you are aware, administrators have been appointed by the Department for Education to resolve the

Found: . £28,439,180 Total £117,048,070 2 Department for Business and Trade; Department for Education; Department

Found: In September 2024, in partnership with HMRC and DfE, NS&I supported the expansion of the DfE government

Found: In September 2024, in partnership with HMRC and DfE, NS&I supported the expansion of the DfE government

Found: Regular engagement across DfE to monitor wider support provided.

Found: • Research and consultancy services • UK government (including Cabinet Office, Defra, Department for Education

Found: • Research and consultancy services • UK government (including Cabinet Office, Defra, Department for Education

Found: revenue to Resource Account 3.4 (11.4) (19.1) Student Loan recoveries paid and payable to the Department for Education

Found: Department of Health and Social Care ● Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government ● Department for Education

Found: projects for National Highways in England and undertaking a schools assessment project for the Department for Education

Found: (Acting for London Borough of Harrow, Barnet and Hounslow and Slough Borough Council) • Department for Education

Found: From: Regional Department for Education (DfE) Directors Published 18 July 2025 Get emails

Found: • maps showing the location of the School; and • information available on the websites of the DfE

Found: a pre-action protocol letter if the proposal was not withdrawn. 19 June – the Council wrote to the DfE

Found: School and other relevant schools; and • information available on the websites of the Department for Education

Found: showing the location of the School; and • information available on the websites of the Department for Education

Found: St Paul’s Place 125 Norfolk Street Sheffield S1 2FJ Email: RG.EM@education.gov.uk gov.uk/dfe

Found: From: Regional Department for Education (DfE) Directors Published 11 July 2025 Get emails

Found: menopause transition on women’s economic participation in the UK,’ which was commissioned by the Department for Education

Found: menopause transition on women’s economic participation in the UK,’ was commissioned by the Department for Education

Found: needs and/or disability (SEND) within mainstream school settings, is one of the greatest challenges (DfE

Found: Susan Acland-Hood Permanent Secretary, Department for Education and Joint Head of the Policy Profession

Found: A case study4 from the Department for Education (DfE), which aimed to address concerns around low take-up

Found: ) In 2017, the Department for Education (DfE) launched a fresh, systems-thinking based review

Found: shown in Figure 15, and public versions of this such as in the NHS (NHS Digital, 2021) and Department for Education

Found: an intervention over in Department for Work and Pensions was going to have an impact on Department for Education

Found: . • (Pharma and MedTech) By the end of 2025: The Department for Education will develop a new Post-16

Found: keeping, usually during the delivery of a service (for example: the National Pupil Database held by DfE

Found: (DfE) should counter the anti-Prevent narratives on university campuses, DfE closed their

Found: We will 2 DfE external document template OFFICIAL OFFICIAL work with Electoral Registration

Found: Devolved funding bodies are; • Department for the Economy, Northern Ireland (NI DfE) • Medr – the Commission

Found: natural draught T250 N2 D 1 Oxx fanned draught T250 P2 D 1 Oxx[1] Gas fire radient/convector ILFE or DFE

Found: While additional funding was applied to the Department for Education as part of the UK Government’s