Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment has her Department has made of the adequacy of provision of school uniform for children with physical disabilities.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

Decisions regarding school uniform policies are the responsibility of school governing boards and they should consider the needs of all pupils when developing their policies on school uniform. To support schools, the department has published non-statutory guidance on developing and implementing their school uniform policy, which includes advice on meeting their equality obligations. This guidance can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-uniform/school-uniforms.

The guidance states that a school uniform should be inclusive, and we expect schools to be considerate when implementing their policy so that their uniform can be worn by all pupils.

The guidance also states that schools should be willing to allow for some individual variations to their uniform policy, where necessary, to avoid indirect discrimination. For instance, reasonable adjustments must be made, as appropriate, for pupils with a disability.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support parents with the cost of school uniform in Surrey Heath constituency.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

I refer the hon. Member for Surrey Heath to the answer of 10 November 2025 to Question 79046.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the estimated average cost per child of breakfast food is at school breakfast clubs according to the latest available data.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

The government is delivering on its pledge to provide a free breakfast club in every state-funded school with primary-aged children. This will ensure every child, regardless of their circumstances, has a supportive start to the school day.

The department has confirmed over £30 million of funding for free breakfast clubs for the current 2025/26 financial year and around £80 million for the 2026/27 financial year. Schools will be funded for the running of a breakfast club, including food, staffing and day-to-day delivery. Learning from the early adopters, we will provide further information, including specifics on eligibility, funding, and expectations for schools, later in the autumn term.

The department does not collect data on how much money schools spend per child on breakfast food.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she will make an emergency inspection of the Bramley Hill School in Surrey.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

Private schools must meet the Independent School Standards, at all times, and are inspected at least every three years.

Bramley Hill was inspected by Ofsted in March 2024 when all the Independent School Standards were found to be met.

Concerns about safeguarding in a private school can be raised by contacting the Local Authority Designated Officer if an allegation is made against a member of staff, or the department if there are concerns about the school’s overall safeguarding culture or compliance.

Where information suggests that children may be at risk, an emergency inspection can be commissioned.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that families are able to afford school uniforms in Lancashire.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

The cost of school uniform, particularly of branded items, remains a key concern for parents. Whilst uniforms play a valuable role in creating a sense of common identity among pupils and reducing visible inequalities, too many schools still require high numbers of branded uniform items despite statutory guidance stating branded items should be kept to a minimum. Currently 24% of primary and 71% of secondary schools still require five or more branded items, with some parents saying they were asked to provide ten or more.

This is why the department has introduced legislation to limit the number of branded items of uniform and physical education kit that schools can require, to bring down costs for parents and remove barriers from children accessing sport and other school activities. This will give parents more choice in where to purchase uniform and allow them greater flexibility to make the spending decisions that suit their circumstances.

The department intends to introduce this limit from September 2026. On 23 October, we published updated statutory guidance on the cost of school uniforms, which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cost-of-school-uniforms.

This includes draft statutory guidance to support schools in implementing any necessary changes within the proposed limit.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many employment tribunal claims have been lodged against her Department in each of the last five years by (a) unfair dismissal and (b) claims under the Equality Act 2010.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

The table below shows the number of Employment Tribunal claims made against the department in the last five years.

*For the period 1 January 2025 to 30 September 2025.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many people work in her Department's (a) Human Resources and Transformation Directorate and (b) Public Sector Equality Duty team.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

As at the end of October 2025, the full-time equivalent (FTE) headcount of the department’s Human Resources Directorate was 139.

Public Sector Equality Duty work in the department sits within the department's central Strategy Group and is resourced by 1.7 FTE staff. In addition, the department has a model of maintaining dispersed capacity across the department to comply with its duties.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding has been allocated for teacher training under the reading initiative in (a) Hexham constituency, (b) Northumberland, (c) Newcastle and (d) the North East.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The government has committed £27.7 million to support and drive high and rising standards in reading in the 2025/26 financial year. This funding will deliver a range of support for schools, including new training for primary schools delivered through the 34 English Hubs, to help children progress from the early stages of phonics through to reading fluently by the time they leave primary school, and new support and training for secondary schools to support reading at key stage 3.

Hexham, Northumberland and Newcastle are served by St Michael’s English Hub. Schools can find their local English Hub on the English Hubs website: https://englishhubs.net/.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to respond to Question 82435 tabled by the hon. Member for South Cambridgeshire on 15 October 2025.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The response to Written Parliamentary Question 82435 was published on 4 November 2025.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when applications will open for the second round of Best Start breakfast clubs.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

The government is committed to deliver on its pledge to provide a free breakfast club in every state-funded school with primary-aged children. This will ensure every child, regardless of circumstance, has a supportive start to the school day.

So far, we have delivered 2.6 million breakfasts and offered places to almost 180,000 pupils across the country. Following the success of the early adopters, we will start the first phase of national rollout of the clubs from April 2026. We are investing a further £80 million into the programme to fund approximately 2,000 additional schools between April 2026 and March 2027. This will benefit around 500,000 more children.

Further information, including specifics on eligibility, funding and expectations for schools will be provided later in the autumn term. This will include detailed guidance as well as a wider package of support.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of schools' implementation of her Department's guidance entitled Mobile phones in schools, published on 19 February 2024.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

Departmental guidance on mobile phones in schools, published in February 2024, is clear that schools should prohibit the use of devices with smart technology throughout the school day, including during lessons, transitions and breaks.

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

Research from the Children’s Commissioner published in April 2025, with responses from nearly all schools and colleges in England, shows that the overwhelming majority of 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.

The department does not hold information on costs incurred by schools to implement mobile phone bans. Each school is responsible for deciding how they apply this guidance and how to accommodate the needs of their pupils.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on the costs incurred by schools for implementing smartphone bans during the school day.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

Departmental guidance on mobile phones in schools, published in February 2024, is clear that schools should prohibit the use of devices with smart technology throughout the school day, including during lessons, transitions and breaks.

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

Research from the Children’s Commissioner published in April 2025, with responses from nearly all schools and colleges in England, shows that the overwhelming majority of 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.

The department does not hold information on costs incurred by schools to implement mobile phone bans. Each school is responsible for deciding how they apply this guidance and how to accommodate the needs of their pupils.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on the use (a) isolation or (b) internal exclusion rooms by (a) SEND status, (b) gender, (c) ethnicity and (d) free school meal eligibility.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

The department does not hold data on the use of isolation or internal exclusion rooms, sometimes referred to as removal.

The department trusts headteachers to use their professional judgement, based on the individual circumstances, when issuing a sanction.

Schools should consider any underlying causes behind a pupil’s misbehaviour before issuing any form of sanction, including where a pupil has special educational needs or disabilities, or an unmet need.

The ‘Behaviour in schools’ guidance outlines expectations around the use of removal from the classroom. Schools should also ensure that removal is used consistently, proportionately, and in a way that supports the pupil’s reintegration into the classroom.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department holds information on the number of schools which use (a) isolation and (b) internal exclusion rooms and the frequency of their use in Poole constituency.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

The department does not hold data on the use of isolation or internal exclusion rooms, sometimes referred to as removal.

The department trusts headteachers to use their professional judgement, based on the individual circumstances, when issuing a sanction.

Schools should consider any underlying causes behind a pupil’s misbehaviour before issuing any form of sanction, including where a pupil has special educational needs or disabilities, or an unmet need.

The ‘Behaviour in schools’ guidance outlines expectations around the use of removal from the classroom. Schools should also ensure that removal is used consistently, proportionately, and in a way that supports the pupil’s reintegration into the classroom.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 3 October 2024 to Question 73744 on Private Education, whether the matter of the financial impact of VAT on private school fees was discussed at the meeting on 22 July 2025.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

The impact of VAT changes on private schools with Independent Schools Council membership was discussed at the meeting on 22 July.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what contingency plans the government has to (a) identify and (b) remove asbestos in schools scheduled for reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete remediation.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department takes the safety of children and those who work with them incredibly seriously.

By the end of this parliament, every school and college in England, that is not being fully or substantially rebuilt, will be reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) free.

For those schools needing to be rebuilt, under the School Rebuilding Programme every project will be in delivery by the end of the Parliament, with over half already underway.

When asbestos is encountered in the process of removing RAAC, it will also be removed.

More broadly, responsible bodies are duty-holders for asbestos management within their buildings and must follow requirements and standards set by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). The department requires responsible bodies to have robust asbestos management plans in place to manage their buildings effectively, in line with their legal duties, drawing on appropriate professional advice. HSE advice remains that it is generally safest to manage asbestos-containing materials in place, providing they are in good condition and unlikely to be disturbed.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to support schools to (a) improve behaviour management and (b) reduce exclusions.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

This government is clear that schools can use sanctions as a measure to improve behaviour, and in the most serious cases, exclusion may be necessary to ensure that schools are calm and safe learning environments. Schools also have a legal duty under the Equality Act 2010 not to discriminate against pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

The statutory ‘Suspension and permanent exclusion’ guidance is clear that, in all cases, school leaders should consider early intervention strategies and multi-agency assessments to address the underlying causes or contributing factors towards a pupil’s disruptive behaviour before issuing an exclusion. This includes situations where a pupil has SEND. Schools should arrange such assessments when concerns arise, rather than waiting for a specific trigger.

As part of our Plan for Change, the government is committed to tackling poor behaviour and rising exclusions. We have committed to providing access to mental health support in every school and ensuring earlier intervention for pupils with SEND. The new Attendance and Behaviour Hubs will target schools with the greatest need, while offering wider support nationally to help build strong, inclusive school cultures.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to support pupils with special educational needs excluded at higher rates.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

This government is clear that schools can use sanctions as a measure to improve behaviour, and in the most serious cases, exclusion may be necessary to ensure that schools are calm and safe learning environments. Schools also have a legal duty under the Equality Act 2010 not to discriminate against pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

The statutory ‘Suspension and permanent exclusion’ guidance is clear that, in all cases, school leaders should consider early intervention strategies and multi-agency assessments to address the underlying causes or contributing factors towards a pupil’s disruptive behaviour before issuing an exclusion. This includes situations where a pupil has SEND. Schools should arrange such assessments when concerns arise, rather than waiting for a specific trigger.

As part of our Plan for Change, the government is committed to tackling poor behaviour and rising exclusions. We have committed to providing access to mental health support in every school and ensuring earlier intervention for pupils with SEND. The new Attendance and Behaviour Hubs will target schools with the greatest need, while offering wider support nationally to help build strong, inclusive school cultures.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for what reason differences in (a) size, (b) facilities and (c) delivery model of nurseries are not considered when determining the hourly rate of funding per child.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

It is the department’s ambition that all families have access to high quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, giving every child the best start in life. This is key to the government’s Plan for Change, which starts with reaching the milestone of a record number of children being ready for school. That also means ensuring the sector is financially sustainable and confident as it continues to deliver entitlements and high quality early years provision going forward.

In the 2025/26 financial year alone, the department has provided over £8 billion for the early years entitlements, increasing to over £9 billion in 2026/27. We have announced the largest ever increase to Early Years Pupil Premium since its introduction and have delivered a significant tranche of supplementary funding of £75 million through the Early Years Expansion Grant.

The early years market is vibrant and diverse, made up of a range of for-profit and not-for-profit provider types. The department aims to distribute funding fairly, efficiently and transparently across the country and across provider types. The hourly funding rate paid to local authorities is designed to recognise the average costs across different provider types, reflecting staff and non-staff costs.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to extend free breakfast clubs beyond primary schools.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

The rollout of free breakfast clubs prioritises primary-aged children, as this is where the evidence of impact is strongest. A report published by the Education Endowment Foundation found that attainment improved in primary-aged children who attended a breakfast club, and teachers also marked an improvement in pupil behaviour.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on the number and proportion of pre-schools that rely on fundraising to cover (a) operational and (b) staffing costs in the South West.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

The early years funding rates for the 2025/26 financial year for Gloucestershire are £5.71 for the 3 and 4 year-old entitlement, £7.94 for the 2 year-old entitlements, and £10.75 for children under 2s. This is slightly below national average due to relative differences in local costs of delivery and the proportion of children with additional needs which are reflected in the Early Years National Funding Formula (EY NFF) used to set local authority rates.

Regarding levels of additional needs, the EY NFF uses data on free school meals and the Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index (for the 2s and under formula only), disability living allowance and English as an additional language. The formulae also include an area cost adjustment to reflect variations in local staff and premises costs.

The department does not hold data on the proportion of settings using fundraising to support their income.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has provided funding to universities for schemes that exclude white applicants.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department has not directly awarded funding to any such schemes within higher education.

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 difference in exclusion rates between boys and girls.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

Statistics on the suspensions and permanent exclusions rates for boys and girls up to the 2023/24 academic year can be found in the following publication: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/suspensions-and-permanent-exclusions-in-england/2023-24. This has been available since 10 July 2025.

This government is clear schools can use sanctions as a measure to improve behaviour, and in the most serious cases, exclusion may be necessary to ensure every child can achieve and thrive.

​We trust head teachers to use their professional judgement, based on the individual circumstances of each case, when considering excluding a pupil. Any decision to exclude must be lawful, reasonable, and fair. The statutory ‘Suspension and permanent exclusion’ guidance is clear that, in all cases, school leaders should consider early intervention strategies to address the underlying causes or contributing factors of a pupil’s disruptive behaviour before issuing an exclusion.

As a part of our Plan for Change, we are committed to turning the tide on poor behaviour and rising exclusions.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how funding rates for early years education in Gloucestershire compare with the rest of England; and what criteria these funding rates are based on.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

The early years funding rates for the 2025/26 financial year for Gloucestershire are £5.71 for the 3 and 4 year-old entitlement, £7.94 for the 2 year-old entitlements, and £10.75 for children under 2s. This is slightly below national average due to relative differences in local costs of delivery and the proportion of children with additional needs which are reflected in the Early Years National Funding Formula (EY NFF) used to set local authority rates.

Regarding levels of additional needs, the EY NFF uses data on free school meals and the Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index (for the 2s and under formula only), disability living allowance and English as an additional language. The formulae also include an area cost adjustment to reflect variations in local staff and premises costs.

The department does not hold data on the proportion of settings using fundraising to support their income.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help reduce levels of funding pressures for nurseries.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

It is the department’s ambition that all families have access to high quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, giving every child the best start in life. This is key to the government’s Plan for Change, which starts with reaching the milestone of a record number of children being ready for school. That also means ensuring the sector is financially sustainable and confident as it continues to deliver entitlements and high quality early years provision going forward.

In the 2025/26 financial year alone, the department has provided over £8 billion for the early years entitlements, increasing to over £9 billion in 2026/27. We have announced the largest ever increase to Early Years Pupil Premium since its introduction and have delivered a significant tranche of supplementary funding of £75 million through the Early Years Expansion Grant.

The early years market is vibrant and diverse, made up of a range of for-profit and not-for-profit provider types. The department aims to distribute funding fairly, efficiently and transparently across the country and across provider types. The hourly funding rate paid to local authorities is designed to recognise the average costs across different provider types, reflecting staff and non-staff costs.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department's publication entitled Suspensions and permanent exclusions by young career status, published on 10 July 2025, what steps her Department help reduce (a) suspension and (b) permanent exclusion rates among young carers.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

Whilst schools can use sanctions to improve behaviour, in the most serious cases, exclusion may be necessary. The statutory ‘Suspension and permanent exclusion’ guidance is clear that school leaders should consider early intervention to address the underlying causes of disruptive behaviour.

‘Keeping children safe in education’ also sets out school staff should be alert to the potential need for early help for young carers and requires designated safeguarding leads to be trained to understand and respond to their needs.

The department is committed to ensuring every child can succeed and learn in a safe, calm environment. To support this, we have committed to providing access to mental health support in every school and ensuring earlier intervention for pupils at risk of exclusion. Our new attendance and behaviour hubs will directly target the schools with the highest need, as well as wider support for schools in all corners of the country.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much of the savings to the public purse made through changes to large programme Uplift funding for the International Baccalaureate diploma will be allocated to each pupil undertaking (a) maths and (b) high-value A-Level programmes.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department has made significant investments into 16 to 19 education funding. The base rate of funding per student has increased to £5,105 in academic year 2025/26 up over 5% on last year. But we must make this funding work hard, tilting it towards key priorities. That is why we have announced that we will focus the Large Programme Uplift (LPU) funding, which is on top of the base rate, on large programmes which include mathematics, further mathematics and other high value A levels. These programmes will retain the LPU funding. Funding saved from the LPU will be used to help to ensure there are enough suitable places in post-16 education for every young person that wants one.

We will set out the full 16 to 19 funding priorities for academic year 2026/27 in due course. Institutions receiving 16 to19 funding will retain the freedom to decide what programmes of study to offer, including the International Baccalaureate.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an estimate of the number of Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund applications that received match-funding in (a) Newcastle upon Tyne and (b) North Tyneside in (i) 2023-24 and (ii) 2024-25.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The table below confirms the information requested.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an estimate of the number of children with approved Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund applications in (a) Newcastle upon Tyne and (b) North Tyneside in (i) 2023-24 and (ii) 2024-25.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The table below confirms the information requested.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they are having with the devolved administrations of the UK to share knowledge and experience gained from trials that ban or restrict the use of smartphones in schools.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

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

The department continues to be interested in the approaches taken in the devolved nations with regards to behaviour in schools. Officials have met with representatives from the devolved administrations to share knowledge and discuss policy development, including around mobile phone use in schools, to inform a broader understanding of the policies across different education systems.

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.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to ensure the Curriculum review includes a focus on practical financial skills.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The Curriculum and Assessment Review's final report was published on 5 November. As part of its focus on preparing learners for a changing world, the Review has recommended updating or strengthening five areas of applied knowledge: financial literacy, media literacy, digital literacy, oracy and climate education.

The government’s response to the Review’s report was published on the same day. Through our reforms, children will be better prepared for the modern world.

Improved financial literacy, taught from an early age, will help children and young people master money skills. The department will do this by making citizenship compulsory in key stages 1 and 2. Additionally, references to financial education in the mathematics and citizenship programmes of study will be strengthened, and the relevant content sequenced appropriately, so that content can then be applied to practical situations, contexts, and problems. We will ensure that key concepts relevant to financial education, such as calculating interest, are first introduced in mathematics.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to support children in schools who have suffered acquired brain injuries.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

​​Children who have had a brain injury can be affected in different ways. Some brain injuries will result in a special educational need (SEN) or a medical need, whilst others may affect a child in other ways.

​In whatever way a brain injury manifests, it is essential that the pupil’s individual needs are identified and supported appropriately. Support should be tailored to their own learning barriers, irrespective of their diagnosis. This is underpinned by the range of statutory duties on schools to support children with SEN, disabilities or medical conditions. Depending on the impact that an acquired brain injury has on the child accessing education, they may be entitled to support under any or all of these duties. For example:

• ​A mainstream school must use its ‘best endeavours’ to provide the right support for all its pupils with SEN.

• ​Schools must make arrangements to support their pupils with medical conditions.

• ​Schools must make reasonable adjustments to their practices, procedures and policies and not discriminate against their disabled pupils.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what lessons her Department has learned from the experience of the Strengthening Chess in Primary Schools grant made in the 2023-24 financial year.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

​​My right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, has announced £1.5 million in funding from 2026 to support participation in chess, which includes funding for chess in schools. The department will reflect upon insights gathered from the strengthening chess in primary schools grant in developing arrangements for use of the new funding. Further details will be announced in due course.​

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 regional variation in the (a) progress, (b) attendance and (c) exclusion rates of pupils with SEND in schools receiving RISE intervention.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

​​Regional Improvements for Standards and Excellence (RISE) teams are a key part of the government‘s work to drive up education standards in schools across England. Attainment, attendance and exclusion rates are all among the criteria we are monitoring at national and regional level as part of assessing the impact of RISE-targeted intervention on the schools, but it is too early in the life of the programme to report on RISE impact. We expect to start publishing that data with appropriate comparisons over time during 2026.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they had with state school representatives before removing funding for the International Baccalaureate from 2026.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

​​Whilst the department will be reprioritising the large programme uplift funding element, which is part of the 16 to 19 funding formula from the year 2026/27 academic year, the International Baccalaureate (IB) remains a fundable qualification.

​Department funded providers offering the IB will continue to receive 16 to 19 education funding, it remains the choice of the institution to decide if they wish to offer larger programmes including the IB.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many state school students studied for an International Baccalaureate Diploma in the last academic year.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

In 2023/24, there were 1,366 entries for the International Baccalaureate Diploma by students at the end of 16 to 18 study in state funded schools and colleges. This represents 0.1% of all pupils at the end of 16 to 18 study.

This data can be derived from the ‘16 to 18 qualification and subject data’ dataset on the Compare schools and college performance service here: https://www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk/download-data.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to introduce safeguards to allow academics to speak freely on all matters, in particular measures to prevent dismissals or sanctions of university staff.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

This government is absolutely committed to freedom of speech and academic freedom in universities. Academics must be allowed to test the truth of the ideas that shape society and to participate in the free exchange of ideas, including where this causes shock and discomfort.

On 28 April 2025, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, signed commencement regulations of the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023, enabling additional provisions to come into force from 1 August 2025. These provisions include strengthened duties on higher education (HE) providers in relation to securing and promoting the importance of freedom of speech and academic freedom. The provisions make clear that academic staff must be able to question received wisdom and present new, controversial, or unpopular ideas without risking their privileges, jobs, promotions, or future roles at their provider.

Further guidance on employment and promotion of academic staff in relation to freedom of speech is set out in paragraphs 145 to 153 of the Office for Students’ Regulatory advice 24.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of (a) the Music and Dance Scheme and (b) other school funding schemes in the context of current levels of inflation.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

​The government fully supports the arts and the development of a skills pipeline into the creative industries.

The department is providing £36.5 million for the Music and Dance Scheme this academic year.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has had recent discussions with relevant stakeholders on financial education in schools in (a) Hexham constituency, (b) Northumberland, (c) Newcastle and (d) the North East.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

On 5 November, the independent Curriculum and Assessment Review published its final report which includes recommendations for a refreshed curriculum and assessment system in England.

The Review was informed by a wealth of perspectives from experts, stakeholders and the public, including over 7,000 responses to the call for evidence, and a range of research and polling. Its final report includes a section on stakeholder engagement, which sets out the details of regional public events and roundtables that were held as part of the Review’s evidence gathering.

As part of the response to the Review’s report the government has made a commitment to strengthen pupils’ foundational understanding of financial education in mathematics and citizenship, with digital resources to support teaching. From budgeting to understanding credit, through our revised curriculum all children will learn about the fundamentals of money, ensuring every pupil develops the skills needed to succeed in the modern world, no matter where they went to school.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions her Department has had with relevant stakeholders on relationships education in schools in (a) Hexham constituency, (b) Northumberland, (c) Newcastle and (d) the North East.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

​​​It is compulsory for schools to teach relationships education for primary school pupils, relationships and sex education for secondary school pupils and health education for all pupils in state-funded schools.

​The department held roundtables with a number of stakeholders, experts, teachers and local authorities from across the country, including from Northumberland and other areas of the North East, to discuss the revised relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) statutory guidance prior to its final publication on 15 July here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/68b8499e11b4ded2da19fd92/Relationships_education__relationships_and_sex_education_and_health_education_-_statutory_guidance.pdf.

​In addition, the department met with the North East Youth Peer Action Collective who shared their research findings on young people’s views of the RSHE curriculum.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department holds data on families with home-educated children who are unable to (a) secure a place in a GCSE examination centre and (b) afford exam entry fees.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department does not hold data on families with home educated children who are unable to secure a place in a GCSE examination centre or afford exam entry fees.

The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill will introduce the first ever duty on local authorities to provide support for home educating families in their areas who are registered with them and who request support. This support could include advice and information on how to access examinations.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the report by Kinship entitled Handle with Care: Annual survey of kinship carers 2025, published on 2 October 2025.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department is grateful to Kinship for its continued work to highlight the experiences of kinship carers. We are grateful for the insights in the ‘Handle with Care’ report from over 1,900 kinship families on the challenges and opportunities they face. The report’s findings around financial hardship, housing and access to support, reinforce the importance of our ongoing work to improve support for kinship carers and children living in kinship care.

The department remains focused on delivering improvements for kinship families through our existing programmes. We will be piloting a Kinship Financial Allowance in up to 10 local authorities, following the announcement at Autumn Budget 2024. We are also updating statutory guidance and developing best practice materials on family group decision making (FGDM) to support local authorities in delivering safe and effective FGDM, including how to engage children and families in the process.

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 nursery availability on parents' ability to return to work in Sutton Coldfield constituency.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

It is our ambition that all families have access to high quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, giving every child the best start in life and delivering on our Plan for Change. In 2025/26, we plan to provide over £8 billion for the early years entitlements, which is an additional £2 billion compared to 2024/25, saving eligible families who use their full entitlement £7,500 a year on average.

The government will provide an additional £1.6 billion per year by 2028/29, compared to 2025/26, to continue the expansion of government-funded childcare for working parents.

We have announced over £400 million of funding to create tens of thousands of places in new and expanded school-based nurseries to help ensure more children can access the quality early education where it is needed and get the best start in life. The first phase of the programme is creating up to 6,000 new nursery places, with schools reporting over 5,000 have been made available in September 2025.

The department has regular contact with each local authority in England about their sufficiency of childcare and any issues they are facing. Where local authorities report sufficiency challenges, we discuss what action they are taking to address those issues and, where needed, support the local authority with any specific requirements through our childcare sufficiency support contract.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the steps she has taken to help (a) improve school attendance and (b) reduce the numbers of pupils persistently absent.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

This government is determined to tackle the challenge of school absence. Missing school regularly is harmful to children’s attainment and wellbeing.

We are continuing our focus on improving school attendance through a ‘support first’ approach as set out in our statutory guidance. We have also developed real-time data tools that allows schools to compare attendance against similar schools and enable earlier intervention. Alongside this, we are investing in targeted support, including £15 million to set up the attendance mentors programme supporting 10,800 pupils and establishing 90 attendance and behaviour hubs that will support thousands of schools around the country.

Thanks to the efforts of schools, absence is moving in the right direction, with children attending over 5.31 million more days this year compared to last. However, around one in five pupils are still missing 10% or more of school, which is why the department is continuing to drive further improvement.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many Sure Start centres have closed in (a) Hexham constituency, (b) Northumberland, (c) Newcastle, (d) the North East and (e) England since May 2010.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

Data on children’s centres is supplied by local authorities via the department’s ‘Get Information about Schools’ database portal, which is available at: https://www.get-information-schools.service.gov.uk/.

The figures are based on information supplied by local authorities as of 4 November 2025. These figures could change again in future, since local authorities may update the database at any time.

Since May 2010, no children’s centres have closed in Hexham constituency but 2 have been converted into children’s centre linked sites. In Northumberland, 5 children’s centres have closed, and the local authority has converted a further 3 into children’s centre linked sites. In the North East, 50 children’s centres have closed and local authorities have converted a further 50 into children’s centre linked sites. In England, 779 children’s centres have closed and a further 686 have been converted into children’s centre linked sites.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Holiday Activities and Food programme on levels of (a) food insecurity and (b) support for families during school holidays.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

The holiday activities and food programme (HAF) ensures that children who are eligible for free school meals can access enriching activities and healthy meals during school holidays, benefiting their health, wellbeing and learning. On 28 August, the department announced that over £600 million has been confirmed for the programme for the next three financial years, from 2026/27.

This multi-year commitment gives parents and providers certainty that clubs will be available over what can otherwise be an expensive holiday period, ensuring that children and young people continue to benefit from enriching holiday experiences and nutritious meals. The programme also opens work opportunities for parents on low incomes to support their families.

Almost five million HAF days were provided across the Christmas, Easter and summer holidays this year, reaching over half a million children. During summer 2024, over 628,000 children attended the HAF programme.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that Ofsted inspections are carried out in accordance with standardised procedures across childcare settings.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

From 10 November 2025, Ofsted report cards will be introduced across all education remits Ofsted inspects, including early years. We need all inspections to be high-quality, consistent and conducted with the highest levels of professionalism. That is what Ofsted is determined to achieve.

Ofsted will receive additional funding from the department as part of the Best Start in Life strategy to enhance the quality and consistency of early years inspections. We will also fund Ofsted to move to inspecting all providers at least once every four years, as opposed to the current six-year window, to achieve parity with schools. This investment will support the government’s ambition to deliver the best start in life for every child.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department plans to take to assess the adequacy of the accessibility to parents of recent childcare announcements made by her Department.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

In 2025/26, the department plans to provide over £8 billion for the early years entitlements, an additional £2 billion compared to 2024/25, saving eligible families who use their full entitlement £7,500 a year on average. The government will provide an additional £1.6 billion per year by 2028/29, compared to 2025/26, to continue the expansion of government-funded childcare for working parents.

The department has announced over £400 million of funding to create tens of thousands of places in new and expanded school-based nurseries to help ensure more children can access the quality early education where it is needed and get the best start in life. The first phase of the programme is creating up to 6,000 new nursery places, with schools reporting over 5,000 have been made available in September 2025.

The department has regular contact with each local authority in England about their sufficiency of childcare and any issues they are facing. Where local authorities report sufficiency challenges, we discuss what action they are taking to address those issues and, where needed, support the local authority with any specific requirements through our childcare sufficiency support contract.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the forthcoming Child Poverty Strategy will include specific measures to support children in deepest poverty.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

This government is committed to tackling child poverty and the Child Poverty Strategy will be published in the autumn. The publication will set out how we intend to monitor and evaluate the impacts of the strategy from this year and in future years, including understanding how this varies across the UK and for different groups. This publication will also set out how we will measure the experience of children in the most severe and acute forms of poverty.

The government has already taken action to support children in deepest poverty, for example a new £1 billion package to reform crisis support, including funding to ensure the poorest children do not go hungry outside of term time.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how her Department plans to integrate feedback from schools on the adequacy of funding for the breakfast clubs programme.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

We have always been committed to rolling free breakfast clubs out nationally and the test and learn phase was put in place to inform how best to do so.

We have been listening to schools and other stakeholders throughout this phase and will continue to work with them to learn from our early adopters and inform national rollout. Further information on national rollout will be announced later in the Autumn term.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the economic impact of improving access to childcare out of school hours.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

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

The government has introduced free breakfast clubs in all primary schools which are 30 minutes before the school day. So far, the department has delivered 2.6 million breakfasts and offered places to almost 180,000 pupils across the country.

Following the success of the early adopters, as the first phase of national rollout, we are investing a further £80 million into the programme to fund around 2,000 additional schools between April 2026 and March 2027. This will benefit around 500,000 more children. Parents will gain up to 95 hours back over the academic year, saving up to £450 per year.

Parents can also receive support with costs for childcare, if eligible, through Tax-Free Childcare or Universal Credit childcare, which are UK-wide schemes. The Flexible Support Fund also helps individuals overcome financial barriers to employment and can provide support costs such as childcare, enabling claimants to access opportunities that improve their chances of finding or starting work.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to improve support for families over the school holidays in (a) Hexham constituency, (b) Northumberland, (c) Newcastle, (d) the North East and (e) England.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

Through our Plan for Change, the government is committed to giving every child the best start in life. On 28 August 2025, the department confirmed over £600 million for the holiday activities and food (HAF) programme for the next three financial years, from 2026/27. This equates to just over £200 million each year.

This multi-year commitment gives parents and providers certainty that clubs will be available over what can otherwise be an expensive holiday period, ensuring that children and young people continue to benefit from enriching holiday experiences and nutritious meals. The programme also opens up work opportunities for parents on low incomes to support their families.

The programme is delivered by all 153 local authorities in England, providing over 500,000 children per year with healthy meals and enriching activities in the Easter, summer and Christmas holidays.

In Easter 2025, the latest data available, there were a total of 20,282 HAF funded attendees across the North East. We do not publish figures for individual local authorities.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to include measures to support children in the deepest poverty in the forthcoming Child Poverty Strategy.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Heywood and Middleton North, to the answer of [DATE] to Question 82529.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to increase access to higher technical qualifications and degree courses by low-income students.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The Post-16 White Paper sets out our vision for a reformed system that helps everyone with the desire and aptitude to access higher education (HE), breaking down barriers to opportunity and supporting growth.

Higher Technical Qualifications (HTQs) are a key route into HE for disadvantaged learners. At Level 5, 54% of learners come from the 40% most deprived areas. As of September 2025, 281 qualifications have been approved as HTQs across 13 occupational routes, and the growth of HTQs will help to address key skills gaps.

We aim to reform regulation of Access and Participation Plans, allowing the Office for Students (OfS) to be more risk-based. There will be greater accountability for providers lagging behind in supporting disadvantaged students, and reduced bureaucracy for those doing well, with a greater focus on continuous improvement.

We will introduce targeted maintenance grants to support students from low-income households studying courses at Levels 4 to 6, including technical qualifications and degrees, aligned with the government’s missions and the Industrial Strategy. The department is also introducing the lifelong learning entitlement, to help people study flexibly in a way that suits their needs.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help improve pathways for school leavers without (a) GCSE Maths and (b) GCSE English qualifications.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Any student on a 16-19 study programme who has not yet achieved an English and/or mathematics GCSE grade 4 or higher must continue studying these subjects.

As part of the Post-16 Education and Skills Strategy, the department is introducing new 16-19 Level 1 English and mathematics ‘stepping stone’ qualifications as preparation for GCSE. These qualifications will support students to consolidate foundational skills and knowledge, preparing those with lower prior attainment for successful GCSE resits in English and mathematics the following year.

The department has also set out plans to introduce reformed qualifications pathways at Levels 2 and 3. This includes a third, vocational pathway at Level 3, V Levels, which will sit alongside A levels and T Levels, and two new pathways at Level 2, providing a clear line of sight to both further study at Level 3 and skilled employment through the Further Study and Occupational pathways. Students will be able to take these pathways in combination with other qualifications such as English and mathematics qualifications.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many 16 to 19 year olds are currently enrolled on each Level 3 qualification.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Official statistics showing Participation in education, training and employment age 16 to 18 are published annually, with the latest estimates being for end 2024, and accessible at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/participation-in-education-and-training-and-employment/2024.

The estimates relate to a snapshot of activities at the end of the calendar year, and are based on academic age, defined as ‘age at the start of the academic year’, that is age as at 31 August. The number of 16 to 18-year-olds participating on level 3 qualifications by their highest qualification aim at the end of 2024 can be found at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/2e4d74ca-0086-4465-e324-08de1acd7617.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the alignment between degree subject provision and priority occupations identified by Skills England.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The Skills England report, ‘Assessment of Priority Skills to 2030’ sets out that in higher education (HE) over half (53%) of employed recent education leavers are in priority occupations (see table below).

The HE sector is independent and individual institutions are responsible for deciding which courses to deliver. The government is not involved in these decisions but does support delivery of high-cost courses through the Strategic Priorities Grant (SPG). We are reforming the SPG to ensure alignment of funding with the priority sectors which support the Industrial Strategy and the Plan for Change and future skills needs. In addition, Priority Additional Entitlement under the Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE) will be available for courses that align with industrial strategy priorities. From January 2027, LLE funding will all also be available for level 4, 5 and 6 modules from full level qualifications in subject groups that address priority skills gaps and align with the government’s industrial strategy.

Top 10 first degree (level 6) higher education subjects into priority occupations:

Further information can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/assessment-of-priority-skills-to-2030/assessment-of-priority-skills-to-2030#education-supply-for-priority-occupations.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many performance reviews were undertaken for staff in (a) her Department and (b) its agencies in each of the last five years; in how many cases performance was rated as unsatisfactory or below; how many staff left as a result of such a rating; and what proportion of full-time equivalent staff this represented.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

The department’s approach to performance management includes monthly check-in conversations held between employees and their line managers, which allow performance and progress to be discussed regularly. Under-performance is recorded through the monthly check-in process.

Information on the number of monthly conversations undertaken in the department in the last five financial years and the number where under-performance was recorded is set out in the following table. Note that, as conversations are held monthly, these figures do not represent the number of unique staff marked as under-performing in any year.

*Data is only available from September 2020, therefore, the 2020/21 financial year does not include April to August 2020.

The information has been provided in respect of the core department plus its three executive agencies Education and Skills Funding Agency, Standard and Testing Agency and Teaching Regulation Agency, combined.

The department does not hold a central dataset of the reasons for a dismissal in respect of those years.​ A development has been made to our HR system so that we can identify the number of dismissals due to unsatisfactory performance from July 2025 onwards.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many phases of roll-out of free breakfast clubs will there be; when is the next phase due to start rolling out; which schools will be eligible for the second phase roll-out; and when can all state primary schools expect to have free breakfast clubs.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

The government is committed to deliver on its pledge to provide a free breakfast club in every state-funded school with primary-aged children. The Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill means that those schools with children on roll from Reception to Year 6 are required to offer a free breakfast club before the start of each school day. This will ensure every child, regardless of circumstance, has a supportive start to the school day.

So far, the department has delivered 2.6 million breakfasts and has offered places to almost 180,000 pupils across the country. Following the success of the early adopters, we will start the first phase of national rollout of the clubs from April 2026. We are investing a further £80 million into the programme to fund approximately 2,000 additional schools between April 2026 and March 2027. This will benefit around 500,000 more children.

Further information, including specifics on eligibility, funding and expectations for schools will be provided later in the Autumn term. This will include detailed guidance as well as a wider package of support.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to (a) issue national guidance and (b) set consistent reporting requirements on the use of (i) isolation and (ii) internal exclusion in schools.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

All schools are required by law to have a behaviour policy which outlines effective strategies that will encourage good behaviour. This government is clear schools can use sanctions as a measure to improve behaviour.

The ‘Behaviour in Schools’ guidance outlines expectations around the use of removal from the classroom, which some schools refer to as isolation or informal internal suspension. Schools should ensure that removal is used consistently, proportionately, and in a way that supports the pupil’s reintegration into the classroom. The department trusts headteachers to use their professional judgement, when issuing a sanction.

The ‘Behaviour in Schools’ guidance makes clear schools should collect, monitor and analyse removal data internally to interrogate the effectiveness of the use of removal and any additional support individual pupils may require.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what mechanisms are in place to ensure that local authority funding for school holiday support schemes is (a) properly audited and (b) delivers value for money.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

The government is committed to giving every child the best start in life. That’s why the department recently confirmed over £600 million for the holiday activities and food (HAF) programme for the next three financial years from 2026/27. Delivering best value for money through our programmes is a priority for this government and our HAF guidance sets this out for local authorities.

The department expects all providers who are funded through the HAF programme to meet our framework of standards, and we expect that assurance visits are focused on ensuring this is the case.

Local authorities are responsible for gathering information about the children and families they are supporting. Following each holiday, the department asks local authorities to report on their activity.

The department requires a certificate of expenditure from each local authority which must be signed by the chief financial officer or chief internal auditor. These support the regularity assurance statement for the National Audit Office.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what progress her Department has made towards meeting teacher training targets in the 2024–25 academic year.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

​​Performance against the postgraduate initial teacher training (ITT) recruitment targets for the 2024/25 academic year is published in the ITT Census here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/initial-teacher-training-census/2024-25.

​In 2024/25, 88% of the postgraduate ITT recruitment target was met for Primary ITT, and 62% for Secondary ITT. This was a significant increase in secondary, where just 48% of the target was met in 2023/24. For science, technology, engineering, and mathematics subjects (Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics and Computing), there were positive improvements, with 61% of the postgraduate ITT target met, compared to 47% in 2023/24. We are working hard to build on these improvements, as the government reestablishes teaching as a respected, valued profession once again.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the reforms to penalty notices for unauthorised school absences made in August 2024 on levels of unauthorised absence; and whether she plans to introduce further measures to help reduce term-time absences.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

Tackling absence is central to the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity. Thanks to the efforts of schools and local authorities, attendance is moving in the right direction. Children attended over 5.3 million additional days in the 2024/25 school year compared to the 2022/23 school year, with over 140,000 fewer pupils persistently absent.

The ‘Working together to improve school attendance’ guidance sets out a support-first approach, ensuring that penalty notices are used only when appropriate. The national framework for penalty notices, which was introduced in August 2024 following national consultation, is designed to improve consistency and fairness across the country. It states that penalty notices must be considered on an individual basis, preventing schools from having blanket rules. Schools or local councils may choose to issue a ‘notice to improve’ instead of a penalty notice. This is a further offer of support before a penalty notice is issued.

The department is monitoring the impact of these reforms alongside wider attendance measures, including regional improvement for standards and excellence Attendance and Behaviour Hubs and Attendance Mentors, which are helping to drive improvements.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the forthcoming Child Poverty Strategy will include targets on child poverty reduction.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

This government is committed to tackling child poverty, with our ambitious Child Poverty Strategy due to be published in the autumn.

The publication will set out how we intend to monitor and evaluate the impacts of the strategy from this year and in future years, including understanding how this varies across the UK and for different groups.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many veterinary students are currently enrolled in veterinary public health courses in the UK.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) is responsible for collecting and publishing data on the UK higher education (HE) sector. These data are shared with the department and include a wide range of information on student courses.

In the 2023/24 academic year, across all levels and modes of study, there were 12,880 student enrolments in the subject area ‘Veterinary sciences’ across all UK HE providers. The following table presents numbers of HE students by subject area and sex for each academic year from 2019/20 to 2023/24: https://www.hesa.ac.uk/data-and-analysis/sb271/figure-13.

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Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will continue to place minimum expectations on those providing family hubs to support separating and separated families, including by connecting them to mediation, shared parenting programmes and programmes to reduce parental conflict.

Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Reducing Parental Conflict programme continues to deliver effective relationship support for parents, working with Local Authorities (LAs), family support services and a wide network of partners including voluntary and community organisations. Following the Spending Review, the Department will be making internal funding allocations ahead of the new financial year, and decisions will be communicated at the earliest opportunity.

The Programme remains a DWP initiative, though this does not mean it is kept separate from family help programmes. The 75 LAs funded under the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme are expected, as a minimum, to ensure that staff in family hubs are aware of the evidence on the impact of parental conflict, can identify it, can distinguish it from domestic abuse and provide universal level support and initial early support. This support should be available to parents who are together, separating or separated.

From April, all Local Authorities will receive funding to establish Best Start Family Hubs. Best Start Family Hubs will draw on what we know works from the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme, and Sure Start to provide essential support for parents and families. Best Start Family Hubs have a vital role in connecting families to a broad range of services to ensure holistic and integrated support. The Department for Work and Pensions will work closely with the Department for Education as they review the approach to programme expectations in preparation for the roll out of Best Start Family Hubs.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will continue to place minimum expectations on those providing family hubs to deliver or refer family members to programmes and other services which reduce parental conflict.

Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Reducing Parental Conflict programme continues to deliver effective relationship support for parents, working with Local Authorities (LAs), family support services and a wide network of partners including voluntary and community organisations. Following the Spending Review, the Department will be making internal funding allocations ahead of the new financial year, and decisions will be communicated at the earliest opportunity.

The Programme remains a DWP initiative, though this does not mean it is kept separate from family help programmes. The 75 LAs funded under the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme are expected, as a minimum, to ensure that staff in family hubs are aware of the evidence on the impact of parental conflict, can identify it, can distinguish it from domestic abuse and provide universal level support and initial early support. This support should be available to parents who are together, separating or separated.

From April, all Local Authorities will receive funding to establish Best Start Family Hubs. Best Start Family Hubs will draw on what we know works from the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme, and Sure Start to provide essential support for parents and families. Best Start Family Hubs have a vital role in connecting families to a broad range of services to ensure holistic and integrated support. The Department for Work and Pensions will work closely with the Department for Education as they review the approach to programme expectations in preparation for the roll out of Best Start Family Hubs.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government where responsibility for the Reducing Parental Conflict programme now lies within government, and whether there are any plans to change the responsible department.

Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Reducing Parental Conflict programme continues to deliver effective relationship support for parents, working with Local Authorities (LAs), family support services and a wide network of partners including voluntary and community organisations. Following the Spending Review, the Department will be making internal funding allocations ahead of the new financial year, and decisions will be communicated at the earliest opportunity.

The Programme remains a DWP initiative, though this does not mean it is kept separate from family help programmes. The 75 LAs funded under the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme are expected, as a minimum, to ensure that staff in family hubs are aware of the evidence on the impact of parental conflict, can identify it, can distinguish it from domestic abuse and provide universal level support and initial early support. This support should be available to parents who are together, separating or separated.

From April, all Local Authorities will receive funding to establish Best Start Family Hubs. Best Start Family Hubs will draw on what we know works from the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme, and Sure Start to provide essential support for parents and families. Best Start Family Hubs have a vital role in connecting families to a broad range of services to ensure holistic and integrated support. The Department for Work and Pensions will work closely with the Department for Education as they review the approach to programme expectations in preparation for the roll out of Best Start Family Hubs.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government when they intend to announce funding allocations for the next phase of the Reducing Parental Conflict programme.

Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Reducing Parental Conflict programme continues to deliver effective relationship support for parents, working with Local Authorities (LAs), family support services and a wide network of partners including voluntary and community organisations. Following the Spending Review, the Department will be making internal funding allocations ahead of the new financial year, and decisions will be communicated at the earliest opportunity.

The Programme remains a DWP initiative, though this does not mean it is kept separate from family help programmes. The 75 LAs funded under the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme are expected, as a minimum, to ensure that staff in family hubs are aware of the evidence on the impact of parental conflict, can identify it, can distinguish it from domestic abuse and provide universal level support and initial early support. This support should be available to parents who are together, separating or separated.

From April, all Local Authorities will receive funding to establish Best Start Family Hubs. Best Start Family Hubs will draw on what we know works from the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme, and Sure Start to provide essential support for parents and families. Best Start Family Hubs have a vital role in connecting families to a broad range of services to ensure holistic and integrated support. The Department for Work and Pensions will work closely with the Department for Education as they review the approach to programme expectations in preparation for the roll out of Best Start Family Hubs.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential impact of the level of SEND diagnoses on levels of welfare spending.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

It is not possible to quantify the totality of the impact of SEND in terms of welfare spending. The department will continue to work closely with the Department for Education on improving the support for and chances of all young people.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the speech at the Labour Party Conference of 29 September 2025, on what evidential basis it was said that 1,700 primary schools do not have a school library.

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

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has responsibility for the Dormant Assets Scheme, which is providing funding to support the primary school library commitment, previously announced by the Chancellor.

Research by the National Literacy Trust estimates there are 1,700 primary schools in England currently without a library. A 2023 NLT report states that 1 in 7 UK state primary schools, rising to 1 in 4 in disadvantaged areas, do not have a library or dedicated library space.

Through the Scheme, £132.5 million has been allocated to increasing disadvantaged young people’s access to enrichment opportunities in the arts, culture, sports and wider youth services, aimed at improving wellbeing and employability over the long term. Funding for this initiative will come from the £132.5m.

It is for individual schools to decide how best to provide and maintain a library service for their pupils, including whether to employ a qualified librarian. The Department for Education, therefore, does not collect data on the number or structure of school libraries or number of librarians in primary or secondary schools.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to help increase the number of children that are able to swim 25 metres confidently.

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

Swimming and water safety is a vital life skill, which is why it is a mandatory part of the primary PE National Curriculum.

All schools must provide swimming instruction in either key stage 1 or 2. In particular, pupils should be taught to: swim competently, confidently and proficiently over a distance of at least 25 metres; use a range of strokes effectively; and perform safe self-rescue in different water-based situations.

Primary schools can use their PE and sport Premium funding to provide top-up swimming and water safety lessons for those pupils that do not meet national curriculum requirements after they have completed core swimming and water safety lessons.

The Department for Education is also funding the ‘Inclusion 2028’ grant at up to £300,000 per year to improve opportunities for young people with special educational needs and disabilities to participate in school sport, including swimming and water safety.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, which (a) Department and (b) Minister will lead on the online guidance hub for parents and carers on children and young people’s online safety and the Media Literacy Vision Statement.

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

DSIT is the policy lead for media literacy and is committed to improving media literacy through coordinated cross-government work and collaboration with Ofcom and civil society. Minister Narayan is responsible for media literacy strategy, ensuring clear leadership and co-operation across departments. The Media Literacy Vision Statement will set out a clear direction and a joined-up approach across government, including how to empower parents and carers to better support young people online.

DSIT is working in close collaboration with the Department for Education to develop a dedicated ‘parent hub’ providing guidance on media literacy and online safety for parents and carers.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with (a) the Secretary of State for Education and (b) other Cabinet colleagues on the UK's position on proposals at the UN to negotiate an Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child to strengthen the right to education.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Officials in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and the Department for Education worked together closely to determine the UK's position on the Optional Protocol, as set out in the answer provided on 3 November to Question 84390.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what (a) monitoring and (b) reporting arrangements his Department has put in place to ensure that repeated non-compliance by local authorities in the First-tier Tribunal (Special Educational Needs and Disability) is escalated to (i) the Department for Education, (ii) the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, (iii) Ofsted, (iv) the Care Quality Commission and (v) other relevant oversight bodies; and where this information is published.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

Data about whether any barring orders have been made by the First Tier Tribunal (Health, Education and Social Care Chamber) in each of the last three years could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Data on non-compliance, following a decision made by the Tribunal is not held centrally. The Tribunal does not have powers of enforcement over local authorities. Escalation of non-compliance of a Tribunal’s decision is to the Local Authority. If the decision is still not been complied with, this could be escalated to the Local Authority Ombudsman. Guidance about this is provided to appellants.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what was the total amount of unspent funds from the Apprenticeship Levy returned to the Treasury for each of the past five years.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Department for Work and Pensions, and prior to that the Department for Education, has responsibility for apprenticeships in England only. The annual English apprenticeships budget is agreed at key fiscal events and ring-fenced. This budget is distinct from the total levy receipts collected by HM Treasury and the funds in employers’ apprenticeship service accounts.

The English apprenticeship budget covers the spend drawn down by all levy-paying employers, as well as apprenticeships for those who do not pay the levy, the costs of English and maths tuition for apprentices, and additional payments to employers, training providers and apprentices. It also covers the administrative costs of running the apprenticeships programme.

Over the past two financial years the English apprenticeships budget has been almost fully spent. The table below provides details of the English apprenticeships budget. As is usual practice, any underspends in overall departmental budgets by the end of the financial year are returned to HMT as per the Consolidated Budgeting Guidance.

*The 2023-24 annual apprenticeship budget was revised in-year from £2,585 million to £2,525 million, as £60 million was surrendered in-year.

Found: Autism Act 2009 Committee, Oral evidence, 2 June 2025, Q101 34 HC Deb 27 October 2025 c19 35 DWP/HMT/DfE

The Government should officially recognise purple instead of indigo in the traditional
ROYGBIV colour sequence taught in schools and used in public educational materials.Indigo is outdated and extremely confusing, it no longer reflects how colour is perceived in modern education, design or science.

Found: We urge the Department for Education to replace indigo with purple, forming the clearer ROYGPV Spectrum

Found: policies should be adapted to meet the needs of young persons and to follow any applicable Department for Education

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

Found: perspective, whilst there is a lack of sector specific data on costs of cyber attacks, the Department for Education

Found: Last year the Office worked with the Department for Education, secondary schools and the Education Authority

Found: ƒ Support new work with the Department for Education and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Found: ƒ Support new work with the Department for Education and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Found: location of the school (which is located on two sites); • information available on the websites of the DfE

Found: She joined the Commission from the Department for Education where she was Director of Early Years and

Found: The Department for Education sets the curriculum for the new GCSE in BSL while Ofqual ensures the assessments

Found: The DfE document, “Basic need allocations 2026-27 and 2027-28: Explanatory note on methodology”, refers

Found: Supply metrics: share of vacancies by occupation hard to fill due to skills shortages (DfE, Employer

Found: DfE media enquiries Central newsdesk - for journalists 020 7783 8300

Found: The Department for Education has today announced the appointment of Professor Chris Millward as Interim

Found: ‘Get information about schools’ (GIAS); d) information available on the websites of the Department for Education

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

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Found: Last year the Office worked with the Department for Education, secondary schools and the Education Authority

Found: Religious character and ethos are sourced from Get Information About Schools, maintained by the Department for Education

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Found: The response was developed in collaboration with the Youth Custody Service, Department for Education,

Found: In particular, we have worked alongside NHS England, the Department for Education, and the Youth Custody

Found: ƒ Support new work with the Department for Education and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Found: ƒ Support new work with the Department for Education and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Found: In particular, we have worked alongside NHS England, the Department for Education, and the Youth Custody