Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what mechanisms are in place to monitor the consistency of Prevent duty implementation across higher education providers in England.

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

The situation in the Middle East is deeply troubling, and the escalating violence highlights the importance of universities’ Prevent duty responsibilities to safeguard students from radicalisation.

To comply with the Prevent duty, universities must have effective policies in place and regularly assess risks; this may include updating their risk assessments to remain alert to any increased vulnerability among students, considering recent events.

The Office for Students (OfS) monitors how higher education providers are complying with the Prevent duty and ensures that appropriate measures are in place to protect students from radicalisation. Current OfS monitoring shows that providers are broadly meeting their responsibilities.

The department continues to work closely with the OfS to review compliance and support providers in maintaining high standards.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to support university (a) staff and (b) students who raise concerns about breaches of the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023.

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

This government is absolutely committed to freedom of speech and academic freedom. ​We commenced provisions from the Higher Education (HE) (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023 on 1 August 2025 including strengthened provider duties to secure and promote the importance of free speech and academic freedom, and a requirement to put in place effective free speech codes of practice. The Office for Students’ Director for Freedom of Speech and Academic Freedom continues to work with the HE sector to offer advice and share best practice, so providers themselves are more effectively protecting free speech and academic freedom.

Our commitment to the complaints scheme was clearly set out last year: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-future-of-the-higher-education-freedom-of-speech-act-2023. Students can continue to report their free speech complaints to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of universities at fulfilling their Prevent duty obligations, in the context of levels of support for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

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

The situation in the Middle East is deeply troubling, and the escalating violence highlights the importance of universities’ Prevent duty responsibilities to safeguard students from radicalisation.

To comply with the Prevent duty, universities must have effective policies in place and regularly assess risks; this may include updating their risk assessments to remain alert to any increased vulnerability among students, considering recent events.

The Office for Students (OfS) monitors how higher education providers are complying with the Prevent duty and ensures that appropriate measures are in place to protect students from radicalisation. Current OfS monitoring shows that providers are broadly meeting their responsibilities.

The department continues to work closely with the OfS to review compliance and support providers in maintaining high standards.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions have been had with the Overseas Territories about making British Overseas Territories eligible for student maintenance loans.

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

We have worked with the British Overseas Territories to clearly set out our position on eligibility for student finance.

Persons who have settled status in the UK, and who have come to the UK from specified British Overseas Territories, are eligible for home fee status if they meet the requirement of three years’ ordinary residence in the UK, and/or the specified British Overseas Territories.

Eligibility for student support is based on residency and immigration status, not nationality, targeting resources on students who are likely to stay in the UK indefinitely and contribute to the economy.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to increase awareness and funding for (a) materials and mining programmes of study and (b) science and engineering apprenticeships and qualifications in the quarrying sector.

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

The government supports education and skills training in the minerals, mining and quarrying sectors through:

• Offering 13 qualifications for 16 to 19-year-olds at Levels 2 to 6 and ​3 Level 2 qualifications in the adult skills fund (ASF) local flexibilities offer.
• ​Investing over £1.4 billion in adult education and skills through the ASF, which covers science and engineering qualifications up to Level 3.
• Increased investment in 16 to 19 education by £400 million in the 2025/26 financial year, plus a further £190 million investment to fund study programmes that include qualifications in science and engineering.
• Allocating higher weighting/funding bands to high-cost subjects such as engineering, in both ASF and 16 to 19 funding.
• There are a range of apprenticeship standards available to support the mining and quarrying sector, including the Level 2 Material processing plant operator, Level 5 Mineral products technician and Level 6 Mine management standards.
• Offering a range of financial support for employers in all sectors, including engineering and manufacturing, to take on young apprentices. This includes a new incentive of up to £2,000 for non-levy paying employers, essentially small and medium-sized enterprises, that take on 16 to 24-year-old apprentices as new employees.
• Providing high quality information to pupils about alternative pathways through careers advice, including up-to-date labour market information and details on apprenticeships, T Levels and other technical qualifications.

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 International Student Levy on the UK’s ability to attract international postgraduate research students and the consequential impact this would have on the ambitions set out in the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy.

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

Higher education (HE) providers are independent from government and are responsible for managing their own finances, including any impact from the International Student Levy (ISL). To support providers’ financial planning, the levy will be introduced in 2028/29 and paid one year in arrears, with a 220-student allowance applying per provider per year.

We have also announced tuition fee cap increases in line with forecast inflation for the 2025/26, 2026/27 and 2027/28 academic years, and will legislate, when parliamentary time allows, to increase caps automatically for future years. Over the next five years, these uplifts could generate an additional £6 billion for HE providers, significantly outweighing the currently projected less than £1 billion levy cost.

ISL revenue will fund the reintroduction of maintenance grants for disadvantaged students studying level 4 to 6 courses aligned with the government’s missions and the Industrial Strategy.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an estimate of the potential impact to the public pursue of (a) cancelling all outstanding student loan balances on existing borrowers; (b) cancelling all outstanding student loan balances for particular occupations for existing borrowers; and (c) cancelling all outstanding student loan balances for particular subjects studied, for existing borrowers.

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

Cancelling all outstanding student loan balances for existing student loan borrowers would lead to reduction of the fair value of the entire loan book to zero. The fair value of the student loan book, published in the most recent annual accounts, as at 31 March 2025 was £157.9 billion.

The department has not estimated the impact to the public purse of cancelling all outstanding student loan balances for subsets of graduates who studied particular subjects or work in specific professions.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the accessibility of written examination formats for neurodiverse students in schools and further education settings.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Ofqual, as the independent regulator of qualifications, is responsible for ensuring the exams system is fair and accessible for all students. It has published guidance for awarding organisations to follow when designing qualifications, setting clear expectations around accessible language, layout, structure and the removal of unnecessary burdens to ensure that exams are designed to be accessible for all learners, including neurodiverse students.

Ofqual has also conducted research into the role of time pressure in assessment, including speed of working, the impact of having extra time in exams and the wider evidence base on timed assessment.

Under the Equality Act 2010, awarding organisations are required to make reasonable adjustments for disabled persons to prevent substantial disadvantage in exams and assessments. Reasonable adjustments may include 25% extra time in the exam or the use of a reader, scribe, word processor or assistive technology, and ensure that students can demonstrate their knowledge without changing the exam content. A range of access arrangements are also available for all national curriculum tests and assessments, and guidance is provided by the Standards and Testing Agency.

Additionally, in the government response to the Curriculum and Assessment Review, the department committed to working with Ofqual and the exam boards to ensure that accessibility implications are fully considered for all young people throughout the qualification process, including for those with special educational needs and disabilities.

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 timed examinations on the performance of neurodiverse students.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Ofqual, as the independent regulator of qualifications, is responsible for ensuring the exams system is fair and accessible for all students. It has published guidance for awarding organisations to follow when designing qualifications, setting clear expectations around accessible language, layout, structure and the removal of unnecessary burdens to ensure that exams are designed to be accessible for all learners, including neurodiverse students.

Ofqual has also conducted research into the role of time pressure in assessment, including speed of working, the impact of having extra time in exams and the wider evidence base on timed assessment.

Under the Equality Act 2010, awarding organisations are required to make reasonable adjustments for disabled persons to prevent substantial disadvantage in exams and assessments. Reasonable adjustments may include 25% extra time in the exam or the use of a reader, scribe, word processor or assistive technology, and ensure that students can demonstrate their knowledge without changing the exam content. A range of access arrangements are also available for all national curriculum tests and assessments, and guidance is provided by the Standards and Testing Agency.

Additionally, in the government response to the Curriculum and Assessment Review, the department committed to working with Ofqual and the exam boards to ensure that accessibility implications are fully considered for all young people throughout the qualification process, including for those with special educational needs and disabilities.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans her Department has for improving provision of financial education as part of the adult education curriculum.

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

The essential skills entitlements, funded through the adult skills fund (ASF), support adults without a GCSE maths grade 4 or higher, or equivalent qualification, or are assessed at working below this level, to undertake a range of free courses including maths GCSEs and functional skills qualifications.

As part of the ASF, Tailored Learning funding can also be used to fund provision supporting learners to address specific needs such as financial education.

Currently, approximately 68% of the ASF is devolved to 12 strategic authorities and delegated to the Mayor of London acting through the Greater London Authority. These authorities are responsible for the provision of adult education and allocation of the ASF in their local areas.

The Department for Work and Pensions is responsible for the remaining ASF in non-devolved areas where colleges and training providers have the freedom and flexibility to determine how they use their ASF to meet the needs of their communities.

Alongside, there is a range of apprenticeships available which provide training in occupationally specific financial knowledge and skills, for example, in payroll, investment or financial services-related roles. We also continue to fund apprentices to secure up to a L2 maths qualification as part of their apprenticeship.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what programmes are available to encourage businesses to provide industrial secondments to university lecturers.

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

Economic growth is the central mission of this government and is vital to give the next generation the opportunities to thrive.

The government encourages work experience through various initiatives spanning various departments. The Department for Business and Trade published the UK’s Industrial, Trade and Small Business Strategies, which were developed in partnership with business, with positive feedback from leading business organisations. For example, the Industrial Strategy will provide an additional £1.2 billion of investment in the skills system by 2028/29.

Higher education providers are autonomous institutions and are responsible for designing and delivering their own courses. This includes decisions on whether to offer internships, work placements or industrial secondments.

It is for individual universities to work with businesses to develop and manage these opportunities in ways that best meet the needs of their students, employers and academic staff.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assistance is being provided to businesses to help them offer work placements to undergraduates.

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

Economic growth is the central mission of this government and is vital to give the next generation the opportunities to thrive.

The government encourages work experience through various initiatives spanning various departments. The Department for Business and Trade published the UK’s Industrial, Trade and Small Business Strategies, which were developed in partnership with business, with positive feedback from leading business organisations. For example, the Industrial Strategy will provide an additional £1.2 billion of investment in the skills system by 2028/29.

Higher education providers are autonomous institutions and are responsible for designing and delivering their own courses. This includes decisions on whether to offer internships, work placements or industrial secondments.

It is for individual universities to work with businesses to develop and manage these opportunities in ways that best meet the needs of their students, employers and academic staff.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an estimate of the potential impact to the public purse of (a) changing the student loan repayment rates for existing borrowers and (b) changing the income threshold at which student loans are repaid for existing borrowers.

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

Reducing the repayment rate for existing student loan borrowers would reduce expected future repayments and therefore be a cost to the public purse. Increasing the income threshold at which student loans are repaid for existing borrowers would also reduce expected future repayments.

To support the long-term sustainability of the student loan system, we announced at the Autumn Budget 2025 that the Plan 2 repayment threshold will be increased to £29,385 in April 2026 and then frozen at that level for three years beginning April 2027.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to announce the future funding settlements for the Music and Dance Scheme Schools; and whether Music and Dance Scheme Schools will receive a long-term settlement.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

I refer the hon. Member for Brighton Pavilion to my answer of 12 February 2026 to Question 111335.​

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of declining pupil numbers on school budgets in Eastleigh constituency; and what steps her Department is taking to support schools experiencing financial deficits linked to declining pupil numbers.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

School funding is increasing nationally by £1.7 billion in 2026/27, meaning that the core school budget will total £67 billion compared to £65.3 billion in 2025/26.

Southampton and Hampshire local authorities allocate school funding for the constituency of Eastleigh. Through the dedicated schools grant, Southampton is receiving £6,893 per pupil on average and Hampshire is receiving £6,354 per pupil on average in financial year 2026/27 (including premises and excluding growth). Total funding for mainstream schools is growing by £17 million in Hampshire in 2026/27, compared to 2025/26 (a 1.6% increase) and by £3.3 million in Southampton (a 1.5% increase).

We recognise the pressures caused by demographic changes in some areas. The lagged funding system, where schools are funded on the basis of their pupil numbers in the previous October census, helps to give schools more certainty over funding levels to aid their planning, and is particularly important in providing schools with falling pupil numbers, time to plan ahead with their budgets.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 13 February 2026 to Question 108298, when she estimates to complete their work on producing robust repayment figures broken down by British citizen status.

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

The department and the Student Loans Company (SLC) have strengthened the quality and consistency of the data in this area and now hold reliable information on borrowers’ citizenship status, nationality and residency category.

However, eligibility for student finance is complex, not dependent on nationality and not determined solely by immigration status. We will continue to work with SLC and look at any further data improvements that may provide additional insights.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help improve the provision of physical exercise for (a) primary and (b) secondary school pupils; and whether her Department is working with School Sport Partnerships.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

It is this government’s mission is to break down barriers to opportunity, ensuring every child benefits from high-quality PE and school sports. The new PE and School Sport Partnerships, announced last June by my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister, will ensure that all children have equal access to high-quality PE by bringing together primary and secondary schools, local clubs, and national governing bodies to target funding and support where it is most needed.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the decision made to remove funding for Specialist Assessments for adopted children and children under special guardianship orders, and in the context of long waiting times experienced by constituents in Brighton Pavilion constituency for assessments through the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS), if she will publish details of how CAMHS will be supported to provide these specialised services.

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

Up to £2,500 of Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF) funding may still be used for children to access a specialist assessment. ASGSF-funded assessments are not intended as an alternative to the specialised mental health services available through the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS).

The current consultation ‘Adoption support that works for all’ includes proposals for a higher quality approach to assessing the needs of adoptive and eligible kinship families. This includes improved multi-disciplinary assessments and greater linkages between social care, health, and education practitioners to ensure every child gets the right support.

For 2026/27, NHS mental health spending will rise to £16.1 billion, a real terms increase of around £140 million, to support service improvements, including CAMHS. The mental health investment standard means spending must at least keep pace with inflation, supporting local systems to maintain and improve specialist services for children.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to increase the number of places available for educational psychology courses at universities in England, and whether she has considered salaried training routes for experienced professionals.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The department recently announced £26 million investment to train at least 200 new educational psychologists per year, starting in 2026 and 2027. This is set to be followed by further investment from 2028 to train more educational psychologists than we currently do, subject to future spending reviews. This builds on £31 million invested to train around 200 educational psychologists annually since 2023.

To qualify, trainees are required to undertake a three year doctorate training course. The department funds the tuition fees and year one bursary payment. In years two and three, trainees are based on placements across England, with placement providers funding a bursary or salary for these years.

Following graduation, department-funded trainees are required to remain in local authority employment for a minimum period (three years for trainees who began in September 2024).

This investment in the training scheme will help to grow local authority workforces, so that more educational psychologists are available to provide a variety of support, including identifying and supporting needs earlier and bolstering capacity to deliver assessments.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has plans to review the commencement date of interest accruing on student loans.

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

We inherited the student loans system, including Plan 2, which was devised by the previous government. Threshold freezes have been introduced to protect taxpayers and students now, alongside future generations of learners and workers.

Borrowers on Plan 5 student loans only accrue interest at Retail Price Index, currently 3.2%. This means graduates will not repay more than they borrow in real terms.

Interest accrues on loan balances from the first day the loan is paid to the learning provider, and/or to the student, until the loan has been repaid in full or cancelled. Interest rates do not impact monthly repayments made by borrowers.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to exempting PhD students from the international student levy.

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

The International Student Levy will require higher education providers to pay a flat fee of £925 per international student per year. The income raised by the levy will be reinvested into skills.

Providers will be given an allowance for the first 220 international students per year. This is to mitigate the levy having a disproportionate impact on smaller providers, particularly those operating specialist and resource intensive models with limited other means of cross-subsidisation. The levy will not be introduced until 2028/29 to give providers time to plan for its introduction. Providers will pay the levy one year in arrears, to help with their financial planning.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has reviewed the findings of the National Association of Disability Practitioners’ December 2025 critique of the Equality Impact Assessment relating to Disabled Students’ Allowance changes; and what steps she plans to take in response that critique.

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

The department is aware of the response written on behalf of the National Association of Disability Practitioners in December 2025 to the change made from March 2025 to remove Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) funding for non-specialist spelling and grammar software other than in exceptional circumstances. The department keeps all support funded through DSA under regular review to ensure that it continues to meet the needs of disabled students. Any future changes will be communicated publicly.

Since October 2025, the department has received one formal request for a meeting regarding recent DSA policy changes from a disability sector organisation.

The department’s policy change to remove DSA funding for non-specialist spelling and grammar software other than in exceptional circumstances applied only to DSA applicants whose needs assessments took place from 17 March 2025. Students who had already been awarded this software had their awards left in place. It is therefore not the case that software has been removed from students' part-way through their courses. While it is too early to collect any post-implementation data on the academic performance or withdrawal rates of students previously supported with specialist assistive software, given that the policy change came into effect less than a year ago, the department is continuing to monitor the participation, attainment, and completion rates for disabled students in higher education.

The department has not undertaken a specific assessment of the impact of DSA changes on demand for Access to Work or other employment support schemes. DSA is designed to address disability related barriers to study, while Access to Work provides support in employment-related barriers to study. The department and the Department for Work and Pensions are in regular contact.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether any further reductions or restrictions to DSA-funded assistive technology or non-medical support are currently under consideration.

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

The department is aware of the response written on behalf of the National Association of Disability Practitioners in December 2025 to the change made from March 2025 to remove Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) funding for non-specialist spelling and grammar software other than in exceptional circumstances. The department keeps all support funded through DSA under regular review to ensure that it continues to meet the needs of disabled students. Any future changes will be communicated publicly.

Since October 2025, the department has received one formal request for a meeting regarding recent DSA policy changes from a disability sector organisation.

The department’s policy change to remove DSA funding for non-specialist spelling and grammar software other than in exceptional circumstances applied only to DSA applicants whose needs assessments took place from 17 March 2025. Students who had already been awarded this software had their awards left in place. It is therefore not the case that software has been removed from students' part-way through their courses. While it is too early to collect any post-implementation data on the academic performance or withdrawal rates of students previously supported with specialist assistive software, given that the policy change came into effect less than a year ago, the department is continuing to monitor the participation, attainment, and completion rates for disabled students in higher education.

The department has not undertaken a specific assessment of the impact of DSA changes on demand for Access to Work or other employment support schemes. DSA is designed to address disability related barriers to study, while Access to Work provides support in employment-related barriers to study. The department and the Department for Work and Pensions are in regular contact.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many formal requests for meetings her Department has received from disability sector organisations regarding recent DSA policy changes since October 2025.

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

The department is aware of the response written on behalf of the National Association of Disability Practitioners in December 2025 to the change made from March 2025 to remove Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) funding for non-specialist spelling and grammar software other than in exceptional circumstances. The department keeps all support funded through DSA under regular review to ensure that it continues to meet the needs of disabled students. Any future changes will be communicated publicly.

Since October 2025, the department has received one formal request for a meeting regarding recent DSA policy changes from a disability sector organisation.

The department’s policy change to remove DSA funding for non-specialist spelling and grammar software other than in exceptional circumstances applied only to DSA applicants whose needs assessments took place from 17 March 2025. Students who had already been awarded this software had their awards left in place. It is therefore not the case that software has been removed from students' part-way through their courses. While it is too early to collect any post-implementation data on the academic performance or withdrawal rates of students previously supported with specialist assistive software, given that the policy change came into effect less than a year ago, the department is continuing to monitor the participation, attainment, and completion rates for disabled students in higher education.

The department has not undertaken a specific assessment of the impact of DSA changes on demand for Access to Work or other employment support schemes. DSA is designed to address disability related barriers to study, while Access to Work provides support in employment-related barriers to study. The department and the Department for Work and Pensions are in regular contact.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the average additional years in repayment for Plan 2 student loan borrowers attributable to charging interest at RPI plus up to three percentage points compared with CPI only.

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

The department does not hold analysis of the impact on the number of additional years of repayment for Plan 2 borrowers attributable to the level of interest charged.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how she supports arts programs in schools.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

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

The department is committed to revitalising arts education in schools, including changes to the curriculum, qualifications, accountability and enrichment.

We are consulting on an improved Progress 8 model, which balances a strong academic core with breadth and student choice. The current structure has hampered progress in subjects that strengthen our economy and society, including the arts. The improved version recognises the value of these subjects.

The department is supporting arts in schools through a £13 million investment in the new National Centre for Arts and Music Education, which will launch in September 2026 to provide strategic national leadership, support excellent teaching, and promote arts opportunities, ensuring every child can access a high‑quality arts education.

The department provides significant funding for the Music Hub network, Music Opportunities Pilot, Music and Dance Scheme, and Dance and Drama Awards, all designed to improve equity in the arts, mainly in schools and colleges.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) committed £22.5 million enrichment in up to 400 schools, across all types of enrichment activity, including arts and culture.

Arts Council England, an arm’s-length body of DCMS, provides funding to a range of programmes that support arts in schools. As part of the government’s recent response to the independent review of Arts Council England, the department has committed to enabling all children across the country to have access to excellent culture in both schools and communities.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has had discussions with (a) University College London and (b) other higher education institutions on levels of student society support for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

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

As stated by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Defence on 1 March, Ayatollah Khamenei ran an oppressive and brutal regime, murdering thousands of his own citizens and exporting terror, including to Britain. It is horrifying to see his death mourned publicly in this country.

We condemn all extremist intimidation, harassment and incitement to hatred in our universities. Where public mourning involves this sort of unacceptable behaviour, it should not be tolerated. The department’s Prevent Coordinators engage with universities on concerns relating to students’ union activity and student conduct, to ensure that the correct policies and procedures have been followed. Students’ Unions, where they are registered charities, are regulated by the Charity Commission for compliance with charity law, which assesses and manages them through its regulatory framework.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has issued guidance to higher education institutions on the promotion of narratives in student societies linked to foreign political leadership.

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

As stated by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Defence on 1 March, Ayatollah Khamenei ran an oppressive and brutal regime, murdering thousands of his own citizens and exporting terror, including to Britain. It is horrifying to see his death mourned publicly in this country.

We condemn all extremist intimidation, harassment and incitement to hatred in our universities. Where public mourning involves this sort of unacceptable behaviour, it should not be tolerated. The department’s Prevent Coordinators engage with universities on concerns relating to students’ union activity and student conduct, to ensure that the correct policies and procedures have been followed. Students’ Unions, where they are registered charities, are regulated by the Charity Commission for compliance with charity law, which assesses and manages them through its regulatory framework.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the Office for Students has reviewed the adequacy of compliance procedures at students' unions following public statements praising Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

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

As stated by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Defence on 1 March, Ayatollah Khamenei ran an oppressive and brutal regime, murdering thousands of his own citizens and exporting terror, including to Britain. It is horrifying to see his death mourned publicly in this country.

We condemn all extremist intimidation, harassment and incitement to hatred in our universities. Where public mourning involves this sort of unacceptable behaviour, it should not be tolerated. The department’s Prevent Coordinators engage with universities on concerns relating to students’ union activity and student conduct, to ensure that the correct policies and procedures have been followed. Students’ Unions, where they are registered charities, are regulated by the Charity Commission for compliance with charity law, which assesses and manages them through its regulatory framework.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government, with regard to the consultation on the proposed revisions to Keeping children safe in education, published on 12 February, why paragraph 97 of the draft guidance makes provision for pupils to participate in sports teams of the opposite sex.

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

The recently published consultation draft of ‘Keeping children safe in education’ does not say that schools should accept requests for pupils to join sports teams for the opposite sex. The guidance is absolutely clear that some sports may need to be played in single sex sports to ensure children’s safety, and that where this is the case there should be no exceptions.

Where there are other reasons for providing single sex sports, the guidance sets out that schools should take into account all the relevant factors, including the best interests of the child, as well as considering the impact on other children.

Schools should be informed by advice from national governing bodies on what is appropriate for individual sports.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have for protections for teachers and staff at schools, colleges and universities who do not use pronouns of one gender for students of the opposite biological sex.

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

Schools, further education colleges and higher education institutions are responsible for their own decisions on employment issues. The department expects schools, colleges and universities, like all employers, to follow all relevant employment law, statutory guidance and abide by their obligations under the Equality Act.

Guidance for schools and colleges on gender-questioning children can be found in ‘Keeping children safe in education’. The guidance is clear that a school or college must also be conscious of the rights of pupils and staff in relation to their religion or belief as protected characteristics. Alongside this, the guidance also states that schools or colleges will appropriately sanction any cases of bullying or harassment and take a strong stand against bullying.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they are taking to promote the National Year of Reading 2026 in early years settings, in schools, further and higher education.

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

​I refer the noble Lady to the answer of 31 March 2026 to Question HL14644.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will will consider exempting PhD students from the International Student Levy.

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

We are engaging with the higher education sector to shape the design of the International Student Levy (ISL) to make delivery as easy as possible for providers. A technical consultation on the delivery of the ISL was open for responses until 18 February 2026. The government will publish its response in Summer 2026.

We have listened to concerns raised by the sector. The levy will not be introduced until 2028/29 to give providers time to plan for its introduction. Providers will also pay the ISL one year in arrears, to help with their financial planning and will also be given an allowance for the first 220 international students per year. This is to mitigate the ISL having a disproportionate impact on smaller providers, particularly those operating specialist and resource intensive models with limited other means of cross-subsidisation.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the cost to the public purse of industrial disputes in further education colleges.

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

Further education colleges, rather than government, are responsible for setting and negotiating terms and conditions and managing their industrial relations.

Based on engagement with the sector, we know colleges affected by recent strikes have generally implemented measures to ensure the impact on learners is minimised as far as possible. This has included rearranging classes, providing online learning where possible, and keeping libraries and learning centres open to allow the opportunity for independent study.

We encourage colleges to continue to adopt these and other appropriate mitigations where that is necessary. We encourage colleges and unions to remain engaged in open and constructive dialogue for the best interests of staff and students.

We all have a shared goal in ensuring our young people gain the best education during this critical transition period, advancing their opportunities and supporting economic growth.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many UK students have studied abroad under the Turing scheme by country in the most recent year for which figures are available; and at what cost.

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

The 2023/24 academic year is the most recent year for which data is published on placements completed using Turing Scheme funding and the associated costs. In 2023/2024, 32,714 UK students took part in international placements through the Turing Scheme, travelling to 153 countries. The most popular destinations were Spain (4,728), France (3,178), Italy (1,841), the United States (2,468), Australia (1,002) and Japan (750).

Across all sectors, the scheme spent £82.8 million of funding in that year on placements for students in higher education, further education and vocational training, and schools. The department does not hold information on the cost of placements by individual destination country.

A full breakdown of destinations and funding is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/turing-scheme-funding-outcomes-2023-to-2024.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Smith of Malvern on 24 February (HL Deb col 565), whether they will publish a breakdown by programme area of the £4 billion for special educational needs and disabilities reform over the next three years, including allocations for (1) the Inclusive Mainstream Fund, (2) Experts at Hand, (3) Best Start Family Hubs, and (4) a national training package.

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

As set out in special educational needs and disabilities reform: putting children and young people first, the breakdown of our £4bn investment package, over the next three years, is as follows:

• £1.6 billion on Inclusive Mainstream Fund
• £1.8 billion on Experts at Hand
• Over £200 million on Best Start Family Hubs
• Over £200 million on national training package
• Over £200 million on local authority transformation
• Over £40 million on specialist training (including educational psychologists and speech and language therapists)

The government will publish breakdowns by programme area for this coming financial year as part of publishing allocations in the coming months.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the capacity of the childcare sector to deliver Government-funded childcare places; and what their current estimate is of any shortfall or surplus of places.

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

Through the Best Start in Life strategy, the department is focused on reforming the childcare system and delivering on our Plan for Change. This government continues to prioritise and protect investment in the early years, which is why we are investing over £1 billion more in early years entitlements next year compared to 2025/26. The school-based nursery programme is a £400 million capital investment to deliver the government’s manifesto commitment to create or expand thousands of additional school-based nurseries across England, increasing access to childcare for families.

The department is providing £82 million of capital funding to over 600 primary and maintained nursery schools across phases 1 and 2 which will create over 11,000 new nursery places by September 2027, of which over 5,000 places were available from 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. There are currently no sufficiency challenges reported.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment her Department has made of trends in the levels of the risk of insolvency among universities in England.

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

We are aware that some higher education (HE) providers are making difficult decisions about course consolidation and closures. As autonomous institutions, HE providers are responsible for managing their own finances. It is therefore right that they focus on ensuring their courses are financially sustainable.

The Office for Students (OfS) is responsible for monitoring and reporting on the HE sector’s financial sustainability. The department works closely with the OfS to understand the sector’s changing financial landscape and level of risk.

The government recognises that the sector's financial environment is challenging. This is why tuition fee caps were uplifted in line with forecast inflation for 2025/26, with further uplifts planned for 2026/27 and 2027/28. We will then legislate to increase tuition fee caps automatically for future academic years. The department has also appointed Professor Edward Peck as OfS Chair, where he will play a key role in strengthening its commitment to financial sustainability.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the number of course closures announced in higher education over the past year.

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

We are aware that some higher education (HE) providers are making difficult decisions about course consolidation and closures. As autonomous institutions, HE providers are responsible for managing their own finances. It is therefore right that they focus on ensuring their courses are financially sustainable.

The Office for Students (OfS) is responsible for monitoring and reporting on the HE sector’s financial sustainability. The department works closely with the OfS to understand the sector’s changing financial landscape and level of risk.

The government recognises that the sector's financial environment is challenging. This is why tuition fee caps were uplifted in line with forecast inflation for 2025/26, with further uplifts planned for 2026/27 and 2027/28. We will then legislate to increase tuition fee caps automatically for future academic years. The department has also appointed Professor Edward Peck as OfS Chair, where he will play a key role in strengthening its commitment to financial sustainability.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what is her most recent estimate of (1) the Resource Accounting and Budgeting charge and (2) the estimated cost to Government of support for the student finance system, based on future loan write-offs and interest subsidies, (a) in net present-value terms, and (b) as a proportion of the initial loan outlay.

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

The Resource Accounting and Budgeting (RAB) charge, the government subsidy anticipated on student loans issued in any particular financial year, is calculated as the present value of student loan outlay less expected future repayments. This is in accordance with relevant International Financial Reporting Standards and guidance from HM Treasury’s's Government Financial Reporting Manual.

In the 2024/25 financial year, the RAB charge was £6.2 billion, or 29.6% of the £20.7 billion of the student loans issued.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support further education colleges that have unresolved industrial disputes.

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

Further education colleges, rather than government, are responsible for setting and negotiating terms and conditions and managing their industrial relations.

Based on engagement with the sector, we know colleges affected by recent strikes have generally implemented measures to ensure the impact on learners is minimised as far as possible. This has included rearranging classes, providing online learning where possible, and keeping libraries and learning centres open to allow the opportunity for independent study.

We encourage colleges to continue to adopt these and other appropriate mitigations where that is necessary. We encourage colleges and unions to remain engaged in open and constructive dialogue for the best interests of staff and students.

We all have a shared goal in ensuring our young people gain the best education during this critical transition period, advancing their opportunities and supporting economic growth.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has collected post-implementation data on the academic performance or withdrawal rates of students previously supported with specialist assistive software.

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

The department is aware of the response written on behalf of the National Association of Disability Practitioners in December 2025 to the change made from March 2025 to remove Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) funding for non-specialist spelling and grammar software other than in exceptional circumstances. The department keeps all support funded through DSA under regular review to ensure that it continues to meet the needs of disabled students. Any future changes will be communicated publicly.

Since October 2025, the department has received one formal request for a meeting regarding recent DSA policy changes from a disability sector organisation.

The department’s policy change to remove DSA funding for non-specialist spelling and grammar software other than in exceptional circumstances applied only to DSA applicants whose needs assessments took place from 17 March 2025. Students who had already been awarded this software had their awards left in place. It is therefore not the case that software has been removed from students' part-way through their courses. While it is too early to collect any post-implementation data on the academic performance or withdrawal rates of students previously supported with specialist assistive software, given that the policy change came into effect less than a year ago, the department is continuing to monitor the participation, attainment, and completion rates for disabled students in higher education.

The department has not undertaken a specific assessment of the impact of DSA changes on demand for Access to Work or other employment support schemes. DSA is designed to address disability related barriers to study, while Access to Work provides support in employment-related barriers to study. The department and the Department for Work and Pensions are in regular contact.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of changes to Disabled Students’ Allowance support on demand for Access to Work or other employment support schemes.

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

The department is aware of the response written on behalf of the National Association of Disability Practitioners in December 2025 to the change made from March 2025 to remove Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) funding for non-specialist spelling and grammar software other than in exceptional circumstances. The department keeps all support funded through DSA under regular review to ensure that it continues to meet the needs of disabled students. Any future changes will be communicated publicly.

Since October 2025, the department has received one formal request for a meeting regarding recent DSA policy changes from a disability sector organisation.

The department’s policy change to remove DSA funding for non-specialist spelling and grammar software other than in exceptional circumstances applied only to DSA applicants whose needs assessments took place from 17 March 2025. Students who had already been awarded this software had their awards left in place. It is therefore not the case that software has been removed from students' part-way through their courses. While it is too early to collect any post-implementation data on the academic performance or withdrawal rates of students previously supported with specialist assistive software, given that the policy change came into effect less than a year ago, the department is continuing to monitor the participation, attainment, and completion rates for disabled students in higher education.

The department has not undertaken a specific assessment of the impact of DSA changes on demand for Access to Work or other employment support schemes. DSA is designed to address disability related barriers to study, while Access to Work provides support in employment-related barriers to study. The department and the Department for Work and Pensions are in regular contact.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support schools to recruit qualified physics teachers in the West Midlands.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The department’s Plan for Change commits us to recruiting an additional 6,500 new expert teachers across secondary and special schools and our colleges over the course of this Parliament.

In 2023/24, just 17% of the postgraduate initial teacher training target for physics trainees was met. In 2025/26, this increased to 78%, with 1,095 new entrants, reaching the highest number for physics since comparable statistics began in 2014/2015.

Additionally, full-time equivalent (FTE) teachers in state-funded schools in the West Midlands increased by 353 to 52,658 per the latest census, and across the country the workforce has grown by 2,346 FTE in secondary and special schools, which are the schools where they are needed most.

We are continuing to support physics teacher recruitment with bursaries worth £29,000 and tax free scholarships worth £31,000. We are also supporting retention alongside increased recruitment, with a targeted retention incentive, worth up to £6,000 after tax, for teachers in years 1-5 of their career who choose to work in the most disadvantaged schools.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many whistleblowing complaints relating to (a) free speech, (b) academic freedom and (c) political discrimination have been reported to her Department since 2020.

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

This government is absolutely committed to freedom of speech and academic freedom. Under the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998, the department is not the prescribed person for whistleblowing concerns in higher education (HE) and does not receive whistleblowing complaints related to HE.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what recent steps they have taken to improve the quality and accessibility of social care services for children across the UK.

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

Children’s social care is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.

The department is taking forward a comprehensive programme of major reforms, including a focus on early help, family support and stronger safeguarding, as set out in the ‘Keeping children safe, helping families thrive’ statement and the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill. Our measures will strengthen multi‑agency child protection, expand kinship and foster care support, and enhance Ofsted’s powers to tackle unregistered or substandard provision.

The department is also delivering the Families First Partnership programme to keep families together and reduce reliance on high-cost residential placements. Placement quality, financial transparency and workforce capacity are being improved through significant investment and new oversight measures.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government how much in total was paid to the Teachers' Pension Scheme by (1) teachers, and (2) employers, in (a) 2021, (b) 2022, and (c) 2023; and how much was paid to retired teachers in pension payments in each of those years.

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

In the 2020/21 financial year, a total of £2.48 billion was paid by members into the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS), and £6.15 billion was paid by employers over the same period. £9.41 billion was paid to retired members of the TPS within this financial year.

In the 2021/22 financial year, a total of £2.57 billion was paid by members into the TPS, and £6.357 billion was paid by employers over the same period. £9.563 billion was paid to retired members of the TPS within this financial year.

In the 2022/23 financial year, a total of £2.65 billion was paid by members into the TPS, and £6.58 billion was paid by employers over the same period. £9.93 billion was paid to retired members of the TPS within this financial year.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what data her Department holds on the number of Remediable Service Statements issued to retired teachers; and whether her Department will publish these statistics on a regular basis.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Recalculating benefits for retired members is a complex process. For those members retiring, these cases are relatively straightforward, as no benefits are already in payment. For retired members, additional complications around tax, interest rules and system functionality required extensive consultation.

As of 18 March 2026, 73,913 Remediable Service Statements (RSSs) have been issued to retired members, and there are 68,126 remaining to be issued. There are currently no plans to publish RSS statistics on the website. However, the scheme administrator keeps affected members informed of general progress through established channels, including My Pension Online and its website. The latest update is available here: https://www.teacherspensions.co.uk/news/public-news/2025/11/timeline-for-sending-out-remediable-service-statements-rss.aspx.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of the activities of the National Education Union on community cohesion.

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

Education plays a vital role in preparing our children and young people for life in a modern and diverse Britain. Accordingly, the department plays a key role in the government’s efforts to strengthen social cohesion, as outlined in the recently published social cohesion action plan ‘Protecting What Matters’.

As part of these actions to strengthen social cohesion, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education has launched an independent review into antisemitism in schools and colleges in England, led by Sir David Bell.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of trends in the level of (a) recruitment and (b) retention in further education colleges in (i) island and (ii) coastal communities.

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

The department is taking actions to strengthen the recruitment and retention in further education (FE) colleges across the country, including coastal and island communities, as outlined in the recent Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper.

Across the spending review period we will provide £1.2 billion of additional investment per year in skills by 2028/2029. This will support colleges to recruit and retain excellent teachers. Delivery of this funding is weighted to account for levels of disadvantage.

Our national recruitment campaign promotes careers in FE, and retention payments of up to £6,000 after tax are offered for early career teachers, with higher payments for providers with a higher proportion of disadvantaged learners. Bursaries of up to £31,000 are available for teacher training. With reference to pay, FE colleges, rather than the government, are responsible for setting pay.

The department will continue to monitor workforce recruitment and retention trends through the FE Workforce Data Collection.

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 pay disparities between mainland further education colleges and those in island communities on staff recruitment and retention.

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

The department is taking actions to strengthen the recruitment and retention in further education (FE) colleges across the country, including coastal and island communities, as outlined in the recent Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper.

Across the spending review period we will provide £1.2 billion of additional investment per year in skills by 2028/2029. This will support colleges to recruit and retain excellent teachers. Delivery of this funding is weighted to account for levels of disadvantage.

Our national recruitment campaign promotes careers in FE, and retention payments of up to £6,000 after tax are offered for early career teachers, with higher payments for providers with a higher proportion of disadvantaged learners. Bursaries of up to £31,000 are available for teacher training. With reference to pay, FE colleges, rather than the government, are responsible for setting pay.

The department will continue to monitor workforce recruitment and retention trends through the FE Workforce Data Collection.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on the number of Plan 2 student loan borrowers who have seen their outstanding balance increase despite making regular repayments in South Basildon and East Thurrock constituency in each of the last five years.

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

There are 330 people with contact postcodes held by the Student Loan Company (SLC) indicating they live in the South Basildon and East Thurrock constituency who have repaid their plan 2 Student Loan.

There are 6,530 people in the constituency who currently have outstanding plan 2 student loans; of which 5,700 borrowers have loans that have become liable to repay as they are beyond the statutory repayment due date.

In the 2024/25 financial year, 2,100 plan 2 borrowers with loans that had become liable to repay made regular repayments but saw their outstanding balance increase as the total interest added exceeded the total amount repaid over the year. Outstanding debt, including interest, is cancelled at the end of the loan term, with no detriment to the borrower.

For this analysis, a borrower is deemed to have made regular repayments if they have made at least four repayments in the 2024/25 financial year. This may include borrowers who stopped their regular repayments or ceased being liable to repay part-way through the year.

This will include borrowers who were resident in South Basildon and East Thurrock constituency, including at parental addresses, when they applied for the loan and have not informed the SLC of a subsequent change of address.

(Borrower numbers rounded to the nearest 10).

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on the number of people in the South Basildon and East Thurrock constituency who have fully repaid their Plan 2 student loan.

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

There are 330 people with contact postcodes held by the Student Loan Company (SLC) indicating they live in the South Basildon and East Thurrock constituency who have repaid their plan 2 Student Loan.

There are 6,530 people in the constituency who currently have outstanding plan 2 student loans; of which 5,700 borrowers have loans that have become liable to repay as they are beyond the statutory repayment due date.

In the 2024/25 financial year, 2,100 plan 2 borrowers with loans that had become liable to repay made regular repayments but saw their outstanding balance increase as the total interest added exceeded the total amount repaid over the year. Outstanding debt, including interest, is cancelled at the end of the loan term, with no detriment to the borrower.

For this analysis, a borrower is deemed to have made regular repayments if they have made at least four repayments in the 2024/25 financial year. This may include borrowers who stopped their regular repayments or ceased being liable to repay part-way through the year.

This will include borrowers who were resident in South Basildon and East Thurrock constituency, including at parental addresses, when they applied for the loan and have not informed the SLC of a subsequent change of address.

(Borrower numbers rounded to the nearest 10).

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on the number of people who have outstanding Plan 2 student loans in South Basildon and East Thurrock constituency.

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

There are 330 people with contact postcodes held by the Student Loan Company (SLC) indicating they live in the South Basildon and East Thurrock constituency who have repaid their plan 2 Student Loan.

There are 6,530 people in the constituency who currently have outstanding plan 2 student loans; of which 5,700 borrowers have loans that have become liable to repay as they are beyond the statutory repayment due date.

In the 2024/25 financial year, 2,100 plan 2 borrowers with loans that had become liable to repay made regular repayments but saw their outstanding balance increase as the total interest added exceeded the total amount repaid over the year. Outstanding debt, including interest, is cancelled at the end of the loan term, with no detriment to the borrower.

For this analysis, a borrower is deemed to have made regular repayments if they have made at least four repayments in the 2024/25 financial year. This may include borrowers who stopped their regular repayments or ceased being liable to repay part-way through the year.

This will include borrowers who were resident in South Basildon and East Thurrock constituency, including at parental addresses, when they applied for the loan and have not informed the SLC of a subsequent change of address.

(Borrower numbers rounded to the nearest 10).

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to support young adults in Newbury constituency with financial difficulties as a result of freezes to the Plan 2 student loan repayment threshold.

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

Plan 2 loans were designed and implemented by previous governments, and we are having to make hard choices to balance taxpayer and borrower interests to ensure that the student finance system remains sustainable.

Student loan repayments are linked to income, not to the amount borrowed or interest applied. The repayment threshold will rise in April 2026, to £29,385 which is a higher rate than the average graduate salary three years after graduation. As repayments remain income-contingent if a borrower’s salary remains the same, their monthly repayments will also stay the same. Repayments are made at a constant rate of 9% above the earnings threshold, and the 9% rate strikes a balance between affordability for graduates and fairness to taxpayers. Even with the freeze, in year one the average borrower on a Plan 2 loan will repay around £8 more than had the freeze not been enforced.

Those earning below the earnings threshold do not make repayments. Any outstanding loan including interest built up, is cancelled at the end of the loan term with no detriment to the borrower, and debt is never passed on to family members or descendants. This is a deliberate government investment in students and the economy.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of freezes to the Plan 2 student loan repayment threshold on recent graduates.

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

Plan 2 loans were designed and implemented by previous governments, and we are having to make hard choices to balance taxpayer and borrower interests to ensure that the student finance system remains sustainable.

Student loan repayments are linked to income, not to the amount borrowed or interest applied. The repayment threshold will rise in April 2026, to £29,385 which is a higher rate than the average graduate salary three years after graduation. As repayments remain income-contingent if a borrower’s salary remains the same, their monthly repayments will also stay the same. Repayments are made at a constant rate of 9% above the earnings threshold, and the 9% rate strikes a balance between affordability for graduates and fairness to taxpayers. Even with the freeze, in year one the average borrower on a Plan 2 loan will repay around £8 more than had the freeze not been enforced.

Those earning below the earnings threshold do not make repayments. Any outstanding loan including interest built up, is cancelled at the end of the loan term with no detriment to the borrower, and debt is never passed on to family members or descendants. This is a deliberate government investment in students and the economy.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her Department’s estimate is of the (a) total level of student loan debt of Plan 2 students who started their course between 2012 and 2023 and (b) total level of student loan debt of Plan 2 students at the point that the freeze in repayment thresholds is planned to end in 2029-2030 for which the latest data is available.

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

The current mean average level of student loan balance of Plan 2 students who started their course between 2012 and 2023 to the nearest £100, as of 9 February, is £52,100 for England domiciled borrowers.

We do not hold a forecast for this average balance in 2029/30 on a consistent basis to the above figure provided by the Student Loans Company (SLC), as we forecast loan balances at the course level rather than borrower level, so cannot calculate the average balance by borrower.

The total level of student loan balances of Plan 2 students who started their course between 2012 and 2023 is £213 billion (to the nearest billion, as of 31 March 2025), for England and EU domiciled borrowers, as published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/student-loans-in-england-2024-to-2025/student-loans-in-england-financial-year-2024-25.

Our modelled forecast of estimated total loan balance at the end of 2029/30 is £249 billion (rounded to the nearest billion, estimate for 1 April 2030), as published here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/student-loan-forecasts-for-england/2024-25#explore-data-and-files.

The 2029/30 total loan balance figure is forecasted and not certain. More details on the methodology are here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/methodology/student-loan-forecasts-for-england.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what is her Department’s estimate of the (a) average level of student loan debt of Plan 2 students who started their course between 2012 and 2023 and (b) average level of student loan debt of Plan 2 students at the point that the freeze in repayment thresholds is planned to end in 2029-2030 for which the latest data is available.

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

The current mean average level of student loan balance of Plan 2 students who started their course between 2012 and 2023 to the nearest £100, as of 9 February, is £52,100 for England domiciled borrowers.

We do not hold a forecast for this average balance in 2029/30 on a consistent basis to the above figure provided by the Student Loans Company (SLC), as we forecast loan balances at the course level rather than borrower level, so cannot calculate the average balance by borrower.

The total level of student loan balances of Plan 2 students who started their course between 2012 and 2023 is £213 billion (to the nearest billion, as of 31 March 2025), for England and EU domiciled borrowers, as published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/student-loans-in-england-2024-to-2025/student-loans-in-england-financial-year-2024-25.

Our modelled forecast of estimated total loan balance at the end of 2029/30 is £249 billion (rounded to the nearest billion, estimate for 1 April 2030), as published here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/student-loan-forecasts-for-england/2024-25#explore-data-and-files.

The 2029/30 total loan balance figure is forecasted and not certain. More details on the methodology are here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/methodology/student-loan-forecasts-for-england.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what was the repayment forecast for Plan 2 student loan graduates in each of the last five years compared to actual repayments in each of those years.

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

The actual repayments for plan 2 are published in Figure 14 on this page:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/student-loans-in-england-2024-to-2025/student-loans-in-england-financial-year-2024-25#income-contingent-loan-borrower-repayment-status.

The forecasts for Plan 2 are published here:

2020/21: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/537c9923-1dee-4dd7-03b6-08de802d14ab.

2021/22: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/72cb044b-3268-42b8-2298-08de802e40a1.

2022/23: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/63aca262-3422-41f2-03b4-08de802d14ab.

2023/24: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/8be5221a-77a1-4544-2297-08de802e40a1.

2024/25: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/8b17045b-d933-4ac1-03af-08de802d14ab.

Forecasts are always likely to deviate from actuals due to uncertainty around many factors. Forecasts are based on the most up to date inputs available. Even looking only a year into the future, factors affecting repayments are likely to deviate from model inputs, especially in times of greater economic uncertainty. Over time, improvements to modelling methodology also affect accuracy of forecasts.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on whether medical students will qualify for maintenance grants when these are reintroduced.

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

This government is committed to supporting the aspiration of every person who meets the requirements and wants to attend higher education. We must, therefore, reform the higher education system to better support disadvantaged students.

Maintenance grants will support students studying courses aligned with the government’s missions and the Industrial Strategy at Levels 4 to 6 under the Lifelong Learning Entitlement, including technical qualifications and degrees. The new grants will provide disadvantaged students with up to £1,000 extra per year on top of existing maintenance loans, increasing the cash in student’s pockets without increasing their debt.

It is vital that the list of subjects that will be eligible for maintenance grants is informed by the best and most up-to-date evidence available on future employment and skills priorities. The full list of eligible subjects will be confirmed in advance of maintenance grant introduction in the 2028/29 academic year.

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 maintaining thresholds for repayment of student loans between 2027-28 and 2029-30 for Plan 2 students who started their course between 2012 and 2023 on fair access to higher education for students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

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

Plan 2 loans were designed and implemented by previous governments. Students in England starting degrees under this government have different arrangements.

Lower earning graduates remain protected by this change. Graduates only begin repaying once their earnings exceed the threshold, paying 9% of income above that level. As repayments remain income-contingent if a borrower’s salary remains the same, their monthly repayments will also stay the same.

The department has produced the attached analysis regarding the lifetime impact of freezing the repayment and interest thresholds.

The department will release an equalities impact assessment, including the impact on lifetime repayments, alongside other borrower impacts for the Plan 2 repayment threshold and interest threshold freeze announced at the Autumn Budget. Published results may differ from those provided due to model and data updates.

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 maintaining thresholds for repayment of student loans between 2027-28 and 2029-30 for Plan 2 students who started their course between 2012 and 2023 on fair access to higher education for women students.

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

Plan 2 loans were designed and implemented by previous governments. Students in England starting degrees under this government have different arrangements.

Lower earning graduates remain protected by this change. Graduates only begin repaying once their earnings exceed the threshold, paying 9% of income above that level. As repayments remain income-contingent if a borrower’s salary remains the same, their monthly repayments will also stay the same.

The department has produced the attached analysis regarding the lifetime impact of freezing the repayment and interest thresholds.

The department will release an equalities impact assessment, including the impact on lifetime repayments, alongside other borrower impacts for the Plan 2 repayment threshold and interest threshold freeze announced at the Autumn Budget. Published results may differ from those provided due to model and data updates.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to Part 2 student loan repayments and the freezing of interest thresholds on [a] women and [b] students with disabilities.

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

We inherited a Plan 2 loan system that was devised and implemented by the previous government, and there have not been retrospective changes to repayments. Students sign the terms and conditions of the student loan plan type available at the time of their studies before any money is paid to them. Student loan terms and conditions make clear that the conditions of the loan may change in line with the regulations that govern the loans.

There has also been no freezing of interest rate threshold. Interest accrues on loan balances at a rate of Retail Price Index (RPI) to RPI+3% until the loan has been repaid in full or is cancelled. Borrowers on Plan 2 terms have interest applied at RPI only if earnings fall below the repayment threshold and interest rates do not impact monthly repayments made by borrowers.

If a borrower becomes disabled and permanently unfit for work, loan balances, including interest, may be written off. For all borrowers, any outstanding loan, including interest accrued, will be cancelled after the loan term ends, and debt is never passed on to family members or descendants.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will undertake a review of student and graduate opinion about the retrospective nature of changes to Part 2 student loan repayments and the freezing of interest thresholds.

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

We inherited a Plan 2 loan system that was devised and implemented by the previous government, and there have not been retrospective changes to repayments. Students sign the terms and conditions of the student loan plan type available at the time of their studies before any money is paid to them. Student loan terms and conditions make clear that the conditions of the loan may change in line with the regulations that govern the loans.

There has also been no freezing of interest rate threshold. Interest accrues on loan balances at a rate of Retail Price Index (RPI) to RPI+3% until the loan has been repaid in full or is cancelled. Borrowers on Plan 2 terms have interest applied at RPI only if earnings fall below the repayment threshold and interest rates do not impact monthly repayments made by borrowers.

If a borrower becomes disabled and permanently unfit for work, loan balances, including interest, may be written off. For all borrowers, any outstanding loan, including interest accrued, will be cancelled after the loan term ends, and debt is never passed on to family members or descendants.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made on the number of people with a Plan 3 student loan in England and Wales; and what is the total value of those loans.

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

The number of England‑domiciled borrowers with a Plan 3 student loan was 603,000, rounded to the nearest thousand, and the total value of those loans was £6.521 billion, rounded to the nearest million, as of 31 March 2025.

Education is a devolved matter, and the Welsh Government is responsible for providing equivalent figures for borrowers in Wales.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what was the percentage median salary increase for secondary school head teachers in England between 1996–97 and 2025–26 in (1) cash terms, and (2) real terms adjusted for inflation.

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

Median pay is published for classroom teachers, headteachers and ‘other leadership’ teachers. The percentage median salary increase is not published but can be calculated from the published median pay. Deputy heads are grouped into the ‘other leadership’ category, alongside assistant heads. Median pay is not published for deputy heads separately.

Statistics for median teacher pay extending back to 1996/97 are not readily available. The available time series goes back to 2010/11, the first year of the School Workforce Census. The most recent data currently available is for 2024/25 and the 2025/26 pay data will be published in June 2026.

Percentage Median Salary Increase Between 2010/11 and 2024/25 for Headteachers and Deputy Heads in Cash Terms

Percentage Median Salary Increase Between 2010/11 and 2024/25 for Headteachers and Deputy Heads Adjusted for Inflation (indexed to 2024/25)

We have adjusted for inflation on a financial year basis using the Consumer Price Index from the Office for Budget Responsibility’s March 2026 Economic and Fiscal Outlook. To get the median pay figures adjusted for inflation, we have indexed to financial year 2024/25.

Headteacher pay in maintained schools is determined by a calculation set out in the ‘School teachers pay and conditions’ document. Once the school has been allocated to one of eight headteacher groups, largely based on size of school by pupil numbers, the individual salary range of the headteacher is determined by the governing body within the minimum and maximum of the respective headteacher group range. The salary range of any deputy or assistant headteachers is then determined in the context of the headteachers salary.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what was the percentage median salary increase for primary school deputy head teachers in England between 1996–97 and 2025–26 in (1) cash terms, and (2) real terms adjusted for inflation.

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

Median pay is published for classroom teachers, headteachers and ‘other leadership’ teachers. The percentage median salary increase is not published but can be calculated from the published median pay. Deputy heads are grouped into the ‘other leadership’ category, alongside assistant heads. Median pay is not published for deputy heads separately.

Statistics for median teacher pay extending back to 1996/97 are not readily available. The available time series goes back to 2010/11, the first year of the School Workforce Census. The most recent data currently available is for 2024/25 and the 2025/26 pay data will be published in June 2026.

Percentage Median Salary Increase Between 2010/11 and 2024/25 for Headteachers and Deputy Heads in Cash Terms

Percentage Median Salary Increase Between 2010/11 and 2024/25 for Headteachers and Deputy Heads Adjusted for Inflation (indexed to 2024/25)

We have adjusted for inflation on a financial year basis using the Consumer Price Index from the Office for Budget Responsibility’s March 2026 Economic and Fiscal Outlook. To get the median pay figures adjusted for inflation, we have indexed to financial year 2024/25.

Headteacher pay in maintained schools is determined by a calculation set out in the ‘School teachers pay and conditions’ document. Once the school has been allocated to one of eight headteacher groups, largely based on size of school by pupil numbers, the individual salary range of the headteacher is determined by the governing body within the minimum and maximum of the respective headteacher group range. The salary range of any deputy or assistant headteachers is then determined in the context of the headteachers salary.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what was the percentage median salary increase for secondary school deputy head teachers in England between 1996–97 and 2025–26 in (1) cash terms, and (2) real terms adjusted for inflation.

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

Median pay is published for classroom teachers, headteachers and ‘other leadership’ teachers. The percentage median salary increase is not published but can be calculated from the published median pay. Deputy heads are grouped into the ‘other leadership’ category, alongside assistant heads. Median pay is not published for deputy heads separately.

Statistics for median teacher pay extending back to 1996/97 are not readily available. The available time series goes back to 2010/11, the first year of the School Workforce Census. The most recent data currently available is for 2024/25 and the 2025/26 pay data will be published in June 2026.

Percentage Median Salary Increase Between 2010/11 and 2024/25 for Headteachers and Deputy Heads in Cash Terms

Percentage Median Salary Increase Between 2010/11 and 2024/25 for Headteachers and Deputy Heads Adjusted for Inflation (indexed to 2024/25)

We have adjusted for inflation on a financial year basis using the Consumer Price Index from the Office for Budget Responsibility’s March 2026 Economic and Fiscal Outlook. To get the median pay figures adjusted for inflation, we have indexed to financial year 2024/25.

Headteacher pay in maintained schools is determined by a calculation set out in the ‘School teachers pay and conditions’ document. Once the school has been allocated to one of eight headteacher groups, largely based on size of school by pupil numbers, the individual salary range of the headteacher is determined by the governing body within the minimum and maximum of the respective headteacher group range. The salary range of any deputy or assistant headteachers is then determined in the context of the headteachers salary.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many students starting an undergraduate degree course in 2025 at each Russell Group University had achieved a) 3 or more A Levels and b) a T Level and c) a BTEC; and what was this as a proportion of the number of students passing those qualifications in 2025.

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 includes information on the qualifications held by students on entry to their course at a UK HE provider. The latest student data held by the department refers to the 2024/25 academic year and covers students starting degree courses in 2024.

The number of English-domiciled entrants to undergraduate courses in each Russell Group university in the 2024/25 academic year reported by HESA to have achieved either three or more A Levels, a T Level, or a BTEC, can be found in the attached spreadsheet.

The spreadsheet also presents the undergraduate entrant figures as a proportion of the total number of pupils in England achieving three or more A Levels, a T Level, or a BTEC in the 2023/24 academic year. Caution is advised when interpreting the data in this spreadsheet due to low and inconsistent reporting rates for HE entry qualifications. Counts in the spreadsheet have been rounded to the nearest 5.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will commission an analysis of areas with the highest levels of prosecutions for truancy, to examine the contributing social, economic, and institutional factors, to help inform evidence-based policy responses.

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

The department conducts analysis of data received via its Parental Responsibility Measures for Attendance data collection, which provides information on the national use of legal interventions to improve school attendance, including prosecutions, by local authority. We will continue to use the results of this data analysis to inform conversations with local authorities on addressing barriers to attendance, using a ’support first’ approach to pupils’ attendance. The department’s guidance is clear that prosecutions should only be used as a last resort, where all other routes have been exhausted or deemed inappropriate in the circumstances of the individual case.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she will review the statutory guidance on school attendance to allow exemptions for term-time holidays for children in foster care with complex needs and SEND when travel during peak holiday periods is not feasible.

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

There are currently no plans to review our approach to term-time holidays. Schools may grant a leave of absence for exceptional circumstances at their discretion by judging each application on the specific facts. However, generally a holiday would not constitute an exceptional circumstance. The school year is structured so that there are opportunities for holidays outside of term-time. Schools and local authorities also have considerable flexibility to plan term dates themselves and hold INSET days and other occasional days at quieter times of the year, allowing parents and carers to plan breaks at times that suit them.

This government recognises there can be considerable additional pressures on some pupils and their parents and carers, including for children in foster care with complex needs. However, all children have a right to a full-time education and we do not believe the solution is to endorse additional time away from school.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the answer on 12 March 2026 to question 117273, if she will provide financial assistance to schools to accommodate pupils from nearby private schools that have closed.

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

School funding is increasing by £1.7 billion in 2026/27, meaning that core school budgets will total £67 billion, an increase on the £65.3 billion provided in 2025/26.

In 2026/27, the most deprived schools have, on average, attracted the largest per pupil funding amounts through the schools National Funding Formula.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what enforcement mechanisms will apply to ensure full compliance with Individual Support Plan commitments.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

There will be a legal duty on education settings to produce an Individual Support Plan (ISP) for every child or young person receiving targeted or specialist support, ensuring help keeps pace with their development, prevents challenges from escalating, and reduces the risk of them disengaging from learning.

The use and quality of ISPs will be considered in Ofsted inspections, with clear routes for parents to raise concerns. Where there are concerns about provision, parents and young people will be able to resolve this directly with the setting, including making use of the improved schools complaints process if necessary. We will seek to strengthen the school complaints system with the inclusion of an appropriate, independent special educational needs and disabilities specialist (for example, a special educational needs coordinator, multi-academy trust inclusion director or senior school manager) on a panel, if the complaint cannot be resolved by the school’s senior management team or head teacher.

The ISP will be tailored in line with the layers of support, with guidance to support education settings in creating high-quality plans. ISPs will be standardised across settings to facilitate transitions. ISPs will be interactive, accessible, and available in a digital format, supporting consistency across the system.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what a) guidance and b) support does her Department provide to ensure sufficient school transport capacity in rural areas such as West Dorset during periods of high demand.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Local authorities are responsible for arranging home-to-school travel for eligible children. They use a mix of in-house services, passes for free travel on public transport and contracts with private operators and must ensure the arrangements they make are suitable for the needs of the children travelling.

Most local bus services in England outside London are run on a commercial basis where the operator decides on routes and provision, including the frequency of services and the type of vehicle used. The government is committed to improving bus services and has confirmed investment of over £3 billion until 2028/29 for local authorities and bus operators to maintain and improve bus services.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support local authorities such as Dorset Council in managing demand for school transport during peak holiday periods.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Local authorities are responsible for arranging home-to-school travel for eligible children. They use a mix of in-house services, passes for free travel on public transport and contracts with private operators and must ensure the arrangements they make are suitable for the needs of the children travelling.

Most local bus services in England outside London are run on a commercial basis where the operator decides on routes and provision, including the frequency of services and the type of vehicle used. The government is committed to improving bus services and has confirmed investment of over £3 billion until 2028/29 for local authorities and bus operators to maintain and improve bus services.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the availability of school bus places during peak holiday periods in West Dorset.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Local authorities are responsible for arranging home-to-school travel for eligible children. They use a mix of in-house services, passes for free travel on public transport and contracts with private operators and must ensure the arrangements they make are suitable for the needs of the children travelling.

Most local bus services in England outside London are run on a commercial basis where the operator decides on routes and provision, including the frequency of services and the type of vehicle used. The government is committed to improving bus services and has confirmed investment of over £3 billion until 2028/29 for local authorities and bus operators to maintain and improve bus services.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what specific nutritional and processing specifications are included in contracts for the National Breakfast Club programme to help ensure that the £100m+ of annual public spend is not directed toward ultra-processed cereals and breads.

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

The National School Breakfast Programme is an inherited scheme from the previous government and the contract will end in July 2026. The contract with the supplier, Family Action, stipulates that all food available for schools to purchase must meet the School Food Standards. ​

The School Food Standards already restricts foods high in fat, salt and sugar, as well as low quality reformed or reconstituted foods. However, to ensure quality and nutrition in meals for the future, we are revising the School Food Standards. We are engaging experts across the sector, such as nutritionists, and are developing our plans to consult on the changes.  ​

This government is committed to delivering a free breakfast club in every state-funded school with primary-aged pupils in England. Since April 2025, we have funded 750 schools to offer a free breakfast club as early adopters, delivering seven million meals so far. We are moving into national rollout, investing a further £80 million into the programme to fund an additional 2,000 schools between April 2026 and March 2027. Schools delivering free breakfast clubs have autonomy in how they procure their breakfast food, which must meet the School Food Standards.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a maximum five per cent threshold for ultra-processed foods (Nova Group 4) in the updated School Food Standards.

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

The Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition has considered the impact of processed foods on health in 2023 and 2025, and recommends that on balance, most people are likely to benefit from reducing their consumption of processed foods high in energy, saturated fat, salt and free sugars and low in fibre.

The School Food Standards already restrict foods high in fat, salt and sugar, as well as low-quality reformed or reconstituted foods, but to ensure quality and nutrition in meals for the future, we are revising the School Food Standards. We are engaging experts across the sector, such as nutritionists, and are developing our plans to consult on the changes.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she will publish guidance on quality standards for Individual Support Plans to prevent variation between local authorities and ensure consistent support for children nationwide.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

There will be a legal duty on education settings to produce an Individual Support Plan (ISP) for every child or young person receiving targeted or specialist support, ensuring help keeps pace with their development, prevents challenges from escalating, and reduces the risk of them disengaging from learning.

The use and quality of ISPs will be considered in Ofsted inspections, with clear routes for parents to raise concerns. Where there are concerns about provision, parents and young people will be able to resolve this directly with the setting, including making use of the improved schools complaints process if necessary. We will seek to strengthen the school complaints system with the inclusion of an appropriate, independent special educational needs and disabilities specialist (for example, a special educational needs coordinator, multi-academy trust inclusion director or senior school manager) on a panel, if the complaint cannot be resolved by the school’s senior management team or head teacher.

The ISP will be tailored in line with the layers of support, with guidance to support education settings in creating high-quality plans. ISPs will be standardised across settings to facilitate transitions. ISPs will be interactive, accessible, and available in a digital format, supporting consistency across the system.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her department is taking to ensure pupils, particularly those with imminent exams, can continue to attend schools safely in the context of the meningitis outbreak.

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

Children and young people, including those identified as contacts of cases, can and should continue to attend school or college as normal, including sitting exams and qualifications, unless directly advised otherwise by the local health protection team.

Meningococcal disease does not spread easily, and outbreaks of the size seen in Kent are rare. Transmission of meningococcal disease requires close and prolonged contact to spread, including living in the same household, and intimate contact such as kissing or sharing vapes.

A targeted programme of preventative antibiotics and meningitis B vaccination has been introduced to provide longer-term protection for students and young people in the area. Vaccination has been offered to all those who have received preventative antibiotics, and to year 11, 12 and 13 students in schools and colleges in Kent where confirmed or probable cases have been identified. Widening the vaccine offer is a precautionary measure to ensure longer-term protection whilst helping to minimise disruption to school attendance at a critical time in the academic year.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether school children who have been in a classroom, dining hall, shared areas with someone who now has confirmed meningitis are being offered a)antibiotics b)vaccinations.

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

Children and young people, including those identified as contacts of cases, can and should continue to attend school or college as normal, including sitting exams and qualifications, unless directly advised otherwise by the local health protection team.

Meningococcal disease does not spread easily, and outbreaks of the size seen in Kent are rare. Transmission of meningococcal disease requires close and prolonged contact to spread, including living in the same household, and intimate contact such as kissing or sharing vapes.

A targeted programme of preventative antibiotics and meningitis B vaccination has been introduced to provide longer-term protection for students and young people in the area. Vaccination has been offered to all those who have received preventative antibiotics, and to year 11, 12 and 13 students in schools and colleges in Kent where confirmed or probable cases have been identified. Widening the vaccine offer is a precautionary measure to ensure longer-term protection whilst helping to minimise disruption to school attendance at a critical time in the academic year.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure access for pre-school children with additional needs to nursery places in the Poole constituency.

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

We want every child, including those with additional needs, to be able to access a childcare setting where they can get the best start in life. The special educational needs and disability (SEND) reforms we announced in February, will give early years settings the training, evidence-based tools and expert input they need to welcome children with diverse needs into their settings and provide the right support from day one. We are investing over £200 million to strengthen the SEND offer in Best Start Family Hubs, including funding a family-facing practitioner in every hub to join up support across early years settings, health visitors and SEND teams.

Alongside this, we will work with local authorities to strengthen their childcare sufficiency planning for children with SEND and improve data on the availability of suitable places. This will provide parents greater confidence that their children can access the early education and childcare they are entitled to.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of requiring nurseries to use monitoring or recording equipment, including cameras; and whether her Department has issued guidance to early years providers on the use of such technology to support safeguarding.

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

The ‘Early years foundation stage’ statutory framework sets the standards and requirements early years providers must meet to ensure that children have the best start in life and are kept healthy and safe. Providers are required to have safeguarding policies addressing the use of mobile phones, cameras, and other electronic devices with imaging and sharing capabilities. Decisions about using monitoring and recording equipment are for individual providers, subject to safeguarding and data protection requirements.

As part of the department’s ongoing review of safeguarding requirements, an expert advisory panel has been appointed and is working at pace to inform guidance for the sector on the safe and effective use of CCTV and digital devices. This guidance will consider whether CCTV should be mandated and will set out best practice, technical advice and clear expectations. It will be published in summer 2026.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what the £3.5 billion of funding allocated to the Department for Education for 2028–29, additional to the previously planned funding at Autumn Budget 2025, will be spent on.

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

The £4 billion in funding over the spending review period (2026/27, 2027/28 and 2028/29) is newly allocated funding from existing departmental budgets. This investment is additional to the core funding allocations for 2026/27 for early years, schools and post-16 funding that have already been announced.

The department confirmed an additional £3.5 billion of new funding for the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system in 2028/29, to support reforms to improve outcomes and experiences for children, young people and their families, as outlined in ‘SEND reform: putting children and young people first’.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what safeguards are in place to ensure that nurseries undertake adequate pre-employment checks to prevent people with a history of abusive behaviour from working with children; and what steps her Department is taking to help ensure ongoing monitoring and safeguarding compliance once staff are in post.

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

Safer recruitment is a core part of safeguarding in early years settings. The ‘Early Years Foundation Stage’ (EYFS) statutory framework requires providers to have clear and robust recruitment procedures in place to ensure that only suitable people work with children.

Since September 2025, the safeguarding and welfare requirements in the EYFS have been strengthened to clarify expectations, formalise best practice and improve consistency across the sector, including clearer requirements on safer recruitment, references, safeguarding training, paediatric first aid and whistleblowing.

Providers must obtain references for all staff, students and volunteers before recruitment. The EYFS sets out expectations when obtaining references including not relying on applicants to obtain their reference, references to be provided by a senior person with appropriate authority relating to recent and relevant employment, and to ensure any concerns must be resolved before appointment.

All staff must be subject to appropriate Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks. Where checks are ongoing, individuals may only work under appropriate supervision and must never be left alone with children.

Safeguarding policies must set out safer recruitment procedures and be supported by effective induction, supervision, safeguarding training and whistleblowing arrangements to maintain a strong safeguarding culture.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support nurseries in recruiting and retaining sufficient numbers of qualified staff; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the current availability of childcare staffing on the provision of early years education.

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

The early years workforce is at the heart of our mission to give every child the best start in life and deliver the Plan for Change. That is why we are supporting the sector to attract talented staff and childminders by creating conditions for improved recruitment, alongside programmes to better utilise the skills of the existing workforce and make early years careers as accessible as possible.

We are attracting new people into the early years sector through initiatives like our national recruitment campaign and financial incentives programmes. We are also ensuring there is a career path for everyone who wants to become an early years teacher, through increasing places on our existing teacher training programmes and introducing a new early years teacher degree apprenticeship route.

The department has regular contact with each local authority in England about their sufficiency of childcare and any issues they are facing. No local authority is reporting sufficiency issues.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what capital funding is available to increase the number of childcare places in settings that are already at capacity, including those operating within primary schools.

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

High-quality early years education is central to our mission to break down barriers to opportunity, give every child the best possible start in life, and is essential to our Plan for Change. This government is boosting availability and access through the school-based nurseries programme, supporting school-led provision and private, voluntary and independent (PVI) providers and childminders operating from school sites.

The department recently announced that we are investing £45 million to support 331 additional schools to establish or grow their nurseries as part of Phase 2 of the School-Based Nursery scheme, creating more than 6,000 further places. This includes a school-based nursery in North Northumberland. Phase 3 of the programme is backed by up to £325 million of additional funding and will invite local authorities to develop multi-year funding proposals that outline plans for new or expanded school-based nurseries in their area. This will enable eligible schools, including those working in partnership with PVIs and childminders operating from school sites, to increase the number of childcare places available or establish new nursery provision. Local authorities may also use the grant funding to expand or create provision for maintained nursery schools, or on Best Start Family Hub sites.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many early years pre-school settings have closed in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in the last 12 months; and what steps the Government is taking to support the financial sustainability of early years providers.

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

Through our Best Start in Life strategy, we are focused on reforming the childcare system, delivering on our plan for change. We will act to increase affordability and accessibility, improve quality and ensure our workforce is valued and respected. This government continues to prioritise and protect investment in the early years, which is why we are investing over £1 billion more in the early years entitlements next year compared to 2025/26 to deliver a full year of the expanded entitlements, and an above inflation increase to entitlements funding rates.

It is important to continue to monitor the sufficiency of childcare places. While we do not retain data on settings closures, we continually monitor the sufficiency of childcare in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead. The department has regular contact with them, and all other local authorities in England, about their sufficiency of childcare and any issues they are facing. The 2025 Survey of Childcare and Early Years Providers shows that England-wide early years places increased to 1,620,800 (+1%) between 2024 and 2025.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps are being taken to ensure that nursery places are available to children with a range of special needs in Poole constituency.

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

We want every child, including those with additional needs, to be able to access a childcare setting where they can get the best start in life. The special educational needs and disability (SEND) reforms we announced in February, will give early years settings the training, evidence-based tools and expert input they need to welcome children with diverse needs into their settings and provide the right support from day one. We are investing over £200 million to strengthen the SEND offer in Best Start Family Hubs, including funding a family-facing practitioner in every hub to join up support across early years settings, health visitors and SEND teams.

Alongside this, we will work with local authorities to strengthen their childcare sufficiency planning for children with SEND and improve data on the availability of suitable places. This will provide parents greater confidence that their children can access the early education and childcare they are entitled to.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department's estimate of local authorities’ projected SEND deficits in 2028/29 assumes that 6.8% of pupils will have an EHCP in the academic year 2027/8, 7.3% in academic year 2028/9 and 7.7% in academic year 2029/30.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The Office for Budget Responsibility, as the independent authority, publishes estimates of future spend.

From 2028/29, special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) spending will be covered by the overall government departmental expenditure limit budget, meaning local authorities are not expected to fund future SEND costs from general funds once the Statutory Override ends at the end of 2027/28.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what data her Department collects on children with dyslexia to improve understanding of the number of children with dyslexia in schools, their support needs in the classroom and their educational outcomes.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Information on the numbers of children with dyslexia is not collected separately by the department. Dyslexia is included within the wider special educational need type of ‘Specific learning difficulties’ (SpLD).

All the information held by the department relating to children with SpLD is provided by schools via the school census. This data is also available for local authorities, enabling them to take informed decisions when supporting the needs of children in their communities.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what data her Department requires local authorities to collect in relation to the numbers of children with dyslexia in education in their area.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Information on the numbers of children with dyslexia is not collected separately by the department. Dyslexia is included within the wider special educational need type of ‘Specific learning difficulties’ (SpLD).

All the information held by the department relating to children with SpLD is provided by schools via the school census. This data is also available for local authorities, enabling them to take informed decisions when supporting the needs of children in their communities.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she will introduce a maximum 5 per cent threshold for ultra-processed foods (Nova Group 4) in the updated School Food Standards, in line with the successful 2025 implementation by the Isle of Man Government; and if she will make a statement.

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

I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Chelsea and Fulham to the answer of 7 April 2026 to Question 121632.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if her Department will take steps to help to minimise the potential impact on mothers who are prosecuted for their child’s truancy from school.

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

Absence is one of the biggest barriers to success for children and the government is committed to improving attendance through a support first approach.

The Working Together to Improve School Attendance statutory guidance sets out clear expectations for schools, trusts, local authorities to work collaboratively with families to identify and address the underlying reasons for non‑attendance, and put in place support. This guidance can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/working-together-to-improve-school-attendance.

Prosecution is a last resort, used only where support has been exhausted or not engaged with. In most instances, absences linked to illness, disability, mental health or special education needs should be authorised and not lead to prosecution. The decision to prosecute rests solely with the local authority, but paragraph 164 of the guidance sets out factors for their consideration, including public interest tests and equalities considerations.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has paid for followers on social media platforms it uses.

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

The department has not paid for followers on its social media platforms.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to address disparities in hourly rates in relation to national funding for nurseries.

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

The department uses the early years national funding formulae (EYNFF) to distribute the early years entitlements budget to local authorities. The EYNFF determine local authority hourly funding rates by taking into consideration the different costs of delivering early years provision in different parts of the country.

The hourly funding rate for each entitlement varies to reflect the costs of delivering provision to different age groups. We know that the cost of delivery is highest for younger children due to higher staff costs, as staffing makes up the most significant proportion of provider costs.

Rates also vary between local authorities reflecting the different communities that local authorities serve. However, it is local authorities who are responsible for setting individual provider funding rates in consultation with their providers and schools forum, and fund providers using their own local funding formula.

The department will consult on changes to how early years funding is calculated and distributed, details of which will be published in 2026, to ensure funding is matched to need.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how calculations of national funding rates by age group for nurseries are currently conducted.

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

The department uses the early years national funding formulae (EYNFF) to distribute the early years entitlements budget to local authorities. The EYNFF determine local authority hourly funding rates by taking into consideration the different costs of delivering early years provision in different parts of the country.

The hourly funding rate for each entitlement varies to reflect the costs of delivering provision to different age groups. We know that the cost of delivery is highest for younger children due to higher staff costs, as staffing makes up the most significant proportion of provider costs.

Rates also vary between local authorities reflecting the different communities that local authorities serve. However, it is local authorities who are responsible for setting individual provider funding rates in consultation with their providers and schools forum, and fund providers using their own local funding formula.

The department will consult on changes to how early years funding is calculated and distributed, details of which will be published in 2026, to ensure funding is matched to need.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Smith of Malvern on 24 February (HL Deb col 565), whether the £4 billion increase over the spending review period that has been allocated to fund special educational needs and disabilities reform is additional funding that increases the spending allocation to the Department for Education above that set out in the Autumn Budget 2025.

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

The £4 billion in funding over the spending review period (2026/27, 2027/28 and 2028/29) is newly allocated funding from existing departmental budgets. This investment is additional to the core funding allocations for 2026/27 for early years, schools and post-16 funding that have already been announced.

The department confirmed an additional £3.5 billion of new funding for the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system in 2028/29, to support reforms to improve outcomes and experiences for children, young people and their families, as outlined in ‘SEND reform: putting children and young people first’.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what was the percentage median salary increase for primary school head teachers in England between 1996–97 and 2025–26 in (1) cash terms, and (2) real terms adjusted for inflation.

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

Median pay is published for classroom teachers, headteachers and ‘other leadership’ teachers. The percentage median salary increase is not published but can be calculated from the published median pay. Deputy heads are grouped into the ‘other leadership’ category, alongside assistant heads. Median pay is not published for deputy heads separately.

Statistics for median teacher pay extending back to 1996/97 are not readily available. The available time series goes back to 2010/11, the first year of the School Workforce Census. The most recent data currently available is for 2024/25 and the 2025/26 pay data will be published in June 2026.

Percentage Median Salary Increase Between 2010/11 and 2024/25 for Headteachers and Deputy Heads in Cash Terms

Percentage Median Salary Increase Between 2010/11 and 2024/25 for Headteachers and Deputy Heads Adjusted for Inflation (indexed to 2024/25)

We have adjusted for inflation on a financial year basis using the Consumer Price Index from the Office for Budget Responsibility’s March 2026 Economic and Fiscal Outlook. To get the median pay figures adjusted for inflation, we have indexed to financial year 2024/25.

Headteacher pay in maintained schools is determined by a calculation set out in the ‘School teachers pay and conditions’ document. Once the school has been allocated to one of eight headteacher groups, largely based on size of school by pupil numbers, the individual salary range of the headteacher is determined by the governing body within the minimum and maximum of the respective headteacher group range. The salary range of any deputy or assistant headteachers is then determined in the context of the headteachers salary.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 11 March (HL14898), what assessment they have made of the cost to the public of multi academy trust chief executives pay in comparison to similar roles in the maintained school sector.

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

The responsibilities of multi-academy trust chief executives are not directly comparable to those of leaders in the maintained sector.

The department is clear that executive pay must be justifiable, transparent, evidence-based and reflect individual responsibility. Trustees should adhere to these principles in setting pay, supported by our guidance and advice. We are taking steps to respond to instances where we see high salaries compared to peers. This includes tightening the academy trust handbook (ATH) by requiring executive pay increases to be proportionate and justified, to prevent excessive increases for individuals carrying out broadly similar roles.

The department reviews trusts’ annual accounts to identify trusts with outlying levels of executive pay and engages with them to ensure compliance with the requirements of the ATH.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the total historic SEND deficits accrued in local authorities in England up to the end of (a) 2024/5 and (b) 2025/6; and what estimate she has made of the level of funding that will be required from central government to offset these historic SEND deficits.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

We have set out plans to address Dedicated Schools Grant deficits up to the end of 2025/26, providing grants to cover 90% of each council’s deficit as at 31 March 2026, once they have produced and received approval for a strong plan to drive sustained and energetic action. This is in accordance with our new system set out in the Schools White Paper, which will begin to improve outcomes for children and bring costs under control through effective early intervention stopping needs from escalating.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much her Department has spent on special severance payments in each of the last three years.

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

The total value of severance payments is set out in the department’s Annual Report and Accounts, which are available for the last three years.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance her Department has issued to further education providers on recognising participation in National Professional Qualification programmes as Continuing Professional Development; and whether staff are expected to undertake such training within paid working time.

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

National Professional Qualifications (NPQs) are part of a wider evidence-based national continuing professional development offer available to teachers and leaders throughout their career. They are designed for different types of leaders, from those in, or preparing to take up, formal leadership roles such as head teachers, to those taking on leadership responsibilities beyond their classroom. This includes leaders in the further education (FE) sector.

They are designed to be flexible and completed around existing commitments, with programme structure and delivery varying between providers.

The Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper committed to refocusing NPQs and associated funding to better support FE teachers and leaders, as part of establishing professional development pathways for FE staff.

Updated guidance on how to apply for the courses will be available when registration opens for the next cohort.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of early years funding rates in helping to ensure the financial sustainability of pre-school and nursery settings.

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

The government expects to provide over £9.5 billion for the early years entitlements in 2026/27, more than doubling annual public investment in the early years sector compared to 2023/24, as a result of successfully rolling-out the expansion of government-funded childcare for working parents.

In 2026/27, we are delivering an above-inflation increase on 2025/26 entitlements funding rates. This increase allows the national average funding rate to continue reflecting forecast cost pressures on the early years sector, including the National Living Wage announced at Autumn Budget 2025, and goes further, taking into account the wider workforce pressures felt by the sector since April 2025.

In December 2025, we announced above inflation national average increases of 4.95% to the 3 to 4-year-old hourly funding rate, a 4.36% increase to the 2-year-old hourly funding rate, and a 4.28% increase to the 9 month to 2-years-old hourly funding rate.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her department has made of the potential impact on mothers who are prosecuted for their child’s truancy from school.

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

Absence is one of the biggest barriers to success for children and the government is committed to improving attendance through a support first approach.

The Working Together to Improve School Attendance statutory guidance sets out clear expectations for schools, trusts, local authorities to work collaboratively with families to identify and address the underlying reasons for non‑attendance, and put in place support. This guidance can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/working-together-to-improve-school-attendance.

Prosecution is a last resort, used only where support has been exhausted or not engaged with. In most instances, absences linked to illness, disability, mental health or special education needs should be authorised and not lead to prosecution. The decision to prosecute rests solely with the local authority, but paragraph 164 of the guidance sets out factors for their consideration, including public interest tests and equalities considerations.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has plans to review the Childcare Sufficiency Duty.

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

Through our Best Start in Life strategy, we are focused on reforming the childcare system, delivering on our plan for change. We will act to increase affordability and accessibility, improve quality and ensure our workforce is valued and respected. This government continues to prioritise and protect investment in the early years, which is why we are investing over £1 billion more in the early years entitlements next year compared to 2025/26 to deliver a full year of the expanded entitlements, and an above inflation increase to entitlements funding rates.

It is important to continue to monitor the sufficiency of childcare places. While we do not retain data on settings closures, we continually monitor the sufficiency of childcare in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead. The department has regular contact with them, and all other local authorities in England, about their sufficiency of childcare and any issues they are facing. The 2025 Survey of Childcare and Early Years Providers shows that England-wide early years places increased to 1,620,800 (+1%) between 2024 and 2025.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of levels of (a) graduate debt and (b) recent media reports on levels of children from low-income households choosing to study at university.

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

The department is committed to addressing the persistent disadvantage gap in access to higher education (HE) and we are encouraged by the fact that disadvantaged young people continue to choose this pathway.

We are introducing targeted, means-tested maintenance grants of up to £1,000 per year from the 2028/29 academic year. These will be paid on top of existing loan amounts, increasing the cash in students’ pockets without increasing their debt.

Repayments are based on income, not loan amount or interest. Borrowers earning below the earnings threshold make no repayments. Any outstanding loan, including interest, is cancelled at the end of the term, with no detriment to the borrower, and debt is never passed to family members or descendants.

HE providers intending to charge higher level tuition fees must have an Office for Students approved access and participation plan articulating how they will improve equality of opportunity for underrepresented groups, including students from low-income backgrounds.

We have gone further and asked Professor Kathryn Mitchell to lead an HE Access and Participation Task and Finish Group to consider how to tackle systemic barriers across the journey into HE for disadvantaged students.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that students from low-income households are encouraged to consider university education.

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

The department is committed to addressing the persistent disadvantage gap in access to higher education (HE) and we are encouraged by the fact that disadvantaged young people continue to choose this pathway.

We are introducing targeted, means-tested maintenance grants of up to £1,000 per year from the 2028/29 academic year. These will be paid on top of existing loan amounts, increasing the cash in students’ pockets without increasing their debt.

Repayments are based on income, not loan amount or interest. Borrowers earning below the earnings threshold make no repayments. Any outstanding loan, including interest, is cancelled at the end of the term, with no detriment to the borrower, and debt is never passed to family members or descendants.

HE providers intending to charge higher level tuition fees must have an Office for Students approved access and participation plan articulating how they will improve equality of opportunity for underrepresented groups, including students from low-income backgrounds.

We have gone further and asked Professor Kathryn Mitchell to lead an HE Access and Participation Task and Finish Group to consider how to tackle systemic barriers across the journey into HE for disadvantaged students.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 29 November 2024 to Question 15559, if she will set out what recent assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of introducing a stepped repayment structure for Plan 2 student loans.

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

We are determined that the higher education funding system should deliver for students, for our economy, and for universities.

The government keeps the student finance system under continuous review to ensure that it delivers good value for both students and taxpayers.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure [i] comparability of skills funding between mayoral combined authorities and non mayoral combined authorities and [ii] that skills funding is used to ensure the upskilling of local communities.

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

Approximately 68% of the Adult Skills Fund is currently devolved to 11 strategic authorities, 1 local authority and the Greater London Authority. From August 2026, a further 4 strategic authorities and 3 local authorities will receive this funding, taking the proportion to around 73%. Where funding is not devolved, the Department for Work and Pensions continue to administer it.

The funding allocation methodology is the same for mayoral and non-mayoral strategic authorities. However, as set out in the English Devolution White Paper, areas with a mayor have a single consolidated pot of adult skills funding with no ringfences.

To ensure that devolved skills funding meets the needs of local economies, in devolved areas each strategic authority is expected to develop and deliver a Strategic Skills Plan. This plan is informed by the region’s Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP) and Local Growth Plan.

LSIPs set out the skills needs of an area and the changes required to better align skills provision with employer needs. In both mayoral and non-mayoral areas, the strategic authority works jointly with the designated employer representative body to develop and implement the plan.

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 international student levy on university incomes.

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

The International Student Levy will require higher education (HE) providers to pay a flat fee of £925 per international student per year. An impact analysis of the levy published in November 2025 estimated the income losses to the HE sector from the levy in isolation to be £270 million in its first year. The full impact analysis is available here: https://consult.education.gov.uk/international-student-levy-unit/international-student-levy/supporting_documents/international-student-levy-impact-analysispdf.

HE providers are independent from government and as such are responsible for managing their own finances. The department has announced increases to tuition fee limits in line with forecast inflation for the 2025/26, 2026/27, and 2027/28 academic years. We will also legislate, when parliamentary time allows, to increase tuition fee caps automatically for future academic years.

Over the next five years, tuition fee limit uplifts could generate an additional £6 billion for HE providers, significantly outweighing the currently projected less than £1 billion cost of the levy. This approach ensures the sector benefits from compounding annual increases, delivering growing resources to support quality education and innovation.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of people in South Basildon and East Thurrock constituency have not achieved a grade 4 in a) English and b) Maths by age 19.

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

The official statistics release 'Level 2 and 3 attainment age 16 to 25' includes numbers and proportions of those achieving GCSE English language and maths by age 19 for those who were recorded in mainstream state-funded schools in year 11, the final year of secondary school. The latest data available is for the 2023/24 academic year, available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/level-2-and-3-attainment-by-young-people-aged-19/2023-24.

For South Basildon and East Thurrock constituency, the figures for those who have not achieved a grade 4 in a) English language and b) maths are provided in the table below.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of graduates who were not in high-skilled roles 15 months after graduation remain outside high-skilled employment a) three years later and b) five years later.

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

The department does not produce estimates of the proportion of graduates in high-skilled roles at three or five years after graduation.

Graduate Outcome survey data published by HESA shows that around 70% of UK domiciled students who graduated with an undergraduate degree from a UK higher education provider during the 2022/23 academic year were in high-skilled employment fifteen months after graduation. This survey data does not track graduates beyond fifteen months to outline details of graduate employment three or five years later.

While the department uses Longitudinal Educational Outcomes data to track graduate earning and employment outcomes at three and five years after graduation, this data does not include graduate occupation. The latest Graduate Outcomes survey data was published in July 2025 and can be found at: https://www.hesa.ac.uk/data-and-analysis/sb272/figure-12.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has considered taking additional steps to facilitate further Parliamentary scrutiny of amending the terms of student loan repayments administrated by Student Finance England.

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

Parliamentary scrutiny is occurring in relation to the student loan system. For example, there has recently been a Westminster Hall Debate, as well as through the various mechanisms of parliamentary questions.

It is worth remembering that these loans were designed and implemented by previous governments, and the department is having to make hard choices to balance taxpayer and borrower interests to ensure that the student finance system remains sustainable. It is important that we have a sustainable student finance system that is fair to students and the taxpayer. We will continue to keep the terms of the system under review to ensure this remains the case.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of Plan 2 student loan borrowers have repaid in real terms more than (a) 100 per cent, (b) 120 per cent and (c) 150 per cent of the amount originally borrowed; and how many of those borrowers have (i) an outstanding balance and (ii) fully repaid their loans.

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

The department does not hold data that allows us to provide the proportion of the amount originally borrowed that has been repaid in real terms.

The projected percentage of Plan 2 student borrowers in 2022 who are expected to fully repay their loan in real terms is available at:

https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/student-loan-forecasts-for-england/2022-23.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what was the funding per student in English further education colleges in 2010, 2024 and 2025-26.

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

The table below uses the published 16 to 19 funding allocations to derive the average total programme funding per student in general further education (FE) colleges, for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 academic years. The figures are not available for 2010 to 2011.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of access to post-18 information for deaf pupils.

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

We are improving careers advice in schools and colleges through the adoption of updated Gatsby Benchmarks into statutory guidance. The benchmarks put more focus on inclusion, making sure all pupils – including those in specialist settings – get personalised support and good quality, up-to-date information about future pathways, study options and labour market opportunities. We are funding training for careers leaders, Special Educational Needs Coordinators and other educators to help implement these benchmarks.

Young people who are deaf can also use the National Careers Service to get clear information about post‑18 options, along with careers and education advice designed for those with special educational needs or disabilities. The Service’s Accessibility Statement sets out how it supports people who face barriers in accessing information.

As they move into adulthood, deaf young people can receive more in‑depth, one‑to‑one guidance from community-based advisers. This enhanced support is prioritised for several groups, including individuals with SEND.

Found: work directly with other departments on data sharing, including how it can work with the Department for Education

Found: work directly with other departments on data sharing, including how it can work with the Department for Education

Found: work directly with other departments on data sharing, including how it can work with the Department for Education

Found: work directly with other departments on data sharing, including how it can work with the Department for Education

Found: work directly with other departments on data sharing, including how it can work with the Department for Education

Found: work directly with other departments on data sharing, including how it can work with the Department for Education

Found: Gardiner of Kimble to Georgia Gould OBE MP, Minister of State (Minister for School Standards), Department for Education

Found: and Pensions Sixty-first report: Financial sustainability of Children’s care homes Department for Education

Found: and Pensions Sixty-first report: Financial sustainability of Children’s care homes Department for Education

Found: and Pensions Sixty-first report: Financial sustainability of Children’s care homes Department for Education

Found: and Pensions Sixty-first report: Financial sustainability of Children’s care homes Department for Education

Found: and Pensions Sixty-first report: Financial sustainability of Children’s care homes Department for Education

Found: and for the multi-agency taskforce to be reaching out to other departments including the Department for Education

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what aspects of the Safeguarding the Union Command Paper (CP 1021), published on 31 January 2024, have been (1) fully implemented, (2) partially implemented, and (3) not implemented.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Government is committed to continuing to take forward the Safeguarding the Union command paper, and to protecting Northern Ireland’s place in the UK Internal Market.

We continue to make progress on the implementation of the commitments made in the command paper. For instance, the digitisation of the News Letter was completed last year and there remains no Border Control Post at Cairnryan. In January, the East-West Council met for the third time where the Government announced there would be a pilot for the UK school twinning programme, which is being developed between the UK Government’s Department for Education and the Northern Ireland Executive’s Department of Education.

Other recent steps include the allocation of £2.25 million for Intertrade UK over the next three years and the opening of round two of the Connect Fund to support community and voluntary groups. In line with commitments made in the command paper, in December the Government published our response to Lord Murphy’s Independent Review of the Windsor Framework, and is now taking action on all of its recommendations.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Child Poverty Strategy, published on 5 December 2025, what discussions the Home Office have had with the Department for Education about the guidance to local authorities on statutory duties under section 17 of the Children Act 1989; and what steps they have taken to ensure that safeguarding and the best interests of children are considered in that guidance.

Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)

Section 17 of the Children Act 1989 establishes the general duty of local authorities in England to safeguard and promote the welfare of children within their area who are in need and, so far as is consistent with that duty, to promote the upbringing of such children by their families.

I can confirm that the Home Office is working with the Department for Education alongside other government departments and the NRPF network to produce guidance to assist local authorities in their duties to those with No Recourse to Public Funds as part of the Child Poverty Strategy.

The duty Section 17 of the Children Act 1989 duty does not apply to the Home Office. Instead, Section 55 of the Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Act 2009 places a duty on the Home Office to make arrangements for ensuring that immigration, asylum, nationality and general customs functions are discharged having regard to the need to safeguard and promote the welfare of children in the UK.

The statutory guidance, called ‘Every Child Matters’, issued under Section 55 (3), sets out the key arrangements for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children as they apply both generally to public bodies who deal with children in the UK (Part 1) and specifically to the Home Office (Part 2).

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government how they plan to encourage parents, children and teachers to discuss the child-friendly version of the child poverty strategy published on 13 March.

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

The child‑friendly version of the government’s Child Poverty Strategy is designed to help teachers and parents talk to children about the challenges facing children and families in poverty. It provides a clear, reassuring, and age‑appropriate overview of what poverty means, why some families face difficulties, and the actions the government is taking in response.

In developing the strategy, the government undertook structured engagement with children and families experiencing poverty, placing their views at the centre of the work. A Children’s Rights Impact Assessment was also published, outlining the expected positive effects on children’s rights. The child-friendly version of the Strategy (attached) and the Children’s Rights Impact Assessment can be found on the Strategy’s gov.uk webpages: Our Children, Our Future: How the government is helping children and families (Child Friendly) and Child Poverty Strategy: Child Rights - GOV.UK.

UNICEF has shared the strategy with its network of 1,600 Rights Respecting primary schools, and the Department for Education has highlighted it in its sector communications. Further promotion has been supported through social media activity and a stakeholder toolkit to help raise awareness of the child‑friendly strategy.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made with the Department for Education of the potential impact of recent instances of Chinese owned companies taking equity stakes in UK university technology research spinout companies on technology security.

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

The Government recognises the importance of safeguarding the UK’s research and innovation ecosystem, including the university spinout sector, from risks associated with foreign ownership, influence, or investment. The government will not hesitate to use our powers to protect national security wherever we identify concerns and we have a range of effective measures in place to do so.

The Government is actively protecting the UK’s research and spinout ecosystem from national security risks. The National Protective Security Authority (NPSA), working with the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), supports universities and spinouts through the Secure Innovation programme, providing advice on due diligence, investment screening and managing security risks. Targeted Secure Innovation Security Reviews further help early‑stage firms identify and mitigate vulnerabilities linked to foreign engagement.

The Government has powers under the National Security and Investment (NSI) Act 2021 to review and, where required, intervene in investments that may pose a risk to national security. The Government also monitors the market at all times to identify acquisitions of potential national security interest.

The Department for Education should require all mainstream secondary schools in England to formally review and discuss recognised Level 2 alternatives, including Functional Skills, with families during the GCSE options process, and ensure accessible routes where appropriate for all pupils.

Found: The Department for Education should require all mainstream secondary schools in England to formally review

Found: Export Finance 24.48 0.00173836750014875 135.18 0.0103694509728521 110.7 4.52205882352941 Department for Education

Found: In 2024 the Economy Minister for Northern Ireland announced that the Department for the Economy (DfE

Found: They are also closely linked to 24 Office for National Statistics, 2024 25 Department for Education

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

Found: Scotland): subsidycontrol@gov.scot • Subsidy Control Unit (Wales): subsidycontrolunit@gov.wales • DfE

Found: These Hubs, backed by the Department for Education, are run by high achieving schools to support schools

Found: work directly with other departments on data sharing, including how it can work with the Department for Education

Found: work directly with other departments on data sharing, including how it can work with the Department for Education

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

Found: Ofsted carried out this visit under a section 118(2) request from the Department for Education.

Found: On 27 March 2023, the Department for Education received an email from Ms Sams enclosing a letter from

Found: On 27 March 2023, Mrs Ekhuemelo wrote to the Department for Education to advise that the School would

Found: Any relevant findings will also be shared with the Department for Education (DfE) and Department for

Found: In 2024 the Economy Minister for Northern Ireland announced that the Department for the Economy (DfE

Found: Information on the types of project that Regional Department for Education (DfE) Directors make decisions

Found: To support openness and accountability, each month the Department for Education (DfE) will publish:

Found: To support openness and accountability, each month the Department for Education (DfE) will publish:

Found: To support openness and accountability, each month the Department for Education (DfE) will publish:

Found: To support openness and accountability, each month the Department for Education (DfE) will publish:

Found: To support openness and accountability, each month the Department for Education (DfE) will publish:

Found: To support openness and accountability, each month the Department for Education (DfE) will publish:

Found: To support openness and accountability, each month the Department for Education (DfE) will publish:

Found: To support openness and accountability, each month the Department for Education (DfE) will publish:

Found: To support openness and accountability, each month the Department for Education (DfE) will publish:

Found: funded by the British Embassy, a new high profile school twinning programme funded by the Department for Education

Found: The Department for Education and DCMS will work in partnership to ensure there is strategic alignment

Found: Report for the UK Department for Business & Trade. 37 Department for Education & Skills England (2025