Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to promote reading and the use of libraries to improve reading rates among children.

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

The department, in partnership with the National Literacy Trust, is leading the National Year of Reading 2026 to tackle declining reading enjoyment. This UK-wide campaign combines a marketing initiative with events in schools, libraries, and communities. Activities will take place across the year and will include national events, alongside resources for schools and early years, and library engagement through initiatives such as the Summer Reading Challenge. The campaign aims to address long-term declines in reading enjoyment through engaging new audiences, reshaping public attitudes and building the systems needed to embed lasting, meaningful change. As part of this, we are providing £5 million of funding for secondary schools to purchase books to encourage reading for pleasure. The government has also committed £12.5 million in funding to guarantee a library for every primary school by the end of this parliament, which will be delivered by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

The government has also committed £28.3 million this financial year to support and drive high and rising standards in reading. This includes supporting the teaching of reading across all primary stages and key stage 3 in secondary via the English Hubs programme.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the reply by the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, on 14 July 2009 (HC Deb col 373W), what plans they have to investigate whether official government information regarding the sale of the student loan book was passed by Lord Mandelson to Jeffery Epstein or his associates.

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

The sale of student loans forms part of a loan sale programme established under the Sale of Student Loans Act 2008, which enables the government to sell certain income‑contingent student loans while preserving borrowers’ terms and conditions.

The first sales under the programme were delivered through two transactions completed in 2017 and 2018, following decisions taken under subsequent administrations and several years after Lord Mandelson had left office. Those sales were undertaken in accordance with the relevant statutory and contractual framework and were subject to established governance and assurance arrangements.

There is no evidence of any unauthorised disclosure of official government information in relation to the student loan sales.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many governors of independent schools fail an identity check using Verifile each year.

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

The department does not hold this data, as it does not carry out identity checks on individuals involved in the governance or management of independent schools. In accordance with the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014, responsibility for ensuring that appropriate identity and suitability checks are carried out rests with the school’s individual proprietor or proprietor body, as applicable.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many governors of independent schools are required to verify their identity using Verifile.

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

The department does not hold this data, as it does not carry out identity checks on individuals involved in the governance or management of independent schools. In accordance with the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014, responsibility for ensuring that appropriate identity and suitability checks are carried out rests with the school’s individual proprietor or proprietor body, as applicable.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Department for Education is responsible for undertaking identity checks for governors of independent schools.

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

The department does not hold this data, as it does not carry out identity checks on individuals involved in the governance or management of independent schools. In accordance with the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014, responsibility for ensuring that appropriate identity and suitability checks are carried out rests with the school’s individual proprietor or proprietor body, as applicable.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to establish joint commissioning arrangements between the Department for Education and the Department for Health and Social Care to ensure that there are a sufficient number of occupational therapists to deliver the Experts at Hand SEND service set out in the Every child achieving and thriving white paper.

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

We are working closely with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) to support the delivery of the Experts at Hand offer, strengthening joint planning and commissioning at a local level between education and health partners.

Over the next three years, £1.8 billion will be made available to local area partnerships to develop and roll out the Experts at Hand offer.

Local area partnerships will design and implement their own Experts at Hand models, tailored to local population needs, existing workforce capacity, and the specific challenges each area faces. As a result, workforce requirements, including for occupational therapists, will vary across the country.

The department recognises that continuing to build the occupational therapy workforce pipeline is essential and is working with DHSC and NHS England to support workforce planning and improve access to community health services for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities, including occupational therapy input, as part of longer‑term system planning, including through the development of the NHS England 10‑year workforce plan.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that disabled children have access to social care support following the Law Commission's report on social care law; and what assessment she has made of the potential merits of introducing legal reform to achieve that objective.

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

The Law Commission published its final report on 16 September 2025 following a department-commissioned review in April 2023 of the legal framework for disabled children’s social care.

The report sets out 40 recommendations, which we are now considering, aimed at improving how the law operates, with a focus on simplifying and strengthening the system to better support disabled children and their families.

In line with the protocol agreed between the Lord Chancellor and the Law Commission, the department provided an initial response to these recommendations on 16 March 2026 and is expected to provide a full response within one year, setting out which recommendations will be accepted, rejected or modified, and any implementation timeline. Policy development is ongoing and the department continues to engage with key stakeholders, therefore it would not be appropriate to comment on specific recommendations ahead of publication of the full response.

Alongside this, we believe the rollout of Family Help as part of the Families First Partnership programme, backed by £2.4 billion of funding over three years, is already beginning to deliver many of the intended outcomes of the report. Our wider reforms are designed to make a real and tangible difference to children and families, including disabled children.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of adequacy of the Law Commission's findings regarding regional variations in support for disabled children; and what steps her Department is taking to help ensure consistent entitlements for such children across all local authorities.

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

The Law Commission published its final report on 16 September 2025 following a department-commissioned review in April 2023 of the legal framework for disabled children’s social care.

The report sets out 40 recommendations, which we are now considering, aimed at improving how the law operates, with a focus on simplifying and strengthening the system to better support disabled children and their families.

In line with the protocol agreed between the Lord Chancellor and the Law Commission, the department provided an initial response to these recommendations on 16 March 2026 and is expected to provide a full response within one year, setting out which recommendations will be accepted, rejected or modified, and any implementation timeline. Policy development is ongoing and the department continues to engage with key stakeholders, therefore it would not be appropriate to comment on specific recommendations ahead of publication of the full response.

Alongside this, we believe the rollout of Family Help as part of the Families First Partnership programme, backed by £2.4 billion of funding over three years, is already beginning to deliver many of the intended outcomes of the report. Our wider reforms are designed to make a real and tangible difference to children and families, including disabled children.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to consider the recommendations in the Law Commission's 2025 report on disabled children's social care; and what assessment she has made of the potential merits of legislative reform alongside the rollout of the Family Help programme.

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

The Law Commission published its final report on 16 September 2025 following a department-commissioned review in April 2023 of the legal framework for disabled children’s social care.

The report sets out 40 recommendations, which we are now considering, aimed at improving how the law operates, with a focus on simplifying and strengthening the system to better support disabled children and their families.

In line with the protocol agreed between the Lord Chancellor and the Law Commission, the department provided an initial response to these recommendations on 16 March 2026 and is expected to provide a full response within one year, setting out which recommendations will be accepted, rejected or modified, and any implementation timeline. Policy development is ongoing and the department continues to engage with key stakeholders, therefore it would not be appropriate to comment on specific recommendations ahead of publication of the full response.

Alongside this, we believe the rollout of Family Help as part of the Families First Partnership programme, backed by £2.4 billion of funding over three years, is already beginning to deliver many of the intended outcomes of the report. Our wider reforms are designed to make a real and tangible difference to children and families, including disabled children.

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 national eligibility criteria for disabled children's social care in England; and if she will make a statement.

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

The Law Commission published its final report on 16 September 2025 following a department-commissioned review in April 2023 of the legal framework for disabled children’s social care.

The report sets out 40 recommendations, which we are now considering, aimed at improving how the law operates, with a focus on simplifying and strengthening the system to better support disabled children and their families.

In line with the protocol agreed between the Lord Chancellor and the Law Commission, the department provided an initial response to these recommendations on 16 March 2026 and is expected to provide a full response within one year, setting out which recommendations will be accepted, rejected or modified, and any implementation timeline. Policy development is ongoing and the department continues to engage with key stakeholders, therefore it would not be appropriate to comment on specific recommendations ahead of publication of the full response.

Alongside this, we believe the rollout of Family Help as part of the Families First Partnership programme, backed by £2.4 billion of funding over three years, is already beginning to deliver many of the intended outcomes of the report. Our wider reforms are designed to make a real and tangible difference to children and families, including disabled children.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department or the Student Loans Company have entered into (a) contracts, (b) memoranda of understanding and (c) advisory agreements with Islamic finance advisory organisations regarding the Alternative Student Finance model.

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

Details of the department's previous engagements may be accessed on GOV.UK’s ‘Contracts Finder’ tool, which is available at: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Search.

Details of any future commercial engagements, including contracts, will be published on GOV.UK in line with standard arrangements.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department intends to maintain ongoing engagement with Islamic finance advisory bodies to review the continued Sharia compliance of the Alternative Student Finance model; what form that engagement will take; and whether the cost of such engagement will be met from the public purse.

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

Details of the department's previous engagements may be accessed on GOV.UK’s ‘Contracts Finder’ tool, which is available at: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Search.

Details of any future commercial engagements, including contracts, will be published on GOV.UK in line with standard arrangements.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what contracts, memoranda of understanding, or advisory agreements her Department or the Student Loans Company have entered into with Islamic finance advisory organisations in relation to the Alternative Student Finance model; and what the total projected cost of those agreements is over the next five years.

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

Details of the department's previous engagements may be accessed on GOV.UK’s ‘Contracts Finder’ tool, which is available at: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Search.

Details of any future commercial engagements, including contracts, will be published on GOV.UK in line with standard arrangements.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to maintain ongoing engagement with Islamic finance advisory bodies to review the continued sharia compliance of the Alternative Student Finance model.

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

Details of the department's previous engagements may be accessed on GOV.UK’s ‘Contracts Finder’ tool, which is available at: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Search.

Details of any future commercial engagements, including contracts, will be published on GOV.UK in line with standard arrangements.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to improve training for primary school teachers on how to deliver high quality PE and school sport.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

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

The government is committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity so every child can access high‑quality PE and school sport.

As announced by my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister, the government will establish a new PE and School Sport Partnerships Network to ensure all children and young people have access to high-quality PE and extracurricular sport. We expect the partnerships to improve school-to-school collaboration, increase opportunities for high-quality PE, encourage children to move more, make best use of facilities and provide teacher CPD and training.

In addition, we have provided a grant of up to £300,000 a year to a consortium led by the Youth Sport Trust to deliver Inclusion 2028, providing advice, guidance and training to upskill teachers and school workforce to deliver high-quality, inclusive PE.

Further details on the PE and School Sports Partnerships will be confirmed in due course.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the benefits of tennis-focused teaching as part of PE and sport provision; and what steps is she taking to support tennis education in schools.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Schools play a vital role in giving many pupils their first experience of playing sport, including tennis, in a structured and inclusive environment. This government is committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity so that every child can access high-quality physical education and school sport. ​

That is why, in June 2025, my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister announced a new approach to PE and school sport, focused on building strong partnerships between schools, local clubs and national governing bodies of sport, such as the Lawn Tennis Association, to support greater participation and physical activity. ​

National governing bodies provide valuable resources, workforce development and teacher support to help schools deliver high-quality sporting opportunities, both within the PE curriculum and through enrichment activity. The department is preparing to procure a national partner to lead the new PE and School Sport Partnerships, which will provide an opportunity to regularly assess the adequacy of support available to schools across PE and school sport, including the provision for tennis.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she is taking steps to ensure that Initial Teacher Training equips all new teachers with the skills to deliver adaptive teaching for children with speech and language challenges.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for South West Norfolk to the answer of 2 March 2026 to Question 115276.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support schools in preventing and responding to assaults on teachers.

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

No member of school staff should feel unsafe or face violence or abuse in the workplace. The department will work with the sector to make clear that abuse against teachers will not be tolerated.

Schools have a duty and a responsibility to protect pupils and staff and the government supports them with a range of guidance to help fulfil their responsibilities, including advice on health and safety, school security and targeted advice on gangs and youth violence. More information on work-related violence can be found in guidance from the Health and Safety Executive: https://www.hse.gov.uk/violence/.

The department publishes data on suspensions and permanent exclusions in state-funded schools in England, including those with a reason of physical assault on adults. To note, the numbers of suspensions and permanent exclusions is not the same as the number of incidents. A suspension could relate to a number of incidents, and up to three reasons can be given for suspensions and permanent exclusions.

The most recent full academic year release, covering 2023/24, can be found at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/suspensions-and-permanent-exclusions-in-england/2023-24.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many reported assaults on teachers and school staff occurred in each of the last five years.

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

No member of school staff should feel unsafe or face violence or abuse in the workplace. The department will work with the sector to make clear that abuse against teachers will not be tolerated.

Schools have a duty and a responsibility to protect pupils and staff and the government supports them with a range of guidance to help fulfil their responsibilities, including advice on health and safety, school security and targeted advice on gangs and youth violence. More information on work-related violence can be found in guidance from the Health and Safety Executive: https://www.hse.gov.uk/violence/.

The department publishes data on suspensions and permanent exclusions in state-funded schools in England, including those with a reason of physical assault on adults. To note, the numbers of suspensions and permanent exclusions is not the same as the number of incidents. A suspension could relate to a number of incidents, and up to three reasons can be given for suspensions and permanent exclusions.

The most recent full academic year release, covering 2023/24, can be found at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/suspensions-and-permanent-exclusions-in-england/2023-24.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of workload on teacher retention rates.

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 working closely with the sector to reduce workload and improve retention. This includes developing opportunities for more flexible working, such as allowing planning, preparation and assessment time to be undertaken remotely, and making resources to support workload and wellbeing available through our improve workload and wellbeing for school staff service.

Our interventions have helped improve retention with the latest data showing one of the lowest leaver rates on record, with 1,700 fewer teachers leaving the state-funded sector in 2023/24 compared to the year before, and more teachers returning to state schools than at any point in the last ten years.

We are going further with the introduction of the Child Poverty Strategy, the introduction of our strategy for giving every child the best start in life, reform to children’s social care, and the expansion of access to specialist mental health professionals. These measures will enhance teachers’ day-to-day experience and strengthen their ability to deliver. We are also supporting schools to use technology effectively.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions she has had with representatives of local authorities on improving the attendance enforcement regime for parents of persistently absent pupils.

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

The department’s statutory ‘Working together to improve school attendance’ guidance sets clear expectations for schools and local authorities on attendance support and the proportionate use of enforcement, including when penalty notices or prosecution may be considered for persistent non‑attendance. The national framework for penalty notices is intended to improve fairness and consistency by ensuring they are considered at a consistent point across the country and on an individual basis, preventing the use of blanket rules.

The guidance emphasises a support‑first approach and makes clear that legal intervention should only be used where support has been exhausted, not engaged with, or is not appropriate, including in most cases of unauthorised term‑time holidays. The department engages regularly with local authorities to support consistent implementation and keeps the attendance enforcement system under review.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of current penalties for parents whose children fail to attend school regularly.

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

Evidence on the use of legal interventions for non-attendance, including penalty notices and prosecutions, is considered alongside wider attendance data and local authority feedback to assess the effectiveness of current penalties.

Attendance data for unauthorised absence in the 2024/25 academic year showed our approach is having a positive impact, as the proportion of absence due to unauthorised holiday fell from 0.53% in 2023/24 to 0.48% in 2024/25 meaning approximately 1.3 million fewer absence sessions due to unauthorised holidays across the 2024/25 school year. The overall rate of absence fell by 0.37 percentage points, resulting in over five million more days in school last year.

Our guidance is clear that enforcement should be used as a last resort and as part of a broader support-first approach. 93% of penalty notices issued in 2024/25 were for unauthorised term-time holidays, demonstrating that fixed penalty notices are being used primarily in circumstances where support is not appropriate, as intended.

The department continues to work with schools and local authorities to promote effective practice and improve attendance outcomes for all pupils.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure consistency between local authorities in the enforcement of school attendance rules.

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

The department’s statutory ‘Working together to improve school attendance’ guidance sets clear expectations for schools and local authorities on attendance support and the proportionate use of enforcement, including when penalty notices or prosecution may be considered for persistent non‑attendance. The national framework for penalty notices is intended to improve fairness and consistency by ensuring they are considered at a consistent point across the country and on an individual basis, preventing the use of blanket rules.

The guidance emphasises a support‑first approach and makes clear that legal intervention should only be used where support has been exhausted, not engaged with, or is not appropriate, including in most cases of unauthorised term‑time holidays. The department engages regularly with local authorities to support consistent implementation and keeps the attendance enforcement system under review.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance is provided to schools and local authorities on when to issue penalty notices or pursue prosecution for persistent non‑attendance.

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

The department’s statutory ‘Working together to improve school attendance’ guidance sets clear expectations for schools and local authorities on attendance support and the proportionate use of enforcement, including when penalty notices or prosecution may be considered for persistent non‑attendance. The national framework for penalty notices is intended to improve fairness and consistency by ensuring they are considered at a consistent point across the country and on an individual basis, preventing the use of blanket rules.

The guidance emphasises a support‑first approach and makes clear that legal intervention should only be used where support has been exhausted, not engaged with, or is not appropriate, including in most cases of unauthorised term‑time holidays. The department engages regularly with local authorities to support consistent implementation and keeps the attendance enforcement system under review.

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 inflation on school budgets in this academic year.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

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

Every year, the department publishes the ‘Schools’ costs technical note’, which analyses mainstream schools’ funding and costs, taking into account the impact of inflation, for the current and future financial years.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make it her policy to publish the number and proportion of responses to the consultation entitled SEND reform: putting children and young people first, published on 23 February 2026, that supported the proposed changes to tribunal arrangements.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

On Monday 23 February, we launched a 12‑week national consultation on our special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) reforms, so we can hear directly from people across the country with an interest in these changes.

To do this, we are building on our national conversation and delivering one of the broadest engagement programmes we have ever run, bringing together professionals, families, children, and young people to help shape these reforms.

We are hosting a series of online and in‑person events throughout the 12-week consultation period, including sessions delivered in partnership with the Council for Disabled Children (CDC). This includes:

• ​9 regional events,

• ​24 children and young people–led sessions (including those delivered with CDC), and

• ​6 information webinars for health, education, local authority leaders, social care and parent carers.

​Since ​the Consultation launched, there have been more than 100 engagement events across a broad spectrum of sectors.​​

The consultation, including an equalities impact assessment and children’s right impact assessment of the reform proposals, can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/send-reform-putting-children-and-young-people-first. We will publish a response once the consultation has closed.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will publish all (a) analysis, (b) impact assessments and (c) internal summaries of stakeholder responses used to inform decisions on SEND reform proposals.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

On Monday 23 February, we launched a 12‑week national consultation on our special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) reforms, so we can hear directly from people across the country with an interest in these changes.

To do this, we are building on our national conversation and delivering one of the broadest engagement programmes we have ever run, bringing together professionals, families, children, and young people to help shape these reforms.

We are hosting a series of online and in‑person events throughout the 12-week consultation period, including sessions delivered in partnership with the Council for Disabled Children (CDC). This includes:

• ​9 regional events,

• ​24 children and young people–led sessions (including those delivered with CDC), and

• ​6 information webinars for health, education, local authority leaders, social care and parent carers.

​Since ​the Consultation launched, there have been more than 100 engagement events across a broad spectrum of sectors.​​

The consultation, including an equalities impact assessment and children’s right impact assessment of the reform proposals, can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/send-reform-putting-children-and-young-people-first. We will publish a response once the consultation has closed.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to support access to education for children from vulnerable and marginalised families.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

This government is committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity so that all children can achieve and thrive.

The ‘Every Child Achieving and Thriving’ White Paper sets out steps to improve school readiness through family support, strengthen teacher recruitment and retention, and broaden curriculum and enrichment opportunities, ensuring funding is targeted where it’s needed most.

The guidance ‘Working together to improve school attendance’ recognises that vulnerable pupils, including those with special educational needs or mental health challenges, may face greater barriers. The guidance is clear that schools should take a support-first approach. Wider attendance barriers are also being addressed through breakfast clubs, improved mental health support, and strengthened guidance on identifying and supporting Children Missing Education.

The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill will also support access to education by improving the identification of children not in school and introducing new duties on local authorities to support home education, including providing information on access to GCSE examinations when requested by families.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the Government will consider amending the Childcare Act 2006 to allow registered childminders to claim funded childcare hours for children to whom they are related, where all regulatory requirements are met.

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

Parents are free to choose the childcare that is right for them and their children, and childminders are not prevented from caring for related children. However, the restriction on funding relatives is set out in the Childcare Act (2006). Section 18(4) of this Act specifically excludes care provided for a child by a parent or other relative.

This approach avoids creating an incentive for adults to register to become childminders and being paid to look after related children that they are already looking after on an informal basis. Allowing childminders to receive funding for looking after related children would not be an effective use of public money.

A local authority can choose to fund a childminder providing childcare for a related child, but this would have to be from local authority funds independent of the Dedicated Schools Grant.

Although childminders cannot receive entitlements funding for related children, flexibilities within staff-to-child ratios can be used to enable childminders who are caring for related children to avoid limiting the income they can earn.

We have no plans to change this long-standing position at this time.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many pupils in year 10 were eligible for free school meals by constituency in 2024-25.

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

The number of pupils eligible for free school meals is published annually in the Schools, Pupils and their Characteristics accredited official statistics here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics/2024-25. The table in the attachment shows the number of pupils in year 10 in England who were eligible for free school meals in the 2024/25 academic year, by parliamentary constituency.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the publication MHCLG: spending over £25,000, January 2026, published on 25 February 2026, if she will set out the purpose and specific activity relating to the transaction CFO & Corporate Coram(Thomas Coram Foundation), Ref: 5105609031, Research, for £37,075.

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

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what additional funding has been allocated to local authorities to support pupils with special educational needs in the last three years.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps they are taking to increase the amount of UK made steel used in procurement contracts overseen by their Department.

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

The department strongly supports the UK’s Industrial Strategy, fostering a resilient economy that supports British businesses and creates good jobs in communities across the country. UK-produced steel has a significant role to play in construction and education projects. Our procurements are undertaken in accordance with Procurement Policy Note 022 “Procuring Steel in Government contracts”.

From this financial year, contractors on the department’s construction frameworks will be required to report whether they have consulted the UK Steel’s Steel Catalogue. Contractors will need to confirm whether they are using UK steel and if not, explain why not.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of early years funding rates for two and three year olds for meeting staffing costs, including required non contact time for preparation, setup, and safeguarding obligations.

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

In 2026/27, the department expects to provide over £9.5 billion for the early years entitlements, including an increase of 15% in Early Years Pupil Premium, more than doubling annual public investment in the early years sector compared to 2023/24. Staff costs make up the most significant proportion of provider costs. Therefore, due to tighter staffing ratios, the cost of delivery is highest for younger children, which is reflected in the differing hourly funding rates.

To calculate rate uplifts, the department uses an analytical model which considers data from the Early Years Census and the survey of childcare and early years providers, various government forecasts such as average earnings growth and the consumer price index, and the national living wage to determine cost pressures for the early years Sector.

All early years providers are legally required to keep children safe and promote their welfare, and all practitioners must undergo safe training as set out on the Early Years Foundation Stage statutory framework. To further support settings with safeguarding training requirements, the department is developing a free online safeguarding training package for early years settings which will be available later this spring.

We will consult on changes to how early years funding is distributed later this year.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department collects data from local authorities on the reasons why Section 19 of the Education Act 1996 is applied.

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

The department collects data from local authorities on placement reasons for pupils educated under Section 19 of the Education Act 1996 for those in local authority funded placements.

This information is published annually in the ‘Schools, pupils and their characteristics’ accredited official statistics: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics/2024-25.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, in light of plans to invest £41 million in school expansion, what consideration has been given to directing comparable investment into the early years sector.

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

High quality early years is central to our mission to break down the barriers to opportunity, give every child the best possible start in life, and is essential to our Plan for Change. As the government builds a stronger economy with sustainable public finances, the department is continuing to invest in early years. This financial year alone we expect to provide over £9.5 billion for the early years entitlements. This more than doubles annual public investment in the early years sector compared to 2023/24, as we have successfully rolled-out the expansion of government-funded childcare for working parents.

On top of this, we are boosting availability and access through a £400 million capital investment in the school-based nurseries programme, supporting school-led provision and private, voluntary and independent (PVI) providers and childminders operating from school sites.

The department has already made a real impact, providing £82 million of capital funding to over 600 primary and maintained nursery schools across phases 1 and 2. Phase 3 is backed by up to £325 million of additional funding and invites local authorities to develop multi-year funding proposals that outline plans for new, or expanded, school-based nurseries in their area.

PVIs and childminders can partner with schools and local authorities in phase 3 to help deliver flexible nursery provision from school or Best Start Family Hub sites, building on the 52 funded partnerships from phases 1 and 2.

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 statutory requirements on numbers of early years staff being present at least 30 minutes before and after funded sessions; and what funding is available to cover those additional hours and work materials.

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

In 2026/27 the department expects to provide over £9.5 billion for the early years entitlements, including an increase of 15% in Early Years Pupil Premium, more than doubling annual public investment in the early years sector compared to 2023/24. To calculate rate uplifts, we use an analytical model which considers data from the Early Years Census and the survey of childcare and early years providers, various government forecasts such as AEG and CPI, and the national living wage to determine cost pressures for the Early Years Sector. We have regular contact with each local authority in England about childcare delivery issues they may be facing.

The hourly funding rate for entitlement hours is intended to cover the core costs of providing 15 or 30 hours of childcare to parents. This includes costs associated with staffing such as salaries as well as non-staff costs such as rent, business rates and utilities costs associated with delivering the government funded hours.

The department will consult on changes to how early years funding is distributed later this year.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help prevent the funding model for early years settings resulting in operating losses for those settings.

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

In 2026/27 the department expects to provide over £9.5 billion for the early years entitlements, including an increase of 15% in Early Years Pupil Premium, more than doubling annual public investment in the early years sector compared to 2023/24. To calculate rate uplifts, we use an analytical model which considers data from the Early Years Census and the survey of childcare and early years providers, various government forecasts such as AEG and CPI, and the national living wage to determine cost pressures for the Early Years Sector. We have regular contact with each local authority in England about childcare delivery issues they may be facing.

The hourly funding rate for entitlement hours is intended to cover the core costs of providing 15 or 30 hours of childcare to parents. This includes costs associated with staffing such as salaries as well as non-staff costs such as rent, business rates and utilities costs associated with delivering the government funded hours.

The department will consult on changes to how early years funding is distributed later this year.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will provide a list of training programmes used by civil servants in her department since 2020.

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

The department offers a wide range of training and development opportunities to our employees across a broad curriculum. The majority of this training is delivered through the cross‑government Civil Service Learning platform, which can be accessed at Skills for Government here: https://prospectus.governmentcampus.co.uk/find-out-more/skills-for-government/.

Core learning areas accessed by the department include:

• Planning and delivery

• Leadership

• Communication

• Working with Parliament and government

• Grant management

• Problem solving

• Line management

• Developing behaviours

• Information, data and analysis

• Change management and agility

• Budget management

• Contract management

• Stakeholder and customer engagement

• IT software skills

• Artificial intelligence.

In addition, directorates and professional functions across the department commission or access bespoke training where required to meet specialist, technical or role‑specific needs.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has any guidance around restrictions being placed by nurseries on hours during which government funded childcare hours can be accessed, such as limiting provision to specific times of the day.

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

The ‘Early Education and Childcare’ statutory guidance states that local authorities should encourage providers to offer flexible packages of free hours, which will enable children to access regular, high-quality provision, while maximising flexibility for parents and ensuring a degree of stability for providers.

Local authorities should enable parents to take up their child’s free place in patterns of hours that stretch their child’s entitlement by taking fewer hours a week over more weeks of the year, where there is provider capacity and parental demand.

Additionally, local authorities should ensure that parents and providers are aware that there is no requirement that free places must be taken on, or delivered on, particular days of the week or at particular times of the day.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of children’s physical safety in schools.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Nothing is more important than the safety of children. It is the responsibility of those running our schools (academy trusts, local authorities, and voluntary-aided school bodies) to ensure their school buildings are safe, well-maintained, and compliant with relevant regulations. The School Premises (England) Regulations 2012 specify minimum standards for the premises of all local-authority maintained schools in England, with the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014 fulfilling the same function for voluntary aided, foundation and academy trust schools.

The department provides guidance, tools and support to help schools and responsible bodies effectively manage their school buildings.

The department has published the statutory safeguarding guidance ‘Keeping children safe in education’ alongside a range of other guidance, which sets out clear expectations in relation to training staff and putting effective systems in place to ensure the physical safety of children whilst in school. Schools are expected to have policies in place on security measures and to conduct risk assessments and develop plans, covering everything from deterring attacks and keeping learners safe, to developing lockdown procedures.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to page 11 of her Department's consultation document entitled Assistive software funded through Disabled Students’ Allowance, published on 26 March 2026, what evidence supports the proposed policy position that assistive software is readily available to students; what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the accessibility and suitability of commonly available software for students with different disabilities; and if she will set out how it will be determined that a student’s disability-related needs cannot be met by assistive software before specialist provision is funded.

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

The anecdotal feedback referenced in the consultation document reflects issues raised through routine engagement activities, including meetings and discussions with delivery partners, sector bodies and other stakeholders. It would not be appropriate to identify individual contributors, and no quantified count of cases has been compiled. No assessment has yet been made of the extent to which students feel overwhelmed by the volume of recommended support because the department is currently gathering the evidence that would be required to support such an assessment.

The rationale underpinning the proposed policy position that assistive software is widely available is explained in the consultation document, which is available here: https://consult.education.gov.uk/disabled-students-allowance-team/assistive-software-funded-through-disabled-student/supporting_documents/assistive_software_funded_through_dsa_consultation_march_2026pdf.

It also sets out proposals relating to considerations around the accessibility and suitability of commonly available software for students with different disabilities. Decisions on how it would be determined that a student’s disability-related needs cannot be met by such software before specialist provision is funded would be made following the conclusion of the consultation process.

An initial equality impact assessment of the proposed changes is included in the consultation document, and the department intends to develop and refine this further as the consultation progresses.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department's consultation document entitled Assistive software funded through Disabled Students’ Allowance, published on 26 March 2026, whether an Impact Assessment has been conducted on the potential impact of the proposed changes to Disabled Students’ Allowance support for assistive software.

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

The anecdotal feedback referenced in the consultation document reflects issues raised through routine engagement activities, including meetings and discussions with delivery partners, sector bodies and other stakeholders. It would not be appropriate to identify individual contributors, and no quantified count of cases has been compiled. No assessment has yet been made of the extent to which students feel overwhelmed by the volume of recommended support because the department is currently gathering the evidence that would be required to support such an assessment.

The rationale underpinning the proposed policy position that assistive software is widely available is explained in the consultation document, which is available here: https://consult.education.gov.uk/disabled-students-allowance-team/assistive-software-funded-through-disabled-student/supporting_documents/assistive_software_funded_through_dsa_consultation_march_2026pdf.

It also sets out proposals relating to considerations around the accessibility and suitability of commonly available software for students with different disabilities. Decisions on how it would be determined that a student’s disability-related needs cannot be met by such software before specialist provision is funded would be made following the conclusion of the consultation process.

An initial equality impact assessment of the proposed changes is included in the consultation document, and the department intends to develop and refine this further as the consultation progresses.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to confirm Sports Premium funding for 2026-27.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for York Outer to the answer of 3 March 2026 to Question 115304.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to page 11 of her Department's consultation document entitled Assistive software funded through Disabled Students’ Allowance, published on 26 March 2026, what evidence underpins the statement that anecdotal feedback has indicated students are being recommended excessive assistive software, including the stakeholders or sources that provided this anecdotal feedback and the number of cases that contributed to this assessment; and what assessment her Department has made of the extent to which students feel overwhelmed by the volume of recommended support.

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

The anecdotal feedback referenced in the consultation document reflects issues raised through routine engagement activities, including meetings and discussions with delivery partners, sector bodies and other stakeholders. It would not be appropriate to identify individual contributors, and no quantified count of cases has been compiled. No assessment has yet been made of the extent to which students feel overwhelmed by the volume of recommended support because the department is currently gathering the evidence that would be required to support such an assessment.

The rationale underpinning the proposed policy position that assistive software is widely available is explained in the consultation document, which is available here: https://consult.education.gov.uk/disabled-students-allowance-team/assistive-software-funded-through-disabled-student/supporting_documents/assistive_software_funded_through_dsa_consultation_march_2026pdf.

It also sets out proposals relating to considerations around the accessibility and suitability of commonly available software for students with different disabilities. Decisions on how it would be determined that a student’s disability-related needs cannot be met by such software before specialist provision is funded would be made following the conclusion of the consultation process.

An initial equality impact assessment of the proposed changes is included in the consultation document, and the department intends to develop and refine this further as the consultation progresses.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has used artificial intelligence to assist with drafting (a) legislation and (b) policy in the last 12 months.

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

The department recognises the opportunities for productivity and efficiency enabled by effective deployment of artificial intelligence (AI). Any use of AI is undertaken in line with relevant government guidance on security and transparency, and under appropriate oversight. The department has made proportionate use of AI‑enabled tools to support tasks such as information retrieval and summarisation. These tools are used to assist officials and do not replace decision making or professional expertise

The drafting of primary and secondary legislation is often the responsibility of a large number of officials across government departments. A range of tools are used to assist with this drafting, including AI which is most commonly used to check, critique, and otherwise interrogate drafts.

While AI can be used to assist with the drafting of legislation, the production of the draft remains the responsibility of a lead human drafter to meet the high standards expected of government legislation.

All secondary legislation is subject to established governance arrangements and are drafted and finalised under the responsibility of qualified lawyers.

It is Parliament's responsibility to scrutinise and amend legislation as it sees necessary.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the effect of school workload on student mental health.

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

This government is committed to improving mental health support for all children and young people. This is critical to breaking down barriers to opportunity, and helping pupils to achieve and thrive in education.

The government is providing access to specialist mental health professionals in every school by expanding Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs), so every child and young person has access to early support to address problems before they escalate. By April 2026, we estimate that 60% of pupils in schools and learners in further education in England will be covered by an MHST, up from 52% in April 2025.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will include Previously Looked After Children in the definition of disadvantaged children, in regard to the core eligibility criteria for the Holiday Activity and Food programme.

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

The Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme provides free nutritious meals, enriching activities, and safe environments to eligible children during the school holidays, benefiting their health, wellbeing and readiness to learn. The core purpose of the programme is to support children and young people who are eligible for free school meals (FSM) given that children from low-income households are more likely to experience food insecurity, reduced physical activity, and fewer opportunities for enriching experiences during the school holidays.

Local authorities have discretion to allocate 15% of their funding to provide free or subsidised holiday club places for school-age children who do not meet the eligibility criteria but who the local authority believe could benefit from HAF.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what contingency plans are in place in the event that early years settings (a) reduce places and (b) close due to staffing levels.

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

Local authorities are responsible for ensuring adequacy of children provision in their area. 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. No local authorities have reported to us that they do not have sufficient childcare places. According to the most recent Official Statistics from Ofsted and the department, childcare places increased by around 17,400 over the last year, equivalent to a 1% rise, between 31 March 2024 and 31 March 2025.

The government is investing in training, qualifications and career pathways to professionalise and strengthen the early years workforce. To help providers with costs, including staffing, funding rates are being significantly uplifted by over £8 billion in 2025/26 and over £9.5 billion in 2026/27, as well as a £75 million grant to grow places and staff.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her department is taking to support autistic students with Pathological Demand Avoidance in mainstream school settings.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Manchester Rusholme, to the answer of 15 April 2026 to Question 121149.

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 the Law Commission's findings regarding regional variations in support for disabled children; and what steps her Department is taking to ensure consistent entitlements for such children across all local authorities.

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

The Law Commission published its final report on 16 September 2025 following a review commissioned by the department in April 2023 of the legal framework for disabled children’s social care.

The report sets out 40 recommendations, which we are now considering, aimed at improving how the law operates, with a focus on simplifying and strengthening the system to better support disabled children and their families.

In line with the protocol agreed between the Lord Chancellor and the Law Commission, the department provided an initial response to these recommendations on 16 March 2026 and is expected to provide a full response within one year, setting out which recommendations will be accepted, rejected or modified, and any implementation timeline. Policy development is ongoing and the department continues to engage with key stakeholders. It would therefore not be appropriate to comment on specific recommendations ahead of publication of the full response.

Alongside this, we believe the rollout of Family Help as part of the Families First Partnership programme, backed by £2.4 billion of funding over three years, is already beginning to deliver many of the intended outcomes of the report. Our wider reforms are designed to make a real and tangible difference to children and families, including disabled children.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Law Commission's report on social care law, what steps her department is taking to help ensure that disabled children have access to social care support; and what assessment she has made of the level of need for legal reform to achieve that objective.

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

The Law Commission published its final report on 16 September 2025 following a review commissioned by the department in April 2023 of the legal framework for disabled children’s social care.

The report sets out 40 recommendations, which we are now considering, aimed at improving how the law operates, with a focus on simplifying and strengthening the system to better support disabled children and their families.

In line with the protocol agreed between the Lord Chancellor and the Law Commission, the department provided an initial response to these recommendations on 16 March 2026 and is expected to provide a full response within one year, setting out which recommendations will be accepted, rejected or modified, and any implementation timeline. Policy development is ongoing and the department continues to engage with key stakeholders. It would therefore not be appropriate to comment on specific recommendations ahead of publication of the full response.

Alongside this, we believe the rollout of Family Help as part of the Families First Partnership programme, backed by £2.4 billion of funding over three years, is already beginning to deliver many of the intended outcomes of the report. Our wider reforms are designed to make a real and tangible difference to children and families, including disabled children.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her department is taking to consider the recommendations in the Law Commission's 2025 report on disabled children's social care; and what assessment she has made of the potential for legislative reform alongside the rollout of the Family Help programme.

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

The Law Commission published its final report on 16 September 2025 following a review commissioned by the department in April 2023 of the legal framework for disabled children’s social care.

The report sets out 40 recommendations, which we are now considering, aimed at improving how the law operates, with a focus on simplifying and strengthening the system to better support disabled children and their families.

In line with the protocol agreed between the Lord Chancellor and the Law Commission, the department provided an initial response to these recommendations on 16 March 2026 and is expected to provide a full response within one year, setting out which recommendations will be accepted, rejected or modified, and any implementation timeline. Policy development is ongoing and the department continues to engage with key stakeholders. It would therefore not be appropriate to comment on specific recommendations ahead of publication of the full response.

Alongside this, we believe the rollout of Family Help as part of the Families First Partnership programme, backed by £2.4 billion of funding over three years, is already beginning to deliver many of the intended outcomes of the report. Our wider reforms are designed to make a real and tangible difference to children and families, including disabled children.

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 national eligibility criteria for disabled children's social care in England.

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

The Law Commission published its final report on 16 September 2025 following a review commissioned by the department in April 2023 of the legal framework for disabled children’s social care.

The report sets out 40 recommendations, which we are now considering, aimed at improving how the law operates, with a focus on simplifying and strengthening the system to better support disabled children and their families.

In line with the protocol agreed between the Lord Chancellor and the Law Commission, the department provided an initial response to these recommendations on 16 March 2026 and is expected to provide a full response within one year, setting out which recommendations will be accepted, rejected or modified, and any implementation timeline. Policy development is ongoing and the department continues to engage with key stakeholders. It would therefore not be appropriate to comment on specific recommendations ahead of publication of the full response.

Alongside this, we believe the rollout of Family Help as part of the Families First Partnership programme, backed by £2.4 billion of funding over three years, is already beginning to deliver many of the intended outcomes of the report. Our wider reforms are designed to make a real and tangible difference to children and families, including disabled children.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that children receive a minimum of two hours of high-quality physical education per week; and are supported to be physically active for at least 60 minutes a day.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Spen Valley to the answer of 29 April 2026 to Question 128860.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on the number of students who may be required to repay maintenance loans or grunts already received following reclassification of their course.

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

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that students are not disadvantaged by errors made in the initial approval of student finance.

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

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the number of students likely to withdraw from their courses as a result of losing access to maintenance support.

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

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support students at risk of dropping out due to changes in funding eligibility.

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

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to respond to Question 120022 from the hon. Member for Twickenham.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The response to this Written Parliamentary Question has been issued.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent guidance her Department has issued to education providers regarding the eligibility of students to receive maintenance loans on courses.

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

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that cases of retrospective withdrawal of student finance do not occur in future.

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

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the impact of reductions in the number of (a) teaching assistants, (b) support staff and (c) teachers on (i) pupils with special educational needs and disabilities and (ii) other pupils requiring additional learning support.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

As part of our Plan for Change, we are committed to recruiting an additional 6,500 new expert teachers across secondary and special schools, and colleges, over the course of this Parliament.

We are already making good progress. The teaching workforce has grown by 2,346 full-time equivalent (FTE) between 2023/24 and 2024/25 in secondary and special schools, the schools where they are needed most.

The number of FTE school support staff has increased by 7,100 (1.4%) since 2023/24, which is mainly due to an increase of 5,900 teaching assistants.

Our recent ‘Every child achieving and thriving’ white paper sets out the government’s vision for reforms to the schools and special educational needs and disabilities systems in England to ensure that every child can achieve and thrive.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many students have had their maintenance loans or grants withdrawn due to being reclassified as distance learners in the last 12 months.

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

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she will take to ensure children with Developmental Language Disorder are adequately supported following upcoming reforms to the SEND system.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The department’s special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) reforms are ensuring every child gets the right support at the right time. This includes all of those with speech, language and communication needs (SLCN), including Developmental Language Disorder (DLD). We regularly engage with organisations who represent children with SLCN, including DLD, such as Speech and Language UK who are a member of our Complex Needs Group.

​Speech and language therapists (SaLTs) break down communication barriers, but too often, children and young people with SEND wait too long for this support.

​As part of our new £1.8 billion investment, schools will be able to access support from professionals such as SaLTs through the Experts at Hand offer. They will work directly with school staff to equip them with skills and strategies to better meet need.

​We are also investing £15 million to establish new SaLT advanced practitioners in every integrated care board area to support more SaLTs to work with educational settings, upskill speech and language support workers, and promote the SaLT apprenticeship route.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential rise in cost of rent, utilities, insurance, and food costs on the sustainability of schools.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

In March 2026, we published the 2026 Schools Costs Technical Note, which includes an estimate of cost pressures for schools’ non-staff costs over the 2026/27 and 2027/28 financial years. The analysis shows £1 billion of headroom in schools’ budgets over the next two years, after taking into account the expected rise in non-staff costs.

The department is helping schools and trusts to go further to unlock additional value. We established the Maximising Value for Pupils programme in December 2025 to help schools and groups seize opportunities to maximise value from every pound spent. This includes initiatives like our forthcoming new agency supply staff framework which will tackle excessive supplier margins and the department’s Energy for Schools service, which aggregates sector buying power to protect schools from market volatility; following a successful pilot which identified average savings of 36%, over 1,000 schools are already benefitting from the scheme.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of local authority data on special educational needs and disabilities provision when costing proposed reforms to that system.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether children with Developmental Language Disorder were considered when writing the policy paper entitled SEND reform: putting children and young people first.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The department’s special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) reforms are ensuring every child gets the right support at the right time. This includes all of those with speech, language and communication needs (SLCN), including Developmental Language Disorder (DLD). We regularly engage with organisations who represent children with SLCN, including DLD, such as Speech and Language UK who are a member of our Complex Needs Group.

​Speech and language therapists (SaLTs) break down communication barriers, but too often, children and young people with SEND wait too long for this support.

​As part of our new £1.8 billion investment, schools will be able to access support from professionals such as SaLTs through the Experts at Hand offer. They will work directly with school staff to equip them with skills and strategies to better meet need.

​We are also investing £15 million to establish new SaLT advanced practitioners in every integrated care board area to support more SaLTs to work with educational settings, upskill speech and language support workers, and promote the SaLT apprenticeship route.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that children receive a minimum of two hours of high-quality physical education per week, and are supported to be physically active for at least 60 minutes a day.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The government has pledged to protect PE time and wants schools to offer a minimum of two hours of PE per week for all pupils. The department is committed to supporting schools to meet this ambition.

The government response to the independent Curriculum and Assessment Review has committed to strengthen the PE curriculum across all key stages, including key stage 4, to give it a clearer purpose and ensure schools recognise the importance of protecting two hours of PE throughout a pupil’s time at school.

To bring more consistency to the provision of support and opportunities across the country and to ensure it reaches the children and young people who need it most, we are working to set up new PE and School Sport Partnerships across the country. These will make sure that the support that schools can draw on for making improvements to PE is high quality and informed by the best evidence and clearly focused on the challenge of reducing inactivity, securing equal access to sporting opportunities and ensuring there is a renewed focus on supporting schools to increase PE time.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the introduction of School Sport Partnerships and the new Enrichment Framework is supported by adequate levels of funding.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

My right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister announced in June 2025 the establishment of a new PE and School Sport Partnerships Network to ensure all children and young people have access to high quality PE and extracurricular sport. Details on the PE and School Sports Partnerships funding will be confirmed in due course.

The Enrichment Framework will be published this academic year, accompanied by a range of support to help schools’ enrichment offers. We will work with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on the National Youth Strategy implementation, including the £22.5 million Enrichment Expansion Programme and £132.5 million through the ‘Every Child Can’ dormant assets funding. This is in addition to international enrichment opportunities through the UK’s association to the EU’s Erasmus+ programme, continuing investment in our national network of Music Hubs, a new £750,000 chess support programme, and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology’s flagship ‘TechYouth’ programme.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has issued guidance to local authorities on engaging directly with survivors of historic abuse rather than referring them to external insurance solicitors.

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

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the number of additional teachers employed in state schools in Worcestershire since the addition of VAT on independent school fees was enacted.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Reforms to VAT and business rates will raise around £1.8 billion a year by 2029/30, helping to deliver the government’s commitments relating to education and young people. This measure will raise essential revenue that will be invested in our public services, including the £1.7 billion increase to the core schools budget in 2026/27, taking total funding to £67 billion. This increase will support schools to recruit the staff they need, including in Worcestershire.

The department is investing further to deliver on our pledge to recruit 6,500 additional teachers and ensure sufficient high-quality teachers in all schools. These include teacher training bursaries worth up to £29,000 tax-free and a targeted retention incentive (TRI) worth up to £6,000 for early career teachers in disadvantaged areas. 19 schools in the Worcestershire local authority area are eligible for the TRI.

We are making good progress with the workforce growing by 2,346 full-time equivalent between 2023/24 and 2024/25 in secondary and special schools, the schools where they are needed most. In Worcestershire local authority area, the number of secondary and special school teachers has grown to 4,797, the highest on record for this area.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the number of additional teachers funded in Worcestershire with the proceeds from VAT on school fees.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Reforms to VAT and business rates will raise around £1.8 billion a year by 2029/30, helping to deliver the government’s commitments relating to education and young people. This measure will raise essential revenue that will be invested in our public services, including the £1.7 billion increase to the core schools budget in 2026/27, taking total funding to £67 billion. This increase will support schools to recruit the staff they need, including in Worcestershire.

The department is investing further to deliver on our pledge to recruit 6,500 additional teachers and ensure sufficient high-quality teachers in all schools. These include teacher training bursaries worth up to £29,000 tax-free and a targeted retention incentive (TRI) worth up to £6,000 for early career teachers in disadvantaged areas. 19 schools in the Worcestershire local authority area are eligible for the TRI.

We are making good progress with the workforce growing by 2,346 full-time equivalent between 2023/24 and 2024/25 in secondary and special schools, the schools where they are needed most. In Worcestershire local authority area, the number of secondary and special school teachers has grown to 4,797, the highest on record for this area.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that primary schools offer a broad range of after school clubs.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The government is committed to ensuring that all children and young people across England can access a variety of enrichment opportunities at school, including after school clubs, as part of our mission to break down barriers to opportunity. A new Enrichment Framework will be published this academic year. It will set out benchmarks to help schools and colleges plan high-quality enrichment more strategically, with case studies and signposting to tools and resources. The framework will support schools to provide accessible and inclusive enrichment opportunities to those less likely to participate, such as pupils on free school meals.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure the expansion of funded childcare supports improved outcomes for disadvantaged children.

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

The Best Start in Life Strategy sets out this government’s commitment to increase take-up of the 15-hour early education and childcare offers for two, three and four-year-olds, ensuring low-income families, children with special educational needs and disabilities and children in care receive the early education they are entitled to. The department will engage directly with local authorities where take-up is lowest, supporting families through Best Start Family Hubs to take up their funded hours, addressing local variation in performance and tracking data through the Local Government Outcomes Framework.

Building on the largest ever uplift to Early Years Pupil Premium (EYPP) in 2025/26, we have increased EYPP rates by 15% to £1.15 per hour in 2026/27, equivalent to up to £655 per eligible child per year.

Low income working families and children with special educational needs and disabilities can benefit from the expansion of funded childcare. Parents could be eligible if they each earn the equivalent of 16 hours a week at National Minimum Wage, equivalent to £10,574.72 annually.

To make sure that the early years funding system is hardwired to benefit those children and parts of the country that have higher levels of additional need, we will review early years funding, including national funding formulae, and consult the sector on changes by summer 2026.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much of the revenue raised from VAT on independent school fees since its introduction was directly spent on state schools per school.

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

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help children with special educational needs and disabilities from mobile military families access continuous specialised support at school.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

As part of the consultation on the government’s special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) reforms, I recently attended a roundtable hosted by the Armed Forces Community All-Party Parliamentary Group. I met representatives from armed forces families and the charities that support them to hear first-hand about the challenges they face.

The government is consulting on its proposed SEND reforms that would support children from mobile families. We are proposing that new National Inclusion Standards will set out support that should be available in every mainstream setting, and a nationally consistent set of Specialist Provision Packages will provide comprehensive, evidence-based support for children and young people with the most complex needs underpinning education health and care (EHC) plans which will help end the postcode lottery in support. Additionally, EHC plans and new Individual Support Plans will be digital, which will support service children by facilitating smoother transitions when they move between schools or local authorities.

Schools receive targeted funding through the Service Pupil Premium, with over £26 million allocated in 2026/27. The rate increased to £360 per eligible pupil in 2026. Schools can use this funding flexibly to provide pastoral, academic and transition support to mitigate the effects of mobility and parental deployment, supported by the department and Ministry of Defence’s joint guidance.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the adequacy of record‑keeping by Richmond upon Thames Council relating to looked‑after children in the 1970s and 1980s.

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

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that independent faith schools meet independent school standards.

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

All private schools are required to comply with the Independent School Standards (ISS). Schools that fail to meet the ISS at inspection are subject to regulatory action as per the ‘Independent Schools: Regulatory and Enforcement Action’ policy statement.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to respond to Question 121472 from the hon. Member for Newport West and Islwyn.

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

The responses to these Written Parliamentary Questions have been issued.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to respond to Question 120510 from the hon. Member for North East Hampshire.

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

The responses to these Written Parliamentary Questions have been issued.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure the early years funding system supports a) providers operating on a year-round basis and b) parents who require year-round provision.

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

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 this year compared to 2025/26 to deliver a full year of the expanded entitlements, and an above inflation increase to entitlements funding rates. The most recent Coram–PACEY Childcare Survey 2026, finds that the expansion of 30 hours of funded childcare has significantly reduced out of pocket costs for eligible working parents in England, in some cases making part time childcare effectively free during term time.

By allowing funded hours to be stretched across the year, deducting closures from calculations, and enabling mixed‑provider models, the system is designed to work alongside all‑year childcare businesses, managing funding and fees transparently and within national limits, broadening parental choice.

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

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that early years funding supports a) financial accessibility for families and b) sustainability for providers.

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

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 this year compared to 2025/26 to deliver a full year of the expanded entitlements, and an above inflation increase to entitlements funding rates. The most recent Coram–PACEY Childcare Survey 2026, finds that the expansion of 30 hours of funded childcare has significantly reduced out of pocket costs for eligible working parents in England, in some cases making part time childcare effectively free during term time.

By allowing funded hours to be stretched across the year, deducting closures from calculations, and enabling mixed‑provider models, the system is designed to work alongside all‑year childcare businesses, managing funding and fees transparently and within national limits, broadening parental choice.

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

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with exam boards on introducing a Romanian GCSE.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that survivors of historic abuse are supported in a trauma‑informed manner when approaching local authorities for (a) information and (b) redress.

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

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance she provides to secondary schools on the identification of speech and language needs in children entering the school from primary education.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

To ensure teachers can support children before needs escalate, we will develop National Inclusion Standards that set out evidence-informed tools, strategies and approaches for educators to draw on to identify and support children and young people with additional needs.

The department is also introducing the Experts at Hand offer, backed by around £1.8 billion, to give schools direct access to support, advice, training, and specialist expertise from professionals including speech and language therapists (SaLTs) and specialist teachers. These experts will work alongside school staff, building skills and confidence to identify needs early and respond effectively. New SaLT advanced practitioners will be responsible for bridging the gap between clinical and education settings, so that more SaLTs are specifically supporting children and young people. We are also investing in upskilling SaLT support workers, who can provide some of the more routine support in mainstream settings.

The department continues to invest in the Nuffield Early Language Intervention (NELI) programme, under the Best Start in Life strategy, which has demonstrated significant impact on oral language and early literacy, particularly for disadvantaged pupils. Evaluation has found that children who receive NELI make, on average, four months of additional progress in oral language skills, and seven months for those children on free school meals. Funding has been confirmed until the 2028/29 academic year (subject to further spending rounds).

The government is also investing £200 million to give every teacher the training they need to better support pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). This new training offer will cover children with SEND in their earliest years through to age 25, restoring parents’ confidence that their children will be supported throughout every stage of their education. This new inclusion training offer builds on improvements to existing programmes, such as the new Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework, which contains significantly more content on adaptive teaching and supporting pupils with SEND.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many teachers left the profession within five years of qualifying in the most recent year for which data is available.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

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

Information on the school workforce in England, including the vacancy rate for teaching posts and the retention rate for teachers in state-funded schools, is published in the ‘School workforce in England’ statistical publication, which can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england/2024.

The teacher vacancy rate for full and part-time posts in secondary schools decreased to 6 per 1,000 teachers in service in November 2024, the latest figures available, from a peak of 8 per 1,000 teachers in November 2023.

Over two thirds (67.7%) of teachers who qualified in 2019/20 were still teaching five years later in 2024/25.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the vacancy rate is for teaching posts in secondary schools in England.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

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

Information on the school workforce in England, including the vacancy rate for teaching posts and the retention rate for teachers in state-funded schools, is published in the ‘School workforce in England’ statistical publication, which can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england/2024.

The teacher vacancy rate for full and part-time posts in secondary schools decreased to 6 per 1,000 teachers in service in November 2024, the latest figures available, from a peak of 8 per 1,000 teachers in November 2023.

Over two thirds (67.7%) of teachers who qualified in 2019/20 were still teaching five years later in 2024/25.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when the next review of the School Admissions Code will take place; and whether the scope of that review will include admissions arrangements for schools with a religious character, including the use of faith-based oversubscription criteria.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The department values the contribution schools with a religious character make to a diverse school system, and it is important faith schools can set admissions criteria that work for their local circumstances.

The government set out in the ‘Every Child Achieving and Thriving’ White Paper its intention to consult later this year on changes to the statutory School Admissions Code to reduce barriers and promote fairness for families.

Any changes to the School Admissions Code will be subject to a full public consultation and Parliamentary scrutiny.

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 financial pressures on universities in England.

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

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact  of including PhD students in the international student levy on the UK’s ability to attract global research talent.

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

The international student levy 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.

Higher education (HE) providers are independent from government and responsible for managing their own finances, including any impact from the international student levy. To support providers’ financial planning, the levy will be introduced in 2028/29 and paid one year in arrears, with an allowance of 220 students 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.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of including PhD students in the international student levy on their ability to realise their industrial strategy.

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

The international student levy 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.

Higher education (HE) providers are independent from government and responsible for managing their own finances, including any impact from the international student levy. To support providers’ financial planning, the levy will be introduced in 2028/29 and paid one year in arrears, with an allowance of 220 students 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.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on economic growth of including PhD students in the international student levy.

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

The international student levy 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.

Higher education (HE) providers are independent from government and responsible for managing their own finances, including any impact from the international student levy. To support providers’ financial planning, the levy will be introduced in 2028/29 and paid one year in arrears, with an allowance of 220 students 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.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of barriers to compliance with school food standards in school breakfast provision; and what steps they are taking as part of the free breakfast club rollout to ensure equitable access to nutritious breakfast for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and disabilities.

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

The government is committed to offering free breakfast clubs to all primary-aged pupils in England, including those with special educational needs and disabilities, so that all children have access to a healthy breakfast and a soft start to their school day. Food served at free breakfast clubs must meet the School Food Standards, and we have provided guidance to schools on healthy breakfast options.

Early adopter schools are already sharing examples of good practice to support consistent, high‑quality provision across the country.

Parents care deeply about the food their children eat, which is why we plan to overhaul the School Food Standards for the first time in over a decade. Developed alongside nutritionists and public health experts, the new standards will include dedicated breakfast standards, cutting high sugar items and increasing higher-fibre wholegrains.

We have launched a 9 week consultation on these changes and are committed to developing a robust enforcement system, which includes monitoring of compliance.

.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 24 March 2025 to Question 39574 on Katharine Birbalsingh, when the final note was shared.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to raise attainment levels for disadvantaged students in (a) Leicester, (b) the East Midlands and (c) England.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The ‘Every child achieving and thriving’ White Paper establishes our plan to improve the outcomes of all children, building on support at home with a stretching, enriching and inclusive school experience. When children born under this government finish secondary school, it is our ambition that all children achieve higher standards and the disadvantage gap will be halved. This equates to 30,000 more disadvantaged young people passing their English and maths GCSEs than today.

We are driving standards through new regional improvement for standards and excellence teams, a refreshed high quality curriculum and assessment system and recruiting 6,500 additional teachers, as well as taking action to address barriers to learning.

Alongside this, schools continue to receive the pupil premium grant. In the 2026/27 financial year we will be providing £3.2 billion of pupil premium funding across all state-funded schools in England, an increase of 2.2% per pupil from the 2025/26 financial year. In the 2025/26 financial year Leicester received £23,112,193 of pupil premium funding, and the East Midlands received £260,716,608.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that the introduction of School Sports Partnerships and the new Enrichment Framework is supported by sustained levels of funding.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

My right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister announced in June 2025 the establishment of a new PE and School Sport Partnerships Network to ensure all children and young people have access to high quality PE and extracurricular sport. Details on the PE and School Sports Partnerships funding will be confirmed in due course.

The Enrichment Framework will be published this academic year, accompanied by a range of support to help schools’ enrichment offers. We will work with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on the National Youth Strategy implementation, including the £22.5 million Enrichment Expansion Programme and £132.5 million through the ‘Every Child Can’ Dormant Assets funding. This is in addition to international enrichment opportunities through the UK’s association to the EU’s Erasmus+ programme, continuing investment in our national network of Music Hubs, a new £750,000 chess support programme, and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology’s flagship ‘TechYouth’ programme.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will have discussions with Diabetes UK on (a) the open consultation on SEND reform, and (b) reforms to the SEND support system more broadly.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that local authorities investigate historical safeguarding failures where new survivor testimony emerges.

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

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the impact of changes to the National Curriculum on students wishing to study languages at university.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that reforms to the special educational needs and disabilities system in England take account of the needs of children from armed forces families with additional needs.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

As part of the consultation on the government’s special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) reforms, I recently attended a roundtable hosted by the Armed Forces Community All-Party Parliamentary Group, to hear first-hand from armed forces families about the problems they face.

The government’s proposed SEND reforms will better support children from mobile families. For example, education, health and care plans and new Individual Support Plans will be digital, which will support smoother transitions when service children move between schools or local authorities.

National Inclusion Standards will set out support available in every mainstream setting, and a nationally consistent set of Specialist Provision Packages will provide comprehensive, evidence-based packages of support for children and young people with the most complex needs.

Schools receive targeted funding through the Service Pupil Premium, with over £26 million allocated in 2026/27. Schools can use this funding flexibly to provide pastoral, academic and transition support to mitigate effects of mobility and parental deployment, supported by joint Department for Education and Ministry of Defence guidance.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many former teachers or headteachers have forfeited their teachers’ pensions under Regulation 121 of the Teachers’ Pension Regulations 2010 or Regulation 181 of the Teachers’ Pension Scheme Regulation 2014 since 1 January 2024 following conviction of sexual activity with a child while in a position of trust in (i) England and (ii) Wales.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The department is unable to comment on this matter for data protection reasons.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the answer of 22 April 2026 to Question 124528 and in the context of the March RPI figure being published, what is the estimated total fiscal cost of the policy of capping the maximum interest rates on Plan 2 and 3 student loans at 6% for the 2026/7 academic year.

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

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Smith of Malvern on 30 March (HL14338), what is the expected timescale for (1) the consultation of the proposals for special educational needs and disabilities reform, and (2) the implementation of those reforms.

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

On Monday 23 February, the department launched a full 12‑week consultation on our special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) reforms because we want to hear directly from people across the country who have an interest in these reforms.

We are also hosting a series of online and in‑person events throughout the 12-week consultation period, with some sessions delivered in partnership with the Council for Disabled Children. This consultation concludes on 18 May 2026.

The consultation, including accessible versions, can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/send-reform-putting-children-and-young-people-first.

The department will manage the implementation of the reformed SEND system carefully, hence why our investments start now, before forthcoming legislation.

The first cohort to transition will be those at the end of primary, secondary and post-16 in 2029/30. They will move to the new system in September 2030. We expect the final cohort to transition to the new system in 2035.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to respond to Question 87070 from the hon. Member for South Shropshire.

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

The response to Written Parliamentary Question 87070 was published on 22 April 2026.

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Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help reduce the number of avoidable severe allergic reactions in (a) Yeovil constituency, (b) Somerset and (c) England.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Last year, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence approved two sublingual immunotherapy treatments for moderate to severe allergic rhinitis.

National Health Service partners in Somerset encourage all patients with a diagnosis of severe allergy to have prescribed and to carry with them an adrenaline injection device which when used early enough in a severe allergy response can prevent patient harm and admission.

Over the past five years, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) has delivered a substantial programme of work to improve allergy safety in restaurants and food businesses, including in Yeovil. The FSA published new best practice guidance in March 2025 to improve allergen information when eating out. The FSA has also expanded its free online allergen training, which has now been taken by over one million people since 2020. Through this work, the FSA is aiming to enable people with food allergies to make informed and safe choices and trust the food that they receive.

The Department for Education is developing new statutory guidance which will significantly strengthen how schools support pupils with allergy. The Government has also amended the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill to place a new statutory duty on schools to develop and publish an allergy safety policy, and to give powers to my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, to make regulations relating to allergy safety, including requiring schools to stock adrenaline devices, to secure allergy awareness training, and to record and report incidents of near misses. These measures should help to prevent instances of children experiencing severe allergic reactions while at school.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the (a) Ministry of Justice, (b) Department for Education and (c) Government Equalities Office including in their workstreams into the work of the Men's Health Strategy Stakeholder Group.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Men’s Health Stakeholder Group is an advisory group that provides advice to the Department on the implementation of the Men’s Health Strategy. It reports to the Men’s Health Project Board. The project board coordinates delivery across the Department and works with other relevant Government departments that are responsible for actions in the strategy. The project board reports to the Minister responsible for men’s health.

Information relating to the Men’s Health Stakeholder Group, including membership and meeting minutes, is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/mens-health-strategy-governance

The Department is closely engaged with the work of the Deputy Prime Minister, who is leading a cross-Government agenda on improving outcomes for men and boys. The Deputy Prime Minister is convening departments and partners to deliver coordinated action, focusing on three core themes: education and employment; health and wellbeing; and masculinities and connection. The Deputy Prime Minister recently chaired the first Inter-Ministerial Group on this issue, to which the Department of Health and Social Care heavily contributed and a minister attended.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to item 105 of the letter sent from Lord Strathclyde, Chair of the Constitution Committee to Stephen Doughty MP, Minister of State for Europe, North America and Overseas Territories regarding the UK-Overseas Joint Declaration, published 17 April 2026, which Ministers have (a) designated responsibility for Overseas Territories matters and (b) attend the cross-governmental Ministerial group on the Territories by Department.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Ministers who currently hold designated responsibility for Overseas Territories matters are: the Cabinet Office Minister of State; Economic Secretary to the Treasury; Ministry of Justice Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Sentencing, Youth Justice and International; Home Office Minister of State (House of Lords); Department for Energy Security and Net Zero Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Minister for Climate); Ministry of Defence Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Minister for the Armed Forces); Department of Business and Trade Minister of State (Minister for Trade); Department for Culture Media and Sport Minister of State (Minister for Creative Industries, Media and Arts); Department for Science, Innovation and Technology Minister of State (Minister for Science, Innovation, Research and Nuclear); Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Minister for Nature); Department of Health and Social Care Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health Innovation and Safety; Department for Transport Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Minister for Aviation, Maritime and Decarbonisation); Solicitor General; Department for Education Minister of State (Minister for Skills); Secretary of State for Scotland and one of the Wales Office Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State.

All these Ministers are invited to attend the cross-governmental Ministerial Group on the Overseas Territories.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made with Cabinet colleagues of the potential merits of enabling British National (Overseas) visa holders to access apprenticeship programmes in (a) the health and social care sector and (b) other sectors before completing three years’ residence in the UK.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

The department regularly reviews the apprenticeship funding rules, often in consultation with others, including the Home Office and the Department for Education.

This includes the requirements for ordinary residency. This three-year residency requirement is longstanding within the apprenticeship programme. It applies to both UK and non-UK nationals. It is applied consistently to ensure that the individuals have a connection to the UK and are committed to living in the country before they are eligible for training funded by the taxpayer.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve (a) awareness, (b) diagnosis and (c) treatment of meningitis in West Dorset constituency.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has confirmed three cases of meningococcal disease among young people in Weymouth, Dorset. These three cases have been confirmed as meningitis B and are the same sub-strain serotype P1.19, P1.15. The UKHSA has confirmed that these cases are not linked to the recent outbreak of meningococcal disease in Kent.

As a precautionary measure, antibiotics and the Bexsero vaccine are being offered to young people currently in school years 7 to 13, or the equivalent in terms of age, or anyone not in full time education who would be in one of these year groups, who study or live in the Weymouth, Portland, and Chickerell areas of Dorset. The UKHSA and Dorset Council have issued advice to staff, parents, and carers at all educational settings in the area.

The UKHSA is providing support to education settings, in close partnership with the Department for Education. All affected education settings in Weymouth remain open and events involving children and young people should continue as normal. The UKHSA has published up to date information to ensure parents and concerned members of the public can find the latest information on how the incident is being managed and who can access antibiotics and vaccines, which is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/antibiotics-and-menb-vaccination-to-be-offered-to-young-people-in-dorset

Children and young people should attend their education setting normally, unless specifically told otherwise by a health professional. Attendance supports the education, health, and wellbeing of children and young people.

As my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, told the House on 17 March in the context of the recent meningococcal disease outbreak in Kent, the Joint Committee on Vaccinations (JCVI) has been asked to re-examine eligibility for meningitis vaccines to assess, for example, an expanded offer to older children and/or young adults. The JCVI will provide updated advice to the Department this summer around whether, and to what extent, a vaccine programme for older children and/or young adults would be clinically effective as well as an assessment of the cost-effectiveness of such a vaccination programme.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the prevalence of meningitis in West Dorset constituency.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has confirmed three cases of meningococcal disease among young people in Weymouth, Dorset. These three cases have been confirmed as meningitis B and are the same sub-strain serotype P1.19, P1.15. The UKHSA has confirmed that these cases are not linked to the recent outbreak of meningococcal disease in Kent.

As a precautionary measure, antibiotics and the Bexsero vaccine are being offered to young people currently in school years 7 to 13, or the equivalent in terms of age, or anyone not in full time education who would be in one of these year groups, who study or live in the Weymouth, Portland, and Chickerell areas of Dorset. The UKHSA and Dorset Council have issued advice to staff, parents, and carers at all educational settings in the area.

The UKHSA is providing support to education settings, in close partnership with the Department for Education. All affected education settings in Weymouth remain open and events involving children and young people should continue as normal. The UKHSA has published up to date information to ensure parents and concerned members of the public can find the latest information on how the incident is being managed and who can access antibiotics and vaccines, which is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/antibiotics-and-menb-vaccination-to-be-offered-to-young-people-in-dorset

Children and young people should attend their education setting normally, unless specifically told otherwise by a health professional. Attendance supports the education, health, and wellbeing of children and young people.

As my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, told the House on 17 March in the context of the recent meningococcal disease outbreak in Kent, the Joint Committee on Vaccinations (JCVI) has been asked to re-examine eligibility for meningitis vaccines to assess, for example, an expanded offer to older children and/or young adults. The JCVI will provide updated advice to the Department this summer around whether, and to what extent, a vaccine programme for older children and/or young adults would be clinically effective as well as an assessment of the cost-effectiveness of such a vaccination programme.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce the waiting time for NHS children’s speech and language therapy support in (a) Ashfield, (b) Nottinghamshire and (c) nationally.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Community health services, including children’s speech and language therapy, are locally commissioned to enable systems to best meet the needs of their communities.

The Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) recognises that waiting times for children’s speech and language therapy (SLT) remain too long in parts of Nottinghamshire, including Ashfield, and is taking action with system partners to improve access.

Since the 2023 Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) inspection of local services for children and young people with SEND, the ICB and partners have undertaken targeted transformation activity, including:

- introduction of a SLT advice line to support earlier intervention;

- refocusing clinical capacity to address long waits in autism pathways; and

- piloting open-access early years drop-in sessions for children under four year olds.

A revised service delivery model is being implemented across SLT pathways, including:

- group assessment of all two to three year olds;

- increased use of group-based therapy and parent-supported interventions; and

- enhanced parent/carer training to support children at home.

These changes will be implemented alongside additional improvements to the model, including building workforce capacity and capability and improving support to schools and early years settings.

Nationally, ICBs are being supported to reduce waiting times through an evidence informed Children and Young People Community Speech and Language Therapy Toolkit developed with speech and language therapists, children, families, and carers.

We have set a clear target through the Medium-Term Planning Framework for systems to work to reduce long waits for community health services, including speech and language therapy.

By 2028/29, at least 80% of community health services activity should take place within 18 weeks. This will be a key part of the shift from hospital to community. In 2026/27, ICBs and community health services providers must also develop plans to eliminate 52 week waits. Whilst targets are not service-line specific, capacity growth and waiting time targets should impact positively on children and young people’s speech and language therapy services.

NHS England is also working with the Department for Education to identify and support children with speech, language and communication needs to deliver the Early Language Support for Every Child programme in Early Years and Primary School settings. This programme is funding innovative workforce models to support early intervention for children with unidentified speech, language, and communication needs which may reduce exacerbation of need that might lead to a specialist speech and language therapist and/or Education Health Care Plan referral in the medium-term.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, which (a) departmental officials, (b) external academic partners, and (c) private contractors were responsible for designing the methodology and key performance indicators (KPIs) of the 6-week digital wellbeing pilot studies currently being conducted by the Government.

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

The pilots were developed by professional analysts within DSIT, with advice from the Government Office for Science. This included a roundtable convened by the Government Chief Scientific Adviser, Dame Angela McLean, of academics and Chief Scientific Advisers from FCDO, DfE and College of Policing. Private contractors were not involved in designing the methodology.

The pilots are qualitative studies, intended to generate in‑depth insights into young people’s navigation and experience of social media. The research is not designed to be statistically representative, so KPIs are limited to delivery logistics, such as recruitment targets, rather than impact measures.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what the selection process was for the appointment of experts to the academic panel for the digital wellbeing consultation; and what criteria were used to ensure a balance of multi-disciplinary expertise in child psychology, data science, and social media harms.

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

Professor Russell Viner, former Chief Scientific Advisor to the Department for Education, will chair the academic panel. The government will announce further members once all checks, including security checks, have concluded. Declarations of conflicts of interest will also be published.

Officials worked with the Government Office for Science and Department for Education to identify potential academic panel members with relevant expertise to consider the digital safety issues explored in the ‘Growing up in the online world’ consultation, including AI, education, paediatrics, psychology, psychiatry, and social research.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what the selection process was for the appointment of experts to the academic panel for the digital wellbeing consultation; and what criteria were used to ensure a balance of multi-disciplinary expertise in child psychology, data science, and social media harms.

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

Professor Russell Viner, former Chief Scientific Advisor to the Department for Education, will chair the academic panel. The government will announce further members once all checks, including security checks, have concluded. Declarations of conflicts of interest will also be published.

Officials worked with the Government Office for Science and Department for Education to identify potential academic panel members with relevant expertise to consider the digital safety issues explored in the ‘Growing up in the online world’ consultation, including AI, education, paediatrics, psychology, psychiatry, and social research.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if she will publish the names and institutional affiliations of the members of the academic panel appointed to assess (a) the public responses to the 'Growing up in the online world' consultation and (b) the data arising from the government’s 6-week digital wellbeing pilot studies.

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

Professor Russell Viner, former Chief Scientific Advisor to the Department for Education, will chair the academic panel. The government will announce further members once all checks, including security checks, have concluded. Declarations of conflicts of interest will also be published.

Officials worked with the Government Office for Science and Department for Education to identify potential academic panel members with relevant expertise to consider the digital safety issues explored in the ‘Growing up in the online world’ consultation, including AI, education, paediatrics, psychology, psychiatry, and social research.

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