Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to legislate for (a) a ban on the physical chastisement of children and (b) penalties for people who do so.

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

This government does not condone violence or abuse of children. There are laws in place to protect children against this.

Crown Prosecution Service guidance is clear that only the mildest form of physical punishment can be used to justify discipline. Where a defence is unsuccessful, the usual sentencing powers for charges of assault and/or battery would be available for courts to consider.

The department is looking closely at changes in Wales and Scotland but has no plans to legislate at this stage.

We recognise that parents have different views and approaches to disciplining their children and that we need to consider all those voices, including those that might be disproportionally affected by the removal of the defence, as well as the voice of the child and trusted stakeholders in making any decisions.

The government encourages the use of evidence-based parenting programmes. Many such programmes address the issue of managing children’s behaviour and promote positive parenting. This does not include the use of physical punishment. Family support might be available at Family Hubs to help parents with positive parenting and discipline and details can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/find-family-hub-local-area.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) primary and (b) secondary school students receive free school meals in Aldershot constituency.

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

The department publishes the number of pupils in primary and secondary schools in the Aldershot constituency who receive free school meals. This data is available in the ‘Schools, pupils and their characteristics’ publication, based on the January 2024 school census. The most recent figures can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics.

The publication webpage includes a school-level data file, listed under the dropdown heading ‘Additional supporting files’ as ‘School level underlying data - 2023/24 (csv, 22 Mb)’.

This file contains one row per school, and you can filter the data by school phase and constituency. Data on parliamentary constituencies use boundaries as they were when the statistics were published. The most recent constituency boundaries will be updated in the next ‘Schools, Pupils and their Characteristics publication’ in June 2025.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle persistent absence in schools in Slough constituency.

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

This government is determined to tackle the generational challenge of school absence which is a fundamental barrier to learning and life chances. Missing school regularly is harmful to a child’s attainment, safety and physical and mental health, which limits their opportunity to succeed. There is evidence that more students are attending school this year compared to last, thanks to the sector’s efforts although around 1.6 million children remain persistently absent and miss 10% or more of lessons.

The department has a national approach to supporting all schools to tackle absence, including those in the Slough constituency. Central to this approach are stronger expectations of local authorities and schools, as set out in the ‘Working together to improve school attendance’ guidance, which was made statutory on 19 August 2024. The guidance promotes a 'support first' approach, encouraging schools, trusts and local authorities to work with families in addressing attendance barriers.

Every state school in England should now be sharing their daily attendance register data with the department, local authorities and trusts. These bodies can access this data through a secure, interactive dashboard which is maintained by the department, allowing them to target attendance interventions more effectively.

The department recognises the importance of creating opportunities within the sector to share existing best practice on how to improve attendance. This is why the department has set up a network of 31 attendance hubs, who have offered support to 2000 schools and shared their strategies and resources for improving attendance.

In addition to this work, the department also aims to improve the existing evidence on which interventions work to improve attendance. Over £17 million is being invested across two mentoring projects that will support at least 12,000 pupils in 15 areas. These programmes will be evaluated and the effective practice shared with schools and local authorities nationally.

From early 2025, new Regional Improvement for Standards and Excellence (RISE) teams will support all state schools by facilitating networking, sharing best practice across areas, including attendance, and empowering schools to feel they can better access support and learn from one another. For schools requiring more intensive support, RISE teams and supporting organisations will work collaboratively with their responsible body to agree bespoke packages of targeted support, based on a school’s particular circumstances.

School attendance is also supported by broader investments, such as funded breakfast clubs, across all primary schools to ensure children start their day ready to learn. The department will also initiate new annual Ofsted reviews focusing on safeguarding, attendance and off-rolling.

We are working across government on plans to provide access to specialist mental health professionals in every school, new Young Futures hubs, including access to mental health support workers, and an additional 8,500 new mental health staff to treat children and adults.

Data published in May this year showed that, in Slough local authority, 42% of schools and colleges worked with a Mental Health Support Team in March 2024 compared to 34% nationally, and 78% of schools and colleges had signed up for a senior mental health lead training grant, compared to 74% nationally.

Schools can also allocate pupil premium funding, which has now increased to over £2.9 billion for the 2024/25 financial year, to support pupils with identified needs to attend school regularly.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many hours of teaching were lost as a result of (a) extreme heat and (b) flooding in 2024.

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

From the start of the 2024/25 academic year, schools have had a duty to provide daily attendance data to the department. Attendance data can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/pupil-attendance-in-schools.

The department does not specifically collect data on teaching hours lost due to extreme heat and flooding.

It is for individual settings and responsible bodies to determine their approach to closure based on their own risk assessment. Closures should be considered a last resort and the imperative is for settings to remain open, where it is safe to do so.

Where a school was planning to be open for a session, but then has to close unexpectedly, for example, due to adverse weather, the attendance register is not taken as usual because there is no session. For statistical purposes this is counted as a not possible attendance.

Where settings are temporarily closed they should consider providing remote education for the duration of the closure in line with the department’s guidance. Providing remote education does not change the imperative to remain open or to reopen as soon as possible. As set out in the department’s guidance on providing remote education, pupils who are absent from school and receiving remote education still need to be recorded as absent using the most appropriate absence code. Schools should keep a record of, and monitor, pupil’s engagement with remote education, but this is not formally tracked in the attendance register. The guidance on providing remote education is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/providing-remote-education-guidance-for-schools/providing-remote-education-guidance-for-schools.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when her Department last made an estimate of the proportion of pupils who are eligible but not registered for means-tested free school meals.

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

The new government has a central mission to break down barriers to opportunity for every child.

The government has inherited a trend of rising child poverty and widening attainment gaps between children eligible for free school meals (FSM) and their peers. Child poverty has increased by 700,000 since 2010, with over four million children now growing up in a low-income family. The government is committed to delivering an ambitious strategy to reduce child poverty by tackling the root causes and giving every child the best start at life. To support this, a new Ministerial taskforce has been set up to develop a Child Poverty Strategy, which will be published in spring 2025. The taskforce will consider a range of policies in assessing what will have the greatest impact in driving down rates of child poverty.

The department does not make a formal assessment of the proportion of children who are eligible to receive FSM but who are not registered. The last assessment conducted in 2013 suggested that 89% of eligible pupils were registered for FSM. As with all policies, the government keeps the approach to FSM under review.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to review the School Food Standards.

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

It is important that children eat nutritious food at school and the department encourages schools to have a whole school approach to healthy eating. The School Food Standards regulate the food and drink provided at lunchtime and at other times of the school day, including, for example, breakfast clubs. The School Food Standards restrict foods high in fat, salt and sugar, as well as low quality reformed or reconstituted foods. They ensure that pupils always have healthy options for their school lunch.

School governors have a responsibility to ensure compliance and should provide appropriate challenge to ensure the school is meeting its obligations.

To support governors in their role around compliance, the department, along with the National Governance Association, is running a pilot online training course on school food for governors and trustees. This launched on 4 November 2024 and will run until 1 April 2025. This will help governors to improve their understanding of the standards and give governing boards confidence to hold their school leaders to account on their whole school approach to food. The department will evaluate the training programme’s reception and effectiveness in the short term.

The department’s aim is to deliver better life chances for all through a system which works for all. As part of this, as with all government programmes, we will keep our approach to school food under continued review.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to support people working in education who experience mental health issues.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Didcot and Wantage to the answer of 12 December 2024 to Question 19632.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to reduce persistent absences in primary and secondary schools in West Bromwich constituency.

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

This government is determined to tackle the generational challenge of school absence which is a fundamental barrier to learning and life chances. Missing school regularly is harmful to a child’s attainment, safety and physical and mental health, which limits their opportunity to succeed. There is evidence that more students are attending school this year compared to last, thanks to the sector’s efforts although around 1.6 million children remain persistently absent and miss 10% or more of lessons.

The department has a national approach to supporting all schools to tackle absence, including those in the West Bromwich constituency. Central to this approach are stronger expectations of local authorities and schools, as set out in the ‘Working together to improve school attendance’ guidance, which was made statutory on 19 August 2024. The guidance promotes a 'support first' approach, encouraging schools, trusts and local authorities to work with families in addressing attendance barriers.

Every state school in England should now be sharing their daily attendance register data with the department, local authorities and trusts. These bodies can access this data through a secure, interactive dashboard which is maintained by the department, allowing them to target attendance interventions more effectively.

The department recognises the importance of creating opportunities within the sector to share existing best practice on how to improve attendance. This is why the department has set up a network of 31 attendance hubs, who have offered support to 2000 schools and shared their strategies and resources for improving attendance.

In addition to this work, the department also aims to improve the existing evidence on which interventions work to improve attendance. Over £17 million is being invested across two mentoring projects that will support at least 12,000 pupils in 15 areas. These programmes will be evaluated and the effective practice shared with schools and local authorities nationally.

From early 2025, new Regional Improvement for Standards and Excellence (RISE) teams will support all state schools by facilitating networking, sharing best practice across areas, including attendance, and empowering schools to feel they can better access support and learn from one another. For schools requiring more intensive support, RISE teams and supporting organisations will work collaboratively with their responsible body to agree bespoke packages of targeted support, based on a school’s particular circumstances.

School attendance is also supported by broader investments, such as funded breakfast clubs, across all primary schools to ensure children start their day ready to learn.

We are working across government on plans to provide access to specialist mental health professionals in every school, new Young Futures hubs, including access to mental health support workers, and an additional 8,500 new mental health staff to treat children and adults.

Schools can also allocate pupil premium funding, which has now increased to over £2.9 billion for the 2024/25 financial year, to support pupils with identified needs to attend school regularly.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to increase uptake of free school meals among eligible children in areas with high levels of (a) child obesity and (b) household food insecurity.

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

There are currently around 2.1 million pupils eligible for and claiming free school meals (FSM). The department recognises the vital role played by FSM in supporting disadvantaged children and families and encourages all those who are eligible to take up their entitlement. To make this process as easy as possible, the department provides the Eligibility Checking System, which allows local authorities to quickly verify eligibility for FSM. Further to this, our published guidance on FSM provides clarity to families about whether they may qualify for, and how they may claim their FSM entitlement.

The department is aware of a range of measures aimed at maximising take-up of FSM, including through approaches being trialled by local authorities. We welcome local authorities taking action to ensure government support reaches families, subject to them meeting legal and data-protection requirements.

In addition to this, we are also rolling out free breakfast clubs in every primary school, so children start the day ready to learn. This is part of the department‘s commitment to breaking down barriers to opportunity so that all children have the freedom to achieve and thrive in education.

The department is also working closely with the Department for Work and Pensions to develop a child poverty strategy to reduce child poverty by tackling its root causes and giving every child the best start in life. The strategy will be published in the spring.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the cause of the downward trend in students in England taking A-level English since 2013; and what steps they are taking to reverse this trend.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Education)

Young people are free to choose the A level subjects they take. While there have been declines in entries in recent years, English remains one of the most popular A level subjects. Entries for A level English Literature increased by 8% in 2024, and for English Literature and Language combined by 6% compared to 2023.

High and rising school standards are at the heart of the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and give every child the best life chances.

The government has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, covering ages 5 to 18, chaired by Professor Becky Francis CBE, an expert in education policy. The review and its recommendations will be driven by evidence and a commitment to high standards for all our young people, irrespective of background.

The review group ran a call for evidence and held events over the autumn term to gather the views of education professionals and other experts, parents, children and young people, and other stakeholders. The feedback received will help the review group to consider its next steps and recommendations.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of teacher training in preparing teachers to deliver physical education to girls in (1) primary, and (2) secondary, schools.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Education)

The department recognises there are number of issues that affect girls’ experience of, and engagement with PE lessons, including body image and negative stereotypes. It is for Initial Teacher Training (ITT) providers to design a curriculum for primary teacher training and specialist secondary PE teaching, in line with the ITT core content framework and early career framework, that is relevant to subject or phase they will be teaching and provides the opportunity for all pupils to experience success.

Decisions relating to teachers’ professional development rest with schools, headteachers and teachers themselves, as they are in the best position to judge the development and training that teachers in their schools need to support their pupils. The PE and sport premium can be used by primary schools to make additional and sustainable improvements to their offer including continuing professional development and training where needed as well as support for equal access for boys and girls.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the National Literacy Trust Annual Literacy Survey 2024 results, particularly the finding that only 34.6 per cent of children and young people aged 8 to 18 said they enjoy reading in their spare time; and what steps they are taking to reverse this decline.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Education)

High and rising school standards, with excellent foundations in reading, writing and mathematics, are at the heart of the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and give every child the best start in life.

The department knows that reading for pleasure is hugely important and brings a range of benefits. In addition to strong links with attainment, wide recreational reading expands pupils’ knowledge about the world and language, as well as their understanding of subject-specific academic and technical vocabulary.

Further, pupils who read regularly report heightened levels of social and emotional wellbeing. For many, reading is a form of relaxation, a place to escape everyday challenges and a source of entertainment. Readers can adopt new perspectives, develop empathy and become more socially conscious.

In recognition of this, the department has implemented a range of measures to support reading for pleasure.

The English hubs programme supports the teaching of phonics, early language development and reading for pleasure with a further £23 million committed for the 2024/25 academic year to support this work. Further the government’s reading framework provides guidance on improving reading teaching provision, to ensure that every child is not only able to read proficiently, but also develops a genuine love of reading.

The current national curriculum states that teachers are expected to encourage pupils to develop the habit of reading widely and often, for both pleasure and information. The programmes of study for English make clear the importance of reading for pleasure.

The government has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review (CAR), covering ages 5 to 18, chaired by Professor Becky Francis CBE, an expert in education policy.

The CAR will look closely at the key challenges to attainment for young people, in line with the government’s ambition for a curriculum that delivers excellent foundations in reading, writing and mathematics, and ensures every young person gets the opportunity to develop the creative, digital, and speaking and listening skills particularly prized by employers.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to broaden the range of physical activities available to girls inside and outside schools.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Education)

The government is committed to creating the healthiest ever generation of children. Breaking down the barriers to accessing sport and physical activity will be critical to achieving the government’s ambitions.

The department knows from the Active Lives Children and Young People survey results, covering the 2023/24 academic year, that only 45% of girls meet the Chief Medical Officers’ 60 minutes of activity a day recommendation, compared with 51% of boys. The figures for both remaining largely stable over the last two years.

The School Games Mark, funded by the government and managed by the Youth Sport Trust (YST), has introduced mandatory equality criteria for PE, school sport and physical activity participation for the 2024/25 academic year. Schools aiming to achieve or maintain the award’s status and recognition must now meet these criteria. The department is collaborating with the YST to identify and share best practice from the School Games Mark, with all schools on enhancing girls' equal access to PE, school sport, and physical activity.

The PE and sport premium for the 2024/25 academic year helps all eligible primary schools to make additional and sustainable improvements to their offer, and the guidance states that funding can be used to provide or improve equal access for boys and girls.

The department works in tandem with a wide range of sporting bodies to further support equal access to sport and physical activities.

The department has also launched an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, which will seek to deliver a broader curriculum so that children and young people do not miss out on subjects such as music, art, PE and drama, as well as vocational subjects.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to increase girls’ participation in physical activity in schools.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Education)

The government is committed to creating the healthiest ever generation of children. Breaking down the barriers to accessing sport and physical activity will be critical to achieving the government’s ambitions.

The department knows from the Active Lives Children and Young People survey results, covering the 2023/24 academic year, that only 45% of girls meet the Chief Medical Officers’ 60 minutes of activity a day recommendation, compared with 51% of boys. The figures for both remaining largely stable over the last two years.

The School Games Mark, funded by the government and managed by the Youth Sport Trust (YST), has introduced mandatory equality criteria for PE, school sport and physical activity participation for the 2024/25 academic year. Schools aiming to achieve or maintain the award’s status and recognition must now meet these criteria. The department is collaborating with the YST to identify and share best practice from the School Games Mark, with all schools on enhancing girls' equal access to PE, school sport, and physical activity.

The PE and sport premium for the 2024/25 academic year helps all eligible primary schools to make additional and sustainable improvements to their offer, and the guidance states that funding can be used to provide or improve equal access for boys and girls.

The department works in tandem with a wide range of sporting bodies to further support equal access to sport and physical activities.

The department has also launched an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, which will seek to deliver a broader curriculum so that children and young people do not miss out on subjects such as music, art, PE and drama, as well as vocational subjects.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many degree apprenticeships were (a) advertised and (b) completed in (i) Aldershot constituency, (ii) Hampshire and (iii) London in each of the last five years.

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

The table below provides details of degree level apprenticeship (level 6 and 7) vacancies in Aldershot constituency, Hampshire and London that were advertised on the Find an Apprenticeship (FAA) service on GOV.UK in each of the last five years.

The department encourages employers to advertise on FAA to maximise engagement with their vacancies and to ensure that they are accessible to all potential apprentices. However, not all choose to use the service. Employers may choose to recruit apprentices through their own channels, for example via their own websites, which the department does not monitor. The figures below therefore do not represent the total number of degree level apprenticeship vacancies advertised.

To note

• Numbers are rounded to nearest 10.
• Geography is based on the postcode associated with the vacancy location.
• The data source is the Apprenticeship Service (AS).
• In 2023 the Recruit an Apprentice (RAA) service was changed to ensure that every vacancy was led by an employer to improve the service to users by giving confidence a real job existed. Previously colleges and training providers often posted vacancies before an employer had been identified leading to delays in some apprentices starting their training or leaving the programme before they started.

The table below provides details of degree level (level 6 and 7) apprenticeships that have been achieved in Aldershot constituency, Hampshire and London in each of the last five years, as published in the apprenticeships statistics publication.

To note

• These figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
• ‘Low’ indicates a value of fewer than 5.
• The source is the Individualised Learner Record.
• Geography is based on the learner home postcode.

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 amending the lifelong loan entitlement to offer maintenance loans for remote learners.

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

The Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE) will deliver a transformational change to the student finance system in England, by broadening access to high-quality, flexible education and training.

All courses and modules with in-person attendance that are eligible for LLE tuition funding will also be eligible for maintenance loans. This represents an expansion of the maintenance offer for part-time learners and those studying technical courses.

Eligibility and qualifying conditions for LLE funding will broadly mirror existing policy. As such, remote learners will continue to have access to tuition fee loan funding but be out of scope of the maintenance offer. However, it is government's intention that the existing exemptions will continue to apply, for example remote learners who qualify for maintenance support due to a disability.

Decisions on student finance have had to be taken alongside other spending priorities to ensure the system remains financially sustainable. The department has therefore decided to continue targeting living costs support at courses that require students to attend their institution.

The government, and the department, will keep this policy under review.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of extending access to student finance to students from Hong Kong with a British National (Overseas) Visa.

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

I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Edmonton and Winchmore Hill to the answer of 29 October 2024 to Question 10190.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether teachers in post-16 education will be included in the teacher pay award.

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

As confirmed in July, schools delivering post-16 education would be included in the teacher pay award for the 2024/25 academic year, in line with the independent School Teachers’ Pay Review Body (STRB) recommendations. The department confirmed that an additional £63 million would be provided for schools delivering post-16 education.

Further education (FE) providers are not included in the school teacher pay award and FE does not fall under the STRB’s remit. FE colleges, rather than government, are responsible for setting and negotiating pay within colleges. Colleges are not bound by the national pay and conditions framework for school teachers and are free to implement their own pay arrangements in line with their own local circumstances.

FE colleges, including sixth form colleges, were incorporated under the terms of the 1992 Further and Higher Education Act, which gave them autonomy over the pay and contractual terms and conditions of their staff.

The Autumn Budget 2024 set out the government’s commitment to skills, by providing an additional £300 million revenue funding for FE to ensure young people are developing the skills this country needs. The department recognises the vital role that FE teachers and providers play in equipping learners with the opportunities and skills they need to succeed in their education. We will set out in due course how this funding will be distributed.

In making their recommendations for 2025/26, the STRB were asked to consider the impact of recommendations on the FE teaching workforce in England. Given FE and school workforce are closely related, it is important for the STRB to consider the totality of the workforce.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the average amount of interest accrued on student finance loans for women on maternity leave in the latest period for which data is available.

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

Student loans are subject to interest, to ensure that those who can afford to contribute to the full cost of their degree can do so.

The student finance system protects borrowers in cases where they see a reduction in their income for whatever reason, including women on maternity leave or any other person on parental leave. Student loan repayments are based on a borrower’s monthly or weekly income, not the interest rate or amount borrowed, and no repayments are made for earnings below the relevant student loan repayment threshold. Any outstanding debt, including interest accrued, is written off at the end of the loan term with no detriment to the borrower.

A full equality impact assessment of how the student loan reforms may affect graduates, including detail on changes to average lifetime repayments under Plan 5, was produced and published in February 2022, and can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/higher-education-reform-equality-impact-assessment.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for what reason interest rates are applied to student finance loans for women on maternity leave.

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

Student loans are subject to interest, to ensure that those who can afford to contribute to the full cost of their degree can do so.

The student finance system protects borrowers in cases where they see a reduction in their income for whatever reason, including women on maternity leave or any other person on parental leave. Student loan repayments are based on a borrower’s monthly or weekly income, not the interest rate or amount borrowed, and no repayments are made for earnings below the relevant student loan repayment threshold. Any outstanding debt, including interest accrued, is written off at the end of the loan term with no detriment to the borrower.

A full equality impact assessment of how the student loan reforms may affect graduates, including detail on changes to average lifetime repayments under Plan 5, was produced and published in February 2022, and can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/higher-education-reform-equality-impact-assessment.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of skills training for the (a) construction, (b) planning and (c) architecture sectors.

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

The department is working closely with the construction sector to ensure its skills offer meets the needs of employers. We are working with the Construction Leadership Council (CLC), Construction Skills Delivery Group (CSDG), industry leaders and other government departments, to help more people access high-quality training and careers in construction. The CSDG has been instrumental in bringing together partners from industry, and across different government departments, to identify barriers to growth in construction and feed intelligence on how the skills offer can be shaped to best meet the needs of the industry.

This government has announced £140 million industry investment in Homebuilding Skills Hubs. These will be established by the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) and the National Housebuilding Council (NHBC) on a demand led basis, in areas where large scale homebuilding projects lead to a surge in demand. The hubs are projected to deliver over 5,000 fast track apprenticeships per year by 2027/28, in shortage occupations including Bricklaying and Groundwork, making use of the existing flexibilities in our apprenticeships system to help businesses get the skilled workers they need more quickly. This initiative represents £100 million investment from the NHBC and the CITB, an executive non-departmental public body.

The department continues to support the take-up of construction and construction-related subjects in further education. Skills, including construction, planning and architecture are crucial for the delivery of the government’s missions. The department is building a coherent, flexible, high-quality skills system to break down barriers to opportunity and drive economic growth, underpinned by a new post-16 skills and education strategy.

A wide range of government-funded programmes are available for construction employers who are considering hiring employees, offering work experience, or upskilling existing staff. These include apprenticeships, T Levels, Skills Bootcamps, and free courses for jobs.

There are currently 91 high-quality apprenticeship standards in the construction and the built environment sector, with a further two standards in development, including in occupations like level 2 scaffolder, level 3 bricklayer, and level 6 construction site manager.

The department has introduced innovations to support growth of training programmes in the sector. For example, we are making apprenticeships more flexible through flexi job apprenticeships. There are Skills Bootcamps around the country that offer courses in different areas of construction.

T Levels provide an excellent option for 16 to 19 learners and include valuable workplace experience through an industry placement of at least 45 days. Thousands of young people have benefited from T Levels such as Design, Surveying and Planning, and Building Services Engineering, which can lead to rewarding careers in the construction sector.

There are 21 ​Higher Technical Qualifications (HTQs) currently available in the Construction and the Built Environment occupational route, with a further 19 becoming available from September 2025. Examples of HTQs currently available in these areas include a Higher National Diploma (HND) in Modern Methods of Construction, HND in Architectural Technology and a Higher National Certificate Construction Quantity Surveying.

Following the Review of Qualifications Reform, which looked at level 3 qualifications due to be defunded by 31 July 2025, the department is retaining 12 level 3 qualifications in Construction and the Built Environment until 2026. The department’s expectation is that, at this point, the combination of A levels, T Levels and reformed qualifications will meet the needs of learners in this route.

As part of this review, the department announced that new enrolments onto the T Level in Onsite Construction will cease. Although this T Level is providing valuable education and industry experience, on the whole, its success and uptake has been limited due to the overall lack of demand for a large level 3 qualification in this area. Moving forward, the needs of learners will best be met through apprenticeships and other classroom provision as set out here.

The department is also setting up Skills England to bring together central and local government, businesses, training providers and unions to help meet the skills needs of the next decade. Aligned to the government’s industrial strategy, this work will also be underpinned by local skills improvement plans, which help make technical education and training more responsive to local labour market and employer needs, including employers in the construction section.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support students living in London, particularly in regard to (1) high housing costs, and (2) the rising cost of living.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Education)

The government recognises the cost-of-living pressures experienced by many students, and that those pressures may be more acute for students living in London, due in particular to higher housing costs.

To help break down barriers to opportunity for young people who want to attend university, the department is increasing maximum loans for living costs for the 2025/26 academic year by 3.1%, in line with the forecast rate of inflation, so that more support is targeted at students from the lowest income families. This will give full-time undergraduate students from the lowest income homes, who are living away from home and studying in London, an additional £414 per year in support through the higher London rate of loan for living costs.

Since universities and student landlords are autonomous and independent from government, the department has no remit to intervene directly in the student housing market. However, since 2006, the Student Accommodation Codes of Practice have protected the interests of students to ensure standards are maintained and disputes are resolved promptly. The Code sets out clearly what information relating to fees and deposits should be made available to students and offers a route for students to raise complaints about accommodation providers. Information on the Codes can be found here: https://www.thesac.org.uk/the-code.

The most sustainable long-term method to improve housing affordability is to increase housing supply, which is why the government is committing to building 1.5 million homes this Parliament. The Renters’ Rights Bill also works to strengthen tenants’ rights as a whole. Stronger powers to challenge excessive rent hikes complement the practical steps taken to help renters by ending unfair bidding wars and tackling rental discrimination.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure adequate numbers of skilled workers in the (a) construction, (b) planning and (c) architecture sectors.

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

The department is working closely with the construction sector to ensure its skills offer meets the needs of employers. We are working with the Construction Leadership Council (CLC), Construction Skills Delivery Group (CSDG), industry leaders and other government departments, to help more people access high-quality training and careers in construction. The CSDG has been instrumental in bringing together partners from industry, and across different government departments, to identify barriers to growth in construction and feed intelligence on how the skills offer can be shaped to best meet the needs of the industry.

This government has announced £140 million industry investment in Homebuilding Skills Hubs. These will be established by the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) and the National Housebuilding Council (NHBC) on a demand led basis, in areas where large scale homebuilding projects lead to a surge in demand. The hubs are projected to deliver over 5,000 fast track apprenticeships per year by 2027/28, in shortage occupations including Bricklaying and Groundwork, making use of the existing flexibilities in our apprenticeships system to help businesses get the skilled workers they need more quickly. This initiative represents £100 million investment from the NHBC and the CITB, an executive non-departmental public body.

The department continues to support the take-up of construction and construction-related subjects in further education. Skills, including construction, planning and architecture are crucial for the delivery of the government’s missions. The department is building a coherent, flexible, high-quality skills system to break down barriers to opportunity and drive economic growth, underpinned by a new post-16 skills and education strategy.

A wide range of government-funded programmes are available for construction employers who are considering hiring employees, offering work experience, or upskilling existing staff. These include apprenticeships, T Levels, Skills Bootcamps, and free courses for jobs.

There are currently 91 high-quality apprenticeship standards in the construction and the built environment sector, with a further two standards in development, including in occupations like level 2 scaffolder, level 3 bricklayer, and level 6 construction site manager.

The department has introduced innovations to support growth of training programmes in the sector. For example, we are making apprenticeships more flexible through flexi job apprenticeships. There are Skills Bootcamps around the country that offer courses in different areas of construction.

T Levels provide an excellent option for 16 to 19 learners and include valuable workplace experience through an industry placement of at least 45 days. Thousands of young people have benefited from T Levels such as Design, Surveying and Planning, and Building Services Engineering, which can lead to rewarding careers in the construction sector.

There are 21 ​Higher Technical Qualifications (HTQs) currently available in the Construction and the Built Environment occupational route, with a further 19 becoming available from September 2025. Examples of HTQs currently available in these areas include a Higher National Diploma (HND) in Modern Methods of Construction, HND in Architectural Technology and a Higher National Certificate Construction Quantity Surveying.

Following the Review of Qualifications Reform, which looked at level 3 qualifications due to be defunded by 31 July 2025, the department is retaining 12 level 3 qualifications in Construction and the Built Environment until 2026. The department’s expectation is that, at this point, the combination of A levels, T Levels and reformed qualifications will meet the needs of learners in this route.

As part of this review, the department announced that new enrolments onto the T Level in Onsite Construction will cease. Although this T Level is providing valuable education and industry experience, on the whole, its success and uptake has been limited due to the overall lack of demand for a large level 3 qualification in this area. Moving forward, the needs of learners will best be met through apprenticeships and other classroom provision as set out here.

The department is also setting up Skills England to bring together central and local government, businesses, training providers and unions to help meet the skills needs of the next decade. Aligned to the government’s industrial strategy, this work will also be underpinned by local skills improvement plans, which help make technical education and training more responsive to local labour market and employer needs, including employers in the construction section.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to improve GCE A-level provision in Knowsley constituency.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

This government is determined to break down barriers to opportunity for all young people, essential to which is ensuring every young person has access to high-quality post-16 pathways.

It is vital that all young people have access to a range of post-16 educational options, including A levels and technical qualifications. The department recognises the concern about the lack of A level provision in Knowsley, and the reintroduction of A level provision in the borough is being considered as part of regular discussions by departmental officials with local post-16 providers on the topic of the educational offer available.

Students from Knowsley currently study A level provision in colleges in local surrounding boroughs. We understand that this necessity to travel can be a barrier to young people’s participation. Local authorities are responsible for putting in place transport arrangements to help young people aged 16 to 19 to access education or training, including those aged 19 to 24 with special educational needs.

The department remains committed to ensuring that young people have access to an inclusive and extensive educational offer that enables them to achieve and thrive. We will continue to keep this under review and make evidence-based decisions that ensure the best educational experience possible for Knowsley’s young people.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, on what dates she has met with further education college representatives to discuss further education funding in preparation for Phase 2 of the Spending Review.

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

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, my noble Friend, the Minister for Skills, and other members of the Ministerial team at the department regularly meet with further education colleges and their representatives. There have been several recent meetings which have touched on funding.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 1 November 2024 to Question 9069 on Department for Education: Ministers' Private Offices, how much was spent on (a) new furniture and fittings and (b) other refurbishment of Ministerial offices in her Department between 4 July 2022 and 4 July 2024; and on what items this was spent.

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

The department spent £608,685 on the refurbishment of Ministerial offices during the period 4 July 2022 to 4 July 2024 on new furniture and fittings and other refurbishment. This is broken down as follows:

• Furniture and Fittings - £127,385
• Refurbishment of Ministerial Offices - £481,300

The department has been undertaking a refurbishment project at Sanctuary Buildings to transform the building from its previous use as the department head office into a Government Property Agency (GPA) hub with multiple government occupants. This is part of the consolidation of buildings in and around Whitehall and will generate cost savings.

This project refurbished all relevant floors that the department occupies including where the Ministerial offices are located. As a result of this wider project, during the timeframe referenced, all Ministerial offices were rebuilt, and furniture replaced. As part of the renovation, the direct costs to create Ministerial rooms (excluding mechanical and engineering plant systems) includes costs for purchase and installation of carpets, wood panelling, paint upgrades and glass partitions.

A list of furniture and fittings purchased are available in the attached document.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have (1) to issue guidance to schools on sponsoring visa applications for teachers of modern foreign languages from other countries, and (2) to better support those international recruits in England.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Education)

This government wants to ensure that there are excellent teachers where we need them most, and international teachers and teacher trainees make an important contribution to this, particularly in the teaching of languages.

There is no cap in place for recipients of the Languages Teacher Training Scholarship. 175 is a notional target which enables the British Council to adequately plan recruitment and resourcing to meet the target. We closely monitor recruitment throughout the year and, should it look as though the target will be exceeded, we will engage with the British Council to discuss their capacity to meet any increase in demand.

The department produces guidance for schools on recruiting teachers from overseas, which is accessible here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/recruit-teachers-from-overseas. This includes an overview on how to sponsor skilled worker visas and links to the appropriate Home Office (HO) guidance.

The government has no plans to introduce a visa waiver for language teachers. Language teachers are free to use the immigration system and should be able to obtain a skilled worker visa if they have a job offer from a school that has been approved by the HO, are able to speak, read, write and understand English, and are paid at least the minimum of the relevant teacher pay range.

Overseas nationals who relocate to England this academic year to take up a language, or physics, teaching job in a state-funded school, will still be eligible for the £10,000 International relocation payment (IRP), provided they meet the eligibility requirements. The 2024/25 academic year is the last year of a two-year pilot for the IRP. The department is currently evaluating the first year of the pilot and will make decisions on whether to offer the payment in future years in due course.

All qualified teachers in England are required to have a UK first degree or equivalent qualification. Legislation does not specify that teachers must have a degree in a particular subject or discipline and there are no statutory requirements for secondary trainee teachers to have a degree in a specified subject as long as they meet the teachers’ standards, including those that relate to subject and curriculum knowledge, by the end of their training.

Decisions relating to degree entry criteria ultimately lie with the accredited Initial Teacher Training provider to determine whether an applicant’s qualification meets the requirements. Candidates may also be eligible for subject knowledge enhancement courses to equip them with the subject knowledge required to teach languages in schools.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to increase the cap of 175 recipients of the Languages Teacher Training Scholarship administered by the British Council to help meet their language teacher recruitment targets.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Education)

This government wants to ensure that there are excellent teachers where we need them most, and international teachers and teacher trainees make an important contribution to this, particularly in the teaching of languages.

There is no cap in place for recipients of the Languages Teacher Training Scholarship. 175 is a notional target which enables the British Council to adequately plan recruitment and resourcing to meet the target. We closely monitor recruitment throughout the year and, should it look as though the target will be exceeded, we will engage with the British Council to discuss their capacity to meet any increase in demand.

The department produces guidance for schools on recruiting teachers from overseas, which is accessible here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/recruit-teachers-from-overseas. This includes an overview on how to sponsor skilled worker visas and links to the appropriate Home Office (HO) guidance.

The government has no plans to introduce a visa waiver for language teachers. Language teachers are free to use the immigration system and should be able to obtain a skilled worker visa if they have a job offer from a school that has been approved by the HO, are able to speak, read, write and understand English, and are paid at least the minimum of the relevant teacher pay range.

Overseas nationals who relocate to England this academic year to take up a language, or physics, teaching job in a state-funded school, will still be eligible for the £10,000 International relocation payment (IRP), provided they meet the eligibility requirements. The 2024/25 academic year is the last year of a two-year pilot for the IRP. The department is currently evaluating the first year of the pilot and will make decisions on whether to offer the payment in future years in due course.

All qualified teachers in England are required to have a UK first degree or equivalent qualification. Legislation does not specify that teachers must have a degree in a particular subject or discipline and there are no statutory requirements for secondary trainee teachers to have a degree in a specified subject as long as they meet the teachers’ standards, including those that relate to subject and curriculum knowledge, by the end of their training.

Decisions relating to degree entry criteria ultimately lie with the accredited Initial Teacher Training provider to determine whether an applicant’s qualification meets the requirements. Candidates may also be eligible for subject knowledge enhancement courses to equip them with the subject knowledge required to teach languages in schools.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to amend the eligibility rules for trainee language teachers so that graduates whose degree was only partially in the taught language can apply.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Education)

This government wants to ensure that there are excellent teachers where we need them most, and international teachers and teacher trainees make an important contribution to this, particularly in the teaching of languages.

There is no cap in place for recipients of the Languages Teacher Training Scholarship. 175 is a notional target which enables the British Council to adequately plan recruitment and resourcing to meet the target. We closely monitor recruitment throughout the year and, should it look as though the target will be exceeded, we will engage with the British Council to discuss their capacity to meet any increase in demand.

The department produces guidance for schools on recruiting teachers from overseas, which is accessible here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/recruit-teachers-from-overseas. This includes an overview on how to sponsor skilled worker visas and links to the appropriate Home Office (HO) guidance.

The government has no plans to introduce a visa waiver for language teachers. Language teachers are free to use the immigration system and should be able to obtain a skilled worker visa if they have a job offer from a school that has been approved by the HO, are able to speak, read, write and understand English, and are paid at least the minimum of the relevant teacher pay range.

Overseas nationals who relocate to England this academic year to take up a language, or physics, teaching job in a state-funded school, will still be eligible for the £10,000 International relocation payment (IRP), provided they meet the eligibility requirements. The 2024/25 academic year is the last year of a two-year pilot for the IRP. The department is currently evaluating the first year of the pilot and will make decisions on whether to offer the payment in future years in due course.

All qualified teachers in England are required to have a UK first degree or equivalent qualification. Legislation does not specify that teachers must have a degree in a particular subject or discipline and there are no statutory requirements for secondary trainee teachers to have a degree in a specified subject as long as they meet the teachers’ standards, including those that relate to subject and curriculum knowledge, by the end of their training.

Decisions relating to degree entry criteria ultimately lie with the accredited Initial Teacher Training provider to determine whether an applicant’s qualification meets the requirements. Candidates may also be eligible for subject knowledge enhancement courses to equip them with the subject knowledge required to teach languages in schools.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to reinstate the £10,000 relocation grant for teachers of modern foreign languages who have received a job offer from a school in England.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Education)

This government wants to ensure that there are excellent teachers where we need them most, and international teachers and teacher trainees make an important contribution to this, particularly in the teaching of languages.

There is no cap in place for recipients of the Languages Teacher Training Scholarship. 175 is a notional target which enables the British Council to adequately plan recruitment and resourcing to meet the target. We closely monitor recruitment throughout the year and, should it look as though the target will be exceeded, we will engage with the British Council to discuss their capacity to meet any increase in demand.

The department produces guidance for schools on recruiting teachers from overseas, which is accessible here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/recruit-teachers-from-overseas. This includes an overview on how to sponsor skilled worker visas and links to the appropriate Home Office (HO) guidance.

The government has no plans to introduce a visa waiver for language teachers. Language teachers are free to use the immigration system and should be able to obtain a skilled worker visa if they have a job offer from a school that has been approved by the HO, are able to speak, read, write and understand English, and are paid at least the minimum of the relevant teacher pay range.

Overseas nationals who relocate to England this academic year to take up a language, or physics, teaching job in a state-funded school, will still be eligible for the £10,000 International relocation payment (IRP), provided they meet the eligibility requirements. The 2024/25 academic year is the last year of a two-year pilot for the IRP. The department is currently evaluating the first year of the pilot and will make decisions on whether to offer the payment in future years in due course.

All qualified teachers in England are required to have a UK first degree or equivalent qualification. Legislation does not specify that teachers must have a degree in a particular subject or discipline and there are no statutory requirements for secondary trainee teachers to have a degree in a specified subject as long as they meet the teachers’ standards, including those that relate to subject and curriculum knowledge, by the end of their training.

Decisions relating to degree entry criteria ultimately lie with the accredited Initial Teacher Training provider to determine whether an applicant’s qualification meets the requirements. Candidates may also be eligible for subject knowledge enhancement courses to equip them with the subject knowledge required to teach languages in schools.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to introduce a visa waiver for teachers of modern foreign languages from other countries who have received a job offer from a school in England.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Education)

This government wants to ensure that there are excellent teachers where we need them most, and international teachers and teacher trainees make an important contribution to this, particularly in the teaching of languages.

There is no cap in place for recipients of the Languages Teacher Training Scholarship. 175 is a notional target which enables the British Council to adequately plan recruitment and resourcing to meet the target. We closely monitor recruitment throughout the year and, should it look as though the target will be exceeded, we will engage with the British Council to discuss their capacity to meet any increase in demand.

The department produces guidance for schools on recruiting teachers from overseas, which is accessible here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/recruit-teachers-from-overseas. This includes an overview on how to sponsor skilled worker visas and links to the appropriate Home Office (HO) guidance.

The government has no plans to introduce a visa waiver for language teachers. Language teachers are free to use the immigration system and should be able to obtain a skilled worker visa if they have a job offer from a school that has been approved by the HO, are able to speak, read, write and understand English, and are paid at least the minimum of the relevant teacher pay range.

Overseas nationals who relocate to England this academic year to take up a language, or physics, teaching job in a state-funded school, will still be eligible for the £10,000 International relocation payment (IRP), provided they meet the eligibility requirements. The 2024/25 academic year is the last year of a two-year pilot for the IRP. The department is currently evaluating the first year of the pilot and will make decisions on whether to offer the payment in future years in due course.

All qualified teachers in England are required to have a UK first degree or equivalent qualification. Legislation does not specify that teachers must have a degree in a particular subject or discipline and there are no statutory requirements for secondary trainee teachers to have a degree in a specified subject as long as they meet the teachers’ standards, including those that relate to subject and curriculum knowledge, by the end of their training.

Decisions relating to degree entry criteria ultimately lie with the accredited Initial Teacher Training provider to determine whether an applicant’s qualification meets the requirements. Candidates may also be eligible for subject knowledge enhancement courses to equip them with the subject knowledge required to teach languages in schools.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many children deemed to be at risk of abuse or neglect are home schooled.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Education)

All parents have a legal responsibility to ensure their child receives a suitable, full-time education. While the vast majority of parents send their children to school, they have the right to choose to educate their child at home. While home education is not a safeguarding risk in itself, school can be a protective factor for children who are at risk of harm.

From October 2022, the department has collected termly data from local authorities on their home education cohorts. The most recent data was published on 12 December and records 111,700 children as home educated as of the autumn 2024 census day. 1% of elective home education children were recorded as a child in need, while 0.5% were recorded as having a child protection plan and under 0.5% were a looked after child. This compares with 3% children in need, 0.4% having a child protection plan and 0.7% looked after children amongst the overall child population. The department’s latest data is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/elective-home-education.

Every child deserves to grow up in a safe and loving home. As part of the Children’s Wellbeing and School Bill, introduced in Parliament on 17 December, the government will introduce compulsory Children Not in School registers in every local authority in England. These measures will help local authorities to identify all children not in school in their areas, including those at risk of harm, and to take action where this is the case.

As part of that Bill, we are also taking steps to require parents of some of our most vulnerable children to obtain local authority consent before they can move to home education. This will apply to children who are subject to ongoing enquiries under section 47 of the Children Act 2004, children who have a child protection plan, and children who are attending a special school. Where those children are already being educated at home, local authorities will be able to consider whether that is in their best interests and to assess the suitability of their home learning environment. If that leads to a determination that home education is not in the child’s best interests, the local authority will be able to issue a school attendance order.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to introduce a register of children schooled at home.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Education)

All parents have a legal responsibility to ensure their child receives a suitable, full-time education. While the vast majority of parents send their children to school, they have the right to choose to educate their child at home. While home education is not a safeguarding risk in itself, school can be a protective factor for children who are at risk of harm.

From October 2022, the department has collected termly data from local authorities on their home education cohorts. The most recent data was published on 12 December and records 111,700 children as home educated as of the autumn 2024 census day. 1% of elective home education children were recorded as a child in need, while 0.5% were recorded as having a child protection plan and under 0.5% were a looked after child. This compares with 3% children in need, 0.4% having a child protection plan and 0.7% looked after children amongst the overall child population. The department’s latest data is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/elective-home-education.

Every child deserves to grow up in a safe and loving home. As part of the Children’s Wellbeing and School Bill, introduced in Parliament on 17 December, the government will introduce compulsory Children Not in School registers in every local authority in England. These measures will help local authorities to identify all children not in school in their areas, including those at risk of harm, and to take action where this is the case.

As part of that Bill, we are also taking steps to require parents of some of our most vulnerable children to obtain local authority consent before they can move to home education. This will apply to children who are subject to ongoing enquiries under section 47 of the Children Act 2004, children who have a child protection plan, and children who are attending a special school. Where those children are already being educated at home, local authorities will be able to consider whether that is in their best interests and to assess the suitability of their home learning environment. If that leads to a determination that home education is not in the child’s best interests, the local authority will be able to issue a school attendance order.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have received any formal reports on the findings of the second longitudinal study of young people in England from the contractors who carried it out, or commissioned any research using the data from it; and, if so, where the relevant reports and output can be found.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Education)

The department has commissioned or supported the production of 22 research reports based on analysis of the second Longitudinal Study of Young People in England (LSYPE2). Of these, three are being finalised and will be published in early 2025 and 19 have been published on GOV.UK or elsewhere. The relevant links are provided below:

• Understanding key stage 4 attainment and progress: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/understanding-ks4-attainment-and-progress-evidence-from-lsype2.
• Multiple disadvantage and key stage 4 attainment: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/multiple-disadvantage-and-ks4-attainment-evidence-from-lsype2.
• Ethnic, socio-economic and sex inequalities in educational achievement at age 16: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-report-of-the-commission-on-race-and-ethnic-disparities-supporting-research/ethnic-socio-economic-and-sex-inequalities-in-educational-achievement-at-age-16-by-professor-steve-strand.
• Examining the London advantage in attainment: evidence from LSYPE: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/examining-the-london-advantage-in-attainment-evidence-from-lsype.
• Attitudes to STEM subjects by gender: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/attitudes-to-stem-subjects-by-gender-at-key-stage-4.
• Experiences of relationships and sex education (RSE): https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/experiences-of-relationships-and-sex-education-rse.
• State of the nation 2019: children and young people’s wellbeing: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/state-of-the-nation-2019-children-and-young-peoples-wellbeing.
• State of the nation 2021: the pandemic and young people’s mental health: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/state-of-the-nation-2021-children-and-young-peoples-wellbeing.
• Bullying: Evidence from LSYPE2, wave 3: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/715469/Bullying-Evidence_from_LSYPE2__wave_3.pdf.
• Extra-curricular provision and outcomes: https://epi.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/EC-and-outcomes-final-1.pdf.
• Young people’s experiences of careers information: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/young-peoples-experiences-of-careers-information-advice-and-guidance.
• Higher education (HE) and mental health: analyses of the LSYPE cohort: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/higher-education-and-mental-health-analyses-of-the-lsype-cohorts.
• Experiences and attitudes of young people and parents during year 9: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/longitudinal-study-of-young-people-in-england-cohort-2-wave-2.
• Health and wellbeing of 15-year-olds: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/longitudinal-study-of-young-people-in-england-cohort-2-wave-2.
• Post-16 aspirations and outcomes: comparison of the LSYPE cohorts: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/post-16-aspirations-and-outcomes-comparison-of-the-lsype-cohorts--2.
• Occupational pathways of technical qualifications: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/933604/Ad_hoc_1_Occupational_pathways_Nov_2020_.pdf.
• Ethnic disproportionality in special educational needs: https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:a28b7858-994a-4474-9c4b-6962d1f6da41/download_file?file_format=application%2Fpdf&safe_filename=Strand%2B%26%2BLindorff_2018_Ethnic%2Bdisproportionality%2B%26%2BSEN_Report.pdf&type_of_work=Report.
• Roles of cyberbullying, sleep, and physical activity in social media and mental health: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2352464219301865.
• The association between HE attendance and mental health problems: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpub/article/PIIS2468-2667(23)00188-3/fulltext.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the safety valve agreement, and of its impact in the local authorities where such agreements have been made.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Education)

Safety Valve agreements were only entered into if the local authority and the department’s expert advisers agreed that the proposals would improve services for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) whilst enabling local authorities to meet their statutory obligations. Safety Valve agreements do not in any way release local authorities from their obligation to fulfil their statutory duties to children and young people with SEND.

The department is also conducting a research project into the impact of Safety Valves in local areas. This will help us further understand the experience of children, parents, carers and schools.

The department has confirmed that it will not enter into any more Safety Valve agreements for councils that have financial deficits, pending wider reform of the whole system to prioritise early intervention, properly supporting councils to bring their finances under control. We will will continue to work with local authorities that have Safety Valve agreements with the department, to deliver their plans.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on the most vulnerable pupils with special educational needs in local authorities where a safety valve agreement has been made; and how they propose to minimise this impact.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Education)

Safety Valve agreements were only entered into if the local authority and the department’s expert advisers agreed that the proposals would improve services for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) whilst enabling local authorities to meet their statutory obligations. Safety Valve agreements do not in any way release local authorities from their obligation to fulfil their statutory duties to children and young people with SEND.

The department is also conducting a research project into the impact of Safety Valves in local areas. This will help us further understand the experience of children, parents, carers and schools.

The department has confirmed that it will not enter into any more Safety Valve agreements for councils that have financial deficits, pending wider reform of the whole system to prioritise early intervention, properly supporting councils to bring their finances under control. We will will continue to work with local authorities that have Safety Valve agreements with the department, to deliver their plans.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what advice, support and guidelines are given to local authorities regarding home to school transport, and whether they are given guidance on the restrictions they can impose in cutting transport costs.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Education)

The department’s home-to-school travel policy aims to make sure no child is prevented from accessing education by a lack of transport. My hon. Friend, the Minister for School Standards is keen to understand how well home-to-school transport supports all children to access educational opportunity and she is working with departmental officials on this. The department is aware of the challenges currently faced by local authorities in arranging home-to-school travel for all eligible children, and knows that the cost of doing so has increased in recent years. We are grateful for their considerable efforts in ensuring eligible children can continue to get to school.

Local authorities are required to arrange free home-to-school travel for all eligible children, but it is for them to decide what travel arrangements to make, for example, providing a bus pass, a school bus or a taxi.

The department publishes statutory guidance to assist local authorities in meeting their home-to-school travel duties, which is attached and is also accessible at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/home-to-school-travel-and-transport-guidance. Departmental officials also host bi-monthly online meetings, to which all local authority school travel officers are invited to share good practice and seek advice from one another and the department.

Most of the increase in the cost of home-to-school travel can be attributed to transport for children with special educational needs. This is largely due to an increase in the number of children with education, health and care plans, and the number of those children who travel long distances to a school that can meet their needs. The department is committed to improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools so fewer children need to travel long distances to schools that meet their needs. This will reduce home-to-school travel costs for local authorities over time.

Most central government funding for home-to-school travel is provided through the local government finance settlement, which is administered by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. The government recognises the challenges local authorities are facing. At the Autumn Budget 2024, we announced £1.3 billion of new grant funding in the 2025/26 financial year for local government to deliver core services. Together with local income from council tax and business rates, this will provide a real-terms increase in core spending power of around 3.2%.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government, with reference to the statutory guidance Travel to school for children of compulsory school age published in January, whether parents are entitled to an explanation of why their child has been allocated a school placement in another education authority, whether such a decision can be made on the basis of transport costs alone, whether route risk assessments are required, and what account is taken of safety and accessibility of transport routes when allocating  children to schools.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Education)

School places are not allocated on the basis of transport costs, route risk assessments or the safety and accessibility of transport routes. The statutory school admissions code sets out how school places should be allocated and exists to ensure that school places are allocated in a fair and transparent way.

Parents express a preference as to the school they would like their child to attend. Schools must publish the criteria they will use to allocate places if they are over-subscribed, so that parents have as much idea as possible of their chance of securing a place at each school they are considering applying for. A school that has places available must admit all children who apply. If a school receives more applications than it has places available, it must allocate the available places in accordance with its admissions criteria. If a parent cannot be offered a place for their child at any of the schools for which they have applied, the local authority should offer a place at an alternative school. Parents refused a place at a school for which they have applied can appeal to an independent appeal panel.

Home-to-school travel is an integral part of the school system and seeks to ensure that no child of compulsory school age is prevented from accessing education by a lack of transport, but it plays no part in the allocation of school places. Local authorities are required to arrange free home-to-school travel for children of compulsory school age who attend their nearest school if they live more than the statutory walking distance from it (2 miles for children under 8 and 3 miles for children aged 8 and over), or live within the walking distance but would not be able to walk there because of their special educational needs, disability or mobility problem, or because the nature of the route means it would be unsafe for them to do so.

Where a child’s nearest school is full and unable to offer them a place, the nearest school with a place available becomes their nearest school for home-to-school travel purposes. The school to which a child is eligible for free travel may be in a different local authority area to the one in which they live.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many pupils sat A level examinations in music in 2015 and 2023.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Education)

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

The numbers of entries in A level music in the 2014/15 and 2022/23 academic years are published by the department in the ‘A level and other 16 to 18 results’ statistical release. There were 6,709 A level music entries in 2014/15 and 4,911 A level music entries in 2022/23

These numbers include all A level entries by students aged 16 to 18 in England in that academic year.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether additional funding will be made available to students from England on graduate entry medicine courses under the Lifelong Learning Entitlement.

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

Under the Lifelong Learning Entitlement, the government will make available an additional entitlement for priority subjects and longer courses, above an individual’s core four year entitlement.

Learners will be able to access this additional entitlement to study a limited number of priority subjects, such as medicine. This will ensure that learners can always gain skills in priority areas, regardless of remaining entitlement or previous qualifications.

In 2025, the department will outline in more detail the specific courses that will be eligible for this additional entitlement.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many higher education institutions in England offer courses in (1) mathematics, (2) music and (3) both.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Education)

The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), now part of the Joint Information Systems Committee (Jisc), collects and publishes data on student enrolments across all UK higher education (HE) providers. This includes data on full person equivalents enrolled in different subject areas, categorised using the HE coding of subjects system. Counts of enrolments across all subjects from 2019/20 to 2022/23 are published in Table 49 of HESA’s Student Data, which can be found here: https://www.hesa.ac.uk/data-and-analysis/students/table-49.

Table 49 can be used to determine that in the 2022/23 academic year, there were 31,030 HE enrolments in ‘mathematics’ across 75 English HE providers and 31,405 HE enrolments in ‘music’ across 106 English HE providers. There were 58 HE providers in England that had enrolments in both ‘mathematics’ and ‘music’ in 2022/23.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government, for each Academy Order made between 1 January 2024 and 30 November 2024 under section 4(A1) of the Academies Act 2010, whether they will list (1) the name of the school, (2) the school's unique reference number (URN), (3) the date of the order, (4) the date on which the Academy was established, if applicable, and the Academy's URN, (5) the reason for revocation, if applicable, and the date of revocation, and (6) where the Order is in place, whether revocation is being considered; and if not, what plans there are for academisation and when, including the name of the sponsor.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Education)

Between 1 January and 30 November 2024, 48 schools were issued an academy order under section 4(A1) of the Academies Act 2010. The attached spreadsheet details the school name, URN, the date of the academy order was issued, the current status, the date and reason for revocation (where applicable) and any subsequent information relating to potential revocation.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to ensure that (a) teachers and (b) school staff receive adequate pay.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

Teachers’ pay is set through an independent, statutory process each year, and the 2025/26 process is currently underway. The School Teachers’ Review Body will assess written and oral evidence from government and organisations representing schools and the teaching profession, amongst a range of other factors, when making its recommendations.

The School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document, which sets out the statutory requirements for teachers' pay and conditions within maintained schools in England, is then updated, following consultation, to include all accepted recommendations.

We are currently legislating, via the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, to extend the statutory teacher pay framework to include academy trusts. Bringing academy schools and alternative provision academies into a more flexible statutory framework will mean all prospective and current school teachers in state schools would benefit from a transparent, guaranteed core pay and conditions offer, which is subject to scrutiny and consultation through the pay review process, rather than some or all of their terms and conditions differing based on the school’s administrative structure.

This year’s pay round follows the 2024/25 pay award of 5.5%. This substantial award recognises our hard working school teachers and leaders, and demonstrates this government’s commitment to resetting the relationship with the sector, and delivering opportunity and growth.

We also recognise the vital role that school support staff play in children’s education and the smooth running of schools. That is why we have set out our plans to reinstate the School Support Staff Negotiating Body (SSSNB) through the Employment Rights Bill, which was introduced in Parliament on 10 October 2024.

The SSSNB will be tasked with establishing a national terms and conditions handbook and fair pay rates for support staff, as well as advising on training and career progression routes.

Most school support staff are currently employed on National Joint Council for local government services pay and conditions. The 2024/25 pay award for these employees, a flat cash uplift of £1,290, was recently agreed.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of transport services for school children with special educational needs in (a) Essex and (b) England.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

The department's ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life.

The department’s home-to-school travel policy aims to make sure no child is prevented from accessing education by a lack of transport. The department is working to understand how well home-to-school transport supports all children to access educational opportunity.

Local authorities must arrange free home-to-school travel for children of compulsory school age who attend their nearest school and would not be able to walk there because of the distance, their special educational needs (SEN), disability or mobility problem, or because the route is unsafe. There are extended rights to free home-to-school travel for children from low-income families, aimed at helping them exercise school choice. We know that challenges in the wider SEN system are creating pressure on home-to-school travel. More children have education, health and care plans and more of them travel a long way to a school that can meet their needs. We are grateful to local authorities for their considerable efforts to ensure eligible children can continue to get to school.

The government is committed to improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools, so fewer children need to travel long distances to a school that can meet their needs. This will reduce the pressure on home-to-school travel over time.

In addition, the government prioritised local government at the Autumn Budget 2024. We announced £1.3 billion of new grant funding in the 2025/26 financial year for local government to deliver core services, including home-to-school travel. The government recognises the challenges local authorities are facing. Together with local income from council tax and business rates, this will provide a real-terms increase in core spending power of around 3.2%.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what investment has been made in secondary school libraries in England over the past fifteen years.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Education)

School libraries complement public libraries by giving pupils access to a range of books and other kinds of texts, both in and out of school.

It is for individual schools to decide how best to provide and maintain a library service for their pupils, including whether to employ a qualified librarian, and the department gives headteachers autonomy to decide how best to spend the core schools funding that is allocated to them by the department. Given this autonomy, the department does not collect information on the number of school libraries or school librarians.

​The government’s reading framework offers non-statutory guidance for teachers and school leaders, including helpful guidance for schools on how to organise their school library, book corner or book stock to make reading accessible and attractive to readers.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many school libraries and school librarians there are in England; and how those figures compare with the figures for 2010.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Education)

School libraries complement public libraries by giving pupils access to a range of books and other kinds of texts, both in and out of school.

It is for individual schools to decide how best to provide and maintain a library service for their pupils, including whether to employ a qualified librarian, and the department gives headteachers autonomy to decide how best to spend the core schools funding that is allocated to them by the department. Given this autonomy, the department does not collect information on the number of school libraries or school librarians.

​The government’s reading framework offers non-statutory guidance for teachers and school leaders, including helpful guidance for schools on how to organise their school library, book corner or book stock to make reading accessible and attractive to readers.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much their Department spent on (a) media and (b) voice training for Ministers since 5 July 2024.

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

The department has not spent any money on media or voice training for Ministers since 5 July 2024.

We call on the Government to implement a policy requiring schools to have half-days on either Mondays or Fridays. Our policy aims to improve well-being, increase productivity, and create opportunities for students to engage in extracurricular activities, family time, or independent learning.

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Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government how they plan to ensure that medical schools have integrated antimicrobial stewardship competencies into undergraduate curriculums, to help meet the aims of the five-year antimicrobial resistance action plan; and whether the Department of Health and Social Care is primarily responsible for coordinating this with the General Medical Council and the Department for Education.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The standard of medical training is the responsibility of the General Medical Council (GMC), which is an independent statutory body. The GMC has the general function of promoting high standards of education and co-ordinating all stages of education to ensure that medical students and newly qualified doctors are equipped with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes essential for professional practice.

Each individual medical school sets its own undergraduate medical curriculum. This has to meet the standards set by the GMC, who then monitor and check to make sure that these standards are maintained. Whilst curricula do not necessarily highlight specific conditions for doctors to be aware of, they instead emphasise the skills and approaches that a doctor must develop in order to ensure accurate and timely diagnoses and treatment plans for their patients.

The NHS England Antimicrobial Resistance Programme, a prescribing workstream, has collaborated with the Workforce Training and Education directorate to co-produce, with stakeholders from university schools of pharmacy, an indicative curriculum and competency framework for antimicrobial resistance and antimicrobial stewardship, as a part of the new initial education and training programme for United Kingdom pharmacists who will graduate with independent prescribing rights from 2025/26. The prescribing workstream has plans to make contact with the GMC and the Nursing and Midwifery Council during 2025/26 to establish how antimicrobial stewardship is taught and examined in undergraduate medical and nursing courses in England, and to support improvement as required.

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