Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to bring forward legislative proposals to prohibit all forms of physical punishment of children in England.

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

The department continues to look closely at the legislative changes made in Wales and Scotland but has no plans to legislate to remove the reasonable punishment defence in England at this time. It is right that we protect all children at risk of harm, but it is also right that we do not intervene in family life when children are safe, loved and well supported.

The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill will provide greater protection for children who are at risk of abuse and neglect. We have also launched plans for a new Child Protection Authority and are providing £2.4 billion funding for the Families First Partnership programme to support families who need targeted support. In addition, we are rolling out Best Start Family Hubs, backed by over £500 million, to ensure families in every part of the country have access to a range of universal services, including evidence-based interventions for parenting.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if her Department will introduce supplementary grants for students from disadvantaged backgrounds who seek to participate in Erasmus + projects in line with the provision in other associated countries.

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

As set out in the Erasmus+ Programme Guide, additional funding is available for participants with fewer opportunities, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds, to support them to travel abroad on an Erasmus+ placement.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of local government reorganisation on educational services for children with SEND.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The department fully recognises the importance of ensuring that any structural changes to local government protect the safety, wellbeing, and life chances of children and young people. The department is already working closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) to put in place resource, structures and processes that support effective reorganisation, including in relation to provision of special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) services, to ensure that we improve outcomes for children as these changes take place.

The department is reviewing all local government reorganisation (LGR) proposals and will provide feedback to MHCLG, with a particular emphasis on how proposals will ensure the effective delivery of SEND, children’s social care and education services and reforms. The department will also work with individual local authorities throughout the LGR process to ensure local, contextual knowledge is embedded into feedback provided.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the adequacy of (a) current funding models in the context of high mobility and separation on Service pupils and (b) targeted support for those with special and additional education needs, and disabilities.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Over £26 million of targeted funding was allocated in 2025/26 to help schools in England support their Service pupils, through the Service Pupil Premium. The rate increased to £350 per eligible pupil in 2025, reflecting the department’s commitment to recognising the unique challenges faced by Armed Forces families. This funding enables schools to provide targeted pastoral and academic support to mitigate the effects of mobility and parental separation on pupil progress and wellbeing. The department reviews the Service Pupil Premium annually.

Service children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) might experience delays in identifying needs and inconsistent services and support between local authorities when their parents are redeployed and they move to a new area. The SEND reforms we are proposing respond directly to long-standing concerns about the outcomes for children with SEND and the inconsistency and inefficiencies in support. For example, National Inclusion Standards will set out support that should be available in every mainstream setting so that children can receive more consistent support. Education, health and care plans and new Individual Support Plans will be digital, to support smoother transitions when children move between schools or local authorities.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department’s press release entitled Students given stronger protections against extremism on campus, published on 8 March 2026, what metrics her Department will use to assess whether the new measures improve safety and reduce extremism on campus.

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

The department has assessed that Prevent related concerns, harassment and intimidation on university campuses in England have increased in recent years, reflecting wider societal and geopolitical tensions.

Prevent related concerns in higher education reached a record high in the 2023/24 reporting year of 65 Prevent referrals according to the Office for Students annual reporting data here: https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/publications/prevent-monitoring-summary-of-2023-24-accountability-and-data-returns/. Reports also highlight a significant rise in harassment and intimidation, particularly following the Hamas attacks of 7 October 2023.

There is no place for unlawful extremist behaviour on university campuses, including harassment or intimidation, and we expect Vice Chancellors to tackle it decisively. The department will continue to work closely with key sector organisations to understand how their data and reported campus experiences evolve over time.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department’s press release entitled Students given stronger protections against extremism on campus, published on 8 March 2026, what assessment she has made of trends in the level of extremism, harassment and intimidation on university campuses in England.

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

The department has assessed that Prevent related concerns, harassment and intimidation on university campuses in England have increased in recent years, reflecting wider societal and geopolitical tensions.

Prevent related concerns in higher education reached a record high in the 2023/24 reporting year of 65 Prevent referrals according to the Office for Students annual reporting data here: https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/publications/prevent-monitoring-summary-of-2023-24-accountability-and-data-returns/. Reports also highlight a significant rise in harassment and intimidation, particularly following the Hamas attacks of 7 October 2023.

There is no place for unlawful extremist behaviour on university campuses, including harassment or intimidation, and we expect Vice Chancellors to tackle it decisively. The department will continue to work closely with key sector organisations to understand how their data and reported campus experiences evolve over time.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department’s press release entitled Students given stronger protections against extremism on campus, published on 8 March 2026, when she plans to review the effectiveness of the increased campus extremism protections.

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

The department has assessed that Prevent related concerns, harassment and intimidation on university campuses in England have increased in recent years, reflecting wider societal and geopolitical tensions.

Prevent related concerns in higher education reached a record high in the 2023/24 reporting year of 65 Prevent referrals according to the Office for Students annual reporting data here: https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/publications/prevent-monitoring-summary-of-2023-24-accountability-and-data-returns/. Reports also highlight a significant rise in harassment and intimidation, particularly following the Hamas attacks of 7 October 2023.

There is no place for unlawful extremist behaviour on university campuses, including harassment or intimidation, and we expect Vice Chancellors to tackle it decisively. The department will continue to work closely with key sector organisations to understand how their data and reported campus experiences evolve over time.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what checks have been carried out in the last twelve months on student loans awarded to people enrolling at UK Universities whose country of origin was Romania.

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

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

To qualify for support, applicants must provide the Student Loans Company (SLC) with evidence of their eligibility. This includes evidence of their identity, immigration status and ordinary residence.

SLC have robust procedures in place to check student finance eligibility, including data-sharing with the Home Office and HM Passport Office. When required, the SLC will contact the Home Office to confirm an applicant’s immigration status and ordinary residence.

SLC makes payments of loans to students on courses at higher education providers (HEPs) and HEPs in England must be registered with the Office for Students (OfS) before students are eligible to access funding. SLC monitors applications for student finance and works with the department and the OfS to protect public money.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what evidence supports the proposal to restrict all V Level qualifications to 360 guided learning hours: and what assessment has been made of the potential impact of this restriction on progression to higher education and skilled employment in sectors where greater breadth or depth of study is required.

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

V Levels are designed to be 360 guided learning hours to enable them to be taken alongside A Levels or other V Levels to form broad study programmes, enabling breadth of study for young people who want to keep their options open. For young people who know what broad career path they want to follow, and want to study a single large qualification focused on that area, T Levels provide a great option for progression. In specific and limited cases, we will allow a partnered set of V Levels, which will enable overall depth of study in a linked area.

The department will support providers to transition to V Levels and new Level 2 pathways through comprehensive guidance, exemplar materials, working with awarding organisations on providing teaching resources, and the establishment of a sector-led qualification pioneers group to test, refine, and inform effective implementation.

The department has undertaken an equality impact assessment for the government consultation response and does not anticipate any negative impacts of introducing the new pathways on any groups with protected characteristics. We will carefully consider the impacts on different groups of young people as we design new qualifications.

We are working closely with higher education institutions and UCAS to ensure wide recognition of V Levels, tariff points parity with other qualifications and to clearly communicate progression pathways ahead of first teaching.

Further information on the rollout of 16 to 19 qualifications reform is set out in the government response and the equalities impact assessment, published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/post-16-level-3-and-below-pathways.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the capacity of further education providers to deliver the proposed Level 2 and Level 3 reforms within the planned timetable, including workforce, facilities and employer-placement capacity.

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

V Levels are designed to be 360 guided learning hours to enable them to be taken alongside A Levels or other V Levels to form broad study programmes, enabling breadth of study for young people who want to keep their options open. For young people who know what broad career path they want to follow, and want to study a single large qualification focused on that area, T Levels provide a great option for progression. In specific and limited cases, we will allow a partnered set of V Levels, which will enable overall depth of study in a linked area.

The department will support providers to transition to V Levels and new Level 2 pathways through comprehensive guidance, exemplar materials, working with awarding organisations on providing teaching resources, and the establishment of a sector-led qualification pioneers group to test, refine, and inform effective implementation.

The department has undertaken an equality impact assessment for the government consultation response and does not anticipate any negative impacts of introducing the new pathways on any groups with protected characteristics. We will carefully consider the impacts on different groups of young people as we design new qualifications.

We are working closely with higher education institutions and UCAS to ensure wide recognition of V Levels, tariff points parity with other qualifications and to clearly communicate progression pathways ahead of first teaching.

Further information on the rollout of 16 to 19 qualifications reform is set out in the government response and the equalities impact assessment, published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/post-16-level-3-and-below-pathways.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment has the Department made of the potential impact of the proposed Level 3 and below reforms on participation by students with protected characteristics; and whether an equality impact assessment will be published before any funding decisions are implemented.

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

V Levels are designed to be 360 guided learning hours to enable them to be taken alongside A Levels or other V Levels to form broad study programmes, enabling breadth of study for young people who want to keep their options open. For young people who know what broad career path they want to follow, and want to study a single large qualification focused on that area, T Levels provide a great option for progression. In specific and limited cases, we will allow a partnered set of V Levels, which will enable overall depth of study in a linked area.

The department will support providers to transition to V Levels and new Level 2 pathways through comprehensive guidance, exemplar materials, working with awarding organisations on providing teaching resources, and the establishment of a sector-led qualification pioneers group to test, refine, and inform effective implementation.

The department has undertaken an equality impact assessment for the government consultation response and does not anticipate any negative impacts of introducing the new pathways on any groups with protected characteristics. We will carefully consider the impacts on different groups of young people as we design new qualifications.

We are working closely with higher education institutions and UCAS to ensure wide recognition of V Levels, tariff points parity with other qualifications and to clearly communicate progression pathways ahead of first teaching.

Further information on the rollout of 16 to 19 qualifications reform is set out in the government response and the equalities impact assessment, published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/post-16-level-3-and-below-pathways.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment has her Department made of potential the impact of the proposed Level 3 and below reforms on progression to higher education.

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

V Levels are designed to be 360 guided learning hours to enable them to be taken alongside A Levels or other V Levels to form broad study programmes, enabling breadth of study for young people who want to keep their options open. For young people who know what broad career path they want to follow, and want to study a single large qualification focused on that area, T Levels provide a great option for progression. In specific and limited cases, we will allow a partnered set of V Levels, which will enable overall depth of study in a linked area.

The department will support providers to transition to V Levels and new Level 2 pathways through comprehensive guidance, exemplar materials, working with awarding organisations on providing teaching resources, and the establishment of a sector-led qualification pioneers group to test, refine, and inform effective implementation.

The department has undertaken an equality impact assessment for the government consultation response and does not anticipate any negative impacts of introducing the new pathways on any groups with protected characteristics. We will carefully consider the impacts on different groups of young people as we design new qualifications.

We are working closely with higher education institutions and UCAS to ensure wide recognition of V Levels, tariff points parity with other qualifications and to clearly communicate progression pathways ahead of first teaching.

Further information on the rollout of 16 to 19 qualifications reform is set out in the government response and the equalities impact assessment, published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/post-16-level-3-and-below-pathways.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what number of international students by university and by nationality who dropped out of university in the academic year 2024/2025.

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

The Office for Students (OfS) publishes statistics across different aspects of the student lifecycle by higher education providers to help inform regulatory processes. The Student Outcomes Data Dashboard is accessible here: https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/data-and-analysis/student-outcomes-data-dashboard/data-dashboard/. The dashboard holds the following indicators:

• Continuation: the percentage of first degree entrants who continue their studies after 12 months for full-time students, or 24 months for part-time students.
• Completion: the percentage of first degree entrants who completed their course within 4 years 15 days for full-time students, and within 6 years 15 days for part-time students.

The OfS publish breakdowns for non-UK domiciled students for English OfS registered providers. The latest data available are for 2022/23 entrants for continuation rates and 2019/20 entrants for completion rates. The student outcomes dashboard is updated annually and was last released in August 2025. The data can be accessed here:

https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/data-and-analysis/student-outcomes-data-dashboard/get-the-data/.

Data on student nationality as opposed to domicile, which is the permanent address of the student immediately prior to study, is not published by the OfS and is not readily available.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the portability of (a) special and (b) additional needs, and (c) disability provision for children in Armed Forces families.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

As part of the consultation on the government’s special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) reforms, I recently attended a roundtable hosted by the Armed Forces Community All-Party Parliamentary Group. I met representatives from armed forces families and the charities that support them to hear first-hand about the problems they face. Children and young people from armed forces families might have to change nursery, school or college when their parents are redeployed. They can experience delays in identifying their needs, and inconsistent services and support between local authorities.

To address the problems caused by delays, the department’s special educational needs and disabilities reforms will improve early identification of children’s needs so that provision can be put in place more quickly. We will invest in new training for all staff and increase the number of specialists. Education health and care plans and new Individual Support Plans will be digital, which will support services children by facilitating smoother transitions when they move between schools or local authorities.

In future, services children should receive more consistent services when they move. National Inclusion Standards will set out, for the first time, support that should be available in every mainstream setting. A nationally consistent set of Specialist Provision Packages will provide comprehensive, evidence-based packages of support for children and young people with the most complex needs.

Education is a devolved matter and the reforms will apply to England only.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the maths-teacher recruitment target for postgraduate initial teacher training course entries in 2025-26.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The target was calculated using the Teacher Workforce Model and accounts for the following, among other factors: projected pupil numbers, teachers that are expected to leave service and require replacement, and teachers we expect to join from routes other than postgraduate initial teacher training.

In the 2025/26 academic year, there were 2,628 new entrants to maths postgraduate Initial Teacher Training courses. This represents 114% of the target, which was 2,300.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the answer of 13th February 2026 to question 105615 on play based pedagogy, if she will update initial teacher training and CPD frameworks to include evidence‑based training on play‑based pedagogy.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The department recognises that continuous improvement is essential to transform the training and support for all new teachers. That is why we are committing to a full review of the delivery of the Early Career Teacher Entitlement, including the framework content of the Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework, in 2027 to ensure it continues to provide the best possible support for trainees and early career teachers based on the most up to date evidence.

As part of the review, we will be seeking evidence and views from stakeholders from across the education sector.

We also want to ensure that National Professional Qualifications (NPQs) continue to offer the best possible support to teachers and leaders. In 2025, we announced a review of the NPQ courses.

To aid the review, the department published two calls for evidence to seek recent, relevant and high-quality research. We are considering a wide range of responses to ensure that review succeeds in improving pupil outcomes through updated NPQ courses that better meet the needs of education leaders based on the latest robust evidence.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with Vice Chancellors on the impact of Government policy on university finances.

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

Higher education (HE) providers are independent from government and as such are responsible for managing their finances and ensuring their business models provide long-term sustainability.

However, this government is committed to helping put the HE sector on a secure financial footing so that it can face the challenges of the next decade. Our decision to raise tuition fees annually in line with inflation, alongside refocusing the Office for Students (OfS) on monitoring the sector’s financial health, demonstrates this commitment.

Although the OfS is responsible for monitoring the sector’s financial sustainability, the government has a strong interest in understanding the sector’s level of risk. My department continues to engage closely with the OfS, other government departments and sector representative groups, as well as individual providers, to better understand the changing financial landscape.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that home-visit requirements under the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill are applied proportionately, particularly in cases where families have no prior history of safeguarding concerns.

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

The power for local authorities to request to visit a child in their home is intended to help the authority decide whether education is suitable for the child or, in the case of children subject to child protection processes, that it is in the best interests of the child to receive their education in or outside of school. The findings of a home visit, or the refusal to allow one, must be considered in deciding whether to commence the school attendance order process, but will not be the only factor determining that decision.

The requirement in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill for local authorities to consider a child’s home and other learning environments, and the power to request a home visit, addresses recommendations in the Local Child Safeguarding Practice Review into the death of Sara Sharif.

Local authorities must always act reasonably when carrying out their duties. We will consult on statutory guidance, which helps local authorities conduct visits sensitively, and will develop training to help local authorities implement their new duties. A full new burdens assessment will be undertaken to determine the costs and resources required for local authorities to undertake these new duties, and additional funding will be provided.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what additional funding, guidance, and training her Department plans to provide to local authorities to support the consistent and fair implementation of home-visit duties from the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill.

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

The power for local authorities to request to visit a child in their home is intended to help the authority decide whether education is suitable for the child or, in the case of children subject to child protection processes, that it is in the best interests of the child to receive their education in or outside of school. The findings of a home visit, or the refusal to allow one, must be considered in deciding whether to commence the school attendance order process, but will not be the only factor determining that decision.

The requirement in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill for local authorities to consider a child’s home and other learning environments, and the power to request a home visit, addresses recommendations in the Local Child Safeguarding Practice Review into the death of Sara Sharif.

Local authorities must always act reasonably when carrying out their duties. We will consult on statutory guidance, which helps local authorities conduct visits sensitively, and will develop training to help local authorities implement their new duties. A full new burdens assessment will be undertaken to determine the costs and resources required for local authorities to undertake these new duties, and additional funding will be provided.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what evidence base underpins the proposal that a family's refusal of a home visit may lead a local authority to consider issuing a School Attendance Order under the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill.

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

The power for local authorities to request to visit a child in their home is intended to help the authority decide whether education is suitable for the child or, in the case of children subject to child protection processes, that it is in the best interests of the child to receive their education in or outside of school. The findings of a home visit, or the refusal to allow one, must be considered in deciding whether to commence the school attendance order process, but will not be the only factor determining that decision.

The requirement in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill for local authorities to consider a child’s home and other learning environments, and the power to request a home visit, addresses recommendations in the Local Child Safeguarding Practice Review into the death of Sara Sharif.

Local authorities must always act reasonably when carrying out their duties. We will consult on statutory guidance, which helps local authorities conduct visits sensitively, and will develop training to help local authorities implement their new duties. A full new burdens assessment will be undertaken to determine the costs and resources required for local authorities to undertake these new duties, and additional funding will be provided.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the effect of the changes outlined in the February 2026 white paper to the school funding formula on average per-pupil funding in (a) Hampshire (b) the East Hampshire parliamentary constituency, assuming current pupil characteristics.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The distribution of additional funding for schools in the Inclusive Mainstream Fund for the 2026/27 financial year will be confirmed shortly.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether guidance on screen use will include recommendations on preventing eye conditions such as myopia and dry eye associated with excessive screen use.

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

The department and the Department of Health and Social Care are jointly working to produce and publish new practical, evidence-informed guidance on screen time for early years. An early years screen time advisory group of child health and development specialists has been convened to shape the guidance, which will also be informed by the perspectives of parents and carers. And as I committed to in the House, I will consider how we will support children with eye conditions.

In addition, amid concerns that young people’s lives are dominated by time in front of devices, the government will support families by producing evidence-based screen time guidance for parents of children aged five to 16. Experts are considering a wide range of evidence, and the guidance will be published in due course.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether guidance on screen time and social media use will include the potential impact of excessive use of screens on sight loss.

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

The department and the Department of Health and Social Care are jointly working to produce and publish new practical, evidence-informed guidance on screen time for early years. An early years screen time advisory group of child health and development specialists has been convened to shape the guidance, which will also be informed by the perspectives of parents and carers. And as I committed to in the House, I will consider how we will support children with eye conditions.

In addition, amid concerns that young people’s lives are dominated by time in front of devices, the government will support families by producing evidence-based screen time guidance for parents of children aged five to 16. Experts are considering a wide range of evidence, and the guidance will be published in due course.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Schools White Paper 2026, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of Mission Coastal on young people in Poole.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The Schools White Paper launched Mission North East and Mission Coastal. The aim of the missions is to transform outcomes for children and young people and provide a blueprint for national change. The scope of Mission Coastal is still being developed.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what (a) safeguards and (b) limitations will apply to home visits conducted by local authorities under the proposed registration provisions in the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill.

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

The power for local authorities to request to visit a child in their home is intended to help the authority decide whether education is suitable for the child or, in the case of children subject to child protection processes, that it is in the best interests of the child to receive their education in or outside of school. The findings of a home visit, or the refusal to allow one, must be considered in deciding whether to commence the school attendance order process, but will not be the only factor determining that decision.

The requirement in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill for local authorities to consider a child’s home and other learning environments, and the power to request a home visit, addresses recommendations in the Local Child Safeguarding Practice Review into the death of Sara Sharif.

Local authorities must always act reasonably when carrying out their duties. We will consult on statutory guidance, which helps local authorities conduct visits sensitively, and will develop training to help local authorities implement their new duties. A full new burdens assessment will be undertaken to determine the costs and resources required for local authorities to undertake these new duties, and additional funding will be provided.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the answer of 13th February 2026 to question 105615 on play based pedagogy, if her Department will consider the potential benefits of continuing play‑based pedagogy beyond the Early Years Foundation Stage into Key Stage 1.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The Curriculum and Assessment Review considered the extent to which the curriculum and the assessment system in England is fit for purpose and meeting the needs of children and young people. The government’s response set out key reforms to the national curriculum that we will be taking forward. The purpose of the national curriculum is to outline what must be taught in schools rather than how.

We will continue to back educators to apply their professional judgment and creativity to meet the needs of their pupils, meaning children will be able to benefit from play-based learning throughout their primary education.

The department is working to make sure that all children and young people have access to a variety of enrichment opportunities, including opportunities for play, at school as an important part of our mission to break down barriers to opportunity.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the answer of 13th February 2026 to question 105615 on play based pedagogy, whether her Department plans to commission research into the potential impact of play‑based pedagogy on attainment and wellbeing in Key Stage 1.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The Curriculum and Assessment Review considered the extent to which the curriculum and the assessment system in England is fit for purpose and meeting the needs of children and young people. The government’s response set out key reforms to the national curriculum that we will be taking forward. The purpose of the national curriculum is to outline what must be taught in schools rather than how.

We will continue to back educators to apply their professional judgment and creativity to meet the needs of their pupils, meaning children will be able to benefit from play-based learning throughout their primary education.

The department is working to make sure that all children and young people have access to a variety of enrichment opportunities, including opportunities for play, at school as an important part of our mission to break down barriers to opportunity.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the answer of 13th February 2026 to question 105615 on play based pedagogy, whether the forthcoming Enrichment Framework will include guidance on embedding play‑based pedagogy within core curriculum delivery.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The Curriculum and Assessment Review considered the extent to which the curriculum and the assessment system in England is fit for purpose and meeting the needs of children and young people. The government’s response set out key reforms to the national curriculum that we will be taking forward. The purpose of the national curriculum is to outline what must be taught in schools rather than how.

We will continue to back educators to apply their professional judgment and creativity to meet the needs of their pupils, meaning children will be able to benefit from play-based learning throughout their primary education.

The department is working to make sure that all children and young people have access to a variety of enrichment opportunities, including opportunities for play, at school as an important part of our mission to break down barriers to opportunity.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what was the number of redundancies announced in higher education over the past year.

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

I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for York Central to the answer of 11 March 2026 to Question 117322.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of interest rates applied to income-contingent student loans on the total level of graduate debt.

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

The department does not hold analysis on the impact of interest rates on total level of graduate debt.

No Plan 5 borrower should see their loan balance grow in real terms without additional outlay, as the rate of interest for Plan 5 loans is applied at Retail Price Index (RPI) only.

Plan 2 loan interest rates are applied at RPI only, then variable up to RPI+3% depending on earnings. Interest rates do not impact monthly repayments made by student loan borrowers, which stay at a constant rate of 9% above an earnings threshold to protect lower earners.

Outstanding debt, including interest accrued, is cancelled at the end of the loan term with no detriment to the borrower, and debt is never passed on to family members or descendants. There are no commercial loans that offer this level of borrower protection. This is a deliberate government investment in students and the economy.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of local government reorganisation on the Dedicated Schools Grant allocation for Cambridgeshire with regards to SEND reform.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The department is exploring the implications of all local government reorganisation proposals, including those for Cambridgeshire. When decisions have been made, we will assess the impact of those plans on future dedicated schools grant allocations, and on the allocations of other grants designed to deliver the reforms outlined in our current special educational and disability (SEND) reform consultation.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment her Department has made of the availability of post-16 provision in Liverpool Walton.

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

The department is working closely with Liverpool City Council and local general further education (FE) colleges to ensure there is sufficient post-16 provision in Liverpool Walton and the wider city region.

In October 2025, we published the Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper, setting out our reforms to the skills system in England, which will develop the skilled workforce our economy needs.

Reforms include the introduction of V Levels to sit alongside A and T Levels, the Further Study pathway, designed to support students to progress onto V, T or A levels and also the Occupational pathway which will support students to develop the skills needed to progress into employment or an apprenticeship.

Liverpool Walton students will continue to access high quality post-16 education through school sixth forms, specialised alternative providers and outstanding FE colleges and universities within the city region.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what new oversight measures she plans to introduce in relation to home schooling as referenced in the Statement of 9 March 2026; whether local authorities will be granted additional statutory powers to register or inspect home-educated children; what safeguards she will put in place to ensure that families who home educate are not subject to disproportionate regulation; and what assessment she has made of the potential resource implications for local authorities.

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

The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill will require local authorities to maintain registers of children who are not in school, including home-educated children, and require parents of eligible children to give information for these registers. This will support authorities to identify children who are not receiving a safe, suitable education so they can take action.

The Bill also requires some parents to seek permission from the local authority before children can be withdrawn for home education, such as children who are subject to section 47 enquiries, are on a child protection plan (or were previously in the last five years), or who attend a special school. This additional check will ensure these children receive a suitable education that is in their best interests.

When carrying out their duties, local authorities must act reasonably and we will provide additional training and statutory guidance to support with this. We will also conduct a New Burdens Assessment to establish the amount of additional funding required by local authorities to fulfil their duties. Evidence for this assessment will be gathered through a public consultation ahead of implementation of the measures.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the Adoption Support Fund; and what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the fund on (a) adoption breakdown rates and (b) mental health outcomes of children placed in permanent care.

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

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

The department keeps the effectiveness of the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF) under continual review. The latest evaluation found strong evidence of positive impact: 83% of parents and guardians reported that ASGSF‑funded support was helpful or very helpful, and there were statistically significant improvements by the end of the intervention. Families also reported an average score of seven out of ten six months after support ended. Outcome measurement tools are now strengthening our ability to assess therapeutic progress and longer-term impacts.

Recognising both the positive benefits of the ASGSF and the need to ensure that support for adopted and permanently placed children is as effective as possible, the department launched a public consultation in February 2026, ‘Adoption support that works for all’. This seeks views on how to deliver a more responsive, evidence‑based system of adoption support, including future arrangements for the ASGSF.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has undertaken a review of the tuition fee-based funding model for higher education.

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

The government set out its plans for tuition fees as part of the Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper, published on 20 October 2025.

To provide long-term certainty over future funding for the sector so that it can focus on reform, we will increase tuition fee caps for all higher education (HE) providers in line with forecast inflation in 2026/27 and 2027/28 and then legislate when parliamentary time allows to increase tuition fee caps automatically for future academic years.

Maximum fee limits for undergraduate courses in the 2026/27 and 2027/28 academic years will increase by forecast inflation of 2.71% (to £9,790) and 2.68% (to £10,050) respectively, based on the retail price index (exclusive of mortgage interest payments).

In future years, we will link inflationary fee uplifts to judgements on HE providers’ quality and restrict fee income where high quality cannot be demonstrated.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of funding for Social Work England to clear the fitness to practise backlog; and what her Department's target is for reducing the average time from referral to hearing outcome.

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

The department is the sponsor department for Social Work England (SWE), the independent regulator, and monitors their performance on an ongoing basis. Funding is provided to SWE annually and is based on the need to deliver against its business plan. SWE report into their board on case progression and are ahead of their current trajectory to reduce the backlog of fitness to practise cases awaiting a hearing. They also continue to increase the rate for hearings. SWE’s board papers are publicly available on their website.

SWE consulted in October 2025 on the potential of introducing adjudicator consensual disposal. The proposed guidance would introduce a new process that allows adjudicators and social workers, in suitable cases, to reach an agreed outcome without the need for a disputed final hearing. This approach would enable cases to be resolved more quickly when both parties agree on the facts and appropriate sanctions. As the independent regulator of the social work profession, SWE will respond to their consultation in due course.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of Social Work England's proposals for adjudicator consensual disposal as a means of expediting fitness to practise cases.

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

The department is the sponsor department for Social Work England (SWE), the independent regulator, and monitors their performance on an ongoing basis. Funding is provided to SWE annually and is based on the need to deliver against its business plan. SWE report into their board on case progression and are ahead of their current trajectory to reduce the backlog of fitness to practise cases awaiting a hearing. They also continue to increase the rate for hearings. SWE’s board papers are publicly available on their website.

SWE consulted in October 2025 on the potential of introducing adjudicator consensual disposal. The proposed guidance would introduce a new process that allows adjudicators and social workers, in suitable cases, to reach an agreed outcome without the need for a disputed final hearing. This approach would enable cases to be resolved more quickly when both parties agree on the facts and appropriate sanctions. As the independent regulator of the social work profession, SWE will respond to their consultation in due course.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the financial impact of maternity leave on the (a) amount of additional debt accrued on and (b) length of time to repay the debt for student finance loans.

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

The department and the Student Loan Company do not hold information on the amount of additional money accrued by women while on maternity leave.

Student loan repayments are linked to income, not to the amount borrowed or interest applied. Repayments are made at a constant rate of 9% above the earnings threshold. Borrowers earning under the repayment threshold, including while on statutory maternity leave, are not required to make repayments, however, interest will continue to accrue. When borrowers are on maternity leave, and earnings are below the earnings threshold, interest, across both plan 2 and plan 5, is applied at the Retail Price Index only.

Any outstanding loan, including interest built up, is cancelled at the end of the loan term with no detriment to the borrower, and debt is never passed on to family members or descendants.

The department will release an equalities impact assessment, including the impact on lifetime repayments, alongside other borrower impacts for the plan 2 repayment threshold and interest threshold freeze announced at the 2025 Budget.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what data the Student Loans Company holds on the amount of additional money accrued by women while on maternity leave.

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

The department and the Student Loan Company do not hold information on the amount of additional money accrued by women while on maternity leave.

Student loan repayments are linked to income, not to the amount borrowed or interest applied. Repayments are made at a constant rate of 9% above the earnings threshold. Borrowers earning under the repayment threshold, including while on statutory maternity leave, are not required to make repayments, however, interest will continue to accrue. When borrowers are on maternity leave, and earnings are below the earnings threshold, interest, across both plan 2 and plan 5, is applied at the Retail Price Index only.

Any outstanding loan, including interest built up, is cancelled at the end of the loan term with no detriment to the borrower, and debt is never passed on to family members or descendants.

The department will release an equalities impact assessment, including the impact on lifetime repayments, alongside other borrower impacts for the plan 2 repayment threshold and interest threshold freeze announced at the 2025 Budget.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of freezing the income repayment threshold for Plan 2 student loans on the level of disposable income of graduates earning between £29,000 and £40,000 per year.

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

Plan 2 student loans were designed and implemented by previous governments, and students in England starting degrees under this government have different arrangements. Threshold freezes have been introduced to protect taxpayers and students now, alongside future generations of learners and workers.

Student loan repayments are linked to income, not to the amount borrowed or interest applied. As repayments remain income-contingent if a borrower’s salary remains the same, their monthly repayments will also stay the same.

Repayments are made at a constant rate of 9% above the earnings threshold. Borrowers earning under the earnings threshold, are not required to make repayments. Any outstanding loan including interest built up, is cancelled at the end of the loan term with no detriment to the borrower, and debt is never passed on to family members or descendants.

The government appreciates that making student loan repayments has an impact on individuals, and this is why there are unique protections for borrowers and the finance system is heavily subsidised by taxpayers.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will review the financial situation of Higher Education institutions.

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

Higher education (HE) providers are independent from government and as such are responsible for managing their finances and ensuring their business models provide long-term sustainability.

However, this government is committed to helping put the HE sector on a secure financial footing so that it can face the challenges of the next decade. Our decision to raise tuition fees annually in line with inflation, alongside refocusing the Office for Students (OfS) on monitoring the sector’s financial health, demonstrates this commitment.

Although the OfS is responsible for monitoring the sector’s financial sustainability, the government has a strong interest in understanding the sector’s level of risk. My department continues to engage closely with the OfS, other government departments and sector representative groups, as well as individual providers, to better understand the changing financial landscape.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to reduce the time taken to issue Remediable Service Statements to members of the Teachers’ Pensions Scheme following the McCloud judgment.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

I refer my hon. Friend the Member for Wrexham to the answer of 20 March 2026 to Question 112455.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what oversight mechanisms exist to ensure that behaviour policies adopted by further education colleges do not disproportionately disadvantage young people with SEND.

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

Further education (FE) colleges are subject to statutory and regulatory oversight to ensure that policies do not disadvantage learners with special educational needs and disabilities. Colleges must comply with the Equality Act 2010, including the duty to make reasonable adjustments so that disabled learners, including those with learning difficulties, are not placed at a substantial disadvantage.

Colleges must also meet equality and safeguarding requirements set out in their funding agreements. Where providers fail to meet legal or regulatory duties, the department has powers to support and take further action.

Ofsted plays a key role in assessing how effectively providers support learners with high needs. Under its renewed framework, inspectors evaluate participation, development, and behaviour expectations across provision types.

Inspectors evaluate participation and development across different FE and skills settings and consider the nature of the learners, along with differences in approach to behaviour monitoring and management for different groups of learners.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of increased student loan balances on graduates’ access to mortgages and savings.

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

The size of one’s outstanding student loan is not a barrier to accessing a mortgage and savings. Student loan balances do not appear on borrower credit records, meaning the total size of the student loan debt is not considered in a borrower mortgage application. Monthly student loan repayments will be considered alongside other living costs as part of the affordability check for mortgage applications in the same way as any other fixed monthly outgoings, but monthly repayments are not linked to the size of the outstanding loan.

Student loan repayments are linked to income, not to the amount borrowed or interest applied. Repayments are made at a constant rate of 9% above the earnings threshold. Borrowers earning under the earnings threshold, are not required to make repayments. Any outstanding loan including interest built up, is cancelled at the end of the loan term with no detriment to the borrower, and debt is never passed on to family members or descendants.

The government appreciates that making student loan repayments has an impact on individuals, and this is why there are unique protections for borrowers and the finance system is heavily subsidised by taxpayers.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she had with Cabinet colleagues prior to the recent decision concerning Sudanese student visas.

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

The new International Education Strategy has confirmed this government's continued commitment to welcome international students who meet the requirements to study in the UK.

The government recognises the significant economic and cultural contribution that all international students make to the UK’s higher education sector.

We must, however, retain a robust immigration system which safeguards against exploitation. The government is therefore introducing targeted measures to help protect the integrity of the system, which may apply to study visas. These measures will apply where evidence shows a consistently high number and proportion of visa-linked asylum claims. Once in place, applications from the specified nationalities on the affected routes will be refused.

The government announced on 4 March that these measures would be imposed on nationals of four countries, including Sudan. This means that Sudanese nationals will not be awarded a study visa until the measures are lifted.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the contribution of Sudanese students on Higher Education.

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

The new International Education Strategy has confirmed this government's continued commitment to welcome international students who meet the requirements to study in the UK.

The government recognises the significant economic and cultural contribution that all international students make to the UK’s higher education sector.

We must, however, retain a robust immigration system which safeguards against exploitation. The government is therefore introducing targeted measures to help protect the integrity of the system, which may apply to study visas. These measures will apply where evidence shows a consistently high number and proportion of visa-linked asylum claims. Once in place, applications from the specified nationalities on the affected routes will be refused.

The government announced on 4 March that these measures would be imposed on nationals of four countries, including Sudan. This means that Sudanese nationals will not be awarded a study visa until the measures are lifted.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to make an assessment of the potential impact of student loan repayments on those with multiple plans and postgraduate loans.

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

Unlike commercial loans, student loans carry significant protections for borrowers. Student loan repayments are linked to income, not to the amount borrowed or interest applied. Repayments are made at a constant rate of 9% above the earnings threshold for undergraduate loans (borrowers with multiple undergraduate loans have their contributions apportioned to the relevant loans), and 6% above the earnings threshold for postgraduate loans.

Postgraduate loans are made concurrently with any outstanding undergraduate loan. If a borrower’s income drops below the repayment threshold, or they are not earning, their repayments will stop.

Any outstanding loan including interest built up, is cancelled at the end of the loan term with no detriment to the borrower, and debt is never passed on to family members or descendants.

The government appreciates that making student loan repayments does have an impact on individuals. This is why there are unique protections for borrowers, and the finance system is heavily subsidised by taxpayers.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department’s press release entitled Students given stronger protections against extremism on campus, published on 8 March 2026, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Prevent duty in higher education institutions.

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

Higher education (HE) providers are subject to the Prevent duty to have “due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism.” To comply with the Prevent duty, providers must demonstrate they have effective policies and procedures in place to safeguard individuals susceptible to radicalisation. This includes assessing the risk of learners becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism. Under the Prevent duty, the Office for Students (OfS) monitors and evaluates whether universities and other HE providers have due regard to the need to prevent people being drawn into terrorism. The OfS has assessed that HE providers are broadly compliant with their Prevent duty requirements. The latest assessment of Prevent monitoring in HE is available here: https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/publications/prevent-monitoring-summary-of-2023-24-accountability-and-data-returns/.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of generative AI on academic standards in higher education.

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

Universities are independent, autonomous bodies responsible for designing and implementing their own artificial Intelligence (AI) policies. They are already responding to the opportunities and challenges AI presents.

The Office for Students (OfS) set out its approach to the use of AI in higher education (HE) in June 2025. The approach can be found here: https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/news-blog-and-events/blog/embracing-innovation-in-higher-education-our-approach-to-artificial-intelligence/.

Providers are responsible for detecting and preventing academic misconduct, including misuse of AI, in line with the OfS’ regulatory framework. Providers that fall below these standards could be subject to regulatory action.

The government is committed to ensuring that AI is not used to undermine high academic standards in HE. As set out in the Post-16 education and skills white paper, the department will support the OfS to assess the impact of artificial intelligence, including how students are using it in assessments, to ensure the integrity of HE assessments and qualifications is not compromised.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department’s press release entitled Students given stronger protections against extremism on campus, published on 8 March 2026, whether the updated guidance includes safeguards to protect free speech.

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

The updated guidance will include safeguards to protect freedom of speech within the law and will clearly signpost higher education providers to the Office for Students’ guidance related to freedom of speech here: https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/publications/regulatory-advice-24-guidance-related-to-freedom-of-speech/. Further guidance will be issued in the Spring on Managing External Speakers and Events to ensure providers can meet their Prevent duty obligations while upholding freedom of speech.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the answer of 3 November 2025, to Question 84664, on Universities: Admissions, if she will publish the terms of reference of the task and finish group into higher education admissions; and what the definition is of disadvantaged backgrounds.

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

The Terms of Reference of the Access and Participation Task and Finish Group were published on GOV.UK in February 2026:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6985f6bf85bc7d6ba0fbc74f/HE_Access_and_Participation_Task_and_Finish_Group_-_Terms_of_Reference.pdf.

The Task and Finish Group’s remit is to consider regional disparities and how to tackle the most systemic barriers across the journey into higher education for disadvantaged students.

The department has not issued direct guidance to the group on the definition of disadvantage for admission purposes.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of assessing the income of a parent’s cohabiting partner who is not (a) a legal parent and (b) step-parent when determining eligibility for student maintenance loans on access to higher education.

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

For most full-time undergraduate students under the age of 25, the Student Loans Company (SLC) assess the income of students’ parents and, where applicable, parental partners to determine household income. This ensures that the highest levels of support are targeted at students from the lowest income families.

Entitlement to maintenance loans based on the income of students’ parents or, where their parents have separated, the income of the more appropriate parent (usually the parent with whom the student normally lives) and, where applicable, that of the parent’s partner.

The household income assessment allows the SLC to process around 1.4 million applications for student support each year in time for the start of the relevant academic year.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department’s press release entitled Students given stronger protections against extremism on campus, published on 8 March 2026, what protections will be available for university staff who report concerns relating to extremism and intimidation on campus.

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

Universities are autonomous institutions and therefore have their own policies and procedures for handling employee concerns.

In addition, the government will work with the Department for Business and Trade to add the Office for Students (OfS) to the list of prescribed bodies under the Public Interest Disclosure (Prescribed Persons) Order 2024. This change will help ensure that whistleblowers can report wrongdoing related to registered higher education providers with confidence.

The OfS will also strengthen how it monitors universities’ efforts to prevent individuals from becoming involved in terrorism or supporting it. It will publish a new monitoring framework and accompanying guidance in September, which will come into effect at the beginning of 2027.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of school leavers progressed onto apprenticeships at (a) Level 3, (b) Level 4 and (c) above by type of establishment in each year since September 2020.

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

The department publishes information on the destinations of students after key stage 4 and 16 to 18 study. This includes whether an apprenticeship was sustained.

To be counted, young people need to sustain the apprenticeship for six months in the academic year after leaving.

Data on the destinations of students who have completed key stage 4 study is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/059bdddb-673e-47bd-f7ed-08de834d471d.

Data on the destinations of students who have completed 16 to 18 study is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/7cebeac7-c6b9-475a-f7ef-08de834d471d.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has for the National Inclusion Standards to include (a) speech and language therapists, (b) any other experts on speech, language and communication challenges.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

New National Inclusion Standards will set out evidence-based tools, strategies and approaches for educators to draw on to identify and support children and young people with additional needs. This will include evidence for targeted support to address barriers to learning and participation related to specific areas of development. One of these proposed areas of development is Speech, Language, and Communication.

We will establish an independent, expert panel to develop National Inclusion Standards. The panel will be composed of a range of experts across both research and practice in supporting children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities. They will also engage wider experts to test the development of the Standards. This will include, for example, ensuring expertise from speech and language therapists and other relevant experts is incorporated.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make it her policy to delay departmental decisions on academy closures or mergers in Norfolk until after the 2026 local elections.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

In line with the Cabinet Office May 2026 elections guidance, during the three weeks preceding local authority elections, the department will take special care in relation to decisions, announcements and other public actions which could have a bearing on the elections.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what capital funding is available to education providers in Liverpool Walton seeking to increase post-16 education and training capacity.

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

In December 2025, the government announced that almost half of the £375 million Post‑16 Capacity Fund would be devolved to strategic authorities to support further education colleges, sixth‑form colleges and 16 to 19 academies in expanding estate capacity to meet the demographic increase in learners. Devolved areas have broad scope to design their post-16 capacity programmes to meet local needs and best deliver the increase in capacity.

Liverpool City Region Combined Authority (LCRCA) has received a share of this devolved funding. It will be for LCRCA to determine which projects best deliver the increased 16 to 19 capacity in their area. They will have until 2029/30 to deploy this funding and deliver the additional places.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the Plan 2 student loan system on graduates whose repayments do not cover the interest added to their balance.

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

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

Plan 2 loans interest rates are applied at the Retail Price Index (RPI) only, then variable up to RPI +3% depending on earnings. Interest rates do not impact monthly repayments made by student loan borrowers, which stay at a constant rate of 9% above an earnings threshold to protect lower earners.

Any outstanding loan and interest written off at the end of the loan term, and debt is never passed on to family members or descendants.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the answer of 13 January 2026, to Question 101069, on Erasmus+ Programme, what is the estimated ratio of the number of UK students who will visit the European Union, and the number of EU students who will visit the UK, in the first year of the programme.

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

In 2018/19, there were approximately 31,000 inbound higher education (HE) student mobilities via the Erasmus+ Programme. There were approximately 16,000 outbound HE student mobilities in the same year.

The department expects there will be a greater number of HE mobilities on reassociation, given the expansion of the programme.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department’s press release entitled Students given stronger protections against extremism on campus, published on 8 March 2026, how many university students have been referred under the Prevent duty in each year since 2020.

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

The Home Office publishes overall Prevent referrals by sector but does not break down the ‘Education’ category between schools, colleges, and universities. However, the Office for Students publishes annual Prevent monitoring data for higher education providers here: https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/publications/prevent-monitoring-summary-of-2023-24-accountability-and-data-returns/.

This includes formal external Prevent referrals. The most recent reporting period 2023/2024 indicates that universities made 65 Prevent referrals, but it does not indicate how many of the individuals involved were students versus staff.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the availability of speech and language support for pupils in primary schools.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Speech and language therapists (SaLTs) break down communication barriers, but too often, children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) wait too long to receive support from them.

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

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

This is in addition to £3.4 million being invested this year in the Early Language Support for Every Child (ELSEC) programme, helping to identify and respond to speech and language needs, continued investment in the Nuffield Early Language Intervention, which has demonstrated significant impact on speech and language skills particularly for disadvantaged pupils, and an expansion of English Hubs support to include specialist early language support from the 2026/27 academic year.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to improve access to speech and language support for children with communication needs in schools.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Speech and language therapists (SaLTs) break down communication barriers, but too often, children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) wait too long to receive support from them.

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

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

This is in addition to £3.4 million being invested this year in the Early Language Support for Every Child (ELSEC) programme, helping to identify and respond to speech and language needs, continued investment in the Nuffield Early Language Intervention, which has demonstrated significant impact on speech and language skills particularly for disadvantaged pupils, and an expansion of English Hubs support to include specialist early language support from the 2026/27 academic year.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of installing air filtration systems in schools in England.

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

The department regularly reviews its guidance to ensure that it aligns with best practice and industry standards, supporting the delivery of high quality school environments.

The department has assessed the suitability of using air cleaning units, and the relevant information is included in our guidance on ventilation and indoor air quality in education and childcare settings, which can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ventilation-and-air-quality-in-education-and-childcare-settings/ventilation-and-air-quality-in-education-and-childcare-settings.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of (a) trends in the level of child morning hunger across early years, primary and secondary school settings and (b) the potential impact of child morning hunger on school readiness and attendance in the Forest of Dean constituency.

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

The government is committed to tackling child poverty and delivering meaningful action to support children and families. We recognise the importance of a healthy breakfast at the start of the day for pupils and the impact this can have on attendance and readiness to learn. This is why we are rolling out free breakfast clubs in every state-funded school with primary-aged pupils in England, so all children, regardless of background, can have the best start in life.

School leaders report that free breakfast clubs are improving punctuality, attendance, behaviour and concentration. Since April 2025, the programme has delivered seven million meals and offered places to almost 180,000 pupils across the country, with two of our early adopter schools located in the Forest of Dean constituency.

We are investing a further £80 million to fund approximately 2,000 additional schools between April 2026 and March 2027. We have also committed to continued funding of breakfast provision from September 2026 for secondary schools in disadvantaged areas which are currently participating in the National School Breakfast Programme.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of school leavers have progressed to (a) employment and (b) economic inactivity by type of establishment in each year since September 2020.

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

The department publishes information on the destinations of students after key stage 4 and 16 to 18 study. This includes whether a student sustained an education, employment or apprenticeship destination. The data also includes the number of students who did not sustain a destination or where no activity was captured.

To be counted in a destination, young people must have sustained participation for a six-month period in the destination year.

Data on the destinations of students who have completed key stage 4 is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/40d1474a-30ff-402a-f7ee-08de834d471d.

Data on the destinations of students who have completed 16 to 18 study is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/5d0582dc-7327-42f2-ab5e-08de834ce335.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what consideration her Department has given to paying national non-domestic rates on behalf of early years education settings.

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

It is our ambition that all families have access to high quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, giving every child the best start in life and delivering on our Plan for Change.

The small business rate relief scheme provides up to 100% relief for eligible businesses occupying one property with a rateable value of £12,000 or below and reduces bills up to £15,000. Furthermore, if a nursery is a charity, charitable rate relief provides 80% off rates bills, which can be topped up to 100% by the local authority.

The government funds local authorities to deliver the early years entitlements through the early years national funding formula for the three and four-year-old entitlement and a separate formula for the two-year-old and below entitlement. The hourly funding rate paid to local authorities for these entitlements is designed to recognise the average costs across different provider types and is intended to reflect staff and non-staff costs, including business rates. The national average three and four-year-old hourly funding rate of local authorities is increasing by 4.1%, the two-year-old hourly funding rate is increasing by 3.3%, and the nine months to two-year-old hourly funding rate is increasing by 3.4%.

There are no current plans to extend the centralised payment system to private, voluntary, or independent early years settings or to make these settings exempt.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the answer of 2 February 2026, to Question 107708, on Eramsus+ programme, if she will set out how the money will be distributed back to UK student beneficiaries, and how much of the cost will be used to pay for EU students studying in the UK.

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

The Erasmus+ budget determines the overall allocation of funds across the programme for the 2021–2027 period. The UK National Agency will be responsible for assessing funding applications and awarding grants to UK beneficiaries.

EU students who wish to come to the UK on an Erasmus+ placement are funded through their own country’s Erasmus+ budget, which is managed by their national agency.

All students enrolled in studies at a UK higher education institution (HEI) leading to a degree or another tertiary level qualification are eligible to apply for an Erasmus+ mobility, provided their institution has secured funding. Decisions on which students receive funding for placements are made by the individual HEIs.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department’s press release entitled Students given stronger protections against extremism on campus, published on 8 March 2026, whether any additional resources will be allocated to the Office for Students to help monitor universities.

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

The Office for Students will strengthen its monitoring activity by reprioritising its existing resources.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of trends in the level of student debt on the financial stability of people in Yeovil constituency.

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

Unlike commercial loans, student loans carry significant protections for borrowers. Student loan repayments are linked to income, not to the amount borrowed or interest applied. Repayments are made at a constant rate of 9% above the earnings threshold, and if a borrower’s income drops below the repayment threshold, or they are not earning, their repayments will stop.

Any outstanding loan, including interest built up, is cancelled at the end of the loan term with no detriment to the borrower, and debt is never passed on to family members or descendants. However, the government appreciates that making student loan repayments does have an impact on individuals. This is why there are unique protections for borrowers and the finance system is heavily subsidised by taxpayers.

The department does not hold information on financial stability for Yeovil.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance the Department plans to issue to help ensure that Individual Support Plans (ISPs) are portable across phases and settings, including post‑16 and further education.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

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

Our ambition is that ISPs will be interactive, easy to use and available in a digital format, supporting consistency across the system and smoother transitions for children moving between settings and phases, as well as reducing workload for teachers and educators. Drawing on user‑centred research with schools, post-16 settings, families and professionals, we are exploring how best to design the ISP as well as exploring digital approaches, so that it reduces workload for teachers and educators by bringing information together in one place and cutting down on duplicated recording, while also supporting smoother transitions so children get the support they need in their new setting from the very beginning.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the compatibility of the Government's definition of anti-Muslim hostility with the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023.

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

As with the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism, which the government adopted in 2016, a clear definition of anti-Muslim hostility is an important step towards combatting the unacceptable hostility that Muslims face.

Where higher education providers adopt this definition, they must do so in a way that is compatible with their duties to protect freedom of speech and academic freedom.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the potential impact of reforms to integrated care boards, including staffing reductions, on their role in SEND commissioning.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The department will continue to work closely with the Department of Health and Social Care as well as NHS England to ensure that special educational needs and disabilities reforms are co-ordinated across education and health, and local leaders are supported to manage the transition effectively.

The government is also providing substantial, targeted investment to help local areas grow and strengthen their specialist workforce. Over the next three years, £1.8 billion will be made available to local area partnerships to develop and roll out the Experts at Hand offer.

We have also announced over £40 million to expand the specialist workforce, including £15 million for new advanced speech and language therapy practitioner roles, and £26 million to train at least 200 educational psychologists per year from 2026 and 2027.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that all schools are adequately prepared for emergency situations.

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

All education, childcare and children’s social care settings should have emergency plans in place. They must also comply with legal responsibilities, including under health and safety law.

The department publishes non-statutory guidance to support settings plan for emergencies within their own local context. The guidance is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/emergency-planning-and-response-for-education-childcare-and-childrens-social-care-settings/emergency-planning-and-response-for-education-childcare-and-childrens-social-care-settings.

In any emergency, education, childcare and children's social care settings should keep children and staff safe and seek to minimise the amount and length of any disruption.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that AI tools are deployed safely in schools under the expansion of the EdTech Testbeds pilot programme.

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

The government is taking clear, evidence-based steps to ensure artificial intelligence (AI) tools are deployed safely. The EdTech Testbeds programme will test educational technologies, including AI and Assistive Technologies, in real education settings to evaluate their impact on workload, learner outcomes and inclusion. Alongside this, we have introduced Generative AI Product Safety Standards, which set out strict safeguards. These include child-centred design, enhanced filtering of harmful content and strong data protection and safeguarding requirements.

To support safe adoption, we have published materials created with the Chiltern Learning Trust and the Chartered College of Teaching, to help teachers and leaders use AI responsibly and effectively.

These measures, combined with strengthened digital and technology standards for all schools, ensure that AI can be introduced safely while delivering meaningful educational benefits.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to page 22 of her Department's consultation paper entitled SEND Reform: Putting Children and Young People First, CP1509. how will the voices of (a) children, (b) young people and (c) parents be strengthened within local partnership arrangements.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The department will strengthen the voices of children, young people, and parent carers making it easier for them to access clear advice and practical support from government, both locally and nationally.

This includes involving them in local area plans and in holding services to account so that they better meet the need of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

The department will strengthen the framework within which parent carer forums operate with consistent standards and training. We will also increase funding to local parent carer forums to enhance their peer support, and have further influence in local SEND systems, working with local partnership boards, Integrated Care Board and Best Start Family Hubs.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to publish plans for office closures within her Department.

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

As part of the department’s People Strategy and in line with the government's commitment to a more productive, agile and efficient civil service, the department has developed a long-term locations strategy. This includes closing six of our smaller sites and moving towards a focused 8-site model, with locations at Bristol, Cambridge, Coventry, Darlington, London, Manchester, Nottingham and Sheffield. My noble Friend, the Secretary of State for Education does not plan to publish plans for office closures. Our external communications are focused on the department's strategy, delivery and changes impacting the sector. This is an internal issue for the department.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with the Home Office on the number of children in care going missing due to child exploitation.

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

The government takes the issue of any child going missing, from home or care, extremely seriously. Local safeguarding partners should work together to reduce the chances of children going missing and respond effectively when they do. The department has provided statutory guidance about responsibilities for children who go missing. Our ‘Working together to safeguard children’ statutory guidance sets out the importance of sharing information and that practitioners should be alert to those who frequently go missing.

The latest relevant publication covers 2021 to 2025 and is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoptions/2025 (data for earlier years is in previous releases, changes in the way data is reported means comparisons over time should not be made). In 2025, 86,900 missing incidents were reported for 12,720 looked after children (11%), an average (mean) of 6.8 missing incidents per child who went missing. Most (91%) missing incidents lasted for two days or less.

The department also published ad hoc statistics, which indicated that going or being missing may be a co-occurring factor for some children who have experienced sexual exploitation. Just over a third (34%) of children assessed as having been affected by sexual exploitation were also assessed as at risk of going missing.

The department is working to reduce the number of children who go missing. Measures from the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill and Crime and Policing Bill, reforms being delivered through the Families First Partnership Programme (supported by £2.4 billion), updates to the ‘Working together to safeguard children’ statutory guidance, and oversight from the Keeping Children Safe ministerial board will ensure that we better respond when children go missing and intervene earlier to tackle the underlying drivers.

Officials engage with stakeholders, including Missing. A senior civil servant from the department attended the recent All-Party Parliamentary Group for Missing Children and Adults interactive parliamentary session.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps is her Department taking to help reduce the number of children in care that go missing.

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

The government takes the issue of any child going missing, from home or care, extremely seriously. Local safeguarding partners should work together to reduce the chances of children going missing and respond effectively when they do. The department has provided statutory guidance about responsibilities for children who go missing. Our ‘Working together to safeguard children’ statutory guidance sets out the importance of sharing information and that practitioners should be alert to those who frequently go missing.

The latest relevant publication covers 2021 to 2025 and is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoptions/2025 (data for earlier years is in previous releases, changes in the way data is reported means comparisons over time should not be made). In 2025, 86,900 missing incidents were reported for 12,720 looked after children (11%), an average (mean) of 6.8 missing incidents per child who went missing. Most (91%) missing incidents lasted for two days or less.

The department also published ad hoc statistics, which indicated that going or being missing may be a co-occurring factor for some children who have experienced sexual exploitation. Just over a third (34%) of children assessed as having been affected by sexual exploitation were also assessed as at risk of going missing.

The department is working to reduce the number of children who go missing. Measures from the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill and Crime and Policing Bill, reforms being delivered through the Families First Partnership Programme (supported by £2.4 billion), updates to the ‘Working together to safeguard children’ statutory guidance, and oversight from the Keeping Children Safe ministerial board will ensure that we better respond when children go missing and intervene earlier to tackle the underlying drivers.

Officials engage with stakeholders, including Missing. A senior civil servant from the department attended the recent All-Party Parliamentary Group for Missing Children and Adults interactive parliamentary session.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate has her Department made of the number of children in care that have gone missing annually since 2015.

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

The government takes the issue of any child going missing, from home or care, extremely seriously. Local safeguarding partners should work together to reduce the chances of children going missing and respond effectively when they do. The department has provided statutory guidance about responsibilities for children who go missing. Our ‘Working together to safeguard children’ statutory guidance sets out the importance of sharing information and that practitioners should be alert to those who frequently go missing.

The latest relevant publication covers 2021 to 2025 and is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoptions/2025 (data for earlier years is in previous releases, changes in the way data is reported means comparisons over time should not be made). In 2025, 86,900 missing incidents were reported for 12,720 looked after children (11%), an average (mean) of 6.8 missing incidents per child who went missing. Most (91%) missing incidents lasted for two days or less.

The department also published ad hoc statistics, which indicated that going or being missing may be a co-occurring factor for some children who have experienced sexual exploitation. Just over a third (34%) of children assessed as having been affected by sexual exploitation were also assessed as at risk of going missing.

The department is working to reduce the number of children who go missing. Measures from the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill and Crime and Policing Bill, reforms being delivered through the Families First Partnership Programme (supported by £2.4 billion), updates to the ‘Working together to safeguard children’ statutory guidance, and oversight from the Keeping Children Safe ministerial board will ensure that we better respond when children go missing and intervene earlier to tackle the underlying drivers.

Officials engage with stakeholders, including Missing. A senior civil servant from the department attended the recent All-Party Parliamentary Group for Missing Children and Adults interactive parliamentary session.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment has her Department on trends in the level of children going missing in care.

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

The government takes the issue of any child going missing, from home or care, extremely seriously. Local safeguarding partners should work together to reduce the chances of children going missing and respond effectively when they do. The department has provided statutory guidance about responsibilities for children who go missing. Our ‘Working together to safeguard children’ statutory guidance sets out the importance of sharing information and that practitioners should be alert to those who frequently go missing.

The latest relevant publication covers 2021 to 2025 and is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoptions/2025 (data for earlier years is in previous releases, changes in the way data is reported means comparisons over time should not be made). In 2025, 86,900 missing incidents were reported for 12,720 looked after children (11%), an average (mean) of 6.8 missing incidents per child who went missing. Most (91%) missing incidents lasted for two days or less.

The department also published ad hoc statistics, which indicated that going or being missing may be a co-occurring factor for some children who have experienced sexual exploitation. Just over a third (34%) of children assessed as having been affected by sexual exploitation were also assessed as at risk of going missing.

The department is working to reduce the number of children who go missing. Measures from the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill and Crime and Policing Bill, reforms being delivered through the Families First Partnership Programme (supported by £2.4 billion), updates to the ‘Working together to safeguard children’ statutory guidance, and oversight from the Keeping Children Safe ministerial board will ensure that we better respond when children go missing and intervene earlier to tackle the underlying drivers.

Officials engage with stakeholders, including Missing. A senior civil servant from the department attended the recent All-Party Parliamentary Group for Missing Children and Adults interactive parliamentary session.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the proposed peer‑mentoring pathway for adoptive and special guardianship families will involve; whether trained adopters participating in this programme will be remunerated for their work; and what steps her Department is taking to ensure that emotional labour undertaken by adopters is appropriately recognised.

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

The ‘Adoption support that works for all’ consultation proposes strengthening peer and community support for adoptive and special guardianship families, including developing models where experienced adopters and kinship carers share practical strategies, build resilience, and help families navigate services. The design of these proposals will be based on feedback received through the consultation and will be developed in collaboration with those with direct experience.

Proposals within the consultation explicitly aim to strengthen early support, expand peer and community networks, and ensure support services are better aligned with families’ needs and experiences, as part of creating a more sustainable and responsive system of adoption and kinship support.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the number of teachers made redundant while on maternity leave in the last five years; and what steps her Department is taking to ensure that school funding arrangements enable schools to retain experienced teachers and support flexible working for staff with caring responsibilities.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Pregnant women and new mothers have enhanced protections against redundancy dismissals, which cover the pregnancy period, the time spent on maternity leave, and a return-to-work period. The protections give those employees priority for being offered suitable and alternative roles if any are available and place them ahead of other employees who are also at risk of redundancy.

The government will put in place legislation that makes it unlawful to dismiss pregnant women, mothers on maternity leave and for at least six months after they return to work, except in specific circumstances. This starts with the Employment Rights Act, with regulations to follow. We intend for the measure to come into force in 2027.

As announced in the Schools White Paper, we will fund schools to improve maternity pay, doubling the period of full pay from the current offer of four weeks to eight weeks for school teachers and leaders.

Additionally, building on the success of the current Flexible Working Ambassador Programme, as announced in the Schools White Paper, the government is investing in a new teacher retention programme from Autumn 2026. The programme will support schools to promote flexible working which will help schools to better support staff with caring responsibilities.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the continued need for individual, trauma‑informed 1‑to‑1 therapeutic support for adoptive and special guardianship families; whether the national transition programme will continue to fund such support; and how the Department plans to ensure that families with complex relational needs retain access to bespoke therapeutic interventions alongside any new universal or group‑based offers.

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

Through the ‘Adoption Support That Works for All’ consultation, launched on 10 February 2026, the department is seeking views on the future mix of support for adoptive and special guardianship families, including the ongoing role of specialist therapeutic interventions. Responses to the consultation will inform our assessment of future provision.

The consultation features a call for evidence, asking respondents to tell us what works for those children who need additional support. We want to build the evidence base on what works for adopted children and their families, to ensure we are making the biggest difference possible. Decisions on these issues will be determined following the analysis of consultation responses.

The department recognises that many adoptive families require more intensive therapeutic support. That is why we have extended the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund and increased funding by 10% to increase access.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department’s press release entitled Students given stronger protections against extremism on campus, published on 8 March 2026, what organisations and student groups will be involved in co-designing the proposed Campus Cohesion Charter.

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

The Campus Cohesion Charter will not preclude or discourage any lawful speech or behaviour and the department will work closely with the Office for Students to ensure that is the case. Universities will be strongly encouraged but not compelled to adopt the charter.

It will be a student-led product, facilitated by a partnership of the department, the National Union of Students and University of Salford. Other groups and experts will be invited to collaborate as the product evolves.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department’s press release entitled Students given stronger protections against extremism on campus, published on 8 March 2026, whether universities will be required to adopt the Campus Cohesion Charter as a condition of registration with the Office for Students.

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

The Campus Cohesion Charter will not preclude or discourage any lawful speech or behaviour and the department will work closely with the Office for Students to ensure that is the case. Universities will be strongly encouraged but not compelled to adopt the charter.

It will be a student-led product, facilitated by a partnership of the department, the National Union of Students and University of Salford. Other groups and experts will be invited to collaborate as the product evolves.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department’s press release entitled Students given stronger protections against extremism on campus, published on 8 March 2026, if she will take steps to ensure that the Campus Cohesion Charter does not prevent student societies supporting registered political parties.

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

The Campus Cohesion Charter will not preclude or discourage any lawful speech or behaviour and the department will work closely with the Office for Students to ensure that is the case. Universities will be strongly encouraged but not compelled to adopt the charter.

It will be a student-led product, facilitated by a partnership of the department, the National Union of Students and University of Salford. Other groups and experts will be invited to collaborate as the product evolves.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department’s press release entitled Students given stronger protections against extremism on campus, published on 8 March 2026, what safeguards will be in place to ensure that the Campus Cohesion Charter is not utilised to curtail freedom of speech.

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

The Campus Cohesion Charter will not preclude or discourage any lawful speech or behaviour and the department will work closely with the Office for Students to ensure that is the case. Universities will be strongly encouraged but not compelled to adopt the charter.

It will be a student-led product, facilitated by a partnership of the department, the National Union of Students and University of Salford. Other groups and experts will be invited to collaborate as the product evolves.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of trends in the level of the use of (i) physical restraint and (ii) isolation practices in schools; what steps her Department is taking to reduce the use of these practices; and when updated guidance for schools and parents will be published on this matter.

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

The government recognises that the use of restrictive interventions, such as physical restraint and seclusion, can have a significant and long-lasting effect on the pupils, staff members and parents involved, as well as other class members.

For this reason, we have recently updated the restrictive interventions, and the use of reasonable force in schools guidance. This aims to support schools to proactively minimise the need to use such interventions through early support, prevention and de-escalation strategies.

​The ‘Behaviour in schools’ guidance outlines expectations around the use of removal from the classroom which some schools refer to as isolation. Schools should ensure that removal for any pupil is for the minimum amount of time necessary, and that removal is used consistently, proportionately, and in a way that supports the pupil’s reintegration into the classroom.

The guidance makes clear to schools that they should collect, review and analyse data internally to assess the use of restrictive interventions and removal, so that improvements to these practices can be identified.

As outlined in the Schools White Paper, we will spread best practice through refreshed resources to support schools to deliver calm, caring and inclusive environments.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has plans to increase the number of state school students able to study Latin and the Classics.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The government is committed to supporting a broad and balanced curriculum that is inclusive and accessible to all pupils. The study of classics and ancient languages can teach pupils valuable lessons in history, politics and art that are still relevant today. All schools are free to include Latin, Ancient Greek and classics as part of their curriculum, and there are GCSEs and A levels available in all three subjects.

The department has worked with organisations such as Classics for All, The Classical Association and Hands Up Education to ensure schools are aware of free support available to help teach these subjects.

We also continue to provide bursaries for trainee language teachers, including ancient languages. For the 2026/27 academic year, this will be £20,000.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the cost to the public purse of her proposed maternity pay reforms; and how she plans to fund this additional cost.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

This government is committed to tackling recruitment and retention challenges and supporting teachers to stay in the profession and thrive.

The recent Schools White Paper announced our commitment to fund improvements to maternity pay for school and college teachers, leaders and support staff. From September 2027/28, school teachers and leaders will see their period of full maternity pay, doubled from the current offer of 4 weeks of full pay to 8 weeks. The announcement responds to evidence that women aged 30 to 39 are the largest group of leavers from the school teacher workforce in terms of volume, which could be linked to choosing between a career and having a family.

While we are not able to share the exact funding amount at this stage, we will fully fund the improved maternity offer at a national level and are currently finalising the estimates.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking with schools to help reduce the number of minors being treated for drug use, including in Medway.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Schools and colleges have a critical role to play in protecting children and keeping them safe. Keeping children safe in education (KCSIE), available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/keeping-children-safe-in-education--2, is the statutory guidance that all schools and colleges must have when carrying out their duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.

The statutory curriculum for health education requires all pupils in state-maintained schools to be taught the facts about legal and illegal harmful substances and the associated risks to physical and mental wellbeing, including smoking, alcohol use and drug-taking.

By the end of secondary school, pupils should know the facts about which drugs are illegal, the risks of taking illegal drugs, including the increased risk of potent synthetic drugs being added to illegal drugs, the risks of illicit vapes containing drugs, illicit drugs and counterfeit medicines, and the potential health harms, including the link to poor mental health.

This complements content about substances within the national curriculum for science.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has for SEND practitioners to be provided with training on how to support children with speech, language and communication challenges.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The department recently announced an investment of £15 million to establish new speech and language therapist (SaLT) advanced practitioners in every integrated care board geographical area, to get more SaLTs working in educational settings. These advanced practitioners will be qualified speech and language therapists.

The government is also investing £200 million to give all staff in schools, colleges and early years settings the training they need to better support pupils with special educational needs and disabilities, including those with speech, language and communication needs in mainstream settings.

This is in addition to £3.4 million being invested this year in the Early Language Support for Every Child programme, helping to identify and respond to speech and language needs, continued investment in the Nuffield Early Language Intervention, which has demonstrated significant impact on speech and language skills particularly for disadvantaged pupils, and an expansion of English Hubs programme from the 2026/27 academic year to include intensive language and literacy support.

Question to the Department for Education:

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

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

This government is committed to tackling recruitment and retention challenges and supporting teachers to stay in the profession and thrive.

The recent Schools White Paper announced our commitment to fund improvements to maternity pay for school and college teachers, leaders and support staff. From September 2027/28, school teachers and leaders will see their period of full maternity pay, doubled from the current offer of 4 weeks of full pay to 8 weeks. The announcement responds to evidence that women aged 30 to 39 are the largest group of leavers from the school teacher workforce in terms of volume, which could be linked to choosing between a career and having a family.

While we are not able to share the exact funding amount at this stage, we will fully fund the improved maternity offer at a national level and are currently finalising the estimates.

Found: The Department for Education is also taking action to improve air quality for children and young people

Found: Finally, in April 2025, the MOD and Department for Education published non-statutory guidance to help

Found: three-month delay, controlled internally, in effect reverses that presumption. 51 Ibid. 52 Department for Education

Found: DfE – make schools streets essential.

Found: Perhaps in response to the Committee’s inquiry, the Department for Education published new guidance

Found: It is relevant for DHSC, DESNZ, MHCLG, DfE, Defra and DfT.

Found: Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, the Department for Transport, the Department for Education

Found: We believe that the Department for Education should support school leaders and other school staff to

Found: for clean air and carbon reduction.Written submission from City of Bradford MDC (AIR0016) Department for Education

Found: Universities told to report foreign interference on campus to MI5”, 9 February 2026 161 Department for Education

Found: from England and Wales, including that published by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) and the Department for Education

Found: From the conversations we had yesterday—we have also been talking to the Department for Education separately—it

Found: Have you thought about this, and is there any scope to work with the DfE to try to restart some of that

Found: modular housing and for modular schools, and there is quite a good relationship between the Department for Education

Found: We hope that the Home Office takes this forward along with groups like the DFE and DWP as well.

Found: CPS0100 - Realising potential: Delivering the Child Poverty Strategy Department for Education Written

Found: communication and collaboration to implement the Child Poverty Strategy effectively, with the Department for Education

Found: communication and collaboration to implement the Child Poverty Strategy effectively, with the Department for Education

Found: approach of the strategy to break down the barriers to data sharing between Government departments (DfE

Found: approach of the strategy to break down the barriers to data sharing between Government departments (DfE

Found: Department for Education. June 4, 2025.

Found: Department of Health and Social Care, the Department for Culture, Media & Sport, and the Department for Education

Found: Effective implementation will require improved data sharing between DfE, DWP and local authorities to

Found: DfE estimates suggest that the early years workforce would need to increase by 35,000 staff to enable

Found: Implementation Board for the Children’s Social Care Review and the Market Intervention Advisory Group in DfE

Found: to Free School Meals (under the current criteria) do not benefit from their entitlement (Department for Education

Found: Although a CRIA template exists within government (developed in 2018 by the Department for Education

Found: According to DfE research, an average school uniform already has three or fewer branded items.

Found: It asked specifically about copyright and AI in education, to help the Department of Education (DfE)

Found: It includes a joint Ministerial Foreword, co-signed by Minister Bailey on behalf of the Department for Education

Found: We hope that the Home Office takes this forward along with groups like the DFE and DWP as well.

Found: What worked was that this fund, and the way it was managed through the DfE, gave practitioners and teachers

Found: you happen to know, was that investment from the Ministry of Defence or was it from the Department for Education

Found: The Rt Hon Bridget Phillipson MP Secretary of State for Education Department for Education Sanctuary

Found: Kirsty McHugh: On the 21-hour rule, it looks like DWP and DFE have a bit of a Mexican standoff.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what work is being done with the Secretary of State for Education to address the additional workload of teaching assistants that are providing medical attention for disabled and severely ill children in SEND schools.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Schools White Paper, Every child achieving and thriving, and the consultation on Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) reforms have now been published, as of 23 February. The White Paper and the consultation are available, respectively, at the following two links:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/every-child-achieving-and-thriving

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/send-reform-putting-children-and-young-people-first/send-reform-putting-children-and-young-people-first-html-version

These documents set out our ambitions to transform outcomes for children, young people, and their families who have been let down for far too long. The Department for Health and Social Care and NHS England have worked closely with the Department for Education on the reforms, and continued close partnership between health, social care, and education will be needed to realise the opportunity created by these crucial reforms.

The Government is currently consulting on proposed updates to the statutory guidance on supporting pupils with medical conditions at school, with further information available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/proposal-on-support-for-pupils-with-medical-conditions-at-school

The Government will publish non-statutory guidance to clarify the roles and responsibilities of health and education in supporting pupils with medical conditions in education settings. Schools are responsible for managing their resources and budgets. They must comply with their statutory duties, including those under the Equality Act and the duty under section 100 of the Children and Families Act 2014 to make arrangements for supporting pupils with medical conditions.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) have various statutory duties under the Children and Families Act 2014 to work with local authorities, including on: identifying and notifying where a child or young person has potential SEND; joint commissioning; participating in education, health and care assessments and plans; and securing health provision. Reform proposals include the creation of New Specialist Provision Packages for children and young people with complex needs, which set out exactly what support and resources are required for specific needs. These will be developed and reviewed by an Independent Expert Panel with education and health co-chairs, and shaped through testing with parents. For children under five years old with complex needs, we will introduce a fast track for a Specialist Provision Package and Education, Health and Care Plan.

The NHS Medium Term Planning Framework for 2026/27 to 2028/29, published October 2025, included, for the first time, a clear requirement for ICBs and providers to meet their statutory SEND duties and support the Government’s SEND reform plans. The framework is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/medium-term-planning-framework-delivering-change-together-2026-27-to-2028-29.pdf

Each ICB is also required to have an executive lead for children and young people with SEND. ICBs will need to work alongside local authorities to develop Local SEND Reform Plans, which will set out each local area’s approach to implementing SEND reforms, tailored to local context and need. These plans will lay the foundation for long-term reform, set how partners will work together, and enable ongoing monitoring of progress, including introduction of the new Experts at Hand service.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the level of his Department's role in SEND provision, especially for children with a) disabilities and life limiting-illnesses and b) children who need regular medication throughout the school day.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Schools White Paper, Every child achieving and thriving, and the consultation on Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) reforms have now been published, as of 23 February. The White Paper and the consultation are available, respectively, at the following two links:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/every-child-achieving-and-thriving

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/send-reform-putting-children-and-young-people-first/send-reform-putting-children-and-young-people-first-html-version

These documents set out our ambitions to transform outcomes for children, young people, and their families who have been let down for far too long. The Department for Health and Social Care and NHS England have worked closely with the Department for Education on the reforms, and continued close partnership between health, social care, and education will be needed to realise the opportunity created by these crucial reforms.

The Government is currently consulting on proposed updates to the statutory guidance on supporting pupils with medical conditions at school, with further information available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/proposal-on-support-for-pupils-with-medical-conditions-at-school

The Government will publish non-statutory guidance to clarify the roles and responsibilities of health and education in supporting pupils with medical conditions in education settings. Schools are responsible for managing their resources and budgets. They must comply with their statutory duties, including those under the Equality Act and the duty under section 100 of the Children and Families Act 2014 to make arrangements for supporting pupils with medical conditions.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) have various statutory duties under the Children and Families Act 2014 to work with local authorities, including on: identifying and notifying where a child or young person has potential SEND; joint commissioning; participating in education, health and care assessments and plans; and securing health provision. Reform proposals include the creation of New Specialist Provision Packages for children and young people with complex needs, which set out exactly what support and resources are required for specific needs. These will be developed and reviewed by an Independent Expert Panel with education and health co-chairs, and shaped through testing with parents. For children under five years old with complex needs, we will introduce a fast track for a Specialist Provision Package and Education, Health and Care Plan.

The NHS Medium Term Planning Framework for 2026/27 to 2028/29, published October 2025, included, for the first time, a clear requirement for ICBs and providers to meet their statutory SEND duties and support the Government’s SEND reform plans. The framework is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/medium-term-planning-framework-delivering-change-together-2026-27-to-2028-29.pdf

Each ICB is also required to have an executive lead for children and young people with SEND. ICBs will need to work alongside local authorities to develop Local SEND Reform Plans, which will set out each local area’s approach to implementing SEND reforms, tailored to local context and need. These plans will lay the foundation for long-term reform, set how partners will work together, and enable ongoing monitoring of progress, including introduction of the new Experts at Hand service.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what Barnett consequentials will be generated for the Scottish government by (a) grants awarded to local authorities in England to address SEND deficits announced in the written statement entitled Local Government Finance Settlement 2026-27 to 2028-29, published on 9 February 2026, HCWS1315, and (b) additional funding for SEND announced in the Spring Statement.

Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

At Spring Forecast 2026 it was confirmed that the Scottish Government will receive £533 million Barnett consequentials in 2026-27, through the application of the Barnett formula to the grants for Local Authorities to address SEND deficits in England.

The Barnett formula applies mechanically to new funding for the Department for Education in 2028-29, to support reforms of the SEND system. This results in an additional £362 million for the Scottish Government in 2028-29.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what Barnett consequentials will be generated for Scotland by (a) the awarding of grants to local authorities in England to address SEND deficits, as set out in UIN HCWS1315 and (a) the funding for SEND announced in the Spring Statement 2026.

Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

At Spring Forecast 2026 it was confirmed that the Scottish Government will receive £533 million Barnett consequentials in 2026-27, through the application of the Barnett formula to the grants for Local Authorities to address SEND deficits in England.

The Barnett formula applies mechanically to new funding for the Department for Education in 2028-29, to support reforms of the SEND system. This results in an additional £362 million for the Scottish Government in 2028-29.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions he has had with the Aviation Industry Skills Industry Board on the value of ongoing funding during the transition from Apprenticeship Level to the Growth and Skills Levy for Level 3+ Leadership and Management Apprenticeship Standard Apprenticeships.

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

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

The Department for Transport regularly attends Aviation Industry Skills Board meetings, where they provide government updates alongside colleagues from the Department for Work and Pensions, the Department for Education and Skills England. Skills England recently discussed the Growth and Skills levy with this group and government will continue to engage as we deliver this reform.

From September 2026, we will withdraw funding from 16 existing apprenticeship standards. Three of these are generic leadership and management apprenticeships, which have grown significantly but are predominantly used as continuing professional development for established staff aged 25 and over.

The changes to streamline the apprenticeship offer will help to create headroom to invest in opportunities for young people. Over the past 10 years, apprenticeship starts among young people have fallen sharply. Starts for 16–24-year-olds have declined by 40%, and over half of all apprenticeship starts are now by learners aged over 25, many of which are at higher levels. To support our ambition of 50,000 more young people into apprenticeships, we are expanding foundation apprenticeships into hospitality and retail, introducing an incentive of up to £2,000 for SMEs that take on 16–24-year-old apprentices as new employees, and launching a new level 2 administrative assistant apprenticeship for young people.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Local Government Finance Statement made on 23 February 2026, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of writing off 90% of Dedicated Schools Grant high needs deficits accrued to the end of 2025-26 on the economy; what the estimated value of write-off is by local authority; what steps he is taking to prevent deficits re-accumulating; and whether councils impacted by the write-off will face (a) borrowing restrictions and (b) additional oversight.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government has set out details of a reformed SEND system which meets needs earlier, before challenges escalate. All local authorities with a SEND deficit are eligible for a grant to resolve 90% of their historic deficits up to 2025‑26— projected to be worth over £5 billion nationally—protecting their ability to support children and young people with SEND in local schools while sustaining wider services and tackling deprivation. Addressing deficits accrued to 2025‑26 could reduce financing costs by an estimated £300 million by 2027‑28.

Each local authority’s grant allocation will be determined by reviewing all available sources on local authority expenditure to establish the eligible SEND deficit. This will include comparing Section 251 data, draft and published Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) notes, DSG s151 assurance, Revenue Outturn data and published accounts.

Grant eligibility is conditional on securing Department for Education approval of a Local SEND Reform Plan, which will also be used to assess ongoing performance and delivery to target support and challenge throughout the reform period.

Local authorities will continue to operate under existing prudential financial management frameworks.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to include the needs of children in care in the development of his Department's policy.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

MHCLG works closely with the Department for Education on policy development for children’s social care and is responsible for making funding available to local government for children’s social care service delivery through the Local Government Finance Settlement. As a government, we are driving the biggest transformation of children’s social care in a generation with the Families First Partnership programme – backed by a historic £2.4 billion through the multi-year Settlement’s Children, Families and Youth Grant. This historic investment demonstrates the government’s commitment to invest in prevention and will support councils working across the safeguarding partnership to deliver children’s social care reform, making a real, tangible difference to children and families.

Alongside this programme of reform, helping care leavers to make a successful transition from care to independence is a priority for this Government. Together with the Department for Education, MHCLG will develop a cross-government action plan to reduce the proportion of care leavers under 25 experiencing homelessness. And MHCLG has introduced regulations, which came into force on 10 July 2025, so that young care leavers under 25 will no longer need to meet a local connection or residency test in order to access social housing.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Child Poverty Strategy, published on 5 December 2025, what steps they will take to prevent (1) families from being placed in bed and breakfast accommodation for more than six weeks, and (2) new-born babies from being placed in bed and breakfast accommodation immediately after leaving hospital.

Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

As set out in the National Plan to End Homelessness, this government is committed to tackling the detrimental impact of living in temporary accommodation on a child’s health, wellbeing and education outcomes. We will work with councils, supported by robust NHS pathways, to make sure safe and appropriate alternatives are available and used for newborn babies. We are also setting an ambition to cut school days lost for children in temporary accommodation, backed by data so that targeted support can be provided more effectively.

Legislation is clear B&B accommodation is never suitable for families with children. There may be instances when B&B accommodation may be the only immediate option, for example emergency placements made out of hours, however such placements should be rare and there is a six-week limit to family B&B placements.

To deliver upon our target to end the use of B&B accommodation for families over the legal six-week limit by the end of this Parliament, we will scale up our Emergency Accommodation Reduction Pilots into a programme with £30 million funding to tackle a wider range of poor practice. We also increasing the supply of good-quality temporary accommodation through the £950 million fourth round of the Local Authority Housing Fund.

The Government will be introducing a new duty on councils to notify schools, health visitors and GP practices where a child is in temporary accommodation. The intention of the temporary accommodation notification duty is to strengthen information sharing so that educational institutions and health providers are aware where children may require additional or different support and can seek to improve their outcomes. MHCLG, DfE and DHSC are working closely together to develop guidance to relevant bodies, to support effective implementation of this important measure. We are undertaking impact assessments for this measure, including a new burdens assessment for councils which is being informed through engagement with the sector, including councils who have piloted this approach.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Child Poverty Strategy, published on 5 December 2025, what assessment they have made of the suitability of bed and breakfast accommodation for (1) families, and (2) families with babies; and what are the legal limits on the use of bed and breakfast accommodation for families.

Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

As set out in the National Plan to End Homelessness, this government is committed to tackling the detrimental impact of living in temporary accommodation on a child’s health, wellbeing and education outcomes. We will work with councils, supported by robust NHS pathways, to make sure safe and appropriate alternatives are available and used for newborn babies. We are also setting an ambition to cut school days lost for children in temporary accommodation, backed by data so that targeted support can be provided more effectively.

Legislation is clear B&B accommodation is never suitable for families with children. There may be instances when B&B accommodation may be the only immediate option, for example emergency placements made out of hours, however such placements should be rare and there is a six-week limit to family B&B placements.

To deliver upon our target to end the use of B&B accommodation for families over the legal six-week limit by the end of this Parliament, we will scale up our Emergency Accommodation Reduction Pilots into a programme with £30 million funding to tackle a wider range of poor practice. We also increasing the supply of good-quality temporary accommodation through the £950 million fourth round of the Local Authority Housing Fund.

The Government will be introducing a new duty on councils to notify schools, health visitors and GP practices where a child is in temporary accommodation. The intention of the temporary accommodation notification duty is to strengthen information sharing so that educational institutions and health providers are aware where children may require additional or different support and can seek to improve their outcomes. MHCLG, DfE and DHSC are working closely together to develop guidance to relevant bodies, to support effective implementation of this important measure. We are undertaking impact assessments for this measure, including a new burdens assessment for councils which is being informed through engagement with the sector, including councils who have piloted this approach.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Child Poverty Strategy, published on 5 December 2025, what assessment they have made of how better data sharing between housing, schools and healthcare will improve support available to homeless children.

Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

As set out in the National Plan to End Homelessness, this government is committed to tackling the detrimental impact of living in temporary accommodation on a child’s health, wellbeing and education outcomes. We will work with councils, supported by robust NHS pathways, to make sure safe and appropriate alternatives are available and used for newborn babies. We are also setting an ambition to cut school days lost for children in temporary accommodation, backed by data so that targeted support can be provided more effectively.

Legislation is clear B&B accommodation is never suitable for families with children. There may be instances when B&B accommodation may be the only immediate option, for example emergency placements made out of hours, however such placements should be rare and there is a six-week limit to family B&B placements.

To deliver upon our target to end the use of B&B accommodation for families over the legal six-week limit by the end of this Parliament, we will scale up our Emergency Accommodation Reduction Pilots into a programme with £30 million funding to tackle a wider range of poor practice. We also increasing the supply of good-quality temporary accommodation through the £950 million fourth round of the Local Authority Housing Fund.

The Government will be introducing a new duty on councils to notify schools, health visitors and GP practices where a child is in temporary accommodation. The intention of the temporary accommodation notification duty is to strengthen information sharing so that educational institutions and health providers are aware where children may require additional or different support and can seek to improve their outcomes. MHCLG, DfE and DHSC are working closely together to develop guidance to relevant bodies, to support effective implementation of this important measure. We are undertaking impact assessments for this measure, including a new burdens assessment for councils which is being informed through engagement with the sector, including councils who have piloted this approach.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask His Majesty's Government, in regard to the Child Poverty Strategy, published on 5 December 2025, what assessment they have made of the impact of being placed in bed and breakfast accommodation beyond the six-week limit on children's health, education and life chances.

Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

As set out in the National Plan to End Homelessness, this government is committed to tackling the detrimental impact of living in temporary accommodation on a child’s health, wellbeing and education outcomes. We will work with councils, supported by robust NHS pathways, to make sure safe and appropriate alternatives are available and used for newborn babies. We are also setting an ambition to cut school days lost for children in temporary accommodation, backed by data so that targeted support can be provided more effectively.

Legislation is clear B&B accommodation is never suitable for families with children. There may be instances when B&B accommodation may be the only immediate option, for example emergency placements made out of hours, however such placements should be rare and there is a six-week limit to family B&B placements.

To deliver upon our target to end the use of B&B accommodation for families over the legal six-week limit by the end of this Parliament, we will scale up our Emergency Accommodation Reduction Pilots into a programme with £30 million funding to tackle a wider range of poor practice. We also increasing the supply of good-quality temporary accommodation through the £950 million fourth round of the Local Authority Housing Fund.

The Government will be introducing a new duty on councils to notify schools, health visitors and GP practices where a child is in temporary accommodation. The intention of the temporary accommodation notification duty is to strengthen information sharing so that educational institutions and health providers are aware where children may require additional or different support and can seek to improve their outcomes. MHCLG, DfE and DHSC are working closely together to develop guidance to relevant bodies, to support effective implementation of this important measure. We are undertaking impact assessments for this measure, including a new burdens assessment for councils which is being informed through engagement with the sector, including councils who have piloted this approach.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask His Majesty's Government, in regard to the Child Poverty Strategy, published on 5 December 2025, what measures they will use to assess the impact of the notification system for councils to notify schools, health visitors and GPs when a child is placed in temporary accommodation.

Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

As set out in the National Plan to End Homelessness, this government is committed to tackling the detrimental impact of living in temporary accommodation on a child’s health, wellbeing and education outcomes. We will work with councils, supported by robust NHS pathways, to make sure safe and appropriate alternatives are available and used for newborn babies. We are also setting an ambition to cut school days lost for children in temporary accommodation, backed by data so that targeted support can be provided more effectively.

Legislation is clear B&B accommodation is never suitable for families with children. There may be instances when B&B accommodation may be the only immediate option, for example emergency placements made out of hours, however such placements should be rare and there is a six-week limit to family B&B placements.

To deliver upon our target to end the use of B&B accommodation for families over the legal six-week limit by the end of this Parliament, we will scale up our Emergency Accommodation Reduction Pilots into a programme with £30 million funding to tackle a wider range of poor practice. We also increasing the supply of good-quality temporary accommodation through the £950 million fourth round of the Local Authority Housing Fund.

The Government will be introducing a new duty on councils to notify schools, health visitors and GP practices where a child is in temporary accommodation. The intention of the temporary accommodation notification duty is to strengthen information sharing so that educational institutions and health providers are aware where children may require additional or different support and can seek to improve their outcomes. MHCLG, DfE and DHSC are working closely together to develop guidance to relevant bodies, to support effective implementation of this important measure. We are undertaking impact assessments for this measure, including a new burdens assessment for councils which is being informed through engagement with the sector, including councils who have piloted this approach.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether discussions have taken place between his Department and (a) NHS England, (b) the British Association of Prosthetics and Orthotics and (c) universities on the sustainability of prosthetics and orthotics training programmes.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department of Health and Social Care works closely with the Department for Education to support the availability of a diverse range of training routes into health and care careers including prosthetics and orthotics. While the Government is committed to ensuring sustainable training pathways for the future supply of prosthetics and orthotists, higher education institutions are independent providers and are responsible for making their own decisions about course delivery and viability.

The Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England remain committed to working with stakeholders through NHS England’s small and vulnerable professions programme, to help maintain and strengthen training and education pathways for pre-registration learners. This work has been supported recently with a meeting between myself and the British Association of Prosthetics and Orthotics to discuss strengthening a sustainable training and workforce pipeline.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department or NHS England has undertaken a risk assessment on the potential closure of prosthetics and orthotics pre-registration programmes.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department of Health and Social Care works closely with the Department for Education to support the availability of a diverse range of training routes into health and care careers including prosthetics and orthotics. While the Government is committed to ensuring sustainable training pathways for the future supply of prosthetics and orthotists, higher education institutions are independent providers and are responsible for making their own decisions about course delivery and viability.

The Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England remain committed to working with stakeholders through NHS England’s small and vulnerable professions programme, to help maintain and strengthen training and education pathways for pre-registration learners. This work has been supported recently with a meeting between myself and the British Association of Prosthetics and Orthotics to discuss strengthening a sustainable training and workforce pipeline.

Found: (DfE), Review of Post-16 Qualifications at level 3: Second stage, October 2020 2 DfE, Reforms

We call on the Department for Education to make practical cooking and food education a compulsory part of the national curriculum for all primary and secondary school pupils.

Found: We call on the Department for Education to make practical cooking and food education a compulsory part

Found: MHCLGF CDOD BT HMT DWPM oJ DefraC OM oD 19,348 15,355 6,917 3,266 UKEF 2,957 DSIT 845 DCMS 838 DfT 740 DfE

Found: term workless households in the UK - Office for National Statistics Educational attainment Department for Education

Found: workless households in the UK - Office for National Statistics Educational attainment Department for Education

Found: The Department for Education would publish data on the relevant background of university entrants,

Found: pay comparisons using the Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO) dataset, published by the Department for Education

Found: /20 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24 2024/25 2018/19 2019/20 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24 2024/25 DfE

Found: countermeasures, in collaboration with other government departments Children and young people The Department for Education

Found: The Department for Education (DfE) will continue to build awareness and understanding

Found: ‘28 6.1 Number of MCA-funded achievements at a level 1 qualification 9,422 27,890 9,420 18,750 DfE

Found: enrolments on Level 1 and Entry level courses 65,940 210,000 70,000 140,000 Data available through the DfE

Found: learners achieving a Level 3+ qualification for the first time) (cumulative) 460 1,300 450 880 Internal DfE

Found: ESOL), achievements (ASF only) 166,260 428,020 150,050 292,600 DfE Further Education & Skills publication

Found: Number of L1 achievements 14,720 14,195 14,160 14,185 DfE ILR / LCRCA 4.2.

Found: 315 341 3.5 Number of MSA funded residents progressing to Level 2 860 993 N/A 903 Internal DfE

Found: Joint visit with DfE and Home Office.

Found: Joint visit with DfE and Home Office.

Found: The Department for Business and Trade (DBT), the Department for Education (DfE), the Department for

Found: The change to a 4-year inspection window is part of the Department for Education’s (DfE) and Ofsted’s

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

Found: statutory guidance on court orders and pre-proceedings for local authorities, issued by the Department for Education

Found: ‘Compare school and college performance in England’ (the DfE website). 8.

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

Found: (DfE) DfE Central Schools (Non-BSF) ENGLAND South East In Operation 2013-03-06 00:00:00 2014

Found: Some key achievements have been: ● Continued work with Department for Education NI, CCEA and YENI

Found: Some key achievements have been: • Continued work with Department for Education NI, CCEA and YENI

Found: The Department for Education would publish data on the relevant background of university entrants,

Found: pay comparisons using the Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO) dataset, published by the Department for Education

Found: The Referral 1.1 On 5 February 2026, the Department for the Economy (DfE) requested a report from the

Found: The Subsidy Advice Unit (SAU) has published its report providing advice to DfE concerning the proposed

Found: Privacy Notice SLC and the Department for Education are joint Data Controllers under the Data Protection

Found: will be shared, on a non- identifiable basis, with the Office for National Statistics, the Department for Education

Found: • DSIT will continue to work closely with the Department for Education and Department for Work and

Found: cost of living grants must be increased to allow students to apply for these mobility programmes, as DfE

Found: Retrieved from https://www.gov.scot/policies/girfec/ 22 Department for Education. (2025).

Found: the introduction of media literacy in the classroom curriculum, and will work with the Department for Education

Found: This might include schools or settings registered with the Department of Education (DfE) and inspected

Found: Work to address these longstanding concerns has been undertaken in collaboration with the Department for Education

Found: During the initial implementation phase (2007– 2010), funding from the Department for Education enabled

Found: London: Institute of Education, University of London / Department for Education and Skills Sylva, K.

Found: participation in UK taskforces and steering groups, formal four nations policy forums, joint working with DfE

Found: Learning Records Service (LRS) This is a service managed by the UK Department for Education which is

Found: The UK Department for Education has begun to share individual -level FSM data with universities via