Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that teachers remain (a) politically impartial and (b) balanced, in line with Section 406 and 407 of the Education Act 1996.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

In 2022 the department published comprehensive guidance to support schools to meet their duties on political impartiality. This guidance can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/political-impartiality-in-schools/political-impartiality-in-schools.

The guidance is clear that all schools should take full responsibility for ensuring lessons and materials are age appropriate, suitable and politically impartial, particularly when using materials produced by external organisations. The guidance also highlights that legal duties on political impartiality are unlikely to be relevant when teaching about political events from previous historical periods. However, the guidance is clear that, when teaching about more recent historical events, it is important to ensure that political issues that remain contentious today are presented to pupils in a balanced manner.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions she has had with teachers on political impartiality in schools.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

In 2022 the department published comprehensive guidance to support schools to meet their duties on political impartiality. This guidance can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/political-impartiality-in-schools/political-impartiality-in-schools.

The guidance is clear that all schools should take full responsibility for ensuring lessons and materials are age appropriate, suitable and politically impartial, particularly when using materials produced by external organisations. The guidance also highlights that legal duties on political impartiality are unlikely to be relevant when teaching about political events from previous historical periods. However, the guidance is clear that, when teaching about more recent historical events, it is important to ensure that political issues that remain contentious today are presented to pupils in a balanced manner.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what action they are taking to expand the number of high-quality apprenticeship opportunities for young people, particularly in sectors facing skill shortages.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)

The government has set out plans for a more flexible growth and skills levy. It will create opportunities for learners of all ages and give employers greater flexibility to address critical skill shortages in their workforces, whilst driving economic growth. This will include introducing new foundation apprenticeships for young people, as well as shorter-duration apprenticeships.

Foundation apprenticeships will be a work-based training offer that will provide young people with clear progression pathways into further work-based training and employment. Construction will be one of the key sectors that will benefit from new foundation apprenticeships, which will be launching in August 2025. This will inspire more young people into the construction industry and give them the tools they need for a sustained and rewarding career. As part of this new offer, employers will be provided with £2,000 for every foundation apprentice they take on and retain in construction.

To support employers to access apprenticeships, the government pays £1,000 to employers when they take on apprentices aged 16 to 18, and for apprentices aged 19 to 24 who have an education, health and care (EHC) plan or have been in local authority care. Non-levy paying employers can also benefit from the government paying the full training costs for young apprentices aged 16 to 21, and for apprentices aged 22 to 24 who have an EHC plan or have been in local authority care. Additionally, employers are not required to pay anything towards employees’ National Insurance for all apprentices aged up to age 25 where they earn less than £967 a week, £50,270 a year.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government how they will ensure that the apprenticeship levy is used to create apprenticeship opportunities for young people, rather than the upskilling of existing employees.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)

The government has set out plans for a more flexible growth and skills levy. It will create opportunities for learners of all ages and give employers greater flexibility to address critical skill shortages in their workforces, whilst driving economic growth. This will include introducing new foundation apprenticeships for young people, as well as shorter-duration apprenticeships.

Foundation apprenticeships will be a work-based training offer that will provide young people with clear progression pathways into further work-based training and employment. Construction will be one of the key sectors that will benefit from new foundation apprenticeships, which will be launching in August 2025. This will inspire more young people into the construction industry and give them the tools they need for a sustained and rewarding career. As part of this new offer, employers will be provided with £2,000 for every foundation apprentice they take on and retain in construction.

To support employers to access apprenticeships, the government pays £1,000 to employers when they take on apprentices aged 16 to 18, and for apprentices aged 19 to 24 who have an education, health and care (EHC) plan or have been in local authority care. Non-levy paying employers can also benefit from the government paying the full training costs for young apprentices aged 16 to 21, and for apprentices aged 22 to 24 who have an EHC plan or have been in local authority care. Additionally, employers are not required to pay anything towards employees’ National Insurance for all apprentices aged up to age 25 where they earn less than £967 a week, £50,270 a year.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to introduce differentiated funding bands to incentivise employers to take on younger apprentices.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)

The government has set out plans for a more flexible growth and skills levy. It will create opportunities for learners of all ages and give employers greater flexibility to address critical skill shortages in their workforces, whilst driving economic growth. This will include introducing new foundation apprenticeships for young people, as well as shorter-duration apprenticeships.

Foundation apprenticeships will be a work-based training offer that will provide young people with clear progression pathways into further work-based training and employment. Construction will be one of the key sectors that will benefit from new foundation apprenticeships, which will be launching in August 2025. This will inspire more young people into the construction industry and give them the tools they need for a sustained and rewarding career. As part of this new offer, employers will be provided with £2,000 for every foundation apprentice they take on and retain in construction.

To support employers to access apprenticeships, the government pays £1,000 to employers when they take on apprentices aged 16 to 18, and for apprentices aged 19 to 24 who have an education, health and care (EHC) plan or have been in local authority care. Non-levy paying employers can also benefit from the government paying the full training costs for young apprentices aged 16 to 21, and for apprentices aged 22 to 24 who have an EHC plan or have been in local authority care. Additionally, employers are not required to pay anything towards employees’ National Insurance for all apprentices aged up to age 25 where they earn less than £967 a week, £50,270 a year.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with (a) local authorities and (b) universities on ensuring universities are included in local growth plans.

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

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education has announced five priorities to reform higher education (HE), with stronger contribution to economic growth as one of these priorities. As part of the work to develop a plan for HE reform, the department has been engaging with a wide range of stakeholders, including mayoral strategic authorities. We are also engaging with HE mission groups and representative bodies on local growth plans and HE reform more broadly.

The department sees HE playing a key role in the government’s emerging vision for the wider skills system. HE is critical to the delivery of the industrial strategy and the government’s missions on opportunity and growth. Local Growth Plans will be locally owned, long-term strategic plans for how mayors will use devolved levers and powers to support the national growth mission and help deliver the Industrial Strategy. As the local leaders who know their areas best, they will be engaging relevant stakeholders as they develop and deliver their plans.

HE will also play a critical role in the wider vision for national renewal training our future workforce, including doctors, nurses, and teachers and playing a stronger civic role in local communities.

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 fully funding apprenticeships for under-22s in SMEs on apprenticeship starts to date.

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

Since April 2024, the government pays 100% of apprentice training costs, up to the funding band maximum, for non-levy paying employers when they take on apprentices aged 16 to 21, and apprentices aged 22 to 24 who have an education, health and care plan or have been in local authority care.

Apprenticeship statistics, including starts by young people, can be found at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/apprenticeships.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of trends in the number of university applications in the last five years.

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

There has been a 5.9% increase in the number of main scheme UCAS applications between 2020 and 2024.

Main scheme applications for UK students are up 7.7% but down 0.7% for international students.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the future viability of franchised higher education.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)

The government is deeply concerned about the abuse of public money in the franchised higher education system. Franchising grew significantly under the previous government against a backdrop of growing financial instability within higher education.

In 2023 and 2024, the Government Internal Audit Agency, the National Audit Office and the Public Accounts Committee all raised concerns about abuse, unethical behaviour and fraud. Recent media reports have highlighted these issues further, focusing on taxpayer money being misspent on loans for students who do not engage with or complete their studies, and those who intentionally exploit the system.

This government, along with the Office for Students (OfS) and the Student Loans Company, has already taken measures to clamp down on abuse of the student finance system. My right hon. Friend, The Secretary of State for Education set out these, and further steps, on 25 March in a ministerial statement, which can be found here: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2025-03-25/hcws547.

This statement makes clear that when done well, franchising can be an important driver of inclusion and can break down barriers to students who may otherwise not be able to study higher education. Our package of plans aims to protect the best franchised provision but eliminate poor quality provision and put an end to abuse and fraud.

The department is currently consulting on proposals to bring the larger franchised providers under the OfS’ direct regulatory oversight. This consultation and the impact assessment which was published alongside it are attached can also be found here: https://consult.education.gov.uk/higher-education-quality-and-regulation/franchising-in-higher-education/.

It would not be appropriate for us to pre-empt the outcomes of that consultation by making judgements about what the future of franchising will be. However, the government is clear that if we do not see changes that address the issues of concern, further action will be taken.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her plans for over £600 million of funding over four years to train up to 60,000 skilled construction workers, announced on 23 March 2025, how much of that funding she plans to allocate to (a) the East Midlands and (b) Leicestershire.

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

My right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer has announced an additional £625 million of funding to support construction skills training, with the detail set out in Spring Statement 2025. This is expected to deliver up to 60,000 additional skilled construction workers this Parliament.

The measures will support the expansion of existing skills programmes including Skills Bootcamps and apprenticeships, as well as helping deliver new initiatives such as establishing 10 technical excellence colleges specialising in construction across every region in England.

Additional information regarding allocations at regional and provider level will be shared in due course.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support small and medium sized enterprises to offer apprenticeships, particularly with cost and administration.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)

I refer the noble Lady to the answer of 19 March 2025 to Question 37179.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to remove funding for level 6 apprenticeships.

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

Level 6 apprenticeships are a core part of the department’s apprenticeships offer and continue to be funded by government.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding her Department is providing for targeted mainstream provision for SEND education in each of the financial years (a) 2025-26, (b) 2026-27 and (c) 2027-28.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life.

Overall schools funding is increasing by £3.2 billion in the 2025/26 financial year and will total over £64.8 billion, compared to almost £61.6 billion in 2024/25. Most schools’ funding is not allocated or ring-fenced for specific purposes. Schools decide how to spend their budgets to meet their legal duties and other responsibilities, including support for their pupils with SEND.

Of the increase in total schools funding, £1 billion will be for high needs budgets in England in the 2025/26 financial year, bringing total high needs funding for children and young people with complex SEND to over £12 billion. High needs funding is allocated by local authorities to schools for the costs of special educational needs support in excess of £6,000 per pupil per annum.

Decisions on future schools funding beyond 2025/26 will be taken following the forthcoming spending review.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to ensure teaching materials used in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools are (i) politically impartial and (ii) present a balanced view of (A) political and (B) historical events.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

In 2022 the department published comprehensive guidance to support schools to meet their duties on political impartiality. This guidance can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/political-impartiality-in-schools/political-impartiality-in-schools.

The guidance is clear that all schools should take full responsibility for ensuring lessons and materials are age appropriate, suitable and politically impartial, particularly when using materials produced by external organisations. The guidance also highlights that legal duties on political impartiality are unlikely to be relevant when teaching about political events from previous historical periods. However, the guidance is clear that, when teaching about more recent historical events, it is important to ensure that political issues that remain contentious today are presented to pupils in a balanced manner.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to promote transparency between teachers and parents on politically sensitive topics in schools.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

In 2022 the department published comprehensive guidance to support schools to meet their duties on political impartiality. This guidance can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/political-impartiality-in-schools/political-impartiality-in-schools.

The guidance is clear that all schools should take full responsibility for ensuring lessons and materials are age appropriate, suitable and politically impartial, particularly when using materials produced by external organisations. The guidance also highlights that legal duties on political impartiality are unlikely to be relevant when teaching about political events from previous historical periods. However, the guidance is clear that, when teaching about more recent historical events, it is important to ensure that political issues that remain contentious today are presented to pupils in a balanced manner.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department monitors political impartiality in schools.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

In 2022 the department published comprehensive guidance to support schools to meet their duties on political impartiality. This guidance can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/political-impartiality-in-schools/political-impartiality-in-schools.

The guidance is clear that all schools should take full responsibility for ensuring lessons and materials are age appropriate, suitable and politically impartial, particularly when using materials produced by external organisations. The guidance also highlights that legal duties on political impartiality are unlikely to be relevant when teaching about political events from previous historical periods. However, the guidance is clear that, when teaching about more recent historical events, it is important to ensure that political issues that remain contentious today are presented to pupils in a balanced manner.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 19 March (HL5463), how many people the Department for Education employs on zero-hour contracts.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)

The department does not have any employees on zero-hour contracts.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to allow adults with relevant occupational knowledge and experience to directly undertake apprenticeship end-point assessments without completing a full apprenticeship.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)

Apprentices are not able to directly undertake apprenticeship end point assessments without having completed the required training as set out in the apprenticeship standard and agreed with their employer and training provider at the start of their apprenticeship.

Apprenticeships are jobs which contain substantial and sustained on and off-the-job training that allow the apprentice to learn new skills. In order for an employer and training provider to receive government funding for an apprentice, the apprentice must be employed and the apprenticeship must comply with the minimum duration and off-the-job training requirements, as set out in legislation and the apprenticeship funding rules.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support is available for traditional boat building skills' educational programmes in coastal communities.

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

The department supports all learners in coastal areas who wish to have a career in boatbuilding through its technical education offer, with a range of high-quality qualifications and apprenticeship opportunities available.

This includes specific qualifications and apprenticeships in boatbuilding together with apprenticeships and qualifications, including T levels, in such subjects as marine engineering, carpentry, design, construction and welding, all of which provide knowledge and skills that support careers in boatmaking.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to increase access to accredited online schools for pupils with (a) special educational needs and (b) mental health conditions who are unable to attend mainstream education.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

The department introduced the Online Education Accreditation Scheme (OEAS) in April 2023 to ensure high standards of education and protect pupils receiving a full-time education online. Providers must meet online education standards to become accredited. The scheme is non-statutory. The department encourages all eligible providers to engage with the scheme and for commissioners to use accredited providers only.

Online education should not be viewed as an equal alternative to attendance in school. The department expects schools to consider online education only as a last resort where the alternative would be no education and only after it has been established that the pupil is, or will be, absent from school. In such cases, remote education can have the benefit of allowing absent pupils to keep on track with their education and stay connected to their teachers and peers.

Local authority commissioners, often in conjunction with a child’s school, can use online provision as a form of alternative provision for children with a medical condition or school refusal, where necessary adjustments have not been appropriate. Local authorities can also, as a last resort, provide online education for children who are new to an area and are awaiting a school place.

Where it would not be appropriate for special educational provision to be delivered in a school, college or early years setting, a local authority may put in place education otherwise than at a school or college under section 61 of the Children and Families Act 2014. If a local authority chooses to specify education otherwise than at a school or college in an education, health and care plan, it will be statutorily responsible for securing the provision and funding it.

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 closure of the Education and Skills Funding Agency on (a) academy trusts and (b) their capability to provide effective pastoral support.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

The Education and Skills Funding Agency closed on 31 March 2025 and its functions transferred to the department. The chief executive officer of the Agency, at its closure, issued an accounting officer letter to the sector on 19 March 2025 confirming the transfer of functions to the department. This letter is available on GOV.UK at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/67d95fceb1857deda3da016d/Letter_to_accounting_officers_-_19_March_2025.pdf.

Moving the agency functions into the department allows for more joined-up delivery, both in the regulatory space and in the services it provides to the sector. It enables a single, joined-up approach to funding and regulation to improve accountability, provides a unified voice to schools and ensures that financial improvement is central to school improvement.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support (a) education and (b) training in traditional boat building skills in West Dorset constituency.

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

The department supports all learners in coastal areas who wish to have a career in boatbuilding through its technical education offer, with a range of high-quality qualifications and apprenticeship opportunities available.

This includes specific qualifications and apprenticeships in boatbuilding together with apprenticeships and qualifications, including T levels, in such subjects as marine engineering, carpentry, design, construction and welding, all of which provide knowledge and skills that support careers in boatmaking.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to provide (a) education and (b) training opportunities to support women to pursue careers in traditional boat building.

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

The department supports all learners in coastal areas who wish to have a career in boatbuilding through its technical education offer, with a range of high-quality qualifications and apprenticeship opportunities available.

This includes specific qualifications and apprenticeships in boatbuilding together with apprenticeships and qualifications, including T levels, in such subjects as marine engineering, carpentry, design, construction and welding, all of which provide knowledge and skills that support careers in boatmaking.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that schools are able to offer children high quality music education through (a) the national curriculum and (b) in music education hubs.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

Music is an essential part of supporting children and young people to develop creativity and find their voice. Music is in the national curriculum and is compulsory in all maintained schools in England from the age of 5 to 14 years. The national curriculum sets out the content of what the department expects schools to cover in each subject. The aims of the national curriculum for music include ensuring that all pupils perform music, learn to sing and to use their voices, have the opportunity to learn a musical instrument and understand and explore how music is created, produced and communicated.

The government has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, covering ages 5 to 18, chaired by Professor Becky Francis CBE, which is looking at all subjects, including music. Any subject-specific findings and recommendations will be included in the Review’s final report in autumn. The government will consider any changes it wishes to make to the curriculum whilst the Review is conducted and respond to its recommendations when they are published. Following the review, all schools, including academies, will be required to teach the revised national curriculum.

On 18 March 2025, the department announced its intention to launch a National Centre for Arts and Music Education to promote opportunities for children and young people to pursue their artistic and creative interests in school, including through the government’s network of Music Hubs. Our intention is to launch in September 2026, with a delivery lead appointed through an open procurement.

To support the delivery of music education, the government has committed £79 million per year for the Music Hubs programme, including the 2024/25 academic year. The 43 Music Hubs partnerships across England offer a range of services, including musical instrument tuition, instrument loaning and whole-class ensemble teaching. To widen access to musical instruments, the government is investing £25 million in capital funding for musical instruments, equipment and technology from the 2024/25 academic year.

The government is also investing £2 million to support the Music Opportunities Pilot over a 4-year period across the 2024/25 to 2027/28 academic years, backed by a further £3.85 million funding from Arts Council England and Youth Music. This pilot aims to help disadvantaged children and young people, as well as those with special educational needs and disabilities, to learn how to play an instrument of their choice or learn to sing to a high standard.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what accountability mechanisms are in place for local authorities that miss statutory deadlines for Education, Health and Care plans processes after being required to produce a Written Statement of Action.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

As set out in the current Area SEND Inspection Framework, local areas with a Written Statement of Action that were not revisited by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission under the previous framework will have a full inspection within the first three years of the new inspection cycle, meaning that they should receive a full inspection under the current framework by the end of 2025.

As part of Area SEND inspections, inspectors assess the extent to which the local area partners are complying with relevant legal duties relating to arrangements for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

For any local area that has an active Written Statement of Action, the department works to monitor, support and challenge local authorities as needed, working closely with NHS England to tackle any weaknesses that sit with health partners. Where a council does not meet its duties, including around timeliness of education, health and care plans, we offer a range of universal, targeted and intensive support through departmentally-managed programmes, such as our sector led improvement partners, which provides peer-to-peer tailored support. Councils identified as having issues with 20 week timeliness specifically are subject to additional monitoring by the department. Where we have concerns about their capacity to make the required improvements, we secure specialist SEND advisor support to help identify barriers and improve the service.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to raise awareness of the impact of migraines on children’s education.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

This government’s ambition is that all children and young people receive the right support to succeed and thrive in their education and as they move into adult life.

Pupils at school with medical conditions should be properly supported so that they have full access to education. In 2014, the government introduced a duty on schools to support pupils with all medical conditions and has published statutory guidance intended to help governing bodies meet their legal responsibilities. This guidance sets out the arrangements they will be expected to make, based on good practice. Schools should ensure they are aware of any pupils with medical conditions and should have policies and processes in place to ensure these can be well managed.

​The government recognises that migraines can impact a child or young person’s concentration and school attendance. As a result, schools must use their best endeavours to make sure a child or young person gets the special educational provision they need. This includes monitoring the progress of pupils regularly and putting support in place where needed, including arranging diagnostic tests where appropriate.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of university fees on students.

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

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

The government has published an equality impact assessment of changes to fees on students with protected characteristics and students from disadvantaged groups for the 2025/26 academic year. This can be accessed at: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2025/263/impacts/2025/41.

The department needs to put our world-leading higher education (HE) sector on a secure footing, in order to face the challenges of the next decade, and to ensure that all students have confidence that they will receive the world-class HE experiences they deserve.

This is why, after seven years of frozen fee caps under the previous government, this government took the difficult decision to increase maximum tuition fees for the 2025/26 academic year by 3.1%, in line with the forecast rate of inflation based on the Retail Prices Index excluding mortgage interest payments inflation index. Eligible students will continue to be able to apply for up-front fee loans to meet the full cost of their tuition in 2025/26.

This government will set out its plan for HE reform this summer.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when the application process will open for the Technical Excellence College scheme.

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

At the Spring Statement 2025, this government committed £100 million to establish ten new Technical Excellence Colleges specialised in construction across every region in England and to further build capacity to boost the provision of skills in construction. Boosting skills in construction is a crucial part of delivering on this government’s plans to build 1.5 million homes in England this Parliament and progress vital infrastructure projects. The department will set out further details on Technical Excellence Colleges in due course.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how colleges can apply to the Technical Excellence College scheme.

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

At the Spring Statement 2025, this government committed £100 million to establish ten new Technical Excellence Colleges specialised in construction across every region in England and to further build capacity to boost the provision of skills in construction. Boosting skills in construction is a crucial part of delivering on this government’s plans to build 1.5 million homes in England this Parliament and progress vital infrastructure projects. The department will set out further details on Technical Excellence Colleges in due course.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of Level 7 Apprenticeships on social mobility.

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

The government is committed to spreading opportunities and economic growth supported by a strong skills system.

This government has an extremely challenging fiscal inheritance. There are tough choices that need to be taken on how funding should be prioritised in order to generate opportunities for young people that enable them to make a start in good, fulfilling careers, and the department will therefore be asking more employers to step forward and fund a significant number of level 7 apprenticeships themselves outside of the levy-funded growth and skills offer.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of including postgraduate students in the eligibility criteria for the (a) Childcare Grant and (b) Parent Learners Allowance.

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

Postgraduate master’s and doctoral loans are intended as a contribution to the cost of study. They can be used by students according to their personal circumstances to cover the costs of fees and living costs, including for childcare. The Childcare Grant and Parents’ Learner Allowance form part of the undergraduate support package and there are no plans to extend access to those in receipt of a postgraduate loan.

Students are eligible for the universal 15 hours of free early education which is available to all three and four-year-olds regardless of family circumstances.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of (a) increasing the provision and (b) improving civic education.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

Civic education is already taught through the national curriculum for citizenship at key stages 3 and 4. This covers parliamentary democracy, the key elements of the constitution of the United Kingdom, the power of government and how citizens and Parliament hold it to account. Primary schools can choose to teach citizenship, using non-statutory programmes of study at key stages 1 and 2.

Support for curriculum delivery is available through optional, free and adaptable resources from Oak National Academy, freeing teachers to teach using the best possible resources and reducing workload so that they can concentrate on delivering lessons. Oak National Academy launched its new curriculum sequences for secondary citizenship earlier this academic year, with the full package of curriculum resources expected to be available by autumn 2025. Resources from the Oak National Academy can be found here: https://www.thenational.academy/.

The government has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, covering ages 5 to 18, chaired by Professor Becky Francis CBE. The Review is looking at all subjects, including citizenship, and seeks to deliver a rich, broad, inclusive and innovative curriculum that readies young people for life and work. The final report with recommendations will be published this autumn, along with the government’s response.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support schools with budgetary challenges resulting from teacher salary increases.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

Overall school funding is increasing by over £3.2 billion in the 2025/26 financial year, meaning it will total over £64.8 billion compared to almost £61.6 billion in 2024/25. The department recognises that the increases for individual schools will vary, with some getting more and some getting less than the average increase.

The guidance ‘Schools’ costs: technical note’ forecasts £400 million of headroom in schools’ budgets nationally in the 2025/26 financial year, before staff pay awards.

This follows the government’s written evidence to the School Teacher’s Review Body, published in December, which proposed a pay award for teachers of 2.8%. Schools will be expected to fund the 2025 pay award from the additional investment provided at the Autumn Budget 2024, alongside their existing funds.

All parts of the public sector are being asked to improve their efficiency. The department will be developing a suite of productivity initiatives to help schools manage their budgets to maximise opportunities for learners.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many individual representations her Department has received from Staffordshire County Council in relation to SEND provision in (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme and (b) North Staffordshire in each of the last five years.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

The information is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or in alternative provision receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life. The department is committed to taking a community-wide approach in collaboration with local area partnerships, improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools, as well as ensuring special schools cater to those with the most complex needs.

Following the last Ofsted/Care Quality Commission visit, departmental officials have been working with Staffordshire County Council and hold regular discussions to closely monitor progress against the areas for improvement identified by inspectors. An Accelerated Progress Plan is in place and progress is monitored regularly.

The areas for improvement were:

• Area 1: Co-production was weak. Parents felt that the local area did not listen to them or their child. The ‘tell it once’ approach was not embedded. The area’s relationships with schools and families were fragile.
• Area 2: The quality of education, health and care (EHC) plans was poor. Health and care workers did not contribute to the process effectively. The targets and outcomes in plans were not aspirational enough. The annual reviews of EHC plans were often not completed on time or did not contribute effectively to the review of the children and young people’s needs or the support and help they received.

The department has appointed a SEND Advisor along with a bespoke package of support from the Research and Improvement for SEND Excellence Consortium to support and work alongside the Local Area Partnership.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the finding from The University of Manchester article entitled Transforming children and young people’s futures through PE, school sport, and physical activity, published in February 2025, that 43% of pupils spend over four hours daily on screens.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

The government is committed to breaking down the barriers to accessing sport and physical activity for children and young people, including girls. Our manifesto set out our intention to support more children to be active by protecting time for physical education in schools and working across government to support the role grassroots clubs play in expanding access to sport and physical activity.

The department acknowledges that there is a potential opportunity cost where excessive screen time displaces positive activities for children, including exercise. Across departments, the government is also considering the recommendations of the previous Education Committee’s report ‘Screen Time: Impacts on education and wellbeing’.

In November 2024, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology announced a feasibility study on methods and data to understand the impact of smartphones and social media on children. The study, being conducted by the University of Cambridge and a wider consortium of experts from a range of universities, began on 2 December 2024 and will run for six months, until May 2025.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions she has had with local authorities on the provision of independent travel training for young people with SEND.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

The department publishes statutory guidance to assist local authorities in meeting their home to school travel duties. The guidance says that wherever possible, local authorities should offer independent travel training to children with special educational needs or disabilities who are eligible for free travel to school and who they think will be able to complete the programme. This guidance can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/home-to-school-travel-and-transport-guidance.

Departmental officials engage regularly with local authorities and host bi-monthly online meetings, to which all local authority school travel officers are invited, to share good practice and seek advice from one another and the department.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure the sustainability of high-quality chemistry (a) teaching and (b) research.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

High and rising school standards are at the heart of the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and give every child the best start in life. The government recognises that science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects, such as chemistry, are vital for the UK’s future economic needs and to drive up productivity.

The department has therefore put in place an initial teacher training financial incentives package for the STEM subjects for 2025/26, including bursaries worth £29,000 and scholarships worth £31,000 tax-free. We are also offering a targeted retention incentive worth up to £6,000 after tax for chemistry teachers in the first five years of their careers who choose to work in disadvantaged schools. Oak National Academy provides optional, high-quality curriculum resources which teachers can use to support their lessons.

In relation to higher education (HE), the department, along with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, is providing an additional £1.3 billion in capital investment for teaching and research over the current spending review period. This academic year 2024/25, more than two thirds of the £1.4 billion strategic priorities grant recurrent budget allocated to providers, is supporting the provision of high-cost subjects, for example medicine and dentistry, science, engineering and technology subjects, and specific labour market needs. We are also increasing core research funding to over £6.1 billion to offer real-terms protection to the UK's world leading research base and to support UK Research and Innovation to deliver on the UK's key research priorities.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to promote first aid training for school pupils.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

All state-funded schools are required to teach about first aid as part of the statutory health education set out within the relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) statutory guidance. Independent schools are required to cover health education as part of their responsibility to provide personal, social, health and economic education.

The statutory guidance includes basic first aid for primary school children, for example dealing with common injuries, such as head injuries. Pupils in secondary schools will be taught further first aid, for example how to administer CPR and the purpose of defibrillators.

The department is currently reviewing the statutory RSHE curriculum, which includes considering whether any additional content is needed, and will be publishing revised guidance as soon as possible.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure families from disadvantaged backgrounds have access to high quality childcare provision.

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

The government’s Plan for Change sets out a commitment to give children the best start in life. Low-income families, children with education, health and care plans and looked after children are eligible for 15 hours funded early education from age two until they start school. In addition to this, eligible disadvantaged children can get early years pupil premium (EYPP). This additional funding supports the delivery of high quality early education that improves disadvantaged children’s outcomes. In December 2024, the department announced an unprecedented 45% increase to EYPP from 1 April 2025.

Support for disadvantaged children is also reflected when distributing core funding for the entitlements. The early years national funding formulae (EYNFFs) are used to determine the hourly rates to fund individual local authorities for early years entitlements. The EYNFFs target funding to local authorities where it is needed most and each include an additional needs factor that accounts for 10.5% of entitlement funding. This needs factor comprises of an 8% deprivation factor, a 1.5% English as an additional language factor and a 1% Disability Allowance factor. Local authorities are responsible for setting individual provider funding rates in consultation with their providers and schools forum, and fund providers using their own local funding formula, which may include a deprivation supplement.

Local authorities are required by legislation to provide sufficient childcare places for children in their local area. The department has regular contact with each local authority in England about their sufficiency and any issues they are facing. Where local authorities report sufficiency challenges, we discuss what action they are taking to address those issues and, where needed, support the local authority with any specific requirements through our childcare sufficiency support contract. If a parent is unable to secure a place, they should contact their local authority.

The department is also supporting the creation of new places. School-based nurseries are a key part of this government’s opportunity mission, delivering on our Plan for Change by expanding high quality early education across England. We have awarded 300 primary-phase schools £37 million to repurpose spare space for new or expanded nursery provision, opening from September 2025, to support the expansion of childcare entitlements. School-based nurseries are particularly well-placed to support families in disadvantaged areas, with over a quarter of providers in the most deprived areas based in schools. For the school-based nurseries grant, applications for the grant were scored more highly if they clearly evidenced a focus on supporting children from disadvantaged families. This was validated using departmental data relating to established disadvantaged factors.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many private schools she has visited since 5 July 2024; and which schools.

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

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education and the wider ministerial team visit a wide variety of education settings, including private schools. The Secretary of State for Education prioritises visits to our state schools, which serve 93% of pupils in England.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to increase the flexibility of the apprenticeship levy for small businesses.

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

The government is reforming the Apprenticeship Levy into a new Growth and Skills Levy that will deliver greater flexibility for learners and employers of all sizes to develop the skills they need to thrive.

As a first step, the department is introducing new foundation apprenticeships for young people, as well as shorter duration apprenticeships. The minimum duration of an apprenticeship will be reduced to eight months from August 2025, down from the current minimum of 12 months. This change means apprentices will be able to achieve occupational competence more quickly, where appropriate, such as, where apprentices have significant prior learning. Employers of all sizes will be able to benefit from these flexibilities.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to provide opportunities for children from disadvantaged backgrounds to learn a musical instrument.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

Music is an essential part of supporting children and young people to develop creativity and find their voice. The government believes creative subjects like music, art and drama are important elements of the rounded and enriching education every child deserves.

On 18 March 2025, the department announced its intention to launch a National Centre for Arts and Music Education to promote opportunities for children and young people to pursue their artistic and creative interests in school, including through the government’s network of music hubs. The department intends to launch this centre in September 2026, with a delivery lead appointed through an open procurement. Further details will be released in due course.

To support the delivery of music education, the government has committed £79 million per year for the music hubs programme, including the 2024/25 academic year. The 43 music hubs partnerships across England offer a range of services, including musical instrument tuition, instrument loaning and whole-class ensemble teaching. All partnerships have a local plan in place with an inclusion strategy that sets out specific support for disadvantaged children, including young people eligible for the pupil premium and those identified with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). To widen access to musical instruments, the government is investing £25 million in capital funding for musical instruments, equipment and technology from the 2024/25 academic year.

The government is also investing £2 million to support the Music Opportunities Pilot over a four-year period from the 2024/25 academic year to the 2027/28 academic year, backed by a further £3.85 million funding from Arts Council England and Youth Music. This pilot is delivered by Young Sounds UK in 12 areas of the country and aims to help disadvantaged children and young people, as well as those with SEND, to learn how to play an instrument of their choice or learn to sing to a high standard. The findings from the pilot will inform future policy on widening music opportunities.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to improve access to music education in schools.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

Music is an essential part of supporting children and young people to develop creativity and find their voice. The government believes creative subjects like music, art and drama are important elements of the rounded and enriching education every child deserves.

On 18 March 2025, the department announced its intention to launch a National Centre for Arts and Music Education to promote opportunities for children and young people to pursue their artistic and creative interests in school, including through the government’s network of music hubs. The department intends to launch this centre in September 2026, with a delivery lead appointed through an open procurement. Further details will be released in due course.

To support the delivery of music education, the government has committed £79 million per year for the music hubs programme, including the 2024/25 academic year. The 43 music hubs partnerships across England offer a range of services, including musical instrument tuition, instrument loaning and whole-class ensemble teaching. All partnerships have a local plan in place with an inclusion strategy that sets out specific support for disadvantaged children, including young people eligible for the pupil premium and those identified with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). To widen access to musical instruments, the government is investing £25 million in capital funding for musical instruments, equipment and technology from the 2024/25 academic year.

The government is also investing £2 million to support the Music Opportunities Pilot over a four-year period from the 2024/25 academic year to the 2027/28 academic year, backed by a further £3.85 million funding from Arts Council England and Youth Music. This pilot is delivered by Young Sounds UK in 12 areas of the country and aims to help disadvantaged children and young people, as well as those with SEND, to learn how to play an instrument of their choice or learn to sing to a high standard. The findings from the pilot will inform future policy on widening music opportunities.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the differences in school funding across different counties.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

Every year the department uses the schools national funding formula (NFF) to distribute core funding for 5- to 16-year-old pupils in mainstream state-funded schools in England. In the current NFF, the vast majority of funding is distributed on the basis of pupil numbers and characteristics.

The purpose of the NFF is not to give every school the same level of per pupil funding. It is right that pupils with additional needs attract additional funding to help schools respond and meet their needs. In addition, schools in more expensive areas, like London, attract higher funding per pupil than other parts of the country to reflect the higher costs they face.

Through the dedicated schools grant, Gloucestershire County Council is receiving over £522 million for mainstream schools in the 2025/26 financial year, which equates to £6,201 per pupil on average, excluding growth and falling rolls funding. Schools' final funding allocations are determined by local authority funding formulae and based on updated pupil numbers, and so the final per pupil funding amounts for individual schools may differ.

The department is reviewing the schools NFF for both the 2026/27 financial year and the ensuing years, recognising the importance of a fair funding system that directs funding where it is needed.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which (a) Departments, (b) agencies and (c) public bodies employ staff on graduate visas.

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

The department employs people on graduate visas.

Of our executive non-departmental public bodies, the following employ people on graduate visas:

• Construction Industry Training Board.
• Student Loans Company.
• Engineering Construction Industry Training Board.
• Social Work England.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support secondary schools with increases in SEND costs.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

Through the national funding formula in the 2025/26 financial year, secondary schools are being allocated over £4 billion through formula factors that act as a proxy for their pupils’ special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and other additional needs. In addition, high needs funding will total over £12 billion this financial year, a proportion of which local authorities will use for supporting secondary schools with their pupils who have more complex SEND. Of the total high needs funding, Gloucestershire County Council is being allocated over £105 million through the high needs funding block of the dedicated schools grant.

In the high needs funding system, it is the top-up funding allocated to schools by the local authority which is intended to reflect the cost of provision for pupils with complex SEND. Schools should therefore discuss with their local authority the funding that they believe is necessary to make the provision that has been commissioned, taking into account expected levels of inflation and particular costs such as for energy and staff pay, as well as any reprioritisation within their budget that schools can achieve to ensure best value from their overall resources.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure academic consistency between (a) GCSEs and (b) iGCSEs; and whether she has held discussions with (i) teachers and (ii) parents on perceptions of the differences between those qualifications.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

International GCSEs, which includes iGCSEs, and GCSEs in England are different qualifications. Unlike GCSEs, international GCSEs are not developed by the department, regulated by Ofqual or funded for use in state schools. International GCSEs have also not counted in school performance tables since GCSEs were last reformed.

International GCSEs were introduced to serve the large international market for British qualifications and are also offered by some independent schools. The awarding organisations that offer international GCSEs decide the content for these qualifications and how that content is assessed. The department has no role in setting grading standards for these qualifications.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to increase levels of recruitment and retention of teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

High quality teaching is the most important in-school factor to a child’s educational outcomes. Recruiting and retaining more qualified, expert teachers is critical to the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and boost the life chances for every child. This is why the department will recruit 6,500 new expert teachers, get more teachers into shortage subjects, support areas that face recruitment challenges and tackle retention issues. To deliver this pledge we are resetting the relationship with the sector to ensure teaching is once again a valued and attractive profession.

The department agreed a 5.5% pay award for teachers in 2024/25, and increased the funding available for bursaries for trainee teachers to £233 million from 2025/26, to support teacher trainees with tax-free bursaries of up to £29,000 and scholarships of up to £31,000 in some shortage subjects. The department has also expanded its school teacher recruitment campaign, ‘Every Lesson Shapes a Life’, and the further education teacher recruitment campaign ‘Share your Skills’.

A successful recruitment strategy starts with a strong retention strategy and we want to ensure teachers stay and thrive in this profession. In the first five years of their careers, new teachers of mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing will now receive a targeted retention incentive of up to £6,000, after-tax, if working in disadvantaged schools. There are three schools in the Cheltenham constituency where teachers are eligible for targeted retention incentives.

The department has also taken steps to improve teachers’ workload and wellbeing, to support retention and help re-establish teaching as an attractive profession. This includes opportunities for greater flexible working, by making key resources to support wellbeing, developed with school leaders, available to teachers.

The department is also funding bespoke support provided by flexible working ambassador schools and multi-academy trusts, ensuring schools are capturing the benefits of flexible working, whilst protecting pupils’ face-to-face teacher time. Malmesbury School is the flexible working ambassador school providing local, tailored peer support for Cheltenham schools.

High quality Continuing Professional Development is also key to ensuring the retention of an effective teaching workforce. The department has established teaching school hubs across the country, who play a significant role in delivering initial teacher training, the early career framework and National Professional Qualifications. Balcarras Teaching School Hub is a centre of excellence supporting teacher training and development across Cheltenham, Cotswolds and Stroud.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her policy is on support for schools with budget shortfalls due to levels of high needs funding.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

Through the national funding formula in the 2025/26 financial year, secondary schools are being allocated over £4 billion through formula factors that act as a proxy for their pupils’ special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and other additional needs. In addition, high needs funding will total over £12 billion this financial year, a proportion of which local authorities will use for supporting secondary schools with their pupils who have more complex SEND. Of the total high needs funding, Gloucestershire County Council is being allocated over £105 million through the high needs funding block of the dedicated schools grant.

In the high needs funding system, it is the top-up funding allocated to schools by the local authority which is intended to reflect the cost of provision for pupils with complex SEND. Schools should therefore discuss with their local authority the funding that they believe is necessary to make the provision that has been commissioned, taking into account expected levels of inflation and particular costs such as for energy and staff pay, as well as any reprioritisation within their budget that schools can achieve to ensure best value from their overall resources.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will hold discussions with (a) educators, (b) other practitioners and (c) school leaders on the development of physical education infrastructure in schools.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

This government is committed to securing the infrastructure needed to protect time for physical education in schools and to support the role grassroots clubs play in expanding access to sport.

The department will continue to engage with a wide range of stakeholders including teachers, school leaders and sports organisations on how to achieve these manifesto commitments.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the formula for reimbursing schools after increases in employer National Insurance contributions.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

In developing our National Insurance contributions (NICs) grant methodology for mainstream schools and academies, the department considered both the impact of the change to National Insurance rates and the changes to the threshold at which NICs are applied. By taking this approach, we have ensured that funding accounts for where increases to NICs will be most significant.

The department knows that the impact of the increase to NICs differs depending on the proportions of staff on relatively higher or lower salaries and have taken that into account in determining how much funding is allocated to primary, secondary and special schools. The technical details of how the funding is split between those phases of education has been discussed with stakeholders, including the Association of School and College Leaders.

We keep our grant methodology under review to ensure funding can best support schools and their pupils. That is why, for the first time, we are providing additional grant funding for mainstream schools with special units and resourced provision to support them with the higher staffing costs they typically face.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the increase in employer National Insurance contributions on school budgets.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

In developing our National Insurance contributions (NICs) grant methodology for mainstream schools and academies, the department considered both the impact of the change to National Insurance rates and the changes to the threshold at which NICs are applied. By taking this approach, we have ensured that funding accounts for where increases to NICs will be most significant.

The department knows that the impact of the increase to NICs differs depending on the proportions of staff on relatively higher or lower salaries and have taken that into account in determining how much funding is allocated to primary, secondary and special schools. The technical details of how the funding is split between those phases of education has been discussed with stakeholders, including the Association of School and College Leaders.

We keep our grant methodology under review to ensure funding can best support schools and their pupils. That is why, for the first time, we are providing additional grant funding for mainstream schools with special units and resourced provision to support them with the higher staffing costs they typically face.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions her Department has had with the Association of School and College Leaders on increases in employer National Insurance contributions.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

In developing our National Insurance contributions (NICs) grant methodology for mainstream schools and academies, the department considered both the impact of the change to National Insurance rates and the changes to the threshold at which NICs are applied. By taking this approach, we have ensured that funding accounts for where increases to NICs will be most significant.

The department knows that the impact of the increase to NICs differs depending on the proportions of staff on relatively higher or lower salaries and have taken that into account in determining how much funding is allocated to primary, secondary and special schools. The technical details of how the funding is split between those phases of education has been discussed with stakeholders, including the Association of School and College Leaders.

We keep our grant methodology under review to ensure funding can best support schools and their pupils. That is why, for the first time, we are providing additional grant funding for mainstream schools with special units and resourced provision to support them with the higher staffing costs they typically face.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to fund the Music and Dance Scheme in 2025-26.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

The department will inform Music and Dance Scheme providers about funding for the 2025/26 academic year following the conclusion of the spending review in the spring.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of making the adoption and special guardianship support fund permanent.

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

On 1 April, it was announced that the adoption and special guardianship support fund (ASGSF) would continue into 2025/26, with a budget of £50 million.

All future decisions regarding the ASGSF will be considered as part of the next spending review.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to improve mental health support for children with special educational needs in South Holland and the Deepings constituency.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

Schools are required to identify and address the special educational needs (SEN) of the pupils they support and, in the case of mainstream settings, to use their best endeavours to make sure that a child or young person who has SEN gets the support they need. All schools should apply the ‘graduated approach’ that is outlined in the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) code of practice, which means identifying a child’s needs, planning appropriate support, implementing that support and reviewing it regularly to ensure it continues to meet the identified needs. Through this, schools should develop personalised approaches to supporting the unique needs of individual pupils.

We will provide access to specialist mental health professionals in every school, so every young person has access to early support to address problems before they escalate. Further information on the support, as at 31 March 2024, for pupil's provided by NHS-funded mental health support teams in Lincolnshire schools is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/transforming-children-and-young-peoples-mental-health-provision.

The department will also recruit an additional 8,500 new mental health staff to treat children and adults, and open new Young Futures hubs with access to mental health support workers.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment has she made of the adequacy of the provision of British Sign Language teaching in schools.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

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

Schools may choose to offer British Sign Language (BSL) as part of their school curriculum, or as an extra-curricular activity. The government does not hold data on the extent to which BSL is currently taught in schools.

The department is in the process of developing a BSL GCSE. The BSL GCSE is a key feature of our commitment to enhancing the status of BSL in education and society. This landmark GCSE is an important step towards greater recognition of BSL as a language and will foster better communication between deaf and hearing communities.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to deliver a Music and Arts Pupil Premium to schools.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

Schools are expected to fund the delivery of music and arts teaching from their core budget. The government has committed to putting education back at the forefront of national life, with a further £3.2 billion going into schools’ budgets, with £1 billion for children and young people with high needs. Overall core revenue funding for schools totalled almost £61.6 billion in the 2024/25 financial year.

Over and above core school funding, the government is investing £79 million per year for the Music Hubs programme, which includes the 2024/25 academic year. The 43 Music Hubs partnerships across England offer a range of services, including musical instrument tuition, instrument loaning and whole-class ensemble teaching. To widen access to musical instruments, the government is investing £25 million in capital funding for musical instruments, equipment and technology from the 2024/25 academic year.

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education announced last month our intention to launch a National Centre for Arts and Music Education to promote opportunities for children and young people to pursue their artistic and creative interests in school, including through the government’s network of Music Hubs. Our intention is to launch in September 2026, with a delivery lead appointed through an open procurement. One of the responsibilities of the National Centre will be to lead the Music Hubs programme.

Future funding for music and arts education is subject to the ongoing spending review and more details will be published in due course.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children are covered by the transitional protections for eligibility for free school meals; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of ending those protections in March 2025 on the children currently protected.

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

As with all government programmes, including free school meals, we keep our approach under continued review. Support for children to access free school meals, has additionally been considered as part of the Child Poverty Taskforce’s consideration of how to:

1. Support households to increase their income including considering social security reforms that support people into work and alleviate poverty.

2. Help to bring down essential household costs, build savings and tackle problem debt.

3. Alleviate the negative experience of living in poverty, including through supporting families and the role of public services.

No pupil will see any change because of changes to traditional protections until after the summer and the department will communicate further with schools before that time.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate her Department has made of the number of children in England with undiagnosed dyslexia; and what steps she is taking to help reduce that number.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

I refer the hon. Member for Didcot and Wantage to the answer of 31 March 2025 to Question 40829.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much was spent in (a) cash and (b) real terms on Ofsted in each year since 1995.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

This is a matter for His Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Sir Martyn Oliver. I have asked him to write to the hon. Member for Harborough, Oadby and Wigston directly and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to increase recruitment of music teachers.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

High-quality teaching is the most important in-school factor in determining a child’s educational outcomes. Recruiting and retaining additional numbers of qualified, expert teachers is therefore critical to the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and boost the life chances of every child. This is why the department will recruit 6,500 new, expert teachers.

To deliver this pledge we are resetting the relationship with the sector to ensure teaching is once again a valued and attractive profession and one that existing teachers want to remain in, former teachers want to return to and new graduates wish to join.

The 2024/25 initial teacher training census reported 331 trainees had begun courses in music, up from 216 trainees in the 2023/24 academic year. We reintroduced a £10,000 music bursary for the 2024/25 academic year and are continuing to offer this for courses starting in 2025/26.

A successful recruitment strategy starts with a strong retention strategy, and the department wants to ensure teachers of all subjects and phases stay and thrive in the profession. We agreed a 5.5% pay award for teachers this academic year, 2024/25, and have taken steps to improve teachers’ workloads and wellbeing and enable greater flexible working, to support retention and help re-establish teaching as an attractive profession.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 27 November 2024 to Question 15145 on Teachers: Workplace Pensions, what recent progress she has made on reducing the backlog of people waiting for cash equivalent transfer value details from teachers' pensions.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

The scheme administrator has made significant progress to reduce the backlog of cash equivalent transfer value (CETV) figures that had built up whilst the necessary guidance was developed following the transitional protection legislation taking effect.

CETVs that could be automated have been prioritised, alongside the most sensitive cases, to reduce the backlog from 3,062 at the end of October 2024 to 499 as of 4 April. The current outstanding figure includes recent applications.

The scheme administrator is now working through the more complex cases for members who have not retired and have scheme flexibilities to take account of, which must be processed clerically as a result.

Guidance to provide CETV calculations for members who have retired has recently been received and is being assessed by the scheme administrator. Where possible, the scheme administrator has issued Remediable Service Statements (RSS) to retired members, as once their RSS choice has been implemented, no further guidance is required.

Addressing the remainder of the backlog remains a key priority for both the department and the scheme administrator, and all available resource continues to be used, including the use of ongoing overtime.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding her Department has provided through the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund in each years since 2015; and how many individual children have accessed support through the Fund in each year since 2015.

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

The information requested is available in the following table:

End of year data is not yet available for 2024/25

*In 2020/21, £8 million was repurposed for the adoption support fund COVID-19 scheme.

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 early dyslexia screening on literacy outcomes in primary school children.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

I refer the hon. Member for Didcot and Wantage to the answer of 31 March 2025 to Question 40829.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that teachers are adequately trained on identifying dyslexia in the early years of primary education.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

I refer the hon. Member for Didcot and Wantage to the answer of 31 March 2025 to Question 40829.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of Office for Students-registered theological colleges’ compliance with academic freedom and freedom of speech.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)

As the independent regulator, it is the role of the Office for Students to monitor and assess registered providers’ compliance with all of its conditions of registration, including those relating to freedom of speech and academic freedom, and to take regulatory action where they have been breached. This includes theological colleges.

All higher education (HE) providers have longstanding duties to secure freedom of speech and academic freedom within the law which they must comply with. My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education will shortly be making regulations to commence the expanded duties on HE providers in the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023. This will include new duties to promote freedom of speech and academic freedom, to put in place a free speech code of practice and a ban on non-disclosure agreements.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that Hong Kong students do not experience Chinese (a) interference, (b) influence, (c) harassment and (d) repression whilst studying on UK campuses.

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

The UK welcomes international students, including from China, who make a very positive impact on the UK’s higher education (HE) sector, our economy and society as a whole. We will always protect our national security, human rights and values.

The first duty of the government is to keep the country safe, and we are committed to responding to foreign interference, including those actions which amount to transnational repression. Any attempt by any foreign power to intimidate, harass or harm individuals or communities in the UK, will not be tolerated. Anyone who thinks they might be a victim should report incidents or suspicious activity to the Police via 101, a local police station or 999 in emergencies. As autonomous institutions, the department also expects universities to have robust processes in place to prevent and tackle incidents of harassment and abuse on campus.

​The department is taking specific steps to ensure our world-leading universities remain free from foreign interference. This includes the implementation of the new complaints scheme in the Higher Education Freedom of Speech Act 2023, which will offer a focussed route for concerns, including relating to foreign interference in academic freedom and free speech, to be escalated.

​The department is continuing to work closely with the sector to increase their understanding of the risks and their ability to respond. We are conducting an internal review, informed by engagement with the regulator, sector, academics impacted by foreign interference and international partners, to assess existing approaches to managing the risk of foreign interference and what more support they might need.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to confirm individual budgets for 2025-26 to providers within the Dance and Drama Awards scheme.

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

The department will shortly confirm final budgets for the 2025/26 academic year and is in touch with providers concerning this.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many colleges and institutions are registered as higher education providers with the Office for Students.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)

There are currently 426 higher education providers registered with the Office for Students (OfS) as of 28 March 2025. The full OfS register of providers is publicly available and can be found on the OfS website.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the accuracy of the education, health and care plan issuance process.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

An education, health and care (EHC) needs assessment ensures that a child or young person’s needs are assessed in a co-ordinated manner across education, health and social care services.

Under this assessment process the local authority must seek information and advice from a range of partners, including the child or young person and their parents, their school or college, where applicable, relevant health and social care partners, an educational psychologist and any other relevant professionals.

The EHC needs assessment must identify the child or young person’s special educational needs together with any relevant health or social care needs.

If an EHC needs assessment determines that it is necessary for special educational provision to be made for the child or young person, the local authority must prepare an EHC plan.

Following the assessment, if the local authority decides not to issue an EHC plan, or if the child’s parent or, from the age of 16, the young person themselves disagrees with the description of needs, such as the educational provision set out in the plan or the educational institution named in it, they are able to appeal to the First-tier Tribunal (Special Educational Needs and Disability).

Latest data from the department shows that 5.1% of children and young people who underwent an EHC needs assessment during the 2023 calendar year were not issued a plan. In addition, 1,048 appeals were heard by the First-tier Tribunal in the 2023 calendar year regarding a decision on whether to issue a plan.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether music education will be one of the metrics assessed in the Ofsted report card announced for schools in England.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

Ofsted is currently consulting on a revised education inspection framework and inspection report card. This is therefore a matter for His Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Sir Martyn Oliver. I have asked him to write to the hon. Member for Stratford-on-Avon directly and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the Office for Students registered theological colleges’ compliance with academic freedom and freedom of speech obligations.

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

I refer the hon. Member for Poole to the answer of 9 April 2025 to Question HL6374.

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 reducing funding for level 7 apprenticeships on the number of chartered town planners in local government.

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

I refer the hon. Member for Yeovil to the answer of 20 January 2025 to Question 23140.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help identify victims of child-trafficking in schools in Cambridgeshire.

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

Protecting children requires cooperation and coordination across multiple agencies. Local authorities, police, and health services share a joint and equal statutory duty to work together to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. The three safeguarding partners (local authorities, police, and health services) collaborate with other relevant agencies, including education settings, to make strategic decisions essential for effective practice and child safety.

There is also an established robust framework in place in the form of ‘Keeping children safe in education’ (KCSIE), which is the statutory safeguarding framework to which all schools and colleges must have regard when safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children.

Part 1 of this guidance, which should be read by all staff who work directly with children, not only sets out the different types of abuse and harm but it also supports all staff to know what signs to look out for, including how to respond to any concerns about a child.

In addition, the guidance includes information on modern slavery, the National Referral Mechanism and links to joint guidance from the Department for Education and the Home Office. The full guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/safeguarding-children-who-may-have-been-trafficked-practice-guidance.

This safeguarding framework ensures that all concerns are identified and managed swiftly, effectively and in line with local safeguarding protocols. Schools and colleges must also work with their local safeguarding partners to ensure these processes are implemented consistently.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has plans to reintroduce a safeguarding database for children.

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

Keeping children safe is a priority for this government. Through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, the department is taking a range of steps to improve safeguarding. We are introducing a new information sharing duty, making provision for a Single Unique Identifier, strengthening the role of education in local safeguarding arrangements and introducing multi-agency child protection teams.

There are presently no plans to re-introduce a national safeguarding database for children.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) three and (b) four year olds were recorded as eligible for the additional 15 hours of free childcare in the academic year 2024-25; and how many were unable to take up those hours due to shortage of nursery places.

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

Information on 15 hours free childcare entitlements is published in the education provision: children under 5 years of age statistical publication. The publication is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/education-provision-children-under-5/2024.

Data on the number of two-year-olds eligible for the 15 hours free childcare entitlement for working parents is expected to be published in July 2025. An estimated 154,957 disadvantaged 2-year-old were eligible for 15-hours of free childcare in January 2024. Based on analyses of data from various surveys, an estimated 427,000 three and four-year-olds were eligible for the 30-hour entitlement in January 2024.

Under Section 6 of the Childcare Act 2006, local authorities are responsible for ensuring that the provision of childcare is sufficient to meet the requirements of parents in their area. Part B of the early education and childcare statutory guidance for local authorities highlights that local authorities are required to report annually to elected council members on how they are meeting their duty to secure sufficient childcare, and to make this report available and accessible to parents.

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

Where local authorities report sufficiency challenges, the department will discuss what action the local authority is taking to address those issues and where needed, we support the local authority with any specific requirements through our childcare sufficiency support contract.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many two year olds were recorded as eligible for 15 hours of free childcare in the academic year 2024-25; and how many were unable to take up those hours due to shortage of nursery places.

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

Information on 15 hours free childcare entitlements is published in the education provision: children under 5 years of age statistical publication. The publication is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/education-provision-children-under-5/2024.

Data on the number of two-year-olds eligible for the 15 hours free childcare entitlement for working parents is expected to be published in July 2025. An estimated 154,957 disadvantaged 2-year-old were eligible for 15-hours of free childcare in January 2024. Based on analyses of data from various surveys, an estimated 427,000 three and four-year-olds were eligible for the 30-hour entitlement in January 2024.

Under Section 6 of the Childcare Act 2006, local authorities are responsible for ensuring that the provision of childcare is sufficient to meet the requirements of parents in their area. Part B of the early education and childcare statutory guidance for local authorities highlights that local authorities are required to report annually to elected council members on how they are meeting their duty to secure sufficient childcare, and to make this report available and accessible to parents.

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

Where local authorities report sufficiency challenges, the department will discuss what action the local authority is taking to address those issues and where needed, we support the local authority with any specific requirements through our childcare sufficiency support contract.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the Single Unique Identifier that the Government are piloting is the NHS number; what the (a) locations, (b) timing and (c) size of the pilot is; and how families have been informed.

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

The department is currently exploring the suitability of using the NHS number as a single unique identifier with Wigan local authority. This process will take several months. This first phase of work will explore whether success rates of linking children’s records can be improved within a local authority by using the NHS number provided by the NHS Personal Demographic Service. This work will inform future tests and pilots.

The department anticipates several rounds of piloting the different aspects of implementation to establish where it can have the right impact, and to understand the system costs and business process changes associated with its usage.

We will be working with NHS England and local authorities as part of the piloting process, to ensure that the data processed as part of the pilot is secure and meets legal requirements around the data subject's rights to be informed about how their information is processed. One way children and families are informed about how their personal information is used, is via privacy notices. Wigan’s privacy notices that are relevant in this context can be accessed at: https://www.wigan.gov.uk/Council/DataProtection-FOI-Stats/Privacy-notices/Privacy-Notices-for-all-services.aspx.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to review the upper threshold for small business rates relief for early years providers.

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

The government is committed to ensuring children have the best start in life, and has set a target of a record number of children starting school ready to learn as part of the government’s Plan for Change.

Local authorities are responsible for ensuring that the provision of childcare is sufficient to meet the requirements of parents in their area. They are required to report annually to elected council members on how they are meeting this duty, and to make this report available to parents. The department regularly discusses sufficiency with each local authority in England, and where there are challenges, the necessary actions to take and provision of support via our childcare sufficiency support contract is explored. We do not currently have any reports of sufficiency issues in any local authority.

The latest available figures on early years providers show that, between 31 August and 31 December 2024, 1,275 providers joined Ofsted’s Early Years Register and 1,581 providers left the Register. In the same period, the number of registered places grew slightly from 1,275,264 to 1,277,932.

His Majesty's Treasury has been working on a fundamental review of business rates in the UK. The latest update indicates that the final report of this review will be published in autumn 2025. This review aims to reduce the overall burden on businesses, improve the current business rates system and consider more fundamental changes in the medium-to-long term. Childcare providers are being considered as part of this, and the review acknowledges the unique challenges faced by nurseries and other childcare providers.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of trends in the level of areas without childcare providers in England; and what estimate her Department has made of the number of early years providers that have closed since September 2024.

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

The government is committed to ensuring children have the best start in life, and has set a target of a record number of children starting school ready to learn as part of the government’s Plan for Change.

Local authorities are responsible for ensuring that the provision of childcare is sufficient to meet the requirements of parents in their area. They are required to report annually to elected council members on how they are meeting this duty, and to make this report available to parents. The department regularly discusses sufficiency with each local authority in England, and where there are challenges, the necessary actions to take and provision of support via our childcare sufficiency support contract is explored. We do not currently have any reports of sufficiency issues in any local authority.

The latest available figures on early years providers show that, between 31 August and 31 December 2024, 1,275 providers joined Ofsted’s Early Years Register and 1,581 providers left the Register. In the same period, the number of registered places grew slightly from 1,275,264 to 1,277,932.

His Majesty's Treasury has been working on a fundamental review of business rates in the UK. The latest update indicates that the final report of this review will be published in autumn 2025. This review aims to reduce the overall burden on businesses, improve the current business rates system and consider more fundamental changes in the medium-to-long term. Childcare providers are being considered as part of this, and the review acknowledges the unique challenges faced by nurseries and other childcare providers.

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 removal of the automatic right to home educate under the Children and Wellbeing Bill on parents home schooling their children.

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

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education and the Ministerial team try to meet with stakeholders regularly, including in relation to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill.

It is important that the department engages and listens to the views of key stakeholders who have an interest in the Children Not in School measures within the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill. That is why we have established stakeholder implementation forums to listen to the views of home educating parents, home education organisations, local authorities and other safeguarding and education stakeholders with a vested interest.

There is currently no automatic right for all parents to be able to home educate their children, with local authority consent currently being required for a small cohort of children.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what representations her Department has received from parents who home school their children about the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill.

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

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education and the Ministerial team try to meet with stakeholders regularly, including in relation to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill.

It is important that the department engages and listens to the views of key stakeholders who have an interest in the Children Not in School measures within the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill. That is why we have established stakeholder implementation forums to listen to the views of home educating parents, home education organisations, local authorities and other safeguarding and education stakeholders with a vested interest.

There is currently no automatic right for all parents to be able to home educate their children, with local authority consent currently being required for a small cohort of children.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will meet with parents who home school their children to discuss the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill.

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

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education and the Ministerial team try to meet with stakeholders regularly, including in relation to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill.

It is important that the department engages and listens to the views of key stakeholders who have an interest in the Children Not in School measures within the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill. That is why we have established stakeholder implementation forums to listen to the views of home educating parents, home education organisations, local authorities and other safeguarding and education stakeholders with a vested interest.

There is currently no automatic right for all parents to be able to home educate their children, with local authority consent currently being required for a small cohort of children.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in England are projected to pay on average for energy bills in each year between 2025 and 2030.

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

The average annual energy costs for primary and secondary schools based on financial returns to the department from 2015 to 2024 are as follows:

To note:

• Local authority-maintained schools report costs for the 12-month period to 31 March. Academies report costs for the 12-month period to 31 August.
• These figures do not include energy costs recorded as attributable to or incurred by multi-academy trust central services.
• All spending data reported by schools to the department is publicly available at https://financial-benchmarking-and-insights-tool.education.gov.uk/data-sources.

The department does not hold a forecast for how much primary and secondary schools are projected to pay in their energy bills beyond the 2025/26 financial year. This is set out in the ‘School costs technical note’ which estimated energy price inflation for schools at a 4.1% increase for the 2024/25 financial year and a fall of 5.1% for the 2025/26 financial year.

The department is developing a suite of productivity initiatives to support schools in making efficiencies in their budgets. This includes giving schools the opportunity to join the department’s Energy for Schools initiative. When schools' energy contracts are up for renewal, they can join the department's contract. During the pilot for this project, schools saved 36% on average compared to their previous contracts.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in England paid for energy bills on average in each year since 2015.

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

The average annual energy costs for primary and secondary schools based on financial returns to the department from 2015 to 2024 are as follows:

To note:

• Local authority-maintained schools report costs for the 12-month period to 31 March. Academies report costs for the 12-month period to 31 August.
• These figures do not include energy costs recorded as attributable to or incurred by multi-academy trust central services.
• All spending data reported by schools to the department is publicly available at https://financial-benchmarking-and-insights-tool.education.gov.uk/data-sources.

The department does not hold a forecast for how much primary and secondary schools are projected to pay in their energy bills beyond the 2025/26 financial year. This is set out in the ‘School costs technical note’ which estimated energy price inflation for schools at a 4.1% increase for the 2024/25 financial year and a fall of 5.1% for the 2025/26 financial year.

The department is developing a suite of productivity initiatives to support schools in making efficiencies in their budgets. This includes giving schools the opportunity to join the department’s Energy for Schools initiative. When schools' energy contracts are up for renewal, they can join the department's contract. During the pilot for this project, schools saved 36% on average compared to their previous contracts.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many smart meters have been installed in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in England in each year since 2015.

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

The department does not hold information on how many primary and secondary schools have installed smart meters since 2015, nor do we set an expectation for how many primary and secondary schools should install smart meters. However, smart meters are recommended within the department’s published energy efficiency guidance. The guidance outlines that educational settings should monitor their energy use to help prioritise the best ways to reduce energy consumption. The guidance is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/energy-efficiency-guidance-for-the-school-and-fe-college-estate/energy-efficiency-guidance-for-the-school-and-further-education-college-estate.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many smart meters he expects to be installed in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in each year between 2025 and 2030.

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

The department does not hold information on how many primary and secondary schools have installed smart meters since 2015, nor do we set an expectation for how many primary and secondary schools should install smart meters. However, smart meters are recommended within the department’s published energy efficiency guidance. The guidance outlines that educational settings should monitor their energy use to help prioritise the best ways to reduce energy consumption. The guidance is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/energy-efficiency-guidance-for-the-school-and-fe-college-estate/energy-efficiency-guidance-for-the-school-and-further-education-college-estate.

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 reducing funding for level 7 healthcare apprenticeships on skills shortages in the NHS; and what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on that funding.

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

I refer the hon. Member for Yeovil to the answer of 28 March 2025 to Question 39819.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on the potential impact of changes to (a) employer National Insurance contributions and (b) the minimum wage on the number of new apprentices in the hair salon industry.

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

I refer the hon. Member for Huntington to the answer of 26 March 2025 to Question 39407.

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 cuts to funding for level 7 healthcare apprenticeships on the availability of Advanced Clinical Practitioners in the NHS.

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

I refer the hon. Member for South Cotswolds to the answer of 28 March 2025 to Question 39189.

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 cuts to funding for level 7 healthcare apprenticeships on the deliverability of the NHS long-term workforce plan.

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

I refer the hon. Member for South Cotswolds to the answer of 28 March 2025 to Question 39189.

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 cuts to funding for level 7 apprenticeships on the availability of Chartered Town Planners in local government.

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

I refer the hon. Member for South Cotswolds to the answer of 20 January 2025 to Question 23140.

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 reducing funding for level 7 healthcare apprenticeships on the number of advanced clinical practitioners in the NHS.

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

I refer the hon. Member for Yeovil to the answer of 28 March 2025 to Question 39819.

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 reducing funding for level 7 healthcare apprenticeships on the NHS long-term workforce plan.

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

I refer the hon. Member for Yeovil to the answer of 28 March 2025 to Question 39819.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has to improve (a) inclusivity and (b) expertise on dyslexia in mainstream schools in (i) Somerset and (ii) the South West.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

The department is committed to improving support for all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including those with dyslexia and other neurodiverse conditions.

We are providing £1 billion more for high needs budgets in 2025/26 financial year, bringing total high needs funding to £11.9 billion. This funding will help local authorities and schools with the increasing costs of supporting children and young people with complex SEND.

Early identification of need and support is critical to improving outcomes for children and young people with SEND, including those with dyslexia. There are already a number of measures to help teachers do this, including the phonics screening check and statutory assessments at the end of key stage 2.

Schools should apply a ‘graduated approach’ to identify a child’s needs, plan appropriate support, implement that support and review it regularly to ensure it continues to meet their identified needs. Through this, schools should develop personalised approaches to supporting the unique needs of individual pupils. Schools should involve pupils and their parents in this process, taking their views into consideration.

The core content framework and early career framework, for trainee and Early Career Teachers (ECTs) respectively, cover the first three years or more at the start of a teacher’s career. They set out the core body of knowledge skills and behaviours that define great teaching, and from September 2025 will be superseded by the combined Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework (ITTECF), which sets out a minimum entitlement to training and must be used by providers of initial teacher training and those delivering training to ECTs to create their curricula. The ITTECF contains significantly more content related to adaptive teaching and supporting pupils with SEND.

Measures have also been introduced to support the effective teaching of reading, including for those at risk of falling behind. This includes the English Hubs programme, the publication of the reading framework and an updated list of high-quality systematic synthetic phonics programmes for schools.

The English Hubs programme is dedicated to improving the teaching of reading, with a focus on supporting children making the slowest progress in reading. As part of the continuous professional development provided by the English Hubs, the Reading Ambition for All programme has been launched to improve outcomes for children who need additional support with reading, including those with SEND.

In the South West there are 6 English Hubs: Cornerstone, Ilsham, Kernow, Mangotsfield, Ramsbury and ‘Unlocking Excellence’. This academic year, they are supporting a total of 130 schools with the Reading Ambition for All programme.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of support for dyslexic students in mainstream education in (a) Somerset and (b) the South West.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

The department is committed to improving support for all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including those with dyslexia and other neurodiverse conditions.

We are providing £1 billion more for high needs budgets in 2025/26 financial year, bringing total high needs funding to £11.9 billion. This funding will help local authorities and schools with the increasing costs of supporting children and young people with complex SEND.

Early identification of need and support is critical to improving outcomes for children and young people with SEND, including those with dyslexia. There are already a number of measures to help teachers do this, including the phonics screening check and statutory assessments at the end of key stage 2.

Schools should apply a ‘graduated approach’ to identify a child’s needs, plan appropriate support, implement that support and review it regularly to ensure it continues to meet their identified needs. Through this, schools should develop personalised approaches to supporting the unique needs of individual pupils. Schools should involve pupils and their parents in this process, taking their views into consideration.

The core content framework and early career framework, for trainee and Early Career Teachers (ECTs) respectively, cover the first three years or more at the start of a teacher’s career. They set out the core body of knowledge skills and behaviours that define great teaching, and from September 2025 will be superseded by the combined Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework (ITTECF), which sets out a minimum entitlement to training and must be used by providers of initial teacher training and those delivering training to ECTs to create their curricula. The ITTECF contains significantly more content related to adaptive teaching and supporting pupils with SEND.

Measures have also been introduced to support the effective teaching of reading, including for those at risk of falling behind. This includes the English Hubs programme, the publication of the reading framework and an updated list of high-quality systematic synthetic phonics programmes for schools.

The English Hubs programme is dedicated to improving the teaching of reading, with a focus on supporting children making the slowest progress in reading. As part of the continuous professional development provided by the English Hubs, the Reading Ambition for All programme has been launched to improve outcomes for children who need additional support with reading, including those with SEND.

In the South West there are 6 English Hubs: Cornerstone, Ilsham, Kernow, Mangotsfield, Ramsbury and ‘Unlocking Excellence’. This academic year, they are supporting a total of 130 schools with the Reading Ambition for All programme.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support children diagnosed with dyslexia in Yeovil constituency.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

The department is committed to improving support for all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including those with dyslexia and other neurodiverse conditions.

We are providing £1 billion more for high needs budgets in 2025/26 financial year, bringing total high needs funding to £11.9 billion. This funding will help local authorities and schools with the increasing costs of supporting children and young people with complex SEND.

Early identification of need and support is critical to improving outcomes for children and young people with SEND, including those with dyslexia. There are already a number of measures to help teachers do this, including the phonics screening check and statutory assessments at the end of key stage 2.

Schools should apply a ‘graduated approach’ to identify a child’s needs, plan appropriate support, implement that support and review it regularly to ensure it continues to meet their identified needs. Through this, schools should develop personalised approaches to supporting the unique needs of individual pupils. Schools should involve pupils and their parents in this process, taking their views into consideration.

The core content framework and early career framework, for trainee and Early Career Teachers (ECTs) respectively, cover the first three years or more at the start of a teacher’s career. They set out the core body of knowledge skills and behaviours that define great teaching, and from September 2025 will be superseded by the combined Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework (ITTECF), which sets out a minimum entitlement to training and must be used by providers of initial teacher training and those delivering training to ECTs to create their curricula. The ITTECF contains significantly more content related to adaptive teaching and supporting pupils with SEND.

Measures have also been introduced to support the effective teaching of reading, including for those at risk of falling behind. This includes the English Hubs programme, the publication of the reading framework and an updated list of high-quality systematic synthetic phonics programmes for schools.

The English Hubs programme is dedicated to improving the teaching of reading, with a focus on supporting children making the slowest progress in reading. As part of the continuous professional development provided by the English Hubs, the Reading Ambition for All programme has been launched to improve outcomes for children who need additional support with reading, including those with SEND.

In the South West there are 6 English Hubs: Cornerstone, Ilsham, Kernow, Mangotsfield, Ramsbury and ‘Unlocking Excellence’. This academic year, they are supporting a total of 130 schools with the Reading Ambition for All programme.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure early diagnosis of dyslexia in schools.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

The department is committed to improving support for all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including those with dyslexia and other neurodiverse conditions.

We are providing £1 billion more for high needs budgets in 2025/26 financial year, bringing total high needs funding to £11.9 billion. This funding will help local authorities and schools with the increasing costs of supporting children and young people with complex SEND.

Early identification of need and support is critical to improving outcomes for children and young people with SEND, including those with dyslexia. There are already a number of measures to help teachers do this, including the phonics screening check and statutory assessments at the end of key stage 2.

Schools should apply a ‘graduated approach’ to identify a child’s needs, plan appropriate support, implement that support and review it regularly to ensure it continues to meet their identified needs. Through this, schools should develop personalised approaches to supporting the unique needs of individual pupils. Schools should involve pupils and their parents in this process, taking their views into consideration.

The core content framework and early career framework, for trainee and Early Career Teachers (ECTs) respectively, cover the first three years or more at the start of a teacher’s career. They set out the core body of knowledge skills and behaviours that define great teaching, and from September 2025 will be superseded by the combined Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework (ITTECF), which sets out a minimum entitlement to training and must be used by providers of initial teacher training and those delivering training to ECTs to create their curricula. The ITTECF contains significantly more content related to adaptive teaching and supporting pupils with SEND.

Measures have also been introduced to support the effective teaching of reading, including for those at risk of falling behind. This includes the English Hubs programme, the publication of the reading framework and an updated list of high-quality systematic synthetic phonics programmes for schools.

The English Hubs programme is dedicated to improving the teaching of reading, with a focus on supporting children making the slowest progress in reading. As part of the continuous professional development provided by the English Hubs, the Reading Ambition for All programme has been launched to improve outcomes for children who need additional support with reading, including those with SEND.

In the South West there are 6 English Hubs: Cornerstone, Ilsham, Kernow, Mangotsfield, Ramsbury and ‘Unlocking Excellence’. This academic year, they are supporting a total of 130 schools with the Reading Ambition for All programme.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how her Department is measuring its progress on recruiting 6,500 new teachers; and whether this measurement will account for teachers that leave the profession over the remainder of the Parliament.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

The factor in schools and colleges that makes the biggest difference to a young person’s educational outcomes is high-quality teaching. Ensuring a high-quality teaching workforce is therefore critical to the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and boost life chances for every child. However, this government inherited shortages of qualified teachers across the country as the number of teachers has not kept pace with demographic change. That is why the department is committed to recruiting an additional 6,500 new expert teachers across our schools, both mainstream and specialist, and our colleges over the course of this Parliament.

The department has already made good early progress towards this key pledge, including providing a 5.5% pay award for teachers and leaders in maintained schools, announcing a £233 million initial teacher training financial incentives package for the 2025/26 recruitment cycle, and confirming targeted retention incentives for shortage subjects worth up to £6,000 after tax.

We have also taken steps to improve teachers’ workload and wellbeing, to support retention and help reestablish teaching as an attractive profession. This includes opportunities for greater flexible working, such as allowing planning, preparation and assessment time (PPA) to be undertaken remotely, and making key resources to support wellbeing, developed with school leaders, available to teachers​.

​​​​Career changers make a valuable contribution to the teaching profession and the department remains committed to recruiting and supporting them into initial teacher training, including as part of our efforts to recruit an additional 6,500 new expert teachers. Our wider offer to all potential teachers, including career changers, supports them through their journey to apply for teacher training and during the critical early years of teaching. This includes the Get Into Teaching service which offers one-to-one support and advice to all candidates, including targeted support for career changers.

We are working with the sector to develop our approach as part of the spending review.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent progress she has made on recruiting 6,500 new teachers.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

The factor in schools and colleges that makes the biggest difference to a young person’s educational outcomes is high-quality teaching. Ensuring a high-quality teaching workforce is therefore critical to the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and boost life chances for every child. However, this government inherited shortages of qualified teachers across the country as the number of teachers has not kept pace with demographic change. That is why the department is committed to recruiting an additional 6,500 new expert teachers across our schools, both mainstream and specialist, and our colleges over the course of this Parliament.

The department has already made good early progress towards this key pledge, including providing a 5.5% pay award for teachers and leaders in maintained schools, announcing a £233 million initial teacher training financial incentives package for the 2025/26 recruitment cycle, and confirming targeted retention incentives for shortage subjects worth up to £6,000 after tax.

We have also taken steps to improve teachers’ workload and wellbeing, to support retention and help reestablish teaching as an attractive profession. This includes opportunities for greater flexible working, such as allowing planning, preparation and assessment time (PPA) to be undertaken remotely, and making key resources to support wellbeing, developed with school leaders, available to teachers​.

​​​​Career changers make a valuable contribution to the teaching profession and the department remains committed to recruiting and supporting them into initial teacher training, including as part of our efforts to recruit an additional 6,500 new expert teachers. Our wider offer to all potential teachers, including career changers, supports them through their journey to apply for teacher training and during the critical early years of teaching. This includes the Get Into Teaching service which offers one-to-one support and advice to all candidates, including targeted support for career changers.

We are working with the sector to develop our approach as part of the spending review.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of career changers on meeting her target of recruiting 6,500 new teachers.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

The factor in schools and colleges that makes the biggest difference to a young person’s educational outcomes is high-quality teaching. Ensuring a high-quality teaching workforce is therefore critical to the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and boost life chances for every child. However, this government inherited shortages of qualified teachers across the country as the number of teachers has not kept pace with demographic change. That is why the department is committed to recruiting an additional 6,500 new expert teachers across our schools, both mainstream and specialist, and our colleges over the course of this Parliament.

The department has already made good early progress towards this key pledge, including providing a 5.5% pay award for teachers and leaders in maintained schools, announcing a £233 million initial teacher training financial incentives package for the 2025/26 recruitment cycle, and confirming targeted retention incentives for shortage subjects worth up to £6,000 after tax.

We have also taken steps to improve teachers’ workload and wellbeing, to support retention and help reestablish teaching as an attractive profession. This includes opportunities for greater flexible working, such as allowing planning, preparation and assessment time (PPA) to be undertaken remotely, and making key resources to support wellbeing, developed with school leaders, available to teachers​.

​​​​Career changers make a valuable contribution to the teaching profession and the department remains committed to recruiting and supporting them into initial teacher training, including as part of our efforts to recruit an additional 6,500 new expert teachers. Our wider offer to all potential teachers, including career changers, supports them through their journey to apply for teacher training and during the critical early years of teaching. This includes the Get Into Teaching service which offers one-to-one support and advice to all candidates, including targeted support for career changers.

We are working with the sector to develop our approach as part of the spending review.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help improve access to therapy services for children in care.

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

Children in care and care leavers are significantly more likely to have poor mental health. The department’s latest data shows that two thirds of children become looked after due to abuse or neglect and we know that care experienced adults are at 4 to 5 times greater risk of suicide attempt than their peers. Providing effective support is crucial given the significant trauma that many of these children and young people have experienced and its lasting impact.

To support looked after children, looked after children attract pupil premium plus funding of £2,570 per year. This is managed by the local authority’s virtual school head and can be used to facilitate a wide range of educational support including additional mentoring, tuition, and therapeutic services.

Given our significant concerns for the health and wellbeing of children in care and care leavers, the department is working alongside the Department of Health and Social Care to review and update current statutory guidance on promoting the health and wellbeing of looked-after children. This guidance sets expectations on local authorities, Directors of Public Health, commissioners of health services for children, NHS England and others, for the promotion of physical, emotional and mental health.

Regulations require an assessment of physical, emotional and mental health needs for every child when they enter care and a plan to be developed to address their needs.

As part of the department’s statutory guidance review, we will consider what changes are needed to further ensure that children in care and care leavers receive the support they need for their physical and mental health and wellbeing, including access to any needed treatment or therapy.

In addition to the statutory guidance review, the department is also undertaking a programme of work specific to children with complex needs. Children with complex needs and multiple needs are some of our most vulnerable children in the care system. The outcomes for these children can often be very poor, with neither children’s social care nor health services alone capable of meeting their needs, and services not working effectively together for these children.

Since July 2023, the department and NHS England have jointly led a Task and Finish Group to consider how to improve the way system partners work together to support and improve outcomes for children and young people who are deprived of their liberty and who are in the most complex situations.

Drawing on the best evidence, including the voice of children, input from professionals and commissioned research, the department will, in collaboration with NHS England, test a new, community-based approach to pathways and provision which provides treatment and care, bringing in professionals from children’s social care, health, justice and education. This will enable the system to deliver specialist care and accommodation for children who have complex needs.

We have also recently commissioned independent research on how the system works, its current impacts and how we could do things differently to achieve better outcomes for children and young people. We plan to publish this research in summer 2025. We will draw on these reports to support the development and testing of evidence-based models of safe, therapeutic care that delivers integrated, consistent, and collaborative practices for these children and young people.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the (a) changes to employer National Insurance contributions, (b) increase in the National Minimum Wage, (c) removal of the ability to charge for (i) consumables and (ii) compulsory extras and (d) requirement to extend funded hours of childcare provision to younger children as a standard rate on early years providers.

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

This government believes giving children the best start in life is the foundation of the mission to break down barriers to opportunity. We have set a milestone of a record proportion of children starting school ready to learn in the classroom. We will measure our progress through 75% of children reaching a good level of development in the early years foundation stage profile assessment by 2028. This assessment takes place at the end of reception.

In the 2025/26 financial year alone, this government plans to spend over £8 billion on early years entitlements, which is a £2 billion increase on the previous year. The department is providing an additional £75 million expansion grant to support the sector in providing the additional places and staff needed ahead of the September 2025 expansion to 30 hours of childcare and early education from when a child is nine months old. The grant is focused on the 2 year-old and under-2s cohort to target the extra costs involved in delivering the entitlements to younger children.

The department will also deliver the largest ever uplift to the early years pupil premium, increasing the rate by over 45% compared to the 2024/25 financial year, which is equivalent to up to £570 per eligible child per year. On top of this, we are providing £25 million through the National Insurance contributions grant for public sector employers in early years.

In determining funding rates for 2025/26, the department will be reflecting forecasts of average earnings and inflation next year, including the National Living Wage. In line with a recent High Court judgment, any charges providers seek to levy must not be mandatory or a condition of accessing a funded place.

Providers must offer reasonable alternatives to parents that enable them to access the entitlements for free if they wish, however we know that many parents prefer to purchase consumables from their provider and will continue to be able to do so.

The department is grateful for the fantastic work the sector is doing to deliver the expanded entitlements and prepare for the final phase from September 2025. We are engaging closely with the sector through provider roadshows and engagement with representative bodies and will continue to listen to any concerns around costs and ensure the sector is financially sustainable going forward.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has plans to establish a new framework for independent institutions.

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

The department expects independent educational institutions to be regulated under the same framework which exists for independent schools under Part 4 of Chapter 1 of the Education and Skills Act 2008.

The department keeps policy regarding independent educational institutions under review to ensure that appropriate action can be taken to provide the best education and opportunities for all children and young people.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department holds data on the number of ransomware attacks against schools and colleges in the last three years.

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

Educational settings in England are responsible for maintaining their IT systems and cyber security. There is currently no mandatory reporting requirement legislation for schools to report a cyber attack and no central register of cyber attacks exists. However, the department has been notified of 53 ransomware cases across the sector over the last 3 years.

The department has a small, dedicated sector cyber security team to support the education sector. The team provides appropriate guidance and advice, via regular targeted and broad communications, to help schools adhere to and maintain good cyber security standards. The department provides guidance for schools and colleges on how to help protect against a cyber incident, which can found at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/meeting-digital-and-technology-standards-in-schools-and-colleges/cyber-security-standards-for-schools-and-colleges.

The department also works closely with the National Cyber Crime Security Centre (NCSC) and Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) to ensure that up-to-date cyber security guidance is shared with schools, colleges and universities.

Further guidance on cyber security for schools can be found at: https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/section/education-skills/cyber-security-schools.

The department’s Risk Protection Arrangement (RPA) has more than 9,900 member schools, which is 52% of eligible schools in England, and is including cover for cyber incidents as standard from the 2022/23 membership years. In the event of a cyber incident, RPA members have access to a 24/7 Incident Response Service.

The department’s dedicated sector cyber security function provides advice in response to cyber security enquiries and incident reports from the sector, liaising with the affected institution following an incident to advise on steps to mitigate the threat and provide guidance on recovery.

The department adheres to the NCSC guidance on payment of ransoms and does not encourage, endorse nor condone the payment of ransom demands in response to a ransomware attack. This guidance is outlined at: https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/guidance/mitigating-malware-and-ransomware-attacks.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to support the well-being of children returning to school following a period of home education in South Suffolk constituency.

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

Supporting the wellbeing of children in schools is central to their ability to achieve and thrive. That is why the department encourages schools to ensure a calm, orderly, safe and supportive environment where all pupils want to be are ready to learn. The department also provides a range of guidance and practical resources on promoting and supporting pupils’ wellbeing, including a resources hub for mental health leads and a toolkit to help choose evidence-based early support for pupils.

The information that local authorities will collect through the Children Not in School statutory registers, which the department are introducing under the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, will help to build a clearer picture of the child’s individual needs and circumstances and enable the local authority or school to provide the tailored support required to best meet those needs.

The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill also introduces a duty on local authorities to provide advice and information to parents of children on their registers, should the parents request it.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the impact of the Nuffield Early Language Intervention programme on attainment for pupils in Central Suffolk and North Ipswich; and what the cost per child is of the programme.

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

Early language skills are vital to enable children to thrive in the early years and later in life, including for all aspects of later attainment in school. That is why in July 2024, this government announced that funded support for the Nuffield Early Learning Intervention (NELI) programme would continue for the 2024/25 academic year.

To date the department has invested over £20 million in the NELI programme, which supports reception aged children needing extra support with their speech and language development.

In randomised control trial evaluations of the programme at scale, when supported by departmental funding, NELI was proven to help children make, on average, an additional four months progress, or seven months for those eligible for free school meals.

The implementation cost of the NELI programme has been rated as ‘very low’ by the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF), when compared to other programmes that EEF have evaluated. It is estimated since 2020 that 650,000 children have had their language screened nationally from the investment in the NELI programme nationally.

Based on the £20 million investment, the cost to the department works out, on average, to be as little as £31 per child. EEF’s findings in relation to the NELI programme is available at: https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/projects-and-evaluation/promising-programmes/nuffield-early-language-intervention.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to provide funding to help improve the mental health of (a) primary school pupils, (b) secondary school pupils and (c) 18-25 year olds in (i) further or (ii) higher education.

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

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

That is why the government has committed to expand Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs), so every young person has access to early support to address problems before they escalate. ​ NHS-funded MHSTs are expected to cover at least 50% of pupils in schools and learners in further education in England by the end of March 2025.

The department will also recruit an additional 8,500 new mental health staff to treat children and adults and open new Young Futures hubs with access to mental health support workers.

In addition, to support education staff, the department provides a range of guidance and practical resources on promoting and supporting pupils’ mental health and wellbeing. For example, a resources hub for mental health leads, and a toolkit to help choose evidence-based early support for pupils.

The department continues to work closely with the further education sector to promote and support providers to develop and implement a whole college approach to mental health and wellbeing. This includes supporting the Association of Colleges (AoC) in their goal for all colleges to sign up to the AoC Mental Health Charter and to align it with the University Mental Health Charter in higher education (HE). AoC’s framework aims to integrate mental health and well-being into every aspect of college life.

Departmental officials also continue to work closely with students, parents, mental health experts and the HE sector to drive meaningful change in mental health practice through the HE Mental Health Implementation Taskforce, which recently published its second stage report.

To raise standards in the sector, the Office for Students has also provided £400,000 of funding to the student mental health charity, Student Minds. This has enabled significant expansion of the University Mental Health Charter Programme, with 113 universities now signed up. The programme helps universities to adopt a whole-institution approach to mental health, bringing universities together to drive forward continuous improvement in mental health support for students.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to extend the free childcare offer to parents in (a) education and (b) training.

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

The government is committed to delivering the expansion of the 30 hours free childcare offer so that, from September 2025, eligible working parents in England will be able to access 30 hours of free childcare per week, over 38 weeks of the year, from the term after their child turns nine months old to when they start school. Accessible and high-quality early education and childcare is a crucial part of giving every child the best start in life, boosting children’s life chances and giving parents work choices.

Students who work in addition to their studies and earn the equivalent of at least 16 hours a week at National Minimum Wage, which is equivalent to £183 per week/£9,518 per year in 2024/25, and under £100,000 adjusted net income per year, may be eligible for this offer. If parents are unable to meet this threshold, they will remain eligible for the universal 15 hours of free early education, which is available to all three and four-year-olds regardless of family circumstances.

We recognise the value of parents continuing in education and provide a range of support for students in further or higher education (HE) to support them with childcare. Support available to full-time HE students with dependent children includes the Childcare Grant and Parents’ Learning Allowance. Entitlement to these grants is based on a student’s household income.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of reforming mathematical education to emphasise (a) data, (b) technology and (c) computing.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

The government has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, covering ages 5 to 18, chaired by Professor Becky Francis CBE. The Review is looking at all curriculum subjects, including mathematics. It is committed to ensuring the curriculum sufficiently prepares children and young people for future life and work, building the knowledge, skills and attributes to thrive.

The Review Group has now published an interim report, which sets out its findings and confirms the key areas for further work. The report can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/curriculum-and-assessment-review-interim-report. The report highlights the need for the curriculum to “respond to social and technological change”. The Review Group’s next steps include considering how best to equip young people with “the essential knowledge and skills which will enable them to adapt and thrive in a rapidly changing and artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled world”.

The government will respond to the final recommendations in autumn.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will increase the powers of local education authorities to take action against parents who threaten teaching staff over decisions taken under school disciplinary procedures.

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

No teacher should feel unsafe or face violence or abuse in the workplace. The department will always support teachers to ensure they can work in safe and calm classrooms. All school employers, including trusts, have a duty to take reasonable steps to protect the health, safety, and welfare of their employees.

Schools should have their own clear processes in place for dealing with issues of bullying or harassment from parents. All incidences of bullying or harassment by a parent should be reported immediately to the designated lead and head teacher or governing body or proprietor.

Should the incident constitute a potential criminal offence, it would be for the school to consider involving the police, having followed the advice contained in the ‘When to call the police’ guidance for schools and colleges by the National Police Chief’s Council, written in partnership with the department and Home Office.

For staff who are experiencing bullying or harassment from any source, support is available from sources including Education Support, a charity supporting the mental health and wellbeing of teachers and education staff in schools, colleges and universities.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to support (a) early education and (b) childcare providers.

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

The government is committed to giving children the best start in life and has set the ambition through the government’s Plan for Change for a record proportion of children starting school ready to learn.

The department has set a target for 75% of children to achieve a good level of development by the end of reception, by 2028. This target aims to ensure that children are school-ready and have met their early learning goals by the age of five.

Next year alone, the department plans to provide over £8 billion for early years entitlements, which is a more than 30% increase compared to 2024/25.

The early years pupil premium rate has increased by over 45% compared to the 2024/25 financial year, which is equivalent to up to £570 per eligible child per year. The department is also providing further supplementary funding of £75 million for the early years expansion grant and £25 million through the forthcoming National Insurance contributions grant for public sector employers in early years.

State-funded primary-phase schools have submitted bids for up to £150,000 of capital funding to refurbish spare internal space to create or expand school-based nurseries. This is the first stage in our plan to deliver 3,000 school-based nurseries and will help deliver on the department’s commitment to ensure families across the country have access to high-quality childcare and early education.

The department is also delivering programmes to support the sector to attract talented staff and childminders by creating conditions for improved recruitment, alongside programmes to better utilise the skills of the existing workforce.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will have discussions with the Secretary of State for Education on (a) domestic extremist threats and (b) other terror related threats against primary and secondary schools; and what assessment she has made of the potential measures of putting new measures in place to strengthen (i) entrances and (ii) perimeter boundaries in schools.

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

The Prevent duty safeguards children and young people from extremist ideologies to prevent them from becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism. The department publishes over 150 resources to support schools, parents and pupils in protecting children from extremism. These resources can be found at: https://www.educateagainsthate.com/.

For any new school building the department recommends a security risk assessment is completed which will set out any necessary safeguarding and security requirements, where they are suitable.

The department publishes comprehensive and well-established ‘Protective Security and Preparedness’ guidance which helps staff prepare for and respond to terrorist and other significant threats. This guidance can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/protective-security-and-preparedness-for-education-settings.

The government will further strengthen the national security response through measures included in the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill. The Bill will require all education settings to take forward public protection procedures. This will establish a legal requirement which specifically relates to the response to a terrorist attack.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether applications received before March 2025 for therapeutic services under the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund will be considered for therapies beginning in the (a) current and (b) 2025-26 financial year.

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

To reduce gaps in therapy, adoption and special guardianship support fund (ASGSF) applications which were received before 31 March 2025 were permitted to extend up to 12 months, allowing children and families to receive continuing therapy across financial years. Where applications were approved, therapy which started up to and including March 2025 could continue into the next financial year, under previously agreed transitional funding arrangements.

Following an announcement on 1 April, the department is delighted to confirm that £50 million has been allocated to the ASGSF for the current financial year. More details on applications for funding for the 2025/26 financial year will be published shortly.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to encourage schools to celebrate (a) Easter and (b) other Christian holidays.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

Easter and other Christian holidays provide good opportunities for schools to celebrate the traditions of our country, and the department supports schools taking those opportunities with their pupils.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent progress she has made on reducing school class sizes in (a) the East Midlands and (b) Nottingham East constituency.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

The average class size for state-funded primary schools in the East Midlands is 26.3 pupils, which is below the national average of 26.6 pupils, and 26.7 for Nottingham East, which is a fraction higher than the national average. The average class size for state-funded secondary schools in the East Midlands is 22.4 pupils, which is equal to the national average, and 23 for Nottingham East, which is just above the national average of 22.4.

Legislation limits the size of an infant class to 30 pupils per school teacher. An infant class is one in which the majority of children will reach the age of five, six, or seven during the school year, which includes reception, year 1 and year 2.

There is no statutory limit on the size of classes for older children (pupils aged eight and over), and it is up to schools to decide how to organise classes based on local needs and circumstances to ensure all children can be supported to achieve and thrive.

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Found: about level 7 apprenticeships, here is the director general who is leading the work in the Department for Education

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will publish the (1) timeline, and (2) plan, for the merger of the National Careers Service with Jobcentre Plus; and what estimate they have made of the financial implications this merger will have on the budget of (a) the Department for Work and Pensions and (b) the Department for Education.

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

Bringing together the National Careers Service with Jobcentre Plus in England and the creation of a new Jobs and Careers Service will form a key part of our plans to transform our employment support, as we set out in the Get Britain Working White Paper.

We will deliver this transformation using a test and learn approach, allowing us to gather evidence based on small-scale tests, iterate the service design, and scale up interventions that meet success criteria. Through this approach, lessons from our small-scale tests will be taken into consideration as part of our plans to bring the two services together.

At the Autumn Budget, the government announced £55m to take forward the first steps of building, testing and trialling the new service in 2025/26. Departmental budgets for the next Spending Review period will be outlined by the Chancellor in due course.

As a start to our commitment to better integrate employment support and careers advice in England, we have launched a data sharing agreement between the Department for Education (DfE) and DWP. This will encourage ‘join-up’ of our services and promote a more streamlined process for our customers ahead of the new service. We will continue to work closely with the DfE as we develop the new service, including careers advisers, who will be able to share their experiences, views and ideas around how we deliver careers services in the future.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to deliver additional employment support to young men aged 16 to 24 years old.

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

The steps set out in the Get Britain Working White Paper set us on a path to bring down economic inactivity levels and to take the first steps to delivering our long-term ambition of achieving an 80% employment rate. The Department understands the negative effects of unemployment can be particularly pronounced for young people and can have longstanding implications on their future earnings potential and life chances. This is why DWP have a particular focus on ensuring young people are supported into employment, whilst also recognising their needs will vary depending on where they live and their own individual circumstances.

DWP currently provides young people aged 16-24 with labour market support through an extensive range of interventions at a national and local level. This includes flexible provision driven by local need, nationwide employment programmes and support delivered by work coaches based in our Jobcentres and in local communities working alongside partners such as the Kings Trust, Local Authorities, National Careers Service/Career Wales, local colleges and Youth Trusts.

As part of our plan to Get Britain Working, we are launching a new Youth Guarantee for all young people aged 18-21 in England to ensure that they can access quality training opportunities, an apprenticeship or help to find work. The Department for Work and Pensions and the Department for Education are working closely with the eight Mayoral Strategic Authorities in England set to receive grant funding to deliver the Youth Guarantee Trailblazers from Spring 2025. We will use the learning from these Trailblazers to inform the future design and development of the Youth Guarantee as it rolls-out across the rest of England.

This is alongside a new national jobs and careers service to help get more people into work, work health and skills plans for the economically inactive, and the launch of Skills England to open new opportunities for young people. We will work in partnership with organisations and businesses at the national and local level to offer exciting and engaging opportunities to young people. This could include work experience, training courses or employability programmes.

The Government is also reforming the apprenticeships offer into a more flexible growth and skills offer, aligned to the industrial strategy. The Department for Education is working to introduce new foundation apprenticeships for young people, as well as shorter duration apprenticeships, in targeted sectors. These will help more people learn new high-quality skills at work, fuel innovation in businesses across the country, and provide high-quality entry pathways for young people.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure careers services remain operationally effective following the merger of the National Careers Service with Jobcentre Plus.

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

The National Careers Service provides free, up to date, impartial careers information and advice for citizens aged 13+, plus in-depth careers guidance from 19+, and can help people make informed decisions on learning, training, and work at all stages in their career.

As we set out in the Get Britain Working White Paper, we are reforming Jobcentre Plus, and in England bringing it together with the National Careers Service, to help get more people into work and help them get on at work, including through greater focus on skills and careers. We are starting a test and learn approach to develop the new service, ensuring that we develop a service that is locally tailored and embedded, designed to meet the different needs of local labour markets, local people and local employers.

As a start to our commitment to better integrate employment support and careers advice in England, we have launched a data sharing agreement between the Department for Education (DfE) and DWP. This will encourage ‘join-up’ of our services and promote a more streamlined process for our customers ahead of the new service. We will continue to work closely with the DfE to develop the new service, including career advisers, who will be able to share their experiences, views and ideas around how we deliver careers services in the future.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have set a target to reduce the number of economically inactive men aged 16 to 24 years old.

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

The steps set out in the Get Britain Working White Paper set us on a path to bring down economic inactivity levels and to take the first steps to delivering our long-term ambition of achieving an 80% employment rate. The Department understands the negative effects of unemployment can be particularly pronounced for young people and can have longstanding implications on their future earnings potential and life chances. This is why DWP have a particular focus on ensuring young people are supported into employment, whilst also recognising their needs will vary depending on where they live and their own individual circumstances.

DWP currently provides young people aged 16-24 with labour market support through an extensive range of interventions at a national and local level. This includes flexible provision driven by local need, nationwide employment programmes and support delivered by work coaches based in our Jobcentres and in local communities working alongside partners such as the Kings Trust, Local Authorities, National Careers Service/Career Wales, local colleges and Youth Trusts.

As part of our plan to Get Britain Working, we are launching a new Youth Guarantee for all young people aged 18-21 in England to ensure that they can access quality training opportunities, an apprenticeship or help to find work. The Department for Work and Pensions and the Department for Education are working closely with the eight Mayoral Strategic Authorities in England set to receive grant funding to deliver the Youth Guarantee Trailblazers from Spring 2025. We will use the learning from these Trailblazers to inform the future design and development of the Youth Guarantee as it rolls-out across the rest of England.

This is alongside a new national jobs and careers service to help get more people into work, work health and skills plans for the economically inactive, and the launch of Skills England to open new opportunities for young people. We will work in partnership with organisations and businesses at the national and local level to offer exciting and engaging opportunities to young people. This could include work experience, training courses or employability programmes.

The Government is also reforming the apprenticeships offer into a more flexible growth and skills offer, aligned to the industrial strategy. The Department for Education is working to introduce new foundation apprenticeships for young people, as well as shorter duration apprenticeships, in targeted sectors. These will help more people learn new high-quality skills at work, fuel innovation in businesses across the country, and provide high-quality entry pathways 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, what steps she is taking to support Ukrainians staying in (a) Yeovil constituency, (b) Somerset, and (c) the South West of England in the long term.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Councils receive integration funding of £5,900 per Homes for Ukraine arrival to support guests to rebuild their lives and fully integrate into communities. All councils have the flexibility to use this funding as best suits the local area and the specific needs of the Ukrainian guests that they support. This could include measures to support guests to access employment, develop their English language skills, and access privately rented accommodation.

The Department for Education supports adults aged 19+ in England who do not have English as a first language to access ESOL provision via the Adult Skills Fund.

Thank-you payments to sponsors of Homes for Ukraine guests have also been extended for 18-months under the Ukraine Permission Extension scheme, to support guests who wish to remain in sponsorship and provide enough time for guests and sponsors to plan for next steps.

All Ukraine visa holders have rights to work, live and study as well as access to healthcare and welfare support in the UK.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many partnerships with Great British Energy are currently in place; and what the total value is of those partnerships.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Great British Energy (GBE) has partnerships with The Crown Estate, the Scottish Government, and the National Wealth Fund. GBE is also developing partnerships with the Welsh Government and Northern Ireland Executive.

We have not quantified the total value of these partnerships, but these partnerships are important to support GBE’s early delivery and to ensure that it is working in alignment with the wider clean energy institutional landscape.

GBE is also working closely with the Department for Education and the Department for Health and Social Care to deliver solar panels for schools and hospitals in FY2025/26, as announced on 21 March.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the proposed increase in employer National Insurance contributions on early years providers.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

A Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) was published alongside the introduction of the Bill containing the changes to employer NICs. The TIIN sets out the impact of the policy on the exchequer, the economic impacts of the policy, and the impacts on individuals, businesses, and civil society organisations, as well as an overview of the equality impacts.

Early years providers play a crucial role in driving economic growth. The Government has committed to delivering the expansion of government-funded childcare and opening 3,000 new school-based nurseries in this parliament. At the Budget, the Chancellor announced that total funding will rise to over £8 billion in 2025-26 to support providers. On top of this, the Department for Education confirmed an additional £75 million of funding in 2025-26 to support the sector deliver the final phase of expanded childcare entitlements from September 2025. Alongside this, rates for the early years pupil premium have also been increased by over 45%, equivalent to up to £570 per eligible child per year.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to take steps with the Secretary of State for Education to promote (a) CPR training and (b) defibrillator use in schools.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

There are no plans to take steps with my Rt Hon. Friend, Secretary of State for Education to promote cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training and defibrillator use in schools. The Department for Education published guidance in January 2025 on the provision and use of automated external defibrillators in schools, as well as training in CPR. This guidance is available at the following link:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/67936b102de28ea2d392f35b/Automated_External_Defibrillators__AEDs__guidance_for_schools.pdf

The Department for Education, working with NHS Supply Chain, has negotiated an arrangement for schools to purchase defibrillators at a reduced cost. As part of its work to help people survive an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, the British Heart Foundation is offering CPR training packs free to all secondary schools in the United Kingdom.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that more people from disadvantaged backgrounds take up journalism courses and training.

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

It is key that the public feel represented and reflected by the media. Journalism plays an invaluable role in the fabric of our society and we are committed to supporting a free, sustainable and plural media landscape. Encouraging more people from disadvantaged backgrounds to enter the industry may have a positive impact on the sustainability of the industry where it helps news publishers improve their appeal to currently underserved and under-represented audiences. Government believes that we need routes into journalism that are open to everyone, wherever they grow up.

High-quality apprenticeships available to support employers and learners in the news sector, including the Level 5 Journalist apprenticeship standard, are a means to help enable this. DCMS is working closely with DfE on their work to reform the growth and skills levy. The new growth and skills offer, with apprenticeships at the heart, will deliver greater flexibility for learners and employers in England, and will be aligned with the Industrial Strategy to create routes into good skilled jobs.

This support complements the industry’s own efforts, and we welcome the National Council for the Training of Journalists’ (NCTJ) recent launch of the new phase of the Community News Project, a major initiative to strengthen local journalism and improve local newsroom diversity across the UK through apprenticeship placements. This project demonstrates the type of industry collaboration which can help secure the future of local journalism, which we want to further encourage through our Local Media Strategy.

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