Asked by: Lord Taylor of Goss Moor (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what was the median salary of secondary school head teachers in England in each year since 1996–97 in (1) cash terms, and (2) real terms adjusted for inflation.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The tables attached reflect median pay for classroom teachers, headteachers and ‘other leadership’ teachers. Deputy heads are grouped into the ‘other leadership’ category, alongside assistant heads. Median pay is not published for deputy heads separately but has been produced for this response and included.
Statistics for median teacher pay extending back to 1996/97 are not readily available. The available time series goes back to 2010/11, the first year of the School Workforce Census.
These figures are adjusted for inflation by using the Consumer Price Index from Office for Budget Responsibility Economic and Fiscal Outlook from March 2026, on a financial year basis.
Headteacher pay in maintained schools is determined by a calculation set out in the School Teachers Pay and Conditions Document. Once the school has been allocated to one of eight headteacher groups, largely based on size of school by pupil numbers, the individual salary range of the headteacher is determined by the governing body within the minimum and maximum of the respective headteacher group range. The salary range of any deputy or assistant headteachers is then determined in the context of the headteachers salary.
In exceptional circumstances, schools can pay their headteachers up to 25% above the maximum of their headteacher group or go beyond 25% if supported by an independently-assessed and approved business case.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Goss Moor (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what was the median salary of primary school head teachers in England in each year since 1996–97 in (1) cash terms, and (2) real terms adjusted for inflation.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The tables attached reflect median pay for classroom teachers, headteachers and ‘other leadership’ teachers. Deputy heads are grouped into the ‘other leadership’ category, alongside assistant heads. Median pay is not published for deputy heads separately but has been produced for this response and included.
Statistics for median teacher pay extending back to 1996/97 are not readily available. The available time series goes back to 2010/11, the first year of the School Workforce Census.
These figures are adjusted for inflation by using the Consumer Price Index from Office for Budget Responsibility Economic and Fiscal Outlook from March 2026, on a financial year basis.
Headteacher pay in maintained schools is determined by a calculation set out in the School Teachers Pay and Conditions Document. Once the school has been allocated to one of eight headteacher groups, largely based on size of school by pupil numbers, the individual salary range of the headteacher is determined by the governing body within the minimum and maximum of the respective headteacher group range. The salary range of any deputy or assistant headteachers is then determined in the context of the headteachers salary.
In exceptional circumstances, schools can pay their headteachers up to 25% above the maximum of their headteacher group or go beyond 25% if supported by an independently-assessed and approved business case.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Goss Moor (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what was the median salary of secondary school deputy head teachers in England in each year since 1996–97 in (1) cash terms, and (2) real terms adjusted for inflation.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The tables attached reflect median pay for classroom teachers, headteachers and ‘other leadership’ teachers. Deputy heads are grouped into the ‘other leadership’ category, alongside assistant heads. Median pay is not published for deputy heads separately but has been produced for this response and included.
Statistics for median teacher pay extending back to 1996/97 are not readily available. The available time series goes back to 2010/11, the first year of the School Workforce Census.
These figures are adjusted for inflation by using the Consumer Price Index from Office for Budget Responsibility Economic and Fiscal Outlook from March 2026, on a financial year basis.
Headteacher pay in maintained schools is determined by a calculation set out in the School Teachers Pay and Conditions Document. Once the school has been allocated to one of eight headteacher groups, largely based on size of school by pupil numbers, the individual salary range of the headteacher is determined by the governing body within the minimum and maximum of the respective headteacher group range. The salary range of any deputy or assistant headteachers is then determined in the context of the headteachers salary.
In exceptional circumstances, schools can pay their headteachers up to 25% above the maximum of their headteacher group or go beyond 25% if supported by an independently-assessed and approved business case.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Goss Moor (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what was the median salary of primary school deputy head teachers in England in each year since 1996–97 in (1) cash terms, and (2) real terms adjusted for inflation.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The tables attached reflect median pay for classroom teachers, headteachers and ‘other leadership’ teachers. Deputy heads are grouped into the ‘other leadership’ category, alongside assistant heads. Median pay is not published for deputy heads separately but has been produced for this response and included.
Statistics for median teacher pay extending back to 1996/97 are not readily available. The available time series goes back to 2010/11, the first year of the School Workforce Census.
These figures are adjusted for inflation by using the Consumer Price Index from Office for Budget Responsibility Economic and Fiscal Outlook from March 2026, on a financial year basis.
Headteacher pay in maintained schools is determined by a calculation set out in the School Teachers Pay and Conditions Document. Once the school has been allocated to one of eight headteacher groups, largely based on size of school by pupil numbers, the individual salary range of the headteacher is determined by the governing body within the minimum and maximum of the respective headteacher group range. The salary range of any deputy or assistant headteachers is then determined in the context of the headteachers salary.
In exceptional circumstances, schools can pay their headteachers up to 25% above the maximum of their headteacher group or go beyond 25% if supported by an independently-assessed and approved business case.
Asked by: Lord Kempsell (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what percentage of university undergraduate courses offer a placement year.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) is responsible for collecting and publishing data on the UK higher education sector. This data is shared with the department and includes a wide range of information on student courses.
The department only has placement data on courses that have students enrolled on. For the 2024/25 academic year, approximately 23.9% of undergraduate courses with students enrolled on had the option of taking a placement with a length of at least one year.
Asked by: Alex McIntyre (Labour - Gloucester)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the performance of secondary schools in Gloucester constituency.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Data shows that a significant Attainment 8 gap between selective grammar schools in Gloucester and non-selective schools, with a 30+ point gap between the highest (Denmark Road, 72.9) and lowest scoring (Gloucester Academy, 36.6) schools. Grammar schools drive the locally authority average (50.3 compared to the national average of 46). Schools with lower attainment 8 scores serve more disadvantaged populations locally.
Overall secondary attendance trend in the Gloucester constituency is improving, increasing from 90.4% in 2023/24 to 90.9%, in 2024/25. Note the national average is 90.9% and local authority average is 91.5%.
Overall, Ofsted ratings demonstrate an improvement trend in schools in Gloucester. Holmleigh Park and Gloucester Academy have improved from an ‘Inadequate’ Ofsted judgement, to ‘Good’. The department continues to work closely with local partners to closely monitor this continuing trend of improvement.
Asked by: Saqib Bhatti (Conservative - Meriden and Solihull East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how the proposed fast‑track route for early intervention will be defined, including eligibility thresholds, time limits and approved evidence‑based programmes.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
To achieve this, we will work with the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC), and NHS England to enable better information sharing between health professionals and local authorities. This will speed up the process of matching children to the right specialist provision package and create a more direct route to specialist provision for those with the most complex needs at the earliest stage.
We have asked for feedback on this proposal as part of the consultation and will build on these responses to develop this policy in partnership with parents, local authorities, settings, DHSC and NHS England.
Asked by: Lord Harper (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage on 16 March (HL Deb col 732), what steps, if any, they plan to take to ensure that university leaders who fail to take action to combat antisemitism are held accountable.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The E6 condition of registration, introduced by the Office for Students (OfS) on 1 August last year, requires registered higher education providers to have strong policies to prevent and address harassment, including antisemitic abuse. The government expects universities to comply fully with E6 and the OfS has powers to act where institutions breach this condition of registration.
Asked by: Baroness Debbonaire (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the extent, and (2) the impact, of the provision of arts and culture activities for children in schools by external organisations.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Participation in the arts brings a range of benefits for children and young people. In addition to the value of arts engagement in and of itself, the Education Endowment Fund’s teaching and learning toolkit, for example, reports positive impacts on academic outcomes in other curriculum areas, as well as benefits to children’s wellbeing and attitudes to learning.
There is a range of support available to schools from external organisations to help them provide arts and cultural activities. The government will be publishing a new enrichment framework this academic year, which will encourage partnership working and signpost to organisations, such as Arts Council England.
We are also committed to revitalising arts as part of the reformed national curriculum and qualifications, with high-quality support for teachers of these subjects through the new National Centre for Music and Arts, and our music hubs network.
Asked by: Lord Bird (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to introduce an auto-enrolment system for all children eligible for free school meals.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
This government is committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity and tackling child poverty. We want to make sure that every family that needs support can access it.
The government is introducing a new eligibility threshold for free school meals so that all children from households in receipt of Universal Credit will be eligible for free school meals from September 2026. This will make it easier for parents to know whether their children are entitled to receive free meals. This new entitlement will mean over 500,000 of the most disadvantaged children will begin to access free meals, lifting 100,000 children out of poverty and putting £500 per child back in families’ pockets.
We are also rolling out improvements to the Eligibility Checking System, the digital portal currently used by local authorities to verify if a child meets the eligibility criteria for free lunches. Giving parents and schools access will accelerate eligibility checks, making it easier to check if children are eligible for free meals.