Asked by: Damian Hinds (Conservative - East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Written Statement of 22 October 2024 on Mainstream Free Schools, HCWS150, what progress her Department has made on the review of planned mainstream free schools.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The review that my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education announced in October 2024 will put a stop to the over-supply of unnecessary places and channel funding towards improving the deteriorating condition of existing schools and colleges and enable prioritisation of capital funding where it is most needed across the education estate to counter urgent condition need.
Since the review was announced, departmental officials have been working through evidence gathered from trusts and local authorities to develop robust, evidence-based recommendations. We will update trusts and local authorities on next steps in due course.
Asked by: Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough, Oadby and Wigston)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of how many (a) weeks in the year and (b) hours each week recipients of the school-based nursery capital grant will be open.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The school-based nursery capital grant is capital funding awarded to schools to repurpose spare space in school buildings for the purpose of creating, or expanding, nursery provision.
All schools, including those in receipt of the school-based nursery capital grant, will report termly through the school census details of all registered pupils who take up any of the funded entitlements to free education within that school. All schools are also required to report annually on the types of childcare offered, for example, before school, after school, holiday and under five. The information collected includes the opening and closing time as well as the number of weeks opened.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of trends in the level of the uptake of law degrees in the last five years.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
There has been a 6.3% increase in the number of entrants into UK higher education providers studying law across all levels and modes of study between 2019/20 and 2023/24.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of key stage four students who completed their GCSEs went on to (a) start apprenticeships, (b) study A levels and (c) start vocational technical qualifications in (i) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (ii) Lincolnshire in each of the last five academic years for which data is available.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The information requested is not held centrally.
The department does, however, measure the proportion of students in state-funded mainstream schools who go on to sustain a destination after completing their key stage 4 study. Data relating to South Holland and the Deepings constituency and Lincolnshire can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/7c67e37a-6bf9-4706-9b63-08dd7377d1ad.
A breakdown of the sustained education destination by A level and vocational technical qualifications is not readily available, however, the number of students at the end of their 16 to 18 study who studied A levels and vocational technical qualifications in South Holland and the Deepings constituency can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/4dbda504-885f-4ecd-a918-08dd736ca4ba.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to implement (a) a workforce development strategy, (b) apprenticeships and (c) career pathways for the independent advice sector.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
An appropriately trained workforce of careers advisers, available to work with young people and adults in a range of settings, is a key part of our approach to careers provision. The department wants to ensure that people from all backgrounds can access the expert advice they need to explore a range of career pathways and labour market opportunities. This supports the development of a skilled workforce across all sectors, driving economic growth through our Industrial Strategy.
The department works closely with the Career Development Institute (CDI), the UK’s professional body for careers work, which provides training and professional development. The current offer includes a bespoke department-funded programme for National Careers Service advisers and a programme, funded by the Gatsby Foundation, targeted on raising awareness of technical education pathways amongst careers advisers working in schools and colleges.
The CDI maintains the UK Register of Career Development Professionals with members adhering to a code of ethics and committing to regular professional development. The CDI also provides advice on the right qualifications for various roles and how to conduct effective personal guidance meetings.
Secondary schools and colleges are legally required to secure independent and impartial careers guidance for all learners up to the age of 18 and for 19 to 24-year olds with an education, health and care plan. Careers statutory guidance sets a clear expectation that schools and colleges should make sure that careers advisers providing personal guidance to learners are trained to the appropriate level. The department recommends that schools and colleges use the CDI’s register to find suitable careers advisers qualified to at least level 6 in a career development subject. The main level 6 and 7 qualifications for careers advisers are the level 6 Diploma in Career Guidance and Development, the level 6 Higher Apprenticeship: Career Development Professional and the Qualification in Career Development at level 7.
Over 760 careers advisers form the bedrock of our National Careers Service, providing free, up to date, impartial information, advice and guidance on careers and the labour market in England. National Careers Service prime contractors must make sure that all advisers hold career development qualifications appropriate to their role and demonstrate in their workforce development strategy that they are committed to employing staff in line with the standards set by the CDI. The government is committed to bringing the National Careers Service and Jobcentre Plus closer together and we will set out further details on this soon.
Asked by: Tracy Gilbert (Labour - Edinburgh North and Leith)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many apprenticeships the Construction Industry Training Board supported in (a) Edinburgh North and Leith constituency and (b) Scotland in (i) 2023 and (ii) 2024.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
In the Edinburgh North and Leith constituency, the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) supported 36 registered employers in 2023, and 47 registered employers in 2024. A CITB registered employer may access more than one grant or fund, and the cumulative count of support for registered employers within the constituency was 58 and 113 respectively.
Across Scotland, the CITB supported 2,864 registered employers in 2023, and 3414 registered employers in 2024, with 6,683 and 9,076 cumulative counts of support respectively.
The number of apprentices supported is not routinely captured at constituency level, so the CITB is unable to provide this figure from currently available data.
Through the CITB’s contract with Skills Development Scotland, it supported an average of 4,440 apprentices per month in 2023, and an average of 4,500 apprentices per month in 2024.
Asked by: Tracy Gilbert (Labour - Edinburgh North and Leith)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many businesses the Construction Industry Training Board supported in (a) Edinburgh North and Leith constituency and (b) Scotland in (i) 2023 and (ii) 2024.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
In the Edinburgh North and Leith constituency, the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) supported 36 registered employers in 2023, and 47 registered employers in 2024. A CITB registered employer may access more than one grant or fund, and the cumulative count of support for registered employers within the constituency was 58 and 113 respectively.
Across Scotland, the CITB supported 2,864 registered employers in 2023, and 3414 registered employers in 2024, with 6,683 and 9,076 cumulative counts of support respectively.
The number of apprentices supported is not routinely captured at constituency level, so the CITB is unable to provide this figure from currently available data.
Through the CITB’s contract with Skills Development Scotland, it supported an average of 4,440 apprentices per month in 2023, and an average of 4,500 apprentices per month in 2024.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many state schools she has visited since 5 July 2024.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education prioritises visits to our state schools, which serve 93% of pupils in England. The Secretary of State for Education has visited 18 state schools from 5 July 2024 to 22 April 2025. This does not include visits taken in a political capacity or constituency visits, which are not organised by the department. This number also excludes visits to other educational settings, such as colleges, nurseries and universities.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to respond to the correspondence of 5 February 2025 from the hon. Member for Mid Bedfordshire on Swallowfield Primary School.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
A response has been sent to the letter dated 5 February from the hon. Member for Mid Bedfordshire.
Asked by: Lisa Smart (Liberal Democrat - Hazel Grove)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has plans to restore the core schools budget to 2010 in real terms.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
Overall core revenue funding for schools totals almost £61.6 billion for the 2024/25 financial year. The overall core schools budget (CSB) is increasing by £3.2 billion in 2025/26, meaning the CSB will total over £64.8 billion.
The latest schools funding statistics release from 30 January shows that, adjusted for inflation using the GDP deflator, funding per pupil for 5 to16-year-olds stood at a little under £7,400 in the 2010/11 financial year in 2024/25 prices. This has risen to £8,020 in the 2025/26 financial year in 2024/25 prices. This does not take into account the increase of over £900 million this government is also providing for schools and high needs settings to support them with the cost of National Insurance contributions increases. Funding per pupil in the 2025/26 financial year is therefore higher than the level reached in the 2010/11 financial year, in real terms.
These increases, against the backdrop of a challenging fiscal picture, demonstrate the government’s commitment to enabling every child to achieve.