Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to introduce transitional protections for students already enrolled on courses affected by changes to funding eligibility.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
As part of the department’s wider work to protect public money in higher education, we take swift and proportionate action to identify fraud and error in the student finance system.
We work closely with the Student Loans Company (SLC) to ensure student finance is delivered in line with statutory eligibility requirements and funding rules set by Ministers. Where courses are found to be ineligible, the department actively engages with the SLC to implement the appropriate actions in accordance with established processes.
The government recognises the importance of minimising disruption to students where errors in funding eligibility occur and will carefully consider the impact on affected students.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has had discussions with the Student Loans Company on its approval of funding for courses later deemed ineligible.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
As part of the department’s wider work to protect public money in higher education, we take swift and proportionate action to identify fraud and error in the student finance system.
We work closely with the Student Loans Company (SLC) to ensure student finance is delivered in line with statutory eligibility requirements and funding rules set by Ministers. Where courses are found to be ineligible, the department actively engages with the SLC to implement the appropriate actions in accordance with established processes.
The government recognises the importance of minimising disruption to students where errors in funding eligibility occur and will carefully consider the impact on affected students.
Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has considered expanding statutory guidance for schools on supporting children and young people with medical conditions to all school types.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The statutory guidance, ‘Supporting pupils at school with medical conditions’, is issued under section 100 of the Children and Families Act 2014. This requires local authority-maintained schools, academies and pupil referral units to make arrangements for supporting pupils with medical conditions, and to have regard to statutory guidance.
As part of the department’s consultation on revised statutory guidance on medical conditions at school, we are inviting views on whether we should seek to extend the section 100 duty to cover independent schools, non-maintained special schools and post-16 institutions. This would ensure the guidance is statutory guidance for all types of school.
Asked by: Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the pay gap between Further Education lecturers and school teachers; and whether she is taking steps support FE colleges in recruiting and retaining skilled teachers to deliver technical education.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The statutory requirements for maintained schoolteachers' pay are set nationally subject to recommendations from the School Teachers’ Review Body. In 2023/24, the median FTE salary for teachers in secondary schools was £47,666.
Further education (FE) colleges have statutory autonomy over the pay of their staff. Colleges should have the freedom to meet local technical skills needs within their own local circumstances, and the government does not set college teacher pay. In 2023/24, the median FTE average salary for teachers on permanent or fixed term contracts in FE colleges was £36,316 and £47,133 in sixth form colleges.
FE teachers are central to delivering high-quality technical education. Last year, we announced an additional £190 million broadly equivalent to the pay award in schools for colleges and other 16 to 19 providers to help them address the recruitment and retention of specialist FE teachers. Our targeted retention incentive offer is designed to retain eligible FE teachers in technical subjects with payments of up to £6,000 after tax. In its first year, nearly 6,000 teachers received a payment.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department supports schools in implementing programs teaching children about civic responsibility in a digital age.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only. All schools are expected to actively promote fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect and tolerance for those of different faiths and beliefs.
The government’s response to the Curriculum and Assessment Review committed to making citizenship statutory at primary and strengthening primary and secondary content, including on democracy and the rule of law. Applied knowledge and skills in media and digital literacy and subject-specific disciplinary skills, including critical thinking and problem solving, will be embedded in the refreshed programmes of study. Pupils will also have opportunities to develop social and emotional attributes such as resilience.
Working closely with the sector, we are working towards a first teaching of the new curriculum from September 2028.
Asked by: Cameron Thomas (Liberal Democrat - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure access to musical instruments and instruction for children from vulnerable and marginalised children.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The government has committed £76 million per year for the Music Hubs programme, including the 2025/26 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 invested £25 million in capital funding for musical instruments, equipment, and technology across the 2024/25 and 2025/26 academic years. The grant can be used predominantly to purchase instruments and equipment, including where they have been adapted or developed to meet the needs of those with special educational needs or disabilities. In addition, all hubs are required to have a named inclusion lead and a published inclusion strategy. Most music hubs provide remissions or targeted provision aimed at supporting pupils who are from disadvantaged backgrounds.
The independent interim evaluation report into Music Hubs, published in February 2026, reported that 77% of teachers expected increased access to instruments, and 68% an increase in disadvantaged pupil participation under the new model. The report can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/music-hubs-evaluation-interim-report.
Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the potential financial impact of school transport costs on families in areas outside London; and whether she has plans to review school transport policy to address regional disparities in costs.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Children of compulsory school age, 5 to 16, will be eligible for free travel if they attend their nearest school and would not be able to walk there because of the distance, their special educational needs, disability or mobility problem, or the safety of the route. Extended rights to free travel support low-income families to exercise school choice. The department does not currently have any plans to change the existing statutory framework.
Central government funding for home-to-school travel is provided through the Local Government Finance Settlement. From the 2026/27 financial year, it includes a new specific relative needs formula for home-to-school travel which estimates each authority’s relative need to spend based on pupil numbers and home-to-school distances. This ensures funding reflects real journeys to school including in areas outside London.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to respond to Question 120023 from the hon. Member for Twickenham.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The responses to these Written Parliamentary Questions have been issued.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to respond to Question 120952 from the hon. Member for Meriden and Solihull East.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The responses to these Written Parliamentary Questions have been issued.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to respond to Question 121418 from the hon. Member for Meriden and Solihull East.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The responses to these Written Parliamentary Questions have been issued.