Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of Ofsted's ability to adjudicate independently on appeals submitted by school leaders in relation to Ofsted's own inspection judgments.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Ofsted is currently reviewing its complaints arrangements for schools, with a view to strengthening independent oversight. The department is engaging with Ofsted on this matter. Further details of the plans will be made available in due course.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the administrative workload on local authorities, schools, families and the SEND Tribunal of operating parallel SEND systems during the transition to the proposed new system; and what assessment she has made of the funding required to support this transition.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department will support local authorities, schools, families and the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) tribunal to manage the move to our new SEND system. We heard clearly from parents, educators and practitioners the importance of a phased approach to a new system, starting with investment in early intervention. We will share clear guidance ahead of the commencement of new legislation and phase transition, moving children and young people to the new system over a period of seven years and only when they reach the end of their education phase, such as the end of year 6 or year 11.
Under our proposals, a triple lock of transitional protections will mean every child with a special school place in September 2029 will be able to stay in a special school until they finish education. Further proposals will mean children with an education, health and care (EHC) plan will not transition to the new system until 2030, and those who transition out of their EHC plan will have an Individual Support Plan in place ahead of their plan ceasing.
We are investing £200 million of transformation funding to build capacity, strengthen strategic planning and data capability, and implement local authorities’ Local SEND Reform Plans. Through the inclusive mainstream fund, we are also investing £500 million per financial year over the next three years to improve readiness ahead of transitioning to our improved SEND system from 2029.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what consideration has she given to the potential merits of providing parents and carers with a statutory route of redress where provision specified in an Individual Support Plan is not delivered.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
As set out in the department’s consultation, ‘SEND Reform: Putting Children and Young People First’, the department proposed a duty on settings to produce an Individual Support Plan (ISP) for every child or young person receiving targeted, targeted plus or specialist support. Under this proposal, the ISP would provide a clear and consistent record of a child or young person’s needs and the help they receive, so that support is joined‑up, timely and centred on what will help them thrive. The responses to the consultation are carefully being reviewed and we will respond in due course.
The department recognises the importance of ensuring that parents and carers have effective routes to raise concerns where support is not being delivered as expected. The ISP will be developed by settings together with parents and young people, giving every child or young person with special educational needs a clear and consistent record of their needs and the help they receive.
The department proposed strengthening the school complaints system with the inclusion of an appropriate, independent SEND specialist on a complaints panel if the complaint cannot be resolved by the school’s senior management team or head teacher. We also proposed strengthening the utilisation of Disagreement Resolution Services by improving and updating guidance for schools. In addition, we set out plans to improve complaints systems more generally in the Schools White Paper, by exploring digital solutions, updating guidance and setting out clearer handling processes.
Asked by: Vikki Slade (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to update the National Curriculum to prepare children and young people in education for their future employment, in the context of increasing job automation as Artificial Intelligence progresses.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The world in which young people are growing up is changing more rapidly than ever, and we know that human skills will become even more valuable when preparing them to succeed in life and work.
Our refreshed curriculum will deliver high standards for all, making sure that pupils obtain the breadth and depth of knowledge and skills they need to thrive in the future.
They will learn to master the essential technological and digital skills needed for the workplace through a curriculum rich in digital and media literacy.
The government will nurture the next generation of leaders by creating fluent and confident speakers through a greater emphasis on oracy across curriculum subjects.
We will also widen opportunity for all young people and create clear pathways into further study, training and high-quality careers where they live.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions her Department has had with (a) teachers and (b) head teachers on mental health support for students.
Answered by Paul Waugh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
This government is committed to improving mental health support for children and young people and the department engages regularly with education sector bodies and school leaders. We are expanding Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs) to provide access to specialist mental health professionals in every school and are accelerating rollout to achieve full national coverage by 2029.
The department also provides guidance and resources on promoting and supporting pupils’ mental health and wellbeing, developed by working with schools to ensure their needs are met. Resources include a hub for mental health leads, the Targeted Support guidance and Hub and a non-statutory guidance to support schools to take a holistic, preventative approach to mental health and wellbeing, available at:
Additionally, we are developing a new mental health strategy for England, to be published later this year. This involved a call for evidence on prevention and support, including from education and training settings, on how to maximise existing policies, such as MHSTs and community-based mental health services.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to increase awareness of mental health support in schools.
Answered by Paul Waugh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
This government is committed to improving mental health support for children and young people and the department engages regularly with education sector bodies and school leaders. We are expanding Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs) to provide access to specialist mental health professionals in every school and are accelerating rollout to achieve full national coverage by 2029.
The department also provides guidance and resources on promoting and supporting pupils’ mental health and wellbeing, developed by working with schools to ensure their needs are met. Resources include a hub for mental health leads, the Targeted Support guidance and Hub and a non-statutory guidance to support schools to take a holistic, preventative approach to mental health and wellbeing, available at:
Additionally, we are developing a new mental health strategy for England, to be published later this year. This involved a call for evidence on prevention and support, including from education and training settings, on how to maximise existing policies, such as MHSTs and community-based mental health services.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she has taken to help ensure there are sufficient teaching support staff, including teaching assistants and technicians, to effectively support SEND provision in North Shropshire constituency.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Headteachers are responsible for recruitment and deployment in their schools, as they are best placed to understand the specific needs of their pupils and make staffing decisions accordingly.
In Shropshire, the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) school support staff increased slightly from 2,537 in 2024/25 to 2,553 in 2025/26. This includes an increase in FTE teaching assistant numbers from 1,470 in 2024/25 to 1,517 in 2025/26. There has also been a slight decrease in FTE technicians from 48 in 2024/25 to 45 in 2025/26.
The government is committed to ensuring that school support staff are recognised and rewarded for the crucial work they do. That is why we are establishing the School Support Staff Negotiating Body to negotiate new statutory minimum levels for pay and conditions and advise on training and career progression for school support staff in England.
We are investing in schools to deliver the changes to support mainstream inclusion. From 2026 to 2027 we will provide £1.6 billion for the Inclusive Mainstream Fund for schools, colleges and early years settings to deliver an improved inclusion offer, as well as £1.8 billion for Experts at Hand.
The department is also investing £200 million in a new special educational needs and disabilities training offer to upskill school, college and nursery staff, including teaching assistants.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made on the level of teaching staff retention in North Shropshire; and what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the level of teaching staff in that area on schools.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Teacher numbers in the Shropshire local authority increased slightly year on year. The department’s latest data reported that there were 2,137 teachers in 2025/26 compared to 2,131 in 2024/25.
Nationally, we have achieved over 71% of our 6,500 additional teachers target. There are 4,654 more teachers in 2025/26 compared with 2024/25, including 3,008 more teachers in secondary and special schools and 1,646 more teachers in further education.
The latest School Workforce Census also reported the lowest leaver rate (8.5%) outside the pandemic and a record number of teachers (17,740) returning to the classroom.
By September 2027, school teachers will have seen an increase in their pay of 17% since this government took power, and we are taking action to tackle poor pupil behaviour, reduce high workload and improve wellbeing to encourage even more teachers to stay in the profession.
Asked by: Vikki Slade (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to introduce additional funding for SEND support provision in all schools in England as part of the Experts at Hand programme, following the initial funding provision; and whether her Department plans to provide separate funding for additional teaching assistants to support children with SEND in mainstream schools.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The Experts at Hand offer is funded by a £1.8 billion grant, over the three years of the spending review period. It is for local authorities, working in partnership with local system partners, to provide advice and direct support to mainstream schools, colleges and early years settings. This funding is for investment in services that individual settings cannot commission alone, such as specialist health and education support, to improve the quality of inclusive education for children and young people with special education needs and disabilities (SEND), in line with the 2026 Schools White Paper and SEND Reform consultation document.
Over the same time period, the £1.6 billion Inclusive Mainstream Fund will be provided for mainstream schools, colleges and early years settings. It will support schools to transition towards a reformed education system that is inclusive by design, ensuring every child and young person receives high-quality, adaptive teaching and early help when they need it.
We have fulfilled a commitment in ‘SEND Reform, Putting Children and Young People First’ to consult on ways to allow local authorities to pass more of their high needs funding directly to local mainstream schools. The proposals are intended to support earlier intervention and enable a more proactive approach to meeting needs, reducing reliance on funding being tied to statutory processes. More information is available at: https://consult.education.gov.uk/funding-policy-unit/upfront-funding-for-mainstream-schools-creating-a/supporting_documents/upfront-funding-for-mainstream-schools-creating-a-local-send-inclusion-formulapdf.
Over time, there will be further rebalancing of funding from the high needs budget into schools’ budgets, in line with new accountability arrangements. This will allow them to deliver more flexible, direct and timely support and further incentivise early intervention and inclusive practice.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of extending the School Workforce Census to record neurodivergence.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department recognises the importance of understanding the diversity of the school workforce, including the experiences of neurodivergent staff. The School Workforce Census (SWC) already collects information on disability, which may include some neurodivergent conditions where individuals choose to declare them. However, the disability data collected does not enable the department to identify or extract information specifically on neurodivergent staff.
The department keeps the content of the SWC under regular review to ensure it meets user needs while minimising administrative burdens on schools. The department has not made a specific assessment of the merits of introducing a separate data field for neurodivergence. Any proposal to do so would require careful consideration of data quality, staff disclosure rates and the impact on schools and employers.
The department will continue to consider opportunities to improve its understanding of workforce diversity.