Asked by: Saqib Bhatti (Conservative - Meriden and Solihull East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of rural and coastal local authorities’ capacity to deliver Experts at Hand services.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department is investing around £1.8 billion over the next three years in Experts at Hand to improve mainstream settings’ access to specialist education and health expertise, including in rural and coastal communities.
The offer is being developed locally, so that areas can make the best use of available specialist capacity and tailor support to local geography and need. This may include specialists supporting groups of settings through training and advice, with supervised trainees, assistants and support workers helping to extend capacity and reach. We are working closely with colleagues in the Department of Health and Social Care to ensure that there are no cold spots and that every single mainstream setting has access to essential support.
Alongside this we will continue to support nationally to build specialist capacity needed for delivery, by investing over £40 million in the specialist workforce. Of this funding, £26 million will go towards training at least 200 educational psychologists per year in 2026/27. This will be followed by further investment to train more from 2028, subject to future spending review decisions. The remaining £15 million will be invested to establish new speech and language therapist advanced practitioners in every integrated care board geographical area, to get more speech and language therapists working in education settings.
Asked by: Tahir Ali (Labour - Birmingham Hall Green and Moseley)
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 total destruction of higher education institutions in Gaza on the UK’s partnerships with Israeli universities engaged in defence-related research.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department has not made a specific assessment of the potential impact of damage to higher education (HE) institutions in Gaza on partnerships between UK HE providers and Israeli universities engaged in defence-related research.
The conflict has caused catastrophic damage to Gaza's education system and nearly all university buildings are reported to have been destroyed.
The government does not routinely hold information on all research activities undertaken by individual universities or their international partners. Any publicly funded research must comply with relevant legal, ethical and security requirements.
The government is very aware of the extremely challenging environment for those in Gaza seeking to pursue higher education. That is why during the 2025/26 autumn term, the government supported more than 100 high achieving students with full scholarships from Gaza to travel to the UK to pursue their studies. Building on this, support has been extended into the 2026/27 academic year, enabling a further cohort of talented students with fully funded scholarships to take up their places at UK universities.
The government continues to support humanitarian and recovery efforts for Palestinians. The UK has announced £10 million of support for the UN Horizon Fund to enable a Palestinian-led, UN-coordinated approach to early recovery, including support for education alongside other essential services. The UK is also providing £23.3 million to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East to support the delivery of healthcare, education, social services, emergency food and shelter.
Asked by: Michael Payne (Labour - Gedling)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, (a) what steps the her Department is taking to increase access to technical education and apprenticeship opportunities for young people in Nottinghamshire; and (b) what discussions the Department has had with local employers about aligning training provision with future skills needs.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government is determined to ensure that young people in Nottinghamshire can access high-quality technical education and apprenticeships leading to skilled employment.
The department is strengthening technical pathways for those aged 14 and older, introducing new V Levels and expanding T Levels at 16-19, and working with employers, schools, colleges and local leaders to ensure provision reflects skills needs.
To support 50,000 more young people into apprenticeships, we are now fully funding apprenticeships for eligible young people under 25 and have introduced a £2,000 hiring payment for non-levy paying employers, typically small to medium enterprises (SMEs), that recruit apprentices under 25. We have also introduced foundation apprenticeships to provide entry level opportunities in key sectors.
Local Skills Improvement Plans, published in July 2026, provide an employer-led assessment of local skills needs to 2029 and set out priority actions for employers, providers and partners to help address skills gaps. Nottinghamshire is covered by the East Midlands Local Skills Improvement Plan. Our approach to devolution ensures that strategic authorities will play a stronger role in shaping skills provision around future skills needs.
Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to rebuild the school estate in the Lewes constituency.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department is investing almost £3 billion per year in capital maintenance by 2034/35 to improve the condition of the school and college estate, rising from £2.4 billion in 2025/26. East Sussex has been allocated almost £5.4 million for 2026/27 to invest in improving the condition of its maintained schools, including those in Lewes. Academy trusts and voluntary aided bodies also have access to capital funding.
Alongside this, the department is also investing almost £20 billion in the school rebuilding programme through to 2034/35. Over 500 schools are already in the programme, with over 80% in delivery. The department will select a further 250 schools by early 2027.
The department’s new renewal and retrofit programme, backed by over £700 million to 2029/30, will improve the condition of school and college buildings and increase resilience to climate change so that buildings last for decades to come and are net zero ready.
Asked by: Saqib Bhatti (Conservative - Meriden and Solihull East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will publish an update on the recruitment of specialists needed to deliver the Experts at Hand model.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
We have invested £429 million in the first year of Experts at Hand to enable local authorities and integrated care boards to develop and deliver an offer that reflects local needs. Local areas will determine the specialist workforce needed to deliver their offer, taking account of existing capacity, and use this funding to support recruitment where additional expertise is required.
Alongside this locally led approach, the department is considering the workforce implications of Experts at Hand as part of wider, long‑term workforce planning, including joint work with the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England on wider priorities such as the 10 Year Workforce Plan.
To help build specialist capacity needed for delivery, we are investing over £40 million in the specialist workforce. Of this funding, £26 million will go towards training at least 200 educational psychologists per year in 2026 and 2027. This will be followed by further investment to train more from 2028, subject to future spending review decisions. The remaining £15 million will be invested to establish new speech and language therapist advanced practitioners in every integrated care board geographical area, to get more speech and language therapists working in education settings.
Asked by: John Whitby (Labour - Derbyshire Dales)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how her Department monitors the capacity, sufficiency and stability of the Personal Adviser workforce supporting care leavers, including through information on (a) workforce numbers, (b) caseloads, (c) vacancies and (d) staff turnover.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Personal Advisers play an important role in providing practical and emotional support to care leavers and helping them prepare for adulthood. They have legal duties to keep in touch with the young people assigned to them and to work with the young person to develop a pathway plan which sets out the support the local authority will provide.
Local authorities are responsible for ensuring their leaving care services have sufficient capacity to meet their statutory duties. The department does not currently collect national data on Personal Adviser workforce numbers, caseloads, vacancies or turnover.
The department recognises evidence that high caseloads and workforce instability can reduce the time Personal Advisers have to build sustained relationships with young people and provide effective support, including through pathway planning. We are therefore reviewing statutory guidance on leaving care services and Personal Adviser provision. This includes considering workforce capacity, caseloads, training and professional standards, and whether greater national consistency is needed.
Asked by: John Whitby (Labour - Derbyshire Dales)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of high Personal Adviser caseloads on the frequency of contact with care leavers, the quality of pathway planning, and outcomes for care leavers.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Personal Advisers play an important role in providing practical and emotional support to care leavers and helping them prepare for adulthood. They have legal duties to keep in touch with the young people assigned to them and to work with the young person to develop a pathway plan which sets out the support the local authority will provide.
Local authorities are responsible for ensuring their leaving care services have sufficient capacity to meet their statutory duties. The department does not currently collect national data on Personal Adviser workforce numbers, caseloads, vacancies or turnover.
The department recognises evidence that high caseloads and workforce instability can reduce the time Personal Advisers have to build sustained relationships with young people and provide effective support, including through pathway planning. We are therefore reviewing statutory guidance on leaving care services and Personal Adviser provision. This includes considering workforce capacity, caseloads, training and professional standards, and whether greater national consistency is needed.
Asked by: John Whitby (Labour - Derbyshire Dales)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of Personal Adviser caseloads for care leavers; and what consideration it has given to introducing recommended caseload levels for Personal Advisers.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Personal Advisers play an important role in providing practical and emotional support to care leavers and helping them prepare for adulthood. They have legal duties to keep in touch with the young people assigned to them and to work with the young person to develop a pathway plan which sets out the support the local authority will provide.
Local authorities are responsible for ensuring their leaving care services have sufficient capacity to meet their statutory duties. The department does not currently collect national data on Personal Adviser workforce numbers, caseloads, vacancies or turnover.
The department recognises evidence that high caseloads and workforce instability can reduce the time Personal Advisers have to build sustained relationships with young people and provide effective support, including through pathway planning. We are therefore reviewing statutory guidance on leaving care services and Personal Adviser provision. This includes considering workforce capacity, caseloads, training and professional standards, and whether greater national consistency is needed.
Asked by: Sarah Edwards (Labour - Tamworth)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has considered funding and implementing mandatory speed awareness workshops in schools.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Road safety is covered within the statutory ‘Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education and Health Education’ guidance, which includes information on teaching pupils how to recognise risk and keep safe around roads as part of personal safety.
Schools can also teach wider road safety awareness through their personal, social, health and economic education provision and draw on resources such as the Department for Transport’s THINK! Campaign. The department has no plans to implement mandatory separate speed awareness workshops in schools.
Asked by: Saqib Bhatti (Conservative - Meriden and Solihull East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, is she will publish a timeline of when all local authorities will deliver their Experts at Hand services in full.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The government has set out national expectations for the development and delivery of Experts at Hand offers in published guidance. Local authorities and integrated care boards are responsible for planning and delivering their local offers within this framework. Local areas have set out milestones and delivery trajectories in their Local Area SEND Reform Plans, reflecting their different starting points, local needs and workforce capacity. The government will continue to monitor data on the relevant health and education specialist workforces.
Our expectation for Year 1 has been that areas would develop a clear commissioning and implementation approach for an Experts at Hand offer accessible to all mainstream settings in the 2026/27 financial year. Areas should also have begun to deliver elements of their offer from September 2026. Further guidance setting out the expectations for Year 2 will be published at the end of this financial year.