Baroness Barran

Schools in England are free to select and deploy educational technology based on their individual needs, circumstances and educational context. The department has set digital and technology standards for schools and colleges, including standards for laptops, desktops and tablets for educational use. The standards do not specify a device ratio to meet, but helps schools and colleges to get the right devices that will support their overall digital and technology strategy.

Schools, academy trusts and local authorities are responsible for complying with data protection law when adopting educational technology products.

Under the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018, they must complete a data protection impact assessment where the processing of personal data is likely to result in a high risk to individuals’ rights and freedoms.

This can include, for example, large-scale processing of children’s data, profiling, biometric data or other high-risk uses.

The department published guidance for schools on data protection and procuring educational technology, which encourages schools to consider data protection from the outset and consult their data protection officer when introducing new tools. This guidance is available on GOV.UK.

The department welcomes the findings of the report from the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) and recognises the highlighted areas where some educational technology providers may need to improve their compliance with data protection requirements. The department is working with the ICO to address some of the highlighted areas.

As schools are data controllers in their own right, they are responsible for deciding which EdTech tools to procure to support their functions. To help schools make informed data protection decisions when procuring EdTech tools, the department produced guidance to support schools in making decisions on procuring EdTech, available at GOV.UK. This guidance is intended to help schools understand their data protection responsibilities and consider appropriate measures when selecting suppliers while safeguarding the personal data of pupils, parents and carers.

The department continues to engage with the ICO to promote good practice across the education sector.

Schools and academy trusts are responsible for decisions on their own technology procurement and expenditure, within their delegated budgets and in line with relevant procurement rules.

In 2024/25, the department estimates that schools spent over £800 million on EdTech, including learning resources, admin software, laptops, desktops and tablets, which is equivalent to 1.2% of the entire school budget.

We expect that pay awards over the next three years will be covered through a combination of the funding announced at the Spending Review and from schools making a sustained contribution using the support we are making available to maximise value from their budgets.

This is a shared endeavour. We know that the government has a role to play to tackle systemic challenges at a national level, and we have established the Maximising Value for Pupils programme to help schools and groups. The new programme will provide an expanded level of support in the form of benchmark data, toolkits, commercial offers, capability building, case studies, and investment in areas such as technology.

As part of changes introduced by Clause 11 of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, which will amend Section 25 of the Children Act 1989 (CA 1989) to allow for authorisation of a deprivation of liberty in ’Relevant Accommodation’ under the CA 1989, the department can confirm that the same regulation making powers that exist currently for the Secretary of State in relation to Secure Accommodation will also be available for ’Relevant Accommodation’.

It will be made clear in regulations that Secretary of State approval will be required to deprive children under the age of 13 of their liberty via Section 25 of the CA1989 in Relevant Accommodation. As per updated guidance published on 17 November, there is no such regulatory requirement regarding Secretary of State approval for applications to the High Court under its inherent jurisdiction for a deprivation of liberty order – this does not amend the requirements or guidance on the use of Section 25.

The independent Phase 1 report from the evaluation of the Regional Care Co-operative (RCC) pathfinders to understand early implementation, led by Ecorys UK, has been completed and is currently undergoing final departmental clearance. The department expects to publish it imminently.

The review of mainstream free schools is necessary to ensure we provide sufficient high quality school places, whilst offering value for money and ensuring projects will not have a detrimental impact on local schools. An update will be provided as soon as possible.

Between May and September 2025, the department consulted nearly 500 practitioners from children’s social care, education, health, police, and probation. Key findings included:

• Regardless of role, practitioners experience the same barriers when trying to share and receive information.
• Practitioners spend a disproportionate amount of time finding and gathering information which can result in less time for decision making.
• Regardless of sector, practitioners view social care and education information as highest priority.
• Practitioners have three core needs: a) ensuring they are talking about the same child/family, b) understanding who holds information about that child/family and c) having a secure way to share relevant information quickly.
• Practitioners also raised a desire to be able to view core data in one place.

We are using these insights to inform future work, ensuring that design and development align with practitioner needs. User research will continue to maintain a user-centred approach throughout.

The department is running an evaluation of the families first for children pathfinder programme until 2028, with the next publication scheduled for 2027. This report will assess the aggregate impact of the full reform package, which includes multi-agency child protection teams, and will highlight progress on indicators such as multi-agency collaboration, information sharing, and decision making.

Alongside formal evaluation, the department continues to monitor progress and extract learning more broadly, including through data returns, local monitoring and working closely with the ten pathfinder areas.

The government has considered the Curriculum and Assessment Review panel’s recommendations carefully and supports their recommendations for a renewed focus on assessment in key stage 3. We will expect schools to undertake formative assessments in maths and writing during the key stage, supporting them to identify high quality materials.

While strong foundations in both literacy and numeracy are important for children to achieve and thrive, reading unlocks the wider curriculum. If a child cannot read, they cannot succeed in other subjects including, for example, maths, science and history. It is critical we focus on ensuring children and young people have strong foundations in reading in the first instance and this is why we will develop and deliver a new statutory assessment in reading in year 8.

I refer the noble Lady to the answer of 27 November to Question HL11890.

The Curriculum and Assessment Review found that English Baccalaureate (EBacc) measures have unnecessarily constrained subject choice, affecting student engagement and achievement, and that uptake of EBacc subjects has not translated into increased study of them at 16 to 19. Although the EBacc was intended to support GCSE entries of modern foreign languages, history and geography, full EBacc entry was just 41% in 2024/25.

The new model protects the important place of humanities and modern foreign languages. Under our proposed model, students will have to take at least one humanity or language whilst currently schools can satisfy expectations of Progress 8 without pupils taking any of these subjects.

The department will consult on the improved Progress 8 and Attainment 8 measures.

On 5 November, the independent Curriculum and Assessment Review published its final report which includes recommendations for a refreshed curriculum and assessment system in England.

As part of the response to the Review the government has committed to ensuring our young people have the skills they need to identify and challenge misinformation, by strengthening media literacy in citizenship and English.

To ensure primary-aged children are introduced to key content on media literacy we have made a commitment to make citizenship compulsory in key stages 1 and 2.

We will also reform the computing curriculum and create a broader computing GCSE so that pupils have the vital digital skills needed for the future such as AI literacy and we will explore a new level 3 qualification in data science and AI.

The department will engage with sector experts and young people in working out how best to reflect this content in the updated curriculum. There will be public consultation on the updated curriculum programmes of study, to seek views on the content before they are finalised.

A July 2025 Skills England report noted that "the creative industries are experiencing significant skills shortages", with 33% of all vacancies attributed to this, and the Curriculum and Assessment Review found declines in entries into some key stage 4 arts qualifications, including music and drama. The department believes that the proposed ‘Progress 8’ structure will support development of these key skills and help deliver the government’s commitment to support young people with the opportunity to study a creative or vocational subject through to the end of key stage 4.

The department will therefore consult on an improved Progress 8 and Attainment 8 that recognises the value of these subjects and balances a strong academic core with breadth and student choice.

This is a matter for the Office for Students (OfS), which has dedicated resources to investigate potential breaches of its conditions.

As previously set out in responses to written parliamentary questions HL8638 and HL9576, the department is targeting the 6,500 teachers pledge towards mainstream secondary schools and colleges, and special schools.

Regular public statements have been made on this key pledge, including for instance in my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education’s first sector email communication. The pledge is focused on sectors where there is a need for more teachers. Demographic changes throughout this parliament means pupil numbers will increase in secondary schools, and particularly in further education, while there has been significant decrease in the number of pupils in primary schools. There are 60,000 fewer pupils in primary schools compared to last year, and around 172,000 fewer compared to the 2018/19 peak.

The department is targeting the 6,500 teachers pledge towards mainstream secondary schools and colleges, and special schools.

Regular public statements have been made on this key pledge. Examples include my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education’s letter to the education workforce on 8 July 2024, which confirmed both schools and colleges as being within scope of the pledge, and further information on the specific settings in scope were outlined in her speech on schools standards in February 2025 and in a Written Parliamentary Statement in May 2025.

The department is targeting the 6,500 teachers pledge towards mainstream secondary schools and colleges, and special schools.

Regular public statements have been made on this key pledge. Examples include my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education’s letter to the education workforce on 8 July 2024, which confirmed both schools and colleges as being within scope of the pledge, and further information on the specific settings in scope were outlined in her speech on schools standards in February 2025 and in a Written Parliamentary Statement in May 2025.

The pledge to recruit 6,500 new expert teachers over the course of this Parliament is focused on sectors where there is a need for more teachers, across secondary and special schools and our colleges.

Demographic changes throughout this Parliament mean pupil numbers will increase in secondary schools, and particularly in further education, while there has been a significant decrease in the number of pupils in primary schools. There are 60,000 fewer pupils in primary schools compared to last year, and around 172,000 fewer compared to the 2018/19 peak. The government is therefore targeting the 6,500 teachers pledge towards mainstream secondary schools and colleges, and also special schools to support pupils with special educational needs.

The pledge to recruit 6,500 new expert teachers over the course of this Parliament is focused on sectors where there is a need for more teachers, across secondary and special schools and our colleges.

Demographic changes throughout this Parliament mean pupil numbers will increase in secondary schools, and particularly in further education, while there has been a significant decrease in the number of pupils in primary schools. There are 60,000 fewer pupils in primary schools compared to last year, and around 172,000 fewer compared to the 2018/19 peak. The government is therefore targeting the 6,500 teachers pledge towards mainstream secondary schools and colleges, and also special schools to support pupils with special educational needs.

The department has made some tough decisions to ensure every pound of taxpayers’ money is driving high and rising standards for our children. By ending tax breaks for private schools, and undertaking a robust line-by-line budget review to identify poor value for money spend, we are able to deliver this investment in recruiting and retaining more expert teachers in our classrooms. We have driven efficiency through increasing digital capability both inside and outside of the department, reducing central headcount and removing duplication within programmes.

As we have made clear throughout the pay process, we are also asking schools and colleges to do their part in ensuring that we are driving productivity across all areas of the public sector, ensuring resources are deployed intelligently to maximise support for teaching and learning, freeing up educators to focus on what matters most, which is providing every child with the high quality education they deserve.

Schools will be expected to find approximately the first 1% of pay awards through improved productivity and smarter spending to make every pound count. There will be those who say this cannot be done, but schools have a responsibility, like the rest of the public sector, to ensure that their funding is spent as efficiently as possible.

The department has made some tough decisions to ensure every pound of taxpayers’ money is driving high and rising standards for our children. By ending tax breaks for private schools, and undertaking a robust line-by-line budget review to identify poor value for money spend, we are able to deliver this investment in recruiting and retaining more expert teachers in our classrooms. We have driven efficiency through increasing digital capability both inside and outside of the department, reducing central headcount and removing duplication within programmes.

As we have made clear throughout the pay process, we are also asking schools and colleges to do their part in ensuring that we are driving productivity across all areas of the public sector, ensuring resources are deployed intelligently to maximise support for teaching and learning, freeing up educators to focus on what matters most, which is providing every child with the high quality education they deserve.

Schools will be expected to find approximately the first 1% of pay awards through improved productivity and smarter spending to make every pound count. There will be those who say this cannot be done, but schools have a responsibility, like the rest of the public sector, to ensure that their funding is spent as efficiently as possible.

Apprentices are not able to directly undertake apprenticeship end point assessments without having completed the required training as set out in the apprenticeship standard and agreed with their employer and training provider at the start of their apprenticeship.

Apprenticeships are jobs which contain substantial and sustained on and off-the-job training that allow the apprentice to learn new skills. In order for an employer and training provider to receive government funding for an apprentice, the apprentice must be employed and the apprenticeship must comply with the minimum duration and off-the-job training requirements, as set out in legislation and the apprenticeship funding rules.

I refer the noble Lady to the answer of 19 March 2025 to Question 37179.

The government has set out plans for a more flexible growth and skills levy. It will create opportunities for learners of all ages and give employers greater flexibility to address critical skill shortages in their workforces, whilst driving economic growth. This will include introducing new foundation apprenticeships for young people, as well as shorter-duration apprenticeships.

Foundation apprenticeships will be a work-based training offer that will provide young people with clear progression pathways into further work-based training and employment. Construction will be one of the key sectors that will benefit from new foundation apprenticeships, which will be launching in August 2025. This will inspire more young people into the construction industry and give them the tools they need for a sustained and rewarding career. As part of this new offer, employers will be provided with £2,000 for every foundation apprentice they take on and retain in construction.

To support employers to access apprenticeships, the government pays £1,000 to employers when they take on apprentices aged 16 to 18, and for apprentices aged 19 to 24 who have an education, health and care (EHC) plan or have been in local authority care. Non-levy paying employers can also benefit from the government paying the full training costs for young apprentices aged 16 to 21, and for apprentices aged 22 to 24 who have an EHC plan or have been in local authority care. Additionally, employers are not required to pay anything towards employees’ National Insurance for all apprentices aged up to age 25 where they earn less than £967 a week, £50,270 a year.

The government has set out plans for a more flexible growth and skills levy. It will create opportunities for learners of all ages and give employers greater flexibility to address critical skill shortages in their workforces, whilst driving economic growth. This will include introducing new foundation apprenticeships for young people, as well as shorter-duration apprenticeships.

Foundation apprenticeships will be a work-based training offer that will provide young people with clear progression pathways into further work-based training and employment. Construction will be one of the key sectors that will benefit from new foundation apprenticeships, which will be launching in August 2025. This will inspire more young people into the construction industry and give them the tools they need for a sustained and rewarding career. As part of this new offer, employers will be provided with £2,000 for every foundation apprentice they take on and retain in construction.

To support employers to access apprenticeships, the government pays £1,000 to employers when they take on apprentices aged 16 to 18, and for apprentices aged 19 to 24 who have an education, health and care (EHC) plan or have been in local authority care. Non-levy paying employers can also benefit from the government paying the full training costs for young apprentices aged 16 to 21, and for apprentices aged 22 to 24 who have an EHC plan or have been in local authority care. Additionally, employers are not required to pay anything towards employees’ National Insurance for all apprentices aged up to age 25 where they earn less than £967 a week, £50,270 a year.

The government has set out plans for a more flexible growth and skills levy. It will create opportunities for learners of all ages and give employers greater flexibility to address critical skill shortages in their workforces, whilst driving economic growth. This will include introducing new foundation apprenticeships for young people, as well as shorter-duration apprenticeships.

Foundation apprenticeships will be a work-based training offer that will provide young people with clear progression pathways into further work-based training and employment. Construction will be one of the key sectors that will benefit from new foundation apprenticeships, which will be launching in August 2025. This will inspire more young people into the construction industry and give them the tools they need for a sustained and rewarding career. As part of this new offer, employers will be provided with £2,000 for every foundation apprentice they take on and retain in construction.

To support employers to access apprenticeships, the government pays £1,000 to employers when they take on apprentices aged 16 to 18, and for apprentices aged 19 to 24 who have an education, health and care (EHC) plan or have been in local authority care. Non-levy paying employers can also benefit from the government paying the full training costs for young apprentices aged 16 to 21, and for apprentices aged 22 to 24 who have an EHC plan or have been in local authority care. Additionally, employers are not required to pay anything towards employees’ National Insurance for all apprentices aged up to age 25 where they earn less than £967 a week, £50,270 a year.

Depriving a child of their liberty must always be a last resort, but is sometimes necessary to keep that child, and others, safe. A small but growing number of children, often with complex behavioural needs, require a deprivation of liberty order for their own safety.

Data collected by Nuffield Family Justice Observatory shows that in the year leading up to July 2023, 1,389 applications were made to deprive a child of their liberty under a Deprivation of Liberty Order (DOLO) authorised under the inherent jurisdiction of the High Court. Data collected in this period suggests that the number of applications has more than doubled since 2020/21. This data is attached and can be accessed at: https://www.nuffieldfjo.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/CHILDR1.1.pdf.

His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunal Service have been publishing data since December 2023, covering the period July to September 2023. Between Q3 2023 and Q2 2024, 1240 deprivation of liberty applications were made. There were 299 applications made between April and June 2024.

To understand the existing system and how we can achieve better outcomes for these children, the department has commissioned research consisting of a literature review, analysing children’s case files and undertaking case studies of three existing provisions developed in partnership with Integrated Care Boards. This research will provide insights into the characteristics of children who are, or have been, deprived of liberty and what has worked well for them. We aim to publish this research in summer 2025. We consistently seek insights from research and reports undertaken by different organisations, such as the Office of the Children’s Commissioner’s report in December 2024 on Illegal Children’s Homes, to ensure we are utilising the information in these resources in our policy development.

The department continues to work extensively with stakeholders across local authorities, the healthcare sector, cross-government, third sector and in academia to draw on relevant expertise throughout our policy development, which allows us to gain valuable insights about the characteristics of these children and what works well to improve their experience and outcomes.

The review panel was appointed by the previous Secretary of State for Education in 2023, to provide independent advice to her on setting age limits on the teaching of certain topics within the relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) statutory guidance.

The review of the RSHE statutory guidance is ongoing, and the department is looking carefully at responses to the public consultation conducted last year, considering the relevant evidence and engaging stakeholders. This includes engaging with Dame Lesley Regan, who chaired the panel in 2023, in her capacity as the government’s Women’s Health Ambassador.

This government has outlined its ambitions through the Plan for Change, which sets out an ambitious set of milestones, across the Missions, for this Parliament. As the House would expect, the government continually reviews its work to ensure that it is delivering the best outcomes for the people of the United Kingdom, and that its policies continue to represent the best value for the taxpayer.

Public reviews will be available on GOV.UK as they are published.

The Government Social Research release ‘Parent, pupil and learner panel: 22/23 March/April wave’ found that as of March 2023, 36% of parents with primary aged children reported that they had used some kind of wraparound childcare for their primary aged children since the start of term, equating to around 1.6 million children. The full release is attached and can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1170040/Parent__pupil_and_learner_panel_-_2022_to_2023_-_March_and_April_wave.pdf.

Findings from the ‘School and college voice: February 2024’ report show that 72% of primary school leaders (excluding special schools) said their school offers childcare both before and after school, but this includes paid for childcare and clubs with only limited spaces available.

The department does not collect data on the amount of charitable funding that schools currently receive for breakfast club provision. We will work in partnership with businesses and organisations as we roll out breakfast clubs to all primary schools. We encourage schools and charities to continue working together.

The department aims to deliver high quality advice and support for every potential teacher, enabling them to successfully apply for initial teacher training (ITT) through our Get Into Teaching service and our modernised in-house digital recruitment services. The total running costs of these services for the 2024/25 financial year are £36.5 million. This includes a range of programmes such as the Get Into Teaching Information service, Apply for Teacher Training service and the Teaching Internships programme.

I refer the noble Lady to the answer of 7 March 2025 to Question 32965.

The government is committed to introducing free breakfast clubs in every state-funded school with primary-aged pupils. According to the 2022 School and College Panel, an estimated 22% of primary schools have no provision at all before school, and the remaining 78% have some provision. However, provision is usually charged for, or has limitations on, the number of places available. This figure will shortly be updated to reflect changes in provision since 2022.

The Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE) will transform the student finance system in England, broadening access to high quality, flexible education and training. Under the LLE, new learners will be able to access a full entitlement equal to four years of full-time tuition. This is currently equal to £38,140 based on fee rates for the 2025/26 academic year.

Returning learners who have previously received government support will have a reduced entitlement, depending on previous funding received. Learners will be able to use this new entitlement more flexibly than ever before to fund individual modules as well as full courses at levels 4 to 6, regardless of whether they are provided in colleges, universities or independent providers.

All courses and modules with in-person attendance that are eligible for LLE tuition funding will also be eligible for maintenance loans and targeted grants. This represents an expansion of the maintenance offer for part-time learners and those studying technical courses. The department will work with the Student Loans Company, as well as providers, employers and learner-facing organisations to provide clear information, advice and guidance to prospective learners, including those who have not accessed additional training and qualifications after leaving school or college.

The legacy inherited by this government was over 300,000 pupils in more than 600 ‘stuck’ schools, many of which were not structurally changed under the previous government.

The new regional improvement for standards and excellence (RISE) teams will galvanise local high quality organisations to support ‘stuck’ schools that are still within the same structure since their last inspection. The department is also consulting on making structural intervention the default if the necessary improvement is not made within two years for these ‘stuck’ schools.

RISE teams are expected to begin engaging with around 600 ‘stuck’ schools within the next 15 months.

The department values the collaborative approach between further education, higher education and employers developed by Institutes of Technology (IoT) which has allowed them to develop and deliver a curriculum that is responsive to the needs of employers in the area they serve. The work of IoTs looks to address both immediate skills gaps and also create sustainable pathways for talent development, which are essential for economic resilience.

We will continue to work with the IoT Network as we develop our strategy for post-16 education and skills.