Asked by: Baroness Grey-Thompson (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to promote multimodal literacy as part of the new curriculum rollout.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
This government’s ambition is for every child and young person to receive a rich, broad, inclusive and innovative education.
The department agrees with the Curriculum and Assessment Review that building the skills for young people to critically engage with and assess information from a range of sources, including multi-modal texts, is increasingly important.
The reformed English programme of study and English language GCSE will expose students to the study of a wider range of text types and genres, including transient texts, supporting them to analyse and challenge arguments, building media literacy.
Media literacy is an increasingly important skill to enable young people to identify “fake news” and to spot different types of mis- and disinformation, especially online.
Secure, well-founded knowledge is essential for students to understand how arguments are constructed across different types of media and to recognise the various ways in which language can be used to persuade.
Asked by: Baroness Grey-Thompson (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what the timeline is for delivering (1) the new primary oracy framework, and (2) the combined secondary oracy, writing and reading framework.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The department welcomes the Curriculum and Assessment Review’s focus on oracy. Expressing oneself fluently and communicating well is crucial for life and work, and an important vehicle for social justice.
We will make sure that communication skills are more clearly expressed through revised programmes of study. We will also create a primary oracy framework and a combined secondary oracy, writing and reading framework to be published following the revised national curriculum.
The primary oracy framework will support teachers to help their pupils become confident, fluent speakers by the end of key stage 2. This will build on our primary frameworks for reading and writing.
Asked by: Baroness Grey-Thompson (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what action they are taking to tackle the impact of low levels of literacy on the economy through interventions in early years education.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The department recognises a strong foundation in early language, reading and writing is crucial for children to achieve and thrive.
We are:
Asked by: Baroness Grey-Thompson (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what action they are taking to ensure that children in poverty receive early years support.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The government’s Plan for Change commits to giving children the best start in life. From age 2, children from low-income families, those with education, health and care plans, and looked-after children are eligible for 15 hours of funded early education. Disadvantaged children may also receive the Early Years Pupil Premium (EYPP), which supports high quality early education. In December 2024, EYPP funding was increased by 45%.
As part of the Opportunity Mission, £37 million has been awarded to 300 primary schools to create or expand nurseries, opening from September 2025.
From September 2026, all pupils in school-based settings whose families receive Universal Credit will be entitled to free school meals. This will benefit over 500,000 children, lift 100,000 out of poverty, and support families ahead of the Child Poverty Strategy.
Additionally, £126 million will be invested in 2025/26 to expand the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme. Already, 75 local authorities have opened over 400 family hubs in some of the country’s most deprived areas.
Asked by: Baroness Grey-Thompson (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to boost (1) literacy, and (2) communication skills, of children aged 0–5 years old.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Giving young children the best start in life is the foundation of the government’s Opportunity Mission. The department has set a milestone of a record proportion of children starting school ready to learn. We will measure progress through 75% of children at the end of reception reaching a good level of development in the early years foundation stage profile assessment by 2028.
To support early language and literacy skills, the department is:
Asked by: Baroness Grey-Thompson (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to provide support to families with (1) children in early years, and (2) school-age children, in poverty.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Child Poverty Taskforce will publish a fully funded strategy this autumn, tackling the root causes of poverty across four themes: increasing incomes, reducing essential costs, boosting financial resilience, and strengthening local support, especially in the early years.
Family hubs offer vital services from birth to age 19, or to 25 with special educational needs and disabilities; supporting health, education, and wellbeing, particularly for families in poverty. In 2025/26, £126 million will be invested through family hubs and Start for Life to give every child the best start in life.
An additional £57 million for the Start for Life services was announced in January, covering mental health, infant feeding, breastfeeding, and access to local services.
Early education support includes 15 funded hours for disadvantaged 2-year-olds and all 3 and 4-year-olds. A 45% uplift to the Early Years Pupil Premium was announced in December 2024 to improve outcomes.
Through the Spending Review, the government is expanding free school meals, which are expected to lift 100,000 children out of poverty, and has committed to free breakfast clubs and limiting branded school uniform requirements specifically for school aged children.
Asked by: Baroness Grey-Thompson (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the benefits of joining up early education, family support, health services, and community and voluntary organisations to create an integrated early years system.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Children’s early years are crucial to their development, health and life chances.
As set out in the Plan for Change, antenatal classes, health visitors, parenting support, baby and toddler groups and access to affordable, high quality early education and childcare are all vital to guiding parents, improving the home learning environment and supporting child development. Evaluations of Sure Start demonstrate significant positive impacts on a range of outcomes for children and families of providing an integrated parenting support offer, and early findings from the Evaluation Innovation Fund suggest Family Hubs are having positive impact on child development.
Through the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme, the department is building a joined-up system of support from pregnancy through early childhood, with over 500 hubs now open across the country. Local authorities should consider existing infrastructure and local need when deciding where to locate services. Libraries and community spaces can, and often do, form part of family hub networks.
At the Spending Review, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer committed to continuing to invest in and expand the Family Hubs programme.
Departmental officials are working through the Spending Review settlement and will share more detailed plans in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Grey-Thompson (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what action they are taking to support libraries and other community spaces that host early years services.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Children’s early years are crucial to their development, health and life chances.
As set out in the Plan for Change, antenatal classes, health visitors, parenting support, baby and toddler groups and access to affordable, high quality early education and childcare are all vital to guiding parents, improving the home learning environment and supporting child development. Evaluations of Sure Start demonstrate significant positive impacts on a range of outcomes for children and families of providing an integrated parenting support offer, and early findings from the Evaluation Innovation Fund suggest Family Hubs are having positive impact on child development.
Through the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme, the department is building a joined-up system of support from pregnancy through early childhood, with over 500 hubs now open across the country. Local authorities should consider existing infrastructure and local need when deciding where to locate services. Libraries and community spaces can, and often do, form part of family hub networks.
At the Spending Review, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer committed to continuing to invest in and expand the Family Hubs programme.
Departmental officials are working through the Spending Review settlement and will share more detailed plans in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Grey-Thompson (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what ministerial meetings have been held in relation to (1) school library funding, and (2) school libraries as mechanisms for critical literacy development.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
School libraries complement public libraries by giving pupils access to a range of books and other kinds of texts, both in and out of school. The national curriculum states that teachers are expected to encourage pupils to develop the habit of reading widely and often, for both pleasure and information, as part of developing their literacy skills.
There are a number of strong links between reading for pleasure and attainment, as well as other positive effects, such as improved text comprehension and grammar, increased general knowledge and character development.
It is for individual schools to decide how best to provide and maintain a library service for their pupils. Headteachers have autonomy to decide how best to spend the core schools funding that is allocated to them by the department. The Autumn Budget 2024 announced an additional £2.3 billion for schools for the 2025/26 financial year, compared to 2024/25, bringing the total core schools budget to almost £63.9 billion in 2025/26.
The government’s reading framework offers non-statutory guidance for teachers and school leaders, including helpful guidance for schools on how to organise their school library, book corner or book stock to make reading accessible and attractive to readers.
My hon. Friend, the Minister for School Standards, meets with a wide range of individuals and organisations to discuss matters within her portfolio, including English and literacy in schools.
Asked by: Baroness Grey-Thompson (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to improve media literacy education in schools by providing additional resources, including through (1) delivering teacher training, and (2) improving curriculum support.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
I refer the noble Lady to the answer of 01 May 2025 to Question 47185.