Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the benefits of promoting a culture of reading for pleasure at home on the development of children in (1) the early years, (2) school-age children.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
The government recognises the wide-ranging benefits of promoting a culture of reading for pleasure at home, both in the early years and throughout a child’s school life. Reading for pleasure supports the development of early language, literacy, and cognitive skills, and is associated with improved educational attainment and emotional wellbeing. In the early years, shared reading helps build secure attachments and supports communication and confidence. For school-age children, it reinforces comprehension, vocabulary, and a lifelong engagement with learning.
In 2025/26, we are investing £10.7 million in home learning environment services through Family Hubs to help parents create language-rich, nurturing settings that support early communication and confidence. Our Little Moments Together campaign encourages parents to chat, play and read with their children, simple, everyday actions that help foster a love of books and stories. These efforts are part of our wider ambition under the Plan for Change, which includes a national target for 75% of children to achieve a Good Level of Development by 2028. By supporting families to embed reading into daily routines, we are helping to lay strong foundations for children’s development and long term success.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the benefits of learning through play in the early years.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
The early years foundation stage (EYFS) statutory framework sets the standards and requirements that all early years providers must follow to ensure every child has the best start in life and is prepared for school. The EYFS is clear that children learn through play and that play is essential for children’s development. For example, singing songs helps to develop language comprehension, vocabulary, self-expression and literacy. Practitioners should carefully organise enabling environments and cultures for high-quality play and are encouraged to create games and provide opportunity for play both indoors and outdoors.
‘The Children of the 2020s’ study is part of the department’s programme of research that will improve our understanding of children’s progress throughout key phases of learning and education and aid future policy development. The study follows more than 8,500 families and their babies, born in England between September and November 2021. The first wave of data published in 2023 showed that more than half of primary caregivers engaged in physical or turn-taking play, singing, pretend games and noisy play with their babies several times a day. These activities were linked to improved early language development. The second wave of data is due to be published in the autumn, and we will assess that to consider how we shape future policy for early education, including anything it tells us about learning through play.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what role they see for early intervention in early years education (1) during a child’s first 1001 days, and (2) below the age of 6 years.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
There is strong evidence that the 1,001 days from conception to the age of two set the foundations for cognitive, emotional, and physical development. Through the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme, families are supported during this period and beyond. Focusing on early years is a preventative measure to improve the outcomes of children of all ages. Family Hubs provide thousands of families access to the support they need to help give their child the best start in life, which includes support with infant feeding, parent-infant relationships, perinatal mental health, parenting, early language development and the home learning environment.
On 11 June, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, set out plans for spending and public sector reforms through the Spending Review 2025. This announcement confirmed departmental budgets for 2026/27 onwards and committed that the government will continue to invest in and expand the Family Hubs programme, working with parents to help give children the best start in life. This builds upon my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister’s Plan for Change, published in December 2024, which outlined the ambition to give children the best start in life by strengthening and joining up family services to improve support through pregnancy and early childhood.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what action they are taking to bridge the digital divide by providing access to media literacy education.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
I refer my noble Friend to the answer of 01 May 2025 to Question 47185.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to monitor library provision in primary schools.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
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 well as the strong links between reading for pleasure and attainment, there are a number of other positive effects, including 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, including whether to employ a qualified librarian. 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.
Given this autonomy, the department does not collect information on the number of school libraries or school librarians.
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.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of library coverage in primary schools.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
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 well as the strong links between reading for pleasure and attainment, there are a number of other positive effects, including 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, including whether to employ a qualified librarian. 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.
Given this autonomy, the department does not collect information on the number of school libraries or school librarians.
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.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to encourage reading in schools.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
High and rising school standards, with excellent foundations in reading, writing and mathematics, are at the heart of the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and give every child the best start in life.
We know that reading for pleasure is hugely important and brings a range of benefits. There are a number of strong links with attainment. For example, the 2021 Progress in International Reading Literacy Study report found a 34 point difference in reading performance between pupils in England who “very much” liked reading and pupils who “do not” like reading. Additionally, the 2022 Programme for International Student Assessment study found that enjoyment of reading links to pupils’ reading engagement, and that reading engagement was strongly positively correlated with reading performance. There is also a strong evidence base linking reading for pleasure with other positive effects, such as expanding pupils’ knowledge about the world and about language, as well as their understanding of subject-specific academic and technical vocabulary.
Furthermore, pupils who read regularly report heightened levels of social and emotional wellbeing. For many, reading is a form of relaxation, a place to escape everyday challenges, or a source of entertainment. Reading allows readers to adopt new perspectives, develop empathy and become more socially conscious.
In recognition of this, the department has implemented a range of measures to support reading for pleasure. The English Hubs programme supports the teaching of phonics, early language development and reading for pleasure with a further £23 million committed for the 2024/25 academic year to support this work. Furthermore, the government’s reading framework provides guidance on improving the teaching of reading, to ensure that every child is not only able to read proficiently, but also develops a genuine love of reading.
The current national curriculum states that teachers are expected to encourage pupils to develop the habit of reading widely and often, for both pleasure and information.
The government has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, which will look closely at the key challenges to attainment for young people, in line with the government’s ambition for a curriculum that delivers excellent foundations in reading, writing and mathematics.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the recommendations contained in the Barnardo's and Co-op report A recipe for success: How do children and young people want to access food in their communities?, published in September, (1) to extend eligibility of the Holiday Activities and Food Programme to all households in receipt of Universal Credit, and (2) to improve uptake among teenagers.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
I refer my noble Friend to the answer of 21 October 2024 to Question HL1266.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to provide certainty to schools and local authorities about the future of the Holiday Activities and Food Programme after the scheme ends in March 2025.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
The future of the Holiday Activities and Food programme beyond the 31 March 2025 is subject to the next government Spending Review taking place this autumn and the department will communicate the outcome of that process in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to address holiday hunger after the Holidays Activities and Food Programme ends in March 2025.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
The future of the Holiday Activities and Food programme beyond 31 March 2025 is subject to the next government Spending Review taking place this autumn and the outcome of the review will be communicated in due course.