Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government when the final report of the Curriculum and Assessment Review will be published.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The independent Curriculum and Assessment Review’s final report and recommendations will be published imminently. The government’s response will be published alongside this.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they are considering opting into the creative thinking element of the PISA test.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The testing for the current cycle of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2025 study has now come to a close. The Creative Thinking domain was not offered as an option for countries and economies to participate in for the current cycle. The department will consider taking part in the options offered for the PISA study, including the Creative Thinking domain, in future PISA study cycles.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Curriculum and Assessment Review will take autistic children into account.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The independent Curriculum and Assessment Review is looking closely at the key challenges to attainment for young people and the barriers which hold children back from the opportunities and life chances they deserve.

Throughout the Review, the impact and experiences of children and young people, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds and with special educational needs, are being considered to ensure the curriculum works for all children.

The Review’s final report and recommendations will be published shortly. The government will then consider the recommendations and its response.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of rejoining Creative Europe on financial growth.

Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Government has no plans to rejoin Creative Europe. This position is informed by indicative analysis of the value for money of associating with the programme.

We are working with our world-leading sectors to ensure that they can continue to promote growth and enrich lives, at home and abroad. This includes through the Creative Industries Sector Plan, which is key to driving long-term economic growth across the United Kingdom; the new £75 million Screen Growth Package; the scaled up £18 million per year UK Global Screen Fund (2026–2029); and by committing up to £30 million for our Music Growth Package.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what is the relationship between (1) the level of initial teacher training bursaries, and (2) targets for teacher numbers, for each subject area; and what criteria are used to assess those targets.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

​​Initial teacher training (ITT) bursaries are offered to incentivise more applications to ITT courses. Therefore, they are reviewed annually to take account of the need for trainee teachers by subject. Recruitment against the postgraduate ITT targets set by the Teacher Workforce Model is one factor that influences the level of bursaries, but we also take account of the impact of the economy and graduate labour market on ITT recruitment.

​The Teacher Workforce Model is a national, stocks and flows model covering all state-funded primary and secondary schools, academies, and free schools in England. The model estimates the number of qualified teachers required for both primary and each secondary subject; and by considering the number of teachers that will leave or enter service in future, estimates the postgraduate ITT targets needed to supply sufficient teachers. The ITT Census is published in December each year to provide the numbers and characteristics of new entrants to ITT, and compares recruitment against the postgraduate ITT targets.