Asked by: Lord Bishop of Lincoln (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what processes the Regional Department for Education Directors has in place to monitor the implementation of the Equality Act 2010 by schools in the maintained system.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
It is a school's responsibility to ensure they meet the requirements in the Equality Act 2010, including complying with the Public Sector Equality Duty. The department provides guidance to help schools understand their duties under the Act.
Enforcement of equality legislation is the role of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), which offers advice, supports legal cases, and can take regulatory action against organisations that breach the law.
If someone believes a school has not complied with the Equality Act, they should first follow the school’s complaints procedure. They can also seek advice from the Equality Advisory and Support Service, which advises and assists people on issues relating to equality and human rights. If, after completing the school’s process, they feel their complaint was mishandled, they may complain to the department, which will review whether the school followed their complaints process correctly.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Lincoln (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what guidance they have issued to the Regional Department for Education Directors about the implementation of the Equality Act 2010 in schools in the maintained system.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
It is a school's responsibility to ensure they meet the requirements in the Equality Act 2010, including complying with the Public Sector Equality Duty. The department provides guidance to help schools understand their duties under the Act.
Enforcement of equality legislation is the role of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), which offers advice, supports legal cases, and can take regulatory action against organisations that breach the law.
If someone believes a school has not complied with the Equality Act, they should first follow the school’s complaints procedure. They can also seek advice from the Equality Advisory and Support Service, which advises and assists people on issues relating to equality and human rights. If, after completing the school’s process, they feel their complaint was mishandled, they may complain to the department, which will review whether the school followed their complaints process correctly.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Lincoln (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what processes the Regional Department for Education Directors has in place to monitor the implementation of the Equality Act 2010 by academies.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
It is a school's responsibility to ensure they meet the requirements in the Equality Act 2010, including complying with the Public Sector Equality Duty. The department provides guidance to help schools understand their duties under the Act.
Enforcement of equality legislation is the role of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), which offers advice, supports legal cases, and can take regulatory action against organisations that breach the law.
If someone believes a school has not complied with the Equality Act, they should first follow the school’s complaints procedure. They can also seek advice from the Equality Advisory and Support Service, which advises and assists people on issues relating to equality and human rights. If, after completing the school’s process, they feel their complaint was mishandled, they may complain to the department, which will review whether the school followed their complaints process correctly.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Lincoln (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what guidance they have issued to the Regional Department for Education Directors about the implementation of the Equality Act 2010 in academies.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
It is a school's responsibility to ensure they meet the requirements in the Equality Act 2010, including complying with the Public Sector Equality Duty. The department provides guidance to help schools understand their duties under the Act.
Enforcement of equality legislation is the role of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), which offers advice, supports legal cases, and can take regulatory action against organisations that breach the law.
If someone believes a school has not complied with the Equality Act, they should first follow the school’s complaints procedure. They can also seek advice from the Equality Advisory and Support Service, which advises and assists people on issues relating to equality and human rights. If, after completing the school’s process, they feel their complaint was mishandled, they may complain to the department, which will review whether the school followed their complaints process correctly.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Lincoln (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to expand the Best Start family hub programmes to offer healthcare and education support services at the weekend.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
On 7 July 2025, the government published ‘Giving every child the Best Start in Life’, which is available on GOV.UK. This outlines the government’s commitment to deliver a new Best Start Family Service to bring together parenting, healthcare and education support services.
We will fund Best Start Family Hubs in every local authority to ensure that children and families who need support the most, especially those from low-income backgrounds or those with additional vulnerabilities can access it.
Local authorities will deliver joined up and enhanced services through family hubs so that all parents and carers can access the support they need, when they need it. Local authorities will receive a programme guide with minimum delivery expectations and will be expected to develop clear plans to establish and enhance family hubs in their area. The role of local authorities will include identifying family hub sites, commissioning services within family hubs and the recruitment of staff to deliver services. Services and their availability, including weekend opening hours, will vary depending on local needs.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Lincoln (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to take forward plans to introduce a children's wellbeing bill as mentioned in the King's Speech; and if so, what steps they are taking to include measures to end child poverty in a given timeframe.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Children’s Wellbeing Bill will support this government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity by ensuring our education and children’s social care systems are set-up to transform life chances for millions of children and young people in England.
In accordance with the King’s Speech, we intend to legislate to support families with the cost of school, including by capping the number of expensive branded items of uniform that schools can require and introducing free breakfast clubs in every primary school. The precise content of the Bill will be confirmed upon the Bill’s introduction, which will be as soon as parliamentary time allows.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Lincoln (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to address teacher burnout and turnover in special education schools due to low pay and temporary contracts.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
There are now 468,693 full-time equivalent teachers in state-funded schools in England, but the department knows that there is more to do to ensure that there are sufficient teachers across the country in both mainstream and special schools. This is why the department has committed to recruiting 6,500 more expert teachers. The department’s initiatives are aimed not only at increasing teacher recruitment in key subjects and areas, but also at ensuring teachers stay and thrive in the profession, including by improving teacher wellbeing and workload.
Fair pay is key to ensuring teaching is an attractive and respected profession, which is why this government has accepted the School Teachers’ Review Body’s recommendation of a 5.5% pay award for teachers and leaders in maintained schools from September. The department is providing schools with almost £1.1 billion in additional funding in the 2024/25 financial year to support schools with overall costs. This matches what the department has calculated is needed to fully fund, at a national level, the teacher pay award in 2024/25 and the support staff pay offer in the 2024/25 financial year, after accounting for the overall available headroom in schools’ existing budgets.
The school teachers’ pay and conditions document for 2024 sets out that an additional special educational needs (SEN) allowance must be paid to teachers in a SEN post that requires a mandatory SEN qualification and involves teaching pupils with SEN. It is for schools to determine the specific amount, but this must be between £2,679 and £5,285 per annum. The school teachers’ pay and conditions document for 2024 is attached and can also be found at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/67165b0d9242eecc6c849b4b/School_teachers_pay_and_conditions_document_and_guidance_2024_.pdf.
The department has made available a range of resources to help address teacher workload and wellbeing and support schools to introduce flexible working practices. The department’s improve workload and wellbeing for school staff service, developed alongside school leaders, includes a workload reduction toolkit to support schools to identify opportunities to cut excessive workload, as well as the education staff wellbeing charter, which sets out commitments from government, Ofsted, schools, and colleges to protect and promote the wellbeing of staff. Over 3,900 schools have signed up to the charter since it was launched in November 2021.
Schools are ultimately responsible for the employment and make-up of their workforce, including the number of temporary staff they employ, as they have the best understanding of their needs and what is needed to ensure every child receives the best possible education.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Lincoln (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government why the review of school exclusion report was not released by their deadline of the end of 2018; and when they intend to publish that report.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
In March 2018, the government launched an externally-led review of exclusions practice, led by Edward Timpson CBE. The review is exploring how head teachers use exclusion, and why pupils with particular characteristics are more likely to be excluded from school. It is also considering the differences in exclusion rates across primary and secondary schools in England.
The review has gathered substantial evidence, including over 900 submissions to the call for evidence. Edward Timpson has also chaired a series of roundtables and the review has met with over 100 organisations and individuals, including schools, local authorities, parents and children.
The review will report in early 2019.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Lincoln (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, following their Race Disparity Audits, what steps they are taking to ensure that educational institutions improve attainment at GCSE level for Gypsies, Roma and Travellers.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
The department’s education reforms, including those aimed at improving teaching, literacy and numeracy, and strengthening the curriculum and examination system, are designed to deliver opportunity and high standards for all pupils, regardless of their ethnic background. These reforms are reinforced by new school accountability measures, which are intended to encourage schools to focus more closely on the attainment of all their pupils. The introduction of a new national curriculum for maintained schools from 2014, with phonics at its heart and the establishment of 32 English Hubs in 2018 specifically support primary schools to improve standards of reading.
The department knows that the most significant factor affecting pupil attainment, which cuts across all ethnicities including a high proportion of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller children, is economic disadvantage. To tackle this, the department has provided a total of £13.75 billion from April 2011 to March 2018 through the pupil premium to help schools improve the progress and attainment of their disadvantaged pupils. The department continues to provide this additional funding, which is £2.4 billion this year alone.
In January last year, the department established the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller stakeholder group to inform policy development to raise the attainment and participation of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller pupils at all stages of education.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Lincoln (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, following their Race Disparity Audits, what steps they are taking to ensure that educational institutions improve the standard of reading among Gypsies, Roma and Travellers aged 6–7.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
The department’s education reforms, including those aimed at improving teaching, literacy and numeracy, and strengthening the curriculum and examination system, are designed to deliver opportunity and high standards for all pupils, regardless of their ethnic background. These reforms are reinforced by new school accountability measures, which are intended to encourage schools to focus more closely on the attainment of all their pupils. The introduction of a new national curriculum for maintained schools from 2014, with phonics at its heart and the establishment of 32 English Hubs in 2018 specifically support primary schools to improve standards of reading.
The department knows that the most significant factor affecting pupil attainment, which cuts across all ethnicities including a high proportion of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller children, is economic disadvantage. To tackle this, the department has provided a total of £13.75 billion from April 2011 to March 2018 through the pupil premium to help schools improve the progress and attainment of their disadvantaged pupils. The department continues to provide this additional funding, which is £2.4 billion this year alone.
In January last year, the department established the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller stakeholder group to inform policy development to raise the attainment and participation of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller pupils at all stages of education.