Asked by: Lord Kempsell (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the current level of total teacher vacancies.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Data on the number of teacher vacancies is published in the ‘School workforce in England’ statistical publication. Figures for November 2024, which are the latest available, have been available since 5 June 2025.
Teacher vacancies (full and part-time) decreased to 2,200 in November 2024, having more than doubled in the previous three years, from 1,100 in November 2020 to a peak of 2,800 in November 2023. The vacancy rate, which takes into account changes in the teaching population, also decreased to 5 per 1,000 teachers in service, from 6 per 1,000 teachers in 2023.
Asked by: Lord Kempsell (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what action they are taking to ensure that researchers in UK universities do not have their academic freedoms threatened by foreign states.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
From the 1 August 2025, provisions strengthening universities duties in relation to securing freedom of speech and promoting academic freedom came into force, along with a requirement for the Office for Students (OfS) to provide advice and guidance on those matters.
The new OfS guidance, published in June 2025, makes it explicitly clear that universities must resist external state threats to academic freedom, and that suppression of research because of the disapproval of a foreign government is unacceptable under any circumstances.
If the OfS identifies a breach of a specific or general ongoing condition of registration as part of its enquiries, then it will consider the use of formal sanctions, which may include monetary penalties, suspension from the register or deregistration.
The department believes more should be done to support higher education providers to maximise international opportunities whilst mitigating risk, which is why we set out in June 2025 that we will work with the regulator to set clearer expectations around international risk management, raise awareness of risks and develop advice on good practice.
Asked by: Lord Kempsell (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they had with state school representatives before removing funding for the International Baccalaureate from 2026.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Whilst the department will be reprioritising the large programme uplift funding element, which is part of the 16 to 19 funding formula from the year 2026/27 academic year, the International Baccalaureate (IB) remains a fundable qualification.
Department funded providers offering the IB will continue to receive 16 to 19 education funding, it remains the choice of the institution to decide if they wish to offer larger programmes including the IB.
Asked by: Lord Kempsell (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many state school students studied for an International Baccalaureate Diploma in the last academic year.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
In 2023/24, there were 1,366 entries for the International Baccalaureate Diploma by students at the end of 16 to 18 study in state funded schools and colleges. This represents 0.1% of all pupils at the end of 16 to 18 study.
This data can be derived from the ‘16 to 18 qualification and subject data’ dataset on the Compare schools and college performance service here: https://www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk/download-data.
Asked by: Lord Kempsell (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what has been the estimated cost to the state of educating children who have entered the state sector from independent schools since January.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
HM Treasury published a Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) on applying VAT to independent school fees. The TIIN estimates that accounting for the spending implications of any pupil movement into the state sector, the policy will raise £1.7 billion per annum by 2029/30.
Asked by: Lord Kempsell (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the reasons for the fall in the overall number of teachers in state-funded schools in 2024–25; and how they are spending the money raised by charging VAT on independent school fees.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Recruiting and retaining high-quality teachers is critical to the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and boost the life chances for every child. This is why the government’s Plan for Change has committed to recruiting an additional 6,500 new expert teachers in secondary and special schools, and in our colleges, over the course of this Parliament.
We are already seeing positive signs that our investment in teacher recruitment and retention is starting to deliver. The workforce has grown by 2,346 full-time equivalent teachers between 2023/24 and 2024/25, in secondary and special schools, the schools where they are needed most. This includes 1,435 more secondary school teachers and 911 more special and pupil referral unit teachers compared to last year.
There are currently 4.6 million children in primary schools, 60,000 (1.3%) fewer than last year, down by around 172,000 (3.6%) compared to the 2018/19 peak, and numbers are forecasted to fall by another 165,000 (3.7%) between 2024/25 and 2027/28.
Measures to end private school tax breaks are expected to raise around £1.8 billion per year by 2029/30.
In the 2024/25 financial year, the department spent just over £600 million to support school teacher training, recruitment and retention.
Asked by: Lord Kempsell (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to improve attainment in numeracy of primary school pupils, particularly in regard to basic arithmetic.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
High and rising standards are at the heart of the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and give every child the best life chances.
The department funds the Maths Hubs programme, which is supported by the National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics. Local Maths Hubs provide school-to-school support focussed on mathematics subject knowledge and pedagogy training for teachers. The national network of Maths Hubs across England aims to raise the standard of mathematics education from reception to age 18. Maths Hubs deliver the Mastering Number programme, which is designed to encourage the use of mastery methods to teach solid number sense, to primary schools.
Through the department’s Accelerator Fund, we are also supporting up to 800 nurseries to complete the Maths Champions programme this year. Maths Champions is an evidence based professional development programme, proven to improve children’s mathematics and language outcomes by an average of three additional months.
Asked by: Lord Kempsell (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to teach artificial intelligence skills in state schools.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Programming, algorithms and the use of information technology are taught to pupils through the statutory national curriculum subject of computing from key stage 1 to key stage 4, providing the foundation for further study in areas such as artificial intelligence (AI).
To support the teaching of AI in schools, the department funds the National Centre for Computing Education (NCCE), which delivers a range of courses for teachers on machine learning and AI, ethics, and teaching about AI in primary and secondary computing. For example, this includes ‘AI in key stage 3 computing’, which supports teachers to understand what AI is and how it can be used for asset creation, equipping them with the knowledge required to promote the effective and safe use of AI tools. The government’s continued investment in the NCCE for the 2025/26 financial year will ensure that teachers can access the support they need to be able to teach about AI, and other computing topics, effectively and confidently.
The government has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, covering ages 5 to 18, chaired by Professor Becky Francis CBE. The review seeks to deliver a curriculum that readies young people for life and work, building the knowledge, skills and attributes needed to thrive. This includes considering how young people will acquire the key digital skills needed for future life. The review group will publish an interim report in early spring setting out its interim findings and confirming the key areas for further work, and will publish its final report with recommendations this autumn. The department will take decisions on what changes to make to the curriculum in light of these recommendations.
Asked by: Lord Kempsell (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many pupils or students in state-funded schools and colleges in England took (1) core mathematics, (2) mathematics, (3) further mathematics, and (4) statistics, qualifications post-16 in each academic year since 2015.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The information requested can be found in the attached spreadsheet and at the links below. Due to the amount of data requested, it is provided as an attachment rather than within the main body of the answer.
The numbers of entries by students aged 16 to 18 in England for A level pure mathematics, mathematics, further mathematics and statistics from the 2015/16 to 2023/24 academic years are published by the department in the ‘A level and other 16 to 18 results’ statistical release is attached and can be found at the following links:
Data relating to Core Mathematics have been published on the Compare School and College Performance website since 2021/22 is attached and can be accessed at the following links:
Core Mathematics qualifications were introduced in 2014 to provide students who achieved a grade 9-4 in mathematics at GCSE, but are not taking AS or A level mathematics, with the opportunity to continue the subject within 16-19 study. The qualifications focus on the use and application of mathematics and statistics in real life scenarios and aims to prepare students for the mathematical demands of university study.
Asked by: Lord Kempsell (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government how they plan to deliver the objectives they set in the AI Opportunities Action Plan while removing funding for mathematics education in schools and colleges through the Advanced Mathematics Support Programme.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
This government is committed to ensuring both learners and employers have access to crucial digital and artificial intelligence (AI) skills that have the potential to increase productivity and create new high value jobs in the UK economy. To achieve this, the department will build a responsive skills system, coordinated through Skills England, to deliver on the national, regional and local skills needs of the next decade.
The department will remain committed to ensuring all children and young people have a strong foundation in mathematics to thrive in the modern economy, regardless of background and socioeconomic status. The Advanced Maths Support programme remains a government-funded programme that continues to provide high quality teaching to increase participation and attainment in level 3 maths, to support student career progression and economic growth in technological advances.
The department also funds a national network of Maths Hubs, which is supported by the National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics. This network aims to raise the standard of mathematics education from reception to age 18 and enhance the quality of mathematics teaching through a collaborative national network of mathematics educational professionals.