Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of repeated external investigations on staff (a) wellbeing and (b) retention in small special educational needs schools in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Across mainstream and special schools, the department is committed to improving the wellbeing and mental health of school staff and creating a supportive culture in schools and colleges. That is why we encourage all schools and colleges to sign the education staff wellbeing charter which sets out shared commitments to protect and promote the wellbeing of staff in schools and colleges. The charter can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/education-staff-wellbeing-charter.
Recruiting and retaining excellent teachers and leaders will support the government to transform the education system so that all young people get the skills, care and opportunities they deserve. Full time equivalent (FTE) teachers in special schools and pupil referral units in Surrey increased by 21 (3.6%) in 2024.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the impact of digital tablet use in schools on pupils’ attention spans in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The department does not mandate the use of digital tablets in schools, and decisions about their adoption are made locally.
The department’s guidance emphasises that technology should supplement, not replace, high-quality teaching, and that effective use of digital devices can support engagement and learning outcomes. The department does not hold specific data for the Surrey Heath constituency.
Schools are encouraged to develop digital strategies that consider the needs of their pupils and to follow published standards for device use.
The department continues to invest in infrastructure and support, aiming for all schools to meet core digital standards by 2030, and to narrow the digital divide, while monitoring emerging evidence on the impact of technology on pupils, including through the EdTech Impact Testbed Programme which helps to build the evidence base on their impact.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that students with additional needs have access to mandatory online homework platforms in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
Schools determine homework volume and format in collaboration with staff, pupils, parents, and governors. Digital tools can support learning and enhance parental engagement by providing visibility into tasks and progress. However, access to devices remains uneven. In 2024, 34% of parents reported their child lacked continuous access to a device for online schoolwork. Schools should offer alternative homework options for pupils with limited device access.
The department is committed to ensuring all students, including those with additional needs, can safely and effectively use digital tools. While data for Surrey Heath isn’t available, the department has published digital accessibility standards to help schools implement inclusive technology strategies. The 'Plan Technology for Your School' service supports strategic digital planning. The department continues working with schools and providers to ensure no child is left behind.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions her Department has had with (a) Surrey County Council and (b) local police authorities on child safeguarding in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department works closely with local authorities to help ensure robust child safeguarding practices are in place. Officials hold regular meetings with Surrey County Council to discuss a range of topics including child protection and safeguarding.
The department does not directly engage with local police authorities, but as part of engagement with Surrey County Council, officials discuss the quality and effectiveness of multi-agency arrangements.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance her Department provides on access to therapeutic support for children identified as in need in cases where parental consent is disputed.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The guidance ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023’ is clear that local authorities should have a comprehensive range of services in place to respond to local needs. It also requires safeguarding partners to publish a threshold document setting out what services are delivered in their area across different levels of need, including targeted early help and statutory children’s social care, including under Section 17 of the Children Act 1989.
Any support and services provided under Section 17 of the Children Act 1989 are consensual. If there are concerns that a child has suffered significant harm or is likely to do so, a referral should be made to local authority children’s social care.
Reforms to family help being delivered through the Families First Partnership programme are seeking to improve timely access to services. We are already seeing examples of senior therapists being embedded into multi-disciplinary teams to provide direct therapeutic support to families.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support parents with the cost of school uniform in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
I refer the hon. Member for Surrey Heath to the answer of 10 November 2025 to Question 79046.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions her Department has had with Surrey County Council on promoting foster caring in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
This government is committed to working in partnership with local authorities to recruit more foster carers and committed an additional £15 million in the budget. This funding is to start work to ensure every local authority has access to a hub and to embed the existing regional fostering recruitment and retention hubs, covering over 60% of local authorities in England. The hubs will transform the way people who are interested in fostering are supported and rollout of the Mockingbird programme, which offers peer-support to foster carers and the children in their care. Surrey County Council is part of the Fostering South East recruitment hub which officially launched in 2024, bringing together 20 local authorities.
The department is also funding Fosterlink, a support service for local authority fostering services not in the regional programme. This identifies areas for improvement and creates a national network to share best practice.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of updating guidance for (a) schools and (b) inspectorates on handling complaints that are escalated without first being considered under published complaints policies.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department is working closely with the Improving Education Together group to improve the complaints system. We are exploring how to reset the relationship between schools and parents through encouraging informal resolution, reducing duplication, and clarifying roles and responsibilities. Where schools cannot resolve complaints, they should be passed quickly to the right body. We expect to provide more detail in the Schools White Paper.
The department has published best practice guidance for maintained schools and academies, including model complaints policies, and this can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-complaints-procedures and https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/setting-up-an-academies-complaints-procedure/best-practice-guidance-for-academies-complaints-procedures.
Complaints can be escalated to the department once a school’s process has been exhausted, unless the complainant has been obstructed. Once received, officials check whether the school’s complaints policy complies with relevant guidance and regulations.
The department values the dedication and expertise of the school workforce and is committed to working with them to re-establish teaching as an attractive, expert profession.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support schools in managing persistent complaints referred to external bodies without being resolved through schools internal procedures in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department is working closely with the Improving Education Together group to improve the complaints system. We are exploring how to reset the relationship between schools and parents through encouraging informal resolution, reducing duplication, and clarifying roles and responsibilities. Where schools cannot resolve complaints, they should be passed quickly to the right body. We expect to provide more detail in the Schools White Paper.
The department has published best practice guidance for maintained schools and academies, including model complaints policies, and this can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-complaints-procedures and https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/setting-up-an-academies-complaints-procedure/best-practice-guidance-for-academies-complaints-procedures.
Complaints can be escalated to the department once a school’s process has been exhausted, unless the complainant has been obstructed. Once received, officials check whether the school’s complaints policy complies with relevant guidance and regulations.
The department values the dedication and expertise of the school workforce and is committed to working with them to re-establish teaching as an attractive, expert profession.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support schools in managing reputational issues from (a) repeated and (b) unsubstantiated complaints in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department is working closely with the Improving Education Together group to improve the complaints system. We are exploring how to reset the relationship between schools and parents through encouraging informal resolution, reducing duplication, and clarifying roles and responsibilities. Where schools cannot resolve complaints, they should be passed quickly to the right body. We expect to provide more detail in the Schools White Paper.
The department has published best practice guidance for maintained schools and academies, including model complaints policies, and this can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-complaints-procedures and https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/setting-up-an-academies-complaints-procedure/best-practice-guidance-for-academies-complaints-procedures.
Complaints can be escalated to the department once a school’s process has been exhausted, unless the complainant has been obstructed. Once received, officials check whether the school’s complaints policy complies with relevant guidance and regulations.
The department values the dedication and expertise of the school workforce and is committed to working with them to re-establish teaching as an attractive, expert profession.