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 she has had with Surrey Heath Borough Council on the adequacy of dyslexia training for teachers in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
The department is committed to improving support for all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including those with dyslexia and other neurodiverse conditions.
Early identification of need and support is critical to improving outcomes for children and young people with SEND, including those with dyslexia. There are already a number of measures to help teachers do this, including the phonics screening check and statutory assessments at the end of key stage 2.
Measures have also been introduced to support the effective teaching of reading, including for those at risk of falling behind. This includes the English hubs programme, the publication of the reading framework and an updated list of high-quality systematic synthetic phonics programmes for schools. The initial teacher training and early career framework, which sets out the core body of knowledge, skills and behaviours that define great teaching, contains significantly more content related to adaptive teaching and supporting pupils with SEND, and from September 2025 will underpin the minimum entitlement to training for new teachers.
My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education has not had any conversations with Surrey Heath Borough Council regarding dyslexia support, as we believe schools are best placed to take these decisions locally, in consultation with parents, young people and the local authority, after a thorough assessment of the child or young person’s needs and drawing on wider professional advice, as appropriate.
The department will also provide access to specialist mental health professionals in every school by expanding Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs), so every young person has access to early support to address problems before they escalate. Further information on the support, as at 31 March 2024, for pupils provided by NHS funded MHSTs in Surrey schools is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/transforming-children-and-young-peoples-mental-health-provision. We will recruit an additional 8,500 new mental health staff to treat children and adults, and open new Young Futures hubs with access to mental health support workers.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to support dyslexic children with mental health difficulties in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
The department is committed to improving support for all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including those with dyslexia and other neurodiverse conditions.
Early identification of need and support is critical to improving outcomes for children and young people with SEND, including those with dyslexia. There are already a number of measures to help teachers do this, including the phonics screening check and statutory assessments at the end of key stage 2.
Measures have also been introduced to support the effective teaching of reading, including for those at risk of falling behind. This includes the English hubs programme, the publication of the reading framework and an updated list of high-quality systematic synthetic phonics programmes for schools. The initial teacher training and early career framework, which sets out the core body of knowledge, skills and behaviours that define great teaching, contains significantly more content related to adaptive teaching and supporting pupils with SEND, and from September 2025 will underpin the minimum entitlement to training for new teachers.
My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education has not had any conversations with Surrey Heath Borough Council regarding dyslexia support, as we believe schools are best placed to take these decisions locally, in consultation with parents, young people and the local authority, after a thorough assessment of the child or young person’s needs and drawing on wider professional advice, as appropriate.
The department will also provide access to specialist mental health professionals in every school by expanding Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs), so every young person has access to early support to address problems before they escalate. Further information on the support, as at 31 March 2024, for pupils provided by NHS funded MHSTs in Surrey schools is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/transforming-children-and-young-peoples-mental-health-provision. We will recruit an additional 8,500 new mental health staff to treat children and adults, and open new Young Futures hubs with access to mental health support workers.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with Surrey Heath Borough Council on the adequacy of dyslexia provision for children in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
The department is committed to improving support for all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including those with dyslexia and other neurodiverse conditions.
Early identification of need and support is critical to improving outcomes for children and young people with SEND, including those with dyslexia. There are already a number of measures to help teachers do this, including the phonics screening check and statutory assessments at the end of key stage 2.
Measures have also been introduced to support the effective teaching of reading, including for those at risk of falling behind. This includes the English hubs programme, the publication of the reading framework and an updated list of high-quality systematic synthetic phonics programmes for schools. The initial teacher training and early career framework, which sets out the core body of knowledge, skills and behaviours that define great teaching, contains significantly more content related to adaptive teaching and supporting pupils with SEND, and from September 2025 will underpin the minimum entitlement to training for new teachers.
My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education has not had any conversations with Surrey Heath Borough Council regarding dyslexia support, as we believe schools are best placed to take these decisions locally, in consultation with parents, young people and the local authority, after a thorough assessment of the child or young person’s needs and drawing on wider professional advice, as appropriate.
The department will also provide access to specialist mental health professionals in every school by expanding Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs), so every young person has access to early support to address problems before they escalate. Further information on the support, as at 31 March 2024, for pupils provided by NHS funded MHSTs in Surrey schools is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/transforming-children-and-young-peoples-mental-health-provision. We will recruit an additional 8,500 new mental health staff to treat children and adults, and open new Young Futures hubs with access to mental health support workers.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to support dyslexic children in education in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
The department is committed to improving support for all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including those with dyslexia and other neurodiverse conditions.
Early identification of need and support is critical to improving outcomes for children and young people with SEND, including those with dyslexia. There are already a number of measures to help teachers do this, including the phonics screening check and statutory assessments at the end of key stage 2.
Measures have also been introduced to support the effective teaching of reading, including for those at risk of falling behind. This includes the English hubs programme, the publication of the reading framework and an updated list of high-quality systematic synthetic phonics programmes for schools. The initial teacher training and early career framework, which sets out the core body of knowledge, skills and behaviours that define great teaching, contains significantly more content related to adaptive teaching and supporting pupils with SEND, and from September 2025 will underpin the minimum entitlement to training for new teachers.
My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education has not had any conversations with Surrey Heath Borough Council regarding dyslexia support, as we believe schools are best placed to take these decisions locally, in consultation with parents, young people and the local authority, after a thorough assessment of the child or young person’s needs and drawing on wider professional advice, as appropriate.
The department will also provide access to specialist mental health professionals in every school by expanding Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs), so every young person has access to early support to address problems before they escalate. Further information on the support, as at 31 March 2024, for pupils provided by NHS funded MHSTs in Surrey schools is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/transforming-children-and-young-peoples-mental-health-provision. We will recruit an additional 8,500 new mental health staff to treat children and adults, and open new Young Futures hubs with access to mental health support workers.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of allocating additional funding for (a) dyslexia screening and (b) dyslexia-specific teacher training in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
The department is committed to improving support for all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including those with dyslexia and other neurodiverse conditions. As part of this, the department is considering evidence on international best practice in its policymaking on special educational needs.
We are providing £1 billion more for high needs budgets in the 2025/26 financial year, bringing total high needs funding to £11.9 billion. This funding will help local authorities and schools with the increasing costs of supporting children and young people with complex SEND.
The Core Content Framework and the Early Career Framework, for trainee and Early Career Teachers (ECTs) respectively, cover the first three years or more at the start of a teacher’s career. They set out the core body of knowledge, skills and behaviours that define great teaching, and from September 2025 will be superseded by the combined Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework (ITTECF). This sets out a minimum entitlement to training and must be used by providers of initial teacher training and those delivering training to ECTs to create their curricula. The ITTECF contains significantly more content related to adaptive teaching and supporting pupils with SEND.
Measures have also been introduced to support the effective teaching of reading, including for those at risk of falling behind. This includes the English Hubs programme, the publication of the reading framework, and an updated list of high quality systematic synthetic phonics programmes for schools. Surrey Heath’s nearest English Hub is Wandle English Hub. Further information is available here: https://englishhubs.net/english_hubs/wandle-english-hub/.
The English Hubs programme is dedicated to improving the teaching of reading, with a focus on supporting children making the slowest progress in reading. As part of the continuous professional development provided by the English Hubs, the Reading Ambition for All programme has been launched to improve outcomes for children who need additional support with reading, including those with SEND.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of dyslexia training provided to teaching staff in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
The department is committed to improving support for all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including those with dyslexia and other neurodiverse conditions. As part of this, the department is considering evidence on international best practice in its policymaking on special educational needs.
We are providing £1 billion more for high needs budgets in the 2025/26 financial year, bringing total high needs funding to £11.9 billion. This funding will help local authorities and schools with the increasing costs of supporting children and young people with complex SEND.
The Core Content Framework and the Early Career Framework, for trainee and Early Career Teachers (ECTs) respectively, cover the first three years or more at the start of a teacher’s career. They set out the core body of knowledge, skills and behaviours that define great teaching, and from September 2025 will be superseded by the combined Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework (ITTECF). This sets out a minimum entitlement to training and must be used by providers of initial teacher training and those delivering training to ECTs to create their curricula. The ITTECF contains significantly more content related to adaptive teaching and supporting pupils with SEND.
Measures have also been introduced to support the effective teaching of reading, including for those at risk of falling behind. This includes the English Hubs programme, the publication of the reading framework, and an updated list of high quality systematic synthetic phonics programmes for schools. Surrey Heath’s nearest English Hub is Wandle English Hub. Further information is available here: https://englishhubs.net/english_hubs/wandle-english-hub/.
The English Hubs programme is dedicated to improving the teaching of reading, with a focus on supporting children making the slowest progress in reading. As part of the continuous professional development provided by the English Hubs, the Reading Ambition for All programme has been launched to improve outcomes for children who need additional support with reading, including those with SEND.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to support children with special educational needs to access transport to educational settings in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
I refer the hon. Member for Surrey Heath to the answer of 19 November 2024 to Question 13396.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the national curriculum for encouraging physical education in mainstream schools.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
The national curriculum sets out the subjects and programmes of study that schools are required to teach to children of compulsory school age in English maintained schools. Physical education (PE) is compulsory at all four key stages of the national curriculum.
Data collected in the ‘School and college voice: December 2023’ survey indicated that the median scheduled PE time was 120 minutes for key stage 1 to key stage 3 and 60 minutes for key stage 4. The data can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-and-college-voice-omnibus-surveys-for-2023-to-2024/school-and-college-voice-december-2023.
The government established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, chaired by Professor Becky Francis CBE The interim report can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/curriculum-and-assessment-review-interim-report.
In the next phase, the Review will consider subject issues, working closely with the sector. The government has committed to protect time for PE and will respond to the Review’s final recommendations in the autumn.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she has taken to help improve awareness of (a) apprenticeships and (b) sponsored degree programs in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Apprenticeships give employers the skills they need to grow, helping them to fill their vacancies and train their workforce to address industry skills gaps. Apprenticeships are a great way for individuals to begin, or progress in, a successful career.
The department continues to promote apprenticeships to young people, adults and employers through the Skills for Life campaign. The department is also transforming career opportunities and advice to increase awareness of the range of high quality options available to young people, including apprenticeships.
The government has committed to improve careers advice and guarantee two weeks’ worth of work experience for every young person, as well as establish a national jobs and careers service to support people into work and help them succeed.
The department also supports the apprenticeship ambassador network, a network of over 2,000 volunteer employers and former and current apprentices, all of whom volunteer their time to inform and inspire the next generation of apprentices and apprentice employers.
Universities are autonomous and responsible for promoting their own programs.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of covid-19 on the long-term (a) educational attainment and (b) mental well-being of school children in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
All children and young people should have every opportunity to achieve and thrive, no matter who they are or where they are from. However, the pandemic harmed the attainment of all children, particularly those that are disadvantaged, and too many children and young people continue to face barriers to learning.
This is not acceptable, which is why the Opportunity Mission will break down barriers and raise standards across education, ensuring a better future for all children and young people in all areas of the country, including Surrey Heath.
High and rising standards across every school and for every child are at the heart of this mission, delivered through excellent teaching and leadership, a high-quality curriculum, robust accountability and faster school improvement and a system which removes additional barriers to learning.
The quality of teaching is the single most important in-school factor in improving outcomes for all children which is why we are committed to recruiting 6,500 new expert teachers. We have also launched an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, which is closely examining the key challenges to attainment for young people and the barriers that hold children back from the opportunities and life chances they deserve.
To strengthen school improvement, the new regional improvement for standards and excellence teams will provide both mandatory targeted intervention for schools identified by Ofsted as needing to improve and a universal service, acting as a catalyst for a self-improving system for all schools.
Independent research has found that COVID-19 led to increased depressive symptoms among teenagers and decreased life satisfaction, with girls being particularly affected.
The department is committed to improving mental health support for all children and young people. We will provide access to specialist mental health professionals in every school through expanding Mental Health Support Teams, so every young person has access to early support to address problems before they escalate, and open new Young Futures Hubs with access to mental health support workers.