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 ensure that all pupils have access to high-quality Citizenship education at Key Stages 3 and 4.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Currently, citizenship education is taught through the statutory national curriculum at key stages 3 and 4.
The government’s response to the Curriculum and Assessment Review, published in November 2025, committed to making citizenship statutory at primary and strengthening primary and secondary content, focusing on government, law and democracy, climate education, financial and media literacy and improving progression to GCSE.
Working closely with the sector, we are working towards a first teaching of the new curriculum from September 2028.
On 4 May, the Key Stage 4 Performance Measures and Targeted regional improvements for standards and excellence (RISE) consultation closed. This included proposals to improve the Progress 8 model to maintain a strong academic core and ensure breadth and choice for every child. We are analysing responses from the consultation and will publish our response in summer 2026.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to increase the priority of Citizenship education within the national curriculum and school accountability measures.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Currently, citizenship education is taught through the statutory national curriculum at key stages 3 and 4.
The government’s response to the Curriculum and Assessment Review, published in November 2025, committed to making citizenship statutory at primary and strengthening primary and secondary content, focusing on government, law and democracy, climate education, financial and media literacy and improving progression to GCSE.
Working closely with the sector, we are working towards a first teaching of the new curriculum from September 2028.
On 4 May, the Key Stage 4 Performance Measures and Targeted regional improvements for standards and excellence (RISE) consultation closed. This included proposals to improve the Progress 8 model to maintain a strong academic core and ensure breadth and choice for every child. We are analysing responses from the consultation and will publish our response in summer 2026.
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 impact of Citizenship GCSE on preparing young people for democratic participation and civic life.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Teaching about democracy already forms a central part of the national curriculum for citizenship at key stages 3 and 4 and can be taught as a non-statutory topic in primary schools. We will consider the future content of Citizenship Studies GCSE going forward.
Following the independent Curriculum and Assessment Review recommendations, we committed to make citizenship compulsory in primary schools to ensure all pupils receive an essential grounding in a range of topics including democracy, government and law. The new national curriculum will be taught from September 2028.
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 Citizenship education on improving media literacy and resilience to misinformation among pupils.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Media literacy is currently covered in the citizenship, relationships, sex and health education (RSHE), and computing curricula.
On 15 July 2025, the government published updated RSHE statutory guidance introducing new content on AI, online safety and pornography which will be mandatory from 1 September 2026. Following publication of the independent Curriculum and Assessment Review’s final report on 5 November 2025, vital applied knowledge and skills in media and digital literacy relevant to identify misleading or harmful online content will be embedded into the revised curriculum, including citizenship, from 2028.
We will consult on revised programmes of study, including for citizenship, later this year.
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 trends in the level of uptake of Citizenship GCSE in secondary schools over the last five years.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Uptake of the GCSE in Citizenship Studies has been fairly consistent over the last five years. The table below shows entry figures for England since 2021:
GCSE (Full Course) Summer Citizenship Studies entries (England only)
Subject | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
Citizenship Studies | 20,211 | 21,393 | 21,765 | 20,743 | 20,949 |
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 student loan interest rates on graduates’ financial outcomes.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
This government recognises the concerns caused by high student loan account balances and interest rates, resulting from loan plans designed by previous governments. That is why we are capping the maximum interest rates on Plan 2 and Plan 3 student loans at 6% for the 2026/27 academic year, protecting students and graduates from the risk of short-term inflationary pressures.
Interest rates affect lifetime repayments for those who repay in full, which includes borrowers with small balances as well as higher earners. Monthly repayments depend solely on earnings above the repayment threshold, and those earning below this level are not required to make any repayments. Outstanding balances are cancelled at the end of the loan term.
The government publishes annual forecasts for student loans in England. These include statistics on borrower repayments. The latest publication can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/student-loan-forecasts-for-england/2024-25.
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 equity of the different student loan interest rate structures in (a) Plan 2 and (b) Plan 5.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Decisions on Plan 2 and Plan 5 conditions were made by the previous government. This government keeps the student finance system under continuous review to ensure that it delivers good value for both students and taxpayers. Over time, this has led to reforms being made to student loan terms. Such reforms consider factors such as macroeconomic conditions, demographic trends and the participation rate in higher education at the time. Therefore, this leads to different plans having different terms and conditions.
When comparing Plan 2 and Plan 5 loans it is important to compare the terms in the round. Whilst Plan 5 will ask graduates to repay for longer, and from a lower annual income threshold of £25,000, it also increases certainty for borrowers by reducing their interest rate to match inflation only.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for what reasons her Department applies different interest rates to different student loan repayment plans.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Decisions on Plan 2 and Plan 5 conditions were made by the previous government. This government keeps the student finance system under continuous review to ensure that it delivers good value for both students and taxpayers. Over time, this has led to reforms being made to student loan terms. Such reforms consider factors such as macroeconomic conditions, demographic trends and the participation rate in higher education at the time. Therefore, this leads to different plans having different terms and conditions.
When comparing Plan 2 and Plan 5 loans it is important to compare the terms in the round. Whilst Plan 5 will ask graduates to repay for longer, and from a lower annual income threshold of £25,000, it also increases certainty for borrowers by reducing their interest rate to match inflation only.
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 implications for the quality of education of the use of digital tablets for learning in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
Technology plays an important role in broad, rich learning experiences in classrooms across the country, and it is essential that children learn to use technology confidently and safely, so they are prepared for a rapidly evolving world of work.
Equally, we understand concerns about excessive screen time and agree that unmonitored or unlimited personal use can carry risks and recognise that we must get the balance right. That’s why we are consulting on how we can deliver a safer digital childhood, developing screen time guidance for children and taking touch action against online harms – in addition to ensuring schools are always phone free. We have also committed to publishing guidance on early years screentime shortly.
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 improved early intervention and diagnostic methodologies for children with special educational needs on levels of SEND provision in local authorities.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Effective early identification and intervention is critical in improving the outcomes of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Access to support should not be dependent on a child or young person having a diagnosis, and a diagnosis alone does not help a teacher know what strategies to use to support that child in the classroom.
As set out in the SEND reform consultation document “Putting Children and Young People First”, the department will develop National Inclusion Standards. These will set out evidence-informed tools, strategies and approaches for educators to draw on to identify and support children and young people with additional needs, before those needs escalate. By 2028, we will have invested up to £15 million to build the evidence base for, and then provide, National Inclusion Standards.
In addition, government-backed research delivered by UK Research Innovation in partnership with the department will aim to develop and roll out approaches for the early identification, strengths and needs assessment, and support of children and young people with special educational needs.
The department and NHS England continue to track the progress that the Surrey Local Area Partnership is making following its Ofsted/CQC SEND inspection in September 2023, which found inconsistent experiences and outcomes for children and young people with SEND, alongside providing on-going advice, support and challenge.