Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what criteria she plans to use to prioritise schools for the expansion of free breakfast clubs.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The department expects to provide further information, including specifics on eligibility, funding and expectations for schools, later in the autumn term.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the number of children in (a) England, (b) Lancashire and (c) Fylde constituency impacted by the national rollout of free breakfast clubs.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The government has made a manifesto commitment to provide a free breakfast club in every state-funded school with children on roll from reception to year 6. This will ensure every child, regardless of circumstances, has a supportive start to the school day. This means that approximately 4.6 million children in England, 97,600 children in Lancashire and 6,500 children in Fylde will be able to benefit from free breakfast clubs once they are rolled out in their area.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children were eligible for free school meals in Fylde constituency in each of the last five years.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The department publishes data on school level free school meals in its annual 'Schools, pupils and their characteristics' publication, in the additional supporting files. The publication can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics/2024-25. This includes a parliamentary constituency indicator. The latest figures were published in June 2025, and the next figures will be published in summer 2026.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of eligible children receive the expanded 30 hour childcare offer in each region.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The government’s Plan for Change sets out a commitment to give children the best start in life, breaking the link between background and opportunity.
Due to data/sample size limitations, the department does not hold data on the number of children eligible to receive the expanded 30-hour childcare offer in each region, and as a result cannot provide figures on the proportion of eligible children receiving the expanded 30 hour offer in each region.
The first early years and school censuses to collect data on the number of children registered for the expanded 30-hour entitlement since the September 2025 rollout will be based on the January 2026 period. The associated statistics have a provisional release date of July 2026. More details can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/announcements/funded-early-education-and-childcare-2026.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department's press notice entitled Childcare offer exceeds target, benefiting over 500,000 children, published on 24 September 2025, how many children by (a) income, (b) ethnicity, (c) disability, (d) rural location and (e) urban location are (i) receiving and (ii) not receiving 30 hours of childcare.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The government’s Plan for Change sets out a commitment to give children the best start in life, breaking the link between background and opportunity.
The department cannot provide figures on Eligibility Checking System (ECS) entitlement code validation broken down by income, ethnicity, disability, rural location and urban location. This is because detailed demographic data on children is not collected by the system used in the publication of ECS codes. The department also does not hold comprehensive detailed information on the children who do not receive funded childcare.
The early years and school censuses are publications separate from the ECS that disaggregate children in receipt of entitlements by disadvantaged status, ethnicity and special educational needs provision. The first early years and school censuses to collect data on the number of children registered for the expanded 30-hour entitlement since the September 2025 rollout will be based on the January 2026 period. Their provisional release date is July 2026.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has to work with schools to (a) identify and (b) support pupils impacted by homelessness or temporary accommodation.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
On 10 October, the government announced £10.9 million in funding for ‘Supporting Children Experiencing Homelessness’ via the Homelessness Prevention Grant for 2025/26. The funding has been allocated to 61 local authorities with the highest numbers of children in temporary accommodation to increase access to support and services for families and to make a tangible impact on their quality of life whilst they remain in need. The funding is intended to deliver positive benefits to children’s education outcomes and can include interventions such as travel to school, school uniforms and equipment, and the improvement of communal spaces to enable children to complete homework.
‘Keeping children safe in education 2025’ (KCSIE) is the statutory guidance to which schools and colleges in England must have regard when carrying out their duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.
KCSIE outlines that school and college staff are in a position to identify concerns early, provide help for children, promote children’s welfare and prevent concerns from escalating, and that all staff have a responsibility to provide a safe environment in which children can learn.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to issue guidance to schools and nurseries on the risks posed by counterfeit toys and how to avoid them in procurement or use.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The early years foundation stage (EYFS) statutory framework, which all early years providers are required to follow, requires providers to ensure they take all reasonable steps so staff and children in their care are not exposed to risks, and must be able to demonstrate how they are managing risks.
The department continually monitors and reviews the EYFS safeguarding requirements to make sure children are kept as safe as possible.
The Office for Product Safety and Standards alerts the department when there are concerns with products that may pose a risk to children in early years settings. We then share this information with the sector through our communication channels.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she is taking steps to increase business coaching in schools; and if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a named business coach in secondary schools.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Businesses are already strongly encouraged to support careers education in schools and colleges throughout England. The national network of 44 careers hubs supports 96% of secondary schools and colleges and engages with over 400 leading employers, working together to improve careers guidance and inspire young people.
There are a number of ways that businesses and stakeholders can support careers education through engagement with The Careers & Enterprise Company, such as through the Enterprise Adviser programme, a network of approximately 3,700 business volunteers from various employment sectors and backgrounds who offer support to schools and colleges.
The independent Curriculum and Assessment Review is evaluating the existing national curriculum and statutory assessment system in England to ensure they are fit for purpose. It is considering whether there is sufficient coverage of knowledge and skills that are essential to sufficiently prepare children and young people for future life and to thrive in a fast-changing world. The Review’s final report and recommendations will be published this autumn, at which point the government will respond.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of current funding levels for the music and dance scheme to ensure access for children from lower socio-economic backgrounds.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The government fully supports the arts and the development of a skills pipeline into the creative industries.
The department is providing £36.5 million for the Music and Dance Scheme this academic year.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many primary schools in (a) Lancashire and (b) Fylde constituency do not have access to a library in the latest period for which data is available.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
It is for individual schools to decide how best to provide and maintain a library service for their pupils. Headteachers have autonomy to decide how best to spend the core schools funding that the department allocates. Given this autonomy, the department does not collect information on the number of school libraries.
We welcome the work of the Libraries for Primaries campaign and others, who work to support children’s reading. On 29 September, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, committed over £10 million in funding to guarantee a library for every primary school by the end of this parliament. Funding for this scheme will come from £132.5 million of dormant assets unlocked to support young people to access opportunities. The government will set out further details of the scheme in due course.