Asked by: Anna Gelderd (Labour - South East Cornwall)
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 changes to international student policy on the finances of universities.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government has been clear that we welcome international students who meet the requirements to study in the UK. International students positively impact our higher education (HE) sector, economy, and society as a whole and enrich our university campuses, forge lifelong friendships with our domestic students and become global ambassadors for the UK.
The Immigration White Paper, published in May, sets out a balanced approach - helping the government achieve our manifesto commitment on reducing net migration while maintaining the UK’s global competitiveness.
The Office for Students (OfS) has identified reliance on international student fee income as a risk to HE providers’ sustainability. It has been clear that providers will need to change their business models to protect their financial health as a response to this risk and others. HE providers are independent from government and as such are responsible for managing their finances.
This government has taken action to support the financial sustainability of universities after seven years of frozen tuition fee caps. The maximum fee for a standard full-time undergraduate course in the 2025/26 academic year was increased by 3.1%, from £9,250 to £9,535. To provide long-term certainty over future funding for the sector, so that it can focus on reform, we will increase tuition fee caps in line with forecast inflation in 2026/27 and 2027/28 and then legislate to increase tuition fee caps automatically for future academic years.
Asked by: Anna Gelderd (Labour - South East Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help support higher education providers that have financial challenges in the next academic year.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government has been clear that we welcome international students who meet the requirements to study in the UK. International students positively impact our higher education (HE) sector, economy, and society as a whole and enrich our university campuses, forge lifelong friendships with our domestic students and become global ambassadors for the UK.
The Immigration White Paper, published in May, sets out a balanced approach - helping the government achieve our manifesto commitment on reducing net migration while maintaining the UK’s global competitiveness.
The Office for Students (OfS) has identified reliance on international student fee income as a risk to HE providers’ sustainability. It has been clear that providers will need to change their business models to protect their financial health as a response to this risk and others. HE providers are independent from government and as such are responsible for managing their finances.
This government has taken action to support the financial sustainability of universities after seven years of frozen tuition fee caps. The maximum fee for a standard full-time undergraduate course in the 2025/26 academic year was increased by 3.1%, from £9,250 to £9,535. To provide long-term certainty over future funding for the sector, so that it can focus on reform, we will increase tuition fee caps in line with forecast inflation in 2026/27 and 2027/28 and then legislate to increase tuition fee caps automatically for future academic years.
Asked by: Anna Gelderd (Labour - South East Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on the number of times that teaching assistants have delivered unsupervised classroom teaching in place of qualified supply staff in (a) academies and (b) other state schools in the latest period for which data is available.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department does not hold information regarding the number of times that teaching assistants have delivered unsupervised classroom teaching in place of qualified supply staff.
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Asked by: Anna Gelderd (Labour - South East Cornwall)
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 awarding Qualified Teacher Status to PhD holders without requiring completion of a Postgraduate Certificate in Education.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Qualified teacher status (QTS) is the professional qualification for teachers in primary and secondary schools. Having a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) is not required to become a qualified teacher but many Initial Teacher Training (ITT) courses also offer an academic award such as a PGCE.
QTS is usually achieved following successful completion of an ITT Course. All ITT courses leading to QTS must incorporate the Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework in full. This framework is underpinned by the best independently verified evidence about what makes great teaching.
To achieve QTS, individuals must demonstrate all Teachers’ Standards. Subject expertise is a critical part of great teaching, but teachers also need to understand how children learn; how to plan a curriculum and structure lessons; how to adapt their teaching to the needs of the children in their classes, including those with special educational needs; and how to manage behaviour effectively.
Evidence shows that high-quality teaching is the most important in-school factor that improves outcomes for children, which is why we think it is right that only teachers who have met the Teachers’ Standards are awarded QTS.
Asked by: Anna Gelderd (Labour - South East Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support is available to help young people (a) develop skills and (b) access opportunities in South East Cornwall constituency.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
As announced in the spending review, the department is making over £1.2 billion of additional investment per year in skills by 2028/29.
This will support and grow the wide range of technical routes and work-based training available for people of all ages, across the country, including South-East Cornwall. This includes:
There are a number of post-16 education and training providers in Cornwall delivering further education and skills provision. The largest of these is Cornwall College, judged as overall Outstanding in their latest Ofsted inspection, and which has campuses throughout Cornwall.
We have also strengthened legislation to ensure all secondary pupils have multiple opportunities for meaningful encounters with providers of technical education and apprenticeships.
Asked by: Anna Gelderd (Labour - South East Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the removal of Strategic Priorities Grant funding from journalism courses in the 2025–26 academic year on the accessibility of journalism education.
Answered by Janet Daby
The government provides funding through the Strategic Priorities Grant (SPG) on an annual basis to support teaching and students in higher education (HE). We are prioritising support for high-cost subjects that are essential to the delivery of our Industrial Strategy and for access to HE for disadvantaged groups. The removal of SPG funding for journalism courses aligns with this.
We are prioritising investment in science, engineering and technology subjects. Media studies, journalism, publishing and information services are all important and valued subjects, and the government acknowledges their importance, alongside numerous other subjects that do not attract SPG high-cost subject funding, such as history, languages, economics, mathematics and law.
Funding for all subjects, including journalism, will benefit from the increase in tuition fee limits in line with inflation. The maximum fee for a standard full-time undergraduate course in the 2025/26 academic year will increase by 3.1%, from £9,250 to £9,535.
HE providers are autonomous bodies, independent from government, and are responsible for deciding which courses to offer.
Asked by: Anna Gelderd (Labour - South East Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the number of students likely to be affected by the withdrawal of Strategic Priorities Grant funding for journalism courses in 2025–26.
Answered by Janet Daby
The government provides funding through the Strategic Priorities Grant (SPG) on an annual basis to support teaching and students in higher education (HE). We are prioritising support for high-cost subjects that are essential to the delivery of our Industrial Strategy and for access to HE for disadvantaged groups. The removal of SPG funding for journalism courses aligns with this.
We are prioritising investment in science, engineering and technology subjects. Media studies, journalism, publishing and information services are all important and valued subjects, and the government acknowledges their importance, alongside numerous other subjects that do not attract SPG high-cost subject funding, such as history, languages, economics, mathematics and law.
Funding for all subjects, including journalism, will benefit from the increase in tuition fee limits in line with inflation. The maximum fee for a standard full-time undergraduate course in the 2025/26 academic year will increase by 3.1%, from £9,250 to £9,535.
HE providers are autonomous bodies, independent from government, and are responsible for deciding which courses to offer.
Asked by: Anna Gelderd (Labour - South East Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the evidential basis was for the decision to remove Strategic Priorities Grant funding from journalism courses.
Answered by Janet Daby
The government provides funding through the Strategic Priorities Grant (SPG) on an annual basis to support teaching and students in higher education (HE). We are prioritising support for high-cost subjects that are essential to the delivery of our Industrial Strategy and for access to HE for disadvantaged groups. The removal of SPG funding for journalism courses aligns with this.
We are prioritising investment in science, engineering and technology subjects. Media studies, journalism, publishing and information services are all important and valued subjects, and the government acknowledges their importance, alongside numerous other subjects that do not attract SPG high-cost subject funding, such as history, languages, economics, mathematics and law.
Funding for all subjects, including journalism, will benefit from the increase in tuition fee limits in line with inflation. The maximum fee for a standard full-time undergraduate course in the 2025/26 academic year will increase by 3.1%, from £9,250 to £9,535.
HE providers are autonomous bodies, independent from government, and are responsible for deciding which courses to offer.
Asked by: Anna Gelderd (Labour - South East Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support journalism training that helps future journalists deal with AI-generated content and misinformation.
Answered by Janet Daby
Higher education providers are independent bodies responsible for designing their own journalism qualifications. However, the quality of courses is regulated by the independent regulator the Office for Students (OfS). Courses must be up-to-date and teach students skills relevant to the subject and level of the course. Relevant skills could include, but not be limited to, cognitive skills, practical skills, transferable skills and professional competences.
A course designed to lead to a particular profession should require students to demonstrate the skills necessary for success in that profession, including where specific skills are required for accreditation by a professional body.
For example, the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ) and the Broadcast Journalism Training Council accredit courses delivered by providers in the UK. In addition, the NCTJ offers its own popular journalism diploma, which is also delivered in some further education colleges as well as other level 3 provision. It is for employers, providers and sector bodies to ensure that content meets learner and employer needs.
Asked by: Anna Gelderd (Labour - South East Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to continue funding Level 3 vocational qualifications in music and the arts beyond 2026; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of removing these qualifications on access to creative careers for students who do not follow A-Level routes.
Answered by Janet Daby
On 12 December 2024, the government published the review of level 3 qualifications reform which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/review-of-level-3-qualifications-reform-provisional-outcomes. The review aimed to ensure that qualifications reform supports the government’s missions of spreading opportunity and delivering economic growth, and considered all qualifications that were due to have funding removed in either 2024 or 2025.
The routes in scope of this review were:
Qualifications at level 3 in other subjects, such as music and the arts, will continue to be funded as before. No decisions have been made to defund these qualifications. When we published the results of this review, we were clear this provided certainty on which qualifications will remain funded up to 2027.
We will consider the future of level 3 qualifications following the recommendations from the Curriculum and Assessment Review, due later in 2025.