Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on the percentage of doctoral loans used by students to cover the costs of childcare.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Doctoral loans are intended to contribute to the cost of study, rather than to specifically cover tuition fees or livings costs, which provides flexibility to the student. The department does not hold any information on the proportion of doctoral loan funding that is spent on childcare.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the number and percentage of a) undergraduate and b) postgraduate students who are parents with caring responsibilities.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The Higher Education Statistics Agency is responsible for collecting and publishing data on the UK higher education (HE) sector. This data is shared with the department and includes a wide range of information on students studying at UK HE providers.
However, information on students who are parents with caring responsibilities is not collected, and therefore numbers and percentages of students in this position cannot be identified by the department.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
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 childcare costs on the ability of parents to undertake postgraduate study.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
It is our ambition that all families have access to high quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, giving every child the best start in life and delivering on our Plan for Change.
Student parents are eligible for the universal 15 hours of free early education which is available to all 3 and 4-year-olds regardless of family circumstances.
Students who work in addition to studying may be eligible for 30 hours free childcare if they meet the income requirements.
The government recognises the value of parents continuing in education and provides a range of support for students in higher education to support them with childcare.
Support available to full-time students with dependent children includes the Childcare Grant and Parents’ Learning Allowance. Entitlement to these grants is based on a student’s household income.
Further information on the childcare offers available to parents can be found at: https://www.beststartinlife.gov.uk/.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help improve levels of media literacy among vulnerable children who are more at risk online.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
On 5 November, the independent Curriculum and Assessment Review published its final report which includes recommendations for a refreshed curriculum and assessment system in England. The government responded to this report and the response includes a commitment to ensure children are more digitally literate. This will be achieved by including media literacy in the new primary citizenship curriculum, and strengthening it in both the English curriculum, English language GCSE and in history. Furthermore, a refreshed computing curriculum will build digital confidence from an early age, including essential content on artificial intelligence.
Work is now underway to deliver a new curriculum and assessment system that is ambitious for every child, rich in knowledge and strong on skills.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 26 September 2025 to Question 70899 on Nurseries: Finance, whether her Department has made an assessment of the financial viability of private equity-backed nursery providers.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
It is the department’s ambition that all families have access to high quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, giving every child the best start in life and delivering on the Plan for Change.
As laid out in the Best Start in Life strategy, the department therefore keeps the structure of the market, including the role of private equity, debt, profit levels, and the prices that parents pay, under close review.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what responsibility her Department has for ensuring media literacy.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
I refer my hon. Friend, the member for Oxford East, to the answer of 1 May 2025 to Question 47185.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of (a) initial teacher training and (b) continuing professional development for teachers in media literacy.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework sets out the foundational core content that defines great teaching. This includes anticipating common misconceptions within particular subjects, which is an important aspect of curricular knowledge. In the context of media literacy, this can help teachers to spot pupil misconceptions that may arise from various sources. Beyond this, providers can design a curriculum which is responsive to participant needs, including training on media literacy where necessary.
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. The Review’s final report and recommendations will be published shortly. The government will then consider the recommendations and its response.
The department funds the National Centre for Computing Education, which provides teachers with free CPD and resources to support the teaching of computing, including media literacy. In addition, Ofcom published its three-year Media Literacy Strategy in October 2024, which commits to supporting teachers through CPD, evaluation of training outcomes and stronger collaboration with regional partners to share learnings and effective practices.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an estimate of the rate of growth in each of the last five years in the (a) absolute number and (b) proportion of nurseries that are backed by (i) private equity firms, (ii) pension funds and (iii) venture capital funds.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
It is our ambition that all families have access to high quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, giving every child the best start in life and delivering on our Plan for Change.
One of the signs of a healthy market is a range of providers offering choice and flexibility for parents.
As laid out in the Best Start in Life strategy, the department keeps the structure of the market, including the role of private equity, debt, profit levels, and the prices that parents pay, under close review.
As of the most recent data available, 7.5% of places are with providers that have private equity backing, up from 4% in 2018.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the financial viability of nursery groups funded by (a) private equity firms and (b) venture capital funds.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
It is our ambition that all families have access to high quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, giving every child the best start in life and delivering on our Plan for Change.
One of the signs of a healthy market is a range of providers offering choice and flexibility for parents.
As laid out in the Best Start in Life strategy, the department keeps the structure of the market, including the role of private equity, debt, profit levels, and the prices that parents pay, under close review.
As of the most recent data available, 7.5% of places are with providers that have private equity backing, up from 4% in 2018.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what is the proposed timeline for implementing a system to identify children with a parent in prison.
Answered by Janet Daby
Departmental officials continue to work closely with their counterparts at the Ministry of Justice to deliver the manifesto commitment to identify children affected by parental imprisonment as swiftly as possible, to help ensure that they get the support they need to thrive. A multi-year spending review has recently taken place to determine departmental budgets from 2026/27 to 2028/29. We are currently finalising the allocations process to set internal budgets for this spending period. Officials are working through the details of potential delivery options and this will inform timelines once internal budgets are finalised. Last month we published our preliminary market engagement notice for our multidisciplinary training offer for professionals which can be found here: https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/050622-2025. This marks an important step towards getting children the support they may need once they are identified.