Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) civil monetary penalties, (b) warning notices and (c) prosecutions have been issued or commenced in relation to the operation of unregistered children's homes since the commencement of the relevant provisions of the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026; and what steps she is taking with Ofsted to prevent companies receiving financial benefit from operating such provision.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
This is a matter for His Majesty's Chief Inspector, Sir Martyn Oliver. Ofsted holds the information requested. I have asked him to write to the hon. Member for Birmingham Perry Barr and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the findings of the investigation by the Guardian and Bureau of Investigative Journalism, published on 8 September 2026, that local authorities spent more than £250 million on approximately 1,800 placements in unregistered children's homes over the previous two years; and whether her Department plans to collect and publish data on (a) the number, (b) duration and (c) cost of placements in unregistered children's homes by each local authority.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Unregistered settings are illegal and may pose a significant risk to children, with no assurance about children’s safety, the staff or the environment. This is why the department is taking a number of measures to eliminate the use of such placements by local authorities.
To increase the availability of safe, registered provision, we are investing £560 million between 2026/27 and 2029/30, alongside £90 million in 2025/26, to expand local authority-owned children's homes in areas where they are needed most. We are also rolling-out Regional Care Cooperatives across the country to strengthen local commissioning, improve planning and increase purchasing power.
Through the Children Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026, we have strengthened Ofsted’s powers to crack down on unregistered providers by introducing uncapped financial penalties alongside exiting prosecution powers.
We are also improving transparency and oversight by introducing a dedicated category for unregistered placements within the 2026 children looked after annual return (SSDA903) completed by local authorities. This will provide the first national dataset on the use of unregistered placements, helping the department identify where and how often they are being used.
Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the supply of registered children's home placements for children with complex needs; and whether she has made an assessment of whether the £53 million allocated to create up to 200 additional placements by 2029 will be sufficient to end local authorities' use of unregistered children's homes.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department is taking steps to improve the availability of suitable provision for children with the most complex needs. Evidence shows that a significant proportion of these children are currently placed in unsuitable or unregistered settings because the right provision is not available. To address this, we have invested £53 million capital funding to create up to 200 places in suitable residential homes for children with multiple and overlapping needs. This investment is targeted at relieving the most critical pressures within the system. The new places will be delivered through local authority-owned children's homes, designed to enable placement stability as needs change and develop by implementing robust design and flexible technology.
Alongside this, the department has launched Home Again, a programme that will establish multi-disciplinary teams operating across regional care cooperatives. The programme aims to improve placement stability, reduce the use of unnecessary restrictive practices and lessen reliance on unregistered provision.
Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the exemption in regulation 3(1)(c) of the Children's Homes (England) Regulations 2015 for accommodation provided for holidays and other specified activities for fewer than 28 days; and whether she plans to amend this exemption.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Registered providers of children’s homes must meet the Care Standards Act 2000 and associated regulations, available at:
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/14/contents.
This legislation requires providers to have an up-to-date statement of purpose, setting out how a children’s home operates. It is illegal to run or manage a children’s home or service that has not been registered with Ofsted. Mandatory registration with Ofsted ensures that appropriate oversight and checks are in place. Unregistered settings may pose a significant risk to vulnerable children as there is no assurance about the safety of children, staff or the environment.
On 1 April 2026, Ofsted updated the Social Care Common Inspection Framework to promote high-quality inspections that focus on the impact of services on the lives and relationships of children and families. Ofsted is currently consulting on further reforms, with implementation from 2027. The department is working closely with Ofsted as it updates inspection frameworks, grounded in our shared ambition to support the sector to improve services and outcomes for children and families.
Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools hold Asthma Friendly School status.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department does not hold this data. The programme is run locally by National Health service (NHS) regions, councils, or health partnerships, not as one central UK accreditation scheme.
Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an assessment of the adequacy of the confidence of staff in responding to asthma attacks in schools.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Section 100 of the Children and Families Act 2014 places a duty on maintained schools, academies and pupil referral units in England to make arrangements for supporting pupils with medical conditions. The accompanying statutory guidance makes clear to schools what is expected of them in taking reasonable steps to fulfil their legal obligations and to meet the individual needs of pupils with medical conditions. Schools should ensure they are aware of any pupils with medical conditions and have policies and processes in place to ensure these can be well managed.
Governing bodies must ensure that the arrangements they put in place are sufficient to meet their statutory responsibilities and that policies, plans, procedures and systems are properly and effectively implemented.
We have worked closely with the Department for Health and Social Care in developing plans for revised statutory guidance on ‘Supporting children and young people with medical conditions at school’, available at: https://consult.education.gov.uk/medical-conditions-at-school/medical-conditions-at-school-statutory-guidance/
We consulted on this guidance recently, seeking views from schools, parents, health professionals, and other stakeholders on proposals to strengthen how schools meet their duties. Our aim is to ensure that every child can access education safely and confidently, regardless of their health needs. We are considering the responses to the consultation and will respond in due course.
Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on improving asthma safety in schools.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Section 100 of the Children and Families Act 2014 places a duty on maintained schools, academies and pupil referral units in England to make arrangements for supporting pupils with medical conditions. The accompanying statutory guidance makes clear to schools what is expected of them in taking reasonable steps to fulfil their legal obligations and to meet the individual needs of pupils with medical conditions. Schools should ensure they are aware of any pupils with medical conditions and have policies and processes in place to ensure these can be well managed.
Governing bodies must ensure that the arrangements they put in place are sufficient to meet their statutory responsibilities and that policies, plans, procedures and systems are properly and effectively implemented.
We have worked closely with the Department for Health and Social Care in developing plans for revised statutory guidance on ‘Supporting children and young people with medical conditions at school’, available at: https://consult.education.gov.uk/medical-conditions-at-school/medical-conditions-at-school-statutory-guidance/
We consulted on this guidance recently, seeking views from schools, parents, health professionals, and other stakeholders on proposals to strengthen how schools meet their duties. Our aim is to ensure that every child can access education safely and confidently, regardless of their health needs. We are considering the responses to the consultation and will respond in due course.
Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if her Department will consider developing a national model for asthma management training in schools.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Section 100 of the Children and Families Act 2014 places a duty on maintained schools, academies and pupil referral units in England to make arrangements for supporting pupils with medical conditions. The accompanying statutory guidance makes clear to schools what is expected of them in taking reasonable steps to fulfil their legal obligations and to meet the individual needs of pupils with medical conditions. Schools should ensure they are aware of any pupils with medical conditions and have policies and processes in place to ensure these can be well managed.
Governing bodies must ensure that the arrangements they put in place are sufficient to meet their statutory responsibilities and that policies, plans, procedures and systems are properly and effectively implemented.
We have worked closely with the Department for Health and Social Care in developing plans for revised statutory guidance on ‘Supporting children and young people with medical conditions at school’, available at: https://consult.education.gov.uk/medical-conditions-at-school/medical-conditions-at-school-statutory-guidance/
We consulted on this guidance recently, seeking views from schools, parents, health professionals, and other stakeholders on proposals to strengthen how schools meet their duties. Our aim is to ensure that every child can access education safely and confidently, regardless of their health needs. We are considering the responses to the consultation and will respond in due course.
Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has had discussions with the Department for Health and Social Care on increasing the delivery of Tier 1 asthma training materials to school staff through the National Bundle of Care for Children and Young People with Asthma.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Section 100 of the Children and Families Act 2014 places a duty on maintained schools, academies and pupil referral units in England to make arrangements for supporting pupils with medical conditions. The accompanying statutory guidance makes clear to schools what is expected of them in taking reasonable steps to fulfil their legal obligations and to meet the individual needs of pupils with medical conditions. Schools should ensure they are aware of any pupils with medical conditions and have policies and processes in place to ensure these can be well managed.
Governing bodies must ensure that the arrangements they put in place are sufficient to meet their statutory responsibilities and that policies, plans, procedures and systems are properly and effectively implemented.
We have worked closely with the Department for Health and Social Care in developing plans for revised statutory guidance on ‘Supporting children and young people with medical conditions at school’, available at: https://consult.education.gov.uk/medical-conditions-at-school/medical-conditions-at-school-statutory-guidance/
We consulted on this guidance recently, seeking views from schools, parents, health professionals, and other stakeholders on proposals to strengthen how schools meet their duties. Our aim is to ensure that every child can access education safely and confidently, regardless of their health needs. We are considering the responses to the consultation and will respond in due course.
Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has issued guidance to schools on assessing the quality of asthma management training commissioned for staff.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Section 100 of the Children and Families Act 2014 places a duty on maintained schools, academies and pupil referral units in England to make arrangements for supporting pupils with medical conditions. The accompanying statutory guidance makes clear to schools what is expected of them in taking reasonable steps to fulfil their legal obligations and to meet the individual needs of pupils with medical conditions. Schools should ensure they are aware of any pupils with medical conditions and have policies and processes in place to ensure these can be well managed.
Governing bodies must ensure that the arrangements they put in place are sufficient to meet their statutory responsibilities and that policies, plans, procedures and systems are properly and effectively implemented.
We have worked closely with the Department for Health and Social Care in developing plans for revised statutory guidance on ‘Supporting children and young people with medical conditions at school’, available at: https://consult.education.gov.uk/medical-conditions-at-school/medical-conditions-at-school-statutory-guidance/
We consulted on this guidance recently, seeking views from schools, parents, health professionals, and other stakeholders on proposals to strengthen how schools meet their duties. Our aim is to ensure that every child can access education safely and confidently, regardless of their health needs. We are considering the responses to the consultation and will respond in due course.