Oral Answers to Questions

Catherine McKinnell Excerpts

Monday 21st July 2025 Commons Chamber

[Lee Barron (Corby and East Northamptonshire) (Lab)]

1. What assessment she has made of the potential merits of introducing alternative methods of primary school assessment.

[The Minister for School Standards (Catherine McKinnell)]

Mr Speaker, may I take this opportunity to thank all those who work in our schools and wish them a well-earned break over the summer holidays? High and rising school standards are a non-negotiable for this Labour Government as we seek to build a school system that enables every child to achieve and thrive. Our independent expert-led curriculum and assessment review has found that the current system for primary assessments is broadly working well. However, we will take on board any recommendations from the review panel when it reports in the autumn.

[Lee Barron (Corby and East Northamptonshire) (Lab)]

A recent survey by Young Minds found that over a third of year 6 pupils felt ill due to standard assessment tests, and over a quarter said they made them feel bad about themselves. Ninety-six per cent of headteachers say that SATs harm wellbeing, and 95% doubt their accuracy. Our children and teachers are telling us that SATs are broken. Will the Department consider a more holistic assessment approach that ensures the wellbeing of our children at such a young age?

[Catherine McKinnell]

It is our ambition that all children get the chance not just to achieve at school but to thrive. SATs are carefully developed to ensure that they are accessible. It is clear that schools should not over-prepare children for the assessments at the expense of their wellbeing.

[Wera Hobhouse (Bath) (LD)]

It is so well known how damaging formal assessment can be for some children; their wellbeing should be at the forefront of our minds. I know that from primary school teachers in my Bath constituency. Is it not time that we completely scrapped SATs?

[Catherine McKinnell]

National curriculum tests and assessments are crucial to support schools in building strong foundations for children regardless of background and prior attainment. We will continue to keep the matter under review. Of course, children should not be made to feel stressed; they should be supported to achieve and thrive in any assessment at school.

[Bambos Charalambous (Southgate and Wood Green) (Lab)]

2. What steps she is taking to recruit teachers.

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[Lizzi Collinge (Morecambe and Lunesdale) (Lab)]

17. What steps she is taking to improve support for children with SEND.

[The Minister for School Standards (Catherine McKinnell)]

We are engaging extensively with families and experts as we seek to improve support for children with special educational needs and disabilities. We have invested £1 billion into high-needs budgets and £740 million into creating more specialist places. We are rolling out schemes, from the partnerships for inclusion of neurodiversity in schools—the PINS programme—to Inclusion 2028, which are laying the groundwork for long-term reform. We are building a system in which every child can achieve and thrive.

[Lincoln Jopp]

I thank the Minister for that answer. On Friday, I had the opportunity to visit the outstanding Springfield primary school in my constituency. It has 500 pupils, 30 of whom have education, health and care plans, with six applications in currently. Can the Minister reassure the parents of those six children and the many, many parents across the country that, while this review into EHCPs is going on, local education authorities will not slow-roll existing applications or fail them as a default in order for them to go to tribunal and try to beat the clock?

[Catherine McKinnell]

We have yet to decide on the future of education, health and care plans, but we are extremely focused on strengthening the support system so that every child can receive timely, high-quality help. We will set out further details about our approach to special educational needs in this autumn’s White Paper. In the meantime, obviously, children should be getting the support they need, and we are putting in the groundwork so that more children can have that.

[Lizzi Collinge]

We know that early intervention is most effective for children with SEN, but too many children in my constituency of Morecambe and Lunesdale have been let down in that respect. However, Lancashire is, for the first time, receiving funding for Best Start hubs. Can the Minister tell me how that will improve early support for those children?

[Catherine McKinnell]

As I said, we are already investing in supporting children and their families, including through Best Start family hubs, as my hon. Friend mentioned. We want to ensure that all children have access to a family service professional who is trained to support inclusion, can identify where children have additional needs ahead of starting school, and can support parents to navigate services.

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[Andy MacNae (Rossendale and Darwen) (Lab)]

15. If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of virtual teachers on school children.

[The Minister for School Standards (Catherine McKinnell)]

This Government are committed to ensuring that every child can access the tools they need in order to achieve and thrive. We inherited a challenging workforce picture from the previous Government, which is why we are committed to recruiting an additional 6,500 teachers. We are backing teachers and restoring teaching to being a highly valued profession. There is no doubt that technology has a key role to play in driving high and rising standards at school. However, the most important factor for high-quality education is having an expert teacher at the front of the classroom.

[Andy MacNae]

In Rossendale, the academy trust that runs our “stuck” school, Valley leadership academy, recently announced plans to introduce a virtual teacher for top-set maths. This approach has understandably raised a lot of concerns, and I have been working with the trust to make sure it is designed in the pupils’ best interests. I have been assured that this will be a temporary measure, that a qualified maths teacher will be in the room to provide additional support, and that an appropriate range of adjustments will be made for SEND pupils. However, I remain concerned that, without safeguards, virtual teachers may become a default cost-saving measure to address recruitment challenges. Will the Minister share her view on how we can ensure that such an approach is always designed in pupils’ best interests—

[Catherine McKinnell]

Technology has the potential to enhance time efficiency for teachers, reduce workload and improve student engagement and attainment, but it cannot replace the valuable relationship between teachers and pupils. We know that high-quality teaching has the biggest impact on a child’s educational outcomes. School leaders rightly have the autonomy to make decisions about staff deployment, and they are best placed to make decisions about the needs of their pupils.

[Will Stone (Swindon North) (Lab)]

16. What steps she is taking to increase security in schools against bomb threats.

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[David Davis (Goole and Pocklington) (Con)]

19. What assessment she has made of the potential impact of proposed reforms to education, health and care plans on children with SEND.

[The Minister for School Standards (Catherine McKinnell)]

Given the “lose, lose, lose” system that the last Government left behind—in their own words—we are working hard to reform the system so that every child can achieve and thrive. Any reform will be guided by how we improve support for children with SEND. There will always be a legal right to additional support, which this Government will protect.

[David Davis]

Given that answer, I will quote the Secretary of State. She was saying earlier that the system is so distorted that the financial allocations do not reflect the real needs of children. That means that local authorities have huge deficits through no fault of their own; they are trying to do their job. When she comes up with her new policy in the autumn, will she commit to writing off those deficits so that those authorities can do the job in the future?

[Catherine McKinnell]

As part of our reforms, we will commence a phased transition process, which will include working with local authorities to manage their SEND systems, including their deficits, alongside an extension to the statutory override until the end of 2027-28. We will set out more details about the plan for how we will support local authorities with the historical and accruing deficits accumulated under the last Government and since, due to the appalling situation that we inherited.

[Jen Craft (Thurrock) (Lab)]

On Friday I had the privilege of spending a good few hours with SEND parents in my constituency, talking about what does not work under the current system and what we would like to see changed. There was a lot of frustration and a lot of tears. They were honest and open about their upset at the current system, but there were also a lot of ideas and a determination to make change happen, so that those who come after us do not have to go through the same stress and anxiety that we do as SEND parents. Will the Secretary of State guarantee that the voices of parents, carers and families will be integral to forming the schools White Paper that is due out in the autumn?

[Catherine McKinnell]

I can give my hon. Friend that reassurance. I know that she is incredibly passionate about improving the SEND system, and this Government share that passion. We are not only determined to restore the trust of parents by ensuring that schools and local areas can better identify and support children; we are also working with parents and families to create that system, which we know will improve outcomes for children and their families.

[Peter Prinsley (Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket) (Lab)]

21. What steps she is taking to support young people into apprenticeships.

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[Andrew Lewin (Welwyn Hatfield) (Lab)]

T2. It remains a reality that it is possible to take a GCSE in Russian but not in Ukrainian, and I have resolved to do my part to help because I believe that a Ukrainian GCSE should be available to all. As this is a topical question, I bring some encouraging news: I have written to all the exam boards— Order. Topical questions should be quick. It will be, Mr Speaker, absolutely—topical and quick. AQA has reported back to me that it is very open to the idea, but it needs to see evidence that we have enough Ukraine-speaking teachers who are willing to teach the subject and to mark the papers. The good news is that, with support from parliamentary colleagues, I have found 250 teachers who can do just that. Does my hon. Friend agree that it should now be just a matter of time before a Ukrainian GCSE is available to all?

[The Minister for School Standards (Catherine McKinnell)]

My hon. Friend clearly knows that the decision to create any new GCSE is made by an independent awarding organisation, but I have also met the Ukrainian Education Minister, and I know how important this issue is to Ukrainian families living in the United Kingdom and to others. The Secretary of State has written to the awarding organisations to encourage them to create a Ukrainian GCSE. I am now well aware of my hon. Friend’s interest in the issue, and I am more than happy to convey it as well.

[Mr Speaker]

I call the shadow Secretary of State.

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[Danny Beales (Uxbridge and South Ruislip) (Lab)]

T5. Last week, I had the pleasure of hosting in Parliament the Outcomes First Group, a group of specialist SEND schools. They presented their proposals for fixing the broken SEND system, including supporting more children in mainstream education, supporting collaboration between schools and upskilling teachers. Does the Minister agree that those are exactly the sorts of changes that are needed to fix the SEND system, and will she meet me and the school in my constituency to learn more?

[Catherine McKinnell]

Indeed, we are building a reformed system in which children and young people’s needs will be identified early, so that evidence-based support can be provided at the earliest opportunity. Earlier this year, I was pleased to open Benton House, a special school in my constituency that is also run by the Outcomes First Group. It was great to see such a well-resourced facility supporting children with complex needs. I would be delighted to hear more about the work in my hon. Friend’s constituency and the proposals.

[Several hon. Members rose—]

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[Sir John Whittingdale (Maldon) (Con)]

T10. Essex has seen a huge increase in the number of requests for education, health and care needs assessments, and is failing to meet the target, in part due to the difficulty of recruiting educational psychologists. Rather than trying to bury the problem by scrapping education, health and care plans, can the Minister say what the Government are doing to meet that need?

[Catherine McKinnell]

The right hon. Gentleman is pre-empting decisions before they have been made. We have not made decisions about the future of EHCPs. We are listening carefully and working with the sector to make sure we have the workforce in the system and the support systems to identify needs early. We will continue to do that, and we will work with families to design a system that works, rather than the one we inherited.

[Rachael Maskell (York Central) (Ind)]

York is seeking to advance new models of support for children with SEND that are inclusive and provide opportunity, including greater curriculum flexibility to deliver a broader education in small groups and a life skills curriculum so children are equipped to navigate the world around them safely. Would the Minister support City of York council to deliver such measures?

[Catherine McKinnell]

The hon. Lady will know that a curriculum and assessment review is currently being undertaken by an independent panel. We are keen that the curriculum is broad and rich, but also inclusive. We will be responding when the panel reports with its recommendations in the autumn.

[Sir Julian Lewis (New Forest East) (Con)]

When the Secretary of State talks of such a large reduction in the number of anticipated future primary school pupils, does she attribute any part of that to a wish by certain communities to develop a parallel education system, rather than engaging in full integration with this country?

[Claire Hazelgrove (Filton and Bradley Stoke) (Lab)]

Those working in our schools in South Gloucestershire do a brilliant job, but they receive the lowest funding per pupil in all of England via a funding formula inherited from the previous Government. Does the Minister have plans to review the formula as part of the impactful wider work to ensure that every child receives the education they need to thrive, no matter where they live?

[Catherine McKinnell]

We recognise that schools are working incredibly hard to deliver in their communities. There is a whole range of factors that impact school funding, including their rural or urban nature and pupil numbers; we have discussed declining rolls. We will continue to keep the school funding formula under review. That does take time and it has to be done very carefully to ensure certainty for schools about their funding planning.

[Ben Obese-Jecty (Huntingdon) (Con)]

Last year, 565 EHCPs were issued in Cambridgeshire, with fewer than 10% completed within the statutory 20-week deadline. Cambridgeshire county council now ranks as the 10th worst nationally for meeting the timelines on their delivery. With 99% of SEND tribunals finding in favour of the parent, what steps is the Secretary of State taking to improve the process that sees so many applications require a tribunal, and to improve the delivery of EHCPs in Cambridgeshire, assuming they are not going to be scrapped in mainstream schools?

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[Greg Smith (Mid Buckinghamshire) (Con)]

The superb John Hampden school in Wendover reports that it is running a £109,000 deficit supporting students with significant SEND while they await assessments. However, it is an infant-only school, and the money often does not come through until the pupils have moved up to a junior school. Will the Minister look at how the system is working for infant-only schools, to make the system fairer?

[Catherine McKinnell]

As we have said, we are looking at reforms to the system; we recognise that there are challenges right across the system that we inherited. We know that families face challenges in securing support and that schools face challenges, too. We will look at every detail and announce reforms in the White Paper in the autumn.

[Mr James Frith (Bury North) (Lab)]

I recently hosted a series of engagements and roundtables on the SEN reforms, and it is impossible to ignore the sheer size of the problems this Government are confronting. Will the Secretary of State confirm that the legal right to specialist support will remain a core principle of every child’s entitlement as Labour rebuilds this broken system and that we will go further, delivering real outcomes, genuine inclusion and an SEN system built to serve families, not fail them?