Connor Rand

Information provided by employers to HMRC shows that in 2023/24 (the latest year for which full year data is available), 17,200 individuals were in receipt of Statutory Shared Parental Pay. Data for earlier years was published as part of the Shared Parental Leave evaluation. Data collected using HMRC Real Time Information is subject to revision.

This data provides a broad indication of take-up but does not include anyone taking unpaid leave. Information on the sector or industry worked in by the recipient of Shared Parental Pay is not available.

The Government commissioned the Parental Rights Survey as part of the Shared Parental Leave (SPL) evaluation which provides information on the sector parents taking SPL work in. Findings from the evaluation are available here (see figure 4.10 for sector information) - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/shared-parental-leave-spl-evaluation

Information provided by employers to HMRC shows that in 2023/24 (the latest year for which full year data is available), 17,200 individuals were in receipt of Statutory Shared Parental Pay. Data for earlier years was published as part of the Shared Parental Leave evaluation. Data collected using HMRC Real Time Information is subject to revision.

This data provides a broad indication of take-up but does not include anyone taking unpaid leave. Information on the sector or industry worked in by the recipient of Shared Parental Pay is not available.

The Government commissioned the Parental Rights Survey as part of the Shared Parental Leave (SPL) evaluation which provides information on the sector parents taking SPL work in. Findings from the evaluation are available here (see figure 4.10 for sector information) - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/shared-parental-leave-spl-evaluation

Support staff are categorised into posts of teaching assistants, administrative staff, auxiliary staff, technicians and other supporting staff, plus two new posts of school business professional and leadership non-teacher, reported for the first time in 2023/24.

School business professionals include roles such as bursar, business manager, finance officer, office manager, premises manager or ICT network manager.

The full-time equivalent (FTE) of support staff has increased each year since 2019/20, to 510,400 in 2023/24, and has now passed the previous peak of 2015/16. This is an increase of 4,800 (0.9%) since last year. This increase is mainly due to an increase of 2,400 in other support staff.

The FTE of all support staff across state-funded schools in England between 2019/20 and 2023/24 can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/7b0a17e8-b3ff-403e-687f-08dca70c1109.

The FTE of all support staff in Altrincham and Sale West, Stretford and Urmston and Wythenshawe and Sale East between 2019/20 and 2023/24 can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/0b037abc-203b-42ce-5354-08dca71310d3.

School support staff play a vital role in children’s education and development.

The department will value and recognise the professionalism of the entire school workforce and address recruitment and retention challenges by reinstating the School Support Staff Negotiating Body.

The body will be tasked with establishing a national terms and conditions handbook, training and progression routes. This reform will ensure that schools can recruit and retain the staff needed to deliver high quality, inclusive education.

The department publishes statistics on education, health and care (EHC) plans at local authority level. This includes information on children and young people not in school or further education, for example those awaiting provision, in elective home education, in other arrangements, having had notice of their plan to cease, or not in education, employment or training. The number and proportion of children and young people with an EHC plan who were elsewhere than at school in Trafford from 2020 to 2024, which is the last five years of data available, can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/6cdcf6c0-e28a-4a72-68e5-08dca70c1109.

The data collection for EHC plans does not include information on previous special educational needs (SEN) support identification.

Wider data on SEN, including information on the total number of pupils with EHC plans and SEN support at local authority level, is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/special-educational-needs-in-england.

We are committed to tackling poverty and reducing mass dependence on emergency food parcels.

Our Ministerial Taskforce, jointly chaired Work and Pensions and Education Secretaries, has started urgent work on an ambitious Child Poverty Strategy and will explore all available levers to drive forward actions across government to reduce child poverty, tackle its root causes and give every child the best start in life. The Strategy will be published in Spring 2025.

We have already spoken to food poverty experts at a roundtable hosted by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on 30^th July, to understand the priorities in this area.

Alongside the Child Poverty Taskforce, our initial steps to support families and children include free breakfast clubs in every primary school, so children don’t go hungry, protecting renters from arbitrary eviction and banning exploitative zero hours contracts. Good work will be the foundation of our approach and the New Deal for Working People will ensure the minimum wage is a genuine living wage, and reformed employment support will mean that many more people will benefit from the dignity and purpose of employment.

The Department does not hold the information requested.

The Department does not hold the information requested.

The Government is committed to creating the healthiest generation of children ever, as set out in our Child Health Action Plan. The Healthy Start scheme was introduced in 2006 to encourage a healthy diet for pregnant women, babies, and young children under four years old from very low-income households. It can be used to buy, or can be put towards the cost of, fruit, vegetables, pulses, milk, and infant formula. Healthy Start beneficiaries have access to free Healthy Start Vitamins for pregnant women and children aged under four years old.

The NHS Business Services Authority (NHS BSA) delivers the scheme on behalf of the Department. The NHS BSA is committed to increasing uptake of the Healthy Start scheme to ensure as many children as possible have a healthy start in life.

The NHS BSA promotes the Healthy Start scheme through its digital channels and has created free tools to help stakeholders promote the scheme locally. The NHS BSA has also reached out to stakeholders to see how it can support them in promoting the scheme.

The Government is committed to creating the healthiest generation of children ever, as set out in our Child Health Action Plan. The Healthy Start scheme was introduced in 2006 to encourage a healthy diet for pregnant women, babies, and young children under four years old from very low-income households. It can be used to buy, or can be put towards the cost of, fruit, vegetables, pulses, milk, and infant formula. Healthy Start beneficiaries have access to free Healthy Start Vitamins for pregnant women and children aged under four years old.

The NHS Business Services Authority (NHS BSA) delivers the scheme on behalf of the Department. The NHS BSA is committed to increasing uptake of the Healthy Start scheme to ensure as many children as possible have a healthy start in life.

The NHS BSA promotes the Healthy Start scheme through its digital channels and has created free tools to help stakeholders promote the scheme locally. The NHS BSA has also reached out to stakeholders to see how it can support them in promoting the scheme.

The NHS Business Services Authority (NHS BSA) runs the Healthy Start scheme on behalf of the Department. The Department of Health and Social Care is working closely with the NHS BSA and the Department for Work and Pensions, to enable the NHS BSA to receive the personal data for those potentially eligible citizens from the Department for Work and Pensions, as soon as possible. The NHS BSA will use this data to reach out to those eligible, who are not currently in receipt of Healthy Start, to encourage them to apply for the Healthy Start scheme.