Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when her Department plans to publish the final recommendations of the Curriculum and Assessment Review.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The independent Curriculum and Assessment Review’s final report and recommendations will be published this autumn. The government’s response will be published alongside this.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children live with an (a) an alcohol dependent parent and (b) a parent drinking at higher risk levels.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
In 2023/24, there were 72,410 child in need episodes where ‘alcohol misuse: concerns about parent’ were recorded.
Our statutory guidance, “Working together to safeguard children”, sets out that practitioners should be alert to the need for early help for a child who is in a family circumstance presenting challenges for them, such as alcohol misuse. The guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/working-together-to-safeguard-children--2.
Our Families First Partnership programme, backed by over £500 million investment per year over the next three years from 2025/26, is rolling out reforms to family help and multi-agency child protection. Funding will be increased by at least £300 million between 2026/27 and 2027/28, as part of the £555 million investment from the transformation fund.
These reforms will produce a fundamental shift in the way we respond to children and families who need help, including supporting those living with alcohol dependent parents.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to support children living with alcohol dependent parents.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
In 2023/24, there were 72,410 child in need episodes where ‘alcohol misuse: concerns about parent’ were recorded.
Our statutory guidance, “Working together to safeguard children”, sets out that practitioners should be alert to the need for early help for a child who is in a family circumstance presenting challenges for them, such as alcohol misuse. The guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/working-together-to-safeguard-children--2.
Our Families First Partnership programme, backed by over £500 million investment per year over the next three years from 2025/26, is rolling out reforms to family help and multi-agency child protection. Funding will be increased by at least £300 million between 2026/27 and 2027/28, as part of the £555 million investment from the transformation fund.
These reforms will produce a fundamental shift in the way we respond to children and families who need help, including supporting those living with alcohol dependent parents.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Third Report of the Joint Committee on Human Rights of Session 2022-23 on The Violation of Family Life: Adoption of Children of Unmarried Women 1949–1976, HC 270, published on 15 July 2022, if she will make a formal apology on behalf of Government to those people impacted by forced adoptions between 1949 and 1976.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
This abhorrent practice should never have taken place, and our deepest sympathies are with all those affected.
We take this issue extremely seriously and continue to engage with those affected to provide support.
The department continues to follow up on the 2022 Joint Committee on Human Rights report, including improving access to adoption records, enhancing intermediary services and preserving historical records.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of revising the thresholds for determining the interest rate on student loan repayments for people living abroad in the context of local taxation levels.
Answered by Janet Daby
The repayment of student loans, including the setting of interest rates applied to student loan plan types for borrowers in the UK or overseas, is determined by the Education (Student Loans) (Repayment) Regulations 2009 (as amended).
Overseas repayment thresholds are calculated using World Bank price level index (PLI) (which is used to compare differences between the cost of living in the UK and other countries), not the tax rates of countries of residence. This means that if a borrower is resident in a country calculated as having a lower cost of living than the UK, the repayment threshold applied to their loan will be lower than if they are residing in the UK. The country bandings and thresholds are reviewed annually.
Using a recognised measure of the relative cost of living in different countries ensures that borrowers residing in different countries are assessed in a fair, transparent and consistent way.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help support further education colleges to secure T Level placements for (a) engineering and (b) other subject students.
Answered by Janet Daby
While schools and colleges are responsible for sourcing industry placements, the department offers a range of support. The department offers a range of resources, including our support website for schools and colleges with guidance and workshops to help colleges plan and design placements, which is available at the following address https://support.tlevels.gov.uk/hc/en-gb.
Our employer website includes case studies and webinars for specific T Levels such as Engineering and Manufacturing and is available here: https://employers.tlevels.gov.uk/hc/en-gb/articles/13884064882194-Why-host-students-doing-engineering-and-manufacturing-T-Levels.
We have a 900+ strong ambassador network, including representatives across different T Levels. Our Connect service helps colleges connect with local employers and we also provide continuing professional development to upskill colleges with employer engagement activities.
In January 2025 we updated our industry placement delivery approaches, for example, allowing up to 20% of placements to take place remotely (and up to 50% for Digital). Further information can be accessed at the following link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/678a7a302080f65f988bd3a1/T_Level_industry_placement_delivery_guidance.pdf.
Colleges also receive £550 per T Level student to source and monitor industry placements. A targeted employer support fund for the 2025/26 financial year will support all employers delivering Health T Level placements and small and medium enterprises delivering all other placements.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has had discussions with EngineeringUK on supporting engineering companies in providing T Level placements for engineering students in further education.
Answered by Janet Daby
The department works closely with a range of colleges, schools, employers and their representative bodies to ensure the availability and quality of T Level industry placements across the country. For the engineering and manufacturing sector this includes the Gatsby Charitable Foundation’s Engineering and Manufacturing working group, made up of organisations including EngineeringUK, Enginuity (and the National Manufacturing Skills Task Force), Make UK and the Royal Academy of Engineering. The group share resources, case studies and undertake employer awareness-raising campaigns to support the delivery of industry placements.
The department also actively engages stakeholders via our T Level Ambassador Network which advocates for T Levels and plays a key role in bringing industry and education together across a range of sectors. The network has expanded to over 900 members, including large businesses, small and medium enterprises, colleges and schools, universities and students. Over 120 representatives from the engineering and manufacturing sector are part of this network.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
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 making sexual health education a compulsory element of the statutory RHSE curriculum in (a) secondary schools and (b) colleges.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell
The relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) statutory guidance already sets out that secondary schools should cover contraception, sexually transmitted infections, developing intimate relationships and resisting pressure to have sex. The guidance can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/relationships-education-relationships-and-sex-education-rse-and-health-education.
Pupils should also know how and where to access confidential sexual and reproductive health advice and treatment.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of including postgraduate students in receipt of (a) stipends and (b) bursaries in the eligibility criteria for free childcare.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
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.
To be eligible for the working parent entitlement, both parents, including if they are a student, will need to earn between the equivalent of 16 hours a week at National Minimum Wage, which is equivalent to £195 per week or £10,140 per year in 2024/2025, and £100,000 adjusted net income per year.
A student receiving a bursary does not count as qualified paid work, so this cannot be used towards the working parent entitlement. Students may only be considered eligible for the working parent entitlement if they work and meet the income requirements in addition to studying.
Students are eligible for the universal 15 hours of free early education, which is available to all three- and four-year-olds regardless of family circumstances. This is available the term after the child turns three.
There is a range of support for students in further or higher education. If they meet the eligibility criteria, students can apply for the Childcare Grant and Parental learning allowance. More information can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/childcare-grant and https://www.gov.uk/parents-learning-allowance.
Additionally, working parents on Universal Credit may be eligible for help with up to 85% of their childcare costs through Universal Credit Childcare, which can be used in addition to the early education entitlements to support with the costs of childcare. More information can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/help-with-childcare-costs/universal-credit.
My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education has been clear in her commitment to early years. Despite tough decisions to get our public finances back on track, this government has increased investment in the early years sector to drive forward progress towards our Plan for Change target of a record number of children starting school ready to learn.
Later this year, the department will launch a new strategy to revitalise early years education, rooted in creating positive early childhood experiences for children.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of including postgraduate students in the eligibility criteria for the (a) Childcare Grant and (b) Parent Learners Allowance.
Answered by Janet Daby
Postgraduate master’s and doctoral loans are intended as a contribution to the cost of study. They can be used by students according to their personal circumstances to cover the costs of fees and living costs, including for childcare. The Childcare Grant and Parents’ Learner Allowance form part of the undergraduate support package and there are no plans to extend access to those in receipt of a postgraduate loan.
Students are eligible for the universal 15 hours of free early education which is available to all three and four-year-olds regardless of family circumstances.