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 made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a financial protection scheme for users of home learning providers which become insolvent.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
Where an online home learning provider closes, parents and local authorities should work together to identify other suitable provision which is safe and meets the needs of the child. Home learning providers are often private providers and so are responsible for the financial management of their business.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether funding is available for schools to purchase (a) defibrillators and (b) CPR training equipment.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department provided over 20,000 defibrillators to almost 18,000 schools, ensuring that all state-funded schools in England have access to a device.
The programme is now closed; however, schools who wish to purchase defibrillators are able to buy them through the NHS Defibs4Schools programme, which provides defibrillators of a suitable specification. Defibs4Schools can be contacted at: defibs4schools@supplychain.nhs.uk.
Schools have the autonomy to decide how they teach first aid, including teaching additional topical content and which resources to use.
It is for schools to decide what training equipment may be suitable to facilitate the delivery of CPR training at their school, based on their individual circumstances. The department provides advice on free resources in its defibrillator guidance to schools, including the British Heart Foundation’s (BHF) RevivR CPR training and BHF CPR training pack for secondary schools. More information can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/automated-external-defibrillators-aeds-in-schools.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to issue guidance to schools on how to access training resources to help deliver the CPR Smart programme.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
All state funded schools are required to teach first aid as part of the statutory health education set out in the relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) statutory guidance. Independent schools are required to cover health education as part of their responsibility to provide personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education.
The statutory RSHE guidance includes basic first aid for primary school children, for example dealing with common injuries, such as head injuries, whilst pupils in secondary schools are taught further first aid, for example how to administer CPR and the purpose of defibrillators and how to use them.
The guidance sets out that it is for schools to decide how they teach RSHE topics, including how to draw on expertise available to them locally, such as that provided by the CPR Smart programme.
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.