Damian Hinds

The estimate that the government’s breakfast club programme will save parents £450 a year is based on the average fee charged for a breakfast club in England according to the childcare and early years survey of parents. Taking into account the amount parents currently pay for breakfast clubs, the department has calculated how much parents will save per year, on average, from the introduction of free, 30 minute clubs.

There are over 2,600 schools currently participating in the national schools breakfast programme (NSBP), which enables schools to purchase breakfast food at 25% of the cost, with 75% of the cost of food and delivery provided by government.

We have confirmed funding to support schools, including secondary schools, currently on the NSBP, and schools on the scheme will continue to receive the same level of funding and support already available to them until at least March 2026.

Decisions about future funding for breakfast clubs and the NSBP will be taken as part of the next phase of the spending review.

Schools which are part of the breakfast clubs early adopter programme will receive funding from April 2025 to cover food, delivery and staffing costs. The final amount each school will receive is dependent on take-up of the breakfast club and school characteristics. The department has used existing programmes and costs to determine the funding rates and this has been tested and refined with a number of schools.

The new breakfast club scheme uses a different funding model compared to the existing national school breakfast programme (NSBP), which only covers the cost of 75% of food. Under the existing programme, schools are required to contribute the remaining 25% for food, plus staffing and other overheads. The new scheme will provide substantially more funding than the NSBP.

One function of the early adopters is to test how schools utilise the funding and understand what support schools need to deliver their free and universal clubs.

Based on analysis of this existing provision, we are confident that the total funding will enable schools to meet the minimum expectations.

The references in the Children Not in School measures of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill to “education otherwise than at school” should be read in the broadest sense of the term and not solely referring to Education Otherwise Than in A School (EOTAS). The wording in the Bill reflects the current duty on parents outlined in Section 7 of the Education Act 1996 to secure an efficient, full-time, suitable education for their children either by regular attendance at school “or otherwise”, such as home education. Both home-educated children and EOTAS arrangements would be eligible for inclusion in local authority Children Not in School registers.

As part of the implementation of the Bill, the department will provide statutory guidance on what qualifies as an exceptional circumstance in relation to local authorities not notifying the other parent of a consent decision, as well as details of how a parent can appeal to my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, if a parent disagrees with a local authority’s decision on permission to home educate.

The references in the Children Not in School measures of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill to “education otherwise than at school” should be read in the broadest sense of the term and not solely referring to Education Otherwise Than in A School (EOTAS). The wording in the Bill reflects the current duty on parents outlined in Section 7 of the Education Act 1996 to secure an efficient, full-time, suitable education for their children either by regular attendance at school “or otherwise”, such as home education. Both home-educated children and EOTAS arrangements would be eligible for inclusion in local authority Children Not in School registers.

As part of the implementation of the Bill, the department will provide statutory guidance on what qualifies as an exceptional circumstance in relation to local authorities not notifying the other parent of a consent decision, as well as details of how a parent can appeal to my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, if a parent disagrees with a local authority’s decision on permission to home educate.

The references in the Children Not in School measures of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill to “education otherwise than at school” should be read in the broadest sense of the term and not solely referring to Education Otherwise Than in A School (EOTAS). The wording in the Bill reflects the current duty on parents outlined in Section 7 of the Education Act 1996 to secure an efficient, full-time, suitable education for their children either by regular attendance at school “or otherwise”, such as home education. Both home-educated children and EOTAS arrangements would be eligible for inclusion in local authority Children Not in School registers.

As part of the implementation of the Bill, the department will provide statutory guidance on what qualifies as an exceptional circumstance in relation to local authorities not notifying the other parent of a consent decision, as well as details of how a parent can appeal to my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, if a parent disagrees with a local authority’s decision on permission to home educate.

School uniform plays a valuable role in creating a sense of common identity among pupils and reducing visible inequalities. However, too many schools require high numbers of costly branded uniform items and it is right that this legislation limits the number of branded items schools can require, giving parents more choice in where to purchase uniform and allowing them to make spending decisions which suit their circumstances. Schools will only be able to require pupils to have up to three compulsory branded uniform items for use during the year. Secondary and middle schools will have the option of requiring an additional branded item if that item is a tie.

These limits will apply to all pupils within the school, regardless of year group or when they join. In introducing this measure, the department will give schools time to put sensible transition plans in place. We expect schools to take account of where parents might have already purchased uniform. This might include, for example, allowing pupils to continue to wear previous uniform items for a reasonable period when a new uniform policy is introduced, and optional branded items are still permitted.

Where sew on badges are required to be added to generic uniform items, the resulting item will count towards the limit on compulsory branded items. The department encourages schools to use sew on badges, with a school name or logo, as a cost-effective way to brand uniform items. We also want to give parents absolute clarity on what the limit means for them, which is why we have included any compulsory item with a school name or logo on or attached to it within the limit.

Branded items which are optional, which are those not listed by the school as a compulsory uniform item, including hats and scarves, would not be included in the limit. Schools should, however, have regard to existing statutory guidance, which is clear that all branded items, compulsory and optional, should be kept to a minimum and that schools should carefully consider whether any branded item is the most cost-effective way of achieving the desired result for their uniform. Existing non-statutory guidance is also clear that uniform should be suitable for pupils walking or cycling to school, that it should be practical and appropriate for the activity involved, and that schools should take a sensible approach to allow for exceptions to be made to uniform requirements during extreme weather.

School uniform plays a valuable role in creating a sense of common identity among pupils and reducing visible inequalities. However, too many schools require high numbers of costly branded uniform items and it is right that this legislation limits the number of branded items schools can require, giving parents more choice in where to purchase uniform and allowing them to make spending decisions which suit their circumstances. Schools will only be able to require pupils to have up to three compulsory branded uniform items for use during the year. Secondary and middle schools will have the option of requiring an additional branded item if that item is a tie.

These limits will apply to all pupils within the school, regardless of year group or when they join. In introducing this measure, the department will give schools time to put sensible transition plans in place. We expect schools to take account of where parents might have already purchased uniform. This might include, for example, allowing pupils to continue to wear previous uniform items for a reasonable period when a new uniform policy is introduced, and optional branded items are still permitted.

Where sew on badges are required to be added to generic uniform items, the resulting item will count towards the limit on compulsory branded items. The department encourages schools to use sew on badges, with a school name or logo, as a cost-effective way to brand uniform items. We also want to give parents absolute clarity on what the limit means for them, which is why we have included any compulsory item with a school name or logo on or attached to it within the limit.

Branded items which are optional, which are those not listed by the school as a compulsory uniform item, including hats and scarves, would not be included in the limit. Schools should, however, have regard to existing statutory guidance, which is clear that all branded items, compulsory and optional, should be kept to a minimum and that schools should carefully consider whether any branded item is the most cost-effective way of achieving the desired result for their uniform. Existing non-statutory guidance is also clear that uniform should be suitable for pupils walking or cycling to school, that it should be practical and appropriate for the activity involved, and that schools should take a sensible approach to allow for exceptions to be made to uniform requirements during extreme weather.

School uniform plays a valuable role in creating a sense of common identity among pupils and reducing visible inequalities. However, too many schools require high numbers of costly branded uniform items and it is right that this legislation limits the number of branded items schools can require, giving parents more choice in where to purchase uniform and allowing them to make spending decisions which suit their circumstances. Schools will only be able to require pupils to have up to three compulsory branded uniform items for use during the year. Secondary and middle schools will have the option of requiring an additional branded item if that item is a tie.

These limits will apply to all pupils within the school, regardless of year group or when they join. In introducing this measure, the department will give schools time to put sensible transition plans in place. We expect schools to take account of where parents might have already purchased uniform. This might include, for example, allowing pupils to continue to wear previous uniform items for a reasonable period when a new uniform policy is introduced, and optional branded items are still permitted.

Where sew on badges are required to be added to generic uniform items, the resulting item will count towards the limit on compulsory branded items. The department encourages schools to use sew on badges, with a school name or logo, as a cost-effective way to brand uniform items. We also want to give parents absolute clarity on what the limit means for them, which is why we have included any compulsory item with a school name or logo on or attached to it within the limit.

Branded items which are optional, which are those not listed by the school as a compulsory uniform item, including hats and scarves, would not be included in the limit. Schools should, however, have regard to existing statutory guidance, which is clear that all branded items, compulsory and optional, should be kept to a minimum and that schools should carefully consider whether any branded item is the most cost-effective way of achieving the desired result for their uniform. Existing non-statutory guidance is also clear that uniform should be suitable for pupils walking or cycling to school, that it should be practical and appropriate for the activity involved, and that schools should take a sensible approach to allow for exceptions to be made to uniform requirements during extreme weather.

Research published by the department in 2021 on attainment by the end of key stage 4 found that a one-grade improvement in GCSE mathematics and English was associated with an increase of £14,579 and £7,266 in lifetime earnings respectively. The full report can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/993202/GCSE_Attainment_and_Lifetime_Earnings_PDF3A.pdf

That is why the department continues to ensure the highest standards of teaching to GCSE, requires 16- to 19-year-old students without level 2 in these subjects to continue studying them and fully funds adults through the adult skills fund statutory entitlement.

This is a matter for His Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Sir Martyn Oliver. I have asked him to write to the right hon. Member for East Hampshire directly and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Following implementation of the qualified teacher status (QTS) measure in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, when a teacher is recruited and commences employment with an academy, they will be required to have QTS or meet one of the exemptions set out in regulations. The proportion of the teachers who will meet one of these exemptions and therefore not require QTS will depend on the individual circumstances of the teachers being employed and recruitment decisions made by leadership teams in academies.

Each year, schools receive core funding from the department to cover their expenditures. The funding schools receive is not ringfenced for any specific form of expenditure and it is for each school to determine how this money will be best used to support their individual circumstances.

We do not keep records of schools or trust spending on legal advice in relation to complaints or any other legal matters.

All schools must have a written complaints procedure that tells complainants how they can make a complaint and how the school will handle it. This must be available on request to complainants.

The department does not wish to create significant additional burdens on schools by trying to collect detailed information on compliance with the national curriculum, which is not always straightforward to assess, and therefore does not hold data on schools’ curriculum provision.

A recent external survey indicates that 8 in 10 Multi-Academy Trust Chief Executives believe that this change will have no impact or could have a positive impact for their schools.

Ofsted plan to monitor the quality of schools which are under-performing on a regular basis. Regional Improvement for Standards and Excellence teams will also be checking on the implementation of the school’s improvement plan. If schools do not make sufficient improvement, the department’s default approach will be to structurally intervene. This approach is set out in the ‘School Accountability Reform – school profiles, improvement and intervention’ consultation.

The Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) analyse and report on referral numbers within their Annual Report and Accounts published on GOV.UK. Referrals to TRA have increased from 1038 in 2022/23 to 1684 in 2023/24, and that increase has been driven by a rise in the number of referrals made by members of the public since the launch of the online referral system in March 2023.

The department’s new regional improvement for standards and excellence (RISE) teams will provide both mandatory targeted intervention to schools that Ofsted identifies as needing to improve, and a universal service for all schools, which will act as a catalyst for collaboration and improvement across all schools.

RISE teams will now begin engaging with the first schools eligible for the targeted, bespoke service, with more schools to begin in April.

The department’s first 20 RISE advisers are now in post. They will work alongside the department to help support schools break down the barriers to opportunity and end the link between background and success. A full list of these advisers has been published on GOV.UK.

Expert RISE advisers will work with the department’s Regions Group. Some Regions Group staff will work full-time delivering RISE work, others will deliver some RISE work alongside other roles. Workforce allocations for the 2025/26 fiscal and academic years have not yet been set.

In addition to the RISE advisers in post, the department launched a recruitment campaign for a full cohort of advisers to start in the spring and summer term. We will be informing candidates of the outcome of this campaign shortly.

The department’s new regional improvement for standards and excellence (RISE) teams will provide both mandatory targeted intervention to schools that Ofsted identifies as needing to improve, and a universal service for all schools, which will act as a catalyst for collaboration and improvement across all schools.

RISE teams will now begin engaging with the first schools eligible for the targeted, bespoke service, with more schools to begin in April.

The department’s first 20 RISE advisers are now in post. They will work alongside the department to help support schools break down the barriers to opportunity and end the link between background and success. A full list of these advisers has been published on GOV.UK.

Expert RISE advisers will work with the department’s Regions Group. Some Regions Group staff will work full-time delivering RISE work, others will deliver some RISE work alongside other roles. Workforce allocations for the 2025/26 fiscal and academic years have not yet been set.

In addition to the RISE advisers in post, the department launched a recruitment campaign for a full cohort of advisers to start in the spring and summer term. We will be informing candidates of the outcome of this campaign shortly.

The department’s new regional improvement for standards and excellence (RISE) teams will provide both mandatory targeted intervention to schools that Ofsted identifies as needing to improve, and a universal service for all schools, which will act as a catalyst for collaboration and improvement across all schools.

RISE teams will now begin engaging with the first schools eligible for the targeted, bespoke service, with more schools to begin in April.

The department’s first 20 RISE advisers are now in post. They will work alongside the department to help support schools break down the barriers to opportunity and end the link between background and success. A full list of these advisers has been published on GOV.UK.

Expert RISE advisers will work with the department’s Regions Group. Some Regions Group staff will work full-time delivering RISE work, others will deliver some RISE work alongside other roles. Workforce allocations for the 2025/26 fiscal and academic years have not yet been set.

In addition to the RISE advisers in post, the department launched a recruitment campaign for a full cohort of advisers to start in the spring and summer term. We will be informing candidates of the outcome of this campaign shortly.

The department’s new regional improvement for standards and excellence (RISE) teams will provide both mandatory targeted intervention to schools that Ofsted identifies as needing to improve, and a universal service for all schools, which will act as a catalyst for collaboration and improvement across all schools.

RISE teams will now begin engaging with the first schools eligible for the targeted, bespoke service, with more schools to begin in April.

The department’s first 20 RISE advisers are now in post. They will work alongside the department to help support schools break down the barriers to opportunity and end the link between background and success. A full list of these advisers has been published on GOV.UK.

Expert RISE advisers will work with the department’s Regions Group. Some Regions Group staff will work full-time delivering RISE work, others will deliver some RISE work alongside other roles. Workforce allocations for the 2025/26 fiscal and academic years have not yet been set.

In addition to the RISE advisers in post, the department launched a recruitment campaign for a full cohort of advisers to start in the spring and summer term. We will be informing candidates of the outcome of this campaign shortly.

Regional Improvement for Standards and Excellent (RISE) team advisers have an exceptional track record of school improvement and executive leadership. This includes individuals who are, or have recently been, headteachers, senior local authority officers or trust leaders. They have a much broader role in acting as the catalyst for driving a self-improving system, and designing bespoke, targeted interventions to under-performing schools, compared to National Leaders of Education (NLEs). Unlike NLEs, RISE advisors will not directly deliver these interventions but will draw on a range of high-quality organisations from curriculum hubs to high-performing trusts, to do so in line with evidence on driving improvements in school standards and outcomes.

The department’s targeted, mandatory RISE intervention is backed initially by over £20 million of funding for school improvement, far more than was available under the optional Trust and School Improvement (TSI) offer of a basic £6,000 worth of support per school compared to RISE’s of up to £100,000. In addition, the previous government had not planned to continue the TSI offer for schools which were newly eligible from September 2024, a decision this government has reversed.

The average number of full-time equivalent (FTE) staff in the department’s Regions Group was 790 in the 2023/24 financial year and 825 in the 2023/24 academic year.

On 1 October 2024, 172 FTE staff along with their functions transferred into Regions Group, in advance of the planned closure of the Education and Skills Funding Agency in March 2025.

Currently, the expected number of staff in Regions Group on 1 April 2025 is 996.9 FTE.

Workforce allocations for 2025/26 have not yet been set.

Information on the school workforce is published in the ‘School Workforce in England’ statistical publication, which is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england. The next publication in this series, regarding the 2024/25 academic year, will be released in June 2025.

Schools where qualified teacher status (QTS) is a legal requirement are referred to as maintained schools. In some schools in England, QTS is not a legal requirement. Within the English state school sector, academy schools and free schools can employ teachers without QTS.

Data showing the full time equivalent (FTE) of teachers with and without QTS, from 2010/11 to 2023/24, which is the earliest and latest year for which data is available, can be found at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/b524fbd3-401e-45e4-18af-08dd3ba4043a. Both the FTE of teachers and the proportion of FTE teachers, with and without QTS, is available in the attached table, which shows data from 2010/11 to 2023/24, the earliest and latest year for which data is available.

Data showing the FTE of teachers on a QTS route, and not on a QTS route, from 2010/11 to 2022/23, the earliest and latest year for which data is available, can be found at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/9405c2fd-8b88-4150-18c1-08dd3ba4043a. Both the FTE of teachers and the proportion of FTE teachers, on and off a QTS route, is available in the attached table, showing data from 2010/11 to 2022/23, the earliest and latest year for which data is available.

The requested information on how many and what proportion of teachers without QTS were on recruitment programmes supported and procured by the department is not available.

The requested information on which subjects are most taught by teachers without QTS is not available.

In the top 3% of schools employing teachers without QTS, the average proportion of teachers without QTS within their school is 12.5%. The average proportion in the top 10% of schools is 8.5%.

The age group distribution of teachers without QTS can be seen in the attached table. The requested information on distribution by the length of service for teachers without QTS is not available.

Information on the school workforce is published in the ‘School Workforce in England’ statistical publication, which is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england. The next publication in this series, regarding the 2024/25 academic year, will be released in June 2025.

Schools where qualified teacher status (QTS) is a legal requirement are referred to as maintained schools. In some schools in England, QTS is not a legal requirement. Within the English state school sector, academy schools and free schools can employ teachers without QTS.

Data showing the full time equivalent (FTE) of teachers with and without QTS, from 2010/11 to 2023/24, which is the earliest and latest year for which data is available, can be found at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/b524fbd3-401e-45e4-18af-08dd3ba4043a. Both the FTE of teachers and the proportion of FTE teachers, with and without QTS, is available in the attached table, which shows data from 2010/11 to 2023/24, the earliest and latest year for which data is available.

Data showing the FTE of teachers on a QTS route, and not on a QTS route, from 2010/11 to 2022/23, the earliest and latest year for which data is available, can be found at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/9405c2fd-8b88-4150-18c1-08dd3ba4043a. Both the FTE of teachers and the proportion of FTE teachers, on and off a QTS route, is available in the attached table, showing data from 2010/11 to 2022/23, the earliest and latest year for which data is available.

The requested information on how many and what proportion of teachers without QTS were on recruitment programmes supported and procured by the department is not available.

The requested information on which subjects are most taught by teachers without QTS is not available.

In the top 3% of schools employing teachers without QTS, the average proportion of teachers without QTS within their school is 12.5%. The average proportion in the top 10% of schools is 8.5%.

The age group distribution of teachers without QTS can be seen in the attached table. The requested information on distribution by the length of service for teachers without QTS is not available.

Information on the school workforce is published in the ‘School Workforce in England’ statistical publication, which is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england. The next publication in this series, regarding the 2024/25 academic year, will be released in June 2025.

Schools where qualified teacher status (QTS) is a legal requirement are referred to as maintained schools. In some schools in England, QTS is not a legal requirement. Within the English state school sector, academy schools and free schools can employ teachers without QTS.

Data showing the full time equivalent (FTE) of teachers with and without QTS, from 2010/11 to 2023/24, which is the earliest and latest year for which data is available, can be found at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/b524fbd3-401e-45e4-18af-08dd3ba4043a. Both the FTE of teachers and the proportion of FTE teachers, with and without QTS, is available in the attached table, which shows data from 2010/11 to 2023/24, the earliest and latest year for which data is available.

Data showing the FTE of teachers on a QTS route, and not on a QTS route, from 2010/11 to 2022/23, the earliest and latest year for which data is available, can be found at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/9405c2fd-8b88-4150-18c1-08dd3ba4043a. Both the FTE of teachers and the proportion of FTE teachers, on and off a QTS route, is available in the attached table, showing data from 2010/11 to 2022/23, the earliest and latest year for which data is available.

The requested information on how many and what proportion of teachers without QTS were on recruitment programmes supported and procured by the department is not available.

The requested information on which subjects are most taught by teachers without QTS is not available.

In the top 3% of schools employing teachers without QTS, the average proportion of teachers without QTS within their school is 12.5%. The average proportion in the top 10% of schools is 8.5%.

The age group distribution of teachers without QTS can be seen in the attached table. The requested information on distribution by the length of service for teachers without QTS is not available.

Information on the school workforce is published in the ‘School Workforce in England’ statistical publication, which is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england. The next publication in this series, regarding the 2024/25 academic year, will be released in June 2025.

Schools where qualified teacher status (QTS) is a legal requirement are referred to as maintained schools. In some schools in England, QTS is not a legal requirement. Within the English state school sector, academy schools and free schools can employ teachers without QTS.

Data showing the full time equivalent (FTE) of teachers with and without QTS, from 2010/11 to 2023/24, which is the earliest and latest year for which data is available, can be found at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/b524fbd3-401e-45e4-18af-08dd3ba4043a. Both the FTE of teachers and the proportion of FTE teachers, with and without QTS, is available in the attached table, which shows data from 2010/11 to 2023/24, the earliest and latest year for which data is available.

Data showing the FTE of teachers on a QTS route, and not on a QTS route, from 2010/11 to 2022/23, the earliest and latest year for which data is available, can be found at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/9405c2fd-8b88-4150-18c1-08dd3ba4043a. Both the FTE of teachers and the proportion of FTE teachers, on and off a QTS route, is available in the attached table, showing data from 2010/11 to 2022/23, the earliest and latest year for which data is available.

The requested information on how many and what proportion of teachers without QTS were on recruitment programmes supported and procured by the department is not available.

The requested information on which subjects are most taught by teachers without QTS is not available.

In the top 3% of schools employing teachers without QTS, the average proportion of teachers without QTS within their school is 12.5%. The average proportion in the top 10% of schools is 8.5%.

The age group distribution of teachers without QTS can be seen in the attached table. The requested information on distribution by the length of service for teachers without QTS is not available.

Information on the school workforce is published in the ‘School Workforce in England’ statistical publication, which is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england. The next publication in this series, regarding the 2024/25 academic year, will be released in June 2025.

Schools where qualified teacher status (QTS) is a legal requirement are referred to as maintained schools. In some schools in England, QTS is not a legal requirement. Within the English state school sector, academy schools and free schools can employ teachers without QTS.

Data showing the full time equivalent (FTE) of teachers with and without QTS, from 2010/11 to 2023/24, which is the earliest and latest year for which data is available, can be found at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/b524fbd3-401e-45e4-18af-08dd3ba4043a. Both the FTE of teachers and the proportion of FTE teachers, with and without QTS, is available in the attached table, which shows data from 2010/11 to 2023/24, the earliest and latest year for which data is available.

Data showing the FTE of teachers on a QTS route, and not on a QTS route, from 2010/11 to 2022/23, the earliest and latest year for which data is available, can be found at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/9405c2fd-8b88-4150-18c1-08dd3ba4043a. Both the FTE of teachers and the proportion of FTE teachers, on and off a QTS route, is available in the attached table, showing data from 2010/11 to 2022/23, the earliest and latest year for which data is available.

The requested information on how many and what proportion of teachers without QTS were on recruitment programmes supported and procured by the department is not available.

The requested information on which subjects are most taught by teachers without QTS is not available.

In the top 3% of schools employing teachers without QTS, the average proportion of teachers without QTS within their school is 12.5%. The average proportion in the top 10% of schools is 8.5%.

The age group distribution of teachers without QTS can be seen in the attached table. The requested information on distribution by the length of service for teachers without QTS is not available.

Information on the school workforce is published in the ‘School Workforce in England’ statistical publication, which is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england. The next publication in this series, regarding the 2024/25 academic year, will be released in June 2025.

Schools where qualified teacher status (QTS) is a legal requirement are referred to as maintained schools. In some schools in England, QTS is not a legal requirement. Within the English state school sector, academy schools and free schools can employ teachers without QTS.

Data showing the full time equivalent (FTE) of teachers with and without QTS, from 2010/11 to 2023/24, which is the earliest and latest year for which data is available, can be found at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/b524fbd3-401e-45e4-18af-08dd3ba4043a. Both the FTE of teachers and the proportion of FTE teachers, with and without QTS, is available in the attached table, which shows data from 2010/11 to 2023/24, the earliest and latest year for which data is available.

Data showing the FTE of teachers on a QTS route, and not on a QTS route, from 2010/11 to 2022/23, the earliest and latest year for which data is available, can be found at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/9405c2fd-8b88-4150-18c1-08dd3ba4043a. Both the FTE of teachers and the proportion of FTE teachers, on and off a QTS route, is available in the attached table, showing data from 2010/11 to 2022/23, the earliest and latest year for which data is available.

The requested information on how many and what proportion of teachers without QTS were on recruitment programmes supported and procured by the department is not available.

The requested information on which subjects are most taught by teachers without QTS is not available.

In the top 3% of schools employing teachers without QTS, the average proportion of teachers without QTS within their school is 12.5%. The average proportion in the top 10% of schools is 8.5%.

The age group distribution of teachers without QTS can be seen in the attached table. The requested information on distribution by the length of service for teachers without QTS is not available.

The department has heard from schools, leaders and teachers regarding the measure in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill to require new teachers to have or be working towards qualified teacher status (QTS). This measure will reaffirm the professional status of teaching and emphasise the importance of high-quality teaching in outcomes for children.

The requirement for QTS builds on the reforms made by the previous government, who ensured that the essential knowledge associated with high-quality teaching is incorporated into all primary and secondary initial teacher training and the statutory early career induction. We want to ensure that new teachers benefit from the very best evidence-based training followed by an induction, whichever type of school they work in.

There are existing exemptions to the requirement for QTS set out in regulations, which allow schools to employ unqualified teachers in particular circumstances. The government will retain these exemptions for all schools.

Between 14 October 2024 and 15 January 2025, nine schools left the Teachers’ Pension Scheme outright and eighteen have entered a phased withdrawal.

High quality teaching is the in-school factor that makes the biggest difference to a child’s outcomes and is thus essential to delivering the government’s mission to break down the barriers to opportunity for every child.

​​There are now 468,693 full-time equivalent teachers in state-funded schools in England, but this has not kept pace with pupil numbers, with teacher vacancies increasing more than five-fold since 2010. This is why the government is committed to recruiting an additional 6,500 new expert teachers across our schools, both mainstream and specialist, and our colleges over the course of this Parliament.

Our plans include getting more teachers into shortage subjects, supporting areas that face the greatest recruitment challenges and tackling retention issues. The department will continue to work alongside the sector as we seek to re-establish teaching as an attractive profession, one that existing teachers wants to remain in, former teachers want to return to, and new graduates wish to join.

The department has made good early progress towards this key pledge by ensuring teaching is once again an attractive and respected profession, key to which is ensuring teachers receive the pay they deserve. We have accepted in full the School Teachers’ Review Body’s recommendation of a 5.5% pay award for teachers and leaders in maintained schools for 2024/25. Alongside teacher pay, we have made £233 million available from the 2025/26 recruitment cycle to support teacher trainees with tax-free bursaries of up to £29,000 and scholarships of up to £31,000 in shortage subjects. The department has also expanded its school teacher recruitment campaign, ‘Every Lesson Shapes a Life’, and the further education teacher recruitment campaign, ‘Share your Skills’.

​A successful recruitment strategy starts with a strong retention strategy, and new teachers of mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing in the first five years of their careers will now receive a targeted retention incentive of up to £6,000, after-tax, if working in disadvantaged schools.

The department is also working closely with teachers and school leaders to improve the experience of teaching. This includes introducing a new school report card in place of Ofsted’s single headline grades, to provide a clearer picture of schools’ strengths and weaknesses for parents and more proportionate accountability for staff. It also includes enabling flexible working, such as allowing planning, preparation and assessment time to be taken from home, and making key resources to support wellbeing, developed with school leaders, available to teachers.

The department is also funding bespoke support provided by flexible working ambassador schools and multi-academy trusts, to ensure schools are able to capture the benefits of flexible working whilst protecting pupils’ face-to-face teacher time.

High quality continuous professional development is also key to ensuring we have and retain an effective teaching workforce. ​The department has established Teaching School Hubs across the country, which provide approved high quality professional development to teachers at all stages of their careers. These Hubs play a significant role in delivering initial teacher training, the Early Career Framework, National Professional Qualifications and Appropriate Body services.

High quality teaching is the in-school factor that makes the biggest difference to a child’s outcomes and is thus essential to delivering the government’s mission to break down the barriers to opportunity for every child.

​​There are now 468,693 full-time equivalent teachers in state-funded schools in England, but this has not kept pace with pupil numbers, with teacher vacancies increasing more than five-fold since 2010. This is why the government is committed to recruiting an additional 6,500 new expert teachers across our schools, both mainstream and specialist, and our colleges over the course of this Parliament.

Our plans include getting more teachers into shortage subjects, supporting areas that face the greatest recruitment challenges and tackling retention issues. The department will continue to work alongside the sector as we seek to re-establish teaching as an attractive profession, one that existing teachers wants to remain in, former teachers want to return to, and new graduates wish to join.

The department has made good early progress towards this key pledge by ensuring teaching is once again an attractive and respected profession, key to which is ensuring teachers receive the pay they deserve. We have accepted in full the School Teachers’ Review Body’s recommendation of a 5.5% pay award for teachers and leaders in maintained schools for 2024/25. Alongside teacher pay, we have made £233 million available from the 2025/26 recruitment cycle to support teacher trainees with tax-free bursaries of up to £29,000 and scholarships of up to £31,000 in shortage subjects. The department has also expanded its school teacher recruitment campaign, ‘Every Lesson Shapes a Life’, and the further education teacher recruitment campaign, ‘Share your Skills’.

​A successful recruitment strategy starts with a strong retention strategy, and new teachers of mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing in the first five years of their careers will now receive a targeted retention incentive of up to £6,000, after-tax, if working in disadvantaged schools.

The department is also working closely with teachers and school leaders to improve the experience of teaching. This includes introducing a new school report card in place of Ofsted’s single headline grades, to provide a clearer picture of schools’ strengths and weaknesses for parents and more proportionate accountability for staff. It also includes enabling flexible working, such as allowing planning, preparation and assessment time to be taken from home, and making key resources to support wellbeing, developed with school leaders, available to teachers.

The department is also funding bespoke support provided by flexible working ambassador schools and multi-academy trusts, to ensure schools are able to capture the benefits of flexible working whilst protecting pupils’ face-to-face teacher time.

High quality continuous professional development is also key to ensuring we have and retain an effective teaching workforce. ​The department has established Teaching School Hubs across the country, which provide approved high quality professional development to teachers at all stages of their careers. These Hubs play a significant role in delivering initial teacher training, the Early Career Framework, National Professional Qualifications and Appropriate Body services.

High quality teaching is the in-school factor that makes the biggest difference to a child’s outcomes and is thus essential to delivering the government’s mission to break down the barriers to opportunity for every child.

​​There are now 468,693 full-time equivalent teachers in state-funded schools in England, but this has not kept pace with pupil numbers, with teacher vacancies increasing more than five-fold since 2010. This is why the government is committed to recruiting an additional 6,500 new expert teachers across our schools, both mainstream and specialist, and our colleges over the course of this Parliament.

Our plans include getting more teachers into shortage subjects, supporting areas that face the greatest recruitment challenges and tackling retention issues. The department will continue to work alongside the sector as we seek to re-establish teaching as an attractive profession, one that existing teachers wants to remain in, former teachers want to return to, and new graduates wish to join.

The department has made good early progress towards this key pledge by ensuring teaching is once again an attractive and respected profession, key to which is ensuring teachers receive the pay they deserve. We have accepted in full the School Teachers’ Review Body’s recommendation of a 5.5% pay award for teachers and leaders in maintained schools for 2024/25. Alongside teacher pay, we have made £233 million available from the 2025/26 recruitment cycle to support teacher trainees with tax-free bursaries of up to £29,000 and scholarships of up to £31,000 in shortage subjects. The department has also expanded its school teacher recruitment campaign, ‘Every Lesson Shapes a Life’, and the further education teacher recruitment campaign, ‘Share your Skills’.

​A successful recruitment strategy starts with a strong retention strategy, and new teachers of mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing in the first five years of their careers will now receive a targeted retention incentive of up to £6,000, after-tax, if working in disadvantaged schools.

The department is also working closely with teachers and school leaders to improve the experience of teaching. This includes introducing a new school report card in place of Ofsted’s single headline grades, to provide a clearer picture of schools’ strengths and weaknesses for parents and more proportionate accountability for staff. It also includes enabling flexible working, such as allowing planning, preparation and assessment time to be taken from home, and making key resources to support wellbeing, developed with school leaders, available to teachers.

The department is also funding bespoke support provided by flexible working ambassador schools and multi-academy trusts, to ensure schools are able to capture the benefits of flexible working whilst protecting pupils’ face-to-face teacher time.

High quality continuous professional development is also key to ensuring we have and retain an effective teaching workforce. ​The department has established Teaching School Hubs across the country, which provide approved high quality professional development to teachers at all stages of their careers. These Hubs play a significant role in delivering initial teacher training, the Early Career Framework, National Professional Qualifications and Appropriate Body services.

Technical Excellence Colleges will support a focus on higher technical skills and link to local growth plans. These colleges will work with businesses, trade unions and local government to provide young people and adults with better job opportunities and the highly trained workforce that local economies need.

The department will be setting out further details on Technical Excellence Colleges in due course.

The government’s statutory guidance requires schools to ensure that arrangements are in place for parents to acquire second-hand school uniforms, for example through periodic second-hand uniform sales or swap shops, and to make these arrangements clear on their website. This guidance is available here: www.gov.uk/government/publications/cost-of-school-uniforms.

Too many families tell us that the cost of providing school uniform remains a financial burden. That is why we are introducing legislation to limit the number of expensive branded items of uniform and PE kit that schools can require.

Breakfast clubs remove barriers to opportunity, supporting pupils’ attendance and attainment, enabling them to thrive academically and socially and helping families with the cost of childcare around the school day.

Compared to studies of programmes targeted at primary-aged pupils, there are comparatively few high-quality experimental studies on the impact of breakfast clubs on secondary-aged pupils. Typically, primary school breakfast clubs have higher take-up than secondaries and more studies report their positive effects on attainment and attendance, such as the Magic Breakfast evaluation which reported that attendance improved for children at breakfast club schools, equivalent to 26 fewer half-days of absence per year for a class of 30.

The government is committed to offering a free breakfast club in every state-funded school with primary-aged pupils in England. With limited resources, the evidence we do have shows it is right for the government to focus this provision on primary-aged pupils where there is greatest evidence of gains to children’s learning and development.

The department collects detailed pupil-level data on attendance, which is disaggregated by a number of characteristics, including measures of disadvantage such as the Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index (IDACI) and free school meal (FSM) eligibility. This data is regularly analysed.

The overall absence rate for FSM eligible pupils in 2022/23 was 11%, which is higher than the 6% absence rate for non-FSM eligible pupils. Similarly, the persistent absence rate and severe absence rates in 2022/23 were 36.1% and 3.9% respectively for FSM-eligible pupils, compared with 15% and 1% for non-FSM eligible pupils.

When overall absence rates are broken down by decile of the IDACI index, the data shows that the most deprived areas, 0-10% on the IDACI index, have the highest levels of absence at 8.3%, while the least deprived areas, 90-100% on the IDACI index, have the lowest levels of absence at 6.3%. A similar pattern holds true for persistent absence, with 25.9% in the most deprived areas, compared to 16.1% in the least deprived areas.

These patterns differ according to phase of school, with secondary schools in the most disadvantaged areas having significantly higher overall absence (10.2%), than primary schools in the most disadvantaged areas (7.0%).

The underlying drivers of school absence are many and varied. Amongst them are several linked to deprivation, including the increasing cost of living, child poverty, poor access to transport, resources and limited access to wider support services. Research has also shown that parental attitudes, child mental health and school belonging are strongly correlated with attendance.

This government is determined to tackle the generational challenge of school absence as it is a fundamental barrier to learning and life chances. Central to the department’s approach are stronger expectations of local authorities and schools, as set out in the ‘Working together to improve school attendance’ guidance, which was made statutory on 19 August 2024. The guidance promotes a 'support-first' approach and sets out clear expectations on how schools, trusts, local authorities and wider services should work together and with families to address attendance barriers and provide the right support.

Every state school in England should now be sharing their daily attendance register data with the department, local authorities and trusts. These bodies can access this data through a secure, interactive dashboard which is maintained by the department, allowing them to identify patterns and target attendance interventions more effectively.