Asked by: Damian Hinds (Conservative - East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to Table 4.1 entitled Budget 2025 policy decisions’ in the Budget Red Book, line item 42, National Year of Reading: Fund state-funded secondary schools in England to increase book supplies, whether these funds will be supplemented by funding from Dormant Assets.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
As part of the National Year of Reading, state-funded secondary schools in England will receive funding to purchase books to support and encourage reading enjoyment amongst their pupils.
Funding will be distributed by the Department for Education, during the National Year of Reading 2026. This separate from the Dormant Assets Fund which will be used to fund libraries in primary schools and is administered by the Department for Culture Media and Sport.
Details about the allocation of funds will be communicated in the coming months.
This £5 million funding for books will accompany new continuous professional development training for secondary schools. The ‘Unlocking Reading’ programme starts in January 2026 and will equip schools with assessment tools and evidence-based strategies to support pupils with reading.
Asked by: Damian Hinds (Conservative - East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to Table 4.1 entitled Budget 2025 policy decisions in the Budget Red Book, line item 42, National Year of Reading: Fund state-funded secondary schools in England to increase book supplies, how these funds will be allocated to schools.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
As part of the National Year of Reading, state-funded secondary schools in England will receive funding to purchase books to support and encourage reading enjoyment amongst their pupils.
Funding will be distributed by the Department for Education, during the National Year of Reading 2026. This separate from the Dormant Assets Fund which will be used to fund libraries in primary schools and is administered by the Department for Culture Media and Sport.
Details about the allocation of funds will be communicated in the coming months.
This £5 million funding for books will accompany new continuous professional development training for secondary schools. The ‘Unlocking Reading’ programme starts in January 2026 and will equip schools with assessment tools and evidence-based strategies to support pupils with reading.
Asked by: Damian Hinds (Conservative - East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to Table 4.1 entitled Budget 2025 policy decisions in the Budget Red Book, line item 42, National Year of Reading: Fund state-funded secondary schools in England to increase book supplies, which Department will disburse these funds.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
As part of the National Year of Reading, state-funded secondary schools in England will receive funding to purchase books to support and encourage reading enjoyment amongst their pupils.
Funding will be distributed by the Department for Education, during the National Year of Reading 2026. This separate from the Dormant Assets Fund which will be used to fund libraries in primary schools and is administered by the Department for Culture Media and Sport.
Details about the allocation of funds will be communicated in the coming months.
This £5 million funding for books will accompany new continuous professional development training for secondary schools. The ‘Unlocking Reading’ programme starts in January 2026 and will equip schools with assessment tools and evidence-based strategies to support pupils with reading.
Asked by: Damian Hinds (Conservative - East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, at what geographical level deprivation criteria will be applied in Phase 3 of the School-based Nurseries programme.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
High quality early years is central to the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity, give every child the best possible start in life and is essential to our Plan for Change. School-based nurseries are one part of our diverse and vibrant early years landscape, and this government is boosting availability and access to early years places through the school-based nursery programme. Maintained nursery schools are eligible to apply for funding in Phase 2.
Phase 3 of the programme will launch in early 2026, when the department will publish guidance covering eligibility criteria and our approach to funding.
Asked by: Damian Hinds (Conservative - East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether maintained nursery schools will be eligible for capital funding in Phase 3 of the School-based Nurseries programme.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
High quality early years is central to the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity, give every child the best possible start in life and is essential to our Plan for Change. School-based nurseries are one part of our diverse and vibrant early years landscape, and this government is boosting availability and access to early years places through the school-based nursery programme. Maintained nursery schools are eligible to apply for funding in Phase 2.
Phase 3 of the programme will launch in early 2026, when the department will publish guidance covering eligibility criteria and our approach to funding.
Asked by: Damian Hinds (Conservative - East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, by what measures the impact and effectiveness of Regional Improvement for Standards and Excellence (RISE) teams will be assessed.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Regional improvement for standards excellence (RISE) teams have already paired over 350 schools with RISE advisers and supporting organisations, including some of our strongest trusts with a record of turning around struggling schools, to share expertise and boost standards.
The impact of RISE intervention will rely on both a quantitative evaluation of the impact on pupils, aligned to the government’s Opportunity Mission for all children to achieve and thrive, and an evaluation on the process and delivery of RISE.
An impact evaluation of the programme measuring change over time in key success measures, such as attainment and attendance, for schools receiving targeted RISE intervention set against a suitable group of comparator schools will be carried out in due course.
Asked by: Damian Hinds (Conservative - East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, from when and how frequently she plans to publish estimations of the impact and effectiveness of RISE teams.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Regional improvement for standards excellence (RISE) teams have already paired over 350 schools with RISE advisers and supporting organisations, including some of our strongest trusts with a record of turning around struggling schools, to share expertise and boost standards.
The department expects to start publishing that data with appropriate comparisons over time during 2026.
Asked by: Damian Hinds (Conservative - East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has undertaken research on the main causal factors of trends in the number of young children presenting with special needs.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
International evidence indicates that the number of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) is also increasing in comparable countries. Although definitions and systems vary considerably, the key drivers include improved understanding and diagnosis of need, as well as social and medical factors.
The department is strengthening the evidence base of what works to improve inclusive practice in mainstream settings, for example through our recently published evidence reviews, available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/identifying-and-supporting-the-needs-of-children-with-send-in-mainstream-settings.
The department also funds a ‘What Works in SEND’ programme, which is delivered by the Research and Improvement for SEND Excellence Partnership. This programme produces research and local area case studies that harness best practice from practitioners and partner organisations on local area SEND service delivery.
The Schools White Paper, due to be published in the new year, will set out how the department plans to move forward with reforms to improve the SEND system in future years.
Asked by: Damian Hinds (Conservative - East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how she will measure the impact of the 2026 'Year of Reading' on children and young people.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The National Year of Reading is a UK-wide campaign to address the steep decline in reading enjoyment amongst children, young people and adults, aiming to engage new audiences in reading and make lasting change to the nation’s reading habits.
Grounded in existing evidence and new research by an external research agency, the campaign is designed to deliver meaningful impact during 2026 and beyond. The impact of the National Year of Reading will be measured through an independent external evaluation. The evaluation will examine how the campaign influences reading behaviours, connects with audiences and shapes attitudes towards reading, particularly among the campaign’s priority audiences including teenage boys, the early years, and families from disadvantaged communities. It will also assess the wider impact on the literacy sector and the foundations for long-term change. The findings will be published in 2027.
Asked by: Damian Hinds (Conservative - East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of schools' implementation of her Department's guidance entitled Mobile phones in schools, published on 19 February 2024.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
Departmental guidance on mobile phones in schools, published in February 2024, is clear that schools should prohibit the use of devices with smart technology throughout the school day, including during lessons, transitions and breaks.
The department expects all schools to take steps in line with this guidance to ensure mobile phones do not disrupt pupils’ learning.
Research from the Children’s Commissioner published in April 2025, with responses from nearly all schools and colleges in England, shows that the overwhelming majority of schools (99.8% of primary schools and 90% of secondary schools) already have policies in place that limit or restrict the use of mobile phones during the school day.
The department does not hold information on costs incurred by schools to implement mobile phone bans. Each school is responsible for deciding how they apply this guidance and how to accommodate the needs of their pupils.