Elsie Blundell

Based on the Department’s analysis of previous data, 94% of applications between 2022-2024 have been under £25,000, and most of these claims are for under £5,000. We believe that the modifications were necessary and adequate within the tight fiscal circumstances and considering competing financial demands in other parts of the heritage and cultural sector.

Both artificial intelligence (AI) and the creative industries are central to this government’s driving mission on economic growth. AI may foster innovation and efficiency but may also risk creators losing a portion of their existing income due to AI's substitutional impact on human-created works. In relation to intellectual property rights, rights holders are finding it difficult to control the use of their works in training AI models and to be remunerated for its use.

Our 10-week consultation, published on Tuesday 17 December and closing 25 February, engages AI and creative industries stakeholders widely on the impact of AI on the copyright regime. The aims of the consultation are to seek views on how the copyright framework should apply in the context of AI. Key topics under review include text and data mining, transparency and labelling, computer generated works and digital replicas.

The consultation was published alongside an accompanying options assessment. The consultation seeks to gather further evidence on the potential impact on the creative industries of any change to the copyright regime in the context of AI training. Following the consultation, if legislative changes are needed, a full economic impact assessment will be undertaken.

Chronic loneliness (feeling lonely often or always) can affect anyone, regardless of age, gender or background, although some groups, such as young people aged 16-25, are known to be at a higher risk. Research commissioned by the Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) has shown that chronic loneliness increases the risk of a young person experiencing mental health challenges.

The Department for Education (DfE) is working to make sure that all children and young people have access to a variety of enrichment opportunities in school. These activities can strengthen the sense of community and belonging within a school and reduce loneliness among children and young people.

As part of government’s mission to build an NHS that is fit for the future and ensure that those with mental health issues get the support they need, the Government will recruit an additional 8,500 mental health workers. We will also provide access to a specialist mental health professional in every school in England, roll out Young Futures hubs in every community and modernise the Mental Health Act.

The statutory guidance 'early years foundation stage (EYFS) framework' sets education requirements that early years settings must follow to ensure that every child aged 0 to 5 has the best start in life. The EYFS recognises that it is crucial for young children to begin to develop a life-long love of reading and requires practitioners to read frequently to children, and actively engage them in a broad selection of stories, non-fiction, rhymes and poems. The framework can be found in full at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-foundation-stage-framework--2

The department provides a range of online resources which support settings to deliver the statutory EYFS requirements well for all children, including the ‘Development Matters’ guidance, the department’s reading framework, and the National Year of Reading website. The National Year of Reading is a UK-wide campaign aiming to tackle long-term declines in reading enjoyment, with early years being one of the priority groups. It includes a major physical and online marketing campaign, as well as exciting events, webinars, resources, and activities in communities, libraries, schools and early years settings throughout the year.

The department is working with other government departments, including the Ministry of Justice and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), as well as the Scottish, Welsh, and Northern Irish devolved governments, to promote the National Year of Reading 2026. This aims to address long term declines in reading enjoyment through engaging new audiences, reshaping public attitudes and building the systems needed to embed lasting, meaningful change.

Cross sector support is vital in tackling the downward trend in reading for pleasure, which is why the Year is operating as a collective impact campaign allowing multiple agencies and partners to participate, including publishers, booksellers, brands, retailers and charities.

The National Year of Reading 2026 will involve activities and events across the UK. You can find more information about the campaign in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and in Wales here: https://goallin.org.uk/

The campaign aims for lasting impact. For example, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced £5 million for secondary schools to purchase books and reading material to encourage reading for pleasure. The government has also committed over £10 million in funding to guarantee a library for every primary school by the end of this parliament, which will be delivered by DCMS.

High and rising school standards, with excellent foundations in reading and writing, are at the heart of the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and give every child the best start in life.

The English Hubs programme supports the teaching of phonics, early language development, and reading. There are several English Hubs operating in the north west, including Orgill English Hub, St John Vianney English Hub, and the Arch English Hub.

This financial year, we have committed £28.3 million to drive high and rising standards in reading and writing. This funding will deliver a range of support for schools, including new training for primary schools, delivered through the English Hubs programme, to help children progress from the early stages of phonics through to reading fluently by the time they leave primary school, and new support and training for secondary schools to support reading at key stage 3.

The department also published a writing framework in July, which will support schools in delivering high quality writing provision across England.

The department is providing £5 million of funding for secondary schools to purchase books and reading material to encourage reading for pleasure. The government has also committed over £10 million in funding to guarantee a library for every primary school by the end of this Parliament, which will be delivered by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

Our ‘Giving every child the best start in life’ strategy outlines how we will invest in supporting children’s language and literacy, including continued funding for the Nuffield Early Language Intervention and the introduction of specialist early language leads in local areas from the 2026/27 academic year.

The national rollout of Best Start Family Hubs, underpinned by £500 million of government investment to help families in every part of the country. This includes increased investment in home learning and parenting support in the early years, enhancing support for families through integrated advice, targeted outreach and partnerships to empower more parents and carers to chat, play, and read with their children every day to nurture early reading skills and language development from birth.

Our National Year of Reading 2026 aims to address long-term decline in reading enjoyment and is focused particularly on priority groups including boys aged 10 to 16, parents from disadvantaged communities, and early years children and their caregivers.

This government is providing £5 million of funding for secondary schools to purchase books to encourage reading for pleasure, and over £10 million to guarantee a library for every primary school by the end of this Parliament.

We know that reading for pleasure is hugely important and brings a range of benefits. However, we also know that just one in three children aged 8 to 18 read in their free time, and a recent Omnibus Survey by the department found that 31% of parents of primary-aged children and 40% of parents of secondary-aged children said their child prefers spending time online or playing video games, citing this as a barrier to encouraging reading in their free time.

We have launched the National Year of Reading 2026, in collaboration with the National Literacy Trust, to address long-term declines in reading enjoyment through engaging new audiences, reshaping public attitudes and building the systems needed to embed lasting, meaningful change.

The National Year of Reading encourages everyone to see how reading, in all forms, can unlock more of our existing passions and interests, from reading a story in a print book or on an e-reader, to reading a magazine article or an online blog, to listening to an audio book on a phone or tablet. With this in mind, digital technology is not incompatible with the National Year of Reading.

The national rollout of Best Start Family Hubs is underpinned by £500 million of government investment to help families in every part of the country. This includes increased investment in home learning and parenting support in the early years, enhancing support for families through integrated advice, targeted outreach and partnerships to empower more parents and carers to chat, play, and read with their children every day to nurture early reading skills and language development from birth.

This government is also providing £5 million of funding for secondary schools to purchase books to encourage reading for pleasure, as well as committing over £10 million in funding to guarantee a library for every primary school by the end of this Parliament.

Absence is a key barrier to opportunity. Children need to be in school to achieve and thrive. The government recognises that some pupils, including those eligible for free school meals, face additional barriers to regular attendance. This is why the department is rolling out free breakfast clubs in all primary schools from April 2026. Schools can also use Pupil Premium to fund evidence‑based attendance and behaviour support.

Our statutory ‘Working Together to Improve School Attendance’ guidance supports the attendance of all children, including those families on lower incomes.

We provide real‑time data and attendance toolkits so schools, trusts and local authorities can diagnose drivers of absence and adopt practice, including bespoke attendance targets, personalised roadmaps back to pre‑pandemic levels, and benchmarking against statistically similar schools.

This month, the regional improvement for standards and excellence (RISE) attendance and behaviour hubs will launch fully with support reaching 4500 schools nationally with intensive one-to-one support for up to 500 schools every year.

Our attendance mentoring programme is supporting 10,000 persistently absent children in ten areas with some of the worst attendance rates.

The government is committed to strengthening pupils’ foundational understanding of financial education in mathematics and citizenship following publication of the Curriculum and Assessment Review final report in November 2025. The department will engage with sector experts and young people in how best to reflect this, and life skills content, in the updated curriculum. There will be public consultation on updated curriculum programmes of study in 2026, seeking views on the content before they are finalised.

Oak National Academy, an independent arm’s length body, provides high quality curriculum materials to support financial literacy.

The government is determined that every child has access to enriching activities that develop their essential skills. We have set out an enrichment offer schools and colleges should aim to provide for all children, including civic engagement; arts and culture; nature, outdoor and adventure; sport and physical activities; and developing wider life skills.

The government is committed to strengthening pupils’ foundational understanding of financial education in mathematics and citizenship following publication of the Curriculum and Assessment Review final report in November 2025. The department will engage with sector experts and young people in how best to reflect this, and life skills content, in the updated curriculum. There will be public consultation on updated curriculum programmes of study in 2026, seeking views on the content before they are finalised.

Oak National Academy, an independent arm’s length body, provides high quality curriculum materials to support financial literacy.

The government is determined that every child has access to enriching activities that develop their essential skills. We have set out an enrichment offer schools and colleges should aim to provide for all children, including civic engagement; arts and culture; nature, outdoor and adventure; sport and physical activities; and developing wider life skills.

Student loans are subject to interest to ensure that those who can afford to do so contribute to the full cost of their degree.

Interest rates do not impact monthly repayments made by student loan borrowers. Regular repayments are based on a borrower’s monthly or weekly income, not on interest rates or the amount borrowed. Outstanding debt, including interest built up, is cancelled after the loan term ends (or in case of death or disability) at no detriment to the borrower.

A full equality impact assessment of how the student loan reforms may affect graduates under Plan 5, was produced and published in February 2022 and can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/higher-education-reform-equality-impact-assessment.

Too many children are held back by their background. That is why, through the Opportunity Mission, we will break the link between background and future success.

The ‘Every child achieving and thriving’ White Paper establishes the department’s plan to improve the outcomes of all children, building on support at home with a stretching, enriching and inclusive school experience. Our ambition is that all children achieve higher standards and the disadvantage gap is halved. This equates to 30,000 more disadvantaged young people passing their English and maths GCSEs than today.

Additionally, we are driving standards through new RISE teams, a refreshed high-quality curriculum and assessment system and recruiting 6,500 additional teachers - as well as taking action to address barriers to learning.

Alongside this, around £3.2 billion is being provided in the 2026/27 financial year to state-funded schools in England through the pupil premium, to support disadvantaged pupils so they achieve and thrive in education.

'Giving every child the best start in life' sets out the immediate steps to deliver on our commitment to make early education and childcare more accessible and affordable. We have rolled out the expansion of government funded hours so that working parents can now access 30 hours per week from the term after their child turns nine months. We’ve also announced Best Start Family Hubs, backed by £500 million, and launched the Better Futures Fund, a new £500 million fund to break down barriers to opportunity for up to 200,000 vulnerable children and young people.

Finally, our Child Poverty Strategy will lift 550,000 children out of poverty by 2030. This includes the expansion of free school meals. Providing over half a million disadvantaged children with a free lunchtime meal will lead to higher attainment, improved behaviour and better outcomes.

The department has announced plans for special educational needs and disabilities reform, with further information available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/every-child-achieving-and-thriving.

An inclusive education system for all children and young people requires a strong universal offer. We will introduce new National Inclusion Standards to guide schools on what effective, inclusive universal provision and evidence-based targeted provision looks like.

For those whose needs cannot be met through the universal offer alone, there will be additional layers of support (targeted, targeted plus and specialist). A duty will be placed on settings to produce an Individual Support Plan for any pupil receiving targeted or specialist support, developed together with parents and young people to ensure every professional understands their needs and how best to support them.

We have announced £1.6 billion for an Inclusive Mainstream Fund to support schools, colleges and early years settings to embed inclusive practice over the next three years. We will provide educators with a new landmark training package on inclusion, with an investment of over £200 million over three years. We have also announced a new £1.8 billion investment over three years to deliver expertise to all settings from Educational Psychologists, Speech and Language Therapists and Occupational Therapists. We are consulting on our plans for reform and encourage the sharing of views through the ongoing consultation at: https://consult.education.gov.uk/send-strategy-division/send-reform-putting-children-and-young-people-firs/.

I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Heywood and Middleton North, to the answer of [DATE] to Question 82529.

The department wants to ensure that education, health and care (EHC) assessments are progressed promptly and, if needed, high quality plans are issued as quickly as possible so that children and young people can access the support they need.

The overall time it takes from a local authority receiving a request for an EHC needs assessment and the final plan being issued, if one is required, must not take longer than 20 weeks unless specific exceptions apply.

The department continues to monitor, challenge and work closely with local authorities that have issues with EHC plan timeliness. Where there are concerns about a local authority’s capacity to make the required improvements, we ensure that the cause of these problems is identified with the local authority and that an effective recovery plan is implemented. Where needed, the department deploys specialist special educational needs and disabilities advisors to help identify the barriers to carrying out the EHC plan process in a timely way and to address these through practical plans for recovery, alongside addressing other areas of weakness in provision.

Special schools are specially organised to support pupils with complex special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). The provision required will be specified in the pupils’ education, health and care plans, which the responsible local authority is statutorily required to secure.

The Children and Families Act 2014 requires local authorities to keep the provision for children and young people with SEND under review, working with parents, young people and providers.

Decisions about how to organise provision within a special school is for the headteacher to determine. Special schools will use a variety of staff deployment and grouping models based on the varied needs of their children.

The department is working with a number of local authorities in the North West that have issues with education, health and care (EHC) plan timeliness. This involves working closely with NHS England and other partners to support improvement, including deploying special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) advisers, coordinating targeted interventions, and aligning efforts with other inspection frameworks.

Where a local authority does not meet its duties, the department can take action that prioritises children’s needs and supports local areas to bring about rapid improvement. We offer universal, targeted and intensive support through Department for Education-managed programmes, including our sector-led improvement partners which provides peer-to-peer tailored support.

Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission introduced a strengthened area SEND inspection framework in January 2023 leading to a greater emphasis on children and young people’s outcomes. It is the primary tool to maintain a focus on high standards in the SEND system across all partners.

The School Support Staff Negotiating Body (SSSNB) is being established in primary legislation through the Employment Rights Bill, which was introduced in Parliament within the first 100 days of government on 10 October 2024. The Bill is currently in the House of Lords. Due to the uncertainties of Parliamentary business and scheduling, we cannot confirm at this stage when the Bill will receive Royal Assent. After Royal Assent, secondary legislation will be required to constitute the body.

The department’s current estimate is that once the SSSNB has been established and is operational, the earliest the body will be in a position to start making pay related recommendations is in the 2027/28 academic year, to ensure a smooth transition from the current National Joint Council process.

The SSSNB will bring together employers and employee representatives to reach agreements on pay and terms and conditions which may then be ratified by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education. It is important that the department strikes an appropriate balance between the SSSNB having sufficient independence to reach agreements and make recommendations, whilst ensuring that any agreements in relation to remuneration, terms and conditions or advice in relation to training and career progression are practicable before being ratified or published as statutory guidance by the Secretary of State for Education. As a negotiating body, employee and employer representatives will be able to meaningfully negotiate on pay and conditions as well as advise on training and career progression, with a clear process for the Secretary of State for Education to decide on the course of action based on the agreements reached or recommendations made.

The School Support Staff Negotiating Body (SSSNB) is being established in primary legislation through the Employment Rights Bill, which was introduced in Parliament within the first 100 days of government on 10 October 2024. The Bill is currently in the House of Lords. Due to the uncertainties of Parliamentary business and scheduling, we cannot confirm at this stage when the Bill will receive Royal Assent. After Royal Assent, secondary legislation will be required to constitute the body.

The department’s current estimate is that once the SSSNB has been established and is operational, the earliest the body will be in a position to start making pay related recommendations is in the 2027/28 academic year, to ensure a smooth transition from the current National Joint Council process.

The SSSNB will bring together employers and employee representatives to reach agreements on pay and terms and conditions which may then be ratified by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education. It is important that the department strikes an appropriate balance between the SSSNB having sufficient independence to reach agreements and make recommendations, whilst ensuring that any agreements in relation to remuneration, terms and conditions or advice in relation to training and career progression are practicable before being ratified or published as statutory guidance by the Secretary of State for Education. As a negotiating body, employee and employer representatives will be able to meaningfully negotiate on pay and conditions as well as advise on training and career progression, with a clear process for the Secretary of State for Education to decide on the course of action based on the agreements reached or recommendations made.

The School Support Staff Negotiating Body (SSSNB) is being established in primary legislation through the Employment Rights Bill, which was introduced in Parliament within the first 100 days of government on 10 October 2024. The Bill is currently in the House of Lords. Due to the uncertainties of Parliamentary business and scheduling, we cannot confirm at this stage when the Bill will receive Royal Assent. After Royal Assent, secondary legislation will be required to constitute the body.

The department’s current estimate is that once the SSSNB has been established and is operational, the earliest the body will be in a position to start making pay related recommendations is in the 2027/28 academic year, to ensure a smooth transition from the current National Joint Council process.

The SSSNB will bring together employers and employee representatives to reach agreements on pay and terms and conditions which may then be ratified by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education. It is important that the department strikes an appropriate balance between the SSSNB having sufficient independence to reach agreements and make recommendations, whilst ensuring that any agreements in relation to remuneration, terms and conditions or advice in relation to training and career progression are practicable before being ratified or published as statutory guidance by the Secretary of State for Education. As a negotiating body, employee and employer representatives will be able to meaningfully negotiate on pay and conditions as well as advise on training and career progression, with a clear process for the Secretary of State for Education to decide on the course of action based on the agreements reached or recommendations made.

The School Support Staff Negotiating Body (SSSNB) will have a remit for pay, conditions, training and career progression for support staff in all state-funded schools, including academies, in England. As half of schools are now academies, it is vital that academies are included in the statutory remit of the SSSNB to ensure there is a national core offer for support staff pay and terms and conditions, across all schools.

The SSSNB will need to represent all school support staff and their employers effectively. The body will be composed of representatives of employers, employee representatives, an Independent Chairperson, and a member representing my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education. The Secretary of State for Education will appoint an employer organisation which represents academy employers via regulations.

Single parents of children aged nine months and over may qualify for 30 hours of funded childcare from September this year, provided they meet the eligibility requirements. Each parent needs to expect to earn the equivalent of 16 hours at National Living Wage and no more than £100,000 per year adjusted net income. This is equivalent to £195 per week or £10,158 per year (in 2025/26).

The Tax-Free Childcare scheme is also available to eligible working parents, including eligible single parents, and aims to help parents work, return to work, and work more when they want or need to. It can save eligible working parents up to £2,000 per year on the cost of childcare, or up to £4,000 for eligible children with disabilities.

Where households (including single parent households) do not meet the eligibility requirements, they may still qualify for support through the 15-hour entitlement for two-year-olds receiving some additional forms of support. All three and four-year-olds are eligible for 15 hours free early education regardless of their parent’s income.

Parents may wish to explore support through Universal Credit childcare. If eligible, parents can receive 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.

Single parents of children aged nine months and over may qualify for 30 hours of funded childcare from September this year, provided they meet the eligibility requirements. Each parent needs to expect to earn the equivalent of 16 hours at National Living Wage and no more than £100,000 per year adjusted net income. This is equivalent to £195 per week or £10,158 per year (in 2025/26).

The Tax-Free Childcare scheme is also available to eligible working parents, including eligible single parents, and aims to help parents work, return to work, and work more when they want or need to. It can save eligible working parents up to £2,000 per year on the cost of childcare, or up to £4,000 for eligible children with disabilities.

Where households (including single parent households) do not meet the eligibility requirements, they may still qualify for support through the 15-hour entitlement for two-year-olds receiving some additional forms of support. All three and four-year-olds are eligible for 15 hours free early education regardless of their parent’s income.

Parents may wish to explore support through Universal Credit childcare. If eligible, parents can receive 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.