Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the fairness of calculating student loan interest at RPI rather than CPI.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Interest rates are set in legislation in reference to the Retail Price Index (RPI) from the previous March, not the Consumer Price Index (CPI), and are applied annually on 1 September until 31 August. This ensures that over a period of years, interest rates on student loans have been consistently linked to a widely recognised and adopted measure of inflation.
The Office for National Statistics has undertaken a substantial programme of work over the past two years to enhance how inflation is measured. The Office for Budget Responsibility has confirmed that, from 2030 at the earliest, movements in RPI will be aligned with CPI as viewed here: https://obr.uk/box/the-long-run-difference-between-rpi-and-cpi-inflation/.
A full equality impact assessment of how the student loan reforms may affect graduates, including detail on changes to average lifetime repayments 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.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking with the national literacy trust to deliver the national year of reading 2026.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
This government has committed to strong foundations in reading and writing for all children and the National Year of Reading 2026 is an important part of our strategy for delivering on this commitment.
The National Year of Reading is a UK-wide campaign to address the steep decline in reading enjoyment amongst children, young people and adults. It is a department led initiative, in collaboration with the National Literacy Trust, who will lead the delivery of the campaign, working alongside a range of partners.
It includes a major physical and online marketing campaign, as well as exciting events, resources and activities in communities, libraries, schools and early years settings throughout the year.
More information will be added to the website in the coming months. Anyone interested in the campaign can sign up to the website: www.goallin.org.uk.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of screening tests to identify early difficulties with numeracy.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) code of practice is clear that meeting the needs of a child with special educational needs does not require a diagnostic label or test. Instead, the department expects teachers to monitor the progress of all pupils and put support in place where needed.
To support settings to identify need early, we are strengthening the evidence base of what works to improve early identification in mainstream settings.
Recently published evidence reviews from University College London will help to drive inclusive practices as they highlight what the best available evidence suggests are the most effective tools, strategies and approaches.
In addition, the ‘What Works in SEND’ research programme, led by a research team from the University of Warwick and supported by SEND academics from the University of Birmingham, is researching tools that settings can use to identify the needs of neurodivergent children and young people.
Both initiatives aim to strengthen teaching for children with special educational needs, including dyscalculia.
The funding announced at the 2025 Spending Review, which will provide an increase of £4.2 billion over the next three years, will help to facilitate reform of the SEND system. We are continuing to engage with children, parents and experts as we develop plans to ensure all children get the outcomes and life chances they deserve and will be setting out more detail in the Schools White Paper in the new year.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of funding for dyscalculia.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) code of practice is clear that meeting the needs of a child with special educational needs does not require a diagnostic label or test. Instead, the department expects teachers to monitor the progress of all pupils and put support in place where needed.
To support settings to identify need early, we are strengthening the evidence base of what works to improve early identification in mainstream settings.
Recently published evidence reviews from University College London will help to drive inclusive practices as they highlight what the best available evidence suggests are the most effective tools, strategies and approaches.
In addition, the ‘What Works in SEND’ research programme, led by a research team from the University of Warwick and supported by SEND academics from the University of Birmingham, is researching tools that settings can use to identify the needs of neurodivergent children and young people.
Both initiatives aim to strengthen teaching for children with special educational needs, including dyscalculia.
The funding announced at the 2025 Spending Review, which will provide an increase of £4.2 billion over the next three years, will help to facilitate reform of the SEND system. We are continuing to engage with children, parents and experts as we develop plans to ensure all children get the outcomes and life chances they deserve and will be setting out more detail in the Schools White Paper in the new year.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the £2.61 meal rate paid to Oxfordshire schools for providing universal infant free school meals, taking into account rising (a) food, (b) energy and (c) staff costs.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
This government is committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity and tackling child poverty. We spend around £600 million per year ensuring close to 1.3 million additional infants enjoy a free, healthy and nutritious meal at lunchtime following the introduction of the universal infant free school meal (UIFSM) policy in 2014.
The department has not made a formal assessment of UIFSM funding for Oxfordshire schools, but we meet regularly with the sector, including school food caterers, and draw on these insights to inform our policy thinking.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of student maintenance grants in meeting students' living costs.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The previous government removed maintenance grants, and the real-terms value of loan support for students has reduced by more than 20% over the last five years. It is essential that our government improves this.
That is why we will reintroduce targeted means-tested maintenance grants before the end of this Parliament, funded by a levy on international student fees. The grants will support students from low-income households studying courses aligned with our missions and the Industrial Strategy, and we will set out further detail at the Autumn Budget.
Additionally, the government will increase maintenance loans in line with forecast inflation every academic year. This will provide students with long-term financial certainty on the financial support they will receive while studying and ensure that students from the lowest income families receive the largest year-on-year cash increases in support.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has made an assessment of the adequacy of the statutory training (a) SENCOs and (b) teachers receive on dyscalculia.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department is committed to improving support for all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including pupils with dyscalculia.
National Professional Qualifications (NPQs) are available to education professionals at all levels. From 2024, the NPQ for Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators became the mandatory qualification for SENCOs. This will play a key role in ensuring SENCOs consistently receive high quality, evidence-based training, allowing them to fulfil their central role in supporting pupils with SEND.
We know some children face real challenges in maths, particularly those with dyscalculia and other special educational needs. We are supporting schools through our national RISE Maths Hubs, helping teachers deliver effective, inclusive lessons.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Curriculum and Assessment Review interim report, published in March 2025, what steps her Department is taking to ensure (a) climate and (b) nature education is embedded across the curriculum.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
It is important that pupils learn about climate and nature education. Therefore, these topics are already included within the geography, science, and citizenship national curricula, and schools can also choose to teach these matters where they feel relevant in other subjects.
In addition, the Natural History GCSE will enable more young people to benefit from the opportunity to learn about the natural world in more depth at key stage 4. It will equip them to understand, and respect, the natural world and contribute to the protection and conservation of the environment locally, nationally and internationally.
The independent Curriculum and Assessment Review’s interim report set out that rapid social, environmental and technological change necessitates that the curriculum keep pace, including a greater focus on sustainability and climate science.
The Review’s final report has been published on 5 November with the government response to the recommendations published on the same day.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding her Department plans to provide to schools that are not eligible for funding under the Connect the classroom programme for upgrading essential IT infrastructure.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The department is committed to supporting all schools to harness the transformative potential of technology. By setting digital and technology standards, developing support services, including our plan technology for your school service, and investing in connectivity, we aim to help all schools to have essential digital infrastructure in place.
Funding under the Connect the Classroom programme is targeted at schools in greatest need, ensuring public investment delivers the most impact.
The department is currently finalising internal budgeting processes and will announce any updates on future funding via GOV.UK.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans her Department has to ensure that funding through the School Rebuilding Programme is spent in line with (a) net zero standards and (b) sustainability goals.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department commits to a wide range of actions in our Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy, including a requirement that all new school buildings we deliver are net-zero carbon in operation and are adapted to climate change. The strategy can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sustainability-and-climate-change-strategy.
All schools funded through the School Rebuilding Programme (SRP) have been designed to meet this standard, supporting the UK’s 25-year Environment Plan by requiring all projects to increase their level of greening in support of biodiversity net gain. The design principles of our output specification for SRP will ensure sites are more resilient to the impact of climate change and buildings delivered will achieve net zero carbon in operation.