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 Answer of 20 April 2026 to Question 126112 on Service Pupil Premium, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Service Pupil Premium in meeting the additional needs of pupils who are the children of service personnel.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The Service Pupil Premium (SPP) provides extra funding to help schools meet the pastoral and educational needs of children from service families. It is designed to help schools respond to the specific challenges associated with service life, including mobility, parental deployment and periods of family separation.
Schools have flexibility in how they use SPP funding, and there are many examples of it being used constructively to support service children. The department works closely with the Ministry of Defence to provide joint guidance for schools and share good practice. It is important that schools remain attentive to the potential impacts of service life on pupils’ educational experience and their wider wellbeing.
As a group, service children’s academic attainment is broadly comparable to that of non‑Service, non‑free school meals pupils, and their rates of progression to further education, employment or training after key stage 4 are also similar.
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 answer of 20 April 2026 to question 125953, whether the resources provided by Best Start for Life Family Hubs includes guidance for fathers who have been released from prison on co-parenting and handling children's emotional response.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
Best Start Family Hubs provide a welcoming, non-stigmatising space for families to get help, or simply meet other parents and access peer support. They offer evidence-based parenting programmes and tailored support to strengthen relationships, promote positive co-parenting, and support children’s social and emotional development.
The recently published Best Start Family Hubs guidance sets clear expectations for local authorities to provide inclusive, accessible, and joined‑up support for families facing disadvantage or disruption, to ensure they receive holistic, practical support that reflects the realities of their lives, eases pressures, and helps children thrive. This guidance can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/best-start-family-hubs-and-healthy-babies-guidance-for-local-authorities.
Local authorities are expected to take a proactive outreach approach with voluntary and community partners, to engage family groups and reduce barriers to accessing services. Within this flexible, locally-led model, they can tailor integrated support, including for families affected by imprisonment, such as those with a parent in custody or returning home, helping to rebuild relationships and improve children’s wellbeing.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the response of 20 April 2026 to question 126112, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Service Pupil Premium in meeting the additional needs of pupils who are the children of service personnel.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
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 bring forward guidance for parents who have been released from prison on co-parenting and handling children's emotional response.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government is supporting all families, including parents who have been released from prison through Best Start Family Hubs (BSFHs) and Healthy Babies, backed by over £900 million investment over the next three years, to deliver a more connected, prevention-led system that improves outcomes for babies, children and their families.
The recently published ‘Best Start Family Hubs’ guidance is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/best-start-family-hubs-and-healthy-babies-guidance-for-local-authorities.
This guidance sets out expectations for local authorities to provide inclusive, accessible and joined up support for families facing disadvantage or disruption. This includes promoting strong parent child relationships, supporting positive co-parenting, and addressing children’s social and emotional development, through advice and support for all families, with proactive outreach to disadvantaged groups.
Best Start Family Hubs act as a single, local front door to support, including evidence-based parenting programmes and support for parents. Local authorities are expected to take a proactive and inclusive outreach approach, working with voluntary and community sector partners where appropriate, to engage seldom‑heard and disadvantaged families and reduce barriers to access.
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 effect of prolonged RSS delays on retired and ill‑health pensioners, and what additional support is being provided to vulnerable members awaiting statements.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department recognises the importance of issuing Remediable Service Statements (RSSs) to affected members as part of the McCloud remedy and continues to closely monitor progress made by Teachers’ Pensions in delivering these statements.
The backlog has arisen due to the scale and complexity of the remedy, which requires the recalculation of historic pension service and depends on complete and accurate data from employers that can date back several decades. To address the backlog, Teachers’ Pensions has increased dedicated resources and implemented a phased delivery plan to ensure remaining cases are completed as quickly and accurately as possible. Senior oversight and regular performance reporting are in place to track progress.
The department recognises that delays may be particularly concerning for retired members and those in receipt of ill health retirement benefits. Retired members often already have benefits in payment, and any underpayments identified will be paid in full, with interest applied in line with legislation. Additional support is available for vulnerable members, including escalation routes for urgent and complex cases.
Teachers’ Pensions has improved the frequency and clarity of secure messages, increased engagement through social media, and strengthened training for helpline staff to ensure better understanding of individual circumstances. Member feedback continues to inform further service improvements, and the department is working closely with the scheme administrator to oversee delivery.
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 are being taken to improve communication by Teachers’ Pensions with affected members, in terms of secure messages, helpline staff knowledge of cases and delivery timelines.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department recognises the importance of issuing Remediable Service Statements (RSSs) to affected members as part of the McCloud remedy and continues to closely monitor progress made by Teachers’ Pensions in delivering these statements.
The backlog has arisen due to the scale and complexity of the remedy, which requires the recalculation of historic pension service and depends on complete and accurate data from employers that can date back several decades. To address the backlog, Teachers’ Pensions has increased dedicated resources and implemented a phased delivery plan to ensure remaining cases are completed as quickly and accurately as possible. Senior oversight and regular performance reporting are in place to track progress.
The department recognises that delays may be particularly concerning for retired members and those in receipt of ill health retirement benefits. Retired members often already have benefits in payment, and any underpayments identified will be paid in full, with interest applied in line with legislation. Additional support is available for vulnerable members, including escalation routes for urgent and complex cases.
Teachers’ Pensions has improved the frequency and clarity of secure messages, increased engagement through social media, and strengthened training for helpline staff to ensure better understanding of individual circumstances. Member feedback continues to inform further service improvements, and the department is working closely with the scheme administrator to oversee delivery.
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 impact of the backlog in issuing Remediable Service Statements and what steps are being taken to ensure timely completion of the remaining cases.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department recognises the importance of issuing Remediable Service Statements (RSSs) to affected members as part of the McCloud remedy and continues to closely monitor progress made by Teachers’ Pensions in delivering these statements.
The backlog has arisen due to the scale and complexity of the remedy, which requires the recalculation of historic pension service and depends on complete and accurate data from employers that can date back several decades. To address the backlog, Teachers’ Pensions has increased dedicated resources and implemented a phased delivery plan to ensure remaining cases are completed as quickly and accurately as possible. Senior oversight and regular performance reporting are in place to track progress.
The department recognises that delays may be particularly concerning for retired members and those in receipt of ill health retirement benefits. Retired members often already have benefits in payment, and any underpayments identified will be paid in full, with interest applied in line with legislation. Additional support is available for vulnerable members, including escalation routes for urgent and complex cases.
Teachers’ Pensions has improved the frequency and clarity of secure messages, increased engagement through social media, and strengthened training for helpline staff to ensure better understanding of individual circumstances. Member feedback continues to inform further service improvements, and the department is working closely with the scheme administrator to oversee delivery.
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 made of the adequacy of the level of the Service Pupil Premium to support the needs of military children, including for children who have attended several different schools over a short period and have a parent deployed overseas on military service.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The service pupil premium (SPP) provides additional funding for state-funded schools in England attended by children from service families. In the 2026/27 financial year it is worth £360 per service child.
The SPP is not a personal budget and schools have flexibility over its expenditure. The funding is primarily to enable schools to offer pastoral support and help mitigate the negative impact of family mobility or parental deployment. We have published advice and wider guidance for schools and local authorities on supporting service pupils, which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/service-pupils-in-schools-non-statutory-guidance/service-pupils-in-schools-non-statutory-guidance.
In addition to the SPP, schools also attract funding for pupil mobility through the ’mobility factor’ in the schools national funding formula. In the 2026/27 financial year, schools will attract £985 for eligible primary pupils and £1,415 for eligible secondary pupils, above a threshold of 6% of the schools’ pupil numbers, where more than 6% of the school’s pupil numbers are classified as mobile.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the answer of 13th February 2026 to question 105615 on play based pedagogy, if she will update initial teacher training and CPD frameworks to include evidence‑based training on play‑based pedagogy.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department recognises that continuous improvement is essential to transform the training and support for all new teachers. That is why we are committing to a full review of the delivery of the Early Career Teacher Entitlement, including the framework content of the Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework, in 2027 to ensure it continues to provide the best possible support for trainees and early career teachers based on the most up to date evidence.
As part of the review, we will be seeking evidence and views from stakeholders from across the education sector.
We also want to ensure that National Professional Qualifications (NPQs) continue to offer the best possible support to teachers and leaders. In 2025, we announced a review of the NPQ courses.
To aid the review, the department published two calls for evidence to seek recent, relevant and high-quality research. We are considering a wide range of responses to ensure that review succeeds in improving pupil outcomes through updated NPQ courses that better meet the needs of education leaders based on the latest robust evidence.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the answer of 13th February 2026 to question 105615 on play based pedagogy, if her Department will consider the potential benefits of continuing play‑based pedagogy beyond the Early Years Foundation Stage into Key Stage 1.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The Curriculum and Assessment Review considered the extent to which the curriculum and the assessment system in England is fit for purpose and meeting the needs of children and young people. The government’s response set out key reforms to the national curriculum that we will be taking forward. The purpose of the national curriculum is to outline what must be taught in schools rather than how.
We will continue to back educators to apply their professional judgment and creativity to meet the needs of their pupils, meaning children will be able to benefit from play-based learning throughout their primary education.
The department is working to make sure that all children and young people have access to a variety of enrichment opportunities, including opportunities for play, at school as an important part of our mission to break down barriers to opportunity.