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 she plans to revise the funding formula used to allocate the dedicated schools grant in areas which have a high cost of living but low area cost adjustment.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
The department uses the schools national funding formula (NFF) to distribute core funding for 5 to 16 year-old pupils (reception through to year 11) in mainstream state-funded schools in England.
The area cost adjustment (ACA) means that funding allocations to schools are adjusted to reflect the geographic costs they face. Importantly, because the department uses the hybrid methodology, schools’ funding allocations reflect differences in both general labour market costs and teacher salaries.
The ACA takes into account the four geographical pay bands for teachers, as well as regional variations in the labour market for non-teaching staff.
The department will continue to keep the NFF, including the operation of the ACA, under review for 2026/27 and beyond.
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 recent assessment she has made of the number of unfilled vacancies on school governing bodies.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
According to the National Governance Association’s 2024 survey, 25% of respondents stated that their board did not have any vacancies. 76% of respondents reported difficulty in recruiting new governors and trustees. 44% of boards had two or more vacancies.
The department has had extensive discussions about recruitment and retention with sector partners, including the National Governance Association and the Confederation of School Trusts. These discussions have informed the development of a joint department-sector resource that will support boards with sustainable governance, especially those facing recruitment and retention challenges.
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 her Department is taking to ensure that early years funding rates reflect the actual cost of delivering high-quality childcare.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
I refer the hon. Member for Henley and Thame to the answer of 27 May 2025 to Question 53702.
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 her Department has made of the level of administrative workload placed on early years providers in implementing the early years funding system; and whether she is taking steps to streamline (a) reporting and (b) funding claim processes.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Local authorities are responsible for paying early years providers to deliver the early education and childcare entitlements. The department does not provide guidance to local authorities on how they pay providers as each local authority will have its own local process for making funding payments.
Local authorities must enter into arrangements with childcare providers for the delivery of free early education and childcare to ensure the providers comply with legislative requirements.
As set out in our statutory guidance, local authorities should be clear in their agreements with providers about how and when providers will be paid and the documentation required from providers in order to receive payment.
The department will continue to work closely with the sector to continue to look at how the system is working, and ensure every child gets the best start in life.
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 she is taking to ensure that children with (a) diabetes and (b) other medical needs are able to access wraparound care provided by (i) breakfast, (ii) after school and (iii) holiday clubs.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
All children and families should be able to access the benefits of wraparound care around the school day and term time. This is why the department is investing in new free universal breakfast clubs and new and expanded before and after school places through the wraparound childcare programme, alongside the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme.
Under the Equality Act 2010, schools and providers of wraparound and holiday care must make reasonable adjustments for children with disabilities and medical conditions. In addition, section 100 of the Children and Families Act 2014 places a duty on maintained schools, academies and pupil referral units to make arrangements for supporting pupils with medical conditions.
The department’s guidance on wraparound, breakfast clubs and HAF programmes is clear that schools and providers should be aware of any medical requirements of pupils and encourages providers to review the ‘Supporting pupils at school with medical conditions’ statutory guidance, which can be accessed here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5ce6a72e40f0b620a103bd53/supporting-pupils-at-school-with-medical-conditions.pdf. Although the duty does not extend to out of school setting providers, this guidance contains information that may be useful in considering how to best support children with medical conditions.
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 she is taking to ensure children are educated about online safety in PSHE lessons.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
As part of statutory relationships and health education in primary schools and relationships, sex and health education in secondary schools, pupils are taught about online safety and harms. This includes being taught about the implications of sharing private or personal data (including images) online, harmful content and contact, cyberbullying and the risks associated with over-reliance on social media. The full statutory guidance for primary schools can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/relationships-education-relationships-and-sex-education-rse-and-health-education/relationships-education-primary.
The full statutory guidance for secondary schools can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/relationships-education-relationships-and-sex-education-rse-and-health-education/relationships-and-sex-education-rse-secondary.
The department is currently reviewing the statutory relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) curriculum. We are looking carefully at the consultation responses, considering the evidence and talking to key stakeholders before issuing revised guidance.
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 funding is available for the (a) repair and (b) maintenance of (i) sports facilities and (ii) swimming pools at schools.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Schools provide important opportunities for all pupils to be physically active, with sports facilities being key to the provision of high quality physical education lessons and extra-curricular sport.
The department supports academy trusts, local authorities and voluntary-aided bodies, who are responsible for managing the safety and maintenance of their estates, with capital funding, rebuilding programmes and guidance on effective estate management.
We recently confirmed details of £2.1 billion of capital funding for the 2025/26 financial year to improve the condition of the school estate, including sports facilities and school swimming pools, up from £1.8 billion committed for the 2024/25 financial year. Capital funding is not ring-fenced for sports facilities, and decisions on capital projects to improve the estate are primarily taken at a local level. Details of funding are published on GOV.UK.
Capital funding for schools beyond 2025/26 will be confirmed following the next phase of the spending review.
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 she is taking to help support the recruitment of qualified learning support assistants.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
The government values and recognises the professionalism of the entire school workforce. School support staff, including learning support assistants, play a vital role in children’s education. They are crucial to ensuring we give children the best possible life chances.
The School Support Staff Negotiating Body (SSSNB) will mean that employers and employee representatives come together to negotiate terms and conditions and pay for school support staff, to ensure that support staff are properly recognised and rewarded for the work they do. The body will also be tasked with establishing a national terms and conditions handbook and advising on suitable training and career progression routes that recognise the varied and vital roles support staff undertake.
The SSSNB will help address recruitment and retention challenges state-funded schools are facing for support staff. This, in turn, will support work to drive high and rising standards in schools and ensure we give children the best possible life chances.
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 recent assessment she has made of the sufficiency of Initial Teacher Training to support Early Career Teachers to manage a variety of needs in the classroom.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
High-quality teaching is the most important in-school factor for improving outcomes for all children, particularly those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or from disadvantaged backgrounds, and the department is committed to ensuring that all pupils receive excellent support from their teachers.
The Teachers’ Standards set clear expectations that teachers must understand the needs of all pupils, including those with SEND. All initial teacher training (ITT) providers must ensure that their courses enable trainee teachers to meet the Teachers’ Standards, to be recommended for the award of Qualified Teacher Status.
The ITT Core Content Framework and Early Career Framework (ECF), for trainee and Early Career Teachers (ECTs) respectively, cover the first three years or more at the start of a teacher’s career. They set out the core body of knowledge, skills and behaviours that define great teaching, and from September 2025, will be superseded by the combined Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework (ITTECF), which sets out a minimum entitlement to training and must be used by providers of ITT and those delivering provider-led early career training to create their curricula. From September 2025, all ECTs will be entitled to a two-year induction that is underpinned by the ITTECF, known as the Early Career Teacher Entitlement (ECTE).
The department’s review of content for the ITTECF paid particular attention to the needs of trainees and ECTs when supporting pupils with SEND. There is now significantly more content related to adaptive teaching and supporting pupils with SEND, some of which has been adapted from the new National Professional Qualification for special educational needs co-ordinators, to be relevant for trainees and ECTs. We have edited existing statements to improve inclusivity for SEND throughout the framework including, for example, developing an understanding of different pupil needs, and learning how to provide opportunities for success for all pupils.
From September 2025, the department has also enhanced the requirement on providers of ECT training to develop SEND training materials. This approach was tested with SEND educational experts, with the consensus being that the approach of ‘quality-first teaching’ is the best way to improve outcomes for all children, particularly those with SEND.
The department recognises that continuous improvement is essential and have recently committed to a full review of the ECTE in 2027 to ensure it continues to provide the best possible support for ECTs. This review will focus on the support we provide new teachers in teaching pupils with SEND.
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 potential merits of introducing individual health plans for every child with epilepsy.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
Statutory guidance on supporting pupils at school with medical conditions recommends the use of individual healthcare plans as good practice. The guidance can be accessed here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5ce6a72e40f0b620a103bd53/supporting-pupils-at-school-with-medical-conditions.pdf. Healthcare plans can help schools support pupils with medical conditions, providing clarity about what needs to be done, when and by whom. The school, healthcare professionals and parents should agree, based on evidence, when a healthcare plan would be appropriate.
The department will keep the statutory guidance under review as we take forward our commitment to delivering an inclusive mainstream system.