Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on developing a cross-departmental strategy to improve outcomes for children with ADHD in education settings.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or in alternative provision receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life. We are committed to improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools, as well as ensuring special schools cater to children and young people with the most complex needs.
The department is working closely with other government departments and with external experts on reforms. In November 2024, we established the Neurodivergence Task and Finish Group, which includes clinicians, scientists and academics, as well as education experts and third sector organisations. This group is chaired by Professor Karen Guldberg from Birmingham University and aims to provide an expert view and make recommendations on the best ways to support and meet the needs of neurodivergent children and young people in mainstream education settings, including consideration of the types of support that should be readily available without the need for a diagnosis.
The Neurodivergence Task and Finish Group includes the chair of the independent ADHD Taskforce, convened by NHS England, which provides vital co-ordination across government. My right hon. Friends, the Secretary of State for Education and the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, have met on several occasions, including to discuss support for children with SEND.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of trends in the level of the rate of (a) fixed-term and (b) permanent exclusions for pupils with ADHD in mainstream secondary schools; and whether her Department monitors compliance with statutory duties to consider a pupil’s disability before exclusion decisions are made.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Information of pupils’ primary type of special educational need broken down by suspension and permanent exclusion can be viewed via a detailed table at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/e604c2a7-ce18-4fb3-d9d8-08dd800922cb. This table includes social, emotional and mental health which encompasses a range of conditions affecting emotional regulation, behaviour, and mental health, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Schools have a legal duty under the Equality Act 2010 not to discriminate against pupils with a special educational need or disability. This government is clear that schools can use sanctions as a measure to improve behaviour, and in the most serious cases, exclusion may be necessary to ensure that schools are calm and safe learning environments.
The department trusts headteachers to use their professional judgement based on the individual circumstances of each case when considering excluding a pupil. All such decisions must be lawful, reasonable, and fair. The ‘Suspension and permanent exclusion’ statutory guidance is clear that, in all cases, school leaders should consider early intervention strategies to address the underlying causes or contributing factors of a pupil’s disruptive behaviour before issuing an exclusion.
This can include where a pupil has any neurodiversity or unmet additional needs.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an assessment of the extent to which standardised behaviour policies in schools reflect evidence on (a) executive dysfunction and (b) other traits associated with ADHD.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
All schools are required by law to have a behaviour policy which outlines effective strategies that will encourage good behaviour and the sanctions that will be imposed for misbehaviour.
Any policy must be lawful, proportionate and reasonable, and comply with the school’s duties under the Equality Act 2010 and the Education and Inspections Act 2006. This includes taking account of pupils’ special educational needs and disabilities.
The ’Behaviour in schools’ guidance provides support for schools on developing and implementing a behaviour policy which outlines effective strategies that will encourage good behaviour. This guidance is accessible at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/behaviour-in-schools--2.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to provide additional (a) resources, (b) teacher training and (c) curriculum support to improve media literacy education in schools.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
Media literacy is covered in the citizenship, relationships, sex and health education and computing curriculums.
The department funds the National Centre for Computing Education, which provides teachers with continuing professional development and resources to support the teaching of computing. This includes units on messaging in digital media, the credibility of sources, and identifying ‘fake’ news and edited images, supporting the teaching of artificial intelligence (AI) and media literacy.
In 2024, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) provided £0.5 million to scale up two programmes, to provide media literacy support to teachers, children aged 11 to 16, parents/carers and other professionals working with families.
The Educate against Hate website also hosts a series of online media literacy resources which seek to help young people evaluate the validity of information. This can be accessed at: https://www.educateagainsthate.com/.
The independent Curriculum and Assessment Review’s interim report notes the rise of AI and trends in digital information and that it is necessary that the curriculum keep pace with these changes, including a renewed focus on digital and media literacy and critical thinking skills. The interim report is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/curriculum-and-assessment-review-interim-report. The Review’s final report and recommendations will be published in autumn with the government’s response.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she is taking steps to ensure that information and communications technology literacy forms part of the national curriculum following the Curriculum and Assessment Review.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
The independent Curriculum and Assessment Review’s interim report notes the rise of artificial intelligence and trends in digital information and that it is necessary that the curriculum keep pace with these changes, including a renewed focus on digital and media literacy and critical thinking skills. The interim report is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/curriculum-and-assessment-review-interim-report. The Review’s final report and recommendations will be published in autumn with the government’s response.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to (a) monitor and (b) improve alternative provision arrangements for children with SEND during the process of waiting for a tribunal.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
Alternative provision (AP) schools contribute to a more inclusive whole-school system by working with mainstream schools to identify children’s special educational needs at the earliest stage. They can help devise interventions and provide additional support, enabling children to remain in a mainstream classroom or successfully transition into specialist provision.
In future, the department’s focus will be on providing early intervention and support to mainstream schools to equip all their children with the skills and confidence needed to thrive in education and reduce the need for AP placements. This early intervention will help children and young people, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) awaiting their Tribunal hearing, to get back on track quickly and have the skills to achieve and thrive.
If a local authority has issued an education, health and care plan naming a school or college, the plan carries statutory force until it is reviewed and amended, including when a plan is being appealed at the First Tier SEND Tribunal. This means the local authority must secure the specific special educational provision set out in the plan and that the setting must admit the child or young person, including those in AP, even whilst an appeal is ongoing.
The department monitors and holds local authorities to account for delivery of their SEND services through joint inspections by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission. These inspections place greater emphasis on the outcomes being achieved by children and young people and are the primary tool to maintain a focus on high standards in the SEND system across all partners.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
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 supporting local authorities to fund (a) education, health and care plans and (b) specialist school placements for children with additional needs.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life.
To achieve that ambition, we expect mainstream schools to welcome pupils from across the whole community, including pupils who may need additional support. We are working with Ofsted to ensure that schools are held accountable for their approach to inclusion, so that all children are given the high-quality support they need to achieve and thrive. This government has created an Expert Advisory Group for Inclusion, led by Tom Rees, that consists of experts across the SEND sector to advise on how to drive inclusive education practice and improve mainstream education outcomes and experiences for children and young people with SEND, whether or not they have an education, health and care (EHC) plan.
The department is providing an increase of £1 billion for high needs budgets in England in the 2025/26 financial year, following the Autumn Budget 2024. This brings total high needs funding for children and young people with complex SEND to over £12 billion. This funding makes a significant contribution to the costs of mainstream school pupils with EHC plans and funds the placement of pupils in special schools.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what progress her Department has made on the school-rebuilding programme.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government has committed £1.4 billion to continue the current School Rebuilding Programme (SRP) in 2025/26, reconfirming the department’s commitment to rebuild or refurbish 518 schools and sixth form colleges across England, prioritising delivery based on need. All schools within the programme are prioritised for delivery according to the condition of their buildings, readiness to proceed, and efficiency of delivery. Expected delivery timeframes have been communicated to all responsible bodies.
Just over half of SRP projects have started various stages of delivery activity and, so far, the department has handed over 28 projects, including refurbished or rebuilt schools. We plan to increase the number of existing school rebuilding projects that we will start delivery on in this financial year to 100, so work can start more quickly, and more children and teachers will ultimately benefit from new school buildings sooner.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to decarbonise schools in order to meet the emission reduction targets by 2035.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department is committed to supporting the UK net-zero carbon targets. Since 2021, the department’s own building standards require that all new school buildings delivered by the department are net-zero carbon in operation and are adapted to climate change.
Additionally, the department recently announced the £80 million Great British Energy Solar Accelerator Programme, in partnership with GB Energy, that will install solar and other technologies, such as electric vehicle (EV) chargers, in 200 targeted schools and colleges, prioritising those in areas of deprivation, to start in 2025/26.
The department is providing support for all schools and colleges to start on their journey towards net zero via our new online sustainability support for education platform and our climate ambassador programme. Where schools are considering options to become more sustainable, including considering decarbonisation of their energy supply, our ‘Get help for buying’ service provides support to ensure that schemes procured are of high-quality and value to the sector. More information can be found at: https://gethelpbuyingforschools.campaign.gov.uk/.
Details of other government funding available to public bodies for sustainability, prepared by the Crown Commercial Service can be found at: https://www.crowncommercial.gov.uk/social-value/carbon-net-zero/funding-and-grants.
Capital funding allocated to the school sector each year can also be used for projects that improve the energy efficiency and sustainability of school buildings, as well as improving the condition of the estate to keep schools safe and operational.
The department has allocated £2.1 billion in condition funding for the 2025/26 financial year, which is £300 million more than the previous year.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to promote first aid training for school pupils.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
All state-funded schools are required to teach about first aid as part of the statutory health education set out within the relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) statutory guidance. Independent schools are required to cover health education as part of their responsibility to provide personal, social, health and economic education.
The statutory guidance includes basic first aid for primary school children, for example dealing with common injuries, such as head injuries. Pupils in secondary schools will be taught further first aid, for example how to administer CPR and the purpose of defibrillators.
The department is currently reviewing the statutory RSHE curriculum, which includes considering whether any additional content is needed, and will be publishing revised guidance as soon as possible.