Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools have been identified as high fire risk in the latest Condition Data Collection by local authority area.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
237 schools and colleges in England had RAAC confirmed in areas of their buildings, none of which are in Shropshire. By the end of this Parliament, every school and college in England that isn't being fully or substantially rebuilt will be RAAC-free. All schools having RAAC permanently removed through the school rebuilding programme will be in delivery, with over half already underway.
The department’s current Condition Data Collection 2 (CDC2) programme is visiting every government-funded school in England to collect data about the condition of their buildings. CDC2 is a high-level, non-invasive, visual inspection of condition and not a structural survey. It does not collect structural risks, nor data on school compliance with all statutory and legislative responsibilities, including fire safety.
It is the responsibility of those who run our schools to ensure that fire risk assessments are undertaken regularly. The department provides guidance about fire safety to these responsible bodies, including in the ’Good estate management for schools’ guide, which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/good-estate-management-for-schools/health-and-safety.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools contain (a) RAAC and (b) other structural risks in the most recent Condition Data Collection for (i) Shropshire, (ii) North Shropshire and (iii) England.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
237 schools and colleges in England had RAAC confirmed in areas of their buildings, none of which are in Shropshire. By the end of this Parliament, every school and college in England that isn't being fully or substantially rebuilt will be RAAC-free. All schools having RAAC permanently removed through the school rebuilding programme will be in delivery, with over half already underway.
The department’s current Condition Data Collection 2 (CDC2) programme is visiting every government-funded school in England to collect data about the condition of their buildings. CDC2 is a high-level, non-invasive, visual inspection of condition and not a structural survey. It does not collect structural risks, nor data on school compliance with all statutory and legislative responsibilities, including fire safety.
It is the responsibility of those who run our schools to ensure that fire risk assessments are undertaken regularly. The department provides guidance about fire safety to these responsible bodies, including in the ’Good estate management for schools’ guide, which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/good-estate-management-for-schools/health-and-safety.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the estimated backlog of fire-safety-related repairs is across the school estate in (a) England, (b) Shropshire and (c) north Shropshire; and what proportion of that backlog relates to schools built before 1980.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Since the 2014/15 academic year, the risk protection arrangement (RPA) has received a total of 551 fire-related claims from members. 52 claims were from the West Midlands, 4 from Shropshire and 2 claims were specifically from North Shropshire.
Schools and their responsible bodies are not obliged to notify the department of fires at their premises and we therefore do not routinely collect or record this data more widely, nor information on fire-safety-related repairs.
The department provides guidance about fire safety to bodies responsible for schools, including in the ‘Good Estate Management for Schools’ guide, available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/good-estate-management-for-schools/health-and-safety. It is the responsibility of those who run our schools to ensure that a fire risk assessment is undertaken and kept up to date, reflecting the specific characteristics of the building for which it was written.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many fires have been recorded in (a) North Shropshire constituency, (b) Shropshire, (c) the West Midlands and (d) England’s school estate in each of the last 10 years.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Since the 2014/15 academic year, the risk protection arrangement (RPA) has received a total of 551 fire-related claims from members. 52 claims were from the West Midlands, 4 from Shropshire and 2 claims were specifically from North Shropshire.
Schools and their responsible bodies are not obliged to notify the department of fires at their premises and we therefore do not routinely collect or record this data more widely, nor information on fire-safety-related repairs.
The department provides guidance about fire safety to bodies responsible for schools, including in the ‘Good Estate Management for Schools’ guide, available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/good-estate-management-for-schools/health-and-safety. It is the responsibility of those who run our schools to ensure that a fire risk assessment is undertaken and kept up to date, reflecting the specific characteristics of the building for which it was written.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to (a) track school days lost due to dental problems and (b) reduce that number through preventive oral health programmes.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The use of absence Code M and Code I allows schools to track pupils’ medical appointments and illness respectively. Accurate use and tracking of absence codes enables schools to know their pupils, understand why they are absent and provide appropriate support when it is needed.
Medical appointments and dental appointments are both marked using Code M. Schools are not expected to routinely request evidence of a medical or dental appointment. However, parents should get the school’s agreement in advance if it has not been possible to book the appointment outside of school hours.
If schools request further information about the nature of the medical appointment or illness, additional details may be recorded on the school’s Management Information System.
The Department of Health and Social Care is taking action to prevent dental problems, where tooth decay is the most significant for children. This includes implementing a national supervised toothbrushing programme, introducing healthier baby food standards and placing restrictions on junk food advertising.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support St Martins School in North Shropshire constituency following the recent fire.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
St Martin’s School is a member of the department’s risk protections arrangement for schools (RPA). Regular stakeholder meetings, involving the RPA, Regions Group, and Education Estates officials, the loss adjuster, school, and trust are taking place. The RPA claim is progressing quickly, with primary pupils having been returned to face-to-face learning from 7 October.
St Martin’s School then began a phased reopening for secondary pupils following the securing of temporary accommodation to ensure a safe return to face-to-face education. The school has now undertaken the necessary repairs required to ensure the school site is safe to reoccupy.
Following the half-term break, 3 November was a planned inset day, and 4 November was dedicated to staff preparation to ensure classrooms were ready for the return of pupils. No pupils were on site either day. On 5 November, year 8 and 9 pupils returned to site, with year 10 pupils having returned on 6 November. From 7 November, all year groups were back in face-to-face education on the school site.
The school continue to work alongside the appointed loss adjustor and are being supported via the RPA.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will answer Question 83934 of 21 October 2025 on support for St Martins School.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The response to Written Parliamentary Question 83934 was published on 13 November.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help improve pathways for school leavers without (a) GCSE Maths and (b) GCSE English qualifications.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Any student on a 16-19 study programme who has not yet achieved an English and/or mathematics GCSE grade 4 or higher must continue studying these subjects.
As part of the Post-16 Education and Skills Strategy, the department is introducing new 16-19 Level 1 English and mathematics ‘stepping stone’ qualifications as preparation for GCSE. These qualifications will support students to consolidate foundational skills and knowledge, preparing those with lower prior attainment for successful GCSE resits in English and mathematics the following year.
The department has also set out plans to introduce reformed qualifications pathways at Levels 2 and 3. This includes a third, vocational pathway at Level 3, V Levels, which will sit alongside A levels and T Levels, and two new pathways at Level 2, providing a clear line of sight to both further study at Level 3 and skilled employment through the Further Study and Occupational pathways. Students will be able to take these pathways in combination with other qualifications such as English and mathematics qualifications.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she will have discussions with Ofqual on the potential merits of requiring exam boards to give special consideration to students who are absent from school during the academic year due to exceptional circumstances.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Special consideration is any adjustment given to a student who has temporarily experienced an illness, injury, or other event outside of their control, which significantly affects their ability to either take or demonstrate what they can do in an assessment.
Special consideration can only be given for things that happen immediately before or during an exam or assessment. To be eligible for special consideration, students must have been fully prepared for the assessment and have covered the whole course. Special consideration does not apply where students miss a course due to absence, if they enrolled part way through, or if their education was disrupted.
As the exams regulator, Ofqual is clear that qualifications must represent what a student knows, understands, and can do. This is important so that qualifications maintain their value and users of qualifications, including universities and employers, have trust in the grades awarded.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department will make an assessment of the level of contingency capacity of (a) schools and (b) colleges in the event of other school settings being forced to close.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The statutory duty to provide sufficient school places sits with local authorities. The department engages with councils on a regular basis to review their plans for creating additional places and to consider alternatives where necessary. When local authorities are experiencing difficulties, we support them to find solutions as quickly as possible.
As with schools, the duty is also with local authorities to have a strategic overview of the 16-19 provision available in the area and to identify and resolve gaps in provision so that each young person receives an offer of a suitable place.