Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of promoting a culture of reading for pleasure in the home on the development of children (a) in early years and (b) of school age.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
This government is committed to strengthening the home learning environment to support literacy and school readiness as part of the Plan for Change. In 2025/26, we are investing £10.7 million through Family Hubs in home learning environment services to help parents create language-rich, nurturing settings that support early communication and confidence. In the recent Spending Review, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, confirmed that the government will continue to invest in and expand the Family Hubs programme as part of the Spending Review 2025.
Our Little Moments Together campaign provides free resources and advice to encourage parents to chat, play and read with their children, simple actions that make a lasting difference. Promoting a culture of reading for pleasure at home supports children’s language development, emotional wellbeing and cognitive growth, particularly in the early years. These benefits extend into later childhood, contributing to improved educational outcomes and a lifelong engagement with learning.
For school-age children, we continue to encourage parental engagement in reading and learning at home, recognising that strong early foundations are key to long term educational success.
Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will publish plans to strengthen the home learning environment to support literacy (a) in the early years and (b) for school age children.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
This government is committed to strengthening the home learning environment to support literacy and school readiness as part of the Plan for Change. In 2025/26, we are investing £10.7 million through Family Hubs in home learning environment services to help parents create language-rich, nurturing settings that support early communication and confidence. In the recent Spending Review, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, confirmed that the government will continue to invest in and expand the Family Hubs programme as part of the Spending Review 2025.
Our Little Moments Together campaign provides free resources and advice to encourage parents to chat, play and read with their children, simple actions that make a lasting difference. Promoting a culture of reading for pleasure at home supports children’s language development, emotional wellbeing and cognitive growth, particularly in the early years. These benefits extend into later childhood, contributing to improved educational outcomes and a lifelong engagement with learning.
For school-age children, we continue to encourage parental engagement in reading and learning at home, recognising that strong early foundations are key to long term educational success.
Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of parents and carers reading to children in the early years on the mental wellbeing of (a) children and (b) parents and carers.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Reading with young children supports not only early literacy but also emotional wellbeing, for both children and their parents or carers. Shared reading helps build secure attachments, supports emotional regulation and creates positive routines that help children feel safe and connected. These everyday interactions can also reduce stress and strengthen communication. Through our ‘Little Moments Together’ campaign and investment in home learning services, the department is helping families make the most of these moments. Family Hubs can play a key role in this, offering accessible, community-based support to help parents build strong, nurturing relationships that support both learning and wellbeing.
Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of community activities at supporting families with children in the early years.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government recognises the important role of community-based activities in supporting families during the early years. Through Family Hubs, we are working with local authorities and voluntary sector partners to deliver place-based, peer-led support for families with babies and young children. Activities such as stay-and-play sessions and parenting groups help build parental confidence, reduce isolation and promote early learning through everyday interactions. Our investment in home learning services includes funding for outreach and community engagement, ensuring that families, particularly those facing disadvantage, can access the support they need to give their children the best start in life.
Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of learning through play in early years education.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The early years foundation stage (EYFS) statutory framework sets the standards and requirements that all early years providers must follow to ensure every child has the best start in life and is prepared for school. The framework is clear that children learn through play and that play is essential for children’s development. For example singing songs helps to develop language comprehension, vocabulary, self-expression and literacy. Practitioners should carefully organise enabling environments and cultures for high-quality play and are encouraged to create games and provide opportunity for play both indoors and outdoors. 'The Children of the 2020s' study is part of a programme of departmental research that will improve our understanding of children’s progress throughout key phases of learning and education and aid future policy development. The study follows more than 8500 families and their babies, born in England between September and November 2021. The first wave of data published in 2023 showed that more than half of primary caregivers engaged in physical or turn-taking play, singing, pretend games and noisy play with their babies several times a day. These activities were linked to improved early language development. The second wave of data is due to be published in the autumn, and we will assess that to consider how we shape future policy for early education, including anything it tells us about learning through play.
Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she plans to establish family hubs across the country.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
On 11 June, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, set out plans for spending and public sector reforms through the Spending Review 2025. This announcement confirmed departmental budgets for 2026/27 onwards and committed that, the government will continue to invest in and expand the Family Hubs programme, working with parents to help give children the best start in life.
This builds upon my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister’s Plan for Change, published in December 2024, which outlined the ambition to give children the best start in life by strengthening and joining up family services to improve support through pregnancy and early childhood.
We are working within the department and the Department of Health and Social Care to share further information about what the Spending Review settlement means for the continuation and expansion of the programme. We recognise the importance of providing local authorities with certainty of future funding across the whole programme and will share further information when we are able to.
Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the effectiveness of the system of fining parents for taking their children out of school; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of this system on families from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Tackling absence is at the heart of the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity. We are facing an absence epidemic, with one in five children persistently absent. These figures are higher for children from disadvantaged backgrounds.
The ‘Working together to improve school attendance’ statutory guidance sets out that schools must consider whether support is more appropriate before deciding whether a penalty notice should be issued. A penalty notice cannot be given for authorised absence, such as those due to illness.
In cases of holiday taken in term time without permission or where the parent has not engaged or support is not working, the law protects the child’s right to a full-time education. This can include the issuing of penalty notices.
Where a penalty notice is considered, the national framework for penalty notices (introduced on 19 August 2024 following national consultation) is designed to improve consistency and fairness across the country. It states that penalty notices must be considered on an individual basis, preventing schools from having blanket rules. Schools or local councils may choose to issue a notice to improve instead of a penalty notice. This is a further offer of support before a penalty notice is issued.
Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department plans to take to ensure that schools participating in the breakfast club programme can provide adequately nutritious free school meals within the allocated budget.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department is funding 750 early adopter schools to provide access to a free, universal breakfast club lasting at least 30 minutes. Early adopter schools receive a combination of set up, fixed term and per pupil payments to cover food costs, staffing and delivery. Funding rates vary depending on uptake and pupil characteristics.
A key aim of the early adopter programme is to test and learn about take up across a diverse range of schools, to help inform future national rollout.
All food served within breakfast clubs must comply with the school food standards. To assist early adopter schools in choosing a healthy breakfast offer for their pupils, the department has produced additional guidance containing nutritious breakfast examples.
Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the adequacy of the funding received by schools participating in the National School Breakfast Programme to provide a nutritionally balanced breakfast to each child.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The National School Breakfast Programme (NSBP), introduced by the last government, funds only school food standards-compliant breakfast food and delivery costs. Schools receive a 75% subsidy from the government and must themselves cover the costs of the remaining 25%. This does not go far enough to support hard-working families and tackle disadvantage.
This is why the department is committed to introducing free breakfast clubs in every school with primary-aged children, with schools receiving funding to cover food, delivery and staffing costs. Our new breakfast clubs are about more than the food. They provide opportunities for children to play and socialise before the start of the school day, supporting children's attendance and attainment and enabling them to thrive academically and socially.
From April 2025, free breakfast clubs are available in up to 750 early adopter schools, as part of a test and learn phase. This goes far beyond the reach of the NSBP in all, and importantly, the most disadvantaged areas. The new breakfast club offer, once rolled out nationally, will be available to every state-funded school with primary-aged children.
Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that breakfasts provided through the National School Breakfast Programme are nutritious.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The National School Breakfast Programme (NSBP), introduced by the last government, funds only school food standards-compliant breakfast food and delivery costs. Schools receive a 75% subsidy from the government and must themselves cover the costs of the remaining 25%. This does not go far enough to support hard-working families and tackle disadvantage.
This is why the department is committed to introducing free breakfast clubs in every school with primary-aged children, with schools receiving funding to cover food, delivery and staffing costs. Our new breakfast clubs are about more than the food. They provide opportunities for children to play and socialise before the start of the school day, supporting children's attendance and attainment and enabling them to thrive academically and socially.
From April 2025, free breakfast clubs are available in up to 750 early adopter schools, as part of a test and learn phase. This goes far beyond the reach of the NSBP in all, and importantly, the most disadvantaged areas. The new breakfast club offer, once rolled out nationally, will be available to every state-funded school with primary-aged children.