Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure cross-border cooperation between local education authorities in the planning and allocation of school places.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill is introducing new duties for mainstream state schools and local authorities to co-operate regarding school admissions and for state schools to co-operate with local authorities regarding place planning. Where co-operation breaks down or fails, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education will be able to intervene. This measure will help ensure that admissions and place planning decisions account for local communities’ needs.
Local authorities, academy trusts and local partners should work together on place planning. We expect local authorities to share their place planning strategy and data with local partners, which can include neighbouring local authorities.
Local authorities are required to ensure that their scheme to co-ordinate admission arrangements for the normal admissions round considers the admission of pupils in different local authority areas where that is what parents wish. Where possible their scheme of coordination should be compatible with the coordination schemes of neighbouring authorities. Where local authorities receive cross border applications, we expect the authorities to work together to ensure families receive timely decisions on national offer day, at the highest preference school that can offer the child a place.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department provides funding for equestrian activities for children with special educational needs and disabilities.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
The department provides funding for local authorities, schools and other education providers so that they can discharge their statutory duties relating to children with special educational needs and disabilities. It is for local authorities and schools to decide what provision to make available to support their education, and whether that support would include equestrian activities. The department does not collect information on the extent to which such activities are offered.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has considered supporting the development of bridging courses for qualified British National (Overseas) visa holders in (a) teaching, (b) social work, (c) healthcare and (d) other professions to help support their entry into regulated professions in the UK; and if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of doing so on labour shortages in those professions.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Through the government’s Plan for Change and the Industrial Strategy, we are taking a strategic approach to addressing current and future skills gaps in our domestic workforce.
The government continues to ensure the skills system is responsive to employer needs and offers more flexibility. Through the formation of Skills England, the new Growth and Skills Levy, as well as qualifications reform and the Curriculum and Assessment Review, employers will be better supported to recruit and train the domestic workforce with the skills they need. The department will set out our long term vision for the skills system in a forthcoming post-16 education and skills white paper.
British National (Overseas) visa holders are able to take an apprenticeship, so long as they have been resident in the UK for three years and can complete the apprenticeship, including the end-point assessment, within the time remaining on their visa. They can also access training through the Adult Skills Fund, as long as they have been resident in the UK for three years. Eligible, highly qualified teachers who trained to teach in Hong Kong can apply for professional recognition through our digital service.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will include within the remit of Skills England a requirement to help support (a) British National (Overseas) visa holders and (b) other migrants to access (i) training and (ii) employment.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Skills England will play a critical part in the government’s mission to drive growth across the country, support people to get better jobs and improve their standard of living.
Skills England will join the Labour Market Evidence (LME) Group to support a coherent approach to skills, migration and labour market policy. It will also shape technical education and apprenticeships to respond to skills needs.
It remains the case that eligible visa holders, including Hong Kong British National (Overseas) status holders, may be able to take an apprenticeship but must be able to complete the apprenticeship within the time they have available on their visa, including the end-point assessment.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to provide (a) guidance and (b) training to (i) local authority careers services and (ii) college course providers on the (A) rights and (B) eligibility of British National (Overseas) visa holders for post-16 (1) education and (2) adult learning programmes.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government is spending £1.4 billion on the Adult Skills Fund (ASF) in the 2024/25 academic year, which funds English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) provision for adult learners.
The general principle within ASF rules is that adults must be ordinarily resident in the UK for the three years preceding their first day of learning, although there are exceptions set out in the department’s funding rules. The department’s guidance to ASF providers, including local authorities on residency eligibility is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/adult-skills-fund-funding-rules/adult-skills-fund-funding-and-performance-management-rules-2024-to-2025.
Although British Nationals (Overseas) arriving from Hong Kong are not immediately eligible for ASF funding, funding of up to £850 per adult is available to support access to English language classes for those on the British Nationals (Overseas) route. For those aged 16-19, eligibility is explained in the student eligibility section of the statutory guidance ‘Advice: funding rules for 16 to 19 provision 2025 to 2026’, which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/advice-funding-regulations-for-post-16-provision/advice-funding-rules-for-16-to-19-provision-2025-to-2026#sectionthree.
Currently, 62% of the ASF is devolved to mayoral strategic authorities (MSAs). Devolution works because local leaders can use their mandate for change to take decisions needed to drive growth and convene local partners to tackle shared problems. While MSAs follow the department’s rules on residency, decisions around how they spend their devolved funding and their approach to monitoring are for them to make.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department is taking steps to expand access to English for Speakers of Other Languages provision for British National (Overseas) visa holders at (a) intermediate and (b) advanced levels and with a focus on (i) conversational and (ii) workplace English.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government is spending £1.4 billion on the Adult Skills Fund (ASF) in the 2024/25 academic year, which funds English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) provision for adult learners.
The general principle within ASF rules is that adults must be ordinarily resident in the UK for the three years preceding their first day of learning, although there are exceptions set out in the department’s funding rules. The department’s guidance to ASF providers, including local authorities on residency eligibility is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/adult-skills-fund-funding-rules/adult-skills-fund-funding-and-performance-management-rules-2024-to-2025.
Although British Nationals (Overseas) arriving from Hong Kong are not immediately eligible for ASF funding, funding of up to £850 per adult is available to support access to English language classes for those on the British Nationals (Overseas) route. For those aged 16-19, eligibility is explained in the student eligibility section of the statutory guidance ‘Advice: funding rules for 16 to 19 provision 2025 to 2026’, which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/advice-funding-regulations-for-post-16-provision/advice-funding-rules-for-16-to-19-provision-2025-to-2026#sectionthree.
Currently, 62% of the ASF is devolved to mayoral strategic authorities (MSAs). Devolution works because local leaders can use their mandate for change to take decisions needed to drive growth and convene local partners to tackle shared problems. While MSAs follow the department’s rules on residency, decisions around how they spend their devolved funding and their approach to monitoring are for them to make.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to ensure that (a) combined authorities and (b) local English for Speakers of Other Languages hubs (i) monitor uptake of English language support by British National (Overseas) visa holders and (ii) improve referral pathways between providers.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government is spending £1.4 billion on the Adult Skills Fund (ASF) in the 2024/25 academic year, which funds English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) provision for adult learners.
The general principle within ASF rules is that adults must be ordinarily resident in the UK for the three years preceding their first day of learning, although there are exceptions set out in the department’s funding rules. The department’s guidance to ASF providers, including local authorities on residency eligibility is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/adult-skills-fund-funding-rules/adult-skills-fund-funding-and-performance-management-rules-2024-to-2025.
Although British Nationals (Overseas) arriving from Hong Kong are not immediately eligible for ASF funding, funding of up to £850 per adult is available to support access to English language classes for those on the British Nationals (Overseas) route. For those aged 16-19, eligibility is explained in the student eligibility section of the statutory guidance ‘Advice: funding rules for 16 to 19 provision 2025 to 2026’, which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/advice-funding-regulations-for-post-16-provision/advice-funding-rules-for-16-to-19-provision-2025-to-2026#sectionthree.
Currently, 62% of the ASF is devolved to mayoral strategic authorities (MSAs). Devolution works because local leaders can use their mandate for change to take decisions needed to drive growth and convene local partners to tackle shared problems. While MSAs follow the department’s rules on residency, decisions around how they spend their devolved funding and their approach to monitoring are for them to make.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of directly providing a proportion of SEN funding to schools.
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.
Overall schools funding is increasing by £3.2 billion in the 2025/26 financial year and will total over £64.8 billion, compared to almost £61.6 billion in the 2024/25 financial year.
Local authorities are required by regulations to identify for each of their mainstream schools an amount, sometimes referred to as a notional budget, within their overall budget, which helps the school understand what might be required to meet the additional cost of supporting pupils with special educational needs, up to £6,000 per pupil per annum. Local authorities, working with their schools, calculate this amount using proportions of their local formula factor values in accordance with regulations. Most authorities use a combination of funding from the basic entitlement factor, the deprivation factors, and the low prior attainment factors in their local formula.
Local authorities also support schools with SEND support costs in excess of that £6,000 threshold, by allocating funds directly from their high needs budgets.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support the families of children unable to return to (a) mainstream and (b) special school.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
The department recognises that some pupils find it harder than others to attend school. It is therefore very important that schools and partners work closely with pupils and parents to remove any barriers to attendance by building strong and trusting relationships and working together to put the right support in place.
If a child of compulsory school age is still unable to access a mainstream or special school place, the local authority, under section 19 of the Children's Act 1996, has a duty to arrange alternative suitable and, typically, full-time education for the child.
Placements into alternative provision (AP) should focus on enabling the child to overcome any barriers to learning they may have and to assist them back into mainstream education. All placements should be reviewed regularly to ensure they are meeting these objectives.
Departmental guidance states that a child’s family should always be consulted before AP is arranged. This is because we know that families have an important role to play throughout the planning and commissioning of a child’s placement, as they can provide necessary information about the child and their needs. This guidance, last updated in January 2025, is accessible at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/alternative-provision.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she plans to take to ensure that high-quality education provision is available for children who are unable to attend (a) mainstream education and (b) special unit add-ons.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
This government is committed to ensuring that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) receive the right support to thrive in their education and make a successful transition into adulthood, including those who are unable to attend inclusive mainstream schools and instead access specialist or alternative provision (AP). We therefore recognise the vital role of high-quality specialist provision, particularly for children with more complex needs.
It is for local authorities, under section 19 of the Children's Act 1996, to arrange suitable and (normally) full-time education for children of compulsory school age who, because of exclusion, illness or other reasons, would not receive suitable education.
Ofsted hold local authorities to account for the sufficiency and commissioning of AP as part of their area SEND inspections.
The department issues guidance on the planning and commissioning of AP that focuses on the principles of delivering education that is appropriate, effective, safe and of good quality. The guidance was last updated in January 2025 and can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/alternative-provision.