Asked by: Julia Buckley (Labour - Shrewsbury)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what data her Department collects on how children travel to school.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
The National Travel Survey, conducted by the Department for Transport, includes data about how children travel to school and is accessible at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/nts03-modal-comparisons.
In February 2025, the department launched a data collection about the home to school travel arrangements local authorities make for eligible children. We are currently analysing the data. Information about home to school travel for eligible children is available in the statutory guidance for local authorities, which can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/home-to-school-travel-and-transport-guidance.
Asked by: Julia Buckley (Labour - Shrewsbury)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of including cycle training in the national curriculum.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
Schools are best placed and have the flexibility to decide on the activities they provide to deliver a rounded and enriching education to suit their pupils’ needs. This includes cycling training programmes such as Bikeability. Physical education (PE) is a foundation subject in the national curriculum and compulsory at all four key stages.
The department welcomes the opportunity for continued collaboration with Bikeability to create sustainable improvements in physical activity for young people, including through active travel and promoting the overall wellbeing benefits of physical activity, such as through cycling.
Asked by: Julia Buckley (Labour - Shrewsbury)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what requirement her Department has placed on academy trusts to monitor school buildings where asbestos is present.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department takes the safety of children and those who work with them incredibly seriously, which is why we expect all academy trusts, local authorities and governing bodies as responsible bodies to have robust plans in place to manage asbestos in school buildings effectively, in line with their statutory duties, drawing on appropriate professional advice.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE), as the regulator, sets the legal requirements and standards to manage asbestos and produces guidance for trusts and other responsible bodies to follow, as duty holders. The department provides guidance, tools and support to help all schools and responsible bodies effectively manage their school buildings, including guidance on the day-to-day monitoring and management of asbestos in schools and colleges, which was updated in October 2024. The Academy Trust Handbook 2024 is clear in its health and safety guidelines that “academy trusts have a duty to manage asbestos in their schools effectively, compliant with the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012” (clause 1.19).
The department follows the advice of the HSE as the regulator that, so long as asbestos-containing materials are undamaged and not in locations where they are vulnerable to damage, they should be left undisturbed and their condition monitored. However, the department has been clear that when asbestos does pose a risk to safety and cannot be effectively managed in place, it should be removed. The decision to remove asbestos should be considered on a case-by-case basis and annual condition funding provided by the department can be used for this purpose. In many cases, asbestos will be removed as part of wider rebuilding or refurbishment work.
Asked by: Julia Buckley (Labour - Shrewsbury)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of provision of secondary school places in areas of high population density in Shrewsbury constituency.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
The statutory duty to provide sufficient school places sits with local authorities. The department provides capital funding through the basic need grant to support local authorities to provide school places, based on their own pupil forecasts and school capacity data. They can use this funding to provide places in new schools or through expansions of existing schools, and can work with any school in their local area, including academies and free schools. The funding is not ring-fenced, subject to the conditions set out in the published grant determination letter, nor is it time bound, meaning local authorities are free to use this funding to best meet their local priorities.
Shropshire Council has been allocated just over £4.4 million to support the provision of new school places needed over the current and next two academic years, up to and including the academic year starting in September 2026.
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.
The department is aware that Shropshire Council are exploring local solutions to address localised secondary sufficiency challenges in Shrewsbury, including the potential for a new setting in the medium term.
Asked by: Julia Buckley (Labour - Shrewsbury)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much additional funding her Department has allocated for special educational needs provision by Shropshire Council since the Autumn Budget 2024.
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.
Following the Autumn Budget 2024, the department is providing an increase of almost £1 billion for high needs budgets in England in the 2025/26 financial year, bringing total high needs funding for children and young people with complex SEND to £11.9 billion. Of that total, Shropshire Council is being allocated over £46 million through the high needs funding block of the dedicated schools grant (DSG), which is an increase of £3.8 million on this year’s DSG high needs block, calculated using the high needs national funding formula (NFF). This NFF allocation is an 8.1% increase per head of their 2 to 18-year-old population on their equivalent 2024/25 NFF allocation.
In addition to the DSG, local authorities will also receive a separate core schools budget grant (CSBG) in the 2025/26 financial year. This CSBG continues the separate grants payable this year, which are to help special schools and alternative provision with the costs of teachers’ pay and pension increases and other staff pay increases. Individual local authorities’ allocations for 2025/26 will be published in due course.
As also announced at the Autumn Budget 2024, the department is receiving compensation in recognition of the increase in National Insurance contributions paid by schools and other state-funded SEND provision. That funding will be additional to the £1 billion increase in high needs funding through the DSG, and the separate CSBG referred to above, and the department will provide further information on the allocations as soon as possible.
Asked by: Julia Buckley (Labour - Shrewsbury)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to include the Chambers of Commerce in the Skills England programme.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department has set out its plan and ambitions for Skills England. Work is now underway to develop how it will deliver, and the department has already been clear that working with a wide range of stakeholders will be central to this. This includes the British Chambers of Commerce as well as other key organisations. The department will publish its first report in due course, which will be followed by a series of engagement activities.
Asked by: Julia Buckley (Labour - Shrewsbury)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to continue the holiday activities and food programme after 2024.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The future of the Holiday Activities and Food programme beyond 31 March 2025, is subject to the next government Spending Review taking place this autumn. The department will communicate the outcome of that process in due course.
Asked by: Julia Buckley (Labour - Shrewsbury)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of SEND provision in Shropshire.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
Following the last Ofsted inspection, departmental officials have been working with Shropshire Council to closely monitor progress against the areas for improvement identified by inspectors. The department has appointed a special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) advisor to support and work alongside Shropshire Council and the local area partnership.
This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with SEND or in alternative provision receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life. The department is committed to taking a community-wide approach in collaboration with local area partnerships, improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools, as well as ensuring special schools cater to those with the most complex needs.
Asked by: Julia Buckley (Labour - Shrewsbury)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions she has had with Shropshire Council on the adequacy of (a) funding for and (b) delivery of SEND services.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
Departmental officials are in regular contact with Shropshire Local Area Partnership to ensure children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities and their families are provided with positive experiences and outcomes, helping to foster a shared sense of responsibility and accountability for inclusion.
This government is committed to taking a community-wide approach in collaboration with Local Area Partnerships, improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools, as well as ensuring special schools cater to those with the most complex needs.