Asked by: Laura Trott (Conservative - Sevenoaks)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking with early years providers to help tackle early years staffing shortages in areas identified as childcare deserts.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The early years workforce is at the heart of our mission to give every child the best start in life and deliver the Plan for Change.
We are supporting recruitment through our national ‘Do something BIG’ campaign, with a dedicated website setting out information on qualifications and linking to job vacancies, alongside financial incentives to attract and retain educators in areas of most need.
In addition, we are working with the Department for Work and Pensions to promote and raise awareness of early years careers through the Jobcentre Plus network. We are creating new routes into the workforce through Skills Bootcamps and funding early years initial teacher training, while our delivery support contractor, Childcare Works, is supporting local authorities and providers with one-to-one targeted support.
These efforts are starting have an impact, with staff numbers increasing by over 18,000 between 2024 and 2025.
Asked by: Laura Trott (Conservative - Sevenoaks)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many of the schools that started the breakfast club pilot scheme on 22 April 2025 have withdrawn; and for what reason each withdrew.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The first term of free breakfast clubs has already served two million breakfasts and parents, pupils and teachers are seeing the positive benefits this has to the school day.
This is part of a test and learn phase in advance of national rollout. This is a voluntary scheme.
The department is providing a package of support to all schools partaking in the early adopter scheme, including peer-to-peer learning and expert advisers, to ensure that they are confident to deliver their free breakfast clubs. We are working with schools to understand the sufficiency of this offer to inform the national rollout of the new free breakfast clubs.
Asked by: Laura Trott (Conservative - Sevenoaks)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if her Department will publish a list of (a) the proposed locations for new school-based nurseries and (b) the criteria used to select them.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Phase one of the School-Based Nurseries Capital Grant 2024/25 was open to all state funded primary-phase schools across England. We published a list of the successful schools, which can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-based-nursery-capital-grant-application-outcomes.
The criteria used to determine the location of the new and expanded school-based nurseries was published in our applicant guidance and included local demand for nursery places.
Asked by: Laura Trott (Conservative - Sevenoaks)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that the expansion of school-based nurseries is focused on addressing childcare deserts and areas with significant unmet need.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department is committed to ensuring that the expansion of school-based nurseries targets areas of need, while complementing the existing childcare market. In the first phase of the programme, schools could only apply with local authority endorsement, ensuring alignment with local demand and strategic oversight. In some areas, no bids were supported, due to a lack of identified need. In the first phase of the programme, the majority of new nurseries are in the North or Midlands, increasing access to childcare in cold spots and supporting the communities that need it most.
The department is currently reviewing the targeting and implementation approach for future phases of the programme. We will learn from the initial phase and will continue working closely with the sector to inform our planning, ensuring new provision meets the needs of children, parents, and the local community.
Asked by: Laura Trott (Conservative - Sevenoaks)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to monitor the potential impact of new nursery provision on childcare (a) availability and (b) affordability in areas already served by existing providers.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Local authorities are required by legislation to secure sufficient childcare places for children in their areas, and the department will continue to speak to local authorities in England about their sufficiency of childcare. Where local authorities report sufficiency challenges, we discuss what action the local authority is taking to address those issues and, where needed, support with any specific requirements through our childcare sufficiency support contract.
Asked by: Laura Trott (Conservative - Sevenoaks)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has consulted with local early years providers when identifying locations for new school-based nursery provision.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Local authorities are required by legislation to secure sufficient childcare places for children in their area. To be eligible for phase 1 of the school-based nurseries programme, schools had to obtain the endorsement of their local authority by evidencing local early years demand.
Schools were required to confirm that their local authority early years lead and pupil place planning lead were content with their proposal to create new or expanded nursery provision. Local authorities also had the opportunity to provide further comments to the department on any applications from schools in their area, as part of the assessment process.
Asked by: Laura Trott (Conservative - Sevenoaks)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her Department’s policy is on state schools charging parents for mandatory laptops or IT equipment used during school hours.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department's guidance on charging for school activities is clear that there should be no charge for state funded education. Section 454 of the Education Act 1996 prohibits schools from charging for education during school hours or for the supply of materials, books or other equipment, like laptops or IT equipment, that are required for education during school hours. Schools may ask parents to make a voluntary contribution towards the cost of equipment, but must make clear that these are voluntary. The Act allows an exemption to enable schools to charge for equipment where a parent wants their child to own it, but parents should not be pressured into this. The guidance on charging for school activities can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/charging-for-school-activities.
Asked by: Laura Trott (Conservative - Sevenoaks)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent progress her Department has made on the Mainstream Schools Review; and when she expects to announce the outcome.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The review has focused on ensuring that government funding is targeted where it is most needed. In the past, a significant proportion of spending on free schools has created surplus capacity, resulting in subsequent closure of new schools. Some of that funding could have been put to better use by improving the deteriorating condition of our existing schools and colleges.
The department understands that trusts and local authorities want to have certainty about their projects as soon as possible. We will provide an update on next steps to trusts and local authorities in due course.
Asked by: Laura Trott (Conservative - Sevenoaks)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children will cease to be eligible for free school meals following the expiry of transitional protections.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
This government is committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity and tackling child poverty. We have now announced that we are extending free school meals to all children from households in receipt of Universal Credit from September 2026. It will lift 100,000 children across England out of poverty and put £500 back in families’ pockets, supporting parents in decisive action to improve lives ahead of the Child Poverty Strategy coming later this year.
Providing over half a million children from the most disadvantaged backgrounds with a free, nutritious lunchtime meal every school day will also lead to higher attainment, improved behaviour and better outcomes, meaning children get the best possible education and chance to succeed in work and life.
The department is absolutely clear that no pupil with transitional protections will lose their entitlement to free meals before the new entitlement to free meals is introduced.
The department’s published statistics show that over half a million more children will benefit from a free meal, after accounting for the removal of transitional protections: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/estimate-of-additional-children-claiming-free-school-meals-following-expansion-of-eligibility/2025.
Asked by: Laura Trott (Conservative - Sevenoaks)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to publish the national behaviour survey for the 2023-24 academic year.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The National Behaviour Survey for the 2023/24 academic year is due to be published in the summer.