Asked by: Laura Trott (Conservative - Sevenoaks)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the answer of 28 July 2026 to question 17814, whether her Department has (a) met with Kent County Council and (b) concluded whether their Communities of Schools model complies with her Department's guidance.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department has met Kent County Council to discuss its Communities of Schools model and to understand how the model is intended to operate in practice.
Following that engagement, the department is considering the information provided by the council against the relevant guidance.
Asked by: Laura Trott (Conservative - Sevenoaks)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether a state-funded school may require a pupil of primary-school age to wear religious clothing as part of its uniform without the express consent of the pupil's parent or guardian.
Answered by Paul Waugh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department does not routinely gather data on individual schools’ uniform policies and does not hold information on schools requiring articles of religious clothing.
School leaders, including those of faith schools, are responsible for making decisions on the uniform requirements for their school.
The department publishes non-statutory guidance on ‘Developing school uniform policy, which sets out schools’ obligations under the Human Rights Act 1998 and the Equality Act 2010, as well as general equality and discrimination considerations. This is available here at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-uniform/school-uniforms.
The department’s guidance is clear that schools should aim for their uniform policy to be as inclusive as possible so that all pupils are able to wear the uniform. They should engage with parents and pupils when developing the policy.
Asked by: Laura Trott (Conservative - Sevenoaks)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on how many state-funded schools in England require female pupils to wear a hijab as part of their school uniform.
Answered by Paul Waugh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department does not routinely gather data on individual schools’ uniform policies and does not hold information on schools requiring articles of religious clothing.
School leaders, including those of faith schools, are responsible for making decisions on the uniform requirements for their school.
The department publishes non-statutory guidance on ‘Developing school uniform policy, which sets out schools’ obligations under the Human Rights Act 1998 and the Equality Act 2010, as well as general equality and discrimination considerations. This is available here at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-uniform/school-uniforms.
The department’s guidance is clear that schools should aim for their uniform policy to be as inclusive as possible so that all pupils are able to wear the uniform. They should engage with parents and pupils when developing the policy.
Asked by: Laura Trott (Conservative - Sevenoaks)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether Ofsted has a role in assessing whether a state-funded school's uniform policy is consistent with the (a) Equality Act 2010 and (b) school's obligations to promote fundamental British values.
Answered by Paul Waugh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department does not routinely gather data on individual schools’ uniform policies and does not hold information on schools requiring articles of religious clothing.
School leaders, including those of faith schools, are responsible for making decisions on the uniform requirements for their school.
The department publishes non-statutory guidance on ‘Developing school uniform policy, which sets out schools’ obligations under the Human Rights Act 1998 and the Equality Act 2010, as well as general equality and discrimination considerations. This is available here at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-uniform/school-uniforms.
The department’s guidance is clear that schools should aim for their uniform policy to be as inclusive as possible so that all pupils are able to wear the uniform. They should engage with parents and pupils when developing the policy.
Asked by: Laura Trott (Conservative - Sevenoaks)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what protections are in place to ensure that pupils of (a) no religion and (b) a religion other than that of a faith school are not required to wear religious clothing as part of the school's uniform.
Answered by Paul Waugh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department does not routinely gather data on individual schools’ uniform policies and does not hold information on schools requiring articles of religious clothing.
School leaders, including those of faith schools, are responsible for making decisions on the uniform requirements for their school.
The department publishes non-statutory guidance on ‘Developing school uniform policy, which sets out schools’ obligations under the Human Rights Act 1998 and the Equality Act 2010, as well as general equality and discrimination considerations. This is available here at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-uniform/school-uniforms.
The department’s guidance is clear that schools should aim for their uniform policy to be as inclusive as possible so that all pupils are able to wear the uniform. They should engage with parents and pupils when developing the policy.
Asked by: Laura Trott (Conservative - Sevenoaks)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance her Department provides to state-funded schools on the circumstances in which a pupil may decline to wear religious clothing required by a school's uniform policy.
Answered by Paul Waugh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department does not routinely gather data on individual schools’ uniform policies and does not hold information on schools requiring articles of religious clothing.
School leaders, including those of faith schools, are responsible for making decisions on the uniform requirements for their school.
The department publishes non-statutory guidance on ‘Developing school uniform policy, which sets out schools’ obligations under the Human Rights Act 1998 and the Equality Act 2010, as well as general equality and discrimination considerations. This is available here at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-uniform/school-uniforms.
The department’s guidance is clear that schools should aim for their uniform policy to be as inclusive as possible so that all pupils are able to wear the uniform. They should engage with parents and pupils when developing the policy.
Asked by: Laura Trott (Conservative - Sevenoaks)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether Kent’s Communities of Schools model complies with her Department's guidance.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department is seeking a meeting with Kent County Council officers to understand more about its Communities of Schools model.
Asked by: Laura Trott (Conservative - Sevenoaks)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the £3.5 billion funding announced in the White Paper entitled Every child achieving and thriving, published 23 February 2026, is additional funding beyond that announced at the Spending Review.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
I refer the right hon. Member for Sevenoaks to the answer of 7 April 2026 to Question HL14880 and HL14881.
Asked by: Laura Trott (Conservative - Sevenoaks)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the £4bn announced in her Department's policy paper entitled Every child achieving and thriving, published on 23 February 2026, is from her Department’s existing spending envelope.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
I refer the right hon. Member for Sevenoaks to the answer of 7 April 2026 to Question HL14880 and HL14881.
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 ensure pupils, particularly those with imminent exams, can continue to attend schools safely in the context of the meningitis outbreak.
Answered by Olivia Bailey
Children and young people, including those identified as contacts of cases, can and should continue to attend school or college as normal, including sitting exams and qualifications, unless directly advised otherwise by the local health protection team.
Meningococcal disease does not spread easily, and outbreaks of the size seen in Kent are rare. Transmission of meningococcal disease requires close and prolonged contact to spread, including living in the same household, and intimate contact such as kissing or sharing vapes.
A targeted programme of preventative antibiotics and meningitis B vaccination has been introduced to provide longer-term protection for students and young people in the area. Vaccination has been offered to all those who have received preventative antibiotics, and to year 11, 12 and 13 students in schools and colleges in Kent where confirmed or probable cases have been identified. Widening the vaccine offer is a precautionary measure to ensure longer-term protection whilst helping to minimise disruption to school attendance at a critical time in the academic year.