Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she is taking steps to improve levels of consistency in how swimming attainment is assessed and reported by schools.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The current PE national curriculum requires all primary pupils to be taught to swim competently and confidently over 25 metres, use a range of strokes effectively, and perform safe self-rescue in different water-based situations.
The government accepted the recommendations of the Curriculum and Assessment Review, which recognised the benefits of PE while identifying a need for greater clarity, consistency and progression across the curriculum, including in swimming and water safety. In response, the department is developing a revised PE programme of study, which will be subject to consultation.
The reforms will strengthen the emphasis on swimming and water safety and will be supported through the new PE and School Sport Partnerships Network, drawing on expertise from organisations including Swim England.
The department has not made a specific assessment of recruitment and retention among those delivering curriculum swimming. However, the School and College Voice survey published in May 2025 found that 94% of primary schools surveyed relied solely on external teachers to teach swimming and water safety, compared with 6% using internal swimming staff and 20% supporting delivery. Further information is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-and-college-voice-omnibus-surveys-for-2024-to-2025/school-and-college-voice-may-2025#sec-Swimming-and-water-safety.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of recruitment and retention trends among teachers involved in delivering curriculum swimming and water safety lessons in schools.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The current PE national curriculum requires all primary pupils to be taught to swim competently and confidently over 25 metres, use a range of strokes effectively, and perform safe self-rescue in different water-based situations.
The government accepted the recommendations of the Curriculum and Assessment Review, which recognised the benefits of PE while identifying a need for greater clarity, consistency and progression across the curriculum, including in swimming and water safety. In response, the department is developing a revised PE programme of study, which will be subject to consultation.
The reforms will strengthen the emphasis on swimming and water safety and will be supported through the new PE and School Sport Partnerships Network, drawing on expertise from organisations including Swim England.
The department has not made a specific assessment of recruitment and retention among those delivering curriculum swimming. However, the School and College Voice survey published in May 2025 found that 94% of primary schools surveyed relied solely on external teachers to teach swimming and water safety, compared with 6% using internal swimming staff and 20% supporting delivery. Further information is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-and-college-voice-omnibus-surveys-for-2024-to-2025/school-and-college-voice-may-2025#sec-Swimming-and-water-safety.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to review the statutory swimming and water safety requirements in the National Curriculum.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The current PE national curriculum requires all primary pupils to be taught to swim competently and confidently over 25 metres, use a range of strokes effectively, and perform safe self-rescue in different water-based situations.
The government accepted the recommendations of the Curriculum and Assessment Review, which recognised the benefits of PE while identifying a need for greater clarity, consistency and progression across the curriculum, including in swimming and water safety. In response, the department is developing a revised PE programme of study, which will be subject to consultation.
The reforms will strengthen the emphasis on swimming and water safety and will be supported through the new PE and School Sport Partnerships Network, drawing on expertise from organisations including Swim England.
The department has not made a specific assessment of recruitment and retention among those delivering curriculum swimming. However, the School and College Voice survey published in May 2025 found that 94% of primary schools surveyed relied solely on external teachers to teach swimming and water safety, compared with 6% using internal swimming staff and 20% supporting delivery. Further information is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-and-college-voice-omnibus-surveys-for-2024-to-2025/school-and-college-voice-may-2025#sec-Swimming-and-water-safety.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of Ofqualâs powers in relation to regulating the training sector.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Ofqual is an independent, non-ministerial government department responsible for regulating qualifications, examinations and assessments in England. Its statutory remit and powers are set out principally in the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009.
Ofqual's current powers enable them to protect learners and regulate qualifications, including technical and vocational qualifications.
The department keeps the effectiveness of the wider qualifications regulatory framework under review and works closely with Ofqual to support the delivery of skills reforms.
Ofqual regularly reviews and consults on its policies and procedures, and the department maintains regular engagement with Ofqual as part of its oversight of the qualifications system.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of powers available to Ofqual to protect learners and training providers.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Ofqual is an independent, non-ministerial government department responsible for regulating qualifications, examinations and assessments in England. Its statutory remit and powers are set out principally in the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009.
Ofqual's current powers enable them to protect learners and regulate qualifications, including technical and vocational qualifications.
The department keeps the effectiveness of the wider qualifications regulatory framework under review and works closely with Ofqual to support the delivery of skills reforms.
Ofqual regularly reviews and consults on its policies and procedures, and the department maintains regular engagement with Ofqual as part of its oversight of the qualifications system.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when her Department last reviewed Ofqualâs procedures and policies.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Ofqual is an independent, non-ministerial government department responsible for regulating qualifications, examinations and assessments in England. Its statutory remit and powers are set out principally in the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009.
Ofqual's current powers enable them to protect learners and regulate qualifications, including technical and vocational qualifications.
The department keeps the effectiveness of the wider qualifications regulatory framework under review and works closely with Ofqual to support the delivery of skills reforms.
Ofqual regularly reviews and consults on its policies and procedures, and the department maintains regular engagement with Ofqual as part of its oversight of the qualifications system.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 16 June 2026 to Question 900535 on Children: Protection, whether (a) current and (b) proposed measures require relevant child risk information about dangerous adults in childrenâs lives to be proactively disclosed to protective (i) parents and (ii) carers before harm occurs.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Current powers and procedures including âSarahâs Lawâ allow both proactive and application-based disclosures of relevant information where this is necessary to protect a child, regardless of the recipientâs relationship to that child.
Any disclosure must be within the existing legal framework and have due regard to the established case law, the Human Rights Act 1998, and the UK General Data Protection Regulation and Part 3 of the Data Protection Act 2018.
To better inform where disclosure is necessary, the Childrenâs Wellbeing and Schoolsâ Actâs Information Sharing Duty and the Crime and Policing Actâs Child Cruelty Register will improve the identification of risk and the visibility of individuals who may pose a risk to children, helping agencies determine when disclosure is necessary to safeguard a child.
The government recognises the importance of timely risk disclosure and has assessed that the benefits of a dedicated risk disclosure mechanism can be achieved through existing legislation that enables disclosure to protect children, particularly the Crime and Policing Act, which places Sarah's Law on statutory footing.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 16 June 2026 to Question 900535 on Children: Protection, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of creating a dedicated mechanism requiring relevant child risk information to be proactively disclosed to protective parents and carers where necessary to safeguard a child.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Current powers and procedures including âSarahâs Lawâ allow both proactive and application-based disclosures of relevant information where this is necessary to protect a child, regardless of the recipientâs relationship to that child.
Any disclosure must be within the existing legal framework and have due regard to the established case law, the Human Rights Act 1998, and the UK General Data Protection Regulation and Part 3 of the Data Protection Act 2018.
To better inform where disclosure is necessary, the Childrenâs Wellbeing and Schoolsâ Actâs Information Sharing Duty and the Crime and Policing Actâs Child Cruelty Register will improve the identification of risk and the visibility of individuals who may pose a risk to children, helping agencies determine when disclosure is necessary to safeguard a child.
The government recognises the importance of timely risk disclosure and has assessed that the benefits of a dedicated risk disclosure mechanism can be achieved through existing legislation that enables disclosure to protect children, particularly the Crime and Policing Act, which places Sarah's Law on statutory footing.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the utility of Lead Generators within the training sector.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department does not prescribe the use of lead generators for the further education (FE) and skills sector and has not made a specific assessment of the utility of lead generators within the training sector.
Training providers are responsible for marketing their provision and attracting learners. The use of lead-generation services is a commercial decision for individual providers and forms part of the operation of the wider training market.
The department maintains oversight of the FE and skills sector through its published oversight arrangements with a focus on ensuring that publicly funded training delivers high-quality outcomes for learners and employers. Providers delivering department-funded provision are required to comply with the relevant funding rules and contractual requirements. Outcomes are measured through a range of established performance indicators. Provider performance is monitored through assurance and performance-management arrangements, and the department takes action where providers fail to meet the required standards or contractual expectations.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of introducing a child risk disclosure scheme.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government recognises the strength of feeling behind proposals for a Child Risk Disclosure Scheme and has considered the potential merits of such an approach. At its heart, the proposal seeks to ensure that relevant information about risk is shared quickly so that children can be protected from harm.
Some key elements of such a scheme are already possible through existing arrangements. Sarahâs Law enables both proactive and applicationâbased disclosures where there is a risk to a child, and we are strengthening this by placing it on a statutory footing.
We are also taking further action to improve visibility of risk and support safeguarding professionals, including through the introduction of a child cruelty register and a new information sharing duty. This duty will place a clear legal obligation on agencies to share information relevant to a childâs welfare at the earliest opportunity.
These reforms along with a strengthened role for education in local safeguarding arrangements, the creation of multi-agency child protection teams and a new Child Protection Authority will strengthen safeguarding in England, helping keep children safe from harm.
We will continue to engage closely with Maya Chappellâs family and other stakeholders to test whether ongoing reforms are addressing the risks they have identified.