Manuela Perteghella

The Government’s consultation on Copyright and AI, which sought views on proposals for a new regulatory model for text and data mining, has closed. Our priority now is to review the evidence from the consultation which will inform the Government response.

Copying material protected by copyright in the UK remains an infringement unless it is licensed or an exception to copyright applies.

The government remains committed to delivering economic growth across all regions of the UK. We are working with local leaders in the West Midlands to develop their local growth plans, through which we will seek to make research and innovation the foundation of future growth in the region.

DSIT’s Innovation Accelerator programme is empowering local businesses, universities, and civic leaders in the West Midlands to work together to catalyse innovation-led local growth, supported by around £33 million of public funding that is supporting projects in health and clean technology such as the Biochar Clean Tech Accelerator.

The department is committed to improving support for all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including those with dyslexia and other neurodiverse conditions. As part of this, the department is considering evidence on international best practice in its policymaking on special educational needs (SEN).

The department is providing £1 billion more for high needs budgets in the 2025/26 financial year, bringing total high needs funding to £11.9 billion. This funding will help local authorities and schools with the increasing costs of supporting children and young people with complex SEND.

Early identification of need and support is critical to improving outcomes for children and young people with SEND, including those with dyslexia. There are already a number of measures to help teachers do this, including the phonics screening check and statutory assessments at the end of key stage 2.

Schools should apply a ‘graduated approach’ to identify a child’s needs, plan appropriate support, implement that support, and review it regularly to ensure it continues to meet their identified needs. Through this, schools should develop personalised approaches to supporting the unique needs of individual pupils. Schools should involve pupils and their parents in this process, taking their views into consideration.

The core content framework and early career framework, for trainee and early career teachers (ECTs) respectively, covers the first three years or more at the start of a teacher’s career. They set out the core body of knowledge skills and behaviours that define great teaching, and from September 2025 will be superseded by the combined Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework (ITTECF), which sets out a minimum entitlement to training and must be used by providers of initial teacher training and those delivering training to ECTs to create their curricula. The ITTECF contains significantly more content related to adaptive teaching and supporting pupils with SEND.

Measures have also been introduced to support the effective teaching of reading, including for those at risk of falling behind. This includes the English Hubs programme, the publication of the reading framework and an updated list of high quality systematic synthetic phonics programmes for schools.

The English Hubs programme is dedicated to improving the teaching of reading, with a focus on supporting children making the slowest progress in reading. As part of the continuous professional development provided by the English Hubs, the Reading Ambition for All programme has been launched to improve outcomes for children who need additional support with reading, including those with SEND.

I refer the hon. Member for Stratford-upon-Avon to the answer of 29 January 2025 to Question 26025.

The department recognises the importance of recruiting individuals with a range of skills, knowledge and lived experiences into child protection roles. While formal qualifications and specialist training are essential for safeguarding children effectively, we acknowledge that personal experience of raising children can offer valuable insights into the challenges children and families face.

Through initiatives such as the Step Up to Social Work and Approach Social Work programmes, as well as apprenticeships, undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, the department aims to attract talented individuals from diverse backgrounds and with a range of life experience into the social work profession.

Local authorities and social work employers have flexibility in their recruitment approaches and may consider a candidate’s personal experience as a complement to their professional expertise.

The statutory guidance ‘Working together to safeguard children 2023’ sets out clear multi-agency child protection practice standards and expectations for all practitioners working to help, protect and promote the welfare of children, whatever their personal and professional backgrounds.

Provision of continuous professional development for employed social workers is a matter for their employer. The regulator for the social work profession, Social Work England, sets the professional standards which all social workers must meet. These include recognising the risk indicators of different forms of abuse and neglect and their impact on people, their families and their support networks. Social workers complete initial education and training courses which are approved by the regulator against the education and training standards. Course providers must update and design their courses as a result of developments in research, legislation, government policy and best practice.

This government is committed to strengthening the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system for all children and young people to ensure they receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life.

Parents have struggled to get their children the support they need and deserve, particularly through long and difficult education, health and care (EHC) plan processes.

The department wants to ensure that EHC needs assessments are progressed promptly and plans are issued quickly in order to provide children and young people with the support they need to help them achieve positive outcomes.

The department continues to monitor and work closely with local authorities that have issues with EHC plan timeliness. Where there are concerns about a local authority’s capacity to make the required improvements, we help the local authority to identify the barriers and put in place an effective plan to improve delivery. This includes, where needed, securing specialist SEND adviser support to help identify the barriers to EHC plan process timeliness and put in place practical plans for recovery.

The department is working closely with experts on reform, including a Strategic Advisor for SEND, who will play a key role in convening and engaging with the sector, including leaders, practitioners, children and families as we consider next steps.

The department has also listened to parents, local authority colleagues, and partners across education, health and social care and is considering carefully how to address and improve the experience of the EHC plan process for families and reflecting on what practice could or should be made consistent nationally.

The below tables show the number of candidates who received a religious education (RE) subject knowledge enhancement (SKE) grant in each month since October 2022.

The previous government took the decision to cut funding for RE SKEs from April 2024 alongside four other subjects. The department currently offers SKE support in five secondary subjects: chemistry, computing, mathematics, modern languages and physics. The department will continue to explore our options for delivery of SKE training in future academic years to ensure that our funding supports courses in the subjects where these courses are most needed.

SKE courses in RE by month

Initial teacher training (ITT) census data shows there were 269 new entrants to postgraduate ITT courses in RE in the 2023/24 academic year. Therefore, the department estimates 32% of all new postgraduate entrants in RE in the 2023/24 academic year undertook a SKE prior to commencing ITT.

ITT census data shows there were 462 new entrants to postgraduate ITT courses in RE in the 2024/25 academic year. We therefore estimate 27% of all new postgraduate entrants in RE in the 2024/25 academic year undertook a SKE prior to commencing ITT.

This government inherited a system with critical shortages of teachers, with numbers not keeping pace with demographic changes. Financial incentives are one of the most effective ways to increase teacher supply, which is why the department has announced an initial teacher training financial incentives package for the 2025/26 recruitment cycle worth £233 million, which is a £37 million increase on the last cycle. This includes the reintroduction of a £10,000 tax free bursary to encourage prospective trainees to teach RE.

​​The department has also expanded its ‘School Teacher Recruitment’ marketing campaign which inspires and attracts candidates to consider a career in teaching, including RE. It promotes the profession and directs people to the ‘Get Into Teaching’ service, which exists to make teaching a career of choice and supports candidates to apply for teacher training in the most effective and efficient way possible.

The below tables show the number of candidates who received a religious education (RE) subject knowledge enhancement (SKE) grant in each month since October 2022.

The previous government took the decision to cut funding for RE SKEs from April 2024 alongside four other subjects. The department currently offers SKE support in five secondary subjects: chemistry, computing, mathematics, modern languages and physics. The department will continue to explore our options for delivery of SKE training in future academic years to ensure that our funding supports courses in the subjects where these courses are most needed.

SKE courses in RE by month

Initial teacher training (ITT) census data shows there were 269 new entrants to postgraduate ITT courses in RE in the 2023/24 academic year. Therefore, the department estimates 32% of all new postgraduate entrants in RE in the 2023/24 academic year undertook a SKE prior to commencing ITT.

ITT census data shows there were 462 new entrants to postgraduate ITT courses in RE in the 2024/25 academic year. We therefore estimate 27% of all new postgraduate entrants in RE in the 2024/25 academic year undertook a SKE prior to commencing ITT.

This government inherited a system with critical shortages of teachers, with numbers not keeping pace with demographic changes. Financial incentives are one of the most effective ways to increase teacher supply, which is why the department has announced an initial teacher training financial incentives package for the 2025/26 recruitment cycle worth £233 million, which is a £37 million increase on the last cycle. This includes the reintroduction of a £10,000 tax free bursary to encourage prospective trainees to teach RE.

​​The department has also expanded its ‘School Teacher Recruitment’ marketing campaign which inspires and attracts candidates to consider a career in teaching, including RE. It promotes the profession and directs people to the ‘Get Into Teaching’ service, which exists to make teaching a career of choice and supports candidates to apply for teacher training in the most effective and efficient way possible.

I refer the hon. Member for Stratford-on-Avon to the answer of 17 December 2024 to Question 18517.

I refer the hon. Member for Stratford-on-Avon to the answer of 29 January 2025 to Question 26397.

High and rising school standards, with excellent foundations in reading, writing and mathematics, are at the heart of the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and give every child the best start in life.

The department knows that reading for pleasure is hugely important and brings a range of benefits. There are a number of strong links with attainment, such as the 2021 Progress in International Reading Literacy Study report, which found a 34 point difference in reading performance between pupils in England who “very much” liked reading and pupils who “do not” like reading. Additionally, the 2022 Programme for International Student Assessment study found that enjoyment of reading links to pupils’ reading engagement, and that reading engagement was strongly positively correlated with reading performance. There is also a strong evidence base linking reading for pleasure with other positive effects, such as expanding pupils’ knowledge about the world and about language, as well as their understanding of subject-specific academic and technical vocabulary.

Furthermore, pupils who read regularly report heightened levels of social and emotional wellbeing. For many, reading is a form of relaxation, a place to escape everyday challenges, or a source of entertainment. Reading allows readers to adopt new perspectives, develop empathy and become more socially conscious.

In recognition of this, the department has implemented a range of measures to support reading for pleasure. The English Hubs programme supports the teaching of phonics, early language development and reading for pleasure, with £23 million committed for the 2024/25 academic year to support this work. Furthermore, the government’s reading framework provides guidance on improving the teaching of reading, to ensure that every child is not only able to read proficiently but also develops a genuine love of reading.

On 5 February, the government announced a £2 million investment to drive high and rising standards in reading and writing. Building on the success of phonics, teachers will receive additional training to help children progress from the early stages of phonics in reception and year 1 through to reading fluently by the time they leave primary school. This will be delivered through the English Hubs programme.

In secondary school, teachers will be offered new training and resources this year to help them support readers at all levels, and next year the department will commission further training that will be focused specifically on struggling readers in secondary school who are at risk of falling behind.

The current national curriculum states that teachers are expected to encourage pupils to develop the habit of reading widely and often, for both pleasure and information.

The government has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, which will look closely at the key challenges to attainment for young people, in line with the government’s ambition for a curriculum that delivers excellent foundations in reading, writing and mathematics.

The government’s first mission is to kickstart economic growth. Across the country skills gaps are holding back business growth and the government has committed to widening the apprenticeships offer into a levy-funded growth and skills offer.

Our levy-funded growth and skills offer, with apprenticeships at the heart, will deliver greater flexibility for learners and employers in England, aligned with our industrial strategy creating routes into good, skilled jobs in growing industries. As a first step, this will include shorter duration and foundation apprenticeships in targeted sectors, helping more people learn new high-quality skills at work, fuelling innovation in businesses across the country, and providing high-quality entry pathways for young people.

In addition, as Skills England have highlighted, employer demand for higher technical skills at levels 4 and 5 is growing. The department is supporting employers to meet the need for higher technical skills, with over 150 apprenticeship standards approved for delivery at levels 4 and 5. Skills England will also help to ensure that there is a comprehensive suite of apprenticeships, training and technical qualifications for individuals and employers to access, which are aligned with skills gaps and what employers need.

In December the government published its Plan for Change, which outlines the priority deliverable for the Opportunity Mission is for a record number of children to be starting school ready to learn, measured by attainment against the early learning goals. This is key to breaking the link between young people’s background and their success. The department is hugely ambitious for the early years because we know how important this is for parents and their children.

It is important that the funded childcare hours are accessible and affordable for all families that need them. That is why the government is taking action to tackle reported instances of parents facing very high additional charges on top of the funded entitlement hours. These could include extra charges for nappies, lunch or other ‘consumables’, which should not be made a condition of accessing a funded place. It is also important that any additional charges are completely transparent to parents.

As part of the department’s regular review of the early years statutory guidance for local authorities, we have engaged with local authorities, providers and groups representing parents to clarify our statutory guidance on charging, including on so-called ‘top up fees’, and are considering how the department can better support local authorities to protect parents from overcharging.

The department will publish its updated statutory guidance in due course.

In December the government published its Plan for Change, which outlines the priority deliverable for the Opportunity Mission is for a record number of children to be starting school ready to learn, measured by attainment against the early learning goals. This is key to breaking the link between young people’s background and their success. The department is hugely ambitious for the early years because we know how important this is for parents and their children.

It is important that the funded childcare hours are accessible and affordable for all families that need them. That is why the government is taking action to tackle reported instances of parents facing very high additional charges on top of the funded entitlement hours. These could include extra charges for nappies, lunch or other ‘consumables’, which should not be made a condition of accessing a funded place. It is also important that any additional charges are completely transparent to parents.

As part of the department’s regular review of the early years statutory guidance for local authorities, we have engaged with local authorities, providers and groups representing parents to clarify our statutory guidance on charging, including on so-called ‘top up fees’, and are considering how the department can better support local authorities to protect parents from overcharging.

The department will publish its updated statutory guidance in due course.

Interest rates on student loans do not affect monthly repayments made by borrowers. Regular repayments are based on a fixed percentage of earnings above the applicable repayment threshold, not on amount borrowed or the rate of interest. The income of the wider household/family is not included.

If income is below the relevant repayment threshold, or a borrower is not earning, they do not have to make any repayments. Any outstanding debt, including interest accrued, is written off after the loan term ends, or in case of death or disability, at no detriment to the borrower. The debt does not pass to the borrower’s family.

An impact assessment on the current student loan plan type can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/higher-education-reform-equality-impact-assessment.

The government is determined that the higher education funding system should deliver for our economy, universities and students. The department has taken the system under consideration and will continue to engage with stakeholders on this.

I refer the hon. Member for Stratford-on-Avon to the answer of 11 September 2024 to Question 4162.

The department’s guidance to schools, trusts and local authorities on supporting school attendance sets clear expectations to provide a ‘support-first’ approach to attendance, while maintaining high ambitions for all pupils.

The department knows that some pupils face more complex barriers, including pupils who have long-term physical or mental health conditions, or who have special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Their right to an education is the same as any other pupil and therefore the attendance ambition for these pupils should be the same as it is for any other pupil. However, additional support may need to be provided to deliver those ambitions.

For pupils with SEND, schools are expected to:

• Work in partnership with parents to develop specific support approaches including, where applicable, ensuring the provision outlined in the pupil’s education, health and care plan is accessed.
• Work in partnership with families to address barriers where school transport is regularly being missed and work with other partners to encourage the scheduling of medical appointments and other interventions outside of the main school day.
• Establish strategies for removing any in-school barriers, including considering reasonable adjustments for uniform, transport, routines, access to support in school and lunchtime arrangements.
• Consider adjustments to practice and policies to help meet the needs of pupils who are struggling to attend school, as well as making formal reasonable adjustments under section 20 of the Equality Act 2010 where a pupil has a disability. Any adjustments should be agreed by and regularly reviewed with the pupil and their parents.
• Ensure joined-up pastoral care is in place where needed and consider whether a time-limited phased return to school would be appropriate.

The department’s ‘Working together to improve school attendance’ guidance can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/66bf300da44f1c4c23e5bd1b/Working_together_to_improve_school_attendance_-_August_2024.pdf, and additional information about SEND support can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/children-with-special-educational-needs/special-educational-needs-support.

The school food standards regulate the food and drink provided at lunchtime and at other times of the school day. Compliance with the school food standards is mandatory for all maintained schools, academies and free schools. It is important that children eat nutritious food at school and the department encourages schools to have a whole school approach to healthy eating.

The government has the ambition to source half of all food served in public sector settings from local producers or food that has been produced by growers certified to higher environmental standards, where possible. The government wants to use the purchasing power of the public sector food supply chain to lead the way and to set the tone in delivering the government’s wider ambitions on sustainability, animal welfare, economic growth, nutrition and health. The department has also committed to supporting schools to drive up their sustainable practices on food. Schools can voluntarily follow the government buying standards, which include lots of good advice around sustainable sourcing.

Ministerial teams are working with departmental officials on plans to deliver the government’s manifesto commitments, including making quick progress to deliver breakfast clubs in every primary school. The department’s aim is to deliver better life chances for all through a system which works for all. As part of this, as with all government programmes, the department will keep its approach to school food under continued review.

The department’s home to school travel policy aims to make sure that no child is prevented from accessing education from a lack of transport. Local authorities must arrange free home to school travel for children of compulsory school age, 5 to 16, who attend their nearest school and would not be able to walk there because of the distance, their special educational needs, disability or mobility problem, or because the nature of the route means it would be unsafe for them to do so. There are extended rights to free travel for children from low-income families.

Parents are responsible for making travel arrangements for children who are not eligible for free home to school travel. Good local bus services are an essential part of prosperous and sustainable communities, providing access to schools and other services. This government has set out an action plan to deliver better bus services, grow passenger numbers and drive opportunity to under-served regions. As announced in the King’s Speech, the government will pass the Better Buses Bill to put the power over local bus services back in the hands of local leaders to ensure networks can meet the needs of the communities who rely on them, including in rural areas. The government also plans to empower local transport authorities by reforming bus funding to give local leaders more control and flexibility over their funding so they can plan ahead to deliver their local transport priorities.

High-quality teaching is the factor that makes the biggest difference to a child’s education. There are now 468,693 full-time equivalent teachers in state-funded schools in England, but we must do more to ensure we have the workforce needed to provide the best possible education for every child in all parts of the country, which is why the government has set out the ambition to recruit 6,500 new expert teachers.

The first crucial step towards achieving this is to ensure teaching is once again an attractive and respected profession and that teachers get the pay they deserve. This is why the department has accepted, in full, the School Teachers’ Review Body’s recommendation of a 5.5% pay award for teachers and leaders in maintained schools from this September.

The department is providing schools with almost £1.1 billion in additional funding, in the 2024/25 financial year, to support schools with overall costs. This matches what the department has calculated is needed to fully fund, at a national level, the teacher pay award, and the support staff pay offer in the 2024/25 financial year, after accounting for the overall available headroom in schools’ existing budgets.

Alongside teacher pay, financial incentives are one of the most effective ways to increase teacher supply, and the department is continuing to support teacher trainees with tax-free bursaries of up to £28,000 and scholarships of up to £30,000 in shortage subjects. To help with retention, new teachers of mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing, in the first five years of their careers, also receive retention payments if they are working in disadvantaged schools. In the 2023/24 academic year, two schools in the Stratford-on-Avon constituency were eligible for these retention payments.

To further help teachers stay and thrive in the profession, the department is also addressing teacher workload and wellbeing and supporting schools to introduce flexible working practices.

The department has also established Teaching School Hubs across the country, which provide approved high-quality professional development to teachers at all stages of their careers. Tudor Grange Teaching School Hub is a centre of excellence supporting teacher training and development across Bromsgrove, Redditch, Solihull and Stratford-on-Avon.

Following the last Ofsted inspection, departmental officials have been working with Warwickshire County Council (WCC) to closely monitor progress against the areas for improvement identified by inspectors.

The areas were:

(i) Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) waiting times, assessments and support following diagnosis.

(ii) Co-production.

(iii) Placement of children and young people with an Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plan.

(iv) Uptake of training for school staff working with children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

(v) And the quality of the online local offer.

The department has appointed a SEND Advisor to support and work alongside WCC 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.

The overall core schools budget will total £61.8 billion in the 2024/25 financial year. The average per pupil funding in England, as allocated through the schools block of the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG), is £5,957.

In the 2024/25 financial year, the average per-pupil funding for Warwickshire, as allocated through the schools block of the DSG, is £5,634.

The DSG is allocated at local authority level, and as such the equivalent figures are not available for the Stratford-on-Avon constituency. The allocations that schools within a constituency receive are determined by the local funding formula in their area.

The figures provided include premises funding but exclude growth funding. The figures do not include the additional grant funding that schools across the country have received to support pay and pensions increases in 2024/25.

One reason why the per pupil funding figure in Warwickshire is lower than the average in England is that schools in Warwickshire have a lower proportion of pupils who attract deprivation funding through the NFF than the national average.

The department continues to consider the various funding formulae used at national and local levels to ensure that we have a fair education funding system that directs funding to where it is needed.

Following the last Ofsted inspection, officials have been working with Warwickshire County Council (WCC) to closely monitor progress against the area for improvement identified by inspectors.

The areas were:

(i) Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) waiting times, assessments and support following diagnosis.

(ii) Co-production.

(iii) Placement of children and young people with an Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plan.

(iv) Uptake of training for school staff working with children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

(v) And the quality of the online local offer.

The department appointed a SEND advisor to support and work alongside WCC and the local area partnership.

This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with SEND or in alternative provision (AP) 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.

The department recognises the financial pressures on local authorities due to rising costs in the SEND system. The Core Schools Budget Grant (CSBG) will provide over £140 million, at a national level, in additional funding for special and AP schools in the 2024/25 academic year, to cover increased costs from the 2024 teachers' pay award and the outcome of the support staff negotiations. This is in addition to the £10.75 billion allocated this year for high needs provision and teacher-related costs. Local authorities’ allocations of the CSBG will be confirmed this autumn.

The previous Government weakened the regulators and failed to hold water companies to account.

The new Government’s water (Special Measures) Bill will give Ofwat tough new powers to hold water companies to account where they do not deliver for customers and the environment.

This Bill is just the start of the fundamental and much broader transformation that the Government will lead for the water industry.

The Government will carry out a review to shape further legislation that will fundamentally transform how our water system works and clean up our rivers, lakes and seas for good.