Asked by: Max Wilkinson (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the cost for families of mandatory 1:1 digital device programmes in schools.
Answered by Paul Waugh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department is clear that schools cannot charge for learning resources, including laptops and other devices, where they are required for education during school hours or for national curriculum-related learning outside school hours. The department does not specify the number of IT devices for schools and it is up to the schools to determine the number of devices they need. A small proportion of schools have a parent contribution scheme or similar for digital devices, but such schemes should not be presented as mandatory. The department does not collect data on the specific costs of such schemes.
Asked by: Max Wilkinson (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department holds statistics on the number of Regional Adoption Agencies which do not have the facility for adoptive parents to top up Adoption and special guardianship support fund payments for children’s therapy.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department does not hold statistics about any arrangements which Regional Adoption Agencies may have in place for such a purpose.
Asked by: Max Wilkinson (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
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 transferring responsibility for the commissioning and full funding of alternative provision placements for children with special needs from schools to local authorities.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Local authorities are currently responsible for the commissioning and funding of all alternative provision in their area under section 19 of the Education Act 1996.
Schools can use their own budgets to place children in alternative provision or another school through an off-site direction, or provide education from the sixth day (or earlier) of a suspension for any child of compulsory school age.
In February, the department launched its SEND reform consultation. This reform sets out a clear vision for alternative provision and the key roles it will fulfil in mainstream settings and the specialist sector to support children and young people with complex and additional needs. We will publish our response to the consultation in due course.
Asked by: Max Wilkinson (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment has she made of the potential impact of changes to the PE and Sport Premium on access to sport.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
I refer the hon. Member for Cheltenham to the answer of 26 June 2026 to Question 11062.
Asked by: Max Wilkinson (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what initiatives her department is running to support schools wanting to install solar panels.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Through the grant-funded Great British Energy Solar Partnership scheme, we have already completed 245 solar installations in schools and colleges, helping them reduce carbon emissions and save an estimated £220 million on energy bills over the panels’ lifetime.
The department is building on this success through our Renewal and Retrofit Programme. In phase one, around 100 schools and colleges in Yorkshire and the Humber, the East Midlands and the South East will receive grant-funded solar installations, subject to site suitability and feasibility assessments. Solar panels may also be installed alongside wider renewal and retrofit works, including the replacement of life-expired temporary buildings.
Schools may be able to access solar installations through Power Purchase Agreements, which can help settings benefit from cheaper, cleaner electricity without any upfront costs.
Asked by: Max Wilkinson (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what initiatives are in place to support schools wanting to install solar panels.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Through the grant-funded Great British Energy Solar Partnership scheme, we have already completed 245 solar installations in schools and colleges, helping them reduce carbon emissions and save an estimated £220 million on energy bills over the panels’ lifetime.
The department is building on this success through our Renewal and Retrofit Programme. In phase one, around 100 schools and colleges in Yorkshire and the Humber, the East Midlands and the South East will receive grant-funded solar installations, subject to site suitability and feasibility assessments. Solar panels may also be installed alongside wider renewal and retrofit works, including the replacement of life-expired temporary buildings.
Schools may be able to access solar installations through Power Purchase Agreements, which can help settings benefit from cheaper, cleaner electricity without any upfront costs.
Asked by: Max Wilkinson (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of SEND delivery in primary schools with single-form entry.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The quality of teaching is the single most important in-school factor for improving pupil outcomes, and it is particularly important for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). High-quality teachers exist everywhere across the system, including in single-form primaries.
To ensure that all teachers, teaching assistants, support staff and leaders across early years, schools and post-16 settings can be trained to support pupils with SEND, we are investing £200 million of new funding to upskill staff and promote inclusive practice. In addition, we are investing £1.8 billion for local area partnerships to develop and deliver an Experts at Hand offer to mainstream settings, including small and single-form entry primary schools. They will have access to specialist education and health professionals who will work alongside staff to build capacity, support earlier intervention and strengthen inclusive practise.
The department is also providing £1.6 billion of additional funding to mainstream settings through an Inclusive Mainstream Fund, to help settings identify commonly occurring needs and take meaningful steps to improve everyday support. We have published guidance to support schools to develop their initial inclusion strategies, which can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/inclusive-mainstream-fund-support-for-school-leaders/developing-an-inclusion-strategy-using-the-inclusive-mainstream-fund.
We are also proposing to introduce new National Inclusion Standards to set out what ordinarily-available provision should be in every setting across the 0 to 25 system, as well as the evidence-based tools, strategies and approaches for educators to draw on to identify and support children and young people with SEND.
Asked by: Max Wilkinson (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, in relation to this year's delays to Pearson exam results, what steps are being taken to ensure that similar delays do not occur in future years.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Schools rightly expect results to be delivered on time, and Pearson Education Limited has fully apologised for failing to return these results on time and for the impact on schools, pupils, parents and carers. Pearson confirmed that their GCSEs, A levels, and vocational qualifications operate through separate systems and processes and are not affected.
We will use all the provisions in the contract to ensure that Pearson is held to account for their failures in delivery and will explore all possible options for future delivery. The government has confirmed that there will be a full independent review into how such serious failings have occurred. Further details and terms of reference will be set out shortly.
Asked by: Max Wilkinson (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, will an independent review be undertaken into the management of this year's KS2 SATs marking process.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Schools rightly expect results to be delivered on time, and Pearson Education Limited has fully apologised for failing to return these results on time and for the impact on schools, pupils, parents and carers. Pearson confirmed that their GCSEs, A levels, and vocational qualifications operate through separate systems and processes and are not affected.
We will use all the provisions in the contract to ensure that Pearson is held to account for their failures in delivery and will explore all possible options for future delivery. The government has confirmed that there will be a full independent review into how such serious failings have occurred. Further details and terms of reference will be set out shortly.
Asked by: Max Wilkinson (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support single-form entry primary schools with reduced student numbers with funding levels.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The government recognises the essential role that small schools play in their communities.
All schools have benefited from the increase to core funding allocated through the schools national funding formula (NFF) in the 2026/27 financial year, including the NFF lump sum, which is set at £152,700. The lump sum is particularly beneficial to small schools more reliant on an element of funding that is not driven by pupil numbers.
The sparsity factor in the NFF provides additional support for schools that are small and remote. Eligible primary schools attract up to £58,600 in sparsity funding in the 2026/27 financial year.
We recognise the pressures caused by demographic changes in some areas. The lagged funding system, where schools are funded on the basis of their pupil numbers in the previous October census, helps to give schools more certainty over funding levels, to aid their planning, and is particularly important in giving schools with falling rolls time to re-organise their staffing and costs.