Asked by: Melanie Onn (Labour - Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions her Department had with teachers on the removal of the application window for the 2024–25 Student Finance England teacher student loan reimbursement scheme to March 2026, and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of this change on teachers’ (a) cash flow and (b) financial wellbeing.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
In September 2025, the department communicated to eligible teachers that the application window for the Teacher Student Loan Reimbursement (TSLR) scheme was being rescheduled from autumn 2025 to March 2026, so that eligible teachers commit to teaching for the full academic year before they can claim this incentive.
Eligible teachers have always claimed TSLR payments retrospectively, as the policy allows teachers to claim back the student loan repayments they made in the previous financial year if they remain teaching in eligible schools. The rescheduling of the application window to 2 March 2026 is consistent with the policy intent of incentivising teacher retention.
TSLR provides a one-off annual incentive payment on top of the teacher’s salary, which eligible teachers will continue to receive.
Asked by: Melanie Onn (Labour - Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of establishing one of the five proposed Clean Energy Technical Excellence Colleges in Northern Lincolnshire.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department is introducing Technical Excellence Colleges (TECs) to specialise in training skilled workforces which industry needs in growth-driving priority sectors.
The Post-16 education and skills white paper, confirmed that the government is expanding the TEC programme to a further four sectors: clean energy, advanced manufacturing, digital and technologies, and defence. These new TECs, backed by £175 million, will secure the pipeline of skilled workers into these areas. Provider specialisms will be aligned with the priority sectors in the Industrial Strategy and Plan for Change, and in direct response to employer demand for specialist technical skills.
Exact locations are yet to be determined, and colleges will be appointed through a fair and transparent application process. The selection process for these TECs will start by the end of 2025, with delivery planned to begin from April 2026. Further details will be published in due course.
Asked by: Melanie Onn (Labour - Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 19 May 2025 to Question 47692 on Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund, if she will to publish the data on therapy service costs by region.
Answered by Janet Daby
The data requested is in the table below.
Number of applications* approved in the 2024/25 financial year with therapy service costs totalled by region*:
Region | Total application value less than £3,000 | Total application value between £3,000 and £5,000 |
East Midlands | 1,217 | 934 |
East of England | 1,265 | 731 |
Inner London | 421 | 404 |
North East | 621 | 603 |
North West | 1,073 | 1,092 |
Outer London | 651 | 563 |
South East | 1,847 | 1,300 |
South West | 1,834 | 1,438 |
West Midlands | 876 | 875 |
Yorkshire and the Humber | 798 | 1,075 |
*The data presented is the number of approved applications with therapy service costs. Please note that an individual application could have multiple recipients with multiple placement types and access the Fair Access Limit from multiple years.
Asked by: Melanie Onn (Labour - Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many applications to the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund were awarded where (a) local authorities and (b) regional adoption agencies were required to match-fund the application due to an exceptional case involving urgent need for higher-cost support exceeding the fair access limit in the financial year 2024–25 by (i) whether the child has been adopted, (ii) whether the child is subject to a (A) special guardianship and (B) child arrangements order and (iii) region.
Answered by Janet Daby
The available information is detailed in the tables below.
Number of applications* approved in the 2024/25 financial year with therapy service costs totalled by placement type:
Placement type | Less than £3,000 | Between £3,000 and £5,000 |
i. Adoption (Domestic and Inter Country) | 8,369 | 7,091 |
iii. Special Guardianship Order | 2,179 | 1,895 |
iv. Child Arrangements Order/ Residency Order | 34 | 27 |
*The data presented is the number of approved applications with therapy service costs. Please note that an individual application could have multiple recipients with multiple placement types and access the Fair Access Limit from multiple years.
** No data for ‘(ii) children waiting to be adopted’ as adoption and special guardianship support fund (ASGSF) doesn’t include this as a placement type.
There were 3069 approved applications and 3319 funded recipients for Specialist Assessments in the 2024/25 financial year.
Asked by: Melanie Onn (Labour - Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many applications to the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund were awarded for therapy support costing (a) less than £3,000 per year per child and (b) between £3,000 and £5,000 per year per child to (i) adopted children, (ii) children waiting to be adopted, (iii) children subject to a special guardianship and (iv) children subject to other arrangement orders in the financial year 2024–25.
Answered by Janet Daby
The available information is detailed in the tables below.
Number of applications* approved in the 2024/25 financial year with therapy service costs totalled by placement type:
Placement type | Less than £3,000 | Between £3,000 and £5,000 |
i. Adoption (Domestic and Inter Country) | 8,369 | 7,091 |
iii. Special Guardianship Order | 2,179 | 1,895 |
iv. Child Arrangements Order/ Residency Order | 34 | 27 |
*The data presented is the number of approved applications with therapy service costs. Please note that an individual application could have multiple recipients with multiple placement types and access the Fair Access Limit from multiple years.
** No data for ‘(ii) children waiting to be adopted’ as adoption and special guardianship support fund (ASGSF) doesn’t include this as a placement type.
There were 3069 approved applications and 3319 funded recipients for Specialist Assessments in the 2024/25 financial year.
Asked by: Melanie Onn (Labour - Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many applications to the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund were awarded for specialist assessments of children in the financial year 2024–25.
Answered by Janet Daby
The available information is detailed in the tables below.
Number of applications* approved in the 2024/25 financial year with therapy service costs totalled by placement type:
Placement type | Less than £3,000 | Between £3,000 and £5,000 |
i. Adoption (Domestic and Inter Country) | 8,369 | 7,091 |
iii. Special Guardianship Order | 2,179 | 1,895 |
iv. Child Arrangements Order/ Residency Order | 34 | 27 |
*The data presented is the number of approved applications with therapy service costs. Please note that an individual application could have multiple recipients with multiple placement types and access the Fair Access Limit from multiple years.
** No data for ‘(ii) children waiting to be adopted’ as adoption and special guardianship support fund (ASGSF) doesn’t include this as a placement type.
There were 3069 approved applications and 3319 funded recipients for Specialist Assessments in the 2024/25 financial year.
Asked by: Melanie Onn (Labour - Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance her Department has issued on the (a) criteria and (b) number of students needed for a school to have a dedicated Special Educational Needs Coordinator position.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell
All mainstream schools, including academies and free schools, must have a special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO). The SENCO must be a qualified teacher, or the head teacher, working at the school.
SENCOs play a vital role in setting the direction for their school and leading on the day-to-day special educational needs and disabilities provision. SENCOs will be most effective in this role if they are part of the school’s leadership team.
On 1 September 2024, the government introduced a new mandatory leadership level National Professional Qualification (NPQ) for SENCOs. The NPQ must be completed within three years of taking up a SENCO post. The NPQ ensures SENCOs receive high-quality, evidence-based training and equips them with the knowledge and skills to work with other leaders to create an inclusive environment where everyone feels welcome, safe and they belong.
Schools should ensure that the SENCO has sufficient time and resources to carry out these functions. This should include providing SENCOs with sufficient administrative support and time away from teaching to enable them to fulfil their responsibilities in a similar way to other important strategic roles within a school.
Asked by: Melanie Onn (Labour - Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of ensuring that every school has a dedicated Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO).
Answered by Catherine McKinnell
All mainstream schools, including academies and free schools, must have a special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO). The SENCO must be a qualified teacher, or the head teacher, working at the school.
SENCOs play a vital role in setting the direction for their school and leading on the day-to-day special educational needs and disabilities provision. SENCOs will be most effective in this role if they are part of the school’s leadership team.
On 1 September 2024, the government introduced a new mandatory leadership level National Professional Qualification (NPQ) for SENCOs. The NPQ must be completed within three years of taking up a SENCO post. The NPQ ensures SENCOs receive high-quality, evidence-based training and equips them with the knowledge and skills to work with other leaders to create an inclusive environment where everyone feels welcome, safe and they belong.
Schools should ensure that the SENCO has sufficient time and resources to carry out these functions. This should include providing SENCOs with sufficient administrative support and time away from teaching to enable them to fulfil their responsibilities in a similar way to other important strategic roles within a school.
Asked by: Melanie Onn (Labour - Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of including criteria for evaluating the inclusivity of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities provision in schools within Ofsted inspections.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell
Criteria for evaluating inclusivity in mainstream, special and alternative provision schools are a key part of the proposals set out in the consultation ‘Improving the way Ofsted inspects education’, which runs until 28 April 2025.
Asked by: Melanie Onn (Labour - Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of recent trends in the level of demand for SEND provision in schools to help support the transition of pupils with special educational needs from primary to secondary school.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell
Successful transitions must be well-planned. Poor support for and around transitions was a clear theme in the issues raised when the previous government consulted on the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and alternative provision Green Paper of March 2022.
All local authorities must set out the support available to help children and young people with SEND prepare for and transition to adulthood as part of their local offer. This includes support to help children and young people move between phases of education, for example from early years to school, and from primary to secondary.
As set out in the SEND code of practice, for pupils with an education, health and care plan, the plan must be reviewed and amended in sufficient time prior to a child or young person moving between key phases of education, to allow for planning for and, where necessary, commissioning of support and provision at the new institution.