Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she plans to put in place measures to safeguard the (a) mental health and wellbeing and (b) ability to enrol in multi-year course programmes of children who be subject to temporary refugee status reviews every 30 months.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department will work with the Home Office as they carefully consider the appropriate pathways and wider provision for asylum-seeking families with children. We will continue to focus on ensuring vulnerable children are protected and their welfare safeguarded.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the proposed asylum policy changes on the continuity of education for children in families facing relocation or deportation.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department will work with the Home Office as they carefully consider the appropriate pathways and wider provision for asylum-seeking families with children. We will continue to focus on ensuring vulnerable children are protected and their welfare safeguarded.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of providing ringfenced funding for school counselling services.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
School-based counselling services can play an important role in supporting pupil mental wellbeing, and many schools already provide access to counselling support.
However, counselling is not suitable for all needs, and many pupils benefit from other in-school support, including from trained pastoral staff, NHS-funded mental health support teams, school nurses, educational psychologists and other professionals. It is important that schools retain the freedom to decide what pastoral support to offer pupils based on their specific needs, making the best use of their funding. School funding increased by £3.7 billion in 2025/26, taking total core school funding to £65.3 billion.
The government has also committed to provide access to mental health support teams (MHSTs) in every school. By April 2026, we estimate that 60% of pupils in schools and learners in further education in England will be covered by an MHST, up from 52% in April 2025.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if her Department a) has recently made and b) plans to make changes to the eligibility criteria for Disabled Students Allowance.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department has not recently made changes to the eligibility criteria for Disabled Students’ Allowance and has no current plans to do so.
As part of wider reforms set out in the government’s post-16 education and skills white paper, the department is committed to improving access and support for all students in higher education, including those with disabilities.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help resolve industrial disputes between universities and the University and Colleges Union.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Higher education (HE) providers are autonomous institutions and, as such, the government does not intervene in industrial disputes or negotiations between employers and trade unions. However, we remain committed to constructive engagement with both the unions and the employer representative body to help address the broader challenges facing the sector.
The government has taken steps to secure the future for our world-leading universities so they can deliver for students, taxpayers, workers and the economy. We made the difficult decision to increase tuition fees in line with inflation for the 2025/26 academic year, and appointed Professor Edward Peck as Chair of the Office for Students (OfS). We will set out our plans for HE reform as part of the Post-16 Skills White Paper, and will work with the sector and the OfS to deliver the change that the country needs.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking improve the financial position of universities.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Higher education (HE) providers are autonomous institutions and, as such, the government does not intervene in industrial disputes or negotiations between employers and trade unions. However, we remain committed to constructive engagement with both the unions and the employer representative body to help address the broader challenges facing the sector.
The government has taken steps to secure the future for our world-leading universities so they can deliver for students, taxpayers, workers and the economy. We made the difficult decision to increase tuition fees in line with inflation for the 2025/26 academic year, and appointed Professor Edward Peck as Chair of the Office for Students (OfS). We will set out our plans for HE reform as part of the Post-16 Skills White Paper, and will work with the sector and the OfS to deliver the change that the country needs.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
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 tiered Office for Students registration fee structure that reflects the size and turnover of higher education providers.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
In line with the recommendation set out in the Independent Review of the Office for Students (OfS), led by former Interim Chair of the OfS David Behan, the government plans to consult on the structure of fees charged to the sector by the OfS. The consultation will allow us to work with the sector to ensure that the system is fair, proportionate, and sustainable. We will be inviting views from across the sector as part of this process. An assessment of financial impacts upon all types of providers will be made as part of this work.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the financial impact of Office for Students regulatory fees on small higher education providers.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
In line with the recommendation set out in the Independent Review of the Office for Students (OfS), led by former Interim Chair of the OfS David Behan, the government plans to consult on the structure of fees charged to the sector by the OfS. The consultation will allow us to work with the sector to ensure that the system is fair, proportionate, and sustainable. We will be inviting views from across the sector as part of this process. An assessment of financial impacts upon all types of providers will be made as part of this work.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the proportionality of data return requirements placed on small higher education providers compared to large universities.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Whilst the department recognises that effective regulation brings a certain amount of data burden to those being regulated, we must ensure that English higher education (HE) remains world class, financially stable and good value for students.
The department continues to work with the Office for Students to reduce unnecessary data burden, ensure a proportionate and risk-based approach to regulation, and to ensure the HE regulatory system is clearer, more effective, and more accountable.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of her Department's changes to the eligibility criteria for funding for master’s degree-level apprenticeships on (a) disabled adults and (b) people whose education has been delayed or interrupted by (i) health, (ii) social and (iii) economic circumstances.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Nottingham East to the answer of 13 June 2025 to Question 57823.