Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment has her Department made as to the impact of having to sit SATS on SEND children.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Statutory tests and assessments at primary school help measure the attainment of pupils in relation to the standards set out in the national curriculum and help teachers and parents identify where pupils may need additional support in a certain subject area.
The key stage 2 tests are subject to robust test development processes, which include reviews involving serving teachers and experts in special educational needs (SEN) and trials with hundreds of Year 6 pupils. Children with SEN have a range of needs and abilities, and it is important they are able to participate in assessments to demonstrate their achievements. Schools are able to utilise a range of access arrangements where appropriate, while for any children with SEN and others who are working below the standards of the national curriculum assessments there are alternative teacher assessments.
Primary assessments were reviewed as part of the independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, led by Professor Becky Francis. The review panel, which included an expert in SEN, published their final report in November, concluding that the primary assessment system is generally working well and that the assessments are important for evaluating pupils’ progress.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what rationale does her Department use to support the use of SATS for SEND children.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Statutory tests and assessments at primary school help measure the attainment of pupils in relation to the standards set out in the national curriculum and help teachers and parents identify where pupils may need additional support in a certain subject area.
The key stage 2 tests are subject to robust test development processes, which include reviews involving serving teachers and experts in special educational needs (SEN) and trials with hundreds of Year 6 pupils. Children with SEN have a range of needs and abilities, and it is important they are able to participate in assessments to demonstrate their achievements. Schools are able to utilise a range of access arrangements where appropriate, while for any children with SEN and others who are working below the standards of the national curriculum assessments there are alternative teacher assessments.
Primary assessments were reviewed as part of the independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, led by Professor Becky Francis. The review panel, which included an expert in SEN, published their final report in November, concluding that the primary assessment system is generally working well and that the assessments are important for evaluating pupils’ progress.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Schools White Paper 2026, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of Mission Coastal on young people in Poole.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The Schools White Paper launched Mission North East and Mission Coastal. The aim of the missions is to transform outcomes for children and young people and provide a blueprint for national change. The scope of Mission Coastal is still being developed.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will set out how much of the teacher training proposed in the Schools White Paper will be delivered in person.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Great teaching is the most important lever schools have for improving children’s attainment.
The department provides a range of funded offers to schools to help them access high-quality professional development, which includes the new courses on Reception and special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) as part of the teacher training entitlement referenced in the Schools White Paper.
When designing new training, the department is careful to consider how it will work with the schedules of teachers and schools, with many of them including a flexible, self-study element.
For example, we have confirmed that the SEND and inclusion courses for teachers and leaders in schools and colleges will include a mixture of online self-study sessions and live facilitated sessions.
We have also announced a package of materials for schools and colleges to support the development and delivery of in-house, in person training.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the prevalence of child morning hunger across early years, primary and secondary school settings in England and its impact on school readiness and attendance.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The department appreciates the publication of the report and look forward to giving it our full consideration. We agree that a healthy breakfast at the start of the school day sets children up ready to learn. This is why the department is committed to delivering on the pledge to provide free breakfast clubs in every state-funded school with primary-aged children. Since April 2025, we have delivered over seven million breakfasts and offered places to almost 180,000 pupils across the country. We are investing a further £80 million to fund approximately 2,000 additional schools between April 2026 and March 2027.
Alongside the rollout of free breakfast clubs, we are going further in our mission to lift 100,000 children out of poverty by expanding free school meals to children in all households receiving Universal Credit from the 2026/27 school year.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment the Department has made of the potential implications for its policies of the findings of Magic Breakfast’s recent report entitled Root Causes of Child Morning Hunger.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The department appreciates the publication of the report and look forward to giving it our full consideration. We agree that a healthy breakfast at the start of the school day sets children up ready to learn. This is why the department is committed to delivering on the pledge to provide free breakfast clubs in every state-funded school with primary-aged children. Since April 2025, we have delivered over seven million breakfasts and offered places to almost 180,000 pupils across the country. We are investing a further £80 million to fund approximately 2,000 additional schools between April 2026 and March 2027.
Alongside the rollout of free breakfast clubs, we are going further in our mission to lift 100,000 children out of poverty by expanding free school meals to children in all households receiving Universal Credit from the 2026/27 school year.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she will make an assessment of the implications for her policies of the Law Commission recommendations on reform of social care law for disabled children.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
On 16 September 2025, the Law Commission published its final report on disabled children’s social care.’ The department is now considering and assessing the 40 recommendations made in the report. In line with the protocol agreed between the Lord Chancellor and the Law Commission, the department will provide an initial response to these recommendations in March 2026, having engaged the relevant stakeholders. A full response to the recommendations as well as a proposed way forward will be provided in September 2026.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to answer Question 100240, tabled by the hon. Member for Poole on 15 December 2025.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The response to Written Parliamentary Question 100240 was published on 4 February 2026.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to provide music hubs with three year funding agreements.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department has provided funding to support a network of Music Hub partnerships across England since 2012. As of September 2024, the network comprises of 43 Music Hub partnerships.
The government has committed £76 million per year for the Music Hubs network, including the current 2025/26 academic year, to offer a range of services, including continuing professional development, musical instrument tuition, instrument loans and whole-class ensemble teaching.
Future revenue grant funding will be confirmed with Music Hubs in the coming months, and matters related to level of funding and length of grant agreements will be set out at that point.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to provide an uplift in funding to music hubs parallel to that for National Portfolio Organisations.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department has provided funding to support a network of Music Hub partnerships across England since 2012. As of September 2024, the network comprises of 43 Music Hub partnerships.
The government has committed £76 million per year for the Music Hubs network, including the current 2025/26 academic year, to offer a range of services, including continuing professional development, musical instrument tuition, instrument loans and whole-class ensemble teaching.
Future revenue grant funding will be confirmed with Music Hubs in the coming months, and matters related to level of funding and length of grant agreements will be set out at that point.