Asked by: Noah Law (Labour - St Austell and Newquay)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that children who are home educated have access to (a) resources and (b) support comparable to those available to children educated in schools.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Home education is a proactive choice made by parents. In electing to home educate they choose to leave the state school system and the associated support and access to facilities which are available as part of having a school place.
Special educational needs (SEN) support, including access to therapies, is not conditional on the child being in school. Children are able to gain access to SEN support and mental health support when educated not in school.
Non-school based SEN and mental health support can be accessed through the local authority, via an education, health and care plan, and the NHS. Access to services is determined based on individual need, not how a child is educated.
Asked by: Noah Law (Labour - St Austell and Newquay)
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 providing Elective Home Education officers with training in (a) neurodiversity and (b) mental health.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Home education is a proactive choice made by parents. In electing to home educate they choose to leave the state school system and the associated support and access to facilities which are available as part of having a school place.
Special educational needs (SEN) support, including access to therapies, is not conditional on the child being in school. Children are able to gain access to SEN support and mental health support when educated not in school.
Non-school based SEN and mental health support can be accessed through the local authority, via an education, health and care plan, and the NHS. Access to services is determined based on individual need, not how a child is educated.
Asked by: Noah Law (Labour - St Austell and Newquay)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of including geology in the Key Stage 3 curriculum, in the context of the Critical Minerals Strategy.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
The national curriculum in England provides a broad framework within which schools have the flexibility to develop the content of their own curricula. Topics related to geology can be taught within the geography and science curricula.
The government has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review for England, chaired by Professor Becky Francis CBE. The Review wants to ensure a rich, broad, inclusive and innovative curriculum that readies young people for life and work. The Review Group published an interim report on 18 March, and the final report with recommendations will be published in the autumn.
Asked by: Noah Law (Labour - St Austell and Newquay)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that the construction skills package creates (a) apprenticeships, (b) Technical Excellence Colleges and (c) Skills Bootcamps in (i) all parts of the UK and (ii) Cornwall.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
On 23 March 2025, the government announced a construction support package worth over £600 million to tackle the acute shortage of skilled workers in the construction sector. This investment is a key part of our wider strategy to support national infrastructure projects, meet ambitious housing targets, and enable the transition to a clean energy economy.
The package includes funding for a range of initiatives, such as expanding construction courses, launching additional skills bootcamps and foundation apprenticeships, providing more industry placements, and establishing ten new Technical Excellence Colleges.
Skills England will engage and work closely with the devolved administrations to ensure alignment and coherence in addressing skills needs across the UK.
The department are keen to work closely with Mayoral Combined Authorities and local leaders who will be essential to delivering the devolved elements of this package, including adult skills funding.
Additional information regarding allocations at regional and provider level will be shared in due course.
Asked by: Noah Law (Labour - St Austell and Newquay)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her planned timetable is for the rollout of Young Futures Hubs.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
This government is committed to breaking down barriers to success and opportunity. Too many children and young people today do not have access to the same enrichment opportunities as their peers, suffer from poor mental health and, in some cases, end up being drawn into crime rather than going on to achieve and thrive. Young Futures Hubs will bring together services to improve access to opportunities and support for young people at community level, promoting positive outcomes and enabling them to thrive.
As part of the development process, we are engaging with local areas, communities, statutory partners, charities, and other key stakeholders to support the design of the Young Futures Hubs and explore options for their delivery. The Autumn Budget 2024 committed to launching early adopter Hubs in 2025/26. The number of Hubs, their specific locations, and their reach are still being determined, and we will share further information on the timing of their rollout in due course.
Asked by: Noah Law (Labour - St Austell and Newquay)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what analysis Skills England is undertaking to determine the skills needs of nascent industries over the next five years.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Meeting the skills’ needs of the next decade is central to delivering the government's missions across all regions and nations. Skills England will provide an authoritative assessment of England’s national and regional skills’ needs now and in the future, combining the best available statistical data with insights generated from employers and other key stakeholders.
Skills England will also 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. As part of this, it will identify which training should be available via the new growth and skills levy.
Skills England will work together with regional and local governments, employers, education providers, trade unions, and regional organisations (for example Employer Representative Bodies) to ensure that regional and national skills’ needs are met at all levels from essential skills to those delivered via higher education, in line with the forthcoming industrial strategy.
The Industrial Strategy identifies eight growth-driving sectors: advanced manufacturing, clean energy industries, creative industries, defence, digital and technologies, financial services, life sciences, and professional and business services. When published in Spring 2025, it will include ambitious and targeted plans for each of these sectors, designed in partnership with business, devolved governments, regions, experts, and other stakeholders. Skills England is providing skills needs analyses that will feed into each of these plans.
Skills England has already published the first of its reports which considers key skills’ gaps and future skills’ needs, which is available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/66ffd4fce84ae1fd8592ee37/Skills_England_Report.pdf.
Many sources of data exist on labour market jobs and skills which facilitate national and local measures of demand. Skills England has produced one such measure, the occupations in demand index, to support its skills’ needs’ assessment. This index uses information from seven indicators across the labour market, including wage growth, online job adverts and visa applications to index demand for occupations.
Producing these assessments and ensuring they are understood, recognised by and accessible to all parts of the skills system will provide greater clarity on which occupations and sectors are facing existing and emerging skills’ gaps, where need for skills is set to grow in the future and what actions should be taken to meet these needs.
Asked by: Noah Law (Labour - St Austell and Newquay)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure the implementation of cardiopulmonary resuscitation training in schools.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
All state-funded schools in England are required to teach first aid as part of statutory health education, which is taught as part of relationships, sex and health education (RSHE). This includes basic first aid training and how to deal with common injuries. Pupils in secondary schools are taught further first aid, including, for example, how to administer CPR and the purpose of defibrillators. Schools can teach topics beyond those covered in the statutory guidance and have flexibility to respond to local issues.
The department is currently reviewing the RSHE statutory guidance. My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, has been clear that children’s wellbeing must be at the heart of this guidance for schools. As such, the government will look carefully at the consultation responses, discuss with stakeholders and consider the relevant evidence before setting out next steps.