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 schools are incentivised to offer vocational and technical qualifications in creative subjects in Cornwall.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Creative subjects are important elements of a rounded and enriching education. We are transforming technical and vocational education from age 14, putting technical education on an equal footing with academic study.
We are developing new vocational GCSEs, which will combine strong subject knowledge with practical learning and have nationally set content, supporting clear progression into high-quality post-16 education and training.
We recognise that successful delivery depends on schools having the expertise and resources they need and will launch a consultation later this year to seek views on how best to deliver these changes.
Alongside this, we are engaging widely with schools and further educational colleges in local areas including Cornwall, so that provision reflects local needs and creates strong pathways into further study and skilled employment across England.
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 Free Breakfast Clubs include the most nutritional food possible.
Answered by Olivia Bailey
Food served at free breakfast clubs must meet the School Food Standards. The standards set out the types of food that should be served and how often and are designed to help children develop healthy eating habits and ensure they receive the nutrition needed for the school day.
The government is committed to half of all food served in public settings being either locally sourced or certified to higher environmental standards.
The School Food Standards allow school chefs and cooks creative freedom to adapt to the preferences of the children at their school, source seasonal or local food, and take advantage of price fluctuations.
We recently consulted on proposed changes to the School Food Standards in England. We are now reviewing the responses and feedback, and we will consider guidance for the new standards in due course.
Presently, schools can voluntarily follow the Government Buying Standards for food and catering, which includes advice around sourcing their school food.
The department is working closely with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs as they develop the Good Food Cycle vision.
Asked by: Noah Law (Labour - St Austell and Newquay)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to ensure Free Breakfast Clubs use food which is procured from British sources.
Answered by Olivia Bailey
Food served at free breakfast clubs must meet the School Food Standards. The standards set out the types of food that should be served and how often and are designed to help children develop healthy eating habits and ensure they receive the nutrition needed for the school day.
The government is committed to half of all food served in public settings being either locally sourced or certified to higher environmental standards.
The School Food Standards allow school chefs and cooks creative freedom to adapt to the preferences of the children at their school, source seasonal or local food, and take advantage of price fluctuations.
We recently consulted on proposed changes to the School Food Standards in England. We are now reviewing the responses and feedback, and we will consider guidance for the new standards in due course.
Presently, schools can voluntarily follow the Government Buying Standards for food and catering, which includes advice around sourcing their school food.
The department is working closely with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs as they develop the Good Food Cycle vision.
Asked by: Noah Law (Labour - St Austell and Newquay)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps with local authorities to that ensure travel distance is taken into account when (a) calculating school catchment zones and (b) offering school places.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Admission arrangements are set and applied locally by a school’s admission authority, which for academies is the academy trust and for maintained schools is either the governing body or the local authority.
Admission authorities must determine the criteria that they will use to allocate places if a school receives more applications than it has places available. These must be fair, clear and transparent, and comply with the statutory School Admissions Code.
Admission authorities are already able to prioritise applications on the basis of distance to the school, including through the use of designated catchment areas. In setting such criterion, admission authorities must ensure they are reasonable and clearly defined, including making clear how distance from the child’s home to the school will be measured.
Where a school is not oversubscribed, every applicant must be offered a place.
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 roll out of free breakfast clubs to all state‑funded schools with primary‑aged children; and what support her Department plans to provide schools to facilitate implementation of that programme.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The government is committed to delivering on its pledge to provide a free breakfast club in every state funded school with primary-aged children. This will ensure every child, regardless of circumstance, has a supportive start to the school day.
From the start of summer term 2025, the department has funded 750 schools to deliver a free breakfast club to early adopters.
We are currently working through the outcomes of the latest spending review and the departmental business planning processes. Further details will follow 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 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 Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
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 Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
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 (Ministry of Justice)
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
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
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.