Asked by: Paul Foster (Labour - South Ribble)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her department has considered providing an exemption to the new regulations for the Free Breakfast Clubs Programme for primary schools if provision is already in place.
Answered by Paul Waugh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government is committed to delivering a free breakfast club in every state-funded school with primary-aged pupils in England. Following the passage of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026, all such schools will be under a duty to offer a free breakfast club. New groups of schools will be onboarded in stages throughout 2027 and 2028 to ensure appropriate support is in place for implementation.
We know that many schools already offer either food-only breakfast clubs or parent-paid clubs that include childcare. Our programme is a universal offer that is free and accessible to all primary-age pupils in England. We want all families to be able to access the benefits of a healthy breakfast, reduced childcare costs and a positive start to the school day. For this reason, we expect all schools to provide the offer.
Schools will have flexibility in how they deliver breakfast clubs, in line with existing non-statutory guidance. We are keen for schools to build on their existing provision. Through the early adopter programme, we have seen numerous examples of schools successfully integrating the new programme with, or incorporating it into, their existing arrangements.
Asked by: Paul Foster (Labour - South Ribble)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to improve SEND provision in South Ribble constituency.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The government’s ambition for all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) is that they will achieve and thrive, and lead happy, healthy and productive lives. The department is working closely with experts on SEND reforms.
The department and NHS England have been supporting local areas to improve their SEND service delivery for several years. This includes a monitoring, support and challenge relationship following an inspection by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC). Where a local authority does not meet its duties, we can take action that prioritises children’s needs and support local areas to bring about rapid improvement.
Ofsted and the CQC undertook a joint local area SEND inspection of Lancashire County Council in December 2024. The inspection found there are widespread and/or systemic failings leading to significant concerns about the experiences and outcomes of children and young people with SEND, which the local area partnership must address urgently. We expect a monitoring inspection will be carried out within approximately 18 months. The next full reinspection will be within approximately three years from December 2024.
Where a council does not meet its duties, we can take action that prioritises children’s needs and supports local areas to bring about rapid improvement. We offer a range of universal, targeted and intensive support through programmes managed by the department, such as our Sector Led Improvement Partners which provide peer-to-peer tailored support.
Asked by: Paul Foster (Labour - South Ribble)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department monitors the compliance of individual local authorities with statutory duties under the Children and Families Act 2014 in relation to the delivery of EHCP provision.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Local authorities identified as having issues with education, health and care (EHC) plan timeliness are subject to additional monitoring by the department, who work with the specific local authority. Where there are concerns about the local authority’s capacity to make the required improvements, the department can secure specialist advisor support to help identify the barriers to EHC plan timeliness and put in place practical plans for recovery.
When inspections indicate that there are significant concerns with local authority performance, the department will intervene directly. This may mean issuing an improvement notice, statutory direction and/or appointing a commissioner, deployment of which is considered on a case-by-case basis.
Asked by: Paul Foster (Labour - South Ribble)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many Education, Health and Care (a) requests and (b) needs assessments have been (i) completed and (ii) issued within the statutory 20-week timeframe by Lancashire County Council in the last 12 months.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Information on the number of requests for an education, health and care (EHC) needs assessment, the number of assessments carried out and the number of new plans issued within the statutory 20-week time, including at a local authority level, are published in the statistical release, accessible at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/education-health-and-care-plans/2025.