Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what statutory or guidance-based limits apply to the duration for which a school may use online education for a pupil unable to attend in person, and what evidence base she used to determine that short-term physical reintegration models are superior to prolonged online education for pupils with complex medical or neurodivergent needs.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Local authorities have duties under Section 19 of the Education Act 1996 to arrange suitable education for children of compulsory school age who, because of illness, exclusion or otherwise, would not otherwise receive suitable education.
The department does not currently routinely collect data on the number of pupils who are without educational provision while awaiting an alternative placement.
As part of the 'SEND reform: education otherwise than at school' consultation, which closed in September 2026, the department sought views on the role of accredited online education providers in delivering high-quality alternative provision. This consultation is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/send-reform-education-otherwise-than-at-school.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what data her Department collects on the number of pupils left without educational provision while awaiting alternative placement, and what assessment she has made of the potential merits of utilising interim, accredited online provision to prevent learning loss during these delays.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Local authorities have duties under Section 19 of the Education Act 1996 to arrange suitable education for children of compulsory school age who, because of illness, exclusion or otherwise, would not otherwise receive suitable education.
The department does not currently routinely collect data on the number of pupils who are without educational provision while awaiting an alternative placement.
As part of the 'SEND reform: education otherwise than at school' consultation, which closed in September 2026, the department sought views on the role of accredited online education providers in delivering high-quality alternative provision. This consultation is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/send-reform-education-otherwise-than-at-school.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department has directed prison education providers to differentiate pay uplifts between teaching and non-teaching staff in the current pay round.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
We recognise the importance of a sustainable prison education workforce for the delivery of high-quality education and have amended the indexation of prison education contracts to support providers in maintaining pay parity between prison teachers and their colleagues in the community.
Prison education providers have not been directed to differentiate pay uplifts between teaching and non-teaching staff. Providers are responsible for the pay and conditions of the staff they employ, and for their recruitment and retention.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of differential pay uplifts between teaching and non-teaching prion education staff on (a) recruitment, (b) retention, (c) morale, (d) industrial relations, and (e) the delivery of prison education.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
We recognise the importance of a sustainable prison education workforce for the delivery of high-quality education and have amended the indexation of prison education contracts to support providers in maintaining pay parity between prison teachers and their colleagues in the community.
Prison education providers have not been directed to differentiate pay uplifts between teaching and non-teaching staff. Providers are responsible for the pay and conditions of the staff they employ, and for their recruitment and retention.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to review the Working Together to Improve School Attendance guidance and the Education (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2024 to clarify why pupils receiving live online lessons from DfE-accredited providers must still be recorded using an absence code, and if she will assess the potential impact of this requirement on a school's published attendance metrics.
Answered by Paul Waugh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Pupils who are absent from school but receive remote education must still be recorded as absent using the most appropriate absence code. The attendance register is a legal record of whether pupils are physically present at school, and helps schools and local authorities understand the reasons why a pupil cannot attend so that appropriate support and reasonable adjustments can be put in place. This longstanding position predates the Education (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2024.
The department is clear that regular physical attendance at school is in the best interests of the vast majority of pupils. Attending school is about more than receiving lessons: it enables pupils to learn alongside their peers, build relationships, benefit from wider school life and access pastoral and other support. It also helps schools keep children safe and identify where pupils need additional support.
Remote education should therefore only be considered as a last resort where a decision has already been made that attendance at school is not possible, even with reasonable adjustments.
Even though remote education is not counted within school attendance data, schools can keep a separate record of pupils' participation in remote education activity for their records.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Water Reform Bill will prohibit performance-related payments to water company directors made through parent and holding companies.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Ofwat will report later this year on its assessment of compliance with the bonus rules for 2025-26 performance-related executive pay. We will not tolerate any attempts to undermine the bonus rules. Ofwat will be reviewing the bonus rules to assess if and how the rules should be tightened.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment the Department has made of customers funding, through Ofwat's asset health adjustments, the renewal of assets in poor or very poor condition, and whether those costs should instead fall on shareholders.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The water industry provides critical services that the public and our economy depend on every day. Our reforms will shift the system to one where assets are properly maintained in order to be more resilient to shocks. Allowed revenues via the PR24 cost change process are scrutinised and approved by Ofwat.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to incentivise or mandate schools to commission online education from providers accredited under the Department's online education accreditation scheme, and what financial or procurement barriers her Department has identified to schools doing so.
Answered by Paul Waugh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department's voluntary online education accreditation scheme provides schools and local authorities with confidence that accredited providers have met a robust set of quality standards. The scheme is intended to support informed commissioning decisions and help schools and local authorities identify suitable online education provision where it is appropriate. The department does not currently require schools or local authorities to commission online education from accredited providers.
The department has not identified any specific financial or procurement barriers relating to the commissioning of accredited online education providers. Decisions on commissioning provision are made locally by schools and local authorities, taking account of individual circumstances and local needs.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that the needs of adopted and kinship children are recognised in reforms to special educational needs and disabilities provision and wider education policy.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The current system for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) is failing too many children and families. Improving the life chances of children and young people with SEND is the first priority for these reforms, including for adopted children and for those who have experienced early-life trauma. Every child deserves a high-quality, inclusive education, and families should not have to battle the system for this.
During the 12-week ‘SEND reform, putting children and young people first’ consultation, we hosted over 200 engagement events, meetings and roundtables, including ‘deep dive’ discussions on the interaction between children’s social care reforms and recommendations from the Law Commission’s report into disabled children’s social care. The government will provide a full response to this report in the autumn.
The SEND reform consultation has now closed, and we are carefully reviewing and considering all responses submitted to the consultation. We will publish a response to the consultation in due course.
Virtual School Heads promote the educational achievement of previously looked-after children, including those who left care through adoption, special guardianship or child arrangements orders. The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act extends this role to eligible children in kinship care.
Schools must appoint a designated teacher for previously looked-after children, who attract £2,690 annually in Pupil Premium Plus. We are updating statutory guidance for Virtual School Heads and designated teachers, and schools can now record children in kinship care through the school census.
The department is considering responses received from ‘Adoption Support that Works for All’, which consulted on support at key life stages and integration of social care, health and education. The department is also piloting support for children entering secondary school, and Families First Partnership multi-disciplinary teams will help families receive support from the right professionals at the right time.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many applications were made to the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund in each financial year since 2022–23; and what was the total value of funding requested in those applications in each year.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The data requested can be found in the attached spreadsheet.