Asked by: Rebecca Paul (Conservative - Reigate)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department’s statistical release entitled Children looked after in England including adoption, last updated 20 November 2025, how many children looked after were adopted in England in the year ending 31 March 2025 by same-sex couples, broken down by whether the adopters were recorded as male same-sex couples or female same-sex couples.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department publishes information on the sex of adopters, including a breakdown by legal status, in Table E3 of the ‘Children looked after in England, including adoptions’ statistics release, which is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/fast-track/cf632a88-23f2-4d70-5463-08de072d13df. The department does not collect information on the age of adopters.
In the year ending 31 March 2025, 1980 children were adopted by different-sex couples and 450 children by single-adopters. Of the 610 children adopted in the year ending 31 March 2025 by same-sex couples, 410 children were adopted by male same-sex couples and 200 were adopted by female same-sex couples.
Figures on the number of children looked after who were adopted, broken down by the child’s age on adoption and whether the adopters were same-sex couples, different-sex couples or single adopter can be found in the attached table.
Asked by: Rebecca Paul (Conservative - Reigate)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children were adopted from care in England in each of the last five years, broken down by the age of the child at the date of the adoption order and whether the adopters were recorded as a same-sex couple, different-sex couple or single adopter.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department publishes information on the sex of adopters, including a breakdown by legal status, in Table E3 of the ‘Children looked after in England, including adoptions’ statistics release, which is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/fast-track/cf632a88-23f2-4d70-5463-08de072d13df. The department does not collect information on the age of adopters.
In the year ending 31 March 2025, 1980 children were adopted by different-sex couples and 450 children by single-adopters. Of the 610 children adopted in the year ending 31 March 2025 by same-sex couples, 410 children were adopted by male same-sex couples and 200 were adopted by female same-sex couples.
Figures on the number of children looked after who were adopted, broken down by the child’s age on adoption and whether the adopters were same-sex couples, different-sex couples or single adopter can be found in the attached table.
Asked by: Rebecca Paul (Conservative - Reigate)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department holds data on the age of adopters in cases where children are adopted from care; and whether that data can be cross-tabulated with the age of the child at adoption and the sex composition of the adopter or adopters.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department publishes information on the sex of adopters, including a breakdown by legal status, in Table E3 of the ‘Children looked after in England, including adoptions’ statistics release, which is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/fast-track/cf632a88-23f2-4d70-5463-08de072d13df. The department does not collect information on the age of adopters.
In the year ending 31 March 2025, 1980 children were adopted by different-sex couples and 450 children by single-adopters. Of the 610 children adopted in the year ending 31 March 2025 by same-sex couples, 410 children were adopted by male same-sex couples and 200 were adopted by female same-sex couples.
Figures on the number of children looked after who were adopted, broken down by the child’s age on adoption and whether the adopters were same-sex couples, different-sex couples or single adopter can be found in the attached table.
Asked by: Rebecca Paul (Conservative - Reigate)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children were adopted from care in England in each of the last five years by different-sex couples, broken down by the age band of the child at the date of the adoption order and the age band of the adopter or adopters.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department publishes information on the sex of adopters, including a breakdown by legal status, in Table E3 of the ‘Children looked after in England, including adoptions’ statistics release, which is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/fast-track/cf632a88-23f2-4d70-5463-08de072d13df. The department does not collect information on the age of adopters.
In the year ending 31 March 2025, 1980 children were adopted by different-sex couples and 450 children by single-adopters. Of the 610 children adopted in the year ending 31 March 2025 by same-sex couples, 410 children were adopted by male same-sex couples and 200 were adopted by female same-sex couples.
Figures on the number of children looked after who were adopted, broken down by the child’s age on adoption and whether the adopters were same-sex couples, different-sex couples or single adopter can be found in the attached table.
Asked by: Rebecca Paul (Conservative - Reigate)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children were adopted from care in England in each of the last five years by same-sex couples, broken down by the age band of the child at the date of the adoption order and the age band of the adopter or adopters.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department publishes information on the sex of adopters, including a breakdown by legal status, in Table E3 of the ‘Children looked after in England, including adoptions’ statistics release, which is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/fast-track/cf632a88-23f2-4d70-5463-08de072d13df. The department does not collect information on the age of adopters.
In the year ending 31 March 2025, 1980 children were adopted by different-sex couples and 450 children by single-adopters. Of the 610 children adopted in the year ending 31 March 2025 by same-sex couples, 410 children were adopted by male same-sex couples and 200 were adopted by female same-sex couples.
Figures on the number of children looked after who were adopted, broken down by the child’s age on adoption and whether the adopters were same-sex couples, different-sex couples or single adopter can be found in the attached table.
Asked by: Rebecca Paul (Conservative - Reigate)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children were adopted from care in England by different-sex couples in each of the last five years, broken down by the age of the child at the date of the adoption order.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department publishes information on the sex of adopters, including a breakdown by legal status, in Table E3 of the ‘Children looked after in England, including adoptions’ statistics release, which is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/fast-track/cf632a88-23f2-4d70-5463-08de072d13df. The department does not collect information on the age of adopters.
In the year ending 31 March 2025, 1980 children were adopted by different-sex couples and 450 children by single-adopters. Of the 610 children adopted in the year ending 31 March 2025 by same-sex couples, 410 children were adopted by male same-sex couples and 200 were adopted by female same-sex couples.
Figures on the number of children looked after who were adopted, broken down by the child’s age on adoption and whether the adopters were same-sex couples, different-sex couples or single adopter can be found in the attached table.
Asked by: Rebecca Paul (Conservative - Reigate)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many allegations of sexual abuse, sexual assault or other sexual offences in registered early years settings have been reported to Ofsted in each of the last five years, broken down by (a) sex of the alleged perpetrator, (b) type of early years provider and (c) outcome of the notification.
Answered by Olivia Bailey
The safety of our youngest children is our utmost priority, and the department continually monitors and reviews safeguarding requirements within early years settings to ensure children are kept as safe as possible.
We set the standards that early years providers must meet through the Early Years Foundation Stage statutory framework. Ofsted is responsible for the registration and inspection of early years providers and for collecting and holding information relating to notifications made by providers.
This is a matter for His Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Sir Martyn Oliver. I have asked him to write to the hon. Member for Reigate directly, and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Asked by: Rebecca Paul (Conservative - Reigate)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Policy Exchange report entitled In absentia parentis, published on 24 August 2025, the Cass Review's final report, published in April 2024, and the Supreme Court judgement in the case of For Women Scotland v The Scottish Ministers of 16 April 2025, what guidance her Department has issued to local authorities to protect the welfare of gender-questioning children who are children in care.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Local authorities and social care practitioners are required to support children in a way that meets their needs and best interests. This support will look different on an individual case basis. In considering their safeguarding policies and how best to support children questioning their gender, leaders and practitioners should be led by the guidance and regulations most relevant to their setting or role. They can also be informed by the evidence and principles set out in the Cass Review.
Further resources on support for children questioning their gender can be found via the NHS here: https://www.genderreferralservice.nhs.uk/.
Asked by: Rebecca Paul (Conservative - Reigate)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Policy Exchange report entitled In absentia parentis, published on 24 August 2025, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that local authorities have up-to-date safeguarding policies for gender-questioning children who are children in care.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Local authorities and social care practitioners are required to support children in a way that meets their needs and best interests. This support will look different on an individual case basis. In considering their safeguarding policies and how best to support children questioning their gender, leaders and practitioners should be led by the guidance and regulations most relevant to their setting or role. They can also be informed by the evidence and principles set out in the Cass Review.
Further resources on support for children questioning their gender can be found via the NHS here: https://www.genderreferralservice.nhs.uk/.
Asked by: Rebecca Paul (Conservative - Reigate)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment her Department has made of the potential merit of allowing nannies to offer funded hours under the Free Childcare for Working Parents programme.
Answered by Olivia Bailey
It is the government’s ambition that all families have access to high-quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, giving every child the best start in life and delivering on our Plan for Change.
Nannies are an unregulated part of the sector because they are employed by parents to provide care to children in their home. Parents alone are responsible for deciding the services that a nanny provides, which may or may not include early education. Parents also arrange the payment of income tax and National Insurance contributions and organise security checks for those that they employ. For this reason, successive governments have not engaged in private arrangements between the two parties.
Officials remain in touch with the National Nanny Association and we keep all such policies under review.