Asked by: Sarah Gibson (Liberal Democrat - Chippenham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department takes through school food (a) standards and (b) guidance to tackle ultra-processed foods; and whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward further proposals to help reduce the proportion of ultra-processed items in school (i) meals and (ii) vending machines.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) has considered the impact of processed foods on health in 2023 and 2025, and recommends that on balance, most people are likely to benefit from reducing their consumption of processed foods high in energy, saturated fat, salt and free sugars and low in fibre.
The School Food Standards already restrict foods high in fat, salt and sugar, as well as low quality reformed or reconstituted foods, but to ensure quality and nutrition in meals for the future, the department is working with with experts across the sector to revise the School Food Standards, so every school is supported with updated nutrition guidance.
The School Food Standards apply to food and drink provided to pupils on school premises up to 6pm and include vending machines.
Asked by: Sarah Gibson (Liberal Democrat - Chippenham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will (a) collect and (b) publish data on the proportion of ultra-processed foods in school meals (i) by region, (ii) by local authority and (iii) in Wiltshire.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The department does not collate or publish data on the proportion of ultra-processed foods in school meals. The School Food Standards regulate the food and drink provided at both lunchtime and at other times of the school day, and restrict foods high in fat, salt and sugar, as well as low quality reformed or reconstituted foods.
Governing boards have a responsibility to ensure compliance and should appropriately challenge the headteacher and the senior leadership team to ensure the school is meeting its obligations. To support governors, the department, along with the National Governance Association, launched an online training course on school food for governors and trustees. This training is designed to improve understanding of the Standards and give governing boards confidence to hold their school leaders to account on their whole school approach to food.
Asked by: Sarah Gibson (Liberal Democrat - Chippenham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether (a) the healthy schools rating scheme and (b) similar programmes consider the degree of food processing in assessing school performance on healthy eating.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The department is committed to raising the healthiest generation ever. The healthy schools rating scheme celebrates the positive actions that schools are delivering in terms of healthy living, healthy eating and physical activity, and supports schools in identifying further actions that they can take in this area.
Healthy eating is covered in science and design and technology in the national curriculum as well as in health education, as part of the relationships, sex and health education curriculum.
The School Food Standards restrict foods high in fat, salt and sugar, as well as low quality reformed or reconstituted foods. Governing Boards have a responsibility to ensure compliance with the School Food Standards and should appropriately challenge the headteacher and the senior leadership team to ensure the school is meeting its obligations.
Asked by: Sarah Gibson (Liberal Democrat - Chippenham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she will publish her Department's post-16 education and skills strategy.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government is developing a comprehensive strategy for post‐16 education and skills and will shortly publish the Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper.
Asked by: Sarah Gibson (Liberal Democrat - Chippenham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent steps she has taken to ensure young people in rural areas receive the financial skills needed to support long-term prosperity.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell
I refer the hon. Member for Chippenham to the answer of 9 April 2025 to Question 43513.
Asked by: Sarah Gibson (Liberal Democrat - Chippenham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the national funding formula on educational outcomes in (a) rural areas, (b) Wiltshire and (c) other counties with lower levels of funding.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell
The government recognises the essential role that small schools play in their communities, many of which are in rural areas. The schools national funding formula (NFF) accounts for the particular challenges faced by small schools in rural areas through the lump sum and sparsity factor.
In the 2025/26 financial year, the sparsity factor provides eligible primary schools up to £57,400, and all other eligible schools up to £83,400. In 2025/26, 64 schools in Wiltshire attract additional funding through the sparsity factor. In addition to this, all small and rural schools have benefited from the increase to core factors in the NFF in 2025/26, including the NFF lump sum set at £145,100. The lump sum provides a fixed amount of funding that is particularly beneficial to small schools, as it is not affected by pupil numbers.
The purpose of the schools NFF is not to give every school the same level of per pupil funding. It is right that schools with lots of pupils with additional needs, such as those indicated by measures of deprivation or low prior attainment, receive extra funding to help them meet the needs of all their pupils.
Asked by: Sarah Gibson (Liberal Democrat - Chippenham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the Dedicated Schools Grant per pupil in Wiltshire relative to comparator authorities with similar pupil numbers and demographics.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell
Local authorities’ dedicated schools grant (DSG) allocations are calculated using the national funding formula (NFF), by reference to their numbers of pupils and schools, and their characteristics. The purpose of the NFF is not to give every school the same level of per pupil funding. It is right that schools with lots of pupils with additional needs, such as those indicated by measures of deprivation or low prior attainment, receive extra funding to help them meet the needs of all their pupils. In addition, schools in more expensive areas, like London, attract higher funding per pupil than other parts of the country to reflect the higher costs they face.
We will take the time needed to consider changes to various funding formulae going forward, ensuring that we get any changes right, and recognising the importance of establishing a fair funding system that directs funding where it is needed.
Asked by: Sarah Gibson (Liberal Democrat - Chippenham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to amend the high needs funding formula to reflect current levels of need and not historic expenditure.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell
Our aim is to establish a fair education funding system that directs resources to where they are most needed and enable improved support and outcomes for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
Because it is important that we take the time needed to review the high needs national funding formula, the structure of the formula is largely unchanged for the 2025/26 financial year allocations to local authorities.
The department is considering the funding required for future years and how it is to be allocated, following the conclusion of the recent spending review. Our objective is that future funding for SEND supports our plans for reforming the SEND system, which will be set out in further detail in a White Paper in the autumn.
Asked by: Sarah Gibson (Liberal Democrat - Chippenham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans her Department has to embed financial education and investment literacy in apprenticeship programmes.
Answered by Janet Daby
Apprenticeships are jobs that equip learners with the knowledge, skills and behaviours they need for a specific occupation. Employers, working in conjunction with Skills England, develop the content of apprenticeship standards according to the needs of their industries. This will include job-specific mathematics or English skills wherever relevant.
In addition, the department funds apprentices to achieve up to level 2 qualifications in mathematics and English as part of their apprenticeship. The qualifications give apprentices the broader skills they need to thrive in work and life and the mathematics qualification includes content on calculating interest, discounts and percentage increases/decreases, probability and budgeting, as well as building confidence with numbers more generally. We require all 16 to 18-year-olds to achieve a level 1 or level 2 qualification as part of their apprenticeship, if they do not already hold one.
Asked by: Sarah Gibson (Liberal Democrat - Chippenham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the document entitled The UK's Modern Industrial Strategy, published on 23 June 2025, what steps she is taking to provide (a) targeted apprenticeship and (b) reskilling opportunities to people living in rural areas.
Answered by Janet Daby
This government is transforming the apprenticeships offer into a new growth and skills offer, which will give greater flexibility to employers and learners and increase access to talent across the eight industrial strategy sectors.
The department will continue to rollout shorter duration and foundation apprenticeships to give more people across the country the opportunity to learn and earn in industrial strategy sectors. The first seven foundation apprenticeships will be available from August 2025, supporting young people into careers such as digital, engineering and manufacturing.
The department will also introduce short courses, funded through the growth and skills levy. These will also support industrial strategy sectors starting from April 2026.
The department will work with Skills England to identify the short courses which will be prioritised for the initial and subsequent rollouts and how these sit alongside apprenticeships and other training routes. We will set out further information in due course.