Oral Answers to Questions

Stephen Morgan Excerpts

Monday 21st July 2025 Commons Chamber

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education (Stephen Morgan)]

This Government are committed to improving mental health support for all children and young people. That is why we are providing access to specialist mental health professionals in every school by expanding mental health support teams so that every child and young person has access to early support to address problems before they escalate.

[Liz Twist]

I thank the Minister for his reply and for last week’s publication of the new relationships, sex and health education—RSHE—curriculum guidance. I was pleased to see that secondary schools are now being asked to talk about suicide prevention in an age-appropriate way. Andy, Mike and Tim, the 3 Dads Walking, have campaigned hard for this change over a number of years, and I am pleased that the Government have worked with them to make this happen. Will the Minister join me in thanking the three dads, and can he say how this will be implemented in schools so that we can help save young lives?

[Stephen Morgan]

I thank my hon. Friend for the tireless work she has done on these important issues in this place. We are grateful for the contribution of 3 Dads Walking in developing the new RSHE guidance and we pay tribute to their inspirational determination and the courage shown in their work to raise awareness. The guidance contains new content about coping strategies for dealing with issues such as anxiety, but also covers issues such as loneliness and bereavement. It says that schools should “consider carefully” how to address suicide prevention safely.

[Graham Stuart (Beverley and Holderness) (Con)]

Great leadership is critical to supporting children to have a healthy mental condition. Will the Minister join me in congratulating Leon Myers, the headteacher of Swinemoor primary school, on the twice-repeated outstanding rating for that school, on his focus on the traditional values of endeavour, resilience and competitive spirit, and on his recent MBE in recognition of the transformation of opportunity he provides to children across the Swinemoor estate?

[Stephen Morgan]

I thank the right hon. Member for his question, and I pay tribute to the member of staff he mentioned and all those who work across the education system to deliver improvements in life chances for all young people; I thank him very much for his hard work.

[Jess Asato (Lowestoft) (Lab)]

We know that timely access to mental health support is crucial. Earlier this month, the Education Committee released its report on children’s social care, which recommended that the Government establish mental health teams that are co-located between child and adolescent mental health services —CAMHS—and children’s social care, so that looked-after children can access specialist mental health support more easily. Will the Minister share any assessment that the Department has made of this recommendation?

[Stephen Morgan]

I thank my hon. Friend for the hard work she has undertaken on the Select Committee. She will know that we will deliver on our commitment on mental health support teams in the course of the next few months and years. By 2026, we estimate that 60% of pupils in schools and learners will have access to national health service tests—NHSTs—and I will take her suggestion back to the Department.

[Alison Bennett (Mid Sussex) (LD)]

Good mental health at school is sometimes bolstered by out-of-school support, especially for the most vulnerable children. Last week, I met Vicky and her team at Jigsaw Occupational Therapy in Burgess Hill, and I spoke to the families they help. Roughly a quarter of their work involved supporting kinship and adopted children and helping them to regulate following profound trauma. Vicky described the impact on their children of the Government’s cuts to the adoption and special guardianship support fund as “heartbreaking”. Can the Minister offer any words of comfort to Vicky and the families she helps?

[Stephen Morgan]

We are maintaining the support available to children to ensure that there is reasonable support in place, and providing more funding to local authorities. This Government are committed to breaking down the barriers to opportunity so that every child can succeed and thrive, and that is what we are getting on and delivering.

[Robin Swann (South Antrim) (UUP)]

5. What steps her Department is taking to help ensure that post-16 education provides the skills necessary to support the economy.

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[Steve Race (Exeter) (Lab)]

12. What steps she is taking to improve the quality of the further education estate.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education (Stephen Morgan)]

Excellent further education colleges are a key building block of the Government’s opportunity and growth missions. The Government are committed to improving the condition of schools and colleges in England and will invest nearly £3 billion per year by 2034-2035, rising from £2.4 billion in 2024-25.

[Catherine Atkinson]

The oldest surviving locomotive roundhouse in Britain is in Derby, and what was once at the forefront of Victorian engineering is now a cutting-edge learning environment for local young people who will build the homes of the future. But the site is full to bursting—Derby college needs more space. Does the Minister agree that if it became a construction technical excellence college, it could extend its site, increase its capacity in brickwork, carpentry and joinery by 50%, and teach more students the construction skills we desperately need?

[Stephen Morgan]

Applications to become construction technical excellence colleges closed on 4 July. We look forward to informing successful candidates in due course. In addition, £375 million of capital investment will be invested between 2026 and 2030 to support post-16 capacity to accommodate the additional learners entering the system.

[Steve Race]

I know that the Minister will agree with me that in Exeter we have two of the country’s most outstanding FE institutions. Exeter college is rated outstanding by Ofsted and as “strong” in its approach to meeting the skills needs of our area—the first time a college has achieved both. Exeter maths school is also rated outstanding and gives students from across the south-west the opportunity to specialise in maths, physics and computing. But as my hon. Friend the Member for Derby North (Catherine Atkinson) said, that success comes with its own challenges. Both are bursting at the seams and need capital investment to allow them to expand and continue their exceptional work. Does the Minister agree that Exeter college could also be an exceptional candidate to become a construction technical excellence college for the south-west, and will he meet me to discuss the ways in which we can support those changes?

[Stephen Morgan]

I join my hon. Friend in recognising the success of Exeter college and Exeter maths school, which are both outstanding. As he will know, the Government have announced capital funding to improve the condition of the estate and accommodate rising student numbers as we hope to replicate the success of these settings across the country.

[Tim Farron (Westmorland and Lonsdale) (LD)]

The sixth form of the Lakes school near Windermere provides further education for young people within the central lakes. The building is beyond being fit for purpose and needs a rebuild. It also happens to be built on the site where the Windermere children who survived the death camps in 1945 were brought to be rehabilitated on the shores of Windermere where they were first settled. On the 80th anniversary of their arrival, will the Minister agree to meet me and local people to look at a rebuild of the school and, at the same time, a memorial to the Windermere children, so that we can honour their memory and support the children of the future, too?

[Stephen Morgan]

Ensuring that schools and colleges have the resources and buildings that they need is key to our mission to break down barriers to opportunity and ensure that every child can succeed and thrive. As always, I am very happy to meet the hon. Gentleman.

[Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)]

I thank the Minister very much for his answers, as always. The hon. Member for Derby North (Catherine Atkinson) referred to the construction sector. Is it time perhaps to think outside the circle of what we usually do, through deals and partnerships with construction companies? That would give us the opportunity to improve the education and college estate while making people available and knowledgeable for jobs in their future life, whether in construction or otherwise. It is time for partnerships—let us do something perhaps a wee bit different.

[Stephen Morgan]

The hon. Gentleman is absolutely right: the construction sector is fundamental to the UK economy. That is why the Government’s industrial strategy includes a construction sector deal. We have committed £625 million to supporting construction skills training, and that funding includes capital investment through the establishment of technical excellence colleges and the creation of an employer match funding pot worth £80 million.

[James Asser (West Ham and Beckton) (Lab)]

7. What steps she is taking to increase the number of children meeting the early learning goals.

[John Whitby (Derbyshire Dales) (Lab)]

22. What steps her Department is taking to ensure more children receive support during their early years.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education (Stephen Morgan)]

Our landmark strategy on giving every child the best start in life sets out plans to deliver Best Start family hubs to make access to early education easier and more affordable, and to improve quality in settings and reception classes. The strategy is backed by £1.5 billion over the next three years, and Government spending on the funded hours will reach £9 billion next year and will continue to rise over the Parliament.

[James Asser]

I thank the Minister for joining me at Curwen primary school in Plaistow recently to see its excellent early years education work. He heard from parents about the struggles they often face as a result of serious economic and housing hardship. Will he assure my constituents that the Government will look at communities like mine, where housing and poverty create serious challenges for families, to ensure that all children, no matter their circumstances, get the best possible educational start in life?

[Stephen Morgan]

I thank my hon. Friend for our excellent visit to Curwen primary school last week, where I saw excellent work on supporting children’s speech and language to deliver for some of our most vulnerable children and families. Our spending review commitments are a downpayment on the child poverty strategy to build on expanding free breakfast clubs and free school meals, boost the national minimum wage and cap universal credit deductions through the fair repayment rate.

[John Whitby (Derbyshire Dales) (Lab)]

Sure Start, which was created by the previous Labour Government, boosted attainment, improved health outcomes and increased long-term earnings. However, under the Conservatives, more than 30 children’s centres in Derbyshire were closed, and Derbyshire now does not have a single family hub. What action will the Government take to ensure that more young children in Derbyshire can once again access support during their early years?

[Stephen Morgan]

It was a pleasure to visit my hon. Friend’s constituency recently, too. He is a real champion for children and young people. We will fund Best Start family hubs in every local authority, including in Derbyshire. We estimate that the expansion could reach half a million children across the country. Best Start family hubs will be open to all and based in disadvantaged communities, where they are needed most.

[Mr Speaker]

I call the Liberal Democrat spokesperson.

[Munira Wilson (Twickenham) (LD)]

May I join Ministers in thanking our school and college staff up and down the country for their dedication? I wish them happy and restorative summer holidays.

Children with special educational needs who started reception last year were over a year behind their peers, according to the Education Policy Institute. Staggeringly, those with an education, health and care plan were already over 20 months behind—the widest gap that the EPI has recorded since it started monitoring in 2013. Given the importance of the early years in narrowing the gap, it is crucial that we give every child the help that they need as soon as possible. Will the Minister confirm how much of the £760 million for SEND transformation announced in the spending review will go towards early identification and intervention?

[Stephen Morgan]

The Government are committed to ensuring excellence for everyone so that children have the support, skills and opportunities that they need, and that starts in early years. We are actively working with parents and experts on solutions, including more early intervention to prevent needs from escalating. Any changes we make will improve support for children and parents, stop parents having to fight for support, and protect current effective provision.

[Chris Webb (Blackpool South) (Lab)]

8. What steps her Department is taking to ensure adequate funding for SEND provision.

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[Caroline Voaden (South Devon) (LD)]

20. What steps she is taking to support schools that plan to ban smartphones.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education (Stephen Morgan)]

Mobile phones have no place in schools. Government guidance is clear that schools should prohibit the use of devices with smart technology throughout the school day. Research from the Children’s Commissioner shows that 99.8% of primary schools and 90% of secondary schools already have policies restricting the use of mobile phones.

[Dr Hudson]

Many of the young people I meet in schools across Epping Forest are clear that they agree with the local school policy of restricting mobile phones when they are at school. Sadly, however, the Government have repeatedly refused to heed Conservative calls to protect our children with a national ban on phones in schools—even voting against it. Bodies such as UNESCO and the OECD are crystal clear about the negative impacts of phones on young people’s education, so when will the Government listen to the evidence and to our school leaders, and support a ban on smartphones in schools for the sake of our young people’s education and mental health?

[Stephen Morgan]

I have said that phones should not be out in schools, and heads have the power to enforce that. The Opposition backed those measures. If they felt they needed to go further, they had 14 long years in which to do so.

[Caroline Voaden]

Last Thursday, I felt the fear in a hall full of parents of primary school children in Totnes as they listened to campaigners going through the evidence of the impact of smartphones on kids at secondary school. There is a clear safeguarding issue around kids seeing videos of hardcore pornography and violence.

I am therefore pleased that Tina Graham, the head of Kingsbridge community college, has just announced a smartphone-free policy from September to protect children, which will mean no phones in school at all except for reasonable adjustments. That is a much better policy than the “Not seen—put it in your bag” policy that most schools follow. In the light of such safeguarding concerns, where every child is only as safe as the least safe phone in school, why will the Minister not do the one thing that could transform our children’s mental and physical health, and school attainment and direct all schools to go smartphone free—

[Mr Speaker]

Order. Please, this is not fair; I have to get others in. I call the Minister.

[Stephen Morgan]

The hon. Lady’s question demonstrates that mobile phones have no place in schools, and there is already guidance to reflect that. The mobile phones in schools guidance is clear and schools should prohibit the use of devices with smart technology throughout the school day, including during lessons, transitions and breaks. We expect all schools to take steps in line with that guidance to ensure that mobile phones do not disrupt pupils’ learning. If pupils fail to follow those rules, schools should have the power to confiscate devices.

[Mr Speaker]

I call the shadow Secretary of State.

[Laura Trott (Sevenoaks) (Con)]

In the other place, Baroness Smith of Malvern, a Minister in the Department for Education, said:

“There is no clear scientific consensus on a negative impact from screen time and social media use on the mental health and neurological or functional development of children and young people.”—[Official Report, House of Lords, 23 June 2025; Vol. 847, c. 55.]

I fundamentally disagree. There is overwhelming and extensive evidence of the harm caused, so I want to know the Government’s position. Does the Minister agree with his ministerial colleague or with me on this issue?

[Stephen Morgan]

Last year, the right hon. Lady’s Government claimed that action on mobile phones was prohibiting their use in schools and that guidance meant

“a consistent approach across all schools.”

Those are their words. In backing the Tory Government’s measures, was she wrong then, or is she wrong now?

[Gareth Snell (Stoke-on-Trent Central) (Lab/Co-op)]

11. What assessment she has made of the adequacy of funding for sixth-form colleges.[R]

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[Dr Ben Spencer (Runnymede and Weybridge) (Con)]

14. If she will provide a timeline for the completion of construction works at the Magna Carta school in Egham.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education (Stephen Morgan)]

Ensuring that schools and colleges have the resources and buildings they need is a key part of our mission to break down the barriers to opportunity and give every child the best start in life. For this project, I can confirm that the Department is in the process of finalising the feasibility study, and we expect to procure the works later this year. Until that process is complete, we will be unable to advise on the length of the construction programme. However, positive progress continues to be made in collaboration with the trust.

[Dr Spencer]

I thank the Minister for his answer. Can he clarify whether the Magna Carta school will have a full rebuild, due to the presence of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete, or is it just the science and arts block that will be rebuilt? Will he meet me to discuss this issue and the work that will take place on such a fantastic local school?

[Stephen Morgan]

I am very happy to meet the hon. Member.

[Andy MacNae (Rossendale and Darwen) (Lab)]

15. If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of virtual teachers on school children.

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[Will Stone (Swindon North) (Lab)]

16. What steps she is taking to increase security in schools against bomb threats.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education (Stephen Morgan)]

Safeguarding children in schools is a priority for this Government, and schools have a critical role to play in protecting children and keeping them safe. Departmental guidance is clear that schools and colleges should have a policy and an emergency plan in place to manage and respond to security-related incidents.

[Will Stone]

I thank the Minister for his response, and for our recent meeting. Given that we have had two fake bomb threats in Swindon, which have obviously had a negative impact on my schools, will he assess the current guidance so that we can learn lessons from what has happened in Swindon and improve that guidance for the future?

[Stephen Morgan]

I thank my hon. Friend for our meeting last week. As I explained to him then, the Department for Education publishes the protective security and preparedness guidance, which sets out how schools should respond to bomb threats and how to embed a security culture. Action Counters Terrorism for Education e-learning, which includes information on what to do in the event of a bomb threat, is also available to all school staff.

[Alison Hume (Scarborough and Whitby) (Lab)]

18. What steps she is taking to help rebuild schools.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education (Stephen Morgan)]

This Government have made a long-term commitment to improve the condition of schools and colleges. We are investing almost £20 billion in the school rebuilding programme through to 2035, delivering rebuilding projects at over 500 schools across England, including eight schools in Scarborough and Whitby. A further 250 schools will be selected within the next two years. By 2035, we will also be investing almost £3 billion per year in capital maintenance for schools and colleges, and that figure will rise to £2.4 billion this year.

[Alison Hume]

Springhead sixth form in Scarborough has been rated outstanding for the education and care it provides for students with complex special educational needs and disabilities. The staff are amazing, but the sixth form is housed in an old and unsuitable building. When I visited Springhead, I saw one student being tutored in a modified corridor due to overcrowding. What steps is the Minister taking to ensure that pupils with special educational needs are educated in school buildings that can match those needs?

[Stephen Morgan]

We have increased funding to improve the condition of schools to £2.1 billion for 2025-26, which includes more than £7 million for North Yorkshire to invest in its maintained schools, including Springhead. North Yorkshire has also been allocated £6.8 million for 2025-26 to provide suitable and accessible school places for pupils with SEND who require alternative provision.

[Tom Gordon (Harrogate and Knaresborough) (LD)]

A number of years ago, Woodfield school in Bilton in my constituency was closed. It has been rebuilt as a specialist school for children with autism. It was meant to open in September last year, but that was delayed until September this year. Will the Minister meet me and confirm whether it will open on time this September?

[Stephen Morgan]

I am happy to meet the hon. Member.

[David Davis (Goole and Pocklington) (Con)]

19. What assessment she has made of the potential impact of proposed reforms to education, health and care plans on children with SEND.

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[Munira Wilson (Twickenham) (LD)]

I echo the Secretary of State’s remarks about the tragedy in Minehead. My thoughts and prayers are with all those affected.

Every parent who puts a baby into childcare wants to know that they are safe. In the light of the crucial role that CCTV played in the harrowing case at Twickenham Green nursery in my constituency, which resulted in a nursery worker being convicted of 21 counts of child cruelty last month, and in the tragic case of Gigi Meehan in Cheadle, will the Secretary of State commit to issuing fresh guidance to nurseries on the use and regular monitoring of CCTV footage?

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education (Stephen Morgan)]

The hon. Member will know that I met the family of Genevieve Meehan recently. That was a tragic case. We need to make sure that we are doing everything we possibly can to protect children in nursery settings. That is why I am pleased that in the “best start in life” strategy, published just two weeks ago, we committed to have early years settings inspected within 18 months and, indeed, within four years. I have offered a meeting with the hon. Member, and I am very happy to discuss these issues further.

[Lee Pitcher (Doncaster East and the Isle of Axholme) (Lab)]

T6. Apprenticeships should be open to everyone. I have met too many young people in Doncaster East and the Isle of Axholme who are more than capable of doing the job—they have the hands-on skills, the attitude and the drive to work—but are being held back from apprenticeships because they have to get a grade 4 in English or maths. When will the Government move forward with reforming the rule so that we stop shutting out good people from good jobs just because they did not get a pass in the classroom?

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[Laurence Turner (Birmingham Northfield) (Lab)]

Victoria college in my constituency is one of the relatively small number of SEND specialist further education colleges in the country. It does outstanding work. For many years, such colleges have not had access to dedicated capital grant funding. Will the Minister be so good as to look into the issue and agree to meet me to discuss it further?

[Stephen Morgan]

Ensuring that schools and colleges have the resources and buildings they need is a key part of our mission to break down barriers to opportunity. I will be very happy to meet my hon. Friend to discuss these issues further.

[Shockat Adam (Leicester South) (Ind)]

Sadly, both universities in my constituency, De Montfort University and Leicester University, are on the verge of making hundreds of redundancies and even shutting down complete faculties. What financial commitment is the Department making to secure academic jobs, especially in subjects such as chemistry, humanities and languages, rather than making short-term cuts?