Asked by: Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies on media literacy and citizenship education of the findings of the report by Resilience and Reconstruction entitled Disinformation, UK Democracy, and Attitudes toward Ukraine & Russia in the UK, published in January 2026, on passive exposure to misinformation via social media.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Improved media literacy builds resilience to misinformation and disinformation and fosters critical thinking. The government is improving media literacy through coordinated cross-government work, including funding innovative community-based interventions and launching an awareness campaign to build digital resilience and critical thinking skills online. The Online Safety Act updated Ofcom’s statutory duty to promote media literacy. This includes raising the awareness and understanding of misinformation and harmful content, especially where it affects vulnerable groups.
The government’s independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, published on 5 November 2025, emphasised the value of secure knowledge, the process of questioning and critical enquiry and weighing up evidence across information and sources. The government’s response to the review committed to strengthening media literacy content in the curriculum to ensure vital applied knowledge and skills in media and digital literacy are embedded into the revised curriculum, that subject-specific disciplinary skills including critical thinking and problem solving are clearly articulated in the refreshed programmes of study.
Asked by: Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to publish a fuller equalities impact assessment of the Child Poverty Strategy, including its impact on groups at highest risk of poverty.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
A full summary equalities analysis was published alongside the Child Poverty Strategy and is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/child-poverty-strategy-summary-equalities-analysis.
The impacts of policies contributing to the Child Poverty Strategy will be kept under review and monitored on an ongoing basis by departments using their own established approaches to considerations made under the Public Sector Equality Duty.
The ongoing monitoring and evaluation of the Child Poverty Strategy will also continue to assess the poverty risk and prevalence for groups with protected characteristics, as far as the data and evidence gathering allow.
The monitoring and evaluation framework, published alongside the Strategy, set out that a baseline report will be published in summer 2026, with annual reporting on progress thereafter.
Asked by: Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has considered the potential impact for reducing funding for the International Baccalaureate on (a) the number of university admissions and (b) the representation of state-educated students at (i) Oxford, (b) Cambridge and (c) other leading institutions.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department has made very significant investments into 16 to 19 education funding. The base rate of funding per student has increased to £5,105 in 2025/26, up over 5% on last year. We must make this funding work hard, tilting it towards key priorities. That is why we have announced that we will focus large programme uplift funding (LPU), which is on top of the base funding, on those large programmes which include maths, further maths and other high value A levels. We have informed institutions most affected by the change in LPU funding that we will calculate transitional protection funding for one year. This should enable institutions to support students in completing larger programmes that will no longer attract the LPU. 16 to 19 funded institutions have the freedom to decide how they use their funding for the provision they offer, including whether they offer the International Baccalaureate. The impact of the scenarios referred to in the questions will depend on choices made by institutions.
Asked by: Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to the funding for the International Baccalaureate on (a) school culture and (b) the retention of teaching staff.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department has made very significant investments into 16 to 19 education funding. The base rate of funding per student has increased to £5,105 in 2025/26, up over 5% on last year. We must make this funding work hard, tilting it towards key priorities. That is why we have announced that we will focus large programme uplift funding (LPU), which is on top of the base funding, on those large programmes which include maths, further maths and other high value A levels. We have informed institutions most affected by the change in LPU funding that we will calculate transitional protection funding for one year. This should enable institutions to support students in completing larger programmes that will no longer attract the LPU. 16 to 19 funded institutions have the freedom to decide how they use their funding for the provision they offer, including whether they offer the International Baccalaureate. The impact of the scenarios referred to in the questions will depend on choices made by institutions.
Asked by: Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes in the level of funding for the International Baccalaureate on the number of students learning foreign languages in state schools.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department has made very significant investments into 16 to 19 education funding. The base rate of funding per student has increased to £5,105 in 2025/26, up over 5% on last year. We must make this funding work hard, tilting it towards key priorities. That is why we have announced that we will focus large programme uplift funding (LPU), which is on top of the base funding, on those large programmes which include maths, further maths and other high value A levels. We have informed institutions most affected by the change in LPU funding that we will calculate transitional protection funding for one year. This should enable institutions to support students in completing larger programmes that will no longer attract the LPU. 16 to 19 funded institutions have the freedom to decide how they use their funding for the provision they offer, including whether they offer the International Baccalaureate. The impact of the scenarios referred to in the questions will depend on choices made by institutions.
Asked by: Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the potential number of redundancies as a result of changes in the level of funding for the International Baccalaureate in the state sector.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department has made very significant investments into 16 to 19 education funding. The base rate of funding per student has increased to £5,105 in 2025/26, up over 5% on last year. We must make this funding work hard, tilting it towards key priorities. That is why we have announced that we will focus large programme uplift funding (LPU), which is on top of the base funding, on those large programmes which include maths, further maths and other high value A levels. We have informed institutions most affected by the change in LPU funding that we will calculate transitional protection funding for one year. This should enable institutions to support students in completing larger programmes that will no longer attract the LPU. 16 to 19 funded institutions have the freedom to decide how they use their funding for the provision they offer, including whether they offer the International Baccalaureate. The impact of the scenarios referred to in the questions will depend on choices made by institutions.
Asked by: Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an estimate of the average reduction in funding to each state school affected by the planned reduction in funding for the International Baccalaureate.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department has made very significant investments into 16 to 19 education funding. The base rate of funding per student has increased to £5,105 in 2025/26, up over 5% on last year. We must make this funding work hard, tilting it towards key priorities. That is why we have announced that we will focus large programme uplift funding (LPU), which is on top of the base funding, on those large programmes which include maths, further maths and other high value A levels. We have informed institutions most affected by the change in LPU funding that we will calculate transitional protection funding for one year. This should enable institutions to support students in completing larger programmes that will no longer attract the LPU. 16 to 19 funded institutions have the freedom to decide how they use their funding for the provision they offer, including whether they offer the International Baccalaureate. The impact of the scenarios referred to in the questions will depend on choices made by institutions.
Asked by: Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to issue guidance to affected schools on managing the planned reduction in funding for the International Baccalaureate.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department has made very significant investments into 16 to 19 education funding. The base rate of funding per student has increased to £5,105 in 2025/26, up over 5% on last year. We must make this funding work hard, tilting it towards key priorities. That is why we have announced that we will focus large programme uplift funding (LPU), which is on top of the base funding, on those large programmes which include maths, further maths and other high value A levels. We have informed institutions most affected by the change in LPU funding that we will calculate transitional protection funding for one year. This should enable institutions to support students in completing larger programmes that will no longer attract the LPU. 16 to 19 funded institutions have the freedom to decide how they use their funding for the provision they offer, including whether they offer the International Baccalaureate. The impact of the scenarios referred to in the questions will depend on choices made by institutions.
Asked by: Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions her Department has had with the International Baccalaureate Organisation on the withdrawal of state funding support.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department has made very significant investments into 16 to 19 education funding. The base rate of funding per student has increased to £5,105 in 2025/26, up over 5% on last year. We must make this funding work hard, tilting it towards key priorities. That is why we have announced that we will focus large programme uplift funding (LPU), which is on top of the base funding, on those large programmes which include maths, further maths and other high value A levels. We have informed institutions most affected by the change in LPU funding that we will calculate transitional protection funding for one year. This should enable institutions to support students in completing larger programmes that will no longer attract the LPU. 16 to 19 funded institutions have the freedom to decide how they use their funding for the provision they offer, including whether they offer the International Baccalaureate. The impact of the scenarios referred to in the questions will depend on choices made by institutions.
Asked by: Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that independent fostering agencies receive adequate support to provide high-quality fostering services.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department’s priority is to recruit and retain more foster carers so there is a choice of stable, loving foster homes for children in care.
The government is committed to ensuring a fostering system that meets the needs of children and young people and works for everyone involved. We have clear regulations and rigorous inspection frameworks to ensure these high standards are achieved.
All private independent fostering agencies must meet the legal requirements set out in the Fostering Services (England) Regulations 2011. These regulations, alongside the fostering services: national minimum standards, are used by Ofsted when inspecting fostering agencies to ensure that they are offering the right support to children and foster families.
The department encourages local authorities and independent fostering agencies to collaborate and welcome sector efforts such as the National Fostering Model Contract, which was co-produced by local authorities and independent fostering agencies, which aim to improve commissioning processes.