Asked by: Suella Braverman (Reform UK - Fareham and Waterlooville)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that NHS staff who raise concerns about workplace privacy, dignity or safety are protected from victimisation or disciplinary action.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Legal protections include the Employment Rights Act 1996, as amended by the Public Disclosure Act 1998, which gives employees protection against unfair dismissal and detriment in employment on the basis that they have made a protected disclosure, and a right to seek remedy through an employment tribunal where this occurs. Separate regulations also protect National Health Service job applicants from discrimination on the grounds they made a protected disclosure in the past.
There is also a range of support for NHS workers who wish to report concerns, including local Freedom to Speak Up Guardians, a National Freedom to Speak Up policy and support from independent organisations such as Speak Up Direct. Finally, we will shortly be introducing a new set of Staff Standards which employers must meet, and which will mandate additional action in key areas such as reducing and preventing violence, tackling racism and sexual safety.
Our 10 Year Workforce Plan will set out how we will ensure the NHS has the right people, in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients when they need it. We will do this by ensuring staff are better treated, have better training and more fulfilling roles.
Asked by: Suella Braverman (Reform UK - Fareham and Waterlooville)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the adequacy of record‑keeping by Richmond upon Thames Council relating to looked‑after children in the 1970s and 1980s.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
I refer the hon. Member for Fareham and Waterlooville to the answer of 2 June 2026 Question 2037.
Asked by: Suella Braverman (Reform UK - Fareham and Waterlooville)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what criteria will be used to allocate the £200 million capital funding for school sports facilities; and whether this funding will prioritise schools with inadequate or ageing PE infrastructure.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The government is investing almost £200 million to improve school sport facilities as part of its wider commitment to school sport. We will work with Sport England to ensure it supports schools to provide accessible, usable sports facilities that help tackle inequalities in access to sport and physical activity.
Further details on the allocation criteria and distribution method will be set out in due course.
Asked by: Suella Braverman (Reform UK - Fareham and Waterlooville)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that the new partnerships network will provide equitable access to PE and sport support in all regions.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Funding for PE and school sport is increasing to over £1 billion, including over the next three years, with £580 million for a new PE and School Sport Partnerships Network, alongside investment in facilities and transitional support for primary schools. Detailed design and funding allocations will be confirmed through the procurement process, but the approach will focus on ensuring support reaches those most in need.
The Network will provide practical, targeted support to help schools increase participation. This includes coaching, swimming provision and support to open facilities, stronger links to extra‑curricular sport and local clubs, and training to build staff confidence in delivering PE. Schools will also receive funding to test and share effective practice, alongside more accessible programmes from national governing bodies and clearer pathways into community sport. Support will align more closely with wider programmes and include competitive sport opportunities and inclusive events for less‑active pupils.
A national delivery partner will be appointed through a fair and open process, with strong governance and a clear focus on equitable access.
Asked by: Suella Braverman (Reform UK - Fareham and Waterlooville)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of the funding allocated to the new PE and School Sport Partnerships Network will be spent on frontline provision in schools; and what proportion will be allocated to (a) administrative and (b) delivery‑partner costs.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Funding for PE and school sport is increasing to over £1 billion, including over the next three years, with £580 million for a new PE and School Sport Partnerships Network, alongside investment in facilities and transitional support for primary schools. Detailed design and funding allocations will be confirmed through the procurement process, but the approach will focus on ensuring support reaches those most in need.
The Network will provide practical, targeted support to help schools increase participation. This includes coaching, swimming provision and support to open facilities, stronger links to extra‑curricular sport and local clubs, and training to build staff confidence in delivering PE. Schools will also receive funding to test and share effective practice, alongside more accessible programmes from national governing bodies and clearer pathways into community sport. Support will align more closely with wider programmes and include competitive sport opportunities and inclusive events for less‑active pupils.
A national delivery partner will be appointed through a fair and open process, with strong governance and a clear focus on equitable access.
Asked by: Suella Braverman (Reform UK - Fareham and Waterlooville)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what process her Department will use to select the national delivery partner for the new PE and School Sport Partnerships Network; and what safeguards will be implemented to ensure transparency and value for money.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Funding for PE and school sport is increasing to over £1 billion, including over the next three years, with £580 million for a new PE and School Sport Partnerships Network, alongside investment in facilities and transitional support for primary schools. Detailed design and funding allocations will be confirmed through the procurement process, but the approach will focus on ensuring support reaches those most in need.
The Network will provide practical, targeted support to help schools increase participation. This includes coaching, swimming provision and support to open facilities, stronger links to extra‑curricular sport and local clubs, and training to build staff confidence in delivering PE. Schools will also receive funding to test and share effective practice, alongside more accessible programmes from national governing bodies and clearer pathways into community sport. Support will align more closely with wider programmes and include competitive sport opportunities and inclusive events for less‑active pupils.
A national delivery partner will be appointed through a fair and open process, with strong governance and a clear focus on equitable access.
Asked by: Suella Braverman (Reform UK - Fareham and Waterlooville)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how the new PE and School Sport Partnerships Network will be distributed between primary and secondary schools; and what criteria will be used to determine levels of support.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Funding for PE and school sport is increasing to over £1 billion, including over the next three years, with £580 million for a new PE and School Sport Partnerships Network, alongside investment in facilities and transitional support for primary schools. Detailed design and funding allocations will be confirmed through the procurement process, but the approach will focus on ensuring support reaches those most in need.
The Network will provide practical, targeted support to help schools increase participation. This includes coaching, swimming provision and support to open facilities, stronger links to extra‑curricular sport and local clubs, and training to build staff confidence in delivering PE. Schools will also receive funding to test and share effective practice, alongside more accessible programmes from national governing bodies and clearer pathways into community sport. Support will align more closely with wider programmes and include competitive sport opportunities and inclusive events for less‑active pupils.
A national delivery partner will be appointed through a fair and open process, with strong governance and a clear focus on equitable access.
Asked by: Suella Braverman (Reform UK - Fareham and Waterlooville)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the impact on primary schools of reducing annual PE and sport funding under the new PE and School Sport Partnerships Network.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Funding for PE and school sport is increasing to over £1 billion, including over the next three years, with £580 million for a new PE and School Sport Partnerships Network, alongside investment in facilities and transitional support for primary schools. Detailed design and funding allocations will be confirmed through the procurement process, but the approach will focus on ensuring support reaches those most in need.
The Network will provide practical, targeted support to help schools increase participation. This includes coaching, swimming provision and support to open facilities, stronger links to extra‑curricular sport and local clubs, and training to build staff confidence in delivering PE. Schools will also receive funding to test and share effective practice, alongside more accessible programmes from national governing bodies and clearer pathways into community sport. Support will align more closely with wider programmes and include competitive sport opportunities and inclusive events for less‑active pupils.
A national delivery partner will be appointed through a fair and open process, with strong governance and a clear focus on equitable access.
Asked by: Suella Braverman (Reform UK - Fareham and Waterlooville)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that inclusion policies do not compromise (a) the safety of teachers and (b) the learning environment for pupils.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
High standards, early support and meaningful parental engagement all play a crucial role in ensuring that every pupil can achieve and thrive in a caring, safe classroom.
The department is clear no teacher should feel unsafe or be subjected to violence in the workplace, and schools should take swift and robust action where such incidents occur. The ‘Behaviour in schools’ guidance states all schools are legally required to have a behaviour policy that sets out effective strategies to promote good behaviour.
To deliver a stronger inclusive mainstream system, we are investing £1.6 billion in an Inclusive Mainstream fund over three years to support early years settings, schools and colleges to become inclusive by design.
To underpin this, we are launching a new landmark training package on inclusion, with an investment of over £200 million over three years, to give all staff in early years settings, schools and colleges the training they need to better support pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in mainstream settings. School leaders should consider early intervention strategies to address the underlying causes or any contributing factors towards pupil’s disruptive behaviour. This can include incidents where a pupil has SEND or unmet needs
We are also investing around £1.8 billion over the next three years for local area partnerships, including local authorities and integrated care boards, to develop a new ‘Experts at Hand’ offer. This new offer is designed to strengthen the capability of mainstream education settings so that more specialist expertise can be accessed by settings to support all children and young people thrive.
Asked by: Suella Braverman (Reform UK - Fareham and Waterlooville)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the prevalence of assaults on teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools; and what steps her Department is taking to ensure staff safety in classrooms.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
Teachers should not be subjected to any form of abuse simply for doing their jobs and any form of violence in school is completely unacceptable and should not be tolerated. We will work with the sector to make clear that abuse against teachers will not be tolerated and, while the department expects schools to take immediate and robust action if incidents of violence occur, any decision on how to sanction the pupil involved is a matter for the school.
Relationships, Sex and Health Education is now compulsory and aims to put in place the building blocks needed for positive and safe relationships of all kinds, including how to properly handle conflict.
Schools have a duty and a responsibility to protect pupils and staff. The government supports them with a range of guidance to help them fulfil their responsibilities, including advice on health and safety, school security and targeted advice on gangs and youth violence. More information on work-related violence can be found in guidance from the Health and Safety Executive at: https://www.hse.gov.uk/violence/.
The department does not hold the requested information centrally on the numbers of assaults on teachers and school staff.