Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will extend funding for BTEC Extended Diplomas until the full rollout of V Levels to prevent a gap in post-16 qualification options.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department is currently consulting with the sector on the introduction of V Levels, including transitional arrangements to achieve the qualifications landscape set out in the Post-16 Skills White Paper. We will confirm the expected implementation timetable in due course.
The first V Level subjects are planned for teaching in 2027, with further batches of qualifications planned between then and by the 2030/31 academic year.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will publish a timetable for the introduction of V Levels and the overlap period with existing qualifications, including BTECs, to allow schools and colleges to plan effectively.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department is currently consulting with the sector on the introduction of V Levels, including transitional arrangements to achieve the qualifications landscape set out in the Post-16 Skills White Paper. We will confirm the expected implementation timetable in due course.
The first V Level subjects are planned for teaching in 2027, with further batches of qualifications planned between then and by the 2030/31 academic year.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Department is taking to ensure that families who cannot afford private dyslexia assessments have access to timely diagnosis and support.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Effective early identification and intervention is critical in improving the outcomes of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities, including those with dyslexia.
The department is supporting settings to identify needs early by strengthening the evidence base of what works. Recently published evidence reviews from University College London will help to drive inclusive practices, as they highlight the most effective tools, strategies and approaches for teachers and other relevant staff in mainstream settings to identify and support children and young people with different types of needs.
We also recently announced new government-backed research into special educational needs identification, which will be delivered by UK Research Innovation in partnership with the department. This will aim to develop and test trusted and effective approaches to help the early identification of children needing targeted educational support.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the impact of removing the BTEC Extended Diploma in Health and Social Care on students who do not meet the entry requirements for A Levels or T Levels.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
In October, the department published a consultation which detailed our plans to introduce V Levels, which will offer a vocational alternative to A levels and T Levels. We have proposed a range of subjects for delivery through V Levels, including Health and Care Services.
For students looking for a career in health, we would expect students to take the Health T Level. Young people with a range of prior attainment are accessing T Levels. The GCSE grade split for students receiving T Level results is very similar to those receiving results for Applied General Qualifications.
To ensure students can continue to access high quality qualifications in social care, we introduced a large Technical Occupation Qualification in Social Care (1080 GLH), which will be available for first teach from 1 August 2026. We are also exploring whether a T Level in Social Care could be viable in future.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what evidence her Department used to determine that the BTEC Extended Diploma in Health and Social Care should no longer be funded; and whether she will publish that analysis.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
In October, the department published a consultation which detailed our plans to introduce V Levels, which will offer a vocational alternative to A levels and T Levels. We have proposed a range of subjects for delivery through V Levels, including Health and Care Services.
For students looking for a career in health, we would expect students to take the Health T Level. Young people with a range of prior attainment are accessing T Levels. The GCSE grade split for students receiving T Level results is very similar to those receiving results for Applied General Qualifications.
To ensure students can continue to access high quality qualifications in social care, we introduced a large Technical Occupation Qualification in Social Care (1080 GLH), which will be available for first teach from 1 August 2026. We are also exploring whether a T Level in Social Care could be viable in future.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of defunding the BTEC Extended Diploma in Health and Social Care on the future health and social care workforce pipeline.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
In October, the department published a consultation which detailed our plans to introduce V Levels, which will offer a vocational alternative to A levels and T Levels. We have proposed a range of subjects for delivery through V Levels, including Health and Care Services.
For students looking for a career in health, we would expect students to take the Health T Level. Young people with a range of prior attainment are accessing T Levels. The GCSE grade split for students receiving T Level results is very similar to those receiving results for Applied General Qualifications.
To ensure students can continue to access high quality qualifications in social care, we introduced a large Technical Occupation Qualification in Social Care (1080 GLH), which will be available for first teach from 1 August 2026. We are also exploring whether a T Level in Social Care could be viable in future.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the new V Levels will have equivalent entry requirements to A Levels, and what steps her Department will take to ensure students who do not meet those requirements are not excluded from Level 3 study.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
We have set out plans to reform qualification pathways at level 3 and level 2. At level 3, this includes a third, vocational pathway, V Levels. V Levels will blend applied learning with practical assessment, and their content will be linked to occupational standards set by Skills England. It is intended that students can study English and maths alongside V Levels where appropriate.
We set out plans to introduce two new pathways at level 2, the Further Study pathway and Occupational pathway. The Further Study pathway is designed to help students to progress to level 3 study where they cannot access it straight away, for example if they do not have the prior attainment that they need to study what they wish to.
The department does not set entry requirements for post-16 study, these decisions are made by individual providers. Young people with a range of prior attainment are accessing T Levels, the GCSE grade split for students receiving T Level results is very similar to those receiving results for Applied General Qualifications.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what provision is being made for students achieving predominantly grade 4s at GCSE who are unable to access A Level or T Level courses.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
We have set out plans to reform qualification pathways at level 3 and level 2. At level 3, this includes a third, vocational pathway, V Levels. V Levels will blend applied learning with practical assessment, and their content will be linked to occupational standards set by Skills England. It is intended that students can study English and maths alongside V Levels where appropriate.
We set out plans to introduce two new pathways at level 2, the Further Study pathway and Occupational pathway. The Further Study pathway is designed to help students to progress to level 3 study where they cannot access it straight away, for example if they do not have the prior attainment that they need to study what they wish to.
The department does not set entry requirements for post-16 study, these decisions are made by individual providers. Young people with a range of prior attainment are accessing T Levels, the GCSE grade split for students receiving T Level results is very similar to those receiving results for Applied General Qualifications.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an assessment of the adequacy of levels of consistency of safeguarding protocols in multi-academy trusts in relation to unauthorised adult access to school premises.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The safety and wellbeing of children in our schools is the department’s highest priority. We recognise the importance of robust safeguarding measures and take concerns about unauthorised adult access to school premises very seriously. The produced non-statutory guidance for schools and colleges in respect of developing a security policy. The department expects security in schools to be considered alongside statutory safeguarding responsibilities and the legal obligations under the Health and Safety at Work Act and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations. The department also issues the statutory ‘Keeping children safe in education’ guidance, including guidance on the use of school premises for non-school activities.
When the department has concerns regarding the safeguarding policies of any MATs, they can then enforce compliance through the MAT’s funding agreement, in line with our published statutory guidance.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for what reason differences in (a) size, (b) facilities and (c) delivery model of nurseries are not considered when determining the hourly rate of funding per child.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
It is the department’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. This is key to the government’s Plan for Change, which starts with reaching the milestone of a record number of children being ready for school. That also means ensuring the sector is financially sustainable and confident as it continues to deliver entitlements and high quality early years provision going forward.
In the 2025/26 financial year alone, the department has provided over £8 billion for the early years entitlements, increasing to over £9 billion in 2026/27. We have announced the largest ever increase to Early Years Pupil Premium since its introduction and have delivered a significant tranche of supplementary funding of £75 million through the Early Years Expansion Grant.
The early years market is vibrant and diverse, made up of a range of for-profit and not-for-profit provider types. The department aims to distribute funding fairly, efficiently and transparently across the country and across provider types. The hourly funding rate paid to local authorities is designed to recognise the average costs across different provider types, reflecting staff and non-staff costs.