Asked by: Uma Kumaran (Labour - Stratford and Bow)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to extend funding for independent, non-profit, specialist advice for families involved with the (a) child welfare and (b) family justice systems beyond March 2025.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department is currently undertaking business planning to consider spending plans for the 2025/26 fiscal year following the Budget on 30 October. National Helpline services will form part of those considerations.
Asked by: Uma Kumaran (Labour - Stratford and Bow)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will ensure that the requirements of children in migrant households are included in the child poverty strategy.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
In developing a child poverty strategy, the child poverty taskforce is considering all children across the United Kingdom. The taskforce recognises the distinct challenges faced by migrant children. The causes of child poverty are deep-rooted, with solutions both for and which go beyond government, and the taskforce is exploring all available levers in response.
To develop the strategy, the taskforce has committed to engaging extensively with families, charities, campaigners and leading organisations across the UK to shape and inform our plans. We are engaging with organisations who have made representations on behalf of migrant children and will continue to do so as our plans develop.
Asked by: Uma Kumaran (Labour - Stratford and Bow)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to (a) reintroduce maintenance grants and (b) another scheme to support students from low income families with the cost of living.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government recognises the impact that the cost of living crisis has had on students. That is why we are increasing maximum loans for living costs for the 2025/26 academic year by 3.1%, in line with the forecast rate of inflation based on the RPI All Items Excl Mortgage Interest (RPIX) inflation measure, to ensure more support is targeted at students from the lowest income families. In addition, vulnerable groups of students eligible for benefits, such as lone parents and some disabled students, qualify for higher rates of loans for living costs.
The department publishes an Equality Impact Assessment (EIA) each year which sets out the impact of changes to student support on students with protected characteristics and from disadvantaged groups. We plan to publish an EIA for the 2025/26 academic year early in 2025.
There is much more to do to expand access and improve outcomes for disadvantaged students. That is why we have announced that we expect the higher education (HE) sector to do more to support students by working with the government and the Office for Students, and by making the most of the Lifelong Learning Entitlement.
The government’s longer term plan for HE reform will be set out by summer 2025.
Asked by: Uma Kumaran (Labour - Stratford and Bow)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of support available for students from low-income families.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government recognises the impact that the cost of living crisis has had on students. That is why we are increasing maximum loans for living costs for the 2025/26 academic year by 3.1%, in line with the forecast rate of inflation based on the RPI All Items Excl Mortgage Interest (RPIX) inflation measure, to ensure more support is targeted at students from the lowest income families. In addition, vulnerable groups of students eligible for benefits, such as lone parents and some disabled students, qualify for higher rates of loans for living costs.
The department publishes an Equality Impact Assessment (EIA) each year which sets out the impact of changes to student support on students with protected characteristics and from disadvantaged groups. We plan to publish an EIA for the 2025/26 academic year early in 2025.
There is much more to do to expand access and improve outcomes for disadvantaged students. That is why we have announced that we expect the higher education (HE) sector to do more to support students by working with the government and the Office for Students, and by making the most of the Lifelong Learning Entitlement.
The government’s longer term plan for HE reform will be set out by summer 2025.
Asked by: Uma Kumaran (Labour - Stratford and Bow)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a stepped repayment structure for student loan repayment plans.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department is determined that the higher education (HE) funding system should deliver for our economy, for universities and for students. The government is committed to supporting the aspiration of every person who meets the requirements and wants to go to university.
The department will set out this government’s longer term plan for HE reform by summer 2025.
Asked by: Uma Kumaran (Labour - Stratford and Bow)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of falling pupil rolls on school budgets.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
The majority of school funding is driven by pupil numbers. As such, the department understands that falling rolls can have a significant impact on schools’ budgets.
The lagged funding system, where schools are funded on the basis of their pupil numbers in the previous October census, helps to give schools more certainty over funding levels to aid their planning and is particularly important in giving schools that see year-on-year reductions in their pupil numbers time to reorganise their costs before seeing the funding impact.
In addition, the department allocates falling rolls funding on the basis of the reduction in pupil numbers that local authorities experience each year. Local authorities can choose to operate a falling rolls fund to support schools which see a short-term fall in the number of pupils on roll.
The department will continue to keep the national funding formula under review, including the impact it has on schools with falling rolls.