Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her department has made on the usage of Artificial Intelligence in schools by a) students and b) teachers.
Answered by Olivia Bailey
The department continuously monitors the emerging implications of artificial intelligence (AI) on education, including its use by pupils and teachers.
AI can have a transformative effect on education, supporting every child and young person to achieve and thrive in a rapidly evolving digital world, and enabling teachers do their jobs more efficiently, but only when it is implemented safely. Earlier this year, we announced our updated Generative AI Safety Standards, which aim to make AI for education safe by design.
AI and other digital technologies should enhance, but never replace, the human spark of learning. It is most effective when its use is overseen by a digitally confident workforce, and in instances when it can genuinely improve the learning experience.
Our published policy position on generative AI is evidence-based and sets out expectations for schools and colleges on safe, responsible and ethical use.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of proposed SEND reforms on regional variations in access to specialist education support.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department recognises that there are currently unacceptable regional variations in access to support for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
Our proposed reforms will address these disparities by introducing a nationally consistent set of Specialist Provision Packages for children and young people with the most complex needs, helping to end the postcode lottery in support.
These Packages will be developed by independent sector experts and tested with parents and families, ensuring they are evidence-based and reflect best practice. This will support more consistent delivery and stronger accountability across all areas, giving families greater confidence.
Those who do not require a Package will be supported in a more inclusive mainstream system. We plan to introduce National Inclusion Standards, which we propose should set out minimum standards all settings must adhere to, including a range of evidence-based tools, strategies and approaches for educators to draw on to identify and support children and young people with SEND.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the level of PE funding in Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
On 21 May 2026, the government announced that it is increasing investment and over £1 billion in school sports over the next three years, including funding for the new Partnerships Network, improvements to school sports facilities and transitional support for primary schools while we move to the new approach.
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.
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. Detailed design and funding allocations will be confirmed through the procurement process.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department are taking to address the recruitment and retention of teachers in Harpenden and Berkhamsted.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Recruiting and retaining expert teachers is critical to the government’s mission to break down the barriers to opportunity for every child, as high-quality teaching is the factor that has the biggest positive impact on a child’s outcomes in school.
In February the department published its delivery plan which sets how we will recruit 6,500 secondary, special school and further education teachers over the course of this Parliament, focussing on three key themes: attracting, retaining and developing teachers.
We have now achieved 71.6% of the 6,500 additional teachers target, with 3,008 more teachers in secondary and special schools in 2025/26 than in 2024/25. In Harpenden and Berkhamsted, there was an increase of 15 teachers across secondary and special schools in 2025/26.
Our school teacher pipeline is also growing, there were 32,576 new entrants to initial teacher training in autumn 2025, up 13% from the previous year, while the latest school workforce census reported the lowest leaver rate (8.5%) in any year outside the pandemic.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her department is taking to support young people not in education employment or training, in Harpenden and Berkhamsted.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government has announced a package of measures aimed at preventing young people from becoming not in education, employment or training (NEET). A central challenge is that too many young people are identified as at risk too late, when disengagement has already occurred.
To address this, the government is strengthening early identification and intervention, including improved data sharing between local authorities, schools, and further education providers, alongside the introducing a ‘Risk of NEET’ indicator tool. Schools will also have a stronger role in ensuring every pupil has a clear post-16 destination.
The Youth Guarantee is a major part of this wider package of NEET prevention measures, with additional investment of £2.5 billion in support for young people and employers over the next few years including a Youth Jobs Grant, Youth Hubs, a Jobs Guarantee and apprenticeship incentives.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that media and digital literacy education is accessible to children with additional needs.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer of 16 June 2026 to Question 7748.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much pupil premium funding has been provided to schools in each Hertfordshire constituency (a) this year (b) in total since the policy was introduced.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Pupil premium allocations for Broxbourne, Harpenden and Berkhamsted, Hertford and Stortford, Hertsmere, Hitchin, North East Hertfordshire, South West Hertfordshire, St Albans, Stevenage, Watford and Welwyn Hatfield have been published each year since the 2012/13 financial year.
Information about this grant scheme is available at:
Information about allocations and conditions of the grant from previous years are available at:
https://www.gov.uk/education/pupil-premium-and-other-school-premiums.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many pupils have received universal school meals for infants in each Hertfordshire constituency (a) this year (b) in total since the policy was introduced.
Answered by Olivia Bailey
The department holds the data for universal infant free school meals (UIFSM) taken in Hertfordshire since the policy was introduced, but not at constituency level. This data is published in the ‘Schools, pupils and characteristics’ publication. The most recent version was published in June 2025 and the next is scheduled for summer 2026.
Information on the number of infant pupils taking a meal in Hertfordshire (and England) for UIFSM between 2015/16 and 2024/25 can be found at https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics/2024-25#section-free-school-meals-eligibility and https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/31364812-04d8-4846-70c8-08deb7cf662b.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the levels of funding for music and dance schools on the adequacy of the provision of music and dance training.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The government is committed to revitalising arts education.
This includes £36.5 million for the Music and Dance Scheme this academic year, with £32.5 million allocated for the approximately 900 students attending schools and £4 million for the approximately 1,100 students at Centres for Advanced Training. Future funding will be announced in due course.
The government funds the Music Hub network, providing £76 million annually to support all state-funded schools and pupils. The government also provides means‑tested Dance and Drama Awards for dance students, and Arts Council England funds a wide range of music and dance education programmes.
We will establish a new National Centre for Arts and Music Education by September, investing £13 million over three years to support state-funded schools to deliver more equitable arts education. Dance teaching in state‑funded schools will also be supported by the new PE and School Sport Partnership network as part of the revised physical education curriculum.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of children’s physical safety in schools.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Nothing is more important than the safety of children. It is the responsibility of those running our schools (academy trusts, local authorities, and voluntary-aided school bodies) to ensure their school buildings are safe, well-maintained, and compliant with relevant regulations. The School Premises (England) Regulations 2012 specify minimum standards for the premises of all local-authority maintained schools in England, with the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014 fulfilling the same function for voluntary aided, foundation and academy trust schools.
The department provides guidance, tools and support to help schools and responsible bodies effectively manage their school buildings.
The department has published the statutory safeguarding guidance ‘Keeping children safe in education’ alongside a range of other guidance, which sets out clear expectations in relation to training staff and putting effective systems in place to ensure the physical safety of children whilst in school. Schools are expected to have policies in place on security measures and to conduct risk assessments and develop plans, covering everything from deterring attacks and keeping learners safe, to developing lockdown procedures.