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 ensure that SEND reforms under development (a) take account of the needs of children with (i) coeliac disease and (ii) other medical conditions and (b) ensure that pupils with dietary requirements are supported in school.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The government sets out required minimum standards for school food in the School Food Standards. Headteachers, governors, and their caterers are best placed to make decisions about their school food policies that take into account local circumstances and pupil needs.
Additionally, Section 100 of the Children and Families Act 2014 places a duty on governing bodies of maintained schools, proprietors of academies and management committees of pupil referral units to make arrangements for supporting pupils at their school with medical conditions, which includes coeliac disease and other food-related conditions. Schools must therefore take appropriate action in supporting such pupils to access food provision.
In doing so, schools must have regard to the 'Supporting pupils with medical conditions at school' statutory guidance issued by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education. This guidance can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/supporting-pupils-at-school-with-medical-conditions--3.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what data her department holds on the number of pupils in England requiring gluten free meal provision in schools.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The department does not hold data on requirements for gluten-free meal provision in schools. The government sets out required minimum standards for school food in the School Food Standards. Headteachers, governors and their caterers are best placed to make decisions about their school food policies that take into account local circumstances and pupil needs, including the provision of gluten-free meals.
Additionally, Section 100 of the Children and Families Act 2014 places a duty on governing bodies of maintained schools, proprietors of academies and management committees of pupil referral units to make arrangements for supporting pupils at their school with medical conditions, which may be food-related. Schools must therefore take appropriate action in supporting such pupils to access food provision.
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 take steps to require (a) schools and (b) nurseries to publish information on how they respond to feedback from (i) pupils and (ii) parents in inclusion-related surveys.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
This government is committed to improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools to break down barriers to education, alongside ensuring that special schools are able to support children with the most complex needs. The Expert Advisory Group for Inclusion, chaired by Tom Rees, will play a key role in engaging the sector, including leaders, practitioners, children and families.
What maintained schools and academies must publish is set out in the department’s guidance. This does not include survey data collected by schools relating to inclusion. From November 2025, Ofsted inspections will assess inclusion as part of their renewed inspection framework.
To help support schools understand pupil experience and improve pupil engagement, the department has committed to work with partners to draw up a framework, due to be published next year. A key part of this will be supporting schools to measure pupil experience in an evidence-based way to understand, and take action on, the in-school factors which influence whether their pupils attend, achieve and thrive. We have also committed to amplifying the voices of children and young people at a national level, by publishing annual data on pupils’ sense of school belonging, safety and enjoyment.
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 ensure that (a) pupil and (b) parent survey data is used effectively to assess the inclusivity of (i) schools and (ii) early years settings.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
This government is committed to improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools to break down barriers to education, alongside ensuring that special schools are able to support children with the most complex needs. The Expert Advisory Group for Inclusion, chaired by Tom Rees, will play a key role in engaging the sector, including leaders, practitioners, children and families.
What maintained schools and academies must publish is set out in the department’s guidance. This does not include survey data collected by schools relating to inclusion. From November 2025, Ofsted inspections will assess inclusion as part of their renewed inspection framework.
To help support schools understand pupil experience and improve pupil engagement, the department has committed to work with partners to draw up a framework, due to be published next year. A key part of this will be supporting schools to measure pupil experience in an evidence-based way to understand, and take action on, the in-school factors which influence whether their pupils attend, achieve and thrive. We have also committed to amplifying the voices of children and young people at a national level, by publishing annual data on pupils’ sense of school belonging, safety and enjoyment.
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 ensure children with Developmental Language Disorder receive appropriate support within the education system.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The government is committed to ensuring that every child has the best start in life. This includes all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including speech, language and communications needs such as Developmental Language Disorder.
We know that continuing to build the pipeline of speech and language therapists (SaLT) is essential. The department is working closely with the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England to improve access to community health services, including speech and language therapy, for children and young people with SEND.
In addition to the undergraduate degree route, SaLTs can now also train via a degree apprenticeship. This route is entering its fourth year of delivery and offers an alternative pathway to the traditional degree route into a successful career as a SaLT.
In partnership with NHS England, the department has extended the Early Language and Support for Every Child programme, trialling new ways of working to better identify and support children with speech, language and communication needs in early years settings and primary schools.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the travel costs to families for their child to meet their (a) educational, (b) pastoral and (c) mental health needs where the local school is unable to meet those needs; and whether she plans to review support for home-to-school transport in such cases.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The government’s ambition is that all children receive the support they need to achieve and thrive. Our home-to-school travel policy aims to make sure no child is prevented from accessing education by a lack of transport.
A child is eligible for free home-to-school transport if they are of compulsory school age (5 to 16), attend their nearest school and would not be able to walk there because of the distance, their special educational needs, disability or mobility problem, or the safety of the route. If they have an education, health and care plan, the school named in that plan will usually be considered their nearest for home-to-school transport purposes. There are extended rights to free travel for children from low-income households.
We have committed to improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools so fewer children need to travel long distances to a school that can meet their needs and will bring forward a White Paper with plans to improve the special educational needs and disabilities system.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on local planning policies supporting the expansion of early years provision through the (a) protection and (b) promotion of (i) high-quality and (ii) home-based childcare settings.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
It is the government’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 and delivering on our Plan for Change. In 2025/26 alone, we plan to provide over £8 billion for the early years entitlements, which is an additional £2 billion (over 30% increase) compared to 2024/25, as we roll out the expansion of the entitlements. The government is boosting availability and increasing access to childcare for families through the school-based nurseries programme, including school led provision and private, voluntary and independent providers operating from school sites.
The department has regular contact with each local authority in England about their sufficiency of childcare and any issues they are facing. Where local authorities report sufficiency challenges, we discuss what action the local authority is taking and, where needed, support the local authority with any specific requirements through our childcare sufficiency support contract.
The department continues to help people discover rewarding early years careers through the ‘Do Something Big’ national recruitment campaign, building on our pilot of delivering financial incentives in 38 local authorities this year. This is alongside exploring ways to make childcare more accessible, including supporting childminders in adapting their homes, accessing community spaces and introducing flexibilities for childminders to work with more children from home or on non-domestic premises. We are also looking at a proposed professional register for early years staff, a career framework to support progression, and recognition and increased inspection frequency by Ofsted to ensure quality standards are maintained. Childminders will also be part of the Best Start Family Service, which aims to integrate early years support across education, health and community services.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions her Department has had with schools on the potential impact of branded school uniform policies on families; and what steps her Department is taking to ensure that schools comply with the statutory guidance entitled Cost of school uniforms, published on 19 November 2021.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell
Whilst many schools are taking action to reduce costs, too many families tell us that the cost of school uniform remains a financial burden. The department’s research shows that the average cost of uniform is significantly lower when parents can buy items from somewhere other than a designated shop or school. This research is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cost-of-school-uniforms-survey-2023.
The government has introduced legislation through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, to limit the number of compulsory branded items schools can require, to remove the cost of uniform as a barrier to pupils accessing school and activities in school.
We estimate that requiring fewer branded items from designated suppliers could save some parents over £50 per child during the back to school shop once the uniform limit comes into effect.
The department has statutory guidance on the ‘Cost of school uniforms’, and schools must have regard to it when designing and implementing their uniform policies. We expect all schools to now be compliant.
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 support businesses to invest in skills and training in Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency.
Answered by Janet Daby
The department’s Industrial Strategy outlines key interventions to boost employer engagement with the skills system. These include:
This investment will be supported by stronger employer partnerships, including the launch of technical excellence colleges to build local talent pipelines.
Additionally, the chair of Skills England, alongside the Industrial Strategy Advisory Council, will explore how employers, individuals and government can collaborate to meet national skills needs and drive future job growth.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether investment in family hubs will be included in the upcoming Child Poverty Strategy.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell
I refer the hon. Member for Harpenden and Berkhamsted to the answer of 03 July 2025 to Question 63139.