Asked by: Vikki Slade (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
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 amending the statutory guidance on school attendance to allow exemptions for term-time holiday fines for families where the parents have to work during school holidays.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The school year is structured so that there are opportunities for holidays outside of term-time. All schools have the discretion to grant leave of absence in exceptional circumstances, judging each application on the specific facts. However, generally a holiday would not constitute an exceptional circumstance. Schools and local authorities also have considerable flexibility to plan term dates themselves and hold inset days and other occasional days at quieter times of the year, helping families to plan breaks at times that suit them.
Where term-time holidays are taken without permission, it is right that the law protects children’s right to a full-time education. The national framework for penalty notices is designed to improve fairness by ensuring they are considered at a consistent point across the country, and on an individual basis, preventing schools from having blanket rules.
Asked by: Vikki Slade (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will add data about young people's caring responsibilities to information collected as part of the school census.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The School Census requires schools to indicate if a child has been identified as a young carer, and if so, by whom. Young carers can be identified by parents, the pupil themselves or by the school.
The return of this data is a requirement for all schools, except nurseries, and data must be returned in the Spring Census each year. Schools do not need to seek the permission of the pupil or parent to return this data to the department.
Data on young carers has been collected since the 2022/23 academic year and is published each summer.
Asked by: Vikki Slade (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has plans to review the commencement date of interest accruing on student loans.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
We inherited the student loans system, including Plan 2, which was devised by the previous government. Threshold freezes have been introduced to protect taxpayers and students now, alongside future generations of learners and workers.
Borrowers on Plan 5 student loans only accrue interest at Retail Price Index, currently 3.2%. This means graduates will not repay more than they borrow in real terms.
Interest accrues on loan balances from the first day the loan is paid to the learning provider, and/or to the student, until the loan has been repaid in full or cancelled. Interest rates do not impact monthly repayments made by borrowers.
Asked by: Vikki Slade (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of teachers' wellbeing on their ability to deliver high quality teaching.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
I refer the hon. Member for Mid Dorset and North Poole to the answer of 3 March 2026 to Question 115068.
Asked by: Vikki Slade (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to improve teachers' (a) wellbeing and (b) working conditions to support them to deliver consistent high quality teaching.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
I refer the hon. Member for Mid Dorset and North Poole to the answer of 3 March 2026 to Question 115068.
Asked by: Vikki Slade (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment with Cabinet colleagues of the potential impact of interest rates on student loans on graduates’ likelihood of becoming home owners.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Interest rates do not impact monthly repayments made by student loan borrowers as repayments are linked to income, not to the amount borrowed or interest applied. If a borrower is earning above the repayment threshold, repayments are made at a constant rate of 9%. This rate strikes a balance between affordability for graduates and fairness to taxpayers. For example, someone earning £30,000 will repay around £4 per month in the 2026/27 financial year under the repayment threshold of £29,385.
Those earning below the earnings threshold do not make repayments. Any outstanding loan including interest built up, is cancelled at the end of the loan term with no detriment to the borrower, and debt is never passed on to family members or descendants.
Having an outstanding student loan is not a barrier to accessing a mortgage, however regular student loan repayments will be considered alongside other living costs as part of the affordability check for mortgage applications.
Asked by: Vikki Slade (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to regulate how multi-academy trusts address concerns raised by parents of children whose school is joining a multi-academy trust.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Section 5 of the Academies Act 2010 requires maintained schools to consult appropriate persons on whether the school should convert to academy status before the conversion goes ahead. This does not apply to schools that are eligible for intervention.
In the ‘Every Child Achieving and Thriving’ White Paper, the department committed to consult on requiring school trusts to have local governance structures that together include all their schools, hold annual parental forums, and ensure boards hear directly from parents and school communities. The consultation will draw on the strongest sector practice in engaging parents and communities, to ensure that trust boards benefit from clear, consistent insight into the needs and priorities of the families they serve.
Asked by: Vikki Slade (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to introduce testing for neurodiversity in educational settings for students aged 16 and above.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream settings is a key part of the government’s ambition to ensure that all children and young people receive the support they need to achieve and thrive, in the most appropriate setting.
The department has recently announced a new £200 million landmark teacher training programme which will support the workforce in identifying and supporting the individual needs of learners.
By 2028, we will have invested up to £15 million to build the evidence base for the National Inclusion Standards. This will include a digital library of high-quality identification tools and provision across the 0-25 system covering all layers of support and making clear what provision should be available in every setting.
The special educational needs and disabilities Code of Practice sets out expectations for supporting neurodiverse learners, and places strong emphasis on inclusive practice.
It remains the case that providers have responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010 to make reasonable adjustments for all their disabled students.
Asked by: Vikki Slade (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the availability of specialist occupational therapists to support children and young people with SEND in schools.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department is working closely with the Department for Health and Social Care and NHS England to improve access to community health services, including occupational therapy for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
As we look to reform the SEND system, we want to improve how services that support early identification and intervention and whole school inclusive practice are jointly commissioned and made available to schools. The local authorities and the Integrated Care Board as joint commissioners of services will continue to play an important role in this.
Asked by: Vikki Slade (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to ensure that any changes to SEND provision include access to occupational therapy for children and young people with SEND in mainstream schools.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department is working closely with the Department for Health and Social Care and NHS England to improve access to community health services, including occupational therapy for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
As we look to reform the SEND system, we want to improve how services that support early identification and intervention and whole school inclusive practice are jointly commissioned and made available to schools. The local authorities and the Integrated Care Board as joint commissioners of services will continue to play an important role in this.