Asked by: Zarah Sultana (Your Party - Coventry South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of whether the PE and School Sport Partnerships Network will provide equivalent school-based support to that previously funded through the Primary PE and Sport Premium, including the delivery of PE lessons, after-school clubs, sports teams and swimming provision.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
I refer the hon. Member for Coventry South to the answer of 21 August 2026 to Question 11571.
Asked by: Zarah Sultana (Your Party - Coventry South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of replacing school-based PE funding with partnership-based provision on children whose participation in organised sport is limited by financial barriers, transport availability or a lack of local sports provision.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
I refer the hon. Member for Coventry South to the answer of 21 August 2026 to Question 11573.
Asked by: Zarah Sultana (Your Party - Coventry South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of ending the Primary PE and Sport Premium on the provision of PE, extra-curricular sport and physical activity in primary schools, including where schools have used that funding to employ sports apprentices or coaches.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
I refer the hon. Member for Coventry South to the answer of 21 August 2026 to Question 11571.
Asked by: Zarah Sultana (Your Party - Coventry South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has undertaken an equality impact assessment of the decision to end the Primary PE and Sport Premium.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
I refer the hon. Member for Coventry South to the answer of 26 June 2026 to Question 11067.
Asked by: Zarah Sultana (Your Party - Coventry South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to provide direct funding to primary schools to enable them to continue employing sports apprentices, coaches or other staff to support PE and extra-curricular sport following the end of the Primary PE and Sport Premium.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
I refer the hon. Member for Coventry South to the answer of 8 June 2026 to Question 4355.
Asked by: Zarah Sultana (Your Party - Coventry South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that local authorities fulfil their statutory duties in respect of Education, Health and Care Plans for children with special educational needs.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department and NHS England work together to support and challenge local areas to improve their special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) service delivery where required. This includes monitoring, supporting and challenging any areas of identified weakness, both following an area SEND inspection by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission, or if those areas are identified outside of inspection timescales.
Where a local authority does not meet its duties, including in relation to securing provision in accordance with education, health and care plans, the department can take action that prioritises children’s needs and supports local areas to bring about rapid improvement. This includes a range of universal, targeted and intensive support through departmental programmes, such as our expert advisers and commissioners.
Asked by: Zarah Sultana (Your Party - Coventry South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to improve accountability mechanisms for schools that do not provide adequate support for children with special educational needs.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The department is committed to improving our approach to accountability for all schools. We are working with Ofsted to ensure that schools are inspected against clear, rigorous expectations for the inclusivity of special educational needs and disabilities provision.
The consultation on improving the way Ofsted inspects education runs until 28 April 2025 and can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/improving-the-way-ofsted-inspects-education.
Asked by: Zarah Sultana (Your Party - Coventry South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of mental health and wellbeing support for children with special educational needs in primary education.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Schools are required to identify and address the special educational needs (SEN) of the pupils they support and, in the case of mainstream settings, to use their best endeavours to make sure that a child or young person who has SEN gets the support they need. All schools should apply the ‘graduated approach’ that is outlined in the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) code of practice, which means identifying a child’s needs, planning appropriate support, implementing that support and reviewing it regularly to ensure it continues to meet the identified needs. Through this, schools should develop personalised approaches to supporting the unique needs of individual pupils.
The department is aware of the challenges in the SEND system, and we understand how urgently we need to address these. But these are complex issues which need a considered approach to deliver sustainable change.
This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with SEND or in alternative provision receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life.
We want to drive a consistent and inclusive approach to supporting children and young people with SEND through early identification, effective support, high-quality teaching and effective allocation of resources. The department is also working closely with experts on reforms, who will play a key role in convening and engaging with the sector, including leaders, practitioners, children and families, as we consider the next steps for the future of SEND reform.
This government will expand mental health support teams so that every young person has access to early support to address problems before they escalate. We will also be putting in place new Young Futures Hubs, including access to mental health support workers, and will recruit an additional 8,500 new mental health staff to treat children and adults.
The department has already provided a resource hub for mental health leads, which signposts practical resources and tools to embed effective whole-school approaches. To further help schools identify and embed the most effective targeted support options for their setting, we have also launched a targeted mental wellbeing toolkit. This practical guide and tool covers a range of evidence-based interventions.
On top of this, schools are also able to arrange their own mental health interventions that are best suited to their pupils using the core revenue funding they receive from the department.
Schools are also able to spend pupil premium funding on providing mental health support. Schools must use pupil premium in line with the department’s ‘menu of approaches’. The list of approaches was published in the 2024 policy document ‘Using pupil premium, guidance for school leaders’, which can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/65cf69384239310011b7b91f/Using_Pupil_Premium_-_Guidance_for_School_Leaders.pdf.
The Autumn Budget 2024 confirmed an additional £2.3 billion for the core schools budget for the 2025/26 financial year compared to 2024/25. This means that overall core schools funding will reach over £63.9 billion in the 2025/26 financial year.
Asked by: Zarah Sultana (Your Party - Coventry South)
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 including (a) taekwondo and (b) other martial arts in the activity lists for (i) GCSE, (ii) AS and (iii) A-Level physical education.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The current GCSE, AS and A level PE activity lists were last reviewed in 2018. These lists are based upon the reliability and practicality of activities as a basis for assessing whether students had demonstrated the skills required by the relevant qualification specification.
The government has launched an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review covering ages 5–18, chaired by Professor Becky Francis CBE. The Review will consider the current qualification pathways available at Key Stages 4 and 5. A call for evidence will be published in the coming weeks which will set out the areas where the review group would particularly welcome input. More information about the Review is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-launches-curriculum-and-assessment-review. Decisions on any possible changes to specifications and assessment arrangements for exams will be taken in the light of the Review.
Asked by: Zarah Sultana (Your Party - Coventry South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment with Cabinet colleagues of the potential (a) merits of extending eligibility for Disabled Students’ Allowance to international students and (b) impact of the existing eligibility criteria on educational inequalities in higher education.
Answered by Luke Hall
The government appreciates the significant economic and cultural contribution that international students make to UK higher education (HE). The department’s offer to international students remains very competitive and the department is committed to ensuring the UK remains a destination of choice for the brightest and best international students from across the globe.
To be eligible for Disabled Students Allowance, students must: (a) meet the personal eligibility criteria for student finance within the Education (Student Support) Regulations 2011 and be studying a course designated for student support; and (b) have a disability as defined in the Equality Act 2010.
Entitlement to student support and home fee status is limited to eligible students who are undertaking HE courses offered by UK institutions that are designated for support. This is to ensure that the HE student finance system remains financially sustainable. The government has no plans to extend home fee status and student support to international students.
All HE providers must fulfil their responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010 in their support for all disabled HE students regardless of whether they are home or international students.