Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to support schools and pupils in (a) Year 7, (b) Year 8, (c) Year 9, (d) Year 10 and (e) Year 11 with (i) examinations, (ii) social development and (iii) pastoral care.

The Schools White Paper, published in March 2022, sets out the Department’s long term vision of a school system that helps every child to fulfil their potential by ensuring that they receive the right support, in the right place, at the right time.

The White Paper sets an ambition that, in secondary schools, the national average grade in both GCSE English language and maths will increase from 4.5 in 2019 to 5 by 2030.

The Department will achieve these ambitions by delivering an excellent teacher for every child, high standards of curriculum, attendance and behaviour, targeted support for every child who needs it, and a stronger and fairer school system that works for every child.

The 2022 Autumn Statement announced significant additional core schools’ funding, increasing by £2 billion in 2023/24 and 2024/25, over and above totals announced at the 2021 Spending Review. This additional funding will bring the core schools budget to a total of £58.8 billion in 2024/25. This will enable school leaders to continue to concentrate funding in the areas that positively affect educational attainment, including high quality teaching and targeted support to the children who need it most.

It is up to schools to decide what pastoral and extracurricular support to extend to their pupils to support their social development, building on the requirements of the statutory Relationships, Sex and Health Education curriculum. It is also up to schools to decide how to support pupils to prepare successfully for examinations.