Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to tackle inequalities in education outcomes in (a) Mid Cheshire constituency, (b) Cheshire and (c) England.

Every child and young person should have every opportunity to achieve and thrive. The Opportunity Mission will promote equal opportunities for all by setting every child up for the best start in life, helping them achieve and thrive, and build skills for opportunity and growth. This will be underpinned by addressing family security, as the department is aware it must tackle the underlying barriers to opportunity that hold too many young people back.

High and rising standards, with excellent teaching in every school, are at the heart of the mission to break down barriers to opportunity and improve outcomes for every child, no matter their background. That is why the department has started work to recruit an additional 6,500 expert teachers and launched an independent, expert led Curriculum and Assessment Review that will look closely at the key challenges to attainment for young people.

The department is also committed to creating 3,000 new school-based nurseries, providing free breakfast clubs in every primary school, and launching Skills England to transform opportunities and drive growth.

The department recognises the impact poverty and disadvantage has on outcomes for children and young people, which is why the Child Poverty Taskforce is bringing together expertise from across and beyond government to develop a UK-wide Child Poverty Strategy, which will tackle the root causes of poverty and ensure every child has the best start in life.

The department’s North West regional team works closely with Cheshire East and Cheshire West and Chester local authorities, as well as multi-academy trusts operating in the area, regarding education performance and outcomes in schools across the authorities. From early 2025, new Regional Improvement for Standards and Excellence teams will drive higher standards, supporting all state schools by facilitating networking, sharing best practice and empowering schools to feel they can better access support and learn from one another.