Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what account her Department took during preparation of its Green Paper, Schools that Work for Everyone, published in September 2016, of the work of the Integrated Education Fund; and if she will make a statement.

The Schools that Work for Everyone consultation sought views on what steps we can take to create a more diverse school system in which more children have the opportunity to go to better schools, whatever their background.

The proposals in the consultation document, support our policy ambition to increase the number of good school places. In particular, the document sets out a number of proposals to ensure that faith free schools promote inclusivity, enhance understanding of other faiths and those with no faith; promote community cohesion and properly prepare children and young people for life in modern Britain. The formation of these proposals took into account a wide range of research and analysis. We continue to engage with emerging evidence and research as we analyse the responses to the consultation which closed on 12 December 2016 and will consider the Work of the Integrated Schools Fund in Northern Ireland.

We expect to announce our formal response to the consultation in the spring.