Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to Institute for Public Policy Research's report entitled Who is losing learning, the case for reducing exclusions across mainstream schools, published on 5 September 2024, what steps her Department is taking to reduce recent trends in the number of Gypsy, Roma and Irish Traveler pupils placed in alternative provision.

The government has committed to taking a community-wide approach to improving inclusion of all children in mainstream schools, whatever their background. The department will see alternative providers working with mainstream schools to provide high quality early interventions and targeted support for children and young people that is targeted at their specific needs, which will ultimately reduce the numbers of referrals into alternative provision.