Asked by: Baroness Freeman of Steventon (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to provide funding for (1) a scheme based on the expansion of the National Saturday Club provided by the National Trust at Coleshill, and/or, (2) a scheme based on the expansion of the summer school provided by the King’s Foundation, to provide taster experiences in heritage building crafts for school-age children across the county to tackle inequalities of access to those careers.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Whilst we do not have specific plans relating to those schemes, the Government is committed to supporting young people in accessing the skills they need to thrive, including in heritage skills. The Department for Education, which is responsible for skills and education, is working with secondary schools and colleges to develop their careers programmes, with the input of over 3,500 business volunteers. This provides young people with insights into a range of jobs and careers across all sectors, including heritage crafts and skills.
DCMS, working with our arms length bodies and wider government are introducing school aged children to future heritage careers. Through Government funding, Historic England delivers the Heritage Schools Programme which brings local heritage to schools across England, broadening access to local history and raising awareness of the many future job opportunities in the heritage sector. The National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) funds a range of programmes that support heritage crafts, high-quality training and paid training placements in heritage careers. This includes the Future Heritage Leadership programme, launched in November 2025 to help young adults (18 - 30 year olds) get into the heritage sector with a strong focus on those from diverse backgrounds.
Asked by: Manuela Perteghella (Liberal Democrat - Stratford-on-Avon)
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 publishing simplified guidance for (a) parents and (b) schools on how requests for (i) deferred entry and (ii) out-of-cohort progression are handled.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department keeps its guidance for schools and parents about requests for summer born children to be admitted out of their normal age group under review and updates it as required.
The guidance for schools is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/summer-born-children-advice-for-admission-authorities(opens in a new tab).
The guidance for parents is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/summer-born-children-school-admission(opens in a new tab).
The guidance is clear that it is rarely in a child’s best interests to miss a year of their education by being admitted to primary school in year 1 rather than reception, or to secondary school in year 8 rather than year 7. Therefore, if a parent requests their summer born child start their reception year aged 5, it should be rare for such a request to be refused.
The department conducts regular surveys of local authorities and parents to keep this issue under review. These show that only a small proportion of parents of summer born children request that they are admitted out of their normal age group, and the vast majority of such requests are agreed. The findings can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/summer-born-children-research-and-guidance(opens in a new tab).
Asked by: Manuela Perteghella (Liberal Democrat - Stratford-on-Avon)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions she has had with (a) local authorities and (b) academy trusts on ensuring a consistent national approach to the admission of summer-born children.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department keeps its guidance for schools and parents about requests for summer born children to be admitted out of their normal age group under review and updates it as required.
The guidance for schools is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/summer-born-children-advice-for-admission-authorities(opens in a new tab).
The guidance for parents is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/summer-born-children-school-admission(opens in a new tab).
The guidance is clear that it is rarely in a child’s best interests to miss a year of their education by being admitted to primary school in year 1 rather than reception, or to secondary school in year 8 rather than year 7. Therefore, if a parent requests their summer born child start their reception year aged 5, it should be rare for such a request to be refused.
The department conducts regular surveys of local authorities and parents to keep this issue under review. These show that only a small proportion of parents of summer born children request that they are admitted out of their normal age group, and the vast majority of such requests are agreed. The findings can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/summer-born-children-research-and-guidance(opens in a new tab).
Asked by: Manuela Perteghella (Liberal Democrat - Stratford-on-Avon)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that guidance on the progression of summer-born children from primary to secondary education is applied (a) clearly and (b) consistently across all schools.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department keeps its guidance for schools and parents about requests for summer born children to be admitted out of their normal age group under review and updates it as required.
The guidance for schools is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/summer-born-children-advice-for-admission-authorities.
The guidance for parents is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/summer-born-children-school-admission.
The guidance is clear that it is rarely in a child’s best interests to miss a year of their education by being admitted to primary school in year 1 rather than reception, or to secondary school in year 8 rather than year 7. Therefore, if a parent requests their summer born child start their reception year aged 5, it should be rare for such a request to be refused.
The department conducts regular surveys of local authorities and parents to keep this issue under review. These show that only a small proportion of parents of summer born children request that they are admitted out of their normal age group, and the vast majority of such requests are agreed. The findings can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/summer-born-children-research-and-guidance.
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many physics teachers are teaching in (a) secondary schools and (b) sixth-form colleges as of October 2025.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Information on the school workforce, including the number of subject teachers in state-funded secondary schools, is published in the ‘School workforce in England’ statistical publication.
As of November 2024, the latest date for which data is available, there were 5,649 (headcount) physics teachers employed in state-funded secondary schools in England: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/fast-track/eb317beb-0226-4d5e-2d32-08ddcdee7988. This has been available since 5 June 2025.
School workforce statistics as of November 2025 will be published in summer 2026.
Information on the further education workforce, including the number of subject teachers in sixth-form colleges, is published in the 'Further education workforce' statistical publication. This has been available since 29 May 2025.
As of the 2023/24 academic year, the latest date for which data is available, there were 101 (headcount) physics teachers employed in sixth-form colleges in England: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/9a8eb9b8-83f4-4737-0b18-08de07233b94.
Further education workforce statistics for the 2024/25 academic year will be published in spring 2026.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to improve literacy education in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell
High and rising school standards, with excellent foundations in reading, writing and mathematics, are at the heart of the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and give every child the best start in life.
The English Hubs programme supports the teaching of phonics, early language development and reading for pleasure. Surrey Heath’s nearest English Hub is Whiteknights English Hub.
In the 2025/26 financial year, the government has committed £27.7 million to support and drive high and rising standards in reading and writing.
In the 2025/26 academic year, this funding will deliver a range of support for schools, including new training for primary schools which will be delivered through the English Hubs programme. This will help children progress from the early stages of phonics through to reading fluently by the time they leave primary school. There will also be new support and training for secondary schools to support reading at key stage 3.
The department will also publish a writing framework this summer, which will support schools in delivering high quality writing provision across England.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of literacy education in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell
High and rising school standards, with excellent foundations in reading, writing and mathematics, are at the heart of the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and give every child the best start in life.
The English Hubs programme supports the teaching of phonics, early language development and reading for pleasure. Surrey Heath’s nearest English Hub is Whiteknights English Hub.
In the 2025/26 financial year, the government has committed £27.7 million to support and drive high and rising standards in reading and writing.
In the 2025/26 academic year, this funding will deliver a range of support for schools, including new training for primary schools which will be delivered through the English Hubs programme. This will help children progress from the early stages of phonics through to reading fluently by the time they leave primary school. There will also be new support and training for secondary schools to support reading at key stage 3.
The department will also publish a writing framework this summer, which will support schools in delivering high quality writing provision across England.
Asked by: Claire Young (Liberal Democrat - Thornbury and Yate)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to section 23 of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, whether the proposed limit of three branded items refers to the (a) overall number of items or (b) the individual types of items.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell
The proposed limit of three branded items relates to the individual types of items. For example, a school can include a branded blazer, jumper and book bag within its policy.
Schools will only be able to require pupils to have up to three types of compulsory branded uniform items for use during the year. Secondary schools and middle schools will have the option of requiring an additional compulsory branded item if it is a branded tie.
The limit will apply to any compulsory branded items in the school’s uniform policy, including PE kit. This includes any bags, such as book bags or rucksacks, and any items only suitable for particular times of year, such as summer dresses. It will be for individual parents to decide how many of each type of branded item they may wish to buy, but the limit on branded items will allow parents to purchase more uniform items from various retailers, including high street stores, helping them manage uniform costs more effectively.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to (a) support the Summer Reading Challenge and (b) help increase the number of children reading for pleasure.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell
High and rising school standards, with excellent foundations in reading, writing and mathematics, are at the heart of the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and give every child the best start in life. We know that reading for pleasure is hugely important and brings a range of benefits, with strong links to attainment.
The department welcomes the Reading Agency’s work on the Summer Reading Challenge, which has been going from strength to strength now for a quarter of a century. This has helped thousands of young people to read more and to improve their reading skills.
The government has implemented a range of measures to support reading for pleasure. The English Hubs programme supports the teaching of phonics, early language development and reading for pleasure, with £23 million committed for the 2024/25 academic year to support this work. Furthermore, the government’s reading framework provides guidance on improving the teaching of reading, to ensure that every child is not only able to read proficiently but also develops a genuine love of reading.
On 5 February, the government announced a £2 million investment to drive high and rising standards in reading and writing. Building on the success of phonics, teachers will receive additional training to help children progress from the early stages of phonics in reception and year 1 through to reading fluently by the time they leave primary school. This will be delivered through the English Hubs programme.
In secondary schools, teachers will be offered new training and resources this year to help them support readers at all levels, and next year the department will commission further training that will be focused specifically on struggling readers in secondary school who are at risk of falling behind.
The current national curriculum states that teachers are expected to encourage pupils to develop the habit of reading widely and often, for both pleasure and information.
The government has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, which will look closely at the key challenges to attainment for young people, in line with the government’s ambition for a curriculum that delivers excellent foundations in reading, writing and mathematics.
Asked by: Satvir Kaur (Labour - Southampton Test)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 18 December 2024 to Question 21170 on School Libraries: Finance, what steps she is taking to increase levels of (a) literacy rates and (b) reading for pleasure in (i) primary and (ii) secondary schools in Southampton Test constituency.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell
High and rising school standards, with excellent foundations in reading, writing and mathematics, are at the heart of the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and give every child the best start in life.
In recognition of this, the department has implemented a range of measures to support reading for pleasure. The English Hubs programme supports the teaching of phonics, early language development and reading for pleasure, with a further £23 million committed for the 2024/25 academic year to support this work. Southampton Test’s nearest English Hub is Springhill English Hub. Further information on Springhill English Hub can be found here: https://englishhubs.net/english_hubs/springhill-english-hub/.
Furthermore, the government’s reading framework provides guidance on improving the teaching of reading, to ensure that every child is not only able to read proficiently but also develops a genuine love of reading.
On 5 February, the government announced a £2 million investment to drive high and rising standards in reading and writing. Building on the success of phonics, teachers will receive additional training to help children progress from the early stages of phonics in reception and year 1 through to reading fluently by the time they leave primary school. This will be delivered through the English Hubs programme. In secondary school, teachers will be offered new training and resources this year to help them support readers at all levels and next year the department will commission further training that will be focused specifically on struggling readers in secondary school who are at risk of falling behind. The department will also publish a writing framework in the summer, which will be a first step to support schools in delivering high quality writing provision across England.
The government has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, which will look closely at the key challenges to attainment for young people, in line with the government’s ambition for a curriculum that delivers excellent foundations in reading, writing and mathematics.