Department for Education

This is a matter for His Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Sir Martyn Oliver. I have asked him to write to the hon. Member for South Holland and The Deepings directly and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

I refer to the hon. Member for South Cambridgeshire to the answer of 19 November 2025 to Question 88744.

The department engages regularly with special schools and their representative organisations. Their views play an important part in shaping policy development. We will continue to listen directly to those working within the system, ensuring that our policy development is grounded in lived experience and fosters a culture of shared learning and constructive challenge.

While the department is committed to improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools, there remains a crucial role for special schools, not only in supporting children and young people with particularly complex needs, but also in building capability across the system. Details of the government's intended approach to special educational needs and disabilities reform will be set out in a Schools White Paper in the new year.

The department engages regularly with special schools and their representative organisations. Their views play an important part in shaping policy development. We will continue to listen directly to those working within the system, ensuring that our policy development is grounded in lived experience and fosters a culture of shared learning and constructive challenge.

While the department is committed to improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools, there remains a crucial role for special schools, not only in supporting children and young people with particularly complex needs, but also in building capability across the system. Details of the government's intended approach to special educational needs and disabilities reform will be set out in a Schools White Paper in the new year.

This government’s changes to the 2023 Free Speech Act will create a more proportionate, balanced and less burdensome approach to protecting free speech and academic freedom in higher education. Strengthened free speech duties on higher education (HE) providers and the Office for Students (OfS) came into force on 1 August 2025, including requirements to promote freedom of speech and academic freedom and, for HE providers only, to put in place enhanced codes of practice. We will also seek to repeal and amend elements of the Act where necessary to ensure it is fit for purpose. This includes seeking to repeal the tort and duties on students’ unions, and to amend the OfS’ free speech complaints scheme and mandatory condition of registration. Making these changes will require primary legislation.

In the meantime, as well as the new provider duties in place, the OfS’ director for freedom of speech and academic freedom continues to work with the sector to offer advice and share best practice, so providers themselves are more effectively protecting free speech and academic freedom.

The department is committed to improving support for all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including those with dyslexia. The SEND code of practice makes it clear that meeting the needs of a child with SEN does not require a diagnostic label. Instead, we expect teachers to monitor the progress of all pupils and put support in place where needed.

Currently, the department commissions data on the number of school-age pupils whose primary SEN is Specific Learning Disabilities, which includes dyslexia.

There are several assessments in place which measure progress and help teachers identify where pupils may require additional support with literacy. These include the Phonics Screening Check and end of KS1 non-statutory and KS2 statutory assessments.

The department will introduce a mandatory reading test for all pupils in Year 8 so we can ensure children who are struggling do not fall through the cracks, or that those doing well at the end of primary maintain their standard.

I refer the hon. Member for Ashfield to the answer of 9 April 2025 to Question 43267.

It is for admission authorities to set the oversubscription criteria which are most suitable for their schools according to their local circumstances. The School Admissions Code allows admission authorities to give priority within their oversubscription criteria to pupils attending a named feeder school. The selection of a feeder school or schools as an oversubscription criterion must be transparent and made on reasonable grounds.

Admission authorities must consult on any change to their admissions arrangements, including introducing a new feeder school, to ensure that any local impacts are considered. Once set, anyone who believes a school's admission arrangements are unfair or unlawful can object to the Independent Schools Adjudicator.

The department, in collaboration with NHS England, has extended the Early Language and Support for Every Child (ELSEC) programme, to strengthen early identification and intervention for children with speech, language and communication needs in early years settings and primary schools.

Under the Best Start in Life strategy, the department continues to invest in evidence-based initiatives such as the Nuffield Early Language Intervention, which has demonstrated significant impact on oral language and early literacy, particularly for disadvantaged pupils.

Recognising the critical role of speech and language therapists, the department is working closely with the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England to improve access to community health services, including speech and language therapy, for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities.

Details of how personal data is processed and stored are outlined in the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS) privacy notice which is available here: https://www.teacherspensions.co.uk/-/media/documents/member/factsheets/gdpr/dfe-privacy-notice-gdpr-v12-march-2023-for-web.ashx?rev=a6788c6aa67e4ac7b3d3f4df74462add&hash=ACAAEF10BB57B5814744376B519FABA1.

The TPS complies fully with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) 2018 and the Data Protection Act 2018.

For members requiring additional communication support, the contact us page provides alternative communication options. The scheme also meets the requirements of the Equality Act 2010 and is committed to ensuring accessibility for all members and employers. The accessibility statement on the TPS website explains how the site is designed to be inclusive and is available here: https://www.teacherspensions.co.uk/public/accessibility.aspx.

To maintain service standards, the department monitors the administrator against agreed performance metrics, set out in the TPS administration contract, through established governance arrangements. If contract administration fails to meet established standards and performance metrics, the department can impose financial penalties on the administrator.

Where members believe service standards have not been met, they can use a dispute resolution process to raise this. If dissatisfied with the outcome, they may escalate their complaint to the Pensions Ombudsman for independent review.

Details of how personal data is processed and stored are outlined in the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS) privacy notice which is available here: https://www.teacherspensions.co.uk/-/media/documents/member/factsheets/gdpr/dfe-privacy-notice-gdpr-v12-march-2023-for-web.ashx?rev=a6788c6aa67e4ac7b3d3f4df74462add&hash=ACAAEF10BB57B5814744376B519FABA1.

The TPS complies fully with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) 2018 and the Data Protection Act 2018.

For members requiring additional communication support, the contact us page provides alternative communication options. The scheme also meets the requirements of the Equality Act 2010 and is committed to ensuring accessibility for all members and employers. The accessibility statement on the TPS website explains how the site is designed to be inclusive and is available here: https://www.teacherspensions.co.uk/public/accessibility.aspx.

To maintain service standards, the department monitors the administrator against agreed performance metrics, set out in the TPS administration contract, through established governance arrangements. If contract administration fails to meet established standards and performance metrics, the department can impose financial penalties on the administrator.

Where members believe service standards have not been met, they can use a dispute resolution process to raise this. If dissatisfied with the outcome, they may escalate their complaint to the Pensions Ombudsman for independent review.

Details of how personal data is processed and stored are outlined in the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS) privacy notice which is available here: https://www.teacherspensions.co.uk/-/media/documents/member/factsheets/gdpr/dfe-privacy-notice-gdpr-v12-march-2023-for-web.ashx?rev=a6788c6aa67e4ac7b3d3f4df74462add&hash=ACAAEF10BB57B5814744376B519FABA1.

The TPS complies fully with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) 2018 and the Data Protection Act 2018.

For members requiring additional communication support, the contact us page provides alternative communication options. The scheme also meets the requirements of the Equality Act 2010 and is committed to ensuring accessibility for all members and employers. The accessibility statement on the TPS website explains how the site is designed to be inclusive and is available here: https://www.teacherspensions.co.uk/public/accessibility.aspx.

To maintain service standards, the department monitors the administrator against agreed performance metrics, set out in the TPS administration contract, through established governance arrangements. If contract administration fails to meet established standards and performance metrics, the department can impose financial penalties on the administrator.

Where members believe service standards have not been met, they can use a dispute resolution process to raise this. If dissatisfied with the outcome, they may escalate their complaint to the Pensions Ombudsman for independent review.

The government has been clear that a more inclusive education system is needed to give children and young people opportunities they need to achieve and thrive. All schools have a duty to support children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

Our new RISE teams will work with mainstream schools to help them become more inclusive places as one of four priority areas for improvement. Settings will be held to account for their support for pupils with SEND through Ofsted, who are focusing on inclusion in their new approach to inspection. Their renewed education inspection framework sets out how leaders should be aware of and responsive to some pupils’ increased likelihood of needing help, including those with SEND, and should ensure appropriate reasonable adjustments for pupils with disabilities.

Information on the school workforce, including the number of teachers in state-funded schools, is published in the ‘School workforce in England’ statistical publication here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england/2024.

41,736 qualified teachers joined state-funded schools in England for the 2024/25 academic year, the latest date for which data is available: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/3d4415a2-a099-427d-d209-08de2129b4fd. This has been available since 5 June 2025.

School workforce statistics for the 2025/26 academic year will be published in summer 2026.

The Curriculum and Assessment Review looked closely at how to break down the barriers that hold back children and young people, especially those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

We have already accepted the Review’s recommendation to develop new evidence-based resources to support curriculum adaptation for all children and young people.

The Curriculum and Assessment Review’s final report and the government’s response were published on 5 November. The Review sought to identify and focus on addressing the most significant and pressing issues facing curriculum and assessment without destabilising the system.

A key focus of the Review was inclusion and special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), explored through dedicated inclusion work strands that were embedded across all areas of the panel’s work. Throughout the Review, the experiences and outcomes of children and young people from disadvantaged backgrounds and with special educational needs were considered to ensure the reformed curriculum works for every child.

In 2025 the department invested in multi-million-pound programmes, such as Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (PINS) and Early Language Support for Every Child (ELSEC), that bring together central and local government, schools and parents to test and learn new ways to improve outcomes for children and young people with SEND.

This is a matter for Ofqual, the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation. I have asked its Chief Regulator, Sir Ian Bauckham, to write to the hon. Member for South Holland and The Deepings directly and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Food education is covered primarily within design and technology, and elements of food education can also be covered across biology, geography and relationships, sex and health education in the national curriculum. The curriculum requires that pupils learn about healthy eating, where food comes from, nutrition and sustainability. Schools also have flexibility within the broad framework of the national curriculum to tailor curriculum subjects to meet the needs of their pupils.

Additional resources are available from Oak National Academy, who have recently developed a new cooking and nutrition curriculum package. This has been designed by experts to give access to practical, engaging lessons covering food preparation, cooking techniques and healthy eating.

In the recent response to the Curriculum and Assessment Review, the department has set out that we will be ensuring that the programmes of study for cooking and nutrition, which will be renamed food and nutrition, are more specific and prepare pupils for life and potential future careers in the food sector.

The initial teacher training and early career framework sets out the foundational core content that defines great teaching. This includes anticipating common misconceptions within particular subjects, which is an important aspect of curricular knowledge. In the context of misinformation, this can help teachers to spot pupil misconceptions that may arise from various sources. Beyond this, providers can design a curriculum which is responsive to participant needs, including additional training where necessary.

In October 2024, Ofcom published its three-year media literacy strategy, which commits to supporting teachers through continuing professional development, evaluation of training outcomes and stronger collaboration with regional partners to share learnings and effective practices.

The independent Curriculum and Assessment Review’s final report was published on 5 November 2025 and includes recommendations for reform to the curriculum, which the government has accepted. Vital applied knowledge and skills in media and digital literacy will be embedded into the revised curriculum from 2028.

To support schools in the meantime, Oak National Academy provides adaptable, optional and free curriculum support for schools, including resources for computing and secondary citizenship, which can be found here: https://www.thenational.academy/.

The initial teacher training and early career framework sets out the foundational core content that defines great teaching. This includes anticipating common misconceptions within particular subjects, which is an important aspect of curricular knowledge. In the context of misinformation, this can help teachers to spot pupil misconceptions that may arise from various sources. Beyond this, providers can design a curriculum which is responsive to participant needs, including additional training where necessary.

In October 2024, Ofcom published its three-year media literacy strategy, which commits to supporting teachers through continuing professional development, evaluation of training outcomes and stronger collaboration with regional partners to share learnings and effective practices.

The independent Curriculum and Assessment Review’s final report was published on 5 November 2025 and includes recommendations for reform to the curriculum, which the government has accepted. Vital applied knowledge and skills in media and digital literacy will be embedded into the revised curriculum from 2028.

To support schools in the meantime, Oak National Academy provides adaptable, optional and free curriculum support for schools, including resources for computing and secondary citizenship, which can be found here: https://www.thenational.academy/.

Higher education (HE) providers are responsible for managing their finances. As such, they must continue to adapt to uncertainties and financial risks. However, this government is committed to putting the HE sector on a secure financial footing so that it can face the challenges of the next decade.

Our decision to raise tuition fees annually in line with inflation, alongside refocusing the Office for Students (OfS) on monitoring the sector’s financial health, demonstrates this commitment.

The government does not currently have any plans to issue guidance to higher education providers in light of the Office for Student’s (OfS) assessment of the HE sector’s reliance on international student fee income. The OfS is responsible for monitoring and reporting on the financial sustainability of the sector, including risks relating to international student recruitment.

Higher education (HE) providers are responsible for managing their finances. As such, they must continue to adapt to uncertainties and financial risks. However, this government is committed to putting the HE sector on a secure financial footing so that it can face the challenges of the next decade.

Our decision to raise tuition fees annually in line with inflation, alongside refocusing the Office for Students (OfS) on monitoring the sector’s financial health, demonstrates this commitment.

The government does not currently have any plans to issue guidance to higher education providers in light of the Office for Student’s (OfS) assessment of the HE sector’s reliance on international student fee income. The OfS is responsible for monitoring and reporting on the financial sustainability of the sector, including risks relating to international student recruitment.

Over the last year, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, and the former Minister for School Standards, alongside expert advisers like Tom Rees and Dame Christine Lenehan, have listened to the voices of parents, teachers and young people to guide policy development and we have made good progress on plans to build a truly inclusive system where high quality support is provided at the earliest opportunity.

To help us deliver the most effective set of reforms we can, we have taken the decision to have a further period of engagement, with the view of bringing forward a full Schools White Paper early in the new year. Through this period of engagement with parents, educators, experts, local authorities and representative organisations, we will test policy options being considered and seek views through listening sessions in every region of the country, and Ministerial meetings with parent and expert groups.

The department does not hold data on the impact of the We Rise Business Mentoring Programme, as it is part of the ‘Essex Year of Opportunity’, a campaign by Essex County Council. Departmental officials and Essex County Council regularly discuss how to improve opportunities for young people in Essex.

Department officials hold regular forums to which all local authority home-to-school travel teams are invited. These meetings provide the department with valuable information about the challenges local authorities face.

We have committed to reform the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system to enable more children to thrive in local mainstream settings, whilst guaranteeing access to excellent specialist provision where needed. This will mean fewer children will need to travel long distances to access education which will reduce the financial and logistical burden on local authorities and leave the service better able to meet the needs of the children that continue to rely on it. These reforms to the SEND system will be set out in a Schools white paper early in the new year.

Ofqual, as independent regulator of qualifications, is responsible for ensuring the exams system is fair and accessible for all students. Under the Equality Act 2010, awarding organisations are required to make reasonable adjustments where a disabled person would be at a substantial disadvantage in undertaking exams and assessments. A range of access arrangements are also available for all national curriculum tests, and guidance is provided by the Standards and Testing Agency.

In line with the recommendations made by the independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, we will work with Ofqual and awarding organisations to ensure that accessibility implications are fully considered for all young people throughout the qualification development process, including for those with special educational needs and disabilities, such as dyslexia.

The department recognises the role special post-16 institutions play in providing specialist education in the further education (FE) sector, catering for young people whose needs cannot be met in general FE colleges.

We have been clear that a more inclusive education system is needed to give children and young people the opportunities they need to achieve and thrive. There remains a crucial role for specialist providers, not only in supporting children and young people with particularly complex needs, but also in building capability across the system.

The department supports independent specialist education colleges through regulatory approval, funding and guidance. Colleges can apply to join the Section 41 approved list, giving families the right to request them in an education, health and care plan and ensuring compliance with the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Code of Practice.

The department also provides high-needs funding for eligible institutions, alongside local authority contributions, and issues guidance on safeguarding, governance and curriculum standards.

The department works closely with local authorities to help ensure robust child safeguarding practices are in place. Officials hold regular meetings with Surrey County Council to discuss a range of topics including child protection and safeguarding.

The department does not directly engage with local police authorities, but as part of engagement with Surrey County Council, officials discuss the quality and effectiveness of multi-agency arrangements.

I refer the right hon. Member for Aldridge-Brownhills to the answer of 22 April 2025 to Question 903828.

International evidence indicates that the number of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) is also increasing in comparable countries. Although definitions and systems vary considerably, the key drivers include improved understanding and diagnosis of need, as well as social and medical factors.

The department is strengthening the evidence base of what works to improve inclusive practice in mainstream settings, for example through our recently published evidence reviews, available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/identifying-and-supporting-the-needs-of-children-with-send-in-mainstream-settings.

The department also funds a What Works in SEND programme, which is delivered by Research and Improvement for SEND Excellence Partnership. This programme produces research and local area case studies that harness best practice from practitioners and partner organisations on local area SEND service delivery.

The department is providing over £12 billion in the current 2025/26 financial year for supporting children and young people with complex SEND. This will help with the financial pressures that local authorities and schools are facing. The Schools White Paper, due to be published in the new year, will set out how we plan to move forward with reforms to improve the SEND system in future years.

Careers guidance is key to supporting young people into work and further study. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has reported that in England, over 98% of pupils are offered careers guidance at their school compared to an average of 74% across other OECD countries.

Gatsby Benchmark attainment continues to improve and in 2024/25, schools and colleges achieved 6.0 out of 8 Gatsby Benchmarks on average, up from 5.8 in 2023/24.

The government is committed to continuing to improve careers guidance and ensuring all young people complete two weeks’ worth of work experience which is shown to reduce the likelihood of a young person becoming ‘not in education, employment, or training’ (NEET).

In the Post-16 education and skills white paper, we committed to prevent young people becoming NEET by ensuring that those without a post-16 study plan are automatically allocated a place at a local college or further education provider.

The department conducted an equalities impact assessment (EIA) in 2023 that considered the availability of Lifelong Learning Entitlement tuition loans up to the age of 60. The EIA can be found in the public domain and is available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/64061b31e90e0740d2e5a80b/Lifelong_loan_entitlement_-_equality_analysis.pdf.

The department has published guidance about the availability of the Lifelong Learning Entitlement which is accessible here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/lifelong-learning-entitlement-lle-overview/lifelong-learning-entitlement-overview . The Student Loans Company has also published information on its website: https://www.heinfo.slc.co.uk/lle/lle-faq/lifelong-learning-entitlement-faq/.

The data requested is below. Data relating to 2024/25 will be available in February 2026.

The number and proportion of state-funded student entries for international baccalaureate by sex

*Source: A level and other 16 to 18 results

*Coverage: All institutions, England

To note regarding the data:

• Includes entries from students at state-funded schools and colleges who ended 16-18 study in the reported year (for example, 2023/24).
• Discounting rules apply (in other words, where students have multiples entries in the same subject, the best result is included).
• The sex of one of the 21/22 entrants was unknown and has not been captured by the data.

Media literacy is covered in the current citizenship, relationships, sex and health education (RSHE), and digital literacy is covered in the computing curriculum.

In July the government published updated RSHE statutory guidance containing new content related to artificial intelligence (AI), online safety and pornography, which will be mandatory from September 2026. The independent Curriculum and Assessment Review’s final report was published on 5 November 2025 and includes recommendations for reform to the curriculum, which the government has accepted. Vital applied knowledge and skills in media and digital literacy will be embedded into the revised curriculum from 2028.

To support schools with teaching in the meantime, Oak National Academy, an independent arm’s length body, provides adaptable, optional and free curriculum support for schools, including resources for computing and secondary citizenship, which can be found here: https://www.thenational.academy/.

The ’Educate Against Hate’ website hosts a series of online media literacy resources to support teachers and school leaders to build resilience to extremist narratives online in children and young people. The website is available at: https://www.educateagainsthate.com/.

The National Centre for Computing Education provides teachers with continuing professional development and resources to support the teaching of computing topics, including digital literacy and AI.

In 2024 there were 2,458 private schools in England, of which 804 were special schools.

During 2024, 58 private schools closed, of which 18 were special schools.

Between 1 January and 15 October 2025, 60 private schools have closed, of which 6 were special schools.

The table below shows the special schools that closed in England in 2024. Of these, 9 schools closed on or before 4 July 2024, and 9 schools closed on or after 5 July 2024:

The following special schools closed in England in 2025:

Children whose place in a private school has been deemed necessary by a local authority will not be affected by tax changes. If an education, health and care plan names a private school, the local authority must fund that place. Where this is the case, local authorities will be able to reclaim the VAT on the fees from HMRC via the Section 33 VAT refund scheme.

In 2024 there were 2,458 private schools in England, of which 804 were special schools.

During 2024, 58 private schools closed, of which 18 were special schools.

Between 1 January and 15 October 2025, 60 private schools have closed, of which 6 were special schools.

The table below shows the special schools that closed in England in 2024. Of these, 9 schools closed on or before 4 July 2024, and 9 schools closed on or after 5 July 2024:

The following special schools closed in England in 2025:

Children whose place in a private school has been deemed necessary by a local authority will not be affected by tax changes. If an education, health and care plan names a private school, the local authority must fund that place. Where this is the case, local authorities will be able to reclaim the VAT on the fees from HMRC via the Section 33 VAT refund scheme.

In 2024 there were 2,458 private schools in England, of which 804 were special schools.

During 2024, 58 private schools closed, of which 18 were special schools.

Between 1 January and 15 October 2025, 60 private schools have closed, of which 6 were special schools.

The table below shows the special schools that closed in England in 2024. Of these, 9 schools closed on or before 4 July 2024, and 9 schools closed on or after 5 July 2024:

The following special schools closed in England in 2025:

Children whose place in a private school has been deemed necessary by a local authority will not be affected by tax changes. If an education, health and care plan names a private school, the local authority must fund that place. Where this is the case, local authorities will be able to reclaim the VAT on the fees from HMRC via the Section 33 VAT refund scheme.

Data on the number of civil servants employed by the Department for Education (including its executive agencies), as at 31 March, are available in the published Civil Service Statistics in Table 20 of the respective statistical releases for 2011, 2016, 2021, and 2024. These statistics are published by the Cabinet Office and can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/civil-service-statistics.

Data by year requested is available below (numbers are rounded to the nearest 10):

• 2024: 8,600
• 2021: 7,930
• 2016: 3,550
• 2011: 2,780

The role of the department has changed over this period. The increase in headcount reflects organisational growth, such as the transfer of the higher and further education briefs to the department in 2016, the creation of the Education and Skills Funding Agency in 2017, and the expansion of delivery responsibilities in areas including academies, skills and further education.

In response to stakeholder feedback, an amendment was made to paragraph 135 in the statutory guidance ‘Keeping children safe in education’. This came into force on 1 September 2025, and provided further examples of content risks.

The department recognises the significant risks these issues pose to children’s safety and wellbeing, as they can distort understanding, undermine trust and expose pupils to harmful narratives online.

The independent Curriculum and Assessment Review highlighted the importance of all pupils developing the skills they need to identify and challenge misinformation. In making changes to the curriculum, we will support this by strengthening media literacy content in citizenship and English and making citizenship compulsory in primary school so that all children are introduced to this vital content at an early stage.

Local authorities have powers to provide a range of services, including financial support, to help children and families. They are best placed to decide what support is needed and any payments should follow their assessment models. The government does not set a minimum or maximum allowance for kinship carers, but statutory guidance makes clear that children and young people should receive the support they need to safeguard and promote their welfare.

We recognise the financial pressures on local authorities and are committed to improving support for kinship families. To that end, we will soon launch a Kinship Allowance Pilot in selected local authorities in England to help eligible kinship carers with the costs of raising a child.

The department is determined that opportunity is available to all who have the aspiration and talent to succeed in higher education (HE), regardless of where they live.

To inform the development of the Post-16 education and skills white paper, the department engaged with a range of stakeholders, including HE providers, representative bodies, and Mayoral Strategic Authorities across England.

The department will introduce targeted maintenance grants to support students from low-income households studying courses at Levels 4 to 6, including technical qualifications and degrees, aligned with the government’s missions and the Industrial Strategy.

Professor Kathryn Mitchell of the University of Derby has agreed to chair the Access and Participation Task and Finish Group. This will consist of sector experts and charities, with representation from across different regions of the country. It will focus on developing options to address regional disparities in access to HE and tackling the most systemic barriers to access for those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Following the Bill’s attainment of Royal Assent, the department intends to make regulations and publish statutory guidance outlining how local authorities must publicise the registers and the duties of parents in relation to the registers.

We will consult on the guidance ahead of implementation, so home educating parents can share their views on how they would like to receive information on the registration measures.

On 5 November, the independent Curriculum and Assessment Review published its final report which includes recommendations for a refreshed curriculum and assessment system in England.

As part of the response to the Review’s report the government has made a commitment to strengthen pupils’ foundational understanding of financial education in mathematics and citizenship, with digital resources to support teaching. From budgeting to understanding credit, through our revised curriculum all children will learn about the fundamentals of money, ensuring every pupil develops the skills needed to succeed in the modern world.

The department will engage with sector experts and young people in working out how best to reflect this in the updated curriculum. There will be public consultation on the updated curriculum programmes of study, to seek views on the content before they are finalised.

On 5 November, the independent Curriculum and Assessment Review published its final report which includes recommendations for a refreshed curriculum and assessment system in England.

As part of the response to the Review’s report the government has made a commitment to strengthen pupils’ foundational understanding of financial education in mathematics and citizenship, with digital resources to support teaching. From budgeting to understanding credit, through our revised curriculum all children will learn about the fundamentals of money, ensuring every pupil develops the skills needed to succeed in the modern world.

The department will engage with sector experts and young people in working out how best to reflect this in the updated curriculum. There will be public consultation on the updated curriculum programmes of study, to seek views on the content before they are finalised.