Department for Education

The latest figures on the number of children taken into care for reasons of court orders or police protection, emergency or child assessment orders in England by age are shown in the attached table.

The latest figures on all children starting to be looked after in England by legal status and separately by age is published in the statistical release: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoptions/2025#explore-data-and-files.

The table can be located at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/a70a7aef-adc9-46be-b94b-08de28d609b2.

Academy trusts are permitted to use a proportion of their funding to pay for central services for their schools. This can be more efficient and cheaper than individual academies running or procuring the functions themselves. Where trusts top slice for central services, they must be transparent by disclosing in their annual accounts the services they deliver centrally and the trust’s charging policy.

The ’Academy trust handbook’ sets out the requirements related party transactions (RPTs). The handbook requires that trusts must:

• Report all contracts and other agreements with related parties to the department in advance.
• Obtain approval for RPTs where the contract or agreement exceeds £40,000.
• Pay no more than ‘cost’ for goods or services provided by related parties.
• Agreements to supply goods and services are procured through an open and fair process.

The handbook is available in full at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/academy-trust-handbook.

The department has also published a guide on managing conflicts of interests and RPTs to support trusts, which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/related-party-transactions-information-for-academy-trusts/managing-conflicts-of-interests-related-party-relationships-and-related-party-transactions-good-practice-guide.

The procurement to appoint a new administrator of the Teachers’ Pension Scheme was conducted under the Public Contract Regulations 2015 (PCR 2015), which aims to ensure an open, transparent and fair competition. During the procurement exercise several UK companies participated in the formal process. This procurement followed the standard due diligence checks and the standard departmental governance procedures. These checks did not highlight any concerns in relation to national security.

As part of the assessment process the potential bidders were required to contractually commit to the mandatory requirements to meet all necessary IT security standards. Domestic employment was not a part of the evaluation criteria for potential providers. The evaluation criteria did assess a potential provider’s capability to meet the required service standards.

I refer the hon. Member for Fylde to the answer of 21 November 2025 to Question 90919.

The department has issued guidance for staff on domestic abuse. This guidance includes information for line managers on how to respond to staff experiencing domestic abuse alongside routes for further advice and support.

The previous government removed maintenance grants, and the real-terms value of loan support for students has reduced by more than 20% over the last five years. It is essential that our government improves this.

That is why we will reintroduce targeted means-tested maintenance grants before the end of this Parliament, funded by a levy on international student fees. The grants will support students from low-income households studying courses aligned with our missions and the Industrial Strategy, and we will set out further detail at the Autumn Budget.

Additionally, the government will increase maintenance loans in line with forecast inflation every academic year. This will provide students with long-term financial certainty on the financial support they will receive while studying and ensure that students from the lowest income families receive the largest year-on-year cash increases in support.

237 schools and colleges in England had RAAC confirmed in areas of their buildings, none of which are in Shropshire. By the end of this Parliament, every school and college in England that isn't being fully or substantially rebuilt will be RAAC-free. All schools having RAAC permanently removed through the school rebuilding programme will be in delivery, with over half already underway.

The department’s current Condition Data Collection 2 (CDC2) programme is visiting every government-funded school in England to collect data about the condition of their buildings. CDC2 is a high-level, non-invasive, visual inspection of condition and not a structural survey. It does not collect structural risks, nor data on school compliance with all statutory and legislative responsibilities, including fire safety.

It is the responsibility of those who run our schools to ensure that fire risk assessments are undertaken regularly. The department provides guidance about fire safety to these responsible bodies, including in the ’Good estate management for schools’ guide, which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/good-estate-management-for-schools/health-and-safety.

237 schools and colleges in England had RAAC confirmed in areas of their buildings, none of which are in Shropshire. By the end of this Parliament, every school and college in England that isn't being fully or substantially rebuilt will be RAAC-free. All schools having RAAC permanently removed through the school rebuilding programme will be in delivery, with over half already underway.

The department’s current Condition Data Collection 2 (CDC2) programme is visiting every government-funded school in England to collect data about the condition of their buildings. CDC2 is a high-level, non-invasive, visual inspection of condition and not a structural survey. It does not collect structural risks, nor data on school compliance with all statutory and legislative responsibilities, including fire safety.

It is the responsibility of those who run our schools to ensure that fire risk assessments are undertaken regularly. The department provides guidance about fire safety to these responsible bodies, including in the ’Good estate management for schools’ guide, which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/good-estate-management-for-schools/health-and-safety.

The requested information on nationality is not held by the department.

Information on children under 5 registered for government funded entitlements in England and on providers and staff delivering them, is published in the ‘Funded early education and childcare statistics’ publication, which can be accessed here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/funded-early-education-and-childcare/2025.

Our Best Start in Life strategy sets out how we are improving the quality of early education by investing in training and qualifications, increasing understanding of high-quality practice and providing more access to proven, evidence-based early years programmes. This includes introducing a faster assessment only route for experienced staff to achieve Level 3 recognition, similar to those in other education professions.

The department is also transforming apprenticeships into a new growth and skills offer, with shorter, more flexible training options. Recent reforms to the English and maths requirements will allow many thousands more apprentices to qualify each year.

We are also investing in opportunities to become an early years teacher, aiming to more than double the number of funded places on early years initial teacher training by 2028, providing financial support for employers delivering the new degree apprenticeship route, and offering financial incentives for early years teachers working in disadvantaged areas.

Finally, we continue to help more people discover rewarding early years careers through our ‘Do something BIG’ national recruitment campaign.

This government recognises the dreadful impact of all domestic abuse-related deaths on children and families. This is why the Home Office funds Advocacy After Fatal Domestic Abuse to support those bereaved by deaths in this way.

Every child deserves the right mental health support, particularly in times of grief, which is why we updated the statutory relationships and health education curriculum to give teachers clear guidance on how to best support pupils with bereavement. We are also expanding access to mental health support teams in all schools, ensuring that every pupil has access to early support services in their community.

Since the 2014/15 academic year, the risk protection arrangement (RPA) has received a total of 551 fire-related claims from members. 52 claims were from the West Midlands, 4 from Shropshire and 2 claims were specifically from North Shropshire.

Schools and their responsible bodies are not obliged to notify the department of fires at their premises and we therefore do not routinely collect or record this data more widely, nor information on fire-safety-related repairs.

The department provides guidance about fire safety to bodies responsible for schools, including in the ‘Good Estate Management for Schools’ guide, available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/good-estate-management-for-schools/health-and-safety. It is the responsibility of those who run our schools to ensure that a fire risk assessment is undertaken and kept up to date, reflecting the specific characteristics of the building for which it was written.

Since the 2014/15 academic year, the risk protection arrangement (RPA) has received a total of 551 fire-related claims from members. 52 claims were from the West Midlands, 4 from Shropshire and 2 claims were specifically from North Shropshire.

Schools and their responsible bodies are not obliged to notify the department of fires at their premises and we therefore do not routinely collect or record this data more widely, nor information on fire-safety-related repairs.

The department provides guidance about fire safety to bodies responsible for schools, including in the ‘Good Estate Management for Schools’ guide, available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/good-estate-management-for-schools/health-and-safety. It is the responsibility of those who run our schools to ensure that a fire risk assessment is undertaken and kept up to date, reflecting the specific characteristics of the building for which it was written.

The department has used a delivery model which sees schools supported throughout the scheme, so whilst schools will be required to bear any maintenance costs for solar photovoltaics installed on their roofs, this is expected to be affordable from savings generated.

Solar installs are already producing significant savings for schools with estimates suggesting that on average, a typical school could save up to £25,000 per year if they have solar panels with complementary technologies installed.

The programme is on track with new installations at additional schools and colleges each month. Some contracts are still in procurement and, owing to the commercial sensitivity of this, it would not be appropriate to disclose evolving spend to date at this stage.

The department has used a delivery model which sees schools supported throughout the scheme, so whilst schools will be required to bear any maintenance costs for solar photovoltaics installed on their roofs, this is expected to be affordable from savings generated.

Solar installs are already producing significant savings for schools with estimates suggesting that on average, a typical school could save up to £25,000 per year if they have solar panels with complementary technologies installed.

The programme is on track with new installations at additional schools and colleges each month. Some contracts are still in procurement and, owing to the commercial sensitivity of this, it would not be appropriate to disclose evolving spend to date at this stage.

It is our ambition that all families have access to high quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, giving every child the best start in life. That also means ensuring the sector is financially sustainable and confident as it continues to deliver entitlements and high quality early years provision going forward.

In financial year 2025/26 alone, the government expects to spend over £8 billion on the early years entitlements, and we have increased the early years pupil premium by over 45%.

Next year, in financial year 2026/27, funding for the early years entitlements is expected to increase to over £9 billion. This funding reflects a full year of eligible working parents being able to access 30 hours of childcare from 9 months until their children start school, and an expected increase in funding rates. Local authority hourly funding rates for 2026/27 will be confirmed in the usual way before the end of this year.

The government has confirmed over £500 million of funding allocated for the delivery of Best Start Family Hubs, which includes funding for parenting programmes.

Through these Hubs, all local authorities will deliver parenting evidence-based interventions (EBIs) for families with 3 to 4-year-olds from April 2026. The department will be sharing a ‘menu’ of EBIs that has been developed in collaboration with expert partners and informed by sources such as the Foundations Guidebook and Nesta’s Call for Evidence. The ‘menu’ will preference EBIs that have undergone the most rigorous evaluation, to reflect our ambition to support local authorities to invest in programmes most likely to have the greatest impact. This will ensure that parenting support is rooted in robust evidence.

The new criteria for the adoption and special guardianship support fund will enable as many children and families as possible to access support. So far this year, over 12,500 applications have been approved, including almost 1,000 applications for specialist assessments. The department continues to monitor and assess the impact of the changes and is engaging with stakeholders.

The equalities impact assessment (EIA) was drafted prior to the decisions to amend the adoption and special guardianship support fund. Following the announcement of the changes to the Fund, the EIA was prepared for publication and subsequently made available in the House Libraries.

The government has confirmed the adoption and special guardianship support fund (ASGSF) will continue in 2026/27 and that applications running into 2026/27 can now be made. Details of the ASGSF from April 2026 will be made available once departmental business planning decisions are completed. We will share details of the public engagement process on longer-term decisions as soon as possible in the new year.

The department is committed to rebalancing the children’s social care system, which is why we are rolling out the Families First Partnership programme. On 20 November, we announced additional investment of £547 million, bringing the total funding provided for the programme to £2.4 billion over the next three years. This demonstrates our commitment to invest in prevention, supporting local authorities, working in collaboration with partners, to deliver reformed help and protection services that make a real, tangible difference to families.

We will spend close to £1.5 billion over the next three years on improving family services and early years education. Best Start Family Hubs are backed by £500 million of this investment between 2026 and 2029.

It is for local authorities to determine how best to make use of these resources to support adoptive and kinship families with the help they need.

The department does not mandate the use of digital tablets in schools, and decisions about their adoption are made locally.

The department’s guidance emphasises that technology should supplement, not replace, high-quality teaching, and that effective use of digital devices can support engagement and learning outcomes. The department does not hold specific data for the Surrey Heath constituency.

Schools are encouraged to develop digital strategies that consider the needs of their pupils and to follow published standards for device use.

The department continues to invest in infrastructure and support, aiming for all schools to meet core digital standards by 2030, and to narrow the digital divide, while monitoring emerging evidence on the impact of technology on pupils, including through the EdTech Impact Testbed Programme which helps to build the evidence base on their impact.

Milk is an excellent food for children’s growth and development. To help schools understand the milk entitlement schemes available to them, departmental advice is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/standards-for-school-food-in-england/school-food-in-england. This includes links to the guidance on the school milk subsidy scheme and the nursery milk scheme.

This government is committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity and tackling child poverty. We spend around £600 million per year ensuring close to 1.3 million additional infants enjoy a free, healthy and nutritious meal at lunchtime following the introduction of the universal infant free school meal (UIFSM) policy in 2014.

The department has not made a formal assessment of UIFSM funding for Oxfordshire schools, but we meet regularly with the sector, including school food caterers, and draw on these insights to inform our policy thinking.

Social Work England (SWE) is the independent regulator for the social work profession in England and, as such, is responsible for investigating concerns relating to social workers’ fitness to practise that are referred to them. While the department is unable to intervene in individual cases, officials contacted the regulator when concerns were highlighted.

SWE’s overarching objective is to protect the public. In meeting this objective they are obliged, as set out in legislation, to consider all concerns it receives to determine whether there is evidence that a social worker’s fitness to practise may be impaired.

The early years foundation stage statutory framework is clear that play is essential for children’s wellbeing and development. Play builds confidence and enthusiasm for learning, and develops self-awareness, self-regulation and social skills. Early years practitioners should plan how to support children’s development through high quality play.

Schools are expected to organise the school day and school week in the best interests of their pupil cohort, to both provide them with a full-time education suitable to their age, aptitude and ability, and to incorporate time for play and other activities.

The department commissioned the Children of the 2020s study to improve our understanding of children’s progress throughout key phases of learning and education. We will assess the findings of the study for supporting children’s holistic development including through play and other approaches.

Breaktimes can be an important part of a pupil’s school experience, providing opportunities to rest, play and connect with peers.

While the department has no plans to introduce dedicated guidance or measures on breaktime, we have committed to work with partners to draw up and publish a good practice framework to help schools increase pupil engagement. This will include support for schools to effectively measure the factors which contribute to children attending, achieving and thriving at school, to inform evidence-based support inside and outside of school.

Breaktimes can be an important part of a pupil’s school experience, providing opportunities to rest, play and connect with peers.

While the department has no plans to introduce dedicated guidance or measures on breaktime, we have committed to work with partners to draw up and publish a good practice framework to help schools increase pupil engagement. This will include support for schools to effectively measure the factors which contribute to children attending, achieving and thriving at school, to inform evidence-based support inside and outside of school.

In 2025/26 alone, the government expects to spend over £8 billion on early years entitlements, increasing to over £9 billion in 2026/27, and we have increased the early years pupil premium by over 45%. We have also provided further funding of £75 million for the early years expansion grant.

At the 2025 Spending Review, the government announced it will provide an additional £1.6 billion per year by 2028/29, compared to 2025/26, to continue the expansion of government-funded childcare for working parents, boosting children’s life chances and work choices for their parents. We will also spend over £400 million over the next four years to deliver school-based nurseries across England.

The key measure of sufficiency is whether the supply of available places is sufficient to meet the requirements of parents and children. We have regular contact with each local authority in England about their sufficiency of childcare and any issues they are facing. Where local authorities report sufficiency challenges, we discuss what action the local authority is taking and, where needed, support the local authority with any specific requirements through our childcare sufficiency support contract.

In 2025/26 alone, the government expects to spend over £8 billion on early years entitlements, increasing to over £9 billion in 2026/27, and we have increased the early years pupil premium by over 45%. We have also provided further funding of £75 million for the early years expansion grant.

At the 2025 Spending Review, the government announced it will provide an additional £1.6 billion per year by 2028/29, compared to 2025/26, to continue the expansion of government-funded childcare for working parents, boosting children’s life chances and work choices for their parents. We will also spend over £400 million over the next four years to deliver school-based nurseries across England.

The key measure of sufficiency is whether the supply of available places is sufficient to meet the requirements of parents and children. We have regular contact with each local authority in England about their sufficiency of childcare and any issues they are facing. Where local authorities report sufficiency challenges, we discuss what action the local authority is taking and, where needed, support the local authority with any specific requirements through our childcare sufficiency support contract.

In 2025/26 alone, the government expects to spend over £8 billion on early years entitlements, increasing to over £9 billion in 2026/27, and we have increased the early years pupil premium by over 45%. We have also provided further funding of £75 million for the early years expansion grant.

At the 2025 Spending Review, the government announced it will provide an additional £1.6 billion per year by 2028/29, compared to 2025/26, to continue the expansion of government-funded childcare for working parents, boosting children’s life chances and work choices for their parents. We will also spend over £400 million over the next four years to deliver school-based nurseries across England.

The key measure of sufficiency is whether the supply of available places is sufficient to meet the requirements of parents and children. We have regular contact with each local authority in England about their sufficiency of childcare and any issues they are facing. Where local authorities report sufficiency challenges, we discuss what action the local authority is taking and, where needed, support the local authority with any specific requirements through our childcare sufficiency support contract.

I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Leeds South West and Morley, to the answer of 12 November 2025 to Question 86204.

The schools national funding formula (NFF) is used to allocate core funding for mainstream schools in England. We have now published the NFF for 2026/27, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-funding-formula-for-schools-and-high-needs-from-2025.

Through the NFF, the North East is receiving £2,341 million in provisional funding for mainstream schools in the 2026/27 financial year. This represents an increase of £62 million compared to the 2025/26 financial year.

These figures are based on pupil numbers from the 2025/26 dedicated schools grant (DSG). Final allocations will be based on updated pupil numbers in the 2026/27 DSG.

In the North East, average per pupil funding through the schools NFF will be £6,852 in the 2026/27 financial year. This compares to £6,671 per pupil in the 2025/26 financial year. The 2025/26 comparison figure includes the schools budget support grant and National Insurance contributions grants that were paid outside the NFF in 2025/26, to ensure a fair comparison.

The department does not require pupils to own specific technology and does not hold information on individual pupil requirements. Our policy focuses on ensuring schools have the right infrastructure to support teaching and learning.

We have set six core digital and technology standards for schools and colleges to meet by 2030: broadband internet, wireless networks, network switches, digital leadership and governance, filtering and monitoring, and cyber security. These standards provide the foundations for safe and reliable connectivity at school and ensure safeguarding is a priority. Schools can use the ‘Plan technology for your school’ service to assess readiness and plan upgrades.

The government’s Plan for Change commits to giving children the best start in life. From age 2, children in low-income families, those with education, health and care plans, and looked-after children are eligible for 15 hours of funded early education.

Disadvantaged children may also receive the early years pupil premium (EYPP).

From April 2025, this was increased by 45%. From next year, we will provide additional funding to extend EYPP in areas most in need, and test different approaches to using this funding to understand how best to maximise its impact.

As part of the Opportunity Mission, £37 million has been awarded to 300 primary schools to create or expand nurseries.

The department is establishing Best Start Family Hubs to provide greater support for families. Local authorities are also developing ambitious Best Start local plans to meet the milestone to get a record number of children school ready every year by 2028.

High quality early years is central to our mission to break down the barriers to opportunity, give every child the best possible start in life and is essential to our Plan for Change. School-based nurseries are one part of our diverse and vibrant early years landscape, and this government is boosting availability and access to early years places through the School-based nursery programme.

The programme’s new and expanded nurseries are being delivered both by schools and private, voluntary and independent (PVI) providers. 27 of the 300 schools awarded funding in phase 1 of the School-based nurseries programme partnered with a PVI provider.

Phase 2 of the programme will continue to encourage these partnerships. Schools have until 11 December to apply for up to £150,000 of capital funding.

The department will continue working closely with the early years sector to scale the programme effectively, ensuring new provision meets the needs of children, parents and schools, and works within the local market.

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.

Being supported towards greater independence and employability can be life-transforming for learners with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

All professionals working with them should share high aspirations and have a good understanding of what support is effective in enabling children and young people to achieve their ambitions.

As set out in the SEND Code of Practice, all SEND learners should be prepared for adulthood. This means being prepared in the following four areas:

• Continuing in education and/or employment.
• Independent living.
• Participating in society.
• Health.

The SEND Code of Practice is available in full at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/send-code-of-practice-0-to-25.

Local authorities must plan early for transition, review and update education, health and care plans to reflect post-16 aspirations, consult with providers, secure named provision and ensure impartial advice and support to promote continued participation in education or training.

This government is determined to drive up standards for young people. Reading holds the key to the rest of the curriculum, with pupils who struggle to read so often struggling across the board, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

The department will introduce a new, statutory reading test in year 8 to ensure a focus on reading in key stage 3. This builds on the wider support we are providing to drive up standards in reading, including training and resources for secondary school teachers to help them support readers at all levels, with a particular focus on struggling readers in secondary school who are at risk of falling behind. This training should reach 75% of secondary schools this academic year.

Development of the new statutory test will be led by the Standards and Testing Agency (STA), experts in assessments who will work independently from ministers on the test’s contents. The STA will work with the sector to develop the test, including undertaking trials of test materials. Like the phonics screening check, school-level results will not be published. However, individual schools will receive their own pupils' results and will be able to access national, regional, and local authority data to ensure their pupils are on track.

It is the government’s ambition that all families have access to high-quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, giving every child the best start in life and delivering on our Plan for Change.

Nannies are an unregulated part of the sector because they are employed by parents to provide care to children in their home. Parents alone are responsible for deciding the services that a nanny provides, which may or may not include early education. Parents also arrange the payment of income tax and National Insurance contributions and organise security checks for those that they employ. For this reason, successive governments have not engaged in private arrangements between the two parties.

Officials remain in touch with the National Nanny Association and we keep all such policies under review.

I refer the noble Lady to the answer of 4 November 2025 to Question 79898.

I refer the noble Lady to the answer of 4 November 2025 to Question 79898.

I refer the noble Lady to the answer of 4 November 2025 to Question 79898.

The UK and EU agreed a substantial package to take forward our future partnership, at the first UK-EU Summit in London on 19 May. At the summit, the UK agreed to work towards association to Erasmus+ on mutually agreed financial terms. The government will ensure that any agreement resulting from the negotiations reflects a fair balance between the UK financial contribution and the number of UK participants who receive funding from it.

Thanks to the work of the sector, persistent absence has fallen to 18.7% in the latest published data. Our world leading data collection and tools enable schools to identify earlier those pupils who are at risk of becoming persistently absent to intervene early.

The department has also expanded its attendance mentor programme, committing £15 million to provide one-to-one support for 10,800 pupils in local authorities with some of the poorest attendance rates in the country.

Breakfast Clubs have been rolled out to all primary schools since September 2025 to ensure that good habits and routines are established early in a child’s school life.

We have also started to establish RISE Attendance and Behaviour Hubs with £1.5 million of funding being made available this year, where up to 90 hubs led by schools with excellent attendance and behaviour practice will support more than 4,500 schools to improve.