Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the proportion of students who are international students in each of the past five years.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) is responsible for collecting and publishing data on the UK higher education (HE) sector. These data are shared with the department and include a wide range of information on students in UK higher education providers (HEPs), including their country of domicile.
Between 2020/21 and 2024/25, the proportion of students who are international in UK HE has ranged from 22% in 2020/21, to a peak of 26% in 2022/23. Since this peak, the proportion has decreased year on year, to 24% in 2024/25.
Year on year detailed table available below. Note that data provided is for all UK HE providers. The data source link to the table is: https://www.hesa.ac.uk/data-and-analysis/sb273/figure-9.
Academic Year | 2020/21 | 2021/22 | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
Proportion of total that are International Students | 22% | 24% | 26% | 25% | 24% |
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to page 22 of her Department's consultation entitled SEND reform: Putting Children and Young People First, CP1509, when she plans to implement a fast-track route to support for children under five.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department will work closely with colleagues at the Department for Health and Social Care and with parents and carers, to develop a fast-track route to support children under five years old with the most complex special educational needs to access the support they and their families need to achieve and thrive in early education. This will include exploring options to trial such a process ahead of legislation.
Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many higher education institutions have sought to withdraw staff from the Teachers’ Pension Scheme in each of the past four quarters.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government recognises that the financial environment of the higher education (HE) sector is challenging for both providers and for their staff. We are aware that some providers are making difficult decisions around staffing in order to safeguard their financial sustainability, including in relation to pension arrangements.
As providers are independent, the government does not routinely collect information regarding pay and workforce matters in HE. However, we remain committed to engaging with both HE unions and the employer body to better understand the issues affecting the sector, including the workforce.
Furthermore, we appreciate both the impact of the increased Teachers’ Pension Scheme employer contribution rate on providers and that defined benefit pensions are highly valued by staff across the sector. As set out in the Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper, the government is therefore seeking to better understand concerns within the post-1992 HE sector regarding pension provision.
Asked by: Damian Hinds (Conservative - East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the change in business rates liability for the university sector in 2026/7 relative to 2024/5.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Information about business rates, including changes that will come into effect on 1 April 2026, can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/introduction-to-business-rates.
As universities are independent of government, they are responsible for understanding the potential impact of these changes and ensuring their business models enable them to address emerging risks effectively.
The Office for Students (OfS) is responsible for monitoring the sector’s financial sustainability. The department works closely with the OfS to understand the sector’s changing financial landscape and level of risk.
While the sector is autonomous, this government is committed to creating a secure future for our world-leading sector so it can deliver for students, taxpayers, workers and the economy. Our decision to raise tuition fees annually in line with inflation, alongside refocusing the OfS on monitoring the sector’s financial health, demonstrates this commitment.
Asked by: Damian Hinds (Conservative - East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to her Answer of 12 January 2026 to Question 104726 on Department for Education: Business Rates, what estimate she has made of the change in business rates liability for the 2026-27 financial year compared to 2024-25 financial year for the (a) schools (b) other hereditaments for which her Department and the Education and Skills Funding Agency covered the business rates liability in 2024-25 financial year.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Claims for national non-domestic rates for schools are processed on a reactive basis by the department, once all claims have been submitted for payment. Claims can be made and adjusted for up to six years, which means that levels of payment and reimbursement for the 2024/25 financial year will continue to be subject to change. The department is therefore not yet able to provide a final figure for the 2024/25 financial year.
Regarding the change in business rates liability between the 2024/25 and 2026/27 financial years, the department does not hold a central estimate on changes between financial years. This is because payments are made on a reactive basis and will continue to be subject to change, depending on the rates that the Valuation Office Agency and billing authorities charge to individual schools.
Asked by: Damian Hinds (Conservative - East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Answer of 12 January 2026 to Question 104726 on Department for Education: Business Rates, what was the level of (a) payment and (b) reimbursement of business rates in (a) her Department and the (b) Education and Skills Funding Agency in the 2024-25 financial year.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Claims for national non-domestic rates for schools are processed on a reactive basis by the department, once all claims have been submitted for payment. Claims can be made and adjusted for up to six years, which means that levels of payment and reimbursement for the 2024/25 financial year will continue to be subject to change. The department is therefore not yet able to provide a final figure for the 2024/25 financial year.
Regarding the change in business rates liability between the 2024/25 and 2026/27 financial years, the department does not hold a central estimate on changes between financial years. This is because payments are made on a reactive basis and will continue to be subject to change, depending on the rates that the Valuation Office Agency and billing authorities charge to individual schools.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the Turing scheme will be renewed for (a) 2027-28 and (b) 2028-29.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Guidance on the Turing Scheme for the 2026/27 academic year has been published on GOV.UK, and applications for funding are open until 16 March 2026. The budget for 2026/27 will be confirmed in due course.
The Turing Scheme is a demand led, competitive programme, so providers can shape applications to the needs of their students. We do not set targets for the number of Turing Scheme placements in each year, as this is highly dependent on the numbers of students that individual providers intend to send, where they intend to go and how long for. Instead, we allocate funding to prioritise the participation of students from disadvantaged backgrounds and those with special educational needs and disabilities.
The UK has agreed in principle to associate with Erasmus+ from 2027, and decisions on the Turing Scheme for 2027/28 will be shared in due course.
Asked by: Ben Coleman (Labour - Chelsea and Fulham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if her Department will introduce supplementary grants for students from disadvantaged backgrounds, as other associated countries provide.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government are committed to supporting the aspiration of every person who meets the requirements and wants to go to university.
The government currently provides three mean-tested dependants’ grants that low-income students with childcare and/or caring responsibilities can apply for in addition to the regular package of maintenance and tuition fee loans. These are intended to reflect the greater costs that recipients face when going to university, providing a level playing field for students who face additional barriers to study.
From 2028/29, we will also reintroduce maintenance grants to support full-time students from low-income households studying courses aligned with the government’s missions and Industrial Strategy. The grants will provide disadvantaged full-time students with up to £1,000 extra per year, on top of existing maintenance loans, increasing cash for students without increasing their debt.
Asked by: Ben Coleman (Labour - Chelsea and Fulham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Department will take to ensure the Erasmus+ programme reaches less advantaged young people who are in further education or apprenticeships.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
This iteration of Erasmus+ has a strong focus on inclusion, with diversity and inclusion set as a core priority. The UK’s association will support this commitment, continuing the ambition set by the Turing Scheme to prioritise mobilities involving participants from disadvantaged backgrounds.
The EU allocates dedicated budgets to support ‘people with fewer opportunities’ to take part in mobility activities, including those facing financial, social or health-related barriers. Grant rates are set out in the Erasmus+ Programme Guide for each year of the programme.
The department is working closely with all relevant sectors to maximise take up, particularly among disadvantaged groups. A UK National Agency will be appointed to administer the programme, with a dedicated website and guidance issued well-ahead of the 2027 funding call. Alongside this, there will also be a broad range of sector outreach activities to increase awareness and engagement, such as webinars and targeted communications to eligible organisations.
Asked by: Ben Coleman (Labour - Chelsea and Fulham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what specific mechanisms within Erasmus+ will be used to prioritise learners from disadvantaged backgrounds in a manner similar to the Turing Scheme.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
This iteration of Erasmus+ has a strong focus on inclusion, with diversity and inclusion set as a core priority. The UK’s association will support this commitment, continuing the ambition set by the Turing Scheme to prioritise mobilities involving participants from disadvantaged backgrounds.
The EU allocates dedicated budgets to support ‘people with fewer opportunities’ to take part in mobility activities, including those facing financial, social or health-related barriers. Grant rates are set out in the Erasmus+ Programme Guide for each year of the programme.
The department is working closely with all relevant sectors to maximise take up, particularly among disadvantaged groups. A UK National Agency will be appointed to administer the programme, with a dedicated website and guidance issued well-ahead of the 2027 funding call. Alongside this, there will also be a broad range of sector outreach activities to increase awareness and engagement, such as webinars and targeted communications to eligible organisations.