Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of screen time on children's development.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.
On 27 March, the government published advice on screen use for children aged 0-5 on the Best Start in Life website, accessible at: https://beststartinlife.gov.uk/screen-time-under-5s/.
The advice is informed by an expert panel’s independent report, which draws on quantitative and qualitative research, including engagement with parents, carers and stakeholders. This report can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/screen-use-by-children-aged-under-5.
The independent panel was co-chaired by Professor Russell Viner, and Dame Rachel de Souza.
On 2 March, alongside the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, the department launched the Children’s Digital Wellbeing consultation on further measures to ensure children have healthy relationships with technology, mobile phones and social media. The consultation will close on 26 May, with the government set to publish its response in the summer.
We will also support families by producing evidence-based screen time guidance for parents of children aged 5 to 16.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to engage with the autism community to ensure that public opinion is captured for the SEND Reform White Paper without the need to provide a written submission to the consultation.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
On Monday 23 February, we launched a full 12-week consultation on our special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) reforms because we want to hear directly from people across the country who have an interest in these reforms and build on our national conversation.
There are three ways that we are ensuring we capture the views of those who are part of the SEND community. First, we are hosting a series of online and in-person events throughout the consultation period, including sessions delivered in partnership with the Council for Disabled Children. More information on these sessions will be advertised in the coming weeks.
Second, we are engaging with a range of SEND organisations, including autism organisations, and representatives of those organisations will also be on ministerial engagement groups. Members of our Expert Advisory Group for Inclusion, SEND Development Group, and Complex Needs Group have autism expertise, and we also plan to engage with representatives from other organisations that specialise in autism at our planned deep dives. We are also engaging with academics in this space. Finally, we continue to engage with young people, including those with autism, on the consultation as we did pre-publication.
Third, the department has a dedicated mailbox for SEND reform consultation responses and is accepting non-written as well as written responses to consultation questions. The mailbox is available at: SENDreform.CONSULTATION@education.gov.uk.
The consultation, including accessible versions, can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/send-reform-putting-children-and-young-people-first.
Asked by: Cameron Thomas (Liberal Democrat - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to streamline the process of safeguarding referrals from schools to local authorities.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, we are strengthening the role of education and childcare in multi-agency safeguarding arrangements to better protect children from abuse, neglect, and exploitation.
All schools must also have regard to the ‘Keeping children safe in education’ statutory guidance when carrying out their duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. Part one of this guidance sets out what all staff need to know and do if they have any concerns about a child, including the process for making referrals to local authority children’s social care and for statutory assessments.
Asked by: Saqib Bhatti (Conservative - Meriden and Solihull East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help prevent AI-driven plagiarism in schools.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The majority of GCSE and A level assessments are taken as written exams under close staff supervision, without access to the internet or artificial intelligence (AI) tools, which prevents the use of AI-generated material in most assessments.
The department is working closely with Ofqual and the wider sector to understand the risks associated with generative AI and to ensure appropriate mitigations are in place.
Strict rules, set by exam boards, are already in place to ensure that students’ work is their own, and sanctions for malpractice are severe, including the possibility of disqualification. Schools and teachers know their students best and are experienced in identifying their individual students’ work.
To support the sector, the Joint Council for Qualifications has published guidance for teachers and exam centres to help prevent and identify potential malpractice involving the misuse of AI in assessments. The guidance is available here: https://www.jcq.org.uk/knowledge-hub/ai-use-in-assessments-your-role-in-protecting-the-integrity-of-qualifications/.
Ofqual, as the independent regulator, has also published its overall approach to regulating AI use in the qualifications sector. The approach can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ofquals-approach-to-regulating-the-use-of-artificial-intelligence-in-the-qualifications-sector.
Asked by: Peter Bedford (Conservative - Mid Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many departmental employees were on performance management plans in (a) 2023, (b) 2024 and (c) 2025.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The department is committed to thorough performance management and has in place robust processes to ensure that those who fall below the expected standards are supported to improve in a timely manner, using performance improvement plans (PIPs) where appropriate. While data on PIPs is not held centrally, the figures below show the number of employees identified as receiving additional performance support in each financial year. Those who cannot improve their performance, despite this additional support, may be dismissed.
Financial year | Number of employees identified for informal or formal performance action |
2022/23 | 315 |
2023/24 | 285 |
2024/25 | 310 |
Asked by: Dan Aldridge (Labour - Weston-super-Mare)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether students required to resit GCSE Mathematics alongside A-level study are mandated to attend school-delivered resit classes, including in cases where they are receiving private tuition outside of school.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Progress towards and attainment of Level 2 maths and English is essential for helping students seize opportunities in life, learning and work. The 16 to 19 maths and English Condition of Funding ensures students have this opportunity. Students aged 16 to 19 who have not yet achieved a GCSE grade 4 in maths are required to continue studying towards Level 2 maths as part of their study programme. Under the 16 to 19 maths and English Condition of Funding, institutions are required to deliver a minimum of 100 hours in-person, whole class, standalone teaching in maths each academic year for eligible students on 16 to 19 study programmes and T Levels. Any additional support, including remote, online delivery or private tuition can be delivered in addition to the minimum teaching hours.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what data her Department collects on children’s education, including pupil attainment and characteristics, and how this information is used to inform policy.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The department collects different categories of data for different cohorts of individuals depending on their interaction with the education and children’s services system in England. These data are collected through statutory data collections with categories including:
This data provides a robust evidence base that enables the department to understand how well the education and children’s services sectors are functioning and ensure policy interventions are effectively targeted. The data also supports essential functions such as allocating school funding fairly and enabling parents, Parliament and the wider public to access clear information about educational outcomes and system performance.
Asked by: Bobby Dean (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the rate at which boys move from Children in Need status to becoming looked-after children; and what analysis has been undertaken of the specific support needs of boys who experience this escalation.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Information on the rate at which boys move from children in need status to becoming looked after children is not readily available, nor has the department undertaken any analysis of the specific support needs of boys who experience this escalation.
The latest children in need statistics were published in October 2025 and show that there were 220,210 male children in need as at 31 March 2025. This figure includes the 46,040 boys who were looked after on the same date. These statistics are available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/children-in-need/2025.
The latest children looked after statistics were published in November 2025, and can be found at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoptions/2025.
Asked by: Gill Furniss (Labour - Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the equity of the Early Years funding formula on families and childcare providers in Sheffield.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The department uses the early years national funding formulae (EYNFF) to allocate early years entitlement funding to local authorities in a fair and transparent way.
The formulae ensure each area receives a base rate for each age group individually, regardless of location or individual need. On top of this, additional needs funding is allocated to reflect the proportion of children in each area who are disadvantaged, have English as an additional language, or have more complex special educational needs, recognising the higher costs of supporting these groups. An area cost adjustment is also applied to account for local variations in staffing and premises costs.
Through this approach, the department aims to ensure funding reflects children’s needs and local cost pressures throughout England, including in Sheffield.
We have committed to reviewing early years funding, including the national funding formulae, to ensure funding continues to match needs. We will consult the sector on changes by summer 2026.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to improve access to Portage services.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
On 23 February, the government published its ‘Every Child Achieving and Thriving’ White Paper where we announced new investment of over £200 million over three years to strengthen the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) offer in Best Start Family Hubs. This includes funding for a family-facing practitioner in every hub to support children with additional needs and their families from the earliest stages.
Our reforms to the SEND system will give families a more joined up local offer, with Best Start Family Hubs, early years settings, local authorities and health partners working together to ensure children with SEND and their families get the support they need. Portage services play an important role in supporting children with additional needs and Best Start Family Hubs will join up local services and build capacity through partnership working in every community.
Best Start Family Hubs guidance was published on 30 March and is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/every-child-achieving-and-thriving.