Asked by: Baroness Wolf of Dulwich (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government how much was paid to retired teachers in pension payments in 2024; and what estimate they have made of the total pension payments to retired teachers in (1) 2040, and (2) 2050.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
A total of £2.921 billion was paid by members into the Teachers’ Pension Scheme in the 2024/25 financial year, and £8.866 billion was paid by employers over the same period.
In the 2024/25 financial year, £10.253 billion was paid to retired members of the Teachers’ Pension Scheme.
The Teachers’ Pension Scheme does not produce long‑term forecasts beyond its normal planning horizon. Estimates for 2040 and 2050 are therefore not available.
Asked by: Baroness Wolf of Dulwich (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government how much in total was paid to the Teachers' Pension Scheme by (1) teachers, and (2) employers, in 2024.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
A total of £2.921 billion was paid by members into the Teachers’ Pension Scheme in the 2024/25 financial year, and £8.866 billion was paid by employers over the same period.
In the 2024/25 financial year, £10.253 billion was paid to retired members of the Teachers’ Pension Scheme.
The Teachers’ Pension Scheme does not produce long‑term forecasts beyond its normal planning horizon. Estimates for 2040 and 2050 are therefore not available.
Asked by: Baroness Shawcross-Wolfson (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Smith of Malvern on 5 January (HL13131), when they expect to be in a position to share more information on the planned review of childcare provision.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Childcare Review is currently in the early stages of cross government discussions to consider how the early education and childcare alongside family support works for families and children. We will also be working with stakeholders throughout the year to gather insights and build our evidence base. We aim to conclude the Review later this year.
Asked by: Samantha Niblett (Labour - South Derbyshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that Academies operate lawfully when safeguarding issues are raised.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
All schools must follow ’Keeping Children safe in education’, and ’Working together to safeguard children’ statutory guidance. Academy trusts must also comply with the ’Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014’, which sets safeguarding standards, as a requirement of their funding agreement.
The department considers all safeguarding issues reported to it. Where the department has concerns about an academy trust not meeting its safeguarding responsibilities, it works closely with the trust to ensure those arrangements come into compliance with statutory requirements. This remit does not extend to investigating individual safeguarding matters or commenting on a trust’s handling of incidents.
Failure to comply with regulations may place a trust in breach of its funding agreement with my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, which can lead to intervention action as set out in the Academy Trust Handbook.
The department works with other statutory bodies, such as the local authority or Ofsted, as appropriate. Trusts are held to account for standards in their academies through Ofsted inspections. Local authorities have an overarching responsibility for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people in their area, regardless of the types of educational settings they attend.
Asked by: Shivani Raja (Conservative - Leicester East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to expand or reform teacher training programmes to help improve access to the teaching profession.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
This government is committed to putting education back at the forefront of national life. The aim is to deliver better life chances for all, through a system which works for all.
In September 2025 we introduced the early career teacher entitlement (ECTE). The ECTE revised and improved the delivery of what we formerly referred to as the early career framework programme, maintaining the grounding in evidence, to ensure the highest standards of professional development for new teachers.
The department recognises that continuous improvement is essential in order to transform the training and support for all new teachers, and we have committed to a full review of the delivery of the ECTE, including the content of the initial teacher training and early career framework in 2027 to ensure it continues to provide the best possible support for ECTs based on the most up to date evidence. This review will focus on increasing support for mentors, as well as for teaching pupils with special educational needs and disabilities.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment he has been made of the adequacy of national guidance for schools regarding (a) incidents and (b) reports of knife possession on school grounds.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
It is essential that schools are equipped to act decisively to safeguard all pupils and staff. The department regularly keeps guidance under review and we are actively considering how we can further support schools to understand the expectations set out in policy guidance around both violence prevention, and response to violence.
Schools must have regard to statutory guidance, including ‘Keeping children safe in education’, ‘Working together to safeguard children’, and guidance on ‘Searching, screening and confiscation’.
The department has taken steps to strengthen practice in schools by working with the Youth Endowment Fund to highlight evidence based approaches to preventing violence. This includes a national webinar series, aimed at school leaders and safeguarding leads, which shares best practice, evidence based approaches and practical guidance on preventing serious violence and supporting vulnerable pupils. This work supports the government’s ambition to halve knife crime over the next decade, starting with effective early prevention‑based approaches to preventing violence.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to capture the needs of adoptive and kinship families as part of the SEND White Paper.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department is committed to ensuring parents and carers play a central role in helping shape the future special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system through our National Conversation including in-person and online events, as well as inviting views online.
Our SEND regional engagement events bring together diverse stakeholder groups for meaningful dialogue. In addition, we have organised online sessions with Ministers and expert panels to discuss the department’s five principles of reform. Full details, including ways to share views and resources for engaging children, young people, teachers, and others, are available at: https://consult.education.gov.uk/send-reform-national-conversation/.
This is not a formal consultation but an expansion of ongoing engagement to ensure parents’ voices are heard. The Schools White Paper, due early next year, will outline our proposed SEND reforms and will be followed by a formal consultation and further engagement.
Asked by: Ian Sollom (Liberal Democrat - St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the answer of 29 January 2026 to Question 101938, how many meetings her Department has held with commercial lenders where the financial position of a specific named university was discussed since 2020.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
As set out in our response on 29 January 2026, the department meets with a variety of stakeholders, including commercial lenders, to hear their views on the higher education sector. Where individual providers experience financial difficulties, the department engages with them to understand the pressures they face. This has included meeting commercial lenders to hear their position.
The department keeps records of its engagements with external stakeholders, including meetings with commercial lenders. However, any discussions relating to the financial position of providers would be commercially sensitive and therefore inappropriate to discuss publicly.
As My noble Friend, the Minister for Skills told the Education Select Committee in November 2025, the government does not intervene in the interests of providers. However, if a provider was at risk of unplanned closure, the department would work with the OfS, the provider and other government departments to ensure students' and taxpayers’ best interests were protected. This might involve supporting the transfer of students, exploring potential partnerships, or addressing relevant operational issues, such as how student loan payments are administered.
Higher education providers are independent from government and as such must continue to make the necessary and appropriate financial decisions to ensure their long-term sustainability.
Asked by: Ian Sollom (Liberal Democrat - St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has indicated to commercial lenders that the Government would take steps to prevent the failure of a financially distressed university since 2020.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
As set out in our response on 29 January 2026, the department meets with a variety of stakeholders, including commercial lenders, to hear their views on the higher education sector. Where individual providers experience financial difficulties, the department engages with them to understand the pressures they face. This has included meeting commercial lenders to hear their position.
The department keeps records of its engagements with external stakeholders, including meetings with commercial lenders. However, any discussions relating to the financial position of providers would be commercially sensitive and therefore inappropriate to discuss publicly.
As My noble Friend, the Minister for Skills told the Education Select Committee in November 2025, the government does not intervene in the interests of providers. However, if a provider was at risk of unplanned closure, the department would work with the OfS, the provider and other government departments to ensure students' and taxpayers’ best interests were protected. This might involve supporting the transfer of students, exploring potential partnerships, or addressing relevant operational issues, such as how student loan payments are administered.
Higher education providers are independent from government and as such must continue to make the necessary and appropriate financial decisions to ensure their long-term sustainability.
Asked by: Ian Sollom (Liberal Democrat - St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the answer of 29 January 2026 to Question 101939, whether her Department keeps records of meetings with commercial lenders on higher education institutions.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
As set out in our response on 29 January 2026, the department meets with a variety of stakeholders, including commercial lenders, to hear their views on the higher education sector. Where individual providers experience financial difficulties, the department engages with them to understand the pressures they face. This has included meeting commercial lenders to hear their position.
The department keeps records of its engagements with external stakeholders, including meetings with commercial lenders. However, any discussions relating to the financial position of providers would be commercially sensitive and therefore inappropriate to discuss publicly.
As My noble Friend, the Minister for Skills told the Education Select Committee in November 2025, the government does not intervene in the interests of providers. However, if a provider was at risk of unplanned closure, the department would work with the OfS, the provider and other government departments to ensure students' and taxpayers’ best interests were protected. This might involve supporting the transfer of students, exploring potential partnerships, or addressing relevant operational issues, such as how student loan payments are administered.
Higher education providers are independent from government and as such must continue to make the necessary and appropriate financial decisions to ensure their long-term sustainability.