Asked by: James McMurdock (Reform UK - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking through the National Curriculum to ensure that children in school are taught (a) practical digital safety skills and (b) how to (i) block and (ii) filter harmful online content.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
The Curriculum and Assessment Review’s interim report notes the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and trends in digital information, and it is necessary the curriculum keep pace with these changes, including renewed focus on digital and media literacy and critical thinking skills.
Currently, in the computing curriculum pupils are taught how to use technology safely, responsibly, respectfully and securely, how to keep their personal information private, how to recognise unacceptable behaviour, and where they can go for help and support.
Media literacy is currently taught through the national curriculum for citizenship at key stages 3 and 4. Primary schools can choose to teach citizenship, using non-statutory programmes of study at key stages 1 and 2. Teaching of citizenship equips pupils to identify misleading and malicious information and to counter the effects of negative and harmful news, events and information, including online.
Within the statutory guidance for relationships and health education in primary schools and relationships, sex and health education in secondary schools, pupils are taught about online safety and harms.
The department appointed a task and finish group to advise on digital, AI and technology. We will consider how best to develop and implement any of their recommendations.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent steps her Department has taken to improve media literacy education in schools.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
The independent Curriculum and Assessment Review’s interim report notes the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and trends in digital information and that it is necessary that the curriculum keep pace with these changes, including a renewed focus on digital and media literacy and critical thinking skills.
Media literacy is currently taught through the national curriculum for citizenship at key stages 3 and 4. Primary schools can choose to teach citizenship, using non-statutory programmes of study at key stages 1 and 2. Teaching of citizenship equips pupils to understand the identification of misleading and malicious information and to counter the effects of negative and harmful news, events and information, including online. As well as citizenship, media literacy is taught through the computing curriculum at key stages 2 to 4. The computing curriculum ensures, for example, that pupils know how to use search technologies effectively, appreciate how results are selected and ranked, and how to be discerning when evaluating digital content, all of which supports the teaching of good media literacy.
The department recently appointed a task and finish group to advise on digital, AI and technology. We will consider how best to develop and implement any of their recommendations.
Asked by: Paul Davies (Labour - Colne Valley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the implications for her Department's policies of the National Literacy Trust’s report entitled Children and young people’s writing in 2025, published on 12 June 2025.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Colne Valley, to the answer of 3 July 2025 to Question 62713.
Asked by: Sarah Gibson (Liberal Democrat - Chippenham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the document entitled The UK's Modern Industrial Strategy, published on 23 June 2025, what steps her Department is taking to support further education colleges in rural areas to deliver training in (a) AI, (b) clean energy and (c) advanced manufacturing.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department is making additional investment of over £1 billion per year in skills for young people by 2028/29. This is additional to the over £400 million extra funding already planned for 16-19 education in the 2025/26 financial year, as well as £155 million to support schools, colleges and local authorities with increased national insurance contributions. Taken together this investment demonstrates this government’s commitment to support further education, including in rural areas.
We are introducing Technical Excellence Colleges to specialise in training skilled workforces for priority sectors. Further information on locations will be published in due course.
The UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy published on 23 June 2025 confirmed £200 million capital investment to tackle sector specific shortages. This is in addition to £375 million of capital investment to support post-16 capacity to accommodate additional learners entering the system and £1.7 billion from 2026/27 to 2029/30 to help colleges maintain the condition of their estate.
Local Skills Improvement Plans are collaborations with local employers and providers across the country, including in rural areas, which set out priorities to better meet local skills needs. They must consider the skills needed to meet net zero, climate adaptation, and wider environmental goals.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will consider ring-fenced funding for adult learners of all ages to access accredited (a) training and (b) qualifications in social-welfare advice.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department will provide approximately £1.4 billion in funding for the Adult Skills Fund (ASF) in the 2025/26 academic year. The ASF fully funds or co-funds education and skills training for eligible adults aged 19 and above from pre-entry to level 3, to help them gain the skills they need for work, an apprenticeship or further learning.
Currently, 62% of the ASF is devolved to nine mayoral strategic authorities and the Greater London Authority. These authorities are responsible for the provision of ASF-funded adult education for their residents and allocation of the ASF to learning providers. The department is responsible for the remaining ASF in non-devolved areas.
Colleges and grant funded providers in non-devolved areas have the freedom and flexibility to determine how they use their ASF, in line with the funding rules, and work with local stakeholders to determine what provision best meets local needs.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make it his policy to reconstitute Skills England as an independent body.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Skills England has been established as an executive agency of the Department for Education, a model of arm’s length body with a clearly defined status, established and governed in line with Cabinet Office guidance. As an executive agency, Skills England will be sufficiently independent so that it can focus on the delivery of its functions, at arm’s length from the department, while also ensuring sufficient proximity to inform decisions on skills policy and delivery quickly and efficiently. In carrying out its functions, Skills England will be scrutinised and supported by its independent chair and board.
In line with good practice for new arm’s length bodies, the government has committed to review Skills England between 18 and 24 months after it is set up. This review will include an assessment of whether the executive agency model is enabling Skills England to deliver its objectives.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to funding for level 7 apprenticeships on the number of chartered town planning apprenticeships.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
I refer the hon. Member for Thirsk and Malton to the answer of 13 June 2025 to Question 57098.
Asked by: Damian Hinds (Conservative - East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, on what date her Department first published a projection of the number of (a) Primary and (b) Secondary school places that would be needed in September 2024.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
Estimates of the primary places needed to meet predicted demand for places in September 2024 were first published on 24 March 2022.
Estimates of the secondary places needed to meet predicted demand for places in September 2024 were first published on 28 March 2019.
The statutory duty to provide sufficient school places sits with local authorities.
Asked by: Baroness Lister of Burtersett (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement by Baroness Smith of Malvern on 5 June (HLWS681), whether the Holiday Food and Activities Programme will be made available to the expanded group of children who will be eligible for means-tested free school meals from September 2026.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
I refer my noble Friend to the answer of 13 June 2025 to Question 57800.
Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool Wavertree)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support university students with the cost of living.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government recognises the impact that the cost-of-living crisis has had on students.
The government has therefore announced that maximum loans for living costs will increase by 3.1% for the 2025/26 academic year. A 3.1% increase is in line with forecast inflation based on the Retail Prices Index Excluding Mortgage (RPIX) inflation index.
We continue to provide means-tested non-repayable grants to low-income full-time students with children and adults who are financially dependent on them.
In addition, students with disabilities can apply for non-means tested disabled students’ allowance to support additional disability-related study costs. For the 2025/26 academic year, maximum dependants’ grants and disabled students’ allowance are being increased by 3.1%.
Students undertaking nursing, midwifery and allied health profession courses also qualify for additional non-repayable grant support through the NHS Learning Support Fund.
The department aims to publish our plans for higher education reform as part of the Post-16 Education and Skills Strategy White paper in the summer, and work with the sector and the Office for Students to deliver the change that the country needs.