Asked by: Vikki Slade (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (PINS) programme, (a) when the Department plans to publish the full evaluation of this programme; and (b) whether the findings of this evaluation will inform (i) the SEND Improvement Plan and, (ii) any future Schools White Paper.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
An independent interim evaluation of the Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (PINS) programme was published on 2 December 2025, and is accessible at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/partnerships-for-inclusion-of-neurodiversity-in-schools-pins-interim-evaluation-report.
The second year of PINS delivery is due to conclude on 31 March 2026, with independent evaluation activity continuing until summer 2026. We anticipate publishing a final evaluation report of the PINS programme after this date.
The learning from the PINS interim evaluation is informing policy development around how schools support neurodivergent children. We will set out our plans for reform of the special educational needs and disabilities system in the upcoming Schools White Paper, building on the work we have already done to create a system that is rooted in inclusion, where children receive high quality support early on and can thrive at their local school.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of introducing mandatory nutrition and practical cooking education in all schools.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Mandatory nutrition and practical cooking education is already included within the national curriculum. Additional elements of nutrition education can also be covered within science and relationships, sex and health education. The national curriculum aims to teach children how to cook and how to apply the principles of healthy eating and nutrition. Schools also have flexibility within the broad framework of the national curriculum to tailor curriculum subjects to meet the needs of their pupils.
In response to the Curriculum and Assessment Review, the department has set out that we will enhance the identity of food education by clearly distinguishing cooking and nutrition, which will be renamed food and nutrition, as a distinct strand within design and technology. We are also legislating through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill to require academies to follow the national curriculum, to ensure that pupils in academy schools also benefit from these changes alongside those in maintained schools.
Asked by: Rebecca Smith (Conservative - South West Devon)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which local authorities in England have implemented auto-enrolment for free school meals.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The department does not hold information on which local authorities in England have implemented auto‑enrolment for free school meals. Local authorities are responsible for managing their own processes for identifying eligible children.
This government is committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity and tackling child poverty. Introducing a new eligibility threshold for free school meals so that all children from households in receipt of Universal Credit will be eligible for free school meals from September 2026 will make it easier for parents to know whether they are entitled to receive free meals. This new entitlement will mean over 500,000 of the most disadvantaged children will begin to access free meals, pulling 100,000 children out of poverty.
We are also rolling out improvements to the Eligibility Checking System, making it easier for local authorities, schools and parents to check if children are eligible for free meals.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Sheffield (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Smith of Malvern on 16 September 2025 (UIN HL10064), which higher education providers have been or will be consulted about the introduction of a levy on income from international students.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The department is engaging with the higher education sector to shape the design of the International Student Levy to make delivery of the levy as easy as possible for providers. The technical consultation document builds on the details which were set out at the Autumn Budget 2025, initially announced in the Immigration White Paper, and can be found here: https://consult.education.gov.uk/international-student-levy-unit/international-student-levy/supporting_documents/isl-technical-consultationpdf.
As part of this, the government will be consulting a wide range of stakeholders, including those affected by the proposals and representative bodies from across the sector.
The technical consultation is due to close on 18 February 2026.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the national safeguarding guidelines for (a) primary and (b) secondary schools.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Schools and colleges have a critical role to play in protecting children and keeping them safe. The department publishes statutory safeguarding guidance Keeping children safe in education (KCSIE) which all schools and colleges must have regard to when carrying out their duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.
KCSIE is subject to regular review to ensure it is kept up to date and relevant. We are proposing to make changes to KCSIE 2026 and plan to launch a public consultation very soon.
Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Written Statement of 15 December 2025 on Investment in high needs place, HCWS1163, what meetings her Department held with the mainstream free school projects prior to their cancellation.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department has engaged with trusts, local authorities and other stakeholders in relation to individual projects in scope of the review, including reviewing the evidence they have provided. As would be expected from a review of this scale, there have been a significant number of meetings
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what consideration has been given to addressing historic pension gaps for teachers who were removed from the Teachers’ Pension Scheme without explicit consent.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department actively reviews historic provisions to ensure that the Teachers’ Pension Scheme remains fair for all and, if necessary, take steps to rectify where discrimination has been identified. The Preston cases, which were rectified in the 1990s, and the Goodwin cases, which were rectified in 2021, are cases in point.
The department does not have plans to review any specific historic provisions at present.
Changes to the maternity participation rules were provided in legislation in 1994 and 1995 and widely consulted on. The scheme administrator, Teachers’ Pensions, continue to issue guidance to local authorities and employers to ensure compliance and to manage claims effectively.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to review the potential impact of historic practices on women’s pension entitlements in the teaching profession.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department actively reviews historic provisions to ensure that the Teachers’ Pension Scheme remains fair for all and, if necessary, take steps to rectify where discrimination has been identified. The Preston cases, which were rectified in the 1990s, and the Goodwin cases, which were rectified in 2021, are cases in point.
The department does not have plans to review any specific historic provisions at present.
Changes to the maternity participation rules were provided in legislation in 1994 and 1995 and widely consulted on. The scheme administrator, Teachers’ Pensions, continue to issue guidance to local authorities and employers to ensure compliance and to manage claims effectively.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance was issued to local authorities in the 1990s on the inclusion of part-time teachers in the Teachers’ Pension Scheme following maternity leave.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department actively reviews historic provisions to ensure that the Teachers’ Pension Scheme remains fair for all and, if necessary, take steps to rectify where discrimination has been identified. The Preston cases, which were rectified in the 1990s, and the Goodwin cases, which were rectified in 2021, are cases in point.
The department does not have plans to review any specific historic provisions at present.
Changes to the maternity participation rules were provided in legislation in 1994 and 1995 and widely consulted on. The scheme administrator, Teachers’ Pensions, continue to issue guidance to local authorities and employers to ensure compliance and to manage claims effectively.
Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many local authority presumption free schools have been established since central applications were closed last year, broken down by (a), primary, (b) secondary, (c) post-16, and (d) special schools.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The number of free schools that have been opened through the free school presumption process since July 2024 is as follows:
Primary | 23 |
Secondary | 0 |
All-through | 1 |
Post-16 | 0 |
Special | 8 |
Alternative provision | 1 |
For comparison, the number of presumption free schools that were established in the previous academic year (2023/24) was:
Primary | 12 |
Secondary | 0 |
All-through | 1 |
Post-16 | 0 |
Special | 1 |
Alternative provision | 0 |