Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the safeguarding bruising protocol on people from ethnic minority backgrounds.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Nothing is more important than keeping children safe.
Our Families First Partnership Programme guidance, published in March 2025, is clear that practice should be inclusive, anti-discriminatory and responsive to the needs and experiences of children and families of different ethnic, cultural and religious backgrounds. We would encourage local safeguarding partnerships to align any local protocols, including in relation to bruising, with this guidance, the latest available evidence and with national child safeguarding guidance, and consider the impact of local protocols on children and families from ethnic minority backgrounds.
The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill will introduce new measures including improved information sharing and the introduction of multi-agency child protection teams to prevent children falling through the cracks.
We are also investing in the recruitment, training and development of child and family social worders to ensure the workforce has the capacity, skills and knowledge to identify, support and protect vulnerable children who may be at risk of maltreatment.
Asked by: Rachel Gilmour (Liberal Democrat - Tiverton and Minehead)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of support available to schools who wish to decarbonise their buildings but who currently do not have the means to do so.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department recognises that decarbonising the school estate is an important part of meeting the government’s net zero commitments.
The Great British Energy Solar Partnership (GBESP) programme is supporting 250 schools and colleges to decarbonise by investing £100 million on solar panels and other energy efficiency and net zero interventions including LED lighting and electric vehicle chargers.
We are providing support for all schools and colleges to start on their journey towards net zero through our Sustainability Support Programme, which includes an online platform of guidance, tools and resources to help schools plan and deliver climate action available here: https://www.sustainabilitysupportforeducation.org.uk/.
The publicly available Department for Energy Security and Net Zero commissioned schools decarbonisation guidance, along with tools and checklists developed by Energy Systems Catapult can be found here: https://es.catapult.org.uk/tools-and-labs/public-sector-decarbonisation-guidance/developing-your-strategy/schools-resource-hub/. We will be issuing guidance to school settings in spring 2026 to help schools plan future retrofit and adaptation strategies to support decarbonisation and good education outcomes using their estates effectively.
Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to support young carers in school in Eastleigh constituency.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Statutory guidance ‘Keeping children safe in education’ states that all school staff should be alert to the potential need for early help for young carers and requires designated safeguarding leads to be trained to understand and respond to their needs. These expectations apply to all schools ensuring young carers, including those in Eastleigh, are supported to thrive in education.
The department is using school census data to shine a light on the educational disadvantage faced by young carers and published data on their attainment at key stages 2 and 4 for the first time last autumn. This increased visibility will ensure they receive tailored support and do not miss out on vital educational opportunities.
Further, Ofsted’s new education inspection framework places a direct focus on their inclusion, safeguarding and personal development, with explicit reference to young carers. This will drive stronger practice, identification and support for young carers in Eastleigh and nationally.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to tailor the National Year of Reading to engage with (a) teenage boys, (b) early years children and (c) families from disadvantaged communities.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department, in partnership with the National Literacy Trust, is leading the National Year of Reading 2026 to tackle declining reading enjoyment. This UK-wide campaign combines a marketing initiative with events in schools, libraries and communities, prioritising boys aged 10 to 16, early years children and families from disadvantaged communities.
Grounded in evidence, the campaign uses the “Go All In” branding to help make reading appealing and relevant, particularly for the priority audiences. The campaign’s message, “If you’re into it, read into it”, encourages individuals to explore reading through their passions, whether music, sport, baking, family time, films, sci-fi, or anything else.
Activities will take place across the year and includes national events, alongside resources for schools and early years, and library engagement through initiatives such as the Summer Reading Challenge. The campaign aims for lasting impact by engaging new audiences, making reading relevant, transforming practice, and building infrastructure. An independent evaluation in 2027 will assess its impact and sustainability beyond the campaign year and will assess its influence on reading behaviours and wider impact on the literacy sector.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking with (a) libraries, (b) charities and (c) the wider literacy sector to deliver the National Year of Reading.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department, in partnership with the National Literacy Trust, is leading the National Year of Reading 2026 to tackle declining reading enjoyment. This UK-wide campaign combines a marketing initiative with events in schools, libraries and communities, prioritising boys aged 10 to 16, early years children and families from disadvantaged communities.
Grounded in evidence, the campaign uses the “Go All In” branding to help make reading appealing and relevant, particularly for the priority audiences. The campaign’s message, “If you’re into it, read into it”, encourages individuals to explore reading through their passions, whether music, sport, baking, family time, films, sci-fi, or anything else.
Activities will take place across the year and includes national events, alongside resources for schools and early years, and library engagement through initiatives such as the Summer Reading Challenge. The campaign aims for lasting impact by engaging new audiences, making reading relevant, transforming practice, and building infrastructure. An independent evaluation in 2027 will assess its impact and sustainability beyond the campaign year and will assess its influence on reading behaviours and wider impact on the literacy sector.
Asked by: Simon Opher (Labour - Stroud)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Association of Colleges' report entitled From treatment to prevention: how colleges can build a healthier society, published in December 2025, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on supporting further education colleges to deliver programmes for young people not in education, employment or training due to health reasons.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department consults with Cabinet colleagues on a range of policies, and we are determined to break down barriers to opportunity for all young people, including those with specific needs.
We have introduced the Youth Guarantee to tackle the number of those who are not in education, employment or training and improve access to opportunities.
Colleges are responsible for ensuring that their provision is designed, delivered, and continuously improved to meet the needs of all students and are subject to statutory duties and responsibilities in the area of special educational needs and disabilities. This underpins our commitment to providing all young people with learning difficulties and disabilities with the opportunities they need.
The department also continues to work closely with the further education (FE) sector to promote and support providers to develop mental health and wellbeing approaches. This is supported by the FE student support champion, Polly Harrow, who is improving colleges' ability to give learners the full opportunity to succeed and progress.
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 her Department is taking to help ensure continuity of local provision and specialist staffing be during transition, in the context of the number of colleges providing the Level 3 BTEC Forensic and Criminal Investigation.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
On 20 October 2025, alongside the publication of the Post-16 Education and Skills white paper, the department published a consultation on Post-16 level 3 and below pathways, which closed on the 12 January. As part of our consultation, we have been engaging with the sector on transition arrangements. We will set out our response to the consultation in due course.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the equitability of the current national funding formula for the Dedicated Schools Grant, in light of disparities in per-pupil funding between local authorities.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The schools national funding formula (NFF) distributes funding for mainstream schools based on schools’ and pupils’ characteristics.
The purpose of the schools NFF is not to give every school, or local authority area, the same level of per-pupil funding. It is right that schools with lots of pupils with additional needs, such as those indicated by measures of deprivation or low prior attainment, attract extra funding to help them meet the needs of all their pupils.
The formula also includes an area cost adjustment to reflect differences in labour market costs across the country. Staffing costs usually make up 70% to 80% of school expenditure, so it is important that schools’ funding takes into account that these costs vary.
Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to support families of disadvantaged pupils with the cost of school trips.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
It is for schools to decide whether to offer school trips to their pupils. Schools receive pupil premium funding to improve educational outcomes for disadvantaged pupils, which may be used to support extracurricular activities, including school trips.
Schools must comply with the law on charging for school activities, which prohibits charging for education provided during school hours. This means they may not make compulsory charges for a trip which takes place during school hours but they may ask parents for voluntary contributions towards the cost of the trip.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make new capital funding available for school buildings in South Holland and the Deepings constituency.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
We are investing almost £3 billion per year by 2034/35 in capital maintenance to improve the condition of the school and college estate, rising from £2.4 billion in 2025/26.
As part of this, in 2025/26, Lincolnshire County Council was allocated almost £6 million to invest across its maintained schools. Capital funding for other bodies responsible for schools in South Holland and the Deepings are also available on GOV.UK. We expect to publish capital allocations and the outcomes of the Condition Improvement Fund for the 2026/27 financial year in the spring.
We are also investing almost £20 billion in the School Rebuilding Programme through to 2034/35, delivering rebuilding projects at over 500 schools within the existing programme, with a further 250 schools to be selected within two years. We plan to open a nomination round early in 2026.
Lincolnshire has also been allocated £62.2 million of Basic Need capital funding to support it to create mainstream school places needed between May 2024 and September 2028.