Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what progress her Department has made towards the development of the Enrichment Framework; and if she will set out a timetable for its publication and implementation.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department will publish the new Enrichment Framework in early 2026. The framework has been developed following extensive research and collaboration with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), and a working group of experts from schools, youth, sports and arts organisations.
We are also putting in place a range of support to help schools further, including PE and school sport partnerships, the national network of Music Hubs, £24million for the TechYouth programme and £22.5 million from DCMS over three years to create a tailored enrichment offer in up to 400 schools. A further £132.5 million of dormant assets funding is being targeted towards services, facilities and opportunities to meet the needs of young people, particularly those from disadvantaged and underrepresented backgrounds. More specifically, the government is continuing to invest an additional £3.6 million per year to support and maintain cadet units in schools as part of the Cadet Expansion Programme.
Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of establishing an enrichment premium for schools.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department will publish the new Enrichment Framework in early 2026. The framework has been developed following extensive research and collaboration with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), and a working group of experts from schools, youth, sports and arts organisations.
We are also putting in place a range of support to help schools further, including PE and school sport partnerships, the national network of Music Hubs, £24million for the TechYouth programme and £22.5 million from DCMS over three years to create a tailored enrichment offer in up to 400 schools. A further £132.5 million of dormant assets funding is being targeted towards services, facilities and opportunities to meet the needs of young people, particularly those from disadvantaged and underrepresented backgrounds. More specifically, the government is continuing to invest an additional £3.6 million per year to support and maintain cadet units in schools as part of the Cadet Expansion Programme.
Asked by: Iqbal Mohamed (Independent - Dewsbury and Batley)
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 sale of the qualifications arm of City & Guilds on qualification fees, provision, workforce employment and other aspects of the further education sector.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Following the sale of City and Guilds Ltd, we understand that organisation will continue to deliver qualifications within the further education sector and work constructively with providers as usual. As the regulator of qualifications, Ofqual has responsibility for ensuring that recognised awarding organisations meet their obligations on qualifications quality and public confidence. We understand that Ofqual also monitors qualifications prices and publishes this data annually.
Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department provides guidance to local authorities on ensuring that children and young people moving into temporary accommodation are supported to make necessary changes to personal information and continue to access education.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Schools and colleges in England must follow the ‘Keeping children safe in education’ 2025 statutory guidance when carrying out their duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. Local authorities have a statutory duty to ensure that all children of compulsory school age in their area are receiving suitable education. To support this duty, every local authority must have a Fair Access Protocol in place to ensure that vulnerable children, including those who are homeless, can be secured a school place as quickly as possible where they fail to secure one through the usual admissions processes.
The government has also tabled an amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill to introduce a new duty on local housing authorities to notify educational institutions, GP practices and health visiting services when a child is placed in temporary accommodation. Guidance will be provided for local authority housing officers and the public bodies receiving notifications.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether disabled young carers in families affected by sodium valproate-related harm are being (a) identified and (b) supported within the education system.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
We know that families with children with disabilities, including those affected by sodium valproate harm and where the children may be caring for other family members, are crying out for change.
The department’s upcoming full Schools White Paper will build 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. This work includes the new standards on inclusion introduced by Ofsted in their new education inspection framework last November, and we are pleased to note that the needs of pupils with disabilities and those who are young carers are fully recognised in the inspection toolkit for the new framework.
Schools are also required to identify and record all pupils who are young carers on the school census regardless of the reason they may be providing care for family members.
Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how she plans to monitor and evaluate the impact of the SEND teacher training programme on inclusion, attendance and educational outcomes for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department recently announced investment in a new package of training for staff in nurseries, schools and colleges, with the aim to ultimately improve support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities.
The new training programmes will also go through stages of quality assurance to ensure they are aligned with evidence of best practice.
A full monitoring and evaluation plan will be developed, and officials are currently scoping options for an independent evaluation.
The new package builds on training that is already available, such as special educational needs and disabilities and inclusion content woven through the suite of national professional qualifications, for which evaluation is already underway and interim reports are available on GOV.UK.
Asked by: Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat - Chichester)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 22 October 2025 to Question 84161 on Teachers Pensions, what her updated planned timetable is for issuing cash equivalent transfer value details from Teachers’ Pensions.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
As of the end of December 2025, 402 cash equivalent transfer value (CETV) cases were outstanding. There will always be a number of CETV cases in progress at any given time, as new CETV applications are made.
Capita, the scheme administrator, is continuing to work through the most complex cases for members who have retired. Due to the level of complexity, 329 of these cases can only be processed clerically and the estimated average calculation times are between 20 and 30 hours per processed case.
The scheme administrator is working as quickly as possible to complete all outstanding cases. This issue remains a top priority for the department and the scheme administrator.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to answer Questions 102720, 102721, 102722 and 102723.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The response to Written Parliamentary Questions 102720, 102721, 102722 and 102723 was published on 28 January 2026.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans her Department has to help reduce levels of school exclusion related to (a) drugs and (b) alcohol in West Berkshire.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department publishes detailed exclusion data at a regional and local authority level and regularly monitors trends in school exclusion rates for pupil groups.
The department is delivering a comprehensive programme of behaviour support for schools, including Attendance and Behaviour Hubs which are targeting schools with the highest need and providing wider national support
The Suspension and Permanent Exclusion guidance states that schools, local authorities, and partners should work together to understand local trends. Local leaders should also use this to plan and implement targeted action suitable to local context. The guidance can be read in full here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-exclusion.
Furthermore, the statutory relationships, sex and health education guidance includes curriculum content on drugs, alcohol, tobacco and vaping to ensure that pupils can understand the risks and implications of misuse. This guidance can be read in full here:
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to address levels of school exclusion in West Berkshire.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department publishes detailed exclusion data at a regional and local authority level and regularly monitors trends in school exclusion rates for pupil groups.
The department is delivering a comprehensive programme of behaviour support for schools, including Attendance and Behaviour Hubs which are targeting schools with the highest need and providing wider national support
The Suspension and Permanent Exclusion guidance states that schools, local authorities, and partners should work together to understand local trends. Local leaders should also use this to plan and implement targeted action suitable to local context. The guidance can be read in full here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-exclusion.
Furthermore, the statutory relationships, sex and health education guidance includes curriculum content on drugs, alcohol, tobacco and vaping to ensure that pupils can understand the risks and implications of misuse. This guidance can be read in full here: