Department for Education

The department will take time to consider the high needs national funding formula (NFF) that it uses to allocate funding for children and young people with complex special educational needs and disabilities. The department is considering the impact of the formula on local authorities, including Hertfordshire County Council and those in the F40 group. It is important that there is a fair education funding system that directs funding to where it is needed.

Budgets for the 2025/26 financial year have not been set, which means that decisions on the high needs and mainstream schools NFF and the publication of allocations for that year will not be to the usual timescales.

The department will take time to consider the high needs national funding formula (NFF) that it uses to allocate funding for children and young people with complex special educational needs and disabilities. The department is considering the impact of the formula on local authorities, including Hertfordshire County Council and those in the F40 group. It is important that there is a fair education funding system that directs funding to where it is needed.

Budgets for the 2025/26 financial year have not been set, which means that decisions on the high needs and mainstream schools NFF and the publication of allocations for that year will not be to the usual timescales.

The table below provides per pupil funding units from the 2018/2019 to 2023/2024 financial years. This represents the funding provided for schools in Cheshire East each year in the schools block of the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG).

The department cannot provide comparable funding for Cheshire East back to 2010, due to the changes in the funding system since that time. The scope of the per pupil funding before and after 2018/19 are not directly comparable. In particular, in 2018/19 the central services provided by local authorities were split out from the schools block funding, and instead became funded separately through the central school services block from that year onwards.

The figures in the table below are provided on a cash basis. The department also publishes real-terms statistics on schools funding at the national level which does not distinguish by phase. The department uses the GDP deflator to calculate real-terms funding levels. The schools funding statistics for the 2023/24 financial year are available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-funding-statistics. The methodology used to calculate the statistics is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/methodology/school-funding-statistics-methodology.

These figures do not include funding for growth, premises or additional funding received through supplementary grants.

The department is continuing to support and challenge Buckinghamshire to improve delivery of special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) services.

The last local area SEND inspection by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) for Buckinghamshire was in March 2022, during which inspectors identified three areas of significant weakness. A written statement of action to address these areas of weakness was accepted by Ofsted and CQC. The department’s regional team has put in place systems to track outcomes against these areas of weakness and the progress made by children and young people with SEND, including regular review meetings. Buckinghamshire Council are committed to working closely with the department to improve services.

Buckinghamshire is taking part in the Delivering Better Value (DBV) in SEND Programme. The DBV in SEND Programme, established under the previous government, aims to help local authorities provide more effective SEND services by meeting the needs of children and young people at an early stage and with the right level of support.

Buckinghamshire is part of the most recent national competition to find multi-academy trusts to run 18 additional special schools. The competition was launched before the election and the window for application has just closed.

This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with SEND or in alternative provision receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life. The department will be focusing on a community-wide approach to improve inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools as well as to ensure that special schools cater to those with the most complex needs.

The full-time equivalent (FTE) of support staff has increased each year since 2019/20, reaching 510,400 in 2023/24, and has now passed the previous peak of 2015/16. This is an increase of 4,800 (0.9%) since last year. This increase is mainly due to an increase of 2,400 in other support staff.

Support staff are categorised into posts of teaching assistants, administrative staff, auxiliary staff, technicians and other supporting staff, plus two new posts of school business professional and leadership non-teacher that were reported for the first time in 2023/24.

School business professionals include roles such as bursar, business manager, finance officer, office manager, premises manager or ICT network manager. The national figures of all FTE support staff from the 2019/20 to 2023/24 academic years are available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/7b0a17e8-b3ff-403e-687f-08dca70c1109.

The figures of all FTE support staff in the Halifax constituency from the 2019/20 to 2023/24 academic years are included in the table below:

School support staff play a vital role in children’s education and development.

The department will value and recognise the professionalism of the entire school workforce and address recruitment and retention challenges by reinstating the School Support Staff Negotiating Body.

The body will be tasked with establishing a national terms and conditions handbook, training and progression routes. This reform will ensure that schools can recruit and retain the staff needed to deliver high quality, inclusive education.

Data on state-funded school places is published at local authority level in the annual school capacity statistics publication. The latest data available shows that, as at 1 May 2023, there were 75,150 state-funded school places, (39,570 primary and 35,580 secondary), in Liverpool. The annual school capacity statistics publication can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-capacity.

The department publishes statistics on education, health and care (EHC) plans at local authority level. This includes information on children and young people not in school or further education, for example those awaiting provision, in elective home education, in other arrangements, having had notice of their plan to cease, or not in education, employment or training. The number and proportion of children and young people with an EHC plan who were elsewhere than at school in Trafford from 2020 to 2024, which is the last five years of data available, can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/6cdcf6c0-e28a-4a72-68e5-08dca70c1109.

The data collection for EHC plans does not include information on previous special educational needs (SEN) support identification.

Wider data on SEN, including information on the total number of pupils with EHC plans and SEN support at local authority level, is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/special-educational-needs-in-england.

This government is committed to providing the necessary support to improve the experiences for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and their families. The department is committed to taking a community-wide approach, improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools and alternative provision settings, as well as ensuring special schools cater to those with the most complex needs.

Ofsted inspected local arrangements for children with SEND in Hertfordshire in July 2023. Their report, published on 10 November 2023, concluded that there are widespread and/or systemic failings, leading to significant concerns about the experiences and outcomes of children and young people with SEND, which the local area partnership must address urgently.

The department provides support and challenge to the Hertfordshire local area partnership by monitoring progress against its priority action plan and improvement plan, and by providing advice and guidance via a SEND expert advisor. The partnership has also established a SEND Improvement Board, independently chaired by Dame Christine Lenehan to oversee progress and provide appropriate challenge.

For too long the education and care system has not meet the needs of all children, particularly those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), with parents struggling to get their children the support they need and deserve.

This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with SEND or in alternative provision receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life. The department will be focusing on a community-wide approach, improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools, and ensuring that special schools cater to those with the most complex needs. My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, and I will work with families and education and care experts to deliver this in the best interests of our children.

This government is committed to providing the necessary support to improve the experiences for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and their families. The department is committed to taking a community-wide approach to improve inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools and alternative provision settings, as well as to ensure special schools cater to those with the most complex needs.

Ofsted inspected local arrangements for children with SEND in Central Bedfordshire in November 2019 and found six areas of significant weakness. The local area was required to produce a written statement of action, which was approved by Ofsted in September 2020. A follow up revisit in July 2022 found the local area had made sufficient progress in three of the six areas of significant weakness. The department monitors progress against Central Bedfordshire’s improvement plan and provides support and challenge, including from a SEND expert advisor.

Ofsted inspected local arrangements for children with SEND in Hertfordshire in July 2023. Its report, published in November 2023, concluded that there are widespread and/or systemic failings, leading to significant concerns about the experiences and outcomes of children and young people with SEND, which the local area partnership must address urgently. Hertfordshire local area partnership has established a SEND improvement board which is independently chaired by Dame Christine Lenehan to oversee progress and provide appropriate challenge. The department monitors progress against Hertfordshire’s improvement plan and priority action plan and provides support and challenge, including from a SEND expert advisor.

The tables below provide average per-pupil funding from 2020/21 to 2024/25.

For Birmingham, the West Midlands and England, the figures represent the funding provided through the schools block of the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG). All of the figures in table one exclude growth funding but include premises and additional funding from grants.

The DSG is allocated at local authority level, and as such the equivalent figures are not available for Birmingham Northfield constituency. The constituency level data for Birmingham Northfield is therefore instead calculated based on the notional schools national funding formula (NFF) allocations for all mainstream schools in the constituency. The figures in table two are not comparable to those in table one, not only because DSG funding cannot be aggregated down to constituency level, but also because the context of the funding figures are not the same. The figures in table two do not include the money that schools in the Birmingham Northfield constituency have received through additional grants, such as the Schools Supplementary Grant (SSG) and the Mainstream Schools Additional Grant (MSAG), therefore making the constituency-level funding appear to rise slower than that of the others presented.

Table one

Table two

* The allocations that schools within a constituency actually receive are determined by the local funding formula in their area.

The department has been working closely with all statutory partners involved in delivering special educational needs and disability (SEND) services in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole since their local area SEND inspection in June 2021.

The department holds regular formal monitoring meetings with the local authority and partners as part of holding the local area to account for making the necessary improvements in services. The latest monitoring meeting highlighted that the local authority and partners are taking positive steps to improve services, with some evidence of early impact, but that there are still ways to go to ensure that all children and families receive the service they require and deserve.

The department has put in place robust support for the local authority and their partners through the appointment of a Sector Led Improvement Partner and SEND advisor support. The department will continue to work with the local area to ensure they deliver further improvements in services.

It is also important that the department has a fair education funding system that directs funding to where it is needed. Budgets for the 2025/26 financial year have not been set. This means that decisions on high needs funding for children and young people with complex SEND, and the publication of allocations to local authorities for that year, will not be to the usual timescales.

The government is committed to meeting children's educational and social needs earlier, so that wherever possible they can remain in their mainstream school. Where alternative provision is required, it should be as part of a planned intervention delivered through local partnerships, with the right educational and welfare expertise to support the child's needs.

Support staff are categorised into posts of teaching assistants, administrative staff, auxiliary staff, technicians and other supporting staff, plus two new posts of school business professional and leadership non-teacher, reported for the first time in 2023/24.

School business professionals include roles such as bursar, business manager, finance officer, office manager, premises manager or ICT network manager.

The full-time equivalent (FTE) of support staff has increased each year since 2019/20, to 510,400 in 2023/24, and has now passed the previous peak of 2015/16. This is an increase of 4,800 (0.9%) since last year. This increase is mainly due to an increase of 2,400 in other support staff.

The FTE of all support staff across state-funded schools in England between 2019/20 and 2023/24 can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/7b0a17e8-b3ff-403e-687f-08dca70c1109.

The FTE of all support staff in Altrincham and Sale West, Stretford and Urmston and Wythenshawe and Sale East between 2019/20 and 2023/24 can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/0b037abc-203b-42ce-5354-08dca71310d3.

School support staff play a vital role in children’s education and development.

The department will value and recognise the professionalism of the entire school workforce and address recruitment and retention challenges by reinstating the School Support Staff Negotiating Body.

The body will be tasked with establishing a national terms and conditions handbook, training and progression routes. This reform will ensure that schools can recruit and retain the staff needed to deliver high quality, inclusive education.

The department is continuing to support and challenge Surrey and Hampshire to improve the delivery of special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) services.

The last local area SEND inspection by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) for Surrey was in September 2023. The department’s regional team has put in place systems to track outcomes against the areas for improvement that were identified by inspectors and to track the progress made by children and young people with SEND. Surrey County Council are committed to working closely with the department to improve services.

Surrey County Council entered into a Safety Valve agreement with the department in March 2022. Safety Valve agreements were established under the previous government with the aim of improving the effectiveness of local authority high needs systems and ensure their long-term financial sustainability.

Hampshire were last inspected under the previous Ofsted and CQC framework in March 2020. As with all local areas, the department has continued to provide support to Hampshire through a regional case lead, who seeks regular assurances on the adequacy of SEND provision. Hampshire will be assessed under the new Ofsted and CQC Area Inspection Framework, with all local authorities due to be inspected by the end of 2027.

Hampshire is taking part in the Delivering Better Value (DBV) in SEND Programme. The DBV in SEND Programme, which is currently under review, was established under the previous government with the aim of helping local authorities provide more effective SEND services by meeting the needs of children and young people at an early stage and with the right level of support.

Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs) have three core functions. Firstly, to deliver evidence-based early interventions for emerging and actual mental health issues, 1 to 1 and in groups. Secondly, to support a school or college’s mental health lead to embed an effective approach to promote and support mental health and wellbeing. Thirdly, to advise school and college staff, and liaise with external specialist services, to help pupils and learners to get the right timely support and stay in education.

Data specifically on how many MHSTs there are in Bedfordshire, Hitchin constituency and North Hertfordshire is not currently available.​

However, data published by NHS England shows that since 2018/19, when the first wave of MHSTs were commissioned, 11 MHSTs have been established across Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes. For the first 9 MHSTs established up to 2022/23, this equates to MHST coverage of 43% of pupils and learners and 40% of schools and colleges in these areas

A link to the data can be found here: https://www.england.nhs.uk/mental-health/cyp/trailblazers/#_Mental_Health_Support and https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.publishing.service.gov.uk%2Fmedia%2F6642052bf34f9b5a56adc5dd%2FTransforming_children_and_young_people_s_mental_health_implementation_programme_2024_data-tables.xlsx&wdOrigin=BROWSELINK.

The government is committed to taking steps to better understand how many children of compulsory school age in England are not in school. Beginning October 2022, aggregate data on children in elective home education (EHE) and children missing education (CME) was collected from local authorities for the first time.

Recent data shows on census day in autumn 2023, local authorities reported an estimated 33,000 CME that are not registered at school or otherwise receiving suitable education. This is an increase of approximately 4,900 children from the summer 2023 census day. In the autumn 2023 term, where known by the local authority, primary reasons given for CME included the child having moved out of the country, the child having moved out of the local authority and the child is awaiting a school application outcome.

As at the census date in autumn 2023, an estimated 92,000 children were in EHE. This includes adjustments made for non-response and is based on a figure of 87,700 reported by 95% of local authorities. This is an increase from an estimated 80,900 in the previous autumn term. The leading reasons provided for deciding to home educate were philosophical, mental health, lifestyle and school dissatisfaction.

The government is committed to making it a statutory duty for local authorities to maintain children not in school registers and submit data returns to the department when requested to do so. Additionally, from autumn this year, the department is mandating the collection of aggregate data on EHE and CME from local authorities in the 2023/24 academic year. This will increase the amount and detail of information available to local authorities and government on local and national levels, allowing the department to identify outlying local data and improve understanding of the drivers.

Alongside better data, the government will help to tackle drivers of children not being in school including via a requirement for school to cooperate with their local authority on school admissions, special educational needs and disabilities inclusion and place planning.

Delivering high quality affordable childcare is a priority for this government. As an initial step, the department is progressing work to deliver new places in 3,000 nurseries through upgrading space in primary schools. This will help increase the number of places available to parents, whilst also driving high and rising standards and better opportunities for every child.

The department has regular contact with each local authority in England about their sufficiency of childcare and any issues they are facing, including supporting them through the childcare delivery support contract where appropriate.

Academy trusts are the responsible, accountable body for all the money allocated to their individual academies, and the 2023 Academy Trust Handbook permits academy trusts to amalgamate academies’ General Annual Grant (GAG) to form one central fund. This allows academy trusts to direct funds in line with improvement priorities and needs across their schools.

The handbook also sets out that, where a trust decides to pool GAG, it must consider the funding needs and allocations of each constituent academy. The academy trust must also have an appeals mechanism in place. If an appeal is not resolved, an appeal can be escalated to Education and Skills Funding Agency.

The government is clear that strong accountability is non-negotiable. That is why the government has committed to bring multi-academy trusts into the inspection system, to make the system fairer and more transparent, and to enable intervention when schools and trusts are not performing to the required standards.

Academy trusts are the responsible, accountable body for all the money allocated to their individual academies, and the 2023 Academy Trust Handbook permits academy trusts to amalgamate academies’ General Annual Grant (GAG) to form one central fund. This allows academy trusts to direct funds in line with improvement priorities and needs across their schools.

The handbook also sets out that, where a trust decides to pool GAG, it must consider the funding needs and allocations of each constituent academy. The academy trust must also have an appeals mechanism in place. If an appeal is not resolved, an appeal can be escalated to Education and Skills Funding Agency.

The government is clear that strong accountability is non-negotiable. That is why the government has committed to bring multi-academy trusts into the inspection system, to make the system fairer and more transparent, and to enable intervention when schools and trusts are not performing to the required standards.

Ofsted inspections independently assess the quality of adult learning providers and Skills Bootcamps have been part of this remit since April 2023. Ofsted inspection reports help support providers to improve the quality of their provision. The department can, at its discretion, take appropriate contractual action where performance is below the standard expected of providers.

The government is committed to reforming Ofsted and improving the inspection system and has set out a series of commitments to reforming accountability, such as moving away from the single headline grade to a richer system through a report card. The government will want to engage with Ofsted, including looking closely at the results of its ‘Big Listen’ and will work in partnership with those from the range of sectors that Ofsted works in, including skills, to look at opportunities to improve the current arrangements.

The government is committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity and giving every child the best start in life.

The department will be providing over 3 million holiday clubs places this summer and these places will support children from disadvantaged backgrounds to access free healthy meals and enriching activities.

The department will also be providing over 500,000 holiday places over Christmas to ensure children get access to food through the school holidays and to the activities benefiting their heath, wellbeing and learning that we know make such a difference.

Funding beyond the end of March 2025 is subject to the forthcoming Spending Review.

The department is aware that the SEN2 Data for the 2023 calendar year, which was published on 13 June 2024 and includes data on the rate that education, health and care plans are issued within the statutory 20 week period, showed that Cornwall had issued 1.6% of plans on time, which is well below the national average of 50.3%.

The department is focussed on ensuring the local area partnership works at pace to improve the timeliness of plans for children and young people in Cornwall. This support includes departmental officials carrying out monthly monitoring, a department appointed special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) advisor and department funded training workshops delivered by the Research and Improvement for SEND Excellence (RISE) consortium.

Ofsted inspected local arrangements for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in Suffolk in November 2023. Its report, which was published on 30 January 2024, concluded that there are widespread and/or systemic failings, leading to significant concerns about the experiences and outcomes of children and young people with SEND, which the local area partnership must address urgently.

The department provides support and challenge to the Suffolk local area partnership by monitoring progress against its Priority Action Plan and improvement plan, and by providing advice and guidance through a SEND expert adviser. The partnership has also established an independently chaired SEND Improvement Board, to oversee progress.

This government is committed to providing the necessary support to improve the experiences for children and young people with SEND and their families. The department is committed to taking a community-wide approach, to improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools and alternative provision settings, and to ensure that special schools cater to those with the most complex needs.

The capacity of state-funded schools as at May 2023 is published in the annual school capacity official statistics publication and is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-capacity. The data is available at local authority level and by phase (primary and secondary).

Pupil numbers up to age 16 are published in the ‘Schools, pupils and their characteristics’ official statistics publication and are available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics. The data is available by local authority, age and school type. Please note that statistics from the school census are on the base of age, rather than key stage.

The government is committed to making quick progress to deliver on its commitment to offer breakfast clubs in every primary school. Breakfast clubs will remove barriers to opportunity by ensuring every child, no matter their circumstances, is well prepared for school and set-up to achieve by providing a supportive start to the day.

The government has already taken decisive action by announcing in the King’s Speech that, under the Children’s Wellbeing Bill, every primary school will offer a free breakfast club. Legislating for breakfast club provision will give schools the certainty they need to plan for the future. Before the legislation comes into force, the department will work with schools to make sure the right support, including funding, is in place.

The department aims to publish the report within the coming months, in line with existing practice.

The school, which is planned to be a 400 place, co-educational school for pupils aged 4 to 19 with Autistic Spectrum Disorders, was approved into the pre-opening stage in March 2024. Departmental officials are working closely with the local authority and the trust to agree an opening date.

The department cannot provide comparable funding for St Helens North constituency back to 2010, due to the changes in the funding system since that time. Therefore, the scope of the funding in 2010 and 2024 are not directly comparable. In particular, in 2018/19 the central services provided by local authorities were split out from the schools block funding, and instead became funded separately through the central school services block from that year onwards.

The schools national funding formula (NFF) determines schools’ core revenue funding, in respect of 5 to 16 year olds, for all mainstream schools in England. Constituency figures are based on an aggregate of schools’ notional NFF allocations. In 2024/25, the schools in St Helens North constituency received an aggregated total of £86.5 million through the NFF. The allocations that schools within a constituency actually receive are determined by the local funding formula in their area.

The above figure is for mainstream schools only. The department does not hold constituency level funding data for special schools.

​In addition to this core revenue funding, schools also receive funding through a number of separate streams, including pupil premium, Universal Infant Free School Meals funding, PE and sport premium funding, and the recovery premium, and the National Tutoring Programme to support education recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic. The department also has a capital budget, which funds a range of programmes for schools, such as the Schools Rebuilding Programme. Additionally, schools will receive funding for 16 to 19 year olds, or for children in school nursery provision, if applicable.

To open a free school, the department must be satisfied that the site is suitable and deliverable. The department has acquired the site for the school. However, there are a number of planning conditions that the department needs to satisfy before the school opens. The department is working closely with the Local Planning Authority, Liverpool City Council and the Great Schools Trust to address the planning requirements for the school.

This government is determined to make early years the department’s top priority, reset its engagement with the sector and set every child on the journey to improved life chances. The government will say more about plans for early education and childcare in due course.

The current position is that families with British National Overseas status can access:

• The universal 15 hours free childcare entitlement, which is available to all 3 and 4 year old children, regardless of parental circumstances.
• 15 hours entitlement for parents of 2 year olds in receipt of additional support, which is available if their child has an education, health and care plan, or is in care or adopted in England and Wales. They are also eligible for these hours if their household income after tax is no more than:

o £26,500 for families outside of London with one child

o £34,500 for families within London with one child

o £30,600 for families outside of London with two or more children

o £38,600 for families within London with two or more children

The entitlements for children of working parents are not within the definition of ’public funds’ in the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 or the Immigration Rules. However, there are requirements in the Childcare (Free of Charge for Working Parents) (England) Regulations 2022 for the parent, or one of the parents, not to be subject to immigration control. This means that where both parents have no recourse to public funds, they will not be eligible for these entitlements. However, if there are two parents and just one of them is subject to immigration control, the family will still be eligible for the entitlements provided they meet the other eligibility criteria.

The department regularly engages with the Chancellor of the Exchequer about a range of issues. The government recognises the importance of continuing a positive relationship with representatives of the sector to better support outcomes across the whole education system.

The department regularly engages with the Chancellor of the Exchequer about a range of issues. The government recognises the importance of continuing a positive relationship with representatives of the sector to better support outcomes across the whole education system.

The government is working to carefully consider the impact of charging VAT on independent schools’ fees. This government will undertake appropriate analysis and assessment to support this process.

Data on children’s centres is supplied by local authorities via the department’s Get Information about Schools database portal. This portal can be found here: https://www.get-information-schools.service.gov.uk/.

Based on the information supplied by Birmingham local authority, the attached document provides details of the name and postcode of Sure Start children’s centres that closed in Birmingham since May 2010. This is based on information supplied by Birmingham local authority as of 18 July 2024. These figures may be different to previous answers and could change again in the future, since local authorities may update the database at any time.

The full-time equivalent (FTE) of support staff has increased each year since the 2019/20 academic year, to 510,400 in 2023/24, and has now passed the previous peak of 2015/16. This is an increase of 4,800 (0.9%) since last year. This increase is mainly due to the addition of 2,400 in other support staff.

Support staff are categorised into posts of teaching assistants, administrative staff, auxiliary staff, technicians and other supporting staff, plus two new posts of school business professional and leadership non-teacher reported for the first time in 2023/24.

School business professionals include roles such as bursar, business manager, finance officer, office manager, premises manager or ICT network manager.

Data relating to the FTE of all support staff can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/7b0a17e8-b3ff-403e-687f-08dca70c1109.

Equivalent data relating to Birmingham’s parliamentary constituencies can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/0fb9acee-35f2-4607-fac3-08dca70cb6e4.

School support staff play a vital role in children’s education and development. The department values and recognises the professionalism of the entire school workforce and will address recruitment and retention challenges by reinstating the School Support Staff Negotiating Body.

This body will be tasked with establishing a national terms and conditions handbook, training and progression routes, ensuring that schools can recruit and retain the staff needed to deliver high quality, inclusive education.

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, will not make it her policy to reject the application by Reach South Academy Trust to close Parkfield School.

Upon reviewing officials’ advice around this school closing, the department agrees that closing the school is in the best interests of children and young people and their education in this case.

Parkfield School will be closing by mutual agreement with the Academy trust.

The department is committed to working in partnership with local government to support children in care, whether they are being looked after by their community of wider kinship care, foster carers and adoptive parents, or being cared for in children’s homes, if this is the best place for them to be. The department recognises many challenges kinship cares experience, including the financial challenges that many kinship carers face. The government is considering how to most effectively transform the children’s social care system so that it can deliver better support and outcomes for children and families. This will include considering how best to support kinship carers and children in kinship care.

The department is committed to working in partnership with local government to support children in care, whether they are being looked after by their community of wider kinship care, foster carers and adoptive parents, or being cared for in children’s homes, if this is the best place for them to be. The department recognises many challenges kinship cares experience, including the financial challenges that many kinship carers face. The government is considering how to most effectively transform the children’s social care system so that it can deliver better support and outcomes for children and families. This will include considering how best to support kinship carers and children in kinship care.

Rules around schools entering into leases fall within the remit of the department. Schools may enter into leases for solar panels on school rooftops where the arrangements do not constitute borrowing, but as these often require granting an energy company rights over the roof space and school land, schools must involve the department. The process for gaining consent has recently been simplified, and the department receives around 20 to 30 applications per year.

Where a solar panel arrangement does constitute borrowing, this would require specific approval by exception. The department is aware of an increasing amount of interest in this area from schools and suppliers and is engaging with the sector to look at how it can further support schools in the move to solar.

The department will take time to consider the various funding formulae that the department and local authorities use to allocate funding for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities. It is important that there is a fair education funding system, that directs funding to where it is needed.

Budgets for the 2025/26 financial year have not yet been set which means that decisions on the high needs and schools national funding formulae as well as the publication of allocations for that year will not be to the usual timescales.

High and rising school standards are at the heart of the mission to break down barriers to opportunity and give every child the best start in life. Ensuring schools have the resources and buildings they need is a key part of that.

There are over 22,000 schools and colleges in England of which around 1% have reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) present in some areas of their buildings.

The department will fix this problem as quickly as possible and permanently remove RAAC either through grant funding or rebuilding. All schools and colleges with RAAC are continuing to receive support from caseworkers where needed and are providing full time face to face education for all pupils.

School buildings should be fit for the future. The department will set out further details on wider spending plans, including for capital funding, in due course.

Education matters and is at the heart of the mission to break down barriers to opportunity. The impact of any tax changes affecting independent schools on the state sector will be carefully considered. The government will complete its analysis once details of the policy changes have been confirmed; this will happen in due course.

The department publishes statistics on education, health and care (EHC) plans at local authority level. This data can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/education-health-and-care-plans. This includes information on children elsewhere than at school, such as those awaiting provision, in elective home education, in other arrangements, permanently excluded, and having notice to cease of their plan, as well as those Not in Education, Employment of Training (NEET). The number of children with an EHC plan who were elsewhere than at school and who were NEET in Birmingham from 2020 to 2024 can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/fffc2c6e-ef02-4be1-689a-08dca70c1109.

The data collection on children and young people with EHC plans does not include information on previous special educational needs (SEN) support identification.

Wider data on SEN, including information on the total number of pupils with EHC plans and SEN support at local authority level is available on GOV.UK, and can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/special-educational-needs-in-england.