Department for Education

The responses to these Written Parliamentary Questions have been issued.

This government continues to prioritise and protect investment in the early years, which is why we are investing over £1 billion more in the early years entitlements this year compared to 2025/26 to deliver a full year of the expanded entitlements, and an above inflation increase to entitlements funding rates. The most recent Coram–PACEY Childcare Survey 2026, finds that the expansion of 30 hours of funded childcare has significantly reduced out of pocket costs for eligible working parents in England, in some cases making part time childcare effectively free during term time.

By allowing funded hours to be stretched across the year, deducting closures from calculations, and enabling mixed‑provider models, the system is designed to work alongside all‑year childcare businesses, managing funding and fees transparently and within national limits, broadening parental choice.

The department has announced over £400 million of funding to create tens of thousands of places in new and expanded school-based nurseries to help ensure more children can access the quality early education where it is needed and get the best start in life. The first phase of the programme is creating up to 6,000 new nursery places, with schools reporting over 5,000 have been made available from September 2025.

This government continues to prioritise and protect investment in the early years, which is why we are investing over £1 billion more in the early years entitlements this year compared to 2025/26 to deliver a full year of the expanded entitlements, and an above inflation increase to entitlements funding rates. The most recent Coram–PACEY Childcare Survey 2026, finds that the expansion of 30 hours of funded childcare has significantly reduced out of pocket costs for eligible working parents in England, in some cases making part time childcare effectively free during term time.

By allowing funded hours to be stretched across the year, deducting closures from calculations, and enabling mixed‑provider models, the system is designed to work alongside all‑year childcare businesses, managing funding and fees transparently and within national limits, broadening parental choice.

The department has announced over £400 million of funding to create tens of thousands of places in new and expanded school-based nurseries to help ensure more children can access the quality early education where it is needed and get the best start in life. The first phase of the programme is creating up to 6,000 new nursery places, with schools reporting over 5,000 have been made available from September 2025.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

The department provides early years funding through the dedicated schools grant, which is ring-fenced for education and subject to pass through requirements. Under the School and Early Years Finance Regulations, local authorities must pass at least 97% of early years entitlement funding to providers in 2026/27, up from 96% in 2025/26, with up to 3% retained for centrally delivered functions. This means that the vast majority of funding reaches frontline provision.

In addition, from 2026/27 the Inclusive Early Years Fund will provide targeted support over the next three years to build capacity in the early years sector to meet the needs of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). The £200 million SEND training package announced in January also includes a new national training programme for all early years practitioners, which will be free to access.

We will be reviewing early years funding, including SEND funding, as part of the early years funding consultation this summer.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

The Best Start in Life Strategy sets out this government’s commitment to increase take-up of the 15-hour early education and childcare offers for two, three and four-year-olds, ensuring low-income families, children with special educational needs and disabilities and children in care receive the early education they are entitled to. The department will engage directly with local authorities where take-up is lowest, supporting families through Best Start Family Hubs to take up their funded hours, addressing local variation in performance and tracking data through the Local Government Outcomes Framework.

Building on the largest ever uplift to Early Years Pupil Premium (EYPP) in 2025/26, we have increased EYPP rates by 15% to £1.15 per hour in 2026/27, equivalent to up to £655 per eligible child per year.

Low income working families and children with special educational needs and disabilities can benefit from the expansion of funded childcare. Parents could be eligible if they each earn the equivalent of 16 hours a week at National Minimum Wage, equivalent to £10,574.72 annually.

To make sure that the early years funding system is hardwired to benefit those children and parts of the country that have higher levels of additional need, we will review early years funding, including national funding formulae, and consult the sector on changes by summer 2026.

The ‘Every child achieving and thriving’ White Paper establishes our plan to improve the outcomes of all children, building on support at home with a stretching, enriching and inclusive school experience. When children born under this government finish secondary school, it is our ambition that all children achieve higher standards and the disadvantage gap will be halved. This equates to 30,000 more disadvantaged young people passing their English and maths GCSEs than today.

We are driving standards through new regional improvement for standards and excellence teams, a refreshed high quality curriculum and assessment system and recruiting 6,500 additional teachers, as well as taking action to address barriers to learning.

Alongside this, schools continue to receive the pupil premium grant. In the 2026/27 financial year we will be providing £3.2 billion of pupil premium funding across all state-funded schools in England, an increase of 2.2% per pupil from the 2025/26 financial year. In the 2025/26 financial year Leicester received £23,112,193 of pupil premium funding, and the East Midlands received £260,716,608.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

The response to Written Parliamentary Question 87070 was published on 22 April 2026.

We appreciate publication of the report and will keep up the work with Magic Breakfast and other valued stakeholders as we continue to roll out the free breakfast club programme to all schools with primary-aged pupils across England.

The government is committed to tackling child poverty and delivering meaningful action to support children and families. We recognise the importance of a healthy breakfast at the start of the day for pupils and the impact this can have on attendance and readiness to learn. This is why we are rolling out free breakfast clubs, so that all children, regardless of background, can have the best start in life. Since April 2025, the programme has delivered 8.5 million meals to almost 180,000 pupils across the country. We have also invested a further £80 million to fund approximately 2,000 additional schools between April 2026 and March 2027, with over 500 of those now delivering.

​We have also committed to continued funding of breakfast provision from September 2026 for secondary schools in disadvantaged areas which are currently participating in the National School Breakfast Programme.

The government is committed to offering free breakfast clubs to all primary-aged pupils in England, including those with special educational needs and disabilities, so that all children have access to a healthy breakfast and a soft start to their school day. Food served at free breakfast clubs must meet the School Food Standards, and we have provided guidance to schools on healthy breakfast options.

Early adopter schools are already sharing examples of good practice to support consistent, high‑quality provision across the country.

Parents care deeply about the food their children eat, which is why we plan to overhaul the School Food Standards for the first time in over a decade. Developed alongside nutritionists and public health experts, the new standards will include dedicated breakfast standards, cutting high sugar items and increasing higher-fibre wholegrains.

We have launched a 9 week consultation on these changes and are committed to developing a robust enforcement system, which includes monitoring of compliance.

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The specialist sector has a vital role to play in the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system, and the department values the contribution specialist places make for children and young people with complex needs. A fundamental principle of the SEND Code of Practice is that assessments are individual to the child or young person, and that special educational provision should be made based on presenting need. This does not rely on any specific diagnosis or categorisation of that need. Local authorities are under a statutory duty to ensure a sufficient supply of educational provision for children and young people with SEND, and placement decisions are reached as part of the assessment process in each individual case. Parents and young people have legal rights to express a preference for the setting they wish to be named in an education, health and care plan. Allocation of specialist placements is therefore based on the needs of the child or young person under assessment and is case-specific.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

The government provides funding to state schools and colleges which covers examination entries for students who are on roll. When a parent chooses to educate their child outside of the school system, for any reason, they take on full responsibility for their child’s education, including all associated costs, such as examination fees. For this reason, the department has not made an estimate of the cost of providing free GCSE and A level examinations for home-educated pupils or an assessment of the potential benefits of such provision.

The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill will introduce a new requirement for local authorities to provide information on accessing GCSE examinations to home-educating families in their areas who are registered with them and who request it. We will provide additional funding to support local authorities to fulfil their new duties.

On Monday 23 February, the department launched a full 12‑week consultation on our special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) reforms because we want to hear directly from people across the country who have an interest in these reforms.

We are also hosting a series of online and in‑person events throughout the 12-week consultation period, with some sessions delivered in partnership with the Council for Disabled Children. This consultation concludes on 18 May 2026.

The consultation, including accessible versions, can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/send-reform-putting-children-and-young-people-first.

The department will manage the implementation of the reformed SEND system carefully, hence why our investments start now, before forthcoming legislation.

The first cohort to transition will be those at the end of primary, secondary and post-16 in 2029/30. They will move to the new system in September 2030. We expect the final cohort to transition to the new system in 2035.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Students on Erasmus+ placements are exempt from tuition and registration fees at their host institution.

This means that EU nationals who previously came to the UK through Erasmus+ would not have taken out UK student loans, as their placements were supported through Erasmus+ funding.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

The international student levy will fund the reintroduction of maintenance grants for disadvantaged students studying level 4 to 6 courses aligned with the government’s missions and the Industrial Strategy.

Higher education (HE) providers are independent from government and responsible for managing their own finances, including any impact from the international student levy. To support providers’ financial planning, the levy will be introduced in 2028/29 and paid one year in arrears, with an allowance of 220 students applying per provider per year.

We have also announced tuition fee cap increases in line with forecast inflation for the 2025/26, 2026/27 and 2027/28 academic years, and will legislate, when parliamentary time allows, to increase caps automatically for future years. Over the next five years, these uplifts could generate an additional £6 billion for HE providers, significantly outweighing the currently projected less than £1 billion levy cost.

The international student levy will fund the reintroduction of maintenance grants for disadvantaged students studying level 4 to 6 courses aligned with the government’s missions and the Industrial Strategy.

Higher education (HE) providers are independent from government and responsible for managing their own finances, including any impact from the international student levy. To support providers’ financial planning, the levy will be introduced in 2028/29 and paid one year in arrears, with an allowance of 220 students applying per provider per year.

We have also announced tuition fee cap increases in line with forecast inflation for the 2025/26, 2026/27 and 2027/28 academic years, and will legislate, when parliamentary time allows, to increase caps automatically for future years. Over the next five years, these uplifts could generate an additional £6 billion for HE providers, significantly outweighing the currently projected less than £1 billion levy cost.

The international student levy will fund the reintroduction of maintenance grants for disadvantaged students studying level 4 to 6 courses aligned with the government’s missions and the Industrial Strategy.

Higher education (HE) providers are independent from government and responsible for managing their own finances, including any impact from the international student levy. To support providers’ financial planning, the levy will be introduced in 2028/29 and paid one year in arrears, with an allowance of 220 students applying per provider per year.

We have also announced tuition fee cap increases in line with forecast inflation for the 2025/26, 2026/27 and 2027/28 academic years, and will legislate, when parliamentary time allows, to increase caps automatically for future years. Over the next five years, these uplifts could generate an additional £6 billion for HE providers, significantly outweighing the currently projected less than £1 billion levy cost.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

The Cohesion Charter will be co‑designed with students in collaboration with a partnership of the department, the University of Salford and the National Union of Students.

The Charter will set out the core principles that matter to students in building cohesive and sustainable communities. These principles will inform student behaviour, the review of institutional policies and civic participation.

An advisory group will be established to support delivery, oversee timelines and facilitate collaboration across the higher education sector at a national level.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

My right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister announced in June 2025 the establishment of a new PE and School Sport Partnerships Network to ensure all children and young people have access to high quality PE and extracurricular sport. Details on the PE and School Sports Partnerships funding will be confirmed in due course.

The Enrichment Framework will be published this academic year, accompanied by a range of support to help schools’ enrichment offers. We will work with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on the National Youth Strategy implementation, including the £22.5 million Enrichment Expansion Programme and £132.5 million through the ‘Every Child Can’ Dormant Assets funding. This is in addition to international enrichment opportunities through the UK’s association to the EU’s Erasmus+ programme, continuing investment in our national network of Music Hubs, a new £750,000 chess support programme, and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology’s flagship ‘TechYouth’ programme.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

State‑funded schools with a religious character may teach religious education in line with their faith, but they are subject to the same requirements as other state‑funded schools to promote community cohesion and to teach a broad and balanced curriculum.

Since 2014, all schools, including independent schools and those with a religious character or ethos, have been required to actively promote the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect and tolerance for those of different faiths and beliefs.

Independent schools with a religious character or ethos must be registered with my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education and meet the Independent School Standards, which set minimum requirements relating to safeguarding, the quality of education, and pupils’ welfare. The Standards include, among other things, a requirement to teach a broad curriculum.

The government assesses the sufficiency of education through the inspection and regulatory framework. All registered schools are inspected by Ofsted, and the Secretary of State has statutory powers to intervene where standards are not met.

The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill includes measures to strengthen the regulation and oversight of independent schools and will bring additional full-time educational settings, including some which provide a religious education, within the same regulatory regime as independent schools.

The government does not routinely monitor examination entry or progression to higher education for pupils in independent schools, as responsibility rests with schools and parents.

State‑funded schools with a religious character may teach religious education in line with their faith, but they are subject to the same requirements as other state‑funded schools to promote community cohesion and to teach a broad and balanced curriculum.

Since 2014, all schools, including independent schools and those with a religious character or ethos, have been required to actively promote the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect and tolerance for those of different faiths and beliefs.

Independent schools with a religious character or ethos must be registered with my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education and meet the Independent School Standards, which set minimum requirements relating to safeguarding, the quality of education, and pupils’ welfare. The Standards include, among other things, a requirement to teach a broad curriculum.

The government assesses the sufficiency of education through the inspection and regulatory framework. All registered schools are inspected by Ofsted, and the Secretary of State has statutory powers to intervene where standards are not met.

The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill includes measures to strengthen the regulation and oversight of independent schools and will bring additional full-time educational settings, including some which provide a religious education, within the same regulatory regime as independent schools.

The government does not routinely monitor examination entry or progression to higher education for pupils in independent schools, as responsibility rests with schools and parents.

State‑funded schools with a religious character may teach religious education in line with their faith, but they are subject to the same requirements as other state‑funded schools to promote community cohesion and to teach a broad and balanced curriculum.

Since 2014, all schools, including independent schools and those with a religious character or ethos, have been required to actively promote the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect and tolerance for those of different faiths and beliefs.

Independent schools with a religious character or ethos must be registered with my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education and meet the Independent School Standards, which set minimum requirements relating to safeguarding, the quality of education, and pupils’ welfare. The Standards include, among other things, a requirement to teach a broad curriculum.

The government assesses the sufficiency of education through the inspection and regulatory framework. All registered schools are inspected by Ofsted, and the Secretary of State has statutory powers to intervene where standards are not met.

The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill includes measures to strengthen the regulation and oversight of independent schools and will bring additional full-time educational settings, including some which provide a religious education, within the same regulatory regime as independent schools.

The government does not routinely monitor examination entry or progression to higher education for pupils in independent schools, as responsibility rests with schools and parents.

On 27 March, the government published Best Start in Life advice about screen use for children aged 0 to 5, which is available on the Best Start in Life website.

​The advice is informed by an expert panel’s independent report, which draws on quantitative and qualitative research, including engagement with parents, carers and stakeholders. It emphasises that screen use should be carefully managed, with a focus on supporting healthy development, encouraging active play, sleep, and positive interactions, helping parents to make informed, balanced decisions about technology use.

Guidance on appropriate electronic device and screen usage for early years settings is available on the Help for Early Years Providers platform.

Following the publication of our new screen use advice, we will update our guidance for early years settings, to align and strengthen the information on screen use and digital literacy for early years practitioners.

We will take the next opportunity to reference the updated Help for Early Years Providers guidance in the Early Years Foundation Stage frameworks.

It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

The department values the contribution schools with a religious character make to a diverse school system, and it is important faith schools can set admissions criteria that work for their local circumstances.

The government set out in the ‘Every Child Achieving and Thriving’ White Paper its intention to consult later this year on changes to the statutory School Admissions Code to reduce barriers and promote fairness for families.

Any changes to the School Admissions Code will be subject to a full public consultation and Parliamentary scrutiny.

The department has committed £27.7 million this financial year to raise reading standards. We are introducing a statutory reading check for pupils in year 8 to help ensure schools are identifying and providing targeted support to pupils.

In the 2025/26 academic year, the department rolled out a secondary pilot of the English Hubs programme, to help address reading needs for schools most in need. In January 2026, all schools were given access to Unlocking Reading, a continuing professional development programme. English Hubs will continue supporting secondary schools into the 2026/27 academic year, with an increased number of schools receiving intensive support from literacy specialists.

A national network of 40 Maths Hubs is supporting schools to improve teaching quality.  This network aims to improve the teaching of mathematics for all pupils in publicly funded schools by providing school-to-school support focussed on subject knowledge and pedagogy training for teachers, supporting teaching quality as well as workforce recruitment and retention.

Following the Curriculum and Assessment Review, reforms to the national curriculum and GCSEs will deliver clearer, better sequenced content grounded in essential knowledge and skills. Schools also benefit from the universal regional improvement for standards and excellence programme, a sector-led approach providing access to high quality school improvement support.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.