Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the findings of the Demos report entitled Facing the Music in relation to music education funding.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Education is a devolved matter, and this relates to England only.

The department believes that music is an essential part of the well-rounded and enriching education every child deserves.

We continue to invest £76 million per year revenue grant funding for the Music Hubs network to improve equity of access to music education in schools, including for academic year 2026/27. We also continue to invest £25 million capital funding for musical instruments, equipment and technology, and £2 million to support the Music Opportunities Pilot over a 4-year period to academic year 2027/28 to improve access to extra-curricular vocal and instrumental lessons.

We will establish the new National Centre for Music and Arts Education later this year to support teacher development, investing up to £13 million over three years.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department will provide additional capital funding to schools to establish inclusion bases.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The department is investing at least £3.7 billion in high needs capital funding between 2025/2026 and 2029/2030, to support local authorities to provide places for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), or who require alternative provision .

This funding is expected to fund a transformative expansion of inclusion bases, as well as adaptations to improve the accessibility and inclusivity of mainstream settings. It can also be used to create special school places for pupils with the most complex needs.

In financial years 2025/26 and 2026/27, Lancashire has been allocated just under £19.7 million and just over £23.8 million respectively through High Needs Provision Capital Allocations.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to the Primary PE and Sport Premium on (a) schools' ability to deliver high-quality physical education, (b) participation in competitive school sport and (c) access to specialist coaching and local school sport partnerships; and what steps her Department is taking to ensure that primary schools do not experience a reduction in sporting opportunities during the transition to the new funding arrangements.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

I refer the hon. Member for Leeds North East to the answer of 26 June 2026 to Question 11062.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information has been provided to schools about plans to phase out the Primary PE and School Sport Premium during the 2026/27 Academic Year.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The government is committed to ensuring every child can access high-quality physical education (PE) and school sport by removing barriers to participation. As part of our curriculum reforms, work is underway to develop a new curriculum and assessment system that is ambitious and accessible for every child, focused rich in knowledge and in skills. Following the Curriculum and Assessment Review, we have outlined our commitment to revisit the activity list for PE GCSE, AS and A levels to ensure the list is inclusive to all children, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). A revised PE national curriculum is expected in spring 2027, with first teaching from 2028.

To support these ambitions, the government has committed more than £1 billion to school sport over the next three years, including £580 million for a new PE and School Sport Partnerships Network, investment in sports facilities and transitional support for primary schools. This network will build on existing initiatives such as Inclusion 2028, working with the Youth Sport Trust to strengthen inclusive practice to ensure every child can participate, build confidence, and experience the benefits of school sport.

To ensure a smooth transition to the new approach, the government has confirmed £300,000 of funding for the Youth Sport Trust to continue delivering Inclusion 2028 until the end of the 2026/27 financial year, helping schools provide high-quality PE and physical activity opportunities for pupils with SEND.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Inclusion 2028 programme.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The government is committed to ensuring every child can access high-quality physical education (PE) and school sport by removing barriers to participation. As part of our curriculum reforms, work is underway to develop a new curriculum and assessment system that is ambitious and accessible for every child, focused rich in knowledge and in skills. Following the Curriculum and Assessment Review, we have outlined our commitment to revisit the activity list for PE GCSE, AS and A levels to ensure the list is inclusive to all children, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). A revised PE national curriculum is expected in spring 2027, with first teaching from 2028.

To support these ambitions, the government has committed more than £1 billion to school sport over the next three years, including £580 million for a new PE and School Sport Partnerships Network, investment in sports facilities and transitional support for primary schools. This network will build on existing initiatives such as Inclusion 2028, working with the Youth Sport Trust to strengthen inclusive practice to ensure every child can participate, build confidence, and experience the benefits of school sport.

To ensure a smooth transition to the new approach, the government has confirmed £300,000 of funding for the Youth Sport Trust to continue delivering Inclusion 2028 until the end of the 2026/27 financial year, helping schools provide high-quality PE and physical activity opportunities for pupils with SEND.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what measures is she taking as part of the new curriculum to ensure that disabled children can access and participate in PE and sport at school.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The government is committed to ensuring every child can access high-quality physical education (PE) and school sport by removing barriers to participation. As part of our curriculum reforms, work is underway to develop a new curriculum and assessment system that is ambitious and accessible for every child, focused rich in knowledge and in skills. Following the Curriculum and Assessment Review, we have outlined our commitment to revisit the activity list for PE GCSE, AS and A levels to ensure the list is inclusive to all children, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). A revised PE national curriculum is expected in spring 2027, with first teaching from 2028.

To support these ambitions, the government has committed more than £1 billion to school sport over the next three years, including £580 million for a new PE and School Sport Partnerships Network, investment in sports facilities and transitional support for primary schools. This network will build on existing initiatives such as Inclusion 2028, working with the Youth Sport Trust to strengthen inclusive practice to ensure every child can participate, build confidence, and experience the benefits of school sport.

To ensure a smooth transition to the new approach, the government has confirmed £300,000 of funding for the Youth Sport Trust to continue delivering Inclusion 2028 until the end of the 2026/27 financial year, helping schools provide high-quality PE and physical activity opportunities for pupils with SEND.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to revise school transport contracts to reflect the rising cost of diesel.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Local authorities are responsible for arranging home to school travel for eligible children. They deliver their duty through a mix of in-house services, passes for free travel on public transport and contracts with private transport operators. Such contracts are a matter for the council and the operator.

The government is taking action to mitigate cost pressures where possible. We have extended the 5p fuel duty cut and petrol stations in the UK are being supplied as normal. My right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, has announced over £100 million additional funding for the bus sector and is helping children travel for free by bus this August on participating local buses.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her department is taking to address the recruitment and retention of teachers in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

In February, the department published our delivery plan, which sets how we will recruit 6,500 secondary, special school and further education teachers over the course of this Parliament.

We are already seeing positive signs that our investment is delivering. We have now achieved 71.6% of the 6,500 additional teachers target, and the latest school workforce census reported the lowest leaver rate (8.5%) in any year outside the pandemic.

We are offering a targeted retention incentive worth up to £6,000 after tax for mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing teachers in the first five years of their careers who work in disadvantaged schools. Within South Holland and the Deepings there are seven eligible schools and 56 in the Lincolnshire local authority in the 2025/26 academic year.

The department has established a network of teaching school hubs across the country, which provide approved high-quality professional development to teachers at all stages of their careers. L.E.A.D. Teaching School Hub supports teacher training and development across South Holland and the Deepings.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of faith-based oversubscription criteria in school admissions on (a) racial and (b) ethnic groups.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Faith schools are an important part of our diverse school system and parliament has legislated so that they can make certain choices about their admission arrangements. The Equality Act 2010 permits designated faith schools and academies to use faith-based admissions criteria to determine priority for places when the school is oversubscribed. Where schools receive fewer applications than there are places available, they must admit applicants regardless of faith.

All schools, including faith schools, must comply with the School Admissions Code and equalities legislation, and be aware of the general impact of their admissions policies. They must comply with the public sector equality duty and their duties to actively promote the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has had discussions with the Home Secretary on taking steps to reduce barriers to the recruitment and retention of international teachers in shortage subjects, including Modern Foreign Languages.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Recruiting and retaining expert teachers is critical to the government’s mission to break down the barriers to opportunity for every child. While our focus is on increasing the number of high-quality domestic teachers, international teachers make a valuable contribution to the teacher workforce in many subjects, including modern foreign languages. This is reflected in visa arrangements, where international teachers can qualify for a skilled worker visa if they are paid in line with teachers’ national pay scales, rather than the higher salary threshold which applies to most occupations.

To support schools in recruiting the teachers they need, the department regularly engages with a wide range of stakeholders, including the Home Office and the British Council.

Guidance on recruiting and retaining international teachers is available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/recruit-teachers-from-overseas.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has had discussions with the British Council on supporting the recruitment and retention of international teachers, including through improvements to visa sponsorship, induction and professional development.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Recruiting and retaining expert teachers is critical to the government’s mission to break down the barriers to opportunity for every child. While our focus is on increasing the number of high-quality domestic teachers, international teachers make a valuable contribution to the teacher workforce in many subjects, including modern foreign languages. This is reflected in visa arrangements, where international teachers can qualify for a skilled worker visa if they are paid in line with teachers’ national pay scales, rather than the higher salary threshold which applies to most occupations.

To support schools in recruiting the teachers they need, the department regularly engages with a wide range of stakeholders, including the Home Office and the British Council.

Guidance on recruiting and retaining international teachers is available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/recruit-teachers-from-overseas.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has assessed the effectiveness of the academy trust governance framework in ensuring that community and family engagement is prioritised by academy trusts.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Academy trusts should have reserved places for parents, carers or other individuals with parental responsibility within their governance structure. Single academy trusts should have at least two such places on the trust board. Multi-academy trusts should have at least two such places on the board or on each local committee, where they are established. Trusts should hold elections to fill these places as appropriate.

The department has not issued guidance allowing for the removal of parents from trust governance arrangements where a school is underperforming. Trusts are expected to maintain the governance arrangements that are set out in their articles of association, funding agreement and the Academy Trust Handbook.

Expectations for high-quality governance are set out in the Trust Quality Descriptions, which identify effective engagement with parents, carers and local communities as a feature of high-quality trusts. These expectations will be renewed through new Trust Standards. In addition, the department has committed to publishing minimum expectations on parental engagement for schools, which trust boards will oversee.

As set out in the Schools White Paper, the government intends to consult on requiring academy trusts to have local governance structures covering all their schools, helping to ensure that trust boards hear directly from parents and school communities. We will also be introducing Ofsted inspection of trusts.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has issued guidance on the length of time parental representation can be excluded within academy trusts where a school is underperforming.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Academy trusts should have reserved places for parents, carers or other individuals with parental responsibility within their governance structure. Single academy trusts should have at least two such places on the trust board. Multi-academy trusts should have at least two such places on the board or on each local committee, where they are established. Trusts should hold elections to fill these places as appropriate.

The department has not issued guidance allowing for the removal of parents from trust governance arrangements where a school is underperforming. Trusts are expected to maintain the governance arrangements that are set out in their articles of association, funding agreement and the Academy Trust Handbook.

Expectations for high-quality governance are set out in the Trust Quality Descriptions, which identify effective engagement with parents, carers and local communities as a feature of high-quality trusts. These expectations will be renewed through new Trust Standards. In addition, the department has committed to publishing minimum expectations on parental engagement for schools, which trust boards will oversee.

As set out in the Schools White Paper, the government intends to consult on requiring academy trusts to have local governance structures covering all their schools, helping to ensure that trust boards hear directly from parents and school communities. We will also be introducing Ofsted inspection of trusts.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of parental representation and involvement in governance arrangements within academy trusts.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Academy trusts should have reserved places for parents, carers or other individuals with parental responsibility within their governance structure. Single academy trusts should have at least two such places on the trust board. Multi-academy trusts should have at least two such places on the board or on each local committee, where they are established. Trusts should hold elections to fill these places as appropriate.

The department has not issued guidance allowing for the removal of parents from trust governance arrangements where a school is underperforming. Trusts are expected to maintain the governance arrangements that are set out in their articles of association, funding agreement and the Academy Trust Handbook.

Expectations for high-quality governance are set out in the Trust Quality Descriptions, which identify effective engagement with parents, carers and local communities as a feature of high-quality trusts. These expectations will be renewed through new Trust Standards. In addition, the department has committed to publishing minimum expectations on parental engagement for schools, which trust boards will oversee.

As set out in the Schools White Paper, the government intends to consult on requiring academy trusts to have local governance structures covering all their schools, helping to ensure that trust boards hear directly from parents and school communities. We will also be introducing Ofsted inspection of trusts.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of level 3 qualifications reform on the opportunities for young people to develop the creative and transversal skills needed to support the UK's creative industries.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Our qualifications reform programme is designed to ensure that all students have a clear post-16 choice and can progress to positive, sustained destinations. T Levels are based on employer-designed standards and include a 45-day industry placement on every course. They are already demonstrating excellent outcomes, with over 90% of students going onto work or further study. We are expanding T Levels in sector subject areas including creative, so that more students can benefit from these strong progression opportunities.

We also intend to develop V Levels in creative sectors for first teaching in 2030/31, providing a high-quality option for students who want to study a vocational qualification in a creative discipline as part of a mixed programme, supporting clear progression into higher-level study or apprenticeships.

In developing these new qualifications, we are conducting extensive engagement with employers, providers, higher education institutions and key sector stakeholders including the Creative Industries Council, to ensure they support a strong and inclusive talent pipeline into the creative industries.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the annual cost to the Exchequer of extending eligibility for government-backed student finance to standalone commercial pilot training courses leading to Civil Aviation Authority commercial pilot qualifications; and what further estimate she has made of the resulting (a) annual student loan outlay, (b) long-term resource accounting and budgeting (RAB) cost and (c) number of additional students supported.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Student finance is designed to support higher education study leading to an academic award. Eligible students can apply for student finance for the academic elements of designated pilot training degree programmes.

Courses designated for student finance are set out in the Education (Student Support) Regulations 2011. Generally, providers offering designated courses must be registered with the Office for Students (OfS) and, for most designated courses, hold degree-awarding powers.

There are no plans to extend student finance to cover standalone commercial pilot training courses that do not meet the standard eligibility criteria, so the department has not assessed the costs of doing so.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of cuts in Strategic Priorities Grant funding on (1) creative higher education, and (2) specialist institutions teaching creative higher education.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

We recognise the important role creative and cultural subjects play in supporting jobs, growth and the UK's world-leading creative industries, and the unique role that specialist institutions have in ensuring a diverse higher education (HE) landscape that offers students choice. This is why we have increased tuition fees, and ensured that they will be aligned to inflation, helping maintain the long-term sustainability and quality of HE provision.

Funding allocations through the Strategic Priorities Grant (SPG) are determined annually by the Office for Students (OfS), informed by a guidance letter issued by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education. The guidance letter setting out the Secretary of State’s priorities for 2026/27 will be sent to the Office for Students in due course.

The Office for Students is responsible for monitoring and reporting on the sector’s financial sustainability, and we work closely with them to understand the sector’s changing financial landscape.

Provider level allocations for the forthcoming academic year will be published by the OfS later this year.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what comparative assessment has been made of (a) the cost of the Turing scheme per UK student placement and (b) the proposed cost for the Erasmus scheme per UK student placement.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Over the four academic years from 2021/22 to 2024/25, the Turing Scheme allocated £291.4 million to support 116,902 overseas placements.

The UK will contribute around £570 million to the Erasmus+ programme in 2027, down from the approximately £810 million we would have paid under default terms.

The UK will receive most of that money back to distribute amongst the UK beneficiaries, who will also have the opportunity to compete for grants from an approximately £1 billion central pot directly managed by the European Commission.

Erasmus+ has a much broader scope of activity than the Turing Scheme and provides many other opportunities aside from mobility placements, including funding for international partnership projects that drive innovation and enhance the global reputation of UK institutions.

We expect that over 100,000 people in the UK could benefit from mobility and partnership opportunities from participation in 2027.

The 2026 Erasmus+ Programme Guide sets out grant rates for 2027.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the utility of Lead Generators within the training sector.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department does not prescribe the use of lead generators for the further education (FE) and skills sector and has not made a specific assessment of the utility of lead generators within the training sector.

Training providers are responsible for marketing their provision and attracting learners. The use of lead-generation services is a commercial decision for individual providers and forms part of the operation of the wider training market.

The department maintains oversight of the FE and skills sector through its published oversight arrangements with a focus on ensuring that publicly funded training delivers high-quality outcomes for learners and employers. Providers delivering department-funded provision are required to comply with the relevant funding rules and contractual requirements. Outcomes are measured through a range of established performance indicators. Provider performance is monitored through assurance and performance-management arrangements, and the department takes action where providers fail to meet the required standards or contractual expectations.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that children in school are not exposed to excessively high temperatures during periods of hot weather.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

I refer the hon. Member for North Herefordshire to the answer of 30 June 2026 to Question 13129.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions she has had with the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government on the impact of the levels of the High Needs Block grant on the ability of local Councils to respond to increased demand for SEND provision.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

High needs funding for local authorities was increased by over £1 billion (11%) in 2025/26 and funding continues at this increased level in 2026/27. In addition to the high needs funding allocations to local authorities, we are committed to prioritising early intervention and are providing a major increase in funding to help deliver the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) reforms outlined in the Schools White Paper and accompanying SEND reform consultation documents, investing £4 billion over the next three years. This will reverse the trend of late intervention and escalation in needs.

Local authorities have existing statutory duties to secure appropriate provision for children with SEND in both mainstream schools and specialist settings which they must continue to ensure that they fulfil, alongside moves to make the SEND system more inclusive, aligned with the reforms set out in the Schools White Paper.

The department recognises that local authorities have been operating in a challenging system that has placed significant and growing pressures on resources. This government is committed to supporting local authorities with their Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) deficits as we transition to a reformed SEND system. All local authorities with a SEND deficit will be eligible in 2026/27 to receive a High Needs Stability Grant covering 90% of their high needs-related DSG deficit accrued up to the end of 2025/26. Arrangements for additional support for deficits arising in 2026/27 and 2027/28 will be set out before the statutory accounting override ends in March 2028.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the use of interactive AI technologies to support physical activity and wellbeing among children.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The department is continuously monitoring the implications of digital technology in schools, in particular recognising the balance required for preparing pupils for a rapidly evolving digital world, whilst not displacing the role of the teacher, or compromising a young person’s face-to-face socialisation with peers, practical learning, or physical activity.

We have committed over £1 billion in funding for PE and school sport over three years, including £580 million for a new PE and School Sport Partnerships Network alongside investment in facilities and transitional support for primary schools.

The network will provide practical, targeted support to increase participation, and will have scope to encourage innovative approaches, including the effective use of technology, where these can deliver meaningful improvements in children’s activity levels.

Provision will be informed by baseline and ongoing needs assessments led by a national delivery partner.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend that T-levels and V-levels will not be developed for specific occupational areas where existing qualifications are delivering effectively; if so, which existing qualifications they assess are delivering effectively; and what criteria have been used to inform that assessment.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Every student entering post-16 education will have a clear choice of high-quality pathways. At level 3, this will be between A Levels, V Levels and T Levels.

V Levels are our new flagship vocational qualification and will be the option for students who wish to explore a range of sectors without specialising.

T Levels are already showing good progression outcomes, and we know the courses are valued for their industry placements and rigour. T Levels will be the only large qualification for students who want a sector-focused post-16 choice.

There will be no removal of public funding approval for 16 to 19 qualifications for 2026/27. Removal of public funding approval will take place from 2027/28 for qualifications in T Level areas and are 1,080 guided learning hours or larger. Further information on timelines for specific subjects are set out in the implementation plan, available on GOV.UK.

The implementation plan also includes an updated list of subject areas we are considering for 2029 and 2030. Subjects for these years will be confirmed following further subject testing and scoping of occupational standards.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will consider developing a national workforce plan to support councils and other bodies to determine resources for future SEND provision needs.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The department is working closely with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and NHS England on special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) reforms, including delivery of the Experts at Hand offer and strengthening joint workforce planning and local commissioning between education and health partners.

We are proactively addressing workforce implications as part of wider long-term planning, working with DHSC and NHS England on priorities such as the 10 Year Workforce Plan.

The department is investing around £1.8 billion over the next three years for local area partnerships, including local authorities and integrated care boards, to develop an Experts at Hand offer, improving access to health and education specialist support in mainstream settings. As part of this, local authorities and integrated care boards will establish a baseline of current workforce capacity and capability, in line with clear national guidance, to inform local workforce planning and decisions, ensuring investment is focused on delivering the greatest impact for children and young people in mainstream settings.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on the creative talent pipeline of expanding post-16 creative provision within T-levels; and whether the current T-level model is suitable for the nature of creative subjects.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

T Levels are demonstrating excellent outcomes. Almost all learners (92-93%) who completed their T Level in the first three cohorts were studying and/or working when surveyed after their course, with at least two thirds of students going on to work or study in the same field as their course. We are expanding T Levels in subject areas including creative, so that more students can benefit from these strong progression opportunities.

We have already announced reforms to the delivery of industry placements, allowing greater scope for providers to determine appropriate delivery methods to facilitate placements for their students, including in creative sector settings.

The department will continue to work with employers and providers to understand sector needs and to ensure that the T Level model supports this, ahead of new qualifications being introduced.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of falling numbers of (1) state schools, and (2) private schools, offering History of Art A-level in England.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The department does not collect data on the qualifications that schools choose to offer.

The department publishes institution-level data on the number of pupils who finish 16 to 18 study by entries per qualification, which do not show substantial variation over the last 14 years:

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what is the current uptake of existing T-levels in the creative and performing arts; and what expectations of uptake were.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

There are two T Levels in the Creative and Design route (Craft and Design and Media, Broadcast and Production), both of which were taught for the first time in 2024.

Outcomes for students completing these T Levels will be made available as part of the T Level results data publication this summer.

In the reformed system, T Levels will be the only large qualification available for students who want a sector-focused post-16 choice. We expect student numbers to grow as legacy qualifications are removed and as a result of our further improvements to T Levels and industry placements, as set out in the Post-16 Implementation Plan. This plan also confirmed that ‘Art and Performing Arts’ is in scope for T Level content development for 2030.

The Post-16 Implementation Plan is available on GOV.UK.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what are the completion rates of T-levels in the creative and performing arts since their introduction.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

There are two T Levels in the Creative and Design route (Craft and Design and Media, Broadcast and Production), both of which were taught for the first time in 2024.

Outcomes for students completing these T Levels will be made available as part of the T Level results data publication this summer.

In the reformed system, T Levels will be the only large qualification available for students who want a sector-focused post-16 choice. We expect student numbers to grow as legacy qualifications are removed and as a result of our further improvements to T Levels and industry placements, as set out in the Post-16 Implementation Plan. This plan also confirmed that ‘Art and Performing Arts’ is in scope for T Level content development for 2030.

The Post-16 Implementation Plan is available on GOV.UK.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions her Department has had with Ofqual on ensuring that grade boundaries fairly reflect variations in the difficulty of A Level examination papers.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Each year, exam boards review a range of evidence when setting ground boundaries, including how students performed and the level of difficulty of the paper. If a paper is found to be more difficult than in previous years, grade boundaries will be set to reflect that. This established process is designed to ensure that students receive results that fairly reflect their knowledge and skills and that standards remain comparable across different exam series.

Ofqual, as the independent regulator, oversees exam boards to ensure that, over time, it is no more difficult to achieve a given grade in a subject from one year to the next, or between exam boards.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how the Partnerships for inclusion of neurodiversity in schools (PINS) programme and Experts at Hand programme relate to one another.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Experts at Hand is receiving significant investment of £1.8 billion over the next three years, to improve earlier support for children and young people. As local areas develop their Expert at Hand offers, they are encouraged to learn from what works and emerging learning from programmes such as Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools and the Early Language Support for Every Child programme. These initiatives demonstrate the benefits of embedding health and specialist professionals within mainstream settings, enabling them to work directly with teachers, children and young people in their everyday environments.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to collect data on identified special educational needs, including but not limited to dyslexia, dyspraxia, ADHD and autism, to ensure sufficient capacity to successfully support affected individuals going through the education system.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The department collects data on 14 primary need types which can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/complete-the-school-census/data-items-2025-to-2026.

This information is published in two publications, accessible at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/special-educational-needs-in-england/2025-26 and https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/education-health-and-care-plans/2026.

Information on children and pupils with dyslexia and dyspraxia hyperactive disorder is collected as part of the category of specific learning difficulty as defined by paragraph 6.31 of the current special educational needs code of practice. This category includes a range of conditions, also including dyslexia, dyscalculia and dyspraxia.

The department is committed to supporting local areas to create high-quality places that are suitable to meet the needs of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). The department wants more children and young people to access the right support in a local mainstream setting, enabling them to learn alongside their peers and siblings, instead of travelling a long way to a special school.

For this reason, we are investing at least £3.7 billion in high needs capital funding between 2025-2026 and 2029-2030, to support local authorities to provide places for children and young people with SEND, or who require alternative provision across early years settings, schools, and colleges.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on ensuring children and young people with a visual impairment in a) Newcastle-under-Lyme and b) Staffordshire get the support that they need.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The Department for Education and Department for Health and Social Care ministers are jointly engaging stakeholders to ensure our reforms work in practice. As part of this engagement, I took part in a roundtable earlier this year to discuss visual impairment with representatives from various organisations, including the Royal National Institute of Blind People.

We want every child, including those with special educational needs and visual impairments, to have the best start in life, with help available earlier and locally when families need it. To support this, we are investing £1.8 billion over the next three years for local partnerships to develop and deliver an Experts at Hand offer, giving mainstream settings greater access to specialist education and health professionals, including specialist teachers such as qualified teachers of the visually impaired

Alongside this, we are developing the National Inclusion Standards, which will set out what ordinarily available provision should be in every setting to support children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities. They will also include tools and approaches to identify and respond to needs through the targeted/targeted plus layers of support. Specialist Provision Packages will provide support for those children and young people with the most complex needs.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether further guidance will be published on the PE and School Sport Partnerships Network for schools.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The department is currently procuring a National Delivery Partner to establish and manage the new PE and School Sport Partnership network.

Once this procurement process has concluded, we will be sharing further detail on how this new model will work. The National Delivery Partner, working closely with the government, will be responsible for on-going communication with schools and the wider sector.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of level 3 qualification reform on participation in creative education among under-represented young people, including the potential impact on the number of young people who are not in education, employment or training.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The department’s qualification reforms aim to widen participation through clearer pathways, including new V Levels, the expansion of T Levels, and clearer level 2 routes through Occupational and Further Study Pathways.

We intend to develop V Levels in creative sectors for first teaching in 2030/31, and content will be consulted on before it is confirmed.

We are conducting exploratory work on content for potential creative T Levels, which includes extensive engagement with employers, providers and higher education institutions, as well as testing potential delivery models to support the sector.

We have already announced reforms to the delivery of industry placements, allowing for greater provider responsibility for determining appropriate delivery methods which should facilitate placements in creative settings

When designing the new pathways, we will consider learners who have special educational needs and disabilities, at risk of being not in employment, education or training, or who face other barriers to education to ensure that V Levels and level 2 routes are inclusive by design.

These changes aim to improve accessibility and participation, particularly for underrepresented groups.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance her Department provides to schools on the (a) sourcing of stunned and non stunned meats for school diners and (b) the labelling of meat based on methods of slaughter for school diners.

Answered by Olivia Bailey

The School Food Standards set the mandatory nutritional framework for food and drink provided in state‑funded schools in England.

Schools are responsible for the provision of school meals, including the sourcing of ingredients, and can choose how best to meet this duty. The department has published guidance and resources for schools to help them deliver a range of tasty and nutritious meals. Schools should make reasonable adjustments for pupils with particular requirements, for example to reflect medical, dietary and cultural needs.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the role of volunteer-led family support services in supporting the objectives of the Best Start in Life and Family Hubs programme.

Answered by Olivia Bailey

The government is investing £900 million to enable local authorities to deliver Best Start Family Hubs and Healthy Babies services over the next three years and recognises the important role that volunteer-led family support services will play in this programme of work.

The department has published guidance to local authorities on delivery expectations for Best Start Family Hubs and Healthy Babies services including clear expectations that local authorities will work in partnership with the voluntary, community and faith (VCF) sector to deliver the programme.

The guidance explains that partnership models will vary by area but could include VCF organisations having a formal role in governance arrangements, being commissioned to deliver services; delivering Best Start network sites or outreach services, offering specialist or trusted services to communities that would otherwise not engage and supporting local resilience and system capacity through community‑led delivery models. The guidance is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/best-start-family-hubs-and-healthy-babies-guidance-for-local-authorities.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on the involvement of the United Front in the purchase of independent schools by Chinese investors since 2014.

Answered by Olivia Bailey

Any information the department holds on schools is accessible via the Get information about schools website here: https://get-information-schools.service.gov.uk/.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the affordability of wraparound childcare in (a) Slough and (b) Berkshire.

Answered by Olivia Bailey

We want families to access the childcare support they need and get help with the cost of childcare, so that parents can work and children have the best start in life. We are rolling out free breakfast clubs across the country to support families with work choices and tackle the costs of wraparound childcare. From September 2026 more than 1,400 more schools will be running free breakfast clubs, saving parents up to £450 a year. This includes three free breakfast clubs in Slough, alongside more than 2,700 in total across England.

The government continues to support wraparound and holiday provision, including providing £12.9 million to local authorities this financial year to support school-age childcare, and more than £600m over three years to deliver the Holiday Activities and Food programme.

The Coram Childcare Survey 2025 assessed the average price of an after-school club for a week as £66.48. To help with affordability, eligible parents can access support with childcare costs through Tax-Free Childcare, Universal Credit Childcare and The Flexible Support Fund.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the minimum earnings eligibility criteria for the additional funded childcare entitlement on parents who are paid on a four-weekly payroll cycle; and whether she has considered changes to ensure that parents with equivalent annual earnings are treated the same, regardless of their employer's pay frequency.

Answered by Olivia Bailey

Eligibility for the working parent entitlement is based on expected income for the next three months. To ensure parents continue to meet the income criteria for the entitlement, parents must confirm they still meet the income threshold.

Each parent must expect to earn at least £2,643.68 before tax if aged 21 or over (equivalent to £203.36 per week), £2,256.80 before tax if aged 18 to 20 (equivalent to £173.60 per week), or £1,664 before tax if under 18 or an apprentice (equivalent to £128 per week).

This is equivalent to the National Minimum Wage or Living Wage for 16 hours a week, on average. Parents must also not expect their income to exceed £100,000 adjusted net income per year.

If they earn income from work over the three months following an application and receive payment for this work at a later date, for example because they have a different payment cycle, they may still be eligible.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has estimated the number of parents who have been found ineligible for the additional funded childcare entitlement solely because they are paid every four weeks rather than monthly.

Answered by Olivia Bailey

Eligibility for the working parent entitlement is based on expected income for the next three months. To ensure parents continue to meet the income criteria for the entitlement, parents must confirm they still meet the income threshold.

Each parent must expect to earn at least £2,643.68 before tax if aged 21 or over (equivalent to £203.36 per week), £2,256.80 before tax if aged 18 to 20 (equivalent to £173.60 per week), or £1,664 before tax if under 18 or an apprentice (equivalent to £128 per week).

This is equivalent to the National Minimum Wage or Living Wage for 16 hours a week, on average. Parents must also not expect their income to exceed £100,000 adjusted net income per year.

If they earn income from work over the three months following an application and receive payment for this work at a later date, for example because they have a different payment cycle, they may still be eligible.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the findings of the Inquiry into White Working Class Educational Outcomes, published in June 2026.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The department welcomes the findings of the Inquiry and, as stated in the ‘Every Child Achieving and Thriving’ White Paper, intends to build on its work to develop better insights into issues specific to white working-class children, families and their relationships with schools.

We are already taking forward a comprehensive programme of reform, including strengthening early family support, introducing free breakfast clubs, revitalising youth services, improving how disadvantage funding is targeted, and consulting on a new progress measure alongside Progress 8 to better recognise pupils who start secondary school behind their peers.

We are also launching and funding two place-based missions, Mission North East and Mission Coastal, to transform outcomes for young people locally and provide a blueprint for national change.

The department will continue to engage with the Inquiry as it enters its second phase focused on advancing further research.

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 ingredient costs on local authority school catering services; and what steps her Department is taking to help support local authorities to work with surplus food redistribution organisations to reduce the cost of school meal provision.

Answered by Olivia Bailey

The department recognises the pressures that some schools and suppliers may be facing due to rising costs. We are working closely with the school food sector to understand the wider school food system to support the delivery of the free school meals expansion, and the upcoming School Food Standards update.

As part of the Good Food Cycle, the government is currently assessing what food the public sector buys and where it comes from. In due course, this will provide us with detailed insights on the extent to which public sector settings are serving food from local and sustainable sources and what more can be done to support local procurement.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to reduce rates of persistent and severe absence among pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds in coastal towns.

Answered by Olivia Bailey

Absence is a key barrier to opportunity. For children to achieve and thrive they need to be in school. The department is committed to improving the attendance of all pupils, regardless of background and geographical location.

Thanks to the efforts of the sector, we saw record improvements in 2024/25 with children attending over five million more days compared to the previous year, and 147,000 fewer children persistently absent.

We are tackling barriers to attendance faced by disadvantaged pupils, including through rolling out breakfast clubs to all primaries to ensure all children are on time and ready to learn.

Our attendance mentoring programme provides over 10,000 persistently absent children with one-to-one support covering ten areas with some of the worst attendance rates in the country, including in coastal areas such as Blackpool, Hartlepool, Portsmouth and Hastings.

We have also launched Mission Coastal to transform outcomes for young people in communities where disadvantage is entrenched and educational outcomes remain stubbornly low.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the written answer 11236 of 26 June 2026, what the estimated spend is for 2026/27.

Answered by Olivia Bailey

The department does not hold this information.

The analysis provided in the written answer 11236 is a historical record of expenditure associated with the COS28 VAT category for interpretation and translation services. Whilst the department maintains forward-looking forecasts of expenditure for the purpose of robustly managing public money, these forecasts focus on material, programme level, activities and outcomes, and are not attributable at VAT category level.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the answer of 2 June 2026, to Question 1175, on Department for Education: Social Media, how many individual social media influencers were paid in each of those two years.

Answered by Olivia Bailey

In the 2025/26 financial year, the department paid 57 individual social media influencers and content creators.

These influencers and content creators were engaged across the department’s campaigns including Skills for Life, Early Years Careers (Do Something Big), Childcare Choices, Best Start in Life, Get Into Teaching and Train others in Further Education.

As set out in the answer to Question 1175, the costs attributed to influencer activity may include production, agency and paid media costs, depending on how each campaign was procured and delivered. The figures provided should therefore not be interpreted as representing influencer fees alone.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure the curriculum is encouraging young people to consider careers in the video games sector.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

To ensure that children and young people are equipped with the essential knowledge and skills required for the future, this government is taking decisive action to modernise digital education.

Following the final report of the independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, we are reforming the computing curriculum to strengthen digital literacy and digital creativity, including the creation of digital media. The report is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/curriculum-and-assessment-review-final-report-government-response.

Furthermore, we are considering where digital literacy can be incorporated within other relevant subjects such as Art and Design.

These reforms are intended to help ensure that more young people develop the capabilities needed for careers across the digital economy. There will be opportunity to provide views on draft proposals for curriculum and GCSE subject content (those in the first phase) during the public consultation this September.

The National Centre for Computing Education also facilitates industry-led events for pupils, to raise awareness of digital careers, including within the video game sector.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she will make an assessment of the adequacy of the current Education, Health and Care Plan system in supporting children and young people with Auditory Processing Disorder.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

All children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities, including those with Auditory Processing Disorder, deserve the best possible educational experience.

The department will develop National Inclusion Standards that set out evidence-informed tools, strategies and approaches for educators to draw on to identify and support children and young people with additional needs, before those needs escalate. Schools cannot deliver inclusion alone, and the department is working with the NHS to expand access to expert interventions and therapies by making better use of the specialist workforce. We are providing £1.8 billion over the next three years for local area partnerships, including local authorities and Integrated Care Boards, to work together to develop a new Experts at Hand offer in every local area. Through Experts at Hand, schools will have direct access to support, advice, training and specialist expertise from professionals such as speech and language therapists and specialist teachers.

For children and young people with complex needs, we are developing Specialist Provision Packages, which will deliver comprehensive, evidence-based support for children, across a range of needs, recognising where children and young people need more specialist provision. These packages will be developed by sector experts and tested with parents and professionals to provide a consistent, high-quality special educational needs and disabilities offer for children and young people.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help improve the support available for children and young people with Auditory Processing Disorder as part of the planned SEND reforms.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

All children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities, including those with Auditory Processing Disorder, deserve the best possible educational experience.

The department will develop National Inclusion Standards that set out evidence-informed tools, strategies and approaches for educators to draw on to identify and support children and young people with additional needs, before those needs escalate. Schools cannot deliver inclusion alone, and the department is working with the NHS to expand access to expert interventions and therapies by making better use of the specialist workforce. We are providing £1.8 billion over the next three years for local area partnerships, including local authorities and Integrated Care Boards, to work together to develop a new Experts at Hand offer in every local area. Through Experts at Hand, schools will have direct access to support, advice, training and specialist expertise from professionals such as speech and language therapists and specialist teachers.

For children and young people with complex needs, we are developing Specialist Provision Packages, which will deliver comprehensive, evidence-based support for children, across a range of needs, recognising where children and young people need more specialist provision. These packages will be developed by sector experts and tested with parents and professionals to provide a consistent, high-quality special educational needs and disabilities offer for children and young people.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help expand access to work experience placements for young people interested in careers in the video games industry.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

This government is working with industry to deliver a UK-wide £9 million creative careers initiative, to equip young people with the ambition and knowledge to work in the creative industries. This includes ‘Into Games’ workshops in schools led by trained industry professionals, and ‘Get into Games’ regional careers festivals.

The department funds the Careers and Enterprise Company (CEC) to support schools and colleges to deliver high-quality careers education, including work experience. The CEC supports the science, technology, engineering and mathematics sector to raise awareness of the opportunities and pathways available. This includes ‘Tech She Can’, which encourages girls and young women to explore gaming and wider technology careers through initiatives such as a Virtual Employability Week.

There are also local programmes across the CEC careers hub network, for example Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, which works with leading gaming employers to strengthen the talent pipeline and deliver the Mayor’s pledge to support this key growth industry.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help ensure that careers guidance in schools promotes video‑games careers to girls and young women.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

This government is working with industry to deliver a UK-wide £9 million creative careers initiative, to equip young people with the ambition and knowledge to work in the creative industries. This includes ‘Into Games’ workshops in schools led by trained industry professionals, and ‘Get into Games’ regional careers festivals.

The department funds the Careers and Enterprise Company (CEC) to support schools and colleges to deliver high-quality careers education, including work experience. The CEC supports the science, technology, engineering and mathematics sector to raise awareness of the opportunities and pathways available. This includes ‘Tech She Can’, which encourages girls and young women to explore gaming and wider technology careers through initiatives such as a Virtual Employability Week.

There are also local programmes across the CEC careers hub network, for example Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, which works with leading gaming employers to strengthen the talent pipeline and deliver the Mayor’s pledge to support this key growth industry.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what progress her Department has made towards issuing a formal public apology to those affected by historic forced adoption practices in England.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

On 2 July, my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister issued a formal apology on behalf of the state for historical forced adoption practices in England.

The government recognises that these practices caused deep and lasting harm to many mothers, adopted people and families. The apology acknowledged the role of the state and some public institutions in systems that failed to protect and support mothers, children and families, and recognised the many women were denied genuine choice.

On the same day, the government responded to the Education Select Committee’s recommendations, setting out practical action to support those affected. This includes improving access to adoption records, strengthening intermediary and reconnection services, improving recognition and signposting within health services, and ensuring lived experience continues to inform delivery.

The department will take this work forward with the care, respect and seriousness it deserves.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of StandWithUs UK’s Voice of Students 2025/26 Report about antisemitism at UK universities.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

StandWithUs UK’s report provides a shocking account of the experiences of Jewish students at UK universities, reporting incidents of antisemitism ranging from verbal abuse and intimidation to threats and assaults.

All students should feel safe on campus. Harassment, intimidation and racial hatred, including antisemitism, have no place in universities or anywhere else.

The government is working with universities to tackle antisemitic abuse and improve student safety. Through the Tackling Antisemitism in Education programme, we are investing £7 million to help school, college and university staff prevent and respond to antisemitism effectively.

We have committed to strengthening accountability through greater regulatory scrutiny and enhanced oversight of Prevent compliance. Working across government, we are driving a coordinated response to rising antisemitism. My right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister has been clear that universities must take robust action, including enforcing disciplinary measures, improving transparency, publishing data on antisemitic incidents, and setting out steps to prevent future occurrences.

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 heatwaves on schools and pupils’ learning.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department recognises that heatwaves can disrupt pupils’ learning, attendance and wellbeing, and we are committed to supporting schools and responsible bodies to maintain a safe learning environment during periods of extreme heat. While high temperatures can cause discomfort, reduced concentration and, in some cases, lower attendance, these impacts can usually be managed through practical and proportionate steps.

Schools are encouraged to adapt their arrangements in hot weather, for example by adjusting timetables, limiting strenuous activities, and ensuring classrooms are well ventilated and kept as cool as possible. Where attendance in person is not safe or reasonable, schools can provide high-quality remote education to maintain continuity of learning.

The department has published guidance for schools and other educational settings on hot weather and heatwaves, which is available at: https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2026/06/hot-weather-and-heatwaves-guidance-for-schools-and-other-education-settings/.

In most cases, schools remain the safest place for children during hot weather, as staff can monitor pupils, encourage hydration and take steps to keep them comfortable. Evidence also shows many homes are prone to overheating, affecting around 1.6 million children.

Maintaining attendance where possible therefore supports both educational outcomes and pupil wellbeing during heatwaves.

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Found: Committee Tuesday 14 July 2026 The Rt Hon Baroness Smith of Malvern Minister for Skills, Department for Education

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Found: (DfE) projected.

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Found: To facilitate this change, the Department for Education has published online materials to help staff

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Found: healthcare, and the regulatory framework should enable sector regulators such as Ofsted and the Department for Education

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Found: Existing DfE guidance does not seem to reach social enterprises, community training providers, or informal

Found: COORDINATE CROSS-GOVERNMENT LEADERSHIP Strengthen alignment between DSIT, DWP, DBT, DfE/Skills England

Found: Department for Education. IFOW (2025).

Found: Recommendations: - The Department of Business and Trade should work with the Department for Education

Found: providers with strategic use of public procurement; and the ICO guidance on Automated Decision Making and DFE

Found: Data from DfE shows us that SMEs (with fewer than 250 employees) are less likely to offer on- or off-the-job

Found: labour market transformation: o Reported skills shortages (27% of vacancies) indicate misalignment (DfE

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Found: Department for Education (DfE) (2019) Realising the Potential of Technology in Education: A Strategy

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Found: This includes with DfT, DBT, the Home Office, DfE and DESNZ in relation to cruise tourism, the infrastructure

Found: Skills and apprenticeships sit with DfE.

Found: the Department for Business & Trade, Department for Science, Innovation & Technology, the Department for Education

Found: recognises culture and heritage as highvalue economic assets and aligns DCMS, VisitBritain/VisitEngland, DfE

Found: In some areas, there is further transformation work to be done, and work is under way through DFE on

Found: Department for Education, Department for Work & Pensions, Department for Work & Pensions, and Department

Found: There are implications for the MoJ, the YCS, DfE and Local Authorities.

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Found: to access quality assured resources, in addition to Oak Academy which is endorsed by the Department for Education

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of removing VAT from swimming lessons for children.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with HM Treasury)

Swimming lessons and water safety are vital life skills and are part of the national curriculum. The Department for Education is working closely with third sector organisations, including Swim England, the Royal Life Saving Society UK, and National Water Safety Education, to support schools in delivering these high-quality lessons through teacher training and resources.

Certain sporting and physical education services supplied by ‘eligible bodies’ are already exempt from VAT, including some swimming lessons. Further information can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/sport-supplies-that-are-vat-exempt-notice-70145#an-overview-of-the-exemption-for-sporting-and-physical-education-services

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to support 18-year-olds still in education who are experiencing homelessness.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 124201 on 14 April 2026.

In addition, to support disadvantaged students, the Department for Education (DfE) provides free meals funding in further education and requires colleges and training providers to use bursary funding to support students facing financial hardship, helping vulnerable young people, including those at risk of homelessness, remain in education and training.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many young people taking part in the Youth Guarantee trailblazer programme have secured (i) a job, (ii) study and (iii) training in (a) Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, (b) East Midlands, (c) Liverpool City region (d) London, (e) Tees Valley, (f) West Midlands and (g) West of England.

Answered by Andrew Western - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Department for Work and Pensions and the Department for Education are working closely with Mayoral Strategic Authorities across England who are delivering the eight Youth Trailblazers announced in the Get Britain Working white paper.

Youth Guarantee Trailblazers are creating a more seamless local offer that provides young people with a clear pathway into training or employment opportunities. This includes addressing gaps in provision where these are identified, through for example creating bespoke employment support or work placement programmes. It also involves systemic change through strengthening local coordination, working with partners to better connect young people with the full range of education, employment and training opportunities; for example, through the development of digital platforms and strengthening links between local services.

The Government has commissioned an evaluation of the Youth Guarantee Trailblazers to provide a fuller understanding of the impact of the programme which will be published in due course.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to support people with autism to access employment, including through making recruitment processes more accessible and expanding work placement opportunities.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department for Work and Pensions is committed to helping autistic and neurodivergent people to enter and remain in work.

DWP delivers the GB-wide (England, Scotland and Wales) Disability Confident scheme, encouraging employers to create disability inclusive workplaces and to support disabled people to get work and get on in work. It provides employers with the knowledge, skills, and confidence they need to attract, recruit, retain and develop disabled people in the workplace. Disability Confident reforms, announced in January 2026, will introduce clearer standards, improved verification mechanisms, and embed lived experience at the heart of the process. Test and learn activity has started, with a strengthened scheme launching later in the year and further enhancements to follow.

Practical workplace support is available through Access to Work, a demand-led, personalised discretionary grant delivered across Great Britain. It supports workplace adjustments that go beyond an employer’s responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010. The scheme is available to people with disabilities or health conditions, including neurodivergent conditions, where these affect their ability to work. Since September 2013, Access to Work has provided funding for the in-work support needs of young disabled people participating in a Department for Education Supported Internship or the Scottish and Welsh equivalent programs.

In England and Wales, our specialist Supported Employment programme, Connect to Work, is for anyone who is disabled, has a health condition or is experiencing non-health related barriers to work. Participants are given a dedicated specialist employment support adviser who works alongside them to understand their career goals and help them to address any specific barriers to employment. Connect to Work has a specialist pathway for neurodivergent and learning-disabled participants, using the Supported Employment Quality Framework (SEQF).

In 2025, DWP launched an independent advisory panel of academics with expertise and lived experiences of neurodiversity to advise us on boosting neurodiversity awareness and inclusion at work. The panel considered the reasons why neurodivergent people often have poor experiences in the workplace, and a low overall employment rate. Their findings and the Department’s response will be published in due course.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what role the Department for Education has in delivering the National Youth Strategy.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)

‘Youth Matters’ is a ten-year cross Government Strategy to ensure every young person across the country has someone who cares, something to do and somewhere to go.

We are working closely with other Government departments to ensure the successful delivery and accountability of the National Youth Strategy, and the Department for Education is key to supporting the Strategy commitments made across schools and colleges. The Department for Education sits on the Young Futures Hubs Ministerial Board, a cross-government ministerial group established to govern work on the Young Futures Programme.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report of the Children’s Commissioner into children’s mental health services in England; and what plans they have to implement the recommendation that children’s mental health must be addressed by the Department for Education and the Department of Health and Social Care working closely together.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government welcomes the Children’s Commissioner’s report, which highlights pressures on children and young people’s mental health services, including rising demand, long waits, and the need for better support for children with neurodevelopmental and special educational and disabilities needs. The findings of this report will play an important role in shaping our cross-Government Mental Health Strategy and the wider reforms we are delivering to improve outcomes and opportunities for children and young people.

We understand supporting mental health is a whole-Government challenge, as many of the foundations of good mental health, such as housing, employment, and social connection, sit beyond the National Health Service. The Mental Health Strategy will bring together action across health, education, local government, workplaces, and the voluntary sector into a joined-up approach to improve mental health and wellbeing. It will have a core focus on prevention, earlier intervention, and coordinated support so that children and young people receive the right help, at the right time, close to where they live and learn.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps is he taking to increase awareness of the reproductive and sexual health implications for young people presenting symptoms that may lead to unplanned or medically complex pregnancies.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson

Dedicated local authority sexual health services (SHSs) play a key public health role in the diagnosis, early treatment, and management of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and some contraception services. Individual local authorities are responsible for funding and commissioning decisions about the SHSs that best meet the needs of their local populations, including for young people. This is funded via the ringfenced Public Health Grant.

The National Health Service website provides comprehensive information on sexual and reproductive health, including contraceptive choices, STI symptoms, treatment, and complications. This includes information on pregnancy where applicable.

The Government’s introduction in 2020 of compulsory Relationships, Sex and Health Education means all pupils are now taught about several areas of health, including menstruation, contraception, fertility, pregnancy, and the menopause. In July 2025 the Department for Education published updated statutory guidance which includes a specific reference to how different sexually transmitted infections are transmitted and how risk can be reduced. The statutory guidance is clear that all young people should be taught factual knowledge around sex, sexual health, and sexuality, set firmly within the context of relationships. By the end of secondary school, they should know about the prevalence of STIs, the short- and long-term impact they can have on those who contract them, and key facts about treatment. They should also know how to counter misinformation, including signposting towards medically accurate information and further advice, and where to access confidential sexual and reproductive health advice and treatment.

The UK Health Security Agency produces several stakeholder communications toolkits which collate communications resources to raise awareness of STIs and sexual health. These are aimed at supporting stakeholders, including local authorities, NHS organisations, integrated care boards, and charities, to promote good sexual health with their audiences, including accessing SHSs. As well as a sexual health specific toolkit, there is sexual health messaging in travel health, festivals, and getting ready for university toolkits.

In addition, the National Chlamydia Screening Programme focuses on reducing the reproductive harms from untreated chlamydia infection in young women and other people with a womb or ovaries.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when his department will publish the family justice strategy.

Answered by Catherine Atkinson

The National Audit Office report Improving family court services for children, published in May 2025, recommended the Ministry of Justice, Department for Education, HMCTS and Cafcass should develop and publish a strategy setting out their shared plans for improving the family justice system. This strategy is currently being developed with the aim of publishing it later this year.

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