Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the take up of free school meals is for those eligible; and what measures are in place to increase take up.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

This government is committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity and tackling child poverty. The latest school census data shows 2,171,916 pupils claimed benefits-based free school meals (FSM). In total, 25.7% of all pupils claimed benefits-based FSM. This is an increase from the previous academic year, where 24.6% claimed a free meal. A further 1,265,399 pupils received a meal under our universal infant free school meal policy, representing 88.4% of non-FSM eligible infant pupils. This is increase on 87.6% the previous academic year.

Introducing a new eligibility threshold for free school meals of all children from households in receipt of universal credit will make it easier for parents to know whether they are entitled to receive free meals.

To support take-up, we are also updating the Eligibility Checking System, which will make it easier for LAs, schools and parents to check if children are eligible for FSM and can therefore receive a healthy, nutritious meal during the school day. This new entitlement will mean over 500,000 of the most disadvantaged children will begin to access free meals, pulling 100,000 children out of poverty.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that councils with above-average demand for children’s social care receive adequate resources under the revised needs-based formula.

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

The existing formula, last updated in 2013/14, is significantly outdated and no longer reflects current levels of need. Since then, many local authorities have experienced substantial changes in deprivation, child population density, and other factors that drive demand for services.

The Children and Young People’s Services formula provides a more accurate and robust assessment of each local authority’s relative need for children’s services. It does so by analysing a combination of child and neighbourhood characteristics that best predict whether a child will engage with social care. These include child‑level factors such as age, gender, and eligibility for free school meals, alongside neighbourhood indicators such as deprivation and poor health.

This approach ensures that councils with the greatest levels of relative need receive the largest shares of available funding, enabling them to effectively deliver vital services.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to provide (a) support and (b) training to school staff in respect to teaching pupils about violence against women and girls.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The department has overhauled the curriculum with a new, reformed relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) curriculum that champions healthy attitudes and relationships to equip our children with the tools they need to tackle harmful influences and help them thrive. The government does not prescribe what training resources schools should use. Schools are free to choose the materials and support that best suits their need.

On 18 December, the government published its strategy to address violence against women and girls. The department is investing an additional £11 million to support the strategy and will be piloting three programmes to support teachers implement the RSHE curriculum in the best possible way; to encourage healthy relationships in children; and to tackle harmful sexual behaviours. Further details of the programmes will be shared in due course.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of children who are home-schooled have Muslim parents.

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

The department does not collect data on the religion of the parents of children in Elective Home Education (EHE).

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government, in the light of the anticipated £5 million cost of further education maintenance grants for years 2029 to 2030 and 2030 to 2031, set out in Budget 2025: Policy Costings, published on 26 November, how many students they expect to receive the grants for each of these years; and what the average cost of each maintenance grant will be.

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

The government will introduce means-tested maintenance grants of up to £1,000 per year for students studying courses aligned with the government's missions and the Industrial Strategy. The grants will be available to new and continuing students from the 2028/29 academic year onwards, and will be paid in addition to maintenance loans, increasing the financial support available to the most disadvantaged students without increasing their debt.

The costing for the policy published at Autumn Budget 2025 sets out the forecast increase in annually managed expenditure on student loans resulting from the assumed behavioural response from the introduction of maintenance grants, in the form of increased participation. The estimate can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/692872fd2a37784b16ecf676/Budget_2025-Policy_Costings.pdf

A full equality impact assessment of how the introduction of maintenance grants may affect students will be published alongside the legislation necessary to introduce the grants in advance of their introduction.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of students who will benefit from the forthcoming means-tested maintenance grant who would not otherwise have been able to enrol in higher education.

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

The government will introduce means-tested maintenance grants of up to £1,000 per year for students studying courses aligned with the government's missions and the Industrial Strategy. The grants will be available to new and continuing students from the 2028/29 academic year onwards, and will be paid in addition to maintenance loans, increasing the financial support available to the most disadvantaged students without increasing their debt.

The costing for the policy published at Autumn Budget 2025 sets out the forecast increase in annually managed expenditure on student loans resulting from the assumed behavioural response from the introduction of maintenance grants, in the form of increased participation. The estimate can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/692872fd2a37784b16ecf676/Budget_2025-Policy_Costings.pdf

A full equality impact assessment of how the introduction of maintenance grants may affect students will be published alongside the legislation necessary to introduce the grants in advance of their introduction.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to ensure (a) trauma informed and (b) neurodiversity awareness practices across children’s social care services in Surrey.

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

The department is working with local authorities, including Surrey, to transform children’s social care. We have confirmed the rollout of Family Help, multi-agency child protection and family group decision making reforms through the Families First Partnership programme, backed by £2.4 billion over the spending review period.

The Families First Partnership programme guide sets out the expected practice changes. We are transforming the whole system of help, support and protection, to ensure that every family can access the right help and support when they need it. For some families this may involve understanding the impact of trauma or supporting those who are neurodiverse.

The programme guide expects areas to develop a shared practice framework across agencies that covers the end-to-end system of help, support and protection, in line with the national framework outcomes and the requirements of the ‘Working together to safeguard children’ guidance.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment has she made of the adequacy of the training resources provided to (a) classroom teachers and (b) senior leadership teams in schools in respect of teaching students about violence against women and girls.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The department has overhauled the curriculum with a new, reformed relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) curriculum that champions healthy attitudes and relationships to equip our children with the tools they need to tackle harmful influences and help them thrive. The government does not prescribe what training resources schools should use. Schools are free to choose the materials and support that best suits their need.

On 18 December, the government published its strategy to address violence against women and girls. The department is investing an additional £11 million to support the strategy and will be piloting three programmes to support teachers implement the RSHE curriculum in the best possible way; to encourage healthy relationships in children; and to tackle harmful sexual behaviours. Further details of the programmes will be shared in due course.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has to require enhanced training for headteachers, Designated Safeguarding Leads and school governors on the handling of child-on-child sexual abuse, including training on record keeping, victim safeguarding and avoidance of secondary victimisation.

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

Sexual abuse in any form is abhorrent and protecting children from this is an absolute priority for this government.

‘Working together to safeguard children’ is the statutory guidance which sets out the collaborative duties and responsibilities placed on agencies to safeguard and protect children.

‘Keeping children safe in education’ (KCSIE) is the statutory safeguarding guidance that all schools and colleges must have regard to, when safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. It includes clear and detailed guidance on managing reports of child-on-child sexual violence and harassment, and on recording concerns, discussions and decisions made

Local authorities, schools and colleges are held to account for safeguarding children through a number of routes, including statutory guidance, legislation, child safeguarding practice review panels and inspection.

All schools are assessed on safeguarding as part of their routine inspections. If a state-funded school is not fulfilling its responsibilities in relation to child-on-child sexual abuse, the school is likely to be placed in a category of concern. Similarly, an independent school would likely be judged to not meet the Independent School Standards. This would then lead to robust action to address the concerns

Any concerns about a school’s procedures should be raised directly with the school in question in the first instance, as they will be best placed to offer information and advice regarding their decisions

Where individuals are not satisfied with the outcome of any concerns raised, they are able to make a formal complaint via the school’s complaints procedure. All schools must have a complaint procedure, and it should explain how a complaint can be progressed if a parent remains dissatisfied with the school’s response. When a parent or other relevant body raises a safeguarding concern about pupil safety, including child-on-child sexual abuse, this could trigger an unannounced or focused inspection by Ofsted to assess whether the school is meeting its safeguarding responsibilities. Ofsted expects schools to demonstrate that they have thoroughly investigated safeguarding concerns from parents. This is part of the school’s statutory safeguarding duty under ‘Keeping children safe in education’.

Parents are also able to escalate concerns directly to the local council where they believe a child is at risk of immediate harm. More information about school complaints can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/complain-about-school.

In relation to training for headteachers, Designated Safeguarding Leads and school governors, KCSIE makes clear that all staff should undergo safeguarding and child protection training, including online safety, which should be regularly updated and should be in line with any advice from local safeguarding partners.

The department already publishes analysis on children affected by sexual abuse or exploitation, which can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/children-in-need-a-focus-on-sexual-abuse-and-exploitation/2025.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to require schools and local authorities to record and centrally report anonymised data on allegations of child-on-child sexual abuse, the actions taken and case outcomes.

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

Sexual abuse in any form is abhorrent and protecting children from this is an absolute priority for this government.

‘Working together to safeguard children’ is the statutory guidance which sets out the collaborative duties and responsibilities placed on agencies to safeguard and protect children.

‘Keeping children safe in education’ (KCSIE) is the statutory safeguarding guidance that all schools and colleges must have regard to, when safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. It includes clear and detailed guidance on managing reports of child-on-child sexual violence and harassment, and on recording concerns, discussions and decisions made

Local authorities, schools and colleges are held to account for safeguarding children through a number of routes, including statutory guidance, legislation, child safeguarding practice review panels and inspection.

All schools are assessed on safeguarding as part of their routine inspections. If a state-funded school is not fulfilling its responsibilities in relation to child-on-child sexual abuse, the school is likely to be placed in a category of concern. Similarly, an independent school would likely be judged to not meet the Independent School Standards. This would then lead to robust action to address the concerns

Any concerns about a school’s procedures should be raised directly with the school in question in the first instance, as they will be best placed to offer information and advice regarding their decisions

Where individuals are not satisfied with the outcome of any concerns raised, they are able to make a formal complaint via the school’s complaints procedure. All schools must have a complaint procedure, and it should explain how a complaint can be progressed if a parent remains dissatisfied with the school’s response. When a parent or other relevant body raises a safeguarding concern about pupil safety, including child-on-child sexual abuse, this could trigger an unannounced or focused inspection by Ofsted to assess whether the school is meeting its safeguarding responsibilities. Ofsted expects schools to demonstrate that they have thoroughly investigated safeguarding concerns from parents. This is part of the school’s statutory safeguarding duty under ‘Keeping children safe in education’.

Parents are also able to escalate concerns directly to the local council where they believe a child is at risk of immediate harm. More information about school complaints can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/complain-about-school.

In relation to training for headteachers, Designated Safeguarding Leads and school governors, KCSIE makes clear that all staff should undergo safeguarding and child protection training, including online safety, which should be regularly updated and should be in line with any advice from local safeguarding partners.

The department already publishes analysis on children affected by sexual abuse or exploitation, which can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/children-in-need-a-focus-on-sexual-abuse-and-exploitation/2025.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what mechanisms currently allow Ofsted and the Independent Schools Inspectorate to conduct targeted safeguarding inspections where there is evidence of systemic mishandling of child-on-child sexual abuse; and if she will review inspection handbooks to include specific triggers and mandatory follow-up actions.

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

Sexual abuse in any form is abhorrent and protecting children from this is an absolute priority for this government.

‘Working together to safeguard children’ is the statutory guidance which sets out the collaborative duties and responsibilities placed on agencies to safeguard and protect children.

‘Keeping children safe in education’ (KCSIE) is the statutory safeguarding guidance that all schools and colleges must have regard to, when safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. It includes clear and detailed guidance on managing reports of child-on-child sexual violence and harassment, and on recording concerns, discussions and decisions made

Local authorities, schools and colleges are held to account for safeguarding children through a number of routes, including statutory guidance, legislation, child safeguarding practice review panels and inspection.

All schools are assessed on safeguarding as part of their routine inspections. If a state-funded school is not fulfilling its responsibilities in relation to child-on-child sexual abuse, the school is likely to be placed in a category of concern. Similarly, an independent school would likely be judged to not meet the Independent School Standards. This would then lead to robust action to address the concerns

Any concerns about a school’s procedures should be raised directly with the school in question in the first instance, as they will be best placed to offer information and advice regarding their decisions

Where individuals are not satisfied with the outcome of any concerns raised, they are able to make a formal complaint via the school’s complaints procedure. All schools must have a complaint procedure, and it should explain how a complaint can be progressed if a parent remains dissatisfied with the school’s response. When a parent or other relevant body raises a safeguarding concern about pupil safety, including child-on-child sexual abuse, this could trigger an unannounced or focused inspection by Ofsted to assess whether the school is meeting its safeguarding responsibilities. Ofsted expects schools to demonstrate that they have thoroughly investigated safeguarding concerns from parents. This is part of the school’s statutory safeguarding duty under ‘Keeping children safe in education’.

Parents are also able to escalate concerns directly to the local council where they believe a child is at risk of immediate harm. More information about school complaints can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/complain-about-school.

In relation to training for headteachers, Designated Safeguarding Leads and school governors, KCSIE makes clear that all staff should undergo safeguarding and child protection training, including online safety, which should be regularly updated and should be in line with any advice from local safeguarding partners.

The department already publishes analysis on children affected by sexual abuse or exploitation, which can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/children-in-need-a-focus-on-sexual-abuse-and-exploitation/2025.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans her Department has to expand SEND Hubs in schools in West Dorset.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The department is committed to encouraging schools and local authorities to set up resourced provision and special educational needs (SEN) units to increase capacity in mainstream schools and is working with the sector to increase capacity and extend best practice across the system.

The department has announced £3 billion in high needs capital to create 50,000 places for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). This builds on the £740 million high needs capital in 2025/26 to support children and young people with SEND or who require alternative provision, including setting up resourced provision or SEN units in mainstream schools. Dorset received a high needs provision capital allocation of £5,023,392 for 2025/26. Funding for individual SEN units or resourced provision is the responsibility of the relevant local authority, with minimum place funding governed by the high needs operational guidance.

The department is launching national SEN unit/resourced provision peer networks, as part of the regional improvement for standards and excellence universal service offer on inclusive mainstream, to support frontline practitioners so that children benefit from high quality and consistent provision.

The department is also working with the Council for Disabled Children and the National Association for Special Educational Needs to develop guidance to help mainstream settings deliver high quality support for children and young people accessing SEN units, resourced provision, and pupil support units.

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 SEND Hubs on educational outcomes for children with SEND in West Dorset constituency.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The department is committed to encouraging schools and local authorities to set up resourced provision and special educational needs (SEN) units to increase capacity in mainstream schools and is working with the sector to increase capacity and extend best practice across the system.

The department has announced £3 billion in high needs capital to create 50,000 places for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). This builds on the £740 million high needs capital in 2025/26 to support children and young people with SEND or who require alternative provision, including setting up resourced provision or SEN units in mainstream schools. Dorset received a high needs provision capital allocation of £5,023,392 for 2025/26. Funding for individual SEN units or resourced provision is the responsibility of the relevant local authority, with minimum place funding governed by the high needs operational guidance.

The department is launching national SEN unit/resourced provision peer networks, as part of the regional improvement for standards and excellence universal service offer on inclusive mainstream, to support frontline practitioners so that children benefit from high quality and consistent provision.

The department is also working with the Council for Disabled Children and the National Association for Special Educational Needs to develop guidance to help mainstream settings deliver high quality support for children and young people accessing SEN units, resourced provision, and pupil support units.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how her Department is ensuring that SEND Hubs in West Dorset schools are adequately funded and staffed.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The department is committed to encouraging schools and local authorities to set up resourced provision and special educational needs (SEN) units to increase capacity in mainstream schools and is working with the sector to increase capacity and extend best practice across the system.

The department has announced £3 billion in high needs capital to create 50,000 places for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). This builds on the £740 million high needs capital in 2025/26 to support children and young people with SEND or who require alternative provision, including setting up resourced provision or SEN units in mainstream schools. Dorset received a high needs provision capital allocation of £5,023,392 for 2025/26. Funding for individual SEN units or resourced provision is the responsibility of the relevant local authority, with minimum place funding governed by the high needs operational guidance.

The department is launching national SEN unit/resourced provision peer networks, as part of the regional improvement for standards and excellence universal service offer on inclusive mainstream, to support frontline practitioners so that children benefit from high quality and consistent provision.

The department is also working with the Council for Disabled Children and the National Association for Special Educational Needs to develop guidance to help mainstream settings deliver high quality support for children and young people accessing SEN units, resourced provision, and pupil support units.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure there are enforceable lines of accountability between schools, governing bodies, local authorities, including Local Authority Designated Officers, Ofsted and the Independent Schools Inspectorate and the police when responding to cases of child on child sexual abuse; and if she will publish updated statutory guidance specifying who is responsible for initial safeguarding decisions, oversight, timescales for action and independent review.

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

Sexual abuse in any form is abhorrent and protecting children from this is an absolute priority for this government.

‘Working together to safeguard children’ is the statutory guidance which sets out the collaborative duties and responsibilities placed on agencies to safeguard and protect children.

‘Keeping children safe in education’ (KCSIE) is the statutory safeguarding guidance that all schools and colleges must have regard to, when safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. It includes clear and detailed guidance on managing reports of child-on-child sexual violence and harassment, and on recording concerns, discussions and decisions made

Local authorities, schools and colleges are held to account for safeguarding children through a number of routes, including statutory guidance, legislation, child safeguarding practice review panels and inspection.

All schools are assessed on safeguarding as part of their routine inspections. If a state-funded school is not fulfilling its responsibilities in relation to child-on-child sexual abuse, the school is likely to be placed in a category of concern. Similarly, an independent school would likely be judged to not meet the Independent School Standards. This would then lead to robust action to address the concerns

Any concerns about a school’s procedures should be raised directly with the school in question in the first instance, as they will be best placed to offer information and advice regarding their decisions

Where individuals are not satisfied with the outcome of any concerns raised, they are able to make a formal complaint via the school’s complaints procedure. All schools must have a complaint procedure, and it should explain how a complaint can be progressed if a parent remains dissatisfied with the school’s response. When a parent or other relevant body raises a safeguarding concern about pupil safety, including child-on-child sexual abuse, this could trigger an unannounced or focused inspection by Ofsted to assess whether the school is meeting its safeguarding responsibilities. Ofsted expects schools to demonstrate that they have thoroughly investigated safeguarding concerns from parents. This is part of the school’s statutory safeguarding duty under ‘Keeping children safe in education’.

Parents are also able to escalate concerns directly to the local council where they believe a child is at risk of immediate harm. More information about school complaints can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/complain-about-school.

In relation to training for headteachers, Designated Safeguarding Leads and school governors, KCSIE makes clear that all staff should undergo safeguarding and child protection training, including online safety, which should be regularly updated and should be in line with any advice from local safeguarding partners.

The department already publishes analysis on children affected by sexual abuse or exploitation, which can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/children-in-need-a-focus-on-sexual-abuse-and-exploitation/2025.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will introduce national response timescales for schools and local authorities to investigate allegations of child on child sexual abuse, to provide written outcomes to families and to advise parents on independent routes of redress; and if she will require standardised record keeping and disclosure to parents within set deadlines.

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

Sexual abuse in any form is abhorrent and protecting children from this is an absolute priority for this government.

‘Working together to safeguard children’ is the statutory guidance which sets out the collaborative duties and responsibilities placed on agencies to safeguard and protect children.

‘Keeping children safe in education’ (KCSIE) is the statutory safeguarding guidance that all schools and colleges must have regard to, when safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. It includes clear and detailed guidance on managing reports of child-on-child sexual violence and harassment, and on recording concerns, discussions and decisions made

Local authorities, schools and colleges are held to account for safeguarding children through a number of routes, including statutory guidance, legislation, child safeguarding practice review panels and inspection.

All schools are assessed on safeguarding as part of their routine inspections. If a state-funded school is not fulfilling its responsibilities in relation to child-on-child sexual abuse, the school is likely to be placed in a category of concern. Similarly, an independent school would likely be judged to not meet the Independent School Standards. This would then lead to robust action to address the concerns

Any concerns about a school’s procedures should be raised directly with the school in question in the first instance, as they will be best placed to offer information and advice regarding their decisions

Where individuals are not satisfied with the outcome of any concerns raised, they are able to make a formal complaint via the school’s complaints procedure. All schools must have a complaint procedure, and it should explain how a complaint can be progressed if a parent remains dissatisfied with the school’s response. When a parent or other relevant body raises a safeguarding concern about pupil safety, including child-on-child sexual abuse, this could trigger an unannounced or focused inspection by Ofsted to assess whether the school is meeting its safeguarding responsibilities. Ofsted expects schools to demonstrate that they have thoroughly investigated safeguarding concerns from parents. This is part of the school’s statutory safeguarding duty under ‘Keeping children safe in education’.

Parents are also able to escalate concerns directly to the local council where they believe a child is at risk of immediate harm. More information about school complaints can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/complain-about-school.

In relation to training for headteachers, Designated Safeguarding Leads and school governors, KCSIE makes clear that all staff should undergo safeguarding and child protection training, including online safety, which should be regularly updated and should be in line with any advice from local safeguarding partners.

The department already publishes analysis on children affected by sexual abuse or exploitation, which can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/children-in-need-a-focus-on-sexual-abuse-and-exploitation/2025.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to create an independent stage of complaint for parents in safeguarding cases where a school or governing body has already determined its own conduct in relation to child on child sexual abuse.

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

Sexual abuse in any form is abhorrent and protecting children from this is an absolute priority for this government.

‘Working together to safeguard children’ is the statutory guidance which sets out the collaborative duties and responsibilities placed on agencies to safeguard and protect children.

‘Keeping children safe in education’ (KCSIE) is the statutory safeguarding guidance that all schools and colleges must have regard to, when safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. It includes clear and detailed guidance on managing reports of child-on-child sexual violence and harassment, and on recording concerns, discussions and decisions made

Local authorities, schools and colleges are held to account for safeguarding children through a number of routes, including statutory guidance, legislation, child safeguarding practice review panels and inspection.

All schools are assessed on safeguarding as part of their routine inspections. If a state-funded school is not fulfilling its responsibilities in relation to child-on-child sexual abuse, the school is likely to be placed in a category of concern. Similarly, an independent school would likely be judged to not meet the Independent School Standards. This would then lead to robust action to address the concerns

Any concerns about a school’s procedures should be raised directly with the school in question in the first instance, as they will be best placed to offer information and advice regarding their decisions

Where individuals are not satisfied with the outcome of any concerns raised, they are able to make a formal complaint via the school’s complaints procedure. All schools must have a complaint procedure, and it should explain how a complaint can be progressed if a parent remains dissatisfied with the school’s response. When a parent or other relevant body raises a safeguarding concern about pupil safety, including child-on-child sexual abuse, this could trigger an unannounced or focused inspection by Ofsted to assess whether the school is meeting its safeguarding responsibilities. Ofsted expects schools to demonstrate that they have thoroughly investigated safeguarding concerns from parents. This is part of the school’s statutory safeguarding duty under ‘Keeping children safe in education’.

Parents are also able to escalate concerns directly to the local council where they believe a child is at risk of immediate harm. More information about school complaints can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/complain-about-school.

In relation to training for headteachers, Designated Safeguarding Leads and school governors, KCSIE makes clear that all staff should undergo safeguarding and child protection training, including online safety, which should be regularly updated and should be in line with any advice from local safeguarding partners.

The department already publishes analysis on children affected by sexual abuse or exploitation, which can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/children-in-need-a-focus-on-sexual-abuse-and-exploitation/2025.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that funding being provided for secondary schools on the National School Breakfast Programme in the 2026/2027 academic year is used as effectively as possible.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

From September 2026, participating national school breakfast programme schools with secondary-aged pupils will continue to be supported to an equivalent value of what they currently receive on the national school breakfast programme. Further details and guidance for eligible schools will be published in the spring term.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how will the cost of the Erasmus Scheme in 2027/28 be funded.

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

We have agreed terms with the European Commission that represent a fair balance between the UK’s contribution and the benefits the programme offers, which paved the way for UK participation.

We have agreed a 30% discount compared to the default terms in the Trade and Cooperation Agreement, as well as a review of the UK’s participation in the programme ten months after our association, including data concerning demand for funding in the UK. Going forward, any continued UK participation in Erasmus+ under the next Multiannual Financial Framework will be informed by our experience of association in 2027.

Erasmus costs will be funded above the department’s spending review settlement and scored in the usual way at the next fiscal event.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what oversight exists when academy trusts increase executive pay in years where frontline teaching posts are reduced.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The department’s Academy Trust Handbook is clear that executive pay must be justifiable and should reflect individual responsibility alongside local retention and recruitment needs. The Handbook is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/academy-trust-handbook/academy-trust-handbook-2025-effective-from-1-september-2025.

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education’s evidence to the School Teachers’ Review Body to support the 2026 pay award recognises that the department is aware of trends of increasing executive pay and monitors this through an annual engagement exercise. The evidence was published in October 2025 here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/69034343fabc9f10a832a838/Government_evidence_to_the_STRB_2026.pdf.

The evidence also recognises that there are opportunities to drive value for money in this area. The department has started to make progress in this area with the recent introduction of executive pay into the Financial Benchmarking and Insight tool for trusts to encourage boards to make evidence-based decisions when setting executive pay.

The department engages annually on executive pay, requiring academy trusts to demonstrate value for money. The engagement considers executive responsibilities, taking into account peer benchmarking data on the level of pay, the size of trust, pupil numbers and grant income. The department will also engage on executive pay when intervening in an academy trust that is in financial difficulty.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to educate schoolchildren about the dangers of radicalisation ideologies online.

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

The department has strengthened statutory guidance on ‘Keeping children safe in education’ to address online safety, and has updated the relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) curriculum to strengthen teaching on online safety, wellbeing, and misogyny. We support teachers on how to do this with freely available resources and will pilot a teacher support grant in 2026 – to build a workforce that is equipped and empowered to take on these challenges.

The department also provides comprehensive guidance and resources through the Educate Against Hate website, helping teachers protect children from extremism and radicalisation. Media literacy is embedded in compulsory subjects such as RSHE, computing, and citizenship, equipping pupils to navigate online relationships, identify harms, and critically assess information. To address misogynistic radicalisation, we have published guides to build confidence and manage difficult conversations on incels, the manosphere, and algorithms. We are investing an additional £11 million to support the Violence Against Women and Girls strategy and will be piloting three programmes to support teachers implement the RSHE curriculum in the best possible way; to encourage healthy relationships in children; and to tackle harmful sexual behaviours.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the capacity of schools to implement additional (a) safeguarding and (b) behavioural intervention responsibilities in (i) Surrey and (ii) Surrey Heath constituency.

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

Safeguarding children in schools is an absolute priority for this government, and all schools, including those in Surrey Heath, have a critical role to play in protecting children and keeping them safe. We support them to do this via the statutory guidance ‘Keeping children Safe In Education’ (KCSIE), to which all schools and colleges must have regard when carrying out their duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of children

The guidance provides a strong safeguarding framework and is clear on the actions a school or college should take if there are any concerns about a child or young person’s wellbeing and/or safety. This includes child-on-child sexual violence and harassment

In particular, Part 5 of this guidance provides robust guidance on managing reports of child-on-child sexual violence and sexual harassment and provides advice on a whole-school approach to preventing abuse.

In addition, all schools are required by law to have a behaviour policy which outlines effective strategies that will encourage good behaviour. It is for school leaders to develop and implement a policy that works for their own schools and school community. The department publishes guidance to support school leaders and staff to help manage behaviour, including ‘Behaviour in Schools’, ‘Suspension and Permanent Exclusion’, ‘Searching, Screening and Confiscation’, and ‘Mobile Phones in School’.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of trends in the level of data on [a] met and [b] unmet need among [i] looked-after and [ii] previously looked after children.

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

The department monitors outcomes for looked-after and previously looked-after children through national statistics on education, health, and care leaver activity. While these datasets do not directly record met and unmet needs, they inform targeted interventions.

For example, the adoption and special guardianship support fund provides therapeutic support for previously looked-after children, including those adopted or under special guardianship, helping address complex emotional and behavioural needs identified by local authority assessments.

Our reform programme will give children and young people the start in life they deserve. This includes strengthening the children’s social care data and digital strategy with a ‘Centre of Excellence’ supporting data and digital culture, leadership, skills and collaboration for children’s social care.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the relationship between academy trust executive pay levels and reductions in curriculum offer or staffing.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The department’s Academy Trust Handbook is clear that executive pay must be justifiable and should reflect individual responsibility alongside local retention and recruitment needs. The Handbook is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/academy-trust-handbook/academy-trust-handbook-2025-effective-from-1-september-2025.

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education’s evidence to the School Teachers’ Review Body to support the 2026 pay award recognises that the department is aware of trends of increasing executive pay and monitors this through an annual engagement exercise. The evidence was published in October 2025 here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/69034343fabc9f10a832a838/Government_evidence_to_the_STRB_2026.pdf.

The evidence also recognises that there are opportunities to drive value for money in this area. The department has started to make progress in this area with the recent introduction of executive pay into the Financial Benchmarking and Insight tool for trusts to encourage boards to make evidence-based decisions when setting executive pay.

The department engages annually on executive pay, requiring academy trusts to demonstrate value for money. The engagement considers executive responsibilities, taking into account peer benchmarking data on the level of pay, the size of trust, pupil numbers and grant income. The department will also engage on executive pay when intervening in an academy trust that is in financial difficulty.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, What benchmarks her Department uses to assess whether academy trust executive pay represents value for money when trusts are making redundancies.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The department’s Academy Trust Handbook is clear that executive pay must be justifiable and should reflect individual responsibility alongside local retention and recruitment needs. The Handbook is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/academy-trust-handbook/academy-trust-handbook-2025-effective-from-1-september-2025.

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education’s evidence to the School Teachers’ Review Body to support the 2026 pay award recognises that the department is aware of trends of increasing executive pay and monitors this through an annual engagement exercise. The evidence was published in October 2025 here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/69034343fabc9f10a832a838/Government_evidence_to_the_STRB_2026.pdf.

The evidence also recognises that there are opportunities to drive value for money in this area. The department has started to make progress in this area with the recent introduction of executive pay into the Financial Benchmarking and Insight tool for trusts to encourage boards to make evidence-based decisions when setting executive pay.

The department engages annually on executive pay, requiring academy trusts to demonstrate value for money. The engagement considers executive responsibilities, taking into account peer benchmarking data on the level of pay, the size of trust, pupil numbers and grant income. The department will also engage on executive pay when intervening in an academy trust that is in financial difficulty.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of civil servants in her Department are (a) on temporary contract and (b) consultants.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

Information on the number of civil servants employed on temporary contracts is published by the Office for National Statistics as part of their quarterly release on public sector employment statistics. Information for September 2025 can be accessed at: https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/publicsectorpersonnel/bulletins/publicsectoremployment/september2025.

Departmental expenditure on consultancy is published within the Annual Report and Accounts. The latest report for the 2024/25 financial year can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/department-for-education-consolidated-annual-report-and-accounts-2024-to-2025.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the resources available to schools to ensure safeguarding incidents involving peer-on-peer abuse are addressed in schools in Surrey Heath constituency.

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

Safeguarding children in schools is an absolute priority for this government, and all schools, including those in Surrey Heath, have a critical role to play in protecting children and keeping them safe. We support them to do this via the statutory guidance ‘Keeping children Safe In Education’ (KCSIE), to which all schools and colleges must have regard when carrying out their duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of children

The guidance provides a strong safeguarding framework and is clear on the actions a school or college should take if there are any concerns about a child or young person’s wellbeing and/or safety. This includes child-on-child sexual violence and harassment

In particular, Part 5 of this guidance provides robust guidance on managing reports of child-on-child sexual violence and sexual harassment and provides advice on a whole-school approach to preventing abuse.

In addition, all schools are required by law to have a behaviour policy which outlines effective strategies that will encourage good behaviour. It is for school leaders to develop and implement a policy that works for their own schools and school community. The department publishes guidance to support school leaders and staff to help manage behaviour, including ‘Behaviour in Schools’, ‘Suspension and Permanent Exclusion’, ‘Searching, Screening and Confiscation’, and ‘Mobile Phones in School’.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with adoptive and kinship families about levels of support offered by statutory authorities to meet family needs.

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

The government works closely with organisations that represent kinship and adoptive families, and directly with adopters and kinship carers through both our adopter and kinship carer reference groups.

Following the Care Review, the government updated the kinship care guidance for local authorities and appointed the first ever National Kinship Ambassador, who works closely to engage with lived experience groups.

Local authorities have a statutory duty to assess and provide adoption support tailored to family needs. This includes financial assistance such as adoption allowances, settling-in grants, and access to adoption leave and pay. The adoption and special guardianship support fund provides post-adoption support interventions, including therapeutic support for adopted children and their families.

Through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, the department will mandate all local authorities in England to publish their local kinship offer and offer family group decision-making at pre-proceedings where that is in the child’s best interests. We will soon trial a kinship allowance in some local authorities, to support eligible kinship carers with the additional cost incurred when taking the parental responsibility of a child in kinship care.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to publish a fuller equalities impact assessment of the Child Poverty Strategy, including its impact on groups at highest risk of poverty.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

A full summary equalities analysis was published alongside the Child Poverty Strategy and is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/child-poverty-strategy-summary-equalities-analysis.

The impacts of policies contributing to the Child Poverty Strategy will be kept under review and monitored on an ongoing basis by departments using their own established approaches to considerations made under the Public Sector Equality Duty.

The ongoing monitoring and evaluation of the Child Poverty Strategy will also continue to assess the poverty risk and prevalence for groups with protected characteristics, as far as the data and evidence gathering allow.

The monitoring and evaluation framework, published alongside the Strategy, set out that a baseline report will be published in summer 2026, with annual reporting on progress thereafter.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what consideration she has given to the potential benefits for schools of introducing a register of supply teachers, allowing access to available, qualified and DBS checked substitute staff.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The department continues to develop and review policy on supply teaching and currently has no plans to introduce a national supply register for teachers.

The mix of models presently available in England, including agencies, direct hire and some local pools, gives schools choice over how they secure supply teachers, how many providers they work with and how they engage with providers to ensure their needs are met.

As part of our Maximising Value for Pupils programme, we will introduce a cap on supplier rates on the new Crown Commercial Service framework due in June 2026, and expect schools and trusts to use this new framework unless they are achieving better value for money elsewhere.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of variations in the amount and quality of breaktime provision between schools.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

I refer the hon. Member for South Basildon and East Thurrock to the answers of 25 November 2025 and 5 December 2025 to Questions 91834 and 95249.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make it her policy to introduce an auto-enrolment system for all children eligible for free school meals.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.

This government is committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity and tackling child poverty. Introducing a new eligibility threshold for free school meals (FSM) so that all children from households in receipt of Universal Credit will be eligible for FSM from September 2026 will make it easier for parents to know whether they are entitled to receive free meals. This new entitlement will mean over 500,000 of the most disadvantaged children will begin to access free meals, pulling 100,000 children out of poverty.

We are also rolling out improvements to the Eligibility Checking System which will make it easier for local authorities, schools and parents to check if children are eligible for free meals.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what data the Department holds on the expected changes in childcare demand in Northumberland associated with childcare measures in the Child Poverty Strategy.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

It is the government’s ambition that all families have access to high quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, giving every child the best start in life and delivering on our Plan for Change.

As part of the Child Poverty Strategy, the government will provide Universal Credit childcare support to help with the childcare costs for all children instead of limiting this to two children, supporting parents who have larger families into work

The Strategy sets out how we intend to monitor and evaluate the impacts of the strategy, including understanding how this varies across the UK and for different groups.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what data the Department holds on the expected changes in childcare demand in Hexham constituency associated with childcare measures in the Child Poverty Strategy.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

It is the government’s ambition that all families have access to high quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, giving every child the best start in life and delivering on our Plan for Change.

As part of the Child Poverty Strategy, the government will provide Universal Credit childcare support to help with the childcare costs for all children instead of limiting this to two children, supporting parents who have larger families into work

The Strategy sets out how we intend to monitor and evaluate the impacts of the strategy, including understanding how this varies across the UK and for different groups.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what data the Department holds on the expected changes in childcare demand in the North East associated with childcare measures in the Child Poverty Strategy.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

It is the government’s ambition that all families have access to high quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, giving every child the best start in life and delivering on our Plan for Change.

As part of the Child Poverty Strategy, the government will provide Universal Credit childcare support to help with the childcare costs for all children instead of limiting this to two children, supporting parents who have larger families into work

The Strategy sets out how we intend to monitor and evaluate the impacts of the strategy, including understanding how this varies across the UK and for different groups.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment has she made of the performance of her Department's Behaviour and Attendance Ambassadors Programme, with reference to absence and exclusions of pupils with SEND or mental ill health.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

The regional improvement for standards and excellence Attendance and Behaviour Hubs programme launched in September 2025. The department is appointing up to 90 lead schools with excellent attendance and behaviour practice who will work closely with other schools to help them improve.

The department has also appointed two new ambassadors to work with the sector to shape the programme, ensure that their views are captured and that the programme has maximum impact.

As part of the development of the Attendance and Behaviour Hubs programme, an Equalities Impact Assessment was conducted. The department does not routinely publish Equalities Impact Assessments and has no plans to do so in this case.

As part of the Invitation to Tender for the role of Attendance and Behaviour ambassador and for the school recruitment process, all bidders and applicants were required to declare any and all conflicts of interest prior to responding. The department is satisfied that this process was followed correctly.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment has she made of potential conflicts of interest for individuals and companies awarded contracts to deliver the Behaviour and Attendance Ambassador's Programme.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

The regional improvement for standards and excellence Attendance and Behaviour Hubs programme launched in September 2025. The department is appointing up to 90 lead schools with excellent attendance and behaviour practice who will work closely with other schools to help them improve.

The department has also appointed two new ambassadors to work with the sector to shape the programme, ensure that their views are captured and that the programme has maximum impact.

As part of the development of the Attendance and Behaviour Hubs programme, an Equalities Impact Assessment was conducted. The department does not routinely publish Equalities Impact Assessments and has no plans to do so in this case.

As part of the Invitation to Tender for the role of Attendance and Behaviour ambassador and for the school recruitment process, all bidders and applicants were required to declare any and all conflicts of interest prior to responding. The department is satisfied that this process was followed correctly.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will publish the Equality Impacts Assessment made of the Behaviour and Attendance Ambassador's Programme.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

The regional improvement for standards and excellence Attendance and Behaviour Hubs programme launched in September 2025. The department is appointing up to 90 lead schools with excellent attendance and behaviour practice who will work closely with other schools to help them improve.

The department has also appointed two new ambassadors to work with the sector to shape the programme, ensure that their views are captured and that the programme has maximum impact.

As part of the development of the Attendance and Behaviour Hubs programme, an Equalities Impact Assessment was conducted. The department does not routinely publish Equalities Impact Assessments and has no plans to do so in this case.

As part of the Invitation to Tender for the role of Attendance and Behaviour ambassador and for the school recruitment process, all bidders and applicants were required to declare any and all conflicts of interest prior to responding. The department is satisfied that this process was followed correctly.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the net zero targets for their Department and its arm’s-length bodies are; and what guidance has been issued to those bodies on adopting net zero targets earlier than 2050.

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

The Greening Government Commitments set out the actions that government departments and their agencies will take to reduce their impacts on the environment. The targets are set by the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs and the latest available guidance is published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/greening-government-commitments-2021-to-2025/greening-government-commitments-2021-to-2025. It includes the target of working towards net zero by 2050.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions her Department has had with teaching unions on the role of schools and education settings in the development and implementation of the Government’s strategy on tackling violence against women and girls.

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

The Violence against Women and Girls (VAWG) Strategy recognises that we must take a whole system approach to tackle and halve VAWG in a decade. The government has undertaken stakeholder engagement to inform the development of the strategy, meeting with key sector leaders, unions, academics, police representatives, and has an established the VAWG Strategy Advisory Board.

The department meets teaching unions and school stakeholder groups regularly. We will continue this engagement as work progresses on the implementation of our contribution to the strategy, which includes a departmental investment of £11 million in further support.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that adoptive families caring for multiple children from the same birth family receive (a) tailored and (b) sustained support in Surrey Heath constituency.

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

As part of the criteria for the adoption and special guardianship support fund, all children must have an assessment of their individual needs completed within three months of the application submission. This ensures that any support commissioned by the local authority or Regional Adoption Agency is tailored to their circumstances.

Where families adopt multiple children from the same birth family, each child is assessed separately, and each child has their own Fair Access Limit.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that pupils in rural schools have equal access to AI learning opportunities.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

The department is committed to leveraging technology to benefit all schools, including those in rural areas.

We are addressing barriers by connecting schools to fibre through the School Gigabit Programme and improving wireless networks through Connect the Classroom, which was expanded this year.

The Plan Technology for Your School service provides tailored support to help schools meet core digital and technology standards by 2030.

Our Generative AI Policy Position supports schools to implement AI safely and effectively.

We have also introduced the Generative AI Product Safety Expectations framework to ensure AI tools meet safeguards, and published online toolkits to help teachers and leaders use AI safely and effectively.

Alongside this, we are investing in our evidence-base via the EdTech Impact Testbed, which will evaluate AI tools’ impact on improving outcomes and reducing workload, so that schools will have confidence in products they select.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance her Department provides to educators to support their understanding of kinship care.

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

The government recognises that there is a need for greater awareness of the needs of kinship children and families and the importance of improving data collection in this space and is therefore exploring including kinship in the school census.

Following the Care Review, the government has updated ‘Kinship Care Statutory Guidance for Local Authorities’. This guidance outlines the framework for the provision of support for kinship children and kinship families.

The government has also extended both the delivery of over 140 kinship carer peer support groups across England and the virtual school head (VSH) role (on a non-statutory basis) to include championing the education, attendance, and attainment of children in kinship care.

The government intends to make this role statutory through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill. We will publish updated statutory guidance setting out how VSHs will be expected to work with kinship carers and guardians to support the educational outcomes of these children.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to include kinship care in the school census.

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

The government recognises that there is a need for greater awareness of the needs of kinship children and families and the importance of improving data collection in this space and is therefore exploring including kinship in the school census.

Following the Care Review, the government has updated ‘Kinship Care Statutory Guidance for Local Authorities’. This guidance outlines the framework for the provision of support for kinship children and kinship families.

The government has also extended both the delivery of over 140 kinship carer peer support groups across England and the virtual school head (VSH) role (on a non-statutory basis) to include championing the education, attendance, and attainment of children in kinship care.

The government intends to make this role statutory through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill. We will publish updated statutory guidance setting out how VSHs will be expected to work with kinship carers and guardians to support the educational outcomes of these children.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools in England are fitted with evacuation chairs.

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

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.

Decisions on the provision and use of evacuation chairs should be made locally and on a case-by-case basis, based on the individual’s needs and preferences and their building’s evacuation plan requirements. The responsible body (the relevant local authority, academy trust or voluntary-aided body) is responsible for ensuring the health and safety of all the occupants of their buildings.

Under fire safety legislation, those responsible for the building must ensure that everyone can leave safely in the event of a fire. Schools and colleges have a duty under the Equality Act to make reasonable adjustments for individuals with limited mobility. Anyone requiring assistance should therefore have a Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan (PEEP) in place.

The government’s guidance is clear that, where a PEEP of a student or member of staff requires an evacuation chair, it must be provided.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, on what evidential basis she has indicated that she is minded to cancel the Department's support for the development of the proposed Lodge Farm Primary School, Witham; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the cancellation on (a) early years provision, (b) primary school places and (c) special educational provision places.

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

Mainstream projects were evaluated against consistent criteria on the need for places, value for money, and whether they would provide a distinctive or innovative education offer or risk negatively impacting other local schools.

We will invest at least £3 billion over the next four years to create around 50,000 places for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) across England. To support this investment, we are not proceeding with some mainstream free school projects.

For Lodge Farm Primary and Nursery, the review found that current evidence does not show sufficient medium‑term need for a new school in the proposed Witham and Hatfield Peverel location. The trust and local authority can submit any further evidence for ministers to consider by 30 January 2026. The local authority has been offered just over £600,000 additional funding to provide the 12 special educational needs unit places that were planned for this school.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what percentage of students who gained the Large Programme Uplift as a result of studying 4 A-levels in 2025 or most recently available year and would be eligible for the LPU under the revised guidance for 2026 to 2027, are (a) female; or (b) eligible for Free School Meals.

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

Institutions delivering 16-19 education have received the Large Programme Uplift (LPU) in the 2025/26 academic year. There were 6,755 students eligible for the LPU as a result of studying 4 or more A levels, of which:

• 36.46% were female students.
• 4.69% were eligible for free school meals (FSM).

Of those 6,755 students that attracted the LPU in the 2025/26 academic year due to studying 4 or more A levels, 3,968 (58.74%) would be eligible under the revised guidance for the 2026/27 academic year, of which:

• 24.85% would be female students.
• 4.71% would be eligible for FSM.

Notes about the data:

• The data provided is based on LPU allocations for the 2025/26 academic year, which uses data from the 2022/23 academic year.
• The FSM definition covers both FSM for academies and school sixth forms and free meals in further education. This is because the LPU data is extracted from both the School Census and the Individual Learner Record.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what (a) number and (b) percentage of students who gained the Large Programme Uplift as a result of studying 4 A-levels in 2025 or most recently available year would be eligible for the LPU under the revised guidance for 2026 to 2027.

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

Institutions delivering 16-19 education have received the Large Programme Uplift (LPU) in the 2025/26 academic year. There were 6,755 students eligible for the LPU as a result of studying 4 or more A levels, of which:

• 36.46% were female students.
• 4.69% were eligible for free school meals (FSM).

Of those 6,755 students that attracted the LPU in the 2025/26 academic year due to studying 4 or more A levels, 3,968 (58.74%) would be eligible under the revised guidance for the 2026/27 academic year, of which:

• 24.85% would be female students.
• 4.71% would be eligible for FSM.

Notes about the data:

• The data provided is based on LPU allocations for the 2025/26 academic year, which uses data from the 2022/23 academic year.
• The FSM definition covers both FSM for academies and school sixth forms and free meals in further education. This is because the LPU data is extracted from both the School Census and the Individual Learner Record.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what percentage of students who gained the Large Programme Uplift as a result of studying 4 A-levels in 2025 or most recently available year were (a) female; (b) eligible for Free School Meals.

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

Institutions delivering 16-19 education have received the Large Programme Uplift (LPU) in the 2025/26 academic year. There were 6,755 students eligible for the LPU as a result of studying 4 or more A levels, of which:

• 36.46% were female students.
• 4.69% were eligible for free school meals (FSM).

Of those 6,755 students that attracted the LPU in the 2025/26 academic year due to studying 4 or more A levels, 3,968 (58.74%) would be eligible under the revised guidance for the 2026/27 academic year, of which:

• 24.85% would be female students.
• 4.71% would be eligible for FSM.

Notes about the data:

• The data provided is based on LPU allocations for the 2025/26 academic year, which uses data from the 2022/23 academic year.
• The FSM definition covers both FSM for academies and school sixth forms and free meals in further education. This is because the LPU data is extracted from both the School Census and the Individual Learner Record.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many students gained the Large Programme Uplift as a result of studying 4 A-levels in 2025 or the most recently available year.

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

Institutions delivering 16-19 education have received the Large Programme Uplift (LPU) in the 2025/26 academic year. There were 6,755 students eligible for the LPU as a result of studying 4 or more A levels, of which:

• 36.46% were female students.
• 4.69% were eligible for free school meals (FSM).

Of those 6,755 students that attracted the LPU in the 2025/26 academic year due to studying 4 or more A levels, 3,968 (58.74%) would be eligible under the revised guidance for the 2026/27 academic year, of which:

• 24.85% would be female students.
• 4.71% would be eligible for FSM.

Notes about the data:

• The data provided is based on LPU allocations for the 2025/26 academic year, which uses data from the 2022/23 academic year.
• The FSM definition covers both FSM for academies and school sixth forms and free meals in further education. This is because the LPU data is extracted from both the School Census and the Individual Learner Record.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what criteria she used to determine which free schools should (a) be proceeded with and (b) not be proceeded with.

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

On 15 December 2025, a Written Ministerial Statement was laid setting out outcomes of the mainstream free school pipeline review.

All free school projects in scope were evaluated in line with consistent criteria, focusing on assessing the local need for places and value for money. This included considering whether projects would provide a distinctive local offer or risk negatively impacting other local schools. The department reviewed evidence provided by trusts and local authorities, as well as latest published data on pupil place planning, to determine whether there is strong evidence of the continued need for additional places.

We are proceeding with mainstream projects that meet the needs of communities, respond to demographic and housing demand, raise standards without undermining the viability of existing local schools and colleges or offer something unique for students who would otherwise not have access to it.

In the Walsall and Bloxwich constituency, the decision has been taken to proceed with the Swift Academy, to address urgent local secondary sufficiency pressure.

The department provides and retains responsibility for capital funding for the acquisition of sites and construction of free schools. The department also provides revenue funding, via project development grants, directly to proposers to cover essential non-capital costs prior to each school opening.

In 2016, the department invited trusts to submit proposals for new free schools to be funded and delivered through the central free school programme as part of application Wave 12. Swift Academy (then called Blakenall Free School) was approved in April 2017 following an application from The Windsor Academy Trust. All applications were assessed against published selection criteria and geographical context.

Local residents, interested parties and statutory bodies will be consulted prior to the school opening. As with all projects, Swift Academy will continue to be assessed on an ongoing basis to ensure it continues to meet the need for places and provides value for money.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment has been made of whether children’s social care practice adequately supports parents who have experienced trauma, including childhood abuse, to recover and safely parent.

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

The children’s social care national framework (2023) is statutory guidance that sets direction for children’s social care practice. It describes expectations for practitioners working sensitively with whole families, including to identify and address the impact of trauma. Ofsted plays a crucial role in upholding children’s social care standards. In November 2025, Ofsted confirmed they will update their Inspecting Local Authority Children’s Services inspection framework from April 2026 and continue to align inspection with the national framework.

The department has also confirmed the national rollout of Family Help, multi-agency child protection and family group decision making reforms, delivered through the Families First Partnership programme. These services will prioritise supporting the whole family and intervening at the earliest opportunity to prevent problems escalating, including where there are experiences of trauma. This will require excellent place-based service design driven by local authorities working effectively with local partners, including health, police and education providers, and listening closely to families.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what Government funding had been allocated to the development of Godmanchester Secondary Academy prior to its cancellation.

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

Godmanchester Secondary Academy was approved into pre-opening in 2017 as part of Free Schools Wave 12. Delivery was provisionally anticipated for September 2022, but the project never achieved approval to move into the construction stage. The trust formally withdrew the project in April 2020 with the opening forecast not changing during the interim.

Due to the early stage that it reached, only the following funding was allocated to this project:

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the delivery timeline was of Godmanchester Secondary Academy prior to its cancellation.

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

Godmanchester Secondary Academy was approved into pre-opening in 2017 as part of Free Schools Wave 12. Delivery was provisionally anticipated for September 2022, but the project never achieved approval to move into the construction stage. The trust formally withdrew the project in April 2020 with the opening forecast not changing during the interim.

Due to the early stage that it reached, only the following funding was allocated to this project:

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, in what year Godmanchester Secondary Academy was approved to be built.

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

Godmanchester Secondary Academy was approved into pre-opening in 2017 as part of Free Schools Wave 12. Delivery was provisionally anticipated for September 2022, but the project never achieved approval to move into the construction stage. The trust formally withdrew the project in April 2020 with the opening forecast not changing during the interim.

Due to the early stage that it reached, only the following funding was allocated to this project:

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, on what date her Department made the decision to award the contract to the Windsor Academy Trust for the Swift Academy in Walsall; and who was consulted on that decision.

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

On 15 December 2025, a Written Ministerial Statement was laid setting out outcomes of the mainstream free school pipeline review.

All free school projects in scope were evaluated in line with consistent criteria, focusing on assessing the local need for places and value for money. This included considering whether projects would provide a distinctive local offer or risk negatively impacting other local schools. The department reviewed evidence provided by trusts and local authorities, as well as latest published data on pupil place planning, to determine whether there is strong evidence of the continued need for additional places.

We are proceeding with mainstream projects that meet the needs of communities, respond to demographic and housing demand, raise standards without undermining the viability of existing local schools and colleges or offer something unique for students who would otherwise not have access to it.

In the Walsall and Bloxwich constituency, the decision has been taken to proceed with the Swift Academy, to address urgent local secondary sufficiency pressure.

The department provides and retains responsibility for capital funding for the acquisition of sites and construction of free schools. The department also provides revenue funding, via project development grants, directly to proposers to cover essential non-capital costs prior to each school opening.

In 2016, the department invited trusts to submit proposals for new free schools to be funded and delivered through the central free school programme as part of application Wave 12. Swift Academy (then called Blakenall Free School) was approved in April 2017 following an application from The Windsor Academy Trust. All applications were assessed against published selection criteria and geographical context.

Local residents, interested parties and statutory bodies will be consulted prior to the school opening. As with all projects, Swift Academy will continue to be assessed on an ongoing basis to ensure it continues to meet the need for places and provides value for money.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the allocation of funding for the Swift Academy in Walsall, which body will be (a) allocated and (b) accountable for that funding.

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

On 15 December 2025, a Written Ministerial Statement was laid setting out outcomes of the mainstream free school pipeline review.

All free school projects in scope were evaluated in line with consistent criteria, focusing on assessing the local need for places and value for money. This included considering whether projects would provide a distinctive local offer or risk negatively impacting other local schools. The department reviewed evidence provided by trusts and local authorities, as well as latest published data on pupil place planning, to determine whether there is strong evidence of the continued need for additional places.

We are proceeding with mainstream projects that meet the needs of communities, respond to demographic and housing demand, raise standards without undermining the viability of existing local schools and colleges or offer something unique for students who would otherwise not have access to it.

In the Walsall and Bloxwich constituency, the decision has been taken to proceed with the Swift Academy, to address urgent local secondary sufficiency pressure.

The department provides and retains responsibility for capital funding for the acquisition of sites and construction of free schools. The department also provides revenue funding, via project development grants, directly to proposers to cover essential non-capital costs prior to each school opening.

In 2016, the department invited trusts to submit proposals for new free schools to be funded and delivered through the central free school programme as part of application Wave 12. Swift Academy (then called Blakenall Free School) was approved in April 2017 following an application from The Windsor Academy Trust. All applications were assessed against published selection criteria and geographical context.

Local residents, interested parties and statutory bodies will be consulted prior to the school opening. As with all projects, Swift Academy will continue to be assessed on an ongoing basis to ensure it continues to meet the need for places and provides value for money.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the £50m funding for the Swift Academy in Walsall, which other bodies applied for that funding.

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

On 15 December 2025, a Written Ministerial Statement was laid setting out outcomes of the mainstream free school pipeline review.

All free school projects in scope were evaluated in line with consistent criteria, focusing on assessing the local need for places and value for money. This included considering whether projects would provide a distinctive local offer or risk negatively impacting other local schools. The department reviewed evidence provided by trusts and local authorities, as well as latest published data on pupil place planning, to determine whether there is strong evidence of the continued need for additional places.

We are proceeding with mainstream projects that meet the needs of communities, respond to demographic and housing demand, raise standards without undermining the viability of existing local schools and colleges or offer something unique for students who would otherwise not have access to it.

In the Walsall and Bloxwich constituency, the decision has been taken to proceed with the Swift Academy, to address urgent local secondary sufficiency pressure.

The department provides and retains responsibility for capital funding for the acquisition of sites and construction of free schools. The department also provides revenue funding, via project development grants, directly to proposers to cover essential non-capital costs prior to each school opening.

In 2016, the department invited trusts to submit proposals for new free schools to be funded and delivered through the central free school programme as part of application Wave 12. Swift Academy (then called Blakenall Free School) was approved in April 2017 following an application from The Windsor Academy Trust. All applications were assessed against published selection criteria and geographical context.

Local residents, interested parties and statutory bodies will be consulted prior to the school opening. As with all projects, Swift Academy will continue to be assessed on an ongoing basis to ensure it continues to meet the need for places and provides value for money.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, on what evidential basis she decided to proceed with funding the Swift Academy in Walsall and Bloxwich constituency.

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

On 15 December 2025, a Written Ministerial Statement was laid setting out outcomes of the mainstream free school pipeline review.

All free school projects in scope were evaluated in line with consistent criteria, focusing on assessing the local need for places and value for money. This included considering whether projects would provide a distinctive local offer or risk negatively impacting other local schools. The department reviewed evidence provided by trusts and local authorities, as well as latest published data on pupil place planning, to determine whether there is strong evidence of the continued need for additional places.

We are proceeding with mainstream projects that meet the needs of communities, respond to demographic and housing demand, raise standards without undermining the viability of existing local schools and colleges or offer something unique for students who would otherwise not have access to it.

In the Walsall and Bloxwich constituency, the decision has been taken to proceed with the Swift Academy, to address urgent local secondary sufficiency pressure.

The department provides and retains responsibility for capital funding for the acquisition of sites and construction of free schools. The department also provides revenue funding, via project development grants, directly to proposers to cover essential non-capital costs prior to each school opening.

In 2016, the department invited trusts to submit proposals for new free schools to be funded and delivered through the central free school programme as part of application Wave 12. Swift Academy (then called Blakenall Free School) was approved in April 2017 following an application from The Windsor Academy Trust. All applications were assessed against published selection criteria and geographical context.

Local residents, interested parties and statutory bodies will be consulted prior to the school opening. As with all projects, Swift Academy will continue to be assessed on an ongoing basis to ensure it continues to meet the need for places and provides value for money.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what data her Department holds on the number of primary and secondary schools in England that include teaching on organ donation within the Relationships, Sex and Health Education curriculum; and whether her Department plans to (a) collect and (b) publish further information on that topic.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) statutory guidance sets out that by the end of secondary school, pupils should know about the science relating to blood, organ and stem cell donation.

The department does not routinely collect data on how many schools teach specific topics and has no plans to require schools to report in that detail. It is for individual schools to make sure that they cover the statutory content in RSHE, and they have flexibility to decide how to do so.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment has been made of the extent of regional disparities in access to post adoption (a) therapeutic and (b) practical support services.

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

The adoption and special guardianship support fund is available nationwide. It funds post-adoption support interventions including therapeutic support for adopted children and their families.

Adoption England recently completed a review of regional post-adoption support. The review is available here: https://www.adoptionengland.co.uk/sites/default/files/2025-06/ASGSF%20Options%20Appraisal.pdf. The report finds that families experiences differ by region due to local delivery models and provider capacity.

The department invested £8.8 million in Adoption England this year to improve adoption support across the country. This includes the development of a national core offer of support for the first 12-18 months of a placement. Practical support, such as peer groups and parenting programmes, are commissioned locally to reflect local need.

Adopted children and their families can also make use of universal provision including Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services and Families First, a local authority-led early help service that provides practical and emotional support to families, including parenting advice and access to community resources, to prevent issues from escalating.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the funding that mainstream primary schools with SEN Units receive to fund their free breakfast club.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

The department selected schools, including those with special educational needs units, for the early adopter (EA) scheme to ensure that there is a range of participating schools operating within different contexts and from diverse starting points.

The EA ‘test and learn’ phase has been crucial to informing the national rollout of free breakfast clubs. Through consultation with EAs, we have heard from the sector about what schools and trusts need to do to ensure free breakfast clubs effectively support children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). EA funding was designed to take account of the numbers of children with additional needs in different schools. However, we heard from EAs that the way funding was allocated did not always align with the number of children attending a club who may need additional support and was therefore not working as effectively as possible for some EA schools. In line with our ‘test and learn’ approach, we have therefore changed the funding rate and allocations for mainstream schools on the programme for national rollout so that the funding better enables all schools to meet the needs of children who attend, including children with SEND. These changes simplify the funding rate and mean schools will receive more money, at a rate of £25 per day, plus £1 per child per day. Schools have the autonomy to spend this funding according to how it best fits their needs.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the outstanding value is of student loan debt owed by EU students; and how much of that debt is being actively repaid.

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

An EU borrower is a borrower who was originally domiciled in an EU country prior to entering higher education in England. Tuition fee funding for new EU students in England without 'settled' or 'pre-settled status' ceased in the 2021/22 academic year. However, those continuing a course remain eligible for financial support for the duration of their course, in addition to those covered by the Withdrawal Agreements, subject to meeting other residency and course requirements.

The outstanding value of student loan debt owed by EU borrowers was £5.8 billion at 31 March 2025. Of EU borrowers liable to repay, 38.8% are actively repaying, have fully repaid or had their loan cancelled or written off. This data is published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/student-loans-in-england-2024-to-2025/student-loans-in-england-financial-year-2024-25.

A loan becomes liable for repayment when the borrower has passed their statutory repayment due date. This is the normally the April after graduating or otherwise leaving their course, provided they are earning above the relevant income threshold.

Definitions of repayment terms can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/student-loans-in-england-2024-to-2025/definitions-england.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what the timeframe is for the Department of Education’s review of childcare provision as announced in the Budget, and whether the terms of reference for this review will be published.

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

As announced in the Autumn Budget 2025, the department will lead a review of childcare provision. This review aims to simplify the system for providers and families, improving access and strengthening the impact of government support. The review is expected to take place in 2026, and we will share more information in due course.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support UK universities and employers in maximising the benefits of the UK's return to the Erasmus+ student exchange programme, particularly in relation to skills and labour mobility.

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

A National Agency will be appointed in due course to deliver Erasmus+ for the UK.

A website with further information will be launched by the UK’s National Agency in summer 2026. Guidance on how to apply for Erasmus+ will be available on GOV.UK, and subsequently the National Agency’s website in summer 2026.

The department will work closely with institutions and our young people to maximise take-up, particularly among disadvantaged groups, and provide certainty on complementary UK schemes so providers can plan confidently and deliver at pace.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for what reason her department’s July 2025 statutory guidance on Relationships and Sex Education notes that schools should not teach as fact that all people have a gender identity; and how schools should follow this guidance whilst teaching about the protected characteristic of gender reassignment under the Equality Act 2010.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The statutory relationships, sex and health education guidance makes it clear that, at secondary school, there should be an equal opportunity to explore the features of stable and healthy same-sex relationships when learning about relationships. It strongly encourages primary schools to include same-sex parents when discussing family arrangements. From primary school, children will learn about the importance of kindness and respect, including respect for people who are different from them.

We expect schools to ensure that all children and young people, including trans pupils, are treated with the same respect and dignity as their peers, fostering an environment where everyone feels safe, valued and supported. The guidance remains clear that those who share the protected characteristic of gender reassignment also have protection from discrimination by law and should be treated with respect and dignity. It acknowledges that, beyond law and facts about biological sex and gender reassignment, there is significant debate. That is why it sets out that schools should not endorse any particular view or teach it as fact.

The new guidance informs teaching from September 2026. We will fund schools to pilot initiatives that enhance teaching of relationships and sex education. Oak National Academy has developed materials across the updated curriculum.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will set out the (a) resources and (b) training her Department will make available to support teachers to implement July 2025 statutory guidance on Relationships and Sex Education.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The statutory relationships, sex and health education guidance makes it clear that, at secondary school, there should be an equal opportunity to explore the features of stable and healthy same-sex relationships when learning about relationships. It strongly encourages primary schools to include same-sex parents when discussing family arrangements. From primary school, children will learn about the importance of kindness and respect, including respect for people who are different from them.

We expect schools to ensure that all children and young people, including trans pupils, are treated with the same respect and dignity as their peers, fostering an environment where everyone feels safe, valued and supported. The guidance remains clear that those who share the protected characteristic of gender reassignment also have protection from discrimination by law and should be treated with respect and dignity. It acknowledges that, beyond law and facts about biological sex and gender reassignment, there is significant debate. That is why it sets out that schools should not endorse any particular view or teach it as fact.

The new guidance informs teaching from September 2026. We will fund schools to pilot initiatives that enhance teaching of relationships and sex education. Oak National Academy has developed materials across the updated curriculum.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to July 2025 statutory guidance on Relationships and Sex Education, whether primary schools are required to teach about same-sex families.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The statutory relationships, sex and health education guidance makes it clear that, at secondary school, there should be an equal opportunity to explore the features of stable and healthy same-sex relationships when learning about relationships. It strongly encourages primary schools to include same-sex parents when discussing family arrangements. From primary school, children will learn about the importance of kindness and respect, including respect for people who are different from them.

We expect schools to ensure that all children and young people, including trans pupils, are treated with the same respect and dignity as their peers, fostering an environment where everyone feels safe, valued and supported. The guidance remains clear that those who share the protected characteristic of gender reassignment also have protection from discrimination by law and should be treated with respect and dignity. It acknowledges that, beyond law and facts about biological sex and gender reassignment, there is significant debate. That is why it sets out that schools should not endorse any particular view or teach it as fact.

The new guidance informs teaching from September 2026. We will fund schools to pilot initiatives that enhance teaching of relationships and sex education. Oak National Academy has developed materials across the updated curriculum.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of replacing the statutory requirement for daily Christian collective worship in schools without a religious character in England with non-confessional assemblies in light of the Supreme Court’s ruling in JR87 2025 UKSC 40.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The legislative framework for providing collective worship in England is different to that in Northern Ireland. However, the department is considering the implications of the Supreme Court judgement carefully. Schools in England already have flexibility to hold assemblies without a religious focus.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to withdraw, revise, or replace Circular 1/94 Religious Education and Collective Worship, in the context of the Supreme Court’s ruling in JR87 2025 UKSC 40.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The legislative framework for providing collective worship in England is different to that in Northern Ireland. However, the department is considering the implications of the Supreme Court judgement carefully. Schools in England already have flexibility to hold assemblies without a religious focus.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of removing interest charges from student loans for UK nationals on costs to the public purse.

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

Education is a devolved matter, and this response outlines the information for England only.

The government keeps the student finance system under continuous review to ensure that it delivers good value for both students and taxpayers.

Student loans are subject to interest to ensure that those who can afford to do so contribute to the full cost of their degree. To consider both students and taxpayers and ensure the real value of the loans over the repayment term, interest rates are linked to inflation.

Interest rates do not impact monthly repayments made by student loan borrowers. Regular repayments are based on a borrower’s monthly or weekly income, not on interest rates or the amount borrowed. Outstanding debt, including interest built up, is cancelled after the loan term ends (or in case of death or disability) at no detriment to the borrower.

A full equality impact assessment of how the student loan reforms may affect graduates under Plan 5 was produced and published in February 2022, and can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/higher-education-reform-equality-impact-assessment.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department's press notice entitled £740 million allocated for 10,000 new places for pupils with SEND, published on 27 March 2025, what data she holds on how the additional funding was spent by Local Education Authorities.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The £740 million high needs capital investment in 2025/26 is on track to create around 10,000 new specialist places, in both special and mainstream schools.

Local authorities share plans for their HNPCA with the department as part of grant assurance checks. We do not publish these due to the potential commercial sensitivities, but we encourage local authorities to publish where possible to aid transparency.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has to monitor the time taken by schools to respond to formal complaints.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education has acknowledged the concerns being raised about parental complaints, including the increasing number of complaints being received by schools and the impact it is having on both parents and carers and school leaders, and has been clear that we need to make the system more robust and respectful with a focus on finding resolutions quickly and in the best interest of children.

The department is working closely with the Improving Education Together group to improve the complaints system, including by exploring how we reset the relationship between schools and parents and carers so that issues can be resolved informally, reduce unnecessary duplication, and clarify roles and responsibilities so that complaints that schools cannot resolve are dealt with in a timely manner by the right body.

We expect to provide more detail on how we will improve the school’s complaints system in the Schools White Paper.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many Technical Excellence Colleges are planned to be in Lincolnshire.

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

As part of its mission to break down barriers to opportunity, this government is transforming further education colleges into specialist technical excellence colleges (TECs), working with a wide range of skills partners to provide young people and adults with better opportunities and the highly trained workforce that local economies need.

We have already launched ten new construction TECs, backed by £120 million, and are now expanding the TEC programme to a further four high growth sectors in defence, clean energy, advanced manufacturing, and digital and technologies.

Applications for all four sectors are now live and will close on 16 February 2026.

Exact locations are yet to be determined, and colleges will be appointed through a fair and transparent application process. Successful TECs will be appointed from April 2026.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will extend the ‘Respond by’ deadline on the technical consultation on the International Student Levy until after her Department has published the research it commissioned on student price elasticities in Spring 2026.

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

The international student levy forms part of our wider plan for higher education student finance and funding reform, as set out in the Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper, which puts the sector on a secure financial footing whilst also ensuring it contributes to wider governmental objectives.

The department is continuing to engage with providers on the implementation of the levy, to ensure its effective introduction and operation. Our technical consultation gives stakeholders the opportunity to contribute their views and shape how the levy will be delivered. It is open until 18 February 2026 in line with usual practice for consultations.

We call on the Government to introduce legislation requiring that all educational establishments (such as schools and colleges) to install fully enclosed restroom cubicles.

Introduce GCSE Law to the national education curriculum. I feel the current curriculum can sometimes fail to inspire and motivate students.

Found: being seen in children’s services, with a multiplicity of education, health and social care needs (see DfE

Found: Innovation and Technology and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and Department for Education

Found: Social Care and Susie Owen, Co-Director for Early Years, Childcare, Families and Analysis, Department for Education

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help prevent the spread of measles in schools.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Vaccination is the safest and most effective way to protect children and staff against measles. In England, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) works closely with NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care to improve uptake of the routine childhood immunisation programme, including the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine. The UKHSA also works closely with the Department for Education and a broad range of stakeholders and partners at the national, regional, and local level to communicate the importance of the MMR vaccine and the risk of measles, across media, social media, and through engagement with local communities.

The UKHSA Health Protection Teams work closely with local partners and schools to respond to measles outbreaks when they arise. Guidance for educational settings on preventing and managing infectious disease like measles is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/health-protection-in-schools-and-other-childcare-facilities

Information for parents whose children have contracted measles can be found at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/measles/

From 1 January 2026, general practices will offer eligible children a combined vaccine for measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella instead of MMR, as part of the routine infant vaccination schedule. Further information is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/introduction-of-a-routine-varicella-mmrv-vaccination-programme

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to Restoring Control Over the Immigration System: White Paper, whether families accessing Free School Meals under the No Recourse to Public Funds extension could be subject to penalties of 5 or 10 years under the earned settlement scheme.

Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

Data regarding how many people in the UK are subject to the ‘no recourse to public funds’ condition (NRPF) is currently in development and not ready for release. We will continue to explore what further information on NRPF can be produced. We are unable at this time to provide a specific timeframe for data publication or indeed confirm what will be published.

The earned settlement model is currently subject to a public consultation, running until 12 February 2026. Details of the earned settlement scheme will be finalised following that consultation.

The consultation seeks views on whether there should be transitional arrangements for those already on a pathway to settlement. Consideration will then be given, if appropriate, to how transitional arrangements may be designed to ease the impact of policy change, especially for individuals or groups already afforded permissions by the previous system.

The final model will also be subject to equality impact assessment, which the government has committed to publish in due course.

Free school meals are not classed as a 'public fund' for immigration purposes. It is the Department for Education who set the eligibility criteria for who can access free school meals.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, in the past twelve months, how many disciplinary cases were concluded against civil servants in (a) the Department and (b) its agencies broken down by (i) outcome and (ii) whether the primary allegation related to (A) performance and (B) conduct.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

As of 30 November 2025, the current figure for disciplinary cases stands at 1,342, covering the period from 1 December 2024 to 30 November 2025. This total includes both concluded and ongoing cases. Unfortunately, we are unable to provide a more detailed breakdown beyond this level.

Regarding information about the Department’s agencies, Skills England is being transferred to DWP, however, some functions, including HR, are still being covered by the Department for Education, therefore DWP does not hold this data.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average number of working days lost to sickness absence per full-time equivalent member of staff was in (a) the Department and (b) its executive agencies in the last year; and how many formal performance warnings were issued to staff whose absence exceeded departmental triggers.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

DWP’s absence data is publicly available in the https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/sickness-absence., which includes the average working days lost. The Cabinet Office collates sickness absence data from DWP on a quarterly basis, and this management information is published annually.

Data for the year ending 31st March 2025 was published on 16th December 2025.

In the past year, 1,649 formal performance warnings were issued to staff whose absences exceeded departmental triggers. However, because of the way data are recorded, the Department cannot confirm whether in each case the warning was specifically due to absences exceeding those triggers. As of November 2025, the total DWP headcount stands at 95,164.

DWP has one executive agency, Skills England however their HR functions is provided by Department for Education, therefore sick absence data for Skills England will not be included DWP figures.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what was the apprenticeship budget for the Department for Education in 2024–25; what proportion of that budget was spent in total; and what proportion was spent on (1) training for apprenticeships with levy-paying employers, (2) training for apprenticeships with non-levy-paying employers, and (3) other activities.

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

In the 2024-25 financial year, the English apprenticeships budget was fully spent.

The following table provides a breakdown of total spend for the 2024-25 financial year, including the proportion of total spend on training for apprenticeships with levy paying employers and training for apprenticeships with non-levy paying employers in England.

In addition, the table reflects the spend on apprenticeships that started prior to the introduction of the apprenticeships levy and new funding system, as well as non-apprenticeships participation spend, such as the cost of running digital services and marketing and communications campaigns.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions his Department has had with the Department for Education on supporting small healthcare professions whose training courses may be financially unviable despite being essential to NHS and community healthcare delivery.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department of Health and Social Care works closely with the Department for Education to support the availability of a diverse range of training routes into health and care careers. While the Government is committed to ensuring sustainable training pathways for small and vulnerable healthcare professions, higher education institutions are independent providers and are responsible for making their own decisions about course delivery and viability.

Found: individual support from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy or the Department for Education

Found: individual support from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy or the Department for Education

Found: (London, Greater London) Shazia HUSSAIN Director of Children's Social Care, Department for Education

Found: transforming countless young lives through partnerships with schools, colleges and the Department for Education

Found: /td>

Found: provider from the NHS provider’s Digital Apprenticeship Service (DAS) account held by the Department for Education

Found: provider from the NHS provider’s Digital Apprenticeship Service (DAS) account held by the Department for Education

Found: "govuk-table__cell">HMRC Communications

Found: wider UKG response to the Casey Audit and was mentioned today on a call we have with the HO and DfE

Found: investors navigate the UK’s complex planning and skills systems: delivered jointly with MHCLG and DfE