Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the report entitled Evaluation of pupil attainment and progression in Maths Schools, published in October 2025 by The Observatory for Mathematical Education.

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

When forming maths policy, the department considers a broad range of evidence. The department is aware of this report and will consider it alongside evidence from a range of other stakeholders, as well as internal analysis, when designing future policy.

The government recognises the valuable contribution that maths schools make towards high-quality maths and further maths provision across the country, including in the Torbay constituency which is served by the Exeter Maths School. The department will open new maths schools in Durham and Nottingham, ensuring talented students in every region gain a chance to pursue advanced mathematics.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the extent to which foster carers approved by independent fostering agencies receive equivalent support from local authorities compared with in house foster carers.

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

Fostering is a challenging role that requires skills and dedication from those who foster, and it is crucial that foster carers receive the support they need to enable them to fulfil this role.

The National Minimum Standards (NMS) for fostering sets out the minimum expectations for the support, supervision and training that all fostering services must provide to foster carers, ensuring consistently high quality care for children. The NMS sets out the expectation that each foster carer receives at least the national minimum allowance for the child in their care.

We have committed to reviewing and updating the NMS as part of our wider programme of reforms. The government’s action plan published in February 2026, ‘Renewing Fostering: Homes for 10,000 More Children’, sets out our approach to recruiting more foster carers, and strengthening support for foster families. This includes the development of an enhanced training and support package for foster carers, which will be rolled out from 2026/27.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what mechanisms are in place to ensure accountability for public sector bodies and organisations carrying out safeguarding functions on behalf of local authorities; and whether her Department plans to introduce new measures to improve transparency, oversight and consequences for procedural failures.

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

‘Working Together to Safeguard Children 2026’ sets clear expectations for how organisations must safeguard children. Inspectorates and regulators are key to ensuring organisations follow their statutory duties. Ofsted inspects early years provision, schools, further education and skills providers, and all children’s social care services including children’s homes, fostering agencies and adoption services.

Joint Targeted Area Inspections are multi-agency inspections carried out by Ofsted, the Care Quality Commission, His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services and HM Inspectorate Probation.

Out-of-school settings have a common law duty of care to take reasonable steps to prevent foreseeable harm, alongside other statutory obligations relating to Disclosure and Barring Service requirements and health and safety legislation.

DfE will provide a formal response to the call for evidence on safeguarding in these settings in due course, following ongoing stakeholder engagement.

The department is establishing a Child Protection Authority to strengthen the child protection response regardless of where harm takes place.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether student loan repayments made under the Plan 2 student loan scheme align with the levels originally expected when the plan was introduced; and what assessment they have made of the stability of the student loan scheme and the sustainability of this funding arrangement for higher education in the UK.

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

We inherited the student loans system, including Plan 2, which was devised by the previous government. Threshold freezes have been introduced to protect taxpayers and students now, alongside future generations of learners and workers.

It is reasonable to ask those graduates who do benefit financially from higher education to contribute towards the cost of their studies. Graduates generally benefit from higher earnings, and ensuring they repay more of their loan is fair for those workers who have not gone to university or graduates on lower salaries.

There is precedent for multi-year threshold freezes. Plan 2 was held at £21,000 from its introduction until 2018 and was subsequently frozen for three years from financial years 2022/23 to 2024/25.

The student finance system is heavily subsidised by government, and lower-earning graduates will always be protected. Any outstanding loan, including interest, is cancelled at the end of the repayment term and debt is never passed on to family members or descendants. In financial year 2025/26 34% of loan debt for full-time Plan 2 graduates was forecast not to be repaid. We have to make the choices required to manage spend and the impact of these legacy loans.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government, in regard to the policy paper Giving every child the best start in life, published on 7 July 2025, what is the timeline for the procurement and delivery of the national Best Start digital service.

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

The Best Start in Life website launched on 1 September 2025, bringing together information and support from across government in one place. The content has been shaped by user research with parents, and serves as a key access point for online support and guidance.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many care leavers did not have their immigration status resolved before reaching the age of 18 in each of the last five years.

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

Information on the immigration status of care leavers is not held centrally by the department.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Smith of Malvern on 27 January (HL13548), what assessment they have made of the causes of the increase in the (1) proportion, and (2) number, of school children educated in special schools in the past ten years.

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

Assessments by the Education Select Committee, Public Accounts Committee and National Audit Office highlight common challenges across the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system that mean children and young people do not get the effective early intervention they need and leave parents struggling to secure appropriate support.

As set out in our ‘Every Child Achieving and Thriving’ White Paper, the government is seeking to reshape the SEND system to make all mainstream early years settings, schools and colleges truly inclusive. We are also investing billions of pounds to adapt classrooms and corridors, train teachers, educators and assistants, and bring experts like speech and language therapists into settings.

We are consulting on these proposals and will continue to work with a wide range of partners to refine them and deliver them.

The department collects and publishes figures on the number and proportion of pupils in special schools. The number of pupils in special schools (State-funded and non-maintained) has increased from 109,177 in 2015/16 to 169,630 in 2024/25. This is an increase of 60,453. The proportion of pupils in special schools was 1.3% in 2015/16 and 1.9% in 2024/25, an increase of 0.6 percentage points.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the command paper, Protecting What Matters, CP 1540, 9 March 2026, page 40, in what manner will the new guidance on External Speakers differ to that published by the (a) Charity Commission and (b) Office for Students.

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

The department will publish new guidance in the spring to support higher education (HE) providers in understanding their responsibilities under the Prevent Duty. This will include advice on assessing whether external speech may be unlawful or linked to terrorism, and on carrying out due diligence for invited speakers.

The Prevent Duty does not apply to all charities, and not all HE providers have charity status. The planned guidance will therefore offer more detailed, sector-specific advice on managing risks associated with external speakers in HE settings than guidance intended for the wider charity sector.

The planned guidance will work alongside guidance issued by the Office for Students which supports providers in meeting duties under the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will commission an independent review into how student finance products, including Plan 2 loans, are communicated to prospective students, with particular regard to transparency and informed consent.

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

Plan 2 student loans were devised by previous administrations and students in England starting degrees under this government have different arrangements. Since the 2023/24 academic year, new students in England receive their loans on Plan 5 terms and conditions, not on Plan 2 terms. As Plan 2 loans are not available for prospective students in England, there is no impact on existing borrowers.

Students sign the terms and conditions of student loans before any money is paid to them. Student loans already contain borrower protections. For example, repayments are linked to income, not to the amount borrowed or interest applied. Repayments are made at a constant rate of 9% above the earnings threshold. Borrowers earning under the earnings threshold are not required to make repayments. Any outstanding loan, including interest built up, is cancelled at the end of the loan term with no detriment to the borrower, and debt is never passed on to family members or descendants.

Student finance and higher education funding is a complex, interconnected system, and we are considering a range of options to make the system fairer. However, funding arrangements must be considered to ensure they are fiscally responsible.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the Government plans to introduce any additional safeguards to ensure that changes to student loan repayment terms do not have retrospective adverse impacts on existing borrowers.

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

Plan 2 student loans were devised by previous administrations and students in England starting degrees under this government have different arrangements. Since the 2023/24 academic year, new students in England receive their loans on Plan 5 terms and conditions, not on Plan 2 terms. As Plan 2 loans are not available for prospective students in England, there is no impact on existing borrowers.

Students sign the terms and conditions of student loans before any money is paid to them. Student loans already contain borrower protections. For example, repayments are linked to income, not to the amount borrowed or interest applied. Repayments are made at a constant rate of 9% above the earnings threshold. Borrowers earning under the earnings threshold are not required to make repayments. Any outstanding loan, including interest built up, is cancelled at the end of the loan term with no detriment to the borrower, and debt is never passed on to family members or descendants.

Student finance and higher education funding is a complex, interconnected system, and we are considering a range of options to make the system fairer. However, funding arrangements must be considered to ensure they are fiscally responsible.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of Plan 2 student loan interest rates on borrowers, particularly in relation to (a) long-term debt balances and (b) the ability of borrowers to (i) access mortgages and (ii) manage the cost of living.

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

The size of outstanding student loans does not prevent access to a mortgage, and student loan balances do not appear on borrower credit records, therefore the total size of a student’s debt is not considered in a mortgage application.

Monthly student loan repayments are considered alongside other living costs as part of the affordability check for mortgage applications along with other fixed monthly outgoings, but monthly repayments are not linked to the size of the outstanding loan.

Student loan repayments are income linked, not to the amount borrowed or interest applied, and are fixed at 9% above the earnings threshold. Borrowers earning below the earnings threshold are exempt from repayments. Outstanding loans, including accrued interest, are cancelled at the end of the loan term with no detriment to the borrower, and debt is never passed on to family members or descendants.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance was issued to higher education institutions and the Student Loans Company on communicating to prospective students the potential for future changes to the terms and conditions of Plan 2 student loans.

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

Plan 2 student loans were designed and implemented in 2012 by previous governments, and students in England starting degrees under this government have different arrangements. This government therefore cannot comment on guidance that was provided to higher education institutions (HEIs) and Student Loans Company (SLC) regarding plan 2 loans.

However, both the SLC and HEIs had access to the terms and conditions of student loans available for prospective students prior to their application for financial support at the time of their studies.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to review cases where foster carers and children may have been adversely affected by Local Authority Designated Officer investigations; and if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of establishing a public inquiry into historic failures in the foster care system and related safeguarding procedures.

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

The local authority designated officer (LADO) is a local authority function. Local authorities are responsible for managing allegations against adults who work with children and the LADO plays a vital role in safeguarding children by overseeing the management of allegations made against adults who work with children in any capacity. To help ensure the LADO role is delivered consistently and effectively, we are working with the national LADO network to make operational guidance available. This guidance seeks to draw together current good practice to support a more consistent approach nationally.

The department has announced an ambitious reform programme to urgently address the sharp decline in foster carers and modernise fostering. The reforms establish a clear direction built on relationships, stability and trust, simplifying outdated rules, strengthening national recruitment, expanding regional collaboration and improving support.

Our primary metric will be the number of approved fostering places in local authorities and third sector providers, with the aim of creating an additional 10,000 fostering places by the end of this Parliament.

The fostering plan is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/renewing-fostering-homes-for-10000-more-children.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of information provided to 17–18-year-old students entering higher education in 2012 on the interest rate structure of Plan 2 student loans, including the application of Retail Price Index plus up to 3%.

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

Plan 2 loans were designed and implemented by previous governments. Prospective students had wide access to information across a range of platforms before submitting their applications.

Plan 2 loans interest rates are applied at the Retail Price Index (RPI) only, then variable up to RPI +3% depending on earnings. Repayments are calculated solely on earnings, and not on the amount borrowed or the rate of interest applied. Crucially, any outstanding loan and interest is written off at the end of the loan term, and debt is never passed on to family members or descendants.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to introduce increased statutory rights and protections for foster carers, including safeguards against unsubstantiated allegations; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of such reforms on the stability and wellbeing of children in foster care.

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

The department does not hold data centrally on the number of fostering placements at constituency level. Nationally, placement sufficiency remains under strain, which is why reforms are essential to renewing fostering and improving support for carers and children.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential benefits of a national strategy to manage financial restructuring across the higher education sector.

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

The department recognises the concerns of higher education (HE) providers and their staff around the ongoing financial stability of their institutions.

While HE providers are independent from government and are responsible for the pay and provision of staff, we are committed to working with the sector to create a secure future for our world-leading sector. Our decision to raise tuition fees annually in line with inflation, alongside refocusing the Office for Students on monitoring the sector’s financial health, demonstrates this commitment.

We encourage providers to work with their staff to develop sustainable models that retain talent and expertise and provide stability for the workforce and the institution. We will continue to engage regularly with the sector, unions and the employer body to better understand issues affecting HE providers and staff.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to (1) support access to computing and AI education for schoolchildren, and (2) address disparities in digital literacy across England.

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

The government has accepted the relevant recommendations of the independent Curriculum and Assessment Review to ensure that young people become more digitally literate through a refreshed computing curriculum, including essential AI content, that builds digital confidence from an early age. We are considering how digital content can be integrated across other subjects to build strong, transferrable digital skills, and will replace the computer science GCSE with a broader qualification reflecting the full computing curriculum.

Work is underway to develop the new curriculum, and the department will conduct a public consultation on the draft programmes of study in summer 2026. To increase the number of pupils who will benefit from the reformed national curriculum, we are legislating so that academies will be required to teach it, alongside maintained schools.

We are continuing to invest in the National Centre for Computing Education to support teachers to teach about these topics with confidence.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what lessons they have learned from the rollout of online evidence-based parenting programmes by the government of Australia in 2022.

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

In the Best Start in Life strategy, the government committed to expanding access to high-quality, evidence-based parenting and home-learning support. This ensures that families receive interventions that best promote children’s early development and help close the gap before they start school.

The department is committed to ensuring that parenting support in England is grounded in high-quality evidence and reflects the needs and circumstances of our population. As part of this commitment, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education visited Australia in December 2025, where she engaged in roundtables and met with ministers to discuss the Australian early years system.

We will continue to monitor emerging national and international practice while taking a careful and evidence-led approach to future decisions including the programmes in Australia.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment her Department has made of the availability of post-16 provision in Lincolnshire.

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

The department works closely with the Lincolnshire councils and local further education (FE) colleges to ensure there is sufficient post-16 provision in Lincolnshire.

The department works with local authorities to assess significant change applications from schools for new post-16 provision or to close existing provision to ensure that any closure proposals do not create 16 to 19 sufficiency challenges within an area.

In October 2025, we published the ‘Post-16 education and skills white paper’, setting out reforms to the skills system. This includes the introduction of V Levels to sit alongside A and T Levels, the Further Study pathway, supported by a new Foundation Certificate, to support students to progress onto V, T or A levels and also the Occupational pathway. This is supported by a new Occupational Certificate, assisting students develop skills to go into apprenticeships or employment.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of Home Office decisions on the finances of universities.

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

The new International Education Strategy reflects the positive impact of international students. It confirms our continued commitment to welcoming students who meet the requirements to study in the UK.

The system must, however, ensure that international students make a positive contribution to the communities in which they study. The ‘Restoring control over the immigration system’ White Paper contains measures that will achieve a reduction in net migration, whilst maintaining the UK’s globally competitive position and boosting our skills base.

The department expects the UK to remain an attractive study destination. The most recent data shows that applications from Sponsored Study visa main applicants in the year ending January 2026 were 2 per cent higher than the previous year. The data is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/monthly-entry-clearance-visa-applications-january-2026/monthly-entry-clearance-visa-applications-january-2026.

Whilst we recognise international students’ value, reliance on international fee income is a risk to some providers' income. HE providers must ensure their business models provide long-term sustainability.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of her Department's immigration criteria on the number of international students attending universities in (a) the UK and (b) York.

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

The new International Education Strategy reflects the positive impact of international students. It confirms our continued commitment to welcoming students who meet the requirements to study in the UK.

The system must, however, ensure that international students make a positive contribution to the communities in which they study. The ‘Restoring control over the immigration system’ White Paper contains measures that will achieve a reduction in net migration, whilst maintaining the UK’s globally competitive position and boosting our skills base.

The department expects the UK to remain an attractive study destination. The most recent data shows that applications from Sponsored Study visa main applicants in the year ending January 2026 were 2 per cent higher than the previous year. The data is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/monthly-entry-clearance-visa-applications-january-2026/monthly-entry-clearance-visa-applications-january-2026.

Whilst we recognise international students’ value, reliance on international fee income is a risk to some providers' income. HE providers must ensure their business models provide long-term sustainability.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on the impact of her policies on the supply of international students for Higher Education.

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

The new International Education Strategy reflects the positive impact of international students. It confirms our continued commitment to welcoming students who meet the requirements to study in the UK.

The system must, however, ensure that international students make a positive contribution to the communities in which they study. The ‘Restoring control over the immigration system’ White Paper contains measures that will achieve a reduction in net migration, whilst maintaining the UK’s globally competitive position and boosting our skills base.

The department expects the UK to remain an attractive study destination. The most recent data shows that applications from Sponsored Study visa main applicants in the year ending January 2026 were 2 per cent higher than the previous year. The data is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/monthly-entry-clearance-visa-applications-january-2026/monthly-entry-clearance-visa-applications-january-2026.

Whilst we recognise international students’ value, reliance on international fee income is a risk to some providers' income. HE providers must ensure their business models provide long-term sustainability.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of total university fee income has been derived from international students in each of the past five years.

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

The new International Education Strategy reflects the positive impact of international students. It confirms our continued commitment to welcoming students who meet the requirements to study in the UK.

The system must, however, ensure that international students make a positive contribution to the communities in which they study. The ‘Restoring control over the immigration system’ White Paper contains measures that will achieve a reduction in net migration, whilst maintaining the UK’s globally competitive position and boosting our skills base.

The department expects the UK to remain an attractive study destination. The most recent data shows that applications from Sponsored Study visa main applicants in the year ending January 2026 were 2 per cent higher than the previous year. The data is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/monthly-entry-clearance-visa-applications-january-2026/monthly-entry-clearance-visa-applications-january-2026.

Whilst we recognise international students’ value, reliance on international fee income is a risk to some providers' income. HE providers must ensure their business models provide long-term sustainability.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate she has made of the financial return to the UK economy of public investment in higher education.

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

Graduates make a significant economic and financial contribution to the UK economy. A report commissioned by Universities UK and published in 2024 suggests that the UK higher education sector contributes around £265 billion to the UK economy and that every £1 of public funding invested in the sector’s teaching activities generated a total of some £13 in wider economic impact across the UK.

The Universities UK commissioned report can be found here: https://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/sites/default/files/field/downloads/2024-09/LE-UUK-Impact-of-university-TL-and-RI-Final-Report.pdf.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has considered the potential merits of using timber materials in a) constructing and b) maintaining school buildings.

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

The government recognises that timber offers a solution as a renewable, low-carbon resource. It offers potential to reduce emissions and create jobs, as set out in the Timber in Construction Roadmap: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/timber-in-construction-roadmap-2025/timber-in-construction-roadmap-2025.

The department has piloted a number of projects which explore the use of timber in school construction, including three prototypes using UK timber.

Our construction specification requires that new buildings meet an embodied carbon requirement, and that designs use natural materials to create a healthy learning environment. These specifications encourage the use of timber and other natural materials to meet the needs of our low carbon future.

Timber is a commonly used material in maintaining school buildings. School responsible bodies must ensure that the correct materials are used for any works to maintain fire, safety and other critical requirements.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether higher education institutions are making adequate impact assessments of higher education institutions' proposals to cut and restructure languages provision with due regard to higher education institutions' regional, national and international roles and responsibilities.

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

The department is aware that some universities are making difficult decisions about their provision. As autonomous institutions, universities are free to choose which courses they deliver. While the government is supportive of language provision, we play no role in the delivery of these specific schemes.

As education is a devolved matter, it would not be appropriate for the government to comment on provision at Scottish universities.

We want to ensure that all children and young people have access to a high-quality language education. In response to the Curriculum and Assessment Review, we set out our commitment to strengthen the languages pipeline, including at A level and degree.

Teacher recruitment in modern languages is kept under review. Incentives, bursaries and training reforms aim to support a sustainable pipeline, recognising that universities play an important but independent role in this.

The government continues to assess national capability needs in security, diplomacy, defence and trade, ensuring language skills requirements are understood across departments.

The department has published our plan for higher education reform through the Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper, which sets out our ambition for a world leading sector that supplies the skills our labour market needs.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect to respond to the recommendations from the second module of the UK Covid-19 Inquiry, including the recommendation on statutory child rights impact assessments.

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

The government will consider the report’s findings and recommendations and will provide a full response to the report in due course.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, in the context of recent uncertainty about the future of the ASGSF, what steps her Department is taking to ensure consistent, high quality therapeutic support for adopted children and their families and Regional Adoption Authorities (RAAs) is continued beyond 2028.

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

The government has carefully considered the impact of changes to adoption and special guardianship support fund (ASGSF) funding as part of the wider Spending Review process. That is why we have confirmed continued funding through to 2027/28, alongside consultation on reform, to ensure families continue to receive support while we improve how it is delivered.

The current consultation, available at: https://consult.education.gov.uk/adoption-and-special-guardianship-support-fund-team/adoption-support-that-works-for-all/supporting_documents/adoption-support-that-works-for-all-consultation-document-feb-2026pdf recognises that while many adopted and kinship children thrive, support can be slow, fragmented and inconsistent when needs arise. It sets out a vision for a more predictable and joined-up system, with universal and targeted early help, clearer support pathways and stronger multi‑disciplinary working across social care, health and education where people need more intensive support. The consultation is also a key opportunity for stakeholders to share their views on what support is effective for children. A report on the outcomes of the consultation, together with next steps, will be published later this year.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what funding they have provided in the current financial year to support chess in schools in England.

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

In line with my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s announcement last year, we intend to invest up to £250,000 per year for 3 years (a total of £750,000) from the 2026/27 financial year to partner with an organisation to deliver a national chess in schools programme. This programme will aim to increase pupils’ participation in chess in schools across all nine regions of England.

It will prioritise mainstream primary and secondary schools with higher proportions of pupils eligible for free school meals, as well as special schools and alternative provision settings, and will include work to improve access for girls and pupils with special educational needs and disabilities.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what is her estimate of the number of days of education lost during 2025 as a result of water leaks in school buildings.

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

Schools and their responsible bodies are not obliged to report school closures to the department and therefore the department does not hold the information requested. Many responsible bodies manage school closures locally and without central government support.

Where the department is notified of a significant event or issue with a school or college building that cannot be managed with local resources, we consider additional support on a case-by-case basis. We work closely with these responsible bodies and schools to minimise the impact of any closures and ensure continuity of education for pupils.

Effective and proactive estate management is key to maintaining a high-quality estate and preventing issues materialising that can disrupt education, like leaks. We already set out clear expectations in our School Estate Management Standards and, in February, launched a new digital service to bring together estates-related guidance, data, tools, programmes and funding in one place. From this autumn, we will ask responsible bodies to make an annual return to confirm they are meeting those standards. For those that are not, we will put in place an estate management capability support plan in agreement with the responsible body.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she is taking steps with relevant stakeholders to help reduce the number of leaks in school buildings.

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

Schools and their responsible bodies are not obliged to report school closures to the department and therefore the department does not hold the information requested. Many responsible bodies manage school closures locally and without central government support.

Where the department is notified of a significant event or issue with a school or college building that cannot be managed with local resources, we consider additional support on a case-by-case basis. We work closely with these responsible bodies and schools to minimise the impact of any closures and ensure continuity of education for pupils.

Effective and proactive estate management is key to maintaining a high-quality estate and preventing issues materialising that can disrupt education, like leaks. We already set out clear expectations in our School Estate Management Standards and, in February, launched a new digital service to bring together estates-related guidance, data, tools, programmes and funding in one place. From this autumn, we will ask responsible bodies to make an annual return to confirm they are meeting those standards. For those that are not, we will put in place an estate management capability support plan in agreement with the responsible body.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the proposed International Student Levy aligns with the Government’s International Education Strategy and its target for growth in education exports.

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

As outlined in the International Education Strategy, the UK aims to both grow the value of education exports to £40 billion per year by 2030, whilst ensuring the sustainable recruitment of high-quality students, in line with the Immigration White Paper.

International higher education (HE) students are only one part of the UK’s wider international education offer, which includes education exports and transnational education provision across the entire sector, from early years to schools, colleges and universities.

Introducing a £925 flat-fee International Student Levy on English HE providers will support sustainable international student recruitment, whilst ensuring students contribute to the communities where they study, with the levy revenue funding the reintroduction of targeted maintenance grants for disadvantaged students.

The UK’s world‑class HE sector will continue to offer an attractive and fulfilling experience to students from around the globe.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has considered alternative funding models for the reintroduction of maintenance grants, other than revenues raised through the proposed International Student Levy.

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

The department is reintroducing targeted, means-tested maintenance grants of up to £1,000 per year, funded by a levy on international student fees, with both being introduced in the 2028/29 academic year.

This will ensure that the proceeds from international student fees benefit domestic learners, furthering our national opportunity mission, and creating stronger economic links between both home and international students.

This government is clear that it welcomes and values the contributions to our society, economy and higher education providers made by overseas students who want to come to the UK. But it is right to ensure that the financial benefit these students provide also helps our most disadvantaged home students.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to hold universities to account on their duty of care to students.

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

The department’s position is that a duty of care in higher education (HE) may arise in certain circumstances. Such circumstances would be a matter for the courts to decide, based on the specific facts and context of the case being considered, and will be dependent on the application by a court of accepted common law principles.

The department continues to work closely with students, parents, mental health experts and the HE sector to drive meaningful change in mental health practice through the HE mental health implementation taskforce. The taskforce published its second stage report, which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/higher-education-mental-health-implementation-taskforce.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have carried out impact assessments of the closures and restructuring of university language departments, including assessments of (1) the impact of regional 'cold spots' on their ambitions for equal opportunities as described in their White Paper Every Child Achieving and Thriving (CP 1508-I), published on 23 February, (2) the sustainability of teacher recruitment targets in modern languages, and (3) the UK's future capabilities in national security, diplomacy, defence and trade.

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

The department is aware that some universities are making difficult decisions about their provision. As autonomous institutions, universities are free to choose which courses they deliver. While the government is supportive of language provision, we play no role in the delivery of these specific schemes.

As education is a devolved matter, it would not be appropriate for the government to comment on provision at Scottish universities.

We want to ensure that all children and young people have access to a high-quality language education. In response to the Curriculum and Assessment Review, we set out our commitment to strengthen the languages pipeline, including at A level and degree.

Teacher recruitment in modern languages is kept under review. Incentives, bursaries and training reforms aim to support a sustainable pipeline, recognising that universities play an important but independent role in this.

The government continues to assess national capability needs in security, diplomacy, defence and trade, ensuring language skills requirements are understood across departments.

The department has published our plan for higher education reform through the Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper, which sets out our ambition for a world leading sector that supplies the skills our labour market needs.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government, in the light of recent departmental closures and restructuring announcements from the Universities of Leicester, Nottingham, Heriot-Watt and Essex, what plans they have to ensure the short-term and long-term sustainability of language degrees in higher education.

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

The department is aware that some universities are making difficult decisions about their provision. As autonomous institutions, universities are free to choose which courses they deliver. While the government is supportive of language provision, we play no role in the delivery of these specific schemes.

As education is a devolved matter, it would not be appropriate for the government to comment on provision at Scottish universities.

We want to ensure that all children and young people have access to a high-quality language education. In response to the Curriculum and Assessment Review, we set out our commitment to strengthen the languages pipeline, including at A level and degree.

Teacher recruitment in modern languages is kept under review. Incentives, bursaries and training reforms aim to support a sustainable pipeline, recognising that universities play an important but independent role in this.

The government continues to assess national capability needs in security, diplomacy, defence and trade, ensuring language skills requirements are understood across departments.

The department has published our plan for higher education reform through the Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper, which sets out our ambition for a world leading sector that supplies the skills our labour market needs.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of establishing a national register for foster parents.

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

Fostering services are required to maintain their own records and registers of approved foster carers in line with the National Minimum Standards and associated regulations.

We recently published the ‘Renewing Fostering: Homes for 10,000 More Children’ action plan which sets out our ambitious plans to strengthen fostering. At the same time, we launched a call for evidence, which sought views on how to improve the foster care system, including questions on a national fostering register.

We are currently analysing the responses to this call for evidence. These insights will help us consider the potential merits, benefits and practical implications of introducing a national register for foster carers as part of future policy development.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Smith of Malvern on 9 February (HL13942), whether the review of childcare provision will cover (1) the availability of funded childcare places across the country, (2) the adequacy of funding rates provided to settings, and (3) the sufficiency, distribution and qualification levels of the childcare workforce.

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

Through the department’s Childcare and Early Education Review, we will look at how to improve access to early education and care, making the system simpler for families and delivering a coherent local offer. The Review will focus on improving outcomes for all children, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds, and on helping parents participate in the labour market.

Alongside this, the Early Years Funding Consultation is considering how funding is distributed nationally and locally to ensure it remains fair, reflects delivery costs, and supports areas with higher levels of need. We also work closely with local authorities to monitor sufficiency and understand the barriers to delivering funded places.

On workforce, we are expanding funded Early Years Initial Teacher Training places, introducing financial incentives in disadvantaged areas, and will be consulting on routes and professional status to support a strong, sustainable profession.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Smith of Malvern on 9 February (HL13942), whether the review of childcare provision will assess the effect of funded childcare provision on (1) labour market participation, (2) family living costs, and (3) children's outcomes, including school readiness.

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

Through the department’s Childcare and Early Education Review, we will look at how to improve access to early education and care, making the system simpler for families and delivering a coherent local offer. The Review will focus on improving outcomes for all children, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds, and on helping parents participate in the labour market.

Alongside this, the Early Years Funding Consultation is considering how funding is distributed nationally and locally to ensure it remains fair, reflects delivery costs, and supports areas with higher levels of need. We also work closely with local authorities to monitor sufficiency and understand the barriers to delivering funded places.

On workforce, we are expanding funded Early Years Initial Teacher Training places, introducing financial incentives in disadvantaged areas, and will be consulting on routes and professional status to support a strong, sustainable profession.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had, if any, with parties involved in the sale of the City & Guilds of London Institute prior to the sale of its charitable assets in October 2025.

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

City & Guilds of London Institute is an independent organisation. The government has no role in its governance or commercial decisions, including the sale of its charitable assets in October 2025.

The department did not hold discussions with parties involved in that sale prior to it taking place.

Following the sale of City and Guilds Ltd, the organisation has confirmed they will continue to deliver qualifications within the further education sector and work constructively with providers as usual.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many private schools have closed since 1 September 2024, or have announced that they will close at the end of this academic year.

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

The number of private school closures is publicly available from the ‘Get Information about Schools’ website. Where local circumstances show that converting a private school into a state funded school would meet local demand for school places, the conversion may be considered through the established legal process.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to enable private schools to become state schools.

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

The number of private school closures is publicly available from the ‘Get Information about Schools’ website. Where local circumstances show that converting a private school into a state funded school would meet local demand for school places, the conversion may be considered through the established legal process.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many pupils have switched from private education to state education since 1 September 2024.

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

The information is not held by the department.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many additional educational psychologists and speech and language therapists, funded by the special educational needs and disabilities plan announced on 23 February, they expect to complete training in (1) 2026–27, (2) 2027–28, (3) 2028–29, and (4) 2029–30.

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

Experts at Hand will be delivered through a blend of existing specialist capacity and new staff brought in over time, ensuring the expertise available grows sustainably as the offer develops.

We recently announced £26 million investment to train at least 200 educational psychologists per year, starting their training in 2026 and 2027, followed by further investment from 2028 to train even larger cohorts, subject to a future spending review. This builds on £31 million already being invested since 2023 to train around 200 educational psychologists per year.

The educational psychology doctorate is a three-year course and those who began their training in 2023 will graduate and enter the workforce in 2026/27. Together, these investments will result in approximately 200 trained educational psychologists graduating each year, in 2026/27, 2027/28, 2028/29, and 2029/30 respectively.

We also announced an investment of over £15 million in speech and language therapists (SaLTs). This is to upskill more SaLT support workers and to establish new SaLT advanced practitioners to ensure more therapists and support workers are working with education settings to support additional children and young people. We will also promote the Level 6 SaLT degree apprenticeship to boost the pipeline.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government, in regard to the Regulatory Policy Committee (RPC) opinion: Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill impact assessment, issued on 31 January 2025, when collective agreement for the relevant regulatory provisions was obtained; on what grounds the legislation was judged sufficiently urgent to proceed before the RPC had issued an opinion; and whether ministers were informed prior to Second Reading on 8 January 2025 that the RPC had not yet completed its scrutiny.

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

The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill is a key step towards delivering the government’s Opportunity Mission to break the link between young people’s background and their future success.

The Bill’s impact assessments were submitted to the Regulatory Policy Committee (RPC) on 5 November 2024, in accordance with the Better Regulation Framework. Collective agreement was provided for measures in the Bill by the Home and Economic Affairs Committee and Parliamentary Business and Legislation Committee in advance of the Bill’s introduction, as required.

The department published the Bill’s impact assessments on 30 January 2025, ahead of the RPC’s final opinion being published on 31 January 2025. The RPC gave the Bill’s impact assessments a green-rating, finding them fit for purpose. Ministers were kept updated throughout.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of commissioning an inquiry by Ofqual into the sale of the City & Guilds of London Institute, given the implications for the qualifications system.

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

City and Guilds of London Institute is an independent organisation. The government has no role in its governance or commercial decisions, including the sale of its charitable assets in October 2025.

Following the sale of City and Guilds Ltd, the organisation has confirmed they will continue to deliver qualifications within the further education sector and work constructively with providers as usual.

Ofqual remain actively engaged with City and Guilds Ltd.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Smith of Malvern on 27 January (HL13548), how many special educational needs and disabilities places in schools were provided as a result of mental health, anxiety and depression factors in each of the past five years.

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

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

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

​Specialist places for pupils with special educational needs are not provided on the basis of specific distinct needs. The department publishes data on the breakdown of pupils by their recorded primary need type and school type on gov.uk although this may not fully reflect the total number of pupils who experience mental health difficulties, anxieties or depression. The department also publishes data on specialist placement capacity on gov.uk since 2023 but this is not broken down by type of need.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government how graduate employment and earnings data are used by (1) the Office for Students, and (2) the Department for Education, when assessing course quality, value for money and student number controls; and whether early-career earnings are used as a primary proxy for course value in the assessment of creative subjects.

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

The Office for Students and the department measure graduate employment and earnings outcomes using multiple data sources including the Graduate Outcomes Survey and Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO) data. The OfS uses Condition B3 measures to help monitor and ensure course quality, which in particular includes progression to high-skilled employment. The LEO publication data measures outcomes 3, 5 and 10 years after graduation, and helps inform research on value for money in higher education. Course value in all subjects is informed by a wide range of factors, including graduate earnings at different points in graduates’ careers. Student number controls are no longer an active policy.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many Ofsted-registered early years providers have ceased operating in England in each of the past three calendar years, broken down by region and local authority; and what assessment they have made of the impact of the funding framework for 30 hours of free childcare on those closures.

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

In 2026/27, the department expects to provide over £9.5 billion for the early years entitlements, more than doubling annual public investment in the early years sector compared to 2023/24, as we have successfully rolled-out the expansion of government-funded childcare for working parents.

The department has regular contact with each local authority in England about their sufficiency of childcare and any issues they are facing. Where local authorities report sufficiency challenges, we discuss what action they are taking to address those issues and, where needed, support the local authority with any specific requirements through our childcare sufficiency support contract. The department does not hold data on waiting lists. No local authorities have reported to us that they do not have sufficient childcare places.

For Ofsted data on Ofsted-registered early years providers who have left the Early Years Register, by region and local authority, please see attached table. The data shows that there has been a slow-down in providers leaving the market.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government how graduate employment and earnings data are used by the Treasury when assessing course quality, value for money and student number controls.

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

His Majesty’s Treasury does not assess higher education provider quality and value for money, as these assessments are undertaken by the department and the Office for Students.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the average amount of extra charges paid by parents who claim 30 hours of free childcare; and what steps they are taking to enforce guidance that prevents providers from making mandatory charges a condition of accessing free hours of childcare.

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

It is our 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 childcare experience survey and the childcare and early years survey of parents, parents who claim 30 hours childcare are asked to indicate any additional charges they pay to their provider. The survey does not ask whether paying the fixed charges is conditional for taking up a place.

The department has recently updated statutory guidance for local authorities. This guidance reinforces that there must be no mandatory charges. The statutory guidance is clear that there must not be any mandatory charges for parents in relation to the free hours. We explain in the statutory guidance that while providers can charge for consumables, food and optional extra activities, as well as additional hours beyond the entitlements, that these must be voluntary for the parent. We furthermore provide a non-exhaustive list of items and services that providers cannot charge for.

Local authorities are empowered to ensure that providers follow this guidance through their provider agreements. How that will be enforced is a matter for the local authority to decide.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what is the standard time interval after graduation at which employment outcomes are measured for higher education leavers; whether that interval varies by subject area; and what assessment they have made of whether the 15-month Graduate Outcomes survey measurement point adequately captures career trajectories in subjects characterised by freelance, self-employed and portfolio working, including fine art, craft and design.

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

Higher education (HE) employment outcomes are measured at multiple points after graduation, including after 15 months in the Graduate Outcomes survey, and after 3, 5 and 10 years in the HE Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO) publication data. Together these datasets provide evidence to inform policy. The HE LEO publication can be found at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/leo-graduate-and-postgraduate-outcomes/2022-23.

The department recognises that employment trajectories differ by occupation and industry sector and takes the full range of data and evidence into account in its research and policy design.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Welsh Government about the continuation of the Taith programme in conjunction with the return of the UK to the Erasmus+ scheme.

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

Any decision on the continuation of the Taith programme following the UK’s association to Erasmus+ in 2027 rests with the Welsh Government.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether Gypsy, Roma and Traveller children are disproportionately represented in the care system; and if so, what plans they have to address this within the wider programme of children’s social care reform, including efforts to strengthen early help and reduce avoidable entries into care.

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

At 31 March 2025, there were 740 Gypsy Roma and Traveller of Irish Heritage Children Looked After. This represents 0.9% of all children looked after. The Office for National Statistics 2021 census reported that Roma and White Gypsy or Irish Traveller children account for 0.4% of the child population.

The Families First Partnership Programme, backed by £2.4 billion over three years, is delivering national reforms to Family Help, Multi‑Agency Child Protection, and Family Group Decision Making. Funding is ringfenced for prevention, with local authorities deciding how best to support vulnerable children, young people, and families, including those of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities.

The government aims to shift children’s social care toward earlier intervention. Central to this is the development of multi‑disciplinary Family Help teams working within communities to provide early, wraparound support. These reforms aim to improve outcomes, prevent escalation of need, and reduce long‑term costs by safely decreasing the number of children entering care.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what consideration she has given to allowing military parents more choice in how their child's Pupil Service Premium is spent.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The Service Pupil Premium (SPP) is additional funding for state-funded schools in England with children and young people of service families. It will be paid at a rate of £360 per eligible pupil in the 2026/27 financial year.

Schools can tailor their SPP expenditure to meet the specific pastoral and academic needs of individual service children and help mitigate the impact of matters such as family mobility, separation, or parental deployment. It is the responsibility of each school to decide how to use their SPP funding and to communicate this with parents.

Schools are encouraged to consider best practice in the use of SPP funding, set out here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-service-pupil-premium/service-pupil-premium-examples-of-best-practice

Guidance for schools, academy trusts and local authorities on supporting service pupils is published jointly by the department and the Ministry Of Defence here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/service-pupils-in-schools-non-statutory-guidance/service-pupils-in-schools-non-statutory-guidance.

This recommends that schools consider recording their use of SPP funding as part of their mandatory pupil premium statement, unless they have reason to believe this will identify individual pupils. An optional field in the template is provided for this purpose.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she has taken to encourage schools to be transparent with how they use Service Pupil Premium funding.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The Service Pupil Premium (SPP) is additional funding for state-funded schools in England with children and young people of service families. It will be paid at a rate of £360 per eligible pupil in the 2026/27 financial year.

Schools can tailor their SPP expenditure to meet the specific pastoral and academic needs of individual service children and help mitigate the impact of matters such as family mobility, separation, or parental deployment. It is the responsibility of each school to decide how to use their SPP funding and to communicate this with parents.

Schools are encouraged to consider best practice in the use of SPP funding, set out here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-service-pupil-premium/service-pupil-premium-examples-of-best-practice

Guidance for schools, academy trusts and local authorities on supporting service pupils is published jointly by the department and the Ministry Of Defence here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/service-pupils-in-schools-non-statutory-guidance/service-pupils-in-schools-non-statutory-guidance.

This recommends that schools consider recording their use of SPP funding as part of their mandatory pupil premium statement, unless they have reason to believe this will identify individual pupils. An optional field in the template is provided for this purpose.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the proposed international student levy on the financial sustainability of higher education institutions in the context of the Office for Students' press release entitled Significant challenges continue to face higher education finances – with nearly half facing deficits in 2025-26, published on 20 November 2025.

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

The International Student Levy will require higher education (HE) providers to pay £925 per international student per year. This is broadly equivalent to a 4.5% fee, reduced from 6% proposed in the Immigration White Paper. Levy revenue will be fully reinvested into higher education and skills, including to reintroduce targeted maintenance grants.

To mitigate disproportionate impacts on smaller providers, a 220-student allowance will apply to each provider per year. The levy will be introduced in 2028/29 and paid one year in arrears to support financial planning.

An impact analysis published in November 2025 estimated that, in isolation, the levy would result in around £270 million in income losses to the sector in its first year. This impact analysis is accessible at: https://consult.education.gov.uk/international-student-levy-unit/international-student-levy/supporting_documents/international-student-levy-impact-analysispdf.

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

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of how many people will benefit from the UK's participation in the Erasmus+ scheme in 2027, from the UK and abroad; and how those people will benefit from that scheme.

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

We expect over 100,000 UK participants to benefit from mobility and partnership opportunities from participation in 2027. Participants from the EU and other countries associated to the programme will also benefit from the UK’s association through being able to undertake a mobility to the UK or build partnerships with UK institutions. We will have detailed information on the UK’s Erasmus+ beneficiaries after our first year of participation.

Through Erasmus+, learners will have more chances to study, train, work, or volunteer abroad. They will gain language skills, build intercultural ties, and develop real-world skills employers value. For teachers, youth workers, sports sector professionals and other staff, Erasmus+ brings professional development and access to new and innovative practice. For schools, colleges, universities and other education providers, Erasmus+ re-opens structured partnerships and networks that drive quality, encourage research links and enhance international reputation.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the cost of Erasmus+ in each year between 2027 and 2032.

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

Negotiations with the European Commission on the UK’s association to Erasmus+ in 2027 have now concluded. We have secured significantly improved financial terms compared to default arrangements, ensuring a fairer balance between the UK’s contribution to the EU and the number of UK participants who receive funding. We negotiated a 30% discount, securing participation for 2027 at a cost of approximately £570 million, saving UK taxpayers around £240 million while securing the benefits of participation for young people in the UK and across the EU.

This commitment covers the 2027/28 academic year. Any participation in Erasmus+ into the next Multiannual Financial Framework from 2028-34 will need to be agreed in the future and be based on a fair and balanced contribution.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government how graduates in portfolio careers are classified in official statistics where their principal recorded source of income differs from their professional or creative practice; whether secondary occupations and ongoing creative activity are captured in the Graduate Outcomes survey or related datasets; and what assessment they have made of the effect of such classification practices on measured estimates of the size of the creative workforce.

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

Earnings and employment outcomes in the Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO) official statistics cover all employment and income reported to HMRC, whether from salaried employment, self-employment or freelance work.

The Graduate Outcomes survey publication provides annual pay information for graduates’ main employment during census week, 15 months after graduation. This question is not mandatory and salaries are self-reported, whether salaried work, self-employment or freelanced work. Salary information is published by annual salary bands or medians.

Skills England estimated the workforce size and demand levels in the creative industries sector in their publication ‘Assessment of priority skills in 2030’. This is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/assessment-of-priority-skills-to-2030/assessment-of-priority-skills-to-2030.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps are being taken to ensure that teachers receive training in safeguarding children.

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

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

The initial teacher training (ITT) Criteria set out requirements for ITT courses leading to qualified teacher status. Course design must encompass all aspects of the Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework, including safeguarding duties; and accredited providers are required to ensure trainee teachers are aware of Keeping Children Safe in Education (KSCIE), guidance that schools and colleges must have regard to. KCSIE is clear that every school must have a designated safeguarding lead who takes lead responsibility for safeguarding and child protection. In line with KCSIE, all staff should undergo safeguarding and child protection training (including online safety) at induction. Additionally, all staff should receive regular safeguarding and child protection updates, including online safety (e.g., via email, e-bulletins, staff meetings) as required, and at least annually, to continue to provide them with relevant skills and knowledge to safeguard children effectively.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the suitability of early-career earnings as a measure of university course value in sectors characterised by self-employment, income volatility and delayed earnings growth, including the creative industries; and what consideration they have given to alternative indicators such as business formation rates, intellectual property generation or contribution to cultural exports as supplementary measures.

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

Outcomes from various data and at multiple points after graduation are considered by the department to understand graduate outcomes across different sectors. This includes 15 months after graduation in the Graduate Outcomes survey, and 3, 5 and 10 years after graduation in the Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO) publication data. The Office for Students uses Graduate Outcomes survey data for their B3 condition of registration measures to help ensure course quality, but these B3 measures do not include graduate earnings.

The department also considers the wider potential benefits of higher education, when designing policy. These may include increased innovation and exports, contributions to cultural and heritage capital, potential intergenerational effects on children’s outcomes and potential associations with health or crime rates.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what employment and earnings data they hold for graduates in (1) fine art, (2) craft, (3) design, and (4) other creative industries, at (a) 15 months, (b) three years, (c) five years, and (d) 10 years, after graduation; and how that data are used in assessing the long-term economic contribution and student loan repayment profiles of those graduates.

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

The department holds employment and earnings data for graduates across all industries in various datasets and at multiple points after graduation. This includes the Graduate Outcomes survey at 15 months after graduation, and the higher education (HE) Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO) publication data at up to 10 years after graduation.

The LEO data will be used alongside Labour Force Survey data to estimate the longer-term economic contribution of graduates in this year’s upcoming update of the Institute for Fiscal Studies report on the impact of undergraduate degrees on lifetime earnings. LEO data is also used alongside the Student Loans Company and HMRC data to inform the department’s forecasts of student loan repayments, as detailed in the methodology accompanying to the department’s published student loan forecasts. The forecasts and methodology are available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/student-loan-forecasts-for-england/2024-25.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Department for Education has declined to lay before Parliament a draft statutory code submitted by an arm's-length body between January 2015 and December 2025, where that code has not been subject to litigation.

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

The department has not declined to lay a draft statutory code submitted by an arm’s length body. The government is currently considering a submitted code and, if the decision is taken to approve it, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education will lay it before Parliament. Parliament will then have a 40-day period to consider the draft code.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government how current higher education outcome metrics for creative subjects align with their plans to grow the creative industries as a priority sector as part of the Industrial Strategy 2025; and whether the Department for Education plans to review, in consultation with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, whether existing measurement methodologies adequately reflect the labour market structures and earnings patterns of the creative economy.

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

The department works with Skills England to identify which occupations are the highest priority to the creative industries and which educational pathways lead to these occupations. These occupations cover many skill sets, such as IT, alongside those in creative subjects.

The Creative Industries Sector Plan is a 10-year plan to tackle barriers to growth and maximise opportunities across the sector, with the aim of making the UK the number one destination for creativity and innovation. It sets out how government is partnering with industry to build a skills landscape that meets business needs and ensures that our creative workforce is fit for the future. This includes policies such as short courses, funded through the Growth and Skills Levy, in areas such as digital and artificial intelligence.

The department has had discussions with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on ways of measuring the wider value of higher education subjects, including on matters of culture and heritage.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to promote the National Year of Reading in (1) early years settings, (2) primary schools, (3) secondary schools, (4) further education, and (5) higher education.

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

The National Year of Reading is a UK-wide campaign to address long-term declines in reading enjoyment.

It includes a major physical and online marketing campaign, as well as exciting events, webinars, resources, and activities in communities, libraries, schools and early years settings throughout the year. Reading together is one of the most powerful ways to build a child’s language and communication skills, strengthen early bonds, and spark a lifelong love of reading, which is why early years is one of the priority groups for the National Year of Reading.

We are raising awareness of the National Year of Reading through a range of methods, such as via departmental communication channels, the National Year of Reading mailing list and social media, communications from the National Literacy Trust, and promotion via the English Hubs network.

All interested parties are encouraged to sign up to the National Year of Reading website for more information: https://goallin.org.uk/.

To further support reading for pleasure, this government has committed over £10 million of dormant assets funding to guarantee a library for every primary school by the end of this parliament, and a further £5 million for secondary schools to purchase books to encourage reading enjoyment amongst their pupils.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support schools to help tackle climate change.

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

The Education Estates Strategy sets out plans for an education estate that supports opportunity for all, with an education estate that is safe, suitable, sustainable and appropriately sufficiently sized. It is backed by a ten-year plan to deliver a decade of renewal to transform schools and colleges.

The department expects all settings to have a climate action plan to ensure that the education estate becomes more climate resilient.

We will support all settings to develop climate action plans and appoint a sustainability lead through the Sustainability Support Programme until at least 2030. More than 10,000 education settings are already accessing this free support.

The Sustainability Support for Education online service signposts settings to relevant actions and trusted guidance and tools.

Climate Ambassadors, working with Ashden’s ‘Let’s Go Zero’ campaign, provide on the ground support and facilitate peer learning.

All settings have the flexibility to develop a plan that reflects their specific context, priorities and needs.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of (a) the average outstanding student loan balance and (b) the proportion of borrowers currently making repayments in (i) Merseyside and (ii) the North West of England.

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

The average outstanding student loan balance of borrowers in the North West government region who have been funded by Student Finance England was £37,000 (rounded to the nearest thousand) on 15 March 2025. This includes all loans, even those not yet liable to repay. The proportion of borrowers currently residing in the North West government region who have been funded by Student Finance England and made at least one repayment in this financial year is 46.8%.

The department does not hold student loan data for Merseyside specifically, as it is not a defined statistical geography in our datasets. Therefore, figures can only be provided at North West regional level.

Please note published national data provides the picture of borrowers’ repayment and employment status on 31 March 2025 and differs to the proportion who have made a repayment in the last year.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many overseas students have started undergraduate degrees at UK universities in each of the past 10 years.

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

The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) is responsible for collecting and publishing data on the UK higher education sector. This data is shared with the department and includes a wide range of information on students in UK higher education providers (HEPs), including their country of domicile.

Between 2015/16 and 2024/25, international entrants to undergraduate courses at UK HEPs have increased from 103,000 to 123,000. Year on year details are in the table below.

Counts of entrants to UK HEPs by domicile are published in Table 1 of HESA’s Student Data.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the proportion of borrowers on Plan 2 student loans whose outstanding balance is projected to increase for at least the first ten years of repayment due to interest accrual exceeding annual repayments.

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

The department does not hold analysis of the proportion of borrowers whose loan is projected to increase in their first ten years of repayment.

Student loan repayments are linked to income, not to the amount borrowed or interest applied. As repayments remain income-contingent if a borrower’s salary remains the same, their monthly repayments will also stay the same. Repayments are made at a constant rate of 9% above the earnings threshold, and the 9% rate strikes a balance between affordability for graduates and fairness to taxpayers.

Outstanding debt, including interest built up, is cancelled at the end of the loan term with no detriment to the borrower, and debt is never passed on to family members or descendants. This is a deliberate government investment in students and the economy.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking across Government to promote equality and inclusion as part of the National Year of Reading.

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

The National Year of Reading is a UK-wide campaign designed to tackle the steep decline in reading for enjoyment amongst children, young people and adults, and to engage new audiences with reading. It aims to achieve a lasting change to the nation’s reading habits and is a campaign made available for all ages and communities. The campaign reflects that the decline in reading for enjoyment affects all sectors of society, however there will be a targeted focus on certain priority groups, including boys aged 10 to 16, parents from disadvantaged communities, and early years children.

‘Go All In’ is a fully inclusive campaign, encouraging people to read about whatever interests them, via any genre and all mediums of reading, from physical books, to comics, to e-books. The campaign includes support from a diverse range of authors, celebrities and content creators representing a range of different ages, backgrounds and cultures from communities across the UK. The campaign will reach communities across the UK through schools, libraries, businesses and local partners. Libraries, as free to access community hubs, will play a central role in supporting participation and helping people of all ages and from all sectors of society to develop a lasting love of reading.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what funding they are providing in 2026–27 for chess in schools; and whether the tendering process for any projects will be completed in time to enable full implementation.

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

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

From the 2026/27 financial year, the department intends to invest up to £250,000 per year for three years (a total of £750,000) to partner with an organisation to deliver a national programme for chess in schools.

It will aim to increase pupils’ participation in chess, embed sustainable provision, and ensure regular opportunities to play chess are made available across all nine regions of England. This includes resources and training for staff, support for pupil-led delivery, and opportunities for schools to join local and online tournaments to celebrate achievement and encourage engagement.

We will prioritise mainstream primary and secondary schools with higher proportions of pupils eligible for free school meals, as well as special schools and alternative provision settings, and improve access for girls and pupils with special educational needs and disabilities.

The department intends to publish an invitation to tender for delivery of the programme in due course.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government, in the light of allegations that Sheffield Hallam University halted the research of Professor Laura Murphy in 2025 and that University College London removed Professor Michelle Shipworth from teaching a course in 2024, what action they have taken to protect academic freedom and free speech on university campuses.

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

This government is absolutely committed to freedom of speech and academic freedom. The department commenced provisions from the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023 on 1 August 2025 that strengthen provider duties on free speech, including a requirement to put in place free speech codes of practice, and a requirement for the Office for Students (OfS) to promote free speech. The OfS has issued extensive guidance to higher education providers on commencement of their duties, which makes it explicitly clear that universities should not tolerate attempts by foreign states to suppress academic freedom.

We are collaborating with universities, including vice chancellors, through a series of events to discuss risks and work together on plans to develop the sector’s resilience. We have also announced a £3 million investment package and a new Academic Interference Reporting Route to support the sector to access expert advice to help institutions identify vulnerabilities.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what measures they are taking to ensure the National Year of Reading 2026 has a long-term, positive legacy, extending beyond this year.

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

The National Year of Reading 2026 aims to make lasting change to the reading habits of the nation to address the decline in reading for pleasure and unlock one of the most powerful tools for equity and opportunity: a love of reading that lasts a lifetime. The campaign aims for lasting impact by engaging new audiences, making reading relevant, transforming practice, and building infrastructure. For example, we are providing £5 million of funding for secondary schools to purchase books to encourage reading for pleasure.

The National Year of Reading is grounded in both existing evidence and new research, conducted by an external research agency. This is a critical component of the campaign, to ensure it is impactful and meaningful, both during the year and beyond.

There will also be an independent external evaluation of the National Year of Reading which will be published in 2027. The evaluation will examine how the campaign influences reading behaviours, connects with audiences and shapes attitudes towards reading, particularly among the campaign’s priority audiences, including teenage boys, the early years, and families from disadvantaged communities. It will also assess the wider impact on the literacy sector and the foundations for long-term change.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government following the ruling of the High Court on 24 February in relation to Oak National Academy, whether the Minister will meet the unions, publishers and educational suppliers to understand their concerns.

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

Ministers regularly meet and engage with a range of stakeholders to discuss and seek views on the curriculum and how best to support schools, teachers and pupils.

We will set out Oak National Academy’s remit and funding for the coming year in a published letter to the Chair of the Oak Board in due course. I cannot comment on the Judicial Review of Oak, which is ongoing.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government following the ruling of the High Court on 24 February in relation to Oak National Academy, whether the Government will commit to greater transparency about Oak’s future funding and scope.

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

Ministers regularly meet and engage with a range of stakeholders to discuss and seek views on the curriculum and how best to support schools, teachers and pupils.

We will set out Oak National Academy’s remit and funding for the coming year in a published letter to the Chair of the Oak Board in due course. I cannot comment on the Judicial Review of Oak, which is ongoing.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what mechanisms are in place to monitor the consistency of Prevent duty implementation across higher education providers in England.

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

The situation in the Middle East is deeply troubling, and the escalating violence highlights the importance of universities’ Prevent duty responsibilities to safeguard students from radicalisation.

To comply with the Prevent duty, universities must have effective policies in place and regularly assess risks; this may include updating their risk assessments to remain alert to any increased vulnerability among students, considering recent events.

The Office for Students (OfS) monitors how higher education providers are complying with the Prevent duty and ensures that appropriate measures are in place to protect students from radicalisation. Current OfS monitoring shows that providers are broadly meeting their responsibilities.

The department continues to work closely with the OfS to review compliance and support providers in maintaining high standards.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to support university (a) staff and (b) students who raise concerns about breaches of the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023.

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

This government is absolutely committed to freedom of speech and academic freedom. ​We commenced provisions from the Higher Education (HE) (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023 on 1 August 2025 including strengthened provider duties to secure and promote the importance of free speech and academic freedom, and a requirement to put in place effective free speech codes of practice. The Office for Students’ Director for Freedom of Speech and Academic Freedom continues to work with the HE sector to offer advice and share best practice, so providers themselves are more effectively protecting free speech and academic freedom.

Our commitment to the complaints scheme was clearly set out last year: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-future-of-the-higher-education-freedom-of-speech-act-2023. Students can continue to report their free speech complaints to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of universities at fulfilling their Prevent duty obligations, in the context of levels of support for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

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

The situation in the Middle East is deeply troubling, and the escalating violence highlights the importance of universities’ Prevent duty responsibilities to safeguard students from radicalisation.

To comply with the Prevent duty, universities must have effective policies in place and regularly assess risks; this may include updating their risk assessments to remain alert to any increased vulnerability among students, considering recent events.

The Office for Students (OfS) monitors how higher education providers are complying with the Prevent duty and ensures that appropriate measures are in place to protect students from radicalisation. Current OfS monitoring shows that providers are broadly meeting their responsibilities.

The department continues to work closely with the OfS to review compliance and support providers in maintaining high standards.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions have been had with the Overseas Territories about making British Overseas Territories eligible for student maintenance loans.

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

We have worked with the British Overseas Territories to clearly set out our position on eligibility for student finance.

Persons who have settled status in the UK, and who have come to the UK from specified British Overseas Territories, are eligible for home fee status if they meet the requirement of three years’ ordinary residence in the UK, and/or the specified British Overseas Territories.

Eligibility for student support is based on residency and immigration status, not nationality, targeting resources on students who are likely to stay in the UK indefinitely and contribute to the economy.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to increase awareness and funding for (a) materials and mining programmes of study and (b) science and engineering apprenticeships and qualifications in the quarrying sector.

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

The government supports education and skills training in the minerals, mining and quarrying sectors through:

• Offering 13 qualifications for 16 to 19-year-olds at Levels 2 to 6 and ​3 Level 2 qualifications in the adult skills fund (ASF) local flexibilities offer.
• ​Investing over £1.4 billion in adult education and skills through the ASF, which covers science and engineering qualifications up to Level 3.
• Increased investment in 16 to 19 education by £400 million in the 2025/26 financial year, plus a further £190 million investment to fund study programmes that include qualifications in science and engineering.
• Allocating higher weighting/funding bands to high-cost subjects such as engineering, in both ASF and 16 to 19 funding.
• There are a range of apprenticeship standards available to support the mining and quarrying sector, including the Level 2 Material processing plant operator, Level 5 Mineral products technician and Level 6 Mine management standards.
• Offering a range of financial support for employers in all sectors, including engineering and manufacturing, to take on young apprentices. This includes a new incentive of up to £2,000 for non-levy paying employers, essentially small and medium-sized enterprises, that take on 16 to 24-year-old apprentices as new employees.
• Providing high quality information to pupils about alternative pathways through careers advice, including up-to-date labour market information and details on apprenticeships, T Levels and other technical qualifications.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the International Student Levy on the UK’s ability to attract international postgraduate research students and the consequential impact this would have on the ambitions set out in the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy.

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

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

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

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

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an estimate of the potential impact to the public pursue of (a) cancelling all outstanding student loan balances on existing borrowers; (b) cancelling all outstanding student loan balances for particular occupations for existing borrowers; and (c) cancelling all outstanding student loan balances for particular subjects studied, for existing borrowers.

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

Cancelling all outstanding student loan balances for existing student loan borrowers would lead to reduction of the fair value of the entire loan book to zero. The fair value of the student loan book, published in the most recent annual accounts, as at 31 March 2025 was £157.9 billion.

The department has not estimated the impact to the public purse of cancelling all outstanding student loan balances for subsets of graduates who studied particular subjects or work in specific professions.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the accessibility of written examination formats for neurodiverse students in schools and further education settings.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Ofqual, as the independent regulator of qualifications, is responsible for ensuring the exams system is fair and accessible for all students. It has published guidance for awarding organisations to follow when designing qualifications, setting clear expectations around accessible language, layout, structure and the removal of unnecessary burdens to ensure that exams are designed to be accessible for all learners, including neurodiverse students.

Ofqual has also conducted research into the role of time pressure in assessment, including speed of working, the impact of having extra time in exams and the wider evidence base on timed assessment.

Under the Equality Act 2010, awarding organisations are required to make reasonable adjustments for disabled persons to prevent substantial disadvantage in exams and assessments. Reasonable adjustments may include 25% extra time in the exam or the use of a reader, scribe, word processor or assistive technology, and ensure that students can demonstrate their knowledge without changing the exam content. A range of access arrangements are also available for all national curriculum tests and assessments, and guidance is provided by the Standards and Testing Agency.

Additionally, in the government response to the Curriculum and Assessment Review, the department committed to working with Ofqual and the exam boards to ensure that accessibility implications are fully considered for all young people throughout the qualification process, including for those with special educational needs and disabilities.

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 timed examinations on the performance of neurodiverse students.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Ofqual, as the independent regulator of qualifications, is responsible for ensuring the exams system is fair and accessible for all students. It has published guidance for awarding organisations to follow when designing qualifications, setting clear expectations around accessible language, layout, structure and the removal of unnecessary burdens to ensure that exams are designed to be accessible for all learners, including neurodiverse students.

Ofqual has also conducted research into the role of time pressure in assessment, including speed of working, the impact of having extra time in exams and the wider evidence base on timed assessment.

Under the Equality Act 2010, awarding organisations are required to make reasonable adjustments for disabled persons to prevent substantial disadvantage in exams and assessments. Reasonable adjustments may include 25% extra time in the exam or the use of a reader, scribe, word processor or assistive technology, and ensure that students can demonstrate their knowledge without changing the exam content. A range of access arrangements are also available for all national curriculum tests and assessments, and guidance is provided by the Standards and Testing Agency.

Additionally, in the government response to the Curriculum and Assessment Review, the department committed to working with Ofqual and the exam boards to ensure that accessibility implications are fully considered for all young people throughout the qualification process, including for those with special educational needs and disabilities.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans her Department has for improving provision of financial education as part of the adult education curriculum.

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

The essential skills entitlements, funded through the adult skills fund (ASF), support adults without a GCSE maths grade 4 or higher, or equivalent qualification, or are assessed at working below this level, to undertake a range of free courses including maths GCSEs and functional skills qualifications.

As part of the ASF, Tailored Learning funding can also be used to fund provision supporting learners to address specific needs such as financial education.

Currently, approximately 68% of the ASF is devolved to 12 strategic authorities and delegated to the Mayor of London acting through the Greater London Authority. These authorities are responsible for the provision of adult education and allocation of the ASF in their local areas.

The Department for Work and Pensions is responsible for the remaining ASF in non-devolved areas where colleges and training providers have the freedom and flexibility to determine how they use their ASF to meet the needs of their communities.

Alongside, there is a range of apprenticeships available which provide training in occupationally specific financial knowledge and skills, for example, in payroll, investment or financial services-related roles. We also continue to fund apprentices to secure up to a L2 maths qualification as part of their apprenticeship.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what programmes are available to encourage businesses to provide industrial secondments to university lecturers.

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

Economic growth is the central mission of this government and is vital to give the next generation the opportunities to thrive.

The government encourages work experience through various initiatives spanning various departments. The Department for Business and Trade published the UK’s Industrial, Trade and Small Business Strategies, which were developed in partnership with business, with positive feedback from leading business organisations. For example, the Industrial Strategy will provide an additional £1.2 billion of investment in the skills system by 2028/29.

Higher education providers are autonomous institutions and are responsible for designing and delivering their own courses. This includes decisions on whether to offer internships, work placements or industrial secondments.

It is for individual universities to work with businesses to develop and manage these opportunities in ways that best meet the needs of their students, employers and academic staff.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assistance is being provided to businesses to help them offer work placements to undergraduates.

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

Economic growth is the central mission of this government and is vital to give the next generation the opportunities to thrive.

The government encourages work experience through various initiatives spanning various departments. The Department for Business and Trade published the UK’s Industrial, Trade and Small Business Strategies, which were developed in partnership with business, with positive feedback from leading business organisations. For example, the Industrial Strategy will provide an additional £1.2 billion of investment in the skills system by 2028/29.

Higher education providers are autonomous institutions and are responsible for designing and delivering their own courses. This includes decisions on whether to offer internships, work placements or industrial secondments.

It is for individual universities to work with businesses to develop and manage these opportunities in ways that best meet the needs of their students, employers and academic staff.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an estimate of the potential impact to the public purse of (a) changing the student loan repayment rates for existing borrowers and (b) changing the income threshold at which student loans are repaid for existing borrowers.

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

Reducing the repayment rate for existing student loan borrowers would reduce expected future repayments and therefore be a cost to the public purse. Increasing the income threshold at which student loans are repaid for existing borrowers would also reduce expected future repayments.

To support the long-term sustainability of the student loan system, we announced at the Autumn Budget 2025 that the Plan 2 repayment threshold will be increased to £29,385 in April 2026 and then frozen at that level for three years beginning April 2027.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to announce the future funding settlements for the Music and Dance Scheme Schools; and whether Music and Dance Scheme Schools will receive a long-term settlement.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

I refer the hon. Member for Brighton Pavilion to my answer of 12 February 2026 to Question 111335.​

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of declining pupil numbers on school budgets in Eastleigh constituency; and what steps her Department is taking to support schools experiencing financial deficits linked to declining pupil numbers.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

School funding is increasing nationally by £1.7 billion in 2026/27, meaning that the core school budget will total £67 billion compared to £65.3 billion in 2025/26.

Southampton and Hampshire local authorities allocate school funding for the constituency of Eastleigh. Through the dedicated schools grant, Southampton is receiving £6,893 per pupil on average and Hampshire is receiving £6,354 per pupil on average in financial year 2026/27 (including premises and excluding growth). Total funding for mainstream schools is growing by £17 million in Hampshire in 2026/27, compared to 2025/26 (a 1.6% increase) and by £3.3 million in Southampton (a 1.5% increase).

We recognise the pressures caused by demographic changes in some areas. The lagged funding system, where schools are funded on the basis of their pupil numbers in the previous October census, helps to give schools more certainty over funding levels to aid their planning, and is particularly important in providing schools with falling pupil numbers, time to plan ahead with their budgets.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 13 February 2026 to Question 108298, when she estimates to complete their work on producing robust repayment figures broken down by British citizen status.

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

The department and the Student Loans Company (SLC) have strengthened the quality and consistency of the data in this area and now hold reliable information on borrowers’ citizenship status, nationality and residency category.

However, eligibility for student finance is complex, not dependent on nationality and not determined solely by immigration status. We will continue to work with SLC and look at any further data improvements that may provide additional insights.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help improve the provision of physical exercise for (a) primary and (b) secondary school pupils; and whether her Department is working with School Sport Partnerships.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

It is this government’s mission is to break down barriers to opportunity, ensuring every child benefits from high-quality PE and school sports. The new PE and School Sport Partnerships, announced last June by my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister, will ensure that all children have equal access to high-quality PE by bringing together primary and secondary schools, local clubs, and national governing bodies to target funding and support where it is most needed.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the decision made to remove funding for Specialist Assessments for adopted children and children under special guardianship orders, and in the context of long waiting times experienced by constituents in Brighton Pavilion constituency for assessments through the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS), if she will publish details of how CAMHS will be supported to provide these specialised services.

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

Up to £2,500 of Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF) funding may still be used for children to access a specialist assessment. ASGSF-funded assessments are not intended as an alternative to the specialised mental health services available through the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS).

The current consultation ‘Adoption support that works for all’ includes proposals for a higher quality approach to assessing the needs of adoptive and eligible kinship families. This includes improved multi-disciplinary assessments and greater linkages between social care, health, and education practitioners to ensure every child gets the right support.

For 2026/27, NHS mental health spending will rise to £16.1 billion, a real terms increase of around £140 million, to support service improvements, including CAMHS. The mental health investment standard means spending must at least keep pace with inflation, supporting local systems to maintain and improve specialist services for children.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to increase the number of places available for educational psychology courses at universities in England, and whether she has considered salaried training routes for experienced professionals.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The department recently announced £26 million investment to train at least 200 new educational psychologists per year, starting in 2026 and 2027. This is set to be followed by further investment from 2028 to train more educational psychologists than we currently do, subject to future spending reviews. This builds on £31 million invested to train around 200 educational psychologists annually since 2023.

To qualify, trainees are required to undertake a three year doctorate training course. The department funds the tuition fees and year one bursary payment. In years two and three, trainees are based on placements across England, with placement providers funding a bursary or salary for these years.

Following graduation, department-funded trainees are required to remain in local authority employment for a minimum period (three years for trainees who began in September 2024).

This investment in the training scheme will help to grow local authority workforces, so that more educational psychologists are available to provide a variety of support, including identifying and supporting needs earlier and bolstering capacity to deliver assessments.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has plans to review the commencement date of interest accruing on student loans.

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

We inherited the student loans system, including Plan 2, which was devised by the previous government. Threshold freezes have been introduced to protect taxpayers and students now, alongside future generations of learners and workers.

Borrowers on Plan 5 student loans only accrue interest at Retail Price Index, currently 3.2%. This means graduates will not repay more than they borrow in real terms.

Interest accrues on loan balances from the first day the loan is paid to the learning provider, and/or to the student, until the loan has been repaid in full or cancelled. Interest rates do not impact monthly repayments made by borrowers.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to exempting PhD students from the international student levy.

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

The International Student Levy will require higher education providers to pay a flat fee of £925 per international student per year. The income raised by the levy will be reinvested into skills.

Providers will be given an allowance for the first 220 international students per year. This is to mitigate the levy having a disproportionate impact on smaller providers, particularly those operating specialist and resource intensive models with limited other means of cross-subsidisation. The levy will not be introduced until 2028/29 to give providers time to plan for its introduction. Providers will pay the levy one year in arrears, to help with their financial planning.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has reviewed the findings of the National Association of Disability Practitioners’ December 2025 critique of the Equality Impact Assessment relating to Disabled Students’ Allowance changes; and what steps she plans to take in response that critique.

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

The department is aware of the response written on behalf of the National Association of Disability Practitioners in December 2025 to the change made from March 2025 to remove Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) funding for non-specialist spelling and grammar software other than in exceptional circumstances. The department keeps all support funded through DSA under regular review to ensure that it continues to meet the needs of disabled students. Any future changes will be communicated publicly.

Since October 2025, the department has received one formal request for a meeting regarding recent DSA policy changes from a disability sector organisation.

The department’s policy change to remove DSA funding for non-specialist spelling and grammar software other than in exceptional circumstances applied only to DSA applicants whose needs assessments took place from 17 March 2025. Students who had already been awarded this software had their awards left in place. It is therefore not the case that software has been removed from students' part-way through their courses. While it is too early to collect any post-implementation data on the academic performance or withdrawal rates of students previously supported with specialist assistive software, given that the policy change came into effect less than a year ago, the department is continuing to monitor the participation, attainment, and completion rates for disabled students in higher education.

The department has not undertaken a specific assessment of the impact of DSA changes on demand for Access to Work or other employment support schemes. DSA is designed to address disability related barriers to study, while Access to Work provides support in employment-related barriers to study. The department and the Department for Work and Pensions are in regular contact.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether any further reductions or restrictions to DSA-funded assistive technology or non-medical support are currently under consideration.

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

The department is aware of the response written on behalf of the National Association of Disability Practitioners in December 2025 to the change made from March 2025 to remove Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) funding for non-specialist spelling and grammar software other than in exceptional circumstances. The department keeps all support funded through DSA under regular review to ensure that it continues to meet the needs of disabled students. Any future changes will be communicated publicly.

Since October 2025, the department has received one formal request for a meeting regarding recent DSA policy changes from a disability sector organisation.

The department’s policy change to remove DSA funding for non-specialist spelling and grammar software other than in exceptional circumstances applied only to DSA applicants whose needs assessments took place from 17 March 2025. Students who had already been awarded this software had their awards left in place. It is therefore not the case that software has been removed from students' part-way through their courses. While it is too early to collect any post-implementation data on the academic performance or withdrawal rates of students previously supported with specialist assistive software, given that the policy change came into effect less than a year ago, the department is continuing to monitor the participation, attainment, and completion rates for disabled students in higher education.

The department has not undertaken a specific assessment of the impact of DSA changes on demand for Access to Work or other employment support schemes. DSA is designed to address disability related barriers to study, while Access to Work provides support in employment-related barriers to study. The department and the Department for Work and Pensions are in regular contact.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many formal requests for meetings her Department has received from disability sector organisations regarding recent DSA policy changes since October 2025.

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

The department is aware of the response written on behalf of the National Association of Disability Practitioners in December 2025 to the change made from March 2025 to remove Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) funding for non-specialist spelling and grammar software other than in exceptional circumstances. The department keeps all support funded through DSA under regular review to ensure that it continues to meet the needs of disabled students. Any future changes will be communicated publicly.

Since October 2025, the department has received one formal request for a meeting regarding recent DSA policy changes from a disability sector organisation.

The department’s policy change to remove DSA funding for non-specialist spelling and grammar software other than in exceptional circumstances applied only to DSA applicants whose needs assessments took place from 17 March 2025. Students who had already been awarded this software had their awards left in place. It is therefore not the case that software has been removed from students' part-way through their courses. While it is too early to collect any post-implementation data on the academic performance or withdrawal rates of students previously supported with specialist assistive software, given that the policy change came into effect less than a year ago, the department is continuing to monitor the participation, attainment, and completion rates for disabled students in higher education.

The department has not undertaken a specific assessment of the impact of DSA changes on demand for Access to Work or other employment support schemes. DSA is designed to address disability related barriers to study, while Access to Work provides support in employment-related barriers to study. The department and the Department for Work and Pensions are in regular contact.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the average additional years in repayment for Plan 2 student loan borrowers attributable to charging interest at RPI plus up to three percentage points compared with CPI only.

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

The department does not hold analysis of the impact on the number of additional years of repayment for Plan 2 borrowers attributable to the level of interest charged.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how she supports arts programs in schools.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

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

The department is committed to revitalising arts education in schools, including changes to the curriculum, qualifications, accountability and enrichment.

We are consulting on an improved Progress 8 model, which balances a strong academic core with breadth and student choice. The current structure has hampered progress in subjects that strengthen our economy and society, including the arts. The improved version recognises the value of these subjects.

The department is supporting arts in schools through a £13 million investment in the new National Centre for Arts and Music Education, which will launch in September 2026 to provide strategic national leadership, support excellent teaching, and promote arts opportunities, ensuring every child can access a high‑quality arts education.

The department provides significant funding for the Music Hub network, Music Opportunities Pilot, Music and Dance Scheme, and Dance and Drama Awards, all designed to improve equity in the arts, mainly in schools and colleges.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) committed £22.5 million enrichment in up to 400 schools, across all types of enrichment activity, including arts and culture.

Arts Council England, an arm’s-length body of DCMS, provides funding to a range of programmes that support arts in schools. As part of the government’s recent response to the independent review of Arts Council England, the department has committed to enabling all children across the country to have access to excellent culture in both schools and communities.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has had discussions with (a) University College London and (b) other higher education institutions on levels of student society support for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

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

As stated by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Defence on 1 March, Ayatollah Khamenei ran an oppressive and brutal regime, murdering thousands of his own citizens and exporting terror, including to Britain. It is horrifying to see his death mourned publicly in this country.

We condemn all extremist intimidation, harassment and incitement to hatred in our universities. Where public mourning involves this sort of unacceptable behaviour, it should not be tolerated. The department’s Prevent Coordinators engage with universities on concerns relating to students’ union activity and student conduct, to ensure that the correct policies and procedures have been followed. Students’ Unions, where they are registered charities, are regulated by the Charity Commission for compliance with charity law, which assesses and manages them through its regulatory framework.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has issued guidance to higher education institutions on the promotion of narratives in student societies linked to foreign political leadership.

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

As stated by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Defence on 1 March, Ayatollah Khamenei ran an oppressive and brutal regime, murdering thousands of his own citizens and exporting terror, including to Britain. It is horrifying to see his death mourned publicly in this country.

We condemn all extremist intimidation, harassment and incitement to hatred in our universities. Where public mourning involves this sort of unacceptable behaviour, it should not be tolerated. The department’s Prevent Coordinators engage with universities on concerns relating to students’ union activity and student conduct, to ensure that the correct policies and procedures have been followed. Students’ Unions, where they are registered charities, are regulated by the Charity Commission for compliance with charity law, which assesses and manages them through its regulatory framework.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the Office for Students has reviewed the adequacy of compliance procedures at students' unions following public statements praising Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

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

As stated by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Defence on 1 March, Ayatollah Khamenei ran an oppressive and brutal regime, murdering thousands of his own citizens and exporting terror, including to Britain. It is horrifying to see his death mourned publicly in this country.

We condemn all extremist intimidation, harassment and incitement to hatred in our universities. Where public mourning involves this sort of unacceptable behaviour, it should not be tolerated. The department’s Prevent Coordinators engage with universities on concerns relating to students’ union activity and student conduct, to ensure that the correct policies and procedures have been followed. Students’ Unions, where they are registered charities, are regulated by the Charity Commission for compliance with charity law, which assesses and manages them through its regulatory framework.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government, with regard to the consultation on the proposed revisions to Keeping children safe in education, published on 12 February, why paragraph 97 of the draft guidance makes provision for pupils to participate in sports teams of the opposite sex.

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

The recently published consultation draft of ‘Keeping children safe in education’ does not say that schools should accept requests for pupils to join sports teams for the opposite sex. The guidance is absolutely clear that some sports may need to be played in single sex sports to ensure children’s safety, and that where this is the case there should be no exceptions.

Where there are other reasons for providing single sex sports, the guidance sets out that schools should take into account all the relevant factors, including the best interests of the child, as well as considering the impact on other children.

Schools should be informed by advice from national governing bodies on what is appropriate for individual sports.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have for protections for teachers and staff at schools, colleges and universities who do not use pronouns of one gender for students of the opposite biological sex.

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

Schools, further education colleges and higher education institutions are responsible for their own decisions on employment issues. The department expects schools, colleges and universities, like all employers, to follow all relevant employment law, statutory guidance and abide by their obligations under the Equality Act.

Guidance for schools and colleges on gender-questioning children can be found in ‘Keeping children safe in education’. The guidance is clear that a school or college must also be conscious of the rights of pupils and staff in relation to their religion or belief as protected characteristics. Alongside this, the guidance also states that schools or colleges will appropriately sanction any cases of bullying or harassment and take a strong stand against bullying.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they are taking to promote the National Year of Reading 2026 in early years settings, in schools, further and higher education.

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

​I refer the noble Lady to the answer of 31 March 2026 to Question HL14644.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will will consider exempting PhD students from the International Student Levy.

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

We are engaging with the higher education sector to shape the design of the International Student Levy (ISL) to make delivery as easy as possible for providers. A technical consultation on the delivery of the ISL was open for responses until 18 February 2026. The government will publish its response in Summer 2026.

We have listened to concerns raised by the sector. The levy will not be introduced until 2028/29 to give providers time to plan for its introduction. Providers will also pay the ISL one year in arrears, to help with their financial planning and will also be given an allowance for the first 220 international students per year. This is to mitigate the ISL having a disproportionate impact on smaller providers, particularly those operating specialist and resource intensive models with limited other means of cross-subsidisation.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the cost to the public purse of industrial disputes in further education colleges.

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

Further education colleges, rather than government, are responsible for setting and negotiating terms and conditions and managing their industrial relations.

Based on engagement with the sector, we know colleges affected by recent strikes have generally implemented measures to ensure the impact on learners is minimised as far as possible. This has included rearranging classes, providing online learning where possible, and keeping libraries and learning centres open to allow the opportunity for independent study.

We encourage colleges to continue to adopt these and other appropriate mitigations where that is necessary. We encourage colleges and unions to remain engaged in open and constructive dialogue for the best interests of staff and students.

We all have a shared goal in ensuring our young people gain the best education during this critical transition period, advancing their opportunities and supporting economic growth.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many UK students have studied abroad under the Turing scheme by country in the most recent year for which figures are available; and at what cost.

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

The 2023/24 academic year is the most recent year for which data is published on placements completed using Turing Scheme funding and the associated costs. In 2023/2024, 32,714 UK students took part in international placements through the Turing Scheme, travelling to 153 countries. The most popular destinations were Spain (4,728), France (3,178), Italy (1,841), the United States (2,468), Australia (1,002) and Japan (750).

Across all sectors, the scheme spent £82.8 million of funding in that year on placements for students in higher education, further education and vocational training, and schools. The department does not hold information on the cost of placements by individual destination country.

A full breakdown of destinations and funding is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/turing-scheme-funding-outcomes-2023-to-2024.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Smith of Malvern on 24 February (HL Deb col 565), whether they will publish a breakdown by programme area of the £4 billion for special educational needs and disabilities reform over the next three years, including allocations for (1) the Inclusive Mainstream Fund, (2) Experts at Hand, (3) Best Start Family Hubs, and (4) a national training package.

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

As set out in special educational needs and disabilities reform: putting children and young people first, the breakdown of our £4bn investment package, over the next three years, is as follows:

• £1.6 billion on Inclusive Mainstream Fund
• £1.8 billion on Experts at Hand
• Over £200 million on Best Start Family Hubs
• Over £200 million on national training package
• Over £200 million on local authority transformation
• Over £40 million on specialist training (including educational psychologists and speech and language therapists)

The government will publish breakdowns by programme area for this coming financial year as part of publishing allocations in the coming months.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the capacity of the childcare sector to deliver Government-funded childcare places; and what their current estimate is of any shortfall or surplus of places.

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

Through the Best Start in Life strategy, the department is focused on reforming the childcare system and delivering on our Plan for Change. This government continues to prioritise and protect investment in the early years, which is why we are investing over £1 billion more in early years entitlements next year compared to 2025/26. The school-based nursery programme is a £400 million capital investment to deliver the government’s manifesto commitment to create or expand thousands of additional school-based nurseries across England, increasing access to childcare for families.

The department is providing £82 million of capital funding to over 600 primary and maintained nursery schools across phases 1 and 2 which will create over 11,000 new nursery places by September 2027, of which over 5,000 places were available from September 2025.

The department has regular contact with each local authority in England about their sufficiency of childcare and any issues they are facing. Where local authorities report sufficiency challenges, we discuss what action they are taking to address those issues and, where needed, support the local authority with any specific requirements through our childcare sufficiency support contract. There are currently no sufficiency challenges reported.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment her Department has made of trends in the levels of the risk of insolvency among universities in England.

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

We are aware that some higher education (HE) providers are making difficult decisions about course consolidation and closures. As autonomous institutions, HE providers are responsible for managing their own finances. It is therefore right that they focus on ensuring their courses are financially sustainable.

The Office for Students (OfS) is responsible for monitoring and reporting on the HE sector’s financial sustainability. The department works closely with the OfS to understand the sector’s changing financial landscape and level of risk.

The government recognises that the sector's financial environment is challenging. This is why tuition fee caps were uplifted in line with forecast inflation for 2025/26, with further uplifts planned for 2026/27 and 2027/28. We will then legislate to increase tuition fee caps automatically for future academic years. The department has also appointed Professor Edward Peck as OfS Chair, where he will play a key role in strengthening its commitment to financial sustainability.

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Found: and Pensions Sixty-first report: Financial sustainability of Children’s care homes Department for Education

Found: and Pensions Sixty-first report: Financial sustainability of Children’s care homes Department for Education

Found: and Pensions Sixty-first report: Financial sustainability of Children’s care homes Department for Education

Found: and Pensions Sixty-first report: Financial sustainability of Children’s care homes Department for Education

Found: and Pensions Sixty-first report: Financial sustainability of Children’s care homes Department for Education

Found: and for the multi-agency taskforce to be reaching out to other departments including the Department for Education

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what aspects of the Safeguarding the Union Command Paper (CP 1021), published on 31 January 2024, have been (1) fully implemented, (2) partially implemented, and (3) not implemented.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Government is committed to continuing to take forward the Safeguarding the Union command paper, and to protecting Northern Ireland’s place in the UK Internal Market.

We continue to make progress on the implementation of the commitments made in the command paper. For instance, the digitisation of the News Letter was completed last year and there remains no Border Control Post at Cairnryan. In January, the East-West Council met for the third time where the Government announced there would be a pilot for the UK school twinning programme, which is being developed between the UK Government’s Department for Education and the Northern Ireland Executive’s Department of Education.

Other recent steps include the allocation of £2.25 million for Intertrade UK over the next three years and the opening of round two of the Connect Fund to support community and voluntary groups. In line with commitments made in the command paper, in December the Government published our response to Lord Murphy’s Independent Review of the Windsor Framework, and is now taking action on all of its recommendations.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Child Poverty Strategy, published on 5 December 2025, what discussions the Home Office have had with the Department for Education about the guidance to local authorities on statutory duties under section 17 of the Children Act 1989; and what steps they have taken to ensure that safeguarding and the best interests of children are considered in that guidance.

Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)

Section 17 of the Children Act 1989 establishes the general duty of local authorities in England to safeguard and promote the welfare of children within their area who are in need and, so far as is consistent with that duty, to promote the upbringing of such children by their families.

I can confirm that the Home Office is working with the Department for Education alongside other government departments and the NRPF network to produce guidance to assist local authorities in their duties to those with No Recourse to Public Funds as part of the Child Poverty Strategy.

The duty Section 17 of the Children Act 1989 duty does not apply to the Home Office. Instead, Section 55 of the Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Act 2009 places a duty on the Home Office to make arrangements for ensuring that immigration, asylum, nationality and general customs functions are discharged having regard to the need to safeguard and promote the welfare of children in the UK.

The statutory guidance, called ‘Every Child Matters’, issued under Section 55 (3), sets out the key arrangements for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children as they apply both generally to public bodies who deal with children in the UK (Part 1) and specifically to the Home Office (Part 2).

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government how they plan to encourage parents, children and teachers to discuss the child-friendly version of the child poverty strategy published on 13 March.

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

The child‑friendly version of the government’s Child Poverty Strategy is designed to help teachers and parents talk to children about the challenges facing children and families in poverty. It provides a clear, reassuring, and age‑appropriate overview of what poverty means, why some families face difficulties, and the actions the government is taking in response.

In developing the strategy, the government undertook structured engagement with children and families experiencing poverty, placing their views at the centre of the work. A Children’s Rights Impact Assessment was also published, outlining the expected positive effects on children’s rights. The child-friendly version of the Strategy (attached) and the Children’s Rights Impact Assessment can be found on the Strategy’s gov.uk webpages: Our Children, Our Future: How the government is helping children and families (Child Friendly) and Child Poverty Strategy: Child Rights - GOV.UK.

UNICEF has shared the strategy with its network of 1,600 Rights Respecting primary schools, and the Department for Education has highlighted it in its sector communications. Further promotion has been supported through social media activity and a stakeholder toolkit to help raise awareness of the child‑friendly strategy.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to (a) increase awareness and (b) increase training for first aid for epilepsy.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department of Health and Social Care recognises the importance of increasing public understanding of epilepsy and ensuring that people who witness a seizure know how to respond safely. The National Health Service website provides clear, accessible first‑aid information on managing an epileptic seizure, including when to call 999 and how to keep a person safe until the seizure ends.

This is supported by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s Clinical Knowledge Summary scenario on managing an epileptic seizure, which gives evidence‑based advice for clinicians on seizure first aid and post‑seizure assessment. The guidance advises health professionals to ensure that families and carers know exactly what to do during a seizure, including basic first aid and when to call an ambulance. For those at risk of prolonged or repeated seizures, the guidance also advises that an individualised emergency management plan should be agreed upon, detailing any prescribed rescue medication and who is trained to use it.

Sector‑specific guidance is also available to support wider awareness. The Department for Education provides materials for schools on supporting pupils with medical conditions, including epilepsy care plans and seizure‑response guidance for teachers and school staff. In workplaces, the Health and Safety Executive provide information for employers and colleagues on responding appropriately to seizures, ensuring safety, and enabling people with epilepsy to participate fully in work.

In addition, voluntary sector organisations like Epilepsy Action work alongside the NHS on public awareness campaigns on tonic-clonic seizure first aid, featuring CARE, or Comfort, Action, and Reassure, techniques.

Together, these resources help ensure that members of the public, professionals, and employers have access to reliable information on seizure first aid.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made with the Department for Education of the potential impact of recent instances of Chinese owned companies taking equity stakes in UK university technology research spinout companies on technology security.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Government recognises the importance of safeguarding the UK’s research and innovation ecosystem, including the university spinout sector, from risks associated with foreign ownership, influence, or investment. The government will not hesitate to use our powers to protect national security wherever we identify concerns and we have a range of effective measures in place to do so.

The Government is actively protecting the UK’s research and spinout ecosystem from national security risks. The National Protective Security Authority (NPSA), working with the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), supports universities and spinouts through the Secure Innovation programme, providing advice on due diligence, investment screening and managing security risks. Targeted Secure Innovation Security Reviews further help early‑stage firms identify and mitigate vulnerabilities linked to foreign engagement.

The Government has powers under the National Security and Investment (NSI) Act 2021 to review and, where required, intervene in investments that may pose a risk to national security. The Government also monitors the market at all times to identify acquisitions of potential national security interest.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what work is being done with the Secretary of State for Education to address the additional workload of teaching assistants that are providing medical attention for disabled and severely ill children in SEND schools.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Schools White Paper, Every child achieving and thriving, and the consultation on Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) reforms have now been published, as of 23 February. The White Paper and the consultation are available, respectively, at the following two links:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/every-child-achieving-and-thriving

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/send-reform-putting-children-and-young-people-first/send-reform-putting-children-and-young-people-first-html-version

These documents set out our ambitions to transform outcomes for children, young people, and their families who have been let down for far too long. The Department for Health and Social Care and NHS England have worked closely with the Department for Education on the reforms, and continued close partnership between health, social care, and education will be needed to realise the opportunity created by these crucial reforms.

The Government is currently consulting on proposed updates to the statutory guidance on supporting pupils with medical conditions at school, with further information available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/proposal-on-support-for-pupils-with-medical-conditions-at-school

The Government will publish non-statutory guidance to clarify the roles and responsibilities of health and education in supporting pupils with medical conditions in education settings. Schools are responsible for managing their resources and budgets. They must comply with their statutory duties, including those under the Equality Act and the duty under section 100 of the Children and Families Act 2014 to make arrangements for supporting pupils with medical conditions.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) have various statutory duties under the Children and Families Act 2014 to work with local authorities, including on: identifying and notifying where a child or young person has potential SEND; joint commissioning; participating in education, health and care assessments and plans; and securing health provision. Reform proposals include the creation of New Specialist Provision Packages for children and young people with complex needs, which set out exactly what support and resources are required for specific needs. These will be developed and reviewed by an Independent Expert Panel with education and health co-chairs, and shaped through testing with parents. For children under five years old with complex needs, we will introduce a fast track for a Specialist Provision Package and Education, Health and Care Plan.

The NHS Medium Term Planning Framework for 2026/27 to 2028/29, published October 2025, included, for the first time, a clear requirement for ICBs and providers to meet their statutory SEND duties and support the Government’s SEND reform plans. The framework is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/medium-term-planning-framework-delivering-change-together-2026-27-to-2028-29.pdf

Each ICB is also required to have an executive lead for children and young people with SEND. ICBs will need to work alongside local authorities to develop Local SEND Reform Plans, which will set out each local area’s approach to implementing SEND reforms, tailored to local context and need. These plans will lay the foundation for long-term reform, set how partners will work together, and enable ongoing monitoring of progress, including introduction of the new Experts at Hand service.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the level of his Department's role in SEND provision, especially for children with a) disabilities and life limiting-illnesses and b) children who need regular medication throughout the school day.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Schools White Paper, Every child achieving and thriving, and the consultation on Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) reforms have now been published, as of 23 February. The White Paper and the consultation are available, respectively, at the following two links:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/every-child-achieving-and-thriving

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/send-reform-putting-children-and-young-people-first/send-reform-putting-children-and-young-people-first-html-version

These documents set out our ambitions to transform outcomes for children, young people, and their families who have been let down for far too long. The Department for Health and Social Care and NHS England have worked closely with the Department for Education on the reforms, and continued close partnership between health, social care, and education will be needed to realise the opportunity created by these crucial reforms.

The Government is currently consulting on proposed updates to the statutory guidance on supporting pupils with medical conditions at school, with further information available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/proposal-on-support-for-pupils-with-medical-conditions-at-school

The Government will publish non-statutory guidance to clarify the roles and responsibilities of health and education in supporting pupils with medical conditions in education settings. Schools are responsible for managing their resources and budgets. They must comply with their statutory duties, including those under the Equality Act and the duty under section 100 of the Children and Families Act 2014 to make arrangements for supporting pupils with medical conditions.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) have various statutory duties under the Children and Families Act 2014 to work with local authorities, including on: identifying and notifying where a child or young person has potential SEND; joint commissioning; participating in education, health and care assessments and plans; and securing health provision. Reform proposals include the creation of New Specialist Provision Packages for children and young people with complex needs, which set out exactly what support and resources are required for specific needs. These will be developed and reviewed by an Independent Expert Panel with education and health co-chairs, and shaped through testing with parents. For children under five years old with complex needs, we will introduce a fast track for a Specialist Provision Package and Education, Health and Care Plan.

The NHS Medium Term Planning Framework for 2026/27 to 2028/29, published October 2025, included, for the first time, a clear requirement for ICBs and providers to meet their statutory SEND duties and support the Government’s SEND reform plans. The framework is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/medium-term-planning-framework-delivering-change-together-2026-27-to-2028-29.pdf

Each ICB is also required to have an executive lead for children and young people with SEND. ICBs will need to work alongside local authorities to develop Local SEND Reform Plans, which will set out each local area’s approach to implementing SEND reforms, tailored to local context and need. These plans will lay the foundation for long-term reform, set how partners will work together, and enable ongoing monitoring of progress, including introduction of the new Experts at Hand service.

The Department for Education should require all mainstream secondary schools in England to formally review and discuss recognised Level 2 alternatives, including Functional Skills, with families during the GCSE options process, and ensure accessible routes where appropriate for all pupils.

Found: The Department for Education should require all mainstream secondary schools in England to formally review

Found: work directly with other departments on data sharing, including how it can work with the Department for Education

Found: work directly with other departments on data sharing, including how it can work with the Department for Education

Found: Scotland): subsidycontrol@gov.scot • Subsidy Control Unit (Wales): subsidycontrolunit@gov.wales • DfE

Found: They are also closely linked to 24 Office for National Statistics, 2024 25 Department for Education

Found: Any relevant findings will also be shared with the Department for Education (DfE) and Department for

Found: Ofsted carried out this visit under a section 118(2) request from the Department for Education.

Found: Jobmatch Programme Income tax is not charged on payments made under the Department for Education and

Found: Information on the types of project that Regional Department for Education (DfE) Directors make decisions

Found: To support openness and accountability, each month the Department for Education (DfE) will publish:

Found: To support openness and accountability, each month the Department for Education (DfE) will publish:

Found: To support openness and accountability, each month the Department for Education (DfE) will publish:

Found: To support openness and accountability, each month the Department for Education (DfE) will publish:

Found: To support openness and accountability, each month the Department for Education (DfE) will publish:

Found: To support openness and accountability, each month the Department for Education (DfE) will publish:

Found: To support openness and accountability, each month the Department for Education (DfE) will publish:

Found: To support openness and accountability, each month the Department for Education (DfE) will publish:

Found: To support openness and accountability, each month the Department for Education (DfE) will publish:

Found: DESNZ_0471_2425-Q4 Warm Homes: Local Grant DESNZ DFT_0498_2526-Q2 Families First Partnership Programme DFE

Found: The Department for Business and Trade (DBT), the Department for Education (DfE), the Department for

Found: funded by the British Embassy, a new high profile school twinning programme funded by the Department for Education

Found: The Department for Education and DCMS will work in partnership to ensure there is strategic alignment

Found: will be shared, on a non- identifiable basis, with the Office for National Statistics, the Department for Education

Found: The Welsh Government had adapted the modelling files the Department for Education (‘DfE’) provided

Found: The Welsh Government had adapted the modelling files the Department for Education (‘DfE’) provided

Found: should be directed to: information Pupil Wellbeing Branch Support for Learners Division Department for Education

Found: should be directed to: information Pupil Wellbeing Branch Support for Learners Division Department for Education

Found: (Please state job title) How does the organisation ensure compliance with DfE / ESFA and public procurement