Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what consideration she has given to the potential merits of aligning the repayment cancellation terms for pre-2006 Plan 1 student loans, which are cancelled at age 65, with the 25-year cancellation period applied to borrowers from 2006 onwards.

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

Plan 1 loans, and the decisions on their design, were made by previous governments. Although both pre-2006 and post-2006 loans were labelled Plan 1, they are different types of loan. Post-2006 Plan 1 loans had a 25-year repayment term, but higher tuition fees resulted in larger loan balances. Pre-2006 borrowers benefited from lower tuition fee loans and lower balances, with loans written off at the age of 65.

When a new student loan plan is introduced, its terms, including the repayment period, are considered as a whole and are set in legislation for that specific loan type. These terms are not applied retrospectively to borrowers who took out loans under earlier plans.

In relation to the pre-2006 Plan 1 cancellation, ‘The Student Loans: A guide to terms and conditions’ from the academic year 1998/99 states, “Before you reach 65 you will have to make repayments until you have paid off all that you owe. How long this takes will depend on your income during your working life. Once you reach 65 your loan will be cancelled.”

There are no plans to review pre-2006 Plan 1 terms, including the age 65 write-off.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to answer Question 26387, tabled by the hon. Member for Newbury on 1 September 2026.

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

I can confirm that a response has been submitted to the hon. Member for Newbury to the questions referenced.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to answer Question 26389, tabled by hon. Member for Newbury on 1 September 2026.

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

I can confirm that a response has been submitted to the hon. Member for Newbury to the questions referenced.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to answer Question 26388, tabled by hon. Member for Newbury on 1 September 2026.

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

I can confirm that a response has been submitted to the hon. Member for Newbury to the questions referenced.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Internet Matters survey published in 2026, what steps her Department is taking to improve digital literacy skills in schools.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Media literacy is currently covered in the relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) and computing curricula. On 15 July 2025, the government published updated RSHE statutory guidance introducing new content on AI, online safety and pornography which has been mandatory since 1 September 2026.

The government accepted the Curriculum and Assessment Review’s recommendations to strengthen media and digital literacy in the refreshed curriculum.

Following the publication of the independent Curriculum and Assessment Review final report in November 2025, we expect to consult publicly on proposals for the curriculum and assessment system, including media and digital literacy and critical thinking, later this year. We will take the Internet Matters survey into account as part of this work.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans her Department has to expand critical thinking and media literacy education in primary and secondary schools.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Media literacy is currently covered in the relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) and computing curricula. On 15 July 2025, the government published updated RSHE statutory guidance introducing new content on AI, online safety and pornography which has been mandatory since 1 September 2026.

The government accepted the Curriculum and Assessment Review’s recommendations to strengthen media and digital literacy in the refreshed curriculum.

Following the publication of the independent Curriculum and Assessment Review final report in November 2025, we expect to consult publicly on proposals for the curriculum and assessment system, including media and digital literacy and critical thinking, later this year. We will take the Internet Matters survey into account as part of this work.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support her Department is providing to (a) schools and (b) local authorities experiencing falling pupil numbers.

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

We recognise that falling pupil numbers can present difficult strategic choices for local areas. Local authorities have a statutory duty to ensure that sufficient school places are available. We expect local authorities, academy trusts and other partners to work together to balance supply and demand as local demographics change.

The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 introduced measures to strengthen cooperation between local authorities and schools on admissions and place planning.

The department’s ‘Strategic school place planning framework’, due to be published this autumn, will support earlier strategic discussions and more transparent, evidence-led decisions about mainstream school capacity and space. It will help local leaders balance the opportunities presented by falling birth rates – such as using space to support children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities, school-based nursery provision and Best Start Family Hubs – against longer-term risks.

The government is supporting the sector to repurpose space through new capital investment, including £400 million for school-based nursery places and £3.7 billion over 5 years to create tens of thousands of specialist places, including within mainstream schools.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to publish a strategy on falling pupil numbers in schools.

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

We recognise that falling pupil numbers can present difficult strategic choices for local areas. Local authorities have a statutory duty to ensure that sufficient school places are available. We expect local authorities, academy trusts and other partners to work together to balance supply and demand as local demographics change.

The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 introduced measures to strengthen cooperation between local authorities and schools on admissions and place planning.

The department’s ‘Strategic school place planning framework’, due to be published this autumn, will support earlier strategic discussions and more transparent, evidence-led decisions about mainstream school capacity and space. It will help local leaders balance the opportunities presented by falling birth rates – such as using space to support children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities, school-based nursery provision and Best Start Family Hubs – against longer-term risks.

The government is supporting the sector to repurpose space through new capital investment, including £400 million for school-based nursery places and £3.7 billion over 5 years to create tens of thousands of specialist places, including within mainstream schools.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps were taken to ensure that prospective Plan 1 student loan borrowers in the 1998-99 academic year were made aware that their loans could remain repayable until the age of 65; in which documents this information was provided; and whether it was included in the loan agreement itself.

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

Plan 1 loans, and the decisions on their design, were made by previous governments. Although both pre-2006 and post-2006 loans were labelled Plan 1, they are different types of loan. Post-2006 Plan 1 loans had a 25-year repayment term, but higher tuition fees resulted in larger loan balances. Pre-2006 borrowers benefited from lower tuition fee loans and lower balances, with loans written off at the age of 65.

When a new student loan plan is introduced, its terms, including the repayment period, are considered as a whole and are set in legislation for that specific loan type. These terms are not applied retrospectively to borrowers who took out loans under earlier plans.

In relation to the pre-2006 Plan 1 cancellation, ‘The Student Loans: A guide to terms and conditions’ from the academic year 1998/99 states, “Before you reach 65 you will have to make repayments until you have paid off all that you owe. How long this takes will depend on your income during your working life. Once you reach 65 your loan will be cancelled.”

There are no plans to review pre-2006 Plan 1 terms, including the age 65 write-off.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what were the reasons for changing the cancellation terms for Plan 1 student loans for borrowers entering repayment from 2006, from cancellation at age 65 to cancellation 25 years after entering repayment; and what assessment was made of the potential impact of that change on borrowers.

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

Plan 1 loans, and the decisions on their design, were made by previous governments. Although both pre-2006 and post-2006 loans were labelled Plan 1, they are different types of loan. Post-2006 Plan 1 loans had a 25-year repayment term, but higher tuition fees resulted in larger loan balances. Pre-2006 borrowers benefited from lower tuition fee loans and lower balances, with loans written off at the age of 65.

When a new student loan plan is introduced, its terms, including the repayment period, are considered as a whole and are set in legislation for that specific loan type. These terms are not applied retrospectively to borrowers who took out loans under earlier plans.

In relation to the pre-2006 Plan 1 cancellation, ‘The Student Loans: A guide to terms and conditions’ from the academic year 1998/99 states, “Before you reach 65 you will have to make repayments until you have paid off all that you owe. How long this takes will depend on your income during your working life. Once you reach 65 your loan will be cancelled.”

There are no plans to review pre-2006 Plan 1 terms, including the age 65 write-off.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the answer of 7 September 2026, to Question 20870, on Erasmus+ Programme, whether the counting and definition of 100,000 participants from UK beneficiary organisations will include EU students studying at a UK-based educational institution in receipt of a grant agreement.

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

The estimation of 100,000 participants includes all eligible students studying at a UK beneficiary organisation. Participant eligibility is set out on page 55 of the Erasmus+ Programme Guide, available at: https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/sites/default/files/2025-11/programme-guide-2026_en.pdf.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Enrichment Expansion programme announced on 18 September 2026, what additional financial support will be available to secondary schools in Walsall borough that are outside the selected programme areas to meet the Government’s Enrichment Benchmarks in (a) 2026–27 and (b) 2027–28.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

​​The government is committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity and ensuring all children and young people can access high-quality enrichment.

​The recently published Enrichment Framework supports schools and colleges to develop a strategic, inclusive enrichment offer through guidance, case studies, benchmarks and improvement tools to evaluate provision. Ambassadors have been appointed as experts within their areas to identify and highlight effective enrichment practice across schools and wider settings, and to use their expertise to help develop and expand opportunities for young people.

​This sits alongside wider government programmes, including PE and School Sport Partnerships, the National Centre for Arts Education, National Education Nature Parks, the Cadet Expansion Programme, Erasmus+ and Building Equal Access to Chess in Schools. In addition, the Every Child Can programme will invest £132.5 million of dormant assets funding in new enrichment activities through schools, community programmes, weekend activities and holiday provision.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have conducted a review of whether sections 28 (Co-operating generally: local authority functions), 29 (Co-operating generally: governing body functions) and 31 (Co-operating in specific cases: local authority functions) of the Children and Families Act 2014 are enabling effective co-operation between educational bodies; and if not, why not.

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

The government wants to build a more collaborative, inclusive and higher-quality education system, in which local authorities, schools and other education providers work together, share expertise and improve outcomes for children and young people.

Existing legislation provides a range of mechanisms and duties to support collaboration and co-operation between maintained schools, and between maintained schools and further education bodies, as well as co-operation in relation to 14 to 19 education and training and co-operation between local authorities, schools and other educational bodies in relation to special educational needs and disabilities. These arrangements remain available where institutions consider them appropriate.

Additionally, the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 strengthens cooperation across the education and children’s services systems. This includes new duties for schools and local authorities to cooperate on school place planning and alternative provision, alongside provisions for multi-agency child protection teams, statutory information sharing and local authority registers of children not in school.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have conducted a review of whether the use of powers under section 26 (Collaboration between schools) of the Education Act 2002 and section 166 (Collaboration arrangements: maintained schools and further education bodies) of the Education and Inspections Act 2006 is enabling educational bodies to collaborate effectively; and if not, why not.

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

The government wants to build a more collaborative, inclusive and higher-quality education system, in which local authorities, schools and other education providers work together, share expertise and improve outcomes for children and young people.

Existing legislation provides a range of mechanisms and duties to support collaboration and co-operation between maintained schools, and between maintained schools and further education bodies, as well as co-operation in relation to 14 to 19 education and training and co-operation between local authorities, schools and other educational bodies in relation to special educational needs and disabilities. These arrangements remain available where institutions consider them appropriate.

Additionally, the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 strengthens cooperation across the education and children’s services systems. This includes new duties for schools and local authorities to cooperate on school place planning and alternative provision, alongside provisions for multi-agency child protection teams, statutory information sharing and local authority registers of children not in school.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have conducted a review of whether section 85 (Co-operation as regards provision of 14–19 education and training) of the Education and Skills Act 2008 is enabling effective co-operation between educational bodies; and if not, why not.

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

The government wants to build a more collaborative, inclusive and higher-quality education system, in which local authorities, schools and other education providers work together, share expertise and improve outcomes for children and young people.

Existing legislation provides a range of mechanisms and duties to support collaboration and co-operation between maintained schools, and between maintained schools and further education bodies, as well as co-operation in relation to 14 to 19 education and training and co-operation between local authorities, schools and other educational bodies in relation to special educational needs and disabilities. These arrangements remain available where institutions consider them appropriate.

Additionally, the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 strengthens cooperation across the education and children’s services systems. This includes new duties for schools and local authorities to cooperate on school place planning and alternative provision, alongside provisions for multi-agency child protection teams, statutory information sharing and local authority registers of children not in school.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that exams are dynamically modelled around human creativity so that they are not overwhelmed by AI coaching.

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

We are reforming our qualifications to ensure that they support progression to further study, training and skilled employment. These reforms will help young people develop the knowledge, skills and experiences they need to succeed in work, life and lifelong learning.

In line with the recommendations of the Curriculum and Assessment Review, our GCSE reforms will strengthen the human skills pupils need for the future. These include creative thinking in computing, critical thinking in history and problem solving in mathematics. We will also place greater emphasis on practical skills and assessment in practical GCSE subjects such as PE, drama, design and technology, food and nutrition, music and computing. This will better recognise the value of these skills and support students to succeed beyond the classroom.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the adequacy of future pension arrangements of UK university staff who are transferred to subsidiary companies by their employer.

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

The government recognises that a number of universities are adopting subsidiary models in a variety of circumstances. Higher education providers are independent from government and as such are responsible for their own decisions about their workforce. However, in any decisions affecting staff, the government expects providers to abide by all relevant legislation, including requirements under employment law pension requirements. The government also expects providers to engage constructively with their workforce when considering any changes that may affect them.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of UK universities setting up subsidiary companies and transferring staff into those companies on those staff.

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

The government recognises that a number of universities are adopting subsidiary models in a variety of circumstances. Higher education providers are independent from government and as such are responsible for their own decisions about their workforce. However, in any decisions affecting staff, the government expects providers to abide by all relevant legislation, including requirements under employment law pension requirements. The government also expects providers to engage constructively with their workforce when considering any changes that may affect them.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the role of schools in helping pupils understand the implications of climate change for public health, the economy and national resilience.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Young people have consistently expressed a strong desire for greater depth in climate change, nature and sustainability education. This is an engaging topic for young people and is important in preparing them for life and work in a changing world.

Last year, Professor Becky Francis led an independent review of the national curriculum and made several recommendations for earlier sequencing and updated environmental content within the national curriculum subjects of citizenship, geography, science, and design and technology. There will be a public consultation on the proposals for the new national curriculum in due course.

Alongside this, the department funds resources to support schools to teach these topics through Oak National Academy and the National Education Nature Park.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help improve climate literacy among pupils in primary and secondary schools.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Young people have consistently expressed a strong desire for greater depth in climate change, nature and sustainability education. This is an engaging topic for young people and is important in preparing them for life and work in a changing world.

Last year, Professor Becky Francis led an independent review of the national curriculum and made several recommendations for earlier sequencing and updated environmental content within the national curriculum subjects of citizenship, geography, science, and design and technology. There will be a public consultation on the proposals for the new national curriculum in due course.

Alongside this, the department funds resources to support schools to teach these topics through Oak National Academy and the National Education Nature Park.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support her Department provides to teachers to deliver high-quality education on climate change, sustainability and environmental issues.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Young people have consistently expressed a strong desire for greater depth in climate change, nature and sustainability education. This is an engaging topic for young people and is important in preparing them for life and work in a changing world.

Last year, Professor Becky Francis led an independent review of the national curriculum and made several recommendations for earlier sequencing and updated environmental content within the national curriculum subjects of citizenship, geography, science, and design and technology. There will be a public consultation on the proposals for the new national curriculum in due course.

Alongside this, the department funds resources to support schools to teach these topics through Oak National Academy and the National Education Nature Park.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the financial and administrative barriers faced by UK modern languages students required to undertake a year abroad as part of their degree, including the costs and delays associated with obtaining student visas for EU countries; what assessment she has made of the potential impact of those barriers on students from lower-income backgrounds; and whether she has had discussions with universities and relevant European governments on reducing visa costs, simplifying application processes and improving support for students undertaking compulsory periods of study abroad.

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

The government is committed to supporting the study of modern foreign languages.

The UK has taken the positive step to join Erasmus+ in 2027. This will increase opportunities for students to study, train and undertake work placements abroad, enabling more young people to gain valuable international experience and develop their language skills.

Erasmus+ also includes measures to make international mobility more accessible, providing additional funding and practical support to help people with fewer opportunities take part, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

The British Council, which is set to become the National Agency for Erasmus+, will be able to provide practical support to students wishing to take part, along with the participating university.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the impact of recent safeguarding changes affecting DBS checks on employers’ willingness to offer work experience to under-16s; and when her Department will issue clear guidance to schools and employers.

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

Safeguarding children must always be a key priority. Recent changes to regulated activity, introduced by the Crime and Policing Act 2026, which remove the supervision exemption, have brought more activities into scope of regulated activity. The department is aware that this change has created concerns amongst employers, schools and work experience providers about when an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check with children's barred list information might be suitable for staff supervising under-16 work experience placements. We are actively considering these concerns to ensure young people can benefit from work experience placements and feel confident about their next step, equipped with the skills and experience they need to succeed.

DBS has published guidance on changes to regulated activity and is hosting Disclosure and Eligibility Workshops for organisations that are unsure about how the removal of the supervision exemption may affect their workforce.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much Student Loans Company funding was paid in respect of students studying at campuses operated by UK Management College in the latest academic year for which figures are available.

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

To the nearest 10, the number of students studying courses run by UK Management College in receipt of Student Loans Company (SLC) support in the 2024/25 academic year was 3,360, as of 31 August 2025.

To the nearest million, the total amount of Student Finance England funding paid to students studying courses run by UK Management College in receipt of SLC support for the 2024/25 academic year was £62 million, as of 31 August 2025.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many students studying at campuses operated by UK Management College were in receipt of Student Loans Company support in the latest academic year for which figures are available.

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

To the nearest 10, the number of students studying courses run by UK Management College in receipt of Student Loans Company (SLC) support in the 2024/25 academic year was 3,360, as of 31 August 2025.

To the nearest million, the total amount of Student Finance England funding paid to students studying courses run by UK Management College in receipt of SLC support for the 2024/25 academic year was £62 million, as of 31 August 2025.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her department has any plans to A.) cancel B.) pause the accumulation of interest on student loan debts when an individual is unable to work due to ill health.

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

As repayments are income-contingent, borrowers earning below the relevant repayment threshold make no repayments. For borrowers with undergraduate loans who earn no income, interest accrues at Retail Price Index, so the balance does not increase in real terms.

Student loans may also be cancelled where a borrower is permanently unfit for work because of a disability and meets the relevant eligibility and evidence requirements. At the end of the loan term, any outstanding debt, including interest accrued, is written off. The government continues to look for opportunities to improve the student finance system as part of its ongoing consideration of higher education funding.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many outstanding supported accommodation registration applications have been awaiting determination for (a) fewer than six months, (b) six to 12 months and (c) more than 12 months; and what the median and longest waiting times are.

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

These are matters for His Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Sir Martyn Oliver. I have asked him to write to the hon. Member for South West Devon and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many supported accommodation registration applications are currently awaiting allocation to an Ofsted inspector, and how many are allocated but awaiting determination.

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

These are matters for His Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Sir Martyn Oliver. I have asked him to write to the hon. Member for South West Devon and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

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 movements of families housed in temporary accommodation during 2024 and 2025 on schools’ numbers and transience in schools’ populations.

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

The department does not specifically collect data on how the movements of families housed in temporary accommodation affect pupil numbers. However, it collects pupil forecasts from local authorities through the school capacity survey. These forecasts draw on local knowledge of birth rates, housing developments and migration, and are published on GOV.UK at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-capacity/2024-25.

Local authorities have a statutory duty to secure sufficient school places. The department monitors the pupil forecast and school capacity data they submit and regularly engages with them to review plans for creating additional places where needed.

The department also provides capital funding through the basic need grant to support local authorities to provide mainstream school places, based on the data. We have announced over £2.5 billion to support the creation of places needed between May 2024 and September 2028, including over £103 million for Birmingham City Council. Basic need allocations are published on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/basic-need-allocations.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking in response to the recommendations of the Dame Annie Hudson review of social work professional regulation to reduce delays in the handling of fitness-to-practise and cause-for-concern cases by Social Work England; and what target timeframe has been set for the resolution of such cases.

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

The Independent Review of Social Work Professional Regulation, led by Dame Annie Hudson, identified the need for sustained improvement in Social Work England’s fitness to practise function. The government accepted the review’s recommendations and has made improving timeliness and effectiveness a key priority.

Social Work England is expected to produce a robust, externally supported, end-to-end Fitness to Practise Strategic Improvement Plan, with clear milestones and performance measures to drive sustained improvement and address the issues identified by the review.

The department has strengthened its oversight of Social Work England’s performance and is closely monitoring progress. Should sufficient and sustained improvement not be demonstrated, the government will consider what further action may be appropriate.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she will introduce statutory time limits for fitness-to-practise and cause-for-concern investigations by Social Work England.

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

The government does not currently propose statutory time limits for individual cases, as its immediate priority is ensuring Social Work England delivers sustained improvements to the timeliness and effectiveness of the process.

The department recognises the importance of resolving fitness to practise cases promptly, both to protect the public and provide timely outcomes for social workers. Social Work England is the independent regulator responsible for operating fitness to practise processes.

The Independent Review of Social Work Professional Regulation identified fitness to practise as a priority for improvement. In response, the government has asked Social Work England to deliver a comprehensive, end-to-end strategic improvement plan, including revised forecasts and timeliness performance measures. The department is strengthening its oversight and monitoring progress closely.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that electively home-educated children will be able to access the proposed Vocational GCSEs as private candidates, including any practical, controlled or non-exam assessment required as part of those qualifications.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

As with existing GCSEs and other formal qualifications, electively home-educated children seeking to take a vocational GCSE as a private candidate would be expected to enter through an approved examination centre.

Any practical, controlled or non-exam assessment forming part of the qualification would need to be completed through that same centre.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that regulatory and inspection frameworks for early years settings do not disincentivise childminders from offering care to children of mixed ages within the setting.

Answered by Paul Waugh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Childminders are an essential part of the early education and childcare system, providing flexible, high-quality and affordable provision. The department is working with the sector to expand the number of childminders and make it easier to operate, including through increased funding rates and flexibilities to work, with more time working from non-domestic premises.

The department recognises concerns raised by the sector regarding wellbeing and we know there is still more to be done. We know that children thrive when they are cared for by confident, well-trained educators. This means attracting, training and keeping great staff, as well as making sure they are valued and supported throughout their careers, with more support from day one. The department has also introduced measures intended to support the childminding sector and increase childcare availability, including regulatory flexibilities and other reforms aimed at making childminding more attractive and sustainable.

Childminders can provide care for children over five years old, requiring registration on the General Childcare Register (GCR). For providers who are solely registered on the GCR, Ofsted inspections are a compliance check to make sure providers are meeting the ongoing requirements for registration. These inspections are unlike other Ofsted inspections, which focus on quality and standards of provision. Inspectors check at inspection that a provider complies with the requirements of registration.

The department sets the standards and statutory requirements that all early years providers in England must meet. Ofsted is an independent non-ministerial government department and holds responsibility for inspection and operational impact as the regulator for early years provision.

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 current Ofsted inspection requirements and regulation on the retention of childminders offering mixed age care.

Answered by Paul Waugh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Childminders are an essential part of the early education and childcare system, providing flexible, high-quality and affordable provision. The department is working with the sector to expand the number of childminders and make it easier to operate, including through increased funding rates and flexibilities to work, with more time working from non-domestic premises.

The department recognises concerns raised by the sector regarding wellbeing and we know there is still more to be done. We know that children thrive when they are cared for by confident, well-trained educators. This means attracting, training and keeping great staff, as well as making sure they are valued and supported throughout their careers, with more support from day one. The department has also introduced measures intended to support the childminding sector and increase childcare availability, including regulatory flexibilities and other reforms aimed at making childminding more attractive and sustainable.

Childminders can provide care for children over five years old, requiring registration on the General Childcare Register (GCR). For providers who are solely registered on the GCR, Ofsted inspections are a compliance check to make sure providers are meeting the ongoing requirements for registration. These inspections are unlike other Ofsted inspections, which focus on quality and standards of provision. Inspectors check at inspection that a provider complies with the requirements of registration.

The department sets the standards and statutory requirements that all early years providers in England must meet. Ofsted is an independent non-ministerial government department and holds responsibility for inspection and operational impact as the regulator for early years provision.

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 reduced availability of mixed age childminding provision on parents with more than one child.

Answered by Paul Waugh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Childminders are an essential part of the early education and childcare system, providing flexible, high-quality and affordable provision. The department is working with the sector to expand the number of childminders and make it easier to operate, including through increased funding rates and flexibilities to work, with more time working from non-domestic premises.

The department recognises concerns raised by the sector regarding wellbeing and we know there is still more to be done. We know that children thrive when they are cared for by confident, well-trained educators. This means attracting, training and keeping great staff, as well as making sure they are valued and supported throughout their careers, with more support from day one. The department has also introduced measures intended to support the childminding sector and increase childcare availability, including regulatory flexibilities and other reforms aimed at making childminding more attractive and sustainable.

Childminders can provide care for children over five years old, requiring registration on the General Childcare Register (GCR). For providers who are solely registered on the GCR, Ofsted inspections are a compliance check to make sure providers are meeting the ongoing requirements for registration. These inspections are unlike other Ofsted inspections, which focus on quality and standards of provision. Inspectors check at inspection that a provider complies with the requirements of registration.

The department sets the standards and statutory requirements that all early years providers in England must meet. Ofsted is an independent non-ministerial government department and holds responsibility for inspection and operational impact as the regulator for early years provision.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what progress the Government has made in addressing the Public Accounts Committee’s concerns about the “cliff edge” in transport provision for young people with special educational needs and disabilities when they move into post-16 education.

Answered by Paul Waugh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department recognises that transport can enable young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to participate in education and training, and that transport arrangements and costs vary between local areas. Local authorities are not under a general duty to provide free post-16 transport. However, they must make arrangements they consider necessary to facilitate attendance and publish these in annual transport policy statements.

The government does not plan to introduce a universal statutory entitlement. Instead, we are considering targeted options to improve awareness of available support, promote independent travel and improve access where transport is a barrier. This work responds to concerns such as the Public Accounts Committee’s findings about the post-16 “cliff edge”, as well as the effects of transport provision on participation, families and affordability.

The 16 to 19 bursary fund may be used to meet essential participation costs, including travel, with institutions assessing individual need. The department does not hold data identifying the number or proportion of students with SEND whose bursary awards are used specifically for transport costs.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will publish the Local SEND Reform Plans submitted by local area partnerships to her Department.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Local special educational needs and disabilities reform plans are live, operational documents owned by Local Area Partnerships, which decide whether to publish. The department will publish confirmation of areas with approved and deferred reform plans, alongside grant allocations for local authorities with plans that have met the threshold, in due course.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for what reason Cambridgeshire County Council’s Local SEN Reform Plan did not meet the required threshold for approval.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Cambridgeshire’s plan was assessed as needing strengthening in the following areas:

• A stronger articulation of the first-year delivery plan and the three-year road map.
• Further clarity on sufficiency and capital planning.
• Stronger articulation of system leadership, partnership working and co-production.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to respond to the letters of 3 July and 30 July.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

I can confirm that a response to the correspondence of 3 and 30 July 2026 from the hon. Member for Arundel and South Downs was sent on 20 October 2026.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what provisions are in place to help ensure children who arrive by bus at school are able to arrive in time to benefit from free breakfast club provision.

Answered by Paul Waugh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

​​This government is committed to delivering a free breakfast club in every state-funded school with primary-aged pupils, including special schools and alternative provision. Over 2,700 schools are now delivering clubs, reaching around 680,000 children.

​​Schools and local authorities are working together to help pupils using home-to-school transport access free breakfast clubs.

​Where transport timings prevent a pupil from attending, schools are encouraged to work with their local authority to find out if it is possible to adjust timings or find a suitable alternative arrangement.

​​Expert advisers are available to help schools build on existing childcare provision and use programme flexibilities so that pupils and families do not miss out.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure guidance for parents and carers on under-5s screen use reaches parents and carers in Yeovil constituency.

Answered by Paul Waugh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The England-wide Best Start in Life campaign is actively raising awareness of the under-5s screen-time guidance and driving parents and carers to practical advice to help families develop healthy screen habits. Paid advertising as part of the national campaign, including social media and search activity, signposts families directly to the guidance, including those in Yeovil.

This activity has driven significant engagement with the guidance. Between 27 March and 7 April, the guidance was the most-viewed page on the Best Start in Life website and is currently (as of 20 October) the third most viewed page. 

A range of supportive, practical communications materials are also available, including downloadable resources, such as an infographic, digital screens and social media assets, which trusted partners and local services can use to promote the guidance through their own channels and networks. Best Start Family Hubs are also being equipped with dedicated resources to support sessions and direct conversations with parents and carers in their communities.

The CBeebies Parenting Hub provides a further trusted route to reach families, signposting parents to Best Start in Life guidance alongside complementary BBC screen-time advice and resources.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to strengthen engagement between schools, colleges, universities and engineering businesses of all sizes in the West Midlands to improve awareness of technical education and apprenticeship opportunities.

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

The government is committed to ensuring that young people understand the full range of apprenticeship and technical education (ATE) opportunities available, working with employers to strengthen engagement and develop the skills businesses need.

The Careers & Enterprise Company’s (CEC) national network of 44 Career Hubs bring together schools, colleges and employers, using local data and insight to identify barriers to young people progressing into ATE pathways and target support locally.

In the West Midlands, through the Boosting Skills Pathways Fund, Career Hubs are working with local employers in priority sectors, including engineering and advanced manufacturing, alongside schools, colleges and training providers, to develop employer-led outreach and increase young people’s awareness and uptake of ATE opportunities, including work experience.

Through its Employer Standards, the CEC also encourages employers of all sizes to work with local schools and colleges so young people have information about careers pathways before key transition points.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to promote careers in the logistics sector in (a) schools and (b) further education colleges.

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

The government wants every young person to understand their career opportunities. Statutory careers guidance expects schools and further education colleges to draw on labour market information and provide employer encounters and workplace experiences, supporting informed choices.

Careers hubs connect schools and colleges with employers and sector bodies. All 11 secondary schools in South Ribble are part of the Lancashire Careers Hub. Penwortham Priory Academy has worked with Leyland Trucks, helping pupils on an engineering pathway understand careers in the sector. Penwortham Girls’ High School has undertaken modern work experience with Eddie Stobart.

Learning from the Logistics Beacon, developed by Leicester and Leicestershire Careers Hub and Generation Logistics, is available to other areas nationally through curriculum related resources for key stages 3 to 5. The model demonstrates how careers hubs can work with employers to respond to local priority sectors.

Together, this activity supports progression into technical education, apprenticeships and skilled employment.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the impact on students and graduates of using the Retail Prices Index (RPI) in student finance calculations; and whether she will consider adopting the Consumer Prices Index (CPI), which is generally lower than RPI, to better reflect inflation pressures faced by students.

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

Decisions on student loan repayment arrangements must be considered alongside wider fiscal priorities, the long-term sustainability of the higher education (HE) funding system and value for money for taxpayers. The department has already taken decisive action against inflationary pressures by capping the maximum interest rates on Plan 2 and Plan 3 loans at 6% for the 2026/27 academic year, protecting borrowers from inflation shocks.

The Office for National Statistics has confirmed that it will bring the methods and data sources used to calculate the Consumer Prices Index, including owner occupiers' housing costs, into the Retail Prices Index from February 2030. The government will continue to consider the appropriate treatment of inflation measures within the student finance system as part of its ongoing consideration of HE funding and student support arrangements.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what is the policy of the Government on institutions charging higher prices for children from independent schools than for state schools for school visits.

Answered by Paul Waugh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Pricing decisions are for individual organisations. The department encourages individual organisations to consider how their arrangements support fair and inclusive access for children.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what interim measures and additional funding are available to local authorities when suitable supported accommodation cannot be secured; and how many young people are being supported through each measure.

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

​​Local authorities are responsible for ensuring they have sufficiency in their area. The government is providing £560 million to refurbish and expand children’s home placements. To enable the supported accommodation reforms, £123 million was provided to local authorities between 2023 and 2025. This has been incorporated into the Revenue Support Grant for 2026/27 to support local authorities in meeting their statutory duties, which includes supported accommodation.

​No specific funding is given to local authorities where Supported Accommodation cannot be secured. As of 31 March 2026, there were 370 ongoing applications from supported accommodation providers, down from 616 in 2025. While registered providers have capacity for a total of 24,700 places, only 7,520 looked after children live in supported accommodation.

​The department does not hold information regarding the number of placements ready to be offered by providers who are awaiting registration. While Ofsted has introduced a prioritisation policy for new children's home applications, no such policy currently applies to supported accommodation, although this remains under review.

​Programme funding from the department has enabled Ofsted to continue its registration and inspection activities to support compliance with regulatory requirements. It can take several months for Ofsted to process and come to a decision on an application, with timescales sometimes affected by factors outside of Ofsted’s control, such as incomplete applications. ​

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the number of supported accommodation places that are ready to open but unavailable because the provider’s Ofsted registration remains undetermined.

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

​​Local authorities are responsible for ensuring they have sufficiency in their area. The government is providing £560 million to refurbish and expand children’s home placements. To enable the supported accommodation reforms, £123 million was provided to local authorities between 2023 and 2025. This has been incorporated into the Revenue Support Grant for 2026/27 to support local authorities in meeting their statutory duties, which includes supported accommodation.

​No specific funding is given to local authorities where Supported Accommodation cannot be secured. As of 31 March 2026, there were 370 ongoing applications from supported accommodation providers, down from 616 in 2025. While registered providers have capacity for a total of 24,700 places, only 7,520 looked after children live in supported accommodation.

​The department does not hold information regarding the number of placements ready to be offered by providers who are awaiting registration. While Ofsted has introduced a prioritisation policy for new children's home applications, no such policy currently applies to supported accommodation, although this remains under review.

​Programme funding from the department has enabled Ofsted to continue its registration and inspection activities to support compliance with regulatory requirements. It can take several months for Ofsted to process and come to a decision on an application, with timescales sometimes affected by factors outside of Ofsted’s control, such as incomplete applications. ​

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether additional staffing and resources have been provided to Ofsted to process supported accommodation applications; and by what date the backlog will be cleared.

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

​​Local authorities are responsible for ensuring they have sufficiency in their area. The government is providing £560 million to refurbish and expand children’s home placements. To enable the supported accommodation reforms, £123 million was provided to local authorities between 2023 and 2025. This has been incorporated into the Revenue Support Grant for 2026/27 to support local authorities in meeting their statutory duties, which includes supported accommodation.

​No specific funding is given to local authorities where Supported Accommodation cannot be secured. As of 31 March 2026, there were 370 ongoing applications from supported accommodation providers, down from 616 in 2025. While registered providers have capacity for a total of 24,700 places, only 7,520 looked after children live in supported accommodation.

​The department does not hold information regarding the number of placements ready to be offered by providers who are awaiting registration. While Ofsted has introduced a prioritisation policy for new children's home applications, no such policy currently applies to supported accommodation, although this remains under review.

​Programme funding from the department has enabled Ofsted to continue its registration and inspection activities to support compliance with regulatory requirements. It can take several months for Ofsted to process and come to a decision on an application, with timescales sometimes affected by factors outside of Ofsted’s control, such as incomplete applications. ​

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will publish the number of 16 and 17-year-old looked-after children and care leavers (a) awaiting suitable supported accommodation, (b) in temporary accommodation while waiting for supported accommodation, (c) placed outside their home authority because no suitable local placement was available and (d) living in accommodation assessed as unsuitable for each local authority.

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

The available information relates to 17 and 18-year-old care leavers and whether their accommodation is deemed suitable or unsuitable by local authority. This is published in the annual statistical release which can be found at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoptions/2025.

The latest information relating to the reporting year ending 31 March 2025 can be found at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/a794424e-8e83-46a0-4c69-08df251b5373.

The department does not hold information centrally on the number of looked after children and care leavers (a) awaiting suitable supported accommodation, (b) in temporary accommodation whilst waiting for supported accommodation or (c) placed outside their home authority because no suitable local placements were available.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the financial impact on families of disabled young people when the costs of post-16 transport are not met by local authorities, including the impact on parental employment.

Answered by Paul Waugh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department recognises that transport can enable young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to participate in education and training, and that transport arrangements and costs vary between local areas. Local authorities are not under a general duty to provide free post-16 transport. However, they must make arrangements they consider necessary to facilitate attendance and publish these in annual transport policy statements.

The government does not plan to introduce a universal statutory entitlement. Instead, we are considering targeted options to improve awareness of available support, promote independent travel and improve access where transport is a barrier. This work responds to concerns such as the Public Accounts Committee’s findings about the post-16 “cliff edge”, as well as the effects of transport provision on participation, families and affordability.

The 16 to 19 bursary fund may be used to meet essential participation costs, including travel, with institutions assessing individual need. The department does not hold data identifying the number or proportion of students with SEND whose bursary awards are used specifically for transport costs.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of variations between local authorities in the eligibility criteria and level of transport support available to 16 to 19-year-olds with SEND.

Answered by Paul Waugh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department recognises that transport can enable young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to participate in education and training, and that transport arrangements and costs vary between local areas. Local authorities are not under a general duty to provide free post-16 transport. However, they must make arrangements they consider necessary to facilitate attendance and publish these in annual transport policy statements.

The government does not plan to introduce a universal statutory entitlement. Instead, we are considering targeted options to improve awareness of available support, promote independent travel and improve access where transport is a barrier. This work responds to concerns such as the Public Accounts Committee’s findings about the post-16 “cliff edge”, as well as the effects of transport provision on participation, families and affordability.

The 16 to 19 bursary fund may be used to meet essential participation costs, including travel, with institutions assessing individual need. The department does not hold data identifying the number or proportion of students with SEND whose bursary awards are used specifically for transport costs.

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 post-16 transport provision on participation in education and training among young people with special educational needs and disabilities.

Answered by Paul Waugh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department recognises that transport can enable young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to participate in education and training, and that transport arrangements and costs vary between local areas. Local authorities are not under a general duty to provide free post-16 transport. However, they must make arrangements they consider necessary to facilitate attendance and publish these in annual transport policy statements.

The government does not plan to introduce a universal statutory entitlement. Instead, we are considering targeted options to improve awareness of available support, promote independent travel and improve access where transport is a barrier. This work responds to concerns such as the Public Accounts Committee’s findings about the post-16 “cliff edge”, as well as the effects of transport provision on participation, families and affordability.

The 16 to 19 bursary fund may be used to meet essential participation costs, including travel, with institutions assessing individual need. The department does not hold data identifying the number or proportion of students with SEND whose bursary awards are used specifically for transport costs.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what data her Department holds on the number and proportion of students with special educational needs and disabilities who receive 16 to 19 Bursary Fund support towards transport costs.

Answered by Paul Waugh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department recognises that transport can enable young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to participate in education and training, and that transport arrangements and costs vary between local areas. Local authorities are not under a general duty to provide free post-16 transport. However, they must make arrangements they consider necessary to facilitate attendance and publish these in annual transport policy statements.

The government does not plan to introduce a universal statutory entitlement. Instead, we are considering targeted options to improve awareness of available support, promote independent travel and improve access where transport is a barrier. This work responds to concerns such as the Public Accounts Committee’s findings about the post-16 “cliff edge”, as well as the effects of transport provision on participation, families and affordability.

The 16 to 19 bursary fund may be used to meet essential participation costs, including travel, with institutions assessing individual need. The department does not hold data identifying the number or proportion of students with SEND whose bursary awards are used specifically for transport costs.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to commit to making transport provision for 16 to 19-year-old students with special educational needs and disabilities a statutory duty.

Answered by Paul Waugh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department recognises that transport can enable young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to participate in education and training, and that transport arrangements and costs vary between local areas. Local authorities are not under a general duty to provide free post-16 transport. However, they must make arrangements they consider necessary to facilitate attendance and publish these in annual transport policy statements.

The government does not plan to introduce a universal statutory entitlement. Instead, we are considering targeted options to improve awareness of available support, promote independent travel and improve access where transport is a barrier. This work responds to concerns such as the Public Accounts Committee’s findings about the post-16 “cliff edge”, as well as the effects of transport provision on participation, families and affordability.

The 16 to 19 bursary fund may be used to meet essential participation costs, including travel, with institutions assessing individual need. The department does not hold data identifying the number or proportion of students with SEND whose bursary awards are used specifically for transport costs.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the impact of the ending of transitional protections for free school meals on 31 August 2026 on looked-after children.

Answered by Paul Waugh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department has significantly expanded access to free school meals (FSM), introducing new eligibility criteria applying to all children in households receiving Universal Credit, which took effect from the start of this school year. This means that half a million more children will be able to receive free and nutritious lunchtime meals each day, after accounting for the ending of transitional protections. This approach ensures support is targeted at children in the lowest-income households, including looked after children.

The department has considered the impact of ending transitional protections as part of its reforms to FSM. However, it is not possible to identify looked after children who were previously receiving FSM but are no longer eligible following the end of transitional protections.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will publish the number of (a) outstanding applications proposing premises for supported accommodation, (b) existing accommodation places available for supported accommodation and (c) applications for supported accommodation outstanding for more than 12 months for each local authority with children’s social care responsibilities.

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

These are matters for His Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Sir Martyn Oliver. I have asked him to write to the hon. Member for South West Devon and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to ensure an increased gradual tapering, as household income increases, of the non-repayable maintenance grant, to help support students from families marginally above an income threshold.

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 new maintenance grants are a targeted measure designed to provide additional support to eligible students from the lowest-income households without increasing their debt. They will be introduced for new and continuing students studying subjects aligned with the Industrial Strategy and skills needs from the 2028/29 academic year.

Like other means-tested elements of the student finance system, eligibility criteria are required to ensure support is targeted effectively. Students with household incomes at or below the minimum means-testing threshold of £25,000 will receive the highest level of support, with grant entitlement tapering as household income increases towards the upper threshold at £30,000. Students with household incomes above this level will not be eligible for a maintenance grant.

Students at all levels of household income will continue to benefit from the government's commitment to increase maintenance loans every year in line with forecast inflation.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Department is taking to address skills shortages in the manufacturing sector.

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

The government is addressing skills shortages in manufacturing through reforms to technical education, apprenticeships and higher technical skills training. We are strengthening pathways into manufacturing careers through T Levels, Higher Technical Qualifications (HTQs), the Lifelong Learning Entitlement and apprenticeships, helping people gain the skills employers need.

Engineering and Manufacturing T Levels support young people to progress into skilled employment, higher technical education and apprenticeships, while recent changes to industry placements provide greater flexibility for employers to participate.

We are transforming the apprenticeships levy into a new Growth and Skills Levy in England to give employers greater flexibility to invest in workforce training. In addition, we have announced a £182 million Engineering Skills Package to support skills development in priority sectors, including manufacturing, which includes 4 Technical Excellence Colleges specialising in advanced manufacturing. We continue to work with Skills England, providers and employers to ensure training provision meets evolving sector needs.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether Capgemini have been contracted to support the development of the Student Loans Company Target Operating Model.

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

Capgemini have been contracted to support the Student Loan Company’s (SLC) in the development of their new Target Operating Model, developing a number of design options to underpin SLC’s organisation-wide transformation programme, Enable. A competitive procurement was carried out via Crown Commercial Services (now GCA) Management Consultancy Framework (MCF3) – Lot 3.

SLC received 15 Expressions of Interest, 7 suppliers submitted an Ethical Walls statement and 6 bids were received. This award was published on 6 June 2025.

Further information is available at: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/notice/ddbd7657-3f27-40ea-8860-0b7ac30fee1d?origin=SearchResults&p=1.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will publish all direct awards provided by the Student Loans Company under s41 of the Procurement Act 2023.

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

All direct awards are routinely published on Contracts Finder, available at: https://www.gov.uk/contracts-finder and the Find a Tender Service, available at: https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Search.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the value for money of loan-financed tuition fees paid to university initial teacher training providers, measured by the proportion of trainees who qualify, enter state school teaching, and remain in the profession after five years, for each accredited provider.

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

The department has not assessed the value for money of loan-financed tuition fees paid to individual initial teacher training (ITT) providers in this way.

The department publishes data annually on the proportion of trainees at each accredited ITT provider who achieve qualified teacher status and enter employment in the state-funded school sector. We also monitor teacher retention nationally, although five-year retention analysis is not held at accredited-provider level.

Ofsted assesses the quality of training offered by accredited providers through its routine inspections. This includes the extent to which trainees complete their programmes, achieve qualified teacher status and are prepared for a career in teaching.

The department considers value for money when designing and reviewing its ITT interventions, including targeted financial incentives. These incentives are directed towards subjects where they are most needed, informed by evidence on teacher supply and demand.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of (a) collecting and (b) publishing data on outcomes for students with Specific Learning Disabilities taking level 3 qualifications.

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

The department currently collects and publishes data on the attainment, participation and progression of learners with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including qualification achievement, progression to level 2 and level 3, further education participation, destinations into education, employment and apprenticeships, as well as not in employment, education or training and longer-term outcomes. Statistics identify the number of learners with education, health and care plans, special educational needs (SEN) support and those with no identified SEN.

Collecting data on outcomes for students with SEND helps the department to understand their experiences, identify attainment gaps, target support more effectively, and evaluate whether policies and interventions are working.

Publishing this data adds transparency and accountability, supports research and helps encourage improvement across the sector.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of updating departmental guidance for schools to mandate emergency hydrocortisone IM injection training in schools for pupils with Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Schools, colleges and early years providers have responsibilities to keep children and young people safe and to ensure that those with disabilities, which may arise from a medical condition, are not discriminated against by provisions, practice or criteria.

Schools are not responsible for clinical healthcare tasks. Healthcare professionals are responsible for determining whether it is safe and appropriate for a healthcare task to be delivered by staff in schools and other education settings, and what training and competency assessment may be required.

The department works closely with the Department for Health and Social Care to produce guidance on clinical healthcare in schools.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 7 September 2026 to Question 22510 on Teachers: Religious Education, what comparative estimate her Department has made of the number of accepted applicants to postgraduate Religious Education initial teacher training in the (a) 2026/27 and (b) 2025/26 recruitment cycle; and what analysis she has undertaken of the factors contributing to any change.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

I refer the hon. Member for Leicester East to the answer of 13 October 2026 to Question 30137.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 7 September 2026 to Question 22510 on Teachers: Religious Education, whether the increase in postgraduate Religious Education initial teacher training recruitment cited was attributable in part to the availability of a bursary; and for what reason it concluded that recruitment would remain sufficient following the withdrawal of that bursary.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

I refer the hon. Member for Leicester East to the answer of 13 October 2026 to Question 30137.

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Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the Enrichment Expansion programme area list published on 25 September 2026, if her Department will publish the scores and rankings used to assess (a) Walsall, (b) Birmingham and (c) Sandwell for inclusion in the programme; and for what reasons Walsall was not selected.

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

DCMS is committed to making a difference in the places that need it the most, through investing to build social and community cohesion and to enhance opportunity where outcomes are poorest.

Evidence points clearly to economic and social outcomes being systematically worse in places where both deprivation and community need is highest; places experiencing ‘double disadvantage’. For this reason, across our programmes that aim to improve social and community outcomes, we will look to implement a tailored focus on targeting these ‘double disadvantage’ places – to ensure that our funding is concentrated in the communities where we can make the biggest difference. DCMS’ approach to place targeting is publicly available.

The Enrichment Expansion Programme (EEP), a DCMS-funded programme delivered in strategic partnership with DfE, will invest £22.5 million across 3 years to support up to 400 secondary schools to provide a youth led, tailored enrichment offer and help them meet the Enrichment Framework benchmarks.

In order to select local authorities to participate in the programme, lower-layer super output areas (LSOAs) were identified as being in the most deprived 20% nationally on both the Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index (IDACI) and the Community Needs Index (CNI). In this instance IDACI serves a similar purpose to the Indices of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) used in the DCMS wide approach but focuses in particular on deprivation impacting young people. LSOAs meeting both criteria were classified as experiencing double disadvantage. The proportion of double-disadvantaged LSOAs within each lower-tier local authority was then calculated, and local authorities were ranked on this basis, with a minimum number of three areas represented across all nine regions.

Additionally, areas were included to align with DfE’s Mission North East and Mission Coastal. The Place Missions will bring expert support into classrooms and new opportunities beyond the school gates for children in the North East, Hastings and Scarborough.

To ensure each school within the programme receives tailored support from the programme, we intend to group schools into clusters of 5-8 according to geographic proximity. Resultantly, we selected 54 clusters across 59 areas to accommodate 400 schools. Walsall did not rank highly enough to be selected as eligible for the programme. It was also not in scope for clustering given the number of eligible schools within neighbouring eligible areas.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Education on potential use of NHS numbers as the “consistent identifier" envisaged in the Children’s Well-being and Schools Act 2026.

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

As set out in our 10-Year Health Plan, we are working with the Department for Education to implement a single unique identifier for every child. Pilots are underway and subject to their success, the NHS number will indeed become the single unique identifier for children.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what progress he has made on the launch of test and learn pilots for children with parents in prison.

Answered by Jake Richards - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Government is committed to improving the recognition and support of children with a parent in prison. Working with the Department for Education, the Ministry of Justice announced a test-and-learn pilot programme in July 2026 to test different approaches to recognising and supporting children affected by parental imprisonment and their families.

An Expression of Interest process for local authorities to take part in the pilots ran from 3 September to 1 October 2026. We plan to work with up to 10 local authorities, providing a diverse range of areas and demographics in which to test the approaches. Successful local authorities will be notified shortly, aiming for the focused support offer to be in place in all pilot local authorities by April 2027.

The pilots will test two approaches to recognising children with a parent in prison through data sharing, alongside local authority-led assurance, triage and focused support for them. The learning will build our understanding of what works and inform any future decisions on a national approach.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 92 of his Department’s Strategic Defence Review, published 2 June 2025, what progress he has made on working with the Department for Education to develop an understanding of Armed Forces among young people in schools.

Answered by Calvin Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans and People)

The Ministry of Defence recognises the importance of Recommendation 26 of the Strategic Defence Review and is continuing to work with the Department for Education to consider how young people’s understanding of the Armed Forces and their role can be strengthened.

Alongside this work, the Armed Forces continue to engage young people through a range of activities in schools and colleges. These include the Royal Air Force’s virtual work experience programme, Army careers and community engagement, and Royal Navy leadership, teamworking and STEM activities. These programmes provide young people with opportunities to learn about the work of the Armed Forces and the breadth of careers available.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to recommendation 26 of the 2025 Strategic Defence Review, what progress has he made in working with the Department for Education to develop understanding of the Armed Forces among young people in schools.

Answered by Calvin Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans and People)

The Ministry of Defence recognises the importance of Recommendation 26 of the Strategic Defence Review and is continuing to work with the Department for Education to consider how young people’s understanding of the Armed Forces and their role can be strengthened.

Alongside this work, the Armed Forces continue to engage young people through a range of activities in schools and colleges. These include the Royal Air Force’s virtual work experience programme, Army careers and community engagement, and Royal Navy leadership, teamworking and STEM activities. These programmes provide young people with opportunities to learn about the work of the Armed Forces and the breadth of careers available.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, by what date will he answer written question 22918 on Armed Forces: Schools, due for answer by 2 September 2026.

Answered by Calvin Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans and People)

The Ministry of Defence recognises the importance of Recommendation 26 of the Strategic Defence Review and is continuing to work with the Department for Education to consider how young people’s understanding of the Armed Forces and their role can be strengthened.

Alongside this work, the Armed Forces continue to engage young people through a range of activities in schools and colleges. These include the Royal Air Force’s virtual work experience programme, Army careers and community engagement, and Royal Navy leadership, teamworking and STEM activities. These programmes provide young people with opportunities to learn about the work of the Armed Forces and the breadth of careers available.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to his Department's document entitled Transparency Data: Updated estimates of children with a parent in prison, published on 10 September 2026, what steps his Department is taking in collaboration with local authorities to safeguard children at risk of harm who have a parent in prison.

Answered by Jake Richards - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

HMPPS works closely with Children's Services and other safeguarding partners to protect children who may be affected by offending behaviour. Information sharing and partnership working are central to this approach and are supported by the statutory guidance Working Together to Safeguard Children.

Staff working with offenders receive safeguarding training and are required to engage with Children's Social Care where there are concerns about a child's safety or wellbeing. In assessing risk, probation practitioners are required to consider the potential impact of an offender's behaviour on children and families and must contribute to child protection processes where appropriate.

Where a prisoner is assessed as posing a risk of harm to children, prisons restrict contact and seek the views of Children's Social Care before contact takes place. In addition, offenders convicted of serious sexual, violent or terrorist offences who receive a qualifying sentence may be managed under Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA), through which the police, prisons, probation and other agencies work together to assess and manage risk in the community.

HMPPS is also supporting implementation of the Information Sharing Duty introduced through the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act.

Working closely with the Department for Education, we are running pilots to test how information from across the criminal justice system and public services can help recognise and support children and families affected by parental imprisonment.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many under 25s that receive the Universal Credit health element are not in employment, education or training; and how many are.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)

The Universal Credit health journey includes claimants with a fit note, those assessed as having Limited Capability for Work (LCW), and those assessed as having Limited Capability for Work and Work-Related Activity (LCWRA).

Claimants who have submitted a fit note have not yet completed a Work Capability Assessment (WCA) and are therefore not considered to be receiving the Universal Credit health element. Similarly, claimants in the LCW group do not receive the health element; instead, they benefit from reduced work-related requirements and conditionality. Only claimants assessed as having LCWRA are entitled to receive the health element within Universal Credit.

Table 1 - Under-25 Universal Credit claimants with LCWRA in England, May 2024, by participation in education, training and employment:

Notes/caveats:

1. Cohort is England only as we do not hold education data from Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.
2. DFE data for education does not cover private education so a small number may be missed.
3. Education also includes those on training courses such as apprenticeships.
4. Data covers those on the caseload in May 2024 to match both employment and education datasets.
5. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 100.
6. Those under 18 can claim UC (and by extension UC Health) in specific circumstances such as no parental support, pregnancy (or recently given birth), responsible for a child or have a long-term health condition, but numbers are low.
7. Usually those in full-time education cannot claim UC. Exceptions are made for those responsible for a child or have received LCWRA and are entitled to another disability benefit such as PIP.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many young people under the age of 25 receiving the Universal Credit health element are NEET, and how many are in education or employment.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)

The Universal Credit health journey includes claimants with a fit note, those assessed as having Limited Capability for Work (LCW), and those assessed as having Limited Capability for Work and Work-Related Activity (LCWRA).

Claimants who have submitted a fit note have not yet completed a Work Capability Assessment (WCA) and are therefore not considered to be receiving the Universal Credit health element. Similarly, claimants in the LCW group do not receive the health element; instead, they benefit from reduced work-related requirements and conditionality. Only claimants assessed as having LCWRA are entitled to receive the health element within Universal Credit.

Table 1 - Under-25 Universal Credit claimants with LCWRA in England, May 2024, by participation in education, training and employment:

Notes/caveats:

1. Cohort is England only as we do not hold education data from Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.
2. DFE data for education does not cover private education so a small number may be missed.
3. Education also includes those on training courses such as apprenticeships.
4. Data covers those on the caseload in May 2024 to match both employment and education datasets.
5. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 100.
6. Those under 18 can claim UC (and by extension UC Health) in specific circumstances such as no parental support, pregnancy (or recently given birth), responsible for a child or have a long-term health condition.
7. Usually those in full-time education cannot claim UC. Exceptions are made for those responsible for a child or have received LCWRA and are entitled to another disability benefit such as PIP.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to improve young peoples’ understanding of political processes, ability to identify false or misleading information and capacity to make informed choices.

Answered by Florence Eshalomi - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Government is committed to encouraging broader and more inclusive participation in our democracy, particularly among young people. Through the £2.5 million Democratic Engagement Fund, we are supporting politically neutral, place-based projects that help people understand, engage with and participate in democracy, while building evidence of what works to increase democratic participation.

Democratic engagement helps young people develop the knowledge, skills and confidence needed to understand democratic processes.

Furthermore, enabling young people to vote from the age of 16 will create transformative links between education and democracy. We are working closely with the Department for Education on reforms to the curriculum and assessment system, including strengthening democracy education and complementary media literacy skills.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of Section 19 permit exemptions for teachers driving pupils on school trips on safety; and whether she plans to review the training, qualification and safety requirements applicable to teachers operating vehicles under such permits.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Operating vehicles under Section 19 permits comes with important obligations. To support permit holders with their responsibilities, we publish guidance to promote and support the correct and safe use of vehicles operated under permits. The guidance explains that they must ensure that drivers are correctly trained, have the correct driving licence, and take adequate breaks.

There is also specific guidance for schools and local authorities on driving minibuses, which is published jointly with the Department of Education.

We are aware of calls for changes to minibus driver licensing arrangements and remain engaged on the issues with the Department for Education.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to ensure co-operative business models are promoted through courses at agricultural colleges and universities.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

We recognise the importance of collaboration between farms. Our £30m Farmer Collaboration Fund enables groups of farmers to work in partnership to improve business and environmental sustainability. We also recognise gaps in business skills and are working with the land-based education sector and DfE on qualification reform to address them.

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Education on how her Department will measure how the Enrichment Expansion Programme delivers against the Enrichment Framework and the government’s ambition to halve the enrichment gap.

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

The Enrichment Expansion Programme (EEP), a DCMS-funded programme delivered in strategic partnership with DfE, will invest £22.5 million across 3 years to support up to 400 secondary schools to provide a youth led, tailored enrichment offer and help them meet the Enrichment Framework benchmarks. The Enrichment Framework is non-statutory guidance and will support education settings to plan a high-quality enrichment offer more strategically and intentionally with the aim of increasing the quality of and access to enrichment opportunities.

DCMS has commissioned an independent evaluator to conduct a process, impact and value for money evaluation of the EEP. The evaluation will consider how successfully the programme has delivered against its strategic objectives, which includes evaluating how successfully the programme has supported participating schools to meet the Framework benchmarks. This will include taking a baseline assessment of each school’s provision and pupil participation at the start of the programme to compare progress against by the end of the programme.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps her Department is taking to coordinate across the Home Office, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and the Department for Education to ensure that English language testing used for immigration and education purposes aligns with the United Kingdom’s national interest.

Answered by Mark Ferguson - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The government supports adults aged 19+ in England who speak English as a second or additional language to access English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) provision, funded through the Adult Skills Fund (ASF), subject to the eligibility requirements laid out in the ASF.

The English language requirement ensures that people coming to the UK have the language skills they need, whether that is to work or study in the UK or to live with their family. Being able to understand, speak, read and write in English is an important part of a person’s overall ability to integrate and engage with the wider community in the UK.

Work is also underway in the Department for Education to review ESOL content to ensure adults can gain the language skills they need for life, work and further study.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions her Department has had with the Department for Education on including Category D driving licence training for coaches within the Skills Bootcamps programme; and what assessment she made of the potential merits of doing so for addressing shortages in the coach industry.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Government recognises that the bus and coach sector has had issues recruiting and retaining drivers in recent years, though intelligence from the sector suggests the shortage of bus drivers has reduced.

The Government is giving local areas greater control of the delivery of Skills Bootcamps in line with its commitment to devolution, supporting local areas to choose which Skills Bootcamps they offer based on the needs of their local employers and economy.

As of the 2026-27 financial year, Mayoral Strategic Authorities can use 100% of their grant, and non-MSAs have the flexibility to use up to 50% of their grant, to deliver Skills Bootcamps in additional sectors.

Decisions on the provision of Skills Bootcamps for Category D coach driver training are therefore a matter for local authorities.

We call for the government to recognise and address the issues parents face when their child is absent due to mental health . The Dfe guidance states it should be authorised but it’s very apparent schools are not applying code I absences in these instances.

Found: The clear guidance from Dfe is being dismissed and it’s destroying trust and putting extra strain on

Found: data with other government departments, including education data from the Department for Education’s (DfE

Found: (DfE), will enhance our understanding of how justice system users interact with other public services

Found: Contents_details Data First MoJ DfE Linked Data set Data Catalogue When making data selections to

Found: chaired by the Home Office Modern Slavery Unit and representation is provided from: • Department for Education

Found: Innovation, Science and Trade 23 Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport 28 Department for Education

Found: government/organisations/ofsted Email: [email protected] Parent Department: Department for Education

Found: enterprise Committed London Parallax Perspectives Limited London EC1V 2NX Other Employer London Department for Education

Found: as a result of receiving a notification, in line with their local practice. 18.50 The Department for Education

Found: as a result of receiving a notification, in line with their local practice. 18.50 The Department for Education

Found: Where those provisions, or regulations made under them, apply, the Department for Education or other

Found: initial impacts and delivery, published 24 May 2018 (GOV.UK) and Ministry of Justice and Department for Education

Found: employer of apprentices, supporting around 27,000 new apprenticeship starts each year (source: Department for Education

Found: Longitudinal Education Outcomes of the graduate premium The Department for Education (DfE) publish data

Found: Specific policy strands within the CSP are led by either DWP or DfE.

Found: While PBS continues to attract a large share of graduates, Department for Education (DfE) and Skills

Found: While PBS continues to attract a large share of graduates, Department for Education (DfE) and Skills

Found: PE and School Sport Partnerships Network where funding has been pooled across DHSC, the Department for Education

Found: group of organic sector representatives and public sector procurement leads, including Department for Education

Found: Simon Ridley Appointed as new Department for Education Permanent Secretary

Found: end of the 26/27 academic year the platform will replace the Issac platform currently funded by the DfE

Found: Government Commissioner team to an oversight role; adoption of a single Commissioner team with Department for Education

Found: minded to refresh the Commissioner model moving to a single commissioner team, working to shared DfE

Found: Teachers’ pensions are provided through a notionally funded scheme administered by the Department for Education

Found: Teachers’ pensions are provided through a notionally funded scheme administered by the Department for Education

Found: Teachers’ pensions are provided through a notionally funded scheme administered by the Department for Education

Found: (DfE), across government and at local level; • long-term investment in youth, community

Found: Service Delivery Slough Borough Council remains subject to Department for Education intervention in

Found: RDEL excluding depreciation and ODA3 Efficiencies Savings DHSC 5.2% 6,355 3,993 MoD 2.1% 439 377 DfE

Found: RDEL excluding depreciation and ODA3 Efficiencies Savings DHSC 5.2% 6,355 3,993 MoD 2.1% 439 377 DfE

Found: Department for Culture Media and Sport London Greater London Worker (A rating) Skilled Worker Department for Education

Found: Department for Culture Media and Sport London Greater London Worker (A rating) Skilled Worker Department for Education

Found: Department for Culture Media and Sport London Greater London Worker (A rating) Skilled Worker Department for Education

Found: Department for Culture Media and Sport London Greater London Worker (A rating) Skilled Worker Department for Education

Found: NOTTINGHAM United Kingdom NG15 7DB Wider Public Sector 10004442 Teaching Regulation Agency Department for Education

Found: attainment groups used for our 16-18 value added data, to align with the prior attainment groups used by the DfE

Found: (DfE)’s Analyse School Performance (ASP) service.

Found: Apprenticeship assessment reform 2025 - 2026 Skills England, in partnership with the Department for Education

Found: report:Apprenticeship assessment reform 2025 - 2026 Skills England, in partnership with the Department for Education

Found: The Department for Education (DfE) is Principal Regulator.

Found: Where those provisions, or regulations made under them, apply, the Department for Education or other

Found: These have been taken from the DfE guidance for statutory returns whenever possible.

Found: Notification data collection The Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel (the Panel), Department for Education

Found: To register and use the child safeguarding incident notification system you need to: register for a DfE

Found: Hall Children in care and those leaving care account for less than 1% of the general population (DfE

Found: employer of apprentices, supporting around 27,000 new apprenticeship starts each year (source: Department for Education

Found: Longitudinal Education Outcomes of the graduate premium The Department for Education (DfE) publish data

Found: accredited training provider from the NHS provider’s apprenticeship service account held by the Department for Education

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Found: Northern Ireland Work with the Department for Education NI, CCEA and YENI promoted financial education

Found: The Department for the Economy (DfE) is responsible for making Redundancy Payment Service (RPS) awards

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Found: 2026 Unitary fee - Outsource partner Enterprise Service Management - Government Payment Services T0571 DFE

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Found: 2026 Unitary fee - Outsource partner Enterprise Service Management - Government Payment Services T0571 DFE

Found: 2026 Unitary fee - Outsource partner Enterprise Service Management - Government Payment Services T0571 DFE

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Found: 2026 Unitary fee - Outsource partner Enterprise Service Management - Government Payment Services T0571 DFE

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Found: 2026 Unitary fee - Outsource partner Enterprise Service Management - Government Payment Services T0571 DFE

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Found: 2025 Unitary fee - Outsource partner Enterprise Service Management - Government Payment Services T0571 DFE

Found: Department for Education The Rt Hon Lucy Powell MP Secretary of State for Education 22nd

Found: will act in accordance with …the School Admissions Code and Appeals Code (the Codes) published by the DFE

Found: Authority, relevant schools in the area, Ofsted, and the gov.uk website, including the Department for Education

Found: We are working closely with the Department for Education on a package of changes that we will be speaking

Found: issued to: Minerva Learning Trust Reason for issue: ‘requires significant improvement’ Ofsted judgement DfE

Found: Regions Group Department for Education 2 St Paul’s Place 125 Norfolk Street S1 2FJ The Members

Found: Notice issued to: Innovate Multi Academy Trust Reason for issues: special measures Ofsted judgement DfE

Found: Arrangements are subject to contract – the award of contract is being managed by the Department for Education

Found: ; and • information available on the websites of central government, in particular the Department for Education

Found: GRADE is a joint open data initiative by Ofqual, the Department for Education and UCAS.

Found: OFFICIAL OFFICIAL- OFFICIAL Service Delivery Slough Borough Council remains subject to Department for Education

Found: (DfE) issued a statutory direction and appointed a Children’s Commissioner.

Found: (DfE), across government and at local level; • long-term investment in youth, community

Found: of information The following links provide more information which schools may find helpful from the DfE

Found: Children Affected by Domestic Abuse (CADA) Fund, moved to England-only delivery through the Department for Education