Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has to ensure that SEND reforms improve consistency of outcomes across local authorities.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

To improve the consistency of outcomes, the department is funding regional improvement and innovation alliances which promote collaboration and mutual learning between local authorities, driving consistent improvements in special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) provision across regions.

Launched in January 2023, the Ofsted/Care Quality Commission area SEND inspection framework will also inspect all local areas by 2027 to drive better outcomes and consistency. All inspection reports include recommendations for improvement, with departmental intervention to prioritise children’s needs where necessary.

The department is working with 32 local authorities as part of the SEND and alternative provision Change Programme to test reform proposals to improve inclusive mainstream practice, create a sustainable system and deliver national consistency through local delivery.

Regarding financial support, in the 2025/26 financial year, the department is allocating high needs revenue funding of over £12 billion and capital funding of £740 million for places and provision for children and young people with complex SEND in England.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to support local authorities with SEND provision.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

To improve the consistency of outcomes, the department is funding regional improvement and innovation alliances which promote collaboration and mutual learning between local authorities, driving consistent improvements in special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) provision across regions.

Launched in January 2023, the Ofsted/Care Quality Commission area SEND inspection framework will also inspect all local areas by 2027 to drive better outcomes and consistency. All inspection reports include recommendations for improvement, with departmental intervention to prioritise children’s needs where necessary.

The department is working with 32 local authorities as part of the SEND and alternative provision Change Programme to test reform proposals to improve inclusive mainstream practice, create a sustainable system and deliver national consistency through local delivery.

Regarding financial support, in the 2025/26 financial year, the department is allocating high needs revenue funding of over £12 billion and capital funding of £740 million for places and provision for children and young people with complex SEND in England.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for what reason the indicative total contract value for the Future High Potential Initial Teacher Training Programme contract has reduced from £150 million in April 2025 to £89 million in September 2025.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The High Potential Initial Teacher Training Programme has played a vital part in boosting teaching quality across the country. The current contract is coming to an end and, as with any government contract of this scale, it will be retendered in line with the usual fair, open and transparent process.

The programme is being adapted to return it to its original purpose - attracting a limited number of the very best trainee teachers to work in disadvantaged areas of the country.

The department is also growing other popular routes into teaching, building on the progress we have already made towards recruiting an additional 6,500 teachers across secondary and special schools, and our colleges over the course of this parliament.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for what reason the number of cohorts has been reduced in the Future High Potential Initial Teacher Training Programme contract.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The High Potential Initial Teacher Training Programme has played a vital part in boosting teaching quality across the country. The current contract is coming to an end and, as with any government contract of this scale, it will be retendered in line with the usual fair, open and transparent process.

The programme is being adapted to return it to its original purpose - attracting a limited number of the very best trainee teachers to work in disadvantaged areas of the country.

The department is also growing other popular routes into teaching, building on the progress we have already made towards recruiting an additional 6,500 teachers across secondary and special schools, and our colleges over the course of this parliament.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to use digital resources to promote literacy in (a) early years, (b) school age children and (c) adults.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The government's Opportunity Mission aims to remove barriers and ensure every child achieves and thrives by providing the best start in life and essential skills.

We are building the evidence base on the impact of technology in education through the EdTech Evidence Board, the Testbed Programme, and research into technology and cognitive development. Evidence from the Education Endowment Foundation shows technology can accelerate learning by up to three months. Technology should support learning, not replace high quality teaching and interaction.

The national curriculum requires teachers to encourage pupils to develop the habit of reading widely and often, for both pleasure and information. It also emphasises the importance of listening to, discussing, and reading a wide range of stories, poems, plays and non-fiction books for themselves.

The department respects the autonomy of teachers to choose to use or recommend resources based on individual need in their own educational context and circumstances. Schools are free to choose to use a range of formats, including different forms of digital technology such as Kindles and audiobooks.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of increasing access to (a) Kindles and (b) audiobooks on children’s literacy.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The government's Opportunity Mission aims to remove barriers and ensure every child achieves and thrives by providing the best start in life and essential skills.

We are building the evidence base on the impact of technology in education through the EdTech Evidence Board, the Testbed Programme, and research into technology and cognitive development. Evidence from the Education Endowment Foundation shows technology can accelerate learning by up to three months. Technology should support learning, not replace high quality teaching and interaction.

The national curriculum requires teachers to encourage pupils to develop the habit of reading widely and often, for both pleasure and information. It also emphasises the importance of listening to, discussing, and reading a wide range of stories, poems, plays and non-fiction books for themselves.

The department respects the autonomy of teachers to choose to use or recommend resources based on individual need in their own educational context and circumstances. Schools are free to choose to use a range of formats, including different forms of digital technology such as Kindles and audiobooks.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of increasing access to digital resources on children’s literacy.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The government's Opportunity Mission aims to remove barriers and ensure every child achieves and thrives by providing the best start in life and essential skills.

We are building the evidence base on the impact of technology in education through the EdTech Evidence Board, the Testbed Programme, and research into technology and cognitive development. Evidence from the Education Endowment Foundation shows technology can accelerate learning by up to three months. Technology should support learning, not replace high quality teaching and interaction.

The national curriculum requires teachers to encourage pupils to develop the habit of reading widely and often, for both pleasure and information. It also emphasises the importance of listening to, discussing, and reading a wide range of stories, poems, plays and non-fiction books for themselves.

The department respects the autonomy of teachers to choose to use or recommend resources based on individual need in their own educational context and circumstances. Schools are free to choose to use a range of formats, including different forms of digital technology such as Kindles and audiobooks.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to support (a) schools and (b) local authorities to provide education, care and health plans for children with special educational needs in Yeovil constituency.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The duty to conduct education, health and care (EHC) needs assessments, and to issue EHC plans if required, rests with the local authority.

The department monitors and works closely with local authorities that have issues with the EHC needs assessment and plan process. Where there are concerns about a local authority’s capacity to make improvements, we ensure that the cause of problems is identified and an effective recovery plan is implemented.

A joint local area inspection of Somerset’s special educational needs and disabilities services, undertaken by Ofsted and Care Quality Commission (CQC) in March 2020, identified nine areas of significant weakness. Following actions taken, the CQC and Ofsted revisited in November 2022 and confirmed that sufficient progress had been made in seven areas, including the timeliness and quality of EHC plans. Somerset produced an Accelerated Progress Plan to address the two remaining areas. With specialist support from special educational needs and disabilities advisors, sufficient progress was made on these areas and the plan was stepped down in February 2025.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of supplier neutral procurement branding requirements on Teach First schemes.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

High-quality teaching is the factor in schools and colleges that makes the biggest difference to a young person’s educational outcomes. The High Potential Initial Teacher Training Programme, which has been delivered under contract by Teach First, has played a vital part in boosting teaching quality across the country. The current contract with Teach First is coming to an end and as with any government contract of this scale, it will be retendered in line with the usual fair, open and transparent process.

The successful supplier will have an option to use their own identity and brand for the future programme alongside the new programme identity, which the department will develop. Further details will be available at procurement launch.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on the number of children (a) with epilepsy and (b) without an individual healthcare plan in Slough.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The department does not collect data on pupils who have specific health issues, such as epilepsy, and only collects information where a pupil has a learning need. As such, we do not hold figures on either the number of children with epilepsy, or the proportion who do not have an education, health and care plan.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of including a target of at least 80 hours of enrichment activities in the enrichment framework.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Rushcliffe to the answer of 2 July 2025 to Question 62871.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of including a target of at least 80 hours of enrichment activities in the enrichment framework.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Rushcliffe to the answer of 2 July 2025 to Question 62871.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the availability of mental health support within schools.

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

41% of schools and colleges in Slough constituency were supported by an NHS-funded Mental Health Support Team (MHST) in March 2025. Data on the coverage of MHSTs in England in 2024/25 can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/transforming-children-and-young-peoples-mental-health-provision. This has been available since 16 May 2025 at national, regional and local authority level and at constituency level since 10 July 2025.

Data on MHST coverage is collected annually, as part of the government’s commitment to expand MHSTs to every school, so every child and young person has access to early support to address problems before they escalate.

Around six in ten pupils nationally are expected to have access to an MHST by March 2026.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department have included mandatory commitments to equality, diversity and inclusion training as part of it's procurement contracts awarded since 5 July 2024.

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

In accordance with government commercial policy, the department uses centrally maintained frameworks provided by Crown Commercial Service and otherwise uses the suite of standard contracts maintained by Cabinet Office, for the majority of contracts. These terms and conditions require the supplier to perform its obligations under the contract in accordance with equality law, but do not include a requirement to undertake mandatory training.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of SEND support for children without education, health and care plans.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

This government’s ambition is that every child or young person receives the best possible educational experience, one that is academically stretching, where every child or young person feels like they belong, and that sets them up for life and work.

As part of our Plan for Change, we are determined to fix the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system and restore parents’ trust by ensuring schools have the tools to better identify and support children before issues escalate.

We will build a better system which is grounded in evidence, identifies and supports need at the earliest opportunity, and ensures families can secure support swiftly without a fight. There will always be a legal right to the additional support that children with SEND need.

Our new regional improvement for standards and excellence (RISE) teams will work with mainstream schools to help them become more inclusive places as one of four priority areas for improvement.

The newly published RISE Inclusive Mainstream webpage provides schools with programmes and resources to help mainstream schools improve inclusivity and support for those with SEND, and is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/rise-support-for-inclusive-mainstream-education/rise-support-for-inclusive-mainstream-education.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the increasing A Level attainment gap between the North East and London and what steps they are taking to reduce this gap.

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

All children and young people should have every opportunity to succeed, no matter where they are from. However, we know pupil attainment varies considerably across the country and between regions. These disparities are not acceptable.

Through the Opportunity Mission, the department will improve opportunities and life chances across the country for all children and young people.

High and rising standards are key to strengthening outcomes and closing gaps for every child and young person. We are driving these improvements through new regional improvement for standards and excellence teams, the independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, and our commitment to recruit an additional 6,500 new expert teachers across secondary and special schools and in our colleges, over the course of this parliament.

Despite this, there is further work to do, which is why our schools and post-16 skills white papers later this year will set out our vision for a system that drives educational excellence for all, regardless of background or where they live.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent mental health support her Department has provided within schools for pupils in Slough.

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

41% of schools and colleges in Slough constituency were supported by an NHS-funded Mental Health Support Team (MHST) in March 2025. Data on the coverage of MHSTs in England in 2024/25 can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/transforming-children-and-young-peoples-mental-health-provision. This has been available since 16 May 2025 at national, regional and local authority level and at constituency level since 10 July 2025.

Data on MHST coverage is collected annually, as part of the government’s commitment to expand MHSTs to every school, so every child and young person has access to early support to address problems before they escalate.

Around six in ten pupils nationally are expected to have access to an MHST by March 2026.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure children in foster care are provided access to mental health support.

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

Children in foster care should be provided with access to mental health support at home and at school.

The National Minimum Standards for fostering sets out that children should ‘live in a healthy environment where their physical, emotional and psychological health is promoted.’

Children should have prompt access to doctors and other health professionals, including specialist services, when they need these services.

The government is committed to providing access to specialist mental health professionals in every school by expanding Mental Health Support Teams.

Alongside the Department of Health and Social Care, the department is reviewing and updating current statutory guidance on promoting the health and wellbeing of children in care.

As part of the statutory guidance review, we are considering what changes are needed to better ensure that children in care, including those in foster care, and care leavers receive the necessary support for their mental health and wellbeing.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the number of kinship carers who will not be eligible for the new Kinship Allowance Pilot.

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

There is a duty on children’s services to arrange special guardianship support services in the local areas. Under section 14F of the Children Act 1989, “each local authority must make arrangements for the provision within their area of special guardianship support services, which includes financial support.”

The department is going further to increase the level of support offered to kinship carers through the trial of a new kinship allowance to support with the costs of raising a child.

At the Autumn Budget 2024, the government announced £40 million to pilot a new Kinship Allowance in some local authorities in England, to support up to 5,000 eligible children in kinship care.

As this is a pilot scheme, the allowance will not be universal at this stage. It is important that robust evidence underpins any future national rollout to ensure the best outcomes for children and families and value for money for the taxpayer.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to review the financial support available to kinship carers.

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

There is a duty on children’s services to arrange special guardianship support services in the local areas. Under section 14F of the Children Act 1989, “each local authority must make arrangements for the provision within their area of special guardianship support services, which includes financial support.”

The department is going further to increase the level of support offered to kinship carers through the trial of a new kinship allowance to support with the costs of raising a child.

At the Autumn Budget 2024, the government announced £40 million to pilot a new Kinship Allowance in some local authorities in England, to support up to 5,000 eligible children in kinship care.

As this is a pilot scheme, the allowance will not be universal at this stage. It is important that robust evidence underpins any future national rollout to ensure the best outcomes for children and families and value for money for the taxpayer.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 23 July 2025 to Question 67189Pre-school Education: Accidents and Death, what steps she is taking to ensure that early years foundation stage safeguarding requirements are (a) implemented within early years settings, (b) read by staff on a mandatory basis and (c) communicated (i) consistently and (ii) coherently when changed.

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

The early years foundation stage (EYFS) statutory framework sets the standards and requirements all early years providers must legally follow to ensure that children have the best start in life and are kept healthy and safe. The framework is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-foundation-stage-framework--2.

Ofsted is responsible for the registration, regulation and inspection of childcare provision in England. Ofsted, as a regulator, has a responsibility to check that providers meet the EYFS requirements.

The EYFS framework states that early years providers must ensure that practitioners are supported and confident to implement the setting’s safeguarding policy and procedures on an ongoing basis.

The safeguarding changes to the EYFS framework in September 2025 were supported by a programme of communications and engagement, including webinars and vodcasts via the Foundation Years website. We worked with the sector and local authorities to ensure they understood the changes being made and how to implement them. The Foundation Years website is available here: https://www.foundationyears.org.uk/2025/07/early-years-foundation-stage-eyfs-safeguarding-reforms-2025/.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for what purposes their Department has used artificial intelligence in the last year.

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

​​As part of our artificial intelligence (AI) adoption strategy, the department has established a secure infrastructure that enables teams to test and evaluate AI solutions within a controlled sandbox environment prior to the development of new AI-based products. Examples of initiatives currently in development include:

• ​A records management tool, which classifies digital records to identify those that must be retained and archived in accordance with legislative requirements and The National Archives.

• ​The Find Education and Training tool, which integrates multiple datasets including course offerings, training programmes, and geographic mapping to support 16 to 18-year-old learners in accessing appropriate educational or training provision.

​In addition, we have deployed Microsoft Copilot Chat across the organisation to support staff in their daily work. Examples of how this tool is used include document summarisation, multi-source information analysis, and to support the drafting of briefings and papers.

​Throughout these initiatives, the department has aligned our approach with the government’s AI Playbook, particularly its security principles. This includes ensuring our AI systems are secure by design, resilient to threats, and deployed in accordance with the Cyber Security Standard. Risk assessments and assurance processes are embedded into our development lifecycle to uphold robust security and governance.

​The department also acknowledges and adheres to the mandatory obligation for government departments to comply with the AI Transparency and Risk Standards, which guide our efforts to ensure transparency, accountability, and responsible risk management in all AI deployments.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with the Scottish Government to ensure financial provision is in place for English nursing students studying in Scotland.

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

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education has regular discussions with the Scottish Government over a range of important matters.

Eligible undergraduate students from England, who are attending a course in nursing at a university in Scotland, qualify for the same student support package from Student Finance England as English students studying in England, which includes a fee loan for meeting the full costs of their tuition, a partially means-tested loan for living costs and, for students with adult or child dependants, means-tested dependants’ grants. In addition, students with disabilities may qualify for non-means-tested Disabled Students’ Allowance.

The government has increased maximum grants and loans for living and other costs for students from England by 3.1% for the 2025/26 academic year, in line with forecast inflation, based on the RPIX inflation index.

Students studying on nursing courses also qualify for additional support through the NHS Learning Support Fund. However, this is only available to students who study at English Universities, regardless of where they are domiciled.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate she has made of how many and what proportion of university graduates are in full-time employment within six months of graduation.

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

Administrative Longitudinal Educational Outcome data of 292,945 UK domiciled first-degree students who graduated with a first degree from UK Higher Education Institutions only in 2022/23 academic year shows that an estimated 82.8% were in sustained employment (with or without study) one year after graduation. The full dataset was published in June 2025 and can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/leo-graduate-and-postgraduate-outcomes/2022-23#dataBlock-d7be0f33-0ec5-4b78-98ed-ba6f25dfb414-charts.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assumptions they used to estimate the take-up of the expansion of free childcare hours in the Spring Budget 2023 (HC 560); whether those assumptions have been subsequently revised; and if so, when and by how much.

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

Information regarding the assumptions of take-up of the expanded working parent entitlements and funding made available at Spring Budget 2023 can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/66221ba8252f0d71cf757d2b/Spring_budget_2023_childcare_expansion_costing_note_information.pdf.

In subsequent fiscal events, this government has provided funding uplifts for the overall early years entitlements budget which includes both the new working parents entitlements and the established entitlements. The Autumn Budget 2024 announced an additional £1.8 billion of funding for the early years entitlements in 2025/26, compared to 2024/25. The spending review 2025 announced an additional £1.6 billion per year by 2028/29, compared to 2025/26, for the early years entitlements. The early years entitlements budget is demand-led, with final totals confirmed the term after the end of the financial year through the dedicated schools grant allocations.

Estimates of take-up of the expanded working parent entitlements have been updated each year using the annual official statistics release on funded early education and childcare, which reported a take up rate of 84% of the estimated number of eligible two-year-olds, 70% of the estimated number of eligible one-year-olds and 42% of the estimated number of eligible under-one-year-olds. The latest statistics can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/funded-early-education-and-childcare/2025#releaseHeadlines-tables.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government how much funding was allocated to the expansion of free childcare hours in the Spring Budget 2023, and how much, if any, additional funding was announced in each subsequent fiscal event.

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

Information regarding the assumptions of take-up of the expanded working parent entitlements and funding made available at Spring Budget 2023 can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/66221ba8252f0d71cf757d2b/Spring_budget_2023_childcare_expansion_costing_note_information.pdf.

In subsequent fiscal events, this government has provided funding uplifts for the overall early years entitlements budget which includes both the new working parents entitlements and the established entitlements. The Autumn Budget 2024 announced an additional £1.8 billion of funding for the early years entitlements in 2025/26, compared to 2024/25. The spending review 2025 announced an additional £1.6 billion per year by 2028/29, compared to 2025/26, for the early years entitlements. The early years entitlements budget is demand-led, with final totals confirmed the term after the end of the financial year through the dedicated schools grant allocations.

Estimates of take-up of the expanded working parent entitlements have been updated each year using the annual official statistics release on funded early education and childcare, which reported a take up rate of 84% of the estimated number of eligible two-year-olds, 70% of the estimated number of eligible one-year-olds and 42% of the estimated number of eligible under-one-year-olds. The latest statistics can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/funded-early-education-and-childcare/2025#releaseHeadlines-tables.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what has been the estimated cost to the state of educating children who have entered the state sector from independent schools since January.

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

HM Treasury published a Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) on applying VAT to independent school fees. The TIIN estimates that accounting for the spending implications of any pupil movement into the state sector, the policy will raise £1.7 billion per annum by 2029/30.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the challenges faced by military families when applying for school places (a) during school holiday periods and (b) other times outside of the normal admissions cycle.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The department is committed to supporting the education of service children. Families of UK service personnel can be subject to frequent moves, often requiring them to apply for school places outside the normal admissions round.

The School Admissions Code requires admission authorities to allocate school places in advance of a service family moving into the area, where certain conditions are met.

Children eligible for the Service Pupil Premium can be prioritised in oversubscription criteria, and service pupils can be admitted as exceptions to the infant class size limit, outside the normal admissions round. Publicly-funded boarding schools must give second highest priority to service children who qualify for Ministry of Defence assistance with boarding fees.

Through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, we are taking further steps to support children having difficulty securing school places in-year by giving local authorities improved levers to secure places for children quickly and efficiently.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of teacher recruitment and retention incentives on teacher recruitment and retention in areas of high deprivation in the (a) North East and (b) England.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

As part of our Plan for Change, the government is committed to recruiting an additional 6,500 new expert teachers across secondary and special schools, and our colleges, over the course of this parliament.

Delivery is already under way. We agreed a 5.5% pay award for 2024/25 and a 4% pay award for 2025/26, meaning teachers and leaders will see an increase in their pay of almost 10% over two years. In 2024/25, we drove forward teacher recruitment and retention, backed by an investment of around £700 million across schools and further education, including targeted retention incentives worth up to £6,000 after tax to teachers teaching in the most disadvantaged schools.

We are already seeing positive signs our investment is delivering. The workforce has grown by 82 full-time employed (FTE) in the North East and 2,346 in England between 2023/24 and 2024/25, in secondary and special schools, the schools where they are needed most.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she is taking steps to ensure the Highway Code is taught in schools.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The revised relationships, sex and health education guidance was published on 15 July and includes a new personal safety section. Curriculum content includes how to identify risk and manage personal safety in increasingly independent situations, including around roads, railways, including level crossings, and water.

The government has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, chaired by Becky Francis CBE.

The Review aims to ensure a rich, broad, inclusive and innovative curriculum that readies young people for life and work. The Review Group published its Interim Report in March 2025 here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6821d69eced319d02c9060e3/Curriculum_and_Assessment_Review_interim_report.pdf.

The group will publish its final report with recommendations this autumn.​

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of requests for an Education Health and Care Plan assessment are decided within the 6 week deadline in (a) each of the ten districts of Greater Manchester and (b) England; and how many and what proportion of these requests are approved.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The total number of requests for an education, health and care (EHC) needs assessment which were decided within six weeks can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/education-health-and-care-plans/2025. This has been available since 26 June 2025.

A further breakdown of these figures showing the outcome of requests for an EHC needs assessment, which were decided within six weeks, is shown in the attached table.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to improve recruitment and retention of SEND teachers.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

High quality teaching is the most important in-school factor for improving outcomes for all children, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), which is why the department is committed to recruiting an additional 6,500 new expert teachers across our schools, both mainstream and specialist, and our colleges over the course of this parliament. We are making good progress. The workforce has grown in secondary and special schools. There were 1,435 more secondary school teachers and 911 more special and pupil referral unit teachers in 2024/25 compared to the previous year, in the schools where they are needed the most.

The Teachers’ Standards set clear expectations that teachers must understand the needs of all pupils, including those with SEND, and this is embedded in teacher training. From September 2025, all new teachers will benefit from three years of evidence-based training through the revised initial teacher training and early career framework, which has significantly more content related to supporting pupils with SEND, including content adapted from the new National Professional Qualification for special educational needs coordinators.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many pupils who did not have English as their first language had each different non-English language as their first language in each of the last 10 years.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The department collects data where a pupil’s first language is known or believed to be other than English. Where a pupil is recorded to speak a first language known or believed to be other than English, a language is recorded. The attached document shows the number of pupils in England, by first language spoken, over the last ten years.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how long pastoral support is available to young people after leaving state schools.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport is co-producing a National Youth Strategy in partnership with young people and cross-sector experts to set out a new long term vision for young people, which will cover young people aged 10 to 21 (up to 25 for young people with special educational needs and disabilities). This will include plans for the introduction of Young Futures Hubs. These will bring together services to improve access to opportunities and support for young people at community level, promoting positive outcomes and enabling them to thrive.

High quality careers advice is an essential part of our mission to break down the barriers to opportunity and drive economic growth. The National Careers Service offers advice to support young people (and their parents/carers) to understand their career options. Youth Hubs provide vital links in the community, bringing together employment support from a Jobcentre Plus work coach and place-based support from local partnerships to help young people into work when they leave school.

We recognise that care leavers have poorer outcomes than their peers across all aspects of their lives and are taking action to address this. All care leavers up to the age of 25 are entitled to support from a Personal Adviser to help them prepare for and cope with the challenges of living independently.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that (a) nurseries in Mid Leicestershire and (b) other early years providers receive adequate levels of support to access childcare entitlements due to be implemented in September 2025; and what steps she is taking to support providers with (i) staffing, (ii) SEND provision and (iii) capital funding to meet increased demand.

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

It is the department’s ambition that all families have access to high-quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, giving every child the best start in life and delivering on our Plan for Change. In 2025/26, we plan to provide over £8 billion for the early years entitlements, an additional £2 billion (over 30% increase) in comparison to 2024/25 as we roll out the expansion of the entitlements. The department continues to help people discover rewarding early years careers through the ‘Do something Big’ national recruitment campaign, building on our pilot of delivering financial incentives in 38 local authorities this year. With regards to special educational needs and disabilities, inclusion funding will fund extra resources for providers to better support inclusion and early intervention.

We have awarded £37 million of capital funding in the first phase to 300 primary schools which we expect will deliver up to 6,000 nursery places, with over 4,000 available from September 2025 to support the childcare expansion.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether (a) ministers, (b) advisors, and (c) officials in her Department have held conversations with City of Sanctuary UK since 4 July 2024.

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

Ministers and advisors have not met, nor has the department provided funding to, City of Sanctuary UK or Schools of Sanctuary.

Three meetings have taken place between officials and Schools of Sanctuary since July 2024 to discuss issues such as school admissions.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has provided (a) funding and (b) advice to City of Sanctuary UK since 4 July 2024.

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

Ministers and advisors have not met, nor has the department provided funding to, City of Sanctuary UK or Schools of Sanctuary.

Three meetings have taken place between officials and Schools of Sanctuary since July 2024 to discuss issues such as school admissions.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how her Department allocated the extra money returned to the Government by local authorities from fines for taking children out of school in each of the last three financial years.

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

Over the past three financial years, the department has not received revenue from penalty notices issued for school absences. This reflects the system’s design. It is not intended to generate profit, and local authorities must not set income targets. All revenue must be ring-fenced for attendance-related purposes.

Funds should first cover penalty notice administration and prosecution costs. Any surplus must support attendance initiatives that do not involve issuing penalty notices or prosecutions, in line with the statutory attendance guidance.

This revenue must not be absorbed into wider budgets or used for core attendance duties or legal services. It must remain dedicated to attendance functions.

While any surplus at year end must be returned to my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, in line with expectation, no surpluses have been returned during the period in question.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to financially support parents of children who attend nursery.

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

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

To support parents with the cost of childcare, the department offers:

• The universal 15 hours offer for all 3 and 4 year-old children, which is available to all families regardless of parental circumstances: https://www.gov.uk/help-with-childcare-costs/free-childcare-and-education-for-2-to-4-year-olds?step-by-step-nav=f237ec8e-e82c-4ffa-8fba-2a88a739783b.
• 15 hours entitlement for families of 2 year-olds receiving additional forms of support: https://www.gov.uk/help-with-childcare-costs/free-childcare-2-year-olds?step-by-step-nav=f237ec8e-e82c-4ffa-8fba-2a88a739783b. This is available for families where the parent or child receives certain types of extra support.
• The 30 hours entitlement for eligible working parents in England, from the term after their child turns nine months old to when they start school. With this, working parents could save £7,500 per year, transforming the costs of having children for families.

More information can be found at the new Best Start in Life parent hub: https://www.beststartinlife.gov.uk/.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to paragraph 23 on page 19 of the Strategic Defence Review, published on 2 June 2025, whether her Department has allocated funding to help develop understanding of the Armed Forces among young people in schools.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The Strategic Defence Review (SDR) states that, as part of a national conversation on security, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) will work with the department to develop understanding of the armed forces in schools.

The department works jointly with MoD on the Cadet Expansion Programme, which was launched to establish new cadet units in English state secondary schools. We will continue to work with MoD as they implement the SDR’s recommendation to expand in-school and community-based Cadet Forces.

We will also work with MoD on the SDR’s recommendation to increase understanding of the armed forces in schools in a way that creates opportunities.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions her Department has had with local authorities on ensuring the availability of support for parents of children with severe SEND needs who require two-to-one support during the school holidays.

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

Local authorities have a legal duty to complete an annual childcare sufficiency assessment. In this assessment, they must have regard to the needs of parents in their area for the provision of childcare which is suitable for disabled children. Where adequate childcare provision is not available, parents have the right to request a wraparound or holiday childcare place for their child.

The holiday activities and food (HAF) programme funding is primarily for school-aged children from reception to year 11 who receive benefits-related free school meals (FSM). Local authorities have discretion to use up to 15% of their funding to provide free holiday club places for children who are not in receipt of benefits-related FSM but who the local authority believes could benefit from HAF provision.

The department regularly meets with local authorities to discuss HAF provision and encourages them to engage with local and national organisations, including special schools with expertise in working with children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or additional needs. Local authorities are obligated to include the numbers of children with SEND or additional needs who have participated in their programme in their post provision reporting to us.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that (a) Leicestershire County Council and (b) other local authorities, apply the statutory guidance on Free Early Education Entitlement funding in a manner that (i) supports flexibility for working families and (ii) does not penalise private nurseries based on parental drop-off and collection times.

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

The department regularly speaks with all local authorities in England, including Leicestershire County Council, to monitor childcare sufficiency.

The statutory guidance makes clear that local authorities should ensure that providers work with parents so that parents understand which hours and sessions can be taken as free provision. Not all providers will be able to offer fully flexible places, however providers should work with parents to ensure that, as far as possible, the pattern of the entitlement hours is convenient for parents’ working hours.

Over 500,000 children will benefit from additional funded hours this term which means that hundreds of thousands of families are better able to balance work and family life, with parents who use their full entitlement saving an average of £7,500 a year, and more children getting the high quality early education that will give them the best start in life.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the consumption of high caffeine energy drinks on (a) schools and (b) educational outcomes.

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

The government has committed to raising the healthiest generation of children ever to provide them with a better and more prosperous future. That is why the government’s manifesto committed to a ban on the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to children under 16 in England, and we are consulting on bringing this into effect. We know they can have a detrimental impact on educational outcomes by lowering educational wellbeing and negatively impacting school attendance and academic achievement.

Energy drinks are not permitted within the school food standards. School governing boards are responsible for setting their school food policies, including on food and drinks brought in from home. We encourage schools to have a whole-school approach to healthy eating, and some schools already ban energy drinks brought in from home.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 5 June 2025 to Question 54102 on Schools: Flood Control, whether her Department has had discussions with Kimberley College in Stewartby on flood protections.

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

To date no correspondence has been received from the college on this matter, therefore my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education can confirm the department’s Schools Water Strategy has not held discussions with Kimberley College on flood protections.

The department has invested in measures to reduce risk to flooding at over 600 schools to the end of 2024/25 and through the Schools Water Strategy, we continue to invest in flood prevention in schools at risk of flooding in line with our published Sustainability and Climate Change strategy.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what learnings she has made from existing best practice in the design of the new programme of Best Start Family Hubs.

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

Drawing on existing best practice, we are delivering Best Start Family Hubs in every local authority from April 2026, backed by stronger national infrastructure, new digital services, and a defined core offer.

The government is setting national direction for family services with clearer expectations, stronger local leadership, and better data. Every local authority will receive funding to enhance and integrate local support, including evidence-based parental support for early development and language, targeted outreach, engagement programmes, and robust digital services.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of the increase in nursery fees on the finances of families with nursery-age children.

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

In 2025/26, the department plans to provide over £8 billion for the early years entitlements as we roll out their expansion. This represents an additional £2 billion compared to 2024/25.

The government’s roll out of an expansion to the funded hours of childcare working parents are entitled to began in April 2024, and parents have been accessing 30 hours per week from the term after their child turns nine months old since 1 September 2025. This marks the final stage of the rollout and will save eligible families who use their full entitlement £7,500 a year on average.

The government will provide an additional £1.6 billion per year by 2028/29, compared to 2025/26, to continue the expansion of government-funded childcare for working parents.

Additionally, the Universal Credit childcare offer supports claimants with the costs of childcare, no matter how many hours they work. Tax-Free Childcare remains available for working parents of children aged 0-11, or up to 17 for eligible disabled children.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support young Ukrainians commencing their (a) primary, (b) secondary and (c) tertiary education in the UK.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Since its launch, 750 schools across Ukraine and the UK have applied to take part in the 100 Year Partnership Programme. This unique initiative between the UK and Ukraine will support schools to build lasting international partnerships through shared projects on reading for pleasure, that will support pupils, expand horizons, build confidence and boost mental wellbeing.

Schools are responsible for ensuring that all their pupils, including those classed as having English as an additional language (EAL), can access the full curriculum and have opportunity to achieve and thrive, building the knowledge and skills for life, no matter their background or circumstance.

In the 2024/25 academic year, £484 million was allocated to schools via the EAL factor in the national funding formula. Schools also have flexibility over how they use their overall budget to support EAL pupils.

Most young people legally residing in England will be eligible for a funded 16-19 study programme at a college, school or other 16-19 provider. Study programmes should be tailored to the needs of young people and include appropriate support.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of reminding parents who are claiming free childcare for working parents to reconfirm their details by (a) telephone call and (b) letter.

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

It is the government’s ambition that all families have access to high quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, giving every child the best start in life and delivering on our Plan for Change. The department is delivering more support to working families than ever with the rollout of 30 hours government-funded childcare. Reconfirmation ensures that parents continue to meet the eligibility criteria. Eligibility for 30 hours is based on expected income for the next three months.

Parents receive an email and/or text prompt four weeks before their reconfirmation deadline and again two weeks before the deadline if they still have not reconfirmed. This email will remind parents that they will need to confirm their details are up to date and will provide instructions on how to reconfirm.

Parents who do not have access to a mobile phone or email address will receive letters reminding them to reconfirm.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on local planning policies supporting the expansion of early years provision through the (a) protection and (b) promotion of (i) high-quality and (ii) home-based childcare settings.

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

It is the government’s ambition that all families have access to high quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, giving every child the best start in life and delivering on our Plan for Change. In 2025/26 alone, we plan to provide over £8 billion for the early years entitlements, which is an additional £2 billion (over 30% increase) compared to 2024/25, as we roll out the expansion of the entitlements. The government is boosting availability and increasing access to childcare for families through the school-based nurseries programme, including school led provision and private, voluntary and independent providers operating from school sites.

The department has regular contact with each local authority in England about their sufficiency of childcare and any issues they are facing. Where local authorities report sufficiency challenges, we discuss what action the local authority is taking and, where needed, support the local authority with any specific requirements through our childcare sufficiency support contract.

The department continues to help people discover rewarding early years careers through the ‘Do Something Big’ national recruitment campaign, building on our pilot of delivering financial incentives in 38 local authorities this year. This is alongside exploring ways to make childcare more accessible, including supporting childminders in adapting their homes, accessing community spaces and introducing flexibilities for childminders to work with more children from home or on non-domestic premises. We are also looking at a proposed professional register for early years staff, a career framework to support progression, and recognition and increased inspection frequency by Ofsted to ensure quality standards are maintained. Childminders will also be part of the Best Start Family Service, which aims to integrate early years support across education, health and community services.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of issuing further reminders to parents who claim free childcare for working parents to reconfirm their details after the deadline has passed.

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

It is our ambition that all families have access to high quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, giving every child the best start in life and delivering on our Plan for Change. We are delivering more support to working families than ever with the rollout of 30 hours government-funded childcare. Reconfirmation ensures parents continue to meet the eligibility criteria, which is based on expected income for the next three months. To reconfirm, parents receive an email and/or text prompt four weeks and two weeks before the reconfirmation deadline.

A notification is also sent on deadline date to notify a parent they are no longer eligible and to reconfirm as soon as possible.

If a child is already in a funded place, they will enter a ‘grace period’ which allows the child to continue their place temporarily. If the parent becomes eligible again during this period, the child can continue to access their place. Specific grace period dates are set out in the department’s statutory guidance.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many days the Union Flag was flown on her Department's main sites in (a) 2024 and (b) 2025 to date.

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

The Union Flag is flown every day at the department headquarters in London. This is the only department building with a flagpole.

This is in accordance with the Union Flag flying guidance for UK government buildings: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/designated-days-for-union-flag-flying.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many students were entered into English GCSE exams at the age of (a) 16 and under and (b) post-16 in (i) 2018, (ii) 2019, (iii) 2020, (iv) 2021, (v) 2022, (vi) 2023, (vii) 2024 and (viii) 2025.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The department publishes the number of pupils at the end of key stage 4 who entered GCSE English from the 2017/18 to 2023/24 academic year.

The department also publishes the number of students at the end of 16 to 18 study who entered for GCSE English from the 2019/20 to 2023/24 academic year. This data is not published for 2017/18 or 2018/19. The data for these two years can be found in the attached document.

Data relating to 2024/25 will be published in October 2025 for pupils at the end of key stage 4, and November 2025 for students at the end of 16 to 18 study.

The data relating to pupils at the end of key stage 4 can be found here:

• 2017/18: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/key-stage-4-and-multi-academy-trust-performance-2018-revised.
• 2018/19: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/key-stage-4-performance-2019-revised.
• 2019/20: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/key-stage-4-performance/2019-20.
• 2020/21: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/key-stage-4-performance/2020-21.
• 2021/22: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/key-stage-4-performance/2021-22.
• 2022/23: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/key-stage-4-performance/2022-23.
• 2023/24: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/key-stage-4-performance/2023-24.

This data becomes available in October or November of each year.

The data relating to students at the end of 16 to 18 study can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/a-level-and-other-16-to-18-results/2023-24. GCSE English entries comprise entries to GCSE English Language, English Literature, and English Language and Literature.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what progress she has made in delivering the Early Years Childcare Reform Programme.

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

From 1 September, hundreds of thousands of families are better able to balance work and family life, with parents who use their full entitlement saving an average of £7,500 a year, and more children getting the high quality early education that will give them the best start in life.

To support the expansion of childcare, the government has supported early years workforce recruitment through the ‘Do Something Big’ campaign, financial incentives and new routes into the profession. We have invested over £8 billion into early years entitlements in 2025/26 and created thousands more places through the school-based nurseries programme. Workforce has grown significantly, with 18,200 more staff delivering entitlements in private, voluntary and independent providers in 2025, a 7.2% rise from the previous year.

There are over 5,800 more providers delivering childcare entitlements this year, the first increase in five years, and the biggest increase since data became available in 2018.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of Ofsted making a separate judgment on SEN provision in schools on its published inspection report.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

This is a matter for His Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Sir Martyn Oliver. I have asked him to write to the hon. Member for Melton and Syston 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 steps her Department is taking to improve the process of applying for an ECHP.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

This government inherited a special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system that has failed to meet the needs of families for far too long.

We want to ensure that, where required, education, health and care (EHC) needs assessments are progressed promptly and, if required, high-quality EHC plans are issued in line with statutory deadlines.

The department continues to monitor and work closely with local authorities that have issues with EHC plan timeliness. Where there are concerns about a local authority’s capacity to make the required improvements, we help to identify the problems and put in place an effective recovery plan. This includes, where needed, providing specialist SEND Advisor support to help identify the barriers to carrying out the EHC plan process in a timely way and put in place practical plans for recovery.

We are working closely with experts, including parents, local authorities, SEND organisations and education settings across the country, as we consider the next steps for SEND reform.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 10 July 2025 to Question 66726 on Childcare: Eligibility, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of changing the eligibility criteria to take account of the unpaid nature of student nursing.

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

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

Students who work in addition to their studies and earn the equivalent of at least 16 hours a week at National Minimum Wage (this is equivalent to £195 per week/£10,158 per year in 2025/2026), and under £100,000 adjusted net income per year, may be eligible for this offer. If they are unable to meet this threshold, they will remain eligible for the universal 15 hours of free early education, which is available to all 3 and 4-year-olds, regardless of family circumstances.

The government recognises the value of parents continuing in education and provides a range of support for students in further or higher education to support them with childcare. Support available to full-time students with dependent children includes the Childcare Grant and Parents’ Learning Allowance. Entitlement to these grants is based on a student’s household income. Healthcare students may also be entitled to the NHS Learning Support Fund.

Further information on the childcare offers available to parents can be found at: https://www.beststartinlife.gov.uk/.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will set out the level of childcare support his Department provides for (a) student nurses and (b) other essential vocational trainees; and what plans she has to increase that level of support.

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

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

Students who work in addition to their studies and earn the equivalent of at least 16 hours a week at National Minimum Wage (this is equivalent to £195 per week/£10,158 per year in 2025/2026), and under £100,000 adjusted net income per year, may be eligible for this offer. If they are unable to meet this threshold, they will remain eligible for the universal 15 hours of free early education, which is available to all 3 and 4-year-olds, regardless of family circumstances.

The government recognises the value of parents continuing in education and provides a range of support for students in further or higher education to support them with childcare. Support available to full-time students with dependent children includes the Childcare Grant and Parents’ Learning Allowance. Entitlement to these grants is based on a student’s household income. Healthcare students may also be entitled to the NHS Learning Support Fund.

Further information on the childcare offers available to parents can be found at: https://www.beststartinlife.gov.uk/.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of making student nurses eligible for the 30 hours of free childcare.

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

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

Students who work in addition to their studies and earn the equivalent of at least 16 hours a week at National Minimum Wage (this is equivalent to £195 per week/£10,158 per year in 2025/2026), and under £100,000 adjusted net income per year, may be eligible for this offer. If they are unable to meet this threshold, they will remain eligible for the universal 15 hours of free early education, which is available to all 3 and 4-year-olds, regardless of family circumstances.

The government recognises the value of parents continuing in education and provides a range of support for students in further or higher education to support them with childcare. Support available to full-time students with dependent children includes the Childcare Grant and Parents’ Learning Allowance. Entitlement to these grants is based on a student’s household income. Healthcare students may also be entitled to the NHS Learning Support Fund.

Further information on the childcare offers available to parents can be found at: https://www.beststartinlife.gov.uk/.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to provide mental health support in schools in Epping Forest constituency.

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

The government is providing access to specialist mental health professionals in every school by expanding Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs). 53% of schools and colleges in Epping Forest constituency were supported by an MHST in March 2025. Further data for 2024/25 can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/transforming-children-and-young-peoples-mental-health-provision. This has been available since 16 May 2025 at national, regional and local authority level and since 10 July 2025 at constituency level. Around six in ten pupils nationally are expected to have access to an MHST by March 2026. Under government plans, all pupils will have access to mental health support in school by 2029/30.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of withdrawing funding from applied general qualifications on the number of young people not in education, employment or training.

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

​​​The department introduced 140 newly reformed qualifications to be taught from the beginning of this academic year and just announced a further 27 newly reformed qualifications which it will fund from August 2026. This includes newly reformed alternative academic qualifications and new technical qualifications in health and social care and related areas such as science, that will sit alongside the T Level in health and related A levels. The department is withdrawing funding from unreformed qualifications in the same areas, so that students can benefit from the higher quality reformed alternatives.

​T Levels are out-performing other qualifications. Where a student wishes to study a large qualification in health they should undertake the T Level.

​We published an equalities impact assessment alongside the outcome of the review of qualifications reform. The review is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/review-of-level-3-qualifications-reform-equality-impact-assessment. The department expects the impact on the number of young people not in education, employment or training, to be mitigated by the availability of T Levels and other reformed qualifications. ​

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of withdrawing funding from applied general qualifications in Health and Social Care on the number of students studying courses in these subjects.

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

​​​The department introduced 140 newly reformed qualifications to be taught from the beginning of this academic year and just announced a further 27 newly reformed qualifications which it will fund from August 2026. This includes newly reformed alternative academic qualifications and new technical qualifications in health and social care and related areas such as science, that will sit alongside the T Level in health and related A levels. The department is withdrawing funding from unreformed qualifications in the same areas, so that students can benefit from the higher quality reformed alternatives.

​T Levels are out-performing other qualifications. Where a student wishes to study a large qualification in health they should undertake the T Level.

​We published an equalities impact assessment alongside the outcome of the review of qualifications reform. The review is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/review-of-level-3-qualifications-reform-equality-impact-assessment. The department expects the impact on the number of young people not in education, employment or training, to be mitigated by the availability of T Levels and other reformed qualifications. ​

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support pupils with SEND in Epping Forest constituency.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

This government’s ambition is that every child or young person receives the best possible educational experience, one that is academically stretching, where every child or young person feels like they belong and that sets them up for life and work.

As part of our Plan for Change, we are determined to fix the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system and restore parents’ trust by ensuring schools have the tools to better identify and support children before issues escalate to crisis point.

We will build a better system which is grounded in evidence, identifies and supports need at the earliest opportunity and ensures families can secure support swiftly without a fight. There will always be a legal right to the additional support that children with SEND need.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that termly cut-off dates do not disadvantage families whose children are born mid-term resulting in the parent’s statutory maternity concluding after the 30 September leaving them ineligible for free care in the autumn term; and whether her Department plans to provide additional transitional support or flexibility to parents whose return to work is after the deadline.

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

The government’s Plan for Change sets out a commitment to give children the best start in life, breaking the link between background and opportunity.

Children become eligible for an early education and childcare place from 1 September, 1 January or 1 April, the term after they reach the relevant age and meet relevant eligibility criteria.

Depending on when a child is born and when the eligibility criteria are met, there will be differing periods to wait until the relevant termly date.

Termly deadlines enable local authorities and childcare providers to better plan and ensure sufficient early years places are available for parents each term, as there are clear periods for when children are likely to enter into a place.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with local authorities on the publication of safeguarding data; and if he will make it his policy to require all local authorities publish their safeguarding data annually.

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

Local Authorities currently submit annual data to the department on all ‘children in need’ and ‘children looked after’ in their authorities. This includes information on Section 47 enquiries, initial child protection conferences and children with child protection plans and is published on the department’s ‘Explore Education Statistics’ website. This contains statistics on serious incidents involving children that local authorities have notified to the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel. Safeguarding partners also complete annual reports which focus on multi-agency priorities, learning, impact, evidence, and improvement. These are subsequently sent to the department and National Panel and published in the public domain.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of uprating the maximum income threshold for free school meals eligibility for children in families with No Recourse to Public Funds in line with the eligibility criteria introduced on 4 June 2025.

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

I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Edmonton and Winchmore Hill, to the answer of 24 September 2025 to Question 76012.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, on what date she decided to reduce the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund fair access limit to £3,000 in 2025-26.

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

The decision to set the adoption and special guardianship support fund (ASGSF) fair access limit at £3,000 for 2025/26 was taken as part of departmental business planning decisions in the spring, following the announcement to Parliament on 1 April that the ASGSF would be continuing into 2025/26.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of a minimum recommendation of 80 hours of enrichment per academic year.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Worsley and Eccles to the answer of 2 July 2025 to Question 62871.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of the absence of a formal central email channel for early years foundation stage updates for early years settings on the safety of children in those settings.

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

When changes are made to the early years foundation stage (EYFS) statutory framework, the department ensures that there is a programme of communications and engagement with the sector to ensure they understand the changes being made. This includes emails sent to local authorities to disseminate to all early years settings.

In addition, where appropriate, the department produces webinars and vodcasts on the Foundation Years website, which we promote to the sector via numerous channels, including local authorities, stronger practice hubs and sector representatives. The Foundation Years website is available here: https://www.foundationyears.org.uk/.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to review the eligibility criteria for the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund to ensure that adoptive families whose children were not previously looked after by a local authority can access therapeutic support, in the context of the complex (a) emotional and (b) psychological needs those children may have.

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

The Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF) is targeted at children who were previously looked after by a local authority, as the local authority maintain a statutory responsibility to these children. Local authorities may still provide support for other children where appropriate, including any adopted children who were not previously looked after, using alternative funding streams. Eligibility and budget considerations for the ASGSF are assessed as part of the broader spending review discussions.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children in families subject to No Recourse to Public Funds have received the concession on access to free school meals since 2022 by (a) region and (b) year.

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

I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Edmonton and Winchmore Hill, to the answer of 24 September 2025 to Question 76011.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on supporting new solar power installations for state schools via Power Purchase Agreements.

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

The department is committed to helping schools decarbonise and reduce energy costs through sustainable solutions like solar. Rooftop solar Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) can deliver public sector savings and wider social benefits through partnerships with community energy groups. Ministers at the department, and HM Treasury, are clear on the potential here and continue to explore ways to increase renewable energy across the education estate

The government remains focused on supporting schools in adopting renewables to cut emissions and energy bills. The department is already partnering with Great British Energy on an £80 million initiative to install solar panels and other decarbonisation technologies in up to 200 schools and colleges in 2025/26. This programme aims to deliver long-term savings and contribute to net zero goals. We continue to work across government to ensure schools have access to sustainable tools and funding.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she is taking steps to increase the accessibility of adoption files for adoptees who have reached adulthood.

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

Local authorities have been advised to retain adoption records for at least 100 years, an increase from the previous 75-year requirement. The department has also asked them to ensure timely access to these records.

Subject to Parliamentary approval, the department will make this a legal requirement by introducing regulatory changes. These changes will ensure that all adoption case records for individuals adopted before 30 December 2005 are preserved for a minimum of 100 years. This is already a requirement for records for individuals adopted after 30 December 2005.

In addition, the department is supporting and working with Adoption England, who have recently published new guidance to promote consistent and legally compliant practice on access to records across all regional adoption agencies. Adoption England also continues to fund FamilyConnect, a pilot national advice line that supports adopted adults, birth parents, relatives, and professionals with searching for and accessing adoption records.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what progress she has made on rolling out defibrillators to state-funded schools in England.

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

The department’s defibrillator programme was the largest rollout of defibrillators across England to date. The programme provided over 20,000 defibrillators to almost 18,000 schools, ensuring that all state-funded schools in England have access to a device.

The department is working with the British Heart Foundation to understand the impact the programme is having. Since our rollout, the number of school defibrillators registered on the national database, The Circuit, has risen by 252%, with 66% of all schools in England now having at least one device registered. Our evaluation shows that defibrillators we provided have been available for use and deployed in over 12,000 emergency situations, where there has been a suspected cardiac arrest.

The department continues to work with the British Heart Foundation to evaluate and understand the impact of our programme and support schools in registering their defibrillators on The Circuit.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of establishing a cross-departmental taskforce to review the adequacy of childcare provision for (a) student nurses and (b) other parents in full-time healthcare education.

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

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

Where student parents are not eligible for 30 hours funded childcare, they will remain eligible for the universal 15 hours of free early education, which is available to all 3 and 4-year-olds, regardless of family circumstances.

The government recognises the value of parents continuing in education and provides a range of options for students in higher education to support them with childcare. Support available to full-time students with dependent children includes the Childcare Grant and Parents’ Learning Allowance. Entitlement to these grants is based on a student’s household income.

Healthcare students may also be entitled to the NHS Learning Support Fund. Information on eligibility and how to apply is available here: https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/nhs-learning-support-fund-lsf.

Further information on the childcare offers available to parents can be accessed here: https://www.beststartinlife.gov.uk/.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department plans to take to ensure that proposed changes to childcare provision do not undermine the sustainability of private nurseries and childminders.

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

The government is investing significantly in early education and childcare to ensure sustainability across all providers, including nurseries and childminders. Government spending on funded hours will reach £9 billion next year, rising further over this Parliament, with around 80% of hours funded from September 2025.

To strengthen the sector, the department is supporting local authorities to shape and oversee childcare markets, helping single-site providers grow, and monitoring financial sustainability to maintain stability and transparency. We are also encouraging investment from charities and social enterprises, expanding nursery provision in schools, building stronger school-nursery partnerships, and supporting childminders with monthly payments and recruitment initiatives.

The department values the diversity of the sector and is committed to working closely with providers to secure affordable, flexible, high-quality childcare. Our ambition is for every family to have access to the early education and care their children need, delivering on our Plan for Change.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department are taking to promote reading in children.

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

The government's Opportunity Mission will help every child to achieve and thrive at school through excellent teaching and high standards. It aims to break the link between young people’s background and their future success. Reading is central to this mission and is crucial for success at school and in life.

On 7 July 2025, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, announced that 2026 will be The National Year of Reading, a campaign to address the decline in reading enjoyment amongst children, young people and adults. The National Year of Reading will position reading as a powerful contemporary activity, aiming to engage new audiences in reading and change the national reading culture for good.

The government has committed £27.7 million this financial year to support and drive high and rising standards in reading. This includes supporting the teaching of phonics, early language and reading for pleasure via the English Hubs programme. Furthermore, the government’s reading framework provides guidance on improving the teaching of reading.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support her Department provides to schools that host PGCE students; and what assessment she has made of the contribution of this to teacher recruitment and retention in Hampshire.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

High-quality teaching has the strongest positive impact on pupil outcomes in schools, which is why this government has pledged to recruit an additional 6,500 new expert teachers, including in science subjects, backed by a near 10% pay award since July 2024.

To aid recruitment, the department is providing teacher training financial incentives worth nearly £233 million, including bursaries worth up to £29,000 tax-free, and scholarships up to £31,000 tax-free, in science subjects. We are also providing retention incentives for early career science teachers worth up to £6000, with 39 schools in Hampshire qualifying for these.

Schools that host trainee placements leading to qualified teacher status, including those studying a PGCE, can claim funding to help cover the time staff members spend mentoring, given the importance of peer-to-peer support. In 2024/25, the department welcomed over 23,100 new postgraduate trainee teachers, an increase of 8% compared to 2023/24. In 2024/25, 399 trainees began postgraduate teacher training in Hampshire, compared to 317 in 2023/24.

The department’s interventions are having a positive impact, with the teaching workforce growing by 2,346 full-time equivalent teachers between 2023/24 and 2024/25 in secondary and special schools. In the South East, the number of secondary school teachers increased by 221.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help reduce the shortage of science teachers in Hampshire; and what support is available for schools relying on supply staff.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

High-quality teaching has the strongest positive impact on pupil outcomes in schools, which is why this government has pledged to recruit an additional 6,500 new expert teachers, including in science subjects, backed by a near 10% pay award since July 2024.

To aid recruitment, the department is providing teacher training financial incentives worth nearly £233 million, including bursaries worth up to £29,000 tax-free, and scholarships up to £31,000 tax-free, in science subjects. We are also providing retention incentives for early career science teachers worth up to £6000, with 39 schools in Hampshire qualifying for these.

Schools that host trainee placements leading to qualified teacher status, including those studying a PGCE, can claim funding to help cover the time staff members spend mentoring, given the importance of peer-to-peer support. In 2024/25, the department welcomed over 23,100 new postgraduate trainee teachers, an increase of 8% compared to 2023/24. In 2024/25, 399 trainees began postgraduate teacher training in Hampshire, compared to 317 in 2023/24.

The department’s interventions are having a positive impact, with the teaching workforce growing by 2,346 full-time equivalent teachers between 2023/24 and 2024/25 in secondary and special schools. In the South East, the number of secondary school teachers increased by 221.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to reduce educational inequalities for secondary school pupils in the West Midlands.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

All children and young people should have every opportunity to succeed, no matter where they are from. However, the government knows educational inequalities exist at every phase of education across the country. This is not acceptable in the West Midlands, or nationally.

Through our Plan for Change, we are tackling these inequalities and have set a milestone of a 75% of 5 year-olds reaching a good level of development in the early years foundation stage profile assessment by 2028. The department will invest close to £1.5 billion over the next three years to raise quality, close gaps, and break down barriers to opportunity for every child.

We are also rolling out free breakfast clubs in every state-funded primary school, expanding free school meals to all children on Universal Credit from September 2026 and have delivered record increases to the early years pupil premium.

This is alongside our work to drive high and rising standards in every school, including new regional improvement in standards and excellence teams, the Curriculum and Assessment Review and our commitment to recruit an additional 6,500 new expert teachers across secondary and special schools and in our colleges.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance her Department provides to schools on promoting road safety awareness among pupils who use (a) hire and (b) electric bikes.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Primary and secondary schools are free to teach about road safety awareness as part of their duty to provide a broad and balanced curriculum, and many do so through their personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE) provision alongside the statutory relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) content. This can also include teaching about general road safety when using bikes in different situations. The statutory RSHE guidance is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/relationships-education-relationships-and-sex-education-rse-and-health-education/relationships-and-sex-education-rse-secondary

The updated RSHE guidance, published in July 2025, has a new section on personal safety which includes how to recognise risk and keep safe around roads.

Schools can draw on resources available from many providers including, the THINK! campaign, developed by the Department for Transport. The campaign can be accessed here: https://www.think.gov.uk/.

Schools also use Bikeability, the Department for Transport’s flagship national cycle training programme for pupils in England, which teaches core skills that enable pupils to cycle confidently and safely on roads.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure inclusive school environments for children with different learning styles in Surrey Heath constituency.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

This government’s ambition is that every child or young person in our country deserves the best possible educational experience, one that is academically stretching, where every child or young person feels like they belong, and that sets them up for life and work. We will build a better system which is grounded in evidence and identifies and supports need at the earliest opportunity.

Our new regional improvements for standards and excellence (RISE) teams will work with mainstream schools to help them become more inclusive places, as one of four priority areas for improvement.

The recently published RISE Inclusive Mainstream webpage provides schools with programmes and resources to help mainstream schools improve inclusivity and support for those with special educational needs and disabilities and is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/rise-support-for-inclusive-mainstream-education/rise-support-for-inclusive-mainstream-education.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing introducing compulsory first aid training for teachers.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The provision of first aid training is a matter for early years, schools and colleges as employers who are best placed to make decisions about the training and development required to meet the needs of their staff and pupils.

The department publishes guidance to support settings to carry out their duties relating to first aid issues both on their premises and off-site.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to tackle misogyny in schools.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for for Blyth and Ashington to the answer of 19 September 2025 to Question 76624.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has issued guidance to schools that have amended their subject curricula due to staff shortages.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Schools have the flexibility to organise the content and delivery of the curriculum to meet the needs of their pupils and to suit their local contexts.

There is no prescription about the number of teaching hours for each subject, or about the format of lessons. It is for schools to decide how much time is spent on any subject.

As part of our Plan for Change, the department is committed to recruiting an additional 6,500 new expert teachers across secondary and special schools, and in our colleges, over the course of this Parliament.

In 2024/25, we drove forward teacher recruitment and retention, backed by investment of around £700 million across schools and further education. The workforce has grown by 2,346 full-time equivalent between 2023/24 and 2024/25, in secondary and special schools where they are needed most. This includes 1,435 more secondary school teachers and 911 more special and pupil referral unit teachers compared to last year.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support her Department is providing to schools in Hampshire schools with (a) increased class sizes and (b) reduced staffing levels due to budget constraints.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Through the dedicated schools grant (DSG), Hampshire is receiving £1.1 billion for mainstream schools in the 2025/26 financial year. That is equivalent to £6,031 per pupil (excluding growth and falling rolls funding), which is an increase of 2.4% per pupil compared to 2024/25.

On top of the DSG funding, the department is providing additional funding to support schools with increases to employer National Insurance Contributions, and the costs of the teacher and local government support staff pay awards in 2025/26.

The department provides a suite of free tools, guidance and support to help schools better manage their budgets. Schools are already bringing core operating costs down through initiatives such as our new ‘Energy for Schools’ offer. Additionally, they can access services such as the ‘Get Help Buying for Schools’ service to get best value when procuring goods and our ‘Teaching Vacancies Service’ to save recruitment costs.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Children and Families Act 2014 section 37, whether her Department has sought legal advice on the legal right to special educational provision.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

This government’s ambition is that every child or young person receives the best possible educational experience, one that is academically stretching, where every child or young person feels like they belong, and that sets them up for life and work.

As part of our Plan for Change, we are determined to fix the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system and restore parents’ trust by ensuring schools have the tools to better identify and support children before issues escalate to crisis point.

We will continue to engage with key stakeholders and seek the appropriate legal advice as we look to build a better system which is grounded in evidence, identifies and supports need at the earliest opportunity, and ensures families can secure support swiftly without a fight. There will always be a legal right to the additional support that children with SEND need.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support schools with increases in the number of in-year admissions in Hampshire.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The statutory duty to provide sufficient school places sits with local authorities.

The department engages with local authorities, including Hampshire County Council, on a regular basis to review their plans for creating additional school places. When local authorities are experiencing difficulties, the department offers support and advice.

The department also provides capital funding through the Basic Need grant to support local authorities to meet their statutory duty to secure sufficient school places. Hampshire has been allocated just over £22.2 million to support it to create the mainstream school places needed between May 2024 and September 2028.

The Schools Admissions Code also requires every local authority to have a Fair Access Protocol in place, to ensure that vulnerable children, and those who are having difficulty in securing a school place in-year, are allocated a school place as quickly as possible, minimising the time the child is out of school.

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Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure childcare policy supports the recruitment and retention of student nurses as part of the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, updated on 22 April 2024.

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

The Department for Education provides the primary funding support package for English domiciled students in higher education through the student loans system. Eligible students can also apply for the Childcare Grant and Parents’ Learning Allowance.

The Department of Health and Social Care provides eligible healthcare students, including student nurses, with supplementary, non-repayable support via the NHS Learning Support Fund (LSF). This includes a £5,000 training grant for all students eligible for the LSF and a further £2,000 per academic year for those students with childcare responsibility. These funding arrangements are reviewed annually ahead of the start of each academic year.

We will publish a 10 Year Workforce Plan (10YWP) to create a workforce ready to deliver a transformed service. This 10YWP will ensure the National Health Service has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to ensure children are adequately safeguarded in family courts.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Children Act 1989 requires the court to have the child’s welfare as its paramount consideration when making a decision about the child’s upbringing. Any decisions the family courts make about the future arrangements for children are based on this fundamental principle.

This Government is delivering a package of reform to the family courts to ensure that children continue to be safeguarded and supported. This includes the expansion of the Pathfinder programme, which promotes child safeguarding through early multi-agency collaboration, expert domestic abuse support, and greater emphasis on the voice of the child.

This Government also recognises the significant impact that delays in court proceedings can have on children and families. That is why it is working to reduce backlogs and improve timeliness, so that children can access the support and stability they need without unnecessary delay. This includes the agreement of system-wide targets by the Family Justice Board for 2025/26, with a continued focus on tackling delay and reducing outstanding caseloads. In public law proceedings relating to children (such as care proceedings), this involves a renewed emphasis on the procedure set out in the Public Law Outline; and in private law proceedings relating to children (such as applications for child arrangements orders), areas delivering the Pathfinder model have made significant progress in addressing delays.

We are also working closely with the Department for Education to support the delivery of their reforms to children’s social care, underpinned by measures in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill.

The Government will share further plans for reform in due course.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what progress he has made on introducing a support and identification system for the children of prisoners.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

We know that parental imprisonment is recognised as an adverse childhood experience that can have a significant impact on a child’s life chances. This is why the Ministry of Justice and the Department for Education are jointly committed to ensuring that all children impacted by parental imprisonment are identified and offered the support they need to thrive.

Earlier this year, Ministers from both Departments convened a roundtable with sector experts to explore how best to support children affected by parental imprisonment. We have also undertaken extensive engagement with the sector, including focus groups with individuals who have lived experience. Their insights are helping to shape and inform our policy proposals.

On 21 August, the Department for Education published their market engagement notice on a Multidisciplinary Training Offer for Professionals, marking an important step towards getting children the support they need. This training will upskill a wide range of professionals on the impact parental imprisonment can have on children and families, reduce stigmatisation of children and families and break down barriers to support.

We remain firmly committed to driving progress on this important agenda, informed by evidence from previous interventions and continued engagement with the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise sector.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to support children with a parent in prison from an early age.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

We know that parental imprisonment is recognised as an adverse childhood experience that can have a significant impact on a child’s life chances. This is why the Ministry of Justice and the Department for Education are jointly committed to ensuring that all children impacted by parental imprisonment are identified and offered the support they need to thrive.

Earlier this year, Ministers from both Departments convened a roundtable with sector experts to explore how best to support children affected by parental imprisonment. We have also undertaken extensive engagement with the sector, including focus groups with individuals who have lived experience. Their insights are helping to shape and inform our policy proposals.

On 21 August, the Department for Education published their market engagement notice on a Multidisciplinary Training Offer for Professionals, marking an important step towards getting children the support they need. This training will upskill a wide range of professionals on the impact parental imprisonment can have on children and families, reduce stigmatisation of children and families and break down barriers to support.

We remain firmly committed to driving progress on this important agenda, informed by evidence from previous interventions and continued engagement with the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise sector.

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