Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many early years professionals were recruited following the introduction of the £1000 tax-free cash incentive.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The early years workforce is at the heart of the government’s mission to ensure every child has the best start in life. Early education and childcare is delivered by a mixed market of private, voluntary and independent provision who recruit and employ their staff depending upon their business and local need. We are supporting the sector to attract talented staff and childminders to join the workforce by creating conditions for improved recruitment and new routes into the workforce.

Financial incentives are an important part of this plan, and the government has been running two schemes testing incentives in 26 local authorities. New starters and returners needed to meet certain eligibility criteria and to have started in an eligible provider in one of these 26 local authorities to be eligible to receive a £1000 payment.

The financial incentives pilot ran from April 2024 to March 2025 in 20 local authorities and tested whether the offer of an incentive payment would increase recruitment.

The financial incentives live test ran from November 2024 to March 2025 in an additional 6 local authorities. This tested the use of a new online portal as a possible delivery mechanism.

Delivery on both schemes ended in March 2025. The pilot is currently being evaluated and we will set out the results in due course.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that children who are home educated have access to (a) resources and (b) support comparable to those available to children educated in schools.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Home education is a proactive choice made by parents. In electing to home educate they choose to leave the state school system and the associated support and access to facilities which are available as part of having a school place.

Special educational needs (SEN) support, including access to therapies, is not conditional on the child being in school. Children are able to gain access to SEN support and mental health support when educated not in school.

Non-school based SEN and mental health support can be accessed through the local authority, via an education, health and care plan, and the NHS. Access to services is determined based on individual need, not how a child is educated.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help ensure that internet filtering systems used in education settings are independently accredited.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

All schools and colleges must have regard to ‘Keeping children safe in education’, which can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/keeping-children-safe-in-education--2. This guidance already makes clear that schools and colleges should ensure appropriate filtering and monitoring systems are in place and that their effectiveness is regularly reviewed.

The department developed the filtering and monitoring standards to help schools and colleges to understand what they should be doing to keep children safe online. These standards offer support to schools, who can use South-West Grid for Learning’s testing tool to check that, as a minimum, their filtering system is blocking access to illegal child abuse material, unlawful terrorist content, and adult content.

The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) and Counter-Terrorism Internet Referral Unit (CTIRU) provide lists of illegal websites that filtering providers can block as part of their service, known as blocklists. Schools and colleges must make sure these blocklists are included with their filtering solutions.

To further support schools, the department has launched ‘Plan technology for your school’ which allows schools to self-assess their filtering and monitoring provision against the standards and make strategic decisions about how to improve their provision. This can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/plan-technology-for-your-school.

The department will continue to work with the providers, including filtering and monitoring providers, and the wider sector, to understand how we can best support them.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much her Department has spent on its scheme to offer £1000 sign-on incentives to help recruit early years professionals.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The early years workforce is at the heart of this government’s mission to give every child the best start in life and deliver the Plan for Change. We have set a milestone of a record proportion of children starting school ready to learn in the classroom. We will measure our progress through 75% of children at the end of reception reaching a good level of development in the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile assessment by 2028.

Early education is delivered by a mixed market of providers who recruit staff depending on business need. The department is supporting providers by creating conditions for improved recruitment. Funding breakdowns by region are not held.

• In 2025/26 alone, the department plans to provide over £8 billion for the early years entitlements – a more than 30% increase compared to 2024/25. This ensures funding reflects forecasts of average earnings and inflation, as well as the National Living Wage announced at the 2024 Autumn Budget.

• The ‘Do something BIG. Work with small children’ recruitment campaign had a budget of £6.5 million for the 2023/24 financial year. Subsequent years’ budgets are being reconciled and the department will publish spend once confirmed.

• In 20 local authorities between April 2024 and March 2025, we piloted whether £1,000 financial incentives boost recruitment in early years. The demand-led programme totalled £2.64 million, comprising £2.47 million in 2023/24 and £173,000 in 2024/25.

• A Childminder Start-up Grant Scheme has supported childminders with the costs associated with setting up their new business. The demand-led scheme ran for a 2 year period and is worth up to £7.2 million.

• Our delivery support contract, Childcare Works, supports local authorities and providers on early years and wraparound delivery. Given the breadth of remit, we cannot isolate spend to early years recruitment activity only.

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 providing Elective Home Education officers with training in (a) neurodiversity and (b) mental health.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Home education is a proactive choice made by parents. In electing to home educate they choose to leave the state school system and the associated support and access to facilities which are available as part of having a school place.

Special educational needs (SEN) support, including access to therapies, is not conditional on the child being in school. Children are able to gain access to SEN support and mental health support when educated not in school.

Non-school based SEN and mental health support can be accessed through the local authority, via an education, health and care plan, and the NHS. Access to services is determined based on individual need, not how a child is educated.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support her Department is providing to rural primary schools to provide breakfast club provision under the early adopter scheme.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

I refer the hon. Member for Stratford-on-Avon to the answer of 03 June 2025 to Question 53170.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much her Department has spent on programmes to help recruit early years professionals in each of the last five years, broken down by (a) programme and (b) region and nation.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The early years workforce is at the heart of this government’s mission to give every child the best start in life and deliver the Plan for Change. We have set a milestone of a record proportion of children starting school ready to learn in the classroom. We will measure our progress through 75% of children at the end of reception reaching a good level of development in the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile assessment by 2028.

Early education is delivered by a mixed market of providers who recruit staff depending on business need. The department is supporting providers by creating conditions for improved recruitment. Funding breakdowns by region are not held.

• In 2025/26 alone, the department plans to provide over £8 billion for the early years entitlements – a more than 30% increase compared to 2024/25. This ensures funding reflects forecasts of average earnings and inflation, as well as the National Living Wage announced at the 2024 Autumn Budget.

• The ‘Do something BIG. Work with small children’ recruitment campaign had a budget of £6.5 million for the 2023/24 financial year. Subsequent years’ budgets are being reconciled and the department will publish spend once confirmed.

• In 20 local authorities between April 2024 and March 2025, we piloted whether £1,000 financial incentives boost recruitment in early years. The demand-led programme totalled £2.64 million, comprising £2.47 million in 2023/24 and £173,000 in 2024/25.

• A Childminder Start-up Grant Scheme has supported childminders with the costs associated with setting up their new business. The demand-led scheme ran for a 2 year period and is worth up to £7.2 million.

• Our delivery support contract, Childcare Works, supports local authorities and providers on early years and wraparound delivery. Given the breadth of remit, we cannot isolate spend to early years recruitment activity only.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help support children with SEND following the application of VAT to private school fees in Fylde constituency.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The majority of children with special educational needs (SEN), including most with education, health and care (EHC) plans, are already educated in mainstream state-funded schools where their needs are met. The department works to support local authorities to ensure that every local area has sufficient places for children that need them, including pupils with SEN requiring places at state-funded schools.

The government is providing an almost £1 billion uplift in high needs revenue funding for the 2025/26 financial year. The government has also announced £740 million of high needs capital funding for 2025/26 to invest in places for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities, or who require alternative provision.

Local authorities fund pupils’ places in private schools where their needs can only be met in a private school. Where this is the case, local authorities will be able to reclaim that VAT on the fees from HMRC.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the number of early years professionals required in each region in each of the next five years.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

To meet the additional demand placed on the childcare sector by expanding government funded entitlements to childcare, the department estimates that around 35,000 additional staff (headcount) nationally are needed above the 31 December 2023 baseline for autumn 2025. This represents approximately a 10% increase.

We have seen a strong response from the sector so far. 2023 to 2024 saw around 20,000 more staff working in early years nationally, over 1.5 times the level of growth seen between 2022 to 2023.

Responsibility for ongoing market sufficiency rests with local authorities, who are required by legislation to provide sufficient childcare places for children in their local area. We are in regular contact with each local authority, and have a delivery support contractor, Childcare Works, in place to support them, including with analysing workforce demand in their area.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what funding is available for the (a) repair and (b) maintenance of (i) sports facilities and (ii) swimming pools at schools.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

​Schools provide important opportunities for all pupils to be physically active, with sports facilities being key to the provision of high quality physical education lessons and extra-curricular sport.

The department supports academy trusts, local authorities and voluntary-aided bodies, who are responsible for managing the safety and maintenance of their estates, with capital funding, rebuilding programmes and guidance on effective estate management.

We recently confirmed details of £2.1 billion of capital funding for the 2025/26 financial year to improve the condition of the school estate, including sports facilities and school swimming pools, up from £1.8 billion committed for the 2024/25 financial year. Capital funding is not ring-fenced for sports facilities, and decisions on capital projects to improve the estate are primarily taken at a local level. Details of funding are published on GOV.UK.

​Capital funding for schools beyond 2025/26 will be confirmed following the next phase of the spending review.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether estates managed by her Department are participating in the No Mow May initiative.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The departmental estate is made up of office buildings which do not have any lawns. The department does not manage this estate. This is done on its behalf by the Government Property Agency.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to review the effectiveness of their guidance for tackling low school attendance and lost learning.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)

In the last academic year, around 1.5 million children are persistently absent, missing a day a fortnight, and 171,000 are severely absent, missing 50% of time in school or more (compared to 150,000 the previous year). These levels are unacceptably high, and the government is strongly committed to reversing the trend, but it will take time to unwind the legacy.

The department’s ‘Working Together to Improve School Attendance’ guidance became statutory in August 2024 and is based on our engagement with the strongest schools, trusts and local authorities across the country. We review all guidance on an ongoing basis and make changes as necessary.

Schools also have access to an attendance toolkit, developed in collaboration with the sector. The toolkit provides practical resources to support schools to identify the drivers of absence and adopt effective practice to improve attendance.

The department regularly publishes attendance data which shows how pupil attendance is changing over time. The data can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/pupil-attendance-in-schools. Thanks to the efforts of the sector, overall absence is moving in the right direction, with children attending over 3.1 million more days this year compared to last, and over 100,000 fewer children persistently absent. However, this still leaves around one in five pupils currently missing 10% or more of school.

That is why we are working with the sector to bring breakfast clubs to all primary schools so that every child is in on time and ready to learn, rolling out Attendance and Behaviour hubs providing support to schools to help them improve, and tackling mental ill-health among young people by providing access to specialist mental health professionals in every school.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what progress phase 2 of the Schools Rebuilding Programme has made on Tiverton High School.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department will begin working with Tiverton High School this quarter as it enters delivery. We will work closely with the Responsible Body to determine how best to proceed.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children have been removed from schools rolls for home elective education for each school in Derbyshire in each of the last six years.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department has collected data on compulsory school-aged children in elective home education from local authorities on a termly basis since autumn 2022. Figures are available by local authority in the publication available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/elective-home-education/2024-25-autumn-term.

In most cases, there is no legal obligation on parents to request permission or notify the school or local authority that they are withdrawing their child from school to home educate them.

As parents currently have no legal duty to inform local authorities when they are home educating, local authorities cannot be assured that they are fulfilling this duty towards all children living in their areas.

This is why the Children’s Wellbeing and School Bill, which is currently at Committee Stage in the House of Lords, will introduce compulsory Children Not in School Registers in every local authority in England and Wales. These measures will help local authorities to identify all children not in school in their areas, including those not in receipt of safe or suitable education, and to act where this is the case.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children have been removed from schools rolls for home elective education by local authority in each of the last six years.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department has collected data on compulsory school-aged children in elective home education from local authorities on a termly basis since autumn 2022. Figures are available by local authority in the publication available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/elective-home-education/2024-25-autumn-term.

In most cases, there is no legal obligation on parents to request permission or notify the school or local authority that they are withdrawing their child from school to home educate them.

As parents currently have no legal duty to inform local authorities when they are home educating, local authorities cannot be assured that they are fulfilling this duty towards all children living in their areas.

This is why the Children’s Wellbeing and School Bill, which is currently at Committee Stage in the House of Lords, will introduce compulsory Children Not in School Registers in every local authority in England and Wales. These measures will help local authorities to identify all children not in school in their areas, including those not in receipt of safe or suitable education, and to act where this is the case.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to send the allocation towards the operation of free breakfast clubs to primary schools.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The government is committed to offering a free and universal breakfast club in every state-funded school with primary-aged pupils in England. Breakfast clubs support children’s attendance and attainment, enabling them to thrive academically and socially, and supporting working families.

From this summer term, we are funding 750 early adopter schools to test and learn our new free breakfast clubs, ahead of national rollout. Early adopter schools have already received their first payments and will continue to receive termly fixed payments, plus attendance-based payments based on the number of children who attend, over the course of the scheme.

Funding for breakfast clubs beyond the current financial year will be confirmed through the next phase of the spending review. Payment schedules and allocations for the next academic year will be confirmed in due course.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many dedicated mental health professionals are employed in secondary schools in (a) Hampshire and (b) Eastleigh constituency.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

This government is committed to improving mental health support for all children and young people. This is critical to breaking down barriers to opportunity and helping pupils to achieve and thrive in education.

Information on the numbers of staff employed in schools is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/school-workforce-in-england-november-2023. The department does not collect information on how many dedicated mental health professionals are employed in secondary schools in (a) Hampshire and (b) Eastleigh constituency.

The government has committed to providing access to specialist mental health professionals in every school by expanding mental health support teams (MHSTs), so every child and young person has access to early support to address problems before they escalate. The teams act as a link with local children and young people’s mental health services and are trained and supervised by NHS staff.

At the end of 2024/25, around 600 NHS-funded MHSTs were operational in 10,100 (41%) schools and colleges in England. At the end of 2024/25, 5 million pupils and learners were covered by MHSTs which equates to 52% coverage of pupils in schools and further education learners in England. In Hampshire local authority, 43% of pupils/learners and 43% of schools/colleges were covered by MHSTs, as at end 2024/25, compared to 52% and 41% nationally, respectively.

Around six in ten pupils will have access to a mental health support team by March 2026, with the rollout prioritised based on NHS identification of local need and reaching the most vulnerable children first.

The government will also recruit an additional 8,500 new mental health staff to treat children and adults, and open new Young Futures Hubs with access to mental health support workers.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that children being home schooled are receiving (a) a high level of education and (b) in a safe environment.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department has collected data on compulsory school-aged children in elective home education from local authorities on a termly basis since autumn 2022. Figures are available by local authority in the publication available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/elective-home-education/2024-25-autumn-term.

In most cases, there is no legal obligation on parents to request permission or notify the school or local authority that they are withdrawing their child from school to home educate them.

As parents currently have no legal duty to inform local authorities when they are home educating, local authorities cannot be assured that they are fulfilling this duty towards all children living in their areas.

This is why the Children’s Wellbeing and School Bill, which is currently at Committee Stage in the House of Lords, will introduce compulsory Children Not in School Registers in every local authority in England and Wales. These measures will help local authorities to identify all children not in school in their areas, including those not in receipt of safe or suitable education, and to act where this is the case.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many specialist SEND nurseries have (a) closed and (b) been replaced by a mobile SEND service since 2015.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The information requested is not held centrally.

Under Section 6 of the Childcare Act 2006, local authorities are responsible for ensuring that the provision of childcare is sufficient to meet the requirements of parents in their area. Part B of the ’Early education and childcare’ statutory guidance for local authorities highlights that local authorities are required to report annually to elected council members on how they are meeting their duty to secure sufficient childcare, and to make this report available and accessible to parents. The guidance can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-education-and-childcare--2.

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 to address those issues and where needed support the local authority with any specific requirements through our childcare sufficiency support contract.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to help reduce the number of children starting school without basic early-years skills.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The government’s Plan for Change set out our ambition for a record proportion of children starting school ready to learn in the classroom. We will measure our progress through 75% of children reaching a good level of development in the early years foundation stage profile assessment by 2028. The department will use a number of strategies to achieve this.

Firstly, we will roll out government-funded childcare support to improve access. We are delivering the expansion to 30 funded hours and have awarded 300 schools £37 million in the first phase towards 3,000 new and expanded school-based nurseries, increasing the availability of high-quality childcare places where they are needed most.

The department will also work in partnership with the sector, reforming training and support for the workforce to drive up standards. We will ensure that the reception year sets children up for success, by increasing schools’ access to evidence-based programmes that boost early literacy and numeracy skills. We are hosting a series of regional conferences focused on reception year quality starting later this month.

In addition, the department is working to strengthen and join-up family services to improve support through pregnancy and early childhood. This includes continuing to invest in and build up Family Hubs and Start for Life programmes to support early child health, parenting and home learning programmes, and strengthening health visiting services for all families, as well as improved early identification of special educational needs and disabilities.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many school buildings in Maidenhead are classified as requiring urgent repair under her Department’s Condition Data Collection.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

From 2021 to 2026, the Condition Data Collection 2 (CDC2) programme is visiting every government-funded school and college in England to collect data about the condition of their buildings. This is providing an updated and comprehensive picture of the condition of the school estate in England to support our capital funding policy and programmes.

School reports, setting out the condition of building elements, are shared with each school and their responsible body while the CDC2 programme is in progress, so that schools and responsible bodies have access to the latest assessment of their site.

Information on the condition of schools, as assessed by the predecessor programme (CDC1), can be found at: https://depositedpapers.parliament.uk/depositedpaper/2285521/details.

Responsible bodies, such as local authorities, voluntary-aided school bodies, and multi and single academy trusts, have the responsibility to make regular assessments of the condition of schools in their estate to inform programmes of maintenance works.

The department has increased funding to improve the condition of the estate for the 2025/26 financial year to £2.1 billion, up from £1.8 billion last year. Allocations are published on GOV.UK and are partly informed by consistent data on the condition of the estate collected by the department, reflecting the relative need of schools. This is in addition to our continued investment in the current School Rebuilding Programme.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle increased demand for Education, Health and Care Plans driven by Speech, Communication and Language Needs.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

The department is aware that speech, communication and language needs are a key driver of the increasing demand for education, health and care (EHC) plans, and that local authorities have experienced increased demand for EHC plans and of the pressure this places on workforce capacity.

The department, in partnership with NHS England, is delivering the ‘Early Language and Support for Every Child’ (ELSEC) programme. This is trialling new ways of working to better identify and support children with speech, language and communication needs in early years and primary schools by intervening early to reduce the need for an EHC assessment. This is being delivered through nine regional pathfinder partnerships within our special educational needs and disabilities and alternative provision change programme.

We also know that continuing to build the pipeline of speech and language therapists is essential. That is why we introduced the speech and language degree apprenticeship, which is now in its third year of delivery and offers an alternative pathway to the traditional degree route into a successful career as a speech and language therapist.

The government is committed to funding evidence-based early language interventions in primary schools. The department has invested over £20 million in the Nuffield Early Language Intervention (NELI), which is an evidence-based programme for children needing extra support with their speech and language development.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle mental health discrimination in schools.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

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

Discrimination or bullying of any kind is never acceptable and must be tackled quickly. The government is committed to improving mental health support for all children and young people. This is critical to breaking down barriers to opportunity, and helping pupils to achieve and thrive in education.

To support education staff to understand mental health issues, the department provides a range of guidance and practical resources on promoting and supporting pupils’ mental health and wellbeing. The government will provide access to specialist mental health professionals in every school by expanding Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs). By April 2026, we estimate that 60% of pupils in schools and learners in further education in England will be covered by an MHST, up from 52% in April 2025.

Through statutory relationships, sex and health education pupils are taught about healthy, respectful relationships and physical health and mental wellbeing, including talking about their emotions and the benefits of exercise and simple self-care techniques.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many nursery places she expects the programme to deliver 6,000 new school-based early years places to create in (a) Milton Keynes and (b) Buckinghamshire.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Of the 300 schools which received funding under the School-Based Nurseries Capital Grant 2024/2025, three are in Milton Keynes and one is in Buckinghamshire. These projects are all expanding their existing nursery provision to provide additional childcare places for families in the area, which is crucial to the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and give children the best start in life.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many early years teachers there are in each region.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department does not hold data on staff qualification levels by region.

In 2024, 42% of staff within school-based providers and 11% of staff within group-based providers held graduate-level qualifications, as per the 2024 Early Years Provider Survey.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the effectiveness of internet filtering systems used in schools.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

All schools and colleges must have regard to ‘Keeping children safe in education’, which can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/keeping-children-safe-in-education--2. This guidance already makes clear that schools and colleges should ensure appropriate filtering and monitoring systems are in place and that their effectiveness is regularly reviewed.

The department developed the filtering and monitoring standards to help schools and colleges to understand what they should be doing to keep children safe online. These standards offer support to schools, who can use South-West Grid for Learning’s testing tool to check that, as a minimum, their filtering system is blocking access to illegal child abuse material, unlawful terrorist content, and adult content.

The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) and Counter-Terrorism Internet Referral Unit (CTIRU) provide lists of illegal websites that filtering providers can block as part of their service, known as blocklists. Schools and colleges must make sure these blocklists are included with their filtering solutions.

To further support schools, the department has launched ‘Plan technology for your school’ which allows schools to self-assess their filtering and monitoring provision against the standards and make strategic decisions about how to improve their provision. This can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/plan-technology-for-your-school.

The department will continue to work with the providers, including filtering and monitoring providers, and the wider sector, to understand how we can best support them.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will meet with (a) Adoption UK and (b) other representative organisations to discuss the adoption and special guardianship support fund.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

In my role as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children and Families, I have recently met with Adoption UK and other representative organisations to discuss the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF) and other issues during the adoption sector roundtable on 21 May 2025.

I also met with adopters at the Adoption Reference Group meeting on 6 May 2025, which again discussed the ASGSF, as well as other adoption support issues.

The department is intending further engagement with sector bodies on the approach to managing the ASGSF in future years.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help ensure that social workers are trained to deal with (a) domestic violence and (b) the alienation of family members.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The regulator for the social work profession, Social Work England (SWE), sets the professional standards which all social workers must meet throughout their careers. Standard 6 refers to ‘Promote ethical practice and report concerns’ with paragraph 6.1 specifically relating to identifying and reporting abusive behaviour. Standard 1, ‘Promote the rights, strengths and wellbeing of people, families and communities’ paragraph 1.4, relates to recognising the importance of family members.

The providers that deliver Social Work initial education have their courses assured and approved by the regulator against the education and training standards. Course providers must update and design their courses to incorporate new and emerging results from developments in research, legislation, government policy and best practice. Once a social worker is degree qualified, they are expected, as part of the registration renewal process, to evidence ongoing continuous professional development. Provision of continuous professional development for employed social workers is a matter for their employer.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 21 May 2025 to Question 51817 on Orphans: Databases, if she will take steps to create a register of all orphaned children which includes information on the care arrangements of each child.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department does not currently have any plans to create a new register for orphaned children. Our priority for children who have been orphaned is to find them a new, permanent, loving home as soon as we can.

Some are taken in by a member of their family in a kinship arrangement and are provided with a range of support and care from within their existing family network, with the support of the local authority where needed.

Others may be adopted and will receive support through the Regional Adoption Agencies.

Local authorities have a statutory duty to ensure sufficient provision in their area to meet the needs of children in their care. The department is supporting them through funding and legislation.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she plans to take to support the recruitment and retention of teachers in rural secondary schools.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

High-quality teaching is the in-school factor that has the biggest positive impact on a child’s educational outcome. Recruiting and retaining more qualified, expert teachers is critical to the government’s opportunity mission and boosting the life chances for every child. This is why the department is committed to recruiting an additional 6,500 new teachers across secondary and special schools and in our colleges over the course of this Parliament.

We have announced a 4% pay award to school teachers and leaders, accepting in full the School Teachers’ Review Body’s pay recommendation and two months ahead of last year.

This comes on top of the 5.5% pay award that we announced last July. We are seeing early improvements in recruitment and retention with over 2,000 more people training to become secondary school teachers this year. Recruitment is also on track to improve further for 2025/26, with 1,070 more acceptances to postgraduate and teacher degree apprenticeship initial teacher training courses in secondary subjects by the end of April 2025, compared to the same time last year. Additionally, over 2,500 more teachers are expected to stay in the profession over the next three years.

We are doing more to continue to improve recruitment and retention, including in rural secondary schools. We have increased funding for training bursaries to £233 million in 2025/26, worth up to £29,000 tax-free. We are also offering scholarships worth up to £31,000 tax free. For 2024/25 and 2025/26, the department is also offering a targeted retention incentive worth up to £6,000 after tax for mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing teachers in the first five years of their careers who choose to work in disadvantaged schools, including rural and coastal areas.

As part of our recruitment and retention strategy, it is vital that we improve the day-to-day experience of teachers and ensure that teaching is once again a respected and attractive profession that teachers remain and thrive in. We are supporting teachers to reduce their workload and improve their wellbeing and enabling greater opportunities for greater flexible working.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she is taking steps to provide training to teachers to support their understanding (a) of and (b) the risks of (i) the use of emojis and (ii) other digital communication symbols by pupils.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

In 2023, the department updated the guidance on ‘Teaching online safety in schools’. This advice brings together all aspects of internet safety information for schools so that they can confidently deliver online safety content within their curriculum and embed it within their wider whole-school approach. The guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/teaching-online-safety-in-schools.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the four per cent pay award for teachers in 2025/26 on retention rates in (a) Milton Keynes and (b) Buckinghamshire.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

High-quality teaching is the in-school factor that has the biggest positive impact on a child’s educational outcome. Recruiting and retaining more qualified, expert teachers is critical to the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and boost the life chances for every child. This is why the department is committed to recruiting an additional 6,500 new teachers across secondary and special schools and in our colleges over the course of this Parliament.

The department cannot currently provide a breakdown of this progress by constituency, however, over 2,000 more people are training to become secondary school teachers this year. Recruitment is on track to improve further for 2025/26, with 1,070 more acceptances to postgraduate and teacher degree apprenticeship initial teacher training courses in secondary subjects by the end of April 2025, compared to the same time last year. Additionally, over 2,500 more teachers are expected to stay in the profession over the next three years.

This is, in part, due to the 5.5% pay rise announced last year, which, combined with this year’s above-inflation pay award of 4%, will mean school teachers in maintained schools will see an increase in their pay of almost 10% over two years. This will apply across all teachers in all constituencies across England and is already having a significant impact on teacher retention. Alongside this, the department is offering targeted retention payments to teachers of key subjects working in disadvantaged areas in the first five years of their careers. Teachers in four schools are eligible for these payments, up to £4,000 tax free, in the Buckingham and Bletchley constituency, 12 in Milton Keynes, and 24 in Buckinghamshire County.

To further improve retention, the department is actively promoting flexible working in schools, such as allowing planning, preparation, and assessment to be undertaken from home. We are also funding bespoke support provided by flexible working ambassador schools and multi-academy trusts, ensuring schools are capturing the benefits of flexible working, whilst protecting pupils’ face-to-face teacher time. Upton Court Grammar School of Pioneer Educational Trust is the flexible working ambassador school for the South East, providing local, tailored peer support for Milton Keynes and Buckinghamshire.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what progress her Department has made in recruiting additional expert teachers in (a) secondary schools, (b) special schools and (c) colleges in Buckingham and Bletchley constituency.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

High-quality teaching is the in-school factor that has the biggest positive impact on a child’s educational outcome. Recruiting and retaining more qualified, expert teachers is critical to the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and boost the life chances for every child. This is why the department is committed to recruiting an additional 6,500 new teachers across secondary and special schools and in our colleges over the course of this Parliament.

The department cannot currently provide a breakdown of this progress by constituency, however, over 2,000 more people are training to become secondary school teachers this year. Recruitment is on track to improve further for 2025/26, with 1,070 more acceptances to postgraduate and teacher degree apprenticeship initial teacher training courses in secondary subjects by the end of April 2025, compared to the same time last year. Additionally, over 2,500 more teachers are expected to stay in the profession over the next three years.

This is, in part, due to the 5.5% pay rise announced last year, which, combined with this year’s above-inflation pay award of 4%, will mean school teachers in maintained schools will see an increase in their pay of almost 10% over two years. This will apply across all teachers in all constituencies across England and is already having a significant impact on teacher retention. Alongside this, the department is offering targeted retention payments to teachers of key subjects working in disadvantaged areas in the first five years of their careers. Teachers in four schools are eligible for these payments, up to £4,000 tax free, in the Buckingham and Bletchley constituency, 12 in Milton Keynes, and 24 in Buckinghamshire County.

To further improve retention, the department is actively promoting flexible working in schools, such as allowing planning, preparation, and assessment to be undertaken from home. We are also funding bespoke support provided by flexible working ambassador schools and multi-academy trusts, ensuring schools are capturing the benefits of flexible working, whilst protecting pupils’ face-to-face teacher time. Upton Court Grammar School of Pioneer Educational Trust is the flexible working ambassador school for the South East, providing local, tailored peer support for Milton Keynes and Buckinghamshire.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the number of physics teachers on post-16 physics uptake in schools in disadvantaged areas.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

High-quality teaching is the in-school factor that has the biggest positive impact on a child or young person’s outcome in school and college. This government has inherited a system with critical shortages of teachers, especially in physics. In 2023/24, we recruited 31% of our postgraduate initial teacher training (ITT) target for physics trainees. This is why the government’s Plan for Change has committed to recruiting an additional 6,500 new expert teachers in secondary and special schools, and in our colleges, over the course of this Parliament.

Our Plan for Change is starting to deliver, with the 2024 school workforce census showing that secondary and special school teacher numbers increased by 2,346 compared to the 2023 census. This is in addition to 2,000 more prospective teachers undertaking initial teacher training this year compared to last as this government is getting on and delivering the teachers our children need.

To deliver on the pledge, the department has so far invested around £700 million across schools and further education (FE), including £233 million for initial teacher training financial incentives, which provides a £29,000 tax-free bursary and £31,000 scholarship to physics trainees, increased targeted retention incentives worth up to £6,000 per year for early career physics teachers and developed resources to improve teachers’ workload and wellbeing.

In addition, the department announced a 4% pay award for teachers in maintained schools from September 2025. This builds on the 5.5% pay award for 2024/25, resulting in a nearly 10% pay award since this government came to power, and ensure teaching is once again a valued and attractive profession.

The department also provides significant support to trainees and teachers without the relevant qualifications to become physics teachers. This includes funded Subject Knowledge Enhancement courses and the Subject Knowledge for Physics Teaching (SKPT) programme to support non-specialist teachers of physics to enhance their subject knowledge.

We know high-quality physics teaching is important to support post-16 physics study. In addition to the targeted retention payment received by sixth-form physics teachers in schools, nearly 100 more physics teachers across FE colleges and 16-19-only schools have received a payment of up to £6,000 this year to keep more physics teachers in post-16 education.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help support the retraining of existing science teachers to teach physics in schools without specialist provision.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

High-quality teaching is the in-school factor that has the biggest positive impact on a child or young person’s outcome in school and college. This government has inherited a system with critical shortages of teachers, especially in physics. In 2023/24, we recruited 31% of our postgraduate initial teacher training (ITT) target for physics trainees. This is why the government’s Plan for Change has committed to recruiting an additional 6,500 new expert teachers in secondary and special schools, and in our colleges, over the course of this Parliament.

Our Plan for Change is starting to deliver, with the 2024 school workforce census showing that secondary and special school teacher numbers increased by 2,346 compared to the 2023 census. This is in addition to 2,000 more prospective teachers undertaking initial teacher training this year compared to last as this government is getting on and delivering the teachers our children need.

To deliver on the pledge, the department has so far invested around £700 million across schools and further education (FE), including £233 million for initial teacher training financial incentives, which provides a £29,000 tax-free bursary and £31,000 scholarship to physics trainees, increased targeted retention incentives worth up to £6,000 per year for early career physics teachers and developed resources to improve teachers’ workload and wellbeing.

In addition, the department announced a 4% pay award for teachers in maintained schools from September 2025. This builds on the 5.5% pay award for 2024/25, resulting in a nearly 10% pay award since this government came to power, and ensure teaching is once again a valued and attractive profession.

The department also provides significant support to trainees and teachers without the relevant qualifications to become physics teachers. This includes funded Subject Knowledge Enhancement courses and the Subject Knowledge for Physics Teaching (SKPT) programme to support non-specialist teachers of physics to enhance their subject knowledge.

We know high-quality physics teaching is important to support post-16 physics study. In addition to the targeted retention payment received by sixth-form physics teachers in schools, nearly 100 more physics teachers across FE colleges and 16-19-only schools have received a payment of up to £6,000 this year to keep more physics teachers in post-16 education.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of steps taken to (a) recruit and (b) retain specialist physics teachers in state schools.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

High-quality teaching is the in-school factor that has the biggest positive impact on a child or young person’s outcome in school and college. This government has inherited a system with critical shortages of teachers, especially in physics. In 2023/24, we recruited 31% of our postgraduate initial teacher training (ITT) target for physics trainees. This is why the government’s Plan for Change has committed to recruiting an additional 6,500 new expert teachers in secondary and special schools, and in our colleges, over the course of this Parliament.

Our Plan for Change is starting to deliver, with the 2024 school workforce census showing that secondary and special school teacher numbers increased by 2,346 compared to the 2023 census. This is in addition to 2,000 more prospective teachers undertaking initial teacher training this year compared to last as this government is getting on and delivering the teachers our children need.

To deliver on the pledge, the department has so far invested around £700 million across schools and further education (FE), including £233 million for initial teacher training financial incentives, which provides a £29,000 tax-free bursary and £31,000 scholarship to physics trainees, increased targeted retention incentives worth up to £6,000 per year for early career physics teachers and developed resources to improve teachers’ workload and wellbeing.

In addition, the department announced a 4% pay award for teachers in maintained schools from September 2025. This builds on the 5.5% pay award for 2024/25, resulting in a nearly 10% pay award since this government came to power, and ensure teaching is once again a valued and attractive profession.

The department also provides significant support to trainees and teachers without the relevant qualifications to become physics teachers. This includes funded Subject Knowledge Enhancement courses and the Subject Knowledge for Physics Teaching (SKPT) programme to support non-specialist teachers of physics to enhance their subject knowledge.

We know high-quality physics teaching is important to support post-16 physics study. In addition to the targeted retention payment received by sixth-form physics teachers in schools, nearly 100 more physics teachers across FE colleges and 16-19-only schools have received a payment of up to £6,000 this year to keep more physics teachers in post-16 education.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to consider Surrey County Council's request to extend the deadline for balancing the Dedicated Schools Grant by 2026-27.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

The department is continuing to work with Surrey County Council to deliver their safety valve plan, including ongoing support from both financial and special educational needs and disabilities advisers. We regularly review the implementation of all safety valve agreements through our monitoring process which takes place three times a year. Where local authorities are struggling to meet the terms of their agreement, we provide additional support to develop alternative plans and mitigations to deliver the aims of their plan.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she plans to take to help ensure that Surrey County Council meets its Safety Valve support package conditions.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

The department is continuing to work with Surrey County Council to deliver their safety valve plan, including ongoing support from both financial and special educational needs and disabilities advisers. We regularly review the implementation of all safety valve agreements through our monitoring process which takes place three times a year. Where local authorities are struggling to meet the terms of their agreement, we provide additional support to develop alternative plans and mitigations to deliver the aims of their plan.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that children and young people with autism have access to (a) tailored support and (b) empowering learning environments.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or in alternative provision receive the right support to achieve and thrive in their education and as they move into adult life.

In November 2024, the department established the Neurodivergence Task and Finish Group, which includes clinicians, scientists, academics, education experts and third sector organisations. The group will make recommendations on the best ways to support and meet the needs of neurodivergent children and young people in mainstream education settings, including those with autism.

The Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (PINS) programme is a national programme, backed by £22 million of investment. PINS deploys specialists from both health and education workforces to build teacher and staff capacity to identify and better meet the needs of neurodivergent children. In the 2024/25 financial year, PINS delivered to over 1650 mainstream primary schools. In the 2025/26 financial year, PINS will be extended to a further cohort of around 1,200 mainstream primary schools.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to support schools to improve neurodiversity inclusion in areas not selected for the current expansion of the PINS programme.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

The department is committed to taking a community-wide approach, improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools, as well as ensuring special schools cater to children and young people with the most complex needs. We are working at pace to develop plans for reform to the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system and will set these out in due course.

In November 2024, the department established the Neurodivergence Task and Finish Group, which includes clinicians, scientists, academics, education experts and third sector organisations.

The department also provides continuing professional development to the school and further education (FE) workforce through the Universal Services programme, led by the National Association for Special Educational Needs. This programme helps the school and FE workforce to identify and meet the needs of children and young people with SEND earlier and more effectively. It will also help them to successfully prepare children and young people for adulthood, including employment.

From September 2025, the new initial teacher training and early career framework (ITTECF) will set out a minimum entitlement to training for all new teachers. The ITTECF contains significantly more content related to adaptive teaching and SEND which was tested with SEND educational experts to ensure new teachers are equipped to support pupils with a range of additional learning needs.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support schools in response to recent changes to the Ofsted Inspection Framework.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

The consultation on Ofsted’s new framework closed on 28 April, and the responses are currently being analysed. Ofsted’s new school report cards, which will be introduced from November, will provide more detailed and granular information about each school’s strengths and areas for improvement. They will provide a more complete picture of performance, which is needed to help support school improvement.

The department is also strengthening our tools for faster and more effective school improvement by launching new Regional Improvement for Standards and Excellence (RISE) teams to break down the barriers to opportunity and end the link between background and success. Supported by over £20 million in the 2025/26 financial year, RISE teams will provide both mandatory targeted intervention for schools identified by Ofsted as needing to improve, and a universal service which will act as a catalyst for collaboration and improvement across all schools.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure state schools have adequate levels of funding.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

The overall core schools budget is increasing by £3.7 billion in 2025/26, meaning that it will total £65.3 billion, compared to £61.6 billion in 2024/25. This is a 6% overall increase, which against the backdrop of a challenging fiscal picture, demonstrates the government’s commitment to enabling every child to achieve and thrive through delivery of the Opportunity Mission.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the merits of making (a) PINS training materials and (b) modules available to schools currently not participating in the programme.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

The Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (PINS) programme is a national programme, backed by £9.5 million of investment in 2025/26. It is a cross-government collaboration between the department, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and NHS England, supported by the National Network of Parent Carer Forums (NNPCF).

An equal budget has been allocated to each Integrated Care Board (ICB) to enable them to deliver PINS to an additional 30 schools and provide ongoing support to the 40 schools supported in the first year of the programme. The specific amount available to each ICB is determined by the NHS fair share formula, which adjusts budgets to take account of local cost variations. Each ICB nationally will receive a minimum of £209,000.

Across Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB footprint, 40 schools took part in PINS in 2024/25 and will continue to receive support to embed their learning over 2025/26. The ICB is in the process of recruiting an additional 30 new schools for 2025/26. The programme is being evaluated by a consortium led by CFE Research, and the learning will inform future policy development around how schools support neurodivergent children.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the merits of the PINS programme from the 1,600 schools participating in that programme.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

The Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (PINS) programme is a national programme, backed by £9.5 million of investment in 2025/26. It is a cross-government collaboration between the department, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and NHS England, supported by the National Network of Parent Carer Forums (NNPCF).

An equal budget has been allocated to each Integrated Care Board (ICB) to enable them to deliver PINS to an additional 30 schools and provide ongoing support to the 40 schools supported in the first year of the programme. The specific amount available to each ICB is determined by the NHS fair share formula, which adjusts budgets to take account of local cost variations. Each ICB nationally will receive a minimum of £209,000.

Across Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB footprint, 40 schools took part in PINS in 2024/25 and will continue to receive support to embed their learning over 2025/26. The ICB is in the process of recruiting an additional 30 new schools for 2025/26. The programme is being evaluated by a consortium led by CFE Research, and the learning will inform future policy development around how schools support neurodivergent children.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether any schools in Lancashire are (a) currently part of and (b) will be included in the next phase of the PINS programme.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

The Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (PINS) programme is a national programme, backed by £9.5 million of investment in 2025/26. It is a cross-government collaboration between the department, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and NHS England, supported by the National Network of Parent Carer Forums (NNPCF).

An equal budget has been allocated to each Integrated Care Board (ICB) to enable them to deliver PINS to an additional 30 schools and provide ongoing support to the 40 schools supported in the first year of the programme. The specific amount available to each ICB is determined by the NHS fair share formula, which adjusts budgets to take account of local cost variations. Each ICB nationally will receive a minimum of £209,000.

Across Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB footprint, 40 schools took part in PINS in 2024/25 and will continue to receive support to embed their learning over 2025/26. The ICB is in the process of recruiting an additional 30 new schools for 2025/26. The programme is being evaluated by a consortium led by CFE Research, and the learning will inform future policy development around how schools support neurodivergent children.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how the £9.5 million in funding for the Partnership for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools programme will be allocated across the additional 1,200 schools.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

The Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (PINS) programme is a national programme, backed by £9.5 million of investment in 2025/26. It is a cross-government collaboration between the department, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and NHS England, supported by the National Network of Parent Carer Forums (NNPCF).

An equal budget has been allocated to each Integrated Care Board (ICB) to enable them to deliver PINS to an additional 30 schools and provide ongoing support to the 40 schools supported in the first year of the programme. The specific amount available to each ICB is determined by the NHS fair share formula, which adjusts budgets to take account of local cost variations. Each ICB nationally will receive a minimum of £209,000.

Across Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB footprint, 40 schools took part in PINS in 2024/25 and will continue to receive support to embed their learning over 2025/26. The ICB is in the process of recruiting an additional 30 new schools for 2025/26. The programme is being evaluated by a consortium led by CFE Research, and the learning will inform future policy development around how schools support neurodivergent children.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools will be affected by the expansion of the PINS programme in the Fylde constituency

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

The Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (PINS) programme is a national programme, backed by £9.5 million of investment in 2025/26. It is a cross-government collaboration between the department, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and NHS England, supported by the National Network of Parent Carer Forums (NNPCF).

An equal budget has been allocated to each Integrated Care Board (ICB) to enable them to deliver PINS to an additional 30 schools and provide ongoing support to the 40 schools supported in the first year of the programme. The specific amount available to each ICB is determined by the NHS fair share formula, which adjusts budgets to take account of local cost variations. Each ICB nationally will receive a minimum of £209,000.

Across Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB footprint, 40 schools took part in PINS in 2024/25 and will continue to receive support to embed their learning over 2025/26. The ICB is in the process of recruiting an additional 30 new schools for 2025/26. The programme is being evaluated by a consortium led by CFE Research, and the learning will inform future policy development around how schools support neurodivergent children.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her Department's planned timetable is for issuing guidance on gender-questioning children to schools.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

I refer the hon. Member for Broxbourne to the answer of 28 February 2025 to Question 31690.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent steps she has taken to encourage youth democracy in schools in (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme and (b) Staffordshire.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

Democracy forms a central part of the national curriculum for citizenship at key stages 3 and 4. Primary schools can choose to teach citizenship at key stages 1 and 2, following the non-statutory framework for citizenship.

Schools have considerable flexibility to organise the content and delivery of their curriculum and enrichment programme, including to suit their local context. This can include providing opportunities for pupil participation in democratic processes, subject to schools meeting their obligations to ensure political balance.

UK Parliament run educational tours for pupils, youth and community groups to see how Parliament works in action. UK Parliament also produce resources which can be downloaded or ordered for free, tailored to different age groups.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport funds the UK Youth Parliament (UKYP) to support young people to engage in the democratic process. Every two years, the UKYP runs ‘Make Your Mark’, a youth vote open to all 11 to 18 year-olds in the UK, for them to be able to vote on what are the most important issues for young people.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what funding her Department is providing for special educational needs provision in rural schools.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

The department recognises the essential role that small, rural schools play in their communities. The national funding formula (NFF) accounts for the particular challenges, including those of providing for pupils with special educational needs (SEN), faced by small schools in rural areas through the lump sum and sparsity factors. The NFF lump sum for the 2025/26 financial year is set at £145,100 and provides a fixed amount of funding that is unrelated to pupil-led factors. In addition, eligible (small, rural) primary schools attract up to £57,400, and eligible secondary or all-through schools attract up to £83,400, in sparsity funding in 2025/26 through the NFF.

Where the additional support for a pupil with SEN exceeds £6,000 per annum, the local authority provides the school with extra funding from its high needs budget. The department is providing £1 billion more for high needs budgets in 2025/26, bringing total high needs funding to over £12 billion, to help local authorities and schools with the increasing costs of supporting their pupils with complex needs. Of that total, West Northamptonshire Council is being allocated over £79 million through the high needs funding block of the dedicated schools grant (DSG), an increase of £5.5 million on the 2024/25 DSG high needs block, calculated using the high needs NFF.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make a comparative assessment of the level of wages for a (a) school teacher and (b) college teacher.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

The government’s role in relation to pay and conditions across schools and colleges differs.

The statutory requirements for teachers' pay and conditions within maintained schools in England are set out in the school teachers’ pay and conditions document. This is updated each year, based on recommendations from the independent School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB).

This year, the department announced a 4% pay award to school teachers and leaders, accepting in full the STRB’s pay recommendation. Combined with last year’s 5.5% award, this above-inflation pay award means school teachers will see an increase in their pay of almost 10% over two years.

In 2023/24, the median full-time equivalent (FTE) average salary for teaching staff on permanent or fixed term contracts in secondary schools was £48,773.

The further education (FE) sector does not have a pay review body and government does not set or recommend pay and this remains the sole responsibility of providers themselves.

Alongside the 2025/26 school teacher pay award, we have announced an investment of £160 million in the 2025/26 financial year, to support colleges and other 16-19 providers with key priorities, including recruitment and retention.

Additional funding of over £30 million will also be provided for 16-19 provision in schools. This funding comes from within the overall funding envelope of £615 million for 2025/26 announced alongside the 2025/26 school teachers’ pay award.

In 2023/24, the median FTE average salary for teaching staff on permanent or fixed term contracts in general FE colleges was £36,300 and £47,100 in sixth form colleges.

The school and FE pay figures are sourced from different datasets and recorded differently which may make it difficult to make direct comparisons.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent steps she has taken to reduce child poverty.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

Tackling child poverty is at the heart of the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and improve the life chances for every child. For too many children, living in poverty robs them of the opportunity to learn and prosper.

The Child Poverty Taskforce, which is co-chaired by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, and my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, is exploring all available levers to drive forward action across government to reduce child poverty. More detail on the approach and priorities for the strategy is set out in the publication ‘Tackling Child Poverty: Developing our Strategy’, which was published on 23 October and can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/tackling-child-poverty-developing-our-strategy.

The department is already taking steps to reduce the cost of living through action on the high cost of branded school uniforms and commitment to roll out free breakfast clubs for primary school-aged children from the start of this summer term. The government has also extended the Household Support Fund.

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 including bikeability training in the National Curriculum.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

Schools are best placed and have the flexibility to decide on the activities they provide to deliver a rounded and enriching education to suit their pupils’ needs, this includes cycling training programmes such as Bikeability. Physical education (PE) is a foundation subject in the national curriculum and compulsory at all four key stages.

The department welcomes the opportunity for continued collaboration with Bikeability to create sustainable improvements in physical activity for young people, for example through active travel and promoting the overall wellbeing benefits of physical activity, including through cycling.

In July 2024, the department launched an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review. The Review will seek to deliver a curriculum which is rich and broad, inclusive, and innovative. The Review’s interim report was published in March 2025.  We are now working on the next phase of the review which will consider subject issues, working closely with the sector.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many young people have Education, Health, and Care Plans in (a) Fylde constituency, (b) Lancashire and (c) England.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

The department publishes annual statistics on the number of pupils with education, health and care (EHC) plans. These are available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/special-educational-needs-in-england/2023-24. The latest published data is from the January 2024 school spring census.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking support (a) schools and (b) parents with school transport in rural areas.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

The department’s home-to-school travel policy aims to make sure that no child is prevented from accessing education by a lack of transport. Local authorities are responsible for arranging free home-to-school travel for eligible children. A child is eligible if they are of compulsory school age, 5 to 16, attend their nearest school and would not be able to walk there because of the distance, their special educational needs, a disability or mobility problem, or because the nature of the route means it would be unsafe for them to do so. There are extended rights to free travel for children from low-income families.

In addition, the Bus Services Bill will put the power over local bus services in the hands of local leaders to ensure networks can meet the needs of communities who rely on them.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that children receive ability-appropriate teaching in mixed ability classes.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

High-quality teaching is the most important in-school factor for improving outcomes for all children. All initial teacher training (ITT) providers must ensure their courses enable trainee teachers to meet the Teachers’ Standards, which set clear expectations that teachers must adapt teaching to respond to the strengths and needs of all pupils.

The ITT core content framework and the early career framework set out the core body of knowledge, skills and behaviours that define great teaching. From September 2025, these will be superseded by the initial teacher training and early career framework, which contains significantly more content related to adaptive teaching. This includes developing an understanding of different pupil needs and providing opportunities for success for all pupils.

The framework for the national curriculum in England states that teachers should set high expectations. They should plan stretching work for pupils whose attainment is significantly above the expected standard. Teachers should use appropriate assessment to set targets which are deliberately ambitious.

Additionally, the government has commissioned an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review to ensure all children are able to achieve excellence. The Review will report on final recommendations later this year.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure children are educated about online safety in PSHE lessons.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

As part of statutory relationships and health education in primary schools and relationships, sex and health education in secondary schools, pupils are taught about online safety and harms. This includes being taught about the implications of sharing private or personal data (including images) online, harmful content and contact, cyberbullying and the risks associated with over-reliance on social media. The full statutory guidance for primary schools can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/relationships-education-relationships-and-sex-education-rse-and-health-education/relationships-education-primary.

The full statutory guidance for secondary schools can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/relationships-education-relationships-and-sex-education-rse-and-health-education/relationships-and-sex-education-rse-secondary.

The department is currently reviewing the statutory relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) curriculum. We are looking carefully at the consultation responses, considering the evidence and talking to key stakeholders before issuing revised guidance.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate she has made of the cost to academies of implementing the Equality and Human Rights Commission's revised code of practice for services, public functions and associations.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

The government has set out its expectation that organisations follow the clarity the ruling provides. The Equality and Human Rights Commission’s (EHRC) interim update provides a perspective on how the judgment and Equality Act are practically applied in some areas, but it is neither official guidance nor comprehensive.

The EHRC is updating their Code of Practice for Services, Public Functions and Associations and seeking views from affected stakeholders through their consultation which closes on 30 June. We would encourage people to ensure their views are heard by submitting a response to the consultation. We will then consider the EHRC’s updated draft once they have submitted it.

We are currently reviewing the draft statutory relationships, sex and health education guidance and the draft non-statutory guidance on gender questioning children, ensuring that children’s wellbeing is at the heart of both. We are analysing consultation responses, talking to stakeholders and considering the evidence, including the Cass Review, before deciding next steps.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Equality and Human Rights Commission document entitled An interim update on the practical implications of the UK Supreme Court judgment, published on 25 April 2025, what estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse of implementing the EHRC's update for primary schools.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

The government has set out its expectation that organisations follow the clarity the ruling provides. The Equality and Human Rights Commission’s (EHRC) interim update provides a perspective on how the judgment and Equality Act are practically applied in some areas, but it is neither official guidance nor comprehensive.

The EHRC is updating their Code of Practice for Services, Public Functions and Associations and seeking views from affected stakeholders through their consultation which closes on 30 June. We would encourage people to ensure their views are heard by submitting a response to the consultation. We will then consider the EHRC’s updated draft once they have submitted it.

We are currently reviewing the draft statutory relationships, sex and health education guidance and the draft non-statutory guidance on gender questioning children, ensuring that children’s wellbeing is at the heart of both. We are analysing consultation responses, talking to stakeholders and considering the evidence, including the Cass Review, before deciding next steps.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Equality and Human Rights Commission document entitled An interim update on the practical implications of the UK Supreme Court judgment, published on 25 April 2025, what estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse of implementing the EHRC's update for academies.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

The government has set out its expectation that organisations follow the clarity the ruling provides. The Equality and Human Rights Commission’s (EHRC) interim update provides a perspective on how the judgment and Equality Act are practically applied in some areas, but it is neither official guidance nor comprehensive.

The EHRC is updating their Code of Practice for Services, Public Functions and Associations and seeking views from affected stakeholders through their consultation which closes on 30 June. We would encourage people to ensure their views are heard by submitting a response to the consultation. We will then consider the EHRC’s updated draft once they have submitted it.

We are currently reviewing the draft statutory relationships, sex and health education guidance and the draft non-statutory guidance on gender questioning children, ensuring that children’s wellbeing is at the heart of both. We are analysing consultation responses, talking to stakeholders and considering the evidence, including the Cass Review, before deciding next steps.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate she has made of the cost to primary schools of implementing the Equality and Human Rights Commission's revised code of practice for services, public functions and associations.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

The government has set out its expectation that organisations follow the clarity the ruling provides. The Equality and Human Rights Commission’s (EHRC) interim update provides a perspective on how the judgment and Equality Act are practically applied in some areas, but it is neither official guidance nor comprehensive.

The EHRC is updating their Code of Practice for Services, Public Functions and Associations and seeking views from affected stakeholders through their consultation which closes on 30 June. We would encourage people to ensure their views are heard by submitting a response to the consultation. We will then consider the EHRC’s updated draft once they have submitted it.

We are currently reviewing the draft statutory relationships, sex and health education guidance and the draft non-statutory guidance on gender questioning children, ensuring that children’s wellbeing is at the heart of both. We are analysing consultation responses, talking to stakeholders and considering the evidence, including the Cass Review, before deciding next steps.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to improve SEND provision in North East Somerset and Hanham constituency.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

The government’s ambition for all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) is that they will achieve and thrive, and lead happy, healthy and productive lives. The department is working closely with experts on SEND reforms.

The department and NHS England have been supporting local areas to improve their SEND service delivery for several years. This includes a monitoring, support and challenge relationship following an inspection by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC). Where a local authority does not meet its duties, we can take action that prioritises children’s needs and support local areas to bring about rapid improvement.

Ofsted and CQC undertook a joint local area SEND inspection of Bath and North East Somerset in March 2019 and received a positive outcome (the local area was not required to produce a written statement of action). We expect the area will be re-inspected within 5 years from January 2023, when the new Ofsted and CQC’s SEND inspection framework was introduced. Officials from the department and NHS England meet annually with partners from the local area (including health, education, agencies, parent/carer, children and young people representatives) to review and reflect on the SEND services.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the availability of childcare for children under the age of two.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

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.

In the 2025/26 financial year alone, we plan to provide over £8 billion for the early years entitlements. This is a more than 30% increase compared to 2024/25, as we roll out the expansion of the entitlements, so eligible working parents of children aged from nine months can access 30 hours of funded childcare.

Since September 2024, eligible parents have been able to access 15 hours of government-funded childcare (over 38 weeks a year) from the term after their child turns 9 months. This will double to 30 hours from September 2025.

The department continues to monitor the sufficiency of childcare places. The key measure of sufficiency is whether the supply of available places is sufficient to meet the requirements of parents and children.

Where local authorities report sufficiency challenges, we discuss what action the local authority is taking to address those issues and, where needed, support the local authority with any specific requirements through our childcare sufficiency support contract.

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 implementing the Equality and Human Rights Commission's revised code of practice for services, public functions and associations on single-sex school admissions policies.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Northampton South to the answer of 09 June 2025 to Question 55359.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 2 June 2025 to Question 54081 on Schools: Fylde, whether her Department has made an estimate of the real-terms change in per pupil funding in (a) Lancashire local authority and (b) the Fylde constituency between 2024-25 and 2025-26 financial years.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

The overall core schools budget is increasing by £3.7 billion in the 2025/26 financial year, which is a 6% overall increase in cash terms. The data which the department holds on the real terms increase in schools funding is at a national level. The latest schools funding statistics release was published on 30 January 2025. It showed school funding for pupils aged 5 to 16 was projected to increase by 1.2% in real terms in the 2025/26 financial year at a national level.

This analysis does not include the additional funding provided to support schools with the cost of National Insurance contributions (NICs) increases in March 2025, nor the extra funding announced alongside the teacher pay award on 22 May. Schools will, on average, be expected to find approximately the first 1 percentage point of pay awards through improved productivity and smarter spending. The government will fund the pay award above this level through new and existing funding increases. The department will be further developing the current suite of initiatives to support schools with their workforce, commercial and asset management.

Through the dedicated schools grant (DSG), Lancashire local authority is attracting on average, £6,348 per pupil (excluding growth and falling rolls funding) in the 2025/26 financial year. This represents an increase of 2.4% per pupil compared to the 2024/25 financial year (excluding growth and falling rolls funding) when it attracted £5,863 per pupil. These figures do not include the additional funding provided to support schools with the cost of NICs and the Schools Budget Support Grant funding alongside the teacher pay award. The actual funding that individual schools in Lancashire receive is determined by the operation of Lancashire’s local formula.

We cannot provide the equivalent figures for Fylde constituency as the DSG is allocated at local authority level.

The figures above are provided on a cash basis. We also publish real-terms statistics on schools funding at the national level. We use the GDP deflator to calculate real-terms funding levels.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 2 June 2025 to Question 54081 on Schools: Fylde, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the 2025-26 teachers’ pay award on school budget sustainability in Lancashire schools.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

The overall core schools budget is increasing by £3.7 billion in the 2025/26 financial year, which is a 6% overall increase in cash terms. The data which the department holds on the real terms increase in schools funding is at a national level. The latest schools funding statistics release was published on 30 January 2025. It showed school funding for pupils aged 5 to 16 was projected to increase by 1.2% in real terms in the 2025/26 financial year at a national level.

This analysis does not include the additional funding provided to support schools with the cost of National Insurance contributions (NICs) increases in March 2025, nor the extra funding announced alongside the teacher pay award on 22 May. Schools will, on average, be expected to find approximately the first 1 percentage point of pay awards through improved productivity and smarter spending. The government will fund the pay award above this level through new and existing funding increases. The department will be further developing the current suite of initiatives to support schools with their workforce, commercial and asset management.

Through the dedicated schools grant (DSG), Lancashire local authority is attracting on average, £6,348 per pupil (excluding growth and falling rolls funding) in the 2025/26 financial year. This represents an increase of 2.4% per pupil compared to the 2024/25 financial year (excluding growth and falling rolls funding) when it attracted £5,863 per pupil. These figures do not include the additional funding provided to support schools with the cost of NICs and the Schools Budget Support Grant funding alongside the teacher pay award. The actual funding that individual schools in Lancashire receive is determined by the operation of Lancashire’s local formula.

We cannot provide the equivalent figures for Fylde constituency as the DSG is allocated at local authority level.

The figures above are provided on a cash basis. We also publish real-terms statistics on schools funding at the national level. We use the GDP deflator to calculate real-terms funding levels.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 2 June 2025 to Question 54081 on Schools: Fylde, how many schools are expected to experience a real-terms decrease in funding in 2025-26 after accounting for (a) inflation, (b) increased staffing costs and (c) energy bills in (i) Lancashire and (ii) Fylde.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

The overall core schools budget is increasing by £3.7 billion in the 2025/26 financial year, which is a 6% overall increase in cash terms. The data which the department holds on the real terms increase in schools funding is at a national level. The latest schools funding statistics release was published on 30 January 2025. It showed school funding for pupils aged 5 to 16 was projected to increase by 1.2% in real terms in the 2025/26 financial year at a national level.

This analysis does not include the additional funding provided to support schools with the cost of National Insurance contributions (NICs) increases in March 2025, nor the extra funding announced alongside the teacher pay award on 22 May. Schools will, on average, be expected to find approximately the first 1 percentage point of pay awards through improved productivity and smarter spending. The government will fund the pay award above this level through new and existing funding increases. The department will be further developing the current suite of initiatives to support schools with their workforce, commercial and asset management.

Through the dedicated schools grant (DSG), Lancashire local authority is attracting on average, £6,348 per pupil (excluding growth and falling rolls funding) in the 2025/26 financial year. This represents an increase of 2.4% per pupil compared to the 2024/25 financial year (excluding growth and falling rolls funding) when it attracted £5,863 per pupil. These figures do not include the additional funding provided to support schools with the cost of NICs and the Schools Budget Support Grant funding alongside the teacher pay award. The actual funding that individual schools in Lancashire receive is determined by the operation of Lancashire’s local formula.

We cannot provide the equivalent figures for Fylde constituency as the DSG is allocated at local authority level.

The figures above are provided on a cash basis. We also publish real-terms statistics on schools funding at the national level. We use the GDP deflator to calculate real-terms funding levels.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to increase funding certainty for schools over a multi-year period.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

The overall core schools budget is increasing by £3.7 billion in the 2025/26 financial year, meaning that it will total £65.3 billion, compared to £61.6 billion in the 2024/25 financial year. This is a 6% overall increase.

The government is considering how it can support schools to plan their budgets from the perspective of both their funding and their costs. The teacher pay award this year has been announced two months earlier than last year as part of the government’s ambition to improve the pay round process. This is alongside £615 million of additional funding to support schools with their overall costs, including staff pay awards.

Budgets for the 2026/27 financial year and beyond are still to be agreed and this includes the 2026/27 Core Schools Budget. This will be subject to the multi-year spending review, which the department expects to be concluded later this month.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the average time taken was to get an Education, Health and Care Plan in place for a child in each of the last five years; and what steps she is taking to reduce this time.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

Information for each of the last 5 years on the number and percentage of education, health and care (EHC) plans issued within the statutory 20-week deadline, with and without statutory exceptions to that deadline applying, is published as part of the statistical release, ‘Education, health and care plans’ (reporting year 2024), which can be accessed here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/education-health-and-care-plans/2024.

Local authorities identified as having issues with EHC plan timeliness are subject to additional monitoring by the department, who work with the specific local authority. Where there are concerns about the local authority’s capacity to make the required improvements, the department can secure specialist special educational needs and disabiltiies advisor support to help identify the barriers to EHC plan process timeliness and put in place practical plans for recovery.

​When inspections indicate that there are significant concerns with local authority performance, the department will intervene directly. This may mean issuing an improvement notice, statutory direction and/or appointing a commissioner, deployment of which is considered on a case-by-case basis.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to help support schools to educate parents on safeguarding children in respect to online content.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Keeping children safe is an absolute priority for this government, and schools play a critical role in this.

The department’s statutory safeguarding guidance, ‘Keeping children safe in education’ makes clear that schools and colleges should adopt a whole-school approach to safeguarding. This includes considering how online safety is reflected in relevant school policies and processes, and strategies for engaging parents in conversations about online safety. It also signposts to resources specifically aimed at parents to help them keep their children safe online.

Alongside this, the department is conducting a research project to help us understand what more we can do to support parents to keep their children safe online.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the number of students taking heritage language GCSEs in the academic year 2024-25.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

Provisional data on GCSE entries for the 2024/25 academic year will be published by Ofqual on 12 June 2025.

The department will publish provisional key stage 4 performance statistics for the 2024/25 academic year in October 2025.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to introduce a Ukrainian language GCSE.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

Decisions about which languages to offer at GCSE in England are taken by four independent awarding organisations – AQA, OCR, Pearson Edexcel and WJEC – rather than by central government. These organisations have the freedom to create a Ukrainian GCSE based on the subject content for modern foreign language set by the department. We have recently written to these organisations to ask them to consider introducing a Ukrainian GCSE.

​The British government stands steadfast behind the Ukrainian people and the Ukrainian government. The department is proud to support children and families from Ukraine during their transition to a new life in the UK. To do our part to support the Ukrainian people, we are supporting the Ukrainian Ministry of Education and Science in policy development and this year have launched a UK-Ukraine Schools Partnership Programme, twinning 100 schools in the UK and Ukraine.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that (a) experienced and (b) new teachers in mainstream schools receive adequate training for teaching neurodivergent children.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

The department provides continuing professional development to the school and further education (FE) workforce through the Universal Services programme, led by the National Association for Special Educational Needs (nasen). This programme helps the school and FE workforce to identify and meet the needs of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) earlier and more effectively.

From September 2025, the new initial teacher training and early career framework (ITTECF) will set out a minimum entitlement to training for all new teachers. The ITTECF contains significantly more content related to adaptive teaching and SEND which was tested with SEND educational experts, to ensure new teachers are equipped to support pupils with a range of additional learning needs.

The department recognises that continuous improvement is essential and has committed to review the ITTECF in 2027 to ensure it continues to provide the best possible support. This review will include a focus on teaching pupils with SEND.

Also in November 2024, the department established the Neurodivergence Task and Finish Group, which includes clinicians, scientists, academics, education experts and third sector organisations. The group will make recommendations on the best ways to support and meet the needs of neurodivergent children and young people in mainstream education settings.

The department is also investing in the Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (PINS) programme, which is a national programme backed by £22 million of investment. PINS deploys specialists from both health and education workforces to build teacher and staff capacity to identify and better meet the needs of neurodivergent children.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 27 November 2024 to Question 15144 on Teachers: Workplace Pension, what the updated planned timetable is for resolving the backlog of people waiting for cash equivalent transfer value details from Teachers’ Pensions.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

The scheme administrator has made significant progress to reduce the backlog of Cash Equivalent Transfer Value (CETV) figures that built up whilst the necessary guidance was developed following the Transitional Protection (McCloud) remedy taking effect.

The backlog of 3,062 at the end of October 2024 has been reduced to 472 as of 3 June. The current outstanding figure includes recent applications and as such there will always be a number of outstanding CETVs at any given time.

The scheme administrator is now working through the more complex cases for members who have not retired who have scheme flexibilities to take account of, which must be processed clerically as a result.

Addressing the remainder of the backlog remains a key priority for both the department and the scheme administrator and it is anticipated that these outstanding cases will be completed before October 2025.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of introducing VAT on independent schools in (a) January, (b) August and (c) September 2025 on the number of independent school closures.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Tax policy is a matter for HM Treasury (HMT). HMT published a tax information and impact note concerning the introduction of VAT on independent school fees which is accessible here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/vat-on-private-school-fees/applying-vat-to-private-school-fees. Information about individual schools is available at the Get Information About Schools service.

Between 2010 and 2024 over 1,000 private schools closed. During the same period 1,213 opened, of which 705 were independent special schools.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many education, health and care plans have been withdrawn for children in (a) mainstream and (b) SEN schools in each of the last five years.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

There were 3,317 education, health and care (EHC) plans for children and young people aged 0-25 which ceased during 2023 because the child or young person’s needs were being met without an EHC plan. This was out of a total number of 517,048 EHC plans active at January 2023. There are several other reasons an EHC plan might cease, for example, moving between local authorities, moving outside England or accessing an apprenticeship, employment or higher education. The full breakdown of ceased plans by reason for the calendar years 2022 and 2023 can be found in the publication, ‘Education, health and care plans’ (reporting year 2024) which can be accessed here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/education-health-and-care-plans/2024.

Information on the number who attended mainstream schools or special schools and the number ceasing an EHC plan for this reason prior to the 2022 calendar year is not available.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps with Cabinet colleagues to increase pre-school support for children living in disadvantaged areas.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The government’s Plan for Change sets out a commitment to give children the best start in life. Low income families, children with education, health and care plans and looked after children are eligible for 15 hours funded early education from age 2. In addition, eligible disadvantaged children can get early years pupil premium (EYPP). This additional funding supports the delivery of high-quality early education improving disadvantaged children’s outcomes. In December 2024, we announced an unprecedented 45% increase to EYPP.

School-based nurseries are a key part of this government’s Opportunity Mission. We have awarded 300 primary schools £37 million to repurpose spare space for new or expanded nursery provision, which will be opening from September 2025.

In addition, from September 2026, every pupil whose household is in receipt of Universal Credit will be entitled to free school meals.

This means that over half a million children from the most disadvantaged households will become eligible for a free nutritious lunchtime meal every school day. This will lift 100,000 children across England out of poverty and put £500 a year per child back in parents’ pockets to support parents in decisive action to improve lives ahead of the Child Poverty Strategy coming later this year.

We are also investing an additional £126 million in 2025/26 to build up the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme. The 75 local authorities on the programme have already opened more than 400 family hubs in some of the most deprived areas in the country.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate she has made of the proportion of school costs that is directly related to the number of pupils.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

Every year the department publishes the schools’ costs technical note to help the sector to understand school costs and funding. Our analysis considers pupil demographic changes alongside other factors.

The department allocates most mainstream funding through the schools national funding formula (NFF). In the 2025/26 financial year, 92% of total schools NFF funding is being distributed through “pupil led” factors, which are based on pupil numbers and pupil characteristics, such as eligibility for pupil premium and special educational needs and disabilities.

Real terms per pupil comparisons are only one way in which the department communicates funding changes, and schools and local authorities can also see their funding as total cash amounts. The total size of the core schools budget in the 2025/26 financial year is £65.3 billion, a £3.7 billion increase over 2024/25. This represents a 6.0% rise in cash terms, or 3.3% increase in real terms.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to improve levels of care for children in social care.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department announced the biggest overhaul to children’s social care in a generation to ensure opportunity for all children. This includes increased investment and landmark legislation through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill.

Our policy statement ‘Keeping Children Safe, Helping Families Thrive’, published in November 2024, outlines our vision and core legislative proposals. We will shift the focus of the children's social care system to early support to keep families together.

Implementing the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill will improve levels of care for children in social care, as it is a key step towards delivering the government’s Opportunity Mission. It will break the link between young people’s background and their future success, to shift the focus of the children's social care system to earlier support for children and families, and to tackle profiteering in the care market and put children needs first.

Our plans will ensure:

• Children can remain with their families where possible.
• We will support more children to live with kinship carers or in fostering families.
• We will support children in care and care leavers, including rolling out the ‘Staying Close’ programme.
• We will delivery stronger multi-agency approaches to support families and keep children safe.
• We will fix the broken care market to tackle profiteering and put children first.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many warning letters Ofsted has sent to unregistered care settings for children in the last year.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

It is illegal to manage an unregistered setting that should be registered with Ofsted. Unregistered settings pose a risk to children, given there is no assurance about safety.

Ofsted can pursue criminal prosecution, and between April 2023 and March 2024, opened over 1000 cases to investigate potential unregistered settings.

We are strengthening Ofsted’s powers, via the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, so they can fine unregistered providers. There is no limit to the fine. Ofsted will take into account the provider's previous record, severity of the breach and impact on children. This will enable Ofsted to act at scale and pace to tackle persistent offenders. It will also act as a greater deterrent. This will mean that more children are placed into registered settings, where Ofsted, the local authority, and the public can be assured that the child is in a home that meets all the requirements set out in legislation.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to tackle unregistered care settings for children.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

It is illegal to manage an unregistered setting that should be registered with Ofsted. Unregistered settings pose a risk to children, given there is no assurance about safety.

Ofsted can pursue criminal prosecution, and between April 2023 and March 2024, opened over 1000 cases to investigate potential unregistered settings.

We are strengthening Ofsted’s powers, via the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, so they can fine unregistered providers. There is no limit to the fine. Ofsted will take into account the provider's previous record, severity of the breach and impact on children. This will enable Ofsted to act at scale and pace to tackle persistent offenders. It will also act as a greater deterrent. This will mean that more children are placed into registered settings, where Ofsted, the local authority, and the public can be assured that the child is in a home that meets all the requirements set out in legislation.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 19 May 2025 to Question 47692 on Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund, if she will to publish the data on therapy service costs by region.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The data requested is in the table below.

Number of applications* approved in the 2024/25 financial year with therapy service costs totalled by region*:

*The data presented is the number of approved applications with therapy service costs. Please note that an individual application could have multiple recipients with multiple placement types and access the Fair Access Limit from multiple years.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will introduce an equivalent to the statutory maternity allowance for self-employed adopters.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

In the Department for Business and Trade’s ‘Plan to Make Work Pay’ report, the government committed to a review of the parental leave system to ensure that it best supports working families. This will include consideration of support to self-employed people, including self-employed adopters.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what representations she has received on the effectiveness of the change in the real terms per pupil funding measure as an indicator of growth or otherwise in school budgets when pupil numbers are declining.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

Every year the department publishes the schools’ costs technical note to help the sector to understand school costs and funding. Our analysis considers pupil demographic changes alongside other factors.

The department allocates most mainstream funding through the schools national funding formula (NFF). In the 2025/26 financial year, 92% of total schools NFF funding is being distributed through “pupil led” factors, which are based on pupil numbers and pupil characteristics, such as eligibility for pupil premium and special educational needs and disabilities.

Real terms per pupil comparisons are only one way in which the department communicates funding changes, and schools and local authorities can also see their funding as total cash amounts. The total size of the core schools budget in the 2025/26 financial year is £65.3 billion, a £3.7 billion increase over 2024/25. This represents a 6.0% rise in cash terms, or 3.3% increase in real terms.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate she has made of the proportion of school funding that is directly related to the number of pupils.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

Every year the department publishes the schools’ costs technical note to help the sector to understand school costs and funding. Our analysis considers pupil demographic changes alongside other factors.

The department allocates most mainstream funding through the schools national funding formula (NFF). In the 2025/26 financial year, 92% of total schools NFF funding is being distributed through “pupil led” factors, which are based on pupil numbers and pupil characteristics, such as eligibility for pupil premium and special educational needs and disabilities.

Real terms per pupil comparisons are only one way in which the department communicates funding changes, and schools and local authorities can also see their funding as total cash amounts. The total size of the core schools budget in the 2025/26 financial year is £65.3 billion, a £3.7 billion increase over 2024/25. This represents a 6.0% rise in cash terms, or 3.3% increase in real terms.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an estimate of the average reduction in Adoption and Special Guardianship Support funding for kinship carers who can no longer access match-funding in exceptional cases in Gosport constituency.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department always assesses the impact of changes on vulnerable children across the country. This includes reviewing the Equalities Impact Assessment, which will be deposited in the House Libraries in due course.

The funding available through the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF) will still enable children in Gosport, as throughout our country, to access a significant package of support, tailored to meet their individual needs. In 2024/25, there was only one match-funding application to the ASGSF from Hampshire local authority. Where needed, local authorities can use their own funding to increase the amount of therapy.

This government is committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity. The ASGSF is an important part of this, but other sources of support are available to adopted and kinship children. This year, we are making £500 million available to local authorities to roll out Family Help and Child Protection nationally to transform services and transition towards earlier intervention. We are also recruiting an additional 8,500 new mental health staff to treat children and adults, and opening new Young Futures Hubs with access to mental health support workers.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the reduction in Adoption and Special Guardianship Support funding on (a) the policy mission entitled Break Down Barriers to Opportunity and (b) children's start in life.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department always assesses the impact of changes on vulnerable children across the country. This includes reviewing the Equalities Impact Assessment, which will be deposited in the House Libraries in due course.

The funding available through the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF) will still enable children in Gosport, as throughout our country, to access a significant package of support, tailored to meet their individual needs. In 2024/25, there was only one match-funding application to the ASGSF from Hampshire local authority. Where needed, local authorities can use their own funding to increase the amount of therapy.

This government is committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity. The ASGSF is an important part of this, but other sources of support are available to adopted and kinship children. This year, we are making £500 million available to local authorities to roll out Family Help and Child Protection nationally to transform services and transition towards earlier intervention. We are also recruiting an additional 8,500 new mental health staff to treat children and adults, and opening new Young Futures Hubs with access to mental health support workers.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the potential impact of a reduction in Adoption and Special Guardianship Support funding on the mental health outcomes of children in adoptive and kinship placements in Gosport.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department always assesses the impact of changes on vulnerable children across the country. This includes reviewing the Equalities Impact Assessment, which will be deposited in the House Libraries in due course.

The funding available through the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF) will still enable children in Gosport, as throughout our country, to access a significant package of support, tailored to meet their individual needs. In 2024/25, there was only one match-funding application to the ASGSF from Hampshire local authority. Where needed, local authorities can use their own funding to increase the amount of therapy.

This government is committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity. The ASGSF is an important part of this, but other sources of support are available to adopted and kinship children. This year, we are making £500 million available to local authorities to roll out Family Help and Child Protection nationally to transform services and transition towards earlier intervention. We are also recruiting an additional 8,500 new mental health staff to treat children and adults, and opening new Young Futures Hubs with access to mental health support workers.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the potential impact of a reduction in Adoption and Special Guardianship Support funding on the number of kinship children able to access therapeutic support services in Gosport.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department always assesses the impact of changes on vulnerable children across the country. This includes reviewing the Equalities Impact Assessment, which will be deposited in the House Libraries in due course.

The funding available through the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF) will still enable children in Gosport, as throughout our country, to access a significant package of support, tailored to meet their individual needs. In 2024/25, there was only one match-funding application to the ASGSF from Hampshire local authority. Where needed, local authorities can use their own funding to increase the amount of therapy.

This government is committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity. The ASGSF is an important part of this, but other sources of support are available to adopted and kinship children. This year, we are making £500 million available to local authorities to roll out Family Help and Child Protection nationally to transform services and transition towards earlier intervention. We are also recruiting an additional 8,500 new mental health staff to treat children and adults, and opening new Young Futures Hubs with access to mental health support workers.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to support local authorities with (a) preventative and (b) early-years support for ECHPs in the North East.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities or in alternative provision receive the right support to succeed and thrive in their education and as they move into adult life.

Early intervention is critical to prevent unmet needs from escalating. To support early years educators to meet emerging needs, the department has launched new training resources to help educators support children with developmental differences. We have also announced 1,000 further funded training places for Early Years Special Educational Needs Coordinators in the 2025/26 financial year, which will be targeted at settings in the most disadvantaged areas.

The department, in partnership with NHS England, continues to improve access to speech and language therapy in early years settings and primary schools through the Early Language and Support for Every Child pathfinder project. This is being delivered through nine regional pathfinder partnerships within the department’s change programme. In the North East, this is being led by Hartlepool Local Authority.

The department’s North East Regions Group also maintains regular engagement with all 12 local authorities in the area, providing tailored support to individual authorities, as well as regionally.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessments she has made of the merits of implementing a teacher retention strategy that addresses key factors driving staff to leave the profession.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

High-quality teaching is the in-school factor that has the biggest positive impact on a child or young person’s outcome in schools and colleges. Recruiting and retaining more qualified, expert teachers is critical to the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and boost the life chances for every child. This is why the government’s Plan for Change has committed to recruiting an additional 6,500 new expert teachers in secondary and special schools, and in our colleges, over the course of this Parliament.

The best recruitment strategy is an effective retention strategy. The department recently announced a 4% pay award for teachers and leaders in maintained schools from September 2025. This builds on the 5.5% pay award for the 2024/25 academic year, resulting in a near 10% pay award since this government came to power, ensuring teaching is once again a valued profession and keeping high-quality teachers in schools. In addition, we invested around £700 million across schools and further education this year, which included increasing our targeted retention incentives, worth up to £6,000 per year for early career teachers teaching in disadvantaged schools, and resources to improve teachers’ workload and wellbeing.

Our investment is starting to deliver. The workforce has grown by 2,346 full-time equivalent, between 2023/24 and 2024/25 in secondary and special schools, with leaver rates dropping to 9.1%, one of the lowest on record.

To further support teacher retention, the department has established a new way of working through ‘Improving Education Together’, which brings together employer representative organisations, unions and government to help inform policy design and approaches to implementation across key reform priorities.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the legal costs of implementing the EHRC’s proposed Code of Practice for Services, Public Functions and Associations for schools.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Weston-super-Mare to the answer of 09 June 2025 to Question 55359.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the cost of implementing the proposed EHRC Code of Practice for Services, Public Functions, and Associations on academies; and whether she has had discussions with academy providers on this issue.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Weston-super-Mare to the answer of 09 June 2025 to Question 55359.

Found: Existing policies, such as the Service Pupil Premium administered by the Department for Education (DfE

Found: Housing, Communities and Local Government, the Department for Health and Social Care and the Department for Education

Found: For example, the Solar Partnership, which GBE is providing match funding for, but the Department for Education

Found: Buildings 20 Great Smith Street London SW1P 3BT tel: 0370 000 2288 www.education.gov.uk/contactus/dfe

Found: Ashley Hodges: The DfE, in setting the scope for Dr Becky Francis.

Found: In terms of the future, we have the spending review to come and some of that lies with DFE.

Found: We work with the Department for Work and Pensions and the Department for Education and Skills.

Found: The Department for Education is not legally responsible for the maintenance of the school estate, though

Found: DSIT, DBT and DfE) can lead to the unintended siloing of approaches to addressing these three inherently

Found: cost of Special Advisers 0.341 0.341 From the Department for Education

Found: Joanna Rowland: With a DG from the Department for Education, I co- chair a meeting with local authorities

Found: Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, Department for Education, Department for Science,

Found: DFE, of course, has responsibility for the skills part of it. We work closely with them.

Found: Johnston MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children, Families and Wellbeing, Department for Education

Found: Letter from the Permanent Secretary for the Department for Education relating to the follow up on the

Found: authority come in at 19-plus, and the 16 to 19 arena is handled by our colleagues within the Department for Education

Found: know whether all my colleagues are familiar with that, but it is a very important thing that the DfE

Found: We felt that the change that the DfE was then piloting for an entry route to supported internships for

Found: Janet Daby MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Minister for Children and Families), Department for Education

Found: The Department for Education and The Money and Pensions Service a re planning a series of financial

Found: of problem gambling alongside other forms of addiction such as drugs and alcohol, the Department for Education

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to raise public awareness of dyspraxia.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is committed to creating a more inclusive society where neurodiverse people, including those with dyspraxia, are supported to thrive.

Dyspraxia, also known as developmental co-ordination disorder or DCD, is a common disorder that affects movement and co-ordination. Information on dyspraxia assessments and treatment is available to the public on the NHS.UK website, at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/developmental-coordination-disorder-dyspraxia-in-adults/

The Department of Health and Social Care is working closely with the Department for Education on reforms to the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) system to improve inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools as well as to ensure that special schools cater to those with the most complex needs. The Government is also supporting earlier intervention for children with SEND through Mental Health Support Teams, as well as the Early Language Support for Every Child and the Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools programmes.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to help reduce youth unemployment.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

As part of our plan to Get Britain Working, we are launching a new Youth Guarantee for all young people aged 18-21 in England to ensure that they can access quality training opportunities, an apprenticeship or help to find work. The Department for Work and Pensions and the Department for Education are working closely with the eight Mayoral Strategic Authorities in England, which began mobilising the Youth Guarantee Trailblazers in April 2025. The eight areas delivering Trailblazers are: the West of England, Tees Valley, East Midlands, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, Liverpool City Region, West Midlands and two areas within the Greater London Authority. The trailblazers will run for 12 months, and we will use the learning to inform the future design and development of the Youth Guarantee as it rolls-out across the rest of England.

This is part of a broader package of reforms, including introduction of a new jobs and careers service to help get more people into work, the development of work, health and skills plans for the economically inactive, and the launch of Skills England to open up new opportunities for young people. We will work in partnership with organisations and businesses at the national and local level to offer exciting and engaging opportunities to young people. This could include work experience, training courses or employability programmes.

In addition, DWP continues to provide young people aged 16-24 with labour market support through an extensive range of interventions at a national and local level. This includes flexible provision driven by local need, nationwide employment programmes and support delivered by work coaches based in our Jobcentres and in local communities working alongside partners.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether she plans to bring forward (a) legislative and (b) policy proposals to help support the children of prisoners.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

This Government recognises that having a parent in prison is considered an adverse childhood experience and can have a significant impact on a child’s life chances. We have therefore committed to ensuring that children impacted by parental imprisonment are identified and offered the support they need to address this.

We are working closely with the Department for Education to drive action on this important agenda. Ministers from both the Ministry of Justice and the Department for Education recently hosted a roundtable bringing together sector experts. Officials from both Departments have attended focus groups to hear directly from those with lived experience of parental imprisonment, so that their voices can shape and inform the policy proposals we will bring forward.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department plans to take with the Department for Education to monitor the potential impact of the (a) expansion of free school meal eligibility and (b) changes to School Food Standards on children's health.

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

Free school meals offer a critical nutritional safety net to those children who require it most. Expanding the eligibility criteria to all families in receipt of universal credit will provide 500,000 more children with access to a nutritious lunchtime meal each school day from September 2026. The Government is now considering how best to monitor the impact of the expansion of free school meal eligibility and the update the School Food Standards on child health.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has had discussions with their counterparts in the Department for Education on implementation of the recommendations of the report by British Future entitled Working it Out: Hong Kongers, Employment and the Cost of Living, published on 29 October 2024.

Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

As the Foreign Secretary said in the latest 6-monthly Report, this Government will continue to stand with the people of Hong Kong, strengthening the thick web of connections between our societies and remaining steadfast in commitment to the BN(O) visa route. The UK provides a welcoming home to Hong Kongers today and it will continue to do so for Hong Kongers tomorrow. Government Departments continue to work together in support of that objective. The BN(O) Welcome Programme continues to provide support to Hong Kongers in the UK, including through a network of 12 Welcome Hubs helping BN(O)s understand and connect to services in their local area.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to increase access to the arts for children and young people in (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency and (b) Staffordshire.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The Secretary of State has a range of discussions with Cabinet colleagues across the whole of her portfolio. DCMS officials regularly discuss access to the arts for children and young people with their counterparts across His Majesty’s Government including with the Department for Education.

The government, through the recently announced Dormant Assets Scheme Strategy, has allocated £132.5 million in England towards youth. This will increase disadvantaged young people’s access to enrichment opportunities in the arts, culture, sports and wider youth services, aimed at improving wellbeing and employability.

In addition, our arms-length body, Arts Council England (ACE) coordinates public funding which supports a number of creative programmes and activities for children and young people across Newcastle-under-Lyme and Staffordshire. This includes Shaw Education Trust’s ‘Young Curators’ programme, which gives high school students in Newcastle-under-Lyme the opportunity to learn hands-on about curation and host their own exhibitions in the local art gallery.

Since 2024, ACE has invested nearly £8 million into programmes and projects in the Staffordshire region (excluding the Stoke-on-Trent City Council area) which have had a focus on children and young people. This figure includes almost £3 million of support for organisations in Newcastle-under-Lyme.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on steps to increase access to the arts for children and young people in (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme and (b) Staffordshire.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The Secretary of State has a range of discussions with Cabinet colleagues across the whole of her portfolio. DCMS officials regularly discuss access to the arts for children and young people with their counterparts across His Majesty’s Government including with the Department for Education.

The government, through the recently announced Dormant Assets Scheme Strategy, has allocated £132.5 million in England towards youth. This will increase disadvantaged young people’s access to enrichment opportunities in the arts, culture, sports and wider youth services, aimed at improving wellbeing and employability.

In addition, our arms-length body, Arts Council England (ACE) coordinates public funding which supports a number of creative programmes and activities for children and young people across Newcastle-under-Lyme and Staffordshire. This includes Shaw Education Trust’s ‘Young Curators’ programme, which gives high school students in Newcastle-under-Lyme the opportunity to learn hands-on about curation and host their own exhibitions in the local art gallery.

Since 2024, ACE has invested nearly £8 million into programmes and projects in the Staffordshire region (excluding the Stoke-on-Trent City Council area) which have had a focus on children and young people. This figure includes almost £3 million of support for organisations in Newcastle-under-Lyme.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of arts and culture on (a) society and (b) education in (i) Newcastle-under-Lyme and (ii) Staffordshire.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The government strongly believes in the benefits that the arts and culture can bring to the UK, both in terms of their social and economic impact. According to DCMS Economic estimates, the cultural sector contributed an estimated £35.0bn in 2023, accounting for 1.5% of UK GVA.

Newcastle-under-Lyme currently has three National Portfolio Organisations (NPO) receiving public funding of almost £1.5 million per annum. In total, Arts Council England (ACE) funding to organisations and individuals in Staffordshire since 2024 is over £12 million. This includes a major award of £1.7m towards the restoration of Tamworth Castle, through the Museum Estate and Development Fund (MEND).

An example of this positive impact is the ACE funded New Vic Theatre in Newcastle-under-Lyme, which delivers community programmes that are a strong example of how investment into creative infrastructure can benefit communities. Their ‘Tale Trail’ experience is a first introduction to the arts for 88% of the children who attend, with 87% of children attending the theatre’s programmes showing improved markers for school readiness. These positive outcomes are also reflected in the theatre’s work with dementia patients, with self-reported health ratings nearly tripling following interactions with the ‘Dementia and Creativity’ programme.

ACE is also delivering Music Hubs, which are supported by Department for Education funding. Staffordshire Music Hub offers a wide range of instrumental lessons and access to rehearsal spaces for children and young people.

DCMS is committed to promoting the culture of Staffordshire, including in its heritage buildings, ensuring these buildings serve the needs of local communities. Since 1994, The National Lottery Heritage Fund has awarded nearly £100 million to 760 projects across Staffordshire. The National Lottery Heritage Fund has identified Stoke-on-Trent as one of twenty places as part of their Heritage Places UK-wide initiative which aims to provide long term place-based investment that boosts pride in place and connects communities and visitors with heritage.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of existing emergency planning in relation to infants and children.

Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Cabinet Office non-statutory guidance sets out that emergency planning should consider groups that require special consideration, including those who are dependent on others, such as children. All education, childcare, and children’s social care settings should have emergency plans in place. Plans should explain how to respond and take any temporary actions in the event of an emergency. This expectation is set out in DfE’s (non-statutory) emergency planning guidance for education, childcare and children’s social care settings. The guidance includes an expectation to evaluate and test plans. DfE also publishes statutory guidance for schools and colleges on safeguarding children and safer recruitment.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will have discussions with the Secretary of State for Education on the availability of skilled workers in (a) technical and (b) engineering roles in (i) Fylde constituency and (b) Lancashire.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

DfE continues to make available education and training opportunities in technical and engineering sectors across the country including in Fylde and Lancashire.

DfE’s levy-funded growth and skills offer, with apprenticeships at the heart, is aligned with the industrial strategy, creating routes into good, skilled jobs in growing industries such as in engineering and technical sectors.

DBT is working with DfE, following the announced additional £625 million for construction skills training, to support the industry led Construction Skills Mission Board to collaboratively secure the workforce needed to meet future demand and deliver the government’s infrastructure and built environment commitments.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department plans to include policies on autism in the youth employment strategy delivery plan.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Department recognises that young people with autism can face significant barriers to seeking and remaining in employment. As outlined in the Pathways to Work Green Paper, we have ambitious plans to better support our young people to lead fulfilling lives and careers.

The Get Britain Working White Paper sets out our approach to supporting young people into employment, including the introduction of a new Youth Guarantee for all 18–21-year-olds in England. As part of this, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and the Department for Education are working with the eight Mayoral Strategic Authorities who have commenced delivery of the Youth Guarantee Trailblazers. These Trailblazers are testing how new local leadership, accountability structures and provision can be integrated into a cohesive education, training and employment support for young people. Several areas are specifically designing support for young people with health conditions and disabilities, including autism.

DWP also provides tailored employment support for 16–24-year-olds on Universal Credit through an extensive range of interventions at a national and local level. This includes access to work coaches, Youth Hubs, and Disability Employment Advisors, who can offer personalised support to neurodivergent young people.

The Government wants to support all forms of neurodiversity in the workplace. We are looking to build on the findings of the Buckland Review of Autism Employment and have launched the Neurodiversity Academic Panel – an independent group of experts, many with lived experience—to advise on boosting awareness and inclusion across all age groups.

The Government is committed to consulting with stakeholders, including young people with health conditions and those who are neurodivergent.

Found: The Department for Education accounts for a further £7.4 billion and the Ministry of Defence £3.1 billion

Found: Answering member: Stephen Morgan | Department: Department for Education The department spends over

Found: would offer expert, cross-government advice to departments like the Ministry of Justice, Department for Education

Apprenticeships APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: Toby Perkins, the APPG’s Co-Chairs who were unable to attend the session, and also on behalf of the DfE

Children APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: The Department for Education and the Department for Communities and Local Government should conduct

Children's Online Safety APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: Government Departments: Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport; Home Office; Department for Education

HIV, AIDS and Sexual Health APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: The Department for Education: 1.

Modernising Employment APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: Notably, a survey conducted by the Department for Education revealed that around 670,000 parents would

University APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: Antisemitism: Universities 12 Universities: EU Nationals 13 Universities: EU Nationals 13 Department for Education

University APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: Higher Education 10 Department of Health and Social Care: NHS Learning Support Fund 10 Department for Education

University APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: : Students: Loans 11 Education: Freedom of Expression 12 Department for Education: Students

East of England APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: the Bedford Borough Council and Universal and emphasise cross-Departmental working e.g. with DfT, DfE

University APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: Students: Artificial Intelligence 18 Teachers: Mental Health 19 T-levels: Engineering 20 Department for Education

University APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: Care, whether he plans to establish a cross-departmental ministerial taskforce with the Department for Education

University APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: debates, answers, forthcoming business, etc. 2 Contents Parliamentary business 3 Department for Education

University APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: .................................................7 Written questions and statements 8 Department for Education

University APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: She asked what measures DfE Ministers were taking to ensure that universities were persuaded ‘not only

Adoption and Permanence APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: months parliamentarians from across political parties have made representations to the Department for Education

Science and Technology in Agriculture APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: November 2018. 39 Department for Education. Skills England.

East of England APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: of your Department and will therefore also be writing to the Secretaries of State for DEFRA, MHCLG, DfE

Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: There is a focus on broader engagement across government departments, especially DWP and DfE, too, given

Adoption and Permanence APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: • Action: Officers agreed to keep parliamentary pressure on DfE to make an announcement, including

Adoption and Permanence APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: • Action: Officers agreed to keep parliamentary pressure on DfE to make an announcement, including

Prostate Cancer APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: Social Care a few years ago about educating boys in schools and was told to speak to the Department for Education

University APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: Buildings 20 Great Smith Street London SW1P 3BT tel: 0370 000 2288 www.education.gov.uk/contactus/dfe

Science and Technology in Agriculture APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: Balham) 64 Q 126 (Dr Isabel Webb) 65 For example, the ‘Talent and Skills’ strand lists the Department for Education

Suicide and Self-Harm Prevention APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: the support of Young Minds » Matthew Hopkinson, Deputy Director, Life Skills Division, Department for Education

Apprenticeships APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: There needs to be coordination between what DfE are doing regarding skills and also the industrial council

University APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: visa applications – Home Office statistics 19 Courses key to government growth mission will stay – DfE

Autism APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: Minister Kinnock spoke about meeting with Minister McKinnell from the Department for Education, with

Autism APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: Minister Kinnock spoke about meeting with Minister McKinnell from the Department for Education, with

Science and Technology in Agriculture APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: , academic years 2015/16 to 2023/24 Source: Schools, Pupils and their Characteristics, Department for Education

University APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: Rt Hon Baroness Smith of Malvern Minister for Skills Department for Education 20 Great

London APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: sector, from young people themselves, to their parents, schools, local authorities, the Department for Education

East of England APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: Support and co-finance models with the Department for Education would be helpful and welcomed. 3.7

East of England APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: Great Smith Street Westminster London SW1P 3BT tel: 0370 000 2288 www.education.gov.uk/contactus/dfe

Science and Technology in Agriculture APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: Sir Robert has served as Minister of State at the Home Office, the Department for Education and the

Young Carers and Young Adult Carers APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: Many of you will be aware that the Department for Education recently published the 2022/23 attendance

Care-Experienced Children and Young People APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: Bennett of Manor Castle; Rt Rev.Lord Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham; Jonothan Bacon, Department for Education

Apprenticeships APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: She also noted that the Department for Education and GOV.UK provide useful guidance and resources through

Child of the North APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: In response to a Freedom of Information request from The Huffington Post, the Department for Education

Defibrillators APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: First, on 22 nd July 2022, the Department for Education (DfE) announced a new initiative that intends

Further Education and Lifelong Learning APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: to be having this conversation as skills shortages are rising across the country, with the latest DfE

Financial Education for Young People APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: the involvement of Martin Lewis, Carol Vorderman and others, and previous work with the Department for Education

Children's Online Safety APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: The Department for Education should, as part of its review into keeping children safe in education

Financial Education for Young People APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: • A communications campaign from the Department for Education raising awareness of the mandatory nature

Fire Safety and Rescue APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: And DfE don’t appear to have received Fire Safety advice.

Global Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: Culture bid team as well as working on Labour’s Sure Start and childcare strategy at the Department for Education

Carers APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: Department for Work and Pensions, Department for Business and Trade, Ministry of Defence, Department for Education

Scientific APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: Professor Julia Sutcliffe Department for Culture, Media and Sport Professor Tom Crick Department for Education

Gypsies, Travellers and Roma APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: , whilst there is an ethnicity category for Irish Travellers, the data published by the Department for Education

Schools, Learning and Assessment APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: Citing research carried out by the Department for Education (DfE), EDSK describes how rises in exam

Autism APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: We are also pleased that the Department for Education has engaged with the sector in the development

Autism APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: We are also pleased that the Department for Education has engaged with the sector in the development

Child of the North APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: The Department for Education committed an additional £3.3 billion to schools to cover the additional

Restorative Justice APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: Some of the messaging about behaviour in schools nationally from the DfE and Ofsted are felt to be

Performing Arts Education and Training APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: sector with in-school provision itself and the music hubs (including renewed collaboration between the DfE

Performing Arts Education and Training APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: sector with in-school provision itself and the music hubs (including renewed collaboration between the DfE

Social Mobility APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: better inclusion and parental participation. 14 • There’s not much time left – already, the Department for Education

International Students APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: As part of their ambitions to grow higher technical education, the Department for Education should

Found: The Department for Children, Schools and Families, now Department for Education (DfE), publish statutory

Found: Lately Chief Executive, Education and Skills Funding Agency, and lately Board Member, Department for Education

Found: cell">Lately Chief Executive Education and Skills Funding Agency and lately Board Member Department for Education

Found: (DfE) is responsible for children’s services and education, including early years, schools

Found: This covers services provided by the Department of Health and Social Care, the Department for Education

Found: 0% Windsor Framework 1,200 100% 100% 100% 7,392,293 97.9% 97.9% 97.9% Department for Education

Found: University of Oxford Central government departments and arm’s length bodies, including: • Department for Education

Found: (DfE) Table 5.7: Department for Education £ billion (current prices) Outturn 2023-24 Plans1

Found: (DfE) Table 5.7: Department for Education £ billion (current prices) Outturn 2023-24 Plans1

Found: independence and multi-agency working was weakened because the Panel is housed within the Department for Education

Found: 11th June 2025 Secretary of State Department for Education Sanctuary Buildings Great Smith

Found: showing the location of the School; and • information available on the websites of the Department for Education

Found: centres is UCL’s Centre for Holocaust Education which was established in 2008 and is funded by the DFE

Found: school and other relevant schools; and • information available on the websites of the Department for Education

Found: and Social Care, HM Treasury, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, the Department for Education

Found: provides paid work experience opportunities in the Civil Service for care leavers through the Department for Education

Found: ’ status, are often not eligible for student finance however, this is determined by the Department for Education

Found: for Life - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk): links for young people and adults to different types of Department for Education

Found: very low skills such as: • maths • English • ESOL • ICT For further information on Department for Education

Found: through non-DWP routes (such as devolved Mayoral funding, Adult Education Budget through the Department for Education

Found: The Bill is sponsored by the Department for Education. 7.