Asked by: Steff Aquarone (Liberal Democrat - North Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to (a) help reduce exam stress and (b) support pupils with exam stress.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department recognises that it is normal for young people to experience some stress around exams. It is important that this stress is identified early and the right support is in place to help young people manage it in a healthy and constructive way. Schools play a key role in supporting students through this, and mental health charities such as YoungMinds have published guidance on staying well during revision and exams. Their guidance is available at:
https://www.youngminds.org.uk/media/mqljrydj/staying-well-during-revision-and-exams.pdf.
The department is providing access to specialist mental health professionals in every school by expanding Mental Health Support Teams (MHST), so every child and young person has access to early support to address problems before they escalate. 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.
The independent Curriculum and Assessment Review carefully considered evidence on wellbeing and found that many factors can impact student mental health. The Review recommended reducing exam volume to help improve the overall student experience. We will work closely with Ofqual and exam boards to reduce GCSE exam time by 2.5 to 3 hours for the average student, while maintaining high standards and protecting the integrity and validity of the qualifications system.
Asked by: Baroness Barran (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Smith of Malvern on 17 June (HL Deb col 1963), and following the publication on 17 November of updated guidance for placing children in secure accommodation, whether they still intend to extend the powers that the Secretary of State already has to make regulations in relation to secure accommodation to children deprived of their liberty.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
As part of changes introduced by Clause 11 of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, which will amend Section 25 of the Children Act 1989 (CA 1989) to allow for authorisation of a deprivation of liberty in ’Relevant Accommodation’ under the CA 1989, the department can confirm that the same regulation making powers that exist currently for the Secretary of State in relation to Secure Accommodation will also be available for ’Relevant Accommodation’.
It will be made clear in regulations that Secretary of State approval will be required to deprive children under the age of 13 of their liberty via Section 25 of the CA1989 in Relevant Accommodation. As per updated guidance published on 17 November, there is no such regulatory requirement regarding Secretary of State approval for applications to the High Court under its inherent jurisdiction for a deprivation of liberty order – this does not amend the requirements or guidance on the use of Section 25.
Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding her Department has provided towards supplying schools with (a) tablets, (b) laptops and (c) other electronic devices to children since 2015, broken down by (i) local authority area and (ii) year.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
Schools, trusts and local authorities can use their budgets at their discretion to purchase technology for their pupils. The department does not mandate a specific device to pupil ratio or recommend how much funding should be allocated for devices.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the department delivered over 1.95 million laptops and tablets to schools, academy trusts and local authorities in England through the ‘Get Help With Technology’ programme, launched in March 2020, which supported remote learning for disadvantaged children. The last devices were delivered by March 2022 and the service closed in June 2022.
The programme represented an investment of approximately £400 million, covering procurement and distribution of devices, alongside connectivity support for families without internet access.
Data on dispatched devices is published in statistical releases via the Explore Education Statistics portal here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/laptops-and-tablets-data/2022-april.
The department monitors pupil access to devices via the Technology in Schools Survey here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/technology-in-schools-survey-report-2022-to-2023.
Asked by: Danny Chambers (Liberal Democrat - Winchester)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has had discussions with the Secretary of Health and Social Care on the potential merits of introducing heart screening for young people participating in physical education in (a) schools and (b) universities.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department has not held specific discussions with the Department for Health and Social Care on heart screening for young people participating in physical education.
All pupils attending compulsory education are required to take part in physical education as part of the national curriculum. We expect schools to be aware of the risks associated with sporting activities and to provide a safe environment for pupils. The government recognises the value of physical activity in enhancing the health and wellbeing of young people.
Universities are autonomous institutions and are responsible for decisions about the welfare and health of their students.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether funding is available for schools to purchase (a) defibrillators and (b) CPR training equipment.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department provided over 20,000 defibrillators to almost 18,000 schools, ensuring that all state-funded schools in England have access to a device.
The programme is now closed; however, schools who wish to purchase defibrillators are able to buy them through the NHS Defibs4Schools programme, which provides defibrillators of a suitable specification. Defibs4Schools can be contacted at: defibs4schools@supplychain.nhs.uk.
Schools have the autonomy to decide how they teach first aid, including teaching additional topical content and which resources to use.
It is for schools to decide what training equipment may be suitable to facilitate the delivery of CPR training at their school, based on their individual circumstances. The department provides advice on free resources in its defibrillator guidance to schools, including the British Heart Foundation’s (BHF) RevivR CPR training and BHF CPR training pack for secondary schools. More information can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/automated-external-defibrillators-aeds-in-schools.
Asked by: Joe Morris (Labour - Hexham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions her Department has had with relevant stakeholders on improving waiting lists for Education, Health and Care plan assessments in (a) Northumberland and (b) the North East.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Data on the number of requests for an education, health and care (EHC) needs assessment, the number of assessments carried out and assessments outstanding is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/education-health-and-care-plans/2025. This includes data for the North East. The latest data was published on 26 June 2025.
Following the above publication of EHC plan statistics, departmental officials met with all North East local authorities during July and August 2025, including Northumberland County Council. Officials discussed the published data including the overall timeliness of assessments and actions each local area was taking to improve services and reduce wait times for children, young people and their families undergoing an EHC needs assessment.
The department will continue to work with North East local area partnerships to monitor the delivery of special educational needs and disabilities services and offer support when required.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what measures are being undertaken to recruit speech and language therapists.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department is working closely with the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England to improve access to community health services, including speech and language therapy, for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities. This includes extending the Early Language and Support for Every Child programme, trialling new ways of working to better identify and support children with Speech, Language and Communication Needs in early years settings and primary schools.
In addition to the undergraduate degree route, speech and language therapists can also train via a degree apprenticeship. This route is now in its fourth year of delivery and offers an alternative pathway to the traditional degree route into a successful career as a speech and language therapist.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many primary schools in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire do not have a school library.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
I refer the hon. Member for South Holland and The Deepings to the answer of 22 October 2025 to Question 81502.
Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance his Department has given to (a) headteachers and (b) school governors on the use of artificial intelligence in schools.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The department has published clear guidance to support schools in using artificial intelligence (AI) safely and effectively. This includes the Generative AI policy paper, which sets out opportunities, risks and legal responsibilities, and online support materials developed with sector experts. These resources provide practical advice for headteachers and governors on integrating AI into digital strategies, safeguarding pupil data, and ensuring compliance with data protection and intellectual property law. Toolkits for educators and leaders outline safe use cases, risk management and how AI can reduce workload without replacing teacher judgment. The guidance emphasises that AI should enhance teaching, not diminish human oversight, and schools must take care when considering pupil-facing AI.
Materials are available on GOV.UK under “Using AI in education settings: support materials”, alongside the policy paper “Generative artificial intelligence in education”, updated June 2025.
Asked by: Melanie Onn (Labour - Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the (a) financial sustainability of early years providers and (b) capacity of schools to deliver wraparound care in areas experiencing long waiting lists.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
In 2025/26, this government plans to spend over £8 billion on early years entitlements, increasing to over £9 billion in 2026/27, and we have increased the early years pupil premium by over 45%. On top of this we have provided further supplementary funding of £75 million for the Early Years Expansion Grant.
At Spending Review 2025, the government announced it will provide an additional £1.6 billion per year by 2028/29. We will also spend over £400 million over the next four years to deliver school-based nurseries across England.
The free breakfast clubs programme has delivered more than 5 million breakfasts and offered places to almost 180,000 pupils across the country. We are investing a further £80 million into the programme to fund an additional 2,000 schools between April 2026 and March 2027. Since September 2024, the National Wraparound Programme has also provided over 50,000 additional full childcare places. In 2026/27, we are providing local authorities with £12.9 million to sustain these places, ensuring sufficiency of school-age childcare and supporting national rollout of free breakfast clubs.