Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that students with additional needs have access to mandatory online homework platforms in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
Schools determine homework volume and format in collaboration with staff, pupils, parents, and governors. Digital tools can support learning and enhance parental engagement by providing visibility into tasks and progress. However, access to devices remains uneven. In 2024, 34% of parents reported their child lacked continuous access to a device for online schoolwork. Schools should offer alternative homework options for pupils with limited device access.
The department is committed to ensuring all students, including those with additional needs, can safely and effectively use digital tools. While data for Surrey Heath isn’t available, the department has published digital accessibility standards to help schools implement inclusive technology strategies. The 'Plan Technology for Your School' service supports strategic digital planning. The department continues working with schools and providers to ensure no child is left behind.
Asked by: Pippa Heylings (Liberal Democrat - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her planned timeline is for the (a) new oracy framework and (b) combined oracy, writing and reading framework.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department welcomes the Curriculum and Assessment Review’s focus on oracy. Expressing oneself fluently and communicating well is crucial for life and work, and an important vehicle for social justice.
We will make sure that communication skills are more clearly expressed through revised programmes of study. We will also create a primary oracy framework and a combined secondary oracy, writing and reading framework to be published following the revised national curriculum.
The primary oracy framework will support teachers to help their pupils become confident, fluent speakers by the end of key stage 2. This will build on our primary frameworks for reading and writing.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of schools’ policies on mobile phones and learning disruption.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The department’s guidance on mobile phones in schools, published in February 2024, is clear that schools should prohibit the use of devices with smart technology throughout the school day, including during lessons, transitions and breaks.
The department expects all schools to take steps in line with this guidance to ensure mobile phones do not disrupt pupils’ learning.
Research from the Children’s Commissioner, with responses from nearly all schools and colleges in England, shows that the overwhelming majority of schools (99.8% of primary schools and 90% of secondary schools) already have policies in place that limit or restrict the use of mobile phones during the school day.
Asked by: Lord Kempsell (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the current level of total teacher vacancies.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Data on the number of teacher vacancies is published in the ‘School workforce in England’ statistical publication. Figures for November 2024, which are the latest available, have been available since 5 June 2025.
Teacher vacancies (full and part-time) decreased to 2,200 in November 2024, having more than doubled in the previous three years, from 1,100 in November 2020 to a peak of 2,800 in November 2023. The vacancy rate, which takes into account changes in the teaching population, also decreased to 5 per 1,000 teachers in service, from 6 per 1,000 teachers in 2023.
Asked by: Lord Birt (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to reduce persistent absences in schools.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Thanks to the work of the sector, persistent absence has fallen to 18.7% in the latest published data. Our world leading data collection and tools enable schools to identify earlier those pupils who are at risk of becoming persistently absent to intervene early.
The department has also expanded its attendance mentor programme, committing £15 million to provide one-to-one support for 10,800 pupils in local authorities with some of the poorest attendance rates in the country.
Breakfast Clubs have been rolled out to all primary schools since September 2025 to ensure that good habits and routines are established early in a child’s school life.
We have also started to establish RISE Attendance and Behaviour Hubs with £1.5 million of funding being made available this year, where up to 90 hubs led by schools with excellent attendance and behaviour practice will support more than 4,500 schools to improve.
Asked by: Lord Moraes (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they are seeking to rejoin the Erasmus programme, or an equivalent scheme, as part of their post-Brexit reset plans.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The UK and EU agreed a substantial package to take forward our future partnership, at the first UK-EU Summit in London on 19 May. At the summit, the UK agreed to work towards association to Erasmus+ on mutually agreed financial terms. The government will ensure that any agreement resulting from the negotiations reflects a fair balance between the UK financial contribution and the number of UK participants who receive funding from it.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on the technology state schools require pupils to have.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The department does not require pupils to own specific technology and does not hold information on individual pupil requirements. Our policy focuses on ensuring schools have the right infrastructure to support teaching and learning.
We have set six core digital and technology standards for schools and colleges to meet by 2030: broadband internet, wireless networks, network switches, digital leadership and governance, filtering and monitoring, and cyber security. These standards provide the foundations for safe and reliable connectivity at school and ensure safeguarding is a priority. Schools can use the ‘Plan technology for your school’ service to assess readiness and plan upgrades.
Asked by: Baroness Fraser of Craigmaddie (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what provision they are making to ensure that specialist music and dance schools continue to be financially supported so that they are able to offer places on the basis of talent and potential, not ability to pay.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
I refer the noble Lady to the answer of 4 November 2025 to Question 79898.
Asked by: Baroness Fraser of Craigmaddie (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that talented children from non-privileged backgrounds continue to have access to specialist music and dance schools.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
I refer the noble Lady to the answer of 4 November 2025 to Question 79898.
Asked by: Baroness Fraser of Craigmaddie (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to provide longer-term funding certainty for schools supported by the Music and Dance Scheme.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
I refer the noble Lady to the answer of 4 November 2025 to Question 79898.