Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the number of unfilled vacancies on school governing bodies.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
According to the National Governance Association’s 2024 survey, 25% of respondents stated that their board did not have any vacancies. 76% of respondents reported difficulty in recruiting new governors and trustees. 44% of boards had two or more vacancies.
The department has had extensive discussions about recruitment and retention with sector partners, including the National Governance Association and the Confederation of School Trusts. These discussions have informed the development of a joint department-sector resource that will support boards with sustainable governance, especially those facing recruitment and retention challenges.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the level of administrative workload placed on early years providers in implementing the early years funding system; and whether she is taking steps to streamline (a) reporting and (b) funding claim processes.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Local authorities are responsible for paying early years providers to deliver the early education and childcare entitlements. The department does not provide guidance to local authorities on how they pay providers as each local authority will have its own local process for making funding payments.
Local authorities must enter into arrangements with childcare providers for the delivery of free early education and childcare to ensure the providers comply with legislative requirements.
As set out in our statutory guidance, local authorities should be clear in their agreements with providers about how and when providers will be paid and the documentation required from providers in order to receive payment.
The department will continue to work closely with the sector to continue to look at how the system is working, and ensure every child gets the best start in life.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 7 November 2024 to Question 12182 on Schools: Fylde, what recent estimate she has made of the potential impact of the introduction of VAT on independent school fees on the number of children who (a) have enrolled in state sector schools since 1 September 2024 and (b) are expected to enrol in state sector schools in the 2025-26 academic year.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
His Majesty’s Treasury published a Tax Information and Impact Note on applying VAT to independent school fees, which includes the government’s estimations of the number of pupils expected to enter the state sector as a result of this policy. This is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/vat-on-private-school-fees/applying-vat-to-private-school-fees#who-is-likely-to-be-affected.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that early years funding rates reflect the actual cost of delivering high-quality childcare.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
I refer the hon. Member for Henley and Thame to the answer of 27 May 2025 to Question 53702.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what progress she has made on the expansion of mental health support teams in rural schools.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government will provide 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.
As of March 2025, 41% of schools and colleges worked with an MHST, representing 52% of pupils and learners across the country, and we estimate this will increase to 50% of schools and colleges by March 2026, representing 60% of pupils and learners.
Data by degree of rurality shows that as of March 2025, the MHST coverage is 24% of schools in rural hamlets, 21% of schools in rural villages and 36% of schools in rural towns and fringes.
The expansion of MHSTs to all schools and colleges by 2029/30 will prioritise rollout based on NHS identification of local need and reaching the most vulnerable children first.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of children were privately educated in each of the last five years.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.
The department publishes information on the number and proportion of children in England who attended independent schools in each of the last five years in the annual ‘Schools, pupils and their characteristics’ accredited official statistics publication here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics/2024-25.
Asked by: Dan Norris (Independent - North East Somerset and Hanham)
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 proposed expansion of free school meals on student attainment in North East Somerset and Hanham constituency.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
This government is committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity and tackling child poverty. The department has now announced that we are extending free school meals (FSM) to all children from households in receipt of Universal Credit from September 2026. This will lift 100,000 children across England out of poverty and put £500 back in families’ pockets, supporting parents in decisive action to improve lives ahead of the Child Poverty Strategy coming later this year.
In North East Somerset and Hanham, 2,008 pupils are currently eligible for FSM. Following the expansion of FSM to all on Universal Credit from September 2026, the department expects approximately 3,500 children to be eligible based on data from the Department for Work and Pensions. Providing over half a million children from the most disadvantaged backgrounds with a free, nutritious lunchtime meal every school day will lead to higher attainment, improved behaviour and better outcomes, meaning children get the best possible education and chance to succeed in work and life.
Asked by: Dan Norris (Independent - North East Somerset and Hanham)
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 proposed expansion of free school meals on pupil behaviour in North East Somerset and Hanham constituency.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
This government is committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity and tackling child poverty. The department has now announced that we are extending free school meals (FSM) to all children from households in receipt of Universal Credit from September 2026. This will lift 100,000 children across England out of poverty and put £500 back in families’ pockets, supporting parents in decisive action to improve lives ahead of the Child Poverty Strategy coming later this year.
In North East Somerset and Hanham, 2,008 pupils are currently eligible for FSM. Following the expansion of FSM to all on Universal Credit from September 2026, the department expects approximately 3,500 children to be eligible based on data from the Department for Work and Pensions. Providing over half a million children from the most disadvantaged backgrounds with a free, nutritious lunchtime meal every school day will lead to higher attainment, improved behaviour and better outcomes, meaning children get the best possible education and chance to succeed in work and life.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of trends in the level of the cost to local authorities of providing school transport for SEND children in the last five years.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
The department knows that the cost of delivering home to school travel has increased steeply over recent years. In particular, challenges within the wider special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system have created significant pressure on home to school travel. The SEND system we inherited has been failing to meet the needs of children and families for far too long, with a lack of early intervention and support in mainstream schools.
The government has committed to improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools so fewer children need to travel long distances to a school that can meet their needs. The Spending Review announcement on 11 June confirmed significant new funding to support SEND reform and a White Paper setting out further details on our plans will be published in the autumn.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment has been made of trends in the level of cost of providing school transport for SEND children in the last five years.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
The department knows that the cost of delivering home to school travel has increased steeply over recent years. In particular, challenges within the wider special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system have created significant pressure on home to school travel. The SEND system we inherited has been failing to meet the needs of children and families for far too long, with a lack of early intervention and support in mainstream schools.
The government has committed to improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools so fewer children need to travel long distances to a school that can meet their needs. The Spending Review announcement on 11 June confirmed significant new funding to support SEND reform and a White Paper setting out further details on our plans will be published in the autumn.