Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
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 changes to attendance and penalty notice regulations that came into effect on 19 August 2024 on school (a) staffing and (b) workload.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The changes to the regulations governing the school attendance register simplify and consolidate what is recorded in the attendance register by schools, reducing their complexity and burden on schools.
The changes to the penalty notice regulations aimed to improve the consistency in how penalty notices are used across the country, ending the previous postcode lottery. 81% of school or academy trust respondents agreed with the idea of a consistent national threshold for considering a penalty notice in the 2022 public consultation, which is available here: https://consult.education.gov.uk/school-attendance-policy-and-strategy-team/school-registers-and-national-thresholds-for-legal/supporting_documents/Consultation%20Document_Pupil%20Registration%20Regulations_Thresholds%20Legal%20Intervention.pdf.
Local authorities require information from schools to process a penalty notice. How this is done is agreed locally and should not place an undue burden on schools.
We will keep the policies under review through regular engagement with schools.
Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to provide additional funding to schools to help support the administrative workload resulting from the attendance and penalty notice regulations introduced in August 2024.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The changes to the regulations governing the school attendance register simplify and consolidate what is recorded in the attendance register by schools, reducing their complexity and burden on schools.
The changes to the penalty notice regulations aimed to improve the consistency in how penalty notices are used across the country, ending the previous postcode lottery. 81% of school or academy trust respondents agreed with the idea of a consistent national threshold for considering a penalty notice in the 2022 public consultation, which is available here: https://consult.education.gov.uk/school-attendance-policy-and-strategy-team/school-registers-and-national-thresholds-for-legal/supporting_documents/Consultation%20Document_Pupil%20Registration%20Regulations_Thresholds%20Legal%20Intervention.pdf.
Local authorities require information from schools to process a penalty notice. How this is done is agreed locally and should not place an undue burden on schools.
We will keep the policies under review through regular engagement with schools.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to his oral contribution in response to the hon. Member for Twickenham during the Oral Statement of 7 July 2025 on Giving Every Child the Best Start in Life, Official Report, column 687, what factors informed her Department’s decision to (a) update inspection standards and (b) increase funding for early years settings.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Children’s early years are crucial to their development, health and life chances. That is why the Plan for Change set out our ambition for a record proportion of children starting school ready to learn.
Ofsted is in the process of delivering changes to the way it works. The decision to update inspection standards is an important element of this work, to ensure that all children receive the best start in life.
We want to ensure the sector is financially sustainable and confident as it continues to deliver the early years entitlements. The hourly funding rates for the entitlements are published each year in the autumn ahead of the following financial year. The rate covers the core costs of providing 15 or 30 hours of childcare to parents. We take account of cost pressures facing the sector, including forecasts of average earnings and inflation, and the National Living Wage.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an estimate of the number of schools in England that have a fast food facility within 400m.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department has not made an estimate of the number of schools in England that have a fast food facility within 400 meters, as the department has no remit over the locations of fast food outlets.
As part of the summer 2024 National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) consultation, the government sought views on how national planning policy could better support local authorities in promoting healthy communities, specifically in tackling childhood obesity.
The revised NPPF published in December 2024 introduced a new policy to restrict new hot food takeaways and fast food outlets within walking distance of schools and other places where children and young people congregate unless the location is in a designated town centre. Applications should also be refused where there is evidence that a concentration of such uses is having an adverse impact on local health, pollution or anti-social behaviour.
Asked by: Gareth Snell (Labour (Co-op) - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to increase the availability of early years support for parents in disadvantaged areas.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
On 7 July 2025 the government published its Best Start in Life Strategy which sets out plans to ensure all young families can benefit from high quality family services and early years education and childcare, delivering our Plan for Change.
This includes national rollout of Best Start Family Hubs, bringing together the trusted advice and guidance all parents need in one place and linking families to their local services. Backed by £500 million investment these services will reach the children and families who will benefit most from this support, including those from lower-income families and with additional vulnerabilities.
From age 2, children from low-income families, those with education, health and care plans, and looked-after children are eligible for 15 hours of funded early education. Disadvantaged children may also receive the Early Years Pupil Premium, from April 2025 this was increased by 45%.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support workers to train in new sectors when facing unemployment due to artificial intelligence.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
At the recent Spending Review, the government announced substantial investment in skills in England with an additional £1.2 billion by 2028/29. This includes supporting targeted skills packages for key sectors such as construction, digital and technology, engineering, and defence.
The government will provide approximately £1.4 billion in funding for the adult skills fund in the 2025/26 academic year. This includes funding the Free Courses for Jobs offer, which gives eligible adults the chance to access high value Level 3 qualifications for free, which can support them to gain higher wages or a better job.
The government will also support adult learners to retrain through our technical education offer, including through a range of apprenticeships and Skills Bootcamps. Our new levy-funded growth and skills offer will introduce greater flexibility to employers and learners in England.
From September 2026, learners will be able to apply for funding from the Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE), which will be the new student finance system for courses and modules starting from January 2027 onwards. The LLE will allow people to retrain, upskill and gain new qualifications across their working lives, at a time that is right for them, such as those returning from a career break.
Asked by: Lord Clement-Jones (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of interim data or findings from the Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools programme, and the success of the programme in building professional expertise among school staff.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
An independent evaluation of the Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (PINS) programme is underway. Further information on this evaluation is available on Contracts Finder here: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/notice/0a81fac4-1f16-427a-82d2-b4bbc44d9f21?origin=SearchResults&p=1. This evaluation will thoroughly explore the implementation and outcomes of the PINS programme so far, including to what extent the programme may have improved schools’ capability and capacity to support neurodivergent pupils. Interim findings from this evaluation are expected in autumn 2025 and will be published, in accordance with Government Social Research protocol.
Asked by: Lord Clement-Jones (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to evaluate the Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools programme commissioned in April; and whether any evaluation will be made public.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
An independent evaluation of the Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (PINS) programme is underway. Further information on this evaluation is available on Contracts Finder here: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/notice/0a81fac4-1f16-427a-82d2-b4bbc44d9f21?origin=SearchResults&p=1. This evaluation will thoroughly explore the implementation and outcomes of the PINS programme so far, including to what extent the programme may have improved schools’ capability and capacity to support neurodivergent pupils. Interim findings from this evaluation are expected in autumn 2025 and will be published, in accordance with Government Social Research protocol.
Asked by: Baroness Prentis of Banbury (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have held any meetings with the Church of England or the Roman Catholic Church regarding the protection of cathedral schools and their choral traditions.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
Ministers and departmental officials hold regular meetings with both the Church of England and the Roman Catholic Church. The most recent meetings with my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education took place earlier this month. There have been no issues or concerns raised about the protection of Cathedral Schools and their choral traditions.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if her Department will take steps to provide (a) funding and (b) other support to help non-accredited aesthetic training academies to gain OFQUAL recognised status.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department has no role in funding or supporting aesthetic training academies to gain Ofqual recognised status. Instead, this is a matter for training academies and awarding organisations. Ofqual, which is the independent regulator of qualifications in England, publishes guidance on how awarding organisations can apply for recognition for their qualifications, which can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/apply-to-have-your-qualifications-regulated.