Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham Edgbaston)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate has she made of the number of children who will be eligible for Free School Meals under the plans to expand eligibility in (a) Birmingham Edgbaston constituency, (b) Birmingham and (c) the West Midlands.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
This government is committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity and tackling child poverty. We have now announced that we are extending free school meals 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.
Providing over half a million children from the most disadvantaged backgrounds with a free, nutritious lunchtime meal every school day will also lead to higher attainment, improved behaviour and better outcomes, meaning children get the best possible education and chance to succeed in work and life.
We have published data on the number of children who could benefit from expanded provision by constituency/region/local authority here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/free-school-meals-expansion-impact-on-poverty-levels.
Asked by: Perran Moon (Labour - Camborne and Redruth)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans her Department has to help (a) raise the profile and (b) increase levels of use of the Best Start digital service.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The Best Start digital service is still in the early stages of development. The department is currently exploring how best to design, position and deliver the service to meet the needs of parents and families. As this work progresses, we will consider how to raise its profile and encourage take-up as part of the wider implementation approach.
Asked by: Rosie Duffield (Independent - Canterbury)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the level of equity of access for children to healthcare checks in independent schools in the UK.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Access to healthcare services is based on the clinical needs of the individual. The type of school a child attends does not affect their eligibility for access to NHS healthcare services. Parents or carers with concerns about their child’s health can speak to their GP who can make a referral to the relevant healthcare services. The NHS will consider referrals based on clinical need.
It remains the case that the NHS is free at the point of use and provides care to anyone who needs it.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to reduce the gap between the lowest and highest achievers in GCSE maths performance.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
High and rising standards across education, from early years to adulthood, are the key to unlocking stronger outcomes and a better future for children and young people. Our new regional improvement for standards and excellence (RISE) teams are now working closely with schools, including Maths Hubs to sharing best practice and put in place targeted plans to drive-up performance in schools needing extra support.
The department funded, school-led network of Maths Hubs across both primary and secondary schools, focusses on reducing attainment gaps by providing school-to-school support with mathematics subject knowledge and pedagogy training for teachers. In addition, the department funds the Maths Champions programme working with early years settings to boost young children’s basic number skills, and the Advanced Mathematics Support Programme supporting disadvantaged students with an aptitude for mathematics to go on to further study.
The government has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, covering ages 5 to 18, chaired by Professor Becky Francis CBE. The Review is closely examining the key challenges to attainment for young people and the barriers which hold children back from the opportunities and life chances they deserve, to help us ensure high standards for all. The Review’s interim report, published in March, recognised the need for the curriculum to respond to social and technological change, including to consider what opportunities might be offered around the rise of artificial intelligence and trends in digital information demand.
Please note that in the context of international standings in PISA tests, this response extends only to England as education is a devolved matter.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to improve the UK’s PISA mathematics performance.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
High and rising standards across education, from early years to adulthood, are the key to unlocking stronger outcomes and a better future for children and young people. Our new regional improvement for standards and excellence (RISE) teams are now working closely with schools, including Maths Hubs to sharing best practice and put in place targeted plans to drive-up performance in schools needing extra support.
The department funded, school-led network of Maths Hubs across both primary and secondary schools, focusses on reducing attainment gaps by providing school-to-school support with mathematics subject knowledge and pedagogy training for teachers. In addition, the department funds the Maths Champions programme working with early years settings to boost young children’s basic number skills, and the Advanced Mathematics Support Programme supporting disadvantaged students with an aptitude for mathematics to go on to further study.
The government has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, covering ages 5 to 18, chaired by Professor Becky Francis CBE. The Review is closely examining the key challenges to attainment for young people and the barriers which hold children back from the opportunities and life chances they deserve, to help us ensure high standards for all. The Review’s interim report, published in March, recognised the need for the curriculum to respond to social and technological change, including to consider what opportunities might be offered around the rise of artificial intelligence and trends in digital information demand.
Please note that in the context of international standings in PISA tests, this response extends only to England as education is a devolved matter.
Asked by: Chris Ward (Labour - Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to reduce educational inequalities in (a) the South East and (b) nationally.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
All children and young people should have every opportunity to succeed, no matter where they are from. However, we know educational inequalities exist across the country. This is not acceptable in the South East or nationally.
The department is tackling inequalities in the system head-on through our plan for change. From September we will be rolling out 30 hours of funded childcare for working parents, saving eligible parents using their full entitlement an average of £7,500 a year. We are also rolling out free breakfast clubs in every state-funded primary school, expanding free school meals to all children on Universal Credit and have delivered the largest ever uplift to early years pupil premium.
We are recruiting an additional 6,500 expert teachers in our schools and colleges and are making good progress, with over 2,000 more teachers in our secondary and special schools.
The department will spend close to £1.5 billion over the next three years on improving family services and early years education to begin the hard work needed.
We will fund Best Start Family Hubs in every local authority to ensure that children and families who need support the most, especially those from low-income backgrounds or with additional vulnerabilities, can access it. These hubs will be open to all families but will be located in disadvantaged communities where support is most needed, ensuring services are both inclusive and targeted.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that Shropshire Council has the resources to provide timely access to education, health and care plans.
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 succeed in their education and as they move into adult life.
The government confirmed a substantial increase in high needs funding in 2025/26, this includes almost £1 billion which is intended to help local authorities in meeting the costs associated with supporting those children and young people with education, health and care plans. A further £740 million has been made available for councils to create more specialist places in mainstream schools, paving the way for significant, long-term reform.
The final Local Government Finance Settlement for 2025/26 makes available over £69 billion for local government, which is a 6.8% cash terms increase on 2024/2025. For Shropshire Council, the final Settlement represents an increase in Core Spending Power of up to 3.8%, making available a total of up to £353.2 million in 2025/26.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to improve training for teachers (a) in the early identification of dyslexia and (b) to ensure minimum standards of SEND support are in place across all primary schools.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
I refer the hon. Member for Farnham and Bordon to the answer of 1 August 2025 to Question 61402.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of introducing mandatory screening for (a) dyslexia and (b) other forms of neurodivergence in primary schools on (i) early identification and (ii) support.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
I refer the hon. Member for Farnham and Bordon to the answer of 1 August 2025 to Question 61402.
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Oral Statement of 7 July 2025 on Giving Every Child the Best Start in Life, Official Report, column 680, what steps she plans to take to help support (a) babies and (b) parents in each of the years of the 2025 Spending Review Period.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department’s strategy, ‘Giving every child the best start in life’ set out that we will spend close to £1.5 billion over the next three years on improving family services and early years education.
Over the next three years, the department will provide over half a billion pounds of investment in the Best Start Family Service to bring together parenting, healthcare and education support services to ensure all babies, children and families have access to the early intervention and support they need.
The department is making big investments in early education and childcare. Government spending on funded hours will reach £9 billion next year and will continue to rise over Parliament. And we are setting aside £400 million over the next three years to improve quality in early years settings and reception classes and drive better outcomes for children.