Asked by: Baroness Caine of Kentish Town (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many state-funded secondary schools in England offer (1) GCSE Film Studies, (2) A level Film Studies, (3) GCSE Media Studies, and (4) A level Media Studies; how many independent schools offer each of these qualifications; and whether they will publish this information annually by region as part of the national dataset on subject provision in schools.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The number of schools with entries in the two subjects requested are provided below. The department does not hold data on the subjects that institutions offer.
Number of schools with GCSE and A level entries in Film Studies and Media/Film/TV Studies in 2024/25, by school type:
| State-funded schools | Independent schools |
GCSE Film Studies | 276 | 37 |
GCSE Media / Film / TV Studies | 803 | 40 |
A level Film Studies | 391 | 40 |
A level Media / Film / TV Studies | 746 | 29 |
Media Studies is referred to in the department’s attainment data ‘Media/Film/TV Studies’ and is a separate qualification to ‘Film Studies’.
Asked by: Baroness Caine of Kentish Town (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend that T-levels and V-levels will not be developed for specific occupational areas where existing qualifications are delivering effectively; if so, which existing qualifications they assess are delivering effectively; and what criteria have been used to inform that assessment.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Every student entering post-16 education will have a clear choice of high-quality pathways. At level 3, this will be between A Levels, V Levels and T Levels.
V Levels are our new flagship vocational qualification and will be the option for students who wish to explore a range of sectors without specialising.
T Levels are already showing good progression outcomes, and we know the courses are valued for their industry placements and rigour. T Levels will be the only large qualification for students who want a sector-focused post-16 choice.
There will be no removal of public funding approval for 16 to 19 qualifications for 2026/27. Removal of public funding approval will take place from 2027/28 for qualifications in T Level areas and are 1,080 guided learning hours or larger. Further information on timelines for specific subjects are set out in the implementation plan, available on GOV.UK.
The implementation plan also includes an updated list of subject areas we are considering for 2029 and 2030. Subjects for these years will be confirmed following further subject testing and scoping of occupational standards.
Asked by: Baroness Caine of Kentish Town (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of level 3 qualification reform on participation in creative education among under-represented young people, including the potential impact on the number of young people who are not in education, employment or training.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The department’s qualification reforms aim to widen participation through clearer pathways, including new V Levels, the expansion of T Levels, and clearer level 2 routes through Occupational and Further Study Pathways.
We intend to develop V Levels in creative sectors for first teaching in 2030/31, and content will be consulted on before it is confirmed.
We are conducting exploratory work on content for potential creative T Levels, which includes extensive engagement with employers, providers and higher education institutions, as well as testing potential delivery models to support the sector.
We have already announced reforms to the delivery of industry placements, allowing for greater provider responsibility for determining appropriate delivery methods which should facilitate placements in creative settings
When designing the new pathways, we will consider learners who have special educational needs and disabilities, at risk of being not in employment, education or training, or who face other barriers to education to ensure that V Levels and level 2 routes are inclusive by design.
These changes aim to improve accessibility and participation, particularly for underrepresented groups.
Asked by: Baroness Caine of Kentish Town (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government how much they collected through the Apprenticeship Levy in financial years (1) 2024-25, and (2) 2025-26; and how much in each of those years was subsequently allocated towards investment in apprenticeship delivery.
Answered by Lord Livermore
Apprenticeship receipts in 2024-25 were £4,100 million. Full year figures for 2025-26 will not be available until the end of the 2025-26 tax year.
The apprenticeship budget funds all apprenticeship training in England, covering both existing and new apprenticeships, across all employers. The English apprenticeship budget in the 2024-25 financial year was £2,769 million. This increased to £3,075 million in the 2025-26 financial year at mains estimates, any further updates will be reflected at supplementary estimates. As announced by the Prime Minister in September, responsibility for apprenticeships has now transferred to the Department for Work and Pensions, and from 2026‑27 apprenticeships funding will be part of its budget.
While the Apprenticeship Levy is UK-wide, apprenticeship policy and spending are devolved. This means the devolved governments receive Barnett consequentials on apprenticeship spending in England through the Barnett formula. It is for the devolved governments to allocate their funding in devolved areas as they see fit, including investment in their own skills programmes, and they are accountable to their respective legislatures for those decisions.
Asked by: Baroness Caine of Kentish Town (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government which of the priority growth sectors in the Modern Industrial Strategy 2025 they have agreed sector skills plans with; and how much public investment has been committed to each priority growth sector over what period of time.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
We are developing, with industry, sector Jobs Plans for all growth-driving sectors identified by the Industrial Strategy, as well as construction. These plans will build on the Industrial Strategy Sector Plans and provide a clear direction of travel for government and industry to develop the domestic workforce together. The first of these plans to be published was the Clean Energy Jobs plan.
Firms in the eight Industrial Strategy sectors receive a wide range of investment, including via a range of sector-targeted programmes and the Public Financial Institutions, such as the British Business Bank (including £4 billion of capital specifically for the Industrial Strategy sectors), UK Export Finance and the National Wealth Fund. They are also supported by wider public investment into other policy interventions, such as skills. As part of the government's investment in skills across this Parliament, in addition to £1.2 billion of additional investment in skills per year by 2028-29, we have committed to sector skills packages including £187 million for digital skills and artificial intelligence learning; £182 million for engineering skills and £182 million to boost the defence talent pipeline.
Asked by: Baroness Caine of Kentish Town (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made on developing a sector skills plan for the creative industries.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
In the Creative Industries Sector Plan, published in June 2025, the government outlined our ambition to build a resilient, skilled workforce fit for the future. As part of this, we set out to develop a high quality and responsive education, skills and training offer, meeting the sector’s workforce requirements, and develop a long-term government and business partnership to support all stages of the skills pipeline. This includes delivering greater flexibility for employers and learners via the new growth and skills offer; working with industry to support sector training pathways through a DCMS and Skills England led Creative Sector Skills Forum; and delivering a refreshed UK-wide £9 million creative careers service.
To build on this, we are developing sector Jobs Plans with industry for all growth-driving sectors identified by the Industrial Strategy. This will be published later this year.
Asked by: Baroness Caine of Kentish Town (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to develop new qualifications to align with the needs of The UK's Modern Industrial Strategy, published on 23 June.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Skills England will help ensure there is a comprehensive suite of apprenticeships, training and technical qualifications for individuals and employers to access. It will focus on the industrial strategy priority growth sectors to ensure we have the highly trained workforce needed to deliver the industrial strategy.
This government is transforming the apprenticeships offer into a new growth and skills offer, which will give greater flexibility to employers and learners and increase access to talent across the eight industrial strategy sectors. We will continue to roll out shorter duration and foundation apprenticeships to give more people across the country the opportunity to learn and earn in industrial strategy sectors. We will also introduce short courses, funded through the growth and skills levy, which will support industrial strategy sectors starting from April 2026.
Post-16 qualifications are being reformed to offer high-quality options aligned with economic needs. From August 2025, 140 reformed qualifications at levels 2 and 3 will be available, with more level 3 qualifications launching in August 2026. These include areas such as digital, health, and science, aligned with occupational standards and new funding criteria to meet the needs of both learners and employers.
Asked by: Baroness Caine of Kentish Town (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to give the role of the creative freelance champion, announced in the Creative Industries Sector Plan, published on 23 June, to a relevant minister or an external appointee.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The appointment process is still to be determined, though we plan for the role to go to an external appointee, not a minister. We will work with industry to develop Terms of Reference.
The Freelance Champion will be a role appointed by DCMS which will give freelancers a voice within government. We envisage that the role will help represent the interests of creative freelancers in areas such as the development of the Plan to Make Work Pay, the Small Business Commissioner, the Fair Work Agency, and the Department for Business and Trade’s Small Business Growth Forum.