Asked by: Baroness Penn (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the per-pupil funding when taking into account increased National Insurance contributions costs and increased eligibility for free school meals in each year of the Spending Review 2025 (CP1336); and what assessment they have made the level of per-pupil funding in those years compared to (1) 2023–24, and (2) 2024–25.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
The department is providing schools with over £930 million in the 2025/26 financial year to support schools with the increases to employer National Insurance contributions from April 2025. This funding will be rolled into the schools national funding formula from 2026/27, ensuring that this additional funding forms an on-going part of schools’ core budgets. Total schools funding will increase by a further £4.2 billion, by the end of the Spending Review period.
Asked by: Baroness Penn (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the National Insurance contributions grant for schools is included in spending and allocations for schools in the future years of the Spending Review 2025 (CP1336).
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
The department is providing mainstream schools and high needs settings with over £930 million to support them with the increases to employer National Insurance contributions (NICs) from April 2025. Payments will be made to local authorities in September 2025 and to academies in October 2025.
The NICs funding will be rolled into the schools national funding formula (NFF) from the 2026/27 financial year to ensure this funding remains a protected part of school budgets.
Asked by: Baroness Penn (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the value of the National Insurance contributions grant for schools, and when will that grant be paid.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
The department is providing mainstream schools and high needs settings with over £930 million to support them with the increases to employer National Insurance contributions (NICs) from April 2025. Payments will be made to local authorities in September 2025 and to academies in October 2025.
The NICs funding will be rolled into the schools national funding formula (NFF) from the 2026/27 financial year to ensure this funding remains a protected part of school budgets.
Asked by: Baroness Penn (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the National Insurance contributions grant for schools will be paid in each year of the Spending Review 2025 (CP1336).
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
The department is providing mainstream schools and high needs settings with over £930 million to support them with the increases to employer National Insurance contributions (NICs) from April 2025. Payments will be made to local authorities in September 2025 and to academies in October 2025.
The NICs funding will be rolled into the schools national funding formula (NFF) from the 2026/27 financial year to ensure this funding remains a protected part of school budgets.
Asked by: Baroness Penn (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch on 12 December 2024 (HL3041), what plans they have to introduce guidance for parents of babies and children under five on screen time and phone use through midwifery, health visiting or GP services.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
Across departments, this government is considering the recommendations of the previous Education Committee’s report ‘Screen Time: Impacts on education and wellbeing’, including the report’s recommendations on guidance for parents.
Asked by: Baroness Penn (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken with teacher training providers to incorporate the latest evidence on mobile phones, social media and mental health into their curricula.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
The mandatory Initial Teacher Training (ITT) Core Content Framework and Early Career Framework have been designed to set out the minimum entitlement of knowledge, skills and experiences that trainees need to enter the profession. This includes requiring all trainees to learn how to contribute positively to the wider school culture and develop a feeling of shared responsibility for improving the lives of all pupils in the school.
The framework is not a curriculum and ITT and Early Career providers, or those schools adopting the school-led approach to deliver the Early Career Teacher Entitlement, must use the framework to create a full curriculum. This includes integrating additional analysis and critique of theory, research, and expert practice as they consider best suited to their curriculum. We recognise that research and evidence is constantly evolving, including evidence on mobile phones, social media and mental health and providers may seek to incorporate this in their curricula.
Decisions relating to teachers’ professional development rest with schools, headteachers and teachers themselves, as they are in the best position to judge the development and training that teachers in their schools need to support their pupils.
Schools are required by law to have a behaviour policy that sets out what is expected of all pupils, including what items are banned from school premises. Additionally, the government’s non-statutory guidance supports schools on how to develop, implement and maintain a policy that prohibits the use of mobile phones throughout the school day. Headteachers are responsible for implementation of guidance within their schools.
Asked by: Baroness Penn (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans Ofsted has to incorporate evidence on mobile phones into its Education Inspection Framework and inspector training.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
This is a matter for His Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Sir Martyn Oliver. I have asked him to write to the noble Lady directly and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Asked by: Baroness Penn (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect to publish the next iteration of the National Behaviour Survey.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
The National Behaviour Survey annual report for the 2023/24 academic year is expected to be published in spring 2025.