Asked by: Baroness Wolf of Dulwich (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many private schools closed in England in (1) 2024 and (2) 2025; and in each year, how many of them were special education schools.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
In 2024 there were 2,458 private schools in England, of which 804 were special schools.
During 2024, 58 private schools closed, of which 18 were special schools.
Between 1 January and 15 October 2025, 60 private schools have closed, of which 6 were special schools.
The table below shows the special schools that closed in England in 2024. Of these, 9 schools closed on or before 4 July 2024, and 9 schools closed on or after 5 July 2024:
School Name | Region |
Ashcroft School | North West |
Sheiling School | South West |
Values Academy | West Midlands |
Wings School | Cumbria |
The Meadows | East Midlands |
Values Academy | West Midlands |
R.E.A.L Independent Schools Blidworth | East Midlands |
Manorway Independent School | South East |
Glebe House | East Anglia |
Buzz Learning Independent Specialist School | North East |
Argyll House | East Anglia |
R.E.A.L Independent Schools Ilkeston | East Midlands |
Summit School | West Midlands |
The Copper Academy | South West |
Starbold Farm Outdoor Learning Centre | West Midlands |
Sunflower Meadow Farm School | West Midlands |
Odyssey House School - Wokingham | South East |
Redbourn Park Secondary School | South East |
The following special schools closed in England in 2025:
School Name | Region |
Greater Manchester Alternative Provision | North West |
Cornfields School | South East |
Belle Vue School | South East |
Blooming Tree Primary School | Greater London |
Endeavour House School | West Yorkshire |
Skylarks School | South East |
Children whose place in a private school has been deemed necessary by a local authority will not be affected by tax changes. If an education, health and care plan names a private school, the local authority must fund that place. Where this is the case, local authorities will be able to reclaim the VAT on the fees from HMRC via the Section 33 VAT refund scheme.
Asked by: Baroness Wolf of Dulwich (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government which private special education schools closed in England in (1) 2024, and (2) 2025; and in which region were they located.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
In 2024 there were 2,458 private schools in England, of which 804 were special schools.
During 2024, 58 private schools closed, of which 18 were special schools.
Between 1 January and 15 October 2025, 60 private schools have closed, of which 6 were special schools.
The table below shows the special schools that closed in England in 2024. Of these, 9 schools closed on or before 4 July 2024, and 9 schools closed on or after 5 July 2024:
School Name | Region |
Ashcroft School | North West |
Sheiling School | South West |
Values Academy | West Midlands |
Wings School | Cumbria |
The Meadows | East Midlands |
Values Academy | West Midlands |
R.E.A.L Independent Schools Blidworth | East Midlands |
Manorway Independent School | South East |
Glebe House | East Anglia |
Buzz Learning Independent Specialist School | North East |
Argyll House | East Anglia |
R.E.A.L Independent Schools Ilkeston | East Midlands |
Summit School | West Midlands |
The Copper Academy | South West |
Starbold Farm Outdoor Learning Centre | West Midlands |
Sunflower Meadow Farm School | West Midlands |
Odyssey House School - Wokingham | South East |
Redbourn Park Secondary School | South East |
The following special schools closed in England in 2025:
School Name | Region |
Greater Manchester Alternative Provision | North West |
Cornfields School | South East |
Belle Vue School | South East |
Blooming Tree Primary School | Greater London |
Endeavour House School | West Yorkshire |
Skylarks School | South East |
Children whose place in a private school has been deemed necessary by a local authority will not be affected by tax changes. If an education, health and care plan names a private school, the local authority must fund that place. Where this is the case, local authorities will be able to reclaim the VAT on the fees from HMRC via the Section 33 VAT refund scheme.
Asked by: Baroness Wolf of Dulwich (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many private schools there were in England in 2024; and how many of them were special education schools.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
In 2024 there were 2,458 private schools in England, of which 804 were special schools.
During 2024, 58 private schools closed, of which 18 were special schools.
Between 1 January and 15 October 2025, 60 private schools have closed, of which 6 were special schools.
The table below shows the special schools that closed in England in 2024. Of these, 9 schools closed on or before 4 July 2024, and 9 schools closed on or after 5 July 2024:
School Name | Region |
Ashcroft School | North West |
Sheiling School | South West |
Values Academy | West Midlands |
Wings School | Cumbria |
The Meadows | East Midlands |
Values Academy | West Midlands |
R.E.A.L Independent Schools Blidworth | East Midlands |
Manorway Independent School | South East |
Glebe House | East Anglia |
Buzz Learning Independent Specialist School | North East |
Argyll House | East Anglia |
R.E.A.L Independent Schools Ilkeston | East Midlands |
Summit School | West Midlands |
The Copper Academy | South West |
Starbold Farm Outdoor Learning Centre | West Midlands |
Sunflower Meadow Farm School | West Midlands |
Odyssey House School - Wokingham | South East |
Redbourn Park Secondary School | South East |
The following special schools closed in England in 2025:
School Name | Region |
Greater Manchester Alternative Provision | North West |
Cornfields School | South East |
Belle Vue School | South East |
Blooming Tree Primary School | Greater London |
Endeavour House School | West Yorkshire |
Skylarks School | South East |
Children whose place in a private school has been deemed necessary by a local authority will not be affected by tax changes. If an education, health and care plan names a private school, the local authority must fund that place. Where this is the case, local authorities will be able to reclaim the VAT on the fees from HMRC via the Section 33 VAT refund scheme.
Asked by: Baroness Wolf of Dulwich (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many civil servants were employed by the Department for Education in (1) 2011, (2) 2016, (3) 2021, and (4) 2024.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Data on the number of civil servants employed by the Department for Education (including its executive agencies), as at 31 March, are available in the published Civil Service Statistics in Table 20 of the respective statistical releases for 2011, 2016, 2021, and 2024. These statistics are published by the Cabinet Office and can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/civil-service-statistics.
Data by year requested is available below (numbers are rounded to the nearest 10):
The role of the department has changed over this period. The increase in headcount reflects organisational growth, such as the transfer of the higher and further education briefs to the department in 2016, the creation of the Education and Skills Funding Agency in 2017, and the expansion of delivery responsibilities in areas including academies, skills and further education.
Asked by: Baroness Wolf of Dulwich (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many people were enrolled on courses leading to Higher Technical Qualifications in the academic years 2023–4 and 2024–5.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
As of September 2025, there were 281 qualifications approved as Higher Technical Qualifications (HTQs). These encompass thirteen occupational routes:
The list of approved qualifications is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/approved-higher-technical-qualifications.
In the 2023/24 academic year, the second year of the HTQ rollout, the department estimates that 4,370 students were enrolled on HTQs based on data from the Higher Education Statistics Agency and Individualised Learner Record student records.
Data covering participation and completion rates for HTQs in the 2024/25 academic year is not currently available.
Asked by: Baroness Wolf of Dulwich (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many qualifications are currently approved as Higher Technical Qualifications.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
As of September 2025, there were 281 qualifications approved as Higher Technical Qualifications (HTQs). These encompass thirteen occupational routes:
The list of approved qualifications is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/approved-higher-technical-qualifications.
In the 2023/24 academic year, the second year of the HTQ rollout, the department estimates that 4,370 students were enrolled on HTQs based on data from the Higher Education Statistics Agency and Individualised Learner Record student records.
Data covering participation and completion rates for HTQs in the 2024/25 academic year is not currently available.
Asked by: Baroness Wolf of Dulwich (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the procedures required for recognition as a Higher Technical Qualification have been changed, or are in line to be changed, as a result of (1) the creation of Skills England and the abolition of the Institute for Apprenticeship and Technical Education, and (2) the transfer of Skills England to the Department for Work and Pensions.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Following its creation, Skills England continues to accept Higher Technical Qualification (HTQ) applications on a rolling basis. This function moved with Skills England when it transferred to be an executive agency of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).
Asked by: Baroness Wolf of Dulwich (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many people were employed by the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel in total in (1) 2015, and (2) 2025; and how many of those people were employed as (a) counsel, and (b) support staff, in each of those years.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The number of staff broken down by grade in the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel is provided in the table below for both 2015 and 2025.
Grade | 2015 Headcount | 2025 Headcount |
Permanent Secretary | 1 | 1 |
Parliamentary Counsel Grades | 44 | 46 |
Delegated Civil Servant Grades | 13 | 7 |
Asked by: Baroness Wolf of Dulwich (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Smith of Malvern (HL8283), what assessment they have made of whether clause 46 of the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill, which refers to school teachers' qualifications and induction, applies to 16–19 academies.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Qualified teacher status (QTS) has never been a requirement for further education (FE) settings. QTS is the professional qualification for teachers in primary and secondary schools, therefore the requirement established through clause 46 of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill will apply to primary and secondary state funded schools in England, with some limited exemptions set out in regulations.
High quality teacher training qualifications are available that are specifically targeted to those wishing to teach in FE settings.
The government has liaised extensively with stakeholders from a range of settings to ensure that the exemptions to the requirement for QTS set out in regulations will continue to provide them with the flexibility to employ individuals with the specialist skills and experience to support the needs of their pupils.
Asked by: Baroness Wolf of Dulwich (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether a sixth form college that has moved to academy status will be covered by the provisions in the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Children’s Wellbeing and School Bill will provide a core guarantee of quality education in every school. It will create a floor but no ceiling, enabling healthy competition and innovation beyond a core framework to bring all schools to the level of the very best.
16 to 19 academies are principally concerned with the education of young people above compulsory school age and below the age of 19. They are defined separately to academy schools under the Academies Act 2010 and operate within a policy, financial and operational framework that reflects the type of education that they provide. In keeping with the existing regulatory approach, 16 to 19 academies, including those that were previously sixth-Form colleges, remain out of scope of most of the measures in the Bill that will apply to schools, including academy schools. Under clause 36 of the Bill, 16 to 19 academies remain outside of the scope of Chapter 1 of Part 4 of the Education and Skills Act 2008, which is the main regulatory framework for independent schools, including academy schools.
Clause 49, which introduces a power to secure the performance of an academy proprietor’s duties, will apply to 16 to 19 academies, as well as academy schools. Robust accountability mechanisms play a critical role in the school system by setting clear requirements and expectations, encouraging behaviours that put children first, help them to achieve and thrive, and keep them safe.
This measure will allow my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education to direct any academy trust to comply with their legal duties and address unreasonable actions in a way that is more proportionate than the current intervention regime provided through academy funding agreements.