Asked by: Lord Storey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what action they are taking to ensure that students in Gaza who have been offered a scholarship to study in UK universities are able to do so.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
On 24 June 2026, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs announced in a Written Ministerial Statement (Statement UIN HCWS144) that the government will provide support to enable eligible students in Gaza to depart and take up their places at UK universities for the 2026/27 academic year.
Asked by: Lord Storey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what has been the drop out rate of student teachers from Teach First for each of the last five years.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Data provided in this response is specifically in relation to the High Potential Initial Teacher Training programme (HPITT) delivered by Teach First.
The table below shows the total student teachers recruited to the HPITT programme in each of the last five cohorts.
Cohort Year | Total trainees on HPITT programme. |
2021 | 1,518 |
2022 | 1,394 |
2023 | 1,334 |
2024 | 1,415 |
2025 | 1,434 |
The table below shows the percentage of trainees who completed the two year programme and overall dropout rate. For cohorts 2024/2025, we have provided our current performance data (correct at 31 May 2026) with actuals due to be confirmed at milestone points in the future.
Cohort Year | Total trainees in cohort | % of trainees completing the two-year programme | % drop out rate from programme |
2021 | 1,518 | 82% | 18% |
2022 | 1,394 | 75% | 25% |
2023 | 1,334 | 78% | 22% |
2024 | 1,415 | 79% (TBC - due August 26) | 21% (TBC) |
2025* | 1,434 | 91% (TBC - due August 27) | TBC |
Data for the 2025 cohort is based on the current withdrawal rates in year 1 of the program as provided by Teach First.
The table below shows the spending for the last five financial years on the HPITT programme (ex VAT).
Financial year | Total cost in financial year |
21/22 | £37,506,990 |
22/23 | £25,696,327 |
23/24 | £21,057,427 |
24/25 | £22,172,463 |
25/26 | £22,981,020 |
This data is reported monthly by the department via a transaction report. We have provided a total of 12 months of financial data together within the table for each financial year. Individual reports are available on GOV.UK.
Asked by: Lord Storey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many student teachers were recruited to Teach First in each of the last five years.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Data provided in this response is specifically in relation to the High Potential Initial Teacher Training programme (HPITT) delivered by Teach First.
The table below shows the total student teachers recruited to the HPITT programme in each of the last five cohorts.
Cohort Year | Total trainees on HPITT programme. |
2021 | 1,518 |
2022 | 1,394 |
2023 | 1,334 |
2024 | 1,415 |
2025 | 1,434 |
The table below shows the percentage of trainees who completed the two year programme and overall dropout rate. For cohorts 2024/2025, we have provided our current performance data (correct at 31 May 2026) with actuals due to be confirmed at milestone points in the future.
Cohort Year | Total trainees in cohort | % of trainees completing the two-year programme | % drop out rate from programme |
2021 | 1,518 | 82% | 18% |
2022 | 1,394 | 75% | 25% |
2023 | 1,334 | 78% | 22% |
2024 | 1,415 | 79% (TBC - due August 26) | 21% (TBC) |
2025* | 1,434 | 91% (TBC - due August 27) | TBC |
Data for the 2025 cohort is based on the current withdrawal rates in year 1 of the program as provided by Teach First.
The table below shows the spending for the last five financial years on the HPITT programme (ex VAT).
Financial year | Total cost in financial year |
21/22 | £37,506,990 |
22/23 | £25,696,327 |
23/24 | £21,057,427 |
24/25 | £22,172,463 |
25/26 | £22,981,020 |
This data is reported monthly by the department via a transaction report. We have provided a total of 12 months of financial data together within the table for each financial year. Individual reports are available on GOV.UK.
Asked by: Lord Storey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what has been the total cost of Teach First for each of the last five years.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Data provided in this response is specifically in relation to the High Potential Initial Teacher Training programme (HPITT) delivered by Teach First.
The table below shows the total student teachers recruited to the HPITT programme in each of the last five cohorts.
Cohort Year | Total trainees on HPITT programme. |
2021 | 1,518 |
2022 | 1,394 |
2023 | 1,334 |
2024 | 1,415 |
2025 | 1,434 |
The table below shows the percentage of trainees who completed the two year programme and overall dropout rate. For cohorts 2024/2025, we have provided our current performance data (correct at 31 May 2026) with actuals due to be confirmed at milestone points in the future.
Cohort Year | Total trainees in cohort | % of trainees completing the two-year programme | % drop out rate from programme |
2021 | 1,518 | 82% | 18% |
2022 | 1,394 | 75% | 25% |
2023 | 1,334 | 78% | 22% |
2024 | 1,415 | 79% (TBC - due August 26) | 21% (TBC) |
2025* | 1,434 | 91% (TBC - due August 27) | TBC |
Data for the 2025 cohort is based on the current withdrawal rates in year 1 of the program as provided by Teach First.
The table below shows the spending for the last five financial years on the HPITT programme (ex VAT).
Financial year | Total cost in financial year |
21/22 | £37,506,990 |
22/23 | £25,696,327 |
23/24 | £21,057,427 |
24/25 | £22,172,463 |
25/26 | £22,981,020 |
This data is reported monthly by the department via a transaction report. We have provided a total of 12 months of financial data together within the table for each financial year. Individual reports are available on GOV.UK.
Asked by: Lord Storey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government following the ruling of the High Court on 24 February in relation to Oak National Academy, whether the Minister will meet the unions, publishers and educational suppliers to understand their concerns.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Ministers regularly meet and engage with a range of stakeholders to discuss and seek views on the curriculum and how best to support schools, teachers and pupils.
We will set out Oak National Academy’s remit and funding for the coming year in a published letter to the Chair of the Oak Board in due course. I cannot comment on the Judicial Review of Oak, which is ongoing.
Asked by: Lord Storey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government following the ruling of the High Court on 24 February in relation to Oak National Academy, whether the Government will commit to greater transparency about Oak’s future funding and scope.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Ministers regularly meet and engage with a range of stakeholders to discuss and seek views on the curriculum and how best to support schools, teachers and pupils.
We will set out Oak National Academy’s remit and funding for the coming year in a published letter to the Chair of the Oak Board in due course. I cannot comment on the Judicial Review of Oak, which is ongoing.
Asked by: Lord Storey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what data they collect about educational attainment outcomes of children with dyslexia and other literacy challenges in key stage 1 phonics screening.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The information requested is not held centrally. The department holds information on pupils’ special educational needs and their attainment by 14 types of primary need. Dyslexia is usually included in the wider category of primary need ‘specific learning difficulty’. In 2025, 33% of pupils with ‘specific learning difficulty’ recorded as their primary need met the expected standard in the phonics screening check in year 1. The English Hubs programme is dedicated to improving the teaching of reading, with a focus on supporting children making the slowest progress. Reading Ambition for All is a continuous professional development programme to support schools help struggling readers, delivered by our 34 English Hubs, reaching more than 600 schools this academic year.
Asked by: Lord Storey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many schools have mental health support teams.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
9,986 out of 24,149 (41%) schools in England were supported by an NHS-funded Mental Health Support Team (MHST) in March 2025. This data on the coverage of MHSTs in England in 2024/25 can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/transforming-children-and-young-peoples-mental-health-provision. This has been available since 16 May 2025 at national, regional and local authority level and since 10 July 2025 at constituency level. Around six in ten pupils nationally are expected to have access to an MHST by March 2026, and we will accelerate the roll out to reach full national coverage by 2029.
Data on MHST coverage is collected annually, as part of the government's commitment to expand MHSTs to every school, so every child and young person has access to early support to address problems before they escalate.
Asked by: Lord Storey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what are the names of the further education providers who have been subject to a concluded financial investigation since 2017; when each of those investigations was opened; what was the nature of the concerns raised in each investigation; and when each investigation concluded.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The department holds the data to enable a response to this question. However, putting into the public domain the details of all providers who have been subject to investigations over the previous 8+ years has the potential to harm the department’s relationships with providers, and could result in the effective conduct of public affairs being compromised. Similarly, release of this information without consultation could be prejudicial to the commercial interests of further education providers.
The department does have a policy in relation to the publication of reports relating to its investigations, in that we now publish reports for completed investigations which began in or after December 2023. This policy can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/efa-investigation-publishing-policy/efa-investigation-publishing-policy.
Prior to December 2023, there are commercial issues with releasing information in respect of providers subject to investigations. This government has recently updated the House on action taken.
Asked by: Lord Storey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the importance of the adoption and special guardianship support fund.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
This government fully recognises the importance of support for adoptive and kinship children and families. The Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF) has been a valuable part of the support landscape for ten years. This is why we have provided £50 million of funding for the ASGSF for 2025/26, alongside £8.8 million for Adoption England, to complement the range of support available in local areas.