Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of ensuring free school meals provide (a) sustainable, (b) nutritious and (c) locally sourced food.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The action we are taking to extend free school meals to all children from households in receipt of Universal Credit will ensure that over 500,000 additional children will receive a free and nutritious lunchtime meal, pulling 100,000 children out of poverty.
We are consulting on proposed updates to the School Food Standards in England to ensure that all food served at school, including at breakfast and lunch, better reflects current nutritional guidance and support children’s health, wellbeing and learning. Details of this consultation are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/school-food-standards-updating-the-legislative-framework We will consider guidance for the new standards in due course.
The government remains committed to our ambition that half of all food served in public settings is either locally sourced or certified to higher environmental standards and we are open to considering all lawful means of achieving this. We are working closely with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs as they develop the Good Food Cycle vision.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help ensure the introduction of T Levels promote gender equality in access to the technical sector.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Over 85,000 students have enrolled on a T Level since their launch in 2020. in the 2024/25 academic year, T Level entrants were almost evenly split between male and female learners. This represents a more balanced intake than either of the previous two academic years, where male learners made up slightly more than half of all entrants. Entrant data for the 2025/26 academic year can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/t-level-and-t-level-foundation-year-entrant-data-2025-to-2026/t-level-and-t-level-foundation-year-entrant-data-2025-to-2026.
To challenge gender stereotypes which may hold young people back from applying, the department showcases a range of student case studies in our communications, for example females studying construction and males studying health. In addition, our 1,200-member-strong T Level Ambassador Network use their influence and personal experience to inspire employers and young people to explore the opportunities offered by T Levels and technical education.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of geographic inequalities in access to a range of V and T Levels.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
There are 21 T Levels available across England, delivered by over 320 providers. Further subjects are being introduced from 2028, and the first rollout of V Levels will be in 2027. We have published a transition document for providers to move to the new system- supporting access to the full suite of reformed qualifications across the country. This document can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/post-16-level-3-and-below-pathways/outcome/transition-plan-to-the-reformed-16-to-19-qualifications-landscape.
We recognise the challenges of T Level delivery in some areas, particularly around accessing industry placements in rural locations. We provide a contracted offer to support employers to engage with and offer placements and a ‘Connect’ service to help providers and employers to connect locally. We are also making further changes to support students in rural locations where travelling to placements can be more difficult, including greater provision for remote placements.
In addition, the 1,200-member-strong T Level Ambassador Network published regional plans in February 2026, using evidence to better target engagement activity across the North, Midlands and South.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to reduce girls’ school absence rates in (a) Yeovil constituency, (b) Somerset and (c) England.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The 'Working together to improve school attendance' statutory guidance supports the attendance of all children and requires schools and wider services to take a ‘support first’ approach to understand the nature of the individual barriers facing a child’s attendance and put in place appropriate support.
Schools are supported with real-time data and practical toolkits to diagnose drivers of absence, including bespoke attendance targets. Our attendance mentoring programme provides one-to-one support for persistently absent children, both in Somerset and more widely. The national regional improvement for standards and excellence attendance and behaviour hubs support over 3,500 schools with practical advice for improving attendance practice.
Attendance is also supported by wider investment, including rolling out free breakfast clubs in all primary schools and expanding access to specialist mental health professionals in every school.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the introduction of V and T Levels on Teaching Staff on Yeovil constituency.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
On 10 March, the government published its response to the consultation on post-16 level 3 and below pathways, which set out the introduction of V Levels and changes to T Levels. These reforms represent generational changes to our vocational education system and will bring vocational and technical education on a par with academic education.
The department is working closely with the sector on the rollout of these qualifications over the four-year reform period, and the implications for the 16 to 19 teacher workforce. To support the sector to transition, we will not remove public funding approval for unreformed qualifications in 2026/27, as previously planned, giving more time for the sector to prepare for delivery. More detail on support to deliver reformed qualifications will be set out in the implementation plan, which will be published by June 2026.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure young carers with neurodiverse learning needs are able to access additional support at school.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Every child deserves a high quality, inclusive education establishment in their community, including young carers with neurodiverse learning needs.
We have now announced plans to reform the special educational needs and disabilities system, with further information available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/every-child-achieving-and-thriving.
The department will introduce a new universal offer, ensuring all children receive the right support in mainstream schools. For all those with additional needs there will be layers of targeted support that remove barriers to learning, with schools working alongside parents and local partnerships.
Regional improvements for standards and excellence has made a universal offer to equip mainstream schools with the expertise, evidence and networks they need to embed consistently high quality, inclusive practice and improve outcomes for every child, including young carers. Ofsted’s renewed inspection framework, introduced in November 2025, focuses explicitly on inclusion and their inspection toolkit is clear that inspectors will consider the impact of a school’s work to improve the attendance, behaviour, inclusive personal development and wellbeing of young carers.
Furthermore, this government is preparing a cross-government action plan for unpaid carers of all ages which it plans to publish later this year. This will include actions to strengthen the support that is provided to young carers.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to improve access to Portage services.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
On 23 February, the government published its ‘Every Child Achieving and Thriving’ White Paper where we announced new investment of over £200 million over three years to strengthen the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) offer in Best Start Family Hubs. This includes funding for a family-facing practitioner in every hub to support children with additional needs and their families from the earliest stages.
Our reforms to the SEND system will give families a more joined up local offer, with Best Start Family Hubs, early years settings, local authorities and health partners working together to ensure children with SEND and their families get the support they need. Portage services play an important role in supporting children with additional needs and Best Start Family Hubs will join up local services and build capacity through partnership working in every community.
Best Start Family Hubs guidance was published on 30 March and is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/every-child-achieving-and-thriving.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to make enrichment activities, including residential trips, (a) affordable and (b) accessible for children on free school meals in Yeovil constituency.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The government is committed to ensuring that all children and young people across England can access a variety of enrichment opportunities at school as part of our mission to break down barriers to opportunity.
A new Enrichment Framework will be published this academic year. It will set out benchmarks to help schools and colleges plan high-quality enrichment more strategically, with case studies and signposting to tools and resources. The framework will support schools to provide accessible and inclusive enrichment opportunities to those less likely to participate, such as pupils on free school meals.
We are also working with the Department of Culture Media and Sport to deliver a £22.5 million programme to create tailored enrichment offers in up to 400 schools over 3 years, with a particular focus on underserved pupils, and will confirm the schools which will be involved in due course.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of installing air filtration systems in schools in England.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department regularly reviews its guidance to ensure that it aligns with best practice and industry standards, supporting the delivery of high quality school environments.
The department has assessed the suitability of using air cleaning units, and the relevant information is included in our guidance on ventilation and indoor air quality in education and childcare settings, which can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ventilation-and-air-quality-in-education-and-childcare-settings/ventilation-and-air-quality-in-education-and-childcare-settings.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of trends in the level of student debt on the financial stability of people in Yeovil constituency.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Unlike commercial loans, student loans carry significant protections for borrowers. Student loan repayments are linked to income, not to the amount borrowed or interest applied. Repayments are made at a constant rate of 9% above the earnings threshold, and if a borrower’s income drops below the repayment threshold, or they are not earning, their repayments will stop.
Any outstanding loan, including interest built up, is cancelled at the end of the loan term with no detriment to the borrower, and debt is never passed on to family members or descendants. However, the government appreciates that making student loan repayments does have an impact on individuals. This is why there are unique protections for borrowers and the finance system is heavily subsidised by taxpayers.
The department does not hold information on financial stability for Yeovil.