Asked by: Alex McIntyre (Labour - Gloucester)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the Lifelong Learning Entitlement on (a) mature student enrolment numbers and (b) local upskilling opportunities in Gloucester constituency.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The lifelong learning entitlement (LLE) will replace and transform the existing student finance system for higher education at Levels 4-6. It will support this ambition by making modular provision eligible for funding for the first time.
An equality analysis was published about the LLE in 2023 and is available on GOV.UK. A subsequent equality analysis was published alongside the Lifelong Learning (Fee Limits) Regulations 2026 that were laid before the House on 18 May 2026.
The department expects the LLE to have a positive impact on mature learners and for them to benefit from the ability to use their student finance entitlement more flexibly.
The department has not made an estimate of the impact on mature student enrolment, or local upskilling opportunities specifically in the Gloucester constituency.
Asked by: Alex McIntyre (Labour - Gloucester)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent steps her Department has taken to support parents with childcare costs in Gloucester constituency.
Answered by Olivia Bailey
In 2026/27, we expect to provide over £9.5 billion for the early years entitlements, more than doubling annual public investment in the early years sector compared to 2023/24, as we have successfully rolled-out the expansion of government-funded childcare for working parents.
30 hours per week of government funded childcare will save families using their full entitlement up to £8,000 per eligible child per year.
Coram–PACEY’s 2026 Childcare Survey shows the expansion of government funded entitlements in 2024/25 brought the cost of a part-time childcare place for eligible working parents back to what it was in 2005. It additionally found that the expansion of 30 hours of funded childcare significantly reduced costs for eligible working parents in England, in some cases making part time childcare effectively free during term time.
For 2026/27 the local authority funding rates per hour for Gloucester are:
Under 2-year-olds: £11.35, 2‑year‑olds: £8.37, 3 and 4‑year‑olds: £6.03.
Asked by: Alex McIntyre (Labour - Gloucester)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the level of SEND support available in primary schools in Gloucester constituency.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department is investing to expand support for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) across the system, with a focus on strengthening inclusive mainstream provision. This includes £1.6 billion over three years through the Inclusive Mainstream Fund, alongside over £200 million to train all staff to better identify and meet pupils’ needs.
This investment will help settings deliver high‑quality, adaptive teaching and put in place early, evidence‑based support, ensuring children can access the help they need without delays.
In addition, we are investing around £1.8 billion over the next three years for local area partnerships to develop a new ’Experts at Hand’ offer, strengthening mainstream education through improved access to specialist advice and support such as educational psychologists and speech and language therapists. Gloucestershire has been allocated £4,605,308 in year one.
Asked by: Alex McIntyre (Labour - Gloucester)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the performance of secondary schools in Gloucester constituency.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Data shows that a significant Attainment 8 gap between selective grammar schools in Gloucester and non-selective schools, with a 30+ point gap between the highest (Denmark Road, 72.9) and lowest scoring (Gloucester Academy, 36.6) schools. Grammar schools drive the locally authority average (50.3 compared to the national average of 46). Schools with lower attainment 8 scores serve more disadvantaged populations locally.
Overall secondary attendance trend in the Gloucester constituency is improving, increasing from 90.4% in 2023/24 to 90.9%, in 2024/25. Note the national average is 90.9% and local authority average is 91.5%.
Overall, Ofsted ratings demonstrate an improvement trend in schools in Gloucester. Holmleigh Park and Gloucester Academy have improved from an ‘Inadequate’ Ofsted judgement, to ‘Good’. The department continues to work closely with local partners to closely monitor this continuing trend of improvement.
Asked by: Alex McIntyre (Labour - Gloucester)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what progress has been made on delivering specialist mental health provision in every school in Gloucester by 2029.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
As of April 2025, 88% of pupils and learners and 76% of schools and colleges in Gloucester constituency were covered by a Mental Health Support Team (MHST), compared to 52% of pupils and learners and 41% of schools and colleges nationally. Further data for 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 April 2026. Data on MHST coverage is collected annually.
Asked by: Alex McIntyre (Labour - Gloucester)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help improve teacher retention rates in Gloucester constituency.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Retaining more skilled teachers is key to delivering our pledge to recruit 6,500 additional teachers. Our ‘Improve workload and wellbeing for school staff’ service, developed alongside school leaders, provides a range of resources for schools to review and reduce workload, and improve staff wellbeing.
We are also providing targeted retention incentives worth up to £6,000 after tax for early career teachers in key subjects, with three schools eligible for this in the Gloucester constituency and 18 in the wider local authority. These incentives are available alongside a pay rise of nearly 10% over two years for all teachers.
We lose too many female teachers from the profession. We will fund schools to double the period of full maternity pay from four weeks to eight weeks.
We are also funding a programme focused on embedding flexible working, an important driver for teacher retention, in schools and multi academy trusts (MATs). These schools and MATs champion flexible working and provide bespoke peer support to other local schools.
The flexible working ambassador school for the South West, including Gloucester, is Malmesbury School and can be contacted through the programme website: https://flexibleworkingineducation.co.uk/about-fwams.
Asked by: Alex McIntyre (Labour - Gloucester)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of screen time on children aged five and under in Gloucester; and what steps her Department is taking to help reduce that time.
Answered by Olivia Bailey
I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Gloucester to the answer of 23 February 2026 to Question 102803.
Asked by: Alex McIntyre (Labour - Gloucester)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of home to school transport for pupils with SEND in Gloucester constituency.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department’s home-to-school travel policy aims to make sure no child is prevented from accessing education by a lack of transport. Local authorities must arrange free home-to-school travel for eligible children. This includes children of compulsory school age who attend their nearest school and would not be able to walk there because of their special educational needs, disability or mobility problem.
We know that challenges in the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system are creating pressures on home-to-school travel. We have committed to reform the SEND system to enable more children to thrive in local mainstream settings. These reforms will be set out in the upcoming Schools White Paper.
Asked by: Alex McIntyre (Labour - Gloucester)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the provision of secondary school places in Gloucester.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The Curriculum and Assessment Review considered the extent to which the curriculum and the assessment system in England is fit for purpose and meeting the needs of children and young people. The government’s response set out key reforms to the national curriculum that we will be taking forward.
Schools are expected to organise the school day and school week in the best interests of their pupils, to provide them both with a full-time education suitable to their age, aptitude and ability, and to incorporate time for play and other activities.
The department is working to make sure that all children and young people have access to a variety of enrichment opportunities at school as an important part of our mission to break down barriers to opportunity. For some schools, these opportunities may be used to encourage children and young people to play.
Asked by: Alex McIntyre (Labour - Gloucester)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if her Department will make an assessment of the adequacy of the availability of educational psychologists in Gloucester constituency.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Educational psychologists play a critical role in the support available to children and young people, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). This is why the department has already invested more than £21 million to train 400 more educational psychologists over two cohorts, starting their studies in 2024 and 2025. This is in addition to the £10 million invested in training more than 200 educational psychologists who began their training in September 2023.
As these trainees complete their studies, they will join the workforce to support local authority educational psychology services for a minimum period of three years.
Following a Joint Area SEND inspection in Gloucestershire in December 2023, leaders in the local area have developed a local strategy to improve access to educational psychologists, including a virtual service. Officials and SEND advisors from both the department and NHS England meet regularly with Gloucestershire local area leaders to monitor progress.