Asked by: Alison Bennett (Liberal Democrat - Mid Sussex)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 11 November 2025 to Question 88105, how many 16 to 19 year olds are enrolled on each of the 900 non-A level Level 3 qualifications referenced in the Department’s consultation document on Post-16 Level 3 and Below Pathways.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government’s vision for the 16-19 education system is to create a clear and coherent system with distinct pathways leading to further study, training or employment, including apprenticeships.
At level 3, this includes introducing V Levels, a new pathway alongside A levels and T Levels, as recommended in the Curriculum and Assessment Review’s final report. These reforms are currently under consultation.
Despite removing qualifications with sustained low or no enrolments ahead of this academic year, there remain 872 level 3 qualifications that are still available for 16–19-year-olds. Further analysis shows there were circa. 494,300 16-19 study programme enrolments in academic year 2022/23.
Asked by: Alison Bennett (Liberal Democrat - Mid Sussex)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many 16 to 19 year olds are currently enrolled on each Level 3 qualification.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Official statistics showing Participation in education, training and employment age 16 to 18 are published annually, with the latest estimates being for end 2024, and accessible at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/participation-in-education-and-training-and-employment/2024.
The estimates relate to a snapshot of activities at the end of the calendar year, and are based on academic age, defined as ‘age at the start of the academic year’, that is age as at 31 August. The number of 16 to 18-year-olds participating on level 3 qualifications by their highest qualification aim at the end of 2024 can be found at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/2e4d74ca-0086-4465-e324-08de1acd7617.
Asked by: Alison Bennett (Liberal Democrat - Mid Sussex)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has had discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on (a) increasing funding for the Music and Dance Scheme and (b) committing to a multiple-year settlement.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The government fully supports the arts and the development of a skills pipeline into the creative industries.
The department is providing £36.5 million for the Music and Dance Scheme this academic year.
Funding beyond the current academic year, including any introduction of multi-year funding agreements, will be considered in due course.
Asked by: Alison Bennett (Liberal Democrat - Mid Sussex)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of withdrawing funding from applied general qualifications on the number of young people not in education, employment or training.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department introduced 140 newly reformed qualifications to be taught from the beginning of this academic year and just announced a further 27 newly reformed qualifications which it will fund from August 2026. This includes newly reformed alternative academic qualifications and new technical qualifications in health and social care and related areas such as science, that will sit alongside the T Level in health and related A levels. The department is withdrawing funding from unreformed qualifications in the same areas, so that students can benefit from the higher quality reformed alternatives.
T Levels are out-performing other qualifications. Where a student wishes to study a large qualification in health they should undertake the T Level.
We published an equalities impact assessment alongside the outcome of the review of qualifications reform. The review is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/review-of-level-3-qualifications-reform-equality-impact-assessment. The department expects the impact on the number of young people not in education, employment or training, to be mitigated by the availability of T Levels and other reformed qualifications.
Asked by: Alison Bennett (Liberal Democrat - Mid Sussex)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of withdrawing funding from applied general qualifications in Health and Social Care on the number of students studying courses in these subjects.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department introduced 140 newly reformed qualifications to be taught from the beginning of this academic year and just announced a further 27 newly reformed qualifications which it will fund from August 2026. This includes newly reformed alternative academic qualifications and new technical qualifications in health and social care and related areas such as science, that will sit alongside the T Level in health and related A levels. The department is withdrawing funding from unreformed qualifications in the same areas, so that students can benefit from the higher quality reformed alternatives.
T Levels are out-performing other qualifications. Where a student wishes to study a large qualification in health they should undertake the T Level.
We published an equalities impact assessment alongside the outcome of the review of qualifications reform. The review is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/review-of-level-3-qualifications-reform-equality-impact-assessment. The department expects the impact on the number of young people not in education, employment or training, to be mitigated by the availability of T Levels and other reformed qualifications.
Asked by: Alison Bennett (Liberal Democrat - Mid Sussex)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that schools enable pupils with severe dietary conditions to access free school meal entitlements.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
Schools are expected to make reasonable efforts to cater for pupils with particular requirements, for example to reflect medical, dietary and cultural needs, to ensure they are not put at a substantial disadvantage in relation to accessing meals.
Section 100 of the Children and Families Act 2014 places a duty on governing bodies of maintained schools, proprietors of academies and management committees of pupil referral units to make arrangements for supporting pupils at their school with medical conditions, which may be food-related. Schools must therefore take appropriate action in supporting such pupils to access free school meals provision.
Asked by: Alison Bennett (Liberal Democrat - Mid Sussex)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether multi-academy trusts can implement Electric Vehicle Salary Sacrifice schemes.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
New electric vehicle salary sacrifice schemes for academy trusts are currently paused. Academy trusts with existing schemes have been able to keep them in place, but not expand them by adding new members. This pause is subject to a review about salary sacrifice schemes in the public sector and a decision on these schemes by HM Treasury. The department will inform academy trusts when a decision has been made, and the Academy Trust Handbook (ATH) will be updated accordingly. The ATH is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/academy-trust-handbook/academy-trust-handbook-2025-effective-from-1-september-2025.
Asked by: Alison Bennett (Liberal Democrat - Mid Sussex)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of sitting year 6 SATs on children with both anxiety and special educational needs.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell
Statutory tests and assessments at primary school are an important part of ensuring that all pupils master the basics of reading, writing and mathematics to prepare them to achieve and thrive at secondary school. They are subject to robust test development processes, which include reviews involving teachers and experts in special educational needs (SEN). Schools can utilise a range of access arrangements where appropriate, and pupils should only take tests if, in the view of the head teacher, they are in a fit physical and mental state to do so.
Although it is important that schools encourage their pupils to do their best in the tests, the department does not recommend that pupils in primary school devote excessive preparation time to assessments, and not at the expense of pupils’ mental health and wellbeing. Schools should support a culture of wellbeing amongst staff and pupils, including for pupils with anxiety and SEN.