Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that families are able to afford school uniforms in Lancashire.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The cost of school uniform, particularly of branded items, remains a key concern for parents. Whilst uniforms play a valuable role in creating a sense of common identity among pupils and reducing visible inequalities, too many schools still require high numbers of branded uniform items despite statutory guidance stating branded items should be kept to a minimum. Currently 24% of primary and 71% of secondary schools still require five or more branded items, with some parents saying they were asked to provide ten or more.
This is why the department has introduced legislation to limit the number of branded items of uniform and physical education kit that schools can require, to bring down costs for parents and remove barriers from children accessing sport and other school activities. This will give parents more choice in where to purchase uniform and allow them greater flexibility to make the spending decisions that suit their circumstances.
The department intends to introduce this limit from September 2026. On 23 October, we published updated statutory guidance on the cost of school uniforms, which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cost-of-school-uniforms.
This includes draft statutory guidance to support schools in implementing any necessary changes within the proposed limit.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to extend free breakfast clubs beyond primary schools.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The rollout of free breakfast clubs prioritises primary-aged children, as this is where the evidence of impact is strongest. A report published by the Education Endowment Foundation found that attainment improved in primary-aged children who attended a breakfast club, and teachers also marked an improvement in pupil behaviour.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of an International Student Levy on the ability for universities to deliver on the Post-16 Skills White Paper.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper sets out how the department intends to work with the sector to achieve our vision for the future of higher education (HE).This includes the introduction of a tuition fee escalator to put the sector on a more sustainable footing, and the reintroduction of targeted means-tested maintenance grants, alongside a commitment to increase maintenance loans in line with inflation every academic year to widen access. We are also strengthening the Office for Students’ powers to tackle pockets of low quality provision and protect value for public money.
The levy on international student fees will fund the means-tested maintenance grants. We will set out further details on both measures at the Autumn Budget.
HE providers are independent from government and as such must continue to make the necessary and appropriate financial decisions to ensure their long-term sustainability.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will commission an independent audit to confirm that no structural materials are present that pose risks to the (a) safety and (b) integrity of all school and college buildings.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
It is the responsibility of those who run our schools, such as academy trusts and local authorities, to collect and record information about their buildings and to ensure they are safe, well-maintained and comply with relevant regulations. The department provides guidance on this in the ’Good estate management for schools’ guidance, which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/good-estate-management-for-schools.
The department has undertaken extensive work to address risks associated with structural materials in the estate. We have removed Intergrid and Laingspan buildings and have committed to removing reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete, or starting rebuilding schemes to replace affected buildings, by the end of this parliament.
The department is continuing this work through a £5 million research programme by leading material and engineering experts. This will identify if there are emerging structural safety risks in the post-war estate. We have regular discussions with relevant professional bodies and material specialists about evidence regarding the safety of construction types and materials.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure equal access to higher education for deaf students.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Support for people with hearing impairments in higher education (HE) is guided by legal duties under the Equality Act 2010, with tailored provisions depending on the setting and the needs of the individual.
All education and training providers, including HE, and other related service providers, have a duty to make reasonable adjustments for disabled people, including those with hearing impairments, so they are not placed at a substantial disadvantage compared to non-disabled students.
Reasonable adjustments can include adapting teaching methods (providing materials in accessible formats or using assistive technology), modifying assessments (offering extra time or alternative formats), ensuring physical accessibility (ramps or accessible accommodation), and offering personalised support services (including note takers, interpreters, or mental health support).
In addition, Disabled Students’ Allowance is available for eligible HE students for the provision of more specialist support. This might include specialist equipment, travel costs and non-medical helpers such as British Sign Language interpreters or specialist notetakers for students who are deaf or have hearing loss.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what progress her Department has made in reducing delays in issuing Education, Health and Care Plans.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department knows that parents have struggled to get the right support for their children, particularly through long and difficult education, health and care (EHC) plan processes. We want to ensure that local authorities complete EHC needs assessments promptly, and high quality plans are issued in line with statutory deadlines, so that children and young people can access the support they need.
The department continues to monitor and work closely with local authorities that have issues with EHC plan timeliness. Where there are concerns about a local authority’s capacity to make required improvements, the department will help them identify barriers and develop an effective recovery plan, including support from special educational needs and disabilities advisers where needed.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of an International Student Levy on the ability for universities to deliver (a) high-priority and (b) high-cost courses.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
This government is committed to supporting the aspiration of every person who meets the requirements and wants to attend higher education. We must, therefore, reform the higher education system to better support disadvantaged students. That is why the government will reintroduce targeted maintenance grants before the end of this Parliament. The grants will support students from low-income households studying courses aligned with the government’s missions and the Industrial Strategy, funded by a levy on international student fees.
We will set out further details on the levy and targeted means-tested maintenance grants at Autumn Budget.
The government provides funding through the Strategic Priorities Grant (SPG) on an annual basis to support teaching of expensive-to-deliver subjects. For the 2025/26 academic year, more than two thirds of the £1.3 billion SPG recurrent budget allocated to providers will support the provision of high-cost subjects, for example medicine, dentistry, science, engineering and technology.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of an International Student Levy on the ability for universities to deliver on the Industrial Strategy.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
In the Industrial Strategy we recognised the critical role of universities as engines for innovation and skills and announced that the Strategic Priorities Grant will be more effectively targeted towards provision which supports future skills needs in the Industrial Strategy.
On the International Student Levy, we will set out further details including an impact analysis in the Autumn Budget. This will include setting out the amount of the levy and the way in which proceeds will be reinvested into our higher education and skills system through targeted means-tested maintenance grants for students studying courses that support our missions and Industrial Strategy.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department's press notice entitled Childcare offer exceeds target, benefiting over 500,000 children, published on 24 September 2025, how many children by (a) income, (b) ethnicity, (c) disability, (d) rural location and (e) urban location are (i) receiving and (ii) not receiving 30 hours of childcare.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The government’s Plan for Change sets out a commitment to give children the best start in life, breaking the link between background and opportunity.
The department cannot provide figures on Eligibility Checking System (ECS) entitlement code validation broken down by income, ethnicity, disability, rural location and urban location. This is because detailed demographic data on children is not collected by the system used in the publication of ECS codes. The department also does not hold comprehensive detailed information on the children who do not receive funded childcare.
The early years and school censuses are publications separate from the ECS that disaggregate children in receipt of entitlements by disadvantaged status, ethnicity and special educational needs provision. The first early years and school censuses to collect data on the number of children registered for the expanded 30-hour entitlement since the September 2025 rollout will be based on the January 2026 period. Their provisional release date is July 2026.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the number of children in (a) England, (b) Lancashire and (c) Fylde constituency impacted by the national rollout of free breakfast clubs.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The government has made a manifesto commitment to provide a free breakfast club in every state-funded school with children on roll from reception to year 6. This will ensure every child, regardless of circumstances, has a supportive start to the school day. This means that approximately 4.6 million children in England, 97,600 children in Lancashire and 6,500 children in Fylde will be able to benefit from free breakfast clubs once they are rolled out in their area.