Damian Hinds

The department is committed to ensuring that every child in an early years setting receives high quality education and care. Evidence shows that this has a positive impact on outcomes in both the short and long term, particularly for the most disadvantaged children.

The Stronger Practice Hubs Programme launched in 2022 to address the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on the youngest children, with a focus on the most disadvantaged areas. The Hubs support early years settings and childminders by sharing effective practice, learning from the best available evidence, and building lasting local networks.

The department is pleased to confirm that the Stronger Practice Hubs programme will be extended until 31 March 2025.

As my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, set out in her statement on July 29, the government’s spending audit has identified a forecast Resource Departmental Expenditure Limits (DEL) overspend of £21.9 billion against the plans set out for departments at Spring Budget 2024. This already factors in the Treasury’s assessment of a £7.1 billion fallaway over the course of the year, as set out in Table 1 of ‘Fixing the foundations: public spending audit 2024-25’.

The government has announced £5.5 billion of savings in the 2024/25 financial year, bringing the in-year pressures down to £16.4 billion.

Ensuring that parents are able to access affordable and high-quality childcare is a priority for this government. This means ensuring that a variety of different types of provision are available, including year-round and term-time only, that suit the needs of different parents.

Regular discussions are held with Cabinet colleagues on how this government can deliver these priorities, including through our work on our mission to break down opportunities for every child.

Information on the capacity and pupils on roll in primary and secondary state-funded schools as at May 2023, which is the latest period for which data is available, is published in the annual ‘School capacity’ in England statistics. This can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-capacity.

Data is published at school level and has been joined with information from ‘Get Information About Schools’ to aggregate to parliamentary constituency. The attached document ‘Table 1_1652’ provides this data. Information is not available on the capacity of independent schools.

Information on the number of students enrolled in state-funded and independent schools as at January 2024, which is the latest published census data available, is published in the 'Schools, pupils and their characteristics’ statistics. This is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics. Under ‘additional supporting files’ is a school-level file titled ‘School level underlying data - 2023/24 (csv, 22 Mb)’ which includes phase of school (column ‘O’), type of establishment (column ‘S’) and parliamentary constituency (column 'AB’).

Please note that where statistics were published prior to the changes in parliamentary constituency boundaries, they will be updated to reflect the new boundaries in the next publication of the statistics.

Information on the capacity and pupils on roll in primary and secondary state-funded schools, including sixth forms, as at May 2023, which is the latest period for which data is available, is published in the annual ‘School capacity’ in England statistics.

This can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-capacity.

Data is published at school level and has been joined with information from Get Information About Schools to aggregate to parliamentary constituency. The attached document ‘Table 1_1653’ provides this data. Information is not available on the capacity of independent schools.

Information on the number of students enrolled in state-funded and independent schools as at January 2024, which is the latest published census data available, is published in the 'Schools, pupils and their characteristics’ statistics. This can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics. Under ‘additional supporting files’ is a school-level file titled ‘School level underlying data - 2023/24 (csv, 22 Mb)’ which includes phase of school (column ‘O’), type of establishment (column ‘S’) and parliamentary constituency (column 'AB’)

Please note that where statistics were published prior to the changes in parliamentary constituency boundaries, they will be updated to reflect the new boundaries in the next publication of the statistics.

There are a range of models of nursery provision run on school sites, including nursery classes attached to primary schools, provision for 2 year olds and full day care run by schools, as well as private and voluntary providers running provision on school sites. The department will be working closely with the sector as it develops this commitment to ensure new nursery provision meets the varied needs of parents, children and schools.

Education is at the heart of the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity so every child gets the best start in life. Ending tax breaks on private schools will help raise revenue to drive forward the change this government is committed to deliver. The department is supporting HM Treasury, which will deliver the tax changes. Further details were published by the government on 29 July 2024 and can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/vat-on-private-school-fees-removing-the-charitable-rates-relief-for-private-schools.

The department collects pupil forecasts and school capacity data from local authorities annually through the School Capacity survey. This data shows that, in May 2023, 11.7% of primary capacity and 11.5% of secondary capacity was unfilled nationally, meaning school places are available in many parts of the country.

Skills England will identify current and future skills gaps and put in place plans to address those gaps, bringing together central and local government, businesses, training providers and unions to meet the skills needs of the next decade across all regions.

Skills England will be established in phases over the next 9 to 12 months to create a responsive and collaborative skills system. The Skills England Bill announced in the King’s Speech will transfer functions from the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) to Skills England.

Operational budgets for Skills England will be finalised over the set-up period. However, the department does not envisage an increase in running costs for transferring and delivering functions that are currently being undertaken by different organisations or teams.

The Curriculum and Assessment Review will be independently led by a group of education experts (the Review Group). My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, has appointed Professor Becky Francis CBE as the Chair of the Review who will convene the Review Group in consultation with the Secretary of State. An announcement about the membership of the group will be made in due course.

The Review Group will work in line with the Working Principles, as laid out in the ‘Review Aims, Terms of Reference and Working Principles’, which can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6699698f49b9c0597fdb0010/Curriculum_and_assessment_review_-_aims_terms_of_reference_and_working_principles.pdf.

The department publishes statistics on pupils and schools in England, which is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics.

The number of independent schools and pupils registered at them as at January 2024, by religious character and local authority, is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/3d6557c3-5279-4652-b88d-08dcab23db45. ‘No data’ indicates that the local authority has no independent schools associated with that faith.

Where a local authority names an independent school on a child or young person’s Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan, the local authority must secure a place and must pay fees where applicable. However, if a child’s parents wish to make a private fee-paying placement which has not been named following the EHC assessment process, the local authority may be relieved of its duty to secure the special educational provision, if it is satisfied that the parents have made ‘suitable alternative arrangements’.

The department publishes statistics on EHC plans, including the establishment children and young people attend. These can be accessed at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/education-health-and-care-plans.

As at January 2024, local authorities named an independent special school for 25,620 EHC plans and an independent mainstream school for 6,768 EHC plans. Local authorities maintained 916 EHC plans where parents had made alternative arrangements, which includes where parents have chosen to arrange and pay for an independent school placement. Numbers and percentages by local authority are available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/67bb4b0f-de93-4558-b7f4-08dcab23a860.

This information is provided at individual level by local authorities in the SEN2 collection.

Phase of independent schools data is not collected. Therefore, the age group of the child and young person has been provided as a proxy in the attached table. However, please note that this does not necessarily translate to state-funded sector primary, secondary and post-16 schools.

The department also publishes statistics on special educational needs (SEN) provision for children in schools. More information can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/special-educational-needs-in-england.

This publication includes children in independent schools recorded as having special educational needs who do not have an EHC plan, and is available at local authority level here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/de7807ad-ea91-4e25-b8aa-08dcab23db45.

This information is provided by independent schools in the School Level Annual School Census and does not include school phase or an age breakdown of SEN.

Skills England will identify current and future skills gaps and put in place plans to address those gaps, bringing together central and local government, businesses, training providers and unions to meet the skills needs of the next decade across all regions.

Skills England will be established in phases over the next 9 to 12 months to create a responsive and collaborative skills system. The Skills England Bill announced in the King’s Speech will transfer functions from the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) to Skills England.

Operational budgets for Skills England will be finalised over the set-up period. However, the department does not envisage an increase in running costs for transferring and delivering functions that are currently being undertaken by different organisations or teams.

Skills England will bring together employers, education and training providers and unions with national and combined authorities to ensure that national and regional skills systems are meeting the needs and supporting delivery of the government’s Growth Mission.

Skills England will be established in phases over the next 9 to 12 months to create a responsive and collaborative skills system.

The route for employers to shape skills training is currently offered by the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE). The Skills England Bill will transfer relevant functions from IfATE to my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, in the first instance, to ensure that Skills England can be developed and have the necessary functions in the coming months. IfATE will continue its important work in the interim as the transition of functions to Skills England is finalised. Further details will be shared as plans for legislation are developed.

The department knows that high quality teaching is the factor that makes the biggest difference to a child’s education, which is why this government will recruit 6,500 new expert teachers.

The department is developing its approach and putting plans in place to achieve this, which will be shared publicly in due course. These measures will include getting more teachers into shortage subjects, supporting areas that face recruitment challenges and tackling retention issues. The way bursaries are allocated, and the structure of retention payments, will also be reviewed.

The department has taken a key step towards delivering an additional 6,500 teachers by accepting the School Teachers’ Review Body recommendation of a 5.5% award for teachers and leaders in maintained schools in England from September.

This is a substantial award that recognises hard-working school teachers and leaders, and demonstrates this government’s commitment to the teaching profession.

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, has already addressed over 14,000 people from the workforce, is expanding the teacher recruitment campaign ‘Every Lesson Shapes a Life’, and has committed to working alongside the sector to re-establish teaching as an attractive profession and as one that existing teachers want to remain in, former teachers want to return to and new graduates wish to join.

The views of experts, parents, teachers and leaders will be pivotal to the expert-led Review of Curriculum and Assessment announced on 19 July, and a call for evidence will be launched in September. The review will also take written evidence from key stakeholders and undertake a national roadshow, meeting and taking input from staff on the frontline.

The department recognises the pressure that staff in schools and colleges have been under and is enormously grateful to them for their efforts, resilience and service in educating children and young people.

In recognition of this pressure, the review will seek evolution not revolution. It will be aware of the trade-offs required to deliver high and rising standards alongside greater breadth, and in particular to any recommendations that would impact on workload. The review will seek to identify and focus on the most significant and pressing issues facing curriculum and assessment, without destabilising the system.

The department reviews bursaries each year before deciding the offer for trainees starting Initial Teacher Training (ITT) the following academic year. In doing this, the department takes account of a number of factors, including historic recruitment, forecast economic conditions, and teacher supply need in each subject.

The government is committed to delivering 6,500 new expert teachers. To deliver this commitment, the department will review the way bursaries are allocated and the structure of retention payments. The department will announce its recruitment and retention incentive offer for 2025/26 in due course.

The capacity of state-funded school sixth forms and the number of students on roll in these sixth forms, as at May 2023, is published in the annual school capacity official statistics publication, which is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-capacity and https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/fast-track/cfb70ec9-6e0a-4405-befa-08dc3901786a.

Information on the number of students aged 16-19 enrolled in independent schools, broken down by local authority, is published in the June ‘Schools, pupils and their characteristics’ report. This can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/9b2df1d1-0559-463c-531c-08dca71310d3

Information on further education colleges and sixth form colleges is not available in the format requested.

The capacity of state-funded schools as at May 2023 is published in the annual school capacity official statistics publication and is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-capacity. The data is available at local authority level and by phase (primary and secondary).

Pupil numbers up to age 16 are published in the ‘Schools, pupils and their characteristics’ official statistics publication and are available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics. The data is available by local authority, age and school type. Please note that statistics from the school census are on the base of age, rather than key stage.