Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of supporting local authorities to fund (a) education, health and care plans and (b) specialist school placements for children with additional needs.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life.
To achieve that ambition, we expect mainstream schools to welcome pupils from across the whole community, including pupils who may need additional support. We are working with Ofsted to ensure that schools are held accountable for their approach to inclusion, so that all children are given the high-quality support they need to achieve and thrive. This government has created an Expert Advisory Group for Inclusion, led by Tom Rees, that consists of experts across the SEND sector to advise on how to drive inclusive education practice and improve mainstream education outcomes and experiences for children and young people with SEND, whether or not they have an education, health and care (EHC) plan.
The department is providing an increase of £1 billion for high needs budgets in England in the 2025/26 financial year, following the Autumn Budget 2024. This brings total high needs funding for children and young people with complex SEND to over £12 billion. This funding makes a significant contribution to the costs of mainstream school pupils with EHC plans and funds the placement of pupils in special schools.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to (a) monitor and (b) improve alternative provision arrangements for children with SEND during the process of waiting for a tribunal.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
Alternative provision (AP) schools contribute to a more inclusive whole-school system by working with mainstream schools to identify children’s special educational needs at the earliest stage. They can help devise interventions and provide additional support, enabling children to remain in a mainstream classroom or successfully transition into specialist provision.
In future, the department’s focus will be on providing early intervention and support to mainstream schools to equip all their children with the skills and confidence needed to thrive in education and reduce the need for AP placements. This early intervention will help children and young people, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) awaiting their Tribunal hearing, to get back on track quickly and have the skills to achieve and thrive.
If a local authority has issued an education, health and care plan naming a school or college, the plan carries statutory force until it is reviewed and amended, including when a plan is being appealed at the First Tier SEND Tribunal. This means the local authority must secure the specific special educational provision set out in the plan and that the setting must admit the child or young person, including those in AP, even whilst an appeal is ongoing.
The department monitors and holds local authorities to account for delivery of their SEND services through joint inspections by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission. These inspections place greater emphasis on the outcomes being achieved by children and young people and are the primary tool to maintain a focus on high standards in the SEND system across all partners.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what progress her Department has made on the school-rebuilding programme.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government has committed £1.4 billion to continue the current School Rebuilding Programme (SRP) in 2025/26, reconfirming the department’s commitment to rebuild or refurbish 518 schools and sixth form colleges across England, prioritising delivery based on need. All schools within the programme are prioritised for delivery according to the condition of their buildings, readiness to proceed, and efficiency of delivery. Expected delivery timeframes have been communicated to all responsible bodies.
Just over half of SRP projects have started various stages of delivery activity and, so far, the department has handed over 28 projects, including refurbished or rebuilt schools. We plan to increase the number of existing school rebuilding projects that we will start delivery on in this financial year to 100, so work can start more quickly, and more children and teachers will ultimately benefit from new school buildings sooner.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to decarbonise schools in order to meet the emission reduction targets by 2035.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department is committed to supporting the UK net-zero carbon targets. Since 2021, the department’s own building standards require that all new school buildings delivered by the department are net-zero carbon in operation and are adapted to climate change.
Additionally, the department recently announced the £80 million Great British Energy Solar Accelerator Programme, in partnership with GB Energy, that will install solar and other technologies, such as electric vehicle (EV) chargers, in 200 targeted schools and colleges, prioritising those in areas of deprivation, to start in 2025/26.
The department is providing support for all schools and colleges to start on their journey towards net zero via our new online sustainability support for education platform and our climate ambassador programme. Where schools are considering options to become more sustainable, including considering decarbonisation of their energy supply, our ‘Get help for buying’ service provides support to ensure that schemes procured are of high-quality and value to the sector. More information can be found at: https://gethelpbuyingforschools.campaign.gov.uk/.
Details of other government funding available to public bodies for sustainability, prepared by the Crown Commercial Service can be found at: https://www.crowncommercial.gov.uk/social-value/carbon-net-zero/funding-and-grants.
Capital funding allocated to the school sector each year can also be used for projects that improve the energy efficiency and sustainability of school buildings, as well as improving the condition of the estate to keep schools safe and operational.
The department has allocated £2.1 billion in condition funding for the 2025/26 financial year, which is £300 million more than the previous year.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to promote first aid training for school pupils.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
All state-funded schools are required to teach about first aid as part of the statutory health education set out within the relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) statutory guidance. Independent schools are required to cover health education as part of their responsibility to provide personal, social, health and economic education.
The statutory guidance includes basic first aid for primary school children, for example dealing with common injuries, such as head injuries. Pupils in secondary schools will be taught further first aid, for example how to administer CPR and the purpose of defibrillators.
The department is currently reviewing the statutory RSHE curriculum, which includes considering whether any additional content is needed, and will be publishing revised guidance as soon as possible.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the number of children who have moved from independent to state schools as a result of applying VAT to independent schools in Hampshire.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department has made no separate estimate of the number of pupils in individual local authority areas who have left the independent school system as a result of VAT on school fees.
The government predicts that, in the long-term steady state, there will be 37,000 fewer pupils in the private sector in the UK as a result of the removal of the VAT exemption applied to school fees. This represents around 6% of the current private school population.
Of the expected 37,000 pupil reduction in the private sector, the government estimates an increase of 35,000 pupils in the state sector in the steady state following the VAT policy taking effect, with the other 2,000 consisting of international pupils who do not move into the UK state system, and domestic pupils moving into homeschooling. This state sector increase represents less than 0.5% of total UK state school pupils, of which there are over 9 million. This movement is expected to take place over several years.
The impact on individual local authorities will interact with other pressures and vary between authorities. Every year many pupils move between schools, including between the private and state-funded sectors.
Local authorities routinely support parents who need a state-funded school place, including where private schools have closed. Where local authorities are experiencing difficulties in ensuring there are enough school places for children that need them, the department will offer support and advice.
The department provides capital funding through the Basic Need grant to support local authorities to provide school places, based on their own pupil forecasts and school capacity data. They can use this funding to provide places in new schools or through expansions of existing schools.
Surrey County Council has been allocated just below £43 million to support the provision of new mainstream school places needed over the current and next two academic years, up to and including the academic year starting in September 2026.
Hampshire County Council has been allocated just over £22.2 million to support the provision of new mainstream school places needed over the current and next two academic years, up to and including the academic year starting in September 2026.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the number of children who have moved from independent to state schools as a result of applying VAT to independent schools in Surrey.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department has made no separate estimate of the number of pupils in individual local authority areas who have left the independent school system as a result of VAT on school fees.
The government predicts that, in the long-term steady state, there will be 37,000 fewer pupils in the private sector in the UK as a result of the removal of the VAT exemption applied to school fees. This represents around 6% of the current private school population.
Of the expected 37,000 pupil reduction in the private sector, the government estimates an increase of 35,000 pupils in the state sector in the steady state following the VAT policy taking effect, with the other 2,000 consisting of international pupils who do not move into the UK state system, and domestic pupils moving into homeschooling. This state sector increase represents less than 0.5% of total UK state school pupils, of which there are over 9 million. This movement is expected to take place over several years.
The impact on individual local authorities will interact with other pressures and vary between authorities. Every year many pupils move between schools, including between the private and state-funded sectors.
Local authorities routinely support parents who need a state-funded school place, including where private schools have closed. Where local authorities are experiencing difficulties in ensuring there are enough school places for children that need them, the department will offer support and advice.
The department provides capital funding through the Basic Need grant to support local authorities to provide school places, based on their own pupil forecasts and school capacity data. They can use this funding to provide places in new schools or through expansions of existing schools.
Surrey County Council has been allocated just below £43 million to support the provision of new mainstream school places needed over the current and next two academic years, up to and including the academic year starting in September 2026.
Hampshire County Council has been allocated just over £22.2 million to support the provision of new mainstream school places needed over the current and next two academic years, up to and including the academic year starting in September 2026.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will issue guidance to home educator parents on the steps they will need to take to meet new requirements set out in the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
As part of the Children Not in School measures, the department will publish statutory guidance outlining the steps that local authorities and parents need to take to comply with the new provisions. This guidance will be consulted on, ensuring families have sufficient time to feed in, understand and prepare for any requirements.
To engage effectively during the passage and future implementation of the Children in School measures, the department has set up implementation fora to engage with home-educating parents, stakeholders and local authorities.
Through round-table discussions and direct engagement with home-educating communities, we have sought to understand the concerns and priorities of families who choose to educate their children at home.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions her Department has had with home educator parents on the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
As part of the Children Not in School measures, the department will publish statutory guidance outlining the steps that local authorities and parents need to take to comply with the new provisions. This guidance will be consulted on, ensuring families have sufficient time to feed in, understand and prepare for any requirements.
To engage effectively during the passage and future implementation of the Children in School measures, the department has set up implementation fora to engage with home-educating parents, stakeholders and local authorities.
Through round-table discussions and direct engagement with home-educating communities, we have sought to understand the concerns and priorities of families who choose to educate their children at home.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of reports that Springer Nature has restricted access to academic articles in China on (a) human rights, (b) democracy and (c) other politically sensitive topics.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
This government is absolutely committed to, and will continue to protect, academic freedom.
The department recognises the concerns of overseas interference in the academic sector and regularly works with colleagues from across government, the Office for Students, and other stakeholders to ensure that overseas influence does not interfere with academic freedom and related policies.