Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure schools tackle gender-specific online harm.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The updated relationships, sex and health education guidance ensures that, from September 2026, schools will address gender‑based online harms including from pornography, deepfakes, sextortion and misogynistic content. It places new emphasis on challenging misogyny and supporting pupils to recognise and report harmful behaviours and to understand the impact of harmful online influencers.
In December 2025, the government published a new strategy to tackle violence against women and girls. We want to protect young people and drive forward education on healthy relationships. We will invest £11 million to pilot the best interventions in schools over the next three years.
‘Keeping children safe in education’, the statutory safeguarding guidance which schools must have regard to, has been strengthened significantly in recent years to reflect evolving online risks. Online safety is embedded throughout, making clear the importance of ensuring a whole school approach to keeping children safe both online and offline.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the role of media literacy in helping children identify misleading or harmful online content.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Media literacy is currently covered in the citizenship, relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) and computing curricula.
Following publication of the independent Curriculum and Assessment Review’s final report on 5 November 2025, vital applied knowledge and skills in media and digital literacy relevant to identify misleading or harmful online content will be embedded into the revised curriculum from 2028.
The department will engage with sector experts in working out how best to reflect this in the updated curriculum. There will be public consultation on the updated curriculum programmes of study, to seek views on the content before they are finalised.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of GCSE outcomes in (a) English and (b) Mathematics in South Basildon and East Thurrock compared with the national averages in 2024.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
This government has committed £27.7 million this financial year to support and drive high and rising standards in reading. The department will introduce a new, statutory test of reading in year 8 to ensure a focus on reading in key stage 3, whether giving those struggling additional support or ensuring those doing well continue to succeed. Our network of 40 Maths Hubs is supporting local schools to improve their maths teaching, including Venn Essex Maths Hub led by St Thomas More’s Catholic Primary School in Colchester.
Following the Curriculum and Assessment review, our new national curriculum and GCSEs will have improved coherence, specificity, sequencing and will be grounded in the most important knowledge and disciplinary skills, so that every child leaves school having mastered the subjects they have been taught and is able to pursue a career in their chosen field.
In addition, schools in the constituency have access to the department’s Universal Regional Improvement for Standards and Excellence (RISE) programme, which is helping every school across the country to improve. Universal RISE is a sector-led approach which is connecting all schools to high quality school improvement resources.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to her Department's press release entitled Government modernises exam records with new app published on 8 January 2026, whether her Department has any plans to abolish physical result certificates.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Results certificates are provided by awarding organisations. The department currently has no plans to abolish physical results certificates.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of recent graduates entering non-graduate roles on a) career and b) earning progression.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Research suggests the majority of graduates are expected to earn a positive financial return from higher education (HE) over their lifetime.
The latest HE Statistics Agency data shows that 71.4% of UK-domiciled graduates from 2022/23 in employment were in high-skilled roles 15 months after graduation. This is down slightly from 2021/22, but consistent with 2019/20.
Whilst employment rates for graduates remain higher than for non-graduates, we recognise that those leaving HE face challenges and are taking a number of steps to ensure those leaving HE are ready for work.
The Office for Students can take regulatory action against HE providers which don’t meet its minimum requirement that 60% of students should progress into graduate employment or further study.
Planned reforms to the Strategic Priorities Grant will ensure high-cost subject funding is better targeted towards priority provision that supports skills needs and the Industrial Strategy.
Government plans to expand the availability of occupation-focused higher technical qualifications which aim to provide students with the skills employers need.
Government has also issued guidance setting out expectations that HE providers play a pivotal role in Local Skills Improvement Plans, strengthening collaboration with strategic authorities, employers and other skills providers to meet the needs of their local economy.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of trends in the level of recent graduates employed in non-graduate roles.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Research suggests the majority of graduates are expected to earn a positive financial return from higher education (HE) over their lifetime.
The latest HE Statistics Agency data shows that 71.4% of UK-domiciled graduates from 2022/23 in employment were in high-skilled roles 15 months after graduation. This is down slightly from 2021/22, but consistent with 2019/20.
Whilst employment rates for graduates remain higher than for non-graduates, we recognise that those leaving HE face challenges and are taking a number of steps to ensure those leaving HE are ready for work.
The Office for Students can take regulatory action against HE providers which don’t meet its minimum requirement that 60% of students should progress into graduate employment or further study.
Planned reforms to the Strategic Priorities Grant will ensure high-cost subject funding is better targeted towards priority provision that supports skills needs and the Industrial Strategy.
Government plans to expand the availability of occupation-focused higher technical qualifications which aim to provide students with the skills employers need.
Government has also issued guidance setting out expectations that HE providers play a pivotal role in Local Skills Improvement Plans, strengthening collaboration with strategic authorities, employers and other skills providers to meet the needs of their local economy.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has to introduce interventions to help reduce graduate underemployment.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Research suggests the majority of graduates are expected to earn a positive financial return from higher education (HE) over their lifetime.
The latest HE Statistics Agency data shows that 71.4% of UK-domiciled graduates from 2022/23 in employment were in high-skilled roles 15 months after graduation. This is down slightly from 2021/22, but consistent with 2019/20.
Whilst employment rates for graduates remain higher than for non-graduates, we recognise that those leaving HE face challenges and are taking a number of steps to ensure those leaving HE are ready for work.
The Office for Students can take regulatory action against HE providers which don’t meet its minimum requirement that 60% of students should progress into graduate employment or further study.
Planned reforms to the Strategic Priorities Grant will ensure high-cost subject funding is better targeted towards priority provision that supports skills needs and the Industrial Strategy.
Government plans to expand the availability of occupation-focused higher technical qualifications which aim to provide students with the skills employers need.
Government has also issued guidance setting out expectations that HE providers play a pivotal role in Local Skills Improvement Plans, strengthening collaboration with strategic authorities, employers and other skills providers to meet the needs of their local economy.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to her Department’s press release entitled Strategy to boost UK education abroad in major £40bn growth drive, published on 20 January 2026, what assessment her Department has made of the feasibility of achieving the target to grow UK education exports to £40 billion a year by 2030.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The new International Education Strategy has confirmed the government's continued commitment to welcome international students who meet the requirements to study in the UK. They join one of the world’s most vibrant, diverse and inclusive learning communities, form lifelong friendships and professional networks, and earn qualifications respected around the globe. Higher education providers in the UK received an estimated £12.1 billion in tuition fee income from international students in the 2023/24 academic year, which supported the provision of places for domestic students and research and development.
Future international student numbers are inherently uncertain. The international student market is highly competitive, and inflows depend on a range of factors, including recruitment strategies from international competitors, exchange rates and other economic variables. The International Education Strategy will continue to support the sustainable recruitment of high-quality international students to the UK’s world-class higher education institutions from a diverse range of countries.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to her Department’s press release entitled Strategy to boost UK education abroad in major £40bn growth drive, published on 20 January 2026, what estimate her Department has made of the expected numbers of international students when targets are removed.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The new International Education Strategy has confirmed the government's continued commitment to welcome international students who meet the requirements to study in the UK. They join one of the world’s most vibrant, diverse and inclusive learning communities, form lifelong friendships and professional networks, and earn qualifications respected around the globe. Higher education providers in the UK received an estimated £12.1 billion in tuition fee income from international students in the 2023/24 academic year, which supported the provision of places for domestic students and research and development.
Future international student numbers are inherently uncertain. The international student market is highly competitive, and inflows depend on a range of factors, including recruitment strategies from international competitors, exchange rates and other economic variables. The International Education Strategy will continue to support the sustainable recruitment of high-quality international students to the UK’s world-class higher education institutions from a diverse range of countries.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support is available for families bereaved following incidents in nursery or early years settings, and whether additional resources are being considered.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The department recognises the profound impact of the death of a child and the importance of ensuring that families are appropriately supported following serious incidents in nursery and early years settings.
As set out in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) statutory framework and the Working Together to Safeguard Children guidance, early years providers and local authorities must follow established safeguarding and serious incident processes where a child has died. This includes notifying relevant authorities of serious incidents and working with local safeguarding partners, including health services and the police. Local safeguarding partners may undertake rapid reviews and where appropriate, local child safeguarding practice reviews to identify learning and improve future practice.
Support for bereaved families is coordinated locally and may include access to emotional and psychological support through health services, liaison with agencies involved in investigations or reviews and signposting to specialist bereavement support services and voluntary sector organisations.
The department continues to work with local authorities and safeguarding partners and to consider how guidance and processes can support effective responses following serious incidents.