Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will review up-front high needs funding thresholds.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell
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 special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to over £12 billion. Of that total high needs funding, Nottinghamshire County Council is being allocated over £130 million through the high needs funding block of the dedicated schools grant (DSG).
In addition to the DSG, local authorities also receive a separate core schools budget grant (CSBG) in the 2025/26 financial year, for local authorities to pass on to specialist settings in their area to support with the costs of teacher and support staff pay awards, and national insurance contributions costs.
Local authorities allocate their high needs funding to support specialist settings, and also mainstream schools with pupils identified as having more complex SEND where the additional support costs for those mainstream pupils are more than £6,000 per annum. The provision that is funded can include adaptations to the curriculum and learning environment, and targeted teaching support where necessary.
The department also allocates annual capital funding to support local authorities to meet their statutory duty to provide sufficient school places for children with SEND or who require alternative provision.
The department has published allocations for £740 million in High Needs Provision Capital Allocations (HNPCA) for the 2025/26 financial year. Of this, Nottinghamshire have been allocated £14 million. The funding can be used to adapt schools to be more accessible for children with SEND, to create specialist facilities within mainstream schools that can deliver more intensive support adapted to suit the pupils’ needs and to create special school places for pupils with the most complex needs.
The department is considering the funding required for future years and how it is to be allocated, following the conclusion of the recent spending review. Our objective is that future funding for SEND supports our plans for reforming the SEND system, which will be set out in further detail in a White Paper in the autumn.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether high needs funding allocations for Nottinghamshire will be increased to cover (a) one-to-one support, (b) teaching assistant pay and (c) inflation.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell
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 special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to over £12 billion. Of that total high needs funding, Nottinghamshire County Council is being allocated over £130 million through the high needs funding block of the dedicated schools grant (DSG).
In addition to the DSG, local authorities also receive a separate core schools budget grant (CSBG) in the 2025/26 financial year, for local authorities to pass on to specialist settings in their area to support with the costs of teacher and support staff pay awards, and national insurance contributions costs.
Local authorities allocate their high needs funding to support specialist settings, and also mainstream schools with pupils identified as having more complex SEND where the additional support costs for those mainstream pupils are more than £6,000 per annum. The provision that is funded can include adaptations to the curriculum and learning environment, and targeted teaching support where necessary.
The department also allocates annual capital funding to support local authorities to meet their statutory duty to provide sufficient school places for children with SEND or who require alternative provision.
The department has published allocations for £740 million in High Needs Provision Capital Allocations (HNPCA) for the 2025/26 financial year. Of this, Nottinghamshire have been allocated £14 million. The funding can be used to adapt schools to be more accessible for children with SEND, to create specialist facilities within mainstream schools that can deliver more intensive support adapted to suit the pupils’ needs and to create special school places for pupils with the most complex needs.
The department is considering the funding required for future years and how it is to be allocated, following the conclusion of the recent spending review. Our objective is that future funding for SEND supports our plans for reforming the SEND system, which will be set out in further detail in a White Paper in the autumn.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of communication by Teachers’ Pensions with scheme members.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell
Teachers’ Pensions employs a wide range of communication methods to contact members of the scheme including via member portal, website, telephone contact centre, webchat, text messaging, post, email and social media platforms.
The department regularly discusses the frequency, timeliness and content of key member updates with Teachers’ Pensions and how they are made available to relevant members.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking help to ensure that teachers are trained to (a) identify and (b) support children with dyslexia; and if she will take steps to introduce universal dyslexia screening checks for children within their first two years of school.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell
I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Rushcliffe to the answer of 1 August 2025 to Question 61402.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, on what evidential basis there is a six second time limit per question in the national multiplication tables check; and if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of this methodology on children with (a) special educational needs or disabilities and (b) other neurodiversity issues.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell
The multiplication tables check (MTC) assesses fluent recall of times tables, meaning the time available is a key element. The six second time limit was decided as the most appropriate to promote effective recall following a rigorous test development process, including trials of different time allowances with over 1,000 pupils. Six seconds minimises the use of inefficient methods of working out the answer, for example counting up.
For pupils with processing difficulties, additional time was considered, but this approach would provide a less valid outcome for a check of fluency of recall. A range of alternative access arrangements are available, which schools should consider for individual pupils where appropriate to their needs.
Although the MTC was designed to be accessible to most pupils, if pupils are unable to engage with it, schools should explain to parents how they are helping the pupil to learn their multiplication tables. Multiplication and division in a wider context will continue to be assessed through the end of key stage 2 mathematics assessment, providing further opportunity for pupils to demonstrate their understanding of multiplication tables.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the potential impact of extending the qualifying period for indefinite leave to remain for British National (Overseas) visa holders on the number of young people who (a) hold those visas and (b) are dependents of those visa holders who will be ineligible for (i) home fee status and (ii) student finance support at university.
Answered by Janet Daby
The creation of a bespoke immigration route for Hong Kong British National (Overseas) (BN(O)), which is a pathway to settlement, reflects the unique and unprecedented circumstances in Hong Kong and the UK’s historic and moral commitment to BN(O) citizens. Subject to meeting the normal eligibility requirements, Hong Kong BN(O) status holders will be able to qualify for student finance and home fee status once they have acquired settled status in the UK. There are no plans to amend the eligibility requirements for these persons given that they are in line with those that apply to most other persons on routes to settlement.
The Student Loans Company publishes guidance about the eligibility requirements for accessing student finance.
The department has not made an estimate of the number of BN(O) visa holders or their dependents who are excluded from home fee status.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the number of British National (Overseas) visa holder dependent school pupils who are excluded from home fee status.
Answered by Janet Daby
The creation of a bespoke immigration route for Hong Kong British National (Overseas) (BN(O)), which is a pathway to settlement, reflects the unique and unprecedented circumstances in Hong Kong and the UK’s historic and moral commitment to BN(O) citizens. Subject to meeting the normal eligibility requirements, Hong Kong BN(O) status holders will be able to qualify for student finance and home fee status once they have acquired settled status in the UK. There are no plans to amend the eligibility requirements for these persons given that they are in line with those that apply to most other persons on routes to settlement.
The Student Loans Company publishes guidance about the eligibility requirements for accessing student finance.
The department has not made an estimate of the number of BN(O) visa holders or their dependents who are excluded from home fee status.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her Department's planned timetable is for issuing guidance to dependents of BN(O) visa holders who plan to start university in 2026 on whether they will be eligible for home fee status.
Answered by Janet Daby
The creation of a bespoke immigration route for Hong Kong British National (Overseas) (BN(O)), which is a pathway to settlement, reflects the unique and unprecedented circumstances in Hong Kong and the UK’s historic and moral commitment to BN(O) citizens. Subject to meeting the normal eligibility requirements, Hong Kong BN(O) status holders will be able to qualify for student finance and home fee status once they have acquired settled status in the UK. There are no plans to amend the eligibility requirements for these persons given that they are in line with those that apply to most other persons on routes to settlement.
The Student Loans Company publishes guidance about the eligibility requirements for accessing student finance.
The department has not made an estimate of the number of BN(O) visa holders or their dependents who are excluded from home fee status.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of withdrawing postgraduate-level apprenticeship funding on (a) recruitment and (b) retention in the independent advice sector.
Answered by Janet Daby
I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Rushcliffe to the answer of 13 June 2025 to Question 57098.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will consider ring-fenced funding for adult learners of all ages to access accredited (a) training and (b) qualifications in social-welfare advice.
Answered by Janet Daby
The department will provide approximately £1.4 billion in funding for the Adult Skills Fund (ASF) in the 2025/26 academic year. The ASF fully funds or co-funds education and skills training for eligible adults aged 19 and above from pre-entry to level 3, to help them gain the skills they need for work, an apprenticeship or further learning.
Currently, 62% of the ASF is devolved to nine mayoral strategic authorities and the Greater London Authority. These authorities are responsible for the provision of ASF-funded adult education for their residents and allocation of the ASF to learning providers. The department is responsible for the remaining ASF in non-devolved areas.
Colleges and grant funded providers in non-devolved areas have the freedom and flexibility to determine how they use their ASF, in line with the funding rules, and work with local stakeholders to determine what provision best meets local needs.