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 banning schools who have evicted PVI settings from their premises in the last two years in order to apply for the school-based nursery grant from future expansions of the school-based nursery scheme.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

High quality early years is central to our mission to break down the barriers to opportunity and give every child the best possible start in life and is essential to our Plan for Change. This government is boosting availability and access through the school-based nurseries programme, including school led provision and private, voluntary and independent (PVI) providers operating from school sites.

The department continues to work closely with the early years sector to scale the programme effectively. We will use learnings from the first phase of the programme in relation to PVI providers operating from school sites to help inform future phases so any new provision continues to meet the needs of children, parents, and schools, and supports a thriving and diverse market.

The establishing school-based nurseries guidance includes advice about co-location with other providers and was published on 24 October 2024. This guidance is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/establishing-school-based-nursery-provision/establishing-school-based-nursery-provision.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure the effective delivery of two weeks’ worth of work experience for every young person, in the context of business operational constraints.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell

Employers that offer high quality work experience opportunities see direct business benefits, from a more diverse future pipeline of talent, which helps to address local and national economic needs.

The department is piloting a new model of work experience to reduce barriers to participation for young people, schools and employers. This includes small and medium-sized employers, for whom traditional block work experience placements in the summer term can be challenging, and provides the flexibility and scope to tailor their work experience offer while still realising business benefits.

Based on a more flexible and progressive approach, young people will have access to two weeks’ worth of meaningful and varied workplace experiences throughout key stages 3 and 4, allowing access to different industries and occupations, including in priority growth sectors.

The Careers and Enterprise Company has developed a suite of tools and resources to help employers understand and prepare for September 2025 when schools will begin to prepare and introduce the multiple, meaningful and varied workplace experiences. The department will set out more detail in due course.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she plans to take to prevent schools removing PVI settings operating on their premises in order to apply for future expansions of the school-based nursery grant.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

High quality early years is central to our mission to break down the barriers to opportunity and give every child the best possible start in life and is essential to our Plan for Change. This government is boosting availability and access through the school-based nurseries programme, including school led provision and private, voluntary and independent (PVI) providers operating from school sites.

The department continues to work closely with the early years sector to scale the programme effectively. We will use learnings from the first phase of the programme in relation to PVI providers operating from school sites to help inform future phases so any new provision continues to meet the needs of children, parents, and schools, and supports a thriving and diverse market.

The establishing school-based nurseries guidance includes advice about co-location with other providers and was published on 24 October 2024. This guidance is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/establishing-school-based-nursery-provision/establishing-school-based-nursery-provision.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many applicants for school-based nurseries have served notices to quit to PVI settings operating on their premises in the last two years.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

High quality early years is central to our mission to break down the barriers to opportunity and give every child the best possible start in life and is essential to our Plan for Change. This government is boosting availability and access through the school-based nurseries programme, including school led provision and private, voluntary and independent (PVI) providers operating from school sites.

The department continues to work closely with the early years sector to scale the programme effectively. We will use learnings from the first phase of the programme in relation to PVI providers operating from school sites to help inform future phases so any new provision continues to meet the needs of children, parents, and schools, and supports a thriving and diverse market.

The establishing school-based nurseries guidance includes advice about co-location with other providers and was published on 24 October 2024. This guidance is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/establishing-school-based-nursery-provision/establishing-school-based-nursery-provision.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department plans to take to ensure that school-based nurseries opened as a result of the school-based nursery grant are supplementing PVI setting provision.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

High quality early years is central to our mission to break down the barriers to opportunity and give every child the best possible start in life and is essential to our Plan for Change. The government is boosting availability and access through the school-based nurseries programme, including school led provision and private, voluntary and independent (PVI) providers operating from school sites.

To be eligible for the 2024/25 grant, schools were asked to outline how their proposals met local demand and to confirm that their local authority early years lead and pupil place planning lead were content with their proposal to use surplus space to add new or expanded nursery provision.

We are engaging with the sector, including with PVI providers, on the next phase of the school-based nursery programme which is due to launch in the autumn.

Found: I have taught myself all about both UK and US politics, and often write to Laura Trott, my MP, about

Found: The Act was initially put forward by the DHSC as a ‘handout Bill’, before being sponsored by Laura Trott

Found: Shona Robison MSP Seòna Robastan BPA F/T: 0300 244 4000 E: scottish.ministers@gov.scot Laura Trott