Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to improve the quality and supply of industry placements for T Levels.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
T Levels are providing fantastic opportunities for young people to progress into skilled jobs and careers, and 96% of students completed their industry placement last year.
The department supports employers to host high quality placements through guidance, workshops and direct support. The department’s digital ’Connect’ service supports local providers and employers to connect with each other and our updated delivery approaches allow greater flexibility for providers to design a high quality placement experience.
We provide targeted support for industry placements in specific areas, with seven industry placement coordinators currently in local NHS integrated care systems, and an employer support fund supporting small and medium-sized enterprises and priority sectors with the essential costs of hosting a placement.
The national ’Skills for Life’ campaign raises awareness of skills development and promotes T Levels, ensuring businesses and learners understand their value, and our network of over 1,000 T Level Ambassadors builds T Level understanding and engagement in the business community.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she plans to take to support schools and colleges in Newbury in the transition to V Levels.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department is currently consulting on post-16 pathways, including the introduction of V Levels. The consultation closes on 12 January 2026.
All schools and colleges, including those in Newbury, will be supported through the transition to V Levels by access to a comprehensive package of guidance and resources. Dedicated online information will provide timely updates and practical materials to help providers prepare for delivery. Clear guidance will set out the structure and requirements of the new qualifications, supporting staff understanding and effective implementation. Exemplar pathway documents will assist providers in planning learner routes, while study programme guidance will explain how V Levels can be used to develop meaningful programmes of study.
In addition, we expect awarding organisations to supply specifications, sample assessments and training materials to support accurate delivery and assessment. Together, these measures will provide schools and colleges with the clarity and confidence needed for the successful implementation of V Levels.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she is taking steps to align her Department’s work on enrichment, including the Enrichment Framework, the Enrichment Expansion Programme, the forthcoming Schools White Paper and the independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, with the design and scope of the Dormant Assets Fund.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department is working closely with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to help ensure all children and young people can access a broad range of enrichment activities. The next tranche of Dormant Assets funding for the Youth Cause will increase disadvantaged young people’s access to enrichment opportunities in the arts, culture, sports and wider youth services, aimed at improving wellbeing and employability. It will be delivered by The National Lottery Community Fund.
The government is working with them to design the specific programmes to be delivered, ensuring they align with ministerial priorities, including the Enrichment Framework and Schools White Paper, while ensuring the additionality principle is upheld. Further details will be announced in due course.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the National Lottery Community Fund on the design and scope of the Dormant Assets Fund.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department is working closely with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to help ensure all children and young people can access a broad range of enrichment activities. The next tranche of Dormant Assets funding for the Youth Cause will increase disadvantaged young people’s access to enrichment opportunities in the arts, culture, sports and wider youth services, aimed at improving wellbeing and employability. It will be delivered by The National Lottery Community Fund.
The government is working with them to design the specific programmes to be delivered, ensuring they align with ministerial priorities, including the Enrichment Framework and Schools White Paper, while ensuring the additionality principle is upheld. Further details will be announced in due course.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has considered including sun-safety lessons in the national curriculum.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
I refer the hon. Member for Newbury to the answer of 23 October 2025 to Question 81731.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has considered providing sun-safety education in schools.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
I refer the hon. Member for Newbury to the answer of 23 October 2025 to Question 81731.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of introducing a new right to kinship care leave.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government has launched a review of the parental leave system, which represents a much-needed opportunity to consider the department’s approach to the system of parental leave and pay. This will consider whether the support available meets the needs of working families, such as kinship carers.
In 2023, the department published ‘Kinship Carers in the Workplace: Guidance for Employers’, which can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/kinship-carers-in-the-workplace-guidance-for-employers. This sets out best practice for supporting kinship carers at work, including how to adapt internal policies, signpost existing entitlements and create a culture of support to meet the needs of kinship carers. The department has since implemented our own Kinship Leave and Pay offer and we encourage all organisations to review their guidance and explore what changes they can make.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of early interventions in speech and language support.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The potential merits of focusing on early intervention in providing speech and language support are clear. That is why we have invested in the Early Language Support for Every Child programme, and the Nuffield Early Language Intervention, both of which support children with their speech and language.
We are funding Family Hubs to train practitioners to support families with the home learning environment to help parents support children’s speech and communication.
We will fund local early language leads to provide training to early years settings. Reception staff will also be able to access early language and literacy support.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to promote agricultural (a) careers and (b) skills development among young people in rural constituencies.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
In October, the department published the Post-16 education and skills white paper, setting out a strategy to build a world-class skills system aligned with student and employer needs. Central to these reforms is Skills England, which provides expert insight into current and future skills needs.
The department funds the Careers & Enterprise Company to increase young people’s exposure to industry. They work with sector bodies, such as the Institute for Agriculture and Horticulture to embed employer insight within careers education.
Through a network of careers hubs, the Careers & Enterprise Company connects careers provision in schools and colleges to the needs of local economies through strategic partnerships with local government. Several careers hubs covering rural constituencies work in line with local skills improvement plans by supporting young people’s career readiness and delivering application and interview support.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that all school children receive adequate first aid training.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
All state funded schools are required to teach first aid as part of the statutory health education set out in 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 RSHE guidance includes basic first aid for primary school children, for example dealing with common injuries, such as head injuries. Pupils in secondary schools are taught further first aid, for example how to administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation and the purpose of defibrillators and how to use them.