Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of internal exclusion on pupil behaviour, attendance and educational outcomes; and what plans she has to strengthen monitoring, reporting and quality assurance mechanisms to ensure consistency and adequacy of provision for pupils placed in internal exclusion settings.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The department will consult on an internal suspension framework to help schools use these sanctions effectively within their behaviour policies, supporting pupils to remain engaged in their education and reducing lost learning. The consultation will seek views on appropriate requirements for recording and reporting internal suspension to ensure consistent practice, transparency, and effective oversight.
Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of designating Portage services as a targeted early years and SEND support offer across all local authorities; what steps she is taking to address regional variation in access to Portage provision; and what consideration she has given to providing (a) sustainable and predictable funding, (b) national training standards and (c) further research and evaluation to support the consistent delivery of evidence-based early intervention services.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
Help for families of children with additional needs is central to the Best Start in Life Strategy, which spotlights high-quality, inclusive and joined-up services.
The department is considering delivery expectations for how Best Start Family Hubs (BSFHs) can deliver special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) support, alongside flexibility to meet community needs.
From April, BSFHs will receive funding to recruit a dedicated SEND practitioner for every hub to support parents, identify emerging needs sooner and coordinate services. Evaluation of BSFHs will build the evidence base to inform future reform.
We will fund partnerships between early years settings and schools to test and implement different approaches to improving transitions to reception, including for children with SEND. These will allow staff to spend time to share expertise, help parents and children build relationships with schools and help teachers spot issues early.
Plans for reform will be in the upcoming Schools White Paper.
Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on the number of children who are on the waiting list for an education, health and care plan in Hampshire; and how many and what proportion of those children have been waiting for longer than 20 weeks.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department does not hold information on the number of children waiting for an education, health and care (EHC) plan.
Information is published on the number of requests for an EHC needs assessment, the number of assessments carried out, and the number of plans issued within the statutory 20-week timeframe.
The number of requests for an EHC needs assessment which were outstanding at the end of the 2024 calendar year in (a) Hampshire and (b) England for the 2024 calendar year is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/89c84169-a197-4566-46d1-08de5e4c4d7c.
The number of EHC needs assessments which were outstanding at the end of the 2024 calendar year in (a) Hampshire and (b) England for the 2024 calendar year is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/dde79d11-557c-46c3-46d2-08de5e4c4d7c.
The number of EHC plans issued within 20 weeks of the date of the request in (a) Hampshire and (b) England for the 2024 calendar year is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/a55a3b97-fe37-47a3-70d2-08de5e4c1b9a.
Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will review the three-year freeze on the salary threshold for student loan repayments announced in the 2025 Budget.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The income threshold above which repayments are required for Plan 2 loans will remain at its 2026/27 financial year level of £29,385 up to April 2030, and will increase annually with the Retail Price Index thereafter. This change will help to ensure the system remains sustainable in the long term and is able to continue benefitting future generations of students.
Borrowers remain protected as repayments are determined by income, not the amount borrowed. If a borrower’s salary remains the same, their monthly repayments will also stay the same. Lower-earning graduates will continue to be protected, with any outstanding loan and interest written off at the end of the loan term.
Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of establishing a new national agency for SEND to help address variation in provision.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
As part of our Plan for Change, the department is determined to fix the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system and restore the trust of parents. We will do this by ensuring schools have the tools to better identify and support children before issues escalate.
We will publish further details about plans for SEND reform in a Schools White Paper shortly. Our reforms will be underpinned by five principles: ‘early’, ‘local’, ‘fair’, ‘effective’ and ‘shared’.
To support the reforms, we are strengthening the evidence base of what works to improve inclusive practice and help address variation in provision.
For example, recently published evidence reviews from University College London highlight what the best available evidence suggests are the most effective strategies to identify and support children with different types of needs.
The department also funds a What Works in SEND programme. Their research and effective practice models are included at: https://whatworks-send.org.uk/.
New research delivered by UK Research Innovation will also aim to develop effective approaches to early identification of children needing tailored educational support.
Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how she plans to monitor and evaluate the impact of the SEND teacher training programme on inclusion, attendance and educational outcomes for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department recently announced investment in a new package of training for staff in nurseries, schools and colleges, with the aim to ultimately improve support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities.
The new training programmes will also go through stages of quality assurance to ensure they are aligned with evidence of best practice.
A full monitoring and evaluation plan will be developed, and officials are currently scoping options for an independent evaluation.
The new package builds on training that is already available, such as special educational needs and disabilities and inclusion content woven through the suite of national professional qualifications, for which evaluation is already underway and interim reports are available on GOV.UK.
Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what progress her Department has made towards the development of the Enrichment Framework; and if she will set out a timetable for its publication and implementation.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department will publish the new Enrichment Framework in early 2026. The framework has been developed following extensive research and collaboration with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), and a working group of experts from schools, youth, sports and arts organisations.
We are also putting in place a range of support to help schools further, including PE and school sport partnerships, the national network of Music Hubs, £24million for the TechYouth programme and £22.5 million from DCMS over three years to create a tailored enrichment offer in up to 400 schools. A further £132.5 million of dormant assets funding is being targeted towards services, facilities and opportunities to meet the needs of young people, particularly those from disadvantaged and underrepresented backgrounds. More specifically, the government is continuing to invest an additional £3.6 million per year to support and maintain cadet units in schools as part of the Cadet Expansion Programme.
Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of establishing an enrichment premium for schools.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department will publish the new Enrichment Framework in early 2026. The framework has been developed following extensive research and collaboration with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), and a working group of experts from schools, youth, sports and arts organisations.
We are also putting in place a range of support to help schools further, including PE and school sport partnerships, the national network of Music Hubs, £24million for the TechYouth programme and £22.5 million from DCMS over three years to create a tailored enrichment offer in up to 400 schools. A further £132.5 million of dormant assets funding is being targeted towards services, facilities and opportunities to meet the needs of young people, particularly those from disadvantaged and underrepresented backgrounds. More specifically, the government is continuing to invest an additional £3.6 million per year to support and maintain cadet units in schools as part of the Cadet Expansion Programme.
Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the potential merits of increasing the 3- and 4-year-old childcare funded hours rate.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The department will provide over £9.5 billion for the early years entitlements in 2026/27. This will fund a full year of the expanded entitlements and an above inflation increase to funding rates. This increase ensures funding for the entitlements reflects forecasts of average earnings and inflation next year, and the national living wage announced at the Autumn Budget. On average, nationally, we are increasing the 3- and 4-year-old hourly funding rate by 4.95%.
Since the introduction of the Early Years National Funding Formula in 2017, the national average funding rate to local authorities for 2-year-olds has been higher than that for 3-4-year-olds. We know, from listening to the sector and from our own regular research, that the cost of delivery is highest for younger children due to tighter staffing ratios and, consequently, higher staff costs, as staffing makes up the most significant proportion of provider costs. Our funding rates are set to reflect this.
Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help reduce risks of suicide, self-harm and depression among care-experienced young people; and what plans she has to ensure continuity of mental health and wellbeing support for care-experienced young people beyond the age of 18.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department is committed to reviewing the shockingly high number of early deaths amongst care-experienced young people. As I stated in the House of Commons, at the beginning of the first ever National Care Leavers Month in November 2025, suicide and early death are, tragically, part of the care experience for too many. To start to solve a problem, we must first confront it.
As we progress this review, we will carefully consider how to improve the support that care leavers receive across a range of aspects of their lives, including mental and physical health, housing, education, employment and training, and relationships.
We are already taking action through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, including placing a new duty on local authorities to provide Staying Close support to care leavers up to the age of 25, to help care leavers find and keep suitable accommodation and to access services relating to health and wellbeing, relationships, education, training and employment.
In addition, we are reviewing guidance on ‘Promoting the health and wellbeing of looked-after children’ and extending it to cover care leavers up to age 25.
In December 2025, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and I announced that, in a boost for mental health support, the government will trial a 3-year pilot to make sure children in care have access to the support they need sooner. This will build on existing work across the country, bringing together social workers and NHS health professionals to work together to provide direct mental health support to children and families when they need it most.