Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that schools have access to speech and language specialists.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The government is committed to ensuring that every child has the best start in life. This includes all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including speech, language and communications needs such as Developmental Language Disorder.
We know that continuing to build the pipeline of speech and language therapists (SaLT) is essential. The department is working closely with the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England to improve access to community health services, including speech and language therapy, for children and young people with SEND.
In addition to the undergraduate degree route, SaLTs can now also train via a degree apprenticeship. This route is entering its fourth year of delivery and offers an alternative pathway to the traditional degree route into a successful career as a SaLT.
In partnership with NHS England, the department has extended the Early Language and Support for Every Child programme, trialling new ways of working to better identify and support children with speech, language and communication needs in early years settings and primary schools.
Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to reintroduce three-year grant settlements for schools participating in the music and dance scheme.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The government fully supports the arts and the development of a skills pipeline into the creative industries.
The department is providing £36.5 million for the Music and Dance Scheme this academic year.
Any introduction of multi-year funding agreements will be considered in due course.
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 adequacy of the level of funding for the Music and Dance Scheme.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The government fully supports the arts and the development of a skills pipeline into the creative industries.
The department is providing £36.5 million for the Music and Dance Scheme this academic year.
Any introduction of multi-year funding agreements will be considered in due course.
Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to issue updated guidance to schools on the inclusion of (a) authors and (b) perspectives from diverse backgrounds on reading lists.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The national curriculum for English aims to ensure an appreciation of our rich and varied literary heritage. It emphasises the importance of listening to, discussing and reading a wide range of stories, poems, plays and non-fiction. While the curriculum does not prescribe specific reading lists, it outlines broad categories for text selection. Teachers have flexibility in their choice of books to teach within the context of the curriculum.
The government has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, covering ages 5 to 18, chaired by Professor Becky Francis CBE. The Review wants to ensure an excellent foundation in the core subjects of reading, writing and mathematics, and a rich, broad, inclusive and innovative curriculum that readies young people for life and work, and reflects the diversity of our society. The Review’s final report and recommendations will be published in the autumn, at which point the government will respond.
Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of introducing a GCSE in digital creativity.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
To help break down barriers to opportunity, this government will deliver a curriculum which is rich and broad, inclusive and innovative, and ensures that all young people get the opportunity to learn digital and creative skills as part of their education, with digital skills becoming increasingly important to the economy and our growth mission.
To meet this ambition, the government commissioned the independent Curriculum and Assessment Review to advise on how to refresh the curriculum to ensure that young people leave compulsory education with the knowledge, skills and attributes they need to thrive, including digital skills. The Review is also looking at whether the current assessment system for young people aged 5 to 19, including qualification pathways, can be improved, while protecting the important role of examinations.
The Review’s final report and recommendations will be published in the autumn, at which point the government will respond.
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 ensure children in foster care are provided access to mental health support.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Children in foster care should be provided with access to mental health support at home and at school.
The National Minimum Standards for fostering sets out that children should ‘live in a healthy environment where their physical, emotional and psychological health is promoted.’
Children should have prompt access to doctors and other health professionals, including specialist services, when they need these services.
The government is committed to providing access to specialist mental health professionals in every school by expanding Mental Health Support Teams.
Alongside the Department of Health and Social Care, the department is reviewing and updating current statutory guidance on promoting the health and wellbeing of children in care.
As part of the statutory guidance review, we are considering what changes are needed to better ensure that children in care, including those in foster care, and care leavers receive the necessary support for their mental health and wellbeing.
Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals achieved a grade 5 or above in English and Maths GCSEs in the 2024-25 academic year .
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The data for the 2024/25 academic year is not yet available and is intended for release in October 2025, when it will be available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/key-stage-4-performance/.
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 support (a) children experiencing Emotionally Based School Avoidance and (b) their families.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
Tackling absence is at the heart of the government’s mission to break down the barriers to opportunity. However, we recognise that some pupils face barriers to attendance, such as those who have mental health conditions, or who have special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
To tackle these issues our statutory guidance, ‘Working together to improve school attendance’, sets out a ‘support first’ approach. Specific guidance for schools on mental health and attendance has also been published, and the department is committed to providing access to specialist mental health professionals in every school. This guidance is accessible at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mental-health-issues-affecting-a-pupils-attendance-guidance-for-schools.
Six in ten pupils will have access to a mental health support team by March 2026 and, under government plans, all pupils will have access to mental health support in school by 2029/30.
Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children were referred to the Prevent duty in schools in the last 12 months; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of referrals on (a) ethnic minority pupils, (b) neurodiverse pupils, (c) teaching staff and (d) safeguarding responsibilities.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
Annual Prevent Programme statistics are published by the Home Office each year and can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/individuals-referred-to-prevent-to-march-2024.
The education sector, in the year ending 31 March 2024, made 2,788 referrals.
The department publishes comprehensive advice and made a range of resources freely available on our Educate Against Hate website to support teachers in protecting children from extremism and radicalisation. We also have a team of regional co-ordinators who work directly with education institutions in England to provide advice, support and training to ensure providers are well equipped to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism.
Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support progression routes into higher education for students studying qualifications other than A-Levels; and what assessment she has made of the accessibility of university entry routes for students applying with qualifications other than A-Levels.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department is committed to supporting diverse routes into higher education (HE). Students with qualifications other than A levels can progress to university, with many providers accepting these qualifications.
HE providers are autonomous institutions who set their own entry requirements, many with high or additional entry requirements for some courses. While the department cannot intervene in individual cases regarding university admission policies, we remain committed to supporting progression routes.
The department works closely with sector bodies such as UCAS and Universities UK, as well as individual providers, to ensure that admissions processes are inclusive and transparent. We also work with these bodies to ensure that T Levels are understood by universities as a high quality offer.
The department continues to monitor accessibility and outcomes for students entering via vocational routes and are funding initiatives to widen participation and improve support for all learners.