Asked by: Luke Charters (Labour - York Outer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to confirm Sports Premium funding for 2026-27.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for York Outer to the answer of 3 March 2026 to Question 115304.
Asked by: Luke Charters (Labour - York Outer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that primary schools offer a broad range of after school clubs.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The government is committed to ensuring that all children and young people across England can access a variety of enrichment opportunities at school, including after school clubs, as part of our mission to break down barriers to opportunity. A new Enrichment Framework will be published this academic year. It will set out benchmarks to help schools and colleges plan high-quality enrichment more strategically, with case studies and signposting to tools and resources. The framework will support schools to provide accessible and inclusive enrichment opportunities to those less likely to participate, such as pupils on free school meals.
Asked by: Luke Charters (Labour - York Outer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that the Student Loans Company is operationally effective.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Luke Charters (Labour - York Outer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure safeguarding standards and accountability are applied consistently across all types of schools.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Luke Charters (Labour - York Outer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how her Department ensures effective oversight where safeguarding concerns are raised about independent schools.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Luke Charters (Labour - York Outer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of artificial intelligence usage in schools on safeguarding.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Luke Charters (Labour - York Outer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of improving access to the Longitudinal Education Outcomes dataset.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The department recognises the value of the Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO) dataset in supporting high‑quality research and evidence‑based policymaking. LEO already underpins a wide range of official statistics and analytical publications, and independent researchers can access the underlying data securely through the Office for National Statistics Secure Research Service.
The department works with its partners to improve user experience, streamline access processes, and to expand support materials to assist third party use of LEO data.
A further five years of funding to develop LEO access has recently been confirmed for this purpose along with the largest ever increase of funding to the development of LEO.
Improvements must balance the potential merits with our obligations to safeguard personal data and the public’s trust. We keep arrangements for data access under regular review to ensure they remain proportionate, secure and in line with data protection requirements.
Asked by: Luke Charters (Labour - York Outer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help improve the affordability of childcare.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
We want all children, regardless of background, to have access to high quality early education and childcare. This allows parents to work and supports children’s development as they grow, getting them ready for school and beyond.
Through our Best Start in Life strategy we will improve access to early years education and childcare.
It is important that government childcare entitlements remain accessible and affordable for families. Earlier this year we updated the existing statutory guidance for local authorities to clarify the section on additional charges and to support transparency and consistency for parents and providers.
Local authorities also have duties under section 7 of the 2006 Act and under the Childcare (Free of Charge for Working Parents) (England) Regulations 2022 to ensure free childcare is available to eligible children in their area (for either 30 or 15 hours per week over 38 weeks per year depending on the entitlement). To do this, local authorities have the key role of managing their local markets to ensure they meet the needs of parents.
In 2025/26 alone, this government plans to spend over £8 billion on early years entitlements, increasing to over £9 billion in 2026/27 and we have increased the early years pupil premium by over 45%. On top of this, we have provided further supplementary funding of £75 million for the Early Years Expansion Grant to help providers meet their local demand. The EYNFFs target funding to local authorities where it is needed most, reflecting the relative needs of the children and costs of delivering provision in that area.
We increased core funding rates for 2025 to 2026. This increase ensured funding for the entitlement’s forecasts of average earnings and inflation and also reflected the National Living Wage announced at the 2024 Autumn Budget.
In addition to childcare entitlements, the Universal Credit childcare offer supports claimants with the costs of childcare, no matter how many hours they work. Claimants may be able to claim up to 85% of eligible childcare costs, for children aged up until the 31 August after their 16th birthday, if they are eligible for Universal Credit and are usually in paid work or starting a job in the next month. Claimants may also be eligible for help with certain costs of childcare if they are on sick leave, or maternity, paternity or adoption leave.
Tax-Free Childcare remains available for working parents of children aged 0-11, or up to 17 for eligible disabled children. This can save parents up to £2,000 per year, or up to £4,000 for eligible children with disabilities and has the same income criteria as 30 hours government-funded childcare.
Asked by: Luke Charters (Labour - York Outer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she has taken to ensure that Disabled Students’ Allowance funding for completed Non-Medical Help support is paid in the event of a provider’s insolvency.
Answered by Janet Daby
In the event of a provider’s insolvency, the Student Loans Company would act in accordance with the instructions issued by the appointed liquidator or administrator in relation to the payment of any outstanding invoices. The department remains fully committed to ensuring that Disabled Students Allowance funding for completed Non-Medical Help support is administered appropriately, and to minimising any potential disruption to students.
Asked by: Luke Charters (Labour - York Outer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department holds data on the number of ransomware attacks against schools and colleges in the last three years.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Educational settings in England are responsible for maintaining their IT systems and cyber security. There is currently no mandatory reporting requirement legislation for schools to report a cyber attack and no central register of cyber attacks exists. However, the department has been notified of 53 ransomware cases across the sector over the last 3 years.
The department has a small, dedicated sector cyber security team to support the education sector. The team provides appropriate guidance and advice, via regular targeted and broad communications, to help schools adhere to and maintain good cyber security standards. The department provides guidance for schools and colleges on how to help protect against a cyber incident, which can found at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/meeting-digital-and-technology-standards-in-schools-and-colleges/cyber-security-standards-for-schools-and-colleges.
The department also works closely with the National Cyber Crime Security Centre (NCSC) and Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) to ensure that up-to-date cyber security guidance is shared with schools, colleges and universities.
Further guidance on cyber security for schools can be found at: https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/section/education-skills/cyber-security-schools.
The department’s Risk Protection Arrangement (RPA) has more than 9,900 member schools, which is 52% of eligible schools in England, and is including cover for cyber incidents as standard from the 2022/23 membership years. In the event of a cyber incident, RPA members have access to a 24/7 Incident Response Service.
The department’s dedicated sector cyber security function provides advice in response to cyber security enquiries and incident reports from the sector, liaising with the affected institution following an incident to advise on steps to mitigate the threat and provide guidance on recovery.
The department adheres to the NCSC guidance on payment of ransoms and does not encourage, endorse nor condone the payment of ransom demands in response to a ransomware attack. This guidance is outlined at: https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/guidance/mitigating-malware-and-ransomware-attacks.