Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has a budget for retraining programmes for adult workers transitioning from oil and gas to renewable energy.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Green skills are essential to driving economic growth and achieving the UK’s net zero target by 2050. Clean energy and advanced manufacturing have been identified as priority sectors in the Industrial Strategy.
To support this, the government will invest an additional £1.2 billion annually in skills by 2028/29, expanding opportunities across high-growth industries. As part of this, over £100 million will be directed toward engineering skills development through education, apprenticeships, and the establishment of Technical Excellence Colleges in key sectors like advanced manufacturing.
The government will provide approximately £1.4 billion in funding for the adult skills fund in the 2025/26 academic year. This includes funding the Free Courses for Jobs offer, which gives eligible adults the chance to access a high value level 3 qualification for free, helping support them to gain higher wages or a better job in key sectors, for example in heat pump installation.
The government will also support adult learners through our technical education offer, including through a range of apprenticeships and Skills Bootcamps.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to reduce the number of young people classed as NEET in Teesside.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
I refer the hon. Member for Stockton West to the answer of 1 September 2025 to Question 69622.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support skills development aligned with advanced manufacturing industries in Teesside.
Answered by Janet Daby
The government is evolving apprenticeships into a new growth and skills offer to provide greater flexibility for employers and learners, aligned with the Industrial Strategy. In response to business needs, the offer will boost skills in the manufacturing sector through key initiatives such as:
The Advanced Manufacturing Sector Plan, published in June, is addressing skills gaps through a range of targeted programmes, such as the Upskilling and Reskilling Programme, which is being co-developed with industry to ensure training provision aligns with sector needs. The Department of Business and Trade is working closely with Skills England on the development of these programmes to ensure alignment with national skills priorities.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what progress she has made on expanding T-level course availability in colleges in the Tees Valley.
Answered by Janet Daby
The department is investing in the future of T Levels, boosting their expansion through £28 million of capital funding in 2025 so that students have access to industry-standard equipment. We are increasing industry placement provision with a targeted Employer Support Fund and changes to delivery approaches to unlock opportunities for students and employers.
Nationally over 25,500 students started a T Level in the 2024/25 academic year, a significant increase of nearly 60% from the previous year, and 21 T Levels are now available. A new T Level in marketing launches this September.
Further education colleges across Tees Valley, including those in Middlesbrough, Darlington and Hartlepool, are now delivering T Levels in a range of subjects, from construction to health and engineering and manufacturing to accounting.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to improve post-16 education pathways for students not choosing higher education.
Answered by Janet Daby
As announced in the spending review, the department is making over £1 billion of additional investment per year in skills by 2028/29. This will support and grow the wide range of technical routes and work-based training available for people of all ages across the country. This includes:
The department has also strengthened legislation to ensure all secondary pupils have multiple opportunities for meaningful encounters with providers of technical education and apprenticeships.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans her Department has to support apprenticeships in green industries in the Tees Valley.
Answered by Janet Daby
Upskilling the country’s workforce is vital to meet the government’s clean energy by 2030 mission, with apprenticeships playing a key role in supporting employers to develop the skills they need.
Employers across England, including Tees Valley, can benefit from over 40 apprenticeships that directly relate to delivering the government’s clean energy mission. This includes the level 3 low carbon heating technician and the level 4 corporate responsibilities and sustainability practitioner apprenticeships. We are also reducing the apprenticeship minimum duration to eight months so that shorter apprenticeships are possible from August 2025. This includes the level 2 dual fuel smart meter installers apprenticeship, which can be completed in eight months, enabling learners to achieve occupational competence more quickly.
In addition, Skills England continues to work with employers to ensure that new and existing apprenticeships reflect green skills.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of school attendance levels by region.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The department publishes figures on pupil attendance using daily data submitted by state-funded schools. The latest data for the 2024/25 academic year to date, including regional breakdowns, is published here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/pupil-attendance-in-schools/2025-week-29.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment her Department has made of trends in the level of (a) literacy and (b) numeracy rates among pupils in the North East of England.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell
The most recent data shows that in the 2023/24 academic year, 75% of pupils met the expected standard in reading at key stage 2 in the North East. This matches the national average in 2023/24.
In the 2023/24 academic year, 73% of pupils met the expected standard in mathematics at key stage 2 in the North East. This compares to the national average of 74% in 2023/24.
In the 2023/24 academic year, 62.3% of pupils achieved grades 4 or above in English and maths GCSEs in the North East. This compares to 65.4% of pupils achieving grades 4 or above in English and mathematics GCSEs in England.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate she has made of the number of unqualified teachers working in maintained schools.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell
Information on the school workforce in England, including numbers of teachers with and without qualified teacher status (QTS) by school type, is published in the ‘School workforce in England’ statistical publication, which can be accessed here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure consistent access to mental health support in secondary schools in the North East.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The government will provide access to specialist mental health professionals in every school by expanding Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs). By April 2026, we estimate that 60% of pupils in schools and learners in further education in England will be covered by an MHST, up from 52% at the end of March 2025. In the Northeast, 57% of pupils in schools and learners in further education were covered by an MHST in March 2025.
Expansion to all schools and colleges by 2029/30 will prioritise rollout based on local need and reaching the most vulnerable children first. The operating principles and core functions of MHSTs ensure consistency in their support offer, whilst also allowing for flexibility in the model to best meet local needs.
To support education staff, the department provides a range of guidance and quality assured resources on promoting and supporting pupils’ mental health and wellbeing.