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.
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 ensure school buildings in the North East are resilient to extreme weather.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
I refer the hon. Member for Stockton West to the answer of 12 August 2025 to Question 68739.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of Opportunity North East funding.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell
The funding for Opportunity North East (ONE) ended in 2022. The programme aimed to improve 28 secondary schools in the region through the ONE Vision school improvement programme. ONE also delivered projects that aimed to improve transition from primary to secondary, teacher recruitment, and post-16 outcomes.
18 of the 28 schools that were in the ONE Vision programme now have Ofsted judgements with single headline grades of good or better or, where schools have been inspected since September 2024, sub-judgements that are all good or better. However, it is hard to establish the cause and effect of this programme in isolation from other changes and government interventions that have happened over time. Of the remaining ten ONE Vision schools, four schools have not been inspected in their current structure, and six schools that have not yet improved their Ofsted performance are all part of the targeted regional improvement for standards and excellence (RISE) programme.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many new SEND places have been created in (a) Stockton-on-Tees and (b) the North East since 2019.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell
The statutory duty to provide sufficient school places, including for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), sits with local authorities. The department supports local authorities to provide suitable school places for children and young people with SEND through annual high needs capital funding, including through the £740 million confirmed for 2025/26. Of this funding, Stockton-on-Tees has received £2.2 million for 2025/26.
As of 1 May 2024, Stockton-on-Tees had 667 specialist places and the North East had 9,873.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much her Department has spent on pupil premium allocations in (a) Stockton West and (b) Stockton North constituency since 2020.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell
Pupil premium allocations at constituency level by year since 2020/21 can be accessed using the links below:
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support her Department is providing to schools impacted by reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete in the North East.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
All schools and colleges with confirmed reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) have suitable mitigations in place.
The department has supported schools and college to put in place mitigations.
The government has committed to resolving this problem as quickly as possible, permanently removing RAAC either through grant funding or the School Rebuilding Programme.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on reducing the number of young people not in education, employment or training.
Answered by Janet Daby
The government is determined to break down barriers to opportunity for all our young people and transform their life chances. A key pillar of the government’s opportunity mission is to ensure there are clear pathways through further and higher education and into employment, including technical training.
In the ‘Get Britain Working’ White Paper, the government set out its commitment to establish a Youth Guarantee of support to access training, an apprenticeship, or to find work for all 18 to 21 year-olds. £45 million has been allocated to Youth Guarantee trailblazers to develop the Youth Guarantee. The department and the Department for Work and Pensions are working at pace with strategic authorities in initially eight areas, including in the hon. Member for Stockton West’s constituency in the Tees Valley.
The Youth Guarantee builds on entitlements that young people have to participate in education and training up to age 18. Local authorities have statutory duties to support young people into education and training, including identifying and helping those who are currently not in education, employment or training.