Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children will lose transitional protection funding for free school meals by each key stage group in 2025.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
We have set aside over £1 billion in funding over the multiyear spending review period to cover the cost of additional free meals, after taking into account the removal of protections. The action we are taking will ensure that over 500,000 additional children and pupils will receive a free and nutritious lunchtime meal.
Transitional protections have been in place since 2018 to ensure no one who gained free school meals (FSM) eligibility would lose it while Universal Credit was rolled out. The department intends to bring transitional protections to an end once the new eligibility is introduced. We have not yet carried out analysis by cohort characteristics to understand which pupils may no longer be eligible.
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the number of children in (a) rural and (b) urban areas who will no longer have transitional protection funding for free school meals after the 2025-26 financial year.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
We have set aside over £1 billion in funding over the multiyear spending review period to cover the cost of additional free meals, after taking into account the removal of protections. The action we are taking will ensure that over 500,000 additional children and pupils will receive a free and nutritious lunchtime meal.
Transitional protections have been in place since 2018 to ensure no one who gained free school meals (FSM) eligibility would lose it while Universal Credit was rolled out. The department intends to bring transitional protections to an end once the new eligibility is introduced. We have not yet carried out analysis by cohort characteristics to understand which pupils may no longer be eligible.
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the number of people who will no longer have transitional protection funding for free school meals by ethnicity after the 2025-26 financial year.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
We have set aside over £1 billion in funding over the multiyear spending review period to cover the cost of additional free meals, after taking into account the removal of protections. The action we are taking will ensure that over 500,000 additional children and pupils will receive a free and nutritious lunchtime meal.
Transitional protections have been in place since 2018 to ensure no one who gained free school meals (FSM) eligibility would lose it while Universal Credit was rolled out. The department intends to bring transitional protections to an end once the new eligibility is introduced. We have not yet carried out analysis by cohort characteristics to understand which pupils may no longer be eligible.
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the number of children with SEND who will no longer have transitional protection funding for free school meals after the 2025-26 financial year.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
We have set aside over £1 billion in funding over the multiyear spending review period to cover the cost of additional free meals, after taking into account the removal of protections. The action we are taking will ensure that over 500,000 additional children and pupils will receive a free and nutritious lunchtime meal.
Transitional protections have been in place since 2018 to ensure no one who gained free school meals (FSM) eligibility would lose it while Universal Credit was rolled out. The department intends to bring transitional protections to an end once the new eligibility is introduced. We have not yet carried out analysis by cohort characteristics to understand which pupils may no longer be eligible.
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the number of people who will no longer have transitional protection funding for free school meals by location after the 2025-26 financial year.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
We have set aside over £1 billion in funding over the multiyear spending review period to cover the cost of additional free meals, after taking into account the removal of protections. The action we are taking will ensure that over 500,000 additional children and pupils will receive a free and nutritious lunchtime meal.
Transitional protections have been in place since 2018 to ensure no one who gained free school meals (FSM) eligibility would lose it while Universal Credit was rolled out. The department intends to bring transitional protections to an end once the new eligibility is introduced. We have not yet carried out analysis by cohort characteristics to understand which pupils may no longer be eligible.
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when the statistics for the reviews of marking and moderation for GCSEs and A-Levels for summer 2025 exam series will be published.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
This is a matter for Ofqual, the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation. I have asked its Chief Regulator, Sir Ian Bauckham, to write to the hon. member for Twickenham directly, and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on the primary types of special educational need for a) looked after children in a foster placement with a relative or friend, b) previously looked after children subject to a special guardianship order and c) previously looked after children subject to a children arrangements order.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department does not hold information on special educational need (SEN) status for children looked after (CLA) who are in a foster placement with a relative or friend, or on SEN primary type of need for CLA who are in a foster placement with a relative or friend.
Table 1 (attached) gives counts of the primary type of need for state-funded school pupils with SEN who were previously looked after (PLA) and subject to a special guardianship order or a child arrangements order. This information is from the January 2025 school census collection.
Table 2 (attached) gives the number and proportion of state-funded pupils who were PLA and subject to a special guardianship order or a child arrangements order who had an education, health and care plan or SEN Support as of January 2025.
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many previously looked after children subject to a) a special guardianship order and b) a children arrangements order have i) SEN support and ii) an EHC plan.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department does not hold information on special educational need (SEN) status for children looked after (CLA) who are in a foster placement with a relative or friend, or on SEN primary type of need for CLA who are in a foster placement with a relative or friend.
Table 1 (attached) gives counts of the primary type of need for state-funded school pupils with SEN who were previously looked after (PLA) and subject to a special guardianship order or a child arrangements order. This information is from the January 2025 school census collection.
Table 2 (attached) gives the number and proportion of state-funded pupils who were PLA and subject to a special guardianship order or a child arrangements order who had an education, health and care plan or SEN Support as of January 2025.
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many looked after children in a foster placement with a relative or friend have (a) special educational needs support and (b) an education, health and care plan.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department does not hold information on special educational need (SEN) status for children looked after (CLA) who are in a foster placement with a relative or friend, or on SEN primary type of need for CLA who are in a foster placement with a relative or friend.
Table 1 (attached) gives counts of the primary type of need for state-funded school pupils with SEN who were previously looked after (PLA) and subject to a special guardianship order or a child arrangements order. This information is from the January 2025 school census collection.
Table 2 (attached) gives the number and proportion of state-funded pupils who were PLA and subject to a special guardianship order or a child arrangements order who had an education, health and care plan or SEN Support as of January 2025.
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much of the savings to the public purse made through changes to large programme Uplift funding for the International Baccalaureate diploma will be allocated to each pupil undertaking (a) maths and (b) high-value A-Level programmes.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department has made significant investments into 16 to 19 education funding. The base rate of funding per student has increased to £5,105 in academic year 2025/26 up over 5% on last year. But we must make this funding work hard, tilting it towards key priorities. That is why we have announced that we will focus the Large Programme Uplift (LPU) funding, which is on top of the base rate, on large programmes which include mathematics, further mathematics and other high value A levels. These programmes will retain the LPU funding. Funding saved from the LPU will be used to help to ensure there are enough suitable places in post-16 education for every young person that wants one.
We will set out the full 16 to 19 funding priorities for academic year 2026/27 in due course. Institutions receiving 16 to19 funding will retain the freedom to decide what programmes of study to offer, including the International Baccalaureate.