Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of trauma-informed training for social workers involved in (a) child protection and (b) care arrangements.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
All social workers in England must meet Social Work England’s professional standards, which set the minimum requirements for safe and effective practice, including promoting the rights, strengths and wellbeing of people, families and communities. Social workers complete initial education and training courses which are approved by the regulator against the education and training standards. In addition, in recognising the impact of trauma, the recently published child and family social worker early career standards and the forthcoming lead child practitioner standards, alongside the National Framework, will be used to underpin a new career-spanning development offer for social workers from autumn 2027 to support a confident and skilled workforce.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a lifetime cap on interest paid on Plan 2 student loans.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government is capping the maximum interest rates on Plan 2 and 3 student loans at 6% for the 2026/27 academic year. We are clear it does not resolve all of the issues with the Plan 2 system, which was designed and implemented by the previous government. We are considering how to make the system fairer, but to be fiscally responsible we must consider how any change would be funded.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she has considered the merits of extending Pupil Premium funding to support disadvantaged students aged 16 to 19.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The 16 to 19 funding formula includes extra funding for disadvantaged students made up of two blocks:
English and maths funding is also available to support students who have not achieved a GCSE grade 4 or above in English and mathematics to participate across all study programmes and T Levels.
For the 2025/26 academic year, the mathematics and English funding rate rose by over 11%, alongside a nearly 7% increase in disadvantage funding and we have allocated over £1 billion for disadvantage block 1, disadvantage block 2 and English and mathematics funding.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the impact on care leavers of being placed in accommodation in areas other than those in which they were residing while in care.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
While the department has not conducted a separate assessment, the needs of care leavers being placed in accommodation out of area are reviewed in line with the Children Act 1989 Guidance (Vol. 3 -planning transition to adulthood for care leavers), which sets out that the assessment and pathway planning process for a care leaver must involve a measured evidence based analysis of the young person’s continuing need for care, accommodation and support.
The expectations also outline that, where there is any proposal for the young person to move to different accommodation, as part of the process to prepare for their transition to adulthood, the pathway plan must include an explicit assessment of the support they need to develop the skills that they will require to be ready for this significant change. The plan must also include a thorough assessment as to the suitability of the potential accommodation for the individual young person.
Through measures in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026, the new Staying Close duty will provide support to care leavers up to the age of 25 to help them find and keep suitable accommodation, and to access services relating to health and wellbeing, relationships, education, training and employment, where their welfare requires it.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking (a) to ensure that charities operating as member organisations are not precluded from recognition as a body of persons and (b) to safeguard children and young persons participating in brass banding.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department recognises the valuable role that charities and voluntary organisations play in supporting children and young people to participate in cultural and educational activities, including brass banding.
The department is clear that a Body of Persons Approvalmay be applied for by any organisation responsible for putting on a performance involving children.
Safeguarding children and young people is a fundamental priority for this government. All organisations involved in brass banding are expected to comply with relevant safeguarding legislation and guidance. This includes effective safeguarding policies, appropriate vetting and training of adults, and clear processes for reporting and responding to concerns, to ensure safe and positive participation for all young people.
Moreover, many brass bands operate as Out‑of‑School Settings (providing activities for children, without their parents’ or carers’ supervision). The department has published guidance outlining the safeguarding standards we expect these settings to meet, and free accompanying e-learning.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that primary and secondary school pupils in Greater Manchester are provided with nutritious, healthy and minimally processed food in schools.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
We are consulting on proposed updates to the school food standards in England to ensure that all food served at school, including at breakfast and lunch, better reflects current nutritional guidance and supports children’s health, wellbeing and learning. The consultation will run for nine weeks, closing on 12 June 2026. More information is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/school-food-standards-updating-the-legislative-framework.
We have worked with the Office of Health Improvement and Disparities at the Department of Health and Social Care and consulted health and academic experts on the issue of ultra-processed foods, to ensure all changes are evidence-based. We know that many products classified as ultra-processed foods are often high in free sugars, saturated fats and/or salt, and it is levels of these which we are trying to reduce, including processed meats, confectionery and savoury snacks.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her department has made an assessment of the potential merits of extending the eligibility criteria for free childcare for working parents to include postgraduate research students.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
It is our ambition that all families have access to high-quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, giving every child the best start in life and delivering on our Plan for Change.
Parents of students are eligible for the universal 15 hours of free early education which is available to all three and four-year-olds regardless of family circumstances.
Students who work in addition to studying may be eligible for 30 hours free childcare if they meet the income requirements. PhD stipends are non-taxable income and therefore do not count towards the income requirements of the 30 hours childcare entitlement.
The government recognises the value of parents continuing in education and provides a range of support for students in higher education to assist them with childcare.
Through the Student Loans Company, the department offers a specific Childcare Grant (CCG) to support students with the costs of childcare whilst they are in study. The CCG offers parents support of up to 85% of their childcare costs up to a maximum of £183.75 a week for one child and £315.03 for two children. CCG support is provided to individuals where both parents are students, the student is a lone parent, or the student parent’s partner is on a low income. The government has no plans to extend CCG to postgraduate research students.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her department plans to assess the (a) funding and (b) availability of the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund for families with children dealing with complex trauma in Stockport constituency.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government has confirmed the adoption and special guardianship support fund (ASGSF) will continue in 2026/27 and that applications which start in 2025/26 and which run into 2026-27 can be made. Details of the ASGSF from April 2026, including for families in Stockport, will be made available once departmental business planning decisions are completed. We will share details of the public engagement process on longer-term decisions as soon as possible.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if her Department will make an assessment of the adequacy of the availability of modern language A-level entry at (a) state schools and (b) colleges in (i) Stockport Borough and (ii) Greater Manchester.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The government is committed to ensuring that all pupils, regardless of location, have access to a high quality language education. This includes increasing the number of students studying languages at GCSE and ensuring that those who wish to continue to A level are able to do so.
The department is continuing to fund the National Consortium for Languages Education (NCLE) to deliver a new model of support for schools. The programme offers free continuous professional development via Language Educators Online (LEO), supported by 14 Strategic Learning Networks and locally responsive National Priority Projects. It is research-informed, helping teachers collaborate and tackle key challenges in language education. Language teachers can join the NCLE Language Network in their area and sign up to LEO to keep up to date with current and evolving teaching practice in language education.
To further support languages education, the government is offering a £20,000 tax-free bursary for trainee language teachers starting courses in 2026, or alternatively, a £22,000 tax-free scholarship for those training to teach French, German, or Spanish.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department is taking steps to reduce regional disparities in modern language A-level (a) provision and (b) entries.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The government is committed to ensuring that all pupils, regardless of location, have access to a high quality language education. This includes increasing the number of students studying languages at GCSE and ensuring that those who wish to continue to A level are able to do so.
The department is continuing to fund the National Consortium for Languages Education (NCLE) to deliver a new model of support for schools. The programme offers free continuous professional development via Language Educators Online (LEO), supported by 14 Strategic Learning Networks and locally responsive National Priority Projects. It is research-informed, helping teachers collaborate and tackle key challenges in language education. Language teachers can join the NCLE Language Network in their area and sign up to LEO to keep up to date with current and evolving teaching practice in language education.
To further support languages education, the government is offering a £20,000 tax-free bursary for trainee language teachers starting courses in 2026, or alternatively, a £22,000 tax-free scholarship for those training to teach French, German, or Spanish.