Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the removal of funding for non-specialist spelling and grammar software, on university students in receipt of the Disabled Students' Allowance.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
I refer the hon. Member for Yeovil to the answer of 9 September 2025 to Question 71715.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she had discussions with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions prior to its decision to withdraw funding for non-specialist spelling and grammar software for university students receiving the Disabled Students' Allowance.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
This change is entirely within the remit of the department. My right hon. Friends. the Secretary of State for Education and the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions therefore did not meet to discuss this matter prior to the decision being made. The department has made the decision to remove non-specialist spelling and grammar software from Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) funding on the grounds that there are now free-to-access versions available with the required functionality to meet students’ disability-related support needs. It is therefore not an effective use of public money to continue to fund this type of software through DSA.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of provision of home to school transport for children with SEND.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
I refer the hon. Member for Poole to the answer of 20 October 2025 to Question 80605.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has been made of the potential impact of the recent increase in National Insurance on the provision of home to school transport for children with SEND.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
I refer the hon. Member for Poole to the answer of 29 January 2025 to Question 26397.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the number contracts of home to school transport for children with SEND that have been handed back to local authorities since April 2025.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Local authorities are responsible for arranging home to school travel for eligible children. They deliver their duty through a mix of in-house services, passes for free travel on public transport and contracts with private transport operators. Such contracts are a matter for the council and the operator, but we encourage councils to have robust arrangements in place.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make a statement on how the decision to cut funding for Assistive Technologies within the Disabled Students’ Allowance was made.
Answered by Janet Daby
The department made the decision to remove non-specialist spelling and grammar (SPAG) software from the Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) funding on the grounds that there are now free-to-access versions available with the required functionality to meet students’ disability-related support needs. It is therefore not an effective use of public money to continue to fund this type of software through DSA.
The department conducted a detailed review of the SPAG functionality available in computer operating systems, free software products and paid-for software products. This review concluded that the SPAG functionality available in products that students can access for free was like that available in paid-for products. While some of the paid-for products had additional features such as plagiarism checkers, these are not in scope for DSA funding, given they are of potential benefit to all students.
The department engaged with disability experts to gather their feedback. An Equality Impact Assessment was also conducted, which identified that there is a risk that this decision may have a negative impact on some disabled students who might prefer paid-for SPAG software. However, this impact will be mitigated by the availability of free versions that provide equivalent functionality for the types of support that are in scope of DSA. DSA will still fund SPAG software in exceptional circumstances where a robust disability-related justification is provided. Assistive technology training and aftercare support for any non-specialist basic SPAG software agreed in a student’s needs assessment report will continue to be funded.
While the SPAG software change took effect from March 2025 for new students, including those starting courses in September 2025, the department does not generally expect that these students will be negatively impacted by the changes as they will be able to access free versions with the required functionality to meet their disability-related needs.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to ensure that the decision to cut funding for Assistive Technologies within the Disabled Students’ Allowance will not affect students starting university in September.
Answered by Janet Daby
The department made the decision to remove non-specialist spelling and grammar (SPAG) software from the Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) funding on the grounds that there are now free-to-access versions available with the required functionality to meet students’ disability-related support needs. It is therefore not an effective use of public money to continue to fund this type of software through DSA.
The department conducted a detailed review of the SPAG functionality available in computer operating systems, free software products and paid-for software products. This review concluded that the SPAG functionality available in products that students can access for free was like that available in paid-for products. While some of the paid-for products had additional features such as plagiarism checkers, these are not in scope for DSA funding, given they are of potential benefit to all students.
The department engaged with disability experts to gather their feedback. An Equality Impact Assessment was also conducted, which identified that there is a risk that this decision may have a negative impact on some disabled students who might prefer paid-for SPAG software. However, this impact will be mitigated by the availability of free versions that provide equivalent functionality for the types of support that are in scope of DSA. DSA will still fund SPAG software in exceptional circumstances where a robust disability-related justification is provided. Assistive technology training and aftercare support for any non-specialist basic SPAG software agreed in a student’s needs assessment report will continue to be funded.
While the SPAG software change took effect from March 2025 for new students, including those starting courses in September 2025, the department does not generally expect that these students will be negatively impacted by the changes as they will be able to access free versions with the required functionality to meet their disability-related needs.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing dog bite prevention to the school curriculum.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell
Dog bite prevention is not taught within the statutory curriculum at present. Schools have the flexibility to include it within their local curriculum if they wish, for example in relationships, sex and health education or citizenship.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of the recommendations made in the Children's Commissioner's report entitled Growing up in a low-income family: Children’s experiences, published in July 2025.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell
The Child Poverty Taskforce, of which my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education is co-chair, is committed to listening to the voices of children and families and bringing in the voices of these families directly into our work. The Office of the Children’s Commissioner’s report ‘Growing up in a low-income family: Children's experiences’ was commissioned by the Child Poverty Taskforce to provide evidence on children’s lived experience of poverty to support the development of an ambitious child poverty strategy. This valuable research forms part of the department’s ongoing wider work to ensure those voices are a central part of strategy development.
The Child Poverty Unit, based in the Cabinet Office, worked closely with the Office of the Children’s Commissioner on the report, including at research design and reporting stages, and the findings have already been considered as part of our strategy development.
I am planning to meet with the Children's Commissioner for England to discuss the report in detail and I will also be co-chairing a Children’s Commissioners roundtable with the Minister for Employment in September to bring together all four Children’s Commissioners for a broader discussion on child poverty.
The government is considering the report’s recommendations in advance of publication of the strategy in the autumn.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Children's Commissioner's report entitled Growing up in a low-income family: Children’s experiences, published in July 2025, whether she plans to accept that report's recommendations.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell
The Child Poverty Taskforce, of which my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education is co-chair, is committed to listening to the voices of children and families and bringing in the voices of these families directly into our work. The Office of the Children’s Commissioner’s report ‘Growing up in a low-income family: Children's experiences’ was commissioned by the Child Poverty Taskforce to provide evidence on children’s lived experience of poverty to support the development of an ambitious child poverty strategy. This valuable research forms part of the department’s ongoing wider work to ensure those voices are a central part of strategy development.
The Child Poverty Unit, based in the Cabinet Office, worked closely with the Office of the Children’s Commissioner on the report, including at research design and reporting stages, and the findings have already been considered as part of our strategy development.
I am planning to meet with the Children's Commissioner for England to discuss the report in detail and I will also be co-chairing a Children’s Commissioners roundtable with the Minister for Employment in September to bring together all four Children’s Commissioners for a broader discussion on child poverty.
The government is considering the report’s recommendations in advance of publication of the strategy in the autumn.