Asked by: Rachel Gilmour (Liberal Democrat - Tiverton and Minehead)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to provide support to parents who have had children removed into the care system; and what support is available to help those parents maintain or develop a relationship with their children where appropriate.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The children’s social care national framework and ‘Working together to safeguard children’ statutory guidance is clear that children should be raised by their families, within their family networks or in family environments wherever possible. The department’s family help reforms will promote a greater emphasis on whole-family working, ensuring the needs of parents and carers and how they impact on children and young people is carefully considered, improving the outcomes for families.
The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill also includes measures to ensure that all local authorities must offer family group decision making before bringing about care proceedings. This empowers families by prioritising family-led solutions, and engaging wider family networks throughout decisions made about a child.
Where a child enters care, maintaining contact with family is one of the key principles of the Children Act 1989. The local authority must consider the parent's wishes in the child's care plan and any changes to it. Parents should be involved in decisions and review meetings about their child, alongside relevant services. The Fostering national minimum standards ensure support for the child's contact with siblings, especially if placed far from home.
Asked by: Rachel Gilmour (Liberal Democrat - Tiverton and Minehead)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to improve financial support for student parents undergoing teacher training and not earning a salary.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Students attending full-time undergraduate courses and PGCE courses with child dependants qualify for a partially means-tested loan for living costs, a means-tested Childcare Grant, payable towards childcare costs for registered or approved childcare, and a means-tested Parents’ Learning Allowance to help with additional study costs.
The government announced in a Written Statement on 20 January 2025 that maximum loans and grants for living costs will increase by 3.1% for the 2025/26 academic year. This Written Statement can be accessed at: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2025-%2001-20/hcws372.
A 3.1% increase to loans and grants for living costs in 2025/26 is in line with forecast inflation based on the Retail Price Index Excluding Mortgage Interest (RPIX) inflation index.
Maximum loans for living costs for 2025/26 will be £13,762 for students living away from home and studying in London, £10,544, for students living away from home and studying outside London and £8,877 for students living in the parental home.
Higher rates of loan for living costs are available for students who are eligible for benefits, such as lone parents.
The amount of Childcare Grant payable in 2025/26 will be based on 85% of actual childcare costs, subject to a maximum grant of £199.62 per week for one child only or £342.24 per week for two or more children. The maximum amount of Parents’ Learning Allowance payable in 2025/26 will be £2,024.
The government published an Equality Impact Assessment of changes to fees and student support for the 2025/26 academic year on 20 January 2025. This is accessible at: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2025/263/impacts/2025/41.
Asked by: Rachel Gilmour (Liberal Democrat - Tiverton and Minehead)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of childcare funding policies for parents in higher education.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Students attending full-time undergraduate courses and PGCE courses with child dependants qualify for a partially means-tested loan for living costs, a means-tested Childcare Grant, payable towards childcare costs for registered or approved childcare, and a means-tested Parents’ Learning Allowance to help with additional study costs.
The government announced in a Written Statement on 20 January 2025 that maximum loans and grants for living costs will increase by 3.1% for the 2025/26 academic year. This Written Statement can be accessed at: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2025-%2001-20/hcws372.
A 3.1% increase to loans and grants for living costs in 2025/26 is in line with forecast inflation based on the Retail Price Index Excluding Mortgage Interest (RPIX) inflation index.
Maximum loans for living costs for 2025/26 will be £13,762 for students living away from home and studying in London, £10,544, for students living away from home and studying outside London and £8,877 for students living in the parental home.
Higher rates of loan for living costs are available for students who are eligible for benefits, such as lone parents.
The amount of Childcare Grant payable in 2025/26 will be based on 85% of actual childcare costs, subject to a maximum grant of £199.62 per week for one child only or £342.24 per week for two or more children. The maximum amount of Parents’ Learning Allowance payable in 2025/26 will be £2,024.
The government published an Equality Impact Assessment of changes to fees and student support for the 2025/26 academic year on 20 January 2025. This is accessible at: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2025/263/impacts/2025/41.
Asked by: Rachel Gilmour (Liberal Democrat - Tiverton and Minehead)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of funding for childminding providers.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
It is the department’s 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 this is key to the government’s Plan for Change. That also means ensuring the sector is financially sustainable and confident as it continues to deliver entitlements and high-quality early years provision going forward.
In the 2025/26 financial year, this government plans to spend over £8 billion on early years entitlements and the department has increased the early years pupil premium by 45%. On top of this we are providing further supplementary funding of £75 million for the Early Years Expansion Grant.
The early years is a diverse market, ranging from chains of nurseries and school-based providers to childminders and the hourly funding rate paid to local authorities for the early years entitlements is designed to recognise the average costs across different provider types and to reflect both staff and non-staff costs. The department knows, from listening to the sector and from our own regular research, that the cost of care is highest for younger children, which the funding rates reflect. However, funding is not ring-fenced by age and we know many childminders often look after children at a range of ages, often below and above the age of three. Where this is the case childminders can use all the funding they receive from their local authority to support with costs across all the children they look after.
The department also knows that the funding rates for younger children will often be significantly above previous parent paid rates and the childminding sector will benefit from the expanded entitlements for working parents.
Asked by: Rachel Gilmour (Liberal Democrat - Tiverton and Minehead)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support schools to purchase essential textbooks.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
Overall core revenue funding for schools totals almost £61.6 billion this financial year, 2024/25. At the Autumn Budget 2024, the government announced an additional £2.3 billion for mainstream schools and young people with high needs for the 2025/26 financial year, compared to 2024/25. This means that overall core school funding will total almost £63.9 billion in 2025/26.
These increases, against the backdrop of a challenging fiscal picture, demonstrate the government’s commitment to schools and ensuring every child can achieve and thrive through its commitment to the Opportunity Mission.
Schools have autonomy over how they use their core funding, including for their non-staff costs such as textbooks. The department will continue to monitor the balance of funding and costs for schools.
Asked by: Rachel Gilmour (Liberal Democrat - Tiverton and Minehead)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of making the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund a permanent initiative.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
I refer the hon. Member for Tiverton and Minehead to the answer of 29 January 2025 to Question 26025.
Asked by: Rachel Gilmour (Liberal Democrat - Tiverton and Minehead)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the decision to withdraw funding for the Level 3 NVQ Diploma in Stone Masonry Heritage and Skills on (a) the preservation of heritage skills and (b) the employment prospects of people trained in this field.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government has a central mission to drive forward opportunity and growth, which relies on people having the skills needed to thrive in life and work. The construction sector is vital in driving economic prosperity and providing career opportunities for people at all ages and stages of their careers. For this reason, the department works closely with the construction sector to ensure our skills offer meets the needs of the sector.
Stonemasonry is a key skill, which is why an apprenticeship covering several stonemasonry occupations is available. This apprenticeship is, however, at level 2 and not at level 3. The Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education is currently working with industry to split this apprenticeship standard into a level 2 Stonemason apprenticeship and a level 3 Craft Stonemason apprenticeship, to better meet the needs of the sector. Classroom qualifications can be developed against occupational standards.
On 12 December 2024, the government announced the outcomes of the review of qualifications reform at level 3 in England. As part of this review, three level 3 qualifications in Stonemasonry will continue to have public funding removed from 31 July 2025. Awarding organisations have had the opportunity to appeal where necessary, so that specialist qualifications could be retained if it was demonstrated that they were needed. Full details of the review outcomes can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/review-of-level-3-qualifications-reform-provisional-outcomes.
The department has continued to remove funding from existing level 3 qualifications, not only because the standards are at level 2, but also due to the qualifications having less than 100 enrolments for three successive years, highlighting that a classroom-based qualification at level 3 is not being sufficiently used.
At level 2, there are still four qualifications in Stonemasonry available to young people and adults. These qualifications are used currently within apprenticeships and are closely aligned with the industry standards by design.
The department wants to ensure that qualifications are developed at the right level to enable people to enter skilled employment, and where qualifications attract public funding, we want to ensure that they are needed. Where they are not needed, including having very low levels of enrolments, we will continue to remove public funding so that students and employers have a simpler range of qualifications to choose from.
Asked by: Rachel Gilmour (Liberal Democrat - Tiverton and Minehead)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the impact of the restriction of school and extra curricular options through repayment deadlines within the UK Benefits System on parents and students.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
The department has no plans to undertake this specific assessment, but we have evaluated the impact of poverty on educational outcomes. Evidence shows that disadvantaged pupils and those with additional needs are more likely to fall behind and need extra support to achieve and thrive.
That is why the department is working to make sure that all children and young people have access to a variety of enrichment opportunities at school as an important part of our mission to break down barriers to opportunity. We recognise that these activities are a vital way for children and young people to gain skills and strengthen their sense of school belonging, supporting them to thrive.
The Department for Work and Pensions strives to set affordable and sustainable repayment plans and encourages customers to make contact if they are unable to afford the proposed repayment rate.
When a customer makes contact because they are experiencing financial hardship, the rate of repayment can be reduced or, depending on the customer’s financial circumstances, a temporary suspension of repayment can be agreed. There is no minimum amount a customer has to repay.
As seen in the measures announced by my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in the Autumn Budget 2024 to drive up opportunity and drive down poverty, a new Fair Repayment Rate will be introduced from April 2025, reducing Universal Credit deductions overall cap from 25% to 15%. This measure will help approximately 1.2 million of the poorest households benefit by an average of £420 a year.
Asked by: Rachel Gilmour (Liberal Democrat - Tiverton and Minehead)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will hold discussions with the hon. Member for Tiverton and Minehead on the (a) condition of Tiverton High School and (b) school community.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Ensuring schools have the resources and buildings they need is a key part of our mission to break down barriers to opportunity and give every child the best start in life.
My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education is unable to meet at present due to constraints on her diary. However, departmental officials will be in touch with you shortly to arrange a meeting with the honourable member who are best placed to provide detail on the condition of the school.