Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the report by Barnardo's entitled Building Families, Building Futures, published on 24 June 2025, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing family hubs to support families.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
On 11 June 2025, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, set out plans for spending and public sector reforms through the Spending Review 2025. This announcement confirmed departmental budgets for 2026/27 onwards and committed that the government will continue to invest in and expand the Family Hubs programme, working with parents to help give children the best start in life.
On 7 July 2025, the government published the policy paper ‘Giving every child the best start in life’, which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/giving-every-child-the-best-start-in-life.
This outlines the government’s commitment to delivering a new Best Start Family Service to bring together parenting, healthcare and education support services, as well as creating and funding Best Start Family Hubs in every local authority to give children the best start in life by strengthening and joining up family services.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to oblige local authorities to provide family hubs.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
On 11 June 2025, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, set out plans for spending and public sector reforms through the Spending Review 2025. This announcement confirmed departmental budgets for 2026/27 onwards and committed that the government will continue to invest in and expand the Family Hubs programme, working with parents to help give children the best start in life.
On 7 July 2025, the government published the policy paper ‘Giving every child the best start in life’, which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/giving-every-child-the-best-start-in-life.
This outlines the government’s commitment to delivering a new Best Start Family Service to bring together parenting, healthcare and education support services, as well as creating and funding Best Start Family Hubs in every local authority to give children the best start in life by strengthening and joining up family services.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of publishing a national outcomes framework for family hubs.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
On 11 June 2025, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, set out plans for spending and public sector reforms through the Spending Review 2025. This announcement confirmed departmental budgets for 2026/27 onwards and committed that the government will continue to invest in and expand the Family Hubs programme, working with parents to help give children the best start in life.
On 7 July 2025, the government published the policy paper ‘Giving every child the best start in life’, which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/giving-every-child-the-best-start-in-life.
This outlines the government’s commitment to delivering a new Best Start Family Service to bring together parenting, healthcare and education support services, as well as creating and funding Best Start Family Hubs in every local authority to give children the best start in life by strengthening and joining up family services.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that the Family Hubs programme is available across England.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
On 11 June 2025, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, set out plans for spending and public sector reforms through the Spending Review 2025. This announcement confirmed departmental budgets for 2026/27 onwards and committed that the government will continue to invest in and expand the Family Hubs programme, working with parents to help give children the best start in life.
On 7 July 2025, the government published the policy paper ‘Giving every child the best start in life’, which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/giving-every-child-the-best-start-in-life.
This outlines the government’s commitment to delivering a new Best Start Family Service to bring together parenting, healthcare and education support services, as well as creating and funding Best Start Family Hubs in every local authority to give children the best start in life by strengthening and joining up family services.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding has been allocated to family hubs for each year of the Spending Review 2025.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
On 11 June 2025, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, set out plans for spending and public sector reforms through the Spending Review 2025. This announcement confirmed departmental budgets for 2026/27 onwards and committed that the government will continue to invest in and expand the Family Hubs programme, working with parents to help give children the best start in life.
On 7 July 2025, the government published the policy paper ‘Giving every child the best start in life’, which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/giving-every-child-the-best-start-in-life.
This outlines the government’s commitment to delivering a new Best Start Family Service to bring together parenting, healthcare and education support services, as well as creating and funding Best Start Family Hubs in every local authority to give children the best start in life by strengthening and joining up family services.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with the Child Poverty Taskforce on family hubs, in the context of the development of the Child Poverty Strategy.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
I refer the hon. member for East Antrim to the answer of 3 July 2025 to Question 63139. The information given in the linked response relates to England only.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on the number of allergic reactions in schools in England in each year since 2016.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
The department does not hold this data.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of establishing a STEM teachers continuing professional development fund with industry.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.
The department has a range of programmes to support continuing professional development for teachers of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), for 2025/26 these include:
My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, has not had any discussions with teaching groups on the potential merits of establishing a continuing professional development fund with industry, but funding to support STEM education beyond the 2025/26 financial year will be considered as part of the forthcoming spending review.
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Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has had discussions with teaching groups on the potential merits of establishing a STEM teachers continuing professional development fund with industry.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.
The department has a range of programmes to support continuing professional development for teachers of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), for 2025/26 these include:
My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, has not had any discussions with teaching groups on the potential merits of establishing a continuing professional development fund with industry, but funding to support STEM education beyond the 2025/26 financial year will be considered as part of the forthcoming spending review.
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Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to promote STEM courses across the education system.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.
High and rising school standards are at the heart of the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and give every child the best start in life.
The government is committed to ensuring that anyone, can pursue an education and career in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects.
An important focus is on primary mathematics where the government has a commitment to improve the quality of mathematics teaching across nurseries and primary schools, learning from the success of phonics. The government continues to support continuing professional development for mathematics teachers in schools and post-16 institutions. Mathematics is the most popular A level.
To support the teaching of computing and increase participation in computer science qualifications, the government funds the National Centre for Computing Education. This support includes programmes designed to encourage greater participation from girls and industry-led events that raise pupils’ awareness of careers in computing.
In science, to ensure that every pupil has access to high-quality teaching, the department funds the ‘Subject Knowledge for Physics Teachers’ programme. This intensive retraining programme comprises six modules to upskill non-specialist teachers of physics and enhance their subject knowledge, confidence and pedagogical knowledge.
Oak National Academy also offers free, optional and adaptable materials for use at key stages 1 to 4 in mathematics, computing and all three sciences.
The department also funds the STEM Ambassadors programme, a nationwide network of over 30,000 registered volunteers representing thousands of employers, who engage with young people to increase their interest in STEM subjects and to raise awareness of the range of careers that STEM qualifications offer.
The government will continue to support learners who wish to have a career in STEM through its technical education offer, with a range of high-quality qualifications and apprenticeship opportunities at all levels. Examples of this include:
We have also established a comprehensive network of 21 Institutes of Technology across England to significantly increase the number of learners with higher technical skills in key STEM sectors, such as manufacturing and engineering, construction and digital.
The department has announced an Initial Teacher Training financial incentives package for the 2025/26 academic year recruitment cycle worth £233 million, which is a £37 million increase on the last cycle. This includes a range of measures, including bursaries worth £29,000 tax-free and scholarships worth £31,000 tax-free, to encourage talented trainees to key subjects such as mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing. For the 2024/25 and 2025/26 academic years, the government is offering a targeted retention incentive worth up to £6,000 after tax for mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing teachers in the first five years of their careers who choose to work in disadvantaged schools. This will support recruitment and retention of specialist teachers in these subjects and in the schools and areas that need them most.