Asked by: Zöe Franklin (Liberal Democrat - Guildford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions her Department has had with teaching unions on the role of schools and education settings in the development and implementation of the Government’s strategy on tackling violence against women and girls.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The Violence against Women and Girls (VAWG) Strategy recognises that we must take a whole system approach to tackle and halve VAWG in a decade. The government has undertaken stakeholder engagement to inform the development of the strategy, meeting with key sector leaders, unions, academics, police representatives, and has an established the VAWG Strategy Advisory Board.
The department meets teaching unions and school stakeholder groups regularly. We will continue this engagement as work progresses on the implementation of our contribution to the strategy, which includes a departmental investment of £11 million in further support.
Asked by: Zöe Franklin (Liberal Democrat - Guildford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what factors determined the timing between the publication of the consultation on the SEND white paper on 2 December 2025 and the first engagement event on 3 December 2025; and whether that notice period aligns with her Department’s standards for effective public consultation.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department has undertaken extensive engagement over the past year, holding more than 100 events with children, young people, parents and other stakeholders to inform our work on special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
The SEND national conversation, launched on 2 December, is not a formal consultation but an expansion of this ongoing engagement, designed to broaden participation and ensure parents’ voices are heard. The first events were scheduled promptly to maintain momentum and provide early opportunities for families to contribute. The Council for Disabled Children has promoted the regional engagement sessions, which are now fully subscribed, and further online events run by the department remain open for sign‑up.
A formal consultation will take place following publication of the Schools White Paper next year, in line with the department’s standards for effective public consultation, to continue the conversation on reform and gather views on specific proposals.
Asked by: Zöe Franklin (Liberal Democrat - Guildford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the level of compliance of Multi Academy Trusts with statutory guidance on charging for school-time activities, including WOW days, curriculum-required trips and transport to compulsory swimming lessons.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The Education Act 1996 prohibits schools from charging for education provided during school hours, subject to very limited exceptions. The department publishes guidance to assist schools to comply with the law on charging for school activities. Parents who have concerns about their school’s charging policy should raise this with the school. They may be able to complain to my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, if they remain unsatisfied once they have exhausted the school’s complaints procedure.
The department has a strong policy presumption against the disposal of school playing fields and has a set of criteria used to assess applications for consent. These include assessing whether the school can continue to meet its curriculum needs. The department gives consent only if the criteria are met, and where the proceeds from sales are to be reinvested in improvements to sports and education facilities.
Asked by: Zöe Franklin (Liberal Democrat - Guildford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on the incidence of academy trusts undertaking new capital projects on school playing fields while requesting parental contributions for curriculum activities that schools are not permitted to charge for.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The Education Act 1996 prohibits schools from charging for education provided during school hours, subject to very limited exceptions. The department publishes guidance to assist schools to comply with the law on charging for school activities. Parents who have concerns about their school’s charging policy should raise this with the school. They may be able to complain to my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, if they remain unsatisfied once they have exhausted the school’s complaints procedure.
The department has a strong policy presumption against the disposal of school playing fields and has a set of criteria used to assess applications for consent. These include assessing whether the school can continue to meet its curriculum needs. The department gives consent only if the criteria are met, and where the proceeds from sales are to be reinvested in improvements to sports and education facilities.
Asked by: Zöe Franklin (Liberal Democrat - Guildford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of uniform changes proposed in the Children and Wellbeing Bill on parents who wish to buy branded uniform items for convenience.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
Whilst uniforms play a valuable role in creating a sense of common identity among pupils and reducing visible inequalities, too many schools still require high numbers of branded items. This is why we have introduced legislation to limit the number of branded items of uniform and PE kit that schools can require, giving parents more choice in where to purchase uniform and allowing them the flexibility to make the spending decisions that suit their circumstances.
Schools may continue to offer optional branded items, provided these are kept to a minimum and a generic alternative is available.
Parents should have choice over where they shop, so they can control the cost of uniforms. Our data suggest that where parents can buy items from a range of suppliers the average cost of uniform is significantly lower.
Asked by: Zöe Franklin (Liberal Democrat - Guildford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the affordability of employability courses for students; and whether she plans to increase funding to help improve access to such courses.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Approximately £8.6 billion 16 to 19 programme funding has been allocated during the 2025/26 academic year to colleges, schools and other providers of education and training. This funding enables young people to take part in study programmes or T levels. These are designed to enable students to progress to employment, an apprenticeship or further study including higher education.
Responsibility for adult skills has moved from the Department for Education to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). Through the adult skills fund (ASF), we have allocated £1.4 billion in academic year 2025/26, ensuring that adults can access the education and training they need to get into employment or progress in work.
Currently, 68% of the ASF is devolved to 12 Strategic Authorities and the Greater London Authority, who are responsible for the provision of ASF-funded adult education for their residents and the allocation of the ASF to learning providers.
In non-devolved areas, adults who earn less than £25,750, are eligible for full funding through the ASF, ensuring courses are accessible for those who are either unemployed or on the lowest incomes.
Asked by: Zöe Franklin (Liberal Democrat - Guildford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that local authorities comply with section 42 of the Children and Families Act 2014.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department and NHS England work together to support and challenge local areas to improve their special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) service delivery where required. This includes carrying out monitoring, support and challenge on any areas of identified weakness, both following an area SEND inspection by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission, or if those areas are identified outside of inspection timescales.
Where a local authority does not meet its duties, including in relation to securing provision in accordance with education, health and care plans, the department can take action that prioritises children’s needs and supports local areas to bring about rapid improvement. This includes a range of universal, targeted and intensive support through departmental programmes, such as our expert advisers and commissioners.
Asked by: Zöe Franklin (Liberal Democrat - Guildford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance her Department provides to local authorities on supporting children in voluntary foster care to return home in cases where a lack of suitable full-time education provision is a barrier to family reunification.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Where a child is accommodated under Section 20 of the Children Act 1989, our care planning regulations and statutory guidance are clear that there should be a robust care planning and decision-making process to meet the day-to-day needs of the child. Where reunification is in the best interests of the child and will safeguard and promote their welfare, the local authority should set out the support and services to be provided once the child returns home, including suitable education provision.
The department has not carried out an assessment of the cost to local authorities incurred in cases where there has not been suitable educational provision and children have remained in voluntary foster care.
The department’s children’s social care reforms include the national rollout of the Families First Partnership programme, which will embed a new approach to Family Help and greater use of family group decision making. Family Help will wrap support around families where children in care may be able to return home safely. This includes bringing in relevant agencies or individuals from school attendance teams to support sustainable reunification.
Asked by: Zöe Franklin (Liberal Democrat - Guildford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the cost to local authorities of keeping children in voluntary foster care due to inadequate local education provision.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Where a child is accommodated under Section 20 of the Children Act 1989, our care planning regulations and statutory guidance are clear that there should be a robust care planning and decision-making process to meet the day-to-day needs of the child. Where reunification is in the best interests of the child and will safeguard and promote their welfare, the local authority should set out the support and services to be provided once the child returns home, including suitable education provision.
The department has not carried out an assessment of the cost to local authorities incurred in cases where there has not been suitable educational provision and children have remained in voluntary foster care.
The department’s children’s social care reforms include the national rollout of the Families First Partnership programme, which will embed a new approach to Family Help and greater use of family group decision making. Family Help will wrap support around families where children in care may be able to return home safely. This includes bringing in relevant agencies or individuals from school attendance teams to support sustainable reunification.
Asked by: Zöe Franklin (Liberal Democrat - Guildford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the level of specialist nursery and early years places for children with special educational needs and disabilities; and whether she plans to increase the number of core SEND units.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The department aims to set every child up to have the best start in life, and this includes delivering access to high quality early education and childcare for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Local authorities have a duty to secure sufficient childcare, including for children with SEND. They are expected to report annually to elected council members on how they are meeting this duty and make their report available and accessible to parents.
The department continues to monitor sufficiency through regular contact with local authorities. Where local authorities report sufficiency challenges, we discuss what action is being taken to address those issues and, where needed, support them through our childcare sufficiency support contract.
The department has published allocations for £740 million high needs capital funding in the 2025/26 financial year to support children and young people with SEND or who require alternative provision. Local authorities are free to choose to spend this across the 0-25 age range and it is ultimately up to local authorities to determine how to best prioritise their funding. Guidance published alongside the allocations encourages local authorities to use the funding to set up resourced provisions or special educational needs units in mainstream schools.
Local authorities can meet the costs of children aged five and under with high needs in different ways from their high needs budget. This may include providing SEND support directly as a central service for young children with high needs and/or resources for early years providers to enable them to make the required provision.