Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of the Steiner school education system.

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, has made no specific assessment about the merits of the Steiner school education system. Independent schools are required to always meet the independent school standards, including standards related to the quality of education. Within that, independent schools are free to set their own curriculum. When independent schools fail to meet the standards, the department can take regulatory or enforcement action in line with its published policy.