Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to improve primary education provision in rural areas.

The government is committed to improving outcomes for children in all parts of the country, including those attending rural primary schools. Through our Regional Improvement for Standards and Excellence (RISE) programme, we are providing targeted support for schools that need to improve, alongside a universal offer that promotes collaboration, shares effective practice and drives high and rising standards. RISE is available to support all schools, regardless of location. An example of support is delivering the Fixed, Firm and Fluent Foundations programme online across the North East, helping remove barriers to participation for rural schools.

The Schools National Funding Formula also recognises the challenges faced by small rural schools through the lump sum and sparsity factors.