Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the document entitled Transparency Data: Updated estimates of children with a parent in prison, published on 10 September 2026, what steps she is taking with the Secretary of State for Justice to help provide support to children in primary and secondary educational settings who had a parent in prison.

We recognise the impact that a parent going to prison can have on a child’s learning, behaviour and wellbeing. However, support should be based on individual need, not solely having a parent in prison. Our approach is focused on equipping schools to respond to children’s needs. We set out in statutory guidance ‘Keeping children safe in education’ that all staff in schools and colleges should consider the needs that children with a family member in prison may have. The guidance highlights the risk of poverty, stigma, isolation and poor mental health. Further details are available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6ac3c09c11ed58342ad8e4ac/Keeping_children_safe_in_education_2026.pdf.

The department and the Ministry of Justice are working to deliver parental imprisonment recognition and support pilots. Where appropriate, support via the pilots may be delivered through schools, in partnership with other education settings, or alongside other community-based or specialist services, taking account of the needs and preferences of the children and families themselves.