Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the joint letter from Internet Matters and the Molly Rose Foundation, published on 7 October 2026, what support her Department plans to make available to schools to teach media and digital literacy during 2026/27 and 2027/28.

Media and digital literacy are vital to helping children and young people navigate the online world safely and critically. The department is grateful to the Molly Rose Foundation for its work to promote online safety and highlight the importance of these skills.

Schools already teach media and digital literacy through citizenship, relationships, sex and health education (RSHE), English and computing curricula. Updated RSHE statutory guidance, mandatory from 1 September 2026, strengthens content on artificial intelligence (AI) and online safety.

The department expects to hold a public consultation on proposals for the curriculum and assessment system, including media and digital literacy, later this year, following publication of the government’s response to the Curriculum and Assessment Review final report. We will consider any training requirements for teachers as part of the review process.

Support currently available includes adaptable, high-quality curriculum resources from Oak National Academy and media literacy materials on the Educate Against Hate website. The department-funded National Centre for Computing Education also provides free professional development on a range of topics, including digital literacy and AI.