Question to the Wales Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what recent discussions she has had with the Welsh Government on school standards in Wales.

I have regular discussions with the Welsh Government on a range of issues, including Education. In addition, officials from the Department for Education (DfE) and the Welsh Government regularly meet and share best practice as do DfE Ministers and their Welsh Government counterparts.

As Education is devolved, the Welsh Government is responsible for school standards in Wales. The UK Government delivered the biggest budget settlement in the history of devolution, with £21 billion of new money for the Welsh Government to spend on public services such as schools.

In Financial Year (FY) 2024/25, the Welsh Government provided almost £200 million to support school standards across Wales. For FY 2025/26, the Welsh Government is awarding a further almost £170 million for school standards, which the Conservative and Plaid Cymru parties in the Senedd decided to vote against.