Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent steps they have taken to raise educational standards in schools across the United Kingdom.

Education is a devolved matter, and the response will outline the education reforms for England.

Since 2010, this government has been committed to raising educational standards in all schools across the country to ensure that all young people leave school with the knowledge, qualifications, and skills they need to succeed in life. The proportion of schools now rated by Ofsted as Good or Outstanding has risen from 68% in 2010 to 86% in 2020.

We know that the COVID-19 outbreak poses great challenges to the education system. That is why in June 2020, the Department announced a £1 billion catch-up package, which includes £350 million for the National Tutoring Programme. This will increase access to high-quality tuition for the most disadvantaged young people, helping to accelerate their academic progress and tackle the attainment gap between them and their peers. More recently, in February 2021, we committed a further £700 million of funding for the 2021/22 academic year. This package includes a new one off £302 million Recovery Premium for state primary and secondary schools, building on the Pupil Premium, to further support pupils who need it. The devolved administrations are receiving additional funding through the Barnett formula in the usual way. This funding enables the devolved administrations to deliver support where programmes do not apply across the whole of the UK.