Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of trail riding on people's health and wellbeing through active recreation.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has not made a specific assessment of the potential impact of trail riding on people's health and wellbeing through active recreation. The Department recognises that participation in outdoor activities using trails, such as cycling, walking, wheeling, and running, can have a range of physical and mental health benefits through movement, social engagement, and access to green and blue spaces.
The Government and the National Health Service recognise that reducing physical inactivity in people of all ages is important in helping people live longer, healthier lives. As committed to in the 10-Year Health Plan, we will address physically inactivity and help build movement into everyday lives through investing in grassroots sports, developing a new Physical Education and school sports partnership network to support children reap the benefits of movement, and supporting cycling and walking infrastructure.
Asked by: Caroline Voaden (Liberal Democrat - South Devon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment has been made of the potential impact of defunding the Level 5 Outdoor Learning Specialist Apprenticeship on the outdoor education sector.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer of 13 April 2026 to Question UIN 123109.
Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will continue to fund the Level 5 Outdoor Learning Specialist Apprenticeship in order to allow (a) the cohort already accepted for the scheme to continue and (b) substantive consultation with the sector to take place.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Over the past decade we’ve seen apprenticeship starts by those aged 16-24 fall by 40% and over half of all apprenticeship starts are now by learners aged 25 and over. At the same time, we have seen the apprenticeship offer increase to over 700 standards, many of which do not support critical skills shortages.
Even with record investment of £3.3bn in 2026-27, the Growth and Skills Levy budget is finite. With 100% of our budget spent last year we need to prioritise in order to deliver foundation apprenticeships and short courses alongside the core apprenticeship offer. We are therefore withdrawing funding from 16 apprenticeships from September 2026, including the Level 5 Outdoor Learning Specialist standard.
These changes will help to create the headroom to invest in our national skills priorities with more opportunities for more young people, and new apprenticeship units to provide a more flexible offer to businesses. We are continuing to fund the related Level 3 Outdoor Activity Instructor apprenticeship which provides an entry route into this profession.
All existing learners on the Level 5 Outdoor Learning Specialist standard will continue to be funded through to completion, and providers have been written to individually to confirm their transition arrangements. Employers who value this apprenticeship standard will also be able to use it on a privately funded basis.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Outdoor Learning Specialist apprenticeships are projected to start in the current funding year; how long the standard has been operational; and what he estimates to be the cost saving associated with defunding the Level 5 standard.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Outdoor Learning Specialist standard was approved for delivery from February 2022.
The department publishes a range of apprenticeships data, including on apprenticeship starts, and those for the current academic year are published here: Apprenticeships, Academic year 2025/26 - Explore education statistics - GOV.UK.
The department does not publish projected starts or estimated cost savings.
Asked by: Jim Dickson (Labour - Dartford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to research from The University of Manchester entitled The right to play: making play a policy and practice priority, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that all schools have access to green spaces.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Play is an essential part of children’s physical, social and cognitive development, as recognised in the early years foundation stage statutory framework. All education settings, from early years to further education, can register with the National Education Nature Park which provides free and quality assured resources, guidance and support to enable them to turn their grounds from grey to green.
The Education Estates Strategy also recently set out how the new design specifications and Renewal and Retrofit Programme will increase access to nature and create better outdoor places with more variety, so that pupils can undertake both quiet and energetic activities.
The value of access to nature and outdoor learning is also being recognised and promoted through enrichment, with our upcoming Enrichment Framework including 'Nature, outdoors and adventure' as one of five categories that schools should seek to cover in a broad and well-rounded enrichment offer.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to encourage outdoors learning in schools.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department believes all children and young people should have access to a broad and balanced curriculum and a variety of enrichment opportunities at school.
The value of nature for outdoor learning and for learners’ wellbeing is fundamental
to the department Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy and it is woven throughout initiatives such as the National Education Nature Park. Delivered by the Natural History Museum, it provides curriculum aligned resources and encourages children and young people to get outside and take action to improve the biodiversity of their school grounds. It also supports the development of physical and mental wellbeing through active, hands-on engagement with the natural world.
The value of outdoor learning is being recognised and promoted through our upcoming Enrichment Framework, which includes 'Nature, outdoors and adventure' as one of five categories that schools and colleges should seek to cover in a broad and well-rounded enrichment offer.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential implications for its policies of the benefits to educational outcomes of regular physical activity.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Physical education (PE) and sport are vital elements of a rounded and enriching education that every child deserves. As outlined in the government's response to the curriculum and assessment review recommendations, the department will be strengthening the national curriculum for PE, recognising its role in supporting pupils’ wellbeing and educational outcomes.
We have also made a commitment to set out a core enrichment offer that every school and college, in every community, should aim to provide for all children beyond the statutory curriculum. Our ambition is that all schools should provide an offer to all pupils that meets the new benchmarks. This includes access to sport and physical activities, civic engagement, arts and culture, nature, outdoor and adventure, and developing wider life skills.
As announced last June by my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister, the department is working with the Department of Health and Social Care and the Department of Culture, Media and Sport to develop a new PE and School Sport Partnerships Network which aims to support schools to ensure all children and young people have equal access to high quality PE and extracurricular sport.
Asked by: Elsie Blundell (Labour - Heywood and Middleton North)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of financial literacy and basic life skills education in secondary schools.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The government is committed to strengthening pupils’ foundational understanding of financial education in mathematics and citizenship following publication of the Curriculum and Assessment Review final report in November 2025. The department will engage with sector experts and young people in how best to reflect this, and life skills content, in the updated curriculum. There will be public consultation on updated curriculum programmes of study in 2026, seeking views on the content before they are finalised.
Oak National Academy, an independent arm’s length body, provides high quality curriculum materials to support financial literacy.
The government is determined that every child has access to enriching activities that develop their essential skills. We have set out an enrichment offer schools and colleges should aim to provide for all children, including civic engagement; arts and culture; nature, outdoor and adventure; sport and physical activities; and developing wider life skills.
Asked by: Elsie Blundell (Labour - Heywood and Middleton North)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to include financial literacy and life skills education as a mandatory and assessed part of the secondary school curriculum.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The government is committed to strengthening pupils’ foundational understanding of financial education in mathematics and citizenship following publication of the Curriculum and Assessment Review final report in November 2025. The department will engage with sector experts and young people in how best to reflect this, and life skills content, in the updated curriculum. There will be public consultation on updated curriculum programmes of study in 2026, seeking views on the content before they are finalised.
Oak National Academy, an independent arm’s length body, provides high quality curriculum materials to support financial literacy.
The government is determined that every child has access to enriching activities that develop their essential skills. We have set out an enrichment offer schools and colleges should aim to provide for all children, including civic engagement; arts and culture; nature, outdoor and adventure; sport and physical activities; and developing wider life skills.
Asked by: Saqib Bhatti (Conservative - Meriden and Solihull East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department will take to set accountability measures to guarantee equitable access to the enrichment entitlement across all regions.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Almost all schools offer some form of enrichment activity to pupils. Ofsted inspects provision as part of its personal development judgement.
To support all schools to develop, improve and widen access to their offers, the department is developing an Enrichment Framework which will include benchmarks for how schools and colleges can build a strategic and intentional offer of enrichment that can benefit all children and young people. The Framework will be published in early 2026.
Our ambition is that all schools should provide an enrichment offer to all pupils that meets the new benchmarks. This includes access to civic engagement, arts and culture, nature, outdoor and adventure, sport and physical activities, and developing wider life skills. We will consult on how enrichment is embedded in School Profiles, ensuring they are co-designed with the input of schools and frontline expertise. To provide more targeted support, we are working closely with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on the design of the enrichment expansion programme, and more details will be provided shortly. This will go alongside wider support such as £132.5 million of Dormant Assets funding to support the provision of services, facilities, and opportunities to young people, particularly those from disadvantaged and underrepresented backgrounds.