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: Lord Kamall (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of regional variation in breast cancer screening uptake, particularly in areas where uptake is significantly below the national average.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
This Government is committed to improving the NHS Breast Screening Programme (NHS BSP) and addressing regional variation in uptake.
To improve uptake and address inequalities, this year, NHS England is planning to publish a Breast Screening Programme Uptake Improvement Review.
This will include a review of actions taken at a national level by the NHS BSP so far, as well as setting out where the focus will be going forward, to support local services to drive uptake even further.
The review supports breast screening service providers with national solutions such as:
In February 2025, NHS England launched the first ever National Health Service breast screening campaign nationally to widespread media attention. It ran across television, radio, social media, and outdoor advertising during February and March, targeting women of breast screening age, with a focus on those least likely to attend, including younger women, those in deprived areas, ethnic minorities, and disabled women.
Asked by: Amanda Hack (Labour - North West Leicestershire)
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 effectiveness of targeted interventions to improve breast cancer screening uptake among underserved groups.
Answered by Ashley Dalton
The NHS Breast Screening Programme (NHSBSP) has returned to normal operation following disruption from COVID-19 and subsequent recovery measures.
NHSBSP is seeing improvement in uptake nationally with annual data for 2023/24 showing the number of women who are up to date with their screening has increased to the highest on record, to 4.61 million.
Breast screening uptake among those invited in 2023/24 improved to 70%, an increase from 64.6% in 2022/23, which is the first time the NHSBSP has hit its acceptable target for breast screening uptake since before the pandemic.
In February 2025, NHS England launched the first ever National Health Service breast screening campaign nationally to widespread media attention. It ran across television, radio, social media, and outdoor advertising during February and March, targeting women of breast screening age, with a focus on those least likely to attend, including younger women, those in deprived areas, ethnic minorities, and disabled women.
Specifically, regarding North West Leicestershire, measures to improve uptake include implementation of a timed appointment system which gives patients a specific date and time for their screening appointment, rather than asking them to contact the service to arrange one themselves. Evidence has shown that timed appointments improve participation and help reduce health inequalities. In addition, workforce structure is being reviewed to ensure a resilient staffing establishment capable of managing the higher demand from the timed appointment system.
More broadly, the integrated care board works with NHS England to support an increase in breast screening across Leicester, Leicestershire, Rugby. This includes:
Asked by: Amanda Hack (Labour - North West Leicestershire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the backlog and other impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on the breast cancer screening programme has been completed.
Answered by Ashley Dalton
The NHS Breast Screening Programme (NHSBSP) has returned to normal operation following disruption from COVID-19 and subsequent recovery measures.
NHSBSP is seeing improvement in uptake nationally with annual data for 2023/24 showing the number of women who are up to date with their screening has increased to the highest on record, to 4.61 million.
Breast screening uptake among those invited in 2023/24 improved to 70%, an increase from 64.6% in 2022/23, which is the first time the NHSBSP has hit its acceptable target for breast screening uptake since before the pandemic.
In February 2025, NHS England launched the first ever National Health Service breast screening campaign nationally to widespread media attention. It ran across television, radio, social media, and outdoor advertising during February and March, targeting women of breast screening age, with a focus on those least likely to attend, including younger women, those in deprived areas, ethnic minorities, and disabled women.
Specifically, regarding North West Leicestershire, measures to improve uptake include implementation of a timed appointment system which gives patients a specific date and time for their screening appointment, rather than asking them to contact the service to arrange one themselves. Evidence has shown that timed appointments improve participation and help reduce health inequalities. In addition, workforce structure is being reviewed to ensure a resilient staffing establishment capable of managing the higher demand from the timed appointment system.
More broadly, the integrated care board works with NHS England to support an increase in breast screening across Leicester, Leicestershire, Rugby. This includes:
Asked by: Amanda Hack (Labour - North West Leicestershire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how he plans to support areas with lower than national average attendance to breast cancer screening appointments, such as North West Leicestershire.
Answered by Ashley Dalton
The NHS Breast Screening Programme (NHSBSP) has returned to normal operation following disruption from COVID-19 and subsequent recovery measures.
NHSBSP is seeing improvement in uptake nationally with annual data for 2023/24 showing the number of women who are up to date with their screening has increased to the highest on record, to 4.61 million.
Breast screening uptake among those invited in 2023/24 improved to 70%, an increase from 64.6% in 2022/23, which is the first time the NHSBSP has hit its acceptable target for breast screening uptake since before the pandemic.
In February 2025, NHS England launched the first ever National Health Service breast screening campaign nationally to widespread media attention. It ran across television, radio, social media, and outdoor advertising during February and March, targeting women of breast screening age, with a focus on those least likely to attend, including younger women, those in deprived areas, ethnic minorities, and disabled women.
Specifically, regarding North West Leicestershire, measures to improve uptake include implementation of a timed appointment system which gives patients a specific date and time for their screening appointment, rather than asking them to contact the service to arrange one themselves. Evidence has shown that timed appointments improve participation and help reduce health inequalities. In addition, workforce structure is being reviewed to ensure a resilient staffing establishment capable of managing the higher demand from the timed appointment system.
More broadly, the integrated care board works with NHS England to support an increase in breast screening across Leicester, Leicestershire, Rugby. This includes:
Asked by: Joe Morris (Labour - Hexham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions her Department has had with relevant stakeholders in the Hexham constituency regarding the potential merits of outdoor education for children.
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 National Education Nature Park is a whole-school environmental education programme that encourages teachers to take students outside and use their grounds to learn in and about nature. OASES (Outdoor and Sustainability Education Specialists), based in County Durham, were involved in discussions around the development of this initiative.
The value of outdoor learning is also being recognised and promoted in the department’s upcoming Enrichment Framework, which will include 'Nature, outdoors and adventure' as one of five categories of enrichment. We are engaging with national organisations who support outdoor learning and are happy to hear from local and regional organisations with relevant expertise.
Asked by: Joe Morris (Labour - Hexham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions her Department has had with relevant stakeholders in Northumberland regarding the potential merits of outdoor education for children.
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 National Education Nature Park is a whole-school environmental education programme that encourages teachers to take students outside and use their grounds to learn in and about nature. OASES (Outdoor and Sustainability Education Specialists), based in County Durham, were involved in discussions around the development of this initiative.
The value of outdoor learning is also being recognised and promoted in the department’s upcoming Enrichment Framework, which will include 'Nature, outdoors and adventure' as one of five categories of enrichment. We are engaging with national organisations who support outdoor learning and are happy to hear from local and regional organisations with relevant expertise.
Asked by: Joe Morris (Labour - Hexham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions her Department has had with relevant stakeholders in the North East regarding the potential merits of outdoor education for children.
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 National Education Nature Park is a whole-school environmental education programme that encourages teachers to take students outside and use their grounds to learn in and about nature. OASES (Outdoor and Sustainability Education Specialists), based in County Durham, were involved in discussions around the development of this initiative.
The value of outdoor learning is also being recognised and promoted in the department’s upcoming Enrichment Framework, which will include 'Nature, outdoors and adventure' as one of five categories of enrichment. We are engaging with national organisations who support outdoor learning and are happy to hear from local and regional organisations with relevant expertise.
Asked by: Baroness Wolf of Dulwich (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government which private special education schools closed in England in (1) 2024, and (2) 2025; and in which region were they located.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
In 2024 there were 2,458 private schools in England, of which 804 were special schools.
During 2024, 58 private schools closed, of which 18 were special schools.
Between 1 January and 15 October 2025, 60 private schools have closed, of which 6 were special schools.
The table below shows the special schools that closed in England in 2024. Of these, 9 schools closed on or before 4 July 2024, and 9 schools closed on or after 5 July 2024:
School Name | Region |
Ashcroft School | North West |
Sheiling School | South West |
Values Academy | West Midlands |
Wings School | Cumbria |
The Meadows | East Midlands |
Values Academy | West Midlands |
R.E.A.L Independent Schools Blidworth | East Midlands |
Manorway Independent School | South East |
Glebe House | East Anglia |
Buzz Learning Independent Specialist School | North East |
Argyll House | East Anglia |
R.E.A.L Independent Schools Ilkeston | East Midlands |
Summit School | West Midlands |
The Copper Academy | South West |
Starbold Farm Outdoor Learning Centre | West Midlands |
Sunflower Meadow Farm School | West Midlands |
Odyssey House School - Wokingham | South East |
Redbourn Park Secondary School | South East |
The following special schools closed in England in 2025:
School Name | Region |
Greater Manchester Alternative Provision | North West |
Cornfields School | South East |
Belle Vue School | South East |
Blooming Tree Primary School | Greater London |
Endeavour House School | West Yorkshire |
Skylarks School | South East |
Children whose place in a private school has been deemed necessary by a local authority will not be affected by tax changes. If an education, health and care plan names a private school, the local authority must fund that place. Where this is the case, local authorities will be able to reclaim the VAT on the fees from HMRC via the Section 33 VAT refund scheme.
Asked by: Baroness Wolf of Dulwich (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many private schools closed in England in (1) 2024 and (2) 2025; and in each year, how many of them were special education schools.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
In 2024 there were 2,458 private schools in England, of which 804 were special schools.
During 2024, 58 private schools closed, of which 18 were special schools.
Between 1 January and 15 October 2025, 60 private schools have closed, of which 6 were special schools.
The table below shows the special schools that closed in England in 2024. Of these, 9 schools closed on or before 4 July 2024, and 9 schools closed on or after 5 July 2024:
School Name | Region |
Ashcroft School | North West |
Sheiling School | South West |
Values Academy | West Midlands |
Wings School | Cumbria |
The Meadows | East Midlands |
Values Academy | West Midlands |
R.E.A.L Independent Schools Blidworth | East Midlands |
Manorway Independent School | South East |
Glebe House | East Anglia |
Buzz Learning Independent Specialist School | North East |
Argyll House | East Anglia |
R.E.A.L Independent Schools Ilkeston | East Midlands |
Summit School | West Midlands |
The Copper Academy | South West |
Starbold Farm Outdoor Learning Centre | West Midlands |
Sunflower Meadow Farm School | West Midlands |
Odyssey House School - Wokingham | South East |
Redbourn Park Secondary School | South East |
The following special schools closed in England in 2025:
School Name | Region |
Greater Manchester Alternative Provision | North West |
Cornfields School | South East |
Belle Vue School | South East |
Blooming Tree Primary School | Greater London |
Endeavour House School | West Yorkshire |
Skylarks School | South East |
Children whose place in a private school has been deemed necessary by a local authority will not be affected by tax changes. If an education, health and care plan names a private school, the local authority must fund that place. Where this is the case, local authorities will be able to reclaim the VAT on the fees from HMRC via the Section 33 VAT refund scheme.