theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-30)

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Jessica Morden:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 10 June to Question 56493 on Teachers: Workplace Pension, what the updated planned timetable is for issuing cash equivalent transfer value details from Teachers’ Pensions. \p Georgia Gould: As at the end of September 2025, the number of unresolved Cash Equivalent Transfer Value (CETV) cases has been reduced to 400 from 3,062 at the end of October 2024. This includes recent CETV applications and as such there will always be a number of outstanding CETV cases at any given time.

The scheme administrator is now working through the most complex cases for members who have retired. These cases can currently only be processed clerically and the estimated calculation times are between 20 and 65 hours per case. The department is funding IT changes for the scheme administrator that are expected to significantly reduce processing times.

This issue remains a top priority for the department and the scheme administrator, and the above actions are currently expected to result in the delayed CETVs being cleared by spring 2026.
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Matt Vickers:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate she has made of the number of schools with in-year budget deficits. \p Georgia Gould: The latest available figures show 96% of academy trusts and 85% of local authority-maintained schools are in cumulative surplus or breaking even, with an overall cumulative surplus of almost £6.5 billion, compared to a cumulative deficit of £330 million. These figures relate to 31 August 2024 for academy trusts and 31 March 2024 for maintained schools. In the 2023/24 financial year, there were 1745 local authority-maintained schools in deficit, and 341 academies were in trusts that had an overall deficit.

The department does not hold in-year information on the spending of schools and trusts.
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Matt Vickers:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the pupil premium on educational outcomes for disadvantaged pupils. \p Georgia Gould: This government is committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity so that all our children can achieve and thrive in education.

We are providing over £3 billion of pupil premium funding in the 2025/26 financial year to improve educational outcomes for disadvantaged pupils in state funded schools in England.

In March 2025, the department published a pupil premium and recovery premium evaluation. The findings were positive about schools’ approaches to planning pupil premium spend being driven by high quality data and evidence, and schools felt the funding had a positive impact on pupils’ outcomes. For example, 85% of schools and 91% of trusts agreed that having pupil premium meant they had a better strategy for meeting disadvantaged pupils’ needs.

Schools must spend their pupil premium funding in line with the department’s 'menu of approaches' which is informed by evidence of how best to improve disadvantaged pupils’ attainment.
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Matt Vickers:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to improve recruitment and retention of teachers in STEM subjects. \p Georgia Gould: The department is making good progress on our pledge to deliver 6,500 more teachers. The workforce has grown by 2,346 FTE between 2023/24 and 2024/25 in secondary and special schools, the schools where they are needed most. Additionally, 12% more trainees have accepted offers to train as secondary teachers, and in STEM, acceptances are up 25% compared to last year.

Workforce shortages are more acute in some subjects, which is why the department is offering bursaries worth up to £29,000 tax-free and scholarships worth up to £31,000 tax-free, to encourage more talented people to train in key subjects such as mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing.

The department is also offering a targeted retention incentive worth up to £6,000 after tax for teachers of these subjects in the first five years of their careers who choose to work in disadvantaged schools or teach technical subjects in further education colleges.

The department undertakes regular reviews to ensure we are prioritising the subjects where teachers are needed most, for example, through our bursaries, which are evaluated annually.
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Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of training provided to school staff on assisting children who have epilepsy. \p Georgia Gould: Governing bodies must ensure that the arrangements they put in place are sufficient to meet their statutory responsibilities and that policies, plans, procedures and systems are properly and effectively implemented. This includes the duty under Section 100 of the Children and Families Act 2014 to make arrangements for supporting pupils with medical conditions, as well as the duties under the Equality Act 2010. The effectiveness of a school is assessed through inspection by Ofsted.

The department has committed to reviewing the ‘Supporting pupils with medical conditions at school’ guidance and intends to issue a consultation on an updated version. The current guidance is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/supporting-pupils-at-school-with-medical-conditions--3.
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Matt Vickers:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions her Department has had with teacher training providers on ensuring sufficient placement opportunities for trainees. \p Georgia Gould: The department works closely with initial teacher training (ITT) providers to support them in securing high-quality school placements. This includes engagement through dedicated forums and collaboration with sector bodies such as the Universities’ Council for the Education of Teachers and the National Association of School-Based Teacher Trainers.

The department monitors data from our digital recruitment services to identify trends and challenges across the sector. Where providers experience difficulties in sourcing placements, we encourage them to share their concerns with us so that appropriate support can be considered. We also expect providers to work collaboratively with each other and offer mutual support where needed.

To further strengthen the system, the department is piloting a new digital service this year designed to improve the visibility of placement opportunities. This service allows schools to express an interest in hosting ITT placements, making it easier for providers to identify and connect with schools in their area.

The department recognises that a key challenge for schools is the time and cost associated with hosting trainees. That is why we have introduced funding to support schools for the time their mentors spend in training. This funding is available to all schools hosting ITT placements.
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Matt Vickers:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of workload reduction measures on teacher retention rates. \p Georgia Gould: The best recruitment strategy is a strong retention strategy, and this government has provided a near 10% pay award for teachers to ensure teaching is once again a respected and attractive profession.

The department is undertaking a range of initiatives to help teachers manage workload and improve retention. Our ‘Improve workload and wellbeing for school staff’ service, developed alongside school leaders, contains a range of supportive resources for schools to reduce workload. Our education staff wellbeing charter, now with over 4,200 signatories, sets out commitments from government, schools, and colleges to improve staff wellbeing, including commitments to help reduce teacher workload.

The department is seeing signs of improvement. 2024/25 saw one of the lowest leaver rates since 2010, with 1,300 fewer teachers leaving the state-funded sector, and the workforce has grown by 2,346 FTE from the previous year in secondary and special schools, the schools where teachers are needed most.
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Callum Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding under the reading initiative has been allocated for teacher training in (a) Milton Keynes and (b) Buckinghamshire. \p Georgia Gould: The government has committed £27.7 million to support and drive high and rising standards in reading in the 2025/26 financial year. This funding will deliver a range of support for schools, including new training for primary schools, delivered through the 34 English Hubs, to help children progress from the early stages of phonics through to reading fluently by the time they leave primary school; and new support and training for secondary schools to support reading at key stage 3.

Milton Keynes is served by Whiteknights English Hub. The department does not provide specific funding to local authorities under the English Hubs programme.
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Matt Vickers:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure schools have equitable access to (a) capital funding and (b) teacher recruitment incentives in the North East. \p Georgia Gould: The department is committed to ensuring all schools, including those in the North East, have equitable access to funding for capital and teacher recruitment incentives.

This government has given a long-term commitment to improve the condition of our schools and colleges across England. We are investing almost £3 billion per year by 2034/35 in capital maintenance and renewal to improve the condition of the school and college estate, rising from £2.4 billion in 2025/26. Funding is allocated on a consistent basis across the country, partly informed by data on the relative condition of schools. Information on capital funding and methodology can be found on GOV.UK. We are also investing almost £20 billion through to 2034/35 to continue and expand the School Rebuilding Programme.

The department is offering trainee bursaries worth £29,000 tax-free and scholarships worth up to £31,000 tax-free to encourage more talented people to train to teach key subjects such as mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing. We are also offering a Targeted Retention Incentive worth up to £6,000 after tax for mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing teachers in the first five years of their careers who work in disadvantaged schools. In the North East,179 schools are eligible for this incentive.
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Dr Caroline Johnson:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of children with education, health and care plans were born abroad. \p Georgia Gould: The requested information is not held by the department.
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Matt Vickers:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent steps her Department has taken to reduce waiting times for education, health and care plans. \p Georgia Gould: The department wants to ensure that education, health and care (EHC) needs assessments are progressed promptly and, if needed, high quality EHC plans are issued as quickly as possible so that children and young people can access the support they need.

We continue to monitor, challenge and work closely with local authorities that have issues with EHC plan timeliness. Where there are concerns about a local authority’s capacity to make the required improvements, we ensure that the cause of these problems is identified with the local authority and that an effective recovery plan is implemented. Where needed, the department deploys specialist special educational needs and disabilities advisors to help identify the barriers to carrying out the EHC plan process in a timely way and to address these barriers through practical plans for recovery, whilst also addressing any other areas of weakness in provision.
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Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to support schools to provide practical science activities as part of their curriculum. \p Georgia Gould: The government recognises the vital role of practical science activities in schools in fostering scientific understanding and engagement.

The national curriculum already provides opportunities for schools to deliver practical science lessons, including a requirement for pupils to undertake a minimum of eight practical activities for each science at GCSE level. Schools also have flexibility within the broad framework of the national curriculum to tailor their science curriculum to meet the needs of their pupils.

Support is available through Oak National Academy, an independent arm’s length body providing adaptable, optional, and free curriculum support for schools. Oak has new science resources covering key stages 1-4 that include practical science activities.

The government has commissioned Professor Becky Francis to undertake a review of the curriculum and assessment system in England, which will include looking at the science curriculum. The final report is due to be published this autumn, along with the government’s response.
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Matt Vickers:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the number of special school places in each local authority area. \p Georgia Gould: It is the responsibility of local authorities to ensure there are sufficient school places for pupils in their area, including those with special educational needs and disabilities. If a local authority identifies a shortage of places, resulting in a significant number of pupils needing to travel a long way to access a placement, they should consider creating, adapting, or expanding provision to meet that need.

The department has published allocations for £740 million in high needs capital funding in 2025/26, supporting local authorities to fulfil that duty. This can be used to create SEN units and resourced provision, or to improve the accessibility and inclusivity of the mainstream school environment, alongside providing places in special schools for pupils with the most complex needs.
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Matt Vickers:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of education investment areas on attainment in regions with historically lower performance. \p Georgia Gould: Between 2022 and 2025, key stage 2 outcomes in Education Investment Areas (EIAs) improved slightly faster than in non-EIAs, with the attainment gap narrowing by one percentage point. At key stage 4, the Attainment 8 gap between EIAs and non-EIAs remained stable. Multiple influences are likely to have contributed to these trends and we cannot attribute any changes solely to the EIA programme.
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Manuela Perteghella:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that guidance on the progression of summer-born children from primary to secondary education is applied (a) clearly and (b) consistently across all schools. \p Georgia Gould: The department keeps its guidance for schools and parents about requests for summer born children to be admitted out of their normal age group under review and updates it as required.

The guidance for schools is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/summer-born-children-advice-for-admission-authorities.

The guidance for parents is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/summer-born-children-school-admission.

The guidance is clear that it is rarely in a child’s best interests to miss a year of their education by being admitted to primary school in year 1 rather than reception, or to secondary school in year 8 rather than year 7. Therefore, if a parent requests their summer born child start their reception year aged 5, it should be rare for such a request to be refused.

The department conducts regular surveys of local authorities and parents to keep this issue under review. These show that only a small proportion of parents of summer born children request that they are admitted out of their normal age group, and the vast majority of such requests are agreed. The findings can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/summer-born-children-research-and-guidance.
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Ben Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of assessing (a) schools' and (b) trusts' complaint procedures to ensure that the complaint process is adequately (i) accessible and (ii) understandable. \p Georgia Gould: The department is working closely with the Improving Education Together group to improve the complaints system. We are exploring how to reset the relationship between schools and parents through encouraging informal resolution, reducing duplication, and clarifying roles and responsibilities. Where schools cannot resolve complaints, they should be passed quickly to the right body. We expect to provide more detail in the Schools White Paper.

The department has published best practice guidance for maintained schools and academies, including model complaints policies, and this can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-complaints-procedures and https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/setting-up-an-academies-complaints-procedure/best-practice-guidance-for-academies-complaints-procedures.

Complaints can be escalated to the department once a school’s process has been exhausted, unless the complainant has been obstructed. Once received, officials check whether the school’s complaints policy complies with relevant guidance and regulations.

The department values the dedication and expertise of the school workforce and is committed to working with them to re-establish teaching as an attractive, expert profession.
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James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to report metrics on the impact of regional improvement for standards and excellence on (a) progress, (b) attendance and (c) exclusion rates for pupils with SEND in mainstream schools. \p Georgia Gould: Regional improvement for standards and excellence (RISE) teams are a key part of the government‘s work to drive up education standards in schools across England. Eligibility for RISE targeted intervention is identified through Ofsted inspections and as of September 2025 there are 367 schools in the programme. Data on headline outcomes for all pupils in targeted RISE intervention schools, including attainment, absence and suspension and permanent exclusion rates, were published in September 2025. An impact evaluation of the programme, measuring change over time in key success measures for schools in the targeted RISE intervention programme set against a suitable group of comparator schools, will be carried out in due course. This will include further breakdowns by characteristics, such as for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). There are no plans to report routinely on metrics specifically related to pupils with SEND ahead of this.
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Dr Al Pinkerton:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions her Department has had with Surrey County Council on the closure of SEND units in mainstream schools in Surrey Heath constituency. \p Georgia Gould: The department has not received any proposals from mainstream schools in this area to close special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) units.

The department has published allocations for £740 million high needs capital in 2025/26 to support children and young people with SEND or who require alternative provision. Of this funding, Surrey Council has been allocated £16.1 million.

This funding is intended to create facilities within mainstream schools that can deliver more intensive support adapted to suit pupils’ needs. It can also be used to adapt mainstream schools to be more accessible and to create special school places for pupils with the most complex needs.
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Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when her Department plans to set out a timeline for reforming the SEND system. \p Georgia Gould: This government is determined to deliver reform that stands the test of time and rebuilds the confidence of families, which is why we’re launching a further period of listening and engagement – testing our proposals with parents, teachers and experts in every region of the country, so that lived experience and partnership are at the heart of our solutions.   We know that families are crying out for change, and that is exactly why it is critical we get this right. We will set out the full Schools White Paper in the new year, building on the work we’ve already done to create a system that’s rooted in inclusion, where children receive high-quality support early on and can thrive at their local school.
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Lee Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding has been allocated to local authorities to support (a) primary and (b) secondary school pupils who have English as a second language in each of the last five years. \p Georgia Gould: The schools national funding formula (NFF) allocates core funding to local areas for mainstream schools. The NFF includes an English as an additional language (EAL) factor. Pupils attract this funding to their school if their first language is not English and if they entered the state education system in England in the past three years. The table below shows the total funding allocated through the EAL factor from the 2021/22 to 2025/26 financial years:

Financial Year

Primary EAL funding

Secondary EAL funding

Total EAL funding

EAL funding as a proportion of total NFF funding

2021/22

£311 m

£108 m

£420 m

1.1%

2022/23

£307 m

£105 m

£412 m

1.1%

2023/24

£318 m

£116 m

£434 m

1.0%

2024/25

£343 m

£141 m

£484 m

1.1%

2025/26

£365 m

£173 m

£539 m

1.1%
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Sarah Hall:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to (a) improve and (b) simplify the SEND tribunal process for parents. \p Georgia Gould: There will always be a legal right to additional support for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to ensure they are supported throughout their education and into adult life.

The SEND tribunal will remain an important legal backstop for families. The department is working with parents and families, our expert partners and committed workforce to ensure any changes to the SEND system ensure easier and quicker access to support for children. Ensuring effective routes to resolving disputes is an important part of delivering a system which works for children and families and we will work collectively to secure this.
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Yasmin Qureshi:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 8 May 2025 to Question 51054 on Teachers: Workplace Pensions, what progress has been made on reducing the number of teachers waiting for compensation since 30 May 2025. \p Georgia Gould: As part of the Transitional Protection (McCloud) remedy, affected members of the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS) can choose either final salary or career average benefits for the remedy period (April 2015 to March 2022). From June 2025, the TPS administrator began adjusting pensions for members who selected benefits different from those already in payment.

As of 17 September 2025, 254 pensions had been adjusted. This process takes time, due to the complexity of the calculations required for the Remediable Service Statement (RSS), which reflects benefit choices as of its issue date. Additional calculations are needed if members opt for different benefits, as the pension position may change between RSS issuance and payment adjustment and some of these calculations cannot currently be automated so are done manually by clerical staff. The member’s existing pension benefits continue to be paid during this period, with any subsequent changes backdated with interest applied.

The department continues to monitor these issues very closely and work with Capita to ensure issues of this nature are resolved as quickly as possible, and the Teachers’ Pension Scheme is delivered to the highest possible standard.
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Neil Coyle:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help raise awareness of the reintroduction of maintenance grants. \p Josh MacAlister: This government is committed to supporting the aspiration of every person who meets the requirements and wants to attend higher education (HE). We must, therefore, reform the HE system to better support disadvantaged students. That is why we announced, on 29 September 2025, that we will introduce new targeted means-tested maintenance grants for students from low-income households studying courses aligned with our missions and the Industrial Strategy, funded by a levy on income from international student fees.

We reiterated this commitment in the Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper on the 20 October 2025, which sets out our ambition for a world leading and financially sustainable HE sector that delivers value for students, widens participation, drives local and national growth and supplies the skills our labour market needs.

We will set out further details on targeted maintenance grants at the Autumn Budget.
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Jayne Kirkham:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of trends in the level of commercial agencies in the supply teaching sector; and whether she plans to provide funding for non-commercial operators in that sector. \p Georgia Gould: Schools and local authorities are responsible for the recruitment of their supply teachers and are best placed to make decisions on this.

The supply market in England is large and diverse. It includes supply pools, direct recruitment and commercial agencies. Although the department does not hold data on the precise number of commercial agencies operating, agencies account for the majority of supply provision to schools.

The department is aware of the concern around agency fees and is working with the Crown Commercial Service on their agency supply deal, which supports schools to obtain value for money when hiring agency supply teachers and other temporary school staff. The deal has established a list of preferred suppliers that schools can access, all of which will be transparent with schools about the rates they charge.

There are currently no plans to provide funding for non-commercial operators in the sector. The department does, however, continue to conduct policy research into the supply market.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what criteria she plans to use to prioritise schools for the expansion of free breakfast clubs. \p Olivia Bailey: The department expects to provide further information, including specifics on eligibility, funding and expectations for schools, later in the autumn term.
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of social media in schools on bullying. \p Olivia Bailey: ​​Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.

​We know that evidence suggests that cyberbullying is often linked to face-to-face bullying.

​Mobile phones have no place in our schools. The department’s ‘mobile phones in schools’ guidance is clear that schools should prohibit the use of devices with smart technology throughout the school day, including during lessons, transitions and breaks.

​The department expects all schools to take steps in line with this guidance to ensure mobile phones do not disrupt pupils’ learning. If pupils fail to follow those rules, schools have the power to confiscate devices.

​Additionally, the department is launching a procurement for an expert and evidence-led review into best practice on managing pupil behaviour, reducing preventable exclusions and tackling and preventing bullying. The learning from this best practice review will inform the support to be given in the longer term by up to 90 new regional improvement for standards and excellence attendance and behaviour hubs, which are being established across regions in England to focus on supporting senior leaders to develop safe, supportive school cultures. ​
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John Milne:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to include young carers within the daily attendance recording. \p Olivia Bailey: ​​The department wants to ensure that young carers have the best life chances by supporting them to access and thrive in education. We recognise that absence from school can be a symptom and indicator of wider needs within a family, and that the early identification of attendance issues is crucial.

​Young carers are now included in the school census, providing annual data to establish long-term trends and help schools develop identification and support strategies. The department continues to monitor the quality of data on young carers collected via school registers, informing consideration on whether to include young carers in the daily data collection in the future.

​The statutory ‘Working together to improve school attendance’ guidance, in place since 19 August 2024, specifically references young carers and promotes a ‘support first’ approach. The department has also provided local authorities with access to code level breakdowns of attendance data at pupil level, enabling local authorities to cross-reference real-time data sources to monitor the attendance of pupils identified as young carers. ​
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Shivani Raja:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of removing the subsidy for Ofsted inspections on independent religious schools in (a) Leicester and (b) England. \p Olivia Bailey: The department launched an eight-week consultation on 25 September 2025 on the subject of reducing the subsidy for Ofsted inspection fees. The consultation document is publicly available and sets out how Ofsted-inspected private schools will be affected by the proposed fee increases.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department's press notice entitled Childcare offer exceeds target, benefiting over 500,000 children, published on 24 September 2025, how many children by (a) income, (b) ethnicity, (c) disability, (d) rural location and (e) urban location are (i) receiving and (ii) not receiving 30 hours of childcare. \p Olivia Bailey: The government’s Plan for Change sets out a commitment to give children the best start in life, breaking the link between background and opportunity.

The department cannot provide figures on Eligibility Checking System (ECS) entitlement code validation broken down by income, ethnicity, disability, rural location and urban location. This is because detailed demographic data on children is not collected by the system used in the publication of ECS codes. The department also does not hold comprehensive detailed information on the children who do not receive funded childcare.

The early years and school censuses are publications separate from the ECS that disaggregate children in receipt of entitlements by disadvantaged status, ethnicity and special educational needs provision. The first early years and school censuses to collect data on the number of children registered for the expanded 30-hour entitlement since the September 2025 rollout will be based on the January 2026 period. Their provisional release date is July 2026.
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Tom Morrison:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to produce educational videos to aid early years staff in (a) reading and (b) learning the Early years foundation stage statutory framework. \p Olivia Bailey: The department is committed to supporting early years practitioners and teachers to deliver the early years foundation stage (EYFS) statutory framework well for the benefit of all children, and already provides a range of educational video content.

Our online service ‘Help for Early Years Providers’ includes videos designed to help practitioners understand and implement the EYFS framework.

The ‘Foundation Years’ service provides subscribers with the latest EYFS news, information and resources including vodcasts.

The ‘Early years child development training’ resource provides online training, including video content, to build practitioners’ understanding of child development and the EYFS framework. This can be accessed here: https://child-development-training.education.gov.uk/.

The Education Endowment Foundation’s ‘Early Years Evidence Store’ is regularly updated with evidence-based research to help educators to understand and reflect on their practice, including video content.

The department is producing a package of support for teachers completing the EYFS profile assessment, to build their confidence in their role as assessors. This new support will include online resources and videos.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-30)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-30 conversation_35

Charlie Maynard:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to increase (a) capacity and (b) resources in community schools in the context of transfers from the private to comprehensive school sector. \p Olivia Bailey: ​​The department works to support local authorities to ensure that every local area has sufficient school places for children that need them. School funding in England is increasing by £3.7 billion in the 2025/26 financial year, taking total core school funding to £65.3 billion. ​
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-30)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-30 conversation_36

Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the number of children in (a) England, (b) Lancashire and (c) Fylde constituency impacted by the national rollout of free breakfast clubs. \p Olivia Bailey: The government has made a manifesto commitment to provide a free breakfast club in every state-funded school with children on roll from reception to year 6. This will ensure every child, regardless of circumstances, has a supportive start to the school day. This means that approximately 4.6 million children in England, 97,600 children in Lancashire and 6,500 children in Fylde will be able to benefit from free breakfast clubs once they are rolled out in their area.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-30)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-30 conversation_37

Dr Al Pinkerton:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of expanding funding for preventative mental health support in schools in Surrey Heath constituency. \p Olivia Bailey: ​​The government has committed to provide access to Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs) in every school. 23% of schools and colleges in Surrey Heath constituency were supported by an MHST in March 2025. Further data for 2024/25 can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/transforming-children-and-young-peoples-mental-health-provision.

​This has been available since 16 May 2025 at national, regional and local authority level, and since 10 July 2025 at constituency level. Around six in ten pupils nationally are expected to have access to an MHST by March 2026. Under government plans, all pupils will have access to MHSTs by 2029/30.

​It is important that schools continue to have the freedom to decide what other pastoral support to offer their pupils based on need, making the best use of their funding. School funding is increasing by £3.7 billion in 2025/26, taking total core school funding to £65.3 billion. ​
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-30)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-30 conversation_38

Mrs Sharon Hodgson:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that schools' core budgets in more deprived communities are not disproportionately used to meet the costs of providing free school meals. \p Olivia Bailey: This department spends over £1.5 billion annually supporting the provision of free and nutritious meals to around 3.4 million children. We have also set aside over £1 billion over the multi-year spending review period to back our significant expansion of free meals support to all households on Universal Credit, taking effect from September 2026 and benefitting over half a million children.

As with all policies, we continue to keep free meals policy, including funding, under review to ensure that nutritious meals continue to be deliverable. Departmental officials meet regularly with the sector, including the school catering industry, and use these insights to inform our work.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-30)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-30 conversation_39

Kerry McCarthy:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending the eligibility for the Childcare Grant to include PhD students in receipt of stipends. \p Olivia Bailey: The government introduced new support packages for students starting postgraduate master’s degree courses from the 2016/17 academic year onwards and postgraduate doctoral degree courses from 2018/19 onwards. These loans are not based on income and are intended as a contribution to the cost of study. They can be used by students according to their personal circumstances to cover the costs of fees and living costs, including childcare. These support packages have provided a significant uplift in support for postgraduate students while ensuring the student support system remains financially sustainable.

However, a student would not be eligible for a doctoral loan if they are in receipt of stipends.

Postgraduate students are eligible for a different package of support to undergraduate students to help with course fees and living costs, including childcare. These students are therefore not eligible to receive the childcare grant.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-30)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-30 conversation_40

Tom Morrison:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 23 July 2025 to Question 66737 on Pre-school Education: Inspections, how much funding his Department plans on allocating to Ofsted to increase the frequency and quality of Early Years Register inspections. \p Olivia Bailey: Further funding is expected to be provided across the next three financial years by the department to Ofsted to increase the frequency and quality of Early Years Register inspections. This is to be agreed between the department and Ofsted.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-30)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-30 conversation_41

Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if her Department will ensure that menstrual products provided through the free school programme are (a) organic and (b) reusable. \p Olivia Bailey: Nobody should have to miss out on education because of their period, which is why the department provides free period products to girls and women in their place of study through the Period Products Scheme. ​The scheme offers a broad range of products for organisations to choose from, including certified organic and chemical-free tampons and pads, as well as reusable options such as period pants.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-30)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-30 conversation_42

Amanda Hack:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the quality of school lunchtime provision on the wellbeing of children. \p Olivia Bailey: The department is committed to raising the healthiest generation ever. Giving children access to a nutritious meal during the school day leads to higher attainment, improved behaviour and better outcomes. We are extending free school meals to all children from households in receipt of Universal Credit from September 2026, meaning over 500,000 additional children will receive a free and nutritious lunchtime meal.

School governors and trustees have a responsibility to ensure compliance with the School Food Standards. To support governors, the department, along with the National Governance Association, launched an online training course on school food for governors and trustees.

To ensure quality and nutrition in meals for the future, the department is acting quickly with experts across the sector to revise the School Food Standards, so every school is supported with the latest nutrition guidance.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-30)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-30 conversation_43

Tom Morrison:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 23 July 2025 to Question 67189 on Pre-school Education: Accidents and Death, whether official communication channel exists to communicate early years foundation stage updates to every early years setting. \p Olivia Bailey: When changes are made to the early years foundation stage (EYFS) statutory framework, the department ensures there is a comprehensive programme of communications and engagement with the sector to support understanding of the changes. The framework can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-foundation-stage-framework--2.

Updates are communicated through a range of mechanisms, including emails sent to local authorities for dissemination to all early years settings and, where appropriate, through webinars and vodcasts hosted on the Foundation Years website, which can be accessed here: https://www.foundationyears.org.uk/. These are promoted through multiple channels, including local authorities, stronger practice hubs and sector representatives.

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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-30)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-30 conversation_44

Tom Morrison:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to ensure that early years staff in all settings read (a) the relevant Early years foundation stage statutory framework, last updated on 1 September 2025, in full and (b) NHS guidance on Sudden infant death syndrome, last updated on 21 October 2021. \p Olivia Bailey: Early years providers are legally required to adhere to the requirements with the early years foundation stage (EYFS) statutory framework, which can be read in full here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-foundation-stage-framework--2. It is therefore providers’ responsibility to ensure they and their staff are following the current version of the framework and that they understand the requirements within.

Within the framework there is a requirement for providers to ensure that babies are placed down to sleep safely in line with the latest NHS guidance on reducing the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Further information can be found here: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/sudden-infant-death-syndrome-sids/.

The department promotes EYFS framework updates and relevant health and safeguarding guidance through a range of communication channels, including emails sent to local authorities for dissemination to all early years settings, and, where appropriate, through webinars and vodcasts hosted on the Foundation Years website, which can be accessed here: https://www.foundationyears.org.uk/.