theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an estimate of the number of students in state schools who have transferred from the private sector in the last year in Fylde. \p Stephen Morgan: The number of state school pupils in Lancashire decreased by more than 1,000 between January 2024 and January 2025. This suggests that any transfers from the private sector within the relevant local authority have been easily absorbed, alongside other pressures.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance her Department issues to schools on identifying and supporting children whose parents are in custody; whether there is any additional guidance when no formal notification is received from other agencies. \p Janet Daby: The government has a key mission to break down the barriers to opportunity for every child, which is why we are committed to identifying children affected by parental imprisonment and ensuring they get the community support they need to thrive.

This government recognises the impact that a parent going to prison could have on a child’s learning, behaviour, mental health and wellbeing. We also recognise that support should be based on children's individual needs, which may change over time.

The department sets out in the ‘Keeping children safe in education’ statutory guidance for schools and colleges that staff should consider the additional needs of children with a family member or parent in prison. The guidance highlights the risk of poor outcomes including poverty, stigma, isolation and poor mental health.

Parental imprisonment is a sensitive issue, and officials from both the Department for Education and the Ministry of Justice are working with a wide range of stakeholders, including people with lived experience, to ensure that any future guidance issued sets out a child-centred, trauma-informed and age-appropriate approach. Exact details of how this will work in practice will be confirmed in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-25)

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Sir Mark Hendrick:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make it her policy to reinstate the Erasmus+ scheme. \p Janet Daby: The government has agreed to work towards association to the Erasmus+ programme on much better financial terms for the UK. We will ensure that any agreement reflects a fair balance between the UK financial contribution and the number of UK participants who receive funding from it.

Participation in Erasmus+ on acceptable terms for both sides would be of mutual benefit, providing opportunities for collaboration and cultural exchange across education, youth and sport.
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Dr Allison Gardner:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of auto-enrolling eligible children on to free school meals in Stoke-on-Trent South constituency. \p Stephen Morgan: This government is committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity and tackling child poverty. We have now announced that we are extending free school meals (FSM) to all children from households in receipt of Universal Credit from September 2026. It will lift 100,000 children across England out of poverty and put £500 back in families’ pockets, supporting parents in decisive action to improve lives ahead of the Child Poverty Strategy coming later this year.

Providing over half a million children from the most disadvantaged backgrounds with a free, nutritious lunchtime meal every school day will also lead to higher attainment, improved behaviour and better outcomes, meaning children get the best possible education and chance to succeed in work and life.

To support take-up, the department provides an Eligibility Checking System so that eligibility can be checked as quickly and straightforwardly as possible. The department is pressing ahead with an upgraded Eligibility Checking System which will allow parents to check their own eligibility, making it quicker and easier for both families and local authorities, including in Stoke-on-Trent South, to register eligible children for FSM.

The department is aware of locally led approaches to boost take-up of free lunches. To support these approaches, we are working with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology to explore options on data sharing that will make it easier to identify families who are eligible to make a claim. We expect to have these in place well ahead of the 2026 academic year.

Departmental officials are also working with the Department for Work and Pensions to consider how enrolment may be supported through the Universal Credit claims process.

The department will monitor the impact of these policies and engage with local authorities to assess the impact that these changes are having on uptake of FSM.
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Ben Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her correspondence to the Interim Chair of the Office for Students, dated 19 May 2025, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on the reprioritisation of high-cost subject funding away from journalism courses. \p Janet Daby: We have made difficult decisions, driven by the challenging fiscal inheritance, regarding the allocation of Strategic Priorities Grant (SPG) funding. We are protecting support for high-cost subjects that are essential to delivery of our Industrial Strategy and protecting core funding to support access to higher education for disadvantaged groups.

Subjects that will no longer receive high-cost subject funding (media studies, journalism, publishing, and information services) are valued by the government, but they are not as expensive to deliver. We acknowledge their importance alongside numerous other subjects that do not attract SPG high-cost subject funding, which include mathematics, history and languages.
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Bell Ribeiro-Addy:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 30 May 2025 to Question 50912 on Students: Loans, what demographic data her Department holds on borrowers whose loan balances have increased. \p Janet Daby: Below is a table of the number of borrowers whose loan balance has increased between the start and end of the financial year 2024/25, broken down by age group and sex. This table covers Student Finance England loan borrowers only, whereas the previous number provided to Question 50912 included borrowers from all UK funding bodies.

Age group

Sex

25 and under

26 - 35

36 - 45

46 and over

Female

279,484

806,398

235,598

97,671

Male

204,496

603,617

132,563

49,426

These figures cover Plan 2, 5 and 3 undergraduate and postgraduate loan borrowers funded by Student Finance England. It has been generated by comparing borrowers’ loan balances on 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025. These numbers include all borrowers whose loan balance has increased, regardless of the number of payments they have made across the financial year. There were a small number of borrowers (<5) for whom age and sex were unknown. These borrowers have been suppressed.

At the end of a borrower’s loan term, any outstanding loan balance, including interest built up, will be written off. This write-off, a government subsidy, is a deliberate investment in our people and the economy.
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Laura Trott:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children will cease to be eligible for free school meals following the expiry of transitional protections. \p Stephen Morgan: This government is committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity and tackling child poverty. We have now announced that we are extending free school meals to all children from households in receipt of Universal Credit from September 2026. It will lift 100,000 children across England out of poverty and put £500 back in families’ pockets, supporting parents in decisive action to improve lives ahead of the Child Poverty Strategy coming later this year.

Providing over half a million children from the most disadvantaged backgrounds with a free, nutritious lunchtime meal every school day will also lead to higher attainment, improved behaviour and better outcomes, meaning children get the best possible education and chance to succeed in work and life.

The department is absolutely clear that no pupil with transitional protections will lose their entitlement to free meals before the new entitlement to free meals is introduced.

The department’s published statistics show that over half a million more children will benefit from a free meal, after accounting for the removal of transitional protections: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/estimate-of-additional-children-claiming-free-school-meals-following-expansion-of-eligibility/2025.
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John Cooper:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many permanent civil servants in her Department are staff without assigned posts; and how many are placed in an equivalent (a) people action team, (b) priority movers list, (c) redeployment register, (d) talent pool and (e) skills match hub in the most recent period for which data is available. \p Janet Daby: At any point in time, there are likely to be a small number of individuals who have been displaced due to restructures within their business units or, for example, have returned from a loan from another department and their role no longer exists. The exact number changes on a day-to-day basis.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) private education providers have closed and (b) early years places have been removed in each of the last 12 months. \p Stephen Morgan: 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 does not collect this data on a monthly basis. According to the department’s most recent Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey, approximately 1,200 private nurseries closed between 2023 and 2024. In the same period around 800 new private nurseries entered the market, giving a net closures number of approximately 400. However, recent Ofsted data shows that the number of childcare places in the UK is increasing. As of the latest survey in 2024, there were approximately 1,602,500 registered childcare places, an increase of 1,370 places from March 2023.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many referrals made by police to Local Authority Designated Officers for concerns about people (a) working and (b) volunteering with children resulted in direct action being taken by the (i) local authority, (ii) employer and (iii) voluntary organisation in each of the last three years. \p Janet Daby: The department does not hold this information. Information about referrals to Local Authority Designated Officers (LADO) is held at a local level by individual police forces and the local authorities.

The outcomes of LADO investigations are also held at local level and contained in the respective LADO annual reports. The department does not collate LADO annual reports and so does not have data on the action being taken by local authorities, employers and voluntary organisations within the last three years.

Keeping children safe could not be more important to this government and we are swiftly acting to reform the child protection and safeguarding system.

That is why the department is legislating through our Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill to stop children falling through the cracks and to ensure they are not out of sight of those who can keep them safe.

The department has also introduced a new mandatory reporting duty in the Crime and Policing Bill for individuals undertaking key roles with responsibility for children in England to report sexual abuse.
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Jayne Kirkham:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help ensure the sustainability of early years providers. \p Stephen Morgan: 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. We want 75% of children to achieve a good level of development by the end of reception by 2028. By focusing on child development rather than just childcare, the government aims to ensure that children are better prepared for school and future learning.

In 2025/26 alone, we plan to provide over £8 billion for the early years entitlements. This is a more than 30% increase compared to 2024/25, as we roll out the expansion of the entitlements.

As announced at the Spending Review, the government will provide an additional £1.6 billion per year by 2028/29, compared to 2025/26, to continue the expansion of government-funded childcare for working parents. Employment Allowance is being increased to protect businesses by providing relief of up to £10,500 per annum on their employer Class 1 National Insurance Contributions liabilities from 6 April 2025. Early years childcare providers are entitled to claim the Employment Allowance if they are private businesses or charities, and we expect the vast majority will be eligible to do so.
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Bell Ribeiro-Addy:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to provide financial support for children’s centres (a) in general and (b) serving (i) disadvantaged and (ii) minority ethnic communities. \p Stephen Morgan: Local authorities have a duty under Part 1 of the Childcare Act 2006 to ensure there are sufficient children’s centres to meet the needs of local families, including disadvantaged families and those from minority ethnic communities. Part 1 of the Act can be read in full here: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2006/21/part/1.

Funding for children’s centres is made available through the local government finance settlement. In addition, other government funding, including that for public health, may also be used locally to support services delivered wholly, or in part, through children’s centres.

The government’s Plan for Change sets out a commitment to give every child the best start in life. Delivering this will require strengthening and joining up family services to improve support through pregnancy and early childhood. This includes continuing to invest in and build up Family Hubs and the Start for Life programme, which build on the lessons from Sure Start children’s centres.

75 local authorities with some of the highest levels of deprivation have received funding through the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme, and there are now more than 400 Family Hubs open across those local authorities. The department is investing a further £126 million in the 2025/26 financial year to give every child the best start in life and deliver on the Plan for Change. Future funding decisions are subject to the multi-year Spending Review.

There are three Family Hubs in the Clapham and Brixton Hill constituency that have been funded by the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme, as listed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/list-of-family-hub-sites.
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Steve Darling:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department consulted with relevant stakeholders on the closure of the hearing units at (a) St Margaret's Primary School and (b) Spires College in Torbay. \p Catherine McKinnell: There are separate processes for removing special educational needs (SEN) units or resourced provision at academies and maintained schools, which we expect the relevant accountable bodies to follow.

In maintained schools, such as Spires College, where a local authority decides to remove a SEN unit or resourced provision at a foundation school, they must follow the statutory prescribed alterations process. The statutory guidance on this topic is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-organisation-maintained-schools.

In academies, SEN units and resourced provision are formally recognised in a funding agreement. Closing a SEN unit or resourced provision at an academy would be a significant change and would therefore require the funding agreement between my right hon. Friend, Secretary of State for Education and the academy trust to be amended. More information on significant changes is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/making-significant-changes-to-an-existing-academy.

In this instance, the responsible bodies are St Margeret’s Academy and Torbay local authority.

Local authorities are responsible for managing the sufficiency of school places in their area, including the provision for children with SEN. The department expects local authorities to work in collaboration with parents, schools, academy trusts and other local partners to balance the supply and demand of school places to ensure a sustainable and viable educational offer.

Where it has been identified that a unit for SEN is no longer needed at a school, the processes set out above and a consultation with local stakeholders are required for removing this provision.
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Laurence Turner:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department's press release entitled Over half a million more children to get free school meals, published on 4 June 2025, if she will make an estimate of how many additional children will be made eligible for free school meals from September 2026 in (a) the West Midlands, (b) the Birmingham local authority area and (c) the Birmingham Northfield constituency. \p Stephen Morgan: This government is determined to tackle child poverty and spread growth and opportunity to every family in every part of our country. We have now announced the biggest expansion of free school meal eligibility in England in a generation. We will give every child whose family is in receipt of Universal Credit the entitlement to free school meals (FSM) from September 2026. This means that over half a million children from the most disadvantaged backgrounds will become eligible for a free, nutritious lunchtime meal every school day. This will lead to higher attainment, improved behaviour and better outcomes, meaning children get the best possible education and chance to succeed in work and life.

Crucially, this will lift 100,000 children across England out of poverty and put £500 back into parents’ pockets, supporting families with decisive action to improve lives ahead of the Child Poverty Strategy coming later this year.

Department for Work and Pensions data shows that 11,350 children in the Birmingham Northfield constituency will be eligible for FSM from September 2026. Following publication of the updated school census on 5 June, the department will publish further information on the numbers of children currently in receipt of means-tested FSM and the numbers of eligible children, by parliamentary constituency, in the coming weeks.
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Shockat Adam:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what progress her Department has made on implementing the recommendations of the Durham Commission on Creativity and Education. \p Catherine McKinnell: In July 2024, this government established the independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, covering ages 5 to 18, chaired by Professor Becky Francis CBE.

The Review seeks to deliver a rich, broad, inclusive and innovative curriculum that readies young people for life and work. This includes creative subjects such as art, music and drama, as well as skills for life and work.

On 18 March, the Review published a well-evidenced, clear interim report, which sets out its interim findings and confirms the key areas for further work.

The final report with recommendations will be published this autumn, along with the government’s response. The Review’s recommendations will inform changes to the current system.

The Durham Commission report published in 2019 set out a number of recommendations, and some were taken forward by the previous government, Arts Council England and others.

This includes the ‘Creativity Collaboratives’ programme established by Arts Council England in 2021 to test innovative practices in teaching for creativity.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of child poverty on educational attainment in Fylde constituency. \p Catherine McKinnell: All children and young people should have every opportunity to succeed, no matter who they are or where they are from. The Opportunity Mission will break the unfair link between background and success.

High and rising standards are at the heart of this mission and the key to strengthening outcomes for all children no matter their background. The department will deliver this through excellent teaching and leaders, a high-quality curriculum, strong accountability with faster school improvement and an inclusive system which removes the barriers to learning.

​​This government is committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity and tackling child poverty. We have now announced that we are extending free school meals to all children from households in receipt of Universal Credit from September 2026. It will lift 100,000 children across England out of poverty and put £500 back in families’ pockets, supporting parents in decisive action to improve lives ahead of the Child Poverty Strategy coming later this year.

Providing over half a million children from the most disadvantaged backgrounds with a free, nutritious lunchtime meal every school day will also lead to higher attainment, improved behaviour and better outcomes, meaning children get the best possible education and chance to succeed in work and life.
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Andy McDonald:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of introducing a cap on chief executive pay in the school sector. \p Catherine McKinnell: The department sets out our expectations on senior pay for academies and academy trusts in the Academy Trust Handbook, which is published on GOV.UK here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/66a3909aab418ab055592dda/Academy_trust_handbook_2024_FINAL.pdf.

The handbook requires that:

In addition, the department’s ‘Setting executive salaries’ guidance published on GOV.UK outlines the key contextual factors that trusts should be considering when setting or reviewing executive salaries. The guidance can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/setting-executive-salaries-guidance-for-academy-trusts/setting-executive-salaries-guidance-for-academy-trusts.
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Mr Paul Kohler:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children (a) receive and (b) are eligible under existing rules for free school meals in Wimbledon. \p Stephen Morgan: The department holds free school meals data, which can be found in this publication: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics/2024-25.
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Bell Ribeiro-Addy:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans her Department has to provide sustainable funding for community-based support centres working with children and young adults (a) at risk of exclusion, (b) living in poverty and (c) experiencing poor mental health and wellbeing. \p Janet Daby: This government is committed to giving every child the best start in life. Our Plan for Change will strengthen and join up family services, including continuing to invest in the family hubs and start for life programmes.

We are investing £126 million in 2025/26 to build up the family hubs and start for life programmes, to provide access to vital services to improve the health, education and wellbeing of children, young people, and their families.

Family hubs are focussed on universal, preventative services, targeting disadvantaged families. They can also serve as a non-stigmatising gateway for more targeted, intensive, support delivered by local family help services and other interventions. 75 local authorities on the programme have opened more than 400 family hubs. These are based in some of the most deprived areas in the country.

The government will provide access to specialist mental health professionals in every school by expanding Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs), so every child and young person has access to early support to address problems before they escalate. By April 2026, we estimate that 60% of pupils in schools and learners in further education in England will be covered by an MHST, up from 52% in April 2025. The government will also recruit 8,500 mental health staff to treat children and adults, and open new Young Futures hubs with access to mental health support workers.
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Amanda Hack:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to implement the recommendations of Reports to Prevent Future Deaths on (a) allergy (i) management and (ii) emergency response in schools and (b) other allergy policies. \p Catherine McKinnell: 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 and the duties under the Equality Act 2010.

The department has included reminders to schools of these duties in its regular schools’ email bulletin. The department has also recently alerted schools to external resources from trusted allergy organisations. This includes the Schools Allergy Code, developed by The Allergy Team, Independent Schools’ Bursars Association and the Benedict Blythe Foundation, and Allergy School created by the Natasha Allergy Research Foundation.
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Cameron Thomas:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the education curriculum to prepare young people for the future workplace. \p Catherine McKinnell: The government has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, covering ages 5 to 18, to ensure a rich, broad, inclusive and innovative curriculum that readies young people for life and work.

The Review is being undertaken in close consultation with education professionals and other experts, parents, children and young people, and other stakeholders such as employers, universities and trade unions. The Review has received call for evidence submissions from a variety of employers, colleges and representatives.

The Review has published a well-evidenced, clear interim report, which sets out its interim findings and confirms the key areas for further work. This report sets out that the Review has heard consistently from children and young people and their parents that they want more focus on the applied knowledge and skills that will equip them for later life and work; such as financial education, careers knowledge and politics and governance. The interim report can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/curriculum-and-assessment-review-interim-report.

During its next phase, the Review is considering whether there is sufficient coverage of knowledge and skills that are essential to sufficiently prepare children and young people for future life and to thrive in a fast-changing world.

The Review’s final report and recommendations will be published in autumn, at which point the government will respond.
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Manuela Perteghella:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the Curriculum and Assessment Review will include personal financial literacy from Key Stage 1-3. \p Catherine McKinnell: I refer the hon. Member for Stratford-on-Avon to the answer of 09 April 2025 to Question 43513.
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Sammy Wilson:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on the number of allergic reactions in schools in England in each year since 2016. \p Catherine McKinnell: The department does not hold this data.
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to educate children on the harms of antisemitism within the National Curriculum. \p Catherine McKinnell: I refer the hon. Member for Strangford to the answer of 20 June 2025 to Question 59341.
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Shaun Davies:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much her Department has spent on programmes aimed at recruiting (a) primary and b) secondary education teachers in each of the last five years, broken down by (i) programme and (ii) region and nation. \p Catherine McKinnell: High quality teaching is the in-school factor that has the biggest positive impact on a child or young person’s outcome in schools and colleges. Recruiting and retaining more qualified, expert teachers is critical to the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and boost the life chances for every child.

As part of the government’s Plan for Change to deliver 6,500 additional new expert teachers across secondary and special schools and colleges, the department funds initiatives across the teacher training and recruitment pipeline in England, based on available evidence of what works best. In the 2024/25 financial year, the department spent just over £600 million to support school teacher training, recruitment and retention.

We are already seeing positive signs that our investment is starting to deliver: the workforce has grown by 2,346 full-time equivalent teachers between 2023/24 and 2024/25, in secondary and special schools, the schools where they are needed most. This includes 1,435 more secondary school teachers and 911 more special and pupil referral unit teachers compared to last year.

Our future school teacher pipeline is also growing. As of May 2025, there are 11% more trainees who have accepted offers to train as secondary subjects, including in priority subjects such as Physics, where we have seen a 43% increase in acceptances compared to last year.

The table below provides detail of the spending on programmes supporting recruitment and retention of the teacher workforce. All programmes are targeted and focused on school specific need. Data on spending by region is not available.

2020/21 financial year

2021/22 financial year

2022/23 financial year

2023/24 financial year

2024/25 financial year

Initiative

Budget

Budget

Budget

Budget

Budget

(£ million)

(£ million)

(£ million)

(£ million)

(£ million)

Recruitment Financial Lever

332.1

249.1

140.2

193.4

242.3

Retention Financial Lever

5.5

70.4

98.1

189

194.5

Recruitment Non-Financial Lever

35.9

48.3

49.3

44.3

47.1

Retention Non-Financial Lever

21

22.8

28.5

27.3

23.6

Continuing Professional Development

34.8

19.4

44.9

61.2

93

Covid and Tutoring

91.9

23.3

240

185

0

TOTAL

521.25

419.9

601

700.2

600.5
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UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-25 conversation_148

Helen Grant:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will launch a public consultation on the proposed changes to EHCP eligibility criteria. \p Catherine McKinnell: This government inherited a special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system that has been failing to meet the needs of children and families for far too long. We know that families face real challenges with EHC plans and that even after fighting to secure the entitlement, a plan does not always guarantee the right the support will be delivered.

The department needs to focus on addressing the overall systemic issues that make SEND support so hard to access. We are thinking about how we protect support for the children that will always need specialist placements and to make accessing that support less bureaucratic and adversarial, as well as how we intervene earlier so support can be provided regardless of whether a legal plan is in place.

Ministers and officials have been engaging with parents to seek their views on the direction of future reforms and to understand their experiences of the SEND system. For example, through a webinar attended by around 100 parents in early June. We plan to deliver more such webinars over the coming weeks and months.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-25)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-25 conversation_149

Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding per pupil per school day will be provided to schools to fund universal breakfast clubs. \p Stephen Morgan: I refer the hon. Member for Mid Bedfordshire to the answer of 11 June 2025 to Question 56756.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-25)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-25 conversation_150

Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 28 April 2025 to Question 40352 on Mathematics: Mid Bedfordshire, when she plans to publish further details on (a) funding for the Advanced Mathematics Support Programme and (b) the full offer for (i) schools and (ii) colleges in each area. \p Catherine McKinnell: On 6 May 2025, the department announced £8.2 million of funding for the advanced maths support programme (AMSP). More information about this programme is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/more-girls-to-study-maths-under-plans-to-improve-pathway-into-ai-careers.

The AMSP have recently provided an update on these changes, effective from 1 April 2025, with further information on the full offer for schools and colleges to be released shortly. These updates can be found via the AMSP’s website using the following link: https://amsp.org.uk/.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-25)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-25 conversation_151

Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an estimate of the number of days of education lost because of flooding in each of the last five academic years. \p Stephen Morgan: The information requested cannot be provided as this is not held by the department.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-25)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-25 conversation_152

Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the guidance entitled New national flood and coastal erosion risk information, published on 25 March 2025, whether her Department has held discussions with local authorities on insurance costs for schools now included in flood zones (a) two and (b) three. \p Stephen Morgan: My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education and the department’s Schools Water Strategy team work with delivery partners such as the Environment Agency, water companies and lead local flood authorities to deliver flood prevention measures in schools through a number of workstreams.

The department has invested in measures to reduce risk to flooding at 573 schools to the end of 2023/24 and through the Schools Water Strategy, we continue to invest in flood prevention in schools at risk of flooding in line with the published Sustainability and Climate Change strategy.

Local authorities can choose which insurance provider is suitable for their needs, considering both breadth of cover and value for money.

The department’s Risk Protection Arrangement is an alternative to commercial insurance and operates on a no material fact disclosure basis, which means the cost of the service to its members will be unaffected by this information.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-25)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-25 conversation_153

Helen Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on enrolling families for free school meals during the Universal Credit application process. \p Stephen Morgan: All children in households in receipt of Universal Credit will be eligible for free school meals (FSM) from September 2026. This unprecedented step will put £500 back into families’ pockets in respect of each child each year and lift 100,000 children across England out of poverty, helping to break down barriers to opportunity and tackle the scar of child poverty across our country.

Giving children access to a nutritious lunchtime meal every school day also leads to higher attainment, improved behaviour and better outcomes, meaning they get the best possible education and chance to succeed in work and life. That is why this government is taking action to make it quicker and easier for both families and local authorities to get children signed up for FSM with our new Eligibility Checking System. This will allow parents to check their own eligibility and helps the local efforts we have seen to ensure children receive this support. Improvements we are making to the process for reviewing eligibility for meals will make it simpler than it has ever been to receive this entitlement.

Departmental officials are working with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology to explore options on further data sharing that can get more families signed up for their entitlements.

Departmental officials are also working with the Department for Work and Pensions to explore options on supporting enrolment through the Universal Credit claims process. The department will engage with local authorities to monitor and assess the impact that these changes are having on the uptake of FSM.

We will closely monitor the impact of the rollout on take-up and are carefully considering measures for improving enrolment in light of the recent announcement.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-25)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-25 conversation_154

Chris Coghlan:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure the timely delivery of Betchwood Vale Academy. \p Stephen Morgan: The department is engaging with local authorities and trusts and progressing work on special and alternative provision free schools in line with our vision for the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system. Projects are at different stages of development, which means we have been prioritising operational decisions on those that are due to open in the shorter term.

Departmental officials are in the process of reviewing all the documentation for Betchwood Vale Academy before submitting a new planning application for the school.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-25)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-25 conversation_155

Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to (a) reduce the potential impact of a parent's imprisonment on the educational attainment of their child and (b) ensure that children with a parent in prison are being considered in school safeguarding assessments. \p Janet Daby: The department has a key mission to break down the barriers to opportunity for every child, which is why we are committed to identifying children affected by parental imprisonment and ensuring they get the community support they need to thrive.

The department also recognises that support should be based on the individual needs of the child, not solely on having a parent in prison. That is why our approach is focussed on equipping early years settings, schools and local authorities to respond to children’s needs in a trauma-informed way, with compassionate support from trained professionals.

Improving attendance in educational settings, to enable all children to achieve and thrive, is a top priority for the government. We are providing schools and teachers with world-leading data tools, empowering them to identify quickly children who are at risk of non-attendance and put the right support in place.

The ‘Working together to safeguard children’ statutory guidance is clear that anyone who has concerns about a child’s welfare should make a referral to local authority children’s social care. Children’s circumstances vary considerably, and local agencies are best placed to determine what support is needed.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-25)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-25 conversation_156

Manuela Perteghella:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to introduce a requirement for all councillors to complete corporate parenting training covering (a) safeguarding, (b) duties under the Children and Social Work Act 2017 and (c) the responsibilities of being a corporate parent as part of induction and ongoing development. \p Janet Daby: Guidance on the implementation of corporate parenting duties was published in February 2018 and can be accessed at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a93eb3ae5274a5b87c2fde4/Applying_corporate_parenting_principles_to_looked-after_children_and_care_leavers.pdf.

The guidance recognises the important role that elected members play in promoting and supporting the implementation of corporate parenting within their local authority but does not mandate formal training.

There are a wide range of corporate parenting training and resources readily available for elected members on the Local Government Association website and, as such, we have no plans to introduce a mandatory requirement. These resources can be found at: https://www.local.gov.uk/childrens-improvement-support-members.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-25)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-25 conversation_157

Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions her Department has had the (a) Ministry of Justice, (b) Home Office, (c) ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government on improving information sharing between (i) prisons, (ii) the police, (iii) courts, (iv) social services, (v) local housing authorities and (vi) schools when a parent is sentenced to custody. \p Janet Daby: Officials at the Department for Education (DfE) and Ministry of Justice (MoJ) are working closely to deliver on the government’s manifesto commitment to identify children affected by parental imprisonment so as to ensure they get the support they need to achieve and thrive.

In April 2025 a Ministerial roundtable meeting brought together those with lived experience of parental imprisonment, expertise on local authority family support, safeguarding, prisons, housing, social work, courts and schools.

A cross-government workshop in June 2025 brought together officials from several other government departments. Officials from both the DfE and MoJ have visited local authorities, met with children and their families in the community, with parents and social workers in prisons, and participated in several focus groups.

The department will continue to engage external stakeholders with a broad range of expertise to help shape our policy to better identify and support children affected by parental imprisonment.
wrans/answers2025-06-25 conversation_158
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-25)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-25 conversation_158

Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many Young Futures Hubs she plans to create in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire. \p Janet Daby: The government has committed to the creation of a new Young Futures Programme, which will establish a network of Young Futures Hubs and Young Futures Prevention Partnerships. Young Futures Hubs will bring together services to improve access to opportunities and support for young people at community level, promoting positive outcomes and enabling them to thrive.

To roll out Young Futures Hubs, building on the success of existing infrastructure and provision, the government will establish a number of early adopter hubs, the locations of which will be determined by where they will have the most impact. These early adopters and work in local areas and will inform the longer-term development of the programme, including how quickly we move to a greater number of hubs and where they may be located.

The government will set out more details on timelines and locations in due course.