theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_1120
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_1120

Adam Jogee:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the Environment Agency’s enforcement and sanctions policy, updated 2 October 2025; and whether she has discussed this document with the Environment Agency's board since her appointment. \p Emma Hardy: The Environment Agency’s (EA) principal aim is to protect and enhance the environment and contribute to sustainable development.

The EA’s enforcement and sanctions policy, last updated on 10 October 2025, sets out how the organisation aims to use its enforcement powers efficiently and effectively to secure compliance with laws that protect the environment.

The department works closely with EA officials at every level to assess performance and delivery and provide constructive challenge and support.

Defra ministers meet regularly with the EA Chair and Chief Executive to discuss performance across the EA’s remit.
wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_1121
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_1121

Phil Brickell:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her planned timetable is for the abolition of Ofwat. \p Emma Hardy: The Government will publish a White Paper and introduce a new water reform bill, early this parliament, bringing forward root and branch reform to secure better outcomes for customers, investors and the environment, and restore trust and accountability. As part of this reform the Government has committed to create a single powerful regulator responsible for the entire water sector. Ofwat will be abolished, and the new regulator will take responsibility of water functions across Ofwat, Environment Agency, Natural England and Drinking Water Inspectorate.
wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_1122
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_1122

Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 5 June 2025 to Question 52410 on Sewers, when she plans to commence Schedule 3 of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010. \p Emma Hardy: This Government is strongly committed to requiring standardised SuDS in new developments.

We believe that these outcomes can be achieved through either improving the current planning led approach using powers now available or commencing Schedule 3 to the Flood and Water Management Act 2010.
wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_1123
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_1123

Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the Public First report entitled From risk to resilience - the case for flood-resilient communities, economy and growth, published in March 2025. \p Emma Hardy: This Government is investing at least a record £10.5 billion until 2036 – the largest flood programme in history which is projected to benefit nearly 900,000 properties. This demonstrates the Government’s commitment to long-term funding as recommended by the Public First report.

Also, in line with the report’s recommendations, the Government is exploring setting a long-term multi-decade target for flood risk management and has announced a new flood funding policy that will make it quicker and easier to deliver the right flood defences in the right places by simplifying our funding rules.

The new funding policy will optimise funding between building new flood projects and maintaining existing defences and will ensure that deprived communities continue to receive vital investment. We will use Government funding to unlock investment from public, private and charitable sources, making every £1 of Government investment go further. We will also invest at least £300 million in natural flood management over ten years – the highest figure to date for the floods programme.
wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_1124
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_1124

Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether any flood defence infrastructure projects in Huntingdon constituency would be eligible for upgrades through the Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Programme. \p Emma Hardy: This Government is investing more than £10.5 billion by the end of 2036 to protect the country against the threat of flooding and coastal erosion.

Projects from the Huntingdon constituency and all constituencies across the country will be able to benefit from this funding and apply to upgrade their defences under new spending rules, announced 14 October. The reforms will make it quicker and easier to deliver the right flood defences in the right places by simplifying our funding rules. This will increase investor confidence, close funding gaps, and reduce administrative burdens on local communities.

Around 10 projects in Huntington have already benefitted from funding this financial year, including £1.035 million for Alconbury Flood Alleviation Scheme, £694k for St Ives Sluice Moderation Project and £275k for Flood Storage Options for Great Ouse Catchment.
wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_1125
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_1125

Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department will take steps to provide (a) financial support and (b) incentives for (i) developers and (ii) households to install water-saving devices. \p Emma Hardy: The Government works with Ofwat who offer financial environmental incentives for developers to meet certain water efficiency standards.

On 23 September we launched a consultation to consider tighter water efficiency standards for new homes in the Building Regulations. We are working with Ofwat to ensure that environmental incentives in the future align with the ambition set out in this consultation and are considering how we can support developers as part of the £25 million fund held by Ofwat to fund a Water Efficiency Lab which aims to encourage innovation across the sector and is from November focusing on actionable insights for consumers.

To support households to reduce their water usage we are rolling out mandatory water efficiency label to ensure consumers can make informed decisions on their purchases, this will align with existing incentives for consumers to install water saving devices including free devices from water companies and the incoming £100 million Water Efficiency Campaign from Ofwat.
wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_1126
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_1126

Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much funding her Department has allocated for advertising public schemes for recycling water. \p Emma Hardy: We continue to work closely with regulators to support progress in this area to reduce water demand.

Ofwat are on track to launch the Water Efficiency Campaign (WEC) in spring 2026 and continue to engage closely with Defra, the Welsh Government, NRW, the Environment Agency, and water companies on the campaign’s governance, structure, and strategy.
wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_1127
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_1127

Dr Lauren Sullivan:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to (a) amend legislation and (b) increase local authority enforcement powers relating to fly-tipping. \p Mary Creagh: This Government has committed to forcing fly-tippers to clean up the mess that they have created. This will build on the sanctions already available for fly-tipping which include fixed penalty notices of up to £1000, seizing of vehicles and prosecution through the courts which can lead to a significant fine, a community sentence or even imprisonment. We will provide an update on this commitment in due course.

We encourage councils to make good use of their enforcement powers, and we are currently seeking powers through the Crime and Policing Bill to provide statutory guidance on fly-tipping enforcement. We have also announced a review of local authority powers to seize and crush vehicles of suspected fly-tippers, to identify how we could help councils make better use of this tool.
wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_1128
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_1128

Afzal Khan:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that schools are not financially disincentivised from admitting students with SEND. \p Georgia Gould: This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life. The department is providing an increase of £1 billion for high needs budgets in England in the 2025/26 financial year.

We are continuing to engage closely with children, parents and experts as we develop plans to ensure all children get the outcomes and life chances they deserve. We are engaging with experts, teachers, parents and young people on wider reforms and are keeping the funding arrangements under review to help ensure that mainstream schools are inclusive for children with SEND. It is important that we establish a fair school funding system that directs funding to where it is needed and that does not inadvertently disincentivise schools from admitting and retaining pupils with SEND.
wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_1129
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_1129

Adam Dance:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to draw on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities to define inclusive education. \p Georgia Gould: The department is committed to improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools, as well as ensuring special and alternative provision schools cater to those with the most complex needs.

The department is continuing to engage closely with children, parents and experts as we develop plans to ensure all children get the outcomes and life chances they deserve.
wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_1130
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_1130

Yuan Yang:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the system for supporting children with special educational needs and disabilities. \p Georgia Gould: There are challenges in the special educational needs and disabilities system. We will make mainstream education more inclusive through early identification of needs, effective support and high quality teaching while ensuring special schools can support the most complex needs.

We are engaging with children, parents and experts and experts on wider reforms.
wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_1131
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_1131

Lizzi Collinge:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of requiring academy trusts to incorporate the National Conditions of Service for Teachers in England and Wales 2023 into the contracts of employment of teachers; and if she will bring forward legislation to make such incorporation mandatory. \p Georgia Gould: The National Conditions of Service for Teachers in England and Wales is a national agreement between local authority school employers and teaching and headteacher unions. The government has no input into the agreement or its implementation. As it has no statutory force, while maintained schools are expected to incorporate its provisions into teachers’ contracts, there is no legal obligation for them to do so. Academies will, following the passage of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, be required to “have regard” to the entirety of the School Teachers Pay and Conditions Document.
wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_1132
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_1132

Afzal Khan:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support students with special educational needs and disabilities. \p Georgia Gould: By prioritising early intervention, training and inclusive support in mainstream schools, while ensuring special schools can support the most complex needs, we are expanding the capacity to deliver timely, consistent, high quality special educational needs and disabilities provision.

We are engaging with children, parents and experts on wider reforms.
wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_1133
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_1133

David Davis:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to reform funding processes for the provision of SEND support. \p Georgia Gould: This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and those in alternative provision receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life.

The funding and other arrangements for improving the SEND system are under review, and we are continuing to engage closely with children, parents and experts as we develop plans to ensure all children get the outcomes and life chances they deserve.

In the meantime, the department is providing total high needs funding this financial year of over £12 billion for children and young people with complex SEND. Of that total, East Riding of Yorkshire Council is being allocated over £42 million through the high needs funding block of their dedicated schools grant. This high needs funding is to help meet the costs local authorities are facing this financial year, as they in turn provide support to schools and other education providers, and ultimately to children with SEND.
wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_1134
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_1134

Dr Al Pinkerton:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to promote (a) climate literacy and (b) sustainable living in schools in Surrey Heath constituency. \p Georgia Gould: Climate education can already be taught in geography, science and citizenship within the national curriculum. The Curriculum and Assessment Review is considering where evidence suggests content needs to be updated to reflect rapid social, environmental and technological change, including a greater focus on sustainability and climate science.   The Sustainability Support for Education hub and Climate Ambassadors programme provide support to enable settings to establish their climate action plan and embed sustainability into their setting.

The National Education Nature Park provides curriculum-linked resources and practical activities to engage children and young people in nature and the improvement of their local environment. There are currently six settings registered to the programme in the Surrey Heath constituency, and we encourage more settings to get involved.

The department has also published statutory guidance on school uniforms which states that schools should ensure second-hand uniforms are available, which benefits all parents and is more sustainable. Additionally, we provide procurement support through the Get Help Buying for Schools service to encourage sustainable procurement decisions.
wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_1135
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_1135

Adam Dance:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to fund inclusive education in England beyond the funding allocated in (a) the Autumn Budget 2024 and (b) March 2025. \p Georgia Gould: In the 2025 Spending Review, we announced that funding for schools is increasing by £4.2 billion by 2028/29 compared to 2025/26. This additional funding will provide an above real terms per pupil increase on the core schools budget, which will take per-pupil funding to its highest ever level and enable us to transform the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system.

The funding announced at the Spending Review means a significant investment in the support available for pupils with SEND within mainstream schools. We are continuing to engage closely with children, parents and experts as we develop plans to ensure all children get the outcomes and life chances they deserve. We will be setting out further steps later this year.
wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_1136
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_1136

Tom Morrison:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of directing Ofsted to ensure that one third of inspections are carried out without notice. \p Georgia Gould: Ofsted typically gives a short period of notice of its inspections, to support the effective conduct of the inspection visit. It retains the ability to inspect without notice where it has concerns about a provider. For example, in early years inspections, notice normally takes place at around midday on the day before the inspection. Between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025, there were 1,400 unannounced inspections (16%) in early years settings.
wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_1137
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_1137

Bell Ribeiro-Addy:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will hold discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the potential merits of (a) increasing the level of funding and (b) introducing a multi-year settlement for the Music and Dance Scheme in the Autumn Budget. \p Georgia Gould: The government fully supports the arts and the development of a skills pipeline into the creative industries.

The department is providing £36.5 million for the Music and Dance Scheme this academic year. Funding beyond the current academic year, including any introduction of multi-year funding agreements, will be considered in due course. This follows the department’s Spending Review in June, where my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer allocated funding to the 2028/2029 financial year for revenue spending.
wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_1138
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_1138

Matt Bishop:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help ensure that pupil premium funding effectively supports the children it is provided for. \p Georgia Gould: The pupil premium is additional funding to improve educational outcomes for disadvantaged pupils in state-funded schools in England.

This government is committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity so that all children have the freedom to achieve and thrive in education. Pupil premium supports the aim of narrowing the gap between the attainment of disadvantaged pupils and their peers. This will help to break the link between children’s outcomes and those of their parents.

We are providing over £3 billion of pupil premium funding in the 2025/26 financial year. Schools must use pupil premium funding to improve educational outcomes for disadvantaged pupils, and the approaches they use should be informed by evidence.

We want to support all schools to use the wealth of evidence of what works, evaluated by the Education Endowment Foundation, to use pupil premium funding effectively to drive high and rising standards for disadvantaged pupils.

Schools must spend their pupil premium in line with the department’s 'menu of approaches' which is informed by evidence of how best to improve disadvantaged pupils’ attainment.

We are reviewing how we allocate pupil premium funding in the longer term, while maintaining the overall amount we spend on tackling the challenges faced by children with additional needs. We will provide more information in due course.
wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_1139
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_1139

Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of including travel to swimming lessons within the scope of the sport premium. \p Georgia Gould: Schools receive core funding for activities within the curriculum, including delivery and travel for swimming and water safety lessons. After pupils have completed their core curriculum swimming and water safety lessons, it is permissible to use the physical education and sport premium for top-up lessons, including transport costs for pupils who have not met national curriculum requirements.
wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_1140
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_1140

Munira Wilson:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many physics teachers are teaching in (a) secondary schools and (b) sixth-form colleges as of October 2025. \p Georgia Gould: Information on the school workforce, including the number of subject teachers in state-funded secondary schools, is published in the ‘School workforce in England’ statistical publication.

As of November 2024, the latest date for which data is available, there were 5,649 (headcount) physics teachers employed in state-funded secondary schools in England: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/fast-track/eb317beb-0226-4d5e-2d32-08ddcdee7988. This has been available since 5 June 2025.

School workforce statistics as of November 2025 will be published in summer 2026.

Information on the further education workforce, including the number of subject teachers in sixth-form colleges, is published in the 'Further education workforce' statistical publication. This has been available since 29 May 2025.

As of the 2023/24 academic year, the latest date for which data is available, there were 101 (headcount) physics teachers employed in sixth-form colleges in England: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/9a8eb9b8-83f4-4737-0b18-08de07233b94.

Further education workforce statistics for the 2024/25 academic year will be published in spring 2026.
wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_1141
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_1141

Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support her Department provides to help maintain staffing levels in small rural schools in Fylde constituency. \p Georgia Gould: To ensure we have sufficient, high quality teachers, the department has increased the core schools budget by £3.7 billion in 2025/26, totalling £65.3 billion. This is alongside the near 10% pay award for teachers over the last two years to ensure teaching is once again a respected and attractive profession.

In addition to improved teacher pay, the department is also providing additional financial support for trainees and teachers. For 2025/26, we announced trainee teacher bursaries worth up to £29,000 and scholarships worth up to £31,000 tax-free. We are also offering a targeted retention incentive (TRI) worth up to £6,000 after tax for teachers of key subjects in the first five years of their careers who work in disadvantaged schools, including rural areas. Three schools in Fylde constituency are eligible for the TRI.

Our interventions are having impact with 2,346 more teachers across secondary and special schools in 2024/25. In Fylde, there were 14 more teachers in secondary and special schools. We are also helping schools recruit and retain support staff, with support staff numbers increasing by 42 to 668 in Fylde in 2024/25.
wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_1142
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_1142

Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools operate with a budget deficit in England. \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 1,745 local authority maintained schools in deficit and 341 academies were in trusts that had an overall deficit.
wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_1143
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_1143

Will Stone:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the number of training placements of educational psychologists to meet the expected demand for education, health and care plans by each local authority. \p Georgia Gould: Educational psychologists play a critical role in the support available to children and young people, including those with special educational needs and disabilities. That is why we are investing over £21 million to train 400 more educational psychologists over two cohorts, starting their studies in 2024 and 2025. This is in addition to the £10 million invested in the training of over 200 educational psychologists who began their training in 2023.

As these trainees complete their studies, they will join the workforce to support local authority educational psychology services, including contributing to statutory assessments.
wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_1144
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_1144

Afzal Khan:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to take legislative steps to guarantee the right to SEN support for children with and without Education, Health and Care Plans. \p Georgia Gould: This government inherited a special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system that has failed to meet the needs of families for far too long. This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with SEND receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life.

We will build a better system which is grounded in evidence, identifies and supports need at the earliest opportunity and ensures families can secure support swiftly and easily. There will always be a legal right to additional support for children and young people with SEND.

The department is continuing to engage closely with children, parents and experts as we develop plans to ensure all children and young people get the outcomes and life chances they deserve. We will be setting out further steps later this year.
wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_1145
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_1145

Sir Julian Smith:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of investing in early dispute resolution and mediation for the purposes of resolving disputes in the SEND system. \p Georgia Gould: The department believes that more special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) disputes should be resolved earlier, with families, settings and local authorities working together to develop solutions to disagreements.

We are aware that not all families are able to access high quality, earlier dispute resolution through either local authority-commission mediation or disagreement resolution services. We are considering what more we can do to strengthen earlier dispute resolution and will set out our vision for redress in a reformed SEND system shortly.
wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_1146
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_1146

Adam Dance:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of CPR training in schools in (a) Yeovil constituency (b) Somerset. \p Georgia Gould: All state funded schools, including those in Yeovil, are required to teach first aid as part of the statutory health education curriculum in relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) education. This includes how to deal with common injuries, call the emergency services and administer CPR and understand the purpose of defibrillators.

Schools have the autonomy to decide how they teach CPR and which resources to use, often choosing to use expert organisations to deliver additional content. The department does not monitor this as schools decide what to adopt in their local areas, choosing lesson plans and materials that are relevant to them.

Ofsted are responsible for inspecting schools’ RSHE provision as part of their personal development judgement.
wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_1147
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_1147

Fabian Hamilton:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the forthcoming Schools White Paper will include specific measures to improve access to speech and language support in schools in line with the Government’s commitment to early language interventions. \p Georgia Gould: The forthcoming Schools White Paper will set out an ambitious vision for improving outcomes for all pupils. The department is working closely with the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England to improve access to community health services, including speech and language therapy, for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

As the department sets out in ‘Giving every child the best start in life’, we will continue to ensure every reception class in state-funded schools benefits from fully funded access to proven programmes such as the Nuffield Early Language Intervention (NELI). In July 2025, the department announced that funded support for the 11,000 schools registered for the NELI programme would continue for a further four academic years until the end of the 2028/29 academic year. Reception staff will also be able to access specialist early language leads.

In addition, the department has extended the Early Language and Support for Every Child (ELSEC) programme, in partnership with NHS England, to trial new ways of working to better identify and support children with speech, language and communication needs in early years settings and primary schools.
wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_1148
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_1148

Adam Dance:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to support (a) schools and (b) Somerset Council to encourage the recruitment and retention of Special Educational Needs Coordinators. \p Georgia Gould: The department is committed to improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools, as well as ensuring special and alternative provision schools cater to those with the most complex needs.

The funding announced at the last Spending Review means a significant investment in the support available for special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) pupils within mainstream schools. This will support the government’s plan to deliver an excellent, inclusive education for every child, with a world class curriculum and highly trained, expert teachers.

The special educational needs coordinator (SENCO) must be a qualified teacher, or the head teacher, working at the school. On 1 September 2024, the government introduced a new mandatory leadership level National Professional Qualification (NPQ) for SENCOs. The NPQ ensures SENCOs receive high quality, evidence-based training and equips them with the knowledge and skills to work with other leaders to create an inclusive environment where everyone feels welcome, safe and that they belong. Since going live, over 10,500 members of the school workforce have started their SENCO NPQ journey.
wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_1149
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_1149

Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools in England hold spare EpiPens for emergency use under the Human Medicines (Amendment) Regulations 2017; and what steps her Department is taking to encourage greater uptake. \p Georgia Gould: The department does not hold the data requested.

We are working with the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England to consider how we might extend the availability of adrenaline auto-injectors in schools.
wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_1150
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_1150

Adam Dance:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help schools in (a) Yeovil constituency and (b) Somerset Council maintain external specialist (i) educational psychologists and (ii) therapists. \p Georgia Gould: Educational psychologists play a critical role in the support available to children and young people, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). That is why we are already investing over £21 million to train 400 more educational psychologists over two cohorts, starting their studies in 2024 and 2025. This is in addition to the £10 million currently being invested in the training of over 200 educational psychologists who began their training in September 2023.

As these trainees complete their studies, they will join the workforce to support local authority educational psychology services, including contributing to statutory assessments.

The department is also working closely with the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England to improve access to community health services, including speech and language therapy, for children and young people with SEND.
wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_1151
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_1151

Adam Dance:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she plans to take to ensure that a child's legal right to special educational needs support will be included in the upcoming whitepaper. \p Georgia Gould: This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life.

We will build a system which is grounded in evidence, identifies and supports need at the earliest opportunity, and ensures families can secure support swiftly without a fight. There will always be a legal right to additional support for children and young people with SEND.

We are continuing to engage closely with children, parents and experts as we develop plans to ensure all children and young people get the outcomes and life chances they deserve.
wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_1152
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_1152

Adam Dance:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help improve the quality of special educational needs and disabilities provision in Yeovil constituency. \p Georgia Gould: The department continues to support improvements in special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) provision in Somerset, including in Yeovil.

This financial year, Somerset Council received £8.4 million through the High Needs Provision Capital Allocation to expand specialist provision and improve accessibility in mainstream schools.

Six primary schools in Yeovil are also participating in the Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools programme. This initiative brings together health and education professionals, and expert parent carers, to strengthen whole school SEND provision, upskill staff, and improve outcomes for neurodivergent pupils.

The department and NHS England continue to engage with the Somerset SEND partnership and are occasional observers to their SEND partnership board to support system-wide improvement.

We also support educational outcomes through academy trust oversight and regional improvement for standards and excellence initiatives.

The government’s ambition is that all children and young people with SEND or in alternative provision receive the right support to succeed.
wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_1153
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_1153

Tristan Osborne:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of a digital creativity GCSE on skills shortages in the digital sector. \p Georgia Gould: To help break down barriers to opportunity, this government will deliver a curriculum which is rich and broad, inclusive and innovative, and ensures that all young people get the opportunity to learn digital and creative skills as part of their education, with digital skills becoming increasingly important to the economy and our growth mission.

To meet this ambition, the government commissioned the independent Curriculum and Assessment Review to advise on how to refresh the curriculum to ensure that young people leave compulsory education with the knowledge, skills and attributes they need to thrive, including digital skills. The Review is also looking at whether the current assessment system for young people aged 5 to 19, including qualification pathways, can be improved, while protecting the important role of examinations.

The Review’s final report and recommendations will be published in the autumn, at which point the government will respond.
wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_1154
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_1154

Afzal Khan:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to require educational leaders to take steps to narrow the gap between (a) disabled and (b) nondisabled children’s holistic experience of education. \p Georgia Gould: We have been clear that a more inclusive education system is needed to give children and young people opportunities they need to achieve and thrive. All schools have a duty to support children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

Settings are held to account for their support for pupils with SEND through Ofsted, who are focusing on inclusion in their new approach to inspection. Their renewed education inspection framework sets out expectations for how leaders should be aware of and responsive to some pupils’ increased need for help and protection, including those with SEND.

There remains a crucial role for special schools, not only in supporting children and young people with particularly complex needs, but also in building capability across the system.
wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_1155
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_1155

Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she has taken to improve literacy rates in (a) England and (b) Romford constituency. \p Georgia Gould: High and rising school standards, with excellent foundations in reading, writing and mathematics, are at the heart of the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and give every child the best start in life.

The English Hubs programme supports the teaching of phonics, early language development and reading for pleasure. Romford is served by New Vision English Hub.

In the 2025/26 financial year, the government has committed £27.7 million to support and drive high and rising standards in reading. This funding will deliver a range of support for schools, including new training for primary schools, delivered through the English Hubs programme, 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.

The department also published a writing framework in July, which will support schools in delivering high quality writing provision across England.
wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_1156
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_1156

Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department plans to take to help improve GCSE outcomes in (a) English and (b) maths for white working-class children. \p Georgia Gould: All children and young people should have every opportunity to succeed. However, the system is not working for all, including white working-class children, who are one of the biggest and lowest-performing groups.

This is unacceptable. The upcoming Schools White Paper will set out our vision for a school system that delivers educational excellence for all children, no matter their background.

The department is driving standards and outcomes through regional improvement for standards and excellence teams’ attainment conferences focused on disadvantage and the Maths Hubs programme, supported by the National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics. As part of a £2 million investment in reading and writing, secondary schools can access support to foster a strong whole-school reading culture, as well as the Unlocking Reading programme to boost the reading of pupils who need the most support, launching in January.

We will ensure future work to support white working-class children draws on evidence and expertise, including from the independent inquiry into white working-class educational outcomes.
wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_1157
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_1157

Jess Brown-Fuller:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if the Government will consider appointing a Cabinet Minister for Children and Young People. \p Georgia Gould: My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, has responsibility for children and young people at Cabinet.
wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_1158
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_1158

Mr Peter Bedford:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of requiring schools to (a) fund and (b) manage specialist medical support for pupils with complex health needs without clinical oversight on (i) school budgets and (ii) staff capacity. \p Georgia Gould: Maintained schools have a legal duty under section 100 of the Children and Families Act 2014 to “make arrangements” for supporting pupils with medical conditions, and must comply with their duties under the Equalities Act 2010. The NHS is responsible for meeting the health needs of people diagnosed with an illness or medical condition.

The regulatory arrangements for healthcare professionals provide for them to delegate the delivery of healthcare tasks where it is safe and reasonable to do so.

The Nursing and Midwifery Council Code and the Health and Care Professions Council Standards both include regulatory standards requiring registrants to delegate only when they are satisfied that the other person is competent to carry out the delegated task safely, and require the healthcare practitioner to supervise and support those who are delegated to. Where a healthcare task needs to be undertaken by a registered nurse, then it should not be delegated.
wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_1159
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_1159

John Milne:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made on the potential impact of extending the Armed Forces Covenant Duty across her Departmental responsibilities. \p Georgia Gould: I refer the hon. Member for Horsham to the answer of 8 September 2025 to Question 73095.
wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_1160
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_1160

Dr Al Pinkerton:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of SEND transport provision in Surrey Heath constituency. \p Georgia Gould: The department’s home-to-school travel policy aims to make sure no child is prevented from accessing education by a lack of transport. Local authorities must arrange free home-to-school travel for children of compulsory school age, 5 to 16, who attend their nearest school and would not be able to walk there because of the distance, their special educational needs, disability or mobility problem, or because the nature of the route means it would be unsafe for them to do so. There are extended rights to free travel for children from low-income families.

We have committed to improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools so fewer children need to travel long distances to a school that can meet their needs and will bring forward a White Paper with plans to improve the special educational needs and disabilities system.
wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_1161
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_1161

James MacCleary:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with Teachers' Pensions to ensure retired teachers (a) receive their rollback statement in a timely manner and (b) are informed of the timeline for the receipt of their rollback statement. \p Georgia Gould: Teachers’ Pensions continue to issue members with their Remediable Service Statements whilst experiencing high levels of member contact. The department is in active discussions with Teachers’ Pensions regarding capacity planning and are continually exploring ways to improve waiting times and customer service, which includes recruiting additional staff and automating functions wherever possible.

Teachers’ Pensions are also monitoring factors that affect the progress of issuing Remediable Service Statements, such as average handling times, response rates and levels of enquiries. Updates are provided to members via the Teachers’ Pensions website. The latest update is available here: https://www.teacherspensions.co.uk/news/public-news/2025/04/delay-in-issuing-remediable-service-statements-rss.aspx.