theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Ian Sollom:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the cost to families of VAT on school uniform for 14-16 year olds. \p James Murray: VAT is a broad-based tax on consumption, and the 20 per cent standard rate applies to most goods and services. The UK’s generous regime for children’s clothing costs approximately £2 billion a year, and we are one of only two countries in the OECD – out of 37 total - that maintain this zero rate.

Expanding the existing relief would also not necessarily succeed in reducing the price of school uniforms. Evidence suggests that businesses only partially pass on any savings from lower VAT rates, instead absorbing the additional saving from tax to increase their profit margin.

Going further by zero-rating all branded school uniform would also carry significant risks that the relief would not remain tightly targeted at those whom it would be intended to benefit. This is because many schools have moved away from traditional styles and uniforms, opting instead for a range of clothing that could be acceptably worn by adults, such as plain white shirts or black shoes.
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Mr Peter Bedford:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what safeguards are in place to ensure people who (a) own, (b) manage and (c) work in private children's homes are properly qualified. \p Janet Daby: Providers of children’s homes must register with Ofsted and prove that they are financially, mentally, and physically fit to carry on a children’s home, and that they are of integrity and good character. These requirements are set out in Regulation 26 of the Children's Homes (England) Regulations 2015.

Managers of children’s homes are required to register with Ofsted. They are required to hold a Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management for Residential Childcare (England) and to have at least two years’ experience working in children’s residential care, as per Regulation 28 of the Children's Homes (England) Regulations 2015. They must also pass a fit and proper persons interview with Ofsted to demonstrate they have the required knowledge and skills to manage the home.

Non-managerial staff in children's homes must hold Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) or an equivalent qualification, as per Regulation 32 of the Children's Homes (England) Regulations 2015. It is the responsibility of the registered manager to verify that their staff hold, or are working towards, this qualification. Providers have a responsibility to ensure that their staff are trained to meet the needs of the children they care for.

Providers and anyone working in regulated activity in a children’s home must undergo an enhanced DBS check, including the barred list.

Ofsted aim to inspect children’s homes at least once per year. When a home is judged to be inadequate or require improvement to be good, Ofsted usually conduct a second, assurance visit within the same inspection period.

The policy paper ‘Keeping children safe, helping families thrive’ details the department’s ambition to introduce a provider oversight scheme to increase Ofsted’s existing powers to ensure provider groups are held responsible for the quality of the children’s homes that they own through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill.

This will give Ofsted the power to issue fines for breaches of the Care Standards Act 2000, including to unregistered providers, and enable them to hold provider groups to account for quality issues in the provision of care. The Bill will also protect 16 and 17-year-olds from ill-treatment or wilful neglect by making low-level abuse of these young people in children’s social care settings a prosecutable offence. The Bill will also introduce a financial oversight scheme to increase financial and corporate transparency of children’s social care providers in order to allow for assessment of financial risk and advance warning of risks to providers’ financial sustainability.
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Jayne Kirkham:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department holds data on (a) apprenticeship completion rates and (b) apprenticeship completion rates for apprentices with one or more Functional Skills Qualifications requirements. \p Janet Daby: The apprenticeship ‘National achievement rate tables’, which includes achievement rates, are published in the Apprenticeships statistics publication: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/apprenticeships/2023-24.

The department does not hold information on apprenticeship achievement rates for apprenticeships with specific functional skills qualifications requirements.

In November 2024, indicative achievement rates for apprenticeships where an English and/or mathematics component aim was present were published here: https://content.explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/api/releases/bfd06312-7732-41bc-97e7-94a6d85d2400/files/ffbc3754-8edb-4110-96af-1c1558f185bf. There was an indicative achievement rate of 42% for apprenticeship standards where an English and/or mathematics aim was taken alongside an apprenticeship in the 2022/23 year.

Please note:

(1) The 42% figure is not directly comparable with those published in the National achievement rate tables and is indicative only. For all apprenticeship standards for 2022/23 the achievement rate was 54%.

(2) English/mathematics aims include some that are not Functional Skills Qualifications.

(3) The department cannot differentiate between English/mathematics aims that are taken as a mandatory requirement of the apprenticeship and those that are not.

(4) Wider functional skills qualifications (i.e. Digital Functional Skills) are not included in these figures.

(5) 2022/23 is the Hybrid End Year. The Hybrid End Year is the later of the Achievement Year, Expected End Year, Actual End Year or Reporting Year of a programme.
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Adam Jogee:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with the Institute of Physics since 5 July 2024. \p Janet Daby: My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education has not had any meetings with the Institute of Physics since 5 July 2024. However, departmental officials maintain regular engagement with the Institute of Physics.
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Alex Mayer:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will review the decision to end the Union Learning Fund. \p Janet Daby: The department recognises the role that the Union Learning Fund (ULF) played in encouraging greater take up of learning in the workplace. Government funding for ULF ceased in March 2021.

The Adult Skills Fund is now 60% devolved to Combined Authorities. Devolving adult skills funding provides these authorities, working alongside key stakeholders, including trade unions, with the ability to direct funding to best meet their local skills needs.

The department and Skills England are committed to working with employers, providers, trade unions and Combined Authorities to ensure that high-quality qualification and training pathways are meeting skills needs, but there are no current plans to reintroduce funding for the ULF.
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Tim Farron:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of allowing higher education institutions to develop alternative pension options. \p Janet Daby: The government acknowledges the significant impact of our world-leading higher education (HE) sector. As both educational and research institutions, these universities make a vital contribution to our economy, society, and to industry and innovation.

The department appreciates the impact of the increased Teachers‘ Pension Scheme employer contribution rate on some HE providers and is working with departmental officials and stakeholders across the sector to better understand the impact of this issue.

We are also reviewing options to deliver a more robust HE sector and will set out a long-term plan for reform by summer 2025.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the oral contribution of the hon. Member for Bury St Edmunds at Education Questions on 27 January 2025, which medical schools are offering (a) voluntary and (b) compulsory redundancy to clinical academics; and how many redundancies are being offered by each of those schools. \p Janet Daby: The government acknowledges the significant impact of our world leading higher education (HE) sector. As both educational and research institutions, universities make a vital contribution to our economy, society, and to industry and innovation.

Universities are autonomous and, as such, the government does not gather information on which institutions are offering voluntary and compulsory redundancies to clinical academics, nor the exact number of redundancies being offered by each.

This government recognises the concerns of providers and their staff regarding the ongoing financial stability of their institutions. We are aware that some providers are making difficult staffing decisions to safeguard their financial sustainability.

We expect providers to work with staff, using their knowledge and experience to help identify how best to reduce unnecessary spend. All efficiency measures taken by the sector should provide better long-term value both for students and for the country.

We are currently reviewing options to deliver a more robust HE sector and will set out a long-term plan for reform by summer 2025.
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Neil O'Brien:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many pupils are enrolled in a National Centre for Computing Education computing hub. \p Catherine McKinnell: Computing hubs are embedded within individual schools which provide free computing continuing professional development (CPD), met a ministerially approved quality bar and are supported by the National Centre for Computing Education (NCCE). 28 schools in England are currently part of a computing hub.

The support offered by computing hubs is, for the most part, aimed at teachers only. Being enrolled at a school which is also a computing hub does not therefore mean that a pupil is enrolled in, or directly accessing, the computing support the hub offers. The only support from computing hubs which is aimed directly at pupils is hub-run outreach events. In the 2023/24 academic year, over 3,700 young people attended an NCCE outreach event.
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Neil O'Brien:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on the total number of pupils who (a) have participated in the National Consortium for Languages Education’s language hubs since they were established and (b) currently use those hubs. \p Catherine McKinnell: There are currently 15 language hubs across England, typically comprising one lead school, working with seven partner schools and feeder primary schools, in addition to supporting wider networks of schools within their region.

The support offered by language hubs is aimed at schools and teachers only. Being enrolled at a school which is also a language hub does not therefore mean that a pupil is enrolled in, or directly accessing, the languages support the hub offers.
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James MacCleary:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact on students' education of the ending of the Latin Excellence Programme mid-GCSE year; and whether funding for the programme will continue until the end of the current academic year. \p Catherine McKinnell: The Centre for Latin Excellence has contacted all the schools involved in the Latin Excellence Programme and has received assurances that all pupils due to take Latin GCSE this summer will continue to do so.

​The department is working closely with the Centre for Latin Excellence to ensure that teachers currently delivering the Latin curriculum to key stage 4 pupils will be prioritised and will receive extra support in the lead up to the end of the programme. All schools on the programme will continue to have access to the curriculum resources once the programme ends supporting them in the continue delivery of Latin teaching.

The fiscal situation this government inherited means there are difficult decisions to take on how money is spent right across the public sector to ensure the department delivers on our priorities. Given this, we have taken the difficult decision not to extend the Latin Excellence Programme beyond the end of the current contract on 28 February 2025.

​
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Mrs Sureena Brackenridge:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to take steps to help promote the uptake of foundational apprenticeships in (a) Wolverhampton and (b) other areas with high levels of youth population. \p Janet Daby: This government has a driving mission to break down barriers to opportunity and to grow the economy. Too many young people are struggling to access high-quality opportunities and this government wants to ensure that more young people can undertake apprenticeships.

The department is developing new foundation apprenticeships to give more young people a foot in the door at the start of their working lives whilst supporting the pipeline of new talent that employers will need to drive economic growth.

Foundation apprenticeships will be a work-based offer in broad foundation level occupations that will support young people in key sectors where there are real vacancies and enable them to progress to more occupationally-specific apprenticeships or other vocational training in the sector. Progression routes will be a critical part of the offer. The department will set out more detail on foundation apprenticeships, including the sectors they will be available in, in due course.
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Charlotte Cane:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support the mental health and well-being of school students. \p Stephen Morgan: This government is committed to improving mental health support for all children and young people. This is critical to high and rising standards in schools and breaking down barriers to opportunity, helping pupils to achieve and thrive in education.

That is why the department has committed to providing access to specialist mental health professionals in every school. We will also be putting in place new Young Futures hubs, including access to mental health support workers and will recruit an additional 8,500 new mental health staff to treat children and adults.

Mental Health Support Teams (MHST) continue to roll out in schools and colleges across the country. As of April 2024, MHSTs covered 44% of pupils in schools and learners in further education in England. MHSTs are expected to cover at least 50% of pupils by the end of March 2025.

The department has also provided a resource hub for mental health leads signposting practical resources and tools to embed effective whole-school approaches. To further help schools identify and embed the most effective targeted support options for their setting, we also launched a targeted mental wellbeing toolkit. This practical guide and tool covers a range of evidence-based interventions.
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Josh Newbury:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that pupil referral unit premises are fit for purpose. \p Stephen Morgan: Local authorities are responsible for providing enough school places for their area. The department provides capital funding through the basic need grant to secure mainstream school places and through the high needs provision capital allocations to invest in places for children and young people with special education needs and disabilities or who require alternative provision (AP). In Cannock Chase constituency there are four special schools, one pupil referral unit (PRU), one Progress Centre and one independent AP provider.

Ensuring schools and other education settings have the resources and buildings they need is a key part of this government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and give every child the best start in life. Responsibility for keeping education buildings safe and well-maintained lies with settings and their responsible bodies, such as local authorities and academy trusts. The department supports them by providing capital funding, delivering major rebuilding programmes and offering guidance and support.

The department has allocated £1.8 billion in condition funding for the 2024/25 financial year to improve the condition of schools, including PRUs. As part of the 2025/26 financial year budget, we are increasing capital funding to improve the condition of the estate to £2.1 billion, which is £300 million more than this year. The department expects to publish allocations in the spring, including for individual local authorities and other responsible bodies. Capital funding beyond 2025/26 will be set out following the spending review.
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Neil Duncan-Jordan:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to help improve the level of toilet training among children starting school in September 2025. \p Stephen Morgan: The department does not hold this information but surveys of teachers such as the most recent ‘School Readiness Survey’ conducted by Kindred2, found that one in four children start reception not toilet trained.

The early years foundation stage (EYFS) statutory framework sets the standards and requirements that all registered early years providers in England must meet to ensure that children have the knowledge and skills they need to start school.

The EYFS framework includes seven educational programmes, which are high level curriculum summaries, under each statutory area of learning that must shape the early years curriculum. Personal, social and emotional development (PSED) is one of the three prime areas of learning in the EYFS. Children’s PSED is crucial for children to lead healthy and happy lives and is fundamental to their cognitive development. Through adult modelling and guidance, children are expected to learn how to look after their bodies and manage personal needs independently.

The EYFS Profile statistics on teacher assessments of children’s development at the end of the academic year in which children turn five shows that, in 2023/24, 82.9% of children were at the expected level of development for the PSED area of learning, further information can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/early-years-foundation-stage-profile-results/2023-24.

The department will continue to collaborate with the Department of Health and Social Care to consider what further steps can be taken to help improve the level of toilet training among children starting school.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will publish a table of the proportion of requests for EHCP assessment met within the correct timeframe by local authorities. \p Catherine McKinnell: Information on the number and percentage of education, health and care plans issued within the statutory 20 week deadline, with and without statutory exceptions to that deadline applying, is published as part of the 2024 statistical release, ‘Education, health and care plans’, which can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/education-health-and-care-plans.

The figures for each local authority in the 2023 calendar year can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/7b372ed7-8c76-42df-5a32-08dd3479441b.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of school children have required additional support due to special educational needs in each of the last ten years; and if she will make an assessment of the reasons for the trend in the number of children assessed to have special educational needs. \p Catherine McKinnell: Information on the number of pupils in England with special educational needs can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/special-educational-needs-in-england.

The figures for England for each academic year since 2015/16 are available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/b04266ac-d3d0-4aff-785c-08dd3ba46a29.

For too long the education system has not met the needs of all children, particularly those with special educational needs and disabilities, with parents struggling to get their child the support they need and deserve. We know that a lack of capacity in the system to meet need has increased the demand on specialist support, meaning that children, young people and parents are faced with a long and difficult education, health and care plan process. We will work with children, young people, parents, local authorities, schools and colleges and their partners in delivering improvements so that children and young people can access the support they need.
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Tom Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to increase accessible holiday club provision for SEN children requiring one to one support. \p Stephen Morgan: This year, the government is again investing over £200 million in the holiday activities and food (HAF) programme, with all local authorities in England. The programme provides healthy meals, enriching activities and free childcare places to children from low-income families, benefiting their health, wellbeing and learning.

The HAF programme funding is primarily for school aged children from reception to year 11 (inclusive) who receive benefits-related free school meals (FSM).

While the majority of funding that local authorities receive should be used for holiday club places for children in receipt of FSM, local authorities have discretion to use up to 15% of their funding to provide free or subsidised holiday club places for children, who are not in receipt of benefits-related FSM, but who the local authority believe could benefit from HAF provision.

Local authorities are responsible for understanding the needs of the children and families in their area and ensuring that the programme reaches those who need it. In addition, they have flexibility in how the programme can be delivered to children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or additional needs, who are in receipt of FSM, ensuring it is tailored to meet the needs of those children and their families.

The department’s guidance on the HAF programme 2024 provides key points for local authorities to consider when designing provisions for children with SEND or additional needs. This guidance can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/holiday-activities-and-food-programme/holiday-activites-and-food-programme-2024.

The department encourages local authorities to engage with local and national organisations, including special schools with expertise in working with children with SEND or additional needs. Local authorities are obligated to include the numbers of children with SEND or additional needs who have participated in their programme in their post provision reporting to us.

Local authorities must ensure there are sufficient school places for all pupils, including those with SEND. The Children and Families Act 2014 requires local authorities to keep the provision for children and young people with SEND under review (including its sufficiency), working with parents, young people and providers.
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Mr Luke Charters:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to provide additional resources to schools for the provision of inclusive education. \p Catherine McKinnell: This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or in alternative provision receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life. The department is committed to improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools, as well as ensuring special schools cater to children and young people with the most complex needs.

The department has announced an additional £740 million of capital funding in 2025/26 which can be used to support mainstream inclusion, including through the establishment of special educational needs units and resourced provisions.

In addition, the department is providing local authorities’ an increase of £1 billion for high needs budgets in England in the 2025/26 financial year, bringing total high needs funding for children and young people with complex SEND to £11.9 billion. Local authorities have flexibility to use this funding to support mainstream schools in their provision of inclusive education, taking into account the needs of the children and young people for whom they are responsible, and their schools’ and other local circumstances.
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Mr Luke Charters:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to (a) support and (b) improve decision-making in the provision of education, health and care plan assessments. \p Catherine McKinnell: Local authorities have a statutory responsibility to assess whether children and young people have special educational needs that require an education, health and care (EHC) plan. Under the EHC needs assessment process, local authorities must seek information and advice from a range of partners, including the child or young person and their parents, their school or college (if any), relevant health and social care partners, an educational psychologist and any other relevant professionals.

Local authority special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) caseworkers are a key part of the SEND system, co-ordinating the assessment process to develop EHC plans and working closely with families, schools and other professionals to support children and young people with SEND.

In March 2024, the department funded a short-term project to train local authority caseworkers, reaching around 260 attendees. The training was aimed at improving understanding of SEND legislation to support more effective decision-making and was delivered by the Independent Provider of Special Education and Condition Data Collection.  We are currently considering options for future support for this workforce.

In addition, we recognise the critical role of professionals such as educational psychologists within the SEND system, including their statutory contribution to EHC needs assessments.

To support this, we are investing over £21 million to train 400 more educational psychologists from 2024, which builds on the £10 million currently being invested in a cohort of over 200 trainees who began their training in September 2023.

As these trainees complete their studies, they will join the workforce to support the capacity of local authority educational psychology services, including in delivering assessments. Trainees who have had their training funded by the department are required to remain in local authority employment for a minimum period. This requirement will increase from two to three years for those trainees beginning their course in September 2024.

This is to support local authority services to recruit and retain their educational psychology workforce, benefiting from the public investment in their training, and supporting the delivery of statutory assessments and wider work.
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Ms Julie Minns:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help increase the proportion of pupils meeting the expected standard in the year one phonics screening check. \p Catherine McKinnell: 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. Through our Plan for Change, we will give children the best start in life and that means an excellent foundation in core subjects.

Since the right hon. Ruth Kelly, as a previous Secretary of State for Education and Skills, accepted the recommendations of the Rose Report in 2006, England has made significant progress in the teaching of early reading, especially phonics.

The current national curriculum at key stage 1 states that “skilled word reading involves both the speedy working out of the pronunciation of unfamiliar printed words (decoding) and the speedy recognition of familiar printed words… phonics should be emphasised in the early teaching of reading to beginners when they start school”.

The department has introduced a range of measures to support early reading and help increase the proportion of pupils meeting the expected standard in the year 1 phonics screening check.

In July 2024, we announced that funded support for the 11,100 schools registered for the Nuffield Early Language Intervention (NELI) programme would continue for the 2024/25 academic year.

NELI is an evidence-based programme targeting reception aged children needing extra support with their speech and language development. It is proven to help children make four months of additional progress, with seven months progress for those eligible for free school meals.

Further, the English Hubs school-to-school support programme is dedicated to improving the teaching of reading, with a focus on phonics, early language development and reading for pleasure. Since starting in 2018, the programme has engaged over 10,000 schools (60% of all primary schools). So far, the department has invested over £90 million in the programme, and a further £23 million has been committed for the 2024/25 academic year.

The government’s reading framework also provides guidance on improving the teaching of reading from reception to key stage 3, including guidance on how to help pupils who need more support to learn to read proficiently.
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Alberto Costa:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will extend the 50% faith-based admissions cap to all new schools. \p Catherine McKinnell: I refer the hon. Member for South Leicestershire to the answer of 22 January 2025 to Question 23775.
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Mr Luke Charters:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support low-income families to apply for education, health and care plans. \p Catherine McKinnell: For too long the education system has not met the needs of all children, particularly those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), with parents struggling to get their children the support they need and deserve. We know that parents have struggled to get the right support for their children, particularly through long and difficult education, health and care (EHC) plan processes.

This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with SEND or in alternative provision, regardless of socio-economic background, receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life.

Where families experience challenges with the EHC plan process and the wider SEND system, the department signposts available support from the family’s local Information, Advice and Support Service (IASS). This is independent of the local authority and can provide impartial advice about the law on SEND, local SEND arrangements and support for children’s needs. The service can also help parents prepare for meetings with schools and colleges, local authorities, the Tribunal or other agencies.

In addition, the department also signposts families to Contact, a national charity for families with disabled children, which provides information, advice and support, and brings families together to support each other.

The department is working closely with experts on reforms, recently appointing a strategic advisor for SEND, who will play a key role in convening and engaging with the sector, including leaders, practitioners, children and families as we consider next steps.
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Stuart Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether funding to establish youth hubs will be distributed on a revenue basis. \p Janet Daby: Young Futures Hubs will bring together services to improve access to opportunities and support for young people at community level, promoting positive outcomes, supporting crime prevention and enabling young people to thrive.

We will make use of existing structures and build upon the successes of existing provision, from physical buildings to local partnership working, and existing workforces. By having a more cohesive and integrated approach, with strategic centre points co-ordinating activity, we will reach more young people.

Officials from across a range of departments are working together, using evidence of what works, to start to shape how the Young Futures Hubs will work in practice. To roll out Young Futures Hubs, the department will establish a number of early adopter hubs. These hubs and work in local areas will inform the longer-term development of the programme, including how quickly we move to a greater number of hubs.
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Josh MacAlister:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether (a) her Department and (b) each of its arms length bodies offers employees who are foster carers (i) flexible working, (ii) paid time off for (A) training and (B) settling a new child into their home and (iii) other support. \p Janet Daby: Employees at the department have a statutory right to request flexible working which applies from the first day of employment. Employees can make two statutory requests for flexible working in any 12-month period and this will include requests to support employees who undertake foster caring.

The department also provides employees who are foster carers with time off, paid and unpaid, for a variety of reasons relating to their fostering role, including to settle a child into their home or for training. This is in addition to any statutory right to time off to care for family and dependants.

Other support available within the department includes access to an Employee Assistance Programme, staff networks, the ability to request flexible working on an informal basis and Mental Health First Aiders.

​Information on the support provided by the department’s arms-length bodies can be found in the attachment.

24280_attachment_arms_length_bodies_fostering (pdf, 124.7KB)
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-30)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-30 conversation_203

Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to work with local authorities to support kinship carers in (a) Lincolnshire and (b) other rural areas. \p Janet Daby: The government recognises the important role that kinship carers play in caring for some of the most vulnerable children. Kinship carers often take on this role at a time when they were least expecting to raise a family and we recognise the challenges they face, including financial.

Through the Autumn Budget 2024, the department announced £40 million to trial a new kinship allowance in some local authorities in England. We will test whether paying an allowance to cover the additional costs of caring for a child can help increase the number of children taken in by family members and friends. ​​We will share further details and the process for selecting local authorities in due course.​

This is the single biggest investment made by government in kinship care to date. This investment could transform the lives of vulnerable children who can no longer live at home by allowing children to grow up within their families and communities, reducing disruption to their early years, so they can focus on schooling and building friendships.

The department understands the unique challenges kinship carers face and is committed to providing the necessary support.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-30)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-30 conversation_204

Charlotte Nichols:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether teaching staff at colleges providing 16-19 education will be awarded the same pay increase as staff at (a) schools and (b) academies providing 16-19 education. \p Janet Daby: This government is committed to ensuring there is a thriving further education (FE) sector, which is vital to our missions to break down the barriers to opportunity and boost economic growth.

FE colleges, rather than government, are responsible for setting and negotiating pay within colleges. Colleges are not bound by the national pay and conditions framework for school teachers, but are free to implement their own pay arrangements in line with their own local circumstances. FE colleges were incorporated under the terms of the 1992 Further and Higher Education Act, which gave them autonomy over the pay and contractual terms and conditions of their staff.

At the Autumn Budget 2024, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer set out an additional £300 million of revenue funding for FE in the 2025/26 financial year to ensure young people are developing the skills this country needs. The department has recently announced that we are making approximately £50 million of that available to sixth-form colleges and FE Colleges for April to July 2025. This one-off grant will enable colleges to respond to current priorities and challenges, including workforce recruitment and retention. It is up to colleges how they use this funding to best meet priorities.

This builds on our investment to extend targeted retention incentive payments of up to £6,000 after tax to eligible early career FE teachers in key subject areas. The department is also delivering funding to support those young people who do not pass mathematics and English GCSE at 16 who are predominantly studying in FE.

The department will continue to offer financial incentives for those undertaking teacher training for the FE sector in priority subject areas. For the 2024/25 academic year, FE training bursaries are worth up to £30,000 each, tax free. Additionally, we are supporting industry professionals to enter the teaching workforce through our ‘Taking Teaching Further’ programme.

In making their recommendations for 2025/26 school teacher pay, the School Teachers' Review Body's (STRB) have been asked to consider the impact of their recommendations on the FE teaching workforce in England. This does not change how pay is set in FE, but as the FE and school workforces are closely related, it’s important that the STRB consider the totality of the workforce when they look at the evidence.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-30)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-30 conversation_205

Helena Dollimore:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much their Department spent on (a) media and (b) voice training for Ministers between 4 July 2022 and 4 July 2024. \p Janet Daby: The department’s records show there has been no budget spent on media and/or voice training for Ministers between 4 July 2022 and 4 July 2024.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-30)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-30 conversation_206

Matt Bishop:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of SEND funding allocations on children in kinship care. \p Janet Daby: The department recognises the importance of children in kinship care getting the support they need to thrive in school. Where children have special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), the department would expect them to receive appropriate support from their school and, for those with complex SEND, also from the relevant local authority.

Following the Autumn Budget 2024, the department is providing an increase of almost £1 billion for high needs budgets in England in the 2025/26 financial year, bringing total high needs funding for children and young people with complex SEND to £11.9 billion.

In addition, since September 2024, the role of virtual school heads (VSH) has been expanded to include championing the education, attendance, and attainment of children in kinship care, ensuring that more children in kinship care receive the help they need to thrive at school.

The department anticipates all children in kinship arrangements, which is estimated to be over 130,000, will benefit from the adaptation of the strategic VSH role.

This could include ensuring different kinds of kinship arrangements are visible in training for schools and working with education settings to strengthen how they address barriers to educational progress for kinship children.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-30)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-30 conversation_207

Charlie Maynard:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will meet with the hon. Member for Witney to discuss (a) the condition of Carterton Community College and (b) SEND further education provision in West Oxfordshire. \p Stephen Morgan: As the Minister responsible for school and college capital funding, the hon. Member for Witney can contact my office to arrange a meeting to discuss these matters.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-30)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-30 conversation_208

Mr Luke Charters:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential effectiveness of implementing cohort-based education, health and care plans. \p Catherine McKinnell: For too long the education system has not met the needs of all children, particularly those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), with parents struggling to get their children the support they need and deserve. We know that parents have struggled to get the right support for their children, particularly through long and difficult education, health and care (EHC) plan processes.

An EHC plan is a statutory document which is produced following an EHC needs assessment process. An EHC needs assessment ensures that a child or young person’s individual needs are assessed in a joined-up way across education, health and social care services. Under this assessment process the local authority must seek information and advice from a range of partners, including the child or young person and their parents, their school or college (if any) relevant health and social care partners, an educational psychologist and any other relevant professionals. The EHC needs assessment must identify the child or young person’s special educational needs, together with any relevant health or social care needs.

If the local authority then decides it is necessary to issue an EHC plan, it must set long-term outcomes for the child or young person and specify provision which will deliver those outcomes. The content in an EHC plan should be unique to the child or young person.

EHC plans should be used to actively monitor children and young people’s progress towards their outcomes and longer-term aspirations. They must be reviewed by the local authority as a minimum every 12 months. Reviews must focus on the child or young person’s progress towards achieving the outcomes specified in the EHC plan. The review must also consider whether these outcomes and supporting targets remain appropriate. The review process will enable changes to be made to an EHC plan so that it remains relevant to the needs of the child or young person and the desired outcomes.

This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with SEND or in alternative provision receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life. The department is working closely with experts on reforms, recently appointing a strategic advisor for SEND, who will play a key role in convening and engaging with the sector, including leaders, practitioners, children and families as we consider next steps.