theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with (a) school support workers and (b) other relevant stakeholders in the drafting of the Employment Rights Bill. \p Catherine McKinnell: Clauses to establish the School Support Staff Negotiating Body (SSSNB) were introduced in Parliament as part of the Employment Rights Bill on 10 October 2024.

The department has policy responsibility for school support staff and the SSSNB. The department worked closely with stakeholders on the drafting of SSSNB clauses prior to introduction, including the recognised trade unions representing school support staff and employer representative organisations.

Departmental officials have established a regular working group with these organisations to provide a forum for stakeholders to give views on the design of the body.

We also engage with wider stakeholders who can share knowledge and expertise on the school support staff sector.
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Ian Sollom:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what changes her Department has made to the Advanced Maths Support Programme. \p Catherine McKinnell: From September 2025, the focus of the Advanced Mathematics Support Programme (AMSP) will be tilted towards the following areas: supporting schools with low girls’ progression to level 3 mathematics to implement evidence-driven strategies to encourage more girls into post-16 mathematics, supporting high-attaining KS2 disadvantaged students to progress to higher grades at GCSE and into level 3 mathematics, and courses to improve knowledge and skills on the key mathematical concepts and skills needed for artificial intelligence advancement and machine learning.

The AMSP will continue to deliver teacher professional development in level 3 mathematics (core maths, A level Maths and A level Further Maths) and higher-level problem solving and university entrance tests, and deliver online student tuition in A level Further Maths for 16-19 students in institutions that cannot offer the qualification.
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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 10 April 2025 to Question 43284 on Schools: Broadband, whether any of the 343 schools are in Bedfordshire. \p Stephen Morgan: Pursuant to the answer of 10 April 2025, five of the 343 schools due to receive a funded upgrade to fibre this year are in Bedfordshire. One of these schools has already been upgraded, with the school benefitting from the new high-speed connection.
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Mr Lee Dillon:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to increase school funding to expand the provision of free school meals. \p Stephen Morgan: The department spends around £1.5 billion annually on free lunches for 2.1 million school pupils under benefits-based free school meals, over 90,000 disadvantaged students in further education, and around 1.3 million infants under universal infant free school meals. In addition to this, eligibility for free meals drives billions of additional pounds in disadvantage funding.

Schools have autonomy to allocate their budgets to comply with their duty to provide free meals in line with nutritional guidance set out in the school food standards.

As with all government programmes, including free school meals, we keep our approach under continued review.
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Andrew Gwynne:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she has taken to help reduce regional disparities in (a) exam results and (b) access to higher education. \p Catherine McKinnell: All children and young people should have every opportunity to succeed, no matter where they are from. However, the department knows pupil attainment varies considerably across the country. This is not acceptable, which is why the Opportunity Mission will break down barriers and the unfair link between background and success so all children can achieve and thrive.

High and rising standards are at the heart of this mission and the key to unlocking stronger outcomes and a better future for all children and young people, no matter where they live.

To deliver these improvements and reduce disparities, we have introduced new regional improvement for standards and excellence teams and launched an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review that is looking closely at the key challenges to attainment. We are also committed to recruiting 6,500 new expert teachers across the country.

We will support the aspiration of every person who meets the requirements and wants to go to university, regardless of their background, where they live or their personal circumstances.

All higher education (HE) providers registered with the Office for Students (OfS) that intend to charge higher level tuition fees must have an Access and Participation Plan approved by the Office for Students. These need to set out how HE providers will improve equality of opportunity for underrepresented groups and the support that they will provide to do this. While there are many examples of interventions that show a real commitment to widening successful participation, we want the sector to go further and be even more ambitious.
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to increase the number of apprenticeships in the renewable energy sector. \p Janet Daby: Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.

Upskilling the country’s workforce is vital to meet the government’s clean energy 2030 target, with apprenticeships playing an important role in supporting employers in clean energy industries to develop the skills they need.

Employers in England can benefit from over 40 apprenticeships that relate to clean energy industries. This includes the level 3 domestic electrician apprenticeship, which trains people to maintain domestic heat pumps, solar panels and electric charging points, and the level 4 community energy specialist apprenticeship, which trains people to help communities work together to reduce energy use and costs.
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James Naish:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support the families of children unable to return to (a) mainstream and (b) special school. \p Catherine McKinnell: The department recognises that some pupils find it harder than others to attend school. It is therefore very important that schools and partners work closely with pupils and parents to remove any barriers to attendance by building strong and trusting relationships and working together to put the right support in place.

If a child of compulsory school age is still unable to access a mainstream or special school place, the local authority, under section 19 of the Children's Act 1996, has a duty to arrange alternative suitable and, typically, full-time education for the child.

Placements into alternative provision (AP) should focus on enabling the child to overcome any barriers to learning they may have and to assist them back into mainstream education. All placements should be reviewed regularly to ensure they are meeting these objectives.

Departmental guidance states that a child’s family should always be consulted before AP is arranged. This is because we know that families have an important role to play throughout the planning and commissioning of a child’s placement, as they can provide necessary information about the child and their needs. This guidance, last updated in January 2025, is accessible at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/alternative-provision.
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Adam Dance:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to protect neurodiverse pupils from bullying at school in (a) Yeovil constituency, (b) Somerset and (c) England. \p Stephen Morgan: The department is clear that schools must take a strong stand against all forms of bullying and should tackle bullying at the earliest opportunity to prevent it from escalating. All schools must have a behaviour policy with measures to prevent all forms of bullying, including the bullying of pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

The department does not collect data on specific incidents of bullying in schools. We expect schools to develop their own approaches for monitoring bullying and exercise their own judgement as to what will work best for their pupils.

We monitor young people’s perceptions of bullying at a high level, through surveys, which indicate that a higher level of children and young people with SEND, including neurodivergence, report that they have been bullied, than children without SEND. The latest survey can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6628dd9bdb4b9f0448a7e584/National_behaviour_survey_academic_year_2022_to_2023.pdf.

​The department has published advice to support schools with addressing incidents of bullying, which can be accessed here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/625ee64cd3bf7f6004339db8/Preventing_and_tackling_bullying_advice.pdf, as well as a practical tool to help schools, which can be found on the Educate Against Hate website here: https://www.educateagainsthate.com/resources/respectful-school-communities-self-review-signposting-tool-2/.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children have (a) applied for and (b) had approved an Education, Health and Care Plan by Cambridgeshire County Council in each of the last five academic years. \p Catherine McKinnell: The number of requests for an education, health and care (EHC) needs assessment, the number of assessments carried out and the number where an EHC plan has been issued are published for Cambridgeshire local authority, for each of the last five years (where available), in the following table: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/1a9ce774-d804-47af-1f6e-08dd8e2f6934.

Information on the number of requests where it was decided to carry out an EHC needs assessment was collected for the first time for the 2022 calendar year.
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Chris Webb:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support children experiencing mental health issues due to bullying. \p Stephen Morgan: Schools must take a strong stand against all forms of bullying and should tackle bullying at the earliest opportunity to prevent it from escalating, particularly given the impact it can have on pupils, both emotionally and physically. It is up to schools to develop their own anti-bullying strategies to suit their specific needs and are held to account by Ofsted.

​​The department provides advice to support schools with addressing incidents of bullying. The guidance is clear that schools should make appropriate provision for a bullied child's social, emotional and mental health needs. This guidance is accessible at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/625ee64cd3bf7f6004339db8/Preventing_and_tackling_bullying_advice.pdf.

Further resource includes the Respectful School Communities toolkit, which can be found on the Educate Against Hate website: https://www.educateagainsthate.com/resources/respectful-school-communities-self-review-signposting-tool-2/.

The department knows that children experiencing bullying are more susceptible to mental health challenges. The government will work to ensure the right support is available to every young person that needs it, including providing access to specialist mental health professionals in every school.

The department has launched a mental health leads resource hub to help schools select the most effective evidence-based support options, including a range of resources that focus on supporting the wellbeing of those who have experienced bullying. This is available at: https://www.mentallyhealthyschools.org.uk/.
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Sojan Joseph:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the proposed removal of funding for the Apprenticeship Support and Knowledge programme on the ability to (a) promote and (b) increase apprenticeship engagement among (i) students and (ii) teachers. \p Janet Daby: Promoting apprenticeships and technical education routes remains a key part of this government’s education policy. The decision to not continue the Apprenticeships Support and Knowledge (ASK) programme was based on the following:

Schools and colleges seeking support to raise awareness of apprenticeships and technical education can access a range of online and in-person initiatives, including:

Around 2,000 volunteers, comprising of employers and apprentices, have formed the Apprenticeship ambassador network (AAN), a department-supported network. The AAN visit institutions sharing compelling experiences about apprenticeships. The AAN covers 70% schools and colleges in England and aims to align an ambassador to every secondary school and further education college by March 2026.
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Alex Mayer:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many families will be impacted by the reduction in the number of compulsory branded items of school uniform in (a) Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard constituency, (b) Bedfordshire and (c) the East of England. \p Catherine McKinnell: The department published its latest research on the cost of school uniform in September 2024, which surveyed parents and carers of children aged 4 to 16 attending state-funded schools in England. The research is published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cost-of-school-uniforms-survey-2023.

The data were sampled to be representative of the population at primary and secondary level. Nationally, the department estimates that the new limit on compulsory branded uniform will reduce school uniform costs for around 4.2 million children. The aggregate savings to parents with children in primary school is around £21 million per year, and for those with children in secondary school is around £52 million per year. We estimate that some families will save over £50 per child on the back to school shop.

The sample size was not large enough to make robust comparisons at a regional or local level.
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Adam Jogee:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department plans to take to encourage small and medium businesses to take up technical education opportunities; and if she will take steps to consult with those businesses on shaping the curriculum. \p Janet Daby: The department continues to support small and medium businesses to benefit from a range of technical education opportunities including apprenticeships, T Level industry placements, Higher Technical Qualifications, and Skills Bootcamps.

For example, on T Levels we are actively engaging small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) through our T Level Ambassador network and raising awareness and support of industry placements, including a new Employer Support Fund to help SMEs meet delivery costs, and on apprenticeships we pay full training costs for non-levy paying employers for young apprentices under the age of 22 and provide £1000 payments to employers who take on young apprentices under the age of 19.

Employers are playing a more strategic role in the skills system, through working with providers, including through local skills improvement plans where they can help shape local curriculum offers and become more actively involved in the planning, design and delivery of further education provision.

Skills England will work with employers to identify and fill skills gaps and build the highly trained workforce that employers need, delivering the national, regional and local skills needs of the next decade.
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Adam Jogee:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure the effective distribution of funding for technical education to meet the needs of (a) students and (b) employers in (i) all and (ii) high-demand sectors. \p Janet Daby: 16 to 19 funding enables students to take part in study programmes, which includes technical qualifications, or T levels. The department uses the 16 to 19 funding formula to calculate an allocation of funding to each institution, in each academic year, based on volumes and characteristics of students and their programmes. Additional funding is also available via the high value courses premium to encourage and support delivery of selected level 3 study programmes and T Levels.

Additionally, in the 2025/26 academic year, the adult skills fund will be 68% devolved to mayoral strategic authorities. These authorities have autonomy in deciding how to use their funding to make decisions that are best for their areas. In non-devolved areas, the department uses five funding bands that reflect, amongst other considerations, the cost of the provision involved and skill needs of the economy.

My right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, also committed over £600 million over the Parliament to deliver up to 60,000 skilled construction workers, supporting the government’s infrastructure and housebuilding priorities. This includes additional funding to deliver more construction courses, skills bootcamps, foundation apprenticeships, industry placements, and the establishment of ten new Technical Excellence Colleges.
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children are on the SEND waiting list in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire. \p Catherine McKinnell: The department does not hold information on the number of children waiting to be assessed for an education, health and care (EHC) plan.

The department collects information from local authorities on the number of requests for an EHC needs assessment, the number of EHC needs assessments carried out, and the number of EHC plans issued within the statutory 20 week timeframe. This data is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/education-health-and-care-plans/2024.
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Adam Jogee:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she plans to take with (a) Skills England and (b) Technical Excellence Colleges to support the provision of high-quality technical education by Institutes of Technology. \p Janet Daby: Skills England will work with Technical Excellence Colleges (TECs) and Institutes of Technology (IoTs) to ensure they are supported in delivering the skills that local employers need, as aligned to the needs of national priority sectors.

The government will transform further education colleges into specialist TECs to deliver the priority skills needed by employers to help drive economic growth at local and national level. This starts with £100 million, announced as part of a wider construction skills package, to establish ten construction TECs, with one in every English region to deliver the skills required to support the government’s Plan for Change in building 1.5 million homes by the end of this Parliament. TECs will work with IoTs as part of wider sectoral collaboration to ensure skills gaps across regions are addressed and the skills employers need to grow the economy are delivered.
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Cameron Thomas:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions her Department has had with the local authority on the number of secondary school placements in Gloucestershire. \p Catherine McKinnell: The government works to support local authorities to ensure that every local area has sufficient places for children that need them. The statutory duty to provide sufficient school places sits with local authorities.

The department engages with councils on a regular basis to review their plans for creating additional places and to consider alternatives where necessary. When local authorities are experiencing difficulties, we support them to find solutions as quickly as possible.

The department provides capital funding through the Basic Need grant to support local authorities to provide school places, based on their own pupil forecasts and school capacity data. They can use this funding to provide places in new schools or through expansions of existing schools and can work with any school in their local area, including academies and free schools.

In March, the department announced that Gloucestershire County Council has been allocated just under £9.2 million to support it to create the mainstream school places needed by September 2028.This funding, £5.6 million of which will be paid in the 2026/27 financial year and with a further £3.6 million paid in 2027/28, is on top of just over £23.1 million we have previously allocated to Gloucestershire County Council to support it in providing new school places needed over the current and next two academic years, up to and including the academic year starting in September 2026.
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Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if her Department will add young carers to the Daily Attendance reporting programme. \p Stephen Morgan: ​​​​This government is committed to breaking down barriers of opportunity for all young people, including young carers who provide a critical role caring for their loved ones.

Young carers were added to the school census in the 2022/23 academic year. This change has raised both awareness and the profile of young carers in schools by, for the first time, providing hard data on both the numbers of young carers in schools and their education. The number of schools returning data on young carers as part of the census has been low. The last annual spring census showed that 72% of schools did not record any young carers in 2024, which is an improvement on the 79% of schools with zero returns in 2023. The department recognises that this is not good enough, and we hope to see an improvement in coverage and quality in the next spring census, due in June. We will monitor the quality of school census data on young carers for consideration for future inclusion in the daily collection. In the meantime, we are continuing to work closely with the sector to encourage better identification, recording and support for young carers in schools.

​Absence from school is almost always a symptom of wider needs and barriers that a family are facing, including where pupils may have caring responsibilities at home. The department’s statutory guidance ‘Working together to improve school attendance’ takes a ‘support first’ approach where pupils and families, including young carers, should receive holistic, whole-family support to help them overcome the barriers to attendance they are facing.
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent steps she has taken to reduce fraudulent claims for student loans. \p Janet Daby: My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education has asked the Public Sector Fraud Authority to coordinate action against the threat of the student funding system being exploited. The department will act on its findings and take quick decisions on whether we need to make more fundamental changes to the system.

There is a programme of investigations underway between the department and the Office for Students. Where investigations find abuse of the student finance system there will be serious consequences. The department will always take steps to recover student funding that has been paid in respect of students who have, for example, not been attending their courses. Depending on the precise circumstances, recovery will be pursued either from the institution or the student.

The Student Loans Company (SLC) is responsible for processing student funding loan applications and delivering student funding in line with student support regulations.

The SLC continues to monitor student funding applications for suspicious activity and will investigate where there are any concerns around individual applications or a collection of funding applications. Where fraudulent claims are identified, the SLC follows its published sanctions model which can result in individuals being ‘unfitted’ for support, and/or report to Cifas, a fraud prevention service in the United Kingdom.
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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much capital funding she plans to make available for schools in Devon in the 2026-27 financial year. \p Stephen Morgan: Ensuring schools have the resources and buildings they need is a key part of the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and give every child the best start in life.

Capital funding for the 2026/27 financial year to improve the condition of the estate will be set out following the next multi-year phase of the spending review.

In the 2025/26 budget, we increased capital funding to £2.1 billion to improve the condition of school buildings, up from £1.8 billion in the 2024/25 financial year. The majority of this funding is allocated to large responsible bodies such as local authorities, large multi-academy trusts and large voluntary-aided school bodies, who decide locally how to invest in their schools. Allocations and the methodology for the 2025/26 financial year are published in the ‘School capital funding’ guidance which can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/school-capital-funding#funding-allocations-for-the-2025-to-2026-financial-year.

This is on top of the continuing School Rebuilding Programme, which includes nine schools in Devon.

In March 2025, the department announced that Devon County Council has also been allocated just over £15.7 million in capital funding to support it to create the mainstream school places needed by September 2028. £9.6 million of this will be paid in the 2026/27 financial year, with a further £6.1 million paid in 2027/28.
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she made of the number of apprenticeship starts in Aldridge-Brownhills constituency in (a) 2024-25 and (b) 2023-24. \p Janet Daby: The number of apprenticeship starts in the Aldridge-Brownhills constituency are published in the apprenticeships accredited official statistics publication: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/2d7a8365-ec14-40eb-96d3-08dd85738b16.

These were last published in March 2025. They include full year figures for the 2023/24 academic year, and year to date figures for the 2024/25 academic year.
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Adam Jogee:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps Skills England plans to take with Institutes of Technology to (a) coordinate technical education and (b) ensure that regional skills needs are met. \p Janet Daby: As part of its work with employers, providers and others across the skills system, Skills England will enable Institutes of Technology (IoTs) to support the delivery of skills local employers need, as aligned to the needs of national priority sectors.

Skills England will work with mayoral strategic authorities and other forms of regional government and local organisations, such as employer representative bodies, to ensure that regional and national skills needs are met. Skills England will oversee the Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIPs) programme, including where LSIPs have identified IoTs’ role in meeting local skills needs.

Skills England will continue to set out evidence and insights into skills gaps in the economy, building on the publication of its first report in September 2024.
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Lauren Edwards:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the Growth and Skills Levy effectively reduces skills gaps identified by Skills England. \p Janet Daby: I refer the hon. Member for Rochester and Strood to the answer of 28 March 2025 to Question 39389.
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Lauren Edwards:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the time taken to publish guidance on funding rules and criteria for the Growth and Skills Levy on the number of apprenticeship starts in the 2025-26 academic year. \p Janet Daby: The apprenticeship funding rules for the 2025/2026 academic year were published on 15 May 2025 on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/apprenticeship-funding-rules-2025-to-2026.

These include guidance for employers and providers on the growth and skills offer, including on foundation and shorter duration apprenticeships. All apprenticeships starting on or after 1 August 2025 will be subject to these rules unless otherwise specified.
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help increase the number of journalism clubs in schools. \p Catherine McKinnell: Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.

It is for schools to decide what enrichment and extracurricular activities are best for their pupils and settings, and the department does not specifically promote journalism clubs. However, the department, working closely with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, has committed to publishing a new enrichment framework by the end of 2025, which may support schools considering journalism as part of their enrichment offer. Building on the work of the sector, we will develop the framework alongside a working group consisting of experts from schools, youth sports, arts organisations and research bodies. The framework will also highlight effective practice on enrichment.
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Tom Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that schools teach about the environment. \p Catherine McKinnell: The national curriculum in England provides a broad framework within which schools have the flexibility to develop the content of their own curricula. Topics related to the environment can be taught within all key stages of the science and geography curricula. They can also be taught within the citizenship curriculum, which is compulsory at key stages 3 and 4.

The government has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, chaired by Professor Becky Francis CBE. The Review wants to ensure a rich, broad, inclusive and innovative curriculum that readies young people for life and work. The Review Group published an interim report on 18 March, and the final report with recommendations will be published in the autumn.
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Lauren Edwards:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of funding through the growth and skills levy will employers be able to spend on non-apprenticeship training. \p Janet Daby: I refer the hon. Member for Rochester and Strood to the answer of 7 April 2025 to Question 40142.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which county councils are failing to meet the 20-week timeframe for delivery of Education, Health and Care Plans. \p Catherine McKinnell: The number and percentage of education, health and care (EHC) plans issued within the statutory timeframe of 20 weeks from the date of the request for an EHC needs assessment are published for each local authority, for the 2023 calendar year, in the following publication: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/education-health-and-care-plans/2024.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-20)

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Cameron Thomas:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the guidance on the secondary school admissions process to ensure parents are better equipped to support their children’s preparation. \p Catherine McKinnell: Local authorities are required to comply with the school admissions code. This includes a requirement to publish a composite prospectus for parents, including information relating to how to apply for schools in that area, information on the admission arrangements for each state-funded school in their area and the number of parental preferences expressed for the school in the previous year. Local authorities must also publish an annual report on admissions for all the state-funded schools in their area.

In 2024, 82.9% of applicants were offered their first-choice secondary school and 94.6% received offers from one of their top three choices. At primary level, 93.2% of applicants were offered their first-choice primary school and 98.6% received offers from one of their top three choices.

If a parent or other party is dissatisfied with the information provided by the local authority, they can complain, in the first instance, through the local authority’s complaints procedure. If they remain dissatisfied, they can complain to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman. Additionally, if my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education becomes aware of an issue she can, if necessary, use her powers to direct the local authority, where it is failing in a legal duty.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_89

Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of school buildings in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire. \p Stephen Morgan: The department supports local authorities, academy trusts, and voluntary-aided school bodies responsible for the school estate by providing capital funding, delivering major rebuilding programmes and offering guidance and support.

We have increased funding to improve the condition of the estate to £2.1 billion for the 2025/26 financial year, up from £1.8 billion last year. Allocations are published on GOV.UK and are partly informed by consistent data on the condition of the estate collected by the department, reflecting the relative need of schools. This is in addition to our continued investment in the school rebuilding programme, including five schools in Lincolnshire, of which two are in the South Holland and The Deepings constituency.

From 2021 to 2026, the department’s Condition Data Collection 2 programme is visiting every government-funded school and college in England to collect data about the condition of their buildings. This data is providing an updated and comprehensive picture of the condition of the school estate in England to support our capital funding policy and programmes. Information on the condition of schools, as assessed by Condition Data Collection 1, can be found here: https://depositedpapers.parliament.uk/depositedpaper/2285521/files.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_90

Suella Braverman:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans her Department has to increase the level of protection for parents when an independent after-school provider is made bankrupt. \p Stephen Morgan: As a private market, guidance published by the Insolvency Service is likely to apply, which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/claim-money-back-from-a-bankrupt-person-or-company-in-compulsory-liquidation-guidance-for-creditors/if-an-insolvent-company-or-bankrupt-person-owes-you-money#:~:text=If%20the%20person%20or%20company,secured%20creditors.

The Childcare Act 2006 places a duty on local authorities to make sure that there are enough childcare places within its locality for working parents or for parents who are studying or training for employment, for children aged 0 to 14, or up to 18 for disabled children. In the unlikely event that a parent's childcare provider becomes insolvent or goes bankrupt, parents can contact their local authority, who can provide guidance and resources to help them transition to a new provider.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_91

Suella Braverman:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an assessment of the number of after-school clubs required to be registered by Ofsted that are operating without being registered. \p Stephen Morgan: Before and after-school clubs can register with Ofsted on either or both the Early Years Register and the General Childcare Register, depending on the type of provision and age of the children they intend to care for. Some providers are exempt from registration if they meet the exemptions set out in legislation. Depending on their registration, they must either meet the statutory requirements of the early years foundation stage, or the general childcare register requirements. The requirements for both registers are set by the department.

It is Ofsted’s role to monitor compliance with these registration requirements. Ofsted reports to Parliament through its annual report and official statistics publications about inspection, regulatory activity and compliance with the department’s legal requirements. Officials also meet regularly with their Ofsted counterparts to ensure that the regulations that apply to Ofsted registered providers of after-school childcare remain fit for purpose.

Ofsted takes appropriate action on information that they receive about unregistered services and provision on unapproved premises. Ofsted’s process for managing unregistered provision is outlined in their published enforcement policy, accessible at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-and-childcare-ofsteds-enforcement-policy/early-years-and-childcare-enforcement-policy#unregistered:~:text=in%20appropriate%20circumstances.-,Unregistered%20childcare%20providers%20and%20provision%20on%20unapproved%20premises,-Most%20childcare%20providers.

Information about Ofsted’s regulatory and enforcement activity in relation to unregistered provision is outlined in Ofsted’s annual report and accounts each year. This is accessible at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ofsted-corporate-annual-report-and-accounts-2023-to-2024.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_92

Dan Tomlinson:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to introduce sign language into early years planning for deaf children. \p Stephen Morgan: High quality early years education is crucial to children’s development, health and life chances. The department is committed to ensuring that all children, including children with disabilities such as deafness, have the best possible start in life as part of the government‘s Plan for Change. A strong focus on communication in early years is good for every child. The early years foundation stage (EYFS) aims to ensure that all children have the skills and knowledge needed to thrive and to make a successful transition to later schooling.

The EYFS Profile involves assessing a child’s development against 17 early learning goals (ELGs) across all seven areas of learning in the EYFS. In November 2024, the department published the updated EYFS Profile handbook, which can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-foundation-stage-profile-handbook. This update included a change to allow a child’s established or preferred mode of communication, including non-speaking communication, such as signing, to be used for all of the ELGs, including the speaking ELG.

The department has published resources, including a free online training module and special educational needs and disabilities assessment guidance, to help early educators to identify, assess and support children in their settings. Early years educators can choose to utilise many methods of communication, including signing, if they feel it would meet the needs of the children in their care.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_93

James MacCleary:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department plans to take to ensure that schools participating in the breakfast club programme can provide adequately nutritious free school meals within the allocated budget. \p Stephen Morgan: The department is funding 750 early adopter schools to provide access to a free, universal breakfast club lasting at least 30 minutes. Early adopter schools receive a combination of set up, fixed term and per pupil payments to cover food costs, staffing and delivery. Funding rates vary depending on uptake and pupil characteristics.

A key aim of the early adopter programme is to test and learn about take up across a diverse range of schools, to help inform future national rollout.

All food served within breakfast clubs must comply with the school food standards. To assist early adopter schools in choosing a healthy breakfast offer for their pupils, the department has produced additional guidance containing nutritious breakfast examples.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_94

James Asser:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will take steps to extend the availability of DNA spit kits to licensed private hire drivers. \p Simon Lightwood: Violence against transport workers is unacceptable and something I take very seriously. That is why my Department's best practice guidance to taxi and private hire vehicle licensing authorities in England sets out my expectations for the sector including assessing risks to private hire vehicle drivers whilst they are at work. This could include the provision of 'spit kits' to help deter such repellent behaviour.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_95

Olly Glover:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made a comparative assessment of the whole-life costs of (a) full and (b) partial railway electrification taking into account (i) infrastructure and (ii) rolling stock including (A) fully electric (B) battery, (C) battery/electric, (D) bi-mode and (E) tri-mode trains. \p Lilian Greenwood: The department is working closely with Network Rail to develop updated plans for where and when electrification is required to deliver a fully decarbonised railway, that considers both track and train, as well as the recent development of battery technology on the railway. As part of this process, the Department is assessing whole-life costs of both full and partial electrification with regard toall rolling stock traction types in order to decarbonise in the most cost-effective way.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_96

Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to (a) ensure the consistency of the passenger experience on trains on (i) C2C and (ii) Greater Anglia services after they have been nationalised and (b) establish penalties for those responsible for poor passenger experience. \p Simon Lightwood: Bringing passenger services into public ownership will ensure services are focused on delivering for passengers, not shareholders. Our priority is to deliver a smooth and safe transition of c2c’s and Greater Anglia’s services into public ownership this year, with no disruption to passengers. We expect public-sector operators to focus relentlessly on improving reliability, punctuality and other aspects of the service that matter most to passengers, and we will hold them to account for doing so.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_97

Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is planning to take to improve the (a) C2C and (b) Greater Anglia rail networks. \p Simon Lightwood: The Cambridge South station project will deliver a new four-platform station on the West Anglia Main Line between the Cambridge Biomedical Campus and Southern Fringe development area. Consideration of further improvements to the C2C and Greater Anglia networks will be informed by Spending Review 2025.