theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-29)

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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 31 January 2025 to Question 26151 on Schools: Admissions, what estimate she has made of the (a) number of pupils and (b) school capacity for (i) Central Bedfordshire, (ii) Bedford Borough and (iii) Luton Borough for each of the next five years. \p Catherine McKinnell: Data on state-funded school places is published at local authority level in the annual ‘School capacity’ publication. The full release can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-capacity.

The latest available data for the number of pupils and school capacity, as at 1 May 2023, for Central Bedfordshire, Bedford borough and Luton borough can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/190afba3-869e-4ef0-f219-08dd5cc661f7.

Local authority pupil number forecasts for Central Bedfordshire, Bedford borough and Luton borough for the five academic years from 2023/24 to 2027/28 can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/9631024d-157e-4b93-0eb3-08dd5ccbf23a.

The linked table also includes numbers on roll for 2022/23 as at January 2023, which differs to the numbers on roll in the capacity table that relate to May 2023. Forecasts were submitted to the department through the School Capacity survey 2023.

School capacity estimates are made for three academic years ahead, in this case 2023/24 to 2025/26, as part of the department’s estimate of future school place shortfalls and surpluses. These estimates can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-catalogue/data-set/b12c3f30-c22c-4b88-b5b2-2c1848981b4e. These estimates reflect the position reported by local authorities at May 2023 through the School Capacity survey, supplemented with the department’s internal data on central programmes.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-29)

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Jonathan Davies:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the impact of recent changes to the Functional Skills Level 2 English exam on students with autism and other learning disabilities. \p Catherine McKinnell: Reformed mathematics and English Functional Skills qualifications (FSQs) were introduced for first teaching from September 2019. As is standard practice, the department worked alongside Ofqual to evaluate the reforms in 2023. The department’s evaluation of FSQs found that the content of the qualifications is continuing to meet the needs of employers and learners. Ofqual’s concurrent evaluation found that the assessments are appropriate against this content but that awarding organisations need to make improvements in some areas, which the regulator is acting on.

Ofqual’s evaluation did hear reports of a lack of understanding around the availability and application of reasonable adjustments, and in some cases providers reported that students were not able to access appropriate reasonable adjustments. The regulator has considered this stakeholder feedback as part of a wider review of awarding organisations’ application of reasonable adjustments in vocational and technical qualifications, with a view to improving their practice.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-29)

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Claire Young:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that unlawful academy trust admissions policies are amended for future admissions rounds. \p Catherine McKinnell: Once a school’s admission arrangements have been determined, anyone who believes they are unfair or unlawful may submit an objection to the Schools Adjudicator.

Where the Adjudicator determines that a school’s admission arrangements are unlawful, the admission authority has a statutory duty to revise its admission arrangements within two months of the decision, or by 28 February following the decision, whichever is sooner, unless an alternative timescale is specified by the Adjudicator.

An Adjudicator’s determination is binding and enforceable by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-29)

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Zöe Franklin:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to increase access to audio-based learning resources in schools. \p Catherine McKinnell: The department respects the autonomy of teachers in terms of what resources they choose to use or recommend to their individual pupils, based on individual need in their own educational context and circumstances.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-29)

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Daisy Cooper:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of making tutoring available to children who are temporarily out of school as a result of moving out of area to seek refuge from domestic violence. \p Catherine McKinnell: Under section 19 of the Education Act 1996, local authorities must arrange suitable full-time education for children of compulsory school age who would not receive suitable education without such provision. This applies whether the child is on the admission register of a school or not and to whatever type of school they attend.

It is for the local authority, as commissioner, to determine the type of educational provision that is put in place. However, all placements should be suitable to the child’s age, ability and aptitude, and any special educational needs they may have. Provision should be of good quality and delivered by high quality staff with suitable training, experience and safeguarding checks.

Remote education should not be viewed as an equal alternative to face-to-face learning, and as such the department would only expect it to be used as a last resort when the alternative would be no education. In such cases, remote education can have the benefit of allowing children without a school place to keep on track with their education.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-29)

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Cameron Thomas:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to ensure that teachers are given priority to enrol their children at schools they teach at. \p Catherine McKinnell: All mainstream state funded schools must have clear admission arrangements, set by the school’s admission authority, which include the oversubscription criteria they will use to give priority for places where there are more applicants than places available. The School Admissions Code allows admission authorities to give priority in their oversubscription criteria for children of staff who have been employed at the school for two or more years at the time when their application for a school place is made. The priority may also be applied for children of staff who have been recruited to fill a vacant post at the school for which there is a demonstrable skills shortage.

It is for individual admission authorities to decide whether to include such a priority in their admissions criteria, provided the arrangements comply with the School Admissions Code.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-29)

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Ms Julie Minns:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the University of Florida's phonics programme. \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 and give every child the best start in life. The last Labour government’s promotion of phonics greatly improved the reading and writing abilities of a generation of children.

The department has not made an assessment of the University of Florida’s phonics programme, but the government has published a list of 45 validated phonics programmes. The full list can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/choosing-a-phonics-teaching-programme/list-of-phonics-teaching-programmes.

The department’s list of validated, high quality phonics programmes aims to help schools to select programmes that provide the support, guidance, resources and training needed to teach systematic synthetic phonics (SSP) well.

There is no statutory requirement for schools to choose one of the SPP programmes on the department’s validated list. However, validation indicates that a programme has been assessed by a small panel with relevant expertise that considers it meets all the department’s criteria for an effective SSP programme.

There are currently no further validation rounds planned.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-29)

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Neil O'Brien:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will list the (a) name and (b) URN of all currently open state schools alongside the (i) URN, (ii) Establishment number and (iii) name of the predecessor institutions for each. \p Catherine McKinnell: Information on all open and closed establishments in England is published on the Get Information about Schools (GIAS) service, which can be accessed here: https://get-information-schools.service.gov.uk/. Files available to download include information for all establishments (including name, URN and type of school) as well as a file with links to any predecessor or successor establishment. The files can be found here: https://get-information-schools.service.gov.uk/Downloads.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-29)

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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help encourage young people to learn to play a musical instrument. \p Catherine McKinnell: This government believes that music is an essential part of the well-rounded and enriching education that every child deserves. That is why music is included in the national curriculum for all students aged 5 to 14 who attend maintained schools.

To support the delivery of music education, the government provides annual funding of £79 million for the Music Hubs programme. Music Hubs offer a range of services, including musical instrument tuition, instrument loaning, and whole-class ensemble teaching.

To widen access to musical instruments, the government has invested £25 million in capital funding for musical instruments, equipment and technology. This funding enables Music Hubs to better cater to the needs of the children and young people they work with.

Additionally, the government has invested £2 million to support the Music Opportunities Pilot. This pilot programme aims to help disadvantaged children and young people, as well as those with special eductional needs and disabilities, learn how to play an instrument of their choice or learn to sing to a high standard.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-29)

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Neil O'Brien:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the average proportion of students was obtaining the equivalent of (a) Grade 5 or better and (b) Grade 4 or better in GCSE (i) English and (ii) Maths in each Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index decile in each year since 2010. \p Catherine McKinnell: The information is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

However, the department publishes the percentage of pupils achieving grades 4/5 or above in English and mathematics GCSEs by Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index (IDACI) deciles.

Data back to 2014/15 is published in the annual key stage 4/GCSE and equivalent statistical releases, which are available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-gcses-key-stage-4. To find data by IDACI, see 'pupil residency and school location tables'.

Reformed GCSEs using the 9-1 grading scale were first introduced in 2016/17 with most GCSEs exams using the scale by 2018/19.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-29)

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Mrs Sharon Hodgson:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to (a) promote and (b) monitor the use of individual healthcare plans in schools to support young people living with arthritis. \p Catherine McKinnell: Section 100 of the Children and Families Act 2014 places a duty on maintained schools, academies and pupil referral units to make arrangements for supporting pupils with medical conditions. Some children with medical conditions may be considered to be disabled under the definition set out in the Equality Act 2010. Where this is the case, governing bodies must comply with their duties under that Act.

Governing bodies should ensure that all schools develop a policy for supporting pupils with medical conditions that is reviewed regularly and is readily accessible to parents and school staff. They must ensure that the arrangements they put in place are sufficient to meet their statutory responsibilities and should ensure that policies, plans, procedures and systems are properly and effectively implemented.

The statutory guidance ‘Supporting pupils at school with medical conditions’ recommends the use of individual healthcare plans as good practice. They can help schools support pupils with medical conditions, providing clarity about what needs to be done, when and by whom. The school, healthcare professionals and parents should agree, based on evidence, when a healthcare plan would be appropriate. The guidance can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5ce6a72e40f0b620a103bd53/supporting-pupils-at-school-with-medical-conditions.pdf.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-29)

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Alex Baker:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to provide (a) clear routes for progression and (b) development in different subject areas to encourage recruitment and retention of teachers. \p Catherine McKinnell: The within school factor that makes the biggest difference to a young person’s educational outcome is high-quality teaching. Recruiting and retaining more qualified, expert teachers is therefore critical to the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and boost the life chances for every child. Our measures will include getting more teachers into shortage subjects, supporting areas that face recruitment challenges and tackling retention issues.

The department wants to ensure all teachers have access to and stay up to date with best practice in continuing professional development at every stage of their career, giving them the expertise and support needed to deliver high-quality teaching.

Through the revised initial teacher training and early career framework (ITTECF), new teachers will benefit from at least three years of evidence-based training, across initial teacher training (ITT) and into their induction.

Beyond the first few years of teaching, our priority is to help all teachers and school leaders to continuously develop their expertise throughout their careers so every child in every classroom in every school gets the best start in life.

The department has launched a new and updated suite of national professional qualifications (NPQs) for teachers and school leaders at all levels, from those who want to lead the development of staff to those leading multiple schools across trusts.

The department has established a network of 87 Teaching School Hubs serving schools across the country. The Hubs provide approved high-quality professional development to teachers at all stages of their careers and play a significant role in delivering ITT, the early career framework and NPQs. These measures will ensure teacher and leader training and development are rooted in the best available evidence. ​

The department currently offers Subject Knowledge Enhancement (SKE) support in five secondary subjects: chemistry, computing, mathematics, modern languages and physics. The department will continue to explore its options for delivery of SKE training in future academic years to ensure that its funding supports courses in the subjects where these courses are most needed

The department has also expanded the department’s ‘School Teacher Recruitment’ marketing campaign which inspires and attracts candidates to consider a career in teaching, including shortage subjects. It promotes the profession and directs people to the ‘Get Into Teaching’ service, which exists to make teaching a career of choice and supports candidates to apply for teacher training in the most effective and efficient way possible.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-29)

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Laura Kyrke-Smith:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the prevalence of incidents relating to dysphagia in SEND settings; and what steps she is taking to manage dysphagia safely in those settings. \p Catherine McKinnell: Section 100 of the Children and Families Act 2014 places a duty on maintained schools, academies and pupil referral units to make arrangements for supporting pupils with medical conditions. Some children with medical conditions may be considered to be disabled under the definition set out in the Equality Act 2010. Where this is the case, governing bodies must comply with their duties under that Act.

Governing bodies should ensure that all schools develop a policy for supporting pupils with medical conditions that is reviewed regularly and is readily accessible to parents and school staff. They must ensure that the arrangements they put in place are sufficient to meet their statutory responsibilities and should ensure that policies, plans, procedures and systems are properly and effectively implemented.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-29)

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Damian Hinds:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to measure the actual costs for the schools participating in the existing National School Breakfast programme. \p Stephen Morgan: The national school breakfast programme (NSBP) is a demand-led programme, established under the previous government. It is a food-only programme which does not include staffing costs. Eligible schools place breakfast food orders with the department’s supplier, Family Action, via their portal, rather than being allocated funding directly. Schools are charged 25% of food and delivery costs by the supplier, with the department covering the remaining 75% of the costs. Schools can therefore order as much food as they need on the system.

The department works closely with Family Action to monitor take-up of the programme by eligible schools, alongside monitoring school-level food and delivery costs. The number of schools on the scheme is relatively stable.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-29)

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Navendu Mishra:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the proposed increase to employer's National Insurance contributions on the ability of independent training providers to provide skills development and workforce training. \p Janet Daby: On 5 March 2025 the department gave details of 16 to 19 funding which meant that it will be spending over £400 million more on 16 to 19 education in the 2025/26 financial year. This represents over £100 million more than the £300 million announced at the Autumn Budget 2024 and aims to ensure enough funding is available given the very significant increase in student numbers and other pressures on the system. Further guidance on how 16 to 19 funding will work in the 2025/26 academic year can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/16-to-19-funding-information-for-2025-to-2026.

The government has agreed that public sector employers will receive support in recognition of the increase in their National Insurance contributions from April 2025. This does not include support for the private sector, including private sector firms contracted by public sector entities.

Independent training providers will benefit from the 3.78% increase to all the national funding rates for students on 16 to 19 study programmes and T Levels in the 2025/26 academic year.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-29)

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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of apprenticeship levy reforms on Chartered Town Planner Level 7 Apprenticeships. \p Janet Daby: I refer the hon. Member for Mid Bedfordshire to the answer of 20 January 2025 to Question 23140.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-29)

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Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to safeguard students from (a) Hong Kong, (b) Tibet, (c) Taiwan and (d) Xinjiang, who are persecuted by the Chinese authorities on UK campuses. \p Janet Daby: The first duty of the government is to keep the country safe and this government is committed to responding to foreign interference, including those actions which amount to transnational repression. The government takes protection of individuals' rights, freedoms and safety very seriously, and any attempt by any foreign state to intimidate, harass or harm individuals in the UK will not be tolerated. Anyone who thinks they might be a victim should report incidents or suspicious activity to the Police via 101, a local police station or 999 in emergencies. As autonomous institutions, the department also expects universities to have robust processes in place to prevent and tackle incidents of harassment and abuse on campuses.

The department is taking specific steps to ensure our world-leading universities remain free from foreign interference. This includes the implementation of the new complaints scheme in the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023, which will offer a focussed route for concerns, including relating to foreign interference in academic freedom and free speech, to be escalated. The government is also working at pace on the implementation of the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme, which will require registration of foreign directed activity involving specific governments and entities where it is necessary to protect the safety or interests of the UK. The department expects the scheme to commence summer this year.

The department continues to work closely with the sector to increase their understanding of the risks and their ability to respond. We are conducting an internal review, informed by engagement with the regulator, sector, academics impacted by foreign interference, as well as international partners, to assess existing approaches to managing the risk of foreign interference and what more support they might need.
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Mr Peter Bedford:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether they have made an estimate of the potential impact of abolishing diversity, equity and inclusion roles in their Department on annual staffing costs. \p Janet Daby: The department has not made an estimate on the potential impact of abolishing diversity, equity and inclusion roles on our annual staffing costs.

More information on the Civil Service Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Expenditure guidance, published in May 2024, can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-equality-diversity-and-inclusion-expenditure-guidance.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-29)

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Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate she has made of the average waiting time for a child to receive an education, health and care plan in (a) England, (b) Berkshire and (c) Slough constituency. \p Catherine McKinnell: The department publishes official statistics on education, health and care (EHC) plans annually and these can be accessed here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/education-health-and-care-plans. This includes data at local authority level on the rate of EHC plans issued within the statutory deadline of twenty weeks.

The table linked below shows the number of plans issued within the statutory 20-week deadline for each of the 6 unitary authorities in Berkshire, and the overall figure for England, for the 2023 calendar year:

https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/929ca39b-d31e-43d9-ce9b-08dd66bfee22.

Information at constituency level is not available.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-29)

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Sir Julian Smith:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support families using the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund; and if she will make an announcement on the future of that fund. \p Janet Daby: The impact of the adoption and special guardianship support fund (ASGSF) on both adopted children and those with Special Guardianship Orders is currently being assessed from multiple angles. The National Institute for Health Research is currently conducting a randomised control trial into dyadic developmental psychotherapy, one of the main therapies the ASGSF funds. Moreover, the department now collects data from outcomes measurement tools for ASGSF-funded therapies. As therapy treatment comes to an end, these data will give an overall picture of the impact and adequacy of individual ASGSF-funded therapies.

The Institute of Public Care (IPC) at Oxford Brookes University carried out a three year evaluation from 2018 to 2021 on behalf of the department. The report found that a high proportion, 83%, of parents and guardians participating in the longitudinal survey found the funded support helpful or very helpful overall. The IPC report also found a 'statistically significant (substantial, with large effect size) improvement in parent and guardian estimates of the extent to which the main aim of the funded support had been met by the end of the intervention’. The report also states that parents and guardians scored on average '7 out of 10 in relation to a question about the extent to which positive change(s) for their child and/or family had been sustained six months since the conclusion of adult skills fundASF-funded support.’ The full report can be accessed at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6391c41a8fa8f53ba783e8ad/Evaluation_of_the_Adoption_Support_Fund_2018_to_2022_-_summary_.pdf.

Announcements on funding for the ASGSF from April 2025 will be made shortly. However, ASGSF applications are generally permitted to extend up to 12 months, allowing children and families to receive continuing therapy across financial years. Where applications are agreed, therapy which starts before March 2025 may therefore continue into the next financial year, under previously agreed transitional funding arrangements. Families may access the helpline operated by the department’s ASGSF delivery partner for questions about the ASGSF’s operation.
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Pippa Heylings:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her planned timetable is for an announcement on future funding for the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund. \p Janet Daby: The adoption and special guardianship support fund (ASGSF) provides trauma- and attachment-related therapy and specialist assessments for children and families, where the child has previously been in local authority care and has been adopted or is under a special guardianship order (SGO) or child arrangements order (CAO). The ASGSF has given adopted and SGO/CAO children and families in South Cambridgeshire access to a variety of therapeutic interventions designed to help them with the impact of their early life trauma. Although the department continues to assess the impact of the ASGSF on children, it does not collect information centrally to assess the impact of the ASGSF on wider mental health diagnosis or treatment.

Announcements on funding for the ASGSF will be made as soon as possible.
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Mr Peter Bedford:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill on student discipline in educational settings. \p Stephen Morgan: Good behaviour in schools is essential to ensure that all pupils, no matter their background, can achieve and thrive.

Every pupil deserves to learn in a safe, calm classroom and the government will always support our hard-working and dedicated teachers to make this happen.

A Child Rights Impact Assessment has been published assessing the impact of all measures in the Bill on children and young people, including any impact on pupil behaviour in schools.
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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 18 February 2025 to Question 30796 on Childcare: Finance, if she will collect data from councils on (a) how childcare providers deliver entitlements and (b) how many and what proportion of childcare providers allow parents to stretch the 38 weeks of paid childcare to cover 52 weeks. \p Stephen Morgan: The department collects data directly from childcare providers on how many deliver early years entitlements, and how these can be used by families.

For example, Table 7.5 of the most recent survey report, published in 2024, shows the proportion of providers where parents can use funded hours throughout the year, by entitlement. This can be found in the additional supporting files section at:  https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/childcare-and-early-years-provider-survey/2024.
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help support state schools with trends in the level of demand for state school places following the application of VAT to private school fees. \p Stephen Morgan: As set out in HM Treasury’s tax information and impact note published on GOV.UK, the introduction of VAT is anticipated to have a very limited impact on the number of pupils in state and private schools. The department has not seen any evidence that contradicts the expectations set out in the government’s impact assessment.

Ending tax breaks on private schools will help raise around £1.8 billion per year by the 2029/30 financial year for investment in public services, including state-funded education which serves 94% of children. This will help break down barriers to opportunity, ensuring every child has access to high-quality education.

​Local authorities are responsible for securing school places for children in their area. Pupil numbers in schools fluctuate for a number of reasons, and the school funding system is already set up to manage that. The department provides capital funding through the basic need grant to support the provision of mainstream school places, based on local authorities’ own pupil forecasts and school capacity data.
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Dr Neil Shastri-Hurst:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 11 March 2025 to Question 35073 on Private Education: VAT, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the additional independent school closures over the next three years on trends in the number of (a) teaching and (b) non-teaching staff job losses. \p Stephen Morgan: As made clear in the HM Treasury impact assessment, the introduction of VAT is anticipated to have extremely limited impact on the number of pupils in private schools. The department has not seen any evidence that contradicts the expectations set out in the government’s impact assessment.

It is a commercial decision for individual schools to decide how they will fund the additional costs around the VAT policy. There are a variety of ways in which a school may choose to do this, including reducing their surpluses or reserves, cutting back on non-essential expenditure and increasing fees.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-29)

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Zöe Franklin:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for what reason eligibility dates for free childcare provision are set from 1 April rather than aligning with the tax year ending on 5 April; and if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the eligibility date on families. \p Stephen Morgan: The entitlements work on a termly basis, so children become eligible from the term after they reach the relevant age and/or after they or their parents meet the eligibility criteria. Terms begin on 1 September, 1 January or 1 April. Therefore, depending on when a child is born and when the eligibility criteria are met, there will be differing periods to wait until the relevant termly date.

Termly deadlines enable local authorities and childcare providers to better plan and ensure sufficient early years places are available for parents each term by delineating when children are likely to enter into a place.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-29)

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Neil Duncan-Jordan:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she plans to take to increase funding for the early years childcare sector. \p Stephen Morgan: My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education has been clear in her commitment to early years. Despite tough decisions to get our public finances back on track, this government has increased investment in the early years sector to drive forward progress towards our plan for change target of a record number of children starting school ready to learn.

In the 2025/26 financial year alone, this government plans to spend over £8 billion on early years entitlements. We have also announced the largest ever uplift to the early years pupil premium, increasing the rate by over 45% compared to the 2024/25 financial year, raising it to the equivalent of up to £570 per eligible child per year.

On top of this we are providing further supplementary funding of £75 million for the early years expansion grant to support the sector to provide the additional places and workforce needed by September 2025.

We are also providing £25 million through the forthcoming Employer National Insurance Contributions Grant for public sector employers in the early years.

Future spending decisions beyond the 2025/26 financial year will be announced at the next spending review.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-29)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-29 conversation_49

Andrew Gwynne:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will share the latest project schedule for the rebuilding of Russell Scott Primary School in Denton with the hon. Member for Gorton and Denton. \p Stephen Morgan: The project is in the procurement stage and a contractor is expected to be appointed later this year.

The department currently anticipates that the new school will be ready from September 2027.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-29)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-29 conversation_50

Lee Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help support children with SEND whose parents cannot afford to pay for a private education following the application of VAT to private school fees. \p Stephen Morgan: This government is committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity and ensuring every child has access to high quality education. The government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life. We are committed to improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools, as well as ensuring special schools cater for those with the most complex needs.

Local authorities fund pupils’ places in private schools where their needs can only be met in a private school. For example, in England, where attendance at that private school is required by a child’s education, health and care (EHC) plan, local authorities will be able to reclaim the VAT on the fees from HMRC.

The decision to move a child from a private to a state-funded school, or vice versa, is a matter for parents. The majority of children with special educational needs (SEN), including most with EHC plans, are already educated in mainstream state-funded schools where their needs are met. All children of compulsory age are entitled to a state-funded school place that is free for parents. Schools are required to identify and address the SEN of the pupils they support and to use their best endeavours to make sure that a child or young person with SEN gets the support they require.

The government works to support local authorities to ensure that every local area has sufficient places for children of compulsory school age who need them and works to provide appropriate support where pupils with SEN require places at state-funded schools.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-29)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-29 conversation_51

Neil Duncan-Jordan:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she plans to take to ensure that all families have access to (a) affordable and (b) quality childcare. \p Stephen Morgan: As part of our Plan for Change, this government is committed to giving every child the best start in life. The department has set a milestone of a record proportion – 75% – of children to be starting school ready to learn. We will measure our progress through the percentage of children reaching a good level of development in the early years foundation stage profile assessment by 2028.

To help deliver this ambition, from the start of September 2024, eligible working parents have been entitled to 15 hours a week of early education and care from the term after their child turns nine months old. The department is expanding the childcare entitlements so that, from September 2025, eligible working parents can access 30 hours of early education and childcare a week.

Parents may also be eligible for childcare support through Tax-Free Childcare or Universal Credit childcare.

Next year alone, the department plans to provide over £8 billion for the early years entitlements, which represents a more than 30% increase compared to the 2024/25 financial year.

The early years pupil premium rate has increased by over 45% compared to the 2024/25 financial year, equivalent to up to £570 per eligible child per year. We are also providing further supplementary funding of £75 million for the early years expansion grant and £25 million through the forthcoming National Insurance contributions grant for public sector employers in early years.

The government is also rolling out plans for the first phase of school based nurseries, ensuring families across the country have access to high quality childcare and early education. The first wave of up to 300 schools to be allocated nursery funding will be announced in spring.

As we grow the childcare system, it must remain fair and accessible to all parents. The department has taken action to protect parents from reported instances of very high additional charges or ‘top-up fees’ on top of their entitlement, ensuring the funded hours remain accessible and affordable for families.

The department is determined to create change in the approach to early years, focusing on high quality early education, celebrating and supporting early years careers, and embedding the sector into the wider education system. We are delivering programmes to support the sector to attract talented staff and childminders by creating conditions for improved recruitment, alongside programmes to better utilise the skills of the existing workforce.
wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_1
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_1

Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of (a) 6 January 2025 to Question 21057 on Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Unpaid Work and (b) 20 November 2024 to Question 14502 on Gender: Equality, whether guidance is provided to Government departments on the potential situations in which it would be permissible for access to internship schemes to be restricted to people from non-white backgrounds. \p Georgia Gould: Individual departments are responsible for recruitment decisions and they are required to meet all obligations of relevant legislation, including the Equality Act 2010. If a department wants to restrict an internship programme to a specific group or groups, it would be expected to ensure on a case by case basis that it complies with the relevant legislation. As a result, as was the case under the previous administration, no central guidance is provided on this matter.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_2

Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the policy paper entitled Plan for Change, published on 5 December 2024, CP1210, whether the Government has implemented a formal reporting framework to hold individual (a) Secretaries of State and (b) Director Generals accountable for the delivery of cross-departmental Plan for Change milestones. \p Ellie Reeves: The Plan for Change sets out clear, ambitious milestones for change that we aim to reach by the end of this Parliament.

The Prime Minister meets regularly with the Secretaries of State in charge in order to hold them to account for the delivery of the Government’s priorities.

Each of the five missions has a Director General as the Senior Responsible Officer (SRO).
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_3

Charlie Dewhirst:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his Department's guidance entitled Public Bodies Handbook – Part 2: The Approvals Process for the Creation of New Arm’s-Length Bodies, whether his Department's public bodies team assessed Great British Energy against the requirement that the creation of a new ALB should only be considered as a last resort; whether the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero provided evidence that alternative delivery models were considered; and which of the three tests in Chapter 2 of that guidance Great British Energy met. \p Georgia Gould: The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero is working through the approval process, in parallel with the passing of the Great British Energy Bill, to establish Great British Energy (GBE).
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_4

Paula Barker:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he has had discussions with local authorities on the provision of temporary accommodation for test-and-learn pilots. \p Georgia Gould: The Test & Learns are a new way of working. The Cabinet Office, in close partnership with MHCLG, will be working across government and with local partners to codesign the detailed approach to the allocation of the Public Services and Innovation Fund in early 2025. We will partner with the Local Government Association (LGA) on this process. The initial projects include work on temporary accommodation with Liverpool City Council and the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority and Essex County Council.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_5

James McMurdock:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to expand the grounds under which a peerage can be revoked to include crimes involving (a) sexual offences and (b) abuse of power. \p Nick Thomas-Symonds: Currently, a member of the House of Lords automatically ceases to be a member if they are convicted of a criminal offence and given a custodial sentence of more than one year. Additionally, the House may expel members who have breached the Code of Conduct by approving such a sanction as may be recommended by the House of Lords Conduct Committee.

Revoking peerages requires bespoke primary legislation. The Government is focused on delivering its manifesto commitments on House of Lords reform, including strengthening the circumstances in which disgraced members can be removed from the House.

The manifesto was clear that, as an immediate reform, it would introduce legislation to remove the right of hereditary peers to sit and vote in the House of Lords. The House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill has now completed its passage through the House of Commons and will soon enter Committee stage in the House of Lords.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_6

Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he plans to discuss the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice in negotiations on changes to the EU-UK relationship. \p Nick Thomas-Symonds: There has been no change in the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice rulings in relation to the UK. We are also clear that we will not be re-joining the Single Market, the Customs Union or Freedom of Movement.