theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-18)

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Andrew Lewin:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on the number and proportion of children in England who (a) are aged between four and 18 and (b) have an EHCP that attend schools rated (a) Outstanding, (b) Good and (c) Requires improvement and (d) Inadequate. \p Catherine McKinnell: Data on children with education, health and care (EHC) plans broken down by a schools’ single headline grade is not held by the department. Ofsted has, as of September 2024, ceased providing headline grades as part of the move to a comprehensive school report card to provide greater information for parents and proportionate accountability for schools. Subject to the ongoing consultation report, cards will include reporting on inclusion.

Information on the total number of pupils in schools in England with an EHC plan by their age is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/4c599f37-7eed-462d-6cbe-08dd48e2728c.

Information on the special educational needs of pupils in schools in England is published as part of the statistical release, Special Educational Needs in England. The release is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/special-educational-needs-in-england.
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Euan Stainbank:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with (a) the Scottish government and (b) the other devolved Administrations on (i) tackling the rise in school violence and (ii) sharing best practice on (A) behaviour management and (B) supporting teachers dealing with (1) disruptive or (2) violent pupils. \p Stephen Morgan: This government is clear that no teacher should feel unsafe or face violence or abuse in the workplace.

The department will always support teachers to ensure they can work in safe and calm classrooms. All school employers, including trusts, have a duty to take reasonable steps to protect the health, safety, and welfare of their employees.

​For schools in England, the department expects schools to take immediate and robust action if incidents of violence occur. Any decision on how to sanction the pupil involved is a matter for the school. In the most serious cases, suspension and a permanent exclusion may be necessary to ensure that teachers and pupils are protected from disruption and to maintain safe, calm environments. Should the incident constitute a criminal offence, the school should report it to the police.

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, has met representatives from the devolved administrations on a number of occasions including at the UK Education Ministers Council. Whilst behaviour has not been the primary focus of these conversations, different government policies and approaches have been discussed and the department continues to be interested in the approaches taken in the devolved nations.
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Laura Trott:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of potential impact of Brighton and Hove City Council new schools admission policy on school children. \p Catherine McKinnell: This government believes admissions arrangements should be fair, lawful and support good outcomes for all children.

School admission arrangements are set and applied locally by the admission authority for each school. After providing highest priority to looked after and previously looked after children, it is for the council, as the admission authority for the community and voluntary-controlled schools in its area, to decide what oversubscription criteria to apply for places at its secondary schools and in what order the criteria are applied. The purpose of consultation is to provide the local community the opportunity to express any concerns that they may have about the proposed admission arrangements.

Admission arrangements must be fair, clear and objective, and comply with the school admissions code. To ensure that a school’s admission arrangements meet the needs of their local community, the admission authority is required to consult on them locally when making a change.

The consultation for Brighton and Hove City Council went live on 6 December 2024 and closed on 31 January 2025. The council is required to determine the final admission arrangements for September 2026 by 28 February 2025.

Once the council has determined their admission arrangements, anyone who feels they are unlawful or unfair may raise an objection to the schools adjudicator. Objections to admission arrangements must be referred to the adjudicator by 15 May in the year they were determined. The adjudicator’s role is to consider whether the admission arrangements and consultation comply with the school admissions code and admissions law. The adjudicator’s decisions are binding and enforceable.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-18)

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Andrew Lewin:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of children aged four to 18 who have an EHCP attend schools rated (a) Outstanding, (b) Good, (c) Requires Improvement and (d) Inadequate in Welwyn Hatfield constituency. \p Catherine McKinnell: Data on children with education, health and care (EHC) plans broken down by a schools’ single headline grade is not held by the department. Ofsted has, as of September 2024, ceased providing headline grades as part of the move to a comprehensive school report card to provide greater information for parents and proportionate accountability for schools. Subject to the ongoing consultation report cards will include reporting on inclusion.

Information on the total number of pupils with an EHC plan by school, including the constituency of the school, is published in an additional supporting file as part of the statistical release. It is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/special-educational-needs-in-england.
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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 17 January 2025 to Question 22413 on Childcare, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of stretching 38 weeks of paid childcare to cover 52 weeks on parents. \p Stephen Morgan: The department does not collect data on how childcare providers deliver the entitlements. Therefore, we cannot provide detail on the numbers and proportion of childcare providers that allow parents to stretch the 38 weeks of paid childcare over 52 weeks.

Parents are able to stretch their child’s entitlement by taking fewer hours per week over more weeks of the year, although hours cannot be compressed into fewer than 38 weeks per year. This means, where possible, parents can use their funded hours of childcare all year round alongside Tax-Free Childcare or Universal Credit. Local authorities are able to help parents by providing details of childcare settings who offer this option.

There is no requirement for childcare providers to deliver funded hours at particular times of the day or on particular days of the week. Providers are free to choose when to deliver funded hours, as long as they comply with the terms of their arrangements with the local authority.
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Pippa Heylings:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to encourage reading in schools. \p Catherine McKinnell: I refer to the hon. Member for South Cambridgeshire to the answer of 14 February 2025 to Question 29850.
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Munira Wilson:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an estimate of the total number of special educational needs co-ordinators (SENCOs) in all schools. \p Catherine McKinnell: There were 20,346 special educational needs co-ordinators employed by state-funded schools in England in November 2023, which is the latest data available.

Information on the school workforce is published in the ‘School workforce in England’ statistical publication, which can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england.
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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing additional funding to Central Bedfordshire Council to help support the transition from a three to a two-tier education system. \p Catherine McKinnell: Every year, the department uses the schools national funding formula (NFF) to distribute core funding for 5 to 16 year-old pupils, from reception to year 11, in mainstream state-funded schools in England.

In the current NFF, the vast majority of funding is distributed on the basis of pupil numbers and pupils’ characteristics. This allows funding distribution to be based on a fair and consistent assessment of need. The NFF is neutral to how schools are set up and schools are free to choose how best to spend the funding they receive.

The department provides capital funding through the basic need grant to support local authorities to meet their statutory duty to provide sufficient school places. While this funding is not designed to fund transitions from a three-tier to a two-tier system, the funding is not ringfenced, subject to published conditions, and local authorities are free to use this funding to best meet their local priorities. Central Bedfordshire Council will receive just under £36.1 million for places needed between May 2022 and September 2026, paid across the five financial years from 2021/22 to 2025/26. This takes their total funding allocated between 2011 and 2026 to just under £121.3 million. Importantly, the decision to move to a two-tier system is one for the local authority to make.
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools have closed in the last five years. \p Catherine McKinnell: Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.

98 state-funded mainstream primary and secondary schools in England closed between January 2020 and December 2024. The attached table sets out these closures by calendar year.

School closures between Jan 2020 and Dec 2024 (xlsx, 24.5KB)
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Pippa Heylings:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to monitor the adequacy of library provision in primary schools. \p Catherine McKinnell: I refer the hon. Member for South Cambridgeshire to the answer of 28 January 2025 to Question 25143.
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Stuart Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department has taken to improve access to specialist education in (a) rural areas and (b) South Shropshire constituency. \p Catherine McKinnell: For too long the education and care system has not met the needs of all children, particularly those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), with parents struggling to get their children the support they need and deserve. We want more children and young people to receive the support they need to achieve and thrive in their local mainstream school, reducing the need for pupils to travel a long way to access a suitable placement. Alongside this, we recognise the vital role that special schools play in catering to those with the most complex needs. Many mainstream settings are already going above and beyond to deliver specialist provision locally, including through resourced provision and special educational needs units.

Following the last Ofsted inspection, departmental officials have been working with Shropshire Council to closely monitor progress against the areas for improvement identified by inspectors. A SEND Advisor was appointed to support and work alongside Shropshire Council and the local area partnership. Shropshire is also gaining valuable insights and learning across the SEND and alternative provision system through engagement in the Change Programme.

Following the Autumn Budget 2024, the department is providing an increase of £1 billion for high needs budgets in England in the 2025/26 financial year, bringing total high needs funding for children and young people with complex SEND to £11.9 billion. Of that total, Shropshire Council is being allocated over £46 million through the high needs funding block of the dedicated schools grant (DSG), an increase of £3.8 million on this year’s DSG high needs block.

Additionally, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education has now announced £740 million for high needs capital in 2025/26 to support children and young people with SEND or who require alternative provision. This new funding is intended to create specialist facilities within mainstream schools or adapt classrooms to be more accessible for children with SEND, alongside continuing to provide places in special schools for pupils with the most complex needs. In Shropshire and other rural areas, where specialist providers are more likely to be geographically dispersed, this could reduce the need for pupils to travel a long way to access a suitable placement. We will confirm allocations for the £740 million funding for the 2025/26 financial year in the spring.
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Munira Wilson:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the recommendations of the AQA report entitled Towards new assessments for Numeracy, Literacy and Digital Fluency, published in October 2023. \p Catherine McKinnell: The government has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, covering ages 5 to 18, chaired by Professor Becky Francis CBE.

The review will be driven by evidence as it seeks to deliver an excellent foundation in the core subjects of reading, writing and mathematics, and considers the key knowledge and skills, including digital, needed for future life.

It will also seek to deliver an assessment system that captures the strengths of every child and young person, with the right balance of assessment methods whilst maintaining the important role of examinations.

The review group will publish an interim report in early spring setting out its interim findings and confirming the key areas for further work. The final report with recommendations will be published this autumn. The department will take decisions on what changes to make to assessment and qualifications in light of these recommendations.
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Mike Amesbury:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of targeting the Children’s Social Care Prevention Grant at (a) Halton Council and (b) other areas that are high on the deprivation index. \p Janet Daby: The Children’s Social Care Prevention Grant will be distributed using an interim needs-based formula, which allocates funding according to estimated need for children’s social care services. The department knows that deprivation is an important driver of need in children’s social care. The interim formula analyses socio-economic deprivation level data, as measured by the Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index (IDACI), along with a range of other child-level and neighbourhood-level characteristics. This assessment of need is based on analysis of the most significant drivers of activity for children’s services which the department holds robust data.

Full details of the 4-step process to distributing this funding have been made available through an updated explanatory note: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/67a0ed761f9e7f7dcc7b4002/Final_CSC_PG_Explanatory_Note.pdf#:~:text=This%20explanatory%20note%20describes%20the%20basis%20of%20the,from%20%C2%A3250%20million%20announced%20at%20the%20provisional%20settlement.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government recently consulted on the approach to determining new funding allocations for local authorities, including seeking feedback on the child-level and neighbourhood-level characteristics on which the assessment of need for children’s services is based. Further information can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/local-authority-funding-reform-objectives-and-principles/local-authority-funding-reform-objectives-and-principles. Following analysis of feedback, the department plans to set out further detail on the distribution methodology of this grant and the development of a new relative needs formula for children and family services.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-18)

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Dr Rosena Allin-Khan:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to widen access to postgraduate education. \p Janet Daby: The department will act to address the persistent gaps for different student groups and to break down the barriers to opportunity.

The government introduced postgraduate loans which, alongside other sources of funding, are a contribution to the cost of postgraduate level study to stimulate take-up.

Decisions on student finance have had to be taken to ensure the system remains financially sustainable and that the costs of higher education (HE) are shared fairly between students and taxpayers, not all of whom have benefited from going to university.

The department will set out this government’s longer term plan for HE reform by summer 2025.

From 1 October 2025, UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) is increasing the minimum stipend they pay to PhD students by 8% to £20,780. This is the largest real terms increase in the stipend for UKRI funded students since 2003.

Skills England will reset the government’s approach to skills in England, making sure skills are prioritised in government decision making. Shadow Skills England is currently bringing together up-to-date analysis and engagement with key partners to identify and fill skills gaps at all levels of education, including at postgraduate level, particularly for under-represented groups, with the aim of breaking down the barriers to opportunity and driving growth.
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Lincoln Jopp:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to take steps to support the provision of sixth form education in Spelthorne constituency. \p Janet Daby: The department is committed to improving access to educational opportunities for all young people by ensuring that they can access a quality educational offer that adds value and helps them to achieve their long term career aspirations and goals.

There are six state-funded mainstream secondary schools in the Spelthorne constituency area, two of which have sixth forms: St Paul’s Catholic College (Ascension Catholic Academy Trust) and The Bishop Wand Church of England School (Instanter Learning Trust). St Paul’s is rated Outstanding by Ofsted, with a high performing sixth form, and Bishop Wand is rated Good. Spelthorne residents also attend Salesian School, another Ofsted rated Outstanding school, in neighbouring Runnymede.

While these schools account for most of Spelthorne’s 16-18 year-olds, significant numbers also attend nearby further education colleges: Strode’s College in Egham (rated Good by Ofsted) and Esher Sixth Form College (rated Outstanding by Ofsted). Smaller numbers travel to Woking College and Harrow, Richmond & Uxbridge College.

In terms of the oversight of local provision, local authorities have a statutory duty to identify and track the participation of 16 and 17 year-olds in education. This includes supporting those who are not participating to do so and making sure that there is sufficient and suitable education and training provision to meet their needs. If a local authority identifies a need for additional provision, they can negotiate with existing providers to expand their provision. Where that provider is an academy, the academy trust can then make a ‘significant change’ request for the department to consider.

The local authority can also approach the department to submit a case to address a gap in post-16 provision for young people. The department has not received such a request from Surrey County Council, nor any significant change requests from Spelthorne schools.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with universities on the potential impact of the rise of employer national insurance contributions on projects they fund or sponsor; stratified by individual university since July 2024. \p Janet Daby: As my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, set out in the Autumn Budget 2024, raising the revenue required to fund public services and restore economic stability requires difficult decisions on tax, which is why this government is asking employers to contribute more. We strongly believe that this is the fairest choice to help fund the NHS and wider national priorities.

Higher education providers are independent of government and as such are responsible for managing their own budgets and business models. All providers must continue to adapt to uncertainties and financial risks.

This government is committed to creating a secure future for our world-leading higher education sector. The Office for Students' (OfS) refocusing on financial sustainability and the difficult decision we made to increase tuition fees demonstrate this ambition. We will set out a long-term plan for sector reform this summer.

The department continues to work closely with the OfS in order to understand the ongoing impacts and changing landscape of financial sustainability in the sector.
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Josh Fenton-Glynn:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to launch a consultation on (a) reducing the availability of Disabled Students Allowance assistive technology packages and products and (b) removing the needs assessment element of applications for Disabled Students Allowance. \p Janet Daby: The department is not intending to launch a consultation on reducing the availability of assistive technology support packages and products provided through Disabled Students’ Allowance or the removal of the needs assessment element of applications.

The department has not announced any changes to these areas of the Disabled Students’ Allowance.
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Rachel Blake:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the maintenance loans system for meeting students’ cost of living needs. \p Janet Daby: The government has published an Equality Impact Assessment of changes to fees and student support on groups with protected characteristics for the 2025/26 academic year, which is available here: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukia/2025/14/pdfs/ukia_20250014_en.pdf.

The government recognises the impact that the cost-of-living crisis has had on students. However, we need to ensure that the student funding system is financially sustainable. Maximum loans and grants for living and other costs for the 2025/26 academic year will be increased by forecast inflation, which is 3.1% based on the RPIX inflation index (Retail Price Index excluding mortgage interest), with the most support paid to students from the lowest income backgrounds.
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Neil O'Brien:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many people started apprenticeships at level (a) 2, (b) 3, (c) 4, (d) 5, (e) 6 and (f) 7 in each public service in each year since 2015. \p Janet Daby: Apprenticeship level was not collected by the previous government as part of the public sector data return.

The latest data on public sector apprenticeship new starts for the years it was collected can be found in the links below.

2023/24 financial year: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/680d7c76-ab1a-4fea-d82c-08dd4a33315d.

2022/23 financial year: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/ef860ba0-ea81-4edf-d82d-08dd4a33315d.

2017/18 to 2021/22 financial years: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/81667830-1958-49f0-d82e-08dd4a33315d.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recourse (a) academics and (b) other people will have who believe that they have had their free speech curtailed, in the context of her proposals for the implementation of the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023; and when that recourse will be available. \p Janet Daby: For academics, staff, and external speakers, the amended Office for Students’ (OfS) complaints scheme will be a route of redress through which staff, external speakers and members who believe higher education (HE) providers have breached their duties will be able to raise a complaint. It will be free at the point of use. The amendments to the provisions in the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act complaints scheme will require primary legislation, and my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education will be seeking a legislative vehicle through which to return this to Parliament at the earliest opportunity. In the meantime, the HE sector will have new duties in place, as well as requirements to promote freedom of speech and put in place a code of practice in line with the Act.

Student complaints on freedom of speech will continue to be handled by the Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA), who already has powers to consider these complaints, and whose service is free at the point of use. The OIA is well-established and recognised by students, and already considers free speech complaints.

Existing routes of redress through judicial review and employment tribunals will also continue to exist.

We will set out the government’s policy intentions on this and other policy issues in more detail as part of our policy paper, which will be published shortly.
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Lauren Edwards:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure the provision of apprenticeships in AI. \p Janet Daby: The government is committed to ensuring both learners and employers have access to crucial digital and artificial intelligence (AI) skills that have the potential to increase productivity and create new high value jobs in the UK economy. To achieve this, the government is reforming the skills system.

The government has established Skills England to form a coherent national picture of skills gaps and to help shape the technical education system so that it is responsive to skills needs.

In addition, the government’s new Industrial Strategy will channel support to eight growth-driving sectors. Digital and Technologies has been identified as one of the eight growth-driving sectors and the department is considering how it supports this sector to develop the skills needed now and in the future.

The government is also reforming the apprenticeships levy into a growth and skills levy which will deliver greater flexibility for learners and employers. As a key first step toward greater flexibility, we are introducing new foundation apprenticeships for young people, as well as shorter duration apprenticeships in targeted sectors. The minimum duration of an apprenticeship will be reduced to eight months, down from the current minimum of 12 months from August 2025. Three trailblazers in the key priority sectors of green energy, healthcare and film/TV production will be among the first to pioneer, and benefit from, the flexibilities that the new shorter duration apprenticeships offer. These will support more people to gain high quality skills at work, fuelling innovation in businesses across the country.

Apprenticeships are a great way for individuals to begin, or progress in, a successful career in the digital sector. Employers have developed more than 30 digital apprenticeships, including Level 3 Digital Support Technician and Level 5 Data Engineer.

The Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education’s Digital Skills and Characteristics Framework also supports the inclusion of appropriate digital content such as AI and data driven technologies in new and revised occupational standards at all levels, ensuring that occupational standards keep pace with technological advancements and market trends.
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Ian Sollom:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to protect the financial viability of English universities, in the context of falling numbers of international students applying for Higher Education in England. \p Janet Daby: The department acknowledges the challenging financial environment faced by the higher education (HE) sector. The Office for Students' (OfS) latest report on the HE sector's financial health, which was published in November, stated that the sector's financial context has become more challenging since its previous report in May. Their analysis suggests that up to 72% of providers could face deficit and up to 40% may have low liquidity if they do not take significant mitigating actions.

The report also found that international recruitment is significantly below the sector’s previous expectations. This government has taken a different stand on international students, and we have spoken clearly about it. In my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education’s first speech in July 2024, and the subsequent video messages addressed to international students, she set out that we welcome international students who make a positive impact on the UK’s HE sector and our economy and society as a whole. That is why international students are offered the opportunity to remain in the UK, and contribute to the society and economy, on a graduate visa for two or three years after their studies come to an end.

Nevertheless, all providers must continue to adapt to uncertainties and financial risks. As autonomous bodies independent of government, it is for providers to decide on effective business models and to how to manage their finances. However, the department is determined to secure the future of our world leading HE sector. That is why we have taken decisive action to support the sector in moving towards a more stable financial footing.

Sir David Behan has been appointed interim Chair of the OfS to oversee the important work of refocusing their role to concentrate on key priorities, including the HE sector’s financial stability. In December, the OfS announced temporary changes to its operations to allow greater focus on financial sustainability. The OfS will work more closely with providers under significant financial pressure in order to protect students’ interests.

Moreover, the government has made the difficult decision to increase tuition fee limits in line with forecast inflation. The maximum fee for a standard full-time undergraduate course in the 2025/26 academic year will increase by 3.1%, from £9,250 to £9,535. The department will set out a long term plan for sector reform this summer.

The department will continue to work closely with the OfS in order to understand the ongoing impacts and changing landscape of financial sustainability in the sector.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) approved families looking to adopt and (b) children ready for adoption there were in each of the last 30 years. \p Janet Daby: The department does not hold information centrally on the number of approved families that are looking to adopt.

The number of children looked after for whom the local authority has made the decision that they should be placed for adoption is published in the annual statistical release, available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoptions.

This information was first collected by the department in 2009, therefore data is available as at 31 March 2009 to 2024.

Information for the latest 5 years is published annually and can be found in categories 4a and 4c in the latest statistical release, available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/6f861ced-a334-42c1-5a17-08dd3479441b.

Figures for other years are contained in previous years’ releases, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-looked-after-children.
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UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-18 conversation_175

Jess Brown-Fuller:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make (a) schools and (b) education providers statutory safeguarding partners. \p Stephen Morgan: ​The involvement of education and childcare agencies is fundamental at all levels of safeguarding arrangements. The department knows that teachers and educators are often the first to spot warning signs of abuse and neglect and are the largest referrer of cases into children’s social care, after the police.

The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, which the government introduced into the House of Commons in December of last year, will place a duty on safeguarding partners to automatically include education and childcare settings in their safeguarding arrangements. The duty on safeguarding partners will ensure education is consistently involved in multi-agency safeguarding arrangements across England. It will include include all education and childcare agencies, at both operational and strategic levels of their safeguarding arrangements, so they have a clear role in safeguarding locally.

​These measures include all education settings, covering early years and childcare settings through to schools, colleges and alternative provision, so that opportunities to keep children safe are not missed.

This legislation enables the voice of education to influence the decisions of safeguarding partners and recognises the key role that education plays in keeping children safe.
wrans/answers2025-02-18 conversation_176
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-18)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-18 conversation_176

Damian Hinds:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether schools receiving support from regional improvement for standards and excellence teams will have improvement progress measured by (a) those teams, (b) other teams in her Department and (c) Ofsted in a way that could (i) trigger and (ii) otherwise affect a decision to make a structural intervention. \p Catherine McKinnell: Ofsted plan to monitor the quality of schools which are under-performing on a regular basis. Regional Improvement for Standards and Excellence teams will also be checking on the implementation of the school’s improvement plan. If schools do not make sufficient improvement, the department’s default approach will be to structurally intervene. This approach is set out in the ‘School Accountability Reform – school profiles, improvement and intervention’ consultation.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-18)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-18 conversation_177

Damian Hinds:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of trends in the level of members of the public directly contacting the Teaching Regulation Agency. \p Catherine McKinnell: The Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) analyse and report on referral numbers within their Annual Report and Accounts published on GOV.UK. Referrals to TRA have increased from 1038 in 2022/23 to xx-xxxx-xxxx in 2023/24, and that increase has been driven by a rise in the number of referrals made by members of the public since the launch of the online referral system in March 2023.
wrans/answers2025-02-18 conversation_178
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-18)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-18 conversation_178

Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to (a) support home educators and (b) protect children removed from mainstream schools for malicious reasons. \p Stephen Morgan: The department is introducing the first ever duty on local authorities to provide support for home educating families as part of the Children not in School measures of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill. The support duty ensures an established baseline level of support across all English local authorities, to ensure that wherever home educating families live they can have access to a reliable level of support from their local authority, if they choose to access it.

The department’s existing elective home education guidance for parents already sets out to help parents understand their obligations and rights in relation to elective home education.

This government is clear that any form of off-rolling is unacceptable, and we will work with Ofsted to tackle this. We are committed to strengthening accountability through reforming Ofsted to enhance the inspection regime by replacing a single headline grade with a new report card system, telling parents clearly how schools are performing, and introduce a new annual review of safeguarding, attendance, and pupil movement, including off-rolling.
wrans/answers2025-02-18 conversation_179
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-18)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-18 conversation_179

Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many primary school children are eligible for free school meals in South Holland and the Deepings constituency. \p Stephen Morgan: As of January 2024, 2,166, or 26%, of state-funded primary school pupils attending schools in South Holland and the Deepings constituency were eligible for and claiming free school meals. This compares with a rate of 24% of primary school pupils in the whole of England.

The figures are from the school census and published down to school level in official statistics, accessible at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics.
wrans/answers2025-02-18 conversation_180
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-18)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-18 conversation_180

Mrs Sharon Hodgson:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the impact of period poverty on educational attainment in England. \p Stephen Morgan: We do not hold data on the impact of period poverty on educational attainment in England.

The Period Products Scheme removes periods as a barrier to accessing education and addresses pupils being unable to afford period products. Since its launch in January 2020, 99% of secondary schools and 87% of post-16 organisations in England have placed orders through the scheme.
wrans/answers2025-02-18 conversation_181
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-18)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-18 conversation_181

Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department's contract entitled Emergency Transport for Staff and Illegal Migrants including Minors, procurement reference CF-0122300D58000000L5A4EAK3, which modes of transport are provided under the contract; what the cost to the public purse is of those modes of transport; and for what purpose they are provided. \p Dame Diana Johnson: Details of the contract including Statement of Requirements, Purpose and mode of transport, is published on Contract Finder at Emergency Transport for Staff and Illegal Migrants including Minors - Contracts Finder

Obtaining a breakdown of expenditure on the contract at the level of granularity requested is only something that could be done for the purposes of answering this question at disproportionate cost.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-18)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-18 conversation_182

Alex Burghart:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Government plans to implement the recommendations of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse in full. \p Jess Phillips: On 16 January the Home Secretary set out to Parliament the steps the Government is taking to tackle the terrible crimes of child sexual exploitation and abuse.

This included a commitment to set out a plan, before Easter, for the action the Government will take against the 20 recommendations from the final Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) report.

This followed the Home Secretary's statement to Parliament of 6 January in which she committed to several new measures which respond to IICSA's recommendations, including introducing a mandatory duty for those working with children to report sexual abuse and exploitation, making grooming an aggravating factor to toughen up sentencing, and introducing a new performance framework for policing.

The Home Secretary has written to the National Police Chiefs' Council requesting officers look again at these unsolved and closed grooming gangs cases, backed by £2.5m in funding for stronger investigations The remit of the Independent Child Sexual Abuse Review Panel has also been extended so that it covers not just historic cases before 2013 but all cases since to ensure victims of abuse have the right to an independent review.
wrans/answers2025-02-18 conversation_183
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-18)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-18 conversation_183

Rebecca Smith:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology on expediting and expanding the Online Safety Act 2023 to tackle violence against women and girls. \p Jess Phillips: The misuse of technology to abuse or harm others (including online) has a disproportionate impact on women and children and we know this is a significant and growing issue in the UK and worldwide.

Tackling VAWG in all of its forms, including when it takes place online, is a top priority for this Government, and that's why we have set out an unprecedented mission to halve these crimes in a decade.

We will go further than before to deliver a cross-Government transformative approach, underpinned by a new VAWG strategy to be published this year. On 22 January 2025, the Government introduced new legislation which will make creating sexually explicit 'deepfake' images a criminal offence.

The Online Safety Act 2023 designates material relating to child sexual exploitation and abuse as a priority offence. Platforms must put in place systems and processes to minimise and remove this content. The Illegal Harms Codes, laid before Parliament in December and coming into force from 17 March this year, sets out the steps companies must take to meet their duties under the Act to tackle this content.

On 31 January 2024, the Act's new offences of cyberflashing and the sharing and threatening to share intimate images including 'deepfake' pornography without consent came into effect. These are also priority illegal offences.

In addition, the Act requires Ofcom to produce guidance which summarises in one clear place measures that can be taken to tackle the abuse that women and girls disproportionately face online. Ofcom has begun developing this guidance and will consult on it this month.

I regularly meet with the Minster for the Future Digital Economy and Online Safety to discuss these matters, and my officials also engage regularly with DSIT on technology-facilitated VAWG.
wrans/answers2025-02-18 conversation_184
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-18)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-18 conversation_184

Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish (a) the contract entitled AIRE - Advice Issue Reporting and Eligibility, procurement reference CF-0229300D58000000L5A4EAK1, (b) any additional terms relating to that contract and (c) a breakdown of the services to be provided under that contract. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The Advice Issue Reporting and Eligibility Service (AIRE) is a published contract-AIRE - Advice Issue Reporting and Elligibility - Contracts Finder

The contracts include robust mechanisms to ensure that providers deliver on the contractual requirements.

The requirements for the services delivered to asylum seekers under the AIRE contract can be found in Schedule 2 (Statement of Requirements) within the contract documents linked above.
wrans/answers2025-02-18 conversation_185
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-18)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-18 conversation_185

Bobby Dean:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to allow the police to be (a) trained and (b) equipped to administer Naloxone. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The Government is supportive of police carriage and administration of naloxone - a lifesaving medicine that reverses the effects of opioid overdose. As of February 2025, police officers in forces across the country are now trained to carry and administer naloxone. Through the cross-Government Synthetic Opioids Taskforce, we are continuing to work closely with the National Police Chiefs’ Council to support rollout of naloxone to police officers.

Ultimately, the provision of naloxone for police officers is an operational decision for Chief Constables and the Government expects individual police Chiefs’ to allocate resources appropriately with regard to the local area and need.