Written questions by Khan.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of healthy food provision in early years settings on (a) child health and (b) educational outcomes (i) in general and (ii) for disadvantaged children.

Within the early years foundation stage (EYFS) statutory framework, there is a requirement that where children are provided with meals, snacks and drinks, they must be healthy, balanced and nutritious. The EYFS framework can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-foundation-stage-framework--2.Good nutrition in the early years is essential for children’s health and long-term development. For this reason, this year we published new EYFS guidance to support providers to understand and meet the EYFS requirement. Providers are required to have regard to the new nutrition guidance.The guidance sets out that it is good practice for providers to develop a food and nutrition policy, to help parents and carers understand the obligation to provide healthy, balanced and nutritious food to children and encourage healthier food choices for packed lunches. It also provides information on cost-effective healthy food that can be shared with parents/carers.As of September 2025, there is a requirement within the EYFS for providers to have ongoing discussions with parents and/or carers regarding known allergies and intolerances and to prepare food in a way to prevent choking. Providers must be clear about who is responsible for checking that the food being provided meets all the requirements for each child including food from packed lunches.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of children bringing packed lunches into early years settings on (a) health and (b) safety.

Within the early years foundation stage (EYFS) statutory framework, there is a requirement that where children are provided with meals, snacks and drinks, they must be healthy, balanced and nutritious. The EYFS framework can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-foundation-stage-framework--2.Good nutrition in the early years is essential for children’s health and long-term development. For this reason, this year we published new EYFS guidance to support providers to understand and meet the EYFS requirement. Providers are required to have regard to the new nutrition guidance.The guidance sets out that it is good practice for providers to develop a food and nutrition policy, to help parents and carers understand the obligation to provide healthy, balanced and nutritious food to children and encourage healthier food choices for packed lunches. It also provides information on cost-effective healthy food that can be shared with parents/carers.As of September 2025, there is a requirement within the EYFS for providers to have ongoing discussions with parents and/or carers regarding known allergies and intolerances and to prepare food in a way to prevent choking. Providers must be clear about who is responsible for checking that the food being provided meets all the requirements for each child including food from packed lunches.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of introducing a national public awareness campaign on (a) the role of early years education in child development and (b) its wider economic impact.

Ensuring every child has the best start in life is at the heart of this government’s Plan for Change. This is why we are expanding childcare and providing parents with support and information to help their child’s development.Children attending high quality early education for at least two years gain the equivalent of a higher grade in around seven GCSEs. For parents, particularly women, improved access to childcare enables employment, boosting family income and the wider economy. The Office for Budget Responsibility projects that by 2027/28, around 60,000 parents will enter employment as a result, with an equivalent effect from 1.5 million mothers already in work increasing their hours.The government is introducing a new Best Start in Life awareness campaign which will support improved outcomes for children and help achieve our goal of 75% of children reaching a good level of development by 2028.This campaign provides trusted advice for parents and carers from pregnancy through to starting school, covering healthy pregnancy, infant feeding, childcare, home learning, and school preparation which can be found here: https://www.beststartinlife.gov.uk/. Communications activity will continue throughout the autumn.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of a national public awareness campaign on (a) the role of early years education in child development and (b) its wider economic impact.

Ensuring every child has the best start in life is at the heart of this government’s Plan for Change. This is why we are expanding childcare and providing parents with support and information to help their child’s development.Children attending high quality early education for at least two years gain the equivalent of a higher grade in around seven GCSEs. For parents, particularly women, improved access to childcare enables employment, boosting family income and the wider economy. The Office for Budget Responsibility projects that by 2027/28, around 60,000 parents will enter employment as a result, with an equivalent effect from 1.5 million mothers already in work increasing their hours.The government is introducing a new Best Start in Life awareness campaign which will support improved outcomes for children and help achieve our goal of 75% of children reaching a good level of development by 2028.This campaign provides trusted advice for parents and carers from pregnancy through to starting school, covering healthy pregnancy, infant feeding, childcare, home learning, and school preparation which can be found here: https://www.beststartinlife.gov.uk/. Communications activity will continue throughout the autumn.

What support is available to (a) private, (b) voluntary and (c) independent early years settings in areas of high deprivation to offer (i) healthy and (ii) nutritious meals to children regardless of parental income.

Within the early years foundation stage (EYFS) statutory framework, there is a requirement that where children are provided with meals, snacks and drinks, they must be healthy, balanced and nutritious. The EYFS framework can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-foundation-stage-framework--2.Good nutrition in the early years is essential for children’s health and long-term development. For this reason, this year we published new EYFS guidance to support providers to understand and meet the EYFS requirement. Providers are required to have regard to the new nutrition guidance.The guidance sets out that it is good practice for providers to develop a food and nutrition policy, to help parents and carers understand the obligation to provide healthy, balanced and nutritious food to children and encourage healthier food choices for packed lunches. It also provides information on cost-effective healthy food that can be shared with parents/carers.As of September 2025, there is a requirement within the EYFS for providers to have ongoing discussions with parents and/or carers regarding known allergies and intolerances and to prepare food in a way to prevent choking. Providers must be clear about who is responsible for checking that the food being provided meets all the requirements for each child including food from packed lunches.

Whether her Department plans to introduce (a) free and (b) subsidised meal provision in (i) private, (ii) voluntary and (iii) independent early years settings for children from low-income households.

This government is committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity and tackling child poverty. We have introduced the Best Start in Life strategy, and the Child Poverty strategy was published on 5 December 2025. The department is extending free school meals to all children from households in receipt of Universal Credit from September 2026. This significant extension of support will also apply to children attending school-based nurseries and maintained nursery schools. Whilst children attending a private nursery do not currently receive free school meals, the department has tightened statutory guidance to make clear that while providers can charge parents who are accessing entitlement hours for certain optional extras, including food, these charges must not be mandatory or a condition of accessing their entitlements. If parents do not wish to purchase these from their provider, they should discuss with their provider what alternative options are available, including potentially supplying their own food and consumables.

What steps her Department is taking to help (a) reduce workload and (b) enhance professional development support for teachers in schools serving low income communities.

The department knows that the quality of teaching is the most important in-school factor for improving pupil outcomes, and that it is particularly important for pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds. Our scholarship funding for national professional qualifications, high-quality professional development for teachers and leaders, is targeted towards supporting participation from those working in schools with the highest levels of disadvantage.The department is committed to tackling the major drivers of high workload and poor wellbeing for teachers in all schools, including those serving low-income communities, through wide-ranging reforms to the education system and supporting schools to harness technology to enhance time efficiency and reduce workload.Our ‘Improve workload and wellbeing for school staff’ service shares resources that have worked in schools to reduce workload and improve staff wellbeing, developed by school leaders for school leaders. Further details on the service are available here: https://improve-workload-and-wellbeing-for-school-staff.education.gov.uk/workload-reduction-toolkit/address-workload-issues/governance/prepare-a-governing-board-report/.The department is also working closely with unions, employer representative organisations, school leaders and other key partners to identify where we can go further to address unnecessary workload, including through the Improving Education Together agreement.

What steps she is taking to improve retention of early career teachers in schools rated (a) requires improvement and (b) inadequate by Ofsted.

From September 2025, all early career teachers (ECTs) are entitled to two years of development support and training based on the content of the Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework (ITTECF). The offer for ECTs includes regular, structured sessions with a dedicated mentor and time off timetable to undertake development activities, including training and mentoring. This investment is grounded in strong evidence that high-quality teaching is the most important in-school factor for improving pupil outcomes, and that structured professional development is key to teacher effectiveness and retention.In addition to a structured programme of development and support, every ECT is also supported by an appropriate body who ensures that their teaching post is suitable and that ECTs receive all their entitlements and are supported with any difficulties. This support is available to every ECT serving an induction period. There are also restrictions on schools in special measures recruiting new ECTs unless Ofsted’s report specifically states that they can.The latest data suggests that the support available to ECTs is having a positive impact on retention. In 2024/25, the ECT retention rate showed a continued increasing trend with one-year retention reaching 89.7%, the highest on record for a cohort of ECTs since the introduction of the Early Career Framework reforms.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of teacher shortages on the availability of Computer Science A level in schools in the most disadvantaged areas.

Recruiting and retaining more qualified, expert teachers is critical to the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and boost the life chances for every young person, including those most disadvantaged.Whilst it is ultimately for individual schools to decide which courses to offer, the best way of supporting schools to offer A level computer science is to ensure high-quality computing teaching by helping schools to recruit and retain good teachers.For the 2024/25 and 2025/26 academic years, the department is offering a targeted retention incentive worth up to £6,000 after tax for computing teachers in the first five years of their careers who choose to work in disadvantaged schools. This will support the recruitment and retention of specialist computing teachers in the schools and areas that need them most. In Rusholme Constituency, seven out of a maximum seven schools are eligible for these retention payments. There are also tax-free bursaries worth £29,000 and tax-free scholarships worth £31,000, to encourage talented trainees to teach computing.In the 2024/25 academic year, there were 496 new postgraduate entrants to computing initial teacher training (ITT), a 21% increase on the number of entrants in the 2023/24 academic year (411). The number of postgraduate entrants in 2024/25 was broadly in line with the average across the last ten years.As of April 2025, the department is seeing positive recruitment trends regarding postgraduate ITT recruitment in computing. So far, there have been more candidate submissions (+10%), offers (+42%) and acceptances (+47%) compared to the same point in the previous recruitment cycle.

What plans she has to work (a) Teach First and (b) other school led partnerships to place additional high calibre graduates into schools in low income communities.

Evidence shows that high-quality teaching is the most important in-school factor that improves outcomes for children. The department has reformed initial teacher training and the early career induction to ensure that children in every area of England benefit from high-quality teaching. The High Potential Initial Teacher Training Programme, currently delivered by Teach First, recruits high-quality candidates specifically for placement in schools serving low-income communities to help improve outcomes for pupils. We are making the post-graduate teaching apprenticeship route easier to deliver for schools, helping us to better meet candidate demand across the country, including in lower income areas.Work is already underway to deliver on our pledge to recruit an additional 6,500 expert teachers. The workforce has grown by 2,346 full-time employed staff between 2023/24 and 2024/25 in secondary and special schools. Our future schoolteacher pipeline is also growing. As of June 2025, there are 12% more trainees who have accepted offers to train as secondary teachers, and in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, acceptances are up 25% compared to last year.The Teaching Regulation Agency has no responsibility in determining initial teacher training placement provision.

What recent discussions she has had with (a) the Teaching Regulation Agency and (b) university providers on expanding initial teacher training places targeted at schools in disadvantaged areas.

Evidence shows that high-quality teaching is the most important in-school factor that improves outcomes for children. The department has reformed initial teacher training and the early career induction to ensure that children in every area of England benefit from high-quality teaching. The High Potential Initial Teacher Training Programme, currently delivered by Teach First, recruits high-quality candidates specifically for placement in schools serving low-income communities to help improve outcomes for pupils. We are making the post-graduate teaching apprenticeship route easier to deliver for schools, helping us to better meet candidate demand across the country, including in lower income areas.Work is already underway to deliver on our pledge to recruit an additional 6,500 expert teachers. The workforce has grown by 2,346 full-time employed staff between 2023/24 and 2024/25 in secondary and special schools. Our future schoolteacher pipeline is also growing. As of June 2025, there are 12% more trainees who have accepted offers to train as secondary teachers, and in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, acceptances are up 25% compared to last year.The Teaching Regulation Agency has no responsibility in determining initial teacher training placement provision.

If she will (a) extend and (b) increase bursaries and salary uplifts for shortage subject teachers in schools with high proportions of pupils from low income backgrounds.

For the 2024/25 and 2025/26 academic years, the department is offering Targeted Retention Incentive payments worth up to £6,000 after tax for mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing teachers in the first five years of their careers who choose to work in disadvantaged schools. These payments are offered to teachers in the most disadvantaged 50% of schools nationally, based on the proportion of pupils eligible for the Pupil Premium. This supports the recruitment and retention of specialist teachers in these subjects and in the schools and areas that need them most. It also represents a doubling of the payments of up to £3,000 after tax that were offered in the same schools prior to the 2024/25 academic year.In addition, the department announced an initial teacher training (ITT) financial incentives package worth £233 million for trainee teachers in the 2025/26 academic year, a £37 million increase on the last cycle. This includes bursaries worth up to £29,000 tax-free and scholarships worth up to £31,000 tax-free, to encourage talented trainees to key subjects such as mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing. It also includes salary grants of up to £29,000 in the same subjects so schools, including those in disadvantaged areas, can recruit trainee teachers on salaried routes including the Postgraduate Teaching Apprenticeship.

Whether she plans to update SEND guidance to reflect current understanding of autism presentation in women and girls.

This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or in alternative provision receive the right support to succeed and thrive in their education and as they move into adult life.Under the Children and Families Act 2014, mainstream schools must use their best endeavours to make sure a child or young person who has SEND gets the special educational provision they need. The SEND code of practice is clear that support should be put in place to meet the needs of the child or young person when these are identified. There is no need to wait for a formal diagnosis.The Neurodivergence Task and Finish Group, chaired by Professor Karen Guldberg, brings together experts to make recommendations on how to best meet the needs of neurodivergent children and young people within mainstream education settings, including those who are autistic.Additionally, the department is strengthening the evidence base of what works to improve inclusive practice in mainstream settings and have commissioned evidence reviews from Newcastle University and University College London. The ‘What Works in SEND’ research programme is researching tools that schools can use to identify the needs of neurodivergent children.The department provides continuing professional development to the school and further education workforce through the Universal SEND Services programme, led by the National Association for Special Educational Needs (NASEN). From April 2025, NASEN are developing a new autism-specific online training offer to support the workforce’s understanding of autism, which will include ‘train the trainer' packages and webinars to support teachers and leaders to deliver autism training in their settings.The department has also invested in the Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (PINS) programme, which is a national programme backed by £22 million of investment. PINS deploys specialists from both health and education workforces to build teacher and staff capacity to identify and better meet the needs of neurodivergent children including pupils with autism.

What steps she is taking to ensure that autistic girls with (a) avoidant restrictive food intake disorder, (b) sensory sensitivities and (c) other additional needs are able to access inclusive learning environments.

This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or in alternative provision receive the right support to succeed and thrive in their education and as they move into adult life.Under the Children and Families Act 2014, mainstream schools must use their best endeavours to make sure a child or young person who has SEND gets the special educational provision they need. The SEND code of practice is clear that support should be put in place to meet the needs of the child or young person when these are identified. There is no need to wait for a formal diagnosis.The Neurodivergence Task and Finish Group, chaired by Professor Karen Guldberg, brings together experts to make recommendations on how to best meet the needs of neurodivergent children and young people within mainstream education settings, including those who are autistic.Additionally, the department is strengthening the evidence base of what works to improve inclusive practice in mainstream settings and have commissioned evidence reviews from Newcastle University and University College London. The ‘What Works in SEND’ research programme is researching tools that schools can use to identify the needs of neurodivergent children.The department provides continuing professional development to the school and further education workforce through the Universal SEND Services programme, led by the National Association for Special Educational Needs (NASEN). From April 2025, NASEN are developing a new autism-specific online training offer to support the workforce’s understanding of autism, which will include ‘train the trainer' packages and webinars to support teachers and leaders to deliver autism training in their settings.The department has also invested in the Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (PINS) programme, which is a national programme backed by £22 million of investment. PINS deploys specialists from both health and education workforces to build teacher and staff capacity to identify and better meet the needs of neurodivergent children including pupils with autism.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the diagnostic wait time on the educational outcomes of autistic (a) girls and (b) boys.

This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or in alternative provision receive the right support to succeed and thrive in their education and as they move into adult life.Under the Children and Families Act 2014, mainstream schools must use their best endeavours to make sure a child or young person who has SEND gets the special educational provision they need. The SEND code of practice is clear that support should be put in place to meet the needs of the child or young person when these are identified. There is no need to wait for a formal diagnosis.The Neurodivergence Task and Finish Group, chaired by Professor Karen Guldberg, brings together experts to make recommendations on how to best meet the needs of neurodivergent children and young people within mainstream education settings, including those who are autistic.Additionally, the department is strengthening the evidence base of what works to improve inclusive practice in mainstream settings and have commissioned evidence reviews from Newcastle University and University College London. The ‘What Works in SEND’ research programme is researching tools that schools can use to identify the needs of neurodivergent children.The department provides continuing professional development to the school and further education workforce through the Universal SEND Services programme, led by the National Association for Special Educational Needs (NASEN). From April 2025, NASEN are developing a new autism-specific online training offer to support the workforce’s understanding of autism, which will include ‘train the trainer' packages and webinars to support teachers and leaders to deliver autism training in their settings.The department has also invested in the Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (PINS) programme, which is a national programme backed by £22 million of investment. PINS deploys specialists from both health and education workforces to build teacher and staff capacity to identify and better meet the needs of neurodivergent children including pupils with autism.

Whether she plans to review (a) current school-based assessment and (b) referral systems for autism to reduce (i) misdiagnosis and (ii) late diagnosis in girls.

This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or in alternative provision receive the right support to succeed and thrive in their education and as they move into adult life.Under the Children and Families Act 2014, mainstream schools must use their best endeavours to make sure a child or young person who has SEND gets the special educational provision they need. The SEND code of practice is clear that support should be put in place to meet the needs of the child or young person when these are identified. There is no need to wait for a formal diagnosis.The Neurodivergence Task and Finish Group, chaired by Professor Karen Guldberg, brings together experts to make recommendations on how to best meet the needs of neurodivergent children and young people within mainstream education settings, including those who are autistic.Additionally, the department is strengthening the evidence base of what works to improve inclusive practice in mainstream settings and have commissioned evidence reviews from Newcastle University and University College London. The ‘What Works in SEND’ research programme is researching tools that schools can use to identify the needs of neurodivergent children.The department provides continuing professional development to the school and further education workforce through the Universal SEND Services programme, led by the National Association for Special Educational Needs (NASEN). From April 2025, NASEN are developing a new autism-specific online training offer to support the workforce’s understanding of autism, which will include ‘train the trainer' packages and webinars to support teachers and leaders to deliver autism training in their settings.The department has also invested in the Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (PINS) programme, which is a national programme backed by £22 million of investment. PINS deploys specialists from both health and education workforces to build teacher and staff capacity to identify and better meet the needs of neurodivergent children including pupils with autism.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure (a) schools and (b) colleges are equipped to (i) identify and (ii) support (A) autistic girls and (B) autistic girls who mask symptoms.

This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or in alternative provision receive the right support to succeed and thrive in their education and as they move into adult life.Under the Children and Families Act 2014, mainstream schools must use their best endeavours to make sure a child or young person who has SEND gets the special educational provision they need. The SEND code of practice is clear that support should be put in place to meet the needs of the child or young person when these are identified. There is no need to wait for a formal diagnosis.The Neurodivergence Task and Finish Group, chaired by Professor Karen Guldberg, brings together experts to make recommendations on how to best meet the needs of neurodivergent children and young people within mainstream education settings, including those who are autistic.Additionally, the department is strengthening the evidence base of what works to improve inclusive practice in mainstream settings and have commissioned evidence reviews from Newcastle University and University College London. The ‘What Works in SEND’ research programme is researching tools that schools can use to identify the needs of neurodivergent children.The department provides continuing professional development to the school and further education workforce through the Universal SEND Services programme, led by the National Association for Special Educational Needs (NASEN). From April 2025, NASEN are developing a new autism-specific online training offer to support the workforce’s understanding of autism, which will include ‘train the trainer' packages and webinars to support teachers and leaders to deliver autism training in their settings.The department has also invested in the Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (PINS) programme, which is a national programme backed by £22 million of investment. PINS deploys specialists from both health and education workforces to build teacher and staff capacity to identify and better meet the needs of neurodivergent children including pupils with autism.

If she will require local authorities to provide family hubs in communities.

On 11 June 2025, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, set out plans for spending and public sector reforms through the Spending Review 2025. This announcement confirmed departmental budgets for 2026/27 onwards and committed that the government will continue to invest in and expand the Family Hubs programme, working with parents to help give children the best start in life.On 7 July 2025, the government published the policy paper ‘Giving every child the best start in life’, which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/giving-every-child-the-best-start-in-life.This outlines the government’s commitment to delivering a new Best Start Family Service to bring together parenting, healthcare and education support services, as well as creating and funding Best Start Family Hubs in every local authority to give children the best start in life by strengthening and joining up family services.

What steps her Department is taking to support (a) teachers and (b) school leaders to enforce mobile phone usage policies in schools.

​Mobile phones have no place in our schools.Schools should prohibit the use of mobile phones and other smart technology with similar functionality to mobile phones throughout the school day, including during lessons, the time between lessons, breaktimes and lunchtime, as set out in the ‘Mobile phones in schools’ guidance, published in 2024.The department expects all schools to take steps in line with this guidance to ensure mobile phones do not disrupt pupils’ learning.New research from the Children’s Commissioner, with responses from nearly all schools and colleges in England, shows that most schools (99.8% of primary schools and 90% of secondary schools) already have policies in place that limit or restrict the use of mobile phones during the school day.We will continue to build a robust evidence base on the effectiveness on school mobile phone policies.The department engages regularly with parents, teachers and pupils on a range of issues, including pupil behaviour and mobile phone use.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of mobile phone usage in schools on (a) levels of bullying and (b) safeguarding.

​Mobile phones have no place in our schools.Schools should prohibit the use of mobile phones and other smart technology with similar functionality to mobile phones throughout the school day, including during lessons, the time between lessons, breaktimes and lunchtime, as set out in the ‘Mobile phones in schools’ guidance, published in 2024.The department expects all schools to take steps in line with this guidance to ensure mobile phones do not disrupt pupils’ learning.New research from the Children’s Commissioner, with responses from nearly all schools and colleges in England, shows that most schools (99.8% of primary schools and 90% of secondary schools) already have policies in place that limit or restrict the use of mobile phones during the school day.We will continue to build a robust evidence base on the effectiveness on school mobile phone policies.The department engages regularly with parents, teachers and pupils on a range of issues, including pupil behaviour and mobile phone use.