Written questions by Baker.

What steps she is taking to consider autistic burnout when shaping policies on SEND.

As part of our Plan for Change, we are determined to fix the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system and restore the trust of parents. We will do this by ensuring schools have the tools to better identify and support children before issues escalate. We will bring forward a full Schools White Paper early this year, building on the work we have already done to create a system that is rooted in inclusion.To support the development of the reforms, we are drawing on insights from experts, including the department’s Expert Advisory Group for Inclusion and the Neurodivergence Task and Finish Group, who were established to provide an expert view and make recommendations on how to best meet the needs of neurodivergent children and young people within mainstream education settings.The department has also launched a further period of listening and engagement to strengthen co-creation, listening to children and young people, parents, experts, and education professionals across the country, so that lived experience and partnership are at the heart of the solutions.

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.

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 neededThe 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.

How many hours of (a) mathematics, (b) English, (c) sciences and (d) modern foreign languages were taught in secondary schools in Aldershot constituency by teachers with no relevant (i) A-level and (ii) higher

Information on the school workforce, including the pupil to adult and pupil to teacher ratios at national, regional, local authority and individual school level, plus subjects taught in state-funded secondary schools, is published in the ‘School workforce...

What the average staff to student ratio was in secondary schools (a) nationally and (b) in Aldershot constituency in (i) 2019, (ii) 2020, (iii) 2021, (iv) 2022 and (v) 2023.

Information on the school workforce, including the pupil to adult and pupil to teacher ratios at national, regional, local authority and individual school level, plus subjects taught in state-funded secondary schools, is published in the ‘School workforce...

What steps her Department is taking to improve the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of teachers in Aldershot constituency.

Supporting our expert teachers is critical to the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and boost the life chances for every child. However, this government has inherited a system with critical shortages of teachers, with the growth i...

What the average funding per pupil in mainstream schools was in (a) Aldershot constituency, (b) Hampshire and (c) England in each of the last three years.

The department is able to provide links to the published dedicated schools grant (DSG) tables from the 2022/23 financial year to the 2024/25 financial year. These tables show average per pupil funding amounts, split by primary and secondary phase, for eac...

How many degree apprenticeships were (a) advertised and (b) completed in (i) Aldershot constituency, (ii) Hampshire and (iii) London in each of the last five years.

The table below provides details of degree level apprenticeship (level 6 and 7) vacancies in Aldershot constituency, Hampshire and London that were advertised on the Find an Apprenticeship (FAA) service on GOV.UK in each of the last five years.The departm...

How many (a) primary and (b) secondary school students receive free school meals in Aldershot constituency.

The department publishes the number of pupils in primary and secondary schools in the Aldershot constituency who receive free school meals. This data is available in the ‘Schools, pupils and their characteristics’ publication, based on the January 2024 sc...

What steps she is taking to help increase the availability of childcare in Aldershot constituency.

Giving children the best start in life is key to the government’s Opportunity Mission. Good parenting and high-quality early education provide the foundation for children to achieve and thrive. This government is determined to ensure that parents have acc...

If her Department will make an estimate of the median level of student debt held by people in Aldershot constituency.

The median debt of full-time undergraduate borrowers funded by student finance England, whose postcode is within the Aldershot constituency, and who entered repayment within the last five financial years is £46,577. The median debt includes tuition fees a...

What steps her Department has taken to help improve children's oracy skills in Aldershot constituency.

High and rising school standards are at the heart of the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and give every child the best life chances.The independent Curriculum and Assessment review will seek to deliver a curriculum which is rich...

If she will make a comparative assessment of the adequacy of school funding per pupil in (a) Aldershot constituency and (b) the rest of the country.

The overall core schools budget will total £61.8 billion in 2024/25. Average per pupil funding in England, as allocated through the schools block of the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG), is £5,957. The DSG is allocated at local authority level, and as such the equivalent figures are not available for Aldershot constituency. For Aldershot constituency, the notional national funding formula (NFF) average per-pupil funding is £5,447. That is calculated based on the notional schools NFF allocations for all mainstream schools in the constituency. The allocations that schools within a constituency actually receive are determined by the local funding formula in their area. The funding figures for Aldershot constituency are based on the constituency boundaries before the July 2024 general election. All of the figures provided include premises funding, but exclude growth funding. The figures do not include the additional grant funding that schools in the Aldershot constituency and across the country have received to support pay and pensions increases in 2024/25. Schools in Aldershot constituency have a lower proportion of pupils who attract deprivation funding through the NFF than the national average. The precise funding that individual schools in Aldershot constituency and across the country receive depends on each school’s unique circumstances and the decisions that it has made about how to deploy its funding.