Written questions by Brewer.

Pursuant UIN 82150 what assessment her Department has made of the availability of discretionary transport support for children with special educational needs and disabilities who are not yet of compulsory school age, what guidance is provided to local authorities on exercising this discretion, and what potential impact variations in local authority budgets have on access to such support.

The department’s ‘Home-to-school travel’ statutory guidance makes clear that discretionary travel need not be limited to children of compulsory school age. The guidance is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/home-to-school-travel-and-transport-guidance.

In pursuant to the Answer to Question104912, what recent progress her Department has made on updating the Early Years Foundation Stage framework; and whether she plans to introduce new (a) statutory requirements, (b) strengthened inspection processes and (c) mandatory CCTV in early‑years settings.

We keep the early years foundation stage (EYFS) frameworks, under ongoing review. The EYFS frameworks can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-foundation-stage-framework--2.Following safeguarding updates in September 2025, we are working on making the safe sleep requirements clearer by adding the essential details in the frameworks themselves. Subject to the parliamentary and legislative process, the updated frameworks would come into force from September 2026.Ofsted began inspecting under the revised education inspection framework in November 2025 to assess whether providers are meeting statutory EYFS requirements and taking appropriate action to keep children safe. Settings now receive an Ofsted report card following an inspection.As of April 2026, we are funding Ofsted to inspect all new early years providers within 18 months of opening and to move towards inspecting all providers at least once every four years, compared to the previous six-year window. Ofsted is also receiving further investment to improve inspection quality and consistency through stronger quality assurance and targeted inspector training.The EYFS requires providers to have safeguarding policies that address the use of mobile phones, cameras and other electronic devices with imaging and sharing capabilities. An expert advisory panel has been established to review how CCTV and digital devices are used in early years settings from a safeguarding perspective.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the Plan 2 student loan system on graduates whose repayments do not cover the interest added to their balance.

Plan 2 student loans were designed and implemented by previous governments and students in England starting degrees under this government have different arrangements.Plan 2 loans interest rates are applied at the Retail Price Index (RPI) only, then variable up to RPI +3% depending on earnings. Interest rates do not impact monthly repayments made by student loan borrowers, which stay at a constant rate of 9% above an earnings threshold to protect lower earners.Any outstanding loan and interest written off at the end of the loan term, and debt is never passed on to family members or descendants.

Whether her Department will publish the guidance issued to local authorities in the 1990s on the inclusion of part‑time teachers in the Teachers’ Pension Scheme following maternity leave.

I refer the hon. Member for North East Hampshire to the answer of 21 January 2026 to Question 103065.

When her Department plans to consult on the revised citizenship programmes of study.

We are revising the national curriculum following the independent Curriculum and Assessment Review. We will make citizenship compulsory in key stages 1 and 2 so that primary aged children are introduced to key content on media literacy, financial literacy, law and rights, democracy and government, and climate education. We will publicly consult on all national curriculum programmes of study from summer 2026 and fully implement the new full national curriculum for first teaching from September 2028.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of school policies that restrict mobile‑phone use on pupil's health and safety.

The department’s new, stronger guidance on mobile phones in schools is clear that all schools should be mobile phone-free by default. Pupils should not have access to their devices during lessons, break times, lunch times, or between lessons.The guidance is clear that exceptions to a mobile phones policy may be required for children with specific special educational needs, disabilities or medical conditions. This includes users of health tech or assistive technology.Where school leaders need to make additional exceptions or flexibilities to their policies based on a child’s individual needs, we trust them to do so.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the safeguarding bruising protocol on people from ethnic minority backgrounds.

Nothing is more important than keeping children safe. Our Families First Partnership Programme guidance, published in March 2025, is clear that practice should be inclusive, anti-discriminatory and responsive to the needs and experiences of children and families of different ethnic, cultural and religious backgrounds. We would encourage local safeguarding partnerships to align any local protocols, including in relation to bruising, with this guidance, the latest available evidence and with national child safeguarding guidance, and consider the impact of local protocols on children and families from ethnic minority backgrounds. The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill will introduce new measures including improved information sharing and the introduction of multi-agency child protection teams to prevent children falling through the cracks. We are also investing in the recruitment, training and development of child and family social worders to ensure the workforce has the capacity, skills and knowledge to identify, support and protect vulnerable children who may be at risk of maltreatment.

What recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the school absence fine system; what guidance is provided to local authorities on (a) determining exceptional circumstances, (b) ensuring consistent application of fines and (c) offering flexible payment terms for families experiencing financial hardship; and whether she plans to review the system to ensure it supports families facing difficulties.

The department’s ‘Working together to improve school attendance’ statutory guidance provides support for local authorities on the application of penalty notices, including a national framework for issuing fixed penalty notices designed to embed our support-first approach and improve consistent application nationally.The department does not specify what constitutes exceptional circumstances for school absence. Headteachers, who know their pupils best, are best placed to make those judgements on a case-by-case basis.Regulations state penalty notices must be paid in full within statutory timeframes. They offer an alternative to prosecution and influence a change in parental behaviours.The department will continue to keep the attendance enforcement system under review.

Whether her Department plans to implement (a) statutory requirements on safer sleep in nursery settings, (b) a strengthened Ofsted inspection process for nurseries and (c) mandatory CCTV in nurseries.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) statutory framework includes a requirement for babies to be placed down to sleep in line with the latest government safety guidance. The department plans to add in more detail to the EYFS frameworks. We have worked with safe sleep experts, including the Lullaby Trust, on proposed new wording and plan to make these changes as soon as possible.Ofsted inspects early years providers under the Education Inspection Framework against the full range of EYFS requirements, including safeguarding, children’s welfare, leadership and management. Inspectors assess whether providers are meeting statutory requirements and taking appropriate action to keep children safe. The EYFS requires providers to have safeguarding policies that address the use of mobile phones, cameras and other electronic devices with imaging and sharing capabilities. Decisions about installing and using CCTV are for individual providers, subject to safeguarding and data protection requirements.As part of the department’s ongoing review of safeguarding requirements, an expert advisory group will be appointed to inform guidance on the safe and effective use of digital devices and CCTV within safeguarding, including whether CCTV should be mandated and setting out best practice, technical advice and clear expectations.

What guidance was issued to local authorities in the 1990s on the inclusion of part-time teachers in the Teachers’ Pension Scheme following maternity leave.

The department actively reviews historic provisions to ensure that the Teachers’ Pension Scheme remains fair for all and, if necessary, take steps to rectify where discrimination has been identified. The Preston cases, which were rectified in the 1990s, and the Goodwin cases, which were rectified in 2021, are cases in point. The department does not have plans to review any specific historic provisions at present. Changes to the maternity participation rules were provided in legislation in 1994 and 1995 and widely consulted on. The scheme administrator, Teachers’ Pensions, continue to issue guidance to local authorities and employers to ensure compliance and to manage claims effectively.

What consideration has been given to addressing historic pension gaps for teachers who were removed from the Teachers’ Pension Scheme without explicit consent.

The department actively reviews historic provisions to ensure that the Teachers’ Pension Scheme remains fair for all and, if necessary, take steps to rectify where discrimination has been identified. The Preston cases, which were rectified in the 1990s, and the Goodwin cases, which were rectified in 2021, are cases in point. The department does not have plans to review any specific historic provisions at present. Changes to the maternity participation rules were provided in legislation in 1994 and 1995 and widely consulted on. The scheme administrator, Teachers’ Pensions, continue to issue guidance to local authorities and employers to ensure compliance and to manage claims effectively.

Whether her Department plans to review the potential impact of historic practices on women’s pension entitlements in the teaching profession.

The department actively reviews historic provisions to ensure that the Teachers’ Pension Scheme remains fair for all and, if necessary, take steps to rectify where discrimination has been identified. The Preston cases, which were rectified in the 1990s, and the Goodwin cases, which were rectified in 2021, are cases in point. The department does not have plans to review any specific historic provisions at present. Changes to the maternity participation rules were provided in legislation in 1994 and 1995 and widely consulted on. The scheme administrator, Teachers’ Pensions, continue to issue guidance to local authorities and employers to ensure compliance and to manage claims effectively.

What steps the Government is taking to ensure that child welfare and education charities receive timely and clear information on Government grants and funding.

All department competed and criteria-based general grants, except those identified as highly sensitive or which are Grant in Aid, are advertised centrally online using the Cabinet Office's Find a Grant advertising service. This process ensures that information on government grants and funding is made available in a single location for all applicants, including civil society organisations, and is free to access on GOV.UK.

What steps her Department is taking to increase understanding of (a) politics and (b) Parliament within the national secondary school curriculum.

Pupils learn about politics and Parliament within citizenship at secondary school, as well as within history where relevant.The independent Curriculum and Assessment Review recommended that the curriculum should support democratic understanding and engagement. In response to the review, the department has committed to make citizenship compulsory in primary schools and to publish revised programmes of study to ensure that all pupils receive an essential grounding in a range of topics including democracy, government and law. We will consult on programmes of study next year, and the new national curriculum will be published in 2027 for first teaching in 2028.

What transport support is available for SEND families (a) in cases where a child is placed in a specialist setting but is not yet of compulsory school age and (b) in other instances.

​​The Education Act 1996 requires local authorities to arrange free home to school travel for eligible children. A child is eligible if they are of compulsory school age, 5 to 16, attend their nearest school and would not be able to walk there because of the distance, their special educational needs, disability or mobility problem, or because the nature of the route means it would be unsafe for them to do so. There are extended rights to free travel for children from low-income families.​Local authorities have the discretion to arrange travel for other children, such as those below compulsory school age attending a specialist setting, but are not required to do so. It is for each local authority to decide whether and how to exercise their discretionary power.​

What steps she is taking to ensure that music remains central to mainstream school curriculum; and what assessments she has made of the potential merits of music education on students achievement's in (a) Maths, (b) English and (c) other disciplines.

Creative subjects like music are important elements of the rich and broad curriculum every child deserves. Music is in the national curriculum from the age of 5 to 14 years (key stages 1-3). The independent Curriculum and Assessment Review is looking at all subjects, including music, and any subject-specific findings will be included in the final report this autumn. The department also supports music education through a national network of Music Hubs.Participation in the arts, including music, is valuable in and of itself but can also bring wider benefits for children and young people. The Education Endowment Foundation reports positive impacts on academic outcomes in areas including maths and English, as well as for wellbeing and engagement with learning.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of the Dedicated Schools Grant funding formula.

The dedicated schools grant (DSG) is paid in support of local authorities’ schools budgets. It allocates funding through four separate blocks covering mainstream schools, high needs, early years and central school services. Each block is calculated using its own separate funding formula.The total funding allocated through the DSG was £68.8 billion in the 2025/26 financial year, up from £62.5 billion in 2024/25. The table below sets out how this is split across the four blocks. Dedicated Schools GrantFinancial YearMainstream Schools Block (£ bn)Central School Services Block (£ bn)High Needs Block (£ bn)Early Years Block (£ bn)Total (£ bn)2024/2545.30.410.46.462.52025/2648.70.411.28.568.8 Please note that the 2025/26 and 2024/25 financial year figures are not directly comparable since some funding provided through separate grants in 2024/25 was rolled into the DSG in 2025/26.Detailed information on the 2025/26 DSG funding allocations can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dedicated-schools-grant-dsg-2025-to-2026.Funding levels for 2026/27 and beyond are subject to the ongoing spending review.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of funding for the provision of SEND services by Hampshire Council.

This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life. The Hampshire local area partnership was last inspected by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) under the previous SEND inspection framework in March 2020. The inspection found that leaders in Hampshire were highly ambitious for children and young people with SEND, and while the inspection did identify areas for improvement, it did not identify any areas of significant weakness. As with all local areas, the department has continued to work with Hampshire since its last inspection through a regional case lead, who seeks regular assurances on the adequacy of SEND provision and provides support and challenge. All local authorities will be assessed under the new CQC Area SEND Inspection Framework by the end of 2027. Following their inspection, the department will work closely with Hampshire as they respond to the findings. 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. Total high needs funding for children and young people with complex SEND is over £12 billion in the 2025/26 financial year. Of that total, Hampshire County Council is being allocated over £224 million through the high needs funding block of the dedicated schools grant (DSG), an increase of £17.7 million on the 2024/25 DSG high needs block, calculated using the high needs national funding formula (NFF). This NFF allocation is an 8.5% increase per head of their 2 to 18-year-old population, on their equivalent 2024/25 financial year NFF allocation.

What steps she is taking to support Hampshire County Council in its provision of SEND support.

This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life. The Hampshire local area partnership was last inspected by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) under the previous SEND inspection framework in March 2020. The inspection found that leaders in Hampshire were highly ambitious for children and young people with SEND, and while the inspection did identify areas for improvement, it did not identify any areas of significant weakness. As with all local areas, the department has continued to work with Hampshire since its last inspection through a regional case lead, who seeks regular assurances on the adequacy of SEND provision and provides support and challenge. All local authorities will be assessed under the new CQC Area SEND Inspection Framework by the end of 2027. Following their inspection, the department will work closely with Hampshire as they respond to the findings. 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. Total high needs funding for children and young people with complex SEND is over £12 billion in the 2025/26 financial year. Of that total, Hampshire County Council is being allocated over £224 million through the high needs funding block of the dedicated schools grant (DSG), an increase of £17.7 million on the 2024/25 DSG high needs block, calculated using the high needs national funding formula (NFF). This NFF allocation is an 8.5% increase per head of their 2 to 18-year-old population, on their equivalent 2024/25 financial year NFF allocation.

What steps she is taking to meet the demand for specialist SEND school places.

The government recognises the vital role that special schools play in catering to children and young people with the most complex needs. We also want more children and young people to receive the support they need to thrive in their local mainstream school, reducing the need for pupils to travel a long way to access a specialist placement. Many mainstream settings are already committed to delivering specialist provision locally, including through resourced provision and special educational needs units.The Children and Families Act 2014 requires local authorities to ensure there are sufficient school places for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). If a local authority identifies a shortage of places, which would result in a significant number of pupils needing to travel a long way to access a placement, they should consider creating or expanding provision to meet that need.The government has now published local authority allocations for £740 million in high needs capital in the 2025/26 financial year to support local authorities to provide school places for children and young people with SEND or who require alternative provision. This funding can be used to adapt classrooms to be more accessible for children with SEND, create specialist facilities within mainstream schools that can deliver more intensive support adapted to suit pupils’ needs, alongside continuing to provide places to support pupils in special schools with the most complex needs. Hampshire has been allocated just under £22.9 million for the 2025/26 financial year.