Every parliamentary written question tabled by Alex Mayer this session, with the full answer and department. Back to the MP page.
Showing 1–20 of 26 · Department for Education
How many additional childcare places have been created due to funding from her Department's National Wraparound Childcare Programme in (a) Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard constituency and (b) England.
Following the launch of the national wraparound childcare programme in September 2024, over 105,000 places were made available by November 2025, supporting more families to access the childcare they need. The department does not hold delivery data broken down to constituency level.
What steps her Department is taking to help improve the provision of physical exercise for (a) primary and (b) secondary school pupils; and whether her Department is working with School Sport Partnerships.
It is this government’s mission is to break down barriers to opportunity, ensuring every child benefits from high-quality PE and school sports. The new PE and School Sport Partnerships, announced last June by my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister, will ensure that all children have equal access to high-quality PE by bringing together primary and secondary schools, local clubs, and national governing bodies to target funding and support where it is most needed.
How many students were entered for (a) French, (b) German, (c) Spanish and (d) other modern foreign languages at (i) GCSE and (ii) A Level by local education authority in the East of England in each year for which the data is available.
Information regarding GCSE and A level student counts by local authority is published by the department in the ‘Key stage 4 performance’ and ‘A level and other 16 to 18 results’ statistical releases. Data is published from 2018/19 to 2024/25.The requested data for GCSE students in 2018/19 to 2024/25 can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/0272ce41-9736-47f9-abc5-08de834ce335.The requested data for A level students in 2020/21 to 2024/25 is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/9e636057-8448-4e04-f84b-08de834d471d.The data for A level students in 2017/18 to 2019/20 can be accessed here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/eee0c01a-c6b4-4f22-f84d-08de834d471d.
What steps her Department is taking to increase uptake of foreign language GCSEs.
The government is committed to supporting modern foreign languages across schools, and across the languages pipeline. In our response to the independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, we made a commitment to work with the sector to understand successful approaches to supporting the languages pipeline. This starts at primary by reforming the curriculum, increasing take up at GCSE, and boosting demand at A level and degree level, to meet future social and economic needs, including learning from successful local models.Subject to the passage of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, we are also requiring academy schools to teach the revised national curriculum, including languages programmes of study. We are also supporting the quality of languages teaching through continued investment in the National Consortium for Languages Education, which provides teachers with national high-quality professional development.
How many retired teachers in the East of England are waiting to receive their Teacher's Pension Scheme Remediable Service Statement.
The information is not readily available or held centrally, and could only be obtained at a disproportionate cost.The department is working closely with the scheme administrator to process Remediable Service Statements (RSSs) as quickly and efficiently as possible. Several factors have affected the original delivery timeline, including technical dependencies, regulatory requirements, and coordination with external partners.The administrator will keep affected members informed of revised timelines through established channels, including My Pension Online and its website. The latest update is available here: https://www.teacherspensions.co.uk/news/public-news/2025/11/timeline-for-sending-out-remediable-service-statements-rss.aspx. As responsibility for this work transitions to the new administrator of the Teachers’ Pension Scheme in Summer 2026, the department is working with Tata Consultancy Services to finalise the timeline for issuing all RSSs. Once the timeline is confirmed, it will be communicated to relevant members.The department continues to monitor progress and is working closely with the scheme administrator to streamline processes and introduce automation where possible. Any pension adjustments arising from members’ choices will be backdated with interest to ensure members are not financially disadvantaged.
What recent assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of adopting single/double summer time on children’s access to after-school (a) sports and (b) outdoor activities.
The government believes the current daylight-saving arrangements represent the optimal use of the available daylight across the UK. Therefore, we have no plans to introduce double summertime, permanent summertime, or other such changes which would require considerable planning and action by business. Since we do not intend to make changes to the existing system, we will not be conducting an assessment of the impact on children’s access to after school sports and outdoor activities.
What estimate she has made of the costs to her Department of climate-related extreme weather since 1 January 2020.
The department does not hold data on the historical costs of climate-related extreme weather. Education settings are not required to report such incidents, and responsible bodies are responsible for the repair and maintenance of their estates through the normal funding channels provided by the department, such as the Schools Condition Allocation and Condition Improvement Fund.
What estimate her Department has made of the number of families expected to benefit from the 30 hours of free childcare by council area in the East of England.
It is our ambition that all families have access to high quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, giving every child the best start in life and delivering on our Plan for Change. We are delivering more support to working families than ever before with the rollout of 30 hours government-funded childcare.The department does not hold data on estimates of the numbers of families expected to benefit by area.However, we do collect data on eligibility codes, which show the number of children, down to local authority level, who have benefitted. This information can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/expansion-to-early-childcare-entitlements-eligibility-codes-issued-and-validated/2025-may.This data is being updated periodically in response to the hours rollout.
What recent assessment she has made of trends in the level of expenditure on special educational needs transport provision in England.
I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard to the answer of 2 July 2025 to Question 62591.
What steps her Department is taking to improve the provision of basic life support education in schools.
All state-funded schools are required to teach first aid as part of the statutory health education curriculum, as part of relationships, sex and health education. This includes basic treatment for common injuries, life-saving skills, including how to administer CPR and the purpose of defibrillators and when one might be needed.
What estimate she has made of the number of children who will become eligible for free school meals following the extension to households in receipt of Universal Credit in (a) Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard constituency, (b) Bedfordshire, (c) the East of England and (d) England in the 2026-27 academic year.
This government is committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity and tackling child poverty. We have now announced that we are extending free school meals to all children from households in receipt of Universal Credit from September 2026. This will lift 100,000 children across England out of poverty and put £500 back in families’ pockets, supporting parents in decisive action to improve lives ahead of the Child Poverty Strategy coming later this year.Providing over half a million children from the most disadvantaged backgrounds with a free, nutritious lunchtime meal every school day will also lead to higher attainment, improved behaviour and better outcomes, meaning children get the best possible education and chance to succeed in work and life.We have published data on the number of children who could benefit from expanded provision by constituency/region/local authority and this can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/free-school-meals-expansion-impact-on-poverty-levels.
If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of including bikeability training in the National Curriculum.
Schools are best placed and have the flexibility to decide on the activities they provide to deliver a rounded and enriching education to suit their pupils’ needs, this includes cycling training programmes such as Bikeability. Physical education (PE) is a foundation subject in the national curriculum and compulsory at all four key stages.The department welcomes the opportunity for continued collaboration with Bikeability to create sustainable improvements in physical activity for young people, for example through active travel and promoting the overall wellbeing benefits of physical activity, including through cycling.In July 2024, the department launched an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review. The Review will seek to deliver a curriculum which is rich and broad, inclusive, and innovative. The Review’s interim report was published in March 2025. We are now working on the next phase of the review which will consider subject issues, working closely with the sector.
What steps her Department is taking to close the attainment gap between (a) disadvantaged and (b) not disadvantaged pupils in areas with three-tier education.
All children and young people should have every opportunity to succeed, no matter who they are or where they are from. Disadvantaged pupils are more likely to face barriers that hold them back, which is why the Opportunity Mission will break the unfair link between background and success.High and rising standards are the key to strengthening outcomes for every child and young person no matter their background, reducing gaps and helping them to achieve and thrive.The department will deliver this through excellent teaching and leaders, a high-quality curriculum, strong accountability with faster school improvement and an inclusive system which removes the barriers to learning.As one of our first steps for change, the department is committed to recruiting an additional 6,500 expert teachers across secondary and special schools and our colleges over the course of this parliament. We have made strong initial progress to deliver this key pledge, and our investment is starting to deliver. The workforce has grown by 2,346 FTE between 2023/24 and 2024/25 in secondary and special schools, which are the schools where they are needed most.We have also launched a Curriculum and Assessment Review that is looking closely at the key challenges to attainment, particularly for those who are socioeconomically disadvantaged.To drive standards in reading and writing, £27.7 million has been committed in the 2025/26 financial year, including new training and resources for secondary school staff to support reading in key stage 3, with a specific focus on readers who are at risk of falling behind.The department funds a national network of Maths Hubs, including 5 covering the East of England, which aims to raise the standard of maths teaching from reception to age 18, preventing and reducing attainment gaps.Alongside this, pupil premium funding of over £3 billion is being provided in the 2025/26 financial year to improve educational outcomes for disadvantaged pupils.
What steps her Department is taking to improve GCSE attainment among disadvantaged pupils in the East of England.
All children and young people should have every opportunity to succeed, no matter who they are or where they are from. Disadvantaged pupils are more likely to face barriers that hold them back, which is why the Opportunity Mission will break the unfair link between background and success.High and rising standards are the key to strengthening outcomes for every child and young person no matter their background, reducing gaps and helping them to achieve and thrive.The department will deliver this through excellent teaching and leaders, a high-quality curriculum, strong accountability with faster school improvement and an inclusive system which removes the barriers to learning.As one of our first steps for change, the department is committed to recruiting an additional 6,500 expert teachers across secondary and special schools and our colleges over the course of this parliament. We have made strong initial progress to deliver this key pledge, and our investment is starting to deliver. The workforce has grown by 2,346 FTE between 2023/24 and 2024/25 in secondary and special schools, which are the schools where they are needed most.We have also launched a Curriculum and Assessment Review that is looking closely at the key challenges to attainment, particularly for those who are socioeconomically disadvantaged.To drive standards in reading and writing, £27.7 million has been committed in the 2025/26 financial year, including new training and resources for secondary school staff to support reading in key stage 3, with a specific focus on readers who are at risk of falling behind.The department funds a national network of Maths Hubs, including 5 covering the East of England, which aims to raise the standard of maths teaching from reception to age 18, preventing and reducing attainment gaps.Alongside this, pupil premium funding of over £3 billion is being provided in the 2025/26 financial year to improve educational outcomes for disadvantaged pupils.
If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a Skills Bootcamp course to support the attainment of Category D coach licences.
The government is giving local areas greater control of Skills Bootcamps in line with its commitment to devolution.As national contracts come to an end, the government will fund Skills Bootcamps entirely through funding Mayoral Strategic Authorities and local areas directly.Local areas will be able to choose which Skills Bootcamps they offer based on the needs of their local employers and economy. This could include Skills Bootcamps to support the attainment of Category D coach licences.
How many families will be impacted by the reduction in the number of compulsory branded items of school uniform in (a) Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard constituency, (b) Bedfordshire and (c) the East of England.
The department published its latest research on the cost of school uniform in September 2024, which surveyed parents and carers of children aged 4 to 16 attending state-funded schools in England. The research is published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cost-of-school-uniforms-survey-2023.The data were sampled to be representative of the population at primary and secondary level. Nationally, the department estimates that the new limit on compulsory branded uniform will reduce school uniform costs for around 4.2 million children. The aggregate savings to parents with children in primary school is around £21 million per year, and for those with children in secondary school is around £52 million per year. We estimate that some families will save over £50 per child on the back to school shop.The sample size was not large enough to make robust comparisons at a regional or local level.
What assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of exam marking for public qualifications.
The Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual) is the independent regulator of qualifications, exams and assessments in England. Ofqual is responsible for ensuring that regulated qualifications reliably indicate the knowledge, skills and understanding students have demonstrated in their exams and assessments, including through marking and standard setting. I have asked its Chief Regulator, Sir Ian Bauckham, to write to the hon. Member directly, and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
What recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of SEND provision in schools in (a) Bedfordshire and (b) the East of England.
Bedford Borough was inspected by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in November 2024 and received the strongest possible outcome: “the local area partnership’s special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) arrangements typically lead to positive experiences and outcomes for children and young people with SEND”.In 2022, Ofsted and CQC revisited the area of Central Bedfordshire to decide whether sufficient progress had been made in addressing the areas of significant weakness detailed in its 2019 inspection. They found sufficient progress in three of six significant weaknesses.The department and NHS England continue to support and challenge the local area by assessing progress and providing advice through a SEND expert advisor.Since the introduction of the current Ofsted and CQC Area SEND inspection framework in January 2023, five local areas in the East of England have undergone inspections. Suffolk and Hertfordshire were found to have systemic failings, while Southend-on-Sea exhibited typically inconsistent outcomes. In contrast, Bedford Borough, as stated above, demonstrated generally positive outcomes. Cambridgeshire was inspected in January 2025, but the report has not yet been published.The department issued improvement notices to Hertfordshire and Suffolk and is working with NHS England to continue to assess progress against priority and strategic action plans.
If she will review the decision to end the Union Learning Fund.
The department recognises the role that the Union Learning Fund (ULF) played in encouraging greater take up of learning in the workplace. Government funding for ULF ceased in March 2021.The Adult Skills Fund is now 60% devolved to Combined Authorities. Devolving adult skills funding provides these authorities, working alongside key stakeholders, including trade unions, with the ability to direct funding to best meet their local skills needs.The department and Skills England are committed to working with employers, providers, trade unions and Combined Authorities to ensure that high-quality qualification and training pathways are meeting skills needs, but there are no current plans to reintroduce funding for the ULF.
Whether her Department holds data on the number of coaches booked by schools for (a) cultural and (b) sports trips in (i) 2024 to date and (ii) the last five years.
The department does not hold data on the number of coaches booked by schools, including for (a) cultural and (b) sports trips.