Written questions by Snowden.

Whether she is taking steps to provide training to teachers to support their understanding (a) of and (b) the risks of (i) the use of emojis and (ii) other digital communication symbols by pupils.

In 2023, the department updated the guidance on ‘Teaching online safety in schools’. This advice brings together all aspects of internet safety information for schools so that they can confidently deliver online safety content within their curriculum and embed it within their wider whole-school approach. The guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/teaching-online-safety-in-schools.

What steps her Department is taking to support adults to expand their digital capability.

The Digital Essential Skills Entitlement, funded by the Adult Skills Fund, provides full funding for adults with low digital skills to undertake Essential Digital Skills Qualifications (EDSQs) and digital Functional Skills qualifications up to level 1.More flexible provision is available through Tailored Learning which offers bespoke courses in essential digital skills.The Free Courses for Jobs offer gives eligible adults access to high value level 3 qualifications for free, to support them to gain higher wages or a better job. The offer currently includes 45 digital qualifications.The department provides a range of post 16 academic and technical digital qualifications. There are currently 34 occupational standards in digital occupations and we are set to introduce foundation apprenticeships for young people, the first wave of which includes two digital standards. There are 78 Higher Technical Qualifications in the digital sector. Skills Bootcamps enable adults to build sector-specific skills, and 61% of 2022/23 Skills Bootcamp starts were in digital.The Digital Inclusion Action Plan outlines steps toward delivering digital inclusion for everyone in the UK, including supporting local and community initiatives to increase digital participation and digital skills. The new Industrial Strategy will channel support to eight growth-driving sectors, including digital technologies.

What steps he is taking to support schools to improve neurodiversity inclusion in areas not selected for the current expansion of the PINS programme.

The department is committed to taking a community-wide approach, improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools, as well as ensuring special schools cater to children and young people with the most complex needs. We are working at pace to develop plans for reform to the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system and will set these out in due course.In November 2024, the department established the Neurodivergence Task and Finish Group, which includes clinicians, scientists, academics, education experts and third sector organisations.The department also provides continuing professional development to the school and further education (FE) workforce through the Universal Services programme, led by the National Association for Special Educational Needs. This programme helps the school and FE workforce to identify and meet the needs of children and young people with SEND earlier and more effectively. It will also help them to successfully prepare children and young people for adulthood, including employment.From September 2025, the new initial teacher training and early career framework (ITTECF) will set out a minimum entitlement to training for all new teachers. The ITTECF contains significantly more content related to adaptive teaching and SEND which was tested with SEND educational experts to ensure new teachers are equipped to support pupils with a range of additional learning needs.

How many young people have Education, Health, and Care Plans in (a) Fylde constituency, (b) Lancashire and (c) England.

The department publishes annual statistics on the number of pupils with education, health and care (EHC) plans. These are available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/special-educational-needs-in-england/2023-24. The latest published data is from the January 2024 school spring census.

Whether her Department plans to provide additional funding for after-school activities in Fylde.

Any future decisions on departmental spending are subject to the spending review process.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of inflation on school budgets in Fylde constituency.

Having prioritised spending to meet the teachers pay award, schools will now be receiving £65.3 billion in 2025/26 compared to £61.6 billion in the 2024/25 financial year.The local authority that covers Fylde is Lancashire, and Lancashire is receiving £1.1 billion through the dedicated schools grant (DSG) for mainstream schools in the 2025/26 financial year. This represents a 2.4% increase in per pupil funding compared to the 2024/25 financial year (including premises but excluding growth funding). The additional funding being provided following the teacher pay announcement is on top of what is being provided through the DSG in the 2025/26 financial year.The department recognises that most schools will need to supplement the new funding they receive in the 2025/26 financial year with improved productivity and smarter spending. However, schools are not alone in their efforts to better manage their spending. The department will be further developing the current suite of initiatives to support schools with their workforce, commercial and asset management. Schools are already making savings and bringing core operating costs down. For example, the 400 schools who participated in the department’s new energy for schools offer will save 36% on average compared to their previous contracts.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing free swimming lessons for young people in coastal areas.

Swimming and water safety lessons are compulsory at key stage 1 and 2 as part of the physical education (PE) national curriculum. Swimming and water safety are vital life skills. Every child should have the opportunity to learn to swim and know how to keep themselves safe around water by the time they leave primary school.Primary schools can also use the PE and sport premium to fund additional swimming lessons for pupils who do not meet the national curriculum expectations after their core lessons.

What assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the condition of school buildings in Fylde constituency.

The department supports academy trusts, local authorities and voluntary-aided bodies, who are responsible for managing the safety and maintenance of their estates, with capital funding, rebuilding programmes and guidance on effective estate management.We recently confirmed details of £2.1 billion of capital funding for the 2025/26 financial year to improve the condition of schools, up from £1.8 billion committed for the 2024/25 financial year. Allocations are partly informed by consistent data on the condition of the estate collected by the department reflecting the relative need of schools.This is on top of the continuing school rebuilding programme, which includes Lytham St Annes High School in Fylde constituency.From 2021 to 2026, the department’s Condition Data Collection 2 is providing updated data on the condition of schools in England. Findings from Condition Data Collection 1, including those in Fylde, can be accessed here: https://depositedpapers.parliament.uk/depositedpaper/2285521/details.

What support is available to local authorities to expand family hubs in areas with limited public transport access.

The government’s Plan for Change sets out a commitment to give children the best start in life. Delivering this will require strengthening and joining up family services to improve support through pregnancy and early childhood. This includes continuing to invest in and build up the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme.75 local authorities with some of the highest levels of deprivation have received funding and a further £12 million has supported Family Hubs in 13 additional local authorities through the Family Hubs Transformation Fund. There are now more than 500 Family Hubs across the 88 funded local authorities.In the 2025/26 financial year, the government is providing £126 million to give every child the best start in life and deliver on the Plan for Change. More information on this funding can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/families-to-receive-126-million-in-early-years-support. Future funding decisions are subject to the multi-year spending review.The evidence and learning from this investment will help to improve services across England where they are most needed.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Children's Wellbeing and School Bill on academies in (a) Fylde constituency and (b) Lancashire.

The department published impact assessments on the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill measures on GOV.UK. These include assessments of the impact on all types of school across the country.

Whether she plans to encourage schools to celebrate (a) Easter and (b) other Christian holidays.

Easter and other Christian holidays provide good opportunities for schools to celebrate the traditions of our country, and the department supports schools taking those opportunities with their pupils.

What steps her Department has taken to increase access to books for young people.

High and rising school standards, with excellent foundations in reading, writing and mathematics, are at the heart of the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and give every child the best start in life. The national curriculum states that teachers are expected to encourage pupils to develop the habit of reading widely and often, for both pleasure and information. It emphasises the importance of pupils listening to, discussing and – as their fluency increases – reading for themselves a wide range of stories, poems, plays and information books. School libraries complement public libraries in giving pupils access to a range of books and other kinds of texts, both in and out of school. It is for individual schools to decide how best to provide, maintain and fund a library service for their pupils. Headteachers have autonomy to decide how best to spend their core schools funding. The Autumn Budget 2024 announced an additional £2.3 billion for schools for the 2025/26 financial year, compared to 2024/25, bringing the total core schools budget to almost £63.9 billion in 2025/26. On 5 February 2025, the government announced a £2 million investment to drive high and rising standards in reading and writing. Building on the success of phonics, teachers will receive additional training to help children progress from the early stages of phonics in reception and year 1 through to reading fluently by the time they leave primary school. This will be delivered through the English Hubs programme. In secondary school, teachers will be offered new training and resources this year to help them support readers at all levels, and next year the department will commission further training that will be focused specifically on struggling readers in secondary school who are at risk of falling behind.

What steps her Department is taking to help encourage young people to learn to play a musical instrument.

This government believes that music is an essential part of the well-rounded and enriching education that every child deserves. That is why music is included in the national curriculum for all students aged 5 to 14 who attend maintained schools.To support the delivery of music education, the government provides annual funding of £79 million for the Music Hubs programme. Music Hubs offer a range of services, including musical instrument tuition, instrument loaning, and whole-class ensemble teaching.To widen access to musical instruments, the government has invested £25 million in capital funding for musical instruments, equipment and technology. This funding enables Music Hubs to better cater to the needs of the children and young people they work with.Additionally, the government has invested £2 million to support the Music Opportunities Pilot. This pilot programme aims to help disadvantaged children and young people, as well as those with special eductional needs and disabilities, learn how to play an instrument of their choice or learn to sing to a high standard.

What steps she is taking to help ensure the safety of teachers and pupils in schools in Fylde constituency.

Violent incidents in schools are rare, but all schools should be places of safety and learning. Education settings are designed to be secure environments with robust safeguarding frameworks. They should have policies on security measures, supported by clear guidance to develop plans for deterring attacks, keeping learners safe and implementing lockdowns when necessary.The department has a tested incident response mechanism that allows us to support the education sector if impacted directly or indirectly by a major incident. Our primary goal is to safeguard the health and safety of children, young people and staff while minimising disruptions to education. In addition, the department has published comprehensive guidance and high-quality resources to help teachers and learners prepare for and respond to counter terrorism incidents and attacks. These resources can be found here: https://www.protectuk.police.uk/catalogue/EducationLearningandGuidance.We also currently provide specialist pupil support in serious violence hotspots in England. Support, attend, fulfil, exceed taskforces are school-led partnerships that develop a targeted, local response to serious violence in ten areas. Interventions delivered include mentoring, social skills training and cognitive behavioural approaches. In alternative provision (AP) settings, alternative provision specialist taskforces are joined up, multi-disciplinary teams, which include youth workers, family workers and careers workers, embedded within the largest AP schools in 22 areas.

What steps her Department is taking to reduce pupil absenteeism in Fylde constituency.

Tackling absence is at the heart of the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity in all areas. If children are not in school, it does not matter how effective or well-supported teaching and learning is, they will not benefit. Thanks to the hard work of parents and teachers there has been progress, but levels of absenteeism remain higher than they were prior to the pandemic.The department has set out clear expectations of all local authorities and schools in the ‘Working together to improve school attendance’ guidance, which was made statutory in August 2024. This guidance can be found at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/66bf300da44f1c4c23e5bd1b/Working_together_to_improve_school_attendance_-_August_2024.pdf.The guidance promotes a 'support first' approach and sets out clear expectations on how schools, trusts, local authorities and wider services should work together and with families to address attendance barriers and provide the right support, including where a pupil is not attending due to special educational needs.The department has also established 31 attendance hubs that offer their support to around 2000 schools, including secondaries. Hubs are established and led by senior leaders in schools with strong attendance practice. The meetings led by these hubs are intended to give senior leaders in other schools a forum to discuss and share effective attendance practice. Whilst we do not hold numbers at a constituency level, 23 schools in Blackpool, Lancashire and surrounding areas have been offered the support of an attendance hub.Last year, the department published an attendance toolkit, bringing together effective practice from across the hubs. This toolkit gives schools practical advice on how to diagnose and target their attendance problem and how to effectively implement great practice.We are also strengthening our tools for faster and more effective school improvement by launching the new regional improvement for standards and excellence (RISE) teams. Supported by over £20 million, these teams will offer both mandatory targeted intervention for schools identified by Ofsted as needing to improve and a universal service, acting as a catalyst for a self-improving system for all schools. The RISE teams are now beginning work with the first group of schools eligible for the targeted, bespoke service, including support for attendance as necessary. Improving school attendance is a national priority for RISE teams.Alongside hub lead schools and RISE advisers, the department is delivering a programme of regional attendance conferences across England, giving secondary school leaders and senior attendance champions the chance to hear directly from hubs and other practitioners on improving attendance. The conference in the North West will be held on 24 March.Every state school in England, including in Fylde constituency, is required to share their attendance data with the department. Schools can access this data through a secure, interactive dashboard, allowing them to target attendance interventions more effectively.

How many schools left the breakfast club early adopters scheme due to funding constraints in Fylde constituency prior to 24 February 2025.

This government is clear on the impact that breakfast clubs can have to support children to arrive at school ready to learn. That is why we committed to introducing free breakfast clubs in every state-funded school with primary aged pupils. The early adopter scheme has not yet started. We were delighted that over 3,000 schools applied to be early adopters. The list of the 750 schools selected was published on 24 February. Early adopters will start delivering from the summer term, meaning we are bringing change now for pupils and parents in every corner of the country.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the use of mobile phones in schools on recent trends in the levels of pupil attainment in Fylde constituency.

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 2024.We expect all schools to take steps in line with this guidance to ensure mobile phones do not disrupt pupils’ learning.The department does not centrally collect behaviour data from schools or individual constituencies. The latest results of the annual National Behaviour Survey is available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6628dd9bdb4b9f0448a7e584/National_behaviour_survey_academic_year_2022_to_2023.pdf.

What steps she is taking to support the uptake of apprenticeships and technical education.

The department wants apprenticeships and technical education to be part of career conversations in every school so that young people can access the opportunities they deserve. We have set clear requirements through strengthened legislation and statutory guidance, backed by over £30 million of investment in 2024/25 to support schools and colleges to improve careers provision for young people.Since January 2023, schools have been required to offer at least six opportunities for pupils to meet providers of technical education or apprenticeships, during years 8 to 13.We promote apprenticeships in schools and colleges through our Apprenticeships Support and Knowledge Programme (ASK). During the 2023/24 academic year, ASK engaged with 2,366 schools and colleges. The ASK sessions, spanning awareness assemblies, mock assessment centres and interview workshops, reached over 575,000 students, as well as almost 37,000 parents and carers.Young people aged 13 to 18 can discover their career options via the National Careers Service website, which can be accessed at https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/ and includes around 800 job profiles. Young people can access information and advice via webchat and a telephone helpline which is supported by local community-based career advisers. This is supported by the Skills for Life campaign, ‘It all starts with skills’, which promotes a range of priority skills programmes to young people, including apprenticeships, T Levels and Higher Technical Qualifications. We have collaborated with UCAS so that pupils can now explore apprenticeship vacancies alongside university courses on the service. We are confident this is responding to demand, with the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) reporting that nearly three in five young people in years 9-12 are considering apprenticeships.These interventions are part of a national careers system that is driving improvements in careers advice and work experience for young people. 93% of secondary schools and colleges are in a Careers Hub, linking with networks of employers and apprenticeship providers.Through Careers Hubs, we are using data and front-line insight to support conversations about what is preventing the take-up of technical and vocational pathways at the local level, enabling solutions to be devised by local partners.Ofsted’s review of careers, published in 2023, found that most providers are making good progress towards improving students’ access to options such as apprenticeships and technical qualifications. In addition, the latest data from a survey of the career readiness of 230,000 students shows that they are more than twice as likely to understand apprenticeships by the time they take their GCSEs, compared to students in year 7. Awareness of year 11 students is 80% and almost on a par with A Levels at 84%.

How many children are in a residential children's home over 20 miles from their family home.

The number of children looked after who were placed in secure homes and children’s homes over 20 miles from their family home on 31 March 2024 was 4,220.This is published in Table A4 of the ‘Children looked after including adoptions’ statistical release, which is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/03be7f62-cb0e-4000-2555-08dd1b6649db.The needs of the child are paramount when deciding the right care placement. Though the department wants to reduce out of area placements, they will always be part of the care landscape, as sometimes circumstances make it the right decision for a child to be placed elsewhere, for example when they are at risk from domestic abuse or sexual exploitation, trafficking or gang violence.The department knows that children placed away from home can experience disruption to their lives and they can make it harder to maintain important relationships, such as with their birth family, education setting or wider community. This is why moving a child away is not a decision to be taken lightly and there are legislative safeguards around this. Regulations are clear that the decision to place a child outside of the local authority should have the child’s interest at heart and the child, family and independent reviewing officer’s views should be considered. It should be signed off by the director of children’s services, and all relevant parties should be notified, including the receiving local authority and safeguarding partners.This government’s proposed reforms will mean less need for distance placements. Proposals on planning permissions and process will enable providers to more easily set up homes where they are most needed. Regional care cooperatives will improve local authorities’ ability to shape the local market, and the kinship local offer requirement will encourage more kinship arrangements. We are also investing £86 million in capital funding to create up to 200 additional children’s homes beds which will help ensure more of the right provision in the right places.

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of children being placed in residential children's homes more than 20 miles away from their family homes on their care.

The number of children looked after who were placed in secure homes and children’s homes over 20 miles from their family home on 31 March 2024 was 4,220.This is published in Table A4 of the ‘Children looked after including adoptions’ statistical release, which is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/03be7f62-cb0e-4000-2555-08dd1b6649db.The needs of the child are paramount when deciding the right care placement. Though the department wants to reduce out of area placements, they will always be part of the care landscape, as sometimes circumstances make it the right decision for a child to be placed elsewhere, for example when they are at risk from domestic abuse or sexual exploitation, trafficking or gang violence.The department knows that children placed away from home can experience disruption to their lives and they can make it harder to maintain important relationships, such as with their birth family, education setting or wider community. This is why moving a child away is not a decision to be taken lightly and there are legislative safeguards around this. Regulations are clear that the decision to place a child outside of the local authority should have the child’s interest at heart and the child, family and independent reviewing officer’s views should be considered. It should be signed off by the director of children’s services, and all relevant parties should be notified, including the receiving local authority and safeguarding partners.This government’s proposed reforms will mean less need for distance placements. Proposals on planning permissions and process will enable providers to more easily set up homes where they are most needed. Regional care cooperatives will improve local authorities’ ability to shape the local market, and the kinship local offer requirement will encourage more kinship arrangements. We are also investing £86 million in capital funding to create up to 200 additional children’s homes beds which will help ensure more of the right provision in the right places.