Written questions by Snowden.

Whether she is taking steps to ensure the Highway Code is taught in schools.

The revised relationships, sex and health education guidance was published on 15 July and includes a new personal safety section. Curriculum content includes how to identify risk and manage personal safety in increasingly independent situations, including around roads, railways, including level crossings, and water.The government has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, chaired by Becky Francis CBE.The Review aims to ensure a rich, broad, inclusive and innovative curriculum that readies young people for life and work. The Review Group published its Interim Report in March 2025 here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6821d69eced319d02c9060e3/Curriculum_and_Assessment_Review_interim_report.pdf.The group will publish its final report with recommendations this autumn.​

Pursuant to the Answer of 21 July 2025 to Question 66321 on Schools: Electronic Cigarettes, whether she has had recent discussions with education providers on the potential impact of the ban on single use vapes on the prevalence of vaping in schools.

The sale of vapes to under 18s is illegal, and the Tobacco and Vapes Bill will ban the sale of all consumer nicotine products to anyone under 18. Since 1 June 2025, it is illegal for businesses to sell or supply all single use vapes.My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, engages consistently with school leaders and education providers on a range of topics, including pupil behaviour, and will continue to do so.

How many (a) schools and (b) other education settings have been found to have reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete in (a) Fylde constituency and (b) Lancashire.

There are no schools and colleges in the constituency of Fylde with confirmed reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC). The number of schools and colleges with confirmed RAAC in Lancashire is 3.The government has committed to resolving this problem as quickly as possible, permanently removing RAAC either through grant funding or the School Rebuilding Programme.

What discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on the adequacy of political education in schools.

I refer the hon. Member for Fylde to the answer of 21 July 2025 to Question 68042.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure that schools in (a) Fylde constituency and (b) across England are equipped with adequate (i) cooling and (ii) ventilation systems to protect (A) pupils and (B) staff during heatwaves.

The responsible body (which may be a local authority, academy trust, or voluntary-aided body) must ensure the health, safety and welfare of pupils and staff, including during hot weather. The department supports this through guidance and resources, including the Education Hub, which published hot weather advice on 16 June 2025.The department also provides emergency planning guidance for education and childcare settings, covering extreme heat. The UK Health Security Agency offers additional advice for schools and early years settings on managing heat-related health risks.To improve indoor air quality, the department distributed CO₂ monitors to all teaching spaces in England in 2021/2023. Settings with high readings could apply for air cleaning units. Over 9,000 were provided to more than 1,300 settings.Annual capital funding is also allocated to improve school buildings, including ventilation and sustainability measures.All guidance applies across England.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure equal access to (a) comprehensive and (b) age-appropriate relationships and sex education across schools in Fylde.

Relationships education is compulsory for all primary school pupils, and relationships and sex education compulsory for all secondary school pupils in England.The department published revised relationships, sex and health education statutory guidance on 15 July, which sets out a comprehensive and age-appropriate curriculum for all pupils in England. The revised guidance will become statutory on 1 September 2026, replacing the existing guidance which has been in force since 2020. This guidance is accessible at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/relationships-education-relationships-and-sex-education-rse-and-health-education.

What recent assessment she has made of trends in the level of drop-outs from vocational courses in Fylde constituency; and what steps she is taking to help improve course completion rates.

The department's guidance on qualification achievement rates (QARs) includes official statistics on levels of achievement for a range of qualifications, including vocational learning. QARs are not published by parliamentary constituency, but full-year data for adult (19+) further education and skills in Fylde shows that there were 2,100 learner achievements in 2023/24, up from 1,810 in 2022/23. This does not split down by vocational courses. The data can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/introduction-to-qualification-achievement-rates-qars.Nationally, we have seen that retention rates are improving. QARs within the 19+ education and training cohort have increased from 86.8% in 2022/23 to 87.4% in 2023/24.​At ages 16 to 18, the retained and assessed rate for students who finished their T Level across 16 subjects in summer 2024 was up 5 percentage points from the previous year, over 10 subjects. The rate for large Vocational Technical Qualifications (VTQs) was up 3 percentage points.The statistics can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/provisional-t-level-results/2023-24.​The department continues to develop and improve qualifications to ensure that they meet the needs of learners. Newly reformed qualifications will become available for delivery at levels 2 and 3 at the start of the next academic year. These are high-quality, aligned to occupational standards in technical routes, and offer clear routes to higher education or skilled employment.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of replacing education, health and care plans on children in Fylde constituency with complex needs.

The department has not made any decisions about the future of education, health and care plans. There will always be a legal right to additional support for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to ensure they are supported throughout their education and to enable them to move on to fulfilling adult lives.We are determined to restore confidence in the system of support for children with SEND so that every child and young person gets the chance to achieve and thrive in their education. More detail of reforms will be set out in the Schools White Paper in the autumn.As part of developing our approach, we have been engaging with a range of interested parties, including parent representatives, local authorities, SEND organisations and education settings across the country.

Whether her Department has consulted (a) families in Lancashire and (b) Lancashire County Council on the future of education, health and care plans.

The department has not made any decisions about the future of education, health and care plans. There will always be a legal right to additional support for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to ensure they are supported throughout their education and to enable them to move on to fulfilling adult lives.We are determined to restore confidence in the system of support for children with SEND so that every child and young person gets the chance to achieve and thrive in their education. More detail of reforms will be set out in the Schools White Paper in the autumn.As part of developing our approach, we have been engaging with a range of interested parties, including parent representatives, local authorities, SEND organisations and education settings across the country.

If her Department recognises (a) student nurses and (b) other essential vocational trainees as "working" for the purposes of childcare eligibility.

​​On 7 July, we published our Best Start in Life strategy, which sets out how we will make real change happen for families across the country.The working parent entitlement is aimed at eligible parents who wish to start working or work more hours, which is why this entitlement is conditional on work. To be eligible, parents must earn the equivalent of at least 16 hours a week at National Minimum Wage, which is equivalent to £195 per week/£10,158 per year in 2025/26, and under £100,000 adjusted net income per year. Students of all academic levels may be eligible for the entitlement if they meet the eligibility criteria, including the income criteria.We recognise the value of parents continuing in education and provide a range of support for students in higher education to support them with childcare. If they meet the eligibility criteria, students can also apply for the Childcare Grant and Parental Learning Allowance.

With reference to her Department's policy paper entitled Giving every child the best start in life, published on 7 July 2025, what progress has been made in awarding financial incentives to early years teachers in disadvantaged areas.

The commitment to champion early years teachers was announced on 7 July 2025 in the ‘Giving every child the best start in life’ strategy. The department wants the important role they play to be properly recognised. We want to grow the number of early years teachers, with the long-term aim of having one in every setting. To support this commitment, the new financial incentives policy will give all new and existing qualified early years teachers in eligible nurseries serving the most disadvantaged areas £4,500. We are in the early stages of developing this policy and will provide further details on eligibility and the delivery method in due course.

With reference to her Department's policy paper entitled Giving every child the best start in life, published on 7 July 2025, how many best start family hubs are planned to be operational by April 2026.

On 7 July 2025, the government published ‘Giving every child the Best Start in Life’. This outlines the government’s commitment to deliver 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.The department will provide over half a billion pounds of investment in the Best Start Family Service over the 2026/29 spending review period. Up to 1,000 Best Start Family Hubs will be rolled out following additional investment. Local authorities not currently funded through family hubs will receive development grants in 2025/26 to ensure national rollout from April 2026.We are working within the department and with the Department of Health and Social Care to share further information about what the spending review settlement means for the continuation and expansion of the programme.

With reference to her Department's policy paper Giving every child the best start in life strategy, published on 7 July 2025, whether each local authority is required to publish a Best Start Local Plan; how those plans will be monitored centrally; and what the enforcement mechanisms will be if a local authority fails to meet its commitments.

On 7 July, the government’s landmark strategy ’Giving every child the best start in life’ set out that we will spend close to £1.5 billion over the next three years on improving family services and early years education.Local authorities will be tasked with developing ambitious Best Start local plans to achieve the Plan for Change milestone of 75% of 5 year-olds achieving a good level of development by 2028, working in partnership with government. These plans should build on local authorities’ existing strategic planning materials, such as children and young people plans. They can also build on local innovation already in place as part of the government's test, learn and grow agenda, with projects to improve the uptake of family services in Manchester and Sheffield already showing the value of this approach.We are discussing with local authority representatives how best to implement the commitments set out in ‘Giving every child the best start in life’. Further information will be communicated to local authorities soon.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of including financial education in the curriculum for GCSE Maths.

Currently pupils receive financial education through both the mathematics and citizenship curricula, for example covering compound interest in mathematics GCSE.The government has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, chaired by Professor Becky Francis CBE. The Review is looking into the current programmes of study within its work to ensure a rich, broad, inclusive and innovative curriculum that readies young people for life and work.As set out in the Review Group’s interim report, they have heard consistently from children and young people and their parents that they want more focus on the applied knowledge and skills that will equip them for later life and work, such as financial education.The Review’s final report and recommendations will be published in the autumn, at which time the government will respond.

What steps her Department is taking to support teachers in Continuous Professional Development programmes in state schools.

High quality teaching is the most significant in-school determinant of pupil outcomes and is essential to reducing the attainment gap. The department supports new and experienced teachers with continuous professional development (CPD) to ensure teachers remain highly skilled. We will introduce a new teacher training entitlement to ensure teachers stay up to date on best practice.The department offers National Professional Qualifications (NPQs) that help boost teachers and leaders’ existing knowledge and confidence as they progress in their careers. We are currently reviewing NPQ courses to ensure they align with the latest evidence and best practice.The department has also established a network of 87 Teaching School Hubs across the country, which act as centres of expertise for CPD.The department provides support across a range of subjects via networks of hubs that help build teacher capability and pupil access to subjects. Examples include English Hubs, Maths Hubs and the Advanced Maths Support Programme. We are continuing and expanding the Subject Knowledge for Physics Teaching Programme, and are moving to an online national CPD offer which can support all teachers in computing and languages.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the ban on single use vapes on the prevalence of vaping in schools.

The sale of vapes to under 18s is illegal, and the Tobacco and Vapes Bill will ban the sale of all consumer nicotine products to anyone under 18.Schools are required by law to have a behaviour policy that sets out what is expected of all pupils, including what items are banned from school premises. The department supports head teachers in taking proportionate and measured steps to ensure good behaviour in schools.To support schools to do so, the 'Behaviour in schools' guidance supports schools to develop a behaviour policy that will encourage good behaviour and set out the sanctions that will be imposed for misbehaviour, including vaping anywhere in school.Schools have the autonomy to decide which items should be banned from their premises, and these can include e-cigarettes or vapes. School staff can search pupils for banned items as outlined in the department’s Searching, Screening and Confiscation guidance.

Whether her Department funds educational programmes on coastal conservation for schools visiting beaches.

The department does not fund specific educational programmes on coastal conservation, but free resources on coastal topics are provided by Oak National Academy. Bodies such as the Geographical Association and Royal Geographical Society, and others with an interest in coastal conservation, also provide resources.

What steps she is taking to encourage more students to study languages in schools.

The study of languages is compulsory under the national curriculum at key stages 2 and 3 for all maintained schools, and will become compulsory in academies, subject to the passage of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill.The most important factor in encouraging students to continue studying languages beyond key stage 3 is the quality of teaching. The government continues to fund the National Consortium for Languages Education, which is developing a new model of language support for schools and online continuing professional development for teachers that will support high quality language teaching. This programme is designed to have national reach, ensuring that all schools can benefit regardless of their location.To further support languages education, the department is offering a £26,000 tax-free bursary for trainee language teachers starting courses in 2025, or alternatively, a £28,000 tax-free scholarship for those training to teach French, German, or Spanish. Additionally, Oak National Academy is developing modern foreign languages lesson resources for key stages 2 to 4, to be fully released by autumn 2025, helping teachers deliver high quality lessons and reduce planning time.

Pursuant to the Answer of 4 July 2025 to Question 63093 on Nurseries: Fylde, what steps her Department took to advertise the opportunity to participate in the programme to schools in Fylde at the last round of allocations; and if she will make an assessment of the effectiveness of the advertisement process.

To promote the School-Based Nursery Capital Grant 2024/25, the department published detailed information on GOV.UK and the Education Hub, supported by social media posts. We held two webinars for schools and one for local authorities to explain the programme and answer questions. Additional communications were shared in a variety of ways with local authorities and stakeholders to help cascade information to schools.The programme received 642 applications, which was more than double the number of available grants. The North West, where Fylde is located, submitted 115 applications (18% of the total), the highest of any region and above its 15% share of primary schools nationally.The government has committed nearly £370 million to further expand school-based nursery places, with next steps to be announced shortly. Schools in Fylde are encouraged to stay in touch with their local authority about upcoming opportunities to create or expand school-based nursery provision.The department is reviewing its communications to inform future rounds.

What steps she is taking to provide training opportunities for people to upskill in the use of artificial intelligence.

​Through our Industrial Strategy, published in June 2025, this government will ensure the skills system and employment support align with strategic economic priorities, including the needs of priority sectors and transformative opportunities like artificial intelligence (AI).The government’s commitment to realising the benefits of AI was also illustrated in January, when we agreed to take forward all 50 recommendations from Matt Clifford’s AI Opportunities Action Plan.New short courses in areas such as digital, AI, and engineering will be introduced in England, funded through the Growth and Skills Levy, to support Industrial Strategy sectors like Creative Industries and Advanced Manufacturing from April 2026.From January 2027, the department will launch the Lifelong Learning Entitlement, enabling individuals to learn, upskill and retrain across their working lives. The first modular courses for approval will support progression into Industrial Strategy priority sectors.The government recently announced a joint commitment with leading technology companies to provide 7.5 million workers with essential AI skills by 2030, around 20% of the UK workforce. Companies such as Google, Microsoft and Accenture have committed to making high quality training materials widely available to workers in businesses, large and small, across the country free of charge over the next five years.