Written questions by Sabine.

What plans her Department has for the continuation of the Primary PE and Sport Premium for the 2026–27 academic year.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of uncertainty around future sport funding on schools’ ability to plan provision for the 2026–27 academic year.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Whether she plans to retain ring-fenced funding for physical education and physical activity in primary schools.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Whether her Department has considered revising student finance regulations so that only the income of a student’s biological or legally responsible parents is taken into account when determining maintenance loan entitlement.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of the distribution of student loan maintenance support calculations, in the context of households where a step-parent’s income is included but a non-resident biological parent’s income is not.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

What assessment her Department has made of the fairness of including the income of a non-biological step-parent in household income calculations for student finance eligibility.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

What proportion of the capital grant for musical instruments has been distributed in (a) total and (b) each region of England.

The government is investing £25 million capital for musical instruments, equipment and technology from the 2024/25 academic year, across all Music Hub partnerships in England. The proportion of the funding distributed to date by region is set out below, with the remaining funding to be distributed by the end of the 2025/26 academic year. England regionProportion distributed to dateEast Midlands43%East of England30%London36%East and South East30%North East30%North West37%South East52%South West47%West Midlands29%Yorkshire and The Humber34%England38% The independent evaluation is focussed on implementation, delivery and impact of the partnerships and capital investment, and reported benefits for pupils and schools. Interim findings are due by autumn 2025.Data on progression at pupil level is outside of the scope of the evaluation, however Arts Council England publishes management information on standards achieved through whole class ensemble teaching, and individual and group lessons, on their Music Hubs data dashboard.It is for schools to decide whether to seek the support of Music Hub partnerships. Guidance on schools’ annual music development plans strongly encourages them to do so.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of requiring state schools to engage with music hubs.

The government is investing £25 million capital for musical instruments, equipment and technology from the 2024/25 academic year, across all Music Hub partnerships in England. The proportion of the funding distributed to date by region is set out below, with the remaining funding to be distributed by the end of the 2025/26 academic year. England regionProportion distributed to dateEast Midlands43%East of England30%London36%East and South East30%North East30%North West37%South East52%South West47%West Midlands29%Yorkshire and The Humber34%England38% The independent evaluation is focussed on implementation, delivery and impact of the partnerships and capital investment, and reported benefits for pupils and schools. Interim findings are due by autumn 2025.Data on progression at pupil level is outside of the scope of the evaluation, however Arts Council England publishes management information on standards achieved through whole class ensemble teaching, and individual and group lessons, on their Music Hubs data dashboard.It is for schools to decide whether to seek the support of Music Hub partnerships. Guidance on schools’ annual music development plans strongly encourages them to do so.

Whether the assessment of the Music Hub programme by the National Centre for Social Research will report on the progression of students.

The government is investing £25 million capital for musical instruments, equipment and technology from the 2024/25 academic year, across all Music Hub partnerships in England. The proportion of the funding distributed to date by region is set out below, with the remaining funding to be distributed by the end of the 2025/26 academic year. England regionProportion distributed to dateEast Midlands43%East of England30%London36%East and South East30%North East30%North West37%South East52%South West47%West Midlands29%Yorkshire and The Humber34%England38% The independent evaluation is focussed on implementation, delivery and impact of the partnerships and capital investment, and reported benefits for pupils and schools. Interim findings are due by autumn 2025.Data on progression at pupil level is outside of the scope of the evaluation, however Arts Council England publishes management information on standards achieved through whole class ensemble teaching, and individual and group lessons, on their Music Hubs data dashboard.It is for schools to decide whether to seek the support of Music Hub partnerships. Guidance on schools’ annual music development plans strongly encourages them to do so.

What assessment she has made of the potential implications for her Department's home-to-school travel policy of the Children's Walking and Cycling Index, published by Sustrans on 26 February 2025.

Local authorities already have a duty to promote the use of sustainable travel on journeys to and from places of education in their area. This includes children who are not eligible for free school travel provided by the local authority. Local authorities must publish a ‘sustainable modes of travel’ strategy which sets out their vision for improving the infrastructure for sustainable travel and promoting sustainable travel to places of education. It should aim to provide health benefits for children and their families through active journeys and environmental improvements through reduced congestion and improved air quality. Further information is available in the department's statutory guidance for local authorities, which can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/home-to-school-travel-and-transport-guidance.Active Travel England is the government’s executive agency responsible for promoting walking, wheeling and cycling as the preferred choice of travel in England. They support local authorities with grant funding for the development and construction of walking, wheeling and cycling facilities and are responsible for a number of schemes which promote active travel to school. Further information can be found at: https://www.activetravelengland.gov.uk/.

What support she is providing to families requiring services under the adoption and special guardian support fund.

The adoption and special guardianship support fund (ASGSF) provides trauma and attachment related therapy and specialist assessments for children and families where the child has previously been in local authority care and has been adopted or is under a special guardianship order. The department will shortly be finalising business planning decisions on the allocation of the department’s budget for the next financial year.To ensure there are no gaps in therapy, ASGSF applications are currently permitted to extend up to 12 months, allowing children and families to receive continuing therapy across financial years. Where applications are approved, therapy which starts during March 2025 may therefore continue into the next financial year, under previously agreed transitional funding arrangements.

What steps she is taking to support teachers' mental health.

I refer the hon. Member for Frome and East Somerset to the answer of 14 February 2025 to Question 29516.

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of reduced funding for (a) Now Teach and (b) other charities on the recruitment of teachers.

Now Teach currently deliver a national Career Changers Programme. The previous government confirmed to Now Teach in April 2024 that the programme is not being reprocured and will come to a natural end in August 2026 when the current cohort completes the p...

What her policy is on the policy paper entitled The Power of Music to Change Lives: A National Plan for Music Education, published by her Department on 25 June 2022.

As part of our Opportunity Mission, this government is committed to ensuring that every child has a rich and broad education, including access to arts and music, which sets them up to achieve and thrive throughout life.The national plan for music educatio...

How many (a) primary, (b) secondary and (c) sixth-form schools are affected by RAAC in Frome and East Somerset constituency.

No primary, secondary or sixth form schools in the Frome and East Somerset constituency have been identified as being affected by reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC).

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the level of teaching on climate (a) change, (b) mitigation and (c) adaptation in schools.

The government is aware of the critical importance of meeting the challenge of sustainability and climate change and empowering children and young people by providing them with the knowledge and skills to take positive climate action and drive solutions.T...

What steps her Department is taking to help support children with special educational needs and disabilities to receive an education, health and care plan.

The department knows that parents have struggled to get the right support for their children, particularly through long and difficult education, health and care plan processes. The department will work across the sector to provide support for children and...

What information her Department holds on the number of (a) suspensions and (b) exclusions from schools in Somerset by age in each of the last ten years.

The department publishes figures from the school census on suspensions and permanent exclusions from state-funded schools in England. The most recent release can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/suspensions-and-permanent-exclusions-in-england. The number of suspensions and permanent exclusions in Somerset by age, for the 2013/14 to 2022/23 academic years, which is the latest data available, can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/31f23f0d-20c2-4c95-b8d0-08dcab23db45.