Written questions by Dodds.

What steps her Department is taking through the Relationships, Sex and Health Education curriculum to tackle misogynistic narratives promoted by online influencers.

This government is committed to ensuring that children are taught to tackle harmful ideas, unhealthy views about relationships, and misogyny in school. We have overhauled the Relationships, Sex, and Health Education curriculum, with a new focus on developing skills for healthy relationships from the beginning of primary school, and equipping children with the tools to tackle harmful influences. Through our new statutory guidance, we will support young people to develop positive conceptions of masculinity and femininity, and to understand the harmful impacts of misogynistic online content, including pornography.The department is currently finalising a series of resources for Key Stages 2 to 5 to support schools to root out and tackle misogyny, complementing the series on our Educate Against Hate website. The new resources will aid development of stronger, respectful teaching environments with enhanced safeguarding and the prevention of toxic behaviours.We have also developed misogyny-specific content for the Kids Online Safety campaign site that will give parents information and tools to spot warning signs, hold open conversations and direct to further support where they need it.

Whether she is taking steps to engage with universities on the issue of the transnational repression of their staff and students.

Any attempt to intimidate, harass or harm academics in the UK will not be tolerated. Since February 2026, we have held a series of events, engaging over 200 higher education staff on foreign interference concerns such as transnational repression, including a meeting of Vice-Chancellors with Ministers and MI5. The Education Secretary also met with academics to discuss how to strengthen support.The National Security Act 2023 provides effective tools which increase our ability to target hostile activity from foreign states. For higher education, there are a range of relevant regulatory expectations including around academic freedom, free speech and protection from harassment. We have also issued guidance available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/protecting-uk-higher-education-from-foreign-interference to help students and staff identify and escalate concerns.The government is investing £3 million in a package of measures to tackle foreign interference, including a new Academic Interference Reporting Route, enabling senior university leaders to raise concerns directly with government.

What steps is she taking to help support academics in the UK from transnational repression.

Any attempt to intimidate, harass or harm academics in the UK will not be tolerated. Since February 2026, we have held a series of events, engaging over 200 higher education staff on foreign interference concerns such as transnational repression, including a meeting of Vice-Chancellors with Ministers and MI5. The Education Secretary also met with academics to discuss how to strengthen support.The National Security Act 2023 provides effective tools which increase our ability to target hostile activity from foreign states. For higher education, there are a range of relevant regulatory expectations including around academic freedom, free speech and protection from harassment. We have also issued guidance available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/protecting-uk-higher-education-from-foreign-interference to help students and staff identify and escalate concerns.The government is investing £3 million in a package of measures to tackle foreign interference, including a new Academic Interference Reporting Route, enabling senior university leaders to raise concerns directly with government.

What support she is providing to universities on the issue of transnational repression of their staff and students.

Any attempt to intimidate, harass or harm academics in the UK will not be tolerated. Since February 2026, we have held a series of events, engaging over 200 higher education staff on foreign interference concerns such as transnational repression, including a meeting of Vice-Chancellors with Ministers and MI5. The Education Secretary also met with academics to discuss how to strengthen support.The National Security Act 2023 provides effective tools which increase our ability to target hostile activity from foreign states. For higher education, there are a range of relevant regulatory expectations including around academic freedom, free speech and protection from harassment. We have also issued guidance available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/protecting-uk-higher-education-from-foreign-interference to help students and staff identify and escalate concerns.The government is investing £3 million in a package of measures to tackle foreign interference, including a new Academic Interference Reporting Route, enabling senior university leaders to raise concerns directly with government.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the contribution of Sudanese students on Higher Education.

The new International Education Strategy has confirmed this government's continued commitment to welcome international students who meet the requirements to study in the UK.The government recognises the significant economic and cultural contribution that all international students make to the UK’s higher education sector.We must, however, retain a robust immigration system which safeguards against exploitation. The government is therefore introducing targeted measures to help protect the integrity of the system, which may apply to study visas. These measures will apply where evidence shows a consistently high number and proportion of visa-linked asylum claims. Once in place, applications from the specified nationalities on the affected routes will be refused.The government announced on 4 March that these measures would be imposed on nationals of four countries, including Sudan. This means that Sudanese nationals will not be awarded a study visa until the measures are lifted.

What discussions she had with Cabinet colleagues prior to the recent decision concerning Sudanese student visas.

The new International Education Strategy has confirmed this government's continued commitment to welcome international students who meet the requirements to study in the UK.The government recognises the significant economic and cultural contribution that all international students make to the UK’s higher education sector.We must, however, retain a robust immigration system which safeguards against exploitation. The government is therefore introducing targeted measures to help protect the integrity of the system, which may apply to study visas. These measures will apply where evidence shows a consistently high number and proportion of visa-linked asylum claims. Once in place, applications from the specified nationalities on the affected routes will be refused.The government announced on 4 March that these measures would be imposed on nationals of four countries, including Sudan. This means that Sudanese nationals will not be awarded a study visa until the measures are lifted.

What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to promote equality and inclusion as part of the National Year of Reading.

I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Oxford East, to the answer of 24 February 2026 to Question 112742.

What estimate she has made of the number and percentage of a) undergraduate and b) postgraduate students who are parents with caring responsibilities.

The Higher Education Statistics Agency is responsible for collecting and publishing data on the UK higher education (HE) sector. This data is shared with the department and includes a wide range of information on students studying at UK HE providers. However, information on students who are parents with caring responsibilities is not collected, and therefore numbers and percentages of students in this position cannot be identified by the department.

What information her Department holds on the percentage of doctoral loans used by students to cover the costs of childcare.

Doctoral loans are intended to contribute to the cost of study, rather than to specifically cover tuition fees or livings costs, which provides flexibility to the student. The department does not hold any information on the proportion of doctoral loan funding that is spent on childcare.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of childcare costs on the ability of parents to undertake postgraduate study.

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. Student parents are eligible for the universal 15 hours of free early education which is available to all 3 and 4-year-olds regardless of family circumstances. Students who work in addition to studying may be eligible for 30 hours free childcare if they meet the income requirements. The government recognises the value of parents continuing in education and provides a range of support for students in higher education to support them with childcare. Support available to full-time students with dependent children includes the Childcare Grant and Parents’ Learning Allowance. Entitlement to these grants is based on a student’s household income. Further information on the childcare offers available to parents can be found at: https://www.beststartinlife.gov.uk/.

How many and what percentage of undergraduate students who are parents with caring responsibilities receive the Childcare Grant.

The number of full-time undergraduates domiciled in England who received the Childcare Grant in 2024/25 was 42,900, rounded to the nearest hundred. This is published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/student-support-for-higher-education-in-england-2025/student-support-for-higher-education-in-england-2025#childcare-grant It is not possible to report this as a percentage of parents with caring responsibilities as the department does not hold the total number of undergraduates who are parents with caring responsibilities. This is because declaration of caring responsibilities is optional and only required for applicants who wish to apply for Special Support Loans or Childcare Grants.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of (a) initial teacher training and (b) continuing professional development for teachers in media literacy.

The Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework sets out the foundational core content that defines great teaching. This includes anticipating common misconceptions within particular subjects, which is an important aspect of curricular knowledge. In the context of media literacy, this can help teachers to spot pupil misconceptions that may arise from various sources. Beyond this, providers can design a curriculum which is responsive to participant needs, including training on media literacy where necessary.The independent Curriculum and Assessment Review is evaluating the existing national curriculum and statutory assessment system in England, to ensure they are fit for purpose. The Review’s final report and recommendations will be published shortly. The government will then consider the recommendations and its response.The department funds the National Centre for Computing Education, which provides teachers with free CPD and resources to support the teaching of computing, including media literacy. In addition, Ofcom published its three-year Media Literacy Strategy in October 2024, which commits to supporting teachers through CPD, evaluation of training outcomes and stronger collaboration with regional partners to share learnings and effective practices.

What responsibility her Department has for ensuring media literacy.

I refer my hon. Friend, the member for Oxford East, to the answer of 1 May 2025 to Question 47185.

What steps she is taking to help improve levels of media literacy among vulnerable children who are more at risk online.

​On 5 November, the independent Curriculum and Assessment Review published its final report which includes recommendations for a refreshed curriculum and assessment system in England. The government responded to this report and the response includes a commitment to ensure children are more digitally literate. This will be achieved by including media literacy in the new primary citizenship curriculum, and strengthening it in both the English curriculum, English language GCSE and in history. Furthermore, a refreshed computing curriculum will build digital confidence from an early age, including essential content on artificial intelligence.​Work is now underway to deliver a new curriculum and assessment system that is ambitious for every child, rich in knowledge and strong on skills.

Pursuant to the Answer of 26 September 2025 to Question 70899 on Nurseries: Finance, whether her Department has made an assessment of the financial viability of private equity-backed nursery providers.

It is the department’s 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 the Plan for Change.As laid out in the Best Start in Life strategy, the department therefore keeps the structure of the market, including the role of private equity, debt, profit levels, and the prices that parents pay, under close review.

What is the proposed timeline for implementing a system to identify children with a parent in prison.

Departmental officials continue to work closely with their counterparts at the Ministry of Justice to deliver the manifesto commitment to identify children affected by parental imprisonment as swiftly as possible, to help ensure that they get the support they need to thrive. A multi-year spending review has recently taken place to determine departmental budgets from 2026/27 to 2028/29. We are currently finalising the allocations process to set internal budgets for this spending period. Officials are working through the details of potential delivery options and this will inform timelines once internal budgets are finalised. Last month we published our preliminary market engagement notice for our multidisciplinary training offer for professionals which can be found here: https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/050622-2025. This marks an important step towards getting children the support they may need once they are identified.

What discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on ensuring coordination in establishing a system to identify children with parents in prison.

The Department for Education and the Ministry of Justice recognise the importance of cross-government coordination to identify children affected by parental imprisonment and to help ensure that they get the support they need to thrive. In June, we held a cross-government workshop with officials from a range of government departments, to help deepen attendees’ understanding of the impact of parental imprisonment and foster collaborative thinking on how policies and strategies can better reflect the needs of families. In July, officials from the Department for Education, the Ministry of Justice, His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service and the Department of Health and Social Care, attended the Family Hub All Party Parliamentary Group meeting with a special focus on families affected by parental imprisonment. Further discussions are ongoing as part of strategic planning.

If she will make an assessment of the financial viability of nursery groups funded by (a) private equity firms and (b) venture capital funds.

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.One of the signs of a healthy market is a range of providers offering choice and flexibility for parents.As laid out in the Best Start in Life strategy, the department keeps the structure of the market, including the role of private equity, debt, profit levels, and the prices that parents pay, under close review.As of the most recent data available, 7.5% of places are with providers that have private equity backing, up from 4% in 2018.

If she will make an estimate of the rate of growth in each of the last five years in the (a) absolute number and (b) proportion of nurseries that are backed by (i) private equity firms, (ii) pension funds and (iii) venture capital funds.

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.One of the signs of a healthy market is a range of providers offering choice and flexibility for parents.As laid out in the Best Start in Life strategy, the department keeps the structure of the market, including the role of private equity, debt, profit levels, and the prices that parents pay, under close review.As of the most recent data available, 7.5% of places are with providers that have private equity backing, up from 4% in 2018.

How many local authorities have been able to auto-enrol children for free school meals; and whether she expects that the new expanded eligibility will increase this number.

I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Oxford East to the answer of 25 June 2025 to Question 58496.