Written questions by Fox.

Whether she plans to include neurodiversity awareness on the curriculum at (a) primary and (b) secondary schools.

The Curriculum and Assessment Review’s final report and the government’s response were published on 5 November. The Review sought to identify and focus on addressing the most significant and pressing issues facing curriculum and assessment without destabilising the system.A key focus of the Review was inclusion and special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), explored through dedicated inclusion work strands that were embedded across all areas of the panel’s work. Throughout the Review, the experiences and outcomes of children and young people from disadvantaged backgrounds and with special educational needs were considered to ensure the reformed curriculum works for every child.In 2025 the department invested in multi-million-pound programmes, such as Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (PINS) and Early Language Support for Every Child (ELSEC), that bring together central and local government, schools and parents to test and learn new ways to improve outcomes for children and young people with SEND.

What training is available for teachers on supporting neurodivergent children in the classroom.

The department is committed to supporting children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).From September 2025, the department implemented the revised initial teacher training and early career framework, adding more content related to adaptive teaching and improving inclusivity for SEND pupils. The department also enhanced the requirement on providers to develop SEND training materials.Beyond the first few years of teaching, national professional qualifications (NPQs) are available to education professionals at all levels. In 2024 we began delivery of the NPQ for special educational needs co-ordinators (SENCOs). This is the mandatory qualification for SENCOs in mainstream schools. Participants will develop the knowledge and skills needed to set the strategic direction of special educational needs policy and the conditions for pupils with SEND to thrive.The department has committed to a full review of both NPQs and early career teacher training, which will include a focus on SEND.The Universal SEND Services programme helps the school and further education workforce to identify and meet the needs of children and young people with SEND earlier and more effectively. It also helps them to successfully prepare children and young people for adulthood, including employment.The Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (PINS) programme is a national programme backed by £22 million of investment. It is a cross-government collaboration between the department, the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England, supported by the National Network of Parent Carer Forums. PINS deploys specialists from both health and education workforces to build teacher and staff capacity to identify and better meet the needs of neurodivergent children in mainstream primary schools.

What discussions she has had on ensuring that the Music and Dance Scheme continues to support the same number of students for future scholarships.

The government fully supports the arts and the development of a skills pipeline into the creative industries. The department is providing £36.5 million for the Music and Dance Scheme (MDS) this academic year. The MDS currently provides bursaries for over 2,000 students. The number of students supported in future will be considered in due course. Any introduction of multi-year funding agreements will also be considered in due course.

Whether she considered a multi-year funding settlement for the Music and Dance Scheme after the spending review; and if she will consider setting out a multi-year funding settlement for the scheme in future years.

The government fully supports the arts and the development of a skills pipeline into the creative industries. The department is providing £36.5 million for the Music and Dance Scheme (MDS) this academic year. The MDS currently provides bursaries for over 2,000 students. The number of students supported in future will be considered in due course. Any introduction of multi-year funding agreements will also be considered in due course.

What proportion of staff in her Department did not meet the minimum office attendance target in the latest period for which data is available; and what sanctions her Department issues to staff who do not meet this target.

On 24 October 2024, the Cabinet Office announced that 60% minimum office attendance for most staff continues to be the best balance of working for the Civil Service. Senior managers will continue to be expected to be in the office more than 60% of the time. If people do not meet that reasonable expectation, as with any management instruction, it should be dealt with via existing management processes and, ultimately, with disciplinary action should there be sustained failure to comply.Decisions on the working arrangements within individual departments are delegated matters, but the department’s approach is aligned with this wider expectation and managers are empowered to address non-compliance through informal conversations or formal warnings depending on the nature and seriousness of the issue.Data on average office occupancy is available on a quarterly basis at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-headquarters-occupancy-data.

What proportion of staff in her Department have flexible working arrangements; and how many of those work compressed hours.

Flexible working arrangements are a core part of the Civil Service employment offer. These arrangements play a vital role in attracting top talent to government roles and support the delivery of high quality public services.Whilst comprehensive data on all flexible working arrangements across the department is not currently available, the table below provides a snapshot of staff working part-time or compressed hours as at 31 August 2025.Full-time employees5,58868.6%Part-time employees1,35116.6%Employees working compressed hours1,21114.9%

What estimate she has made of the potential impact of increases to employer national insurance contributions on the average staffing costs for each nursery.

It is the government’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. This is key to the government’s Plan for Change, which starts with reaching the milestone of a record number of children being ready for school. That also means ensuring the sector is financially sustainable and confident as it continues to deliver entitlements and high-quality early years provision going forward.That is why, despite tough decisions to get our public finances back on track, the government is continuing to prioritise and invest, supporting early education and childcare providers with the costs they face.In the 2025/26 financial year alone, the department plans to spend over £8 billion on early years entitlements. We have also announced the largest ever uplift to the early years pupil premium, increasing the rate by over 45% compared to the 2024/25 financial year, equivalent to up to £570 per eligible child per year.On top of this we are providing further supplementary funding of £75 million for the early years expansion grant to support the sector as they prepare to deliver the final phase of expanded childcare entitlements from September 2025, recognising the significant level of expansion needed and the effort and planning this will require. We are also providing £25 million of funding to support public sector employers with increased national insurance contributions (NICs) through the early years NICs grant.As we continue to roll out the new entitlements, we will keep the funding process under review to ensure that early years funding is distributed fairly and efficiently.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of increases in employer national insurance contributions on the number of nurseries.

It is the government’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. This is key to the government’s Plan for Change, which starts with reaching the milestone of a record number of children being ready for school. That also means ensuring the sector is financially sustainable and confident as it continues to deliver entitlements and high-quality early years provision going forward.That is why, despite tough decisions to get our public finances back on track, the government is continuing to prioritise and invest, supporting early education and childcare providers with the costs they face.In the 2025/26 financial year alone, the department plans to spend over £8 billion on early years entitlements. We have also announced the largest ever uplift to the early years pupil premium, increasing the rate by over 45% compared to the 2024/25 financial year, equivalent to up to £570 per eligible child per year.On top of this we are providing further supplementary funding of £75 million for the early years expansion grant to support the sector as they prepare to deliver the final phase of expanded childcare entitlements from September 2025, recognising the significant level of expansion needed and the effort and planning this will require. We are also providing £25 million of funding to support public sector employers with increased national insurance contributions (NICs) through the early years NICs grant.As we continue to roll out the new entitlements, we will keep the funding process under review to ensure that early years funding is distributed fairly and efficiently.

What assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the funding model for nurseries.

It is the government’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. This is key to the government’s Plan for Change, which starts with reaching the milestone of a record number of children being ready for school. That also means ensuring the sector is financially sustainable and confident as it continues to deliver entitlements and high-quality early years provision going forward.That is why, despite tough decisions to get our public finances back on track, the government is continuing to prioritise and invest, supporting early education and childcare providers with the costs they face.In the 2025/26 financial year alone, the department plans to spend over £8 billion on early years entitlements. We have also announced the largest ever uplift to the early years pupil premium, increasing the rate by over 45% compared to the 2024/25 financial year, equivalent to up to £570 per eligible child per year.On top of this we are providing further supplementary funding of £75 million for the early years expansion grant to support the sector as they prepare to deliver the final phase of expanded childcare entitlements from September 2025, recognising the significant level of expansion needed and the effort and planning this will require. We are also providing £25 million of funding to support public sector employers with increased national insurance contributions (NICs) through the early years NICs grant.As we continue to roll out the new entitlements, we will keep the funding process under review to ensure that early years funding is distributed fairly and efficiently.

Whether she has had discussions with Cabinet colleagues on the potential merits of exempting nurseries from increases to employers' National Insurance contributions.

It is the government’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. This is key to the government’s Plan for Change, which starts with reaching the milestone of a record number of children being ready for school. That also means ensuring the sector is financially sustainable and confident as it continues to deliver entitlements and high-quality early years provision going forward.That is why, despite tough decisions to get our public finances back on track, the government is continuing to prioritise and invest, supporting early education and childcare providers with the costs they face.In the 2025/26 financial year alone, the department plans to spend over £8 billion on early years entitlements. We have also announced the largest ever uplift to the early years pupil premium, increasing the rate by over 45% compared to the 2024/25 financial year, equivalent to up to £570 per eligible child per year.On top of this we are providing further supplementary funding of £75 million for the early years expansion grant to support the sector as they prepare to deliver the final phase of expanded childcare entitlements from September 2025, recognising the significant level of expansion needed and the effort and planning this will require. We are also providing £25 million of funding to support public sector employers with increased national insurance contributions (NICs) through the early years NICs grant.As we continue to roll out the new entitlements, we will keep the funding process under review to ensure that early years funding is distributed fairly and efficiently.

Whether there are any requirements for civil servants to book a desk in advance in order to attend the office in person in each of (a) their Department's office workplaces and (b) the arm’s length bodies of their Department.

The department, via the Government Property Agency as its asset manager, leases a total of thirteen sites, in multi-tenanted buildings, for use by its staff. There is no requirement for staff to book a desk in advance in order to attend the office in person. All the department’s arm length bodies, bar those classed as Executive Agencies, manage their own respective estates. They have advised that they do not require staff to book a desk in advance in order to attend any of their offices.

Pursuant to the Answer of 30 October 2024 to Question 9068 on Department for Education: Buildings, how many individual desks were occupied in her Department’s headquarters office in the most recent four weeks for which figures are available.

Heads of department have agreed that 60% minimum office attendance for most staff continues to be the best balance of working for the Civil Service. Office occupancy data for the period July to September has been published, with further publications to happen on a quarterly basis. The data is published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-hq-occupancy-data.

Pursuant to the Answer of 30 October 2024 to Question 9068 on Department for Education: Buildings, how many civil servants are assigned to work in her Department's headquarters in London; and how many individual desks are available in that office.

I refer the hon. Member for Bridgewater to the answer of 20 November 2024 to Question 9067.

Pursuant to the Answer of 1 November 2024 to Question 9069 on Department for Education: Ministers' Private Offices, if she will publish the invoice for the new chairs.

Due to commercial sensitivity, it is against departmental policy to publish invoices.

How much was spent on (a) new furniture and fittings and (b) other refurbishment of Ministerial offices in her Department since the dissolution of the last Parliament; and on what items this was spent.

Since the dissolution of the last Parliament, the only purchase relating to Ministerial furniture was at a cost of £1,627.50. This spend incorporates:•  Low back, full upholstered meeting chair – Quantity 3.There have been some modifications to the offices to facilitate additional flexibility in set up and use of the Ministerial rooms. This has been at a cost of £12,886.71. This spend incorporates: •  Relocation of floor boxes including raising access floor.•  Supply and install of cabling, sockets, data plates and residual current devices.•  Standard Liability cover.•  Labour.•  Out of hours working.

How many and what proportion of desks were occupied in each of her Department's offices in the most recent four weeks for which figures are available; and how many staff attended each office in person in the same period.

Heads of department have agreed that 60% minimum office attendance for most staff continues to be the best balance of working for the Civil Service. Office occupancy data for the period July to September has been published, with further publications to now happen on a quarterly basis. The data is published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-hq-occupancy-data.

How many civil servants are assigned to work in each of her Department's offices; and how many desks are available in each office.

The table below uses September’s HR workforce data, and includes all staff. Site NameLocationCapacity (desk only)September HR Staff Data3 Glass Wharf (Bristol)Bristol122351Eastbrook House (Cambridge)Cambridge4049Cheylesmore House (Coventry)Coventry6941089Trafalgar House (Croydon)Croydon4053Bishopsgate House (Darlington)Darlington3236747/8 Wellington Place (Leeds)Leeds48130Sanctuary Buildings (London)London - Sanctuary Buildings9402080Piccadilly Gate (Manchester)Manchester4801136Newcastle Civic Centre (Newcastle)Newcastle51142Unity Square (Nottingham)Nottingham120365St Paul's Place (Sheffield)Sheffield7671447Clarendon Road (Watford)Watford2444Total143649 7560

Whether there will be cuts to the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund in the next Budget.

The department is continuing to hold Spending Review discussions regarding future funding for children’s social care with colleagues across government.

Whether she has had discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on expanding the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund.

The department is continuing to hold Spending Review discussions regarding future funding for children’s social care with colleagues across government.