Every parliamentary written question tabled by Ben Maguire this session, with the full answer and department. Back to the MP page.
Showing 1–20 of 26 · Department for Education
What assessment she has made of the potential merits of introducing transitional financial support for people to train as paramedics under the Plan 2 university-only model, in the context of the availability of apprenticeship pathways for paramedics.
Awaiting answer.
If she will take legislative steps to ensure kinship carers receive an allowance equivalent to that provided to foster carers.
Kinship carers play a vital role in providing stable, loving homes for children who cannot live with their parents, and the government recognises the significant contribution they make.The department is testing the impact of financial support through the Kinship Zones pilot, including an allowance set at the fostering National Minimum Allowance. This pilot is designed to support up to 5,000 families over the life of the pilot, with over £126 million confirmed for the first two years while we test and learn.The pilot is exploring how this can improve outcomes for children in kinship care and provide greater stability for families. An independent evaluation will track outcomes for carers and children and will inform any future policy decisions.The department is also investing in wider support for kinship families, including ensuring all local authorities publish a kinship local offer and that all kinship carers have access to free information, support and peer group services nationally.
What assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Children and Young Persons Act 1933.
The provisions in the Children and Young Persons Act 1933 are kept under review and updated through primary legislation. We are currently seeking to make updates through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, including in part II of the act, which makes provision for the employment of children in England and Wales.
Whether she has had discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on funding for the Music and Dance Scheme; and whether she plans to announce a multiple-year settlement.
I refer the hon. Member for North Cornwall to the answer of 20 October 2025 to Question 78608.
If her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of standardising complaint procedures for (a) schools and (b) trusts to ensure that (i) parents and (ii) guardians have the same opportunity to access those procedures.
The department is working closely with the Improving Education Together group to improve the complaints system. We are exploring how to reset the relationship between schools and parents through encouraging informal resolution, reducing duplication, and clarifying roles and responsibilities. Where schools cannot resolve complaints, they should be passed quickly to the right body. We expect to provide more detail in the Schools White Paper.The department has published best practice guidance for maintained schools and academies, including model complaints policies, and this can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-complaints-procedures and https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/setting-up-an-academies-complaints-procedure/best-practice-guidance-for-academies-complaints-procedures.Complaints can be escalated to the department once a school’s process has been exhausted, unless the complainant has been obstructed. Once received, officials check whether the school’s complaints policy complies with relevant guidance and regulations.The department values the dedication and expertise of the school workforce and is committed to working with them to re-establish teaching as an attractive, expert profession.
If her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of assessing (a) schools' and (b) trusts' complaint procedures to ensure that the complaint process is adequately (i) accessible and (ii) understandable.
The department is working closely with the Improving Education Together group to improve the complaints system. We are exploring how to reset the relationship between schools and parents through encouraging informal resolution, reducing duplication, and clarifying roles and responsibilities. Where schools cannot resolve complaints, they should be passed quickly to the right body. We expect to provide more detail in the Schools White Paper.The department has published best practice guidance for maintained schools and academies, including model complaints policies, and this can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-complaints-procedures and https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/setting-up-an-academies-complaints-procedure/best-practice-guidance-for-academies-complaints-procedures.Complaints can be escalated to the department once a school’s process has been exhausted, unless the complainant has been obstructed. Once received, officials check whether the school’s complaints policy complies with relevant guidance and regulations.The department values the dedication and expertise of the school workforce and is committed to working with them to re-establish teaching as an attractive, expert profession.
If her Department will hold discussions with (a) universities and (b) students' unions on introducing (i) safety frameworks, (ii) standardised risk assessments, (iii) training and (iv) a duty to report incidents in relation to student-led outdoor activities.
I refer the hon. Member for North Cornwall to the answer of 5 June 2025 to Question 54501.
Whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to ensure that (a) universities and (b) students' unions have a duty of care to students while undertaking student-led outdoor activities.
I refer the hon. Member for North Cornwall to the answer of 5 June 2025 to Question 54501.
Whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of allowing flexibility for term-time absences for children from families employed in the (a) agricultural and (b) tourism sectors.
The department has high expectations for all pupils’ attendance. Parents are legally responsible for ensuring regular attendance if their child is of compulsory school age and registered at a school.Taking children out of school for holidays can significantly disrupt their education. Missing one week each year, combined with typical absences for illness, can add up to two full terms missed by year 11. This also disrupts teaching and impacts the wider class.While holidays can be enriching, the school year allows ample time for breaks outside of term time. Schools do have discretion to approve leave in exceptional circumstances, but holidays generally do not qualify.The department understands some sectors face pressures at peak times, but we are not aware of any employer that prohibits leave during every school holiday. Schools also have flexibility to plan term dates and inset days to help families manage their schedules.
With reference to her correspondence to the Interim Chair of the Office for Students, dated 19 May 2025, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on the reprioritisation of high-cost subject funding away from journalism courses.
We have made difficult decisions, driven by the challenging fiscal inheritance, regarding the allocation of Strategic Priorities Grant (SPG) funding. We are protecting support for high-cost subjects that are essential to delivery of our Industrial Strategy and protecting core funding to support access to higher education for disadvantaged groups.Subjects that will no longer receive high-cost subject funding (media studies, journalism, publishing, and information services) are valued by the government, but they are not as expensive to deliver. We acknowledge their importance alongside numerous other subjects that do not attract SPG high-cost subject funding, which include mathematics, history and languages.
If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a cap on the proportion of academy trust budgets that can be spent on senior leadership salaries.
The department sets out its expectations on pay for academies and academy trusts in the Academy Trust Handbook (ATH), which is published on GOV.UK, and available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/66a3909aab418ab055592dda/Academy_trust_handbook_2024_FINAL.pdf. The ATH requires that:An academy trust’s board of trustees ensures its decisions, when setting levels of executive pay, including salary and any other benefits, follow a robust evidence-based process.Academy trusts’ decisions on pay must be a reasonable and defensible reflection of the individual’s role and responsibilities.No individual can be involved in deciding their remuneration.Academy trusts must be transparent on pay and publish the number of employees whose benefits exceed £100,000 on their websites in £10,000 bandings. Where employees are also trustees, this information must be disclosed in £5,000 bandings. In addition, the department’s ‘Setting executive salaries’ guidance outlines the key contextual factors that trusts should be considering when setting or reviewing executive salaries. This guidance is published on GOV.UK and is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/setting-executive-salaries-guidance-for-academy-trusts/setting-executive-salaries-guidance-for-academy-trusts.
What assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of requiring academy trusts to publish full budgets.
All academy trusts must publish an annual report and accounts, which are audited by a registered statutory auditor. As part of their annual reports and accounts, academy trusts must also publish details of their objectives, achievements and future plans, including what they have done to promote value for money in support of these projects. In addition, financial information on individual schools, including a breakdown of their income and expenditure, is available on GOV.UK through the Schools Financial Benchmarking and Insight Tool, at: https://financial-benchmarking-and-insights-tool.education.gov.uk/.
What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the number of nurseries that have withdrawn from the childcare funding scheme citing cost pressures on early years provision.
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. 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.Local authorities are required by legislation to provide sufficient childcare places for children in their local area who require childcare. This includes children with special educational needs and disabilities and children in rural areas. Local authorities are also required to report annually to councillors on how they are meeting their duty to secure sufficient childcare and to make this report available and accessible to parents.The department has regular contact with each local authority in England about their sufficiency of childcare and any issues they are facing. Where local authorities report sufficiency challenges, we discuss what action they are taking to address those issues and, where needed, support the local authority with any specific requirements through our childcare sufficiency support contract. At present, no local authorities are reporting they are unable to meet their sufficiency duty.In the 2025/26 financial year alone, this government plans to spend over £8 billion on early years entitlements. The department has 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, raising it to the equivalent to up to £570 per eligible child per year.On top of this, the department is providing further supplementary funding of £75 million for the early years expansion grant to support the sector in providing the additional places and workforce needed by September 2025.
What steps her Department is taking to support nurseries with the cost of providing the expanded funded childcare hours.
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. 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 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 2024/25 financial year, equivalent to up to £570 per eligible child per year.In addition, the department is providing £75 million for the early years expansion grant to support the sector as it prepares 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 through the early years National Insurance Contributions grant.
What assessment she has made of the adequacy of the funding provided to early years providers for meeting the cost of a nursery place.
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. 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 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 2024/25 financial year, equivalent to up to £570 per eligible child per year.In addition, the department is providing £75 million for the early years expansion grant to support the sector as it prepares 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 through the early years National Insurance Contributions grant.
What steps her Department is taking to increase the flexibility of the apprenticeship levy for small businesses.
The government is reforming the Apprenticeship Levy into a new Growth and Skills Levy that will deliver greater flexibility for learners and employers of all sizes to develop the skills they need to thrive. As a first step, the department is introducing new foundation apprenticeships for young people, as well as shorter duration apprenticeships. The minimum duration of an apprenticeship will be reduced to eight months from August 2025, down from the current minimum of 12 months. This change means apprentices will be able to achieve occupational competence more quickly, where appropriate, such as, where apprentices have significant prior learning. Employers of all sizes will be able to benefit from these flexibilities.
What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of changes to the High Needs National Funding Formula on Cornwall County Council’s SEND funding for 2025/26.
This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or in alternative provision receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life.The structure of the high needs national funding formula (NFF) is largely unchanged in the 2025/26 financial year as the government needs time to consider what changes are necessary, both to make sure that we establish a fair education funding system that directs funding to where it is needed and to support any SEND reforms.Following the Autumn Budget 2024, the department is providing an increase of £1 billion for high needs budgets in England in the 2025/26 financial year, bringing total high needs funding for children and young people with complex SEND to £11.9 billion. Of that total, Cornwall County Council is being allocated over £86 million through the high needs funding block of the dedicated schools grant (DSG), an increase of £7.1 million on this year’s DSG high needs block, calculated using the high needs national funding formula (NFF). This NFF allocation is an 8.7% increase per head of their 2 to 18 year-old population, on their equivalent 2024/25 NFF allocation. We have also announced £740 million high needs capital funding for the 2025/26 financial year. We will confirm plans to allocate this funding to local authorities later in the spring.In addition to the DSG, local authorities will also receive a separate core schools budget grant (CSBG), and funding in respect of the increase in employers’ National Insurance contributions, in the 2025/26 financial year. This CSBG continues the separate grants payable this year, which are to help special schools and alternative provision with the costs of teachers’ pay and pension increases and other staff pay increases. Individual local authorities’ allocations of this funding for 2025/26 will be published in due course.
What plans she has to ensure a long-term funding agreement for PE and school sport.
The government is dedicated to increasing children's accessibility to physical education (PE) and sport provision, by protecting PE time and supporting grassroots clubs to expand access to sports for all girls and boys. Through the department’s independent, expert-led Curriculum and Assessment Review, we will seek to deliver a curriculum which is rich, broad and inclusive, ensuring all children and young people have the best start in life and have equal opportunities to participate in high-quality PE, sports and physical activities.Information on future funding will be shared in due course.
What steps her Department is taking to increase the accessibility of (a) PE and (b) sport provision for children in schools.
The government is dedicated to increasing children's accessibility to physical education (PE) and sport provision, by protecting PE time and supporting grassroots clubs to expand access to sports for all girls and boys. Through the department’s independent, expert-led Curriculum and Assessment Review, we will seek to deliver a curriculum which is rich, broad and inclusive, ensuring all children and young people have the best start in life and have equal opportunities to participate in high-quality PE, sports and physical activities.Information on future funding will be shared in due course.
What percentage of primary and secondary schools are delivering two hours of PE a week.
The government has pledged to protect physical education (PE) time and wants schools to offer a minimum of two hours of PE per week to their pupils. This government is committed to supporting schools to ensure this ambition is met, including through the PE and sports premium in primary schools.In December 2023 the department asked primary and secondary school leaders how many minutes of compulsory PE teaching were timetabled for pupils in the autumn term in the 2023/2024 academic year. The findings are published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-and-college-voice-omnibus-surveys-for-2023-to-2024/school-and-college-voice-december-2023.