Every parliamentary written question tabled by Ben Obese-Jecty this session, with the full answer and department. Back to the MP page.
Showing 41–60 of 111 · Department for Education
With reference to page 88 of the Strategic Defence Review 2025, published on 8 July 2025, what progress she has made on working with the Ministry of Defence to develop understanding of the Armed Forces among young people in schools.
I refer the hon. Member for Huntingdon to the answer of 13 June 2025 to Question 57466.
What assessment she has made of the potential merits of providing specific funding for Hinchingbrooke School to maintain Hinchingbrooke House.
The government has given a long-term commitment for capital investment through to the 2034/35 financial year to improve the condition of schools and colleges across England. We are investing almost £3 billion per year by the 2034/35 financial year in capital maintenance and renewal to improve the condition of the school and college estate, rising from £2.4 billion in 2025/26.The Aces Academies Trust, the responsible body for Hinchingbrooke School, has been allocated £761,926 in capital funding for the 2025/26 financial year to decide how to invest across its schools, based on their own prioritisation of need. Future allocations will be confirmed in due course.The government has also announced almost £20 billion of investment for the School Rebuilding Programme through to the 2034/35 financial year, delivering rebuilding projects at over 500 schools across England within the existing programme, with a further 250 schools to be selected within the next two years. We plan to set out further details about the process for selecting additional schools later this year.
Which legacy systems will be (a) decommissioned and (b) replaced following the completion of the Data Futures Project.
The Data Futures Programme is led by the Office for Students (OfS) in collaboration with sector partners. The programme is primarily focused on enhancing data collection and reporting within the higher education sector.The programme is not directly managed by the department, and its scope and development are matters for the OfS. The department maintains an interest in its progress and continues to engage with relevant stakeholders as appropriate.Decisions regarding system changes or replacements in relation to the programme fall under the remit of the OfS and its delivery partners. The department does not hold specific information on system decommissioning linked to the programme. Any consideration of its relevance to operational data, including border movements, would be subject to further engagement with the OfS and other responsible bodies.The OfS, in collaboration with delivery partners including Jisc, are working to implement recommendations highlighted in the Price Waterhouse Coopers (PwC) review published in January 2025.
How many independent schools have been bought by Chinese-registered companies since 5 July 2025.
The department does not hold data on investment in or ownership of private schools.
Whether her Department has taken recent steps to expand the Data Futures Project.
The Data Futures Programme is led by the Office for Students (OfS) in collaboration with sector partners. The programme is primarily focused on enhancing data collection and reporting within the higher education sector.The programme is not directly managed by the department, and its scope and development are matters for the OfS. The department maintains an interest in its progress and continues to engage with relevant stakeholders as appropriate.Decisions regarding system changes or replacements in relation to the programme fall under the remit of the OfS and its delivery partners. The department does not hold specific information on system decommissioning linked to the programme. Any consideration of its relevance to operational data, including border movements, would be subject to further engagement with the OfS and other responsible bodies.The OfS, in collaboration with delivery partners including Jisc, are working to implement recommendations highlighted in the Price Waterhouse Coopers (PwC) review published in January 2025.
What subset of border movements are affected by the Data Futures Project.
The Data Futures Programme is led by the Office for Students (OfS) in collaboration with sector partners. The programme is primarily focused on enhancing data collection and reporting within the higher education sector.The programme is not directly managed by the department, and its scope and development are matters for the OfS. The department maintains an interest in its progress and continues to engage with relevant stakeholders as appropriate.Decisions regarding system changes or replacements in relation to the programme fall under the remit of the OfS and its delivery partners. The department does not hold specific information on system decommissioning linked to the programme. Any consideration of its relevance to operational data, including border movements, would be subject to further engagement with the OfS and other responsible bodies.The OfS, in collaboration with delivery partners including Jisc, are working to implement recommendations highlighted in the Price Waterhouse Coopers (PwC) review published in January 2025.
With reference to p.45 of the Defence Industrial Strategy: Making Defence an Engine for Growth (CP 1388), where the five new Defence Technical Excellence Colleges will be located.
A £182 million defence skills package was announced at the start of September 2025 in the Defence Industrial Strategy, which aims to make defence an engine for national renewal and economic growth, harnessing the skills needed for the future, from submarine engineers to specialist welders. The package centres on establishing five Defence Technical Excellence Colleges (DTECs), training people in the skills needed to secure new defence jobs in this growing industry.DTECs will be in England. The exact locations are yet to be determined and will be appointed through a fair and transparent application process. All further education (FE) colleges that are part of the statutory FE sector in England will be able to apply, subject to meeting specific eligibility criteria, to be released in due course. The selection process for these Technical Excellence Colleges will start by the end of 2025, with delivery planned to begin from April 2026. Further details will be published in due course.
What recent assessment she has made of the potential merits of revising how the high needs national funding formula is calculated.
The department’s aim is to establish a fair education funding system that directs resources to where they are most needed and enable improved support and outcomes for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).The department is therefore considering the funding required for future years and how it is to be allocated, following the conclusion of the recent spending review. Our objective is that future funding for SEND supports our plans for reforming the SEND system to boost children’s outcomes, which will be set out in further detail in a White Paper this autumn.
With reference to the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy, CP 1337, published on 23 June 2025, what his Department's approach is to placements within industry.
The department is developing a comprehensive strategy for post‐16 education and skills, to break down barriers to opportunity, support the development of a skilled workforce, and drive economic growth through our Industrial Strategy.T Levels are a key element of our skills strategy and all T Levels contain a mandatory industry placement of at least 45 days with an employer, focused on developing practical and technical skills for that area. Providers are responsible for arranging these placements. To support employers, funding is available in 2025/26 to help cover essential costs.The government has announced a £625 million skills package for the construction sector. This will include measures designed to raise awareness, boost access and improve the quality of training available, ensuring that more young people are equipped with the skills the construction sector urgently needs. As part of this package, the government has committed £100 million alongside a £32 million contribution from the Construction Industry Training Board to fund up to 40,000 Industry Placements each year for all level 2 and level 3 construction learners.
What recent progress she has made in establishing defence technical excellence colleges.
The department is introducing Technical Excellence Colleges (TECs) to specialise in training skilled workforces which industry needs in growth-driving priority sectors. The UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy confirmed that we will establish Defence Technical Excellence Colleges, provide funding for courses for defence related skills, and invest in cutting edge university facilities to increase places for defence skills provision. Delivering this package will be a joint endeavour between government and industry. The department has been working with the Ministry of Defence on this and further detail will be set out in the forthcoming Defence Industrial Strategy.
How many days were lost to sickness absence by civil servants in their Department (a) in total and (b) on average per employee between 5 July 2024 and 4 July 2025.
Sickness absence data for the Civil Service, including departmental breakdowns, is published annually, and is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/sickness-absence.The next update will be for the year ending 31 March 2025.
Which schools are included in the scope of the School Rebuilding Programme in Huntingdon constituency.
The government has given a long-term commitment for funding through to 2034/35 to improve the condition of schools and colleges across England. The department is investing almost £20 billion in the school rebuilding programme (SRP), delivering rebuilding projects at over 500 schools across England within the existing programme. The department is also expanding the SRP, with a further 250 schools to be selected within the next two years.The department invited responsible bodies to nominate schools to be considered for the SRP in early 2022. There are currently no schools in the constituency of Huntingdon in the programme. The department will set out further details about the selection process for the additional 250 schools to be selected for the SRP later this year.
What progress she has made in delivering the Early Years Childcare Reform Programme.
From 1 September, hundreds of thousands of families are better able to balance work and family life, with parents who use their full entitlement saving an average of £7,500 a year, and more children getting the high quality early education that will give them the best start in life.To support the expansion of childcare, the government has supported early years workforce recruitment through the ‘Do Something Big’ campaign, financial incentives and new routes into the profession. We have invested over £8 billion into early years entitlements in 2025/26 and created thousands more places through the school-based nurseries programme. Workforce has grown significantly, with 18,200 more staff delivering entitlements in private, voluntary and independent providers in 2025, a 7.2% rise from the previous year.There are over 5,800 more providers delivering childcare entitlements this year, the first increase in five years, and the biggest increase since data became available in 2018.
How many EHCPs were issued in Cambridgeshire in each year between 2014-15 and 2024-25 inclusive.
Information on the number of education, health and care (EHC) plans issued by Cambridgeshire is available as part of the statistical release which can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/education-health-and-care-plans/2025.This includes information at a local authority level and covers the calendar years from 2019 to 2024. Information for earlier years is available as part of the 2024 edition of the publication, which can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/education-health-and-care-plans/2024.
How many applications for the Special Educational Needs Inclusion Fund were made in Cambridgeshire in each year between 2014-15 and 2024-25 inclusive.
Since the 2017/18 financial year, all local authorities have been required to have a special educational needs inclusion fund (SENIF) for all eligible children for the entitlements and who have special educational needs.Local authorities should establish their SENIFs using funding from the early years block and/or the high needs block of their dedicated schools grant, considering pressures on high needs and early years budgets locally.The department gives local authorities the autonomy to set SENIF budgets and to decide on eligibility criteria locally, as they are best placed to meet local need. The department does not collect information on how many applications are made to local authorities.
Whether a Best Start Family Hub will be located within the (a) Huntingdon constituency and (b) Huntingdonshire District Council local authority area.
Ensuring every child has the best start in life and the chance to achieve and thrive is the foundation of the government’s Opportunity Mission.We will spend close to £1.5 billion over the next three years on improving family services and early years education. We will fund Best Start Family Hubs in every local authority to ensure that children and families who need support the most, especially those from low-income backgrounds or with additional vulnerabilities, can access it. These hubs will be open to all families but will be located in disadvantaged communities where support is most needed, ensuring services are both inclusive and targeted.
How many schools that initially applied for the breakfast clubs pilot scheme subsequently withdrew from that scheme.
The department had over 3,000 schools apply to be part of the early adopter scheme. As expected there was some movement in the schools taking part as we finalised the list of 750 before the launch of the scheme in April, but such change was minimal.From the start of this term, the department is funding free breakfast clubs in 750 early adopter schools across England. The list of schools taking part in the breakfast clubs early adopter scheme can be found here: www.gov.uk/government/publications/breakfast-clubs-early-adopters-schools-in-the-scheme.
What assessment she has made of the potential merits of introducing Cadet Forces into secondary schools within the state sector.
Cadets can be an excellent opportunity for enrichment and welcomes the Ministry of Defence (MoD)-commissioned University of Northampton report which explores the benefits of a cadet unit in schools, which is available here: https://www.northampton.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/institute-for-social-innovation-and-impact-cadets-report-2025.pdf. Cadet Forces offer challenging and enjoyable activities for young people, preparing them to play an active part in the community while developing valuable life skills.The department works jointly with MoD on the Cadet Expansion Programme, which was launched to establish new cadet units in English state secondary schools. We will continue to work with MoD as they implement the Strategic Defence Review’s recommendation to expand in-school and community-based Cadet Forces.We will also work with MoD on the Strategic Defence Review’s recommendation to increase understanding of the Armed Forces in schools in a way that creates opportunities.MoD will review existing support with us over the coming months and in consultation with teachers. Schools themselves are best placed to determine how to use this available support.
How much the Government has spent on contracts with temporary teaching agencies for staff at schools in Huntingdon constituency since 5 July 2024.
Supply teachers make an important contribution to the smooth running of schools across the country by filling posts on a temporary basis and covering teacher absences.Schools and local authorities are responsible for the recruitment of their supply teachers and there are currently various approaches to providing supply teachers, including using agencies. Therefore, the department does not hold contracts with temporary agencies for staff at schools and does not hold the data requested.The department collects financial data from schools across England through the Consistent Financial Reporting framework for local authority maintained schools, and through the Academy Accounts Return for academies and multi-academy trusts. The Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool reports on school and academy spend on supply teaching, including expenditure on agency supply teaching staff. This includes “costs paid to an agency for teaching staff that have been brought in to cover teacher absence”. The Tool can be accessed here: https://financial-benchmarking-and-insights-tool.education.gov.uk/data-sources.
What steps she plans to take to develop understanding of the armed forces among young people in schools.
Cadets can be an excellent opportunity for enrichment and welcomes the Ministry of Defence (MoD)-commissioned University of Northampton report which explores the benefits of a cadet unit in schools, which is available here: https://www.northampton.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/institute-for-social-innovation-and-impact-cadets-report-2025.pdf. Cadet Forces offer challenging and enjoyable activities for young people, preparing them to play an active part in the community while developing valuable life skills.The department works jointly with MoD on the Cadet Expansion Programme, which was launched to establish new cadet units in English state secondary schools. We will continue to work with MoD as they implement the Strategic Defence Review’s recommendation to expand in-school and community-based Cadet Forces.We will also work with MoD on the Strategic Defence Review’s recommendation to increase understanding of the Armed Forces in schools in a way that creates opportunities.MoD will review existing support with us over the coming months and in consultation with teachers. Schools themselves are best placed to determine how to use this available support.