Written questions by Anderson.

What assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the provision of financial education in schools in Buckingham and Bletchley constituency.

Financial education forms a compulsory part of the national curriculum for mathematics at key stages 1 to 4, and citizenship at key stages 3 and 4. Together these cover personal budgeting, saving for the future, managing credit and debt, and calculating interest.The independent Curriculum and Assessment Review is considering whether there is sufficient coverage of key knowledge and skills, including financial education, to prepare children and young people for future life and to thrive in a fast-changing world.The interim report highlighted that the Review has heard consistently from children and young people and their parents that they want more focus on the applied knowledge and skills that will equip them for later life and work, such as financial education.The Review’s final report and recommendations will be published in autumn with the government’s response.

What steps her Department is taking to support employer engagement with the apprenticeship programme in SMEs in Milton Keynes.

I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Buckingham and Bletchley to the answer of 19 March 2025 to Question 37179.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of foundation apprenticeships on addressing sectoral skills shortages in (a) Milton Keynes and (b) Buckinghamshire.

This government’s first mission is to kickstart economic growth. We know that we need to support employers to invest in skills training and fuel innovation in businesses across the country.That is why we are transforming the apprenticeships offer into a new growth and skills offer, to support greater flexibility for employers and learners. Foundation apprenticeships are a key part of this offer. They will support employers in key sectors to meet their current and future skills needs by developing new opportunities to engage with younger employees and build pipelines of talent. This is expected to drive up to 30,000 apprenticeship starts across this Parliament.The first foundation apprenticeships will be focused on industrial strategy and priority areas including construction, engineering, health and social care, and digital. This will begin in August with the introduction of seven new foundation apprenticeship standards, including three in construction, enabling young people to earn a wage while developing vital skills. We will continue exploring how to make foundation apprenticeships work in other sectors, such as hospitality and retail.The growth and skills offer is informed by Skills England’s engagement with a wide range of stakeholders, to ensure that levy-funded training meets the needs of employers and learners.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the four per cent pay award for teachers in 2025/26 on retention rates in (a) Milton Keynes and (b) Buckinghamshire.

High-quality teaching is the in-school factor that has the biggest positive impact on a child’s educational outcome. Recruiting and retaining more qualified, expert teachers is critical to the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and boost the life chances for every child. This is why the department is committed to recruiting an additional 6,500 new teachers across secondary and special schools and in our colleges over the course of this Parliament.The department cannot currently provide a breakdown of this progress by constituency, however, over 2,000 more people are training to become secondary school teachers this year. Recruitment is on track to improve further for 2025/26, with 1,070 more acceptances to postgraduate and teacher degree apprenticeship initial teacher training courses in secondary subjects by the end of April 2025, compared to the same time last year. Additionally, over 2,500 more teachers are expected to stay in the profession over the next three years.This is, in part, due to the 5.5% pay rise announced last year, which, combined with this year’s above-inflation pay award of 4%, will mean school teachers in maintained schools will see an increase in their pay of almost 10% over two years. This will apply across all teachers in all constituencies across England and is already having a significant impact on teacher retention. Alongside this, the department is offering targeted retention payments to teachers of key subjects working in disadvantaged areas in the first five years of their careers. Teachers in four schools are eligible for these payments, up to £4,000 tax free, in the Buckingham and Bletchley constituency, 12 in Milton Keynes, and 24 in Buckinghamshire County.To further improve retention, the department is actively promoting flexible working in schools, such as allowing planning, preparation, and assessment to be undertaken from home. We are also funding bespoke support provided by flexible working ambassador schools and multi-academy trusts, ensuring schools are capturing the benefits of flexible working, whilst protecting pupils’ face-to-face teacher time. Upton Court Grammar School of Pioneer Educational Trust is the flexible working ambassador school for the South East, providing local, tailored peer support for Milton Keynes and Buckinghamshire.

What progress her Department has made in recruiting additional expert teachers in (a) secondary schools, (b) special schools and (c) colleges in Buckingham and Bletchley constituency.

High-quality teaching is the in-school factor that has the biggest positive impact on a child’s educational outcome. Recruiting and retaining more qualified, expert teachers is critical to the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and boost the life chances for every child. This is why the department is committed to recruiting an additional 6,500 new teachers across secondary and special schools and in our colleges over the course of this Parliament.The department cannot currently provide a breakdown of this progress by constituency, however, over 2,000 more people are training to become secondary school teachers this year. Recruitment is on track to improve further for 2025/26, with 1,070 more acceptances to postgraduate and teacher degree apprenticeship initial teacher training courses in secondary subjects by the end of April 2025, compared to the same time last year. Additionally, over 2,500 more teachers are expected to stay in the profession over the next three years.This is, in part, due to the 5.5% pay rise announced last year, which, combined with this year’s above-inflation pay award of 4%, will mean school teachers in maintained schools will see an increase in their pay of almost 10% over two years. This will apply across all teachers in all constituencies across England and is already having a significant impact on teacher retention. Alongside this, the department is offering targeted retention payments to teachers of key subjects working in disadvantaged areas in the first five years of their careers. Teachers in four schools are eligible for these payments, up to £4,000 tax free, in the Buckingham and Bletchley constituency, 12 in Milton Keynes, and 24 in Buckinghamshire County.To further improve retention, the department is actively promoting flexible working in schools, such as allowing planning, preparation, and assessment to be undertaken from home. We are also funding bespoke support provided by flexible working ambassador schools and multi-academy trusts, ensuring schools are capturing the benefits of flexible working, whilst protecting pupils’ face-to-face teacher time. Upton Court Grammar School of Pioneer Educational Trust is the flexible working ambassador school for the South East, providing local, tailored peer support for Milton Keynes and Buckinghamshire.

What steps her Department is taking to support colleges in Milton Keynes to utilise new technologies to (a) tackle workload and (b) improve outcomes.

The department has promised to take up a new era in technology, to back our teachers and deliver better life chances for students across the country.We are investing millions of pounds in further evidence generation on the safe and effective use of EdTech in colleges. The Edtech Impact Testbed Pilot, announced at Education World Forum, aims to explore how technology can address significant challenges in the education sector. This pilot will test Edtech products and practices already in use in schools and colleges. The goal is to generate evidence of the impact on improving staff workload, pupil outcomes, and inclusivity. The expression of interest for this pilot will launch shortly on Citizen Space and colleges will be able to apply to get involved. The website where colleges can express their interest is available at: https://consult.education.gov.uk/.In addition, we plan to publish support materials for teachers and leaders to help them with the safe and effective use of artificial intelligence (AI), so dedicated professionals working in education can spend more time doing what they do best and what they enjoy, face to face engagement with students.The department also provides funding for Jisc, who operate the UK’s ultra-fast national research and education network ‘Janet’, one of the most secure and powerful data networks in the world. This central funding allows colleges to connect on Janet and benefit from a good level of connectivity and cyber security, ensuring that the foundations for technology infrastructure are in place for colleges to be able to harness the opportunities that technology presents.

What estimate her Department has made of the number of early years providers in England that may increase their capacity through the use of free flow outdoor space under the proposed changes to the early years foundation stage statutory framework.

The expansion of funded childcare is continuing to support families. The department is exploring new ways to help providers offer more high-quality childcare places for working families, which includes access to outdoor space. Therefore, the department has launched a consultation on whether to introduce flexibility into the early years foundation stage (EYFS) statutory framework that will allow free-flow outdoor space to be included in the indoor space requirements, with a possible cap on the number of additional places that can be offered. The consultation can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/space-requirements-in-early-years-childcare-settings-in-england. The EYFS framework can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-foundation-stage-framework--2.The department’s ‘Pulse surveys of childcare and early years providers’, which were published April 2024, found strong support for these proposals with the majority of providers, with 70 per cent (7 in 10), saying they would be likely to use these flexibilities. The survey results can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pulse-surveys-of-childcare-and-early-years-providers. The results of the consultation, and the department’s response, are expected to be published in autumn 2025.

What data her Department holds on the proportion of five-year-olds in (a) Milton Keynes and (b) Buckinghamshire who met a good level of development in the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Information on the proportion of five year-olds who have a good level of development by local authority is published annually in the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile results statistics release. The release is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/early-years-foundation-stage-profile-results/2023-24.The proportion of five year-olds in Milton Keynes and Buckinghamshire who had a good level of development in the latest academic year, 2023/24, can be accessed at the following link: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/c7642b61-084e-46e3-a412-08dd8e33d0bf.

How many nursery places she expects the programme to deliver 6,000 new school-based early years places to create in (a) Milton Keynes and (b) Buckinghamshire.

Of the 300 schools which received funding under the School-Based Nurseries Capital Grant 2024/2025, three are in Milton Keynes and one is in Buckinghamshire. These projects are all expanding their existing nursery provision to provide additional childcare places for families in the area, which is crucial to the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and give children the best start in life.

What recent discussions she has had with further education colleges on the impact of post-16 assessment methods on student outcomes in (a) Milton Keynes and (b) Buckinghamshire.

The department knows the importance of ensuring that we have the right balance of assessment methods for students studying post-16 qualifications, so that we can best capture the strengths of every young person, while maintaining the important role of examinations. My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, has had no specific recent discussions with further education (FE) colleges in Milton Keynes and/or Buckinghamshire but is working on improving both curriculum and assessment for student outcomes, considering young people across the country.That is why last year we launched the independent expert-led Curriculum and Assessment Review chaired by Professor Becky Francis CBE. The Review will consider the existing national curriculum and statutory assessment system, and pathways for learners in 16 to 19 education. As part of the first phase of the Review, a call for evidence was undertaken. This included a wide range of educational institutions, including FE colleges. The Panel’s Interim Report was published on 18 March and the department will consider the Review’s final recommendations around assessments methods when the final report is published.

What steps she is taking to support further education colleges to provide post-16 literacy and numeracy education in (a) Milton Keynes and (b) Buckinghamshire.

The department considers level 2 English and mathematics to be essential for enabling students to develop the skills they need to seize opportunities in life, learning and work. That is why we have the mathematics and English condition of funding, which enables all students on 16 to 19 study programmes or T Levels, who have not yet attained grade 4+ GCSE, or equivalent, in English and mathematics, to access support that leads to the best outcomes for them.The department is strengthening the support offered to students under the mathematics and English condition of funding. This includes requiring providers to offer planned minimum hours of in-person, whole class, stand-alone teaching in English and mathematics, and for more students to be offered this.The department also supports adults aged 19+ to participate in mathematics and English provision through our ‘essential skills entitlements’ which fully-fund adults who do not have essential literacy and numeracy skills up to and including level 2. This allows learners who have not previously attained a GCSE grade 4 or higher or equivalent, or who are assessed as having below level 2 skills to undertake a range of courses fully-funded through the Adult Skills Fund including GCSEs, Functional Skills and other relevant qualifications from entry level to level 2.

What assessment her Department has made of the availability of T Level industry placements in (a) Milton Keynes and (b) Buckinghamshire.

The department works closely with education providers and employers to ensure the availability and quality of T Level industry placements across the country.We do not hold industry placement data at regional level, but our latest national results data shows that 97.5% of T Level students from the 2022 cohort (those who finished their T Level in 2024) completed their industry placement.Whilst it is the overall responsibility of T Level providers to source industry placements for their students, the department has a range of support in place to help ensure the availability and quality of placements. This includes online guidance, workshops, and practical tools to help providers identify, plan and design placements, and a 900+ strong ambassador network to raise the profile of T Levels across different industries, including representatives across Milton Keynes and Buckinghamshire. In January 2025 we also updated our industry placement delivery approaches to enable students to access a wider range of placement opportunities. This can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/678a7a302080f65f988bd3a1/T_Level_industry_placement_delivery_guidance.pdf.

What steps her Department is taking to support further education colleges to secure industry-standard vocational training facilities in (a) Milton Keynes and (b) Buckinghamshire.

My right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer has announced an additional £625 million of funding to support construction skills training, with the detail set out in Spring Statement 2025. This is expected to deliver up to 60,000 additional skilled construction workers this Parliament. The funding includes capital investment through the establishment of Technical Excellence Colleges and the creation of an employer match funding pot worth £80 million.Furthermore, on 5 March 2025 we gave details of 16 to 19 funding that means the department will be spending over £400 million more on 16 to 19 education in the 2025/26 financial year. All national funding rates for students on 16 to 19 study programmes and T Levels will increase by 3.78% in the 2025/26 academic year. This means a full-time study programme student will attract a rate of £5,026, with T Level students attracting higher rates due to these being larger programmes.On 1 April 2025, the department provided £302 million to further education (FE) colleges to support them to maintain, improve and ensure suitability of their estates. This new allocation for FE colleges in 2025/26 will help address the maintenance backlog and ensure a great environment for learning.Under the FE college condition allocation, Milton Keynes College will receive £1.47 million and Buckinghamshire College Group will receive £1.3 million. The full list of FE college condition allocations can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/further-education-college-condition-allocation-2025-to-2026.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of funding arrangements on the ability for further education colleges to expand existing provision in (a) Milton Keynes and (b) Buckinghamshire.

This government inherited a challenging fiscal context which means tough decisions are needed across the public sector. However, the department invested over £7.5 billion in 16-19 programme funding during the 2024/25 academic year to help to ensure that all young people have access to high-quality education and training that meets their needs and provides them with opportunities to thrive.On 5 March 2025 the department gave details of 16-19 funding that means we will be spending over £400 million more on 16-19 education in the 2025/26 financial year (over £100 million more than the £300 million announced at the Autumn Budget 2024) to ensure enough funding is available given the very significant increase in student numbers and other pressures on the system. In addition, we are providing funding to compensate colleges and schools for increased employer National Insurance Contributions, which will add a further £155 million to funding for post-16 education in the 2025/26 financial year.We are spending around £87 million in the 2024/25 academic year to support In Year Growth costs, acknowledging the very large increase in students this year. The amount represents more In Year Growth Payment than in any previous year, despite amending the rules on how the department calculates in-year growth to ensure the affordability of payments for the exceptionally high growth in the 2024/25 academic year.All the national funding rates for students on 16-19 study programmes and T Levels will increase by 3.78% in the 2025/26 academic year. This means a full-time study programme student will attract a rate of £5,026, with T Level students attracting higher rates due to these being larger programmes. The department will consider future needs as part of the spending review.

What steps her Department is taking to help improve the recruitment and retention of staff in further education colleges in (a) Milton Keynes and (b) Buckinghamshire.

The department recognises the vital role that further education (FE) staff and providers play in equipping learners with the opportunities and skills that they need to succeed in their education and to drive growth in our economy.The department will be spending over £400 million more on 16 to 19 education in the 2025/26 financial year to ensure enough funding is available to respond to the significant increase in student numbers and other pressures on the system. We are making approximately £50 million of this funding available to colleges for April to July 2025 to respond to current priorities and challenges as they see fit, including workforce recruitment and retention.In addition, the department is providing funding to colleges and schools to support them with increased National Insurance contributions, which will add a further £155 million to funding for post-16 education in the 2025/26 financial year.The department’s Targeted Retention Incentive gives eligible early career teachers working in FE colleges in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and priority technical subjects up to £6,000 after tax annually, in addition to their usual pay. This includes those in eligible FE colleges in the Milton Keynes and Buckinghamshire area.The department has also continued to offer financial incentives for those undertaking teacher training for the FE sector in priority subject areas. FE teacher training bursaries will be offered for the 2025/26 academic year, and we have increased the top value of bursaries for STEM subjects to £31,000 each, tax free.The national FE teacher recruitment campaign, Share Your Skills, targets those with industry skills to think about a career in FE teaching. The campaign raises awareness and increases consideration by encouraging industry professionals to think about using their skills to teach in FE.

What assessment her Department has made of the availability of specialist further education provision for students with special educational needs in Milton Keynes and Buckinghamshire.

The department is committed to improving access to educational opportunities for all young people in all parts of the country by ensuring that they can access a quality educational offer that adds value and helps them to achieve their long-term career aspirations and goals.Local authorities have a statutory duty to secure enough suitable education and training provision to meet the reasonable needs of all young people in their area who are over compulsory school age but under 19, or aged 19 or over and for whom an education, health and care plan is maintained. They must therefore ensure there are sufficient school places for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).The Children and Families Act 2014 requires local authorities to keep the provision for children and young people with SEND under review, including its sufficiency, working with parents, young people and providers.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of funding structure on the number of apprenticeships available for 16-24-year-olds in (a) Milton Keynes and (b) Buckinghamshire.

To support younger people into apprenticeships, the government pays both employers and training providers £1000 when they take on apprentices aged 16 to 18 or apprentices aged 19 to 24 who have an education, health and care (EHC) plan or have been in local authority care. This is in recognition of the additional support that younger apprentices may require when entering employment. The government also pays the full training costs for young apprentices aged 16 to 21, and for apprentices aged 22 to 24 who have an EHC plan or have been in local authority care, when they undertake apprenticeships with non-levy paying employers. Additionally, employers benefit from not being required to pay anything towards employees’ National Insurance for all apprentices aged up to age 25 where they earn less than £967 a week, £50,270 a year.The government is reforming the apprenticeship levy into a more flexible growth and skills levy that will include new foundation apprenticeships to give more young people a foot in the door at the start of their working lives. Construction will also be one of the key sectors that will benefit from new foundation apprenticeships backed by an additional £40 million, which will be launching in August 2025. This will inspire more young people into the construction industry and give them the tools they need for a sustained and rewarding career. As part of this new offer, employers will be provided with £2,000 for every foundation apprentice they take on and retain in the construction industry.The availability of apprenticeships in Milton Keynes and Buckinghamshire will be determined by employers choosing to offer apprenticeships. The department publishes data on apprenticeships starts by geographical area, including local authority district and parliamentary constituency at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/fast-track/2325414e-eb99-439f-20ca-08dd18600198.

What the projected allocation of the expansion grant for early education providers in (a) Milton Keynes and (b) Buckinghamshire will be for financial year 2025-26.

In 2025/26, the government plan to spend over £8 billion on the early years entitlements. This government has increased the early years pupil premium by 45% and are providing further supplementary funding of £75 million for the Early Years Expansion Grant. Buckinghamshire will receive £834,187 and Milton Keynes will receive £430,010 in Early Years Expansion Grant funding. We have now published full details of allocations and conditions of grant, which are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-expansion-grant-2025-to-2026. We expect local authorities to communicate all funding allocations to providers within six weeks of the publication of rates, that is by 10 April 2025.

How many children in (a) Milton Keynes and (b) Buckinghamshire are expected to benefit from the increase in the Early Years Pupil Premium to £1 per hour in 2025-26.

Early education gives all children the best start in life. That is why we are delivering the largest ever uplift to the early years pupil premium, increasing the early years pupil premium rate by over 45%, from 68p per hour in the 2024/25 financial year to £1 per hour in the 2025/26 financial year, equivalent to up to £570 per eligible child per year. The early years pupil premium rate will be the same for all age groups. Early years funding, including early years pupil premium, is paid on the basis of part-time equivalents (PTEs) where one PTE is equivalent to a child attending a setting for 15 hours a week over 38 weeks. We expect to fund 862.52 PTEs in Buckinghamshire and 547.01 PTEs in Milton Keynes at the increased early years pupil premium rate in the 2025/26 financial year. Final allocations will be paid on updated census and headcount data. More information on the 2025/26 financial year early years allocations and estimated PTEs can be found on GOV.UK.

What steps he is taking to ensure early education providers in (a) Milton Keynes and (b) Buckinghamshire comply with the updated statutory guidance on additional charges for government-funded entitlements.

Local authorities in England have a statutory duty to secure funded early education and childcare for eligible children in their area. The early education and childcare statutory guidance sets out what local authorities must do as required by legislation, and what they should do to meet their statutory duties. To support local authorities with their statutory duties, the department recently published updated statutory guidance, which will come into effect in April 2025, reaffirming that whilst providers can charge parents for some additional extras, these charges must not be mandatory. The updates to the guidance will support local authorities to take a more consistent approach to implementing the rules across providers, including in Milton Keynes and Buckinghamshire. Local authorities are responsible for implementing the guidance at a local level and can intervene where the guidance is not being followed.