Written questions by Johnson.

Does she intend to answer question UIN113162 given that it is now more than 7 weeks overdue.

The response to Written Parliamentary Question 113162 was published on 20 April 2026.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of school initial teacher training providers sending trainee teachers to conferences and work shops promoting the concept of white privilege on schools' ability to comply with sections 406 and 407 of the Education Act 1996.

All Initial Teacher Training (ITT) courses leading to QTS must incorporate the Initial Teacher Training Early Career Framework (ITTECF) in full. The ITTECF is based on the best available evidence of what makes high-quality teaching and sets out the critical core content that new teachers need to be successful as they join the teaching profession.The framework does not require ITT courses to include content on white privilege theory and/or schools' ability to comply with sections 406 and 407 of the Education Act 1996.ITT courses must be designed so that trainees can demonstrate that they meet all the Teachers' Standards at the appropriate level. Part two of the Teachers’ Standards sets clear standards for teachers’ personal and professional conduct, including not undermining British values and promoting mutual respect and tolerance of different views. Regular Ofsted inspection of ITT providers considers their training content and how providers prepare trainees to meet all expected professional behaviours.

What monitoring her Department undertakes of recruitment and selection practices by organisations in receipt of public funds.

The department does not monitor the recruitment and selection approaches in place across other employers except in some specific situations, for example on the approach to the remuneration of some senior academy trust executive leaders.All individuals working in public roles within the education sector are expected to comply with the Seven Principles of Public Life, which includes making decisions fairly and on merit.

What assessment she has made of the potential effect of cuts to teacher training bursaries in 26/27 on teacher recruitment in Lincolnshire.

The government committed, in our Plan for Change, to recruiting an additional 6,500 new expert teachers across secondary and special schools, and in colleges, over the course of this parliament.We are making progress. The latest workforce data reported over 2,300 more secondary and special school teachers in 2024/25 than in 2023/24, and this year over 32,000 trainees began training, a rise of 11% on the previous year.Initial teacher training (ITT) bursaries are offered to incentivise more applications to ITT courses. In reviewing these annually, we take account of historic recruitment, forecast economic conditions, and teacher supply need in each subject. We are continuing to offer bursaries worth up to £29,000 tax-free to encourage more talented people to train to teach key subjects such as mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing.In addition, we offer a Targeted Retention Incentive worth up to £6,000 after tax for mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing teachers in the first five years of their careers who work in disadvantaged schools. In Lincolnshire, there are 56 schools where teachers are eligible for these payments.

What steps she is taking to make adoption records available to adults who were adopted.

I refer the hon. member for Sleaford and North Hykeham to the answer of 14 October 2025 to question 77488.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of the (a) number and (b) variety of available work experience places for under 18s in the latest period for which data is available.

Post-16 providers must record work placement activities as part of planned hours for each student for funding purposes and this data is not publicly available. Small scale sample audit checks are undertaken by the department. Schools and colleges self-report institution level data on the proportion of students undertaking work experience by academic year. Data captured through the Compass+ online self-assessment tool shows that the majority of students in 74% schools and colleges had an experience of the workplace in the 2024/25 academic year. The department is funding the Careers & Enterprise Company to deliver the first phase of activity to prepare schools and employers to deliver the government’s commitment to ensure every pupil has access to two weeks’ worth of work experience during their secondary education.

What proportion of (a) named day questions and (b) ordinary written questions were responded to by her Department within the required timescale in (i) May 2025, (ii) June 2025, (iii) July 2025, (iv) August 2025, (v) September 2025, (vi) October 2025 and (vii) November 2025.

The department attaches great importance to the effective and timely handling of questions from Members of Parliament. Between April and December 2025, the department has received 100% more written parliamentary questions (WPQs) versus the same period last year.The below table provides the proportion of (a) named day and (b) ordinary written parliamentary questions answered with the required timescales for the months requested. Named Day questions answered on time (%)Ordinary questions answered on time (%)May-2535.667.3Jun-2556.977.0Jul-2548.570.9Aug-25--Sep-2545.142.9Oct-2538.852.1Nov-2547.658.0 Notes on the data:Data based on the date a WPQ was due for answer.Named Day WPQs are due for answer on a specified date. Ordinary WPQs should be answered within five working days of the question being tabled.The House of Commons Procedure Committee monitors departmental PQ performance and publishes a report of the government’s consolidated PQ data following the end of each session.

How many and what proportion of children with education, health and care plans were born abroad.

The requested information is not held by the department.

How many and what proportion of children receiving education in state funded special schools were born abroad.

The requested information is not held by the department.

What guidance her Department plans to provide to schools on ensuring that biological girls have access to female-only (a) spaces, (b) sports and (c) facilities.

Single-sex spaces based on biological sex are protected in law and will always be protected by this government.The department is currently reviewing the draft non-statutory guidance for schools and colleges on gender questioning children, in addition to reviewing the statutory guidance on relationships, sex and health education. The guidance on gender questioning children will reflect the legal protection for single-sex spaces and facilities in schools, as well as the Equality Act protection for single-sex sport in schools to ensure fairness and safety.​​My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, has been clear that children’s wellbeing must be at the heart of this guidance and, as such, the government is looking carefully at the consultation responses, discussing with stakeholders and considering the relevant evidence, including the final report of the Cass Review which was published post-consultation, before setting out next steps.

Pursuant to the Answer of 31 March 2025 to Question 41472 on Childcare: Fees and Charges whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of the £100k cut off for free childcare provision on (a) overall workforce productivity, (b) willingness of impacted employees to take on additional hours and responsibilities and (c) willingness of impacted NHS clinical staff to take on additional hours of work and responsibilities.

I refer the hon. Member for Sleaford and North Hykeham to the answer of 31 March 2025 to Question 41472.

What assessment she has made of the impact of the £100k cut off for free childcare provision on (a) overall workforce productivity, (b) willingness of impacted employees to take on additional hours and responsibilities and (c) willingness of impacted NHS clinical staff to take on additional hours of work and responsibilities.

All families are eligible for universal 15 hours of free childcare for three and four year-olds, including those who earn over £100,000.The £100,000 level was chosen to correspond with income tax thresholds and to be easily understandable for parents. Only a very small proportion of parents, 3.8% of parents of three and four year-olds in 2023/24, earn over the £100,000 threshold.The government needs to use public funds in a way that provides value for money and considers it reasonable to target this funding at those individuals earning under £100,000 adjusted net income.

If she will make an assessment of whether the additional funding provided to schools for the increased cost of employer National insurance contributions is adequate to meet those costs.

The government has agreed that public sector employers will receive support in recognition of the increase in their National Insurance contributions (NICs) from April 2025. The department is providing schools and high needs settings with over £930 million in the 2025/26 financial year to support them with their increased NICs costs. This support is additional to the £2.3 billion increase to core school funding announced at the Autumn Budget 2024. This means that the core schools budget, which includes the core revenue funding for schools and high needs, will total over £64.8 billion in the 2025/26 financial year. The amount of public sector support is based on HM Treasury analysis of the proportion of employer NICs receipts paid by public sector organisations, and allocated between departments based on headcount and wage/salary data.The NICs grant will allocate funding to schools according to their pupil numbers, and the numbers of pupils with additional needs, along with a lump sum component for every school regardless of pupil numbers. The department’s funding system is not designed so that every school receives funding that fully matches their precise spending as that, including the NICs costs, varies between institutions because of the decisions that each school takes on its staffing.The department has distributed this funding in proportion to the needs of the different sectors and phases of education. The department will continue to monitor cost pressures, as it usually does.

What estimate she has made of the number of schools whose grant offered to cover the rise in employers National Insurance contributions is not enough meet the actual cost incurred.

The government has agreed that public sector employers will receive support in recognition of the increase in their National Insurance contributions (NICs) from April 2025. The department is providing schools and high needs settings with over £930 million in the 2025/26 financial year to support them with their increased NICs costs. This support is additional to the £2.3 billion increase to core school funding announced at the Autumn Budget 2024. This means that the core schools budget, which includes the core revenue funding for schools and high needs, will total over £64.8 billion in the 2025/26 financial year. The amount of public sector support is based on HM Treasury analysis of the proportion of employer NICs receipts paid by public sector organisations, and allocated between departments based on headcount and wage/salary data.The NICs grant will allocate funding to schools according to their pupil numbers, and the numbers of pupils with additional needs, along with a lump sum component for every school regardless of pupil numbers. The department’s funding system is not designed so that every school receives funding that fully matches their precise spending as that, including the NICs costs, varies between institutions because of the decisions that each school takes on its staffing.The department has distributed this funding in proportion to the needs of the different sectors and phases of education. The department will continue to monitor cost pressures, as it usually does.

How many and what proportion of items of correspondence from Parliamentarians received by (a) her Department, (b) herself and (c) her ministerial team have not received a substantive response in each month since August 2024.

The total number of cases received by the department since August 2024 that are due for reply but have yet to receive a substantive response is 31.The breakdown is as follows:Parliamentary cases that have not yet had a substantive replyMonth ReceivedSecretary of State for EducationMinisterial TeamDepartment Volume%Volume%Volume%August 202400.0%00.0%00.0%September 202400.0%00.0%00.0%October 202412.0%00.0%10.2%November 202411.8%30.5%40.7%December 202436.7%122.2%152.5%January 202514.8%105.6%115.6%Total62.0%250.9%311.0%

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to the minimum wage announced in the Autumn Budget 2024 on the cost of childcare.

The Autumn Budget 2024 confirmed £1.8 billion in the 2025/26 financial year to support the expansion of the early years entitlement offer for eligible working parents from 15 hours to 30 hours from September 2025. This £1.8 billion will mean the budget for childcare entitlements next year will be over £8 billion, reflecting the additional money needed for the 30 hour expansion, and ensuring funding for the entitlements reflects the national living wage.

What assessment she has made of the impact of the increases to employers national insurance contributions on the cost to parents of pre-school childcare.

I refer the hon. Member for Sleaford and North Hykeham to the answer of 11 November 2024 to Question 12804.