Written questions by Chope.

When she plans to dispose of the redundant site of the former Parkfield School at Hurn; and what estimate she has made of the (a) security and (b) opportunity costs of the premises remaining unused.

The school building was officially handed back to the department on 29 August 2025. Since that time LocatED have been managing the site on behalf of the department.The department has sought expressions of interest from academy trusts to use the site for alternative educational uses. It has also been working closely with Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council over a possible reuse of the property for special educational needs provision.Whilst discussions as to an alternative educational use are ongoing, the department is finalising arrangements for an interim use of the site by neighbouring Bournemouth airport, which will create an income for the department and avoid ongoing site management costs. This should be in place by the end of the year.

What his Department's planned timetable is for the replacement of defective temporary buildings at Highcliffe School to be completed; and what guidance her Department has issued on the removal from use of life-expired temporary buildings.

School buildings are integral to high and rising standards and need to be fit for the future. That is why the government is committed to improving the condition of the school estate, and the School Rebuilding Programme (SRP) continues as part of that.The department wrote to Patrick Earnshaw and Yvonne Dunning at HISP Multi-Academy Trust in July 2023 to inform them that Highcliffe School has been placed in group 2 of the SRP. Projects have been prioritised according to the condition of their buildings and other relevant criteria. We anticipate that Highcliffe School will commence with planning and feasibility work between January 2026 and March 2027, depending on the readiness of the school to enter the programme. SRP projects typically take between two and five years to deliver.Specific start dates will be communicated to the school and responsible body at least a month in advance of project start and, where possible, the department will bring projects forward if we are able to do so. The scope of the works will be discussed with the school and responsible body once the project enters delivery.Responsible bodies continue to have a responsibility for the safety and maintenance of the buildings in their care, including temporary buildings. The school will need to continue to maintain and keep buildings safe until the school enters delivery. This includes compliance with statutory duties to ensure the health and safety of building occupants.

Whether her Department plans to (a) sell or (b) transfer the site of Parkfield school in Hurn when it closes in July; and whether the premises will be retained for educational use.

The freehold site is currently owned by the Reach South Academy Trust, and this will be transferred to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, on behalf of my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, on termination of the funding agreement, when the school closes permanently.The department will always aim to recover assets and identify alternative educational or other public sector uses for sites in such circumstances. It is only when this is not possible that we retain the option to sell the site for a commercial return. All options are currently being explored.

If she will make it her policy to introduce an apprenticeship standard for tattoo artists.

This is a matter for the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education. I have asked its Chief Executive, Jennifer Coupland, to write to the hon. Member for Christchurch, and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the increase in employers’ National Insurance contributions, as announced in the Autumn Budget 2024, on the ability of school meals providers to provide those meals within the existing fixed price cost of £2.53.

The government will provide funding to the public sector to support them with the additional costs associated with changes to Employers National Insurance Contributions policy.This funding will be additional to the £2.3 billion increase to core school budgets announced at the Autumn Budget 2024. Due to timing constraints, this compensation will need to be provided as a separate grant, alongside the national funding formula (NFF), in 2025/26. Schools will continue to have autonomy over their spending and will be able to use any future grant funding to cover all cost increases, including food costs.The department currently allocates a meal rate of £2.53 per child per meal for the 2024/2025 academic year to support the delivery of universal infant free school meals and further education free meals. Final funding rates for the 2024/2025 academic year will be confirmed in due course. Further to this, we fund benefits-related free school meals (FSM) at £490 per eligible pupil annually through the FSM factor of the NFF for schools. In total, we spend £1.5 billion across these programmes.This funding is intended to cover the broad costs of meal provision. However, schools have considerable autonomy over delivery of FSM, including entering into contracts with suppliers and allocation of funding within their budgets.