Written questions by Hinds.

Whether costs for (a) before-school breakfast and (b) after-school clubs and programmes for children of (I) primary (II) secondary school age are eligible for reimbursement through universal credit as childcare costs for working parents.

Universal Credit childcare support is paid to eligible Universal Credit customers in work for childcare for children up to the age of 16 and can be considered for the costs of wraparound childcare, including breakfast and afterschool clubs. Childcare providers must be registered with OFSTED or their equivalent in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales or childminders registered with a child-minding agency that is registered. Providers of wraparound childcare provided within school settings do not need to be registered but must be providing their childcare services under the authorisation and direction of the governing body of a school registered with OFSTED or their equivalent in the devolved nations.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of free breakfast provision in secondary schools on levels of school attendance.

Breakfast clubs remove barriers to opportunity, supporting pupils’ attendance and attainment, enabling them to thrive academically and socially and helping families with the cost of childcare around the school day.Compared to studies of programmes targeted at primary-aged pupils, there are comparatively few high-quality experimental studies on the impact of breakfast clubs on secondary-aged pupils. Typically, primary school breakfast clubs have higher take-up than secondaries and more studies report their positive effects on attainment and attendance, such as the Magic Breakfast evaluation which reported that attendance improved for children at breakfast club schools, equivalent to 26 fewer half-days of absence per year for a class of 30.The government is committed to offering a free breakfast club in every state-funded school with primary-aged pupils in England. With limited resources, the evidence we do have shows it is right for the government to focus this provision on primary-aged pupils where there is greatest evidence of gains to children’s learning and development.

What guidance her Department provides on schools making second hand uniform available.

The government’s statutory guidance requires schools to ensure that arrangements are in place for parents to acquire second-hand school uniforms, for example through periodic second-hand uniform sales or swap shops, and to make these arrangements clear on their website. This guidance is available here: www.gov.uk/government/publications/cost-of-school-uniforms. Too many families tell us that the cost of providing school uniform remains a financial burden. That is why we are introducing legislation to limit the number of expensive branded items of uniform and PE kit that schools can require.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of levels of disadvantaged pupils in schools on rates of absence in schools.

The department collects detailed pupil-level data on attendance, which is disaggregated by a number of characteristics, including measures of disadvantage such as the Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index (IDACI) and free school meal (FSM) eligibility. This data is regularly analysed.The overall absence rate for FSM eligible pupils in 2022/23 was 11%, which is higher than the 6% absence rate for non-FSM eligible pupils. Similarly, the persistent absence rate and severe absence rates in 2022/23 were 36.1% and 3.9% respectively for FSM-eligible pupils, compared with 15% and 1% for non-FSM eligible pupils.When overall absence rates are broken down by decile of the IDACI index, the data shows that the most deprived areas, 0-10% on the IDACI index, have the highest levels of absence at 8.3%, while the least deprived areas, 90-100% on the IDACI index, have the lowest levels of absence at 6.3%. A similar pattern holds true for persistent absence, with 25.9% in the most deprived areas, compared to 16.1% in the least deprived areas.These patterns differ according to phase of school, with secondary schools in the most disadvantaged areas having significantly higher overall absence (10.2%), than primary schools in the most disadvantaged areas (7.0%).The underlying drivers of school absence are many and varied. Amongst them are several linked to deprivation, including the increasing cost of living, child poverty, poor access to transport, resources and limited access to wider support services. Research has also shown that parental attitudes, child mental health and school belonging are strongly correlated with attendance.This government is determined to tackle the generational challenge of school absence as it is a fundamental barrier to learning and life chances. Central to the department’s approach are stronger expectations of local authorities and schools, as set out in the ‘Working together to improve school attendance’ guidance, which was made statutory on 19 August 2024. The guidance promotes a 'support-first' approach and sets out clear expectations on how schools, trusts, local authorities and wider services should work together and with families to address attendance barriers and provide the right support.Every state school in England should now be sharing their daily attendance register data with the department, local authorities and trusts. These bodies can access this data through a secure, interactive dashboard which is maintained by the department, allowing them to identify patterns and target attendance interventions more effectively.

What comparative assessment her Department has made of trends in levels of school absence in (a) schools with 40% or more pupils in bands A-F of the Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index and (b) other (i) primary and (ii) secondary schools.

The department collects detailed pupil-level data on attendance, which is disaggregated by a number of characteristics, including measures of disadvantage such as the Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index (IDACI) and free school meal (FSM) eligibility. This data is regularly analysed.The overall absence rate for FSM eligible pupils in 2022/23 was 11%, which is higher than the 6% absence rate for non-FSM eligible pupils. Similarly, the persistent absence rate and severe absence rates in 2022/23 were 36.1% and 3.9% respectively for FSM-eligible pupils, compared with 15% and 1% for non-FSM eligible pupils.When overall absence rates are broken down by decile of the IDACI index, the data shows that the most deprived areas, 0-10% on the IDACI index, have the highest levels of absence at 8.3%, while the least deprived areas, 90-100% on the IDACI index, have the lowest levels of absence at 6.3%. A similar pattern holds true for persistent absence, with 25.9% in the most deprived areas, compared to 16.1% in the least deprived areas.These patterns differ according to phase of school, with secondary schools in the most disadvantaged areas having significantly higher overall absence (10.2%), than primary schools in the most disadvantaged areas (7.0%).The underlying drivers of school absence are many and varied. Amongst them are several linked to deprivation, including the increasing cost of living, child poverty, poor access to transport, resources and limited access to wider support services. Research has also shown that parental attitudes, child mental health and school belonging are strongly correlated with attendance.This government is determined to tackle the generational challenge of school absence as it is a fundamental barrier to learning and life chances. Central to the department’s approach are stronger expectations of local authorities and schools, as set out in the ‘Working together to improve school attendance’ guidance, which was made statutory on 19 August 2024. The guidance promotes a 'support-first' approach and sets out clear expectations on how schools, trusts, local authorities and wider services should work together and with families to address attendance barriers and provide the right support.Every state school in England should now be sharing their daily attendance register data with the department, local authorities and trusts. These bodies can access this data through a secure, interactive dashboard which is maintained by the department, allowing them to identify patterns and target attendance interventions more effectively.

For what reason a school tie is not permitted as an additional item of branded uniform in primary schools in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill.

School uniforms play a valuable role in creating a sense of common identity among pupils and reducing visible inequalities, but too many schools require high numbers of branded uniform items, with parents reporting uniforms are their most significant cost of school concern. This government has therefore introduced legislation to limit the number of branded items of uniform and PE kit that schools can require, to bring down costs for parents and remove barriers from children accessing sport and other school activities. This will give parents more choice in where to purchase uniform and allow them greater flexibility to make the spending decisions that suit their circumstances.The vast majority of primary schools do not currently require pupils to purchase a branded tie and, as most primary schools already have a lower number of compulsory branded items, this government does not want that number to increase. Primary schools will remain free to require a branded tie, however it will count towards their three branded item limit.In comparison, most secondary and middle schools already require branded ties, with 82% of secondary schools requiring a tie. Allowing secondary and middle schools an additional branded tie balances reducing costs for parents with providing those schools with necessary extra flexibility in setting their uniform policies. For example, it allows a secondary school to retain a branded tie and blazer whilst still being able to brand other items across PE kit and daywear, according to their circumstances.

Whether he has changed the recipients by position entitled to pre-release access to reports since June 2024.

The Minister for Cabinet Office has not made any changes to pre-release access to official statistics since 5 July 2024.

What estimate he has made of spending on mental health services for children and young people in each year for which data are available.

The following table shows actual spend on children and young people’s mental health by clinical commissioning groups and integrated care boards: Financial yearAmount (£ million)2017/18687.22018/19753.32019/20841.42020/21938.32021/22994.82022/231,087.702023/241,180.40 Source: NHS Mental Health Dashboard, NHS England

What information her Department holds on the average fees charged by independent schools for the term starting in (a) January 2024, (b) September 2024 and (c) January 2025.

The school level annual school census collects information each January from all registered independent schools in England. This collection includes information from each school on the lowest and highest fees charged for day and boarding pupils, before the application of any bursaries or other forms of fee reduction.Using the average of the reported lowest and highest fees charged for each school from the latest information available, from the January 2024 collection, shows that across independent schools that charge fees:• The mean annual day fee charged was £27,642• The median annual day fee was £15,371• The mean annual boarding fee was £52,399• The median annual boarding fee was £32,310.Data from the 2025 January collection will be available late June 2025.

With reference to her Department's press release entitled One of the largest mental health trials launches in schools, published on 4 February 2019, what the results of those trials were.

In September 2017, the department commissioned a series of trials in schools across England testing five different approaches to supporting and promoting young people’s mental health and wellbeing. The aim of these trials was to improve the evidence available to schools in choosing how they support their pupils’ mental health and wellbeing.As part of these trials, children received mindfulness exercises, relaxation techniques and breathing exercises to help them regulate their emotions, alongside lessons on mental health and wellbeing led by teachers and mental health experts.The randomised control trials have now concluded. The government will publish the findings in the coming months.

What steps her Department is taking to monitor trends in Education Health and Care Plan applications by local authority area.

Information on applications for education, health and care (EHC) plans is collected from local authorities via the annual SEN2 data collection each January. SEN2 is a statutory return. It includes information on requests for assessment for an EHC plan made to each local authority and the outcome of that request, the assessments for an EHC plan made by each local authority and the outcome of that assessment, as well as information on the EHC plans maintained by the authority.The information collected also contains characteristics of the individual, such as sex, ethnicity and age.This information is subsequently published for each local authority in the ‘Education, health and care plans’ statistical release, which can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/education-health-and-care-plans. This publication includes the number of requests for assessment for an EHC plan and the number of assessments for an EHC plan as returned by each local authority.In addition to the SEN2 data, the department also monitors trends using more timely operational data directly from local authorities.

Whether her Department is collecting data on trends in the number of in-year school applications in each local authority area.

The department does not collect data on the number of in-year school admission applications received in each local authority area. Admission authorities must notify their local authority of all in-year applications they receive and their outcomes. Local authorities are not required to co-ordinate the in-year admissions process for schools in their area for which they are not the admission authority, although some local authorities choose to do so. In areas where the local authority does not co-ordinate in-year admissions, schools which are their own admission authority manage their own in-year admissions processes and parents must submit their applications directly to the admission authorities of the schools they wish to apply.

With reference to NHS England's statistics entitled Mental Health of Children and Young People in England, 2023 - wave 4 follow up to the 2017 survey, published on 21 November 2023, whether he plans to publish further updates to those statistics.

Although no decisions have yet been made to commission further waves, the Government recognises the importance of the Mental Health of Children and Young People in England Report. We will publish plans in due course.

Pursuant to the Answer of 10 December 2024 to Question 17084 on Schools: Per Capita Costs, how much and what proportion of the additional funding will be used for pay increases already awarded to teachers in the 2025-26 financial year.

In the 2024/25 financial year, the government announced almost £1.1 billion through the Core Schools Budget Grant (CSBG) to support schools with overall costs. This matches what the department had calculated is needed to fully fund, at a national level, the teacher and support staff pay awards in the 2024/25 financial year, after accounting for the available headroom in schools’ existing budgets.In the 2025/26 financial year, schools are receiving further funding to cover the remaining costs of the 2024 teachers’ pay award. Funding for this will be sourced from within the £2.3 billion of additional schools funding announced at the Autumn Budget 2024.For mainstream schools, the 2024/25 financial year CSBG has been incorporated into the schools national funding formula (NFF) in the 2025/26 financial year, ensuring that it forms an ongoing part of schools’ core budgets. The NFF is increasing schools’ funding by 2.23% per pupil on average in the 2025/26 financial year, compared to the 2024/25 financial year. This includes a 1.28% increase to ensure that the 2024 pay awards continue to be fully funded at national level in the 2025/26 financial yearFor special schools and alternative provision (AP), £90 million of the overall £1 billion increase in high needs funding allows the special and AP schools element of the 2024/25 CSBG to rise to a full-year equivalent of £235 million, which is being incorporated with the other teachers’ pay and pensions grants into a single CSBG for special and AP schools in the 2025/26 financial year.Local authorities are receiving £11 million in the 2024/25 financial year to cover centrally-employed teachers costs through the CSBG. In 2025/26, this will rise to £18 million and will be delivered through the Central School Services Block.

Pursuant to the Answer of 12 December 2024 to Question 17780 on Employers' Contributions, if she will make an estimate of the (a) median and (b) mean average number of people employed by the employers that she expects will pay (i) the same and (ii) less in employer National Insurance contributions.

A Tax Information and Impact Note that covers the employer NICs changes was published by HMRC on 13 November. Around 250,000 employers will see their Secondary Class 1 NICs liability decrease and around 820,000 employers will see no change.

Pursuant to the Answer of 10 December 2024 to Question 17084 on Schools: Per Capita Costs, if she will provide these figures adjusted for inflation by the (a) retail price index and (b) consumer price index.

The GDP deflator is the standard measure of inflation for public spending and is an appropriate measure for school costs. Therefore, the department does not produce estimates for the real terms increases in spending per pupil using the Consumer Price Index or the Retail Price Index.In the new year, the department will publish the School Cost Technical Note, which will provide an overall assessment for the balance between schools funding and costs in the 2024/25 and 2025/26 financial years.

What steps she is taking to ensure that people with learning disabilities can access work experience opportunities.

The department is committed to ensuring that young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) have equitable access to work experience opportunities.Data published by the Careers and Enterprise Company (CEC) provides evidence of an increase in positive outcomes for young people with SEND. SEND settings are outperforming mainstream institutions against Gatsby Benchmark 6, ‘experiences of workplaces’, with 77% of special schools reporting that the majority of learners had experience of workplaces by the end of year 11, increasing to 88% in year 12 or 13. By comparison, in mainstream schools 76% of students had an experience of a workplace by the end of year 11, rising to 84% in year 12 or year 13.Our work experience guarantee will ensure that all pupils are provided with two weeks' worth of work experience over the course of their secondary education by the end of this Parliament. These opportunities must be inclusive and accessible for all young people with learning disabilities in schools across England.Through our delivery partner, CEC, we are piloting the delivery of this guarantee. This includes testing a ringfenced ‘disadvantage premium’ to assist schools with the costs of work experience for disabled pupils, such as transportation and assisted travel, and the development of a virtual work experience platform to improve the accessibility of opportunities. Piloting work began in October 2024 with end of pilot reporting in August 2025.

If she will take steps to ensure that people with learning disabilities are able to access as many work experience opportunities as people without learning disabilities.

The department is committed to ensuring that young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) have equitable access to work experience opportunities.Data published by the Careers and Enterprise Company (CEC) provides evidence of an increase in positive outcomes for young people with SEND. SEND settings are outperforming mainstream institutions against Gatsby Benchmark 6, ‘experiences of workplaces’, with 77% of special schools reporting that the majority of learners had experience of workplaces by the end of year 11, increasing to 88% in year 12 or 13. By comparison, in mainstream schools 76% of students had an experience of a workplace by the end of year 11, rising to 84% in year 12 or year 13.Our work experience guarantee will ensure that all pupils are provided with two weeks' worth of work experience over the course of their secondary education by the end of this Parliament. These opportunities must be inclusive and accessible for all young people with learning disabilities in schools across England.Through our delivery partner, CEC, we are piloting the delivery of this guarantee. This includes testing a ringfenced ‘disadvantage premium’ to assist schools with the costs of work experience for disabled pupils, such as transportation and assisted travel, and the development of a virtual work experience platform to improve the accessibility of opportunities. Piloting work began in October 2024 with end of pilot reporting in August 2025.

What steps she is taking to improve further education opportunities for people with Down syndrome.

This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life.Further education (FE) colleges must use their best endeavours to secure the special educational provision called for by the student's special educational needs (SEN). In addition, colleges also have duties and obligations under the Equality Act 2010 to ensure that they are acting inclusively and not discriminating against disabled students. As with other FE providers, they are obliged to make reasonable adjustments to prevent disabled students being placed at a substantial disadvantage.Furthermore, under the SEND code of practice there should be a named person with oversight of SEND provision in every college. They co-ordinate, support and contribute to the strategic and operational management of the college. Curriculum and support staff in a college should know who to go to if they need help in identifying a student's SEN, are concerned about their progress or need more advice.In addition, the government has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, covering ages 5 to 18, chaired by Professor Becky Francis CBE. The Review will focus on ensuring excellent foundations in reading, writing and mathematics as part of a curriculum which is rich and broad, inclusive and innovative.The review will look closely at the key challenges to attainment for young people, and the barriers which hold children back from the opportunities and life chances they deserve – in particular those who are socioeconomically disadvantaged, or with SEND.

When she expects teaching of GCSE Natural History to begin.

All young people should have access to a broad and balanced curriculum with a range of qualification routes and choices. The government is considering the next steps for a natural history GCSE.The government has also established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, chaired by Professor Becky Francis CBE, an expert in education policy. The review, which covers ages 5 to 18, will ensure that the curriculum appropriately balances ambition, excellence, relevance, flexibility and inclusivity for all children and young people. The review group will publish an interim report early in 2025 setting out their initial findings and confirming the key areas for further work. The final report with recommendations will be published in autumn 2025.