Written questions by Mierlo.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of expanding the National Curriculum to embed (a) critical and creative thinking, (b) problem solving, (c) communication and (d) collaboration skills to support the next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs.

The government response to the Curriculum and Assessment Review sets out our plan to ensure that all pupils develop the knowledge and skills that we know are essential for life, work and innovation.When refreshing the national curriculum, we will identify where subject-specific disciplinary skills are not clearly described or not emphasised adequately, and then ensure that these are properly reflected in those subjects’ programmes of study. For example, creative thinking in computing, critical thinking in history or problem solving in maths.Furthermore, we will be extending citizenship to primary schools to introduce important financial literacy to pupils from an earlier age; reforming computing education to equip more young people with the digital skills they need for the future; and creating a new oracy framework to help pupils become confident, fluent speakers, setting them up for leadership roles in the workplace.

If she will bring forward policy proposals to make access to PE and sport at school a right for all disabled children.

The department is committed to giving every pupil the chance to participate in PE and sport while at school. This government has committed funding of up to £300,000 this financial year to the Youth Sport Trust to deliver Inclusion 2028, a programme to upskill the school workforce to deliver high quality, inclusive PE, school sport and physical activity to pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). The programme also funds the Inclusive Education Hub, an online platform of resources to help schools make their PE and sport more inclusive.Schools also receive capital funding directly through core funding. The government is investing almost £3 billion per year by 2034/35 in capital maintenance and renewal to improve the condition of the school and college estate, rising from £2.4 billion in 2025/26.Following my right hon. friend, the Prime Minister’s announcement on 19 June 2025, we are establishing a new PE and school sport partnerships network to ensure all children and young people, including those with SEND, have access to high quality PE and school sport.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of SEND tribunal waiting times on the ability of families to hold local authorities to account for non-provision of SEND support.

The volume of appeals to the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) Tribunal means that some families face a year-long wait for a hearing, lengthening the time it takes for children and young people to get the support they need. We are working with the Ministry of Justice and His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service to ensure appeals are heard faster, including through the recruitment of 70 new judges, more cases being resolved ‘on paper’, hearings being held in school holidays, and the prioritisation of appeals for those who are moving between education phases.

When she plans to respond to the correspondence from the hon. Member for Henley and Thame dated 10 October 2025 on the handling of the transitional protection remedy by teachers’ pensions.

I can confirm that a response to the correspondence from the hon. Member for Henley and Thame dated 10 October 2025 was sent on 8 December 2025.

What assessment she has made of the fairness of calculating student loan interest at RPI rather than CPI.

Interest rates are set in legislation in reference to the Retail Price Index (RPI) from the previous March, not the Consumer Price Index (CPI), and are applied annually on 1 September until 31 August. This ensures that over a period of years, interest rates on student loans have been consistently linked to a widely recognised and adopted measure of inflation.The Office for National Statistics has undertaken a substantial programme of work over the past two years to enhance how inflation is measured. The Office for Budget Responsibility has confirmed that, from 2030 at the earliest, movements in RPI will be aligned with CPI as viewed here: https://obr.uk/box/the-long-run-difference-between-rpi-and-cpi-inflation/.A full equality impact assessment of how the student loan reforms may affect graduates, including detail on changes to average lifetime repayments under Plan 5, was produced and published in February 2022 and can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/higher-education-reform-equality-impact-assessment.

What steps he is taking with the national literacy trust to deliver the national year of reading 2026.

This government has committed to strong foundations in reading and writing for all children and the National Year of Reading 2026 is an important part of our strategy for delivering on this commitment.The National Year of Reading is a UK-wide campaign to address the steep decline in reading enjoyment amongst children, young people and adults. It is a department led initiative, in collaboration with the National Literacy Trust, who will lead the delivery of the campaign, working alongside a range of partners.It includes a major physical and online marketing campaign, as well as exciting events, resources and activities in communities, libraries, schools and early years settings throughout the year.More information will be added to the website in the coming months. Anyone interested in the campaign can sign up to the website: www.goallin.org.uk.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of the £2.61 meal rate paid to Oxfordshire schools for providing universal infant free school meals, taking into account rising (a) food, (b) energy and (c) staff costs.

This government is committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity and tackling child poverty. We spend around £600 million per year ensuring close to 1.3 million additional infants enjoy a free, healthy and nutritious meal at lunchtime following the introduction of the universal infant free school meal (UIFSM) policy in 2014.The department has not made a formal assessment of UIFSM funding for Oxfordshire schools, but we meet regularly with the sector, including school food caterers, and draw on these insights to inform our policy thinking.

Whether he has made an assessment of the adequacy of the statutory training (a) SENCOs and (b) teachers receive on dyscalculia.

The department is committed to improving support for all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including pupils with dyscalculia. National Professional Qualifications (NPQs) are available to education professionals at all levels. From 2024, the NPQ for Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators became the mandatory qualification for SENCOs. This will play a key role in ensuring SENCOs consistently receive high quality, evidence-based training, allowing them to fulfil their central role in supporting pupils with SEND. We know some children face real challenges in maths, particularly those with dyscalculia and other special educational needs. We are supporting schools through our national RISE Maths Hubs, helping teachers deliver effective, inclusive lessons.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of student maintenance grants in meeting students' living costs.

The previous government removed maintenance grants, and the real-terms value of loan support for students has reduced by more than 20% over the last five years. It is essential that our government improves this.That is why we will reintroduce targeted means-tested maintenance grants before the end of this Parliament, funded by a levy on international student fees. The grants will support students from low-income households studying courses aligned with our missions and the Industrial Strategy, and we will set out further detail at the Autumn Budget.Additionally, the government will increase maintenance loans in line with forecast inflation every academic year. This will provide students with long-term financial certainty on the financial support they will receive while studying and ensure that students from the lowest income families receive the largest year-on-year cash increases in support.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of screening tests to identify early difficulties with numeracy.

The special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) code of practice is clear that meeting the needs of a child with special educational needs does not require a diagnostic label or test. Instead, the department expects teachers to monitor the progress of all pupils and put support in place where needed.To support settings to identify need early, we are strengthening the evidence base of what works to improve early identification in mainstream settings.Recently published evidence reviews from University College London will help to drive inclusive practices as they highlight what the best available evidence suggests are the most effective tools, strategies and approaches.In addition, the ‘What Works in SEND’ research programme, led by a research team from the University of Warwick and supported by SEND academics from the University of Birmingham, is researching tools that settings can use to identify the needs of neurodivergent children and young people.Both initiatives aim to strengthen teaching for children with special educational needs, including dyscalculia.The funding announced at the 2025 Spending Review, which will provide an increase of £4.2 billion over the next three years, will help to facilitate reform of the SEND system. We are continuing to engage with children, parents and experts as we develop plans to ensure all children get the outcomes and life chances they deserve and will be setting out more detail in the Schools White Paper in the new year.

If she will make an assessment of the adequacy of funding for dyscalculia.

The special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) code of practice is clear that meeting the needs of a child with special educational needs does not require a diagnostic label or test. Instead, the department expects teachers to monitor the progress of all pupils and put support in place where needed.To support settings to identify need early, we are strengthening the evidence base of what works to improve early identification in mainstream settings.Recently published evidence reviews from University College London will help to drive inclusive practices as they highlight what the best available evidence suggests are the most effective tools, strategies and approaches.In addition, the ‘What Works in SEND’ research programme, led by a research team from the University of Warwick and supported by SEND academics from the University of Birmingham, is researching tools that settings can use to identify the needs of neurodivergent children and young people.Both initiatives aim to strengthen teaching for children with special educational needs, including dyscalculia.The funding announced at the 2025 Spending Review, which will provide an increase of £4.2 billion over the next three years, will help to facilitate reform of the SEND system. We are continuing to engage with children, parents and experts as we develop plans to ensure all children get the outcomes and life chances they deserve and will be setting out more detail in the Schools White Paper in the new year.

With reference to the Curriculum and Assessment Review interim report, published in March 2025, what steps her Department is taking to ensure (a) climate and (b) nature education is embedded across the curriculum.

It is important that pupils learn about climate and nature education. Therefore, these topics are already included within the geography, science, and citizenship national curricula, and schools can also choose to teach these matters where they feel relevant in other subjects.In addition, the Natural History GCSE will enable more young people to benefit from the opportunity to learn about the natural world in more depth at key stage 4. It will equip them to understand, and respect, the natural world and contribute to the protection and conservation of the environment locally, nationally and internationally.The independent Curriculum and Assessment Review’s interim report set out that rapid social, environmental and technological change necessitates that the curriculum keep pace, including a greater focus on sustainability and climate science.The Review’s final report has been published on 5 November with the government response to the recommendations published on the same day.

How much funding her Department plans to provide to schools that are not eligible for funding under the Connect the classroom programme for upgrading essential IT infrastructure.

The department is committed to supporting all schools to harness the transformative potential of technology. By setting digital and technology standards, developing support services, including our plan technology for your school service, and investing in connectivity, we aim to help all schools to have essential digital infrastructure in place.Funding under the Connect the Classroom programme is targeted at schools in greatest need, ensuring public investment delivers the most impact.The department is currently finalising internal budgeting processes and will announce any updates on future funding via GOV.UK.

What plans her Department has to ensure that funding through the School Rebuilding Programme is spent in line with (a) net zero standards and (b) sustainability goals.

The department commits to a wide range of actions in our Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy, including a requirement that all new school buildings we deliver are net-zero carbon in operation and are adapted to climate change. The strategy can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sustainability-and-climate-change-strategy.All schools funded through the School Rebuilding Programme (SRP) have been designed to meet this standard, supporting the UK’s 25-year Environment Plan by requiring all projects to increase their level of greening in support of biodiversity net gain. The design principles of our output specification for SRP will ensure sites are more resilient to the impact of climate change and buildings delivered will achieve net zero carbon in operation.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure that (a) early years and (b) childcare infrastructure keeps pace with housing growth in (i) rural and (ii) semi-rural areas.

It is the department’s ambition that all families have access to high quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, giving every child the best start in life and delivering on our Plan for Change. The government is boosting availability and increasing access to childcare for families through the school-based nurseries programme, including school-led provision and private, voluntary and independent providers operating from school sites.The key measure of sufficiency is whether the supply of available places is sufficient to meet the requirements of parents and children. We have regular contact with each local authority in England about their sufficiency of childcare and any issues they are facing. Where local authorities report sufficiency challenges, we discuss what action the local authority is taking and, where needed, support the local authority with any specific requirements through our childcare sufficiency support contract.Childcare Works, a government-supported initiative designed to help local authorities, schools, and early years providers deliver our childcare reforms, additionally provides one-to-one targeted support for local authorities who need it, alongside a wider package of support for all local authorities to support them to deliver the childcare expansion programme.

Whether her Department has provided guidance to local authorities on (a) forecasting and (b) meeting childcare demand in areas of rapid population growth.

It is the department’s ambition that all families have access to high quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, giving every child the best start in life and delivering on our Plan for Change. The government is boosting availability and increasing access to childcare for families through the school-based nurseries programme, including school-led provision and private, voluntary and independent providers operating from school sites.The key measure of sufficiency is whether the supply of available places is sufficient to meet the requirements of parents and children. We have regular contact with each local authority in England about their sufficiency of childcare and any issues they are facing. Where local authorities report sufficiency challenges, we discuss what action the local authority is taking and, where needed, support the local authority with any specific requirements through our childcare sufficiency support contract.Childcare Works, a government-supported initiative designed to help local authorities, schools, and early years providers deliver our childcare reforms, additionally provides one-to-one targeted support for local authorities who need it, alongside a wider package of support for all local authorities to support them to deliver the childcare expansion programme.

What recent discussions she has with the Scottish and Welsh Assemblies on the potential merits of issuing an apology to people affected by the adoption of children of unmarried women between 1949-1976.

Departmental officials have had, and will continue to have, discussions with the Scottish Government and the Welsh Assembly to understand and learn from their approaches. We are considering all aspects of this issue with the seriousness and sensitivity it deserves.

What recent discussions she has had with representatives of the early years sector on reforming the funding model to improve sustainability and reduce bureaucracy.

The early years sector was widely consulted as part of the development of the Best Start in Life strategy, published by the department on 7 July 2025. This close working relationship will continue as we deliver on our commitment to consulting with the sector on a set of changes to our approach to early years funding by summer 2026. We want to ensure that funding is distributed fairly, effectively and efficiently, reflecting the costs of delivery in different parts of the country, and supporting those children and areas that have higher levels of additional need.

What assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of early years and childcare provision in areas experiencing significant housing development.

It is this government’s ambition that all families have access to high quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, giving every child the best start in life and delivering on our Plan for Change. In 2025/26, we plan to provide over £8 billion as we roll out the expansion of the entitlements. This represents an additional £2 billion compared to 2024/25. Additionally, the Community Infrastructure Levy and Section 106 legal agreements allow local authorities to raise funds from new developments to support infrastructure needs in their area.The department has regular contact with each local authority in England about their sufficiency of childcare and any issues they are facing. Where local authorities report sufficiency challenges, we discuss what action the local authority is taking and, where needed, support the local authority with any specific requirements through our childcare sufficiency support contract.

Whether her Department has conducted a review of the consistency of early years funding implementation across local authorities in England.

The department will review early years funding, including the early years national funding formulae, consulting on a set of changes by summer 2026. We will review how funding is distributed both nationally and locally to ensure the funding system is fair and effective at reflecting the costs of delivery and appropriately targeting additional need.