Written questions by Amos.

Whether she has had recent discussions with the Religious Education Council’s Task and Finish Group on the development of the proposed Programmes of Study for a potential National Curriculum for Religious Education; and what the (a) criteria and (b) process was for selecting members of the (i) Task and Finish Group and (ii) any expert advisory groups.

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education has met Vanessa Ogden, chair of the independent sector led group, along with some members of the group. She welcomes the independent work being undertaken to develop a draft religious education curriculum.The department was not responsible for selecting its members or for determining the criteria or processes used to select members of the group or any associated expert advisory groups. As such, decisions on membership were a matter for the sector-led group and were intended to ensure a breadth of expertise and representation from across the religious education sector.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact on adopted children, children living under Special Guardianship Orders, and their families of the reductions to the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF) fair access limits introduced in April 2025; and if she will publish evidence gathered in the last 12 months on (a) the potential effect of the lower £3,000 annual funding cap, (b) the inclusion of specialist assessments within that cap, (c) the removal of match‑funding provisions for higher‑cost therapeutic interventions, and (d) resulting consequences for the wellbeing of the children and their families, access to therapeutic services, and placement stability.

The revised criteria for the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF) were introduced in April 2025 and were designed to ensure support for all those applying for ASGSF funding. An equalities impact assessment was published in July 2025.Analysis shows that in 2024/25, users of the fund had an average spend of £3,170. The department continues to review data on the impact on applications numbers and value of applications to assess the overall impact of the changes made. Local authorities and regional adoption agencies may supplement funding where additional support is assessed to be required. Over 15,000 applications have been approved since April 2025, including over 1,000 specialist assessments, demonstrating continued access to support.As the Minister for Children and Families, I recently announced the continuation of the ASGSF for 2026 to 2028, and a consultation on the longer-term future of adoption support, including a call for evidence on what works for children and families.

Whether her Department plans to review the eligibility rules for receiving 30 hours of free childcare.

It is our 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. We are delivering more support to working families than ever before with the rollout of the 30 hours government-funded childcare entitlement since September 2025.To be eligible, each working parent in a household must expect to earn the equivalent of 16 hours a week at National Minimum or Living Wage, and less than £100,000 adjusted net income per year. Childcare support is made up of several different systems and has developed gradually over time, with add-ons and expansions made by subsequent governments. This can make it confusing for both parents and early years providers to understand and apply for the help available. We will continue improving the system so that all children, regardless of background, can benefit from high-quality early education and childcare, and parents are supported to work.

What steps her Department is taking to help ensure that mature students who wish to retrain as doctors are able to access available financial support; and what assessment her Department has made of the extent to which those mature students who previously had a student loan that is now fully repaid are eligible to access that financial support.

The government is committed to ensuring the country develops the skills needed to break down barriers to opportunity and so is introducing the Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE). This will launch in the 2026/27 academic year for learners up to aged 60 studying courses that start on or after 1 January 2027.The LLE will remove the Equivalent Level Qualification rules meaning more people can train, retrain and upskill flexibly. Also under the LLE, a priority additional entitlement will be available to support graduates who study a second degree in certain courses, including medicine. Courses eligible for priority additional entitlement funding have been chosen based on their alignment to the government’s Industrial Strategy and the UK’s priority skills needs.Medical students taking a second degree using the LLE will also be able to access standard maintenance support for those years not covered by the NHS bursary.

How much revenue has been generated from the application of VAT to private school fees to date and how this revenue has been allocated.

The government has estimated that ending tax breaks for private schools will raise £1.8 billion a year by 2029/30. At the Autumn Budget 2025, the re-costing of the measure showed it will raise around £40 million per year more than originally forecast. This will raise essential revenue to help fund public services, including supporting the 94% of children in state schools.

Whether her Department plans to review the eligibility criteria for the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund to ensure that adoptive families whose children were not previously looked after by a local authority can access therapeutic support, in the context of the complex (a) emotional and (b) psychological needs those children may have.

The Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF) is targeted at children who were previously looked after by a local authority, as the local authority maintain a statutory responsibility to these children. Local authorities may still provide support for other children where appropriate, including any adopted children who were not previously looked after, using alternative funding streams. Eligibility and budget considerations for the ASGSF are assessed as part of the broader spending review discussions.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure that the Review of Religious Education (a) considers a (i) broad and (ii) balanced range of (A) academic, (B) educational and (C) community perspectives and (b) is not disproportionately influenced by submissions from any single lobby.

The government has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment review, chaired by Becky Francis CBE. The Review aims to ensure a rich, broad, inclusive and innovative curriculum that readies young people for life and work. The Review is being informed by evidence, data, and in close consultation with education professionals and other experts, parents, children and young people, employers, universities and trade unions. This includes over 7,000 responses to the public call for evidence and a range of research and polling.The Review Group published its interim report in March 2025, which is available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6821d69eced319d02c9060e3/Curriculum_and_Assessment_Review_interim_report.pdf.The Group will publish its final report with recommendations, including recommendations for religious education, this autumn.​

Whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of revising the requirement for a grade 4 in GCSE maths for entry into teacher training, in cases where applicants hold postgraduate qualifications in relevant subjects but did not achieve that grade in maths at school.

The department is committed to protecting the quality of teachers and the profession’s status. The initial teacher training (ITT) criteria set out the requirements for all ITT courses leading to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). All accredited ITT providers must ensure that entrants to these courses have achieved a standard equivalent to a grade 4 in the GCSE examinations in English and mathematics (and science, for primary trainees).The entry requirements aim to ensure that entrants to ITT have demonstrated their achievement of a minimum standard of educational attainment, and for primary trainees that they demonstrate an acceptable level of subject knowledge in the core subjects of the national curriculum.It is the standard, not the certificate, that matters. Applicants who are otherwise suitable but have not successfully achieved a GCSE grade 4 may be given an opportunity to show that they can meet the required standard either by taking an equivalence test or by offering other evidence of attainment, which should demonstrate a similar level and breadth. It is for accredited ITT providers to decide whether an applicant’s qualification is of a standard equivalent to GCSE grade 4.