Written questions by McMurdock.

How many and what proportion of university students left their university courses early due to mental health issues in the 2024-25 academic year.

This government is breaking down barriers to opportunity by ensuring young people receive the mental health support they deserve. It is vital that higher education (HE) students are supported to achieve and thrive during their time at university.Figures on non-continuation following year one of entry to HE are published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency for full-time first-degree entrants starting courses between the 2014/15 and 2019/20 academic years. Further information is available in Table T3 at: https://www.hesa.ac.uk/data-and-analysis/performance-indicators/non-continuation.More recent information on continuation rates, which are the inverse of non-continuation, for first year full-time degree entrants entering HE are published by the Office for Students (OfS). This is available at: https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/data-and-analysis/access-and-participation-data-dashboard/data-dashboard/.The proportion of UK domiciled student enrolments to HE providers who declared a mental health condition, such as depression, schizophrenia or anxiety disorder, was 5.6% in the 2022/23 academic year, compared with 1.8% in 2014/15. Although specific data on the number of students who have left their course due to a mental health issue is not known, we are determined that action is taken so students can maximise the opportunity to study in HE.This government has committed to recruiting 8,500 additional staff across children and adult NHS mental health services.To drive meaningful change in HE mental health support, the HE Student Support Champion, Professor Edward Peck, is chairing the HE Mental Health Implementation Taskforce. The taskforce includes representatives from students, parents, mental health experts and the HE sector. The taskforce published its second stage report in December, which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/higher-education-mental-health-implementation-taskforce.We appointed the National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Safety in Mental Health to undertake a National Review of HE Student Suicides. This review has seen excellent engagement from universities and will publish its report in the spring, with a focus on highlighting lessons learned and recommendations for better prevention of student suicides.

What steps she is taking to improve education in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools on media literacy to increase awareness amongst young people of social media harms.

Media literacy can help tackle a wide variety of online safety issues for all internet users, including children.Media literacy is currently taught through the national curriculum for citizenship at key stages 3 and 4. The guidance can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-curriculum-in-england-citizenship-programmes-of-study. Citizenship teaches about critical media literacy in relation to the proper functioning of a democracy, distinguishing fact from opinion as well as exploring freedom of speech and the role and responsibility of the media in informing and shaping public opinion. Primary schools can choose to teach citizenship, using non-statutory programmes of study at key stages 1 and 2. The guidance can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/citizenship-programmes-of-study-for-key-stages-1-and-2.As part of the statutory guidance for relationships and health education (RHE) in primary schools and relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) in secondary schools, pupils are taught about online safety and harms. The RSHE guidance for primary is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/relationships-education-relationships-and-sex-education-rse-and-health-education/relationships-education-primary. The RSHE guidance for secondary can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/relationships-education-relationships-and-sex-education-rse-and-health-education/relationships-and-sex-education-rse-secondary. This includes being taught about the implications of sharing private or personal data, including images, online, harmful content, cyberbullying, and over-reliance on social media.The RSHE statutory guidance is currently under review. As part of this process, the department will explore whether additional content is required, including content regarding online safety and harm.Teaching about online safety also complements the computing curriculum, which ensures pupils are taught how to use digital technologies safely, responsibly, respectfully and securely, from key stage 1 to key stage 4, with progression in the content to reflect the different and escalating risks that pupils face. The guidance can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-curriculum-in-england-computing-programmes-of-study.The government has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, covering ages 5 to 18, chaired by Professor Becky Francis CBE. The review will consider the key digital skills needed for future life and critical thinking skills to ensure children are resilient to misinformation and extremist content online. The review group will publish an interim report in early spring setting out its interim findings and confirming the key areas for further work, and publish its final report with recommendations this autumn.The Online Safety Act updated Ofcom’s statutory duty to promote media literacy and to raise the public’s awareness of the nature and impact of harmful content and online behaviour. Ofcom conducts research to assess media literacy skills and experiences, including potential harms, through various trackers such as the Children and Parents' Media Literacy Tracker and the Online Experiences Tracker, which includes focus on children’s media use, attitudes, and understanding.Since 2022, the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology has provided nearly £3 million in funding for media literacy projects. In 2024, this included £0.5 million to scale up two programmes, to provide media literacy support to teachers, children aged 11-16, parents/carers and other professionals working with families.

Whether she plans to commission research on the potential correlation between trends in children's media literacy levels and their susceptibility to social media harms.

Media literacy can help tackle a wide variety of online safety issues for all internet users, including children.Media literacy is currently taught through the national curriculum for citizenship at key stages 3 and 4. The guidance can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-curriculum-in-england-citizenship-programmes-of-study. Citizenship teaches about critical media literacy in relation to the proper functioning of a democracy, distinguishing fact from opinion as well as exploring freedom of speech and the role and responsibility of the media in informing and shaping public opinion. Primary schools can choose to teach citizenship, using non-statutory programmes of study at key stages 1 and 2. The guidance can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/citizenship-programmes-of-study-for-key-stages-1-and-2.As part of the statutory guidance for relationships and health education (RHE) in primary schools and relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) in secondary schools, pupils are taught about online safety and harms. The RSHE guidance for primary is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/relationships-education-relationships-and-sex-education-rse-and-health-education/relationships-education-primary. The RSHE guidance for secondary can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/relationships-education-relationships-and-sex-education-rse-and-health-education/relationships-and-sex-education-rse-secondary. This includes being taught about the implications of sharing private or personal data, including images, online, harmful content, cyberbullying, and over-reliance on social media.The RSHE statutory guidance is currently under review. As part of this process, the department will explore whether additional content is required, including content regarding online safety and harm.Teaching about online safety also complements the computing curriculum, which ensures pupils are taught how to use digital technologies safely, responsibly, respectfully and securely, from key stage 1 to key stage 4, with progression in the content to reflect the different and escalating risks that pupils face. The guidance can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-curriculum-in-england-computing-programmes-of-study.The government has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, covering ages 5 to 18, chaired by Professor Becky Francis CBE. The review will consider the key digital skills needed for future life and critical thinking skills to ensure children are resilient to misinformation and extremist content online. The review group will publish an interim report in early spring setting out its interim findings and confirming the key areas for further work, and publish its final report with recommendations this autumn.The Online Safety Act updated Ofcom’s statutory duty to promote media literacy and to raise the public’s awareness of the nature and impact of harmful content and online behaviour. Ofcom conducts research to assess media literacy skills and experiences, including potential harms, through various trackers such as the Children and Parents' Media Literacy Tracker and the Online Experiences Tracker, which includes focus on children’s media use, attitudes, and understanding.Since 2022, the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology has provided nearly £3 million in funding for media literacy projects. In 2024, this included £0.5 million to scale up two programmes, to provide media literacy support to teachers, children aged 11-16, parents/carers and other professionals working with families.

What plans she has to include online safety education into the national curriculum in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools.

As part of the statutory relationships and health education (RHE) in primary schools and relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) in secondary schools, pupils are taught about online safety and harms. This includes being taught about what positive, healthy and respectful online relationships look like, the effects of their online actions on others, how to recognise and display respectful behaviour online and where to get help and support for issues that occur online. The RHE statutory guidance is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/relationships-education-relationships-and-sex-education-rse-and-health-education/relationships-education-primary, and the RSHE statutory guidance is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/relationships-education-relationships-and-sex-education-rse-and-health-education/relationships-and-sex-education-rse-secondary.Teaching about online safety also complements the computing curriculum, which covers the principles of online safety at all key stages, with progression in the content to reflect the different and escalating risks that pupils face. The statutory guidance for the computing curriculum is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-curriculum-in-england-computing-programmes-of-study.The RSHE statutory guidance is currently under review. The department is looking carefully at responses to the public the consultation conducted last year, considering the relevant evidence and discussing with stakeholders before setting out next steps to make sure the guidance draws from the best available evidence. As part of this process, the department will explore whether additional content is required, including content regarding online safety and harm.In addition, the statutory ‘Keeping children safe in education’ guidance, which all schools and colleges must have regard to when drawing up and implementing their own safeguarding policies, has been strengthened with regards to online safety in recent years. Governing bodies and proprietors should ensure online safety is a running and interrelated theme whilst devising and implementing their whole school or college approach to safeguarding and related policies and procedures, including doing all that they reasonably can to limit children’s exposure to the harmful online content on the school’s or college’s IT system.

What steps he is taking to provide (a) schools and (b) parents with guidance to protect young people from harmful content on social media platforms.

The department’s ‘Keeping children safe in education’ publication is the statutory safeguarding guidance that all school and colleges must have regard to.This guidance provides schools and colleges with robust information on how to protect pupils and students online. The guidance has been significantly strengthened with regards to online safety in recent years. Online safety is now embedded throughout the guidance, making clear the importance of ensuring a whole school approach to keeping children safe both online and offline.The guidance makes clear that schools and colleges should ensure appropriate filtering and monitoring systems are in place and that their effectiveness is regularly reviewed. This limits children’s exposure to harmful content while on school-managed computersAs part of the statutory relationships and health education (RHE) in primary schools and relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) in secondary schools, pupils are taught about online safety and harms.This includes being taught about the effects of their online actions on others, how to recognise and display respectful behaviour online and where to get help and support for issues that occur online. In addition, pupils should have a strong understanding of how data is generated, collected, shared and used online, for example, how personal data is captured on social media or understanding the way that businesses may exploit the data available to them.Statutory guidance for RHE can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/relationships-education-relationships-and-sex-education-rse-and-health-education/relationships-education-primary. Statutory guidance for RSHE can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/relationships-education-relationships-and-sex-education-rse-and-health-education/relationships-and-sex-education-rse-secondary.Through the statutory national computing curriculum, from key stages 1 to 4 inclusive, there is progression in content to reflect the different and escalating risks that young people may encounter. The computing curriculum also provides pupils with the knowledge they need to make informed decisions whilst online or using other digital applications and technologies.All schools are also required by law to have a behaviour policy which outlines effective strategies that will encourage good behaviour. Schools should be clear that even though the online space differs in many ways, the same standards of behaviour are expected online as apply offline and everyone should be treated with kindness, respect and dignity.Finally, the Online Safety Act requires all services in scope to take steps to protect users, including children, from illegal content and criminal behaviour. Companies in scope of the Act will need to risk assess whether their service is likely to be accessed by children and if so, provide safety measures to protect children from harmful and age-inappropriate content.Ofcom has a duty to promote media literacy to help the public understand the nature and impact of where harmful content and online behaviour affects certain groups.

What steps she is taking to raise awareness of the impact of poor nutrition on children.

The government is committed to raising the healthiest generation ever. It is important that children eat nutritious food at school and the department encourages schools to have a whole school approach to healthy eating. The School Food Standards regulate the food and drink provided at lunchtime and at other times of the school day. They aim to ensure that the right foods are available for children every day. School governors have a responsibility to ensure compliance and should appropriately challenge the headteacher and the senior leadership team to ensure the school is meeting its obligations. Schools may use the School Food Standards as a guide when writing their packed lunch policies. To support governors, the department, along with the National Governance Association, are running a pilot online training course on school food for governors and trustees. By increasing understanding of the Standards, we hope that ultimately school children will have increased access to healthier, more nutritious food, the pilot will be evaluated to embed learning. All schools are required to follow a broad and balanced curriculum, as exemplified by the national curriculum. The national curriculum sets the expectation that pupils are taught about the importance of healthy eating and nutrition. Healthy eating and opportunities to develop pupils’ cooking skills are covered in the design and technology curriculum in key stages 1 to 3. The importance of healthy eating is also included in the science curriculum for both primary and secondary schools. Healthy eating is covered through topics relating to nutrition and digestion, which cover the content of a healthy diet and the impact of diet on how the body functions. The principles of a healthy and varied diet are also covered in health education, which emphasises empowering young people to make choices and adopt lifestyles that will increase their chance of living happy and healthy lives, supporting the agenda on tackling obesity. Pupils should be taught how to maintain healthy eating and the links between a poor diet and health risks, including tooth decay and cancer. More broadly, the government has already taken action to restrict ‘junk’ food advertising to children, uprated the sugary drinks industry levy and announced stronger local authority powers to block new fast-food outlets near schools. Action to ban the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to children is also underway.

What steps she is taking to ensure that school meals are (a) balanced and (b) nutritional.

It is important that children eat nutritious food at school and the department encourages schools to have a whole school approach to healthy eating.The School Food Standards regulate the food and drink provided at lunchtime and at other times of the school day. Compliance with the School Food Standards is mandatory for maintained schools, academies and free schools. They aim to ensure that the right foods are available for children. For example, one or more portions of vegetables as an accompaniment and one or more portions of fruit must be provided every day. The standards also restrict foods high in fat, salt and sugar, as well as low quality reformed or reconstituted foods, and ensure that pupils always have healthy options.The department’s aim is to deliver better life chances for all through a system which works for all. As with all government programmes, we will keep our approach to the School Food Standards under continued review.

What plans she has to improve education on food and nutrition in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools.

The department is supporting schools in a number of ways to provide high-quality food and nutrition education for their students.Nutrition education is a discrete strand of the national curriculum for design and technology and is compulsory for key stages 1 to 3. The curriculum aims to teach children how to cook and how to apply the principles of healthy eating and nutrition. It recognises that cooking is an important life skill that will help children to feed themselves and others healthy and affordable food.The importance of nutrition is also included in the science curriculum for both primary and secondary schools. Nutrition through healthy eating is covered through topics relating to nutrition and digestion, which cover the content of a healthy diet and the impact of diet on how the body functions.Pupils also have the option to study for a GCSE in food preparation and nutrition. This requires pupils to understand and apply the principles of food science, nutrition and healthy eating when preparing and cooking food.Oak National Academy provides adaptable, optional and free curriculum support for schools and has recently published new curriculum sequences in cooking and nutrition from key stages 1 to 3, with associated lesson resources being rolled out this academic year. This curriculum supports teachers to deliver lessons on practical food skills and develops pupils’ understanding of healthy and sustainable diets. Pupils will be taught to make informed decisions about food and drink, and to celebrate food as an important part of different cultures, and a source of nourishment, connection and joy. Pupils will learn how to plan, prepare and cook a wide variety of predominantly savoury dishes, safely and hygienically, applying their food knowledge to make informed nutrition and health decisions.The government has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, covering ages 5 to 18, chaired by Professor Becky Francis CBE. The review will seek to deliver a rich, broad, inclusive and innovative curriculum that readies young people for life and work. The review group will publish an interim report in early spring setting out its interim findings and confirming the key areas for further work, and will publish its final report with recommendations this autumn. The department will take decisions on what changes to make to the curriculum in light of these recommendations.

What steps her Department is taking to keep children and young people safe from violence (a) on the streets and (b) in schools.

Children’s wellbeing and safety is a priority for this government. In the community, there are a range of interventions from across government aimed at keeping children safe. In addition to existing community-based interventions, Young Futures Hubs will bring together services to improve access to opportunities and support for young people at community level, promoting positive outcomes and enabling young people to thrive.Education can be a significant protective factor. Statutory guidance including ‘Working together to safeguard children’ and ‘Keeping children safe in education’ sets out the safeguarding duties and responsibilities of education settings. This spans action taken within schools, such as through effective whole-school behaviour policies and pastoral support provision, through to the role of schools within multi-agency safeguarding arrangements and action taken by schools to escalate concerns about children to local authority services. Furthermore, the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill will put in place a package of support to enhance multi-agency working to keep children safe and ensure they can thrive. This includes placing a duty on safeguarding partners to automatically include education and childcare settings in their multi-agency safeguarding arrangements.Through existing statutory relationships, sex and health education, pupils are taught how to build respectful and empathetic relationships and appropriate ways of resolving conflict, including a clear message that resorting to violence is never acceptable.We currently support those pupils most at risk through two place-based programmes that provide specialist support in serious violence hotspots in England. Support, attend, fulfil, exceed (SAFE) taskforces are school-led partnerships that develop a targeted, local response to serious violence in 10 areas. Interventions delivered include mentoring, social skills training and cognitive behavioural approaches. In alternative provision (AP) settings, Alternative Provision Specialist Taskforces (APSTs) are joined up, multi-disciplinary teams (including youth workers, family workers and careers workers) embedded within the largest AP schools in 22 areas.

What steps her Department is taking to (a) enforce and (b) monitor safeguarding standards in academy schools.

All schools must follow the ‘Keeping children safe in education’, and ‘Working together to safeguard children’ statutory guidance and in line with the funding agreement, academy trusts must comply with the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014 (the regulations). Part 3 of the regulations sets out the standards for a trust’s safeguarding responsibilities, and part 4 outlines the standards regarding the suitability of staff, supply staff, and proprietors. Trusts are held to account for standards in their academies through Ofsted inspections.When the department has concerns about an academy trust not meeting its safeguarding responsibilities, it will work closely with the trust to ensure those arrangements come into compliance with statutory requirements. The department’s remit does not extend to investigating individual safeguarding matters or commenting on a trust’s handling of an incident(s). Once alerted to a safeguarding concern, the local authority for the area in which a child lives, is responsible for providing appropriate support.To fulfil its safeguarding remit, the department will work with other statutory bodies, such as the local authority or Ofsted, as appropriate in accordance with our procedures.Failure to comply with the regulations may place a trust in breach of its funding agreement with my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education. In these circumstances the department may take intervention action as set out in the academy trust handbook.

Whether she plans to develop financial literacy education in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools to improve financial resilience in younger people.

I refer the hon. Member for South Basildon and East Thurrock to the answer of 06 January 2025 to question 21188.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of libraries in primary schools for the development of primary school students.

School libraries complement public libraries by giving pupils access to a range of books and other kinds of texts, both in and out of school. The national curriculum states that teachers are expected to encourage pupils to develop the habit of reading widely and often, for both pleasure and information. There are a number of strong links between reading for pleasure and attainment. For example, the 2021 Progress in International Reading Literacy Study report found a 34 point difference in reading performance between pupils in England who “very much” liked reading and pupils who “do not” like reading. Additionally, the 2022 Programme for International Student Assessment study found that enjoyment of reading links to pupils’ reading engagement, and that reading engagement was strongly positively correlated with reading performance. There is also a strong evidence base linking reading for pleasure to other positive effects, such as improved text comprehension and grammar, increased general knowledge and character development.It is for individual schools to decide how best to provide and maintain a library service for their pupils, including whether to employ a qualified librarian. Headteachers have autonomy to decide how best to spend the core schools funding that is allocated to them by the department. The Autumn Budget 2024 announced an additional £2.3 billion for schools for the 2025/26 financial year, compared to 2024/25, bringing the total core schools budget to almost £63.9 billion in 2025/26.Given this autonomy, the department does not collect information on the number of school libraries or school librarians. ​​There are currently no plans to make it a statutory requirement for primary schools to have a library, although we will continue to keep this matter under review.​The government’s reading framework offers non-statutory guidance for teachers and school leaders, including helpful guidance for schools on how to organise their school library, book corner or book stock to make reading accessible and attractive to readers.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of primary school library provision in (a) schools in deprived areas and (b) schools in affluent areas.

School libraries complement public libraries by giving pupils access to a range of books and other kinds of texts, both in and out of school. The national curriculum states that teachers are expected to encourage pupils to develop the habit of reading widely and often, for both pleasure and information. There are a number of strong links between reading for pleasure and attainment. For example, the 2021 Progress in International Reading Literacy Study report found a 34 point difference in reading performance between pupils in England who “very much” liked reading and pupils who “do not” like reading. Additionally, the 2022 Programme for International Student Assessment study found that enjoyment of reading links to pupils’ reading engagement, and that reading engagement was strongly positively correlated with reading performance. There is also a strong evidence base linking reading for pleasure to other positive effects, such as improved text comprehension and grammar, increased general knowledge and character development.It is for individual schools to decide how best to provide and maintain a library service for their pupils, including whether to employ a qualified librarian. Headteachers have autonomy to decide how best to spend the core schools funding that is allocated to them by the department. The Autumn Budget 2024 announced an additional £2.3 billion for schools for the 2025/26 financial year, compared to 2024/25, bringing the total core schools budget to almost £63.9 billion in 2025/26.Given this autonomy, the department does not collect information on the number of school libraries or school librarians. ​​There are currently no plans to make it a statutory requirement for primary schools to have a library, although we will continue to keep this matter under review.​The government’s reading framework offers non-statutory guidance for teachers and school leaders, including helpful guidance for schools on how to organise their school library, book corner or book stock to make reading accessible and attractive to readers.

Whether she plans to make libraries in primary schools a statutory requirement.

School libraries complement public libraries by giving pupils access to a range of books and other kinds of texts, both in and out of school. The national curriculum states that teachers are expected to encourage pupils to develop the habit of reading widely and often, for both pleasure and information. There are a number of strong links between reading for pleasure and attainment. For example, the 2021 Progress in International Reading Literacy Study report found a 34 point difference in reading performance between pupils in England who “very much” liked reading and pupils who “do not” like reading. Additionally, the 2022 Programme for International Student Assessment study found that enjoyment of reading links to pupils’ reading engagement, and that reading engagement was strongly positively correlated with reading performance. There is also a strong evidence base linking reading for pleasure to other positive effects, such as improved text comprehension and grammar, increased general knowledge and character development.It is for individual schools to decide how best to provide and maintain a library service for their pupils, including whether to employ a qualified librarian. Headteachers have autonomy to decide how best to spend the core schools funding that is allocated to them by the department. The Autumn Budget 2024 announced an additional £2.3 billion for schools for the 2025/26 financial year, compared to 2024/25, bringing the total core schools budget to almost £63.9 billion in 2025/26.Given this autonomy, the department does not collect information on the number of school libraries or school librarians. ​​There are currently no plans to make it a statutory requirement for primary schools to have a library, although we will continue to keep this matter under review.​The government’s reading framework offers non-statutory guidance for teachers and school leaders, including helpful guidance for schools on how to organise their school library, book corner or book stock to make reading accessible and attractive to readers.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the increase in employer National Insurance contributions on SEND transport to educational institutions.

I refer the hon. Member for South Basildon and East Thurrock to the answer of 16 December 2024 to Question 19397.

How many children with SEND use provided travel to and from educational facilities (a) nationally, (b) in Essex and (c) in South Basildon and East Thurrock constituency.

The department does not currently routinely collect data about the number of children who have their home-to-school travel arranged by local authorities. We intend to improve our data in this area so that local authorities can benchmark themselves against similar authorities and learn from one another, and so that central and local government have the robust evidence required to inform decision making. In February 2025, the department will start collecting data about home-to-school travel from local authorities. This will be a voluntary data collection at first, with the intention to make it mandatory once it is established.

Whether she plans to introduce a standardised complaints process for academy schools.

​​All academies are required to have a complaints process which adheres to Part 7 of the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014. This sets out that it is the academy’s responsibility to handle and resolve any complaints. If a complainant has concerns that an academy did not handle a complaint in line with the regulations, they can then escalate to the department, whose role it is to consider whether the academy followed the correct process. The department’s ‘Best practice guidance for academies complaints procedures’ can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/setting-up-an-academies-complaints-procedure/best-practice-guidance-for-academies-complaints-procedures.​

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of introducing a national safeguarding framework for all educational institutions including academies.

The department already has an established and robust safeguarding framework in place for educational institutions in the form of ‘Keeping children safe in education’ (KCSIE). This is statutory safeguarding guidance which sets out the legal duties and responsibilities that schools and colleges, including academies, must follow to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.KCSIE is regularly reviewed to see where it needs strengthening and to ensure it is reflective of emerging risks in safeguarding.

What steps she is taking to improve teacher (a) recruitment and (b) retention in (i) Essex and (ii) South Basildon and East Thurrock constituency.

​​​Delivering the government’s mission to break down the barriers to opportunity for every child relies on a highly skilled workforce in schools, with evidence demonstrating that high-quality teaching is the in-school factor that makes the biggest difference to a child’s outcomes.​​There are now 468,693 full-time equivalent (FTE) teachers in state-funded schools in England, but numbers have not kept pace with demand. This is why the government has set out the ambition to recruit 6,500 new expert teachers across our schools, both mainstream and specialist, and our colleges over the course of this Parliament.The department has made good early progress towards this key pledge by ensuring teaching is once again an attractive and respected profession, key to which is ensuring teachers receive the pay they deserve. We have accepted in full the School Teachers’ Review Body’s recommendation of a 5.5% pay award for teachers and leaders in maintained schools for 2024/25. Alongside teacher pay, we have made £233 million available from the 2025/26 recruitment cycle to support teacher trainees with tax-free bursaries of up to £29,000 and scholarships of up to £31,000 in shortage subjects. The department has also expanded its school teacher recruitment campaign, ‘Every Lesson Shapes a Life’, and the further education teacher recruitment campaign ‘Share your Skills’.A successful recruitment strategy starts with a strong retention strategy, and new teachers of mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing in the first five years of their careers will now receive a Targeted Retention Incentive of up to £6,000, after-tax, if working in disadvantaged schools. There are four schools in South Basildon and East Thurrock that are eligible for Targeted Retention Incentives.The department is also working closely with teachers and school leaders to improve workload and wellbeing. This includes introducing a new school report card to in place of Ofsted’s single headline grades, to provide a clearer picture of schools’ strengths and weaknesses for parents and more proportionate accountability for staff. It also includes promoting flexible working, such as allowing planning, preparation and assessment time to be taken from home, and making key resources to support wellbeing, developed with school leaders, available to teachers.The department is also funding bespoke support provided by flexible working ambassador schools and multi-academy trusts, to ensure schools are able to capture the benefits of flexible working whilst protecting pupils’ face-to-face teacher time. The named flexible working ambassador for schools in South Basildon and East Thurrock is Thomas Gainsborough school, part of Unity Schools Partnership.High-quality continuous professional development is also key to ensuring we have and retain an effective teaching workforce. ​The department has established Teaching School Hubs across the country, which provide approved high-quality professional development to teachers at all stages of their careers. These Hubs play a significant role in delivering Initial Teacher Training, the Early Career Framework, National Professional Qualifications and Appropriate Body services. Chafford Hundred South Essex Teaching School Hub is a centre of excellence supporting teacher training and development across Basildon, Brentwood, Castle Point, Maldon, Rochford, Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock.

What steps her Department is taking to promote alternatives to university to young people.

The government is developing a comprehensive strategy for post‐16 education and skills, to break down barriers to opportunity, support the development of a skilled workforce, and drive economic growth through our Industrial Strategy. We have established Skills England to ensure we have the highly trained workforce needed to deliver the national, regional and local skills needs of the next decade. It will ensure that the skills system is clear and navigable for individuals, for both young people and older adults, strengthening careers pathways into jobs across the economy. The department will support the aspiration of every person who meets the requirements and wants to go to university, regardless of their background, where they live and their personal circumstances. However, all young people must have a genuine choice of high-quality further or higher education pathways, or in-work training including apprenticeships, so that young people can follow that pathway that is right for them. Firstly, the department is promoting apprenticeships which offer a range of high-quality options for young people, with over 700 apprenticeship standards approved for delivery. We actively promote apprenticeships in schools and colleges through our Apprenticeships Support and Knowledge Programme (ASK). Through it, we increase awareness of apprenticeships and Higher Technical Qualifications amongst students in years 10-13, parents, carers, teachers and careers advisers. During the 2023/24 academic year, ASK engaged with 2,366 schools and colleges. The ASK sessions reached over 575,000 students. In addition, the department is developing new foundation apprenticeships to give more young people a foot in the door at the start of their working lives whilst supporting the pipeline of new talent that employers will need to drive economic growth. Secondly, the department is introducing a Youth Guarantee, as part of the measures set out in the Get Britain Working White Paper. This will ensure that all young people aged 18-21 in England can access quality training, educational opportunities or help to find work. The Youth Guarantee will involve working closely with Mayoral Authorities, and building on existing provision and entitlements, to test new ways of supporting young people into employment or training. To do this we will mobilise eight place-based Youth Guarantee trailblazers with £45 million of funding in 2025/26. Thirdly, the department continues to raise awareness amongst young people of alternative options to university, starting from a young age. Secondary schools have legal requirements to provide independent careers guidance and to provide at least six opportunities for providers of technical education or apprenticeships to speak to all pupils. Our government-funded network of Careers Hubs, coordinated by The Careers and Enterprise Company, supports schools and colleges to maximise these opportunities. The Skills for Life website also sets out the wide range of education and training options available for young people. Together, these steps ensure that we continue to support all young people to either go to university, or to access high-quality apprenticeships, further education opportunities, and support to find work, depending on the path that is right for them.