Written questions by McMurdock.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure that young people leave school equipped with relevant skills for working life.

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 curriculum that ensures children and young people leave compulsory education ready for life and ready for work, and one that builds the knowledge, skills and attributes young people need to seize opportunity and to thrive in the changing workplace. This includes weaving speaking and listening skills, as well as digital and other life skills, into their learning.The review group will publish an interim report in early spring setting out its initial findings and confirming the key areas for further work. Its final report, with recommendations, will be published this autumn. We will take decisions on what changes to make in light of these recommendations.

What steps her Department is taking to help prevent bullying in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in Essex.

All schools must have a behaviour policy with measures to prevent all forms of bullying. They are free to develop their own anti-bullying strategies to suit their specific needs and are held to account by Ofsted.Schools must take a strong stand against all forms of bullying and should tackle bullying at the earliest opportunity to prevent it from escalating, particularly given the impact it can have on pupils, both emotionally and physically.​The department has published advice to support schools with addressing incidents of bullying. The guidance is clear that schools should make appropriate provision for a bullied child's social, emotional and mental health needs. The guidance is available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/625ee64cd3bf7f6004339db8/Preventing_and_tackling_bullying_advice.pdf.​The department has also published a practical tool to help schools, which can be found on the Educate Against Hate website. It is available here: https://educateagainsthate.com/resources/respectful-school-communities-self-review-signposting-tool-2/.

What steps her Department is taking to lower rates of student absence in secondary schools in (a) Essex and (b) South Basildon and East Thurrock constituency.

This government is determined to tackle the generational challenge of school absence which is a fundamental barrier to learning and life chances. Missing school regularly is harmful to a child’s attainment, safety and physical and mental health, which limits their opportunity to succeed. There is evidence that more students are attending school this year compared to last, thanks to the sector’s efforts, although around 1.6 million children remain persistently absent and miss 10% or more of lessons.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 and can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/working-together-to-improve-school-attendance. The guidance promotes a 'support first' approach, and sets out clear expectations on how schools, trusts, local authorities and wider services, including those in Essex and South Basildon and East Thurrock constituency, should work together and with families to address attendance barriers and provide the right support, including where a pupil is not attending due to special educational needs.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 target attendance interventions more effectively.The department recognises the importance of creating opportunities within the sector to share existing best practice on how to improve attendance. This is why the department set up a network of 31 attendance hubs, who have offered support to 2000 primary, secondary and alternative provision schools, including in Essex, and shared their strategies and resources for improving attendance. Bringing together best practice from the hubs, we have also published an attendance toolkit which aims to support schools to identify the drivers of absence in their setting and address these. The toolkit can be accessed here: https://attendancetoolkit.blob.core.windows.net/toolkit-doc/Attendance%20toolkit%20for%20schools.pdf.In addition to this work, the department also aims to improve the existing evidence on which interventions work to improve attendance. Over £17 million is being invested across two mentoring projects that will support at least 12,000 pupils in 15 areas. These programmes will be evaluated and the effective practice shared with schools and local authorities nationally.From early 2025, new Regional Improvement for Standards and Excellence (RISE) teams will support all state schools by facilitating networking, sharing best practice across areas, including attendance, and empowering schools to access support and learn from one another. For schools requiring more intensive support, RISE teams and supporting organisations will work collaboratively with their responsible body to agree bespoke packages of targeted support and challenge, based on a school’s particular circumstances.School attendance is also supported by broader investments, such as funded breakfast clubs across all primary schools to ensure children start their day ready to learn. The department is working across government on plans to provide access to specialist mental health professionals in every school, new Young Futures hubs, including access to mental health support workers, and an additional 8,500 new mental health staff to treat children and adults. Additionally, the department will initiate new annual Ofsted reviews focusing on safeguarding, attendance, and off-rolling.Schools can also allocate pupil premium funding, which has now increased to over £2.9 billion for the 2024/25 financial year, to support pupils with identified needs to attend school regularly.

Pursuant to the Answer of 12 December 2024 to Question 18093 on Education: Access, what progress the Regional Improvement for Standards and Excellence teams are making on engaging with schools.

The new Regional Improvement for Standards and Excellence (RISE) teams will begin in early 2025, with their first RISE advisers in post this January.Once established, RISE teams will engage schools to facilitate networking and sharing best practice, bringing together oversight and coordination of improvement programmes to empower schools so that they can better access this support and learn from one another. For schools that require more intensive support, the new RISE teams will work with their responsible body and supporting organisations to agree bespoke packages of targeted support, based on a school’s particular circumstances.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure schools with SEND provision are accessible for low-income families.

This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or in alternative provision (AP) receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life. ​The department is committed to taking a community-wide approach improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools, as well as ensuring special schools cater to those with the most complex needs.By strengthening support in the early years, children’s needs can be identified earlier ensuring that support is put in place which can prevent needs escalating and ensure children are able to thrive when they arrive at school.The department will also strengthen accountability on mainstream settings to be inclusive including through Ofsted, support the mainstream workforce to increase their SEND expertise and encourage schools to set up resourced provision or special educational needs units to increase capacity in mainstream schools.The department is providing almost £1 billion more for high needs budgets in the 2025/26 financial year, bringing total high needs funding to £11.9 billion. This funding will help local authorities and schools with the increasing costs of supporting children and young people with complex SEND. The department has also announced £740 million of high needs capital funding for the 2025/26 financial year to invest in places for children and young people with SEND or who require AP.

What steps her Department is taking to help reduce the number of children who need to travel long distances to a school with SEND provision.

This government is aware that many children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) struggle to find a suitable school placement that is close to their home and meets their needs. This government committed to addressing this by improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools, as well as ensuring special schools cater to those with the most complex needs.We want more children and young people to receive the support they need to thrive in their local mainstream school, reducing the need for pupils to travel a long way to access a specialist placement. Many mainstream settings are already delivering specialist provision locally, including through resourced provision and special education needs units but we need to go much further to ensure this support is available to far more children across the country.This government is also committed to ensuring special schools play a vital role in supporting pupils with the most complex needs. The Children and Families Act 2014 requires local authorities to ensure there are sufficient school places for all pupils, including children and young people with SEND. If a local authority identifies a shortage of special school places, resulting in a significant number of pupils needing to travel a long way to access a placement, they could consider creating or expanding provision.My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education has announced £740 million for high needs capital in the 2025/26 financial year to support children and young people with SEND or who require alternative provision. This new funding can be used to adapt classrooms to be more accessible for children and young people with SEND, create specialist facilities within mainstream schools that can deliver more intensive support adapted to suit the pupils’ needs, alongside continuing to provide places to support pupils in special schools with the most complex needs. The department will confirm local authority allocations for this funding in the spring.

What discussions her Department has had with (a) parents and (b) teachers about home-to-school transport for children with special educational needs and disabilities.

The department’s home-to-school travel policy aims to make sure that no child is prevented from accessing education by a lack of transport. Local authorities must arrange free home-to-school travel for children of compulsory school age, 5 to 16, who attend their nearest school and would not be able to walk there because of the distance, their special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or mobility problem, or because the nature of the route means it would be unsafe for them to do so.Officials work closely with local authorities to understand the challenges they face and support the delivery of home-to-school travel. The department knows it is challenging for authorities to arrange free travel for all eligible children largely due to challenges within the wider SEND system, where more children and young people need to travel a long way to a school that can meet their needs. The government is committed to improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools so more children can have their needs met in their local community.The delivery of home-to-school travel is governed by statutory guidance for local authorities. The department revised this guidance in 2023. The insight and experiences of a wide range of partners, including individual parents and schools as well as bodies that represent them, were valuable in revising the guidance. Officials continue to engage with a wide range partners to understand how the current arrangements are operating.

What assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of transport services for school children with special educational needs in (a) Essex and (b) England.

The department's ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life.The department’s home-to-school travel policy aims to make sure no child is prevented from accessing education by a lack of transport. The department is working to understand how well home-to-school transport supports all children to access educational opportunity.Local authorities must arrange free home-to-school travel for children of compulsory school age who attend their nearest school and would not be able to walk there because of the distance, their special educational needs (SEN), disability or mobility problem, or because the route is unsafe. There are extended rights to free home-to-school travel for children from low-income families, aimed at helping them exercise school choice. We know that challenges in the wider SEN system are creating pressure on home-to-school travel. More children have education, health and care plans and more of them travel a long way to a school that can meet their needs. We are grateful to local authorities for their considerable efforts to ensure eligible children can continue to get to school.The government is committed to improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools, so fewer children need to travel long distances to a school that can meet their needs. This will reduce the pressure on home-to-school travel over time.In addition, the government prioritised local government at the Autumn Budget 2024. We announced £1.3 billion of new grant funding in the 2025/26 financial year for local government to deliver core services, including home-to-school travel. The government recognises the challenges local authorities are facing. Together with local income from council tax and business rates, this will provide a real-terms increase in core spending power of around 3.2%.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure that children from low-income families have the same level of access to (a) high-quality education and (b) a range of options for schools as those from higher-income families.

Too often opportunity for children and young people is defined by their background. The Opportunity Mission will break the link between young people’s background and their success, ensuring family security and providing the best start in life, with all children achieving and thriving and building skills for opportunity and growth.High and rising standards in every school is at the heart of the mission to break down barriers to opportunity and improve the life chances for every child, no matter their background.The department has moved quickly to start driving up school standards by beginning work to recruit an additional 6,500 expert teachers and has launched an independent, expert-led curriculum and assessment review to deliver our ambition for every child and young person to study a curriculum which is rich and broad, inclusive and innovative.From early 2025, our new Regional Improvement for Standards and Excellence (RISE) teams will drive higher standards, supporting all state schools by facilitating networking, sharing best practice and empowering schools to feel they can better access support and learn from one another.At the Autumn Budget 2024, the government announced an additional £2.3 billion for mainstream schools and young people with high needs for the 2025/26 financial year. This means that overall core school funding will total almost £63.9 billion in the 2025/26 financial year.Admission authorities for all mainstream, state-funded schools must comply with the statutory School Admissions Code. The Code is clear that admission authorities must ensure that their admission arrangements are fair, clear and objective, and that they will not disadvantage unfairly, either directly or indirectly, a child from a particular social group. Admission authorities can choose to give priority within their oversubscription criteria to children eligible for pupil premium funding, where this is appropriate in the local circumstances.The government is proposing to legislate on requiring all schools to cooperate with the local authority on school admissions and place planning. As part of this, the department will also consider any wider changes necessary to ensure fair access to school for all. Any changes to the Code will require a statutory process, including a full public consultation and parliamentary approval.

Whether her Department has plans to review the adequacy of transparency requirements for academy trusts, including (a) financial reporting and (b) decision-making processes.

The government is clear that strong accountability is non-negotiable. That is why it has committed to bring multi-academy trusts into the inspection system, to ensure every part of our school system is driving forward the best outcomes for children. The primary responsibility for the financial oversight of academy trusts rests with the trustees themselves, supported by the financial management and governance requirements and framework set by the department in academy trusts’ Funding Agreements, which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/academy-and-free-school-funding-agreements. Further guidance is provided by the academy trust handbook accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/academy-trust-handbook/academy-trust-handbook-2024-to-print, and the Academies Accounts Direction, found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/academies-accounts-direction. This framework states that all academy trusts must have an annual external audit of their annual accounts by a registered statutory auditor. This external scrutiny provides the department with a high level of confidence that oversight is professional and consistent, as the external auditors must comply with auditing standards set by an independent regulator. Auditors must also give an opinion on whether the accounts are true and fair and provide an opinion to the department on regularity and compliance by the trust, reporting any transactions they have identified which have breached our requirements. Additionally, auditors prepare management letters, describing any weaknesses in the trust and recommendations for improvement. The department require trusts to respond to audit findings in an appropriate and timely manner. The framework also outlines that all academy trusts must:Implement robust financial procedures including internal checks of the suitability of, and compliance with, their financial systems.Have an audit committee to manage their risks and oversee the checks of systems of control. This committee must ensure an appropriate approach to scrutiny, such as the appointment of internal auditors, report on this work in their annual accounts and take ownership of balancing their budget and send a copy to the department in advance of each year.Publish their annual audited accounts and details of their objectives, achievements and future plans and set out what they have done to promote value for money in support of those objectives as part of their annual report and accounts. Where concerns are identified, the department will intervene in a way that is proportionate to the risk and preserves education provision. This can include issuing a trust with a Notice to Improve (NtI) or, in the most serious cases, termination of the Funding Agreement. Where academy trusts are experiencing significant financial difficulty, the department is clear that its starting approach will always be to have a supportive conversation to explore the challenges trusts are facing and suggest the practical ways it may be able to support. The department will consider the financial, educational and governance aspects of the trust and work through budget returns with trusts, including discussing revisions to the forecasts as necessary based on recent pressures. Academy trusts are delivering a high standard of financial management and governance. The latest published data shows that 98.2% of trusts had a cumulative surplus or a zero balance, 99.8% of academy trust accounts received unqualified opinions. In addition, independent auditors concluded that there were no regularity exceptions in trust accounts for over 92% of trusts, and less than 1% of academy trusts are subject to an active NtI.

What steps her Department takes to ensure adequate financial oversight of academy trusts; and how often financial audits are conducted of underperforming trusts.

The government is clear that strong accountability is non-negotiable. That is why it has committed to bring multi-academy trusts into the inspection system, to ensure every part of our school system is driving forward the best outcomes for children. The primary responsibility for the financial oversight of academy trusts rests with the trustees themselves, supported by the financial management and governance requirements and framework set by the department in academy trusts’ Funding Agreements, which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/academy-and-free-school-funding-agreements. Further guidance is provided by the academy trust handbook accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/academy-trust-handbook/academy-trust-handbook-2024-to-print, and the Academies Accounts Direction, found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/academies-accounts-direction. This framework states that all academy trusts must have an annual external audit of their annual accounts by a registered statutory auditor. This external scrutiny provides the department with a high level of confidence that oversight is professional and consistent, as the external auditors must comply with auditing standards set by an independent regulator. Auditors must also give an opinion on whether the accounts are true and fair and provide an opinion to the department on regularity and compliance by the trust, reporting any transactions they have identified which have breached our requirements. Additionally, auditors prepare management letters, describing any weaknesses in the trust and recommendations for improvement. The department require trusts to respond to audit findings in an appropriate and timely manner. The framework also outlines that all academy trusts must:Implement robust financial procedures including internal checks of the suitability of, and compliance with, their financial systems.Have an audit committee to manage their risks and oversee the checks of systems of control. This committee must ensure an appropriate approach to scrutiny, such as the appointment of internal auditors, report on this work in their annual accounts and take ownership of balancing their budget and send a copy to the department in advance of each year.Publish their annual audited accounts and details of their objectives, achievements and future plans and set out what they have done to promote value for money in support of those objectives as part of their annual report and accounts. Where concerns are identified, the department will intervene in a way that is proportionate to the risk and preserves education provision. This can include issuing a trust with a Notice to Improve (NtI) or, in the most serious cases, termination of the Funding Agreement. Where academy trusts are experiencing significant financial difficulty, the department is clear that its starting approach will always be to have a supportive conversation to explore the challenges trusts are facing and suggest the practical ways it may be able to support. The department will consider the financial, educational and governance aspects of the trust and work through budget returns with trusts, including discussing revisions to the forecasts as necessary based on recent pressures. Academy trusts are delivering a high standard of financial management and governance. The latest published data shows that 98.2% of trusts had a cumulative surplus or a zero balance, 99.8% of academy trust accounts received unqualified opinions. In addition, independent auditors concluded that there were no regularity exceptions in trust accounts for over 92% of trusts, and less than 1% of academy trusts are subject to an active NtI.

What steps her Department is taking to help academy schools under financial pressures handle the potential loss of experienced staff; and what support her Department offers staff facing possible redundancy.

The department supports academy trusts to have the capability to manage their resources effectively by providing high-quality advice, support and development to help schools protect against financial difficulty. Where academy trusts are experiencing significant financial difficulty, the department engages supportively to provide practical advice and guidance. A key element of the department's support are School Resource Management Advisers (SRMAs), practising sector experts such as school business professionals that work collaboratively with schools and trusts. SRMAs provide independent, expert and tailored advice to trusts on how they should make best use of their resources to deliver the best possible educational outcomes for their pupils. This support is for the whole sector and SRMAs have completed more than 2,000 visits to schools, trusts and local authorities, with 92% of survey respondents rating their experience of an SRMA as good or very good. High-quality teaching is the factor that makes the biggest difference to a child’s education. This is why we will recruit 6,500 new expert teachers. We will get more teachers into shortage subjects, support areas that face recruitment challenges, and tackle retention issues. There are now 468,693 full-time equivalent teachers in state-funded schools in England. The department’s initiatives are aimed not only at increasing teacher recruitment in key subjects and areas, but also at ensuring teachers stay and thrive in the profession.

If she will make an assessment of the potential long-term impact of (a) leadership changes and (b) staff reductions in academy schools on trends in the level of (i) academic performance and (ii) student well-being.

The government has a central mission to break down barriers to opportunity and boost life chances for every child. High-quality teaching is the factor that makes the biggest difference to a child’s education. This is why the department will recruit 6,500 new expert teachers. We will get more teachers into shortage subjects, support areas that face recruitment challenges and tackle retention issues.There are now 468,693 full-time equivalent teachers in state-funded schools in England. The department’s initiatives are aimed not only at increasing teacher recruitment in key subjects and areas, but also at ensuring teachers stay and thrive in the profession, including by improving teacher wellbeing and workload.All state schools are free to decide which qualifications they will offer in each subject they teach, including GCSEs and A levels. All schools must appoint staff in accordance with employment law.Academies and free schools have greater freedom and autonomy in how they operate, including staffing and the curriculum, but they are expected to teach a curriculum that is broad and balanced. Schools' decisions on curriculum will be determined by a range of factors, including the level of demand from pupils for particular courses, the availability of suitably qualified teaching staff, accommodation and facilities, and the practical constraints of the timetable.All state schools, including academies and free schools, will be held accountable for their performance, including in tests and exams. We publish key stage 2 and key stage 4 school attainment data every academic year.Key stage 2 data can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/key-stage-2-attainment/2023-24.Key stage 4 data can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/key-stage-4-performance.This government is committed to enabling schools to support children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing. This is critical to breaking down barriers to opportunity and learning. The right support should be available to every young person that needs it, which is why the department will provide access to specialist mental health professionals in every school.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure budget constraints in academy schools do not disproportionately affect provisions for students with special educational needs.

This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or in alternative provision receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life.All schools are responsible for ensuring that they make the best use of their budgets to support all pupils, including pupils with special educational needs. The overall Core Schools Budget is rising by £2.3 billion to £63.9 billion in the 2025/26 financial year. Within that, the department is providing an increase of almost £1 billion for local authorities’ high needs budgets, bringing total high needs funding for children and young people with complex SEND to £11.9 billion. Local authorities use their high needs budgets to support SEND provision for pupils in both mainstream and special schools, whether they are schools maintained by a local authority or academies.

Whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of exploring alternative funding models for academy schools.

The schools national funding formula (NFF) distributes funding for mainstream schools based on schools’ and pupils’ needs and characteristics. This treats academies and local authority-maintained schools equivalently.In 2025/26, as in previous years, local authorities will be responsible for deciding local funding formulae that determine the actual funding allocations for individual mainstream schools in their area. The department uses the respective local funding formulae to calculate funding allocations to academies, which again ensures that academies and maintained schools are funded on an equivalent basis.The schools NFF for 2025/26 was published on 28 November, with details of the provisional allocations at local authority and school level available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-funding-formula-tables-for-schools-and-high-needs-2025-to-2026.

What steps she is taking to help ensure a smooth transition of schools from the Ortu Federation to the Mossbourne Federation in the South Basildon and East Thurrock constituency.

Departmental officials have worked closely with the Ortu Federation and Mossbourne Federation since the decision was taken to transfer the schools. As well as supporting both trusts to complete the necessary legal and financial processes, the department has agreed a funding package that will enable significant capital investment in the school buildings. Mossbourne Federation has provided leadership support in the schools since the start of the year and is well placed to ensure pupils at these three schools achieve and thrive.

What guidance her Department issues academy trusts on implementing uniform policies.

The department publishes non-statutory guidance for all publicly funded schools, including academies, to support them in developing and implementing their school uniform policy. It covers a range of issues relating to uniform including supporting schools in meeting their obligations under equalities legislation. The guidance is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-uniform/school-uniforms.In addition, schools and their governing boards must have regard to statutory guidance on the cost of school uniforms, also issued by the department. The guidance outlines the cost considerations which schools should consider when developing uniform policies and managing their uniform supplier arrangements. It is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cost-of-school-uniforms/cost-of-school-uniforms.However, the government knows that too many families still struggle with the costs of school uniform. That’s why in the Kings Speech the new government legislated to go further and cut the cost of uniforms for families, by legislating to limit the number of branded items of uniform and physical education kits that a school can require. The statutory guidance will be updated to reflect this limit at the appropriate time.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure that academy trusts consult with the wider school community in cases where significant (a) staffing and (b) curriculum changes are proposed.

The government has a central mission to break down barriers to opportunity and boost life chances for every child. High-quality teaching is the factor that makes the biggest difference to a child’s education. This is why the department will recruit 6,500 new expert teachers. We will get more teachers into shortage subjects, support areas that face recruitment challenges and tackle retention issues.There are now 468,693 full-time equivalent teachers in state-funded schools in England. The department’s initiatives are aimed not only at increasing teacher recruitment in key subjects and areas, but also at ensuring teachers stay and thrive in the profession, including by improving teacher wellbeing and workload.All state schools are free to decide which qualifications they will offer in each subject they teach, including GCSEs and A levels. All schools must appoint staff in accordance with employment law.Academies and free schools have greater freedom and autonomy in how they operate, including staffing and the curriculum, but they are expected to teach a curriculum that is broad and balanced. Schools' decisions on curriculum will be determined by a range of factors, including the level of demand from pupils for particular courses, the availability of suitably qualified teaching staff, accommodation and facilities, and the practical constraints of the timetable.All state schools, including academies and free schools, will be held accountable for their performance, including in tests and exams. We publish key stage 2 and key stage 4 school attainment data every academic year.Key stage 2 data can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/key-stage-2-attainment/2023-24.Key stage 4 data can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/key-stage-4-performance.This government is committed to enabling schools to support children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing. This is critical to breaking down barriers to opportunity and learning. The right support should be available to every young person that needs it, which is why the department will provide access to specialist mental health professionals in every school.

What early intervention measures are in place to identify (a) financial mismanagement and (b) declining performance in academy schools.

Ofsted routinely inspects academies and must notify my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education when an academy is causing concern. Where an academy is causing concern, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education has powers to intervene which can result in it being transferred to a different academy trust where necessary. In addition, the department monitors the financial performance of academy trusts and if it identifies concerns, will intervene in a way that is proportionate to the risk and preserves education provision. This can include issuing a trust with a Notice to Improve setting out the remedial action it must take and, in the most serious cases, terminating funding agreements so that the trust’s academies can be transferred to alternative trusts. The government is committed to bring multi-academy trusts into scope for inspection which will enhance the department’s ability to act where a trust which is responsible for a number of academies is not managing them effectively.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of reductions in levels of academy staffing on the range of subjects offered in those academies for students already enrolled in (a) GCSE and (b) A Level courses.

The government has a central mission to break down barriers to opportunity and boost life chances for every child. High-quality teaching is the factor that makes the biggest difference to a child’s education. This is why the department will recruit 6,500 new expert teachers. We will get more teachers into shortage subjects, support areas that face recruitment challenges and tackle retention issues.There are now 468,693 full-time equivalent teachers in state-funded schools in England. The department’s initiatives are aimed not only at increasing teacher recruitment in key subjects and areas, but also at ensuring teachers stay and thrive in the profession, including by improving teacher wellbeing and workload.All state schools are free to decide which qualifications they will offer in each subject they teach, including GCSEs and A levels. All schools must appoint staff in accordance with employment law.Academies and free schools have greater freedom and autonomy in how they operate, including staffing and the curriculum, but they are expected to teach a curriculum that is broad and balanced. Schools' decisions on curriculum will be determined by a range of factors, including the level of demand from pupils for particular courses, the availability of suitably qualified teaching staff, accommodation and facilities, and the practical constraints of the timetable.All state schools, including academies and free schools, will be held accountable for their performance, including in tests and exams. We publish key stage 2 and key stage 4 school attainment data every academic year.Key stage 2 data can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/key-stage-2-attainment/2023-24.Key stage 4 data can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/key-stage-4-performance.This government is committed to enabling schools to support children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing. This is critical to breaking down barriers to opportunity and learning. The right support should be available to every young person that needs it, which is why the department will provide access to specialist mental health professionals in every school.