Written questions by Kirkham.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the introduction of menstrual well-being education in the statutory guidance entitled Relationships and sex education (RSE) and health education, published on 9 July 2020, on school leavers' knowledge of endometriosis.

While the department has not made an assessment of the impact of learning about menstrual wellbeing as part of statutory health education, it is beneficial for pupils to understand the features of a healthy menstrual cycle, be able to recognise when things are not right and know when to seek help.The department is currently reviewing the relationships, sex and health education statutory guidance and is looking carefully at the consultation responses, considering the relevant evidence and engaging with stakeholders before setting out next steps. This includes considering whether any additional content is needed, including on menstrual wellbeing and endometriosis.

Whether she has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of changing school registration forms to enable teachers to identify children born prematurely who are more at risk of special educational needs.

The government does not require schools to request information from parents about whether their child was born prematurely. It does, however, expect them to put the right support in place for each child, taking account of their individual needs and schools may wish to seek this information in order to do so.

Whether her Department holds data on (a) apprenticeship completion rates and (b) apprenticeship completion rates for apprentices with one or more Functional Skills Qualifications requirements.

The apprenticeship ‘National achievement rate tables’, which includes achievement rates, are published in the Apprenticeships statistics publication: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/apprenticeships/2023-24.The department does not hold information on apprenticeship achievement rates for apprenticeships with specific functional skills qualifications requirements.In November 2024, indicative achievement rates for apprenticeships where an English and/or mathematics component aim was present were published here: https://content.explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/api/releases/bfd06312-7732-41bc-97e7-94a6d85d2400/files/ffbc3754-8edb-4110-96af-1c1558f185bf. There was an indicative achievement rate of 42% for apprenticeship standards where an English and/or mathematics aim was taken alongside an apprenticeship in the 2022/23 year.Please note:(1) The 42% figure is not directly comparable with those published in the National achievement rate tables and is indicative only. For all apprenticeship standards for 2022/23 the achievement rate was 54%.(2) English/mathematics aims include some that are not Functional Skills Qualifications.(3) The department cannot differentiate between English/mathematics aims that are taken as a mandatory requirement of the apprenticeship and those that are not.(4) Wider functional skills qualifications (i.e. Digital Functional Skills) are not included in these figures.(5) 2022/23 is the Hybrid End Year. The Hybrid End Year is the later of the Achievement Year, Expected End Year, Actual End Year or Reporting Year of a programme.

What steps she plans to take to ensure a consistent approach to calculating special guardianship allowances.

The department recognises the valuable and important role that kinship carers, including special guardians, play in caring for some of the most vulnerable children. The government is committed to working with local government to support children in care, including through kinship arrangements. Statutory guidance issued to local authorities makes it clear that children and young people should receive the support that they and their carers need to safeguard and promote their welfare. There is no limit on the level of support, including financial support, that local authorities can provide. Financial support is paid at the discretion of the local authority and in accordance with their model for assessing support needs. All local authorities should have in place clear eligibility criteria in relation to the provision of support services.

If she will take steps to ensure funding is made available for skills programmes that provide pre-engineering training for young people.

All young people should have access to high-quality education and training that meets their needs and provides them with opportunities to thrive. Over £7 billion of 16-19 programme funding will be invested during academic year 2024/25, to ensure there is a place in education or training for every 16- to 18-year-old who wants one. The department calculates the basic funding for institutions using lagged student volumes and funding rates, which depend on the size of their students’ study programmes or T Levels. These rates are regardless of which type of institution they study at or what they study. The Adult Skills Fund (ASF) is worth £1.34 billion this year, and funds education and skills training for those 19 and above to help them gain the skills they need for work, an apprenticeship or further learning. Learners aged 19-23 can get their first full level 2 and level 3 fully funded under the ASF legal entitlements. For the 2024/25 academic year we have introduced five new funding rates that apply to the ESFA funded ASF. Under these new funding rates, 78% of qualifications are seeing an increase in funding. The government’s reformed growth and skills levy will deliver greater flexibility for learners and employers, including through new foundation apprenticeships that will give more young people a foot in the door and will support clear pathways into work-based training and employment.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of a requirement for local authorities to have a local offer for kinship care on the lines of those that required for care leavers and disabled children.

Local authorities have been expected to publish a policy detailing their approach towards meeting the needs and supporting children living in kinship care since the Family and Friends Care guidance was published in 2011. The department will soon be releasing updated guidance, called Kinship Care statutory guidance, which will restate that requirement.