Written questions by Shannon.

What steps her Department is taking to help support working parents with childcare costs in Northern Ireland.

The early education and childcare entitlements are a devolved matter.Parents may be eligible for childcare support through Tax-Free Childcare or Universal Credit Childcare which are UK-wide offers. Tax-Free Childcare can help with an additional 20% contribution to their childcare costs outside the entitlements, which can be worth up to £2,000 per year for children aged 0 to 11 or up to £4,000 per year for disabled children until they are 17.Universal Credit Childcare aims to support parents to become financially resilient by moving into work and progressing in work. Eligible Universal Credit claimants can claim back up to 85% of their registered childcare costs each month regardless of the number of hours they work.Support and guidance from pregnancy to early childhood is available here: https://www.beststartinlife.gov.uk/.

What steps her Department is taking to improve early intervention for SEN children.

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.We know that early identification of needs is crucial to children’s development, health and life chances. This ensures that the right support is put in place as early as possible to ensure children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) can get the best start in life.​On 7 July, we published our commitment to Giving Every Child the Best Start in Life. We have pledged to invest close to £1.5 billion over the next three years to realise the Opportunity Mission and ensure every child has the best start in life. Through this investment, we will expand and strengthen family services, make early education and childcare more accessible and affordable, and improve the quality of early education and childcare.The government has announced funding for Best Start Family Hubs in every local authority to ensure that children and families who need support the most, especially those from low-income backgrounds or those with additional vulnerabilities, can access it.  Hubs will be open to all families, but we expect them to be located mainly in disadvantaged communities where support is most needed.​To support settings to identify need early, we are strengthening the evidence base of what works to improve early identification in mainstream settings. Recently published evidence reviews from University College London will help to drive inclusive practices as they highlight what the best available evidence suggests are the most effective tools, strategies and approaches.

What steps her Department is taking to teach young people from disadvantaged backgrounds about (a) finance, (b)employment and (c) other life skills.

On 5 November, the independent Curriculum and Assessment Review published its final recommendations for a refreshed curriculum and assessment system in England. The government’s response to the report includes a commitment to commits to strengthening pupils’ foundational understanding of financial education in maths and citizenship, with digital resources to support teaching. New statutory citizenship at key stages 1 and 2 will also ensure that primary aged children are introduced to key content on media literacy, financial literacy, law and rights, democracy and government and climate education. These principles will be extended to the secondary core content to reflect the age range of pupils and will focus on more complex content, particularly digital elements of financial literacy. The department expects schools to develop and improve their careers provision to be inclusive for all young people in line with the world-class Gatsby Benchmarks, including benchmark 3, which focuses on addressing the individual needs of each pupil.

What steps she is taking to increase substitute funding for schools.

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.The department does not specifically fund substitute provision. However, the overall core schools budget (CSB) is increasing by £3.7 billion in the 2025/26 financial year. Each school has the autonomy to allocate its budget to best meet the needs of its pupils and ensure they have the best opportunities in life. This may involve decisions concerning the hiring of supply staff, since schools, academies and local authorities are responsible for staff recruitment.The department is also committed to helping schools get better value for their money when hiring supply staff. We are working closely with the Crown Commercial Service on their agency supply deal, which supports schools to obtain value for money when hiring agency supply teachers and other temporary school staff. The deal has established a list of preferred suppliers that schools can access, all of which will be transparent with schools about the rates they charge.The department continues to conduct policy research into the supply market.

What steps she is taking to prevent hate speech in schools.

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.There is no place for hate or prejudice in our education system. Every school should actively promote the shared values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect for those of different faiths and beliefs.The department has published advice for schools on promoting these values and made resources available through the Educate Against Hate website.The new relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) guidance seeks to provide a practical framework that enables schools to teach RSHE in a way that is preventative and protective. It strengthens content on healthy relationships, mental health and the content reflects some of the challenges facing young people today. The guidance was updated on 15 July and is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/relationships-education-relationships-and-sex-education-rse-and-health-education.The department has also published ‘Respectful School Communities’, a self-review and signposting tool to support schools to develop a whole- school approach which promotes respect and discipline. It is available here: https://www.educateagainsthate.com/resources/respectful-school-communities-self-review-signposting-tool-2/.

How much her Department spends annually on taxi travel for children to and from schools.

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.Local authorities are responsible for arranging home to school travel for eligible children. They deliver their duty through a mix of in-house services, passes for free travel on public transport and contracts with private transport operators. Such contracts are a matter for the council and the operator, but the department encourages councils to have robust arrangements in place.The department has not routinely collected data on how much local authorities spend on different modes of transport. It is working to improve this picture and launched a voluntary data collection on home to school travel arrangements in February 2025.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of social media in schools on bullying.

​​Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.​We know that evidence suggests that cyberbullying is often linked to face-to-face bullying.​Mobile phones have no place in our schools. The department’s ‘mobile phones in schools’ guidance is clear that schools should prohibit the use of devices with smart technology throughout the school day, including during lessons, transitions and breaks.​The department expects all schools to take steps in line with this guidance to ensure mobile phones do not disrupt pupils’ learning. If pupils fail to follow those rules, schools have the power to confiscate devices.​Additionally, the department is launching a procurement for an expert and evidence-led review into best practice on managing pupil behaviour, reducing preventable exclusions and tackling and preventing bullying. The learning from this best practice review will inform the support to be given in the longer term by up to 90 new regional improvement for standards and excellence attendance and behaviour hubs, which are being established across regions in England to focus on supporting senior leaders to develop safe, supportive school cultures. ​

What support her Department provides for people in further education.

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.The department provides a range of financial support for students who need it to enable them to participate in post-16 education, including free meals, bursaries to help with the cost of education (such as travel, books, equipment, and trips), plus support for childcare and residential costs where required.Within the Adult Skills Fund, Learner Support is available to colleges and training providers to help learners meet costs such as transport, accommodation, books, equipment and childcare. In addition, learning support meets the costs of reasonable adjustments as set out in the Equality Act 2010 for learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities.

Whether she has had discussions with her Northern Ireland counterpart on substitute teachers unable to get permanent jobs.

Supply teachers perform a valuable role and make an important contribution to the smooth running of schools by filling posts on a temporary basis and covering teacher absences.Schools, academies and local authorities are responsible for the recruitment of supply teachers, which includes deciding whether they contract supply teachers directly or use employment agencies.Education is a devolved matter. The department is in contact with Northern Ireland counterparts at an official level to discuss and share valuable knowledge about supply teachers and the supply system in England and Northern Ireland.

What steps she is taking to increase the number of pupils learning languages in school.

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.The study of languages is compulsory under the national curriculum at key stages 2 and 3 for all maintained schools, and will become compulsory in academies, subject to the passage of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill.The government continues to fund the National Consortium for Languages Education, which is developing a new model of language support for schools and online continuing professional development for teachers that will support high-quality language teaching. This programme is designed to have national reach, ensuring that all schools can benefit regardless of their location.​To further support languages education, the department is offering a £26,000 tax-free bursary for trainee language teachers starting courses in 2025, or alternatively, a £28,000 tax-free scholarship for those training to teach French, German, or Spanish. Additionally, Oak National Academy is developing modern foreign languages lesson resources for key stages 2 to 4, to be fully released by autumn 2025, helping teachers deliver high-quality lessons and reduce planning time.

What steps she is taking to uphold free speech in universities.

This government is absolutely committed to freedom of speech and academic freedom in universities. My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, confirmed to Parliament on 15 January the government’s plans for the future of the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023, which will create a more proportionate, balanced and less burdensome approach to protecting academic freedom and freedom of speech.​On 28 April, the Secretary of State for Education signed commencement regulations, bringing the following provisions into force on 1 August 2025:​Strengthened higher education (HE) provider duties in relation to securing freedom of speech and academic freedom and promoting the importance of freedom of speech and academic freedom.​A requirement for HE providers to put in place effective codes of practice on freedom of speech and academic freedom.​A ban of non-disclosure agreements in HE for staff and students where there is a complaint about bullying, harassment and sexual misconduct.​A requirement for the Office for Students to promote free speech and enable it to give advice and guidance on it.​

What assessment she has made of the potential (a) merits of virtual teachers in allowing pupils to (i) rewatch and (ii) relisten to lessons and (b) impact of those teachers on pupils with lower achievement rates.

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.Oak National Academy, an arm’s length body of the department, aims to support teachers to improve curriculum delivery, reduce workload and support improved pupil outcomes. Oak works with teachers across the country, giving them and their pupils access to high-quality digital curriculum resources across key stages 1 to 4. These digital curriculum resources, including recorded lessons, are free, adaptable and can be accessed at any time.We do not prescribe the number of teaching hours for each subject, or the format of lessons. This, and the use of recorded lessons online, is left to the discretion of schools on what works best for their pupils.The department continues to invest in building the evidence base and providing strategic guidance to support safe and effective adoption of digital tools, while respecting school autonomy with regard to its implementation.The national curriculum provides a broad framework, giving schools and teachers the flexibility to organise the content and delivery of the curriculum to meet the needs of their pupils and local contexts, which may include recording additional lessons.

What steps she is taking to ensure that teachers are adequately trained to deal with students with ADHD.

High-quality teaching is the most important in-school factor for improving outcomes for all children, including those with neurodivergent conditions such as ADHD, and we are committed to ensuring that all pupils receive excellent support from their teachers.The Teachers’ Standards set clear expectations that teachers must understand the needs of all pupils, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), and this is embedded in teacher training. From September 2025, all new teachers will benefit from 3 years of evidence-based training through the revised initial teacher training and early career framework. This has significantly more content related to supporting pupils with SEND, including content adapted from the new national professional qualification for special educational needs co-ordinators.To ensure ongoing review, the department’s Neurodivergence Task and Finish Group brings together experts to make recommendations on how to best meet the needs of neurodivergent children and young people within mainstream education settings. Additionally, the Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (PINS) programme is a national, cross-governmental programme, backed by £22 million of investment, which deploys specialists from both health and education workforces to build teacher and staff capacity to identify and better meet the needs of neurodivergent children in mainstream primary schools.

If she will make an estimate of the number of schools in England that have a fast food facility within 400m.

The department has not made an estimate of the number of schools in England that have a fast food facility within 400 meters, as the department has no remit over the locations of fast food outlets.As part of the summer 2024 National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) consultation, the government sought views on how national planning policy could better support local authorities in promoting healthy communities, specifically in tackling childhood obesity.The revised NPPF published in December 2024 introduced a new policy to restrict new hot food takeaways and fast food outlets within walking distance of schools and other places where children and young people congregate unless the location is in a designated town centre. Applications should also be refused where there is evidence that a concentration of such uses is having an adverse impact on local health, pollution or anti-social behaviour.

What steps schools are taking to help make children aware of the dangers of groomers online.

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.Keeping children safe is an absolute priority for this government and schools play a critical role in this.As part of statutory relationships education in primary schools and relationships, sex and health education in secondary schools, pupils are already taught about online safety and harms.The new statutory guidance, published on 15 July, is clear that pupils should be taught about online sexual harassment and online sexual abuse including grooming and sextortion, about understanding the risks and signs that they may be at risk of grooming or exploitation, and how to seek help where there is a concern. This guidance is accessible at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/68761d6b39d0452326e28e6f/RSHE_statutory_guidance_-_July_2025_.pdf.The department also publishes ‘Keeping children safe in education’, the statutory guidance that all schools and colleges must have regard to. This can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/keeping-children-safe-in-education--2.This guidance provides schools and colleges with robust information on how to protect pupils and students online and how to respond to any concerns or signs of abuse including grooming.

Pursuant to the Answer of 10 April 2025 to Question 43513 on Financial Services: Curriculum, what assessment she has made of the impact of financial education in the national curriculum.

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.Financial education is an important way of equipping children and young people with the skills and knowledge to achieve good financial wellbeing. This is why it forms part of the national curriculum in England.The independent Curriculum and Assessment Review’s interim report, published in March, sets out that the Review has heard consistently that children, young people and their parents want more focus on the applied knowledge and skills that will equip them for later life and work, such as financial education.The Review’s final report and recommendations will be published in the autumn, at which point the government will respond.

What steps she is taking to ensure children have access to drama education in schools.

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.Drama is included in the current English national curriculum, compulsory up to age 16 (key stages 1 to 4). At key stage 4, all pupils in maintained schools have an entitlement to study an arts subject, including drama, if they wish.The government has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, covering ages 5 to 18, chaired by Professor Becky Francis CBE. The Review seeks to deliver a rich, broad, inclusive and innovative curriculum, including drama. The final report and government response will be published this autumn.To help meet our ambitions for improved and more equitable arts education, we will be launching a new National Centre for Arts and Music Education, which will promote arts opportunities to children and young people, support excellent teacher training in the arts, and boost partnerships between schools and arts organisations.

What steps she plans to take to roll out integrated family hubs.

On 11 June 2025, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, set out plans for spending and public sector reforms through the Spending Review 2025. This announcement confirmed departmental budgets for 2026/27 onwards and committed that the government will continue to invest in and expand the Family Hubs programme, working with parents to help give children the best start in life.On 7 July 2025, the government published the policy paper ‘Giving every child the best start in life’, which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/giving-every-child-the-best-start-in-life.This outlines the government’s commitment to delivering a new Best Start Family Service to bring together parenting, healthcare and education support services, as well as creating and funding Best Start Family Hubs in every local authority to give children the best start in life by strengthening and joining up family services.

What steps she plans to take to ensure a wide roll out the Family Hubs programme.

On 11 June 2025, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, set out plans for spending and public sector reforms through the Spending Review 2025. This announcement confirmed departmental budgets for 2026/27 onwards and committed that the government will continue to invest in and expand the Family Hubs programme, working with parents to help give children the best start in life.On 7 July 2025, the government published the policy paper ‘Giving every child the best start in life’, which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/giving-every-child-the-best-start-in-life.This outlines the government’s commitment to delivering a new Best Start Family Service to bring together parenting, healthcare and education support services, as well as creating and funding Best Start Family Hubs in every local authority to give children the best start in life by strengthening and joining up family services.

What steps her Department will take to improve digital infrastructure in rural schools.

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outline the information for England only.The Department for Education are joint funding with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology fibre upgrades to 833 schools in England, due to be completed this year, to ensure that rural schools in England are not left disconnected.The department has also published digital and technology standards to help schools make informed decisions about technology, leading to safer and more cost-efficient practices. These standards cover critical areas such as connectivity, cyber security, and filtering and monitoring. We launched a consultation on narrowing the digital divide in schools and colleges, which included proposals on the future of these standards, and we will publish our response to this consultation in due course.