Every parliamentary written question tabled by Jim Shannon this session, with the full answer and department. Back to the MP page.
Showing 101–120 of 152 · Department for Education
What recent discussions she has had with university leaders on tackling antisemitism.
My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education will shortly convene a roundtable discussion on antisemitism with a group of Vice Chancellors. This will be an opportunity to discuss what more can be done collectively, and at all levels, to make our universities a safe and inclusive environment for all.
What recent discussions she has had with the Office for Students on antisemitism at universities.
My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education will shortly convene a roundtable discussion on antisemitism with several Vice Chancellors. The Office for Students (OfS) will be represented at this roundtable. This will be an opportunity to discuss what more can be done collectively, and at all levels, to make our universities a safe and inclusive environment for all.Departmental officials meet regularly with the OfS and have discussed campus antisemitism with them in the context of the implementation of the new E6 condition, and when considering how best to uphold the rights of minority groups alongside freedom of speech.
What steps her Department is taking to help tackle mental health discrimination in schools.
Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.Discrimination or bullying of any kind is never acceptable and must be tackled quickly. The government is committed to improving mental health support for all children and young people. This is critical to breaking down barriers to opportunity, and helping pupils to achieve and thrive in education.To support education staff to understand mental health issues, the department provides a range of guidance and practical resources on promoting and supporting pupils’ mental health and wellbeing. The government will provide access to specialist mental health professionals in every school by expanding Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs). By April 2026, we estimate that 60% of pupils in schools and learners in further education in England will be covered by an MHST, up from 52% in April 2025.Through statutory relationships, sex and health education pupils are taught about healthy, respectful relationships and physical health and mental wellbeing, including talking about their emotions and the benefits of exercise and simple self-care techniques.
What steps she is taking to protect children with allergies in schools.
Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.Section 100 of the Children and Families Act 2014 places a duty on maintained schools, academies and pupil referral units to make arrangements for supporting pupils with medical conditions. The accompanying statutory guidance makes clear to schools what is expected of them in taking reasonable steps to fulfil their legal obligations and to meet the individual needs of pupils with medical conditions, including allergies.
What steps she is taking to (a) tackle obesity and (b) encourage healthy eating in schools.
Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.We are committed to raising the healthiest generation ever and the department encourages schools to have a whole school approach to healthy eating. The national curriculum sets the expectation that pupils are taught about the importance of healthy eating and nutrition.We encourage all schools to provide healthy, tasty and nutritious food and drink. Governing boards have a responsibility to ensure compliance with the school food standards. In November 2024, the department, along with the National Governance Association, launched online training on school food to support governors and trustees with this duty.We will break down barriers to physical education (PE) and school sport, ensuring all children can achieve and thrive through increased physical activity. The PE curriculum is designed to ensure that all pupils develop competence to excel in a broad range of physical activities, are physically active for sustained periods and lead healthy and active lives.
What steps she is taking to help increase the number of journalism clubs in schools.
Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.It is for schools to decide what enrichment and extracurricular activities are best for their pupils and settings, and the department does not specifically promote journalism clubs. However, the department, working closely with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, has committed to publishing a new enrichment framework by the end of 2025, which may support schools considering journalism as part of their enrichment offer. Building on the work of the sector, we will develop the framework alongside a working group consisting of experts from schools, youth sports, arts organisations and research bodies. The framework will also highlight effective practice on enrichment.
Whether she plans to take steps to help support schools to teach children about animal care.
Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.The national curriculum in England provides a broad framework within which schools have the flexibility to develop the content of their own curricula. Animal care can be taught within both the science and the relationships, sex and health curricula.
What steps she is taking to increase the number of apprenticeships in the renewable energy sector.
Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.Upskilling the country’s workforce is vital to meet the government’s clean energy 2030 target, with apprenticeships playing an important role in supporting employers in clean energy industries to develop the skills they need.Employers in England can benefit from over 40 apprenticeships that relate to clean energy industries. This includes the level 3 domestic electrician apprenticeship, which trains people to maintain domestic heat pumps, solar panels and electric charging points, and the level 4 community energy specialist apprenticeship, which trains people to help communities work together to reduce energy use and costs.
What steps she is taking to help improve school attendance.
Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.Tackling absence is at the heart of the government’s mission is to break down barriers to opportunity. The latest data shows that we are making progress, with children spending 3.13 million more days in school than last year. The department continues to work directly with academy trusts and local authorities to support and challenge them on improving attendance in their schools and to reduce variation in attendance outcomes. We are providing schools with market-leading, artificial intelligence-powered data tools to help them target their efforts most effectively.Alongside this, we have established 31 attendance hubs, led by schools with strong attendance practice, to offer support to around 2000 schools, and published an attendance toolkit to give schools practical advice on how to diagnose their attendance problem and implement great practice.Attendance is priority for the new regional improvement for standards and excellence teams. Supported by over £20 million, these teams will offer both mandatory, targeted intervention for schools identified by Ofsted as needing to improve and a universal service, acting as a catalyst for a self-improving system for all schools.The department recently announced an additional investment of £15 million to expand mentoring, which will see at least 10,800 secondary school pupils supported to improve their attendance.
Whether she plans to extend eligibility for university grants.
Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.The government is looking at its position on Lifelong Learning Entitlement-targeted grants policy and student finance and will make an announcement in due course.
If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of continuing to pursue partnerships with Chinese Defence Universities.
The UK welcomes international partnerships, including with China, which make a positive impact on the UK’s higher education (HE) sector, our economy and society as a whole. However, we will always protect our national security interests, human rights and values.This government will take a consistent, long term and strategic approach to managing the UK’s relations with China, rooted in UK and global interests. We will co-operate where we can, compete where we need to and challenge where we must. The department is contributing towards the government’s audit of the UK’s relationship with China as a bilateral and global actor, to improve our ability to understand and respond to the challenges and opportunities China poses.Any international arrangements made by registered HE providers in England must be within the law and must comply with the registration conditions set by the Office for Students, including a commitment to their public interest governance principles. To support universities to maximise the opportunities of international collaboration whilst managing any risks, the government offers practical advice through the National Protective Security Authority, the National Cyber Security Centre and the Research Collaboration and Advice Team. The department works alongside these partners and engages directly with the sector to increase their understanding of any risks and their ability to respond to them.
What discussions she has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on the roll out of free breakfast clubs in Northern Ireland.
Education is a devolved matter and any decision to require breakfast clubs in Northern Ireland is a matter for the Executive.I have met with Paul Givan, Minister of Education for Northern Ireland. My hon. Friend, the Minister for School Standards meets with the devolved nations through the Child Poverty Taskforce, which she co-chairs with my hon. Friend, the Minister of State for Employment. Officials from across the devolved nations also meet regularly regarding school food, including breakfast clubs.
What steps she is taking to increase awareness of the risks of social media in schools.
Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.For schools in England, pupils are taught about online safety as part of statutory relationships and health education in primary schools and relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) in secondary schools. Further information can respectively be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/relationships-education-relationships-and-sex-education-rse-and-health-education/relationships-education-primary and 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 and contact, cyberbullying, and the risks associated with over-reliance on social media.The department is currently reviewing the statutory RSHE curriculum for primary and secondary pupils, and is analysing consultation responses, talking to stakeholders and considering relevant evidence before setting out next steps.
What assessment she has made of trends in the level of the uptake of law degrees in the last five years.
There has been a 6.3% increase in the number of entrants into UK higher education providers studying law across all levels and modes of study between 2019/20 and 2023/24.
What assessment she has made of the potential impact of university fees on students.
Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.The government has published an equality impact assessment of changes to fees on students with protected characteristics and students from disadvantaged groups for the 2025/26 academic year. This can be accessed at: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2025/263/impacts/2025/41.The department needs to put our world-leading higher education (HE) sector on a secure footing, in order to face the challenges of the next decade, and to ensure that all students have confidence that they will receive the world-class HE experiences they deserve.This is why, after seven years of frozen fee caps under the previous government, this government took the difficult decision to increase maximum tuition fees for the 2025/26 academic year by 3.1%, in line with the forecast rate of inflation based on the Retail Prices Index excluding mortgage interest payments inflation index. Eligible students will continue to be able to apply for up-front fee loans to meet the full cost of their tuition in 2025/26.This government will set out its plan for HE reform this summer.
What assessment she has made of trends in the number of university applications in the last five years.
There has been a 5.9% increase in the number of main scheme UCAS applications between 2020 and 2024.Main scheme applications for UK students are up 7.7% but down 0.7% for international students.
What estimate she has made of the number of teaching assistants who are on temporary contracts.
Education is a devolved matter, and as such the response below outlines the information for schools in England only.As of November 2023, the latest date for which data is available, there was a headcount of 395,585 teaching assistants (282,925 full-time equivalent) employed by state-funded schools with a contract of 28 days or longer. Of these, 22,224, equivalent to 5.6%, (14,277, 5.0%, full-time equivalent) were reported to be employed on a temporary contract.In addition, support staff who are not directly employed by the school or local authority and who are in school on census day (early November each year) with a contract or service agreement lasting fewer than 28 days are recorded as ‘third-party support staff’. As of November 2023, the latest date for which data is available, schools reported there was a headcount of 14,908 third-party support staff with a post of teaching assistant (full-time equivalent is not collected).Information on the school workforce, including the number of teaching assistants, is published in the ‘School workforce in England’ statistical publication which is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england.
What steps she plans to take to support the availability of more construction apprenticeships.
Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.The government is reforming the apprenticeships offer into a growth and skills offer, which will provide greater flexibility to employers and learners across England. This will create routes into skilled jobs in growing industries, such as construction.The department is developing new foundation apprenticeships, a work-based training offer that will provide young people with clear progression pathways into further work-based training and employment.Construction will be one of the key sectors that will benefit from new foundation apprenticeships, which will be launching in August 2025. This will inspire more young people into the construction industry, giving them the tools they need for a sustained and rewarding career. As part of this new offer, employers will be provided with £2,000 for every foundation apprentice they take on and retain in the construction industry.There is £140 million industry investment in Homebuilding Skills Hubs. The hubs are projected to deliver over 5,000 fast track apprenticeships per year by the 2027/28 financial year, in shortage occupations including bricklaying and groundwork.Additionally, on the 23 March, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced measures to address skills shortages in the construction sector. This package commits over £600 million over the Parliament to help deliver up to 60,000 skilled construction workers.
What steps she is taking to promote healthy eating in schools.
I refer the hon. Member for Strangford to the answer of 12 February 2025 to Question 28851.Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.
What information her Department holds on the number of fully-qualified SEND teachers in England on 12 March 2025.
Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.High quality teaching is the in-school factor that makes the biggest difference to a child’s education, which is why sufficient high quality teachers is key to delivering the government’s mission to break down the barriers to opportunity.All teachers are teachers of pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), and the Teachers’ Standards sets clear expectations that teachers must understand the needs of all pupils, including those with SEND.As of November 2023, which is the latest date for which data is available, there were 468,693 full-time equivalent teachers in state-funded schools in England. Of these, around 6% (28,200) were in special schools and state-funded alternative provision schools, including pupil referral units.Information on the school workforce, including the number of teachers entering and leaving service in state-funded schools, is published in the ‘School workforce in England’ statistical publication, which is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england.