Written questions by Babarinde.

What steps she is taking to improve political literacy and democratic engagement within secondary education.

Awaiting answer.

What steps her Department has taken to help strengthen complaints and whistleblowing processes with respect to the Teachers Regulation Authority.

Awaiting answer.

What steps her Department has taken to help strengthen complaints and whistleblowing processes with respect to the Teachers Regulation Authority.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Whether she is taking steps to increase the number of qualified lift engineers in the UK.

The Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper set out reforms to the skills system to ensure skills provision is aligned to the needs of the Industrial Strategy and supports people to train in sectors which support growth and meet priority skills needs.The government has launched an engineering skills package which will provide £182 million over three years to support engineering skills in England, working with Skills England to determine how this can increase the pipeline of skills such as those needed for lift engineers.We are also launching Technical Excellence Colleges to address shortages in engineering, which is critical to the skills needed in priority sectors.Skills England supports occupational standards specialising in the installation, maintenance and repair of lifts, escalators and related systems. It also has a range of generic standards at different levels covering technologies and occupations that are relevant to employers working on those systems. It will continue to work with employers to ensure that content is relevant and up to date.

How many school-based nurseries were created under the school-based nursery capital grant for 2024-25 that replaced an existing private nursery in the same location.

High-quality early years education is central to our mission to break down barriers to opportunity, give every child the best possible start in life, and is essential to our Plan for Change. This government is boosting availability and access through the school-based nurseries programme, supporting school led-provision and private, voluntary and independent (PVI) providers and childminders operating from school sites. There is no available data on any replacement of provision.27 of the 300 successful schools in Phase 1 are working in partnership with a private, voluntary or independent provider, and schools can continue to partner with them and childminders for future phases. For Phase 1 of the programme, local authorities had to confirm childcare need for the proposed projects. In further phases, we have strengthened their role, asking them to confirm that any new nursery will enhance the local offer and not displace quality provision already in place.We have already made a real impact, delivering a reported 5,000 new nursery places through Phase 1, and are due to announce successful projects for Phase 2 soon.

What steps she is taking to help support children in schools to develop their vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation and listening skills.

The department recognises the importance of speaking and listening skills, which has been very clearly set out by the recent Curriculum and Assessment Review. As part of our English curriculum reform, we will make sure that communication skills inherent in curriculum subjects are more clearly expressed through revised programmes of study. We will revise the English and drama programmes of study to add more clarity and specificity in speaking and listening, as well as ensuring that the reformed English language GCSE focusses on the features and use of language as a form of communication. We will also create a new oracy framework to sit alongside the national curriculum that will support primary teachers to help their pupils become confident, fluent speakers, as well as a new secondary oracy, reading and writing framework, which will enable secondary teachers to connect and embed all three of those vital skills in each of their subjects as part of a whole school strategy.We are also considering whether and how the sequencing of grammatical content in the curriculum should be changed, to enable pupils to master concepts and use them in context.

What estimate she has made of the number of people in receipt of a teachers pension impacted by the length of time taken to issue Teachers' Superannuation Scheme statements.

Recalculating benefits for retired members is a complex process. The teachers’ pension scheme (TPS) has around 590,000 members affected by transitional protection, 142,000 of which are rectification members. For those members retiring, these cases are relatively straightforward as no benefits are already in payment. For retired members, additional complications around tax, interest rules and system functionality required extensive consultation.Capita, as the scheme administrator, keeps affected members informed of revised timelines through established channels, including My Pension Online and its website. The latest update is available here: https://www.teacherspensions.co.uk/news/public-news/2025/11/timeline-for-sending-out-remediable-service-statements-rss.aspx.As responsibility for this work transitions to Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) as the new scheme administrator of the TPS in summer 2026, the department is working with TCS to finalise the timeline for issuing all remediable service statements. Once the timeline is confirmed, it will be communicated to all affected scheme members.This is a high priority for the department, and officials continue to closely monitor progress and work with Capita to streamline processes and introduce automation where possible. Original pension benefits continue to be paid for retired members, and any pension adjustments arising from members’ choices will be backdated with interest to ensure members are not financially disadvantaged.

Whether she has made an estimate of the number of people facing financial difficulties due to the time taken to issue Teachers' Superannuation Scheme statements for teachers pensions.

Recalculating benefits for retired members is a complex process. The teachers’ pension scheme (TPS) has around 590,000 members affected by transitional protection, 142,000 of which are rectification members. For those members retiring, these cases are relatively straightforward as no benefits are already in payment. For retired members, additional complications around tax, interest rules and system functionality required extensive consultation.Capita, as the scheme administrator, keeps affected members informed of revised timelines through established channels, including My Pension Online and its website. The latest update is available here: https://www.teacherspensions.co.uk/news/public-news/2025/11/timeline-for-sending-out-remediable-service-statements-rss.aspx.As responsibility for this work transitions to Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) as the new scheme administrator of the TPS in summer 2026, the department is working with TCS to finalise the timeline for issuing all remediable service statements. Once the timeline is confirmed, it will be communicated to all affected scheme members.This is a high priority for the department, and officials continue to closely monitor progress and work with Capita to streamline processes and introduce automation where possible. Original pension benefits continue to be paid for retired members, and any pension adjustments arising from members’ choices will be backdated with interest to ensure members are not financially disadvantaged.

What steps her Department is taking to help reduce the time taken for issuing Teachers' Superannuation Scheme statements affecting teachers pensions.

Recalculating benefits for retired members is a complex process. The teachers’ pension scheme (TPS) has around 590,000 members affected by transitional protection, 142,000 of which are rectification members. For those members retiring, these cases are relatively straightforward as no benefits are already in payment. For retired members, additional complications around tax, interest rules and system functionality required extensive consultation.Capita, as the scheme administrator, keeps affected members informed of revised timelines through established channels, including My Pension Online and its website. The latest update is available here: https://www.teacherspensions.co.uk/news/public-news/2025/11/timeline-for-sending-out-remediable-service-statements-rss.aspx.As responsibility for this work transitions to Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) as the new scheme administrator of the TPS in summer 2026, the department is working with TCS to finalise the timeline for issuing all remediable service statements. Once the timeline is confirmed, it will be communicated to all affected scheme members.This is a high priority for the department, and officials continue to closely monitor progress and work with Capita to streamline processes and introduce automation where possible. Original pension benefits continue to be paid for retired members, and any pension adjustments arising from members’ choices will be backdated with interest to ensure members are not financially disadvantaged.

Whether her Department provides guidance to local authorities on ensuring that children and young people moving into temporary accommodation are supported to make necessary changes to personal information and continue to access education.

Schools and colleges in England must follow the ‘Keeping children safe in education’ 2025 statutory guidance when carrying out their duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. Local authorities have a statutory duty to ensure that all children of compulsory school age in their area are receiving suitable education. To support this duty, every local authority must have a Fair Access Protocol in place to ensure that vulnerable children, including those who are homeless, can be secured a school place as quickly as possible where they fail to secure one through the usual admissions processes.The government has also tabled an amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill to introduce a new duty on local housing authorities to notify educational institutions, GP practices and health visiting services when a child is placed in temporary accommodation. Guidance will be provided for local authority housing officers and the public bodies receiving notifications.

What steps her Department is taking to improve recruitment and retention of SEND teachers.

High quality teaching is the most important in-school factor for improving outcomes for all children, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), which is why the department is committed to recruiting an additional 6,500 new expert teachers across our schools, both mainstream and specialist, and our colleges over the course of this parliament. We are making good progress. The workforce has grown in secondary and special schools. There were 1,435 more secondary school teachers and 911 more special and pupil referral unit teachers in 2024/25 compared to the previous year, in the schools where they are needed the most.The Teachers’ Standards set clear expectations that teachers must understand the needs of all pupils, including those with SEND, and this is embedded in teacher training. From September 2025, all new teachers will benefit from three years of evidence-based training through the revised initial teacher training and early career framework, which has significantly more content related to supporting pupils with SEND, including content adapted from the new National Professional Qualification for special educational needs coordinators.

With reference to page one of the First Report of the Public Accounts Committee of Session 2024-25, Support for children and young people with special educational needs, HC 353, what steps her Department is taking to provide adequate funding to meet the level of high special educational needs forecasted in that report.

The department is providing total high needs funding in England of over £12 billion in the 2025/26 financial year for children and young people with complex special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Of that total high needs funding, East Sussex County Council is being allocated over £94 million through the high needs funding block of the dedicated schools grant.We are considering the funding required for future years and how it is to be allocated, following the conclusion of the recent spending review. Our objective is that future funding for SEND supports our plans for reforming the SEND system to boost children’s outcomes, which will be set out in further detail in a White Paper in the autumn.

What the average wait time is from initial assessment to an Education, Health, and Care Plan document being produced in East Sussex.

Information on the number and percentage of education, health and care (EHC) plans issued within the statutory 20 week deadline, with and without statutory exceptions to that deadline applying, can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/8a52558d-1cb4-4f5d-7ddd-08dde95299cd.

When she plans to provide guidance to schools on when the roll out free breakfast clubs will take place in Eastbourne.

Free breakfast clubs were made available in up to 750 early adopter schools from April 2025, as part of a test and learn phase in advance of a national rollout. Further details on the national rollout, including guidance for schools, will be available in due course.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure pupils are able to access high quality meals in schools in (a) Eastbourne and (b) the South East.

To ensure quality and nutrition in meals for the future, the department is acting quickly with experts across the sector to revise the school food standards, so every school is supported with the latest nutrition guidance. School governors and trustees have a statutory duty to ensure compliance with these school food standards. To improve understanding of the school food standards and give governing boards confidence to hold their school leaders to account, the department, along with National Governance Association, developed an online training course on school food for governors and trustees.Additionally, the department has announced that we are extending free school meals to all children from households in receipt of Universal Credit from September 2026. Giving half a million more children access to a nutritious meal during the school day will lift 100,000 out of poverty and lead to higher attainment, improved behaviour and better outcomes, meaning they get the best possible education and chance to succeed in work and life.

What steps her Department is taking to support the uptake of apprenticeships in (a) Eastbourne and (b) East Sussex.

This government is transforming the apprenticeships offer into a new growth and skills offer, which will provide greater flexibility to employers and learners across the country, including in Eastbourne and East Sussex, and support the industrial strategy.From August, the department will be introducing seven new foundation apprenticeships for young people in targeted sectors, including construction and the built environment, digital, and health and social care. We are also reducing the apprenticeship minimum duration to eight months so that shorter apprenticeships are possible from August. These flexibilities will help more people learn new high-quality skills at work and fuel innovation in businesses across the country.To support employers to access apprenticeships, the government pays £1,000 to employers when they take on apprentices aged 16 to 18 years old, and for apprentices aged 19 to 24 years old who have an education, health and care plan or have been in local authority care. We will also provide £2,000 payments to employers for every foundation apprentice they take on and retain. Employers also benefit from not being required to pay anything towards employees’ National Insurance for all apprentices aged up to 25 when they earn less than £50,270 a year.

How many employers in Eastbourne accessed apprenticeship levy funds in the last financial year.

120 employers in Eastbourne accessed funding for apprenticeships in the 2024/25 financial year to support new apprenticeship starts or those continuing their apprenticeships from previous years. This figure includes levy-paying employers as well as non-levy paying employers, who are likely to be small and medium-sized employers.

What steps she is taking to help support people with childcare costs in Eastbourne constituency.

The government’s Plan for Change sets out a commitment to give children the best start in life, breaking the link between background and opportunity.From the start of September 2024, eligible working parents have been entitled to 15 hours a week of early education and care from the term after their child turns nine months. From September 2025 this will extend to 30 hours, matching the three and four-year-old offer to support children right up until starting school.In 2025/26 alone, we plan to provide over £8 billion for the early years entitlements. This represents a more than 30% increase compared to 2024/25 as we roll out the expansion of the entitlements, so eligible working parents of children aged from nine months can access 30 hours of funded childcare.As announced at Spending Review 2025, the government will provide an additional £1.6 billion per year by 2028/29, compared to 2025/26, to continue the expansion of government-funded childcare for working parents.Additionally, the Universal Credit childcare offer supports claimants with the costs of childcare, no matter how many hours they work.Tax-Free Childcare remains available for working parents of children aged 0-11, or up to 17 for eligible disabled children.

What steps her Department is taking to support the provision and availability of vocational educational programmes for pupils across Eastbourne.

As announced in the Spending Review, the government is making over £1 billion of additional investment per year in skills by 2028/29.This will support and grow the wide range of technical routes and work-based training available for people of all ages across the country including in Eastbourne. This includes: Widening the apprenticeships offer into a growth and skills offer, including new foundation apprenticeships, which will give more young people a foot in the door at the start of their working life. T levels, a high-quality technical education option for young people, including a valuable workplace industry placement which prepares them for work. Higher Technical Qualifications, occupation-focussed level 4 to 5 qualifications, approved and quality marked as providing the skills demanded in the workplace by employers. Skills Bootcamps giving learners the chance to build sector-specific skills with a job interview on completion and ‘Free Courses for Jobs’ giving learners the chance to access high value level 3 qualifications. We have also strengthened legislation to ensure all secondary pupils have multiple opportunities for meaningful encounters with providers of technical education and apprenticeships.

What steps her Department is taking to help support the recruitment of teachers in (a) Eastbourne constituency and (b) East Sussex.

High-quality teaching is the in-school factor that has the biggest impact on children’s outcomes. This is why the government’s Plan for Change has committed to recruiting an additional 6,500 new expert teachers in secondary and special schools, and in our colleges over the course of this Parliament.To support this key pledge, we recently announced a 4% pay award for 2025/26, building on the 5.5% pay award for 2024/25, resulting in a near 10% pay award for teachers since this government came to power. We also announced a teacher training financial incentives package worth nearly £233 million, including bursaries worth up to £29,000 tax-free, and scholarships up to £31,000 tax free. We also announced targeted retention payments worth up to £6000, with 10 schools in the Eastbourne constituency, and 31 schools in East Sussex qualifying for these.The teaching workforce has grown by 2,346 full-time equivalent (FTE) teachers, between 2023/24 and 2024/25, in secondary and special schools. In Eastbourne constituency there are 30 more secondary and special school teachers, with 457 FTE teachers this year.