Written questions by Trott.

If she will make an estimate of the potential impact of cancelling the computing hubs programme on the number and proportion of pupils who are likely to receive grade A or above in A-level computing in each of the next 5 years.

The department’s continued investment in the National Centre for Computing Education (NCCE) for the 2025/26 financial year will continue to support the teaching of computing, increase participation in computer science qualifications at level two and three, including from female students, and support computer science A level students in achieving high grades.The NCCE will continue to deliver the ‘I Belong’ programme, which aims to improve schools’ awareness of the barriers to girls’ engagement with computing and supports them in taking a sustained course of action to improve the take up of computer science qualifications within their school.The NCCE also delivers industry-led, virtual events for pupils which raise awareness of digital opportunities and careers in sectors such as cyber and artificial intelligence, and Isaac Computer Science, an online platform supporting GCSE and A level computer science students with revision support and careers information events. In the 2022/23 academic year, 98% of the 1,297 schools with computer science A level results used Isaac.Due to the fiscal challenges inherited from the previous government, this government has had to make tough decisions across the public sector to get our finances back under control and to ensure we deliver on our priorities through our Plan for Change. Funding beyond the 2025/26 financial year will be considered through the upcoming spending review.

How many pupils have made use of the National Centre for Computing Education’s Computing Hubs since their introduction in 2018.

The support offered by computing hubs is, for the most part, aimed at teachers only.Hubs have also previously supported the National Centre for Computing Education's (NCCE) outreach programme aimed at pupils. NCCE will continue with outreach activity in 2025/26 continuing to raise awareness of careers in computing and digital. Data for the number of pupils who have attended hub outreach events since 2018 is not available.The government will continue to fund the NCCE in the 2025/26 financial year to support the teaching of computing and increase participation in computer science qualifications.

If she will make an estimate of the savings to the public purse made by (a) cancelling computing hubs and (b) changes to language hubs.

Funding for hubs has been part of wider funding for the National Centre for Computing Education (NCCE) and the National Consortium for Languages Education (NCLE). Funding for the NCCE and NCLE will continue in the 2025/26 financial year. It is not possible to quantify how much money will be saved through reshaping the programmes because no spending baselines for individual programmes for 2025/26 and beyond were set ahead of the spending review.NCCE and NCLE will continue to deliver high quality continuing professional development and teaching resources to support and enrich lessons which are expected to reach a greater number of teachers nationally compared to last year.

If she will make an estimate of the savings to the public purse made by cancelling the Latin Excellence Programme from March 2025.

The current contract for the Latin Excellence Programme, put in place by the previous government, is due to end on 28 February 2025. The Latin Excellence Programme has cost £2,071,000 to date since 2022. All schools on the programme will continue to have access to the programme’s curriculum resources and all students will sit their planned exams this summer.

If she will make it her policy to extend the National Wraparound Childcare Programme beyond March 2026.

Any spending in future financial years will be subject to the multi-year spending review. The department will not be making spending commitments outside of that process.

If she will extend the Opening School Facilities Fund beyond March 2025.

I refer the hon. Member for Sevenoaks to the answer of 14 January 2025 to Question 22724.

How many new teachers have been recruited since 5 July 2024.

Information on the school workforce is published in the ‘School workforce in England’ statistical publication, which can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england.Figures for the 2024/25 academic year will be published in June 2025.

With which unions she has had meetings since 5 July 2025; and when.

Details of Ministers’ meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK. Data for the period of July to September 2024 will be published in due course.

How much funding was allocated to the Opening School Facilities Fund for (a) 2023-24 and (b) 2024-25.

In line with the contract agreed by the previous government, the department has allocated £19 million in the 2023/24 and 2024/25 financial years to the Opening School Facilities fund. The contract is ending in March 2025, as agreed at the outset of the programme.

What her policy is on the future of the Latin Excellence Programme.

The government is delivering on its commitment to put education back at the forefront of national life and break down barriers to opportunity for all children and young people.This government inherited a £22 billion blackhole in our country’s finances and is taking the difficult decisions necessary to fix the foundations and get our economy back on track. This means prioritisation on how money is spent right across the public sector to ensure we deliver on our priorities, including protecting core funding for schools.Given this, the department has made the difficult decision not to extend the Latin Excellence Programme beyond the end of the three year contract, which will end on 28 February 2025. The department is grateful for the excellent work of the Centre for Latin Excellence and that of the schools who have participated in the programme.

If she will make an estimate of the potential impact of the planned increase in employer National Insurance on the cost of home-to-school transport.

At the Autumn Budget 2024, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer took difficult decisions in order to restore economic and fiscal stability, which included increasing Employer National Insurance Contributions from April 2025. Working people’s living standards were protected by raising the National Living Wage, keeping bus fares down, and not increasing income tax, employee national insurance or VAT.Local authorities are responsible for arranging home-to-school transport and deliver this through both in-house services and a range of external providers, as such the department holds no central assessment of Employer National Insurance Contributions. Departmental officials engage regularly with local authorities to understand the challenges they face across the services they deliver.

How many trusts submitted grant applications for the Trust Capacity Fund in the most recent funding window.

The most recent application window for the Trust Capacity Fund opened on 1 March 2024 and closed on 25 June 2024. A total of 190 applications were received from 174 establishments, mainly trusts.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact on schools of ending the academy conversion support grant.

High and rising standards are at the heart of this government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and ensure every child has the best life chances.Trusts have played, and continue to play, an important role in supporting collaboration between schools and spreading best practice in pursuit of high standards. Against a challenging fiscal inheritance the government has had to make difficult choices and ensure that limited funding is best targeted. On 1 November, we announced that we would be ending the academy conversion grant from 1 January 2025.Voluntary conversion is a choice for schools. The department thinks that the benefits, including financial, of joining a strong structure are well understood in the sector and schools and trusts should continue to make these informed choices.Additionally, latest published figures show 98% of academy trusts and 87% of local authority maintained schools are in cumulative surplus or breaking even. At the Autumn Budget 2024, the government announced an additional £2.3 billion for mainstream schools and young people with high needs for 2025/26, compared to 2024/25. This means that overall core school funding will total almost £63.9 billion next year, compared to £61.6 billion in 2024/25, after technical adjustments.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact on schools of ending the academy conversion support grant.

High and rising standards are at the heart of this government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and ensure every child has the best life chances.Trusts have played, and continue to play, an important role in supporting collaboration between schools and spreading best practice in pursuit of high standards. Against a challenging fiscal inheritance the government has had to make difficult choices and ensure that limited funding is best targeted. On 1 November, we announced that we would be ending the academy conversion grant from 1 January 2025.Voluntary conversion is a choice for schools. The department thinks that the benefits, including financial, of joining a strong structure are well understood in the sector and schools and trusts should continue to make these informed choices.Additionally, latest published figures show 98% of academy trusts and 87% of local authority maintained schools are in cumulative surplus or breaking even. At the Autumn Budget 2024, the government announced an additional £2.3 billion for mainstream schools and young people with high needs for 2025/26, compared to 2024/25. This means that overall core school funding will total almost £63.9 billion next year, compared to £61.6 billion in 2024/25, after technical adjustments.

How many and what proportion of pupils with SEND who currently attend independent schools do not have an Education, Health and Care plan.

The number and proportion of pupils in independent schools with special educational needs who do not have an education, health and care plan is published annually in the statistical release ‘Special educational needs in England’. The release can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/special-educational-needs-in-england.The information requested can be found in the section titled ‘Pupils with special educational needs in schools’.

With reference to paragraph 5.20 of the Spring Budget 2024, published on 6 March 2024, HC 560, what her policy is on building 15 new special free schools.

This government is clear it wants to make sure all children with special educational needs and disabilities receive the support they need to achieve and thrive. That is why we have set out a clear ambition to improve inclusivity in mainstream schools, while ensuring that special schools cater for those with the most complex needs.The window for trusts to apply to run these schools closed on 19 July. The department will provide an update in due course.

What the mean annual costs are for nurseries in England by (a) nursery class childcare settings, (b) maintained nursery schools, (c) school-based providers, (d) private group-based providers, (e) voluntary group-based providers, (f) all group-based providers and (g) all nurseries.

Data collected by the 2024 survey of childcare and early years providers has been used to estimate the average unit costs of delivering childcare per child in a setting. This data can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/673b14b8fc572967fe66a92e/Providers__finances_Evidence_from_the_2023_Survey_of_Childcare_and_Early_Years_Providers.pdf.The department no longer publishes providers’ total costs as differences between providers largely reflect differences in the average number of children that attend them and the average number of hours that they attend for.There are limitations to the unit cost measure because of some challenges in gathering information from providers on total costs, such as the difficulty in estimating costs shared with other settings for group-based providers that are part of a chain. Furthermore, the number of hours of care provided was estimated. As a result, caution should be applied to the interpretation of the unit cost measures.

Whether her Department has made an impact assessment of the decision for Ofsted to no longer produce single headline grades.

On 2 September, the government announced that the use of single headline grades for Ofsted’s school inspection would end with immediate effect, and that a new system of report cards would be launched from September 2025. Single headline grades were overly simplistic, being low information for parents and high stakes for schools.Ofsted’s Big Listen consultation, the largest in Ofsted’s history, evidenced widespread concerns about single headline grades and the need for reform. Ofsted found that single headline grades were supported by only 3 in 10 professionals and 4 in 10 parents. The schools section of the consultation found that only 1 in 8 respondents agreed that the number of good and outstanding providers was reflective of the overall quality of the sector. Therefore, it was right for the government to act quickly and decisively to address this.The department is currently engaging closely with Ofsted to develop proposals for new reporting arrangements, through a report card system, to capture the performance of schools in a much richer way, and to provide more helpful information to parents and support school improvement. The new reporting system will be accompanied by improved support arrangements through Regional Improvement for Standards and Excellence teams. Proposals for the new arrangements will be subject to public consultation in the new year.An equalities impact assessment will be carried out as part of the process of reform in the usual way.

Whether she plans to publish an equalities impact assessment of the decision for Ofsted to no longer produce single headline grades.

On 2 September, the government announced that the use of single headline grades for Ofsted’s school inspection would end with immediate effect, and that a new system of report cards would be launched from September 2025. Single headline grades were overly simplistic, being low information for parents and high stakes for schools.Ofsted’s Big Listen consultation, the largest in Ofsted’s history, evidenced widespread concerns about single headline grades and the need for reform. Ofsted found that single headline grades were supported by only 3 in 10 professionals and 4 in 10 parents. The schools section of the consultation found that only 1 in 8 respondents agreed that the number of good and outstanding providers was reflective of the overall quality of the sector. Therefore, it was right for the government to act quickly and decisively to address this.The department is currently engaging closely with Ofsted to develop proposals for new reporting arrangements, through a report card system, to capture the performance of schools in a much richer way, and to provide more helpful information to parents and support school improvement. The new reporting system will be accompanied by improved support arrangements through Regional Improvement for Standards and Excellence teams. Proposals for the new arrangements will be subject to public consultation in the new year.An equalities impact assessment will be carried out as part of the process of reform in the usual way.

Whether her Department has made an equalities impact assessment of the decision for Ofsted to no longer produce single headline grades.

On 2 September, the government announced that the use of single headline grades for Ofsted’s school inspection would end with immediate effect, and that a new system of report cards would be launched from September 2025. Single headline grades were overly simplistic, being low information for parents and high stakes for schools.Ofsted’s Big Listen consultation, the largest in Ofsted’s history, evidenced widespread concerns about single headline grades and the need for reform. Ofsted found that single headline grades were supported by only 3 in 10 professionals and 4 in 10 parents. The schools section of the consultation found that only 1 in 8 respondents agreed that the number of good and outstanding providers was reflective of the overall quality of the sector. Therefore, it was right for the government to act quickly and decisively to address this.The department is currently engaging closely with Ofsted to develop proposals for new reporting arrangements, through a report card system, to capture the performance of schools in a much richer way, and to provide more helpful information to parents and support school improvement. The new reporting system will be accompanied by improved support arrangements through Regional Improvement for Standards and Excellence teams. Proposals for the new arrangements will be subject to public consultation in the new year.An equalities impact assessment will be carried out as part of the process of reform in the usual way.