Written questions by Anderson.

What steps she is taking to ensure schools adequately respond to accusations of political bias.

School leaders and staff have a responsibility to ensure that they act in accordance with their duties on political impartiality. When political issues are discussed, schools must offer pupils a balanced presentation of opposing views and should not present materials in a politically biased or one-sided way.The department has published clear and comprehensive guidance to help those working with and in schools to understand their legal duties on political impartiality and how to meet them, both in teaching about political issues and beyond the classroom. The guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/political-impartiality-in-schools/political-impartiality-in-schools.The guidance includes advice on how schools can deal with complaints about political impartiality through appropriate local processes. Where parents and carers remain dissatisfied, they can raise a formal complaint in line with school complaints procedures.

What guidelines the Government provides for schools when they are responding to alleged cases of political bias in the classroom.

School leaders and staff have a responsibility to ensure that they act in accordance with their duties on political impartiality. When political issues are discussed, schools must offer pupils a balanced presentation of opposing views and should not present materials in a politically biased or one-sided way.The department has published clear and comprehensive guidance to help those working with and in schools to understand their legal duties on political impartiality and how to meet them, both in teaching about political issues and beyond the classroom. The guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/political-impartiality-in-schools/political-impartiality-in-schools.The guidance includes advice on how schools can deal with complaints about political impartiality through appropriate local processes. Where parents and carers remain dissatisfied, they can raise a formal complaint in line with school complaints procedures.

What assessment she has made about the adequacy of teaching in schools on (a) financial responsibility and (b) budgeting.

The government is committed to strengthening pupils’ foundational understanding of financial education in mathematics and citizenship, with digital resources to support teaching, following publication of the Curriculum and Assessment Review final report in November 2025. The department will be engaging with sector experts and young people in how best to reflect this in the updated curriculum. There will be public consultation on the updated curriculum Programmes of Study in 2026, to seek views on the content before they are finalised. Oak National Academy, an independent Arm’s Length Body, is providing high quality curriculum materials to support financial literacy.

What steps her Department is taking to improve lessons about (a) financial responsibility and (b) budgeting in schools.

The government is committed to strengthening pupils’ foundational understanding of financial education in mathematics and citizenship, with digital resources to support teaching, following publication of the Curriculum and Assessment Review final report in November 2025. The department will be engaging with sector experts and young people in how best to reflect this in the updated curriculum. There will be public consultation on the updated curriculum Programmes of Study in 2026, to seek views on the content before they are finalised. Oak National Academy, an independent Arm’s Length Body, is providing high quality curriculum materials to support financial literacy.

What steps she is taking to increase teacher retention.

A strong retention strategy is at the heart of the government’s pledge for 6,500 more expert teachers, as part of its Plan for Change. The department has already implemented a near 10% pay award over two years and we are offering the Targeted Retention Incentive, worth up to £6,000 after tax for teachers of key subjects in the first five years of their careers who work in disadvantaged schools.Last year we accepted in full the School Teacher Review Body’s recommendations on Teaching and Learning Responsibility payments. From September 2026, these additional payments will be paid to teachers based on the proportion of responsibility they carry out, rather than their contracted hours. This change follows calls from the sector and will improve equality of opportunity for part-time workers, better enabling them to move into leadership roles.In addition to financial incentives, our ’Improve workload and wellbeing for school staff’ service provides a range of resources for schools to review and reduce workload and improve staff wellbeing. This service can be accessed here: https://improve-workload-and-wellbeing-for-school-staff.education.gov.uk/.We are seeing signs of improvement: the latest School Workforce Census reported one of the lowest leaver rates since 2010, with 1,300 fewer teachers leaving the state-funded sector than the year before, and more teachers are returning to state schools after having previously left than at any point in the last ten years, with 17,274 teachers returning to the classroom.

What steps she is taking to increase awareness among parents of safe sleeping practices for babies.

Advice on safe sleeping is provided to parents through health visitors, midwives and early years professionals at key points during pregnancy and a child’s early months, in line with nationally recognised guidance. Best Start Family Hubs act as a front door to this support, bringing together health, early years and family services so parents can easily access trusted, in-person advice on infant care, including safe sleeping.Alongside this, the Best Start in Life website, which launched on 1 September 2025, brings together information and support from across government in one place, making it easier for parents to find clear, reliable guidance on topics such as safe sleeping when they need it.The department is continuing to invest in Best Start Family Hubs, strengthening their role as a universal access point for families and ensuring parents can benefit from both high-quality local support and joined-up digital services. These hubs are part of a wider Best Start in Life strategy, backed by over £900 million over the next three years, to expand family services, bring support together in one place, and make it easier for parents to get the help they need. Hundreds of Best Start Family Hubs are now open across England, with more on the way as we work towards having hubs in every local authority by 2028.We are also updating the wording in the Early Years Foundation stage statutory framework to make the safe sleep requirements clearer. This new wording will come into force in September 2026, subject to parliamentary procedure. I have sent a letter to early years providers via Ofsted outlining these changes. Additionally, we have published a safer sleep article on the ‘Help for early years providers’ platform to help early years settings understand how to ensure babies and children are kept safe whilst sleeping.

What assessment she has made about the potential merits of making all Ofsted inspections unannounced.

Ofsted typically gives a short period of notice of its inspections. This supports the effective conduct of the inspection visit. Ofsted also has the ability to inspect without notice where it has concerns about a provider.

Whether the Government has plans to increase levels of safe sleep regulations for babies in the Early years foundation stage statutory framework.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) statutory framework, which all early years providers are required to follow, includes a requirement for babies to be placed down to sleep in line with the latest government safety guidanceThe Early Years qualification requirements and standards document sets out the minimum qualification requirements that staff must meet to work within early years settings. Both the Level 2 and Level 3 qualification criteria include knowledge of rest and sleep provision. This document is accessible at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-qualification-requirements-and-standards.In September 2024, the department worked in collaboration with The Lullaby Trust to produce guidance, which is available on the Foundation Years platform. This covers unsuitable sleeping products, suitable sleeping surfaces and the safe use of blankets. This guidance can be found at: https://www.foundationyears.org.uk/2024/09/safer-sleeping-practices-for-early-years-educators/.To make the existing requirements clearer for all, we plan to add further detail to the EYFS frameworks. We have worked with safer sleep experts, including The Lullaby Trust, on proposed new wording and plan to introduce these changes as soon as possible.

What recent assessment her Department has made about the effectiveness of the Early years foundation stage statutory framework in offering sufficient guidance on safe sleep for babies.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) statutory framework, which all early years providers are required to follow, includes a requirement for babies to be placed down to sleep in line with the latest government safety guidanceThe Early Years qualification requirements and standards document sets out the minimum qualification requirements that staff must meet to work within early years settings. Both the Level 2 and Level 3 qualification criteria include knowledge of rest and sleep provision. This document is accessible at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-qualification-requirements-and-standards.In September 2024, the department worked in collaboration with The Lullaby Trust to produce guidance, which is available on the Foundation Years platform. This covers unsuitable sleeping products, suitable sleeping surfaces and the safe use of blankets. This guidance can be found at: https://www.foundationyears.org.uk/2024/09/safer-sleeping-practices-for-early-years-educators/.To make the existing requirements clearer for all, we plan to add further detail to the EYFS frameworks. We have worked with safer sleep experts, including The Lullaby Trust, on proposed new wording and plan to introduce these changes as soon as possible.

What steps her department is taking to ensure all nursery staff receive sufficient training regarding safe sleep for babies.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) statutory framework, which all early years providers are required to follow, includes a requirement for babies to be placed down to sleep in line with the latest government safety guidanceThe Early Years qualification requirements and standards document sets out the minimum qualification requirements that staff must meet to work within early years settings. Both the Level 2 and Level 3 qualification criteria include knowledge of rest and sleep provision. This document is accessible at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-qualification-requirements-and-standards.In September 2024, the department worked in collaboration with The Lullaby Trust to produce guidance, which is available on the Foundation Years platform. This covers unsuitable sleeping products, suitable sleeping surfaces and the safe use of blankets. This guidance can be found at: https://www.foundationyears.org.uk/2024/09/safer-sleeping-practices-for-early-years-educators/.To make the existing requirements clearer for all, we plan to add further detail to the EYFS frameworks. We have worked with safer sleep experts, including The Lullaby Trust, on proposed new wording and plan to introduce these changes as soon as possible.

If she will make an estimate on the number of international students in British universities she expects to be part of Erasmus scheme exchanges after the UK rejoins the scheme.

In 2018/19, there were approximately 31,000 inbound higher education student mobilities via the Erasmus+ Programme. There were approximately 16,000 outbound higher education student mobilities in the same year.The department expects there will be a greater number of higher education mobilities on reassociation, given the expansion of the programme.

What steps she is taking to improve safeguarding practices at (a) nurseries and (b) childcare centres.

The safety of our youngest children is our utmost priority, and the department continually monitors and strengthens safeguarding requirements across early years settings, including nurseries and childcare centres.In September 2025, we implemented changes to the early years foundation stage statutory framework to strengthen safeguarding requirements across early years settings. These changes include enhanced expectations on safer recruitment, child absences, safer eating, safeguarding training and whistleblowing.The department works closely with local authorities and other safeguarding partners to strengthen multi-agency safeguarding. Through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, we are seeking to require the automatic involvement of education and childcare settings in local safeguarding arrangements, ensuring their views are represented.In addition, we have appointed an expert panel to inform the development of guidance for the early years sector on the use of digital devices and CCTV within safeguarding. This guidance is due to be published in the autumn and will set out best practice, technical information and clear expectations for providers.

How much their Department has spent on (a) advertising and (b) marketing in each of the last three years.

The department's combined expenditure on advertising and marketing for the last three financial years is shown below: •  2022/23: £34,652,453.53 •  2023/24: £45,761,086.36 •  2024/25: £ 49,833,936.25This paid marketing activity directly supports operational delivery by helping to recruit more school and college teachers and early years staff, and by ensuring parents are aware of the support available to them and their families, including childcare entitlements and Best Start Family Hubs. It also raises awareness and understanding, and encourages take-up, of government-funded technical qualifications, skills and training offers amongst young people and adults, which is vital to economic growth and opportunity across the country. The rising spend reflects the changing media landscape and high levels of media inflation, and where paid-for advertising and marketing is used, it is subject to Cabinet Office spending controls, which ensure taxpayer money is spent cost-effectively and reflects professional best practice. Where possible, activity is delivered in-house as part of cross-government campaigns or at low cost through partner coordination.

What steps she is taking to increase the availability of sign language education courses.

There are a variety of British Sign Language (BSL) qualifications available, from Level 1 through to Level 6. This includes Level 1 and 2 accredited qualifications offered by the Institute of British Sign Language, Signature and ABC Awards.There are also funds available for adults who want to learn new skills through the Adult Skills Fund (ASF), which fully funds or co-funds skills provision for eligible adults aged 19 and above from pre-entry to level 3. 68% of the ASF is devolved to 13 strategic authorities, including the East Midlands Authority, who are responsible for ASF provision to their residents. The Department for Work and Pensions is responsible for the remaining ASF and makes funding available for a range of qualifications including the Level 1 Award in BSL.The government, working with Ofqual, has also developed the content and assessment arrangements for a new BSL GCSE.

What steps her Department are taking to ensure universities offer adequate (a) support and (b) safety provision for visually impaired students.

This government is committed to ensuring that all students are well supported during their time at university. Higher education providers have responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010 to make reasonable adjustments for all their disabled students, which includes those with a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term negative effect on their ability to do normal daily activities. Wherever possible, disabled students should expect to have their needs met through inclusive learning practices and individual reasonable adjustments made by their provider. In addition to reasonable adjustments, Disabled Students’ Allowance is available for the provision of more specialist support. For visually impaired students this may include sighted guides and assistive technology.

What steps her Department are taking to help support children with visual impairments in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools.

The government is committed to improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools, ensuring teachers have the tools to better identify and support all children, as well as ensuring specialist special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and alternative provision schools cater to those with the most complex needs. Through training we aim to ensure that teachers at every level include a strong focus on inclusive education, and support the needs of all pupils, including those with visual impairments.We are also strengthening the evidence base of what works to improve inclusive practice 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 for teachers and other relevant staff in mainstream settings to identify and support children and young people with different types of needs.

What steps her Department are taking to ensure universities have adequate disability support services.

This government is committed to ensuring that all students are well supported during their time at university.Higher education providers have responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010 to make reasonable adjustments for all their disabled students, which includes those with a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term negative effect on their ability to do normal daily activities.Wherever possible, disabled students should expect to have their needs met through inclusive learning practices and individual reasonable adjustments made by their provider. In addition to reasonable adjustments, Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) is available for the provision of more specialist support.My noble Friend, the Minister for Skills, has recently appointed Sir Steve West as Higher Education Student Support Champion to lead the Higher Education Mental Health Implementation Taskforce. The Taskforce is instrumental in assessing and driving improvements in mental health support across the sector, including taking forward recommendations from the recent national review of higher education student suicides.

What steps her department are taking to help support university students living with (a) Chron's and (b) Colitis.

This government is committed to ensuring that all students are well supported during their time at university.Higher education providers have responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010 to make reasonable adjustments for all their disabled students, which includes those with a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term negative effect on their ability to do normal daily activities.Wherever possible, disabled students should expect to have their needs met through inclusive learning practices and individual reasonable adjustments made by their provider. In addition to reasonable adjustments, Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) is available for the provision of more specialist support.My noble Friend, the Minister for Skills, has recently appointed Sir Steve West as Higher Education Student Support Champion to lead the Higher Education Mental Health Implementation Taskforce. The Taskforce is instrumental in assessing and driving improvements in mental health support across the sector, including taking forward recommendations from the recent national review of higher education student suicides.

What steps her department are taking to ensure universities have adequate mental health support services.

This government is committed to ensuring that all students are well supported during their time at university.Higher education providers have responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010 to make reasonable adjustments for all their disabled students, which includes those with a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term negative effect on their ability to do normal daily activities.Wherever possible, disabled students should expect to have their needs met through inclusive learning practices and individual reasonable adjustments made by their provider. In addition to reasonable adjustments, Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) is available for the provision of more specialist support.My noble Friend, the Minister for Skills, has recently appointed Sir Steve West as Higher Education Student Support Champion to lead the Higher Education Mental Health Implementation Taskforce. The Taskforce is instrumental in assessing and driving improvements in mental health support across the sector, including taking forward recommendations from the recent national review of higher education student suicides.

What discussions she has had with (a) primary and (b) secondary schools on support for pupils living with ME.

The department engages regularly with schools on a range of issues.Schools should ensure they are aware of any pupils with medical conditions and have policies and processes in place to ensure these can be well managed. Governing bodies must ensure that the arrangements they put in place are sufficient to meet their statutory responsibilities and that policies, plans, procedures and systems are properly and effectively implemented. This includes the duty under Section 100 of the Children and Families Act 2014 to make arrangements for supporting pupils with medical conditions and the duties under the Equality Act 2010.Policies should set out how staff will be supported in carrying out their role to support pupils, including how training needs are assessed and how training is commissioned and provided. Any member of school staff providing support to a pupil with medical needs should have received suitable training.