Written questions by Anderson.

What information they hold on the number of workdays that were completed remotely in their Department in (a) 2024 and (b) 2025 to date.

The department’s employees work remotely from offices for a variety of reasons, including to visit educational institutions, partner organisations or when they have agreement to work from somewhere other than an office. IT log-on data indicates that approximately 55% of available working days in 2024 and 2025 to date were spent working remotely, but this figure should be treated as indicative rather than definitive, due to limitations in how the data is captured.

How her Department allocated the extra money returned to the Government by local authorities from fines for taking children out of school in each of the last three financial years.

Over the past three financial years, the department has not received revenue from penalty notices issued for school absences. This reflects the system’s design. It is not intended to generate profit, and local authorities must not set income targets. All revenue must be ring-fenced for attendance-related purposes.Funds should first cover penalty notice administration and prosecution costs. Any surplus must support attendance initiatives that do not involve issuing penalty notices or prosecutions, in line with the statutory attendance guidance.This revenue must not be absorbed into wider budgets or used for core attendance duties or legal services. It must remain dedicated to attendance functions.While any surplus at year end must be returned to my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, in line with expectation, no surpluses have been returned during the period in question.

How much their Department has spent on translating documents into languages other than (a) English and (b) other native UK languages in each year since 2023; and what these languages were.

The total cost incurred by the department in providing translation services from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024, other than English and languages native to the UK, is £16,594.18 and these are broken down as follows:LanguageTotalArabic10,904.45Bangla (Bangladesh)536.45Gujarati (India)536.45Lithuanian447.74Pashto (Afghanistan)536.45Polish447.74Punjabi536.45Romanian447.74Somali680.07Ukrainian447.74Urdu536.45Yiddish536.45 16,594.18 The total cost incurred by the department in providing translation services for the period 01/04/2024 to 25/03/2025 is £25,286.79. This is split between £24,820.60 for British sign language and braille support and £318.57 for other translation services.

Whether her Department holds data on the number of children leaving private schools since July 2024.

The department does not hold pupil-level data on private school pupils and so does not have information on how many pupils have left private schools.

What steps she is taking to ensure political (a) neutrality and (b) balance in (i) primary and (ii) secondary schools.

I refer the hon. Member for Ashfield to the answer of 9 April 2025 to Question 43267.

How many children resident in Ashfield constituency attend (a) private and (b) independent schools.

The department publishes data on the number of pupils that attend an independent school on school census day. This data is published in the annual 'Schools, pupils and their characteristics' accredited official statistics. Constituency level data can be found in the underlying school level data files, which can be accessed at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics/2024-25.

What steps she is taking to help ensure adequate provision of apprenticeships in Ashfield constituency.

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 Ashfield, 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.

Pursuant to the Answer of 13 June 2025 to Question 57348 on Universities: Freedom of Expression, what steps she has taken to ensure enforcement of those regulations.

The Office for Students (OfS) published regulatory advice on 19 June 2025, providing guidance to the higher education (HE) sector on how they should fulfil their free speech duties under the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023 (the Act) and examples of how providers should fulfil their duties.In addition, on 26 June 2025, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education published a policy paper on the future of the Act, setting out further details following the announcement on 15 January 2025. This paper sets in detail the duties and powers the OfS will be granted, when a legislative vehicle is secured, in order to regulate HE providers in relation to fulfilment of their free speech duties, and to put in place a complaints scheme to decide on free speech complaints from staff, external speakers and members of registered HE providers.The OfS will be able to take regulatory action where HE providers breach their duties under the Act, including monetary penalties.The OfS also has existing registration conditions in place requiring HE providers to uphold both freedom of speech and academic freedom as part of its management and governance conditions. The OfS’s investigation of the University of Sussex found that it was in breach of these conditions. This investigation, and the monetary penalty that the OfS subsequently issued to the university, demonstrates that the OfS can and will take robust action on free speech and similar issues.

Pursuant to the Answer of 13 June 2025 to Question 57348 on Universities: Freedom of Expression, what steps she plans to take in response to breaches of those regulations.

The Office for Students (OfS) published regulatory advice on 19 June 2025, providing guidance to the higher education (HE) sector on how they should fulfil their free speech duties under the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023 (the Act) and examples of how providers should fulfil their duties.In addition, on 26 June 2025, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education published a policy paper on the future of the Act, setting out further details following the announcement on 15 January 2025. This paper sets in detail the duties and powers the OfS will be granted, when a legislative vehicle is secured, in order to regulate HE providers in relation to fulfilment of their free speech duties, and to put in place a complaints scheme to decide on free speech complaints from staff, external speakers and members of registered HE providers.The OfS will be able to take regulatory action where HE providers breach their duties under the Act, including monetary penalties.The OfS also has existing registration conditions in place requiring HE providers to uphold both freedom of speech and academic freedom as part of its management and governance conditions. The OfS’s investigation of the University of Sussex found that it was in breach of these conditions. This investigation, and the monetary penalty that the OfS subsequently issued to the university, demonstrates that the OfS can and will take robust action on free speech and similar issues.

If her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing mandatory prison sentences for people operating unregulated care homes for children.

This government is clear that all providers of children’s social care accommodation such as children’s homes should register with Ofsted as per the Care Standards Act (CSA) 2000.Ofsted has existing powers to prosecute persons carrying on a children’s home or supported accommodation (formally an unregulated placement) without registering.Where a person is found guilty of running an unregistered children’s home or supported accommodation, the court can issue an unlimited fine, and for a second or subsequent conviction for the same offence, or where the person’s registration has been suspended and they continue to carry on the provision, imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months and/or an unlimited fine.The government is further strengthening Ofsted’s powers, via the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, to enable them to issue monetary penalties for breaches of the CSA, including an unlimited fine for operating a children’s home without being registered. This will allow Ofsted to take action at pace and act as a significant deterrent.Taken together, the set of powers that will be in place after the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill is passed will allow Ofsted and the courts to take the appropriate enforcement action according to each circumstance.

How many children with dyslexia achieved a grade five or above in (a) English and (b) Maths GCSE in Ashfield constituency in each of the last five years.

The information requested is not held centrally. The department holds information on pupils’ special educational needs by 12 types of primary need. Dyslexia is usually included in the wider category of primary need ‘specific learning difficulty’.

What support her Department is providing to children with dyslexia.

I refer the hon. member for Ashfield to the answer of 1 August 2025 to Question 61402.

What steps her Department is taking to improve exam results for children with dyslexia.

I refer the hon. member for Ashfield to the answer of 1 August 2025 to Question 61402.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of Qatari funding on British universities.

As autonomous bodies independent of government, it is for universities to decide on effective business models and to how to manage their finances. The sector is free to attract foreign investment, including from Qatar and China, which can and does make a valuable contribution to our universities and wider economy. The latest data indicates that overall education-related exports and transnational education activity generated £32.29 billion in revenue for UK institutions in 2022, and developing international partnerships is a key strength of our system.When collaborating with any international partners, the department expects the sector to be alert to a range of risks and conduct appropriate due diligence to comply with legislation and regulatory requirements. These range from financial sustainability responsibilities, to research security requirements and expectations to safeguard values, such as freedom of speech. As the independent regulator in England, it is the role of the Office for Students to monitor and assess registered providers’ compliance with all its conditions of registration.The department, along with the Department for Business and Trade and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, is currently conducting a review of the international education strategy to ensure that it continues to be an effective tool in increasing the value of education exports and reflects the priorities of education stakeholders, businesses and Ministers.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of Chinese funding on universities.

As autonomous bodies independent of government, it is for universities to decide on effective business models and to how to manage their finances. The sector is free to attract foreign investment, including from Qatar and China, which can and does make a valuable contribution to our universities and wider economy. The latest data indicates that overall education-related exports and transnational education activity generated £32.29 billion in revenue for UK institutions in 2022, and developing international partnerships is a key strength of our system.When collaborating with any international partners, the department expects the sector to be alert to a range of risks and conduct appropriate due diligence to comply with legislation and regulatory requirements. These range from financial sustainability responsibilities, to research security requirements and expectations to safeguard values, such as freedom of speech. As the independent regulator in England, it is the role of the Office for Students to monitor and assess registered providers’ compliance with all its conditions of registration.The department, along with the Department for Business and Trade and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, is currently conducting a review of the international education strategy to ensure that it continues to be an effective tool in increasing the value of education exports and reflects the priorities of education stakeholders, businesses and Ministers.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of AI on undergraduate degree integrity.

There are huge opportunities for artificial intelligence (AI) as it becomes more sophisticated, particularly through generative AI, and the department knows higher education (HE) and the industries they work with are at the forefront of this. There will be many benefits, and we are already seeing these, but there are also challenges in how the HE sector incorporates AI, particularly for teaching, learning and assessment.The Quality Assurance Agency has been exploring the implications of AI, particularly in relation to academic integrity and published a briefing for its members in February 2024 focusing on the challenges. The briefing was underpinned by insights from HE sector leaders.The experience and expertise of the sector is contributing to the department’s evidence base for how generative AI is used in education. In January 2024, the department published research entitled ‘Generative AI in education: Educator and expert views’, containing insights from interviews with teachers and experts in HE and the education technology industry. The full research paper is available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/65b8cd41b5cb6e000d8bb74e/DfE_GenAI_in_education_-_Educator_and_expert_views_report.pdf.The Office for Students set out its approach to the use of AI in HE in a recent blog post entitled ‘Embracing innovation in higher education: our approach to artificial intelligence’. The full blog post is available here: https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/news-blog-and-events/blog/embracing-innovation-in-higher-education-our-approach-to-artificial-intelligence/.

Whether she has had recent discussions with schools on a potential strategy to dissuade antisocial behaviour by children.

The department regularly engages with teachers and headteachers and their representative bodies on a range of issues, including pupil behaviour.As part of the Safer Streets Summer Initiative, we are setting up a working group of 16 local authorities specifically looking at preventing antisocial behaviour through our holiday activities and food (HAF) programme. The working group will strengthen collaboration among local authorities and be an opportunity for local authorities to buddy up, share best practice and improve outcomes.The department’s existing ‘Behaviour in schools’ guidance states that schools should make clear to pupils that good behaviour does not end at the school gates.

What discussions she has had with teachers' unions on strike action during the GCSE exam period.

There is currently no national industrial action taking place in schools. There is no requirement for schools to report instances of local industrial action in schools and the department does not collect data on local strike action.The department’s guidance ‘Handling strike action in schools’ makes clear that headteachers should take all reasonable steps to keep schools open for as many pupils as possible and minimise disruption to their education. In the event of industrial action during public exams, it is recommended that schools should remain open for exams and exam candidates where possible, even if the school is closed or restricting attendance.Headteachers remain accountable for the conduct of the exams and provision of facilities in their centre, and schools are encouraged to review contingency plans well in advance of each exam or assessment series. The full guidance is available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6523d331aea2d0000d2199bf/Handling_strike_action_in_schools.pdf.

What estimate she has made of the number of schools impacted by strike action during the (a) GCSE and (b) A-level exam period.

There is currently no national industrial action taking place in schools. There is no requirement for schools to report instances of local industrial action in schools and the department does not collect data on local strike action.The department’s guidance ‘Handling strike action in schools’ makes clear that headteachers should take all reasonable steps to keep schools open for as many pupils as possible and minimise disruption to their education. In the event of industrial action during public exams, it is recommended that schools should remain open for exams and exam candidates where possible, even if the school is closed or restricting attendance.Headteachers remain accountable for the conduct of the exams and provision of facilities in their centre, and schools are encouraged to review contingency plans well in advance of each exam or assessment series. The full guidance is available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6523d331aea2d0000d2199bf/Handling_strike_action_in_schools.pdf.

If she will lower the age for dyslexia assessments.

This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life.We recognise that the early identification of need and support is critical to improving outcomes for children and young people with SEND, including those with dyslexia. There are already a number of measures to help teachers do this, including the phonics screening check and statutory assessments at the end of key stage 2.To improve early identification, we have commissioned evidence reviews from University College London, which will highlight what the best available evidence suggests are the most effective strategies to identify and support children and young people with different types of needs in mainstream schools.Additionally, the ‘What Works in SEND’ research programme will research tools that schools can use to identify the needs of neurodivergent children. The research is expected to be completed by March 2026.The English Hubs programme is dedicated to improving the teaching of reading, with a focus on supporting children making the slowest progress in reading. As part of the continuous professional development provided by the English Hubs, the ‘Reading Ambition for All’ programme has been launched to improve outcomes for children who need additional support with reading, including those with SEND. Nottinghamshire’s nearest English Hub is Flying High English Hub.