Written questions by Smart.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of funding for Social Work England to clear the fitness to practise backlog; and what her Department's target is for reducing the average time from referral to hearing outcome.

The department is the sponsor department for Social Work England (SWE), the independent regulator, and monitors their performance on an ongoing basis. Funding is provided to SWE annually and is based on the need to deliver against its business plan. SWE report into their board on case progression and are ahead of their current trajectory to reduce the backlog of fitness to practise cases awaiting a hearing. They also continue to increase the rate for hearings. SWE’s board papers are publicly available on their website.SWE consulted in October 2025 on the potential of introducing adjudicator consensual disposal. The proposed guidance would introduce a new process that allows adjudicators and social workers, in suitable cases, to reach an agreed outcome without the need for a disputed final hearing. This approach would enable cases to be resolved more quickly when both parties agree on the facts and appropriate sanctions. As the independent regulator of the social work profession, SWE will respond to their consultation in due course.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of Social Work England's proposals for adjudicator consensual disposal as a means of expediting fitness to practise cases.

The department is the sponsor department for Social Work England (SWE), the independent regulator, and monitors their performance on an ongoing basis. Funding is provided to SWE annually and is based on the need to deliver against its business plan. SWE report into their board on case progression and are ahead of their current trajectory to reduce the backlog of fitness to practise cases awaiting a hearing. They also continue to increase the rate for hearings. SWE’s board papers are publicly available on their website.SWE consulted in October 2025 on the potential of introducing adjudicator consensual disposal. The proposed guidance would introduce a new process that allows adjudicators and social workers, in suitable cases, to reach an agreed outcome without the need for a disputed final hearing. This approach would enable cases to be resolved more quickly when both parties agree on the facts and appropriate sanctions. As the independent regulator of the social work profession, SWE will respond to their consultation in due course.

What steps she is taking to support teachers to deliver effective financial education in the new national curriculum.

The government is committed to strengthening pupils’ foundational understanding of financial education in mathematics and citizenship following the publication of the Curriculum and Assessment Review's final report in November 2025. From budgeting to understanding credit, all children will learn about the fundamentals of money and develop the skills needed to succeed in the modern world.My department will engage with sector experts and young people in how best to reflect this in the updated curriculum. There will be public consultation on updated curriculum Programmes of Study in 2026, seeking views on the content before they are finalised. We intend that the new financial education will be taught for the first time from September 2028.

What information her Department holds on the number of local authorities which voluntarily provide support for self-employed adoptive parents in each of the last five years.

The department does not collect information from local authorities or regional adoption agencies on the extent to which they provide voluntary support for self-employed adoptive parents.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of allowing academy trusts to prioritise feeder schools within their own trust on the distances that children travel to school.

I refer the hon. Member for Hazel Grove to the answer of 28 November 2025 to Question 92797.

Whether any assessment has been made of the potential impact of allowing academy trusts to prioritise feeder schools within their own trust in their admissions policy on the average distance that children have to travel to school.

The School Admissions Code permits a trust naming another school in the trust as a feeder school. As with any selection of a feeder school, the trust must ensure that the named school is chosen on reasonable grounds, and the arrangements must be lawful and fair according to local circumstances.Admission authorities must consult on any change to their admissions arrangements. Once set, anyone who believes a school's admission arrangements are unfair or unlawful can object to the independent schools adjudicator.In its 2015/16 annual report, the Office of the Schools Adjudicator (OSA) noted an increasing trend for trusts to name all trust primaries as feeders for a secondary school, for reasons including promoting continuity and reflecting trust-wide links.The report noted some objections to feeder school arrangements were upheld as unfair where distant feeders were prioritised over local children, resulting in longer journeys. However, where priority for distant feeders came after priority for local children, this was unlikely to be found unfair.

What assessment she has made of feeder schools taking priority in school admissions on the average distance that pupils have to travel to school.

It is for admission authorities to set the oversubscription criteria which are most suitable for their schools according to their local circumstances. The School Admissions Code allows admission authorities to give priority within their oversubscription criteria to pupils attending a named feeder school. The selection of a feeder school or schools as an oversubscription criterion must be transparent and made on reasonable grounds.Admission authorities must consult on any change to their admissions arrangements, including introducing a new feeder school, to ensure that any local impacts are considered. Once set, anyone who believes a school's admission arrangements are unfair or unlawful can object to the Independent Schools Adjudicator.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of support provided to care leavers transitioning to independent living (a) in general and (b) housed outside their home local authority.

The move to independence is a critical milestone in any young person’s life. Care leavers should expect the same level of care and support that others would expect from a parent.The local authority responsible for their care should make sure they have the skills, confidence, support and opportunities to thrive. This includes offering them more than one chance as they grapple with the responsibilities of adulthood.Ofsted is responsible for assessing the adequacy of support for care leavers in each local authority and, as part of its inspection of local authority children’s services, has a specific remit to set out the key strengths and areas for improvement on the experiences and progress of care leavers.We recognise the additional challenges faced by young people who are placed into care outside their home local authority area. This can leave them with few local connections to either the area they are currently living in, or the area they are expected to return to, and has restricted their access to social housing upon leaving care. We have introduced an exemption to address this so that, as of July 2025, the local area connection test no longer applies to care leavers.

If she will respond to the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Financial Education for Young People's report, entitled: Laying Firm Foundations: Financial education in schools and colleges across the UK and the opportunities of devolution.

Education is a devolved matter, and this response outlines the information for England only.The government welcomes the work of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Financial Education for Young People to highlight the importance of financial education.The independent Curriculum and Assessment Review seeks to deliver an excellent foundation in core subjects, including mathematics, and a rich and broad, inclusive and innovative curriculum that readies young people for life and work.The interim report highlighted that the Review has heard, from children, young people and their parents, that they want more focus on the applied knowledge and skills that will equip them for later life and work, such as financial education.The Review’s final report will be published in autumn, following which we will consider how to ensure the financial education pupils receive is relevant and taught by confident and committed teachers.

Whether her Department plans to include media literacy within the English curriculum as part of the ongoing curriculum review.

The current English language GCSE curriculum equips students with critical reading and comprehension skills. They learn to identify and interpret themes in diverse texts, read for various purposes, draw inferences, support viewpoints with evidence and identify bias.In its interim report, the Curriculum and Assessment Review noted the importance of the curriculum keeping pace with the rise of artificial intelligence and trends in digital information. To address this, as well as securing learning in foundational subjects, the curriculum needs to reflect the growing demand for key knowledge and skills such as digital and media literacy and critical thinking skills.The Curriculum and Assessment Review’s final report and recommendations will be published in the autumn, at which point the government will respond.

Whether her Department plans to (a) improve and (b) expand the financial education resources available through Oak National Academy to help support schools to provide financial literacy teaching.

In April last year, Oak National Academy (Oak) launched over 80 new financial education resources to support teachers in delivering high quality lessons and preparing children for life and employment in the modern world. The resources, which cover both primary and secondary, explore core financial concepts such as budgeting, saving and taxation, as well as more contemporary areas such as keeping money safe from scams, virtual spending whilst online gaming, and assessing claims made by influencers.These have been created in partnership with the mathematics education charity, MEI, and the Association of Citizenship Teaching, and cover mathematics, citizenship and financial education. Oak will keep its offer under review based on teacher feedback and any changes required following the Curriculum and Assessment Review.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure that teachers receive adequate (a) training and (b) other resources to provide financial education.

I refer the hon. Member for Hazel Grove to the answer of 7 January 2025 to Question 21190.

What steps her Department is taking to strengthen the provision of financial education in schools beyond the mathematics curriculum.

I refer the hon. Member for Hazel Grove to the answer of 9 April 2025 to Question 43513.

What steps her Department is taking to enhance the teaching of financial education within the Personal, Social, Health and Economic curriculum.

I refer the hon. Member for Hazel Grove to the answer of 9 April 2025 to Question 43513.

What steps her Department is taking to help ensure that per pupil school funding is spread evenly across (a) Greater Manchester and (b) other regional areas.

The schools national funding formula (NFF) distributes core funding for 5 to 16-year-old pupils in mainstream state-funded schools in England.The NFF allocates funding to local authority areas, based on schools’ and pupils’ characteristics. In the current NFF, the vast majority of funding is allocated based on pupil numbers and characteristics. The funding that individual schools actually receive is then based on their local authority’s funding formula.The purpose of the NFF is not to give every school the same level of per pupil funding. It is right that schools with lots of pupils with additional needs, such as those indicated by measures of deprivation or low prior attainment, receive extra funding to help them meet the needs of their pupils.

Whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of issuing further reminders to parents who claim free childcare for working parents to reconfirm their details after the deadline has passed.

It is our ambition that all families have access to high quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, giving every child the best start in life and delivering on our Plan for Change. We are delivering more support to working families than ever with the rollout of 30 hours government-funded childcare. Reconfirmation ensures parents continue to meet the eligibility criteria, which is based on expected income for the next three months. To reconfirm, parents receive an email and/or text prompt four weeks and two weeks before the reconfirmation deadline.A notification is also sent on deadline date to notify a parent they are no longer eligible and to reconfirm as soon as possible.If a child is already in a funded place, they will enter a ‘grace period’ which allows the child to continue their place temporarily. If the parent becomes eligible again during this period, the child can continue to access their place. Specific grace period dates are set out in the department’s statutory guidance.

What discussions her Department has had with local authorities on ensuring the availability of support for parents of children with severe SEND needs who require two-to-one support during the school holidays.

Local authorities have a legal duty to complete an annual childcare sufficiency assessment. In this assessment, they must have regard to the needs of parents in their area for the provision of childcare which is suitable for disabled children. Where adequate childcare provision is not available, parents have the right to request a wraparound or holiday childcare place for their child.The holiday activities and food (HAF) programme funding is primarily for school-aged children from reception to year 11 who receive benefits-related free school meals (FSM). Local authorities have discretion to use up to 15% of their funding to provide free holiday club places for children who are not in receipt of benefits-related FSM but who the local authority believes could benefit from HAF provision.The department regularly meets with local authorities to discuss HAF provision and encourages them to engage with local and national organisations, including special schools with expertise in working with children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or additional needs. Local authorities are obligated to include the numbers of children with SEND or additional needs who have participated in their programme in their post provision reporting to us.

Whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of reminding parents who are claiming free childcare for working parents to reconfirm their details by (a) telephone call and (b) letter.

It is the government’s ambition that all families have access to high quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, giving every child the best start in life and delivering on our Plan for Change. The department is delivering more support to working families than ever with the rollout of 30 hours government-funded childcare. Reconfirmation ensures that parents continue to meet the eligibility criteria. Eligibility for 30 hours is based on expected income for the next three months.Parents receive an email and/or text prompt four weeks before their reconfirmation deadline and again two weeks before the deadline if they still have not reconfirmed. This email will remind parents that they will need to confirm their details are up to date and will provide instructions on how to reconfirm.Parents who do not have access to a mobile phone or email address will receive letters reminding them to reconfirm.

What steps her Department is taking to increase the rate at which asbestos is removed from schools in (a) Greater Manchester, (b) Stockport borough and (c) Hazel Grove constituency.

The department expects all local authorities, governing bodies and academy trusts to have robust plans in place to manage asbestos in school buildings effectively, in line with their legal duties, drawing on appropriate professional advice and our published guidance.Asbestos management in schools and other buildings is regulated by the Health and Safety Executive. We follow their expert advice that, provided asbestos-containing materials are in good condition and unlikely to be disturbed, it is generally safest to manage them in place, otherwise, they should be removed.Asbestos is often removed over time as part of wider rebuilding, refurbishment or major repairs work, including projects delivered by the department, such as the School Rebuilding Programme (SRP), or delivered by responsible bodies, such as local authorities or academy trusts.The government has given a long-term commitment for capital investment through to 2034/35 to improve the condition of schools and colleges across England, investing almost £3 billion per year by 2034/35 in capital maintenance and renewal, rising from £2.4 billion in 2025/26. This is in addition to investment in continuing and expanding the SRP, with a further 250 schools to be selected within the next two years.

What steps her Department is taking to support (a) businesses and (b) charities that provide activities for children with SEND.

The department provides funding to deliver £24 million worth of grants each year to provide support to low-income families raising disabled or seriously ill children and young people. We have also funded innovative grants that promote best practice for delivering services for short breaks.To support young people aged 16 to 24 with an education, health and care plan to secure and sustain employment, we are continuing to invest in supported internships by providing up to £12 million to March 2026. This funding will support local authorities to sustain their special educational needs and disabilities Employment Forums, training on employer engagement and training for job coaches. Indicative data from local authorities shows we reached our previous target of doubling the number of supported internships to 4,500 per year and our continued support will enable areas to sustain this.