Written questions by Jarvis.

Whether she plans to review the extent to which schools prepare young people for employment, apprenticeships and vocational education, including through careers advice, work experience opportunities and mental health support; whether she plans to introduce further measures to support pupils identified as being at risk of disengagement from education or employment; what assessment she has made of the role of mentoring in supporting young people’s career aspirations, confidence and preparedness for employment, apprenticeships and further education; and whether she plans to expand access to mentoring programmes for pupils and introduce standards for the quality, consistency and accessibility of mentoring provision in schools and colleges.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment her Department has made of the risks posed by the misuse of publicly available school photographs by criminals using artificial intelligence to generate child sexual abuse images; what guidance her Department has issued to schools on the publication of pupil photographs on school websites and social media platforms; and whether she plans to introduce (a) additional safeguarding measures and (b) statutory guidance to help schools mitigate the risks of AI-generated child sexual abuse material and related (i) blackmail and (ii) extortion attempts.

Awaiting answer.

What she is taking to ensure that her Department’s consultation on funding for assistive software through Disabled Students’ Allowance is informed by the experiences of disabled students; what steps she is taking to ensure the consultation adequately considers the potential impact of the proposals on disabled students’ access to higher education; how he will ensure will sufficient opportunity for engagement with disabled students and sector stakeholders; how she will ensure the consultation reflects the individual support needs of disabled students; and what steps she will take to ensure that decisions arising from the consultation are based on evidence of the effectiveness of specialist assistive technology.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of current childcare support arrangements for working parents, including (a) the relationship between minimum work requirements and the number of funded childcare hours available, (b) the availability of childcare support outside term time, and (c) the potential impact of childcare costs and accessibility on parents’ ability to enter or remain in employment.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of freezing repayment thresholds and interest rate arrangements for Plan 2 student loans from 2027 on (a) low and middle income graduates and (b) the wider financial circumstances of young adults; what assessment she has made of the implications of these changes for the Government’s policy objective of ensuring that the student finance system is fair for students, graduates and taxpayers; whether her Department has assessed the impact of applying changes to repayment terms to existing borrowers who entered into loan agreements under previous conditions; and whether she has considered the case for greater regulatory oversight of student loans, including by the Financial Conduct Authority.

Plan 2 loans were designed and implemented by the previous government and, given the inherited fiscal situation, we are making tough but necessary decisions.It is important to consider this change in the round. We have increased the repayment threshold for Plan 2 loans to £28,470 in April 2025, its first increase since 2021, and increased it again on 6 April this year, to £29,385. Threshold freezes from 2027 have been introduced to protect taxpayers and students now, alongside future generations of learners and workers.Student loan balances do not appear on borrower credit records, meaning the total size of the student loan debt is not considered in a borrower mortgage application.Student loans have more favourable features compared with Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) regulated loans and cannot be regarded as comparable financial services to such loans. Unlike FCA-regulated products, key student loan terms are set out in regulations, and any changes would be subject to parliamentary scrutiny.Student loan terms and conditions make clear that the conditions of the loan may change in line with the regulations that govern the loans. Students sign these terms and conditions before any money is paid to them.The department has produced the attached analysis regarding the lifetime impact of freezing the repayment and interest thresholds.

What assessment her Department has made of whether the freezing of repayment thresholds for Plan 2 student loans from 2027 constitutes a form of fiscal drag; what assessment she has made of the distributional impact of this measure across different income groups and regions; what assessment she has made of the potential impact of frozen repayment thresholds on the ability of graduates to (a) save for a house deposit, (b) access mortgage lending, (c) build savings and financial resilience; and what assessment she has made of the wider economic impact of increased student loan repayment levels on consumer spending and living standards among low and middle income graduates.

Plan 2 loans were designed and implemented by the previous government and, given the inherited fiscal situation, we are making tough but necessary decisions.It is important to consider this change in the round. We have increased the repayment threshold for Plan 2 loans to £28,470 in April 2025, its first increase since 2021, and increased it again on 6 April this year, to £29,385. Threshold freezes from 2027 have been introduced to protect taxpayers and students now, alongside future generations of learners and workers.Student loan balances do not appear on borrower credit records, meaning the total size of the student loan debt is not considered in a borrower mortgage application.Student loans have more favourable features compared with Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) regulated loans and cannot be regarded as comparable financial services to such loans. Unlike FCA-regulated products, key student loan terms are set out in regulations, and any changes would be subject to parliamentary scrutiny.Student loan terms and conditions make clear that the conditions of the loan may change in line with the regulations that govern the loans. Students sign these terms and conditions before any money is paid to them.The department has produced the attached analysis regarding the lifetime impact of freezing the repayment and interest thresholds.

What assessment her Department has made of the availability and accessibility of supported apprenticeships and supported internships for young people with Education, Health and Care Plans; whether a centrally held list of such apprenticeships and internships exists at a national or regional level; which Department or body is responsible for maintaining and communicating that information; and what steps are being taken to (a) improve transparency, (b) ensure such information is made publicly available and (c) ensure timely and coordinated responses between relevant Departments in supporting young people into suitable placements.

Since 2022, the department has invested around £33 million in supported internships to provide more opportunities for young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to transition into sustained, paid employment.As set out in the SEND Code of Practice, local authorities must keep their educational and training provision under review, including the sufficiency of provision, and each local authority’s local offer must include information on supported internships.The availability of apprenticeships is determined by employers choosing to offer apprenticeship opportunities. The ‘Find an Apprenticeship’ service allows people to identify opportunities from Disability Confident employers.The government is working to ensure that a learning difficulty or disability is not a barrier to people who want to realise the benefits of an apprenticeship. Additional Learning Support funding is available to training providers to make reasonable adjustments to support apprentices with learning difficulties and disabilities. The government also pays £1,000 to both employers and providers for apprentices aged 16 to 18 and for apprentices aged 19 to 24 who have an education, health and care plan, or have been, or are, in local authority care.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of declining pupil numbers on school budgets in Eastleigh constituency; and what steps her Department is taking to support schools experiencing financial deficits linked to declining pupil numbers.

School funding is increasing nationally by £1.7 billion in 2026/27, meaning that the core school budget will total £67 billion compared to £65.3 billion in 2025/26.Southampton and Hampshire local authorities allocate school funding for the constituency of Eastleigh. Through the dedicated schools grant, Southampton is receiving £6,893 per pupil on average and Hampshire is receiving £6,354 per pupil on average in financial year 2026/27 (including premises and excluding growth). Total funding for mainstream schools is growing by £17 million in Hampshire in 2026/27, compared to 2025/26 (a 1.6% increase) and by £3.3 million in Southampton (a 1.5% increase).We recognise the pressures caused by demographic changes in some areas. The lagged funding system, where schools are funded on the basis of their pupil numbers in the previous October census, helps to give schools more certainty over funding levels to aid their planning, and is particularly important in providing schools with falling pupil numbers, time to plan ahead with their budgets.

What estimate she has made of the number of teachers made redundant while on maternity leave in the last five years; and what steps her Department is taking to ensure that school funding arrangements enable schools to retain experienced teachers and support flexible working for staff with caring responsibilities.

Pregnant women and new mothers have enhanced protections against redundancy dismissals, which cover the pregnancy period, the time spent on maternity leave, and a return-to-work period. The protections give those employees priority for being offered suitable and alternative roles if any are available and place them ahead of other employees who are also at risk of redundancy.The government will put in place legislation that makes it unlawful to dismiss pregnant women, mothers on maternity leave and for at least six months after they return to work, except in specific circumstances. This starts with the Employment Rights Act, with regulations to follow. We intend for the measure to come into force in 2027.As announced in the Schools White Paper, we will fund schools to improve maternity pay, doubling the period of full pay from the current offer of four weeks to eight weeks for school teachers and leaders.Additionally, building on the success of the current Flexible Working Ambassador Programme, as announced in the Schools White Paper, the government is investing in a new teacher retention programme from Autumn 2026. The programme will support schools to promote flexible working which will help schools to better support staff with caring responsibilities.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the proposed cap on branded uniform items on curricular and extracurricular PE participation; and whether her Department has considered allowing a longer implementation period for changes to school uniform policy.

The assessments made in relation to the limit on branded school uniform and PE kit contained in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, including consideration of implementation timings, have been published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/childrens-wellbeing-and-schools-bill-impact-assessments.In order to support schools to implement the proposed limit by September 2026, we published our statutory guidance ‘Cost of school uniforms’ and have committed to updating it following Royal Assent for the Bill. This guidance is accessible at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cost-of-school-uniforms.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the student loan repayment system, including interest accrual, on borrowers who take extended periods out of the labour market due to caring responsibilities; and whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential differential impact of this system on women.

Interest accrues on loan balances until the loan has been repaid in full or cancelled, but interest rates do not impact monthly repayments made by borrowers.Borrowers on Plan 5 student loans only accrue interest at Retail Price Index (RPI) (currently 3.2%) meaning graduates will not repay more than they borrow in real terms. Borrowers on Plan 2 terms have interest applied at RPI only if earnings fall below the repayment threshold, or when out of the labour market, such as with caring responsibilities, ensuring that the loan’s debt value will not grow in real terms. Additionally, borrowers, regardless of their plan, earning under the repayment threshold are not required to make repayments.Graduates only begin repaying once their earnings exceed the earnings threshold, paying 9% of income above that level. If a graduate becomes disabled and permanently unfit for work, loan balances, including interest may be written off.For all borrowers, any outstanding loan, including interest accrued, will be cancelled after the loan term ends, and debt is never passed on to family members or descendants.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure the adequacy of distribution of Best Start Family Hubs across local authorities; and how much funding is expected to be allocated to Eastleigh.

The department has set a clear ambition for 70% of hubs to be in the 30% most disadvantaged areas. From April we will be rolling out hubs nationally meaning that they will be in every single local authority by 2028. We are setting a clear expectation that support to families and neighbourhoods under the greatest pressure should be prioritised. Councils know their communities best, and we will work closely with them to make sure this happens. Provisional funding allocations were shared with Hampshire County Council for the programme during the 2026/29 financial years on 7 November 2025. Payments are subject to local authorities meeting the expectations of the programme.

What assessment she has made of the (a) adequacy and (b) clarity of the information provided to prospective students about the terms of Plan 2 student loans at the point of application.

Plan 2 loans were designed and implemented by previous governments. Prospective students had access to a wide range of information across a range of platforms before they submit their loan application.Student loan terms and conditions make clear that the conditions of the loan may change in line with the regulations that govern the loans. Students sign these terms and conditions before any money is paid to them.The student finance system is designed to function differently to a commercial loan. Repayments are calculated solely on earnings, not on amount borrowed or the rate of interest applied. Crucially, Plan 2 student loans are cancelled after 30 years, regardless of outstanding balances.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of internal exclusion on pupil behaviour, attendance and educational outcomes; and what plans she has to strengthen monitoring, reporting and quality assurance mechanisms to ensure consistency and adequacy of provision for pupils placed in internal exclusion settings.

The department will consult on an internal suspension framework to help schools use these sanctions effectively within their behaviour policies, supporting pupils to remain engaged in their education and reducing lost learning. The consultation will seek views on appropriate requirements for recording and reporting internal suspension to ensure consistent practice, transparency, and effective oversight.

What information her Department holds on the number of children who are on the waiting list for an education, health and care plan in Hampshire; and how many and what proportion of those children have been waiting for longer than 20 weeks.

The department does not hold information on the number of children waiting for an education, health and care (EHC) plan.Information is published on the number of requests for an EHC needs assessment, the number of assessments carried out, and the number of plans issued within the statutory 20-week timeframe.The number of requests for an EHC needs assessment which were outstanding at the end of the 2024 calendar year in (a) Hampshire and (b) England for the 2024 calendar year is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/89c84169-a197-4566-46d1-08de5e4c4d7c.The number of EHC needs assessments which were outstanding at the end of the 2024 calendar year in (a) Hampshire and (b) England for the 2024 calendar year is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/dde79d11-557c-46c3-46d2-08de5e4c4d7c.The number of EHC plans issued within 20 weeks of the date of the request in (a) Hampshire and (b) England for the 2024 calendar year is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/a55a3b97-fe37-47a3-70d2-08de5e4c1b9a.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of establishing a new national agency for SEND to help address variation in provision.

As part of our Plan for Change, the department is determined to fix the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system and restore the trust of parents. We will do this by ensuring schools have the tools to better identify and support children before issues escalate.We will publish further details about plans for SEND reform in a Schools White Paper shortly. Our reforms will be underpinned by five principles: ‘early’, ‘local’, ‘fair’, ‘effective’ and ‘shared’.To support the reforms, we are strengthening the evidence base of what works to improve inclusive practice and help address variation in provision.For example, recently published evidence reviews from University College London highlight what the best available evidence suggests are the most effective strategies to identify and support children with different types of needs.The department also funds a What Works in SEND programme. Their research and effective practice models are included at: https://whatworks-send.org.uk/.New research delivered by UK Research Innovation will also aim to develop effective approaches to early identification of children needing tailored educational support.

If she will review the three-year freeze on the salary threshold for student loan repayments announced in the 2025 Budget.

The income threshold above which repayments are required for Plan 2 loans will remain at its 2026/27 financial year level of £29,385 up to April 2030, and will increase annually with the Retail Price Index thereafter. This change will help to ensure the system remains sustainable in the long term and is able to continue benefitting future generations of students.Borrowers remain protected as repayments are determined by income, not the amount borrowed. If a borrower’s salary remains the same, their monthly repayments will also stay the same. Lower-earning graduates will continue to be protected, with any outstanding loan and interest written off at the end of the loan term.

What progress her Department has made towards the development of the Enrichment Framework; and if she will set out a timetable for its publication and implementation.

The department will publish the new Enrichment Framework in early 2026. The framework has been developed following extensive research and collaboration with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), and a working group of experts from schools, youth, sports and arts organisations. We are also putting in place a range of support to help schools further, including PE and school sport partnerships, the national network of Music Hubs, £24million for the TechYouth programme and £22.5 million from DCMS over three years to create a tailored enrichment offer in up to 400 schools. A further £132.5 million of dormant assets funding is being targeted towards services, facilities and opportunities to meet the needs of young people, particularly those from disadvantaged and underrepresented backgrounds. More specifically, the government is continuing to invest an additional £3.6 million per year to support and maintain cadet units in schools as part of the Cadet Expansion Programme.

How she plans to monitor and evaluate the impact of the SEND teacher training programme on inclusion, attendance and educational outcomes for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities.

The department recently announced investment in a new package of training for staff in nurseries, schools and colleges, with the aim to ultimately improve support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities. The new training programmes will also go through stages of quality assurance to ensure they are aligned with evidence of best practice. A full monitoring and evaluation plan will be developed, and officials are currently scoping options for an independent evaluation. The new package builds on training that is already available, such as special educational needs and disabilities and inclusion content woven through the suite of national professional qualifications, for which evaluation is already underway and interim reports are available on GOV.UK.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of establishing an enrichment premium for schools.

The department will publish the new Enrichment Framework in early 2026. The framework has been developed following extensive research and collaboration with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), and a working group of experts from schools, youth, sports and arts organisations. We are also putting in place a range of support to help schools further, including PE and school sport partnerships, the national network of Music Hubs, £24million for the TechYouth programme and £22.5 million from DCMS over three years to create a tailored enrichment offer in up to 400 schools. A further £132.5 million of dormant assets funding is being targeted towards services, facilities and opportunities to meet the needs of young people, particularly those from disadvantaged and underrepresented backgrounds. More specifically, the government is continuing to invest an additional £3.6 million per year to support and maintain cadet units in schools as part of the Cadet Expansion Programme.