Written questions by Wrigley.

What steps her Department is taking to improve transparency in the (a) governance, (b) financial decision-making and (c) scrutiny of leadership in academy trusts.

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. Accountability is non-negotiable. This is why the government has committed to bring multi-academy trusts into the inspection system, to make the system fairer and more transparent, and enable direct intervention when schools and trusts are not performing to the required standards.The primary responsibility for the financial oversight of academy trusts rests with the trustees themselves, supported by the financial management and governance requirements set by the department in academy trusts’ Funding Agreements, the Academy Trust Handbook, the Academies Accounts Direction and the department’s Financial Support and Oversight Guidance for Academy Trusts. The department expects academy trustees to deliver strong governance, monitor the financial health of their trust or school and ensure it remains a going concern.All academy trusts must publish an annual report and accounts (their financial statements), which are audited by a registered statutory auditor. As part of their annual reports and accounts, academy trusts must also publish details of their objectives, achievements, and future plans, including what they have done to promote value for money in support of these projects. The department publishes data on academy finances on GOV.UK, as part of the Academies Sector Annual Report and Accounts and as part of the Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool.Where non-compliance or governance concerns are identified, the department will intervene in a way that is proportionate to the risk and preserves education provision. This can include issuing a trust with a Notice to Improve (NtI). Less than 1% of academy trusts are subject to an active NtI. In cases of financial or financial governance failure, NtIs issued to academy trusts and Investigation Reports are published on GOV.UK.

What steps her Department is taking to help support academies with multimillion-pound deficits.

The department supports all academy trusts to have the capability to manage their resources effectively by providing high quality advice, tools, support and development to help schools protect against financial difficulty and enable excellent school resource management. Tools and guidance can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/schools-financial-health-and-efficiency.Where academy trusts are experiencing financial difficulty, the department’s focus will be on prioritising support for the most serious cases, considering the financial, educational and governance aspects of the trust. The department may also commission a School Resource Management Adviser (SRMA) to support the trust. SRMAs are practising sector experts, such as school business professionals that work collaboratively with schools and trusts to provide independent, expert and tailored advice to schools and trusts on how to make best use of their resources to deliver the best possible educational outcomes for their pupils.Where an academy trust is reporting a cumulative deficit, it may require additional financial support as part of their recovery plan. If approved, financial support will be repayable to the department within an agreed timeframe. Non-repayable funding will only be considered where there is no other reasonable means to protect pupils’ interests.

What steps her Department is taking to support schools that have had to (a) reduce subjects, (b) rely on non-specialist teaching staff and (c) remove extracurricular opportunities due to funding shortfalls.

School funding is increasing by £3.7 billion in the 2025/26 financial year, and a further £4.2 billion by 2028/29, reaching £69.5 billion. This will provide an above real terms per pupil increase on the core schools budget and help transform the special educational needs and disabilities system.The department is seeing positive signs for recruitment and retention. The secondary and special school workforce has grown by 2,346 full-time equivalent between the 2023/24 and 2024/25 academic years, where workforce growth is most needed. We are offering bursaries worth up to £29,000 and scholarships worth up to £31,000, tax-free, to encourage more talented people into key subjects such as mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing.The department knows reprioritising schools’ budgets and ensuring best value can be challenging, but it is in line with asks to the rest of the public sector. We also know it is a joint responsibility of the government and the entire school system. We will tackle systemic issues that drive costs, establishing a new programme later this year to help schools and groups free up resources to invest in what matters most, teaching, learning, and support for pupils.

What assessment her Department has made of trends in the level of executive pay in academy trusts where schools (a) are in financial deficit and (b) have made frontline staff redundancies.

The primary responsibility for the financial oversight of academy trusts, including setting executive pay, rests with the trustees themselves. Academy trusts are delivering a high standard of financial management and governance. The latest published data shows that, in the 2022/23 academic year, 97.7% of trusts had a cumulative surplus or a zero balance, with an aggregate surplus of £4.6 billion. In terms of pay trends, the latest published workforce data shows that the mean average salary for headteachers in the sector was:£78,240 in a maintained primary school.£78,289 in an academy primary school.£111,796 in a maintained secondary school.£108,654 in an academy secondary school.The data can be read in full here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england/2024.The department engages with trusts on levels of executive pay where there is insufficient demonstration of value for money, where there is no direct link to improving pupil outcomes, or if the trust is in financial difficulty.The department sets out its expectations on pay for academies and academy trusts in the academy trust handbook, which can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/academy-trust-handbook/academy-trust-handbook-2025-effective-from-1-september-2025. Executive pay must be justifiable and should reflect the individual responsibility alongside local retention and recruitment needs.The handbook requires that:An academy trust’s board of trustees ensures its decisions follow a robust, evidence-based process when setting levels of executive pay, including salary and any other benefits.Academy trusts’ decisions on pay must be a reasonable and defensible reflection of the individual’s role and responsibilities.No individual can be involved in deciding their remuneration.Academy trusts must be transparent on pay and publish the number of employees whose benefits exceed £100,000 on their websites in £10,000 bandings. Where employees are also trustees, this information must be disclosed in £5,000 bandings.To further support academy trusts, the department has also published ‘setting executive salaries’ guidance on GOV.UK which outlines the key contextual factors that trusts should be considering when setting or reviewing executive salaries, and can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/setting-executive-salaries-guidance-for-academy-trusts/setting-executive-salaries-guidance-for-academy-trusts.

What guidance her Department issues to academy trusts on executive pay.

The primary responsibility for the financial oversight of academy trusts, including setting executive pay, rests with the trustees themselves. Academy trusts are delivering a high standard of financial management and governance. The latest published data shows that, in the 2022/23 academic year, 97.7% of trusts had a cumulative surplus or a zero balance, with an aggregate surplus of £4.6 billion. In terms of pay trends, the latest published workforce data shows that the mean average salary for headteachers in the sector was:£78,240 in a maintained primary school.£78,289 in an academy primary school.£111,796 in a maintained secondary school.£108,654 in an academy secondary school.The data can be read in full here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england/2024.The department engages with trusts on levels of executive pay where there is insufficient demonstration of value for money, where there is no direct link to improving pupil outcomes, or if the trust is in financial difficulty.The department sets out its expectations on pay for academies and academy trusts in the academy trust handbook, which can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/academy-trust-handbook/academy-trust-handbook-2025-effective-from-1-september-2025. Executive pay must be justifiable and should reflect the individual responsibility alongside local retention and recruitment needs.The handbook requires that:An academy trust’s board of trustees ensures its decisions follow a robust, evidence-based process when setting levels of executive pay, including salary and any other benefits.Academy trusts’ decisions on pay must be a reasonable and defensible reflection of the individual’s role and responsibilities.No individual can be involved in deciding their remuneration.Academy trusts must be transparent on pay and publish the number of employees whose benefits exceed £100,000 on their websites in £10,000 bandings. Where employees are also trustees, this information must be disclosed in £5,000 bandings.To further support academy trusts, the department has also published ‘setting executive salaries’ guidance on GOV.UK which outlines the key contextual factors that trusts should be considering when setting or reviewing executive salaries, and can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/setting-executive-salaries-guidance-for-academy-trusts/setting-executive-salaries-guidance-for-academy-trusts.

Whether her Department plans to (a) ring-fence and (b) increase funding for school infrastructure where buildings are assessed as structurally unsound.

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, including those which may have structural issues.The department is investing almost £3 billion per year by 2034/35 in capital maintenance and renewal of the school and college estate, rising every year from £2.4 billion in 2025/26.This is in addition to the investment of almost £20 billion in the School Rebuilding Programme through to 2034/35, delivering rebuilding projects at over 500 schools across England within the existing programme, with a further 250 schools to be selected within the next two years. Two schools within the Newton Abbey constituency, Dawlish College and Kenton Primary School, are already part of the programme. The department aims to set out further details on the process for selecting additional schools for rebuilding later this year.Where there are serious and urgent safety issues with school buildings, such as those which threaten closure of a school, and that cannot be managed locally by responsible bodies, the department provides additional advice and support on a case-by-case basis.

With reference to section 58 of the Children Act 2004, if she will take legislative steps to remove the defence of reasonable punishment for parents.

The landmark Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, a key part of the government’s Plan for Change, represents the most transformative piece of child protection legislation in a generation, including wholesale reform of the children’s social care system and the introduction of measures to improve information sharing between education, police, health, justice and social workers to stop vulnerable children falling through the cracks.While the department is looking closely at the impact of the legal changes made in Wales and Scotland in relation to reasonable punishment, we have no plans to legislate at this stage.

What assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the Libraries for Primaries campaign.

The department welcomes the work of the Libraries for Primaries campaign and others, who work to support children’s reading. On 29 September, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, committed over £10 million in funding to guarantee a library for every primary school by the end of this parliament. Funding for this scheme will come from £132.5 million of dormant assets unlocked to support young people to access opportunities. The government will set out further details of the scheme in due course.To support all young people to develop a love of reading, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, has announced that 2026 will be the National Year of Reading. The campaign will address the steep decline in reading enjoyment amongst children, young people and adults and aims to engage new audiences in reading and change the national reading culture, both during the year and beyond.

What steps she is taking to support children's wellbeing in schools in Newton Abbot constituency.

The government has set a bold new ambition to raise the healthiest generation of children in our history. On 19 June, my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister, announced a new approach to enrichment, PE and school sport.The government has committed to offer free breakfast clubs in every state-funded school with primary-aged pupils in England. From the start of this term, free breakfast clubs are being funded in 750 early adopter schools across England, ahead of national roll out, including two in Newton Abbott.We are also providing access to specialist mental health professionals in every school by expanding Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs). 31% of schools and colleges in Newton Abbot constituency were supported by an NHS-funded MHST in March 2025.This data has been available since 16 May 2025 at national, regional and local authority level, and since 10 July 2025 at constituency level. Around six in ten pupils nationally are expected to have access to an MHST by March 2026.

If she will bring forward legislative proposals to reduce the requirement on schools to serve three meat options a week.

To ensure quality and nutrition in meals for the future, the department is acting quickly with experts across the sector to revise the school food standards, so that every school is supported with the latest nutrition guidance.The review will consider all aspects of the school food standards. We intend to consult on these revisions and further details will be available in due course.

What steps she is taking to tackle period poverty through schools in Newton Abbot constituency.

​Nobody should have to miss out on education because of their period, which is why the department provides free period products to girls and women in their place of study through the Period Products Scheme. The scheme aims to remove periods as a barrier to accessing education and addresses pupils being unable to afford period products. Since the scheme began in 2020, 82% of eligible organisations in Devon have placed at least one order.The scheme offers a broad range of products for organisations to choose from, including certified organic and chemical-free tampons and pads, as well as reusable options such as period pants. The Lil-Lets organic range, available on the scheme, meets recognised certification standards and is free from harmful chemicals.

If she will take steps to ensure that free period products provided in schools are (a) certified organic single use disposables and (b) additive-free.

​Nobody should have to miss out on education because of their period, which is why the department provides free period products to girls and women in their place of study through the Period Products Scheme. The scheme aims to remove periods as a barrier to accessing education and addresses pupils being unable to afford period products. Since the scheme began in 2020, 82% of eligible organisations in Devon have placed at least one order.The scheme offers a broad range of products for organisations to choose from, including certified organic and chemical-free tampons and pads, as well as reusable options such as period pants. The Lil-Lets organic range, available on the scheme, meets recognised certification standards and is free from harmful chemicals.

What plans her Department has to develop guidance for educational institutions (a) using and (b) procuring AI systems.

To accompany the Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) policy paper, the department has published online materials to help educators use AI safely and effectively, developed in partnership with Chiltern Learning Trust and the Chartered College of Teaching. The materials are a toolkit for all educators, outlining the basic information that everyone working with young people should know about using AI safely, with some potential use cases, to help leaders address the risks and opportunities of AI, and how to consider AI as part of a wider digital strategy.To help educational institutions procure safe and effective education technology (EdTech), the department wants to incentivise more evidence generation from EdTech companies by setting product quality standards and piloting how to assess products through the EdTech Evidence Board.To ensure the safety of our children, the department announced the AI Product Safety Expectations in Education framework for technology companies, which sets out technical safeguards including prioritising child-centred design and enhanced filtering of harmful content.The department will test an approach to quality assurance by engaging experts, such as company and sector representatives, data scientists, regulators, charities, academics and expert teachers, to assess edtech product evidence against set criteria and give judgements which could be made available to the sector.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of using non-deterministic AI in (a) marking, (b) admissions and (c) behaviour prediction on (i) schools and (ii) universities.

The department aims to use evidence-based technology to reduce the time teachers spend marking, planning and form filling so their drive, energy and passion is fully focused on delivering change for children. The department provided £2 million funding to support Oak National Academy to develop artificial intelligence (AI) tools for teachers. Oak has launched an AI assistant called Aila that helps teachers create personalised lesson plans and resources in minutes, saving them hours each week.In August 2024, the department announced the Education Content Store, a joint pilot with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, aiming to make the underpinning content and data that are needed for great AI tools available to developers. In parallel, the department has launched innovation funding to encourage developers to make use of the content store and stimulate the market to create high-quality marking and feedback tools.Universities are independent and autonomous bodies responsible for decisions such as admissions, course content, teaching and assessment. They are responsible for designing and implementing their own policies and approaches to the use of AI as well as for taking steps to detect and prevent any form of academic misconduct by students including the misuse of AI, as set out in the Office for Students’ regulatory framework.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of private agency profit margins in the supply teacher market on (a) schools and (b) supply teachers.

Research conducted by the department in 2023 included findings on the estimated average daily cost of a supply teacher to a school and estimated average daily take-home pay of supply teachers, by phase. The leader survey and supply teacher survey found that the reported average daily cost to the school of a supply teacher was £218 in primary, £291 in secondary and £270 in special schools. The survey also found that the reported average daily take-home salary for supply teachers surveyed was £136 in primary, £150 in secondary and £144 in special schools.The department, in conjunction with the Crown Commercial Service, has established the agency supply deal, which supports schools to obtain value for money when hiring agency supply teachers and other temporary school staff. More information can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/deal-for-schools-hiring-supply-teachers-and-agency-workers. The deal has established a list of preferred suppliers that schools can access, all of which will be transparent with schools about the rates they charge. The suppliers will also agree to not charge finder’s fees for workers who have been in post for 12 weeks, when four weeks’ notice is given, which makes it easier and more cost effective for schools to retain supply teachers and employ them on a permanent basis.Schools and local authorities are currently responsible for the recruitment of their supply teachers, and a supply teacher’s pay and working conditions will depend on who employs them. Supply teachers employed directly by a state maintained school or local authority must be paid in accordance with the statutory arrangements for teachers laid down in the School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document. If a supply teacher is employed by a private agency or non-maintained school, the employer can set the rate of pay and conditions of employment.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of piloting a publicly funded (a) national and (b) regional supply teacher register for England.

Supply teachers make an important contribution to the smooth running of schools across the country by filling posts on a temporary basis and covering teacher absences.The department does not plan at this time to assess the potential merits of piloting a publicly funded national and regional supply teacher register. Schools and local authorities are responsible for the recruitment of their supply teachers and there are currently various approaches to providing supply teachers.For example, local authority supply pools are one of the approaches to providing supply teachers and local authorities have the autonomy to decide whether to operate these supply teacher pools.The department works closely with the Crown Commercial Service on supply teachers.

Whether her Department (a) collects and (b) plans to collect data on the number of supply teachers leaving the profession annually.

The school workforce census does not identify supply teachers in England. However, teachers who are not directly employed by the school or local authority and who are in school on census day (early November each year) with a contract or service agreement lasting fewer than 28 days are recorded as ‘occasional’ teachers. In November 2024, schools reported 17,600 occasional teachers (headcount) on census day. This is up from the previous year when 15,800 were reported. The department only collects this information from state-schools in England. Education in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland is a devolved matter for the Welsh, Scottish and Northern Irish Governments.A survey conducted by the department in 2023 (“Use of supply teachers in schools”) found that 85% of supply teachers surveyed said they had obtained work through supply teacher agencies.Just under half of all supply teachers surveyed (47%) wanted to stop working as a supply teacher within 12 months. 47% of those who wanted to stop working as a supply teacher wanted to leave in order to take up a permanent teaching position.

What recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the (a) employment conditions and (b) average pay of supply teachers.

Research conducted by the department in 2023 included findings on the estimated average daily cost of a supply teacher to a school and estimated average daily take-home pay of supply teachers, by phase. The leader survey and supply teacher survey found that the reported average daily cost to the school of a supply teacher was £218 in primary, £291 in secondary and £270 in special schools. The survey also found that the reported average daily take-home salary for supply teachers surveyed was £136 in primary, £150 in secondary and £144 in special schools.The department, in conjunction with the Crown Commercial Service, has established the agency supply deal, which supports schools to obtain value for money when hiring agency supply teachers and other temporary school staff. More information can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/deal-for-schools-hiring-supply-teachers-and-agency-workers. The deal has established a list of preferred suppliers that schools can access, all of which will be transparent with schools about the rates they charge. The suppliers will also agree to not charge finder’s fees for workers who have been in post for 12 weeks, when four weeks’ notice is given, which makes it easier and more cost effective for schools to retain supply teachers and employ them on a permanent basis.Schools and local authorities are currently responsible for the recruitment of their supply teachers, and a supply teacher’s pay and working conditions will depend on who employs them. Supply teachers employed directly by a state maintained school or local authority must be paid in accordance with the statutory arrangements for teachers laid down in the School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document. If a supply teacher is employed by a private agency or non-maintained school, the employer can set the rate of pay and conditions of employment.

What data her Department holds on the proportion of supply teachers employed through private agencies in (a) England and (b) the devolved Administrations.

The school workforce census does not identify supply teachers in England. However, teachers who are not directly employed by the school or local authority and who are in school on census day (early November each year) with a contract or service agreement lasting fewer than 28 days are recorded as ‘occasional’ teachers. In November 2024, schools reported 17,600 occasional teachers (headcount) on census day. This is up from the previous year when 15,800 were reported. The department only collects this information from state-schools in England. Education in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland is a devolved matter for the Welsh, Scottish and Northern Irish Governments.A survey conducted by the department in 2023 (“Use of supply teachers in schools”) found that 85% of supply teachers surveyed said they had obtained work through supply teacher agencies.Just under half of all supply teachers surveyed (47%) wanted to stop working as a supply teacher within 12 months. 47% of those who wanted to stop working as a supply teacher wanted to leave in order to take up a permanent teaching position.

What discussions she has had with stakeholders on (a) public, (b) cooperative and (c) non-profit models of supply teacher provision.

Supply teachers make an important contribution to the smooth running of schools across the country by filling posts on a temporary basis and covering teacher absences.The department does not plan at this time to assess the potential merits of piloting a publicly funded national and regional supply teacher register. Schools and local authorities are responsible for the recruitment of their supply teachers and there are currently various approaches to providing supply teachers.For example, local authority supply pools are one of the approaches to providing supply teachers and local authorities have the autonomy to decide whether to operate these supply teacher pools.The department works closely with the Crown Commercial Service on supply teachers.