Written questions by Martin.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of introducing Making Tax Digital at the same time as removing the wear and tear allowance on childminders.

The department is taking a range of measures to support the financial sustainability of childminding businesses and other early years providers. From April 2026, local authorities will be required to pass at least 97% of their funding directly to providers.In addition, the expansion of the early years entitlements is set to benefit childminders. The national average three and four-year-old hourly funding rate for local authorities is increasing by 4.1%, the two-year-old hourly funding rate is increasing by 3.3%, and the nine months to two-year-old hourly funding rate is increasing by 3.4%. Childminders may also benefit from the expected increase in demand for places.Making Tax Digital standardises the way that sole traders record and claim business expenses. It could benefit childminders as it means that any business expenses related to childminding will be included in their tax calculations. We are however aware of the strength of feeling amongst childminders and those who work with them. The department has been talking regularly to Coram Pacey, HMRC and others to understand the issue, the effect that it is having on the childminding sector and to make sure that the concerns of childminders are clearly understood. The department emphasises its strong support for childminders, who continue to provide high quality and flexible early education, and do so in a way that families across the country greatly value.

What recent discussions she has had with local authorities and employer groups on the availability of work‑experience placements for Year 10 pupils; and what steps she is taking to ensure adequate placements in all areas.

The government set out its vision for reforming work experience in the 2025 careers statutory guidance. Every pupil will have access to 2 weeks’ worth of multiple and varied workplace experiences throughout key stages 3 and 4. According to the Careers & Enterprise Company (CEC) Compass+ self-assessment tool, the majority of students in 74% schools and colleges had an experience of the workplace in the 2024/25 academic year. Note this data does not capture duration. The department funds the CEC to work with local areas and engage employers to deliver this commitment. CEC’s careers hubs work in partnership with mayoral strategic authorities and local authorities resulting in stronger career provision and increased employer engagement, locally. Findings from a recent pilot found that careers hubs, working with local authorities and mayoral strategic authorities, successfully coordinated work experience provision across multiple schools and employers, reducing duplication and widening access. Regionally, careers hubs work with cornerstone employer groups, who represent the local labour market and support the region's strategic employment engagement. Nationally, CEC holds strategic partnerships with employer groups, sector and representative bodies supporting all employers to deliver workplace experiences.

What steps she is taking to ensure that the contracted suppliers for the Disabled Students' Allowance are transparent with students on pricing.

Non-medical help hourly rates, together with any awards for travel, accommodation, or other costs, are supplied in the student’s entitlement letter, which outlines approved support. Additionally, the full breakdown of equipment costs is detailed in the needs assessment report, and students are entitled to request a copy of this report at any time. This means that students can see the costs associated with each element of their Disabled Students' Allowance support.

What recent discussions she has had with Student Finance England on the (a) ease of access to and (a) adequacy its customer services.

Student Finance England (SFE) is part of the Student Loans Company (SLC). The SLC is a wholly owned government company which delivers student finance services to students on behalf of the four UK Governments (the shareholders).The department is responsible for oversight of the SLC, and my noble Friend, the Minister for Skills meets regularly with the SLC chair and chief executive. Alongside the other shareholders, the department sets key performance targets in the SLC Annual Performance and Resource Agreement. These targets include measures for customer service and satisfaction and are monitored at the SLC Board and through Board committees. The department and the shareholders scrutinise data relating to the quality of customer experience, including call response times and contact resolution.Since the 2022/23 financial year the SLC has invested in improving its digital platforms for students and customers. Customers now have a variety of options to contact the SLC, including online account interactions, virtual assistants, live chat, social media and by telephone or in writing.The SLC reports on customer satisfaction targets for applicants, students, sponsors, and customers in its Annual Report and Accounts. The most recent publication can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/slc-annual-report-and-accounts-2023-to-2024/slc-annual-report-and-accounts-2023-2024.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the rule change preventing nurseries and preschools from charging for additional hours on the financial viability of early years providers; and what steps she is taking to support childcare providers with operational costs.

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 does not prevent early education and childcare providers from charging parents for hours that are additional to any government funded early education place to which they are entitled. These are a private transaction between parents and their provider.However, where providers agree to offer early education entitlements places that are funded by the taxpayer, it is a statutory requirement that those places must be available free of charge to parents. This means that mandatory charges associated with entitlements places are not permitted, and this was confirmed by the High Court in February this year. However, as departmental statutory guidance sets out, providers may offer and charge parents for food and extras, such as nappies, on an optional basis.Next year alone, the department plans to provide over £8 billion for the early years entitlements. This is a more than 30% increase compared to 2024/25.The government is delivering the largest ever uplift to the early years pupil premium, increasing the rate by over 45% to up to £570 per eligible child per year.The department has confirmed funding rates for 2025/26 and announced a new £75 million expansion grant to support providers to deliver the additional staff and places required for next September.A further £37 million of capital funding has been allocated to create or expand 300 school-based nurseries.

If she will take steps to review the rules for Ofsted-registered childminders claiming Government funding for children to whom they are related.

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.Parents are free to choose the childcare that is right for them and their children, and childminders are not prevented from caring for related children. Funding made available for the entitlements to early education for children aged 9 months to 4 years-old, however, cannot be claimed by, or spent on, childminders providing childcare for related children.This restriction for local authority funding relatives is set out in the Childcare Act (2006). Section 18(4) of the 2006 Act specifically excludes care provided for a child by a parent or other relative, and section 18(8)(c) of the 2006 Act states that a relative, in relation to a child, means “a grandparent, aunt, uncle, brother or sister, whether of the full blood or half blood or by marriage or civil partnership”.Successive governments have taken this same approach to avoid creating an incentive for adults to register to become childminders and being paid to look after related children that they are already looking after on an informal basis. Allowing childminders to receive funding for looking after related children would not be an effective use of public money and may have a negative impact on the viability of existing childcare businesses. For this reason, we have no plans to change this long-standing position at this time.Although childminders cannot receive entitlements funding for related children, flexibilities within staff to child ratios can be used to allow childminders who are caring for related children to avoid limiting the income they can earn.

What discussions she has had with (a) the University of Kent and (b) Canterbury Christ Church University on the potential impact of redundancies of teaching staff on (i) the effectiveness of (1) teaching and (2) research and (ii) student recruitment.

The government is aware of the financial challenges currently affecting the higher education (HE) sector. The department is aware that some providers, including the University of Kent and the Canterbury Christ Church University, are making difficult decisions around staffing in order to safeguard their financial sustainability. As independent entities, universities are responsible for pay and provision of staff, and the government does not have a role in intervening. However, we expect providers to work with staff, using their knowledge and experience to help identify how best to operate efficiently. All efficiency measures taken by the sector should provide a better long-term future for staff, students and the country.This government is determined to build a HE system fit for the future. Ministers and departmental officials remain dedicated to engaging with the Office for Students, HE unions, the employer body and the wider sector. Regular discussions are being held to gain a deeper understanding of the issues impacting HE providers, students and staff, and to develop our plans for HE reform, which will be announced in summer 2025.

What the value was of the Education and Skills Funding Agency Adult Education Budget allocated to Kent County Council in the (a) 2023-24 and (b) 2024-25 financial year; and what the allocation will be in the 2025-26 financial year.

The Education and Skills Funding Agency awards adult education budget allocations on an annual basis. Allocations are based on an academic year rather than a financial year. Allocations that span the 2023/24 and 2024/25 financial years have been published on GOV.UK. ‘Funding allocations to training providers: 2023 to 2024’ can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/funding-allocations-to-training-providers-2023-to-2024. ‘Funding allocations to training providers: 2024 to 2025’ can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/funding-allocations-to-training-providers-2024-to-2025. Allocations for the 2025/26 academic year have not yet been finalised. The department expects to confirm these shortly.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of applying VAT to private school fees on children attending extracurricular activities at private schools, despite not attending them.

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, has made no assessment of the impact of applying VAT to school fees on children who do not attend private schools but may utilise their facilities. The 20% standard rate of VAT applies to all education services, vocational training and boarding services provided by private schools for a charge. The VAT treatment of services delivered by third-party providers at private schools, for instance, self-employed music teachers or organisations that rent out private schools’ facilities, are unaffected by this policy. These services will always have been subject to VAT, if the provider is VAT-registered, unless it is private tutoring of a subject ordinarily taught in schools, which is exempt from VAT. However, any before or after school childcare, or childcare-based holiday clubs, that consists solely of childcare and does not fall within the definition of education will remain exempt from VAT by virtue of the fact that welfare services are exempt from VAT. HM Revenue and Customs have published guidance on charging and/or reclaiming VAT on good and services related to private school fees, which can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/charging-and-reclaiming-vat-on-goods-and-services-related-to-private-school-fees.

Pursuant to the Answer of 29 November 2024 to Question 16106 on Overseas Students: Ukraine, whether Ukrainian students who gain an 18-month extension on their visa through the Ukraine Permission Extension scheme will be eligible for home fees status for the full duration of their degree; and whether she is taking steps with Cabinet colleagues to allow Ukrainian students to extend their visa once the 18-month extension has expired.

The department has amended the Student Support regulations so that those who have been granted leave under the Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme may qualify for higher education student support in England and home fee status without the requirement to meet the normal three-year ordinary residence requirement.Where a person's Ukraine Scheme permission expires during their course of study and they are granted further permission to remain under one of the standard immigration routes, they will continue to be eligible to access student support and home fee status while they complete their studies. This is in line with those granted leave under the other Ukraine Schemes.We will continue to keep the Ukraine Schemes under consistent review in line with developments in the ongoing war.

If she will take steps to publish a timetable for the introduction of a Natural History GCSE.

I refer the hon. Member for Tunbridge Wells to the answer of 17 December 2024 to Question 18517.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of section 23 of the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill on schools' ability to participate in team sports.

School uniforms play a valuable role in creating a sense of common identity among pupils and reducing visible inequalities, however, too many schools require high numbers of branded uniform items which creates a significant cost burden for families. This is why the department has introduced legislation to limit the number of branded items of uniform and physical education (PE) kit that schools can require, to bring down costs for parents and remove barriers from children accessing sport and other school activities. This will give parents more choice in where to purchase uniform and allow them greater flexibility to make the spending decisions that suit their circumstances.​The department expects schools to ensure that all pupils can participate in all aspects of school life, including PE and sport. No pupil should be discouraged from participating in any aspect of school life, such as team sports or interschool competitions, because of the cost of additional uniform requirements. This limit allows school leaders to prioritise branding the uniform and PE kit items which best reflect the needs of their school, whilst reducing costs for parents.​Our statutory guidance on the ‘Cost of School Uniform’ already requires schools to avoid being overly specific in their kit requirements for different sports and keep the number of items, particularly the number of branded items, to a minimum. Research also tells us that the more choice that girls in particular have over what to wear for PE, the more comfortable they are and the greater the likelihood of their long term participation in sport. The research is available at the following link: https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/43602/documents/216689/default/.Schools will still be free to loan out specific competition kit where appropriate, however, the cost of PE and sports kit should never be a barrier to participation in PE and sport, and that is why this measure is needed.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of section 23 of the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill on small businesses that provide school uniforms.

School uniforms play a valuable role in creating a sense of common identity among pupils and reducing visible inequalities, however, too many schools require high numbers of branded uniform items which creates cost pressures for too many families. This is why the department has introduced legislation to limit the number of branded items of uniform and physical education (PE) kit that schools can require, to bring down costs for parents and remove barriers from children accessing sport and other school activities. This will give parents more choice in where to purchase non-branded items of uniform and allow them greater flexibility to make the spending decisions that suit their circumstances.The department has considered the impact on small businesses, including by talking to partners in the sector, and recognises that it is likely that this measure will reduce demand for branded items offered by small businesses.We know that these businesses have a valuable place in the uniform sector, bringing benefits such as providing year-round guaranteed supply, a diversity of sizes and specialist advice to schools and parents. For these reasons, we expect many parents will continue to buy non-branded uniform from such businesses. Specialist suppliers will still be able to offer optional branded items alongside generic options.School uniforms should be designed to make children smarter not families poorer. Our data suggests that where parents can buy items from a range of suppliers the average cost of uniform is significantly lower.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of (a) fast-tracking higher-level teaching assistants to become teachers and (b) introducing teaching apprenticeships.

Teaching assistants (TAs) play a vital role in children’s education. They are crucial to ensuring we give children the best possible life chances. The ‘use of teaching assistants in schools’ departmental survey from 2023 found that 23% of TAs with a higher level teaching assistant (HLTA) qualification were ‘extremely’ or ‘very’ interested in undertaking training to become a teacher. TAs who are interested in gaining qualified teacher status (QTS) can do so through a range of existing routes. TAs can gain QTS through both fee-funded and salaried Initial Teacher Training (ITT). Salaried routes allow TAs to continue to earn an income and may provide the opportunity to remain employed by their current school. Salaried ITT includes School Direct (salaried) routes and the Postgraduate Teacher Apprenticeship (PGTA) for TAs with an undergraduate degree, and the Teacher Degree Apprenticeship (TDA) for those without an undergraduate degree. Teaching apprenticeships already exist and expand opportunities for people to become excellent teachers and allow successful candidates to earn and learn whilst obtaining QTS. In spring 2024, the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education approved the new TDA standard. Candidate recruitment to the TDA began in autumn 2024 and training will commence in autumn 2025. The PGTA will continue to be available in the 2025/26 academic year. Some TAs with an undergraduate degree and significant teaching experience may be eligible for the assessment only route to QTS. This route allows experienced teachers to gain QTS without undertaking additional training. To be eligible, currently, candidates must be able to demonstrate that they meet the Teachers' Standards without further training and have evidence of teaching experience (i) in at least two schools (ii) for at least two years.

What recent guidance her Department has issued on whether students who have extended their visas under the Ukraine Permission Extension scheme are eligible for home fees status for university fees in England.

The department laid the Education (Student Support) (Amendment) Regulations 2024 on 22 May which ensures that students who have been granted leave under the Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme will qualify for student support in England and home fee status from the 2024/25 academic year, without requiring them to meet the normal three year ordinary residence requirement. This is in line with those granted leave under the other Ukraine schemes.The Student Loans Company will make the necessary amendments to guidance in time for when the scheme opens.