Written questions by Duncan-Jordan.

What consideration she has given to awarding compensation to individuals impacted by forced adoptions.

Awaiting answer.

Whether the end of free school meal transitional protections will affect any adopted children who currently receive free school meals.

Awaiting answer.

Whether the Government has assessed the combined impact of reducing adoption support funding while also changing school meal eligibility.

Awaiting answer.

Whether she will make an assessment of the potential merits of the inclusion of WhatsApp in any social media ban for under 16s.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of faith-based oversubscription criteria in school admissions on (a) racial and (b) ethnic groups.

Awaiting answer.

Does the government plan to review the impact of the introduction of VAT on private school fees on (a) pupil numbers (b) public finances and (c) state school capacity.

Awaiting answer.

If she plans to offer children who are eligible for free school meals with free bus travel.

Awaiting answer.

What plans she has to include key life skills such as cooking, fixing and mending, upcycling and budgeting into the national curriculum.

The government is taking forward changes to the national curriculum that will strengthen pupils’ understanding of key life skills, including financial education, food and nutrition, sustainability and wider skills that help prepare them for life and work....

What steps her Department is taking to ensure that the proposed updated School Food Standards improve the nutritional quality of meals provided to pupils in receipt of Free School Meals.

The department is committed to raising the healthiest generation ever. The action we are taking to extend free school meals to all children from households in receipt of Universal Credit will ensure that over 500,000 additional children and pupils from th...

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of providing free school milk to the end of reception year for all children.

The Department of Health and Social Care-led Nursery Milk Scheme (NMS) allows early years childcare settings registered with OFSTED to reclaim the cost of providing 189ml (one-third of a pint) of milk to children in their care who are under the age of fiv...

What steps her Department is taking to ensure that independent faith schools meet independent school standards.

All private schools are required to comply with the Independent School Standards (ISS). Schools that fail to meet the ISS at inspection are subject to regulatory action as per the ‘Independent Schools: Regulatory and Enforcement Action’ policy statement.

What assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the level of financial support for foster carers.

Foster carers do not foster for financial reward, but need adequate support to ensure that they, and the children in their care, can achieve and thrive.The department has set the National Minimum Allowance to cover the cost of looking after a child. The amount depends on the age and location of the child, but ranges from £176 to £309 per week, and increases annually along with tax relief and in line with inflation to reflect the cost of living.The department recognises that wider support, such as fees and expenses, remain inconsistent. To better understand this variation and the impact this has on recruitment and retention, we have committed to an in-depth study of fostering finances. Alongside this, we will work closely with local authorities to understand and promote the full range of incentives they offer to carers, such as council tax discounts or exemptions and reduced rate local authority parking.

If she will set out the support available for children in care to help them prepare for life post-18 years.

Local authorities have the primary responsibility for supporting care leavers and must publish their ‘local offer’ for care leavers, setting out their legal entitlements, plus any further discretionary support they provide. All care leavers are entitled to support from a Personal Adviser (PA), whose role is to help care leavers access support from mainstream services, such as housing, healthcare, benefits, and to provide practical and emotional support to help them prepare for the challenges of adulthood. PAs work with the young person to develop a pathway plan which should include their career aspirations and ambitions, providing access to high quality information, advice and guidance to inform their plans for continuing education, training or employment.The department is going further through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, placing a new duty on local authorities to provide Staying Close support to care leavers up to the age of 25 where their welfare requires it. The bill also requires local authorities to publish information on their arrangements for supporting care leavers’ transition to adulthood, and seeks to change housing legislation so that care leavers cannot be found intentionally homeless.

What plans she has to review teachers' contractual obligation to work for a maximum of 1265 hours over 195 days in a year.

Directed and undirected time is a contractual provision unique to teaching, and we know that many teachers work significantly more than 1265 hours; so, this year’s remit asked for the School Teachers Review Body’s (STRB) views on the benefits and drawbacks of the current working hours arrangements within the ‘School teachers pay and conditions’ document, to gather information as part of work to reduce working hours and make teaching a more attractive profession. To be clear, the department has not proposed the removal, or a specific change, to the current 1265 directed hours limit, which is a key teacher protection. We will take into account the Review Body’s views and evidence from statutory consultees, including unions, before considering whether to pursue any change to the provision for teachers or leaders. No policy change is being recommended or decided upon at this stage.

What assessment has she made as to the suitability of the teachers' contractual obligation to work for a maximum of 1265 hours over 195 days in a year.

Directed and undirected time is a contractual provision unique to teaching, and we know that many teachers work significantly more than 1265 hours; so, this year’s remit asked for the School Teachers Review Body’s (STRB) views on the benefits and drawbacks of the current working hours arrangements within the ‘School teachers pay and conditions’ document, to gather information as part of work to reduce working hours and make teaching a more attractive profession. To be clear, the department has not proposed the removal, or a specific change, to the current 1265 directed hours limit, which is a key teacher protection. We will take into account the Review Body’s views and evidence from statutory consultees, including unions, before considering whether to pursue any change to the provision for teachers or leaders. No policy change is being recommended or decided upon at this stage.

What rationale does her Department use to support the use of SATS for SEND children.

Statutory tests and assessments at primary school help measure the attainment of pupils in relation to the standards set out in the national curriculum and help teachers and parents identify where pupils may need additional support in a certain subject area.The key stage 2 tests are subject to robust test development processes, which include reviews involving serving teachers and experts in special educational needs (SEN) and trials with hundreds of Year 6 pupils. Children with SEN have a range of needs and abilities, and it is important they are able to participate in assessments to demonstrate their achievements. Schools are able to utilise a range of access arrangements where appropriate, while for any children with SEN and others who are working below the standards of the national curriculum assessments there are alternative teacher assessments.Primary assessments were reviewed as part of the independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, led by Professor Becky Francis. The review panel, which included an expert in SEN, published their final report in November, concluding that the primary assessment system is generally working well and that the assessments are important for evaluating pupils’ progress.

What assessment has her Department made as to the impact of having to sit SATS on SEND children.

Statutory tests and assessments at primary school help measure the attainment of pupils in relation to the standards set out in the national curriculum and help teachers and parents identify where pupils may need additional support in a certain subject area.The key stage 2 tests are subject to robust test development processes, which include reviews involving serving teachers and experts in special educational needs (SEN) and trials with hundreds of Year 6 pupils. Children with SEN have a range of needs and abilities, and it is important they are able to participate in assessments to demonstrate their achievements. Schools are able to utilise a range of access arrangements where appropriate, while for any children with SEN and others who are working below the standards of the national curriculum assessments there are alternative teacher assessments.Primary assessments were reviewed as part of the independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, led by Professor Becky Francis. The review panel, which included an expert in SEN, published their final report in November, concluding that the primary assessment system is generally working well and that the assessments are important for evaluating pupils’ progress.

What steps she is taking to ensure access for pre-school children with additional needs to nursery places in the Poole constituency.

We want every child, including those with additional needs, to be able to access a childcare setting where they can get the best start in life. The special educational needs and disability (SEND) reforms we announced in February, will give early years settings the training, evidence-based tools and expert input they need to welcome children with diverse needs into their settings and provide the right support from day one. We are investing over £200 million to strengthen the SEND offer in Best Start Family Hubs, including funding a family-facing practitioner in every hub to join up support across early years settings, health visitors and SEND teams.Alongside this, we will work with local authorities to strengthen their childcare sufficiency planning for children with SEND and improve data on the availability of suitable places. This will provide parents greater confidence that their children can access the early education and childcare they are entitled to.

What steps are being taken to ensure that nursery places are available to children with a range of special needs in Poole constituency.

We want every child, including those with additional needs, to be able to access a childcare setting where they can get the best start in life. The special educational needs and disability (SEND) reforms we announced in February, will give early years settings the training, evidence-based tools and expert input they need to welcome children with diverse needs into their settings and provide the right support from day one. We are investing over £200 million to strengthen the SEND offer in Best Start Family Hubs, including funding a family-facing practitioner in every hub to join up support across early years settings, health visitors and SEND teams.Alongside this, we will work with local authorities to strengthen their childcare sufficiency planning for children with SEND and improve data on the availability of suitable places. This will provide parents greater confidence that their children can access the early education and childcare they are entitled to.

What assessment the Department has made of the potential implications for its policies of the findings of Magic Breakfast’s recent report entitled Root Causes of Child Morning Hunger.

The department appreciates the publication of the report and look forward to giving it our full consideration. We agree that a healthy breakfast at the start of the school day sets children up ready to learn. This is why the department is committed to delivering on the pledge to provide free breakfast clubs in every state-funded school with primary-aged children. Since April 2025, we have delivered over seven million breakfasts and offered places to almost 180,000 pupils across the country. We are investing a further £80 million to fund approximately 2,000 additional schools between April 2026 and March 2027.Alongside the rollout of free breakfast clubs, we are going further in our mission to lift 100,000 children out of poverty by expanding free school meals to children in all households receiving Universal Credit from the 2026/27 school year.