Written questions by Duncan-Jordan.

Whether she will make an assessment of the implications for her policies of the Law Commission recommendations on reform of social care law for disabled children.

On 16 September 2025, the Law Commission published its final report on disabled children’s social care.’ The department is now considering and assessing the 40 recommendations made in the report. In line with the protocol agreed between the Lord Chancellor and the Law Commission, the department will provide an initial response to these recommendations in March 2026, having engaged the relevant stakeholders. A full response to the recommendations as well as a proposed way forward will be provided in September 2026.

Whether her Department plans to provide an uplift in funding to music hubs parallel to that for National Portfolio Organisations.

The department has provided funding to support a network of Music Hub partnerships across England since 2012. As of September 2024, the network comprises of 43 Music Hub partnerships.The government has committed £76 million per year for the Music Hubs network, including the current 2025/26 academic year, to offer a range of services, including continuing professional development, musical instrument tuition, instrument loans and whole-class ensemble teaching.Future revenue grant funding will be confirmed with Music Hubs in the coming months, and matters related to level of funding and length of grant agreements will be set out at that point.

Whether she plans to provide music hubs with three year funding agreements.

The department has provided funding to support a network of Music Hub partnerships across England since 2012. As of September 2024, the network comprises of 43 Music Hub partnerships.The government has committed £76 million per year for the Music Hubs network, including the current 2025/26 academic year, to offer a range of services, including continuing professional development, musical instrument tuition, instrument loans and whole-class ensemble teaching.Future revenue grant funding will be confirmed with Music Hubs in the coming months, and matters related to level of funding and length of grant agreements will be set out at that point.

When she plans to answer Question 100240, tabled by the hon. Member for Poole on 15 December 2025.

The response to Written Parliamentary Question 100240 was published on 4 February 2026.

If she will provide additional Ofsted funding to increase the frequency of (a) inspections and (b) unannounced inspections of early years settings.

Giving young children the best start in life is the foundation of the government’s opportunity mission.From April, the department is funding Ofsted to inspect all new early years providers within 18 months of opening and moving towards inspecting all providers at least once every four years, compared to the current six-year window. This means standards will be reviewed more regularly and parents will have more up-to-date information to help them choose the right setting for their child.While Ofsted typically provides notice before an inspection, they can and do conduct inspections without prior notification, particularly when concerns have been raised about a setting. Between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025, there were 1,400 unannounced inspections (16%). We recognise the importance of unannounced inspections and they will continue.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing additional funding for Ofsted to (a) increase the duration of inspections in early years settings and (b) use CCTV as part of the inspection process.

Giving young children the best start in life is the foundation of the government’s opportunity mission. From April, the department is funding Ofsted to inspect all new early years providers within 18 months of opening and move towards inspecting all providers at least once every four years, compared to the current six-year window. This means standards will be reviewed more regularly and parents will have more up-to-date information to help them choose the right setting for their child. We will continue to work collaboratively with Ofsted as inspection reforms are implemented.The Secretary of State has announced that she will be appointing an expert panel to inform guidance for the sector on the effective and safe use of digital devices and CCTV in relation to safeguarding. The panel will consider the question of whether CCTV should be mandated and will set out best practice, technical information and clear expectations on CCTV and digital device usage.

When she will publish The Schools White Paper covering SEND matters.

To create a reformed special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system that will stand the test of time, we have undertaken a national engagement campaign on SEND reform, building on extensive engagement over the past year with children, young people, parents and professionals. The upcoming Schools White Paper will outline our proposed SEND reforms and will be followed by a formal consultation and further engagement.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of ending compulsory collective worship in schools.

Collective worship remains an important part of school life, supporting pupils to reflect on the concept of belief and the role it plays in our country’s traditions and values.Schools in England already have flexibility in how they meet this requirement and can deliver collective worship or assemblies in ways that reflect the diverse needs of their pupils and local communities. Students over 16 and parents of younger pupils also retain the right of withdrawal from collective worship.

If she will add Humanism to the Religious Education syllabus on the National Curriculum in England.

Religious education (RE) is not part of the national curriculum but is a mandatory subject for all pupils aged 5 to 18 in state-funded schools in England. Schools should deliver RE in an objective, critical and pluralistic way and already have the flexibility, through their locally agreed syllabi, to include the study of non-religious world views such as humanism.We welcome the Curriculum and Assessment Review’s recommendation that Vanessa Ogden, a former Review panellist specialising in RE, should lead a sector group, independent from government, to develop a draft RE curriculum. The sector group’s work on RE will reflect the role the subject plays in building understanding between people of different faiths, beliefs and communities, including those with non-religious world views. If the group reaches consensus on a draft curriculum, the government will consult on whether to add it to the national curriculum.

What steps her Department is taking to increase early identification of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.

The department knows that effective early identification and intervention is critical in improving the outcomes of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities. To support settings to identify need early, the department is strengthening the evidence base of what works to improve early identification in mainstream settings. Recently published evidence reviews from University College London will help to drive inclusive practices, as they highlight what the best available evidence suggests are the most effective tools, strategies and approaches for teachers and other relevant staff in mainstream settings to identify and support children and young people with different types of needs.We also recently announced new government-backed research into special educational need identification, which will be delivered by UK Research Innovation in partnership with the department. This will aim to develop and test trusted and effective approaches to help the early identification of children needing targeted educational support.

What measures will be introduced to monitor whether Special Educational Needs and Disabilities reform improves educational outcomes for children and young people.

Every child deserves an education that meets their needs, one that is academically stretching, where every child feels like they belong, and that sets them up for life and work.We will set out the full Schools White Paper soon, building on the work we have already done to create a system that is rooted in inclusion, where children receive high quality support early on and can thrive at their local school.The department regularly publishes statistics on pupils with special educational needs, including information on educational attainment, destinations, absence and exclusions.

Whether she plans to include one or more representatives of providers of home-to-school transport for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities on the SEND Ministerial Development Group.

The special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) ministerial development group brings together voices from across the SEND sector. This group considers a range of perspectives and tests potential solutions to the key challenges the SEND system faces to ensure that policy proposals are informed by the knowledge and experiences of children, their families and those working in the system. Additional participants are invited on a rolling basis according to the topics under discussion. This approach allows the group to include expertise relevant to specific areas as appropriate. Outside of the group, the department already holds bi-monthly forums to which all local authority home to school travel teams are invited to enable to them to share best practice and so that we understand the challenges they face.

If she will make it her policy that children who are eligible for free school meals should be automatically enrolled for them.

The government is committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity and tackling child poverty. Introducing a new eligibility threshold for free school meals (FSM) so that all children from households in receipt of Universal Credit will be eligible for FSM from September 2026 will make it easier for parents to know whether they are entitled to receive free meals. This new entitlement will mean over 500,000 of the most disadvantaged children will begin to access free meals, pulling 100,000 children out of poverty.The department is also rolling out improvements to the eligibility checking system which will make it easier for local authorities, schools and parents to check if children are eligible for free meals.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of centralising SEND funding on the needs of individual children.

The department is not planning to centralise special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) funding.The department is continuing to engage closely with children, parents and experts as we develop plans to ensure all children get the outcomes and life chances they deserve. We will be setting out further steps in the new year and are keeping under review the funding arrangements to help ensure that mainstream schools are inclusive for children with SEND. It is important that we establish a fair school funding system that directs funding to where it is needed.

What steps she is taking to ensure that any reforms to SEND will not change the provision for existing enforceable rights under the Children and Families Act 2014.

The department is committed to restoring confidence in the system of support for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) so that they all get the opportunities they need to achieve and thrive in their education. There will always be a legal right to additional support for children and young people with SEND. Any statutory framework is for Parliament to decide on, and any legislative changes will be considered if necessary.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of replacing the statutory requirement for daily Christian collective worship in schools without a religious character in England with non-confessional assemblies in light of the Supreme Court’s ruling in JR87 2025 UKSC 40.

The legislative framework for providing collective worship in England is different to that in Northern Ireland. However, the department is considering the implications of the Supreme Court judgement carefully. Schools in England already have flexibility to hold assemblies without a religious focus.

Whether she plans to withdraw, revise, or replace Circular 1/94 Religious Education and Collective Worship, in the context of the Supreme Court’s ruling in JR87 2025 UKSC 40.

The legislative framework for providing collective worship in England is different to that in Northern Ireland. However, the department is considering the implications of the Supreme Court judgement carefully. Schools in England already have flexibility to hold assemblies without a religious focus.

If she will publish the details of the review the Department is undertaking regarding assistive technologies for disabled students provided through the Disabled Students’ Allowances grant.

The department keeps all support funded through Disabled Students’ Allowance under regular review to ensure that it continues to meets the needs of disabled students. Any future proposals will be communicated publicly.

What plans she has to ensure that any proposed reforms to the SEND system will be subject to (a) parliamentary and (b) public scrutiny prior to the introduction of legislation.

The department is committed to ensuring parents play a central role in helping shape the future special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system. We have launched a National Conversation on SEND, gathering the views of parents, young people, educators, and experts through a range of online and in-person events as well as inviting online contributions. Our SEND regional engagement events bring together diverse stakeholder groups for meaningful dialogue. In addition, we have organised online sessions with my hon. Friend, the Minister for School Standards and expert panels to discuss the department’s five principles of reform.This is not a formal consultation but an expansion of ongoing engagement to ensure parents’ voices are heard. The Schools White Paper, due early next year, will outline our proposed SEND reforms and will be followed by a formal consultation and further engagement.

What estimate her Department has made of the number of home educated children with SEND in Poole constituency.

The department does not hold information on the number of home-educated children at constituency level.The latest statistics on elective home education (EHE) in England are available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/elective-home-education/2024-25-autumn-term.For the 2024/25 autumn term,16% of EHE children were recorded as receiving special educational needs support, whilst 6% of EHE children had an education, health and care plan. This compares with 14% and 5% of the overall school population.