Every parliamentary written question tabled by Neil O'Brien this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 21–40 of 131 · Department for Education
What the total cost was of (a) settlement agreements and (b) special severance payments made to departing staff in her Department in the last year.
For the last financial year, the total cost to the department of payments associated with settlement agreements is set out in annual report and accounts. Where relevant, this includes special severance payments that have associated settlement agreements.
What the average number of working days lost to sickness absence per full-time equivalent member of staff was in (a) the Department and (b) its executive agencies in the last year; and how many formal performance warnings were issued to staff.
Sickness absence data for the Civil Service, including departmental breakdowns, is published annually. The data is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/sickness-absence. The next update will be for the year ending 31 March 2025. In the period 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025, 13 formal performance warnings were issued to staff.
In the past twelve months, how many disciplinary cases were concluded against civil servants in (a) her Department and (b) its agencies broken down by (i) outcome and (ii) whether the primary allegation related to (A) performance and (B) conduct.
The requested information is available in the table below: Disciplinary Cases ConcludedTotals Department of EducationAgencies32<5OutcomesAlternative role<5<5Dismissal<5<5Final Written<5<5Final Written - 24 months<5<5First Written<5<5Informal8<5No Action5<5No Outcome Provided5<5AllegationsPerformance**Conduct29<5Other<5<5 *Footnote – cases relating to performance are managed separately through the department’s performance management policy and are excluded from the above table
How many and what proportion of staff in her Department in each grade were rated in the top performance category in the last year.
The department does not currently operate a performance management system that includes ratings. However, it is in the process of introducing ratings for its Senior Civil Servants, with ratings for the 2025/26 performance year due to be determined in spring 2026.
How many and what proportion of staff in her Department were promoted (a) in-grade and (b) to a higher grade in the last year broken down by (i) performance marking in the previous year and (ii) grade.
The table below shows the grade breakdown and proportions of promotions to a higher grade (excluding temporary promotions) between November 2025 and October 2025. Please note: The promotion counts shown are based on internal departmental staff who were promoted to a higher grade within the department between November 2024 and October 2025. These figures exclude individuals who joined the department on promotion and those who left on promotion to another department, as this information is not captured in our central HR systems.Since 2019 the flexible performance management framework has enabled departments to adopt a performance management approach which best suits their organisational and cultural needs. There is no common performance rating across government. The department does not currently operate a performance management system that includes performance markings. However, it is in the process of introducing ratings for its Senior Civil Servants, with ratings for the 2025/26 performance year due to be determined in Spring 2026.Grade*Average headcountCount of those promoted to gradeProportion of roles filled by internal candidates on promotion (%)**EO655<30-HEO1,488956SEO2,3422029Grade 72,2291296Grade 6905445Deputy Director206<30-Director46<30-Total8,0264826Data has been suppressed where there are fewer than 30 employees.*The grade displayed in the table represents the grade to which staff were promoted.** The percentage scores in the table represent the number of promotions to each higher grade between November 2024 and October 2025, expressed as a proportion of the average headcount for that higher grade during the same period.
How many staff in her Department had their probationary period extended in the last 12 months.
The department’s probation policy and guidance advises managers on the steps to take to assess a new employee’s suitability for the post and provides support to enable them to succeed. It also advises on the steps to take where performance, attendance or conduct are not satisfactory. This can include exiting the employee or extending their probation to provide further evidence for a final decision on their suitability.The department does not hold complete information on probation outcomes centrally and it could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
How many staff in her Department did not retain employment following the completion of their probationary period in the last 12 months.
The department’s probation policy and guidance advises managers on the steps to take to assess a new employee’s suitability for the post and provides support to enable them to succeed. It also advises on the steps to take where performance, attendance or conduct are not satisfactory. This can include exiting the employee or extending their probation to provide further evidence for a final decision on their suitability.The department does not hold complete information on probation outcomes centrally and it could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
What the annual budget was for (a) OFSTED, (b) OFQUAL and (c) the Office for Students in each year since 2005.
Information on the headcount and budgets for Ofsted, Ofqual and the Office for Students’ is publicly available within each organisation’s published Annual Report and Accounts, available at:Ofsted: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/ofsted-corporate-annual-reports-and-accounts.Ofqual: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ofqual-annual-report-2023-to-2024.Office for Students: https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/publications/.This is otherwise a matter for the relevant bodies, and I have asked them to write to the right hon. Member with a summary of their position since 2005 or the date they were established. A copy of the replies will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
How many people have been employed by (a) OFSTED, (b) OFQUAL and (c) the Office for Students in each year since 2005.
Information on the headcount and budgets for Ofsted, Ofqual and the Office for Students’ is publicly available within each organisation’s published Annual Report and Accounts, available at:Ofsted: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/ofsted-corporate-annual-reports-and-accounts.Ofqual: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ofqual-annual-report-2023-to-2024.Office for Students: https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/publications/.This is otherwise a matter for the relevant bodies, and I have asked them to write to the right hon. Member with a summary of their position since 2005 or the date they were established. A copy of the replies will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
How many people work in her Department's (a) Human Resources and Transformation Directorate and (b) Public Sector Equality Duty team.
As at the end of October 2025, the full-time equivalent (FTE) headcount of the department’s Human Resources Directorate was 139.Public Sector Equality Duty work in the department sits within the department's central Strategy Group and is resourced by 1.7 FTE staff. In addition, the department has a model of maintaining dispersed capacity across the department to comply with its duties.
How many staff were involved in conducting the Equality Impact Assessment of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, published in March 2025; and how many hours were spent by (a) Departmental staff and (b) external consultants in its preparation.
The department published an equality impact assessment for the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill upon introduction of the Bill to Parliament. This was last updated 21 March 2025, to reflect changes to the Bill during its Commons passage.This assessment was prepared by officials responsible for the measures in the Bill. Given the broad scope of this Bill, it is not possible to provide the number of hours spent preparing this document.No external consultants were involved in the preparation of the equality impact assessment. The department will continue to monitor the equalities impact of all policies as the Bill progresses through Parliament and update the published impact assessment.
How many employment tribunal claims have been lodged against her Department in each of the last five years by (a) unfair dismissal and (b) claims under the Equality Act 2010.
The table below shows the number of Employment Tribunal claims made against the department in the last five years.Year (calendar)Number of claims(a) Claiming unfair dismissal(b) Claims under the Equality Act2025*<5Nil<52024<5Nil<520239<5520228<5<5202113<57*For the period 1 January 2025 to 30 September 2025.
How many staff in her Department are recorded as having a (a) mental health condition and (b) physical disability by grade.
The department collects diversity and inclusion data through its internal HR system, and encourages staff to update their data voluntarily to support effective monitoring and inclusion. Whilst the system records whether an individual has declared a disability or permanent/long-term health condition, it does not capture the specific nature of that condition. As a result, it is not possible to provide separate figures for staff declaring a mental health condition and those declaring a physical disability.The table below shows the number of staff in the department who have declared a disability or permanent/long-term health condition, broken down by grade, as at 30 September 2025. Figures are rounded to the nearest five, and values fewer than five have been withheld to protect anonymity. GradeCount of staff that have declared a disability or permanent/long-term health conditionEA10EO100HEO180SEO305Grade 7230Grade 690SCS25 Information on the number of people declaring a disability in each government department is published annually as part of Civil Service Statistics 2025, an accredited official statistics publication. The latest published data are as at 31 March 2025 and can be found in Table 29 of the statistical tables at the following web address: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/civil-service-statistics-2025.Information for 31 March 2026 is due for publication in July 2026.
How many performance reviews were undertaken for staff in (a) her Department and (b) its agencies in each of the last five years; in how many cases performance was rated as unsatisfactory or below; how many staff left as a result of such a rating; and what proportion of full-time equivalent staff this represented.
The department’s approach to performance management includes monthly check-in conversations held between employees and their line managers, which allow performance and progress to be discussed regularly. Under-performance is recorded through the monthly check-in process.Information on the number of monthly conversations undertaken in the department in the last five financial years and the number where under-performance was recorded is set out in the following table. Note that, as conversations are held monthly, these figures do not represent the number of unique staff marked as under-performing in any year.Financial yearNumber of monthly conversationsNumber of monthly conversations where under-performance was recorded2020-2021*246914132021-2022513736412022-2023604636192023-2024594953982024-202573035516*Data is only available from September 2020, therefore, the 2020/21 financial year does not include April to August 2020.The information has been provided in respect of the core department plus its three executive agencies Education and Skills Funding Agency, Standard and Testing Agency and Teaching Regulation Agency, combined.The department does not hold a central dataset of the reasons for a dismissal in respect of those years. A development has been made to our HR system so that we can identify the number of dismissals due to unsatisfactory performance from July 2025 onwards.
How many staff in her Department (a) did not retain employment following completion of their probationary period and (b) had their probationary period extended in each of the last five years.
The department’s probation policy and guidance advises managers on the steps to take to assess a new employee’s suitability for the post and to provide support to enable them to succeed. It also advises on the steps to take where performance, attendance or conduct are not satisfactory. This can include exiting the employee or extending their probation to provide further evidence for a final decision on their suitability. The department does not hold complete information on probation outcomes centrally, and this information could only be obtained at a disproportionate cost.
How many staff left her Department in each of the last five years by grade.
Information on the number of civil servants leaving each government department and organisation by responsibility level for the years 2021 to 2025 is published annually as part of Civil Service Statistics, an accredited official statistics publication.Information can be accessed through the Civil Service Statistics collection for 2021 through 2025, available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/civil-service-statistics.
How many pupils who did not have English as their first language had each different non-English language as their first language in each of the last 10 years.
The department collects data where a pupil’s first language is known or believed to be other than English. Where a pupil is recorded to speak a first language known or believed to be other than English, a language is recorded. The attached document shows the number of pupils in England, by first language spoken, over the last ten years.
How many and what proportion of secondary schools provide two weeks of work experience.
The department has asked the Careers and Enterprise Company (CEC) to collect national baseline data on the delivery of two weeks’ worth of work experience for every secondary pupil, across schools in England. CEC plan to publish this data by the end of 2025.The most recently published data by CEC regarding work experience relates to the 2023/24 academic year. 76% of schools self-report that the majority of their pupils have had an experience of the workplace by the end of year 11.84% of schools report that the majority of their pupils had received experience of the workplace in year 12 or year 13.The department recently updated careers statutory guidance to set out expectations for the 2025/26 academic year, including multiple, high quality experiences of the workplace for every pupil.
What the real terms cost to the public purse is of Free School Meals in 2025-26; and what she expects this to be in future years.
The department published information on pupil free school meal eligibility in the annual Schools, Pupils and Characteristics publication, which can be accessed here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics/2024-25. The most recent data is based on the January (spring) school census. Under current eligibility criteria, the department spends around £1.5 billion on free lunches annually. We estimate that over 500,000 additional children will benefit from expanded free school meal eligibility from September 2026, net of the ending of transitional protections, based on data which can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/estimate-of-additional-children-claiming-free-school-meals-following-expansion-of-eligibility/2025. We have set aside over £1 billion in additional funding over the multi-year spending review period to cover meal costs.
How many and what proportion of pupils she expects to be eligible for Free School Meals (a) this year and (b) in future years.
The department published information on pupil free school meal eligibility in the annual Schools, Pupils and Characteristics publication, which can be accessed here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics/2024-25. The most recent data is based on the January (spring) school census. Under current eligibility criteria, the department spends around £1.5 billion on free lunches annually. We estimate that over 500,000 additional children will benefit from expanded free school meal eligibility from September 2026, net of the ending of transitional protections, based on data which can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/estimate-of-additional-children-claiming-free-school-meals-following-expansion-of-eligibility/2025. We have set aside over £1 billion in additional funding over the multi-year spending review period to cover meal costs.