Written questions by O'Brien.

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.

How much she plans to spend on the Best Start for Life programme in the (a) 2026-27, (b) 2027-28 and (c) 2028-29 financial years.

The department has allocated close to £1.5 billion over the next three financial years on improving family services and early years education. This funding includes both programme and capital funding, and is separate from the additional funding being provided for early years entitlements.

Whether she plans to reinstate two weeks of compulsory work experience in schools.

Earlier this year, we updated the careers statutory guidance reflecting the revised Gatsby Benchmarks of good careers guidance and included the new definition of meaningful workplace experiences to raise the quality of work experience.In this guidance we also set out the vision for this government’s priority for the delivery of two weeks’ worth of meaningful work experience for all pupils over the course of their secondary education, irrespective of background.Building on the Gatsby Benchmark 6 definition for Experiences of Workplaces, we will ensure that all pupils have multiple, meaningful and varied high-quality workplace experiences, including one weeks’ worth of workplace activities between years 7-9 and one weeks’ worth of work placement between years 10-11, progressively increasing their exposure to different places of work.We are currently piloting a new flexible model of work experience, designed to reduce barriers for young people, schools and employers. The department will set out more details of the work experience guarantee in due course.

What assessment she has made of the level of plagiarism in the education sector; and what steps her Department is taking to tackle plagiarism.

Cheating of any kind is unacceptable. It threatens to undermine the reputation of our world-class education sector and devalues the hard work of those who succeed on their own merit.Ofqual require Awarding Organisations to have robust policies and procedures in place to prevent, detect, and deal with malpractice, including plagiarism.The Joint Council for Qualifications have published guidance to support schools and colleges to identify and address concerns about plagiarism in exams and assessments, which can be found at: https://www.jcq.org.uk/exams-office/malpractice/plagiarism-in-assessments---guidance-for-teachersassessors/.Higher education providers are independent bodies responsible for their own approaches to preventing academic misconduct by students, including plagiarism, but are regulated in relation their assessment practices by the Office for Students (OfS). The OfS sets the expectation that assessments must be designed in a way that minimises opportunities for misconduct and facilitates its detection where it does occur.

How much funding she plans to provide to (a) the National Careers Service, (b) the Education and Training Foundation, (c) WorldSkills UK and (d) the Careers and Enterprise Company in the 2025-26 academic or financial year.

As part of our Plan for Change, the government is investing in skills in order to drive economic growth and break down barriers to opportunity. The overall programme resource budget for apprenticeships, further education and higher education in the 2025/26 financial year is £15.8 billion. This includes funding for the National Careers Service, the Education and Training Foundation, WorldSkills UK, and the Careers and Enterprise Company.

How many and what proportion of looked after children (a) were and (b) were not Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children in each year since 2005.

Information on the number of looked after children, including unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC), is submitted to the department on an annual basis and is published at local authority level in our statistical release at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoptions.Figures on the number of UASC in each year since 2005 can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/32f71e7b-83b1-4494-96d7-08dd85738b16. This table also provides data on all children looked after at 31 March from which the number and proportion of non-UASC can be calculated. Similarly, the percentage of UASC can also be derived from this table.

With reference to her Department's transparency data entitled Breakfast clubs early adopters: schools in the scheme, published on 24 February 2025 and updated on 22 April 2025, for what reason 79 schools are no longer taking part in the scheme.

I refer the hon. Member for Harborough, Oadby and Wigston to the answer of 6 May 2025 to Question 47782.