Written questions by Davies.

What data her Department holds on the Holiday Activities and Food Programme from returns submitted by local authorities following the end of each holiday period.

For the holiday, activities and food (HAF) programme, the department collects data from local authorities after each delivery period, to support performance monitoring, inform policy development and support evaluation.Data collection includes the number of children attending HAF provision, broken down by characteristics such as free school meal (FSM) eligibility, as well as the number of places available and how well providers meet the HAF framework of standards.Since 2022, the HAF programme has provided 20.4 million HAF days to children and young people in this country, providing nutritious meals and enriching activities during school holidays, benefitting their health, wellbeing and readiness to learn. Over the three most recent winter, Easter and summer delivery periods, almost five million HAF days were provided. Over summer 2025, local authorities reported that over 624,000 children and young people attended the programme, of whom more than 513,000 were funded directly through HAF and over 434,000 were receiving benefits-related FSMs.

What steps she is taking to help develop reading for pleasure in schools.

The department knows that reading for pleasure is hugely important and brings a range of benefits.That is why we are launching the National Year of Reading 2026, in collaboration with the National Literacy Trust. It aims to address long-term declines in reading enjoyment through engaging new audiences, reshaping public attitudes and building the systems needed to embed lasting, meaningful change.On 29 September, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, committed over £10 million of funding to guarantee a library for every primary school by the end of this parliament. The government will set out further details of the scheme in due course.The government has also committed £27.7 million this financial year to support and drive high and rising standards in reading. This includes supporting the teaching of phonics, early language and reading for pleasure via the English Hubs programme.

What (a) training and (b) support will be given to (i) teachers and (ii) education staff to support the delivery of stronger literacy in schools.

The government has committed £27.7 million this financial year to support and drive high and rising standards in reading. This includes supporting the teaching of phonics, early language and reading for pleasure via the English Hubs programme.We will also build secondary schools' capacity to support students with reading needs by providing new training from January 2026. This training should reach 75% of secondary schools this academic year.Following the recommendations of the Curriculum and Assessment Review published on 5 November 2025, we will also introduce new frameworks on primary oracy and combined secondary oracy, reading and writing.Additionally, on 7 July 2025, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education announced that 2026 will be the National Year of Reading. The National Year of Reading is a UK-wide campaign to address the steep decline in reading enjoyment amongst children, young people, and adults.

What steps she is taking to reform the childcare sector for pre-school children; and whether she will make an assessment of the potential merits of a long-term funding model for pre-school childcare to (a) support working families and (b) increase economic growth.

It is the department’s ambition that all families have access to high quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, improving the life chances for every child and work choices for every parent.The department is delivering more support to working families than ever before. Working parents are now benefiting from the rollout of 30 hours per week of government-funded early education and childcare. This is expected to save eligible families using their full entitlement up to £7,500 per eligible child, transforming the costs of having children for families.To support the expansion of entitlements, the government is boosting the availability of early years places through the School-Based Nurseries programme. The first phase of the programme saw £37 million allocated to 300 schools, enabling the creation of over 5,000 new nursery places from September 2025. Following the June spending review, which confirmed nearly £370 million in additional funding, two further phases have been announced. Phase 2 is set to support at least 300 more school-based nurseries from September 2026. Phase 3 will launch in early 2026 and aims to deliver tens of thousands of additional places nationwide.

Whether she plans to include children from low-income families not currently in receipt of free school meals in the eligibility criteria for the Holiday Activities and Food programme.

Through our Plan for Change, the government is committed to giving every child the best start in life. On 28 August 2025, we confirmed over £600 million for the holiday activities and food (HAF) programme for the next three financial years. This equates to just over £200 million each year.This multi-year commitment gives parents and providers certainty that clubs will be available over what can otherwise be an expensive holiday period, ensuring that children and young people continue to benefit from enriching holiday experiences and nutritious meals. The programme also opens up work opportunities for parents on low incomes to support their families.We will be releasing further details about the HAF programme by the end of the year, including updated local authority guidance.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of increases in investment in wraparound childcare for school-aged children on (a) the economy and (b) civil society.

The government is committed to deliver on its pledge to provide a free breakfast club in every state-funded school with primary-aged children.Breakfast clubs give pupils a supportive start to the school day, leading to improvements in behaviour, concentration, attendance and attainment. Since April 2025, we have delivered 2.6 million breakfasts and offered places to almost 180,000 pupils across the country.Following the success of the early adopters, as the first phase of national rollout, we are investing a further £80 million into the programme to fund around 2000 additional schools between April 2026 and March 2027. This will benefit around 500,000 more children.As well as the benefits to children, the availability of breakfast clubs will give parents and carers the confidence that their child can access a breakfast should they need one. This supports families to work and with the cost of childcare. Parents are expected to gain up to 95 hours back over the academic year, when utilising the breakfast club offer, saving up to £450 per year.

What evidence her Department has on the number of parents unable to (a) increase their working hours and (b) return to work due to limited access to (i) affordable and (ii) reliable out-of-school childcare.

The government is committed to deliver on its pledge to provide a free breakfast club in every state-funded school with primary-aged children, which will provide a free, healthy breakfast as well as 30 minutes childcare. Breakfast clubs remove barriers to opportunity by ensuring primary school children, no matter their circumstance, are well prepared with a supportive start to the school day, and helps to drive improvements to behaviour, attendance and attainment, and provides families with more affordable childcare choices.Parents can receive support with costs for childcare, if eligible, through Tax-Free Childcare or Universal Credit childcare. The Flexible Support Fund also helps individuals overcome financial barriers to employment and can provide support costs such as childcare, enabling claimants to access opportunities that improve their chances of finding or starting work.

What guidance her Department has issued to local education authorities to support school pupils with (a) endometriosis and (b) other (i) menstrual and (ii) reproductive health concerns.

Pupils learn the facts about menstrual and reproductive health as part of compulsory relationships, sex and health education (RSHE). This includes fertility, the potential impact of lifestyle on fertility for men and women, and the menopause. In July 2025 the department updated the RSHE statutory guidance to provide specific examples of period problems, including pre-menstrual syndrome; heavy menstrual bleeding; endometriosis; and polycystic ovary syndrome, to ensure pupils understand when to seek help from healthcare professionals. The new curriculum comes into force from September 2026. More information can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/relationships-education-relationships-and-sex-education-rse-and-health-education.The Period Product Scheme, which launched in 2020, provides free period products to girls and women in schools and colleges in England from years 5 to 13. The scheme aims to remove periods as a barrier to accessing education and to support menstrual health.

What assessment she has made of the implications for her Department's policies of the National Literacy Trust’s report entitled Children and young people’s writing in 2025, published on 12 June 2025.

I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Colne Valley, to the answer of 3 July 2025 to Question 62713.

Whether she plans to consider support for the (a) mental health and (b) wellbeing of students in the national curriculum as part of the Curriculum and Assessment Review.

This government is committed to improving mental health support for all children and young people. This is critical to breaking down barriers to opportunity and helping pupils to achieve and thrive in education.As part of the curriculum, teaching about mental health has been part of the statutory health education, taught as part of relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) curriculum since 2020. We are currently reviewing the RSHE statutory guidance, including the content on mental health.The government established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review in July 2024 to shape a curriculum that is rich, broad, inclusive, and innovative. As part of this, the Review wants to ensure that the assessment system captures the strengths of every child and young person and the breadth of curriculum. This includes the right balance of assessment methods, whilst maintaining the important role of examinations.The interim findings were published in March and acknowledged the importance of ensuring that the content, volume and frequency of assessments are not unnecessarily burdensome for students or teachers. The Review’s final report and recommendations will be published in autumn, at which point the government will respond.

What steps she plans to take to ensure (a) teachers and (b) school staff have adequate (i) knowledge of and (ii) confidence in teaching autistic children.

This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or in alternative provision receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life. The department is committed to improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools, as well as ensuring special schools cater to those with the most complex needs.All teachers are teachers of SEND, and high quality teaching is central to ensuring that pupils with SEND are given the best possible opportunity to achieve at school. Consideration of SEND underpins the Initial Teacher Training (ITT) Core Content Framework (CCF) and Early Career Framework (ECF). These frameworks were produced with the support of sector experts and have been designed to support all pupils to succeed, including those identified within the four areas of need set out in the SEND Code of Practice.All mainstream schools must have a special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO) who must be a qualified teacher, or the headteacher, working at the school. On 1 September 2024, the government introduced a new mandatory leadership level National Professional Qualification (NPQ) for SENCOs. The NPQ will play a key role in improving outcomes for children and young people with SEND by ensuring SENCOs consistently receive high quality, evidence-based training. This is crucial given the central role SENCOs play in supporting pupils with SEND.Universal SEND Services brings together SEND-specific continuing professional development and support for the school and further education workforce. The programme aims to improve outcomes for children and young people, including those with autism. The contract offers autism awareness training and resources. Over 200,000 professionals have received autism training from an Autism Education Trust training partner since the programme launched in May 2022.

What steps her Department is taking to help ensure young people with SEND develop real skills for life.

For too long the education and care system has not met the needs of all children and young people, particularly those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), with parents struggling to get their children the support they need and deserve. This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with SEND receive the right support to succeed in their education and develop the skills they need as they move into adult life. We are committed to improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream settings, as well as ensuring special schools cater to those with the most complex needs, restoring parents’ trust that their child will get the support they need. As part of our commitment to helping children and young people with SEND to develop the skills they need as they move into adult life, the department is investing up to £18 million until 2025 to build capacity in supported internships. We aim to double the number of internships each year to around 4,500, to support more young people with education, health and care (EHC) plans to gain the skills to transition into employment. The SEND code of practice is clear that all children and young people with SEND should be prepared for adulthood. This includes supporting children and young people to develop independence, contribute to their community, develop positive friendships, be as healthy as possible and, for the majority of young people, prepare them for higher education and/or employment. For those with an EHC plan, there must be a focus from year 9 onwards on preparing the young person for adulthood as part of their plan’s annual review. This focus must continue until the young person’s EHC plan ceases. Planning for the transition to adulthood should result in clear outcomes being agreed that are ambitious and stretching, and which are tailored to the needs and interests of the young person. Ofsted undertook a thematic review into ‘Preparation for Adulthood’ this year to find out the extent to which local area partners are working together effectively to prepare children and young people with SEND for adulthood. The report’s findings are expected to be available soon.

What assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the national standards underpinning transitional support provided to young people with SEND.

For too long the education and care system has not met the needs of all children and young people, particularly those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), with parents struggling to get their children the support they need and deserve.This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with SEND receive the right support to succeed in their education and develop the skills they need as they move into adult life. We are committed to improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream settings, as well as ensuring special schools cater to those with the most complex needs, restoring parents’ trust that their child will get the support they need.The department is working closely with experts on reforms and recently appointed Dame Christine Lenehan as Strategic Advisor for SEND. Dame Christine will play a key role in convening and engaging with the sector, including leaders, practitioners, children and families, as the department considers the next steps for the future of SEND reform.Successful transitions must be well-planned. Poor support for and around transitions was a clear theme in the issues raised when the previous government consulted on the SEND and alternative provision green paper of March 2022.All local authorities must set out the support available to help children and young people with SEND prepare for and transition to adulthood as part of their local offer. This should be co-produced with children, young people, and their families to ensure it meets local needs.For children and young people with an education, health, and care (EHC) plan, there must be a focus from year 9 onwards on preparing the young person for adulthood as part of their plan’s annual review. This focus must continue until the young person’s EHC plan ceases. Planning for the transition to adulthood should result in clear outcomes being agreed that are ambitious and stretching, and which are tailored to the needs and interests of the young person.Ofsted undertook a thematic review into ‘Preparation for Adulthood’ this year to find out the extent to which local area partners are working together effectively to prepare children and young people with SEND for adulthood. The report’s findings are expected to be published soon.

What assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the commissioning of local children services to ensure that every young person with SEND has access to (a) timely and (b) quality transition support.

For too long the education and care system has not met the needs of all children and young people, particularly those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), with parents struggling to get their children the support they need and deserve.This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with SEND receive the right support to succeed in their education and develop the skills they need as they move into adult life. We are committed to improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream settings, as well as ensuring special schools cater to those with the most complex needs, restoring parents’ trust that their child will get the support they need.The department is working closely with experts on reforms and recently appointed Dame Christine Lenehan as Strategic Advisor for SEND. Dame Christine will play a key role in convening and engaging with the sector, including leaders, practitioners, children and families, as the department considers the next steps for the future of SEND reform.Successful transitions must be well-planned. Poor support for and around transitions was a clear theme in the issues raised when the previous government consulted on the SEND and alternative provision green paper of March 2022.All local authorities must set out the support available to help children and young people with SEND prepare for and transition to adulthood as part of their local offer. This should be co-produced with children, young people, and their families to ensure it meets local needs.For children and young people with an education, health, and care (EHC) plan, there must be a focus from year 9 onwards on preparing the young person for adulthood as part of their plan’s annual review. This focus must continue until the young person’s EHC plan ceases. Planning for the transition to adulthood should result in clear outcomes being agreed that are ambitious and stretching, and which are tailored to the needs and interests of the young person.Ofsted undertook a thematic review into ‘Preparation for Adulthood’ this year to find out the extent to which local area partners are working together effectively to prepare children and young people with SEND for adulthood. The report’s findings are expected to be published soon.

If she will implement a national standard measure of children's wellbeing.

This government has set a bold ambition to raise the healthiest generation of children in history, giving mental health the same attention as physical health. We are reforming NHS services and have committed to providing access to mental health professionals in every school, removing barriers to opportunity and helping children to thrive. The government will also be putting in place new Young Futures hubs, including access to mental health support workers, and will recruit an additional 8,500 new mental health staff to treat children and adults. The Office for National Statistics publishes a range of children’s wellbeing measures and the department maintains an ongoing monitoring of the national data landscape and publications regarding children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing to support its policy making. Schools measuring their pupils’ wellbeing to inform their approach to supporting mental health and wellbeing is encouraged by the department, and as many as 63% of leaders reported in June 2023 that they have either partially or fully embedded this practice in their schools. The government has made no commitment to a national standard measure of children’s wellbeing. However, this is something that the department welcomes exploring further with the education sector and relevant experts.

Whether she plans to deliver a sustainable childcare model that enables more women to access (a) education and (b) work opportunities.

It is this government’s ambition for all families to have access to high-quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, thereby improving the life chances for every child and the work choices for every parent.Through the student loans company, the department offers a specific Childcare Grant (CCG) to support students with the costs of childcare whilst they are in study. The CCG offers support of up to 85% of childcare costs where both parents are students, the student is a lone parent, or the student-parent’s partner is on a low income. Students are also eligible for universal 15 hours childcare, which is available to all two, three and four year olds, regardless of family circumstances and/or income.The government has committed to continue to roll out the expanded childcare entitlements for eligible working parents of children aged from nine months. The department is also growing the provision of wraparound before and after school provision of childcare for primary school children.In addition to the entitlements, parents may also be eligible for childcare support through Tax-Free Childcare or Universal Credit Childcare. Parents can check what childcare support they are entitled to via the Childcare Choices website.The government is committed to delivering a modern childcare system from the end of parental leave to the end of primary school, providing every child with a firm foundation which sets them up for life, ensuring parents are able to work the jobs and hours they choose and effectively breaking down the barriers to opportunity for every family.