Written questions by Hamilton.

What role the British Council plays in delivering the UK’s International Education Strategy in Commonwealth countries.

The ambitions in the UK’s International Education Strategy will be delivered in close collaboration between government, the sector, the UK’s International Education Champion and key partners including the British Council. The reformed Education Sector Action Group (ESAG), chaired by Ministers, brings together industry, government, and representative bodies from across the education sector to tackle key concerns and identify opportunities for partnerships. Each core member representative will lead on a sector action plan outlining how their members will support delivery of the strategy. As an adviser member of ESAG, British Council will have a key role in supporting the sector action plans across each of the education sectors, reflecting their broad and deep education expertise. As the International Education Champion, Sir Steve Smith will continue to remove barriers to education partnerships by engaging with Commonwealth countries and others.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of current provisions for children with allergies in schools.

Section 100 of the Children and Families Act 2014 places a duty on maintained schools, academies and pupil referral units to make arrangements for supporting pupils with medical conditions. The accompanying statutory guidance makes clear to schools what is expected of them in taking reasonable steps to fulfil their legal obligations and to meet the individual needs of pupils with medical conditions, including allergies.We will keep the statutory guidance under review as we take forward our commitment to delivering an inclusive mainstream system.

Whether she has had discussions with Cabinet colleagues on adding the collection of school library data to the school census.

School libraries complement public libraries by giving pupils access to a range of books and other kinds of texts, both in and out of school. The national curriculum states that teachers are expected to encourage pupils to develop the habit of reading widely and often, for both pleasure and information.There are a number of strong links between reading for pleasure and attainment. For example, the 2021 Progress in International Reading Literacy Study report found a 34-point difference in reading performance between pupils in England who “very much” liked reading and pupils who “do not” like reading. Additionally, the 2022 Programme for International Student Assessment study found that enjoyment of reading links to pupils’ reading engagement, and that reading engagement was strongly positively correlated with reading performance. There is also a strong evidence base linking reading for pleasure to other positive effects, such as improved text comprehension and grammar, increased general knowledge and character development.It is for individual schools to decide how best to provide and maintain a library service for their pupils. Headteachers have autonomy to decide how best to spend the core schools funding that is allocated to them by the department. The Autumn Budget 2024 announced an additional £2.3 billion for schools for the 2025/26 financial year, compared to 2024/25, bringing the total core schools budget to almost £63.9 billion in 2025/26. Given this autonomy, the department has no current plans to collect information on the number of school libraries or school librarians as part of the school census.The government’s reading framework offers non-statutory guidance for teachers and school leaders, including helpful guidance for schools on how to organise their school library, book corner or book stock to make reading accessible and attractive to readers.

With reference to the guidance entitled The reading framework, published on 10 July 2021, what steps her Department plans to take to help ensure that schools develop a strong reading-for-pleasure culture.

High and rising school standards, with excellent foundations in reading, writing and mathematics, are at the heart of the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and give every child the best start in life.​​​We know that reading for pleasure is hugely important and brings a range of benefits. There are a number of strong links between reading for pleasure and attainment. The 2021 Progress in International Reading Literacy Study report found a 34 point difference in reading performance between pupils in England who “very much” like reading and pupils who “do not” like reading. Additionally, the 2022 Programme for International Student Assessment study found that enjoyment of reading links to pupils’ reading engagement and that reading engagement was strongly positively correlated with reading performance. There is also a strong evidence base linking reading for pleasure to other positive effects, such as improved text comprehension and grammar, increased general knowledge and character development. Wide recreational reading expands pupils’ knowledge about the world and about language, as well as their understanding of subject-specific academic and technical vocabulary.​​​In recognition of this, the department has implemented a range of measures to support reading for pleasure.  The English Hubs programme supports the teaching of phonics, early language development and reading for pleasure with funding continuing and £23 million committed for the 2024/25 academic year to support what is set out in the reading framework. For example, through the Transforming Schools Reading Culture, which is a continuous professional development offer delivered via the English hubs to support reading for pleasure.​​​​The current national curriculum states that teachers are expected to encourage pupils to develop the habit of reading widely and often, for both pleasure and information. The government has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, which will look closely at the key challenges to attainment for young people. This is in line with the government’s ambition for a curriculum that delivers excellent foundations in reading, writing and mathematics.

What steps her Department plans to take to encourage pupils to read at breakfast clubs in primary schools.

The department wants to give schools the flexibility to deliver their breakfast club in the way that best meets the needs of their pupils, as well as their parents and local community, and gets the school day off to a strong start.The non-statutory guidance for early adopters will help schools on how they go further than just the minimum requirements, including ways to incorporate enriching activities into a breakfast club.The early adopter schools will test and learn how to deliver new breakfast club provision, and the learning from these, including on enrichment, will inform a national rollout.