Written questions by Burgon.

What is her most recent estimate of (1) the Resource Accounting and Budgeting charge and (2) the estimated cost to Government of support for the student finance system, based on future loan write-offs and interest subsidies, (a) in net present-value terms, and (b) as a proportion of the initial loan outlay.

The Resource Accounting and Budgeting (RAB) charge, the government subsidy anticipated on student loans issued in any particular financial year, is calculated as the present value of student loan outlay less expected future repayments. This is in accordance with relevant International Financial Reporting Standards and guidance from HM Treasury’s's Government Financial Reporting Manual.In the 2024/25 financial year, the RAB charge was £6.2 billion, or 29.6% of the £20.7 billion of the student loans issued.

What steps she is taking to increase the registration of eligible children for free school meals; and whether she plans to introduce free school meal auto-enrolment in the Child Poverty Strategy.

We want to ensure that all families who need it are able to claim the support they are eligible for. Creating a new threshold for free school meals will ensure that all children from households in receipt of Universal Credit are eligible, making it easier for parents to understand their entitlement.The government is also taking action to make it quicker and easier for both families and local authorities to get children signed up for free school meals by rolling out improvements to the eligibility checking system used to verify entitlement to free school meals.The Child Poverty Taskforce will publish a Child Poverty Strategy in the autumn that will deliver measures to tackle the structural and root causes of child poverty. The Taskforce will continue to explore all available levers to drive forward short and long-term action across government to reduce child poverty.

How the Child Poverty Strategy will integrate with (a) the Child Health Action Plan and (b) other strategic activities; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Strategy on the work undertaken in the devolved nations.

This government is committed to tackling child poverty, with our ambitious Child Poverty Strategy due to be published in the autumn.The publication will set out how we intend to monitor and evaluate the impacts of the strategy from this year and in future years, including understanding how this varies across the UK and for different groups.As part of the strategy, the Child Poverty Taskforce is prioritising better local services, especially in the early years, for children living in poverty. We have announced close to £1.5 billion over the next three years on improving family services and early years education. Best Start Family Hubs are backed by £500 million of this investment between 2026 and 2029.Details of how the Child Poverty Strategy interacts with other policies across government will be set out when the strategy is published, including child health.The Strategy will be UK wide, drawing on devolved and reserved levers and working closely with devolved governments.

Whether she plans to include targets for reducing child poverty in the Child Poverty Strategy; and what plans she has for scrutiny of the delivery of that strategy.

This government is committed to tackling child poverty, with our ambitious Child Poverty Strategy due to be published in the autumn.The publication will set out how we intend to monitor and evaluate the impacts of the strategy from this year and in future years, including understanding how this varies across the UK and for different groups.As part of the strategy, the Child Poverty Taskforce is prioritising better local services, especially in the early years, for children living in poverty. We have announced close to £1.5 billion over the next three years on improving family services and early years education. Best Start Family Hubs are backed by £500 million of this investment between 2026 and 2029.Details of how the Child Poverty Strategy interacts with other policies across government will be set out when the strategy is published, including child health.The Strategy will be UK wide, drawing on devolved and reserved levers and working closely with devolved governments.

Whether the Child Poverty Strategy will include (a) services for children living in poverty and (b) the role of expanded family hubs in supporting low-income families.

This government is committed to tackling child poverty, with our ambitious Child Poverty Strategy due to be published in the autumn.The publication will set out how we intend to monitor and evaluate the impacts of the strategy from this year and in future years, including understanding how this varies across the UK and for different groups.As part of the strategy, the Child Poverty Taskforce is prioritising better local services, especially in the early years, for children living in poverty. We have announced close to £1.5 billion over the next three years on improving family services and early years education. Best Start Family Hubs are backed by £500 million of this investment between 2026 and 2029.Details of how the Child Poverty Strategy interacts with other policies across government will be set out when the strategy is published, including child health.The Strategy will be UK wide, drawing on devolved and reserved levers and working closely with devolved governments.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure that schools are equipped to meet the needs of pupils with special educational needs and disabilities; and what additional (a) support, (b) resources and (c) training she is providing to improve (i) accessibility, (ii) inclusion and (iii) personalised learning in mainstream education.

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, restoring parents’ trust that their child will get the support they need. This includes strengthening accountability for inclusivity, including through Ofsted, and encouraging schools to set up resourced provision or special educational needs units to increase capacity in mainstream schools.High quality teaching is central to ensuring that all pupils, including those with SEND, are given the best possible opportunity to achieve in their education and as they move into adult life. The department is committed to recruiting an additional 6,500 new expert teachers over the course of this parliament. To support all teachers, the department is implementing a range of teacher training reforms to ensure teachers have the skills to support all pupils to succeed, including those with SEND.On 1 September 2024, the government introduced a new mandatory leadership level qualification for special educational needs co-ordinators (SENCOs). The qualification will play a key role in improving outcomes for pupils with SEND, by ensuring SENCOs consistently receive high quality, evidence-based training on how best to support children with SEND.The department is also providing almost £1 billion more for high needs budgets in the 2025/26 financial year, bringing total high needs funding to £11.9 billion. This funding will help local authorities and schools with the increasing costs of supporting children and young people with complex SEND. The department has also announced £740 million of high needs capital funding for the 2025/26 financial year to invest in places for children and young people with SEND or who require alternative provision.