Written questions by Holden.

When she plans to respond to Question 120248 from the hon. Member for Windsor.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

When she plans to respond to Question 121418 from the hon. Member for Meriden and Solihull East.

The responses to these Written Parliamentary Questions have been issued.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of implementing a national dyslexia strategy for schools in England; and what steps her Department is taking to support the sharing of best practice in identifying and supporting pupils with dyslexia across schools.

Effective early identification and intervention is critical in improving the outcomes of children and young people with special educational needs (SEN), including dyslexia.The department is consulting on proposals to reform the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system. To support the sharing of best practice, the department will appoint an independent expert panel to develop National Inclusion Standards that set out evidence-informed tools and strategies for educators to draw on to identify and support students with SEN. This comes alongside significant investment to bolster capacity and expertise with an investment of £1.8 billion so every community has access to 'Experts at Hand’.In addition, the ‘Reading Ambition for All’ programme aims to improve reading outcomes for children that need additional support, including those with SEN. We are working with the British Dyslexia Association to refine the programme to further support children with dyslexia.

When she plans to respond to Question 121840 from the hon. Member for Meriden and Solihull East.

The responses to these Written Parliamentary Questions have been issued.

When she plans to respond to Question 120510 from the hon. Member for North East Hampshire.

The responses to these Written Parliamentary Questions have been issued.

When she plans to respond to Question 120952 from the hon. Member for Meriden and Solihull East.

The responses to these Written Parliamentary Questions have been issued.

When she plans to respond to Question 121472 from the hon. Member for Newport West and Islwyn.

The responses to these Written Parliamentary Questions have been issued.

Pursuant to the Answer of 2 February 2026 to Question 105279, whether the Office for Students has had discussions with commercial pilot training providers on registration with that office.

Registration with the Office for Students (OfS) is voluntary and open to providers that meet the statutory definition of an English higher education provider. This includes those delivering higher‑level courses within the scope of the OfS regulatory framework.Operational decisions concerning engagement with potential applicants regarding registration, including discussions with commercial pilot training providers, are matters for the OfS as an independent regulator.

Pursuant to the Answer of 6 January 2026 to Question 99801, what the estimated annual amount (a) accrued in interest and (b) repaid by British citizens with students loans was in each of the last five financial years.

The Department for Education and the Student Loans Company (SLC) are undertaking work to improve the quality and consistency of demographic data held across their systems, to support the timely answering of parliamentary questions. Changes in the application process over time, including the transition to electronic applications, mean that demographic data held for earlier cohorts can be held differently across multiple SLC systems and repayment and interest calculations continue to include these early borrowers. As a result, it is not currently possible to produce robust repayment figures broken down by British citizen status within the required timescales. Once this work is complete, the department expects to be able to provide more detailed information in response to such questions.

Whether she has assessed the potential merits of extending eligibility for government-backed student finance to standalone commercial pilot training courses; and what discussions her Department has had with the Department for Transport and the Civil Aviation Authority on the potential merits of recognising pilot training as an eligible education route.

The courses designated for higher education student finance are set out in secondary legislation. To attract funding, students studying in England must generally be undertaking a course leading to a designated qualification at a provider registered with the Office for Students. The funding available for designated programmes, including pilot training, does not normally extend to costs associated with the commercial pilot’s licence and flying experience. The department has previously explained this position to the Department for Transport.

What steps she is taking to ensure adequate provision of safeguarding for the ePEP online system.

The department’s statutory guidance for Virtual School Heads sets out what electronic Personal Education Plans (ePEPs) must cover and the outcomes they are intended to support. While we do not mandate or endorse specific ePEP platforms, local authorities, as data controllers, are expected to comply with data protection requirements and safeguarding standards when selecting and using such systems. This means they are responsible for selecting secure platforms that comply with UK GDPR and safeguarding requirements to protect sensitive information about children in care.In addition, the department’s ‘Data Protection in Schools’ guidance helps the education sector and local authorities understand their legal responsibilities when processing sensitive data. This guidance includes information on complying with UK GDPR, secure data storage and appropriate data sharing, all of which are appropriate to safeguarding children’s personal information.

What the net zero targets for their Department and its arm’s-length bodies are; and what guidance has been issued to those bodies on adopting net zero targets earlier than 2050.

The Greening Government Commitments set out the actions that government departments and their agencies will take to reduce their impacts on the environment. The targets are set by the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs and the latest available guidance is published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/greening-government-commitments-2021-to-2025/greening-government-commitments-2021-to-2025. It includes the target of working towards net zero by 2050.

What the annual cost is of providing student loan financing to students who are not UK citizens; and whether she has made an estimate of the potential impact of restricting student loan eligibility to British citizens on costs to her Department.

Higher education student finance is targeted on those persons with a lawful and substantial residential connection to the UK. To qualify, most persons must be ‘settled’ in the UK. There are limited exceptions to this, such as for individuals granted international protection by the Home Office, for example persons with refugee status, who may be eligible for support without meeting the standard residency and settlement criteria.In the 2024/25 academic year, the Student Loans Company (SLC) made payments totalling £3,794 million for Fee and Maintenance Loans (full-time and part-time) to undergraduate students domiciled in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and the EU who declared they were non-UK nationals.Previous PQs have reported figures based on nationality as declared when creating a student finance account, rather than the verified status at loan approval. The SLC has robust procedures in place to check eligibility for student finance, including data-sharing with the Home Office and HM Passport Office. Eligibility is dependent on a successful identity check, immigration status and residency history. No funding is approved without complete, verified, and eligible nationality, status and residence history.The department has not made any estimate of costs on the potential impact of restricting student loan eligibility to British citizens.

Whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of removing interest charges from student loans for UK nationals on costs to the public purse.

Education is a devolved matter, and this response outlines the information for England only.The government keeps the student finance system under continuous review to ensure that it delivers good value for both students and taxpayers.Student loans are subject to interest to ensure that those who can afford to do so contribute to the full cost of their degree. To consider both students and taxpayers and ensure the real value of the loans over the repayment term, interest rates are linked to inflation.Interest rates do not impact monthly repayments made by student loan borrowers. Regular repayments are based on a borrower’s monthly or weekly income, not on interest rates or the amount borrowed. Outstanding debt, including interest built up, is cancelled after the loan term ends (or in case of death or disability) at no detriment to the borrower.A full equality impact assessment of how the student loan reforms may affect graduates under Plan 5 was produced and published in February 2022, and can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/higher-education-reform-equality-impact-assessment.

With reference to her Department's policy paper entitled Giving every child the best start in life, updated on 12 September 2025, whether the review of early years funding will include an assessment of food costs within the funding formula.

To make sure that the early years (EY) funding system properly supports those children and parts of the country that have higher levels of additional need, the department will review EY funding, including the EY national funding formulae, consulting on a set of changes and publishing full details by Summer 2026. Within EY, free school meals (FSM) applies to school-based nurseries (SBNs) for children who attend both before and after lunch. As part of the expansion of FSM, the department has announced that children in SBNs whose household is in receipt of Universal Credit, will be eligible for FSM from September 2026. Beyond the provision of FSM, the statutory guidance makes clear that funding for the entitlements does not cover consumables like meals, so providers can ask parents to pay, provided they are not mandatory or a condition of accessing an entitlements place. As such, the cost of consumables will not fall within the scope of the planned review of EY funding.

If she will legislate to require all private tutors working with children to hold enhanced DBS clearance and be subject to formal safeguarding regulation.

The government is committed to safeguarding children across all education settings, including out-of-school settings, such as private tuition. All out-of-school settings, including tutors, have a legal duty of care to keep children safe and protect them from harm. To support this, the department has published guidance and free e-learning for providers, outlining the safeguarding standards we expect them to meet. We also offer guidance for parents and carers to help them make informed decisions when choosing providers. Whilst the department believes most out-of-School Settings offer enriching education in a safe environment, we want this to be true for all. That’s why the government held a Call for Evidence regarding sector safeguarding practices and invited views on approaches for further strengthening safeguarding, including potential regulation. This closed on 21 September and analysis is ongoing. We will respond in due course. The government has also just laid legislation, due to come into effect in January, which will enable self-employed people, including private tutors, to access enhanced DBS checks.

What meetings her Department have had with Sheffield Hallam University following recent reports of alleged academic intimidation at the university.

The department met with the university in October 2024 to understand more about the issues and offer support. Alleged foreign interference can present sensitive issues for institutions to navigate and there remain active enquiries into this matter, so it would not be appropriate to comment further on the specifics. We are clear that any attempt by a foreign state to intimidate or coerce universities will not be tolerated, and the government made this clear to Chinese officials after learning of this case.The department is working with the regulator to set clearer expectations around international risk management, as well as raising awareness and developing good practice on managing foreign interference risks. This includes a closed event we will be holding with Vice Chancellors to discuss the risks posed by foreign interference and signpost our plans to further increase the sector’s resilience.

With reference to the OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2022 scores, what steps she is taking to reduce the performance gap between the UK nations and (a) Singapore, (b) Japan and (c) Vietnam; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the scores on the UK's (i) overall productivity, (ii) skills base and (iii) international competitiveness.

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.High and rising standards across education, from early years to adulthood, are key to unlocking stronger outcomes and a better future for children and young people.To drive high standards across the PISA subjects of mathematics, reading and science, the government has committed £27.7 million this financial year, supporting the teaching of phonics, early language and reading for pleasure via the English Hubs programme. We will also introduce a new reading assessment in year 8 to check progress. Following the Curriculum and Assessment Review’s recommendations, we will revise the maths curriculum from key stages 1 to 3 to support mastery and ensure a strong foundation for all children. Regional improvement for standards and excellence teams also work closely with Maths and English Hubs to share best practice.PISA rankings look at the relative position between the different countries, however, the scores provide an absolute measure of performance in a country and are comparable over time.

How much (a) their Department and (b) its arm’s length bodies have spent on (i) installing electric vehicle charging facilities and (ii) purchasing electric vehicles since 4 July 2024; and what estimate their Department has made of the difference in capital cost between (A) the electric vehicles purchased by their Department and (B) comparable (1) petrol and (2) diesel models.

The department and its arm’s length bodies have not incurred any expenditure on the installation of electric vehicle charging facilities or purchased any electric vehicles since 4 July 2024.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the reforms to penalty notices for unauthorised school absences made in August 2024 on levels of unauthorised absence; and whether she plans to introduce further measures to help reduce term-time absences.

Tackling absence is central to the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity. Thanks to the efforts of schools and local authorities, attendance is moving in the right direction. Children attended over 5.3 million additional days in the 2024/25 school year compared to the 2022/23 school year, with over 140,000 fewer pupils persistently absent.The ‘Working together to improve school attendance’ guidance sets out a support-first approach, ensuring that penalty notices are used only when appropriate. The national framework for penalty notices, which was introduced in August 2024 following national consultation, is designed to improve consistency and fairness across the country. It states that penalty notices must be considered on an individual basis, preventing schools from having blanket rules. Schools or local councils may choose to issue a ‘notice to improve’ instead of a penalty notice. This is a further offer of support before a penalty notice is issued.The department is monitoring the impact of these reforms alongside wider attendance measures, including regional improvement for standards and excellence Attendance and Behaviour Hubs and Attendance Mentors, which are helping to drive improvements.