Written questions by Gibson.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of allocating marks for spelling, punctuation and grammar in non-English GCSE subjects on students with dyslexia.

I refer the hon. Member for Chippenham to the answer of 12 June 2025 to Question 57812.

With reference to the publication entitled Skills England: Sector evidence on the growth and skills offer, published in June 2025, what steps her Department is taking to ensure vocational pathways are presented to young people on an equal basis to university routes.

The publication referred to sets out Skills England‘s findings from its analysis and engagement with sectors on the growth and skills offer, supported by its assessments of skills needs. Skills England and the department will work together to ensure the offer meets the needs of employers across the country. Widening the apprenticeships offer into a growth and skills offer, including new foundation apprenticeships, will give more young people a foot in the door at the start of their working life. The department is investing in, and promoting, a wide range of non-academic routes to support young people into employment, including: T Levels, a high-quality technical education option for young people, including a valuable workplace industry placement which prepares them work. Higher Technical Qualifications, occupation-focused level 4-5 qualifications, approved and quality marked as providing the skills demanded in the workplace by employers. Skills Bootcamps, which give learners the chance to build sector-specific skills and include with a job interview on completion. Free Courses for Jobs, giving learners the chance to access high value level 3 qualifications. There is also strengthened legislation to ensure all secondary pupils have multiple opportunities for meaningful encounters with providers of technical education and apprenticeships.

What steps her Department is taking to improve support for SMEs to take on apprentices.

I refer the hon. Member for Chippenham to the answer of 19 March 2025 to Question 37179.

What steps her Department is taking to (a) monitor and (b) improve the academic outcomes of students with learning difficulties in Wiltshire.

For too long the education and care system has not met the needs of all children, 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 or in alternative provision receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life.The department and NHS England have been supporting local areas to improve their SEND service delivery for a number of years. This includes a monitoring, support and challenge relationship following an inspection by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC). Where a local authority does not meet its duties, we can take action that prioritises children’s needs and supports local areas to bring about rapid improvement.Wiltshire’s Ofsted and CQC Local Area SEND inspection, carried out in October 2024, identified positive experiences and outcomes for children and young people with SEND.The report, which was published on 6 December 2024, included no Areas for Priority Action and highlighted that children and young people with SEND typically benefit from personalised provision delivered by dedicated staff from across education, health and social care, and when children and young people transition into school practitioners have a shared vision and commitment to inclusion.Officials from the department and NHS England meet regularly with partners from the local area, including health, education, agencies, parent/carer, children and young people representatives, to review and reflect on the SEND services.

What steps her Department is taking to (a) monitor and (b) evaluate the long-term outcomes of adopted children impacted by the reduction in therapy funding.

The criteria for the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF) will enable as many children and families as possible to access funding, including in Wiltshire. The department always assesses the impact of changes on vulnerable children. This includes reviewing the equalities impact assessment, which will be made available in the Libraries of both Houses in due course.Since December 2023, ASGSF applications have required the use of outcomes measurement tools to monitor the impact of ASGSF-funded therapies. Over time, these tools will enable the department and local areas to monitor the long-term impacts of the ASGSF.The department expects the ASGSF to remain an important source of support for adoptive families across the country, with no regional differences. However, it is not the only source of support. We are funding Adoption England with £8.8 million this year, including to improve adoption support. This includes the establishment of Centres of Excellence as multidisciplinary teams in various regions to provide specialist and therapeutic support to families. We are also making £500 million available to local authorities to roll out Family Help nationally to transform services and transition towards earlier intervention. This will nearly double direct investment in preventative services.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of reducing the therapy funding per adopted child in Wiltshire on the mental health and well-being of these children.

The criteria for the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF) will enable as many children and families as possible to access funding, including in Wiltshire. The department always assesses the impact of changes on vulnerable children. This includes reviewing the equalities impact assessment, which will be made available in the Libraries of both Houses in due course.Since December 2023, ASGSF applications have required the use of outcomes measurement tools to monitor the impact of ASGSF-funded therapies. Over time, these tools will enable the department and local areas to monitor the long-term impacts of the ASGSF.The department expects the ASGSF to remain an important source of support for adoptive families across the country, with no regional differences. However, it is not the only source of support. We are funding Adoption England with £8.8 million this year, including to improve adoption support. This includes the establishment of Centres of Excellence as multidisciplinary teams in various regions to provide specialist and therapeutic support to families. We are also making £500 million available to local authorities to roll out Family Help nationally to transform services and transition towards earlier intervention. This will nearly double direct investment in preventative services.

Whether her Department has made an assessment of the regional differences in the potential impact of reductions to the adoption and special guardian support fund; and what steps she is taking to help tackle any identified disparities.

The criteria for the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF) will enable as many children and families as possible to access funding, including in Wiltshire. The department always assesses the impact of changes on vulnerable children. This includes reviewing the equalities impact assessment, which will be made available in the Libraries of both Houses in due course.Since December 2023, ASGSF applications have required the use of outcomes measurement tools to monitor the impact of ASGSF-funded therapies. Over time, these tools will enable the department and local areas to monitor the long-term impacts of the ASGSF.The department expects the ASGSF to remain an important source of support for adoptive families across the country, with no regional differences. However, it is not the only source of support. We are funding Adoption England with £8.8 million this year, including to improve adoption support. This includes the establishment of Centres of Excellence as multidisciplinary teams in various regions to provide specialist and therapeutic support to families. We are also making £500 million available to local authorities to roll out Family Help nationally to transform services and transition towards earlier intervention. This will nearly double direct investment in preventative services.

Whether she has made a comparative assessment of the (a) educational attainment and (b) progression of young carers with their peers in Wiltshire.

The department does not have data on the proportion of young carers in Wiltshire who have received an assessment of their needs in the last 12 months. However, being a young carer was identified as a factor at end of assessment in 253 episodes of need in Wiltshire in the year ending 31 March 2024.Services for young carers are monitored through the inspection of local authorities. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is assessing how well local authorities in England are delivering their duties under Part 1 of the Care Act 2014, including those relating to young carers. CQC has published their assessment of Wiltshire Council, rating them Good. It reports that there were no delays in wait times for young unpaid carers needs assessments and that the young unpaid carers offer was well established with robust oversight from senior leaders. Further, Ofsted’s inspection of Wiltshire’s Children’s Services in September 2023 found the overall service to be Outstanding.The department is aiming to publish national key stage 2 and key stage 4 data for young carers for the first time later this year. Subject to data quality, this will allow comparison of young carers progress and attainment with their peers at local authority level.

What proportion of young carers in Wiltshire have received a formal assessment of their needs in the last 12 months.

The department does not have data on the proportion of young carers in Wiltshire who have received an assessment of their needs in the last 12 months. However, being a young carer was identified as a factor at end of assessment in 253 episodes of need in Wiltshire in the year ending 31 March 2024.Services for young carers are monitored through the inspection of local authorities. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is assessing how well local authorities in England are delivering their duties under Part 1 of the Care Act 2014, including those relating to young carers. CQC has published their assessment of Wiltshire Council, rating them Good. It reports that there were no delays in wait times for young unpaid carers needs assessments and that the young unpaid carers offer was well established with robust oversight from senior leaders. Further, Ofsted’s inspection of Wiltshire’s Children’s Services in September 2023 found the overall service to be Outstanding.The department is aiming to publish national key stage 2 and key stage 4 data for young carers for the first time later this year. Subject to data quality, this will allow comparison of young carers progress and attainment with their peers at local authority level.

What criteria was used to assess the eligibility of schools for the Schools Rebuilding Progamme; and how many schools in Wilshire have been included since 2020. .

Schools have been prioritised because they met one or more of the following criteria:They had buildings of specific construction types that require replacement.Their buildings had the highest condition need, identified in data collected in the Condition Data Collection and verified through collecting additional condition information, which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/condition-data-collection-programme-information-and-guidance.Their buildings had severe and urgent condition need that meant they were a high priority for replacement.Their buildings had risks that have the potential to cause significant harm to pupils or staff that meant they were a high priority for replacement.More information about how the department prioritised schools can be found in the published methodology notes, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-rebuilding-programme-schools-in-the-programme.The number of schools in Wiltshire that have been included in the School Rebuilding Programme is 3.

What steps her Department takes to monitor the effectiveness of (a) respite and (b) support services for young carers in Wiltshire; and what recent assessment she has made of that effectiveness.

The department does not have data on the proportion of young carers in Wiltshire who have received an assessment of their needs in the last 12 months. However, being a young carer was identified as a factor at end of assessment in 253 episodes of need in Wiltshire in the year ending 31 March 2024.Services for young carers are monitored through the inspection of local authorities. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is assessing how well local authorities in England are delivering their duties under Part 1 of the Care Act 2014, including those relating to young carers. CQC has published their assessment of Wiltshire Council, rating them Good. It reports that there were no delays in wait times for young unpaid carers needs assessments and that the young unpaid carers offer was well established with robust oversight from senior leaders. Further, Ofsted’s inspection of Wiltshire’s Children’s Services in September 2023 found the overall service to be Outstanding.The department is aiming to publish national key stage 2 and key stage 4 data for young carers for the first time later this year. Subject to data quality, this will allow comparison of young carers progress and attainment with their peers at local authority level.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of trends in the level of capital spending since 2015 on the (a) condition and (b) safety of school buildings in Wiltshire.

Since 2015, the department has spent approximately £50 billion on capital investment across England.£19 billion of that total has supported responsible bodies to invest in the condition of the estate. This is in addition to major rebuilding programmes, including the Priority School Building Programme (532 schools across England, including five in Wiltshire) and the School Rebuilding Programme (SRP) (518 schools, including three in Wiltshire).Since 2010, previous governments have taken capital decisions which have allowed the condition of the school estate to decline significantly. This government is tackling that inheritance, which is why for 2025/26, we have increased condition allocations to £2.1 billion, up from £1.8 billion in 2024/25. More information on these allocations can be found on GOV.UK. We have also committed £1.4 billion for 2025/26 to continue the current SRP. The number of schools in the SRP released for delivery will increase to 100 this financial year. This means work on these schools can begin sooner.Local authorities in England have been allocated £10.3 billion of basic need funding between 2015/16 and 2027/28, of which Wiltshire Council has been allocated £62.2 million, to provide mainstream school places.Of the £3.8 billion high needs capital investment since 2018, Wiltshire has been allocated £29 million to create or improve provision for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities.Since 2015, over 450 new free schools have opened (not including studio schools or University Technical Colleges (UTC)), and of those, four schools and one UTC have opened in Wiltshire. The UTC has subsequently closed.From 2021 to 2026, the department’s Condition Data Collection 2 is providing updated data on the condition of schools in England. Findings from Condition Data Collection 1 can be accessed here: https://depositedpapers.parliament.uk/depositedpaper/2285521/details.

How much capital funding her Department has provided to schools in (a) Wiltshire and (b) the UK in each year since 2015.

Since 2015, the department has spent approximately £50 billion on capital investment across England.£19 billion of that total has supported responsible bodies to invest in the condition of the estate. This is in addition to major rebuilding programmes, including the Priority School Building Programme (532 schools across England, including five in Wiltshire) and the School Rebuilding Programme (SRP) (518 schools, including three in Wiltshire).Since 2010, previous governments have taken capital decisions which have allowed the condition of the school estate to decline significantly. This government is tackling that inheritance, which is why for 2025/26, we have increased condition allocations to £2.1 billion, up from £1.8 billion in 2024/25. More information on these allocations can be found on GOV.UK. We have also committed £1.4 billion for 2025/26 to continue the current SRP. The number of schools in the SRP released for delivery will increase to 100 this financial year. This means work on these schools can begin sooner.Local authorities in England have been allocated £10.3 billion of basic need funding between 2015/16 and 2027/28, of which Wiltshire Council has been allocated £62.2 million, to provide mainstream school places.Of the £3.8 billion high needs capital investment since 2018, Wiltshire has been allocated £29 million to create or improve provision for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities.Since 2015, over 450 new free schools have opened (not including studio schools or University Technical Colleges (UTC)), and of those, four schools and one UTC have opened in Wiltshire. The UTC has subsequently closed.From 2021 to 2026, the department’s Condition Data Collection 2 is providing updated data on the condition of schools in England. Findings from Condition Data Collection 1 can be accessed here: https://depositedpapers.parliament.uk/depositedpaper/2285521/details.

How many children with an EHCP in Wiltshire are currently placed in educational provision outside of the local authority area.

The department publishes local authority level information on cross border movement, which is where pupils attend school in a different local authority to the one where they live, in the following annual accredited official statistics publication: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics/2023-24.As of January 2024, there were 245 pupils with an education, health and care (EHC) plan living in Wiltshire and attending a primary, secondary or special school outside the local authority. This information does not include cases where the pupil attends an independent, general hospital school or non-maintained special school.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to regularly review the Government’s statutory guidance from 2017 in relation to supporting pupils with allergies at school.

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 on ‘Supporting pupils with medical conditions at school’ 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. The guidance is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/supporting-pupils-at-school-with-medical-conditions--3.The department will keep the statutory guidance under review as we take forward our commitment to delivering an inclusive mainstream system.

What information her Department holds on the number of schools in Wiltshire that stock spare adrenaline auto-injectors for emergency use.

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 ‘Supporting pupils with medical conditions at school’ 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. The guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/supporting-pupils-at-school-with-medical-conditions--3.The department has alerted schools to external resources from trusted allergy organisations. This includes the Schools Allergy Code, developed by The Allergy Team, Independent Schools’ Bursars Association and the Benedict Blythe Foundation, and Allergy School created by the Natasha Allergy Research Foundation.In 2017, the Department of Health published non-statutory guidance confirming that schools can purchase spare adrenaline auto-injectors (AAIs) from a pharmacy without a prescription and for use in an emergency situation. The department does not hold information on the number of schools which stock spare AAIs.

Whether her Department is taking steps to support the implementation of the Benedict Blythe Foundation's allergy safety recommendations in schools in England.

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 ‘Supporting pupils with medical conditions at school’ 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. The guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/supporting-pupils-at-school-with-medical-conditions--3.The department has alerted schools to external resources from trusted allergy organisations. This includes the Schools Allergy Code, developed by The Allergy Team, Independent Schools’ Bursars Association and the Benedict Blythe Foundation, and Allergy School created by the Natasha Allergy Research Foundation.In 2017, the Department of Health published non-statutory guidance confirming that schools can purchase spare adrenaline auto-injectors (AAIs) from a pharmacy without a prescription and for use in an emergency situation. The department does not hold information on the number of schools which stock spare AAIs.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure that Pension Sharing Orders administered by Teachers’ Pensions are processed within stated timeframes.

Pension scheme administrators have four months to implement pension sharing orders (PSOs), however the department is aware that for some members of the Teachers’ Pension Scheme, this timescale has been affected by the transitional protection remedy.In some cases, there has been outstanding guidance whereby the scheme administrator could not progress PSOs until this was received, and other cases require responses from the member before they can be implemented.The department is in regular discussion with the scheme administrator to consider the issues which have prevented some PSOs being issued to the normal timescales and will continue to closely monitor performance.

Whether she plans to continue funding for apprentices undertaking a Level 7 apprenticeship.

The government is committed to spreading opportunities and economic growth with the support of a strong skills system.This government had a dire fiscal inheritance which has made tough choices necessary to fix the foundations of our economy and prioritise in order to generate opportunities for young people that enable them to make a start in good, fulfilling careers. The department will therefore be asking more employers to step forward and fund Level 7 apprenticeships, outside of the levy-funded growth and skills offer.The department will take advice from Skills England, who have been engaging with employers on this, and expects to make a final decision on affected apprenticeships in the new year.Learners who have started these apprenticeships will be funded through to completion.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of proposed changes to funding for Level 7 apprenticeships from the Growth and Skills Levy on the availability of talent in professions such as architecture.

The government is committed to spreading opportunities and economic growth with the support of a strong skills system.This government had a dire fiscal inheritance which has made tough choices necessary to fix the foundations of our economy and prioritise in order to generate opportunities for young people that enable them to make a start in good, fulfilling careers. The department will therefore be asking more employers to step forward and fund Level 7 apprenticeships, outside of the levy-funded growth and skills offer.The department will take advice from Skills England, who have been engaging with employers on this, and expects to make a final decision on affected apprenticeships in the new year.Learners who have started these apprenticeships will be funded through to completion.