Written questions by Hall.

What steps her Department is taking to reduce the number of repeat missing incidents amongst children.

The government takes the issue of missing children extremely seriously. The existing statutory guidance, ‘Children who run away or go missing from home of care’, outlines what local authorities and their partners must do to prevent and protect missing children. For example, it mandates that local authorities must offer an independent return home interview to all children who go missing from home or care. The department is updating its guidance on Child Sexual Exploitation, including how this affects children who go missing. We are investing over £500 million in the national rollout of the families first partnership programme which will implement family help and multi-agency child protection to ensure children have the right support at the right time, including those who go missing.

Whether her Department has plans to update the statutory guidance on children that (a) run away and (b) go missing from home or care.

The government takes the issue of missing children extremely seriously. The existing statutory guidance, ‘Children who run away or go missing from home of care’, outlines what local authorities and their partners must do to prevent and protect missing children. For example, it mandates that local authorities must offer an independent return home interview to all children who go missing from home or care. The department is updating its guidance on Child Sexual Exploitation, including how this affects children who go missing. We are investing over £500 million in the national rollout of the families first partnership programme which will implement family help and multi-agency child protection to ensure children have the right support at the right time, including those who go missing.

What progress her Department has made on establishing Attendance Hubs; what datasets her Department is collecting to measure the success of that programme; and if she will publish the data collected in relation to that programme to date.

The attendance hubs are established and led by schools with strong practice and intended to give senior leaders in schools a forum to discuss and share effective attendance practice. To date 31 hubs have been established and these have offered support to around 2,000 schools. Last year, the department shared some of the effective practice from the hubs through our ‘Attendance toolkit for schools’, which can be found here: https://attendancetoolkit.blob.core.windows.net/toolkit-doc/Attendance%20toolkit%20for%20schools.pdf?utm_campaign=Daily%20Briefing%20Emails&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8b6UxxFW90snpeTz6dwjH6sUkBsMfMBDwkOxVCp7I9g1uY5-VXiWWsDjvKIk2YbdGp8qvIfotuo4qIG3GrzkbCWEFw_A&_hsmi=99095029&utm_content=99095029&utm_source=hs_email. Feedback from the schools who have engaged with an attendance hub has suggested that they have found participation useful. We are using the feedback to evaluate the work of hubs further as it develops.

What steps her Department is taking to help increase the retention of female teachers in male-dominated subjects in schools.

​​​​​​​​​​​​​The government has a central mission to break down barriers to opportunity and boost life chances for every child. ​High-quality teaching is the factor that makes the biggest difference to a child’s education, with teachers helping to shape t...

What assessment she has made of the impact of graduate skills on the North West economy.

English higher education (HE) providers generate around 300,000 first degree UK graduates each year, and over 100,000 post-graduates.These graduates generate significant economic impact: working first degree graduates in 2023 earned on average £6,500 more...

What assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the contribution of universities to economic growth through graduate outcomes.

English higher education (HE) providers generate around 300,000 first degree UK graduates each year, and over 100,000 post-graduates.These graduates generate significant economic impact: working first degree graduates in 2023 earned on average £6,500 more...

Education what steps her Department is taking to ensure Ofsted inspections assess the steps schools take to ensure children’s wellbeing on the school estate.

This is a matter for His Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Sir Martyn Oliver. I have asked him to write to my hon. Friend, the Member for Warrington South, and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of ensuring that the Curriculum and Assessment Review focuses on the provision of (a) inclusive and (b) nurturing approaches to education.

The Curriculum and Assessment Review is being independently conducted by a group of education leaders and chaired by Professor Becky Francis CBE. The terms of reference were published in July and are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/cu...

What information her Department holds on the metrics by which the new Ofsted report cards will judge their inclusion criterion.

The department is working closely with Ofsted on inspection reform. Schools should be held accountable for their approach to inclusion so that all children are given the high quality support they need to learn and thrive. Report cards are currently in dev...

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the cost of (a) badges and (b) piping for school uniforms on household expenditure.

The department has not assessed the impact of the cost of specific designs for school uniforms on household expenditure. However, the department recently published its latest research on the cost of school uniforms, which is available here: https://www.go...

If she will commission a review into the potential impact of school uniform pricing on the average price of school uniforms.

The department keeps the price of school uniforms under regular review and recently published its latest research on the cost of school uniforms, which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cost-of-school-uniforms-survey-2023.The d...