Written questions by Davies.

How many registered childminders there are by gender in each region.

Ofsted publish official statistics twice a year and management information twice a year on providers and inspections. Data for childminders on Ofsted registers can be broken down to a regional level. The latest data show that as at 31 December 2024 there were 25,556 Ofsted-registered childminders across all Ofsted registers, together with 1,520 childminders on the role of childminder agencies. This information can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/childcare-providers-and-inspections-management-information. The department collects information on the gender of Ofsted-registered childminders through its annual survey of childcare and early years providers. The latest data shows that 97% of childminders were female in 2024. This data is not held at a regional level. This information can be found at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/childcare-and-early-years-provider-survey/2024.

How many teaching staff there are in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools by gender in each region.

Information on the school workforce, including the number of teachers and teaching assistants broken down by school phase, gender and region, is published in the ‘School workforce in England’ statistical publication available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england.As of November 2023, the latest date for which data is available, there was a headcount of 478,085 teachers and 335,693 teaching assistants employed in state-funded nursery, primary and secondary schools. A breakdown by school phase, gender and region is available for teachers at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/689fc171-b2a5-40de-d968-08dd800922cb, and for teaching assistants at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/658213e6-bcab-45db-7d3c-08dd7ece5be0.

What information other Department holds on the number of (a) primary, (b) secondary and (c) SEND school places there were in (i) Telford constituency and (ii) Telford and Wrekin Council in each of the last ten years.

Data on state-funded school places is published at national, local authority and school level in the annual School Capacity statistics publication. Data is available for academic years 2009/10 to 2023/24. Data on special educational needs provision was collected as part of the School Capacity Survey for the first time in 2023 and is available for the 2022/23 and 2023/24 academic years.School capacity data are not published at constituency level. However, data is published at school level that can be combined with information from ‘Get Information About Schools’ (GIAS) to identify parliamentary constituency. The data can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-catalogue/data-set/bf165de6-3b9a-4014-83b5-232454343797.The number of primary and secondary mainstream state-funded school places in Telford and Wrekin local authority at 1 May of each year between 2014 and 2024, can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/a6913939-ccb4-4dbe-7d54-08dd7ece5be0.The number of state-funded special schools and special school places in Telford and Wrekin local authority at 1 May of each year between 2023 and 2024, can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/4cc1f815-cec7-41af-d97b-08dd800922cb.The statutory duty to provide sufficient school places sits with local authorities.

Pursuant to the Answer of 11 April 2025 to Question 36463 on Free School Meals, what arrangements are in place for transitional protections on free school meal entitlements for the 2025-26 financial year.

As with all government programmes, including free school meals, we keep our approach under continued review. Support for children to access free school meals, has additionally been considered as part of the Child Poverty Taskforce’s consideration of how to:1. Support households to increase their income including considering social security reforms that support people into work and alleviate poverty.2. Help to bring down essential household costs, build savings and tackle problem debt.3. Alleviate the negative experience of living in poverty, including through supporting families and the role of public services.No pupil will see any change because of changes to traditional protections until after the summer and the department will communicate further with schools before that time.

When she plans to answer Question 36463, tabled on 7 March 2025.

A response to Question 36463 was published on 11 April 2025 and can be found here: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2025-03-07/36463.

When her Department plans to make a decision on the extension of transitional protections for free school meal entitlements beyond 31 March 2025.

The continued provision of school food has an important role to play in breaking the unfair link between background and opportunity, which is why the department is considering the government’s school food offer as part of our work on child poverty.As part of our Plan for Change, we have already taken wide-ranging action, despite this government’s incredibly challenging fiscal inheritance, including setting up the Child Poverty Taskforce.The transitional protections policy on free school meals (FSM), put in place in 2018 during the roll out of Universal Credit (UC), ensures that households in receipt of FSM will retain their entitlement during UC migration.As with all government programmes we will keep our approach, including to FSM and Pupil Premium, under continued review.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure enrichment activities for students in (a) school and (b) further education colleges are incorporated in the recommendations of the Curriculum Assessment Review.

I refer my hon. friend, the Member for Telford to the answer of 24 January 2025 to Question 24528.

What steps she is taking to secure shared use agreements between schools and councils.

Many schools across the country will either allow others to make use of their facilities, or themselves be making use of land shared with their local communities. The department encourages schools to open their sites in this way. Shared use agreements or other arrangements to facilitate this are primarily a matter for local discussion between schools, their landowners and local authorities, who will all appreciate the individual local needs.However, in specific circumstances, such as when a school converts to become an academy and the department is involved in agreeing how the academy will access land, the department can and will help schools and councils consider their options. Our good estate management for schools (GEMS) guidance also contains information for schools on allowing others to use their premises. More information about GEMS can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/good-estate-management-for-schools.

What the average length of paternity leave taken by staff in her Department was in each of the last three years.

The average length of paternity leave taken by employees of the Department for Education for each of the last three years is set out in the table below.YearAverage Number of Calendar Days202218.7202319.92024 (to date)19.9