Written questions by Braverman.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure that local authorities investigate historical safeguarding failures where new survivor testimony emerges.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential implications for her policies of historic safeguarding failures at Grafton Close Children’s Home in Richmond upon Thames.

Awaiting answer.

Whether she has made an assessment of the adequacy of record‑keeping by Richmond upon Thames Council relating to looked‑after children in the 1970s and 1980s.

Awaiting answer.

Whether she plans to review support available to survivors for historic safeguarding failures by local authorities.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact on school attendance and educational outcomes for children whose ADHD or autism assessments have been delayed due to the pause of Right to Choose pathways.

Awaiting answer.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure that survivors reporting historic abuse in children’s homes receive consistent and transparent engagement from responsible local authorities.

Awaiting answer.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure that local authorities investigate historical safeguarding failures where new survivor testimony emerges.

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

If she will establish an independent review into Richmond upon Thames Council’s handling of safeguarding concerns at Grafton Close children’s home.

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

What steps her Department is taking to ensure that survivors reporting historic abuse in children’s homes receive consistent and transparent engagement from responsible local authorities.

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

What assessment she has made of the support currently available to survivors of abuse linked to former children’s homes such as Grafton Close.

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

What assessment her Department has made of the potential implications for her policies of historic safeguarding failures at Grafton Close Children’s Home in Richmond upon Thames.

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

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact on school attendance and educational outcomes for children whose ADHD or autism assessments have been delayed due to the pause of Right to Choose pathways.

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

What steps her Department is taking to help support schools in meeting the needs of children awaiting neurodevelopmental assessments who are experiencing escalating difficulties.

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

What assessment her Department has made of trends in the level of the number of children who are left without appropriate support plans or adjustments as a result of delays in diagnostic pathways.

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

What assessment her Department has made of the reasons for the increase in pupil suspensions in England since 2016.

The department publishes termly and annual statistics on suspension and permanent exclusions, including the reasons why pupils are suspended. The latest full academic year release, covering 2023/24, is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/suspensions-and-permanent-exclusions-in-england/2023-24. This data sets out national patterns and drivers of suspension and informs the department’s ongoing approach to behaviour and exclusion policy.

What steps her Department is taking to reduce the number of suspensions issued to pupils each year.

The department publishes termly and annual statistics on suspension and permanent exclusions, including the reasons why pupils are suspended. The latest full academic year release, covering 2023/24, is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/suspensions-and-permanent-exclusions-in-england/2023-24. This data sets out national patterns and drivers of suspension and informs the department’s ongoing approach to behaviour and exclusion policy.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure consistency between local authorities in the enforcement of school attendance rules.

The department’s statutory ‘Working together to improve school attendance’ guidance sets clear expectations for schools and local authorities on attendance support and the proportionate use of enforcement, including when penalty notices or prosecution may be considered for persistent non‑attendance. The national framework for penalty notices is intended to improve fairness and consistency by ensuring they are considered at a consistent point across the country and on an individual basis, preventing the use of blanket rules.The guidance emphasises a support‑first approach and makes clear that legal intervention should only be used where support has been exhausted, not engaged with, or is not appropriate, including in most cases of unauthorised term‑time holidays. The department engages regularly with local authorities to support consistent implementation and keeps the attendance enforcement system under review.

What guidance is provided to schools and local authorities on when to issue penalty notices or pursue prosecution for persistent non‑attendance.

The department’s statutory ‘Working together to improve school attendance’ guidance sets clear expectations for schools and local authorities on attendance support and the proportionate use of enforcement, including when penalty notices or prosecution may be considered for persistent non‑attendance. The national framework for penalty notices is intended to improve fairness and consistency by ensuring they are considered at a consistent point across the country and on an individual basis, preventing the use of blanket rules.The guidance emphasises a support‑first approach and makes clear that legal intervention should only be used where support has been exhausted, not engaged with, or is not appropriate, including in most cases of unauthorised term‑time holidays. The department engages regularly with local authorities to support consistent implementation and keeps the attendance enforcement system under review.

How many reported assaults on teachers and school staff occurred in each of the last five years.

No member of school staff should feel unsafe or face violence or abuse in the workplace. The department will work with the sector to make clear that abuse against teachers will not be tolerated.Schools have a duty and a responsibility to protect pupils and staff and the government supports them with a range of guidance to help fulfil their responsibilities, including advice on health and safety, school security and targeted advice on gangs and youth violence. More information on work-related violence can be found in guidance from the Health and Safety Executive: https://www.hse.gov.uk/violence/.The department publishes data on suspensions and permanent exclusions in state-funded schools in England, including those with a reason of physical assault on adults. To note, the numbers of suspensions and permanent exclusions is not the same as the number of incidents. A suspension could relate to a number of incidents, and up to three reasons can be given for suspensions and permanent exclusions.The most recent full academic year release, covering 2023/24, can be found at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/suspensions-and-permanent-exclusions-in-england/2023-24.

What assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of current penalties for parents whose children fail to attend school regularly.

Evidence on the use of legal interventions for non-attendance, including penalty notices and prosecutions, is considered alongside wider attendance data and local authority feedback to assess the effectiveness of current penalties.Attendance data for unauthorised absence in the 2024/25 academic year showed our approach is having a positive impact, as the proportion of absence due to unauthorised holiday fell from 0.53% in 2023/24 to 0.48% in 2024/25 meaning approximately 1.3 million fewer absence sessions due to unauthorised holidays across the 2024/25 school year. The overall rate of absence fell by 0.37 percentage points, resulting in over five million more days in school last year.Our guidance is clear that enforcement should be used as a last resort and as part of a broader support-first approach. 93% of penalty notices issued in 2024/25 were for unauthorised term-time holidays, demonstrating that fixed penalty notices are being used primarily in circumstances where support is not appropriate, as intended.The department continues to work with schools and local authorities to promote effective practice and improve attendance outcomes for all pupils.