Written questions by Dhesi.

What recent assessment has been made of whether children’s social care practice adequately supports parents who are experiencing post-separation abuse.

The Children’s Social Care National Framework (2023) statutory guidance sets the direction for children’s social care practice. It describes expectations for practitioners working sensitively with whole families, including to identify and address the impact of trauma. It also sets out that leaders should put in place meaningful and collaborative forums with children, young people and families, such as family group decision making.The national rollout of Family Help, multi-agency child protection and family group decision making reforms, delivered through the Families First Partnership programme, will prioritise supporting the whole family and intervening at the earliest opportunity to prevent problems escalating, including supporting parents who are experiencing post-separation abuse. This will require excellent place-based service design driven by local authorities working effectively with local partners, including health, police, education providers and specialist agencies such as domestic abuse and victim support services, underpinned by good multi agency safeguarding arrangements and listening closely to families.

What recent assessment has she made of the adequacy of financial support available to university students.

The government needs to ensure that the student funding system is financially sustainable, and funding arrangements are reviewed each year.We are increasing loans for living costs each year in line with forecast inflation with students from the lowest income families receiving the largest year-on-year cash increases in support. Maximum loans for living costs will increase by 2.71% for the 2026/27 academic year.We are also reintroducing maintenance grants of up to £1,000 per year for full-time students from low-income households studying courses aligned with the government’s missions and Industrial Strategy from the 2028/29 academic year.The department will also provide extra support for care leavers, some of the most vulnerable in our society, who will automatically become eligible to receive the maximum rates of loans for living costs from the 2026/27 academic year.

What recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the nutritional guidance for school dinners.

The School Food Standards regulate the food and drink provided at both lunchtime and at other times of the school day. We are revising the School Food Standards and engaging with stakeholders to ensure they support our work to create the healthiest generation of children in history. As part of our work, we expect to revise our guidance.

What recent assessment he has been made of the adequacy of national guidance for schools regarding (a) incidents and (b) reports of knife possession on school grounds.

It is essential that schools are equipped to act decisively to safeguard all pupils and staff. The department regularly keeps guidance under review and we are actively considering how we can further support schools to understand the expectations set out in policy guidance around both violence prevention, and response to violence.Schools must have regard to statutory guidance, including ‘Keeping children safe in education’, ‘Working together to safeguard children’, and guidance on ‘Searching, screening and confiscation’.The department has taken steps to strengthen practice in schools by working with the Youth Endowment Fund to highlight evidence based approaches to preventing violence. This includes a national webinar series, aimed at school leaders and safeguarding leads, which shares best practice, evidence based approaches and practical guidance on preventing serious violence and supporting vulnerable pupils. This work supports the government’s ambition to halve knife crime over the next decade, starting with effective early prevention‑based approaches to preventing violence.

What consideration her Department has given to including milk in government-funded breakfast clubs without reducing funding for existing milk provision schemes.

The department funds schools taking part in the free breakfast clubs programme to buy breakfast foods and drinks, as well as to cover staffing and delivery costs. Schools are required to provide a breakfast adhering to the school food standards, which could include a glass of lower fat milk. However, it is up to schools to decide what they serve in line with the standards. Where schools provide milk, they can also choose whether to participate in the national school milk subsidy scheme which can be used to reduce the cost of the milk Additionally, the Nursery Milk Scheme is operated and funded by the Department of Health and Social Care and provides free milk to children under five at participating schools and childcare settings.

What steps her Department is taking to improve awareness of milk entitlement schemes among schools.

Milk is an excellent food for children’s growth and development. To help schools understand the milk entitlement schemes available to them, departmental advice is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/standards-for-school-food-in-england/school-food-in-england. This includes links to the guidance on the school milk subsidy scheme and the nursery milk scheme.

What recent steps her Department has taken alongside local authorities to help tackle persistent absence in schools in Slough constituency.

Tackling absence is at the heart of the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity. Thanks to the efforts of schools, absence is moving in the right direction, with children attending over 5.31 million more days this year compared to last. However, around one in five pupils are still missing 10% or more of school, which is why the department is continuing to drive further improvement.Steps taken to improve attendance includes developing real-time data tools that allows schools to compare attendance against similar schools and enable earlier intervention as well as investing in targeted support, including £15 million to set up the attendance mentors programme supporting 10,800 pupils.The department has also started to establish new Attendance and Behaviour Hubs, where up to 90 hubs led by schools with excellent attendance and behaviour practice will support more than 4,500 schools to improve.

What recent discussions she has had with local authorities on the (a) services and (b) level of financial support provided to kinship carers.

Local authorities have powers to provide a range of services, including financial support, to help children and families. They are best placed to decide what support is needed and any payments should follow their assessment models. The government does not set a minimum or maximum allowance for kinship carers, but statutory guidance makes clear that children and young people should receive the support they need to safeguard and promote their welfare.We recognise the financial pressures on local authorities and are committed to improving support for kinship families. To that end, we will soon launch a Kinship Allowance Pilot in selected local authorities in England to help eligible kinship carers with the costs of raising a child.

What assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of training provided to school staff on assisting children who have epilepsy.

Governing bodies must ensure that the arrangements they put in place are sufficient to meet their statutory responsibilities and that policies, plans, procedures and systems are properly and effectively implemented. This includes the duty under Section 100 of the Children and Families Act 2014 to make arrangements for supporting pupils with medical conditions, as well as the duties under the Equality Act 2010. The effectiveness of a school is assessed through inspection by Ofsted.The department has committed to reviewing the ‘Supporting pupils with medical conditions at school’ guidance and intends to issue a consultation on an updated version. The current guidance is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/supporting-pupils-at-school-with-medical-conditions--3.

What steps she is taking to support schools to provide practical science activities as part of their curriculum.

The government recognises the vital role of practical science activities in schools in fostering scientific understanding and engagement.The national curriculum already provides opportunities for schools to deliver practical science lessons, including a requirement for pupils to undertake a minimum of eight practical activities for each science at GCSE level. Schools also have flexibility within the broad framework of the national curriculum to tailor their science curriculum to meet the needs of their pupils.Support is available through Oak National Academy, an independent arm’s length body providing adaptable, optional, and free curriculum support for schools. Oak has new science resources covering key stages 1-4 that include practical science activities.The government has commissioned Professor Becky Francis to undertake a review of the curriculum and assessment system in England, which will include looking at the science curriculum. The final report is due to be published this autumn, along with the government’s response.

When she plans to answer Question (a) 74612 and (b) 74613, tabled on 3 September 2025.

The responses to Written Parliamentary Questions 74612 and 74613 were published on 22 October 2025.

How many officials were investigated under their Department's disciplinary processes in each of the last five years.

The number of employees who were subject to an investigation as part of the department’s disciplinary process is shown in table below.Year (calendar)Number of cases2025*18202437202334202234202130 *1 January - 30 September 2025

What recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the levels of educational support available to autistic children in mainstream schools.

The Neurodivergence Task and Finish Group brought together experts to provide advice and recommendations to the department on how to best meet the needs of neurodivergent children and young people within mainstream education settings.To support schools, the department is also strengthening the evidence base of what works to improve inclusive practice in mainstream settings and has commissioned evidence reviews, including one on autism, from Newcastle University and University College London. The What Works in special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) research programme is researching tools that schools can use to identify the needs of neurodivergent children.The Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools programme provides health and education specialist support to upskill mainstream primary schools to better meet the needs of neurodivergent children, including pupils with autism. The programme is being evaluated, and the learning is informing future policy development around how schools support neurodivergent children.

What information her Department holds on the number of children (a) with epilepsy and (b) without an individual healthcare plan in Slough.

The department does not collect data on pupils who have specific health issues, such as epilepsy, and only collects information where a pupil has a learning need. As such, we do not hold figures on either the number of children with epilepsy, or the proportion who do not have an education, health and care plan.

What recent mental health support her Department has provided within schools for pupils in Slough.

41% of schools and colleges in Slough constituency were supported by an NHS-funded Mental Health Support Team (MHST) in March 2025. Data on the coverage of MHSTs in England in 2024/25 can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/transforming-children-and-young-peoples-mental-health-provision. This has been available since 16 May 2025 at national, regional and local authority level and at constituency level since 10 July 2025.Data on MHST coverage is collected annually, as part of the government’s commitment to expand MHSTs to every school, so every child and young person has access to early support to address problems before they escalate.Around six in ten pupils nationally are expected to have access to an MHST by March 2026.

What recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the availability of mental health support within schools.

41% of schools and colleges in Slough constituency were supported by an NHS-funded Mental Health Support Team (MHST) in March 2025. Data on the coverage of MHSTs in England in 2024/25 can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/transforming-children-and-young-peoples-mental-health-provision. This has been available since 16 May 2025 at national, regional and local authority level and at constituency level since 10 July 2025.Data on MHST coverage is collected annually, as part of the government’s commitment to expand MHSTs to every school, so every child and young person has access to early support to address problems before they escalate.Around six in ten pupils nationally are expected to have access to an MHST by March 2026.

What recent assessment she has made of the (a) effectiveness and (b) timeliness of the delivery of EHCPs.

The department recognises that some parents have struggled to get the right support for their children, particularly through long and difficult education, health and care (EHC) plan processes. We know that even after fighting to secure a plan, support is not always necessarily guaranteed or delivered quickly enough.The department wants to ensure that needs assessments are progressed promptly, and high-quality plans are issued quickly. This will provide children and young people with the support they need, when they need it.Our priority is improving outcomes for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) so that they get the chance to achieve and thrive in their education.Details of our intended approach to strengthening the SEND system will be set out in a schools white paper, which will be followed by a public consultation.

What recent discussions has she had with SEND service providers on Government proposals on SEND reform.

This government’s ambition is that every child or young person in our country deserves the best possible educational experience, one that is academically stretching, where every child or young person feels like they belong, and that sets them up for life and work.Over the last year, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, supported by expert advisers like Tom Rees and Dame Christine Lenehan, has engaged intensely with parents, teachers, experts and children and young people on the shape of solutions. We are continuing to engage closely with children, parents and experts as we develop plans to ensure all children get the outcomes and life chances they deserve.We will build a better system which is grounded in evidence, identifies and supports need at the earliest opportunity, and ensures families can secure support swiftly without a fight. There will always be a legal right to the additional support needed by children with special educational needs and disabilities.

What her expected timetable is for the (a) publication of the White Paper, (b) consultation and (c) implementation of reform on SEND provision in schools.

This government’s ambition is that every child or young person in our country deserves the best possible educational experience, one that is academically stretching, where every child or young person feels like they belong, and that sets them up for life and work.Over the last year, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, supported by expert advisers like Tom Rees and Dame Christine Lenehan, has engaged intensely with parents, teachers, experts and children and young people on the shape of solutions. We are continuing to engage closely with children, parents and experts as we develop plans to ensure all children get the outcomes and life chances they deserve.We will build a better system which is grounded in evidence, identifies and supports need at the earliest opportunity, and ensures families can secure support swiftly without a fight. There will always be a legal right to the additional support needed by children with special educational needs and disabilities.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of smartphone bans in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools on educational attainment.

Mobile phones have no place in our schools.Schools should prohibit the use of mobile phones and other smart technology with similar functionality to mobile phones throughout the school day, including during lessons, the time between lessons, breaktimes and lunchtime, as set out in the ‘Mobile phones in schools’ guidance, published in 2024.The department expects all schools to take steps in line with this guidance to ensure mobile phones do not disrupt pupils’ learning.New research from the Children’s Commissioner, with responses from nearly all schools and colleges in England, shows that the overwhelming majority of schools – 99.8% of primary schools and 90% of secondary schools – already have policies in place that limit or restrict the use of mobile phones during the school day.