Written questions by Forster.

What steps her Department is taking to support Surrey County Council to deliver more housing for care leavers to improve Education, Employment and Training opportunities.

The government is committed to improving support for care leavers. Through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, we are placing a new duty on local authorities to provide ‘Staying Close’ support to care leavers up to age 25 where their welfare requires it and requiring local authorities to publish their arrangements for supporting care leavers’ transition to adulthood. The Bill will also ensure care leavers cannot be found intentionally homeless and will introduce corporate parenting responsibilities for government departments and relevant public bodies so that they better take the needs of care leavers into account. We also fund local authorities to help care leavers stay with their foster families up to age 21, known as ‘Staying Put’.Support is available for eligible care leavers to access bursaries to engage in education, employment and training, including £2,000 for university and £3,000 for apprenticeships.Wider housing reforms will also benefit care leavers. On 2 July, we announced a ten-year plan to deliver the largest increase in social and affordable housing in a generation, alongside lasting improvements in safety and quality. Additionally, from 10 July, eligible care leavers under 25 will no longer need to meet a local connection or residency test to access social housing.

What recent discussions her Department has had with Surrey County Council on the findings of its 2024 Parents’ Voices Matter survey that 20% of children with special educational needs do not receive (a) an Education, Health and Care Plan and (b) any form of SEN support.

In September 2023, Ofsted and Care Quality Commission undertook a local area special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) inspection in Surrey under the new SEND inspection framework. The report, published on 24 November, found inconsistent experiences and outcomes for children and young people with SEND.The report identified four areas for improvement relating to: the strategic evaluation of interventions; communication with parents and carers; the timeliness and quality of health assessments, needs assessments, education, health and care (EHC) plans and annual reviews; and reviewing the breadth and offer of alternative provision.To assist the local area in making improvements to its SEND services, including in relation to children accessing appropriate EHC plan and special educational needs support, the department has deployed a SEND advisor to offer advice and challenge. The advisor’s work has included supporting the local authority to review their EHC plan statutory progress and to discuss their action plan for making improvements, analysing EHC plan data and trends, facilitating best practice exchange with other local areas, and providing advice and guidance to enhance the quality of EHC plans.The department continues to monitor Surrey County Council’s SEND services in line with the department’s improvement and intervention approach, and officials will continue to ensure that the voices and experiences of parents are reflected in discussions with the local area and in the support and guidance we provide.

What estimate she has made of the number of school-aged children in Woking who will become newly eligible for free school meals under the planned September 2026 Universal Credit extension.

This government is committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity and tackling child poverty. The department has now announced that we are extending free school meals to all children from households in receipt of Universal Credit from September 2026. This will lift 100,000 children across England out of poverty and put £500 back in families’ pockets, supporting parents in decisive action to improve lives ahead of the Child Poverty Strategy coming later this year.Providing over half a million children from the most disadvantaged backgrounds with a free, nutritious lunchtime meal every school day will also lead to higher attainment, improved behaviour and better outcomes, meaning children get the best possible education and chance to succeed in work and life.The department’s published data shows that over 4,000 children in Woking could benefit from expanded free meal support: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/free-school-meals-expansion-impact-on-poverty-levels.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the delay in extending free school meals to all children in households receiving Universal Credit until September 2026 on the percentage of children in Woking receiving free school meals.

This government is committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity and tackling child poverty. The department has now announced that we are extending free school meals to all children from households in receipt of Universal Credit from September 2026. This will lift 100,000 children across England out of poverty and put £500 back in families’ pockets, supporting parents in decisive action to improve lives ahead of the Child Poverty Strategy coming later this year.Providing over half a million children from the most disadvantaged backgrounds with a free, nutritious lunchtime meal every school day will also lead to higher attainment, improved behaviour and better outcomes, meaning children get the best possible education and chance to succeed in work and life.The department’s published data shows that over 4,000 children in Woking could benefit from expanded free meal support: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/free-school-meals-expansion-impact-on-poverty-levels.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential implications for her policies of the finding from Surrey County Council’s 2024 Parents’ Voices Matter survey that 20% of children with special educational needs do not receive (a) an Education, Health and Care Plan and (b) any form of SEN support.

This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or in alternative provision receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life.We will strengthen accountability on mainstream settings to be inclusive, support the mainstream workforce to increase their SEND expertise, and encourage schools to set up resourced provision or special educational needs units to increase capacity in mainstream schools.The department is working closely with experts on reforms, including appointing a strategic advisor for SEND who is playing a key role in convening and engaging with the sector, including leaders, practitioners, children and families, as we consider the next steps for the future of SEND reform.This work forms part of the government’s Opportunity Mission, which will break the unfair link between background and opportunity, starting with giving every child, including those with SEND, the best start in life.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the Safety Valve agreement on the provision of special educational needs support in Surrey.

The department is continuing to work with Surrey to deliver their safety valve plan, including providing ongoing support from both expert advisers. We regularly review the implementation of all safety valve agreements through our monitoring process, which takes place 3 times a year. Safety valve agreements were only made if both the local authority and the department’s expert special educational needs and disabilities advisers agreed that the proposals would give children and young people a better service and comply with the local authority’s statutory obligations.

If she will undertake a review of the requirements non-UK nationals face when applying to train to become an educator.

The department keep the requirements for applying to train to be a teacher under regular review to ensure that the best candidates wherever they are from can continue to access the appropriate training to become great teachers.In addition to the requirements that apply to all candidates, those from overseas will need to show that they meet the eligibility requirements to get a visa and demonstrate that their school and university qualifications are equivalent to the required standard of a UK Bachelor’s degree and GSCEs (Grade 4) in mathematics, English and for teaching in primary schools science. They can do this by getting a statement of compatibility from the UK European Network of Information Centres.

When she plans to consider Surrey County Council's request to extend the deadline for balancing the Dedicated Schools Grant by 2026-27.

The department is continuing to work with Surrey County Council to deliver their safety valve plan, including ongoing support from both financial and special educational needs and disabilities advisers. We regularly review the implementation of all safety valve agreements through our monitoring process which takes place three times a year. Where local authorities are struggling to meet the terms of their agreement, we provide additional support to develop alternative plans and mitigations to deliver the aims of their plan.

What steps she plans to take to help ensure that Surrey County Council meets its Safety Valve support package conditions.

The department is continuing to work with Surrey County Council to deliver their safety valve plan, including ongoing support from both financial and special educational needs and disabilities advisers. We regularly review the implementation of all safety valve agreements through our monitoring process which takes place three times a year. Where local authorities are struggling to meet the terms of their agreement, we provide additional support to develop alternative plans and mitigations to deliver the aims of their plan.

What steps her Department is taking with local authorities to ensure that homeless children receive additional (a) educational and (b) pastoral support in schools.

Too often, opportunity for children and young people is defined by their background. Children whose families are experiencing homelessness face barriers to education and this is not acceptable. The Opportunity Mission will break the link between young people’s background and their future success.As part of this mission, work is progressing urgently to publish the Child Poverty Strategy. The Strategy will tackle overall child poverty, including a focus on those children in deepest poverty lacking essentials.Alongside this, homeless children are included in the Fair Access Protocol, a mandatory mechanism developed by local authorities in partnership with all schools in their area. This aims to ensure vulnerable children, and those having difficulty in securing a school place in-year, are allocated a school place as quickly as possible.From April 2025, the department started to roll out Family Help reforms to children’s social care. These reforms prioritise supporting the whole family. Lead practitioners will undertake assessments of all the needs of the family, including families experiencing, or at risk of experiencing, homelessness. Practitioners will intervene at the earliest opportunity to prevent challenges escalating.This financial year, over £500 million is available to local authorities to roll out the Families First Partnership programme which includes Family Help.

Whether his Department monitors the fee levels charged by higher education providers to (a) Ukrainian students and (b) other students.

The government sets the maximum fees that higher education (HE) providers can charge home fee students on undergraduate courses. HE providers are autonomous and responsible for setting their own fees up to the maximum caps provided for in legislation. The department does not formally monitor the fee levels charged for home students, such as those with Ukraine scheme leave, or other students who may be subject to international fees.The term ‘generally’ used in the context of the answer to Question 42205, means that persons with Ukraine scheme leave must also meet other eligibility requirements to be eligible for home fee status and student finance, such as the requirement to be ordinarily resident in England on the course start date for student support, or in the UK for home fee status. They must also show they have remained ordinarily resident in the UK and Islands (Channels Islands and Isle of Man) since being granted Ukraine scheme leave.

Pursuant to the Answer of 27 March 2025 to Question 42205 on Overseas Students: Ukraine, what is meant by the term generally in relation to Ukrainian refugees qualifying for (a) home fee status and (b) student support.

The government sets the maximum fees that higher education (HE) providers can charge home fee students on undergraduate courses. HE providers are autonomous and responsible for setting their own fees up to the maximum caps provided for in legislation. The department does not formally monitor the fee levels charged for home students, such as those with Ukraine scheme leave, or other students who may be subject to international fees.The term ‘generally’ used in the context of the answer to Question 42205, means that persons with Ukraine scheme leave must also meet other eligibility requirements to be eligible for home fee status and student finance, such as the requirement to be ordinarily resident in England on the course start date for student support, or in the UK for home fee status. They must also show they have remained ordinarily resident in the UK and Islands (Channels Islands and Isle of Man) since being granted Ukraine scheme leave.

Whether she plans to extend the eligibility of the Apprenticeship Levy to include (a) pre-employment and (b) employability schemes.

The government’s new levy-funded growth and skills offer will introduce greater flexibility to employers and learners in England, creating routes into good, skilled jobs in growing industries, aligned with the government’s industrial strategy. This will include introducing new foundation apprenticeships for young people, as well as shorter-duration apprenticeships.Foundation apprenticeships will be a work-based training offer that will provide young people with clear progression pathways into further work-based training and employment. Construction will be one of the key sectors that will benefit from new foundation apprenticeships, which will be launching in August 2025.Further development of the growth and skills offer will be informed by the work of Skills England who will work closely with employers and other key partners to identify priority skills gaps. This will help to ensure that the levy-funded growth and skills offer delivers value for money, meets the needs of business and helps kick-start economic growth.

Whether she plans to amend the Construction Industry Training Board’s legislative scope order to include (a) plumbing and (b) electrical work.

Plumbing and electrical works are excluded from the Industrial Training Board’s (ITBs) current legislative scope order.The 2023 independent review of the two remaining ITBs, Construction and Engineering Construction, recommended that there should be consultation with industry on a modified legislative scope order, aimed at resolving the most obvious anomalies.The department is establishing a steering group to oversee the implementation of the accepted review recommendations and will explore out of scope sectors.Whilst this is likely to primarily focus on new and emerging sectors, part of the exercise will be to listen to views from industry. Where there is strong evidence to support inclusion of different sectors this will be considered before legislative changes are progressed.

If her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a GCSE in Ukrainian.

I refer the hon. Member for Woking to the answer of 2 April 2025 to Question HL5393.

If her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a British Sign Language GCSE.

The department is in the process of developing a British Sign Language (BSL) GCSE. This landmark GCSE is an important step towards greater recognition of BSL as a language and will foster better communication between Deaf and hearing communities.The department published subject content for the BSL GCSE in December 2023. Ofqual, the independent qualifications regulator, is developing assessment arrangements and will launch a technical consultation on this in due course.

What the fee status is of Ukrainian refugees when applying for university; which fee level they fall under; and what financial support they are provided with.

Those who have been granted leave under one of the Ukraine schemes generally qualify for home fee status and higher education student support in England, without being required to meet the normal 3 year ordinary residence test.Higher education providers set their own fees in line with the relevant legislation.

Whether Ukrainian students will be eligible for home fee status from the 2025-26 academic year.

In the 2022/23 academic year, the Student Support Regulations were amended so that persons granted leave under one of the Ukraine schemes (Homes for Ukraine, Ukraine family scheme and Ukraine extension scheme) would qualify for student support and home fee status in England without requiring them to meet the three-year ordinary residence requirement.Following the recent launch of the Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme (UPES), the regulations have been further updated from the 2024/25 academic year, so that those who have been granted leave under UPES will also qualify for student finance and home fee status in line with those granted leave under one of the other Ukraine schemes.This ensures that Ukrainians who have been affected by the war in Ukraine can access support on the same basis as those within other protection-based categories, such as refugees.

If she will take steps to ensure drug education is delivered effectively in private schools.

Independent schools have a statutory duty to teach personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education, under the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014.Independent schools have discretion over how they teach health education, but they are encouraged to read the statutory curriculum for health education, which is part of the statutory guidance on relationships, sex and health education (RSHE). The guidance sets out that pupils should be taught the facts about legal and illegal harmful substances and the associated risks to physical and mental wellbeing, including smoking, alcohol use and drug-taking.Independent schools are subject to the relationships and sex education aspects of the RSHE statutory guidance, which is clear that pupils in secondary schools should understand how the use of alcohol and drugs can lead to risky sexual behaviour. The guidance also sets out that pupils should understand the law on criminal exploitation, including through involvement with gangs or ‘county lines’ drugs operations.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of planned increases to (a) National Insurance Contributions and (b) the National Minimum Wage on the viability of early years providers; and what steps she plans to take to ensure nurseries are supported to prevent closures.

Since July, this government has had to take some tough decisions to get our public finances back on track, but we are continuing to invest in the early years sector, supporting the delivery of the entitlements and recognising the vital role the sector plays in giving children the best start in life.The department expects to provide over £8 billion for early years entitlements in the 2025/26 financial year, which is a more than 30% increase compared to 2024/25, as the department continues to rollout the expansion of the entitlements to eligible working parents of children aged from nine months.On 10 December, the department published details of local authorities’ early years entitlements funding for 2025 to 2026. The funding rates for 2025/26 include funding to reflect the national living wage announced at the Autumn Budget 2024.HM Treasury are also increasing the Employment Allowance to £10,500 and expanding this to all eligible employers, meaning some smaller providers may pay no National Insurance at all in the 2025/26 financial year. The government has confirmed that public sector employers, including those in the early years sector, will be compensated for the increase in their National Insurance contributions.On top of over £8 billion through the core funding rates, the department is also providing an additional £75 million in an expansion grant for 2025/26 to support the sector in this pivotal year to grow the places and the workforce needed to deliver the final phase of expanded childcare entitlements from September 2025. This is in addition to the largest ever uplift in the early years pupil premium, increasing rates by over 45% to up to £570 per eligible child per year. This unprecedented increase is an investment in quality early education for those children who need it most, in the areas that need it most to tackle childcare deserts and give children the support they need to be ‘school ready’ at age 5 and go on to achieve and thrive.The department has regular contact with each local authority in England about their sufficiency of childcare and any issues they are facing. Where local authorities report sufficiency challenges, the department discusses what action the local authority is taking to address those issues and, where needed, supports the local authority with any specific requirements through our childcare sufficiency support contract.