Department for Education

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.

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.

Support for children to access FSM has additionally been considered as part of the Child Poverty Taskforce’s consideration of how to:

• Support households to increase their income, including considering social security reforms that support people into work and alleviate poverty.
• Help to bring down essential household costs, build savings and tackle problem debt.
• Alleviate the negative experience of living in poverty, including through supporting families and the role of public services.

As with all government programmes, the department will keep the approach to FSM under continued review.

The published tax information and impact note on VAT includes impact on pupil movement, with any movement into the state sector estimated to be equivalent to fewer than 0.1% of pupils this academic year.

All children of compulsory school age are entitled to a state-funded school place. Local authorities are responsible for ensuring sufficient state school places. The department already works with local authorities to identify pressures and take action where necessary.

Following the Autumn Budget 2024, the department is providing an increase of £1 billion for high needs budgets in England in the 2025/26 financial year, bringing total high needs funding for children and young people with complex special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to over £12 billion. Of that total, Lancashire County Council is being allocated over £219 million through the high needs funding block of the dedicated schools grant (DSG), an increase of £18 million on this year’s DSG high needs block, calculated using the high needs national funding formula (NFF). This NFF allocation is an 8.8% increase per head of their 2-18 year old population, on their equivalent 2024/25 NFF allocation.

In addition, local authorities will receive a separate core schools budget grant for high needs in the 2025/26 financial year. We plan to publish individual local authorities’ allocations later in May 2025.

Pursuant to the answer of 10 April 2025, five of the 343 schools due to receive a funded upgrade to fibre this year are in Bedfordshire. One of these schools has already been upgraded, with the school benefitting from the new high-speed connection.

From September 2025, the focus of the Advanced Mathematics Support Programme (AMSP) will be tilted towards the following areas: supporting schools with low girls’ progression to level 3 mathematics to implement evidence-driven strategies to encourage more girls into post-16 mathematics, supporting high-attaining KS2 disadvantaged students to progress to higher grades at GCSE and into level 3 mathematics, and courses to improve knowledge and skills on the key mathematical concepts and skills needed for artificial intelligence advancement and machine learning.

The AMSP will continue to deliver teacher professional development in level 3 mathematics (core maths, A level Maths and A level Further Maths) and higher-level problem solving and university entrance tests, and deliver online student tuition in A level Further Maths for 16-19 students in institutions that cannot offer the qualification.

Clauses to establish the School Support Staff Negotiating Body (SSSNB) were introduced in Parliament as part of the Employment Rights Bill on 10 October 2024.

The department has policy responsibility for school support staff and the SSSNB. The department worked closely with stakeholders on the drafting of SSSNB clauses prior to introduction, including the recognised trade unions representing school support staff and employer representative organisations.

Departmental officials have established a regular working group with these organisations to provide a forum for stakeholders to give views on the design of the body.

We also engage with wider stakeholders who can share knowledge and expertise on the school support staff sector.

​​​​All children and young people should have the opportunity to succeed. That is why, through our work to deliver the Opportunity Mission, this government will work in partnership with those inside and outside of government to break the unfair link between background and success.

High and rising standards across education are at the heart of this mission. As one of the department’s first steps for change, we are committed to recruiting an additional 6,500 expert teachers. We have also introduced new regional improvement for standards and excellence teams and launched an independent, expert-led Curriculum and Assessment Review that is looking at the key challenges to attainment.

The government is also developing a comprehensive strategy for post‐16 education and skills, to break down barriers to opportunity, support the development of a skilled workforce, and drive economic growth through our Industrial Strategy across all areas of the country.

We have established Skills England to ensure we have the highly trained workforce needed to deliver the national, regional and local skills needs of the next decade. It will ensure that the skills system is clear and navigable for both young people and adults, strengthening careers pathways into jobs across the economy.

The number and percentage of education, health and care (EHC) plans issued within the statutory timeframe of 20 weeks from the date of the request for an EHC needs assessment are published for each local authority, for the 2023 calendar year, in the following publication: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/education-health-and-care-plans/2024.

I refer the hon. Member for Rochester and Strood to the answer of 7 April 2025 to Question 40142.

The national curriculum in England provides a broad framework within which schools have the flexibility to develop the content of their own curricula. Topics related to the environment can be taught within all key stages of the science and geography curricula. They can also be taught within the citizenship curriculum, which is compulsory at key stages 3 and 4.

The government has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, chaired by Professor Becky Francis CBE. The Review wants to ensure a rich, broad, inclusive and innovative curriculum that readies young people for life and work. The Review Group published an interim report on 18 March, and the final report with recommendations will be published in the autumn.

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.

It is for schools to decide what enrichment and extracurricular activities are best for their pupils and settings, and the department does not specifically promote journalism clubs. However, the department, working closely with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, has committed to publishing a new enrichment framework by the end of 2025, which may support schools considering journalism as part of their enrichment offer. Building on the work of the sector, we will develop the framework alongside a working group consisting of experts from schools, youth sports, arts organisations and research bodies. The framework will also highlight effective practice on enrichment.

The apprenticeship funding rules for the 2025/2026 academic year were published on 15 May 2025 on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/apprenticeship-funding-rules-2025-to-2026.

These include guidance for employers and providers on the growth and skills offer, including on foundation and shorter duration apprenticeships. All apprenticeships starting on or after 1 August 2025 will be subject to these rules unless otherwise specified.

The apprenticeship funding rules for the 2025/2026 academic year were published on 15 May 2025 on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/apprenticeship-funding-rules-2025-to-2026.

These include guidance for employers and providers on the growth and skills offer, including on foundation and shorter duration apprenticeships. All apprenticeships starting on or after 1 August 2025 will be subject to these rules unless otherwise specified.

I refer the hon. Member for Rochester and Strood to the answer of 28 March 2025 to Question 39389.

As part of its work with employers, providers and others across the skills system, Skills England will enable Institutes of Technology (IoTs) to support the delivery of skills local employers need, as aligned to the needs of national priority sectors.

Skills England will work with mayoral strategic authorities and other forms of regional government and local organisations, such as employer representative bodies, to ensure that regional and national skills needs are met. Skills England will oversee the Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIPs) programme, including where LSIPs have identified IoTs’ role in meeting local skills needs.

Skills England will continue to set out evidence and insights into skills gaps in the economy, building on the publication of its first report in September 2024.

The number of apprenticeship starts in the Aldridge-Brownhills constituency are published in the apprenticeships accredited official statistics publication: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/2d7a8365-ec14-40eb-96d3-08dd85738b16.

These were last published in March 2025. They include full year figures for the 2023/24 academic year, and year to date figures for the 2024/25 academic year.

Ensuring schools have the resources and buildings they need is a key part of the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and give every child the best start in life.

Capital funding for the 2026/27 financial year to improve the condition of the estate will be set out following the next multi-year phase of the spending review.

In the 2025/26 budget, we increased capital funding to £2.1 billion to improve the condition of school buildings, up from £1.8 billion in the 2024/25 financial year. The majority of this funding is allocated to large responsible bodies such as local authorities, large multi-academy trusts and large voluntary-aided school bodies, who decide locally how to invest in their schools. Allocations and the methodology for the 2025/26 financial year are published in the ‘School capital funding’ guidance which can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/school-capital-funding#funding-allocations-for-the-2025-to-2026-financial-year.

This is on top of the continuing School Rebuilding Programme, which includes nine schools in Devon.

In March 2025, the department announced that Devon County Council has also been allocated just over £15.7 million in capital funding to support it to create the mainstream school places needed by September 2028. £9.6 million of this will be paid in the 2026/27 financial year, with a further £6.1 million paid in 2027/28.

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education has asked the Public Sector Fraud Authority to coordinate action against the threat of the student funding system being exploited. The department will act on its findings and take quick decisions on whether we need to make more fundamental changes to the system.

There is a programme of investigations underway between the department and the Office for Students. Where investigations find abuse of the student finance system there will be serious consequences. The department will always take steps to recover student funding that has been paid in respect of students who have, for example, not been attending their courses. Depending on the precise circumstances, recovery will be pursued either from the institution or the student.

The Student Loans Company (SLC) is responsible for processing student funding loan applications and delivering student funding in line with student support regulations.

The SLC continues to monitor student funding applications for suspicious activity and will investigate where there are any concerns around individual applications or a collection of funding applications. Where fraudulent claims are identified, the SLC follows its published sanctions model which can result in individuals being ‘unfitted’ for support, and/or report to Cifas, a fraud prevention service in the United Kingdom.

​​​​This government is committed to breaking down barriers of opportunity for all young people, including young carers who provide a critical role caring for their loved ones.

Young carers were added to the school census in the 2022/23 academic year. This change has raised both awareness and the profile of young carers in schools by, for the first time, providing hard data on both the numbers of young carers in schools and their education. The number of schools returning data on young carers as part of the census has been low. The last annual spring census showed that 72% of schools did not record any young carers in 2024, which is an improvement on the 79% of schools with zero returns in 2023. The department recognises that this is not good enough, and we hope to see an improvement in coverage and quality in the next spring census, due in June. We will monitor the quality of school census data on young carers for consideration for future inclusion in the daily collection. In the meantime, we are continuing to work closely with the sector to encourage better identification, recording and support for young carers in schools.

​Absence from school is almost always a symptom of wider needs and barriers that a family are facing, including where pupils may have caring responsibilities at home. The department’s statutory guidance ‘Working together to improve school attendance’ takes a ‘support first’ approach where pupils and families, including young carers, should receive holistic, whole-family support to help them overcome the barriers to attendance they are facing.

The government works to support local authorities to ensure that every local area has sufficient places for children that need them. The statutory duty to provide sufficient school places sits with local authorities.

The department engages with councils on a regular basis to review their plans for creating additional places and to consider alternatives where necessary. When local authorities are experiencing difficulties, we support them to find solutions as quickly as possible.

The department provides capital funding through the Basic Need grant to support local authorities to provide school places, based on their own pupil forecasts and school capacity data. They can use this funding to provide places in new schools or through expansions of existing schools and can work with any school in their local area, including academies and free schools.

In March, the department announced that Gloucestershire County Council has been allocated just under £9.2 million to support it to create the mainstream school places needed by September 2028.This funding, £5.6 million of which will be paid in the 2026/27 financial year and with a further £3.6 million paid in 2027/28, is on top of just over £23.1 million we have previously allocated to Gloucestershire County Council to support it in providing new school places needed over the current and next two academic years, up to and including the academic year starting in September 2026.

Skills England will work with Technical Excellence Colleges (TECs) and Institutes of Technology (IoTs) to ensure they are supported in delivering the skills that local employers need, as aligned to the needs of national priority sectors.

The government will transform further education colleges into specialist TECs to deliver the priority skills needed by employers to help drive economic growth at local and national level. This starts with £100 million, announced as part of a wider construction skills package, to establish ten construction TECs, with one in every English region to deliver the skills required to support the government’s Plan for Change in building 1.5 million homes by the end of this Parliament. TECs will work with IoTs as part of wider sectoral collaboration to ensure skills gaps across regions are addressed and the skills employers need to grow the economy are delivered.

The department does not hold information on the number of children waiting to be assessed for an education, health and care (EHC) plan.

The department collects information from local authorities on the number of requests for an EHC needs assessment, the number of EHC needs assessments carried out, and the number of EHC plans issued within the statutory 20 week timeframe. This data is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/education-health-and-care-plans/2024.

16 to 19 funding enables students to take part in study programmes, which includes technical qualifications, or T levels. The department uses the 16 to 19 funding formula to calculate an allocation of funding to each institution, in each academic year, based on volumes and characteristics of students and their programmes. Additional funding is also available via the high value courses premium to encourage and support delivery of selected level 3 study programmes and T Levels.

Additionally, in the 2025/26 academic year, the adult skills fund will be 68% devolved to mayoral strategic authorities. These authorities have autonomy in deciding how to use their funding to make decisions that are best for their areas. In non-devolved areas, the department uses five funding bands that reflect, amongst other considerations, the cost of the provision involved and skill needs of the economy.

My right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, also committed over £600 million over the Parliament to deliver up to 60,000 skilled construction workers, supporting the government’s infrastructure and housebuilding priorities. This includes additional funding to deliver more construction courses, skills bootcamps, foundation apprenticeships, industry placements, and the establishment of ten new Technical Excellence Colleges.

The department continues to support small and medium businesses to benefit from a range of technical education opportunities including apprenticeships, T Level industry placements, Higher Technical Qualifications, and Skills Bootcamps.

For example, on T Levels we are actively engaging small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) through our T Level Ambassador network and raising awareness and support of industry placements, including a new Employer Support Fund to help SMEs meet delivery costs, and on apprenticeships we pay full training costs for non-levy paying employers for young apprentices under the age of 22 and provide £1000 payments to employers who take on young apprentices under the age of 19.

Employers are playing a more strategic role in the skills system, through working with providers, including through local skills improvement plans where they can help shape local curriculum offers and become more actively involved in the planning, design and delivery of further education provision.

Skills England will work with employers to identify and fill skills gaps and build the highly trained workforce that employers need, delivering the national, regional and local skills needs of the next decade.

The department published its latest research on the cost of school uniform in September 2024, which surveyed parents and carers of children aged 4 to 16 attending state-funded schools in England. The research is published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cost-of-school-uniforms-survey-2023.

The data were sampled to be representative of the population at primary and secondary level. Nationally, the department estimates that the new limit on compulsory branded uniform will reduce school uniform costs for around 4.2 million children. The aggregate savings to parents with children in primary school is around £21 million per year, and for those with children in secondary school is around £52 million per year. We estimate that some families will save over £50 per child on the back to school shop.

The sample size was not large enough to make robust comparisons at a regional or local level.

Promoting apprenticeships and technical education routes remains a key part of this government’s education policy. The decision to not continue the Apprenticeships Support and Knowledge (ASK) programme was based on the following:

• Growth in awareness of apprenticeships, which is now on a par with awareness of A Levels.
• The government’s apprenticeships programme has evolved since ASK was introduced, with the emphasis moving more towards supporting successful participation and completion.
• The tight fiscal climate means we have had to make tough decisions about which programmes and activities we can afford to extend.

Schools and colleges seeking support to raise awareness of apprenticeships and technical education can access a range of online and in-person initiatives, including:

• The Skills for Careers Apprenticeships support page, which can be found here: https://www.skillsforcareers.education.gov.uk/pages/training-choice/apprenticeships.
• The Careers and Enterprise Company’s (CEC) resource directory, which can be found here: https://resources.careersandenterprise.co.uk/.
• ‘Amazing Apprenticeships’ offer a wide range of free resources and support for schools and colleges.
• The CEC's network of Careers Hubs (covering 95% of schools and colleges) helps co-ordination with schools and colleges to support their careers education.
• CEC also supports enhanced Provider Access Legislation which specifies schools must provide at least six encounters with approved providers of apprenticeships and technical education.

Around 2,000 volunteers, comprising of employers and apprentices, have formed the Apprenticeship ambassador network (AAN), a department-supported network. The AAN visit institutions sharing compelling experiences about apprenticeships. The AAN covers 70% schools and colleges in England and aims to align an ambassador to every secondary school and further education college by March 2026.

Schools must take a strong stand against all forms of bullying and should tackle bullying at the earliest opportunity to prevent it from escalating, particularly given the impact it can have on pupils, both emotionally and physically. It is up to schools to develop their own anti-bullying strategies to suit their specific needs and are held to account by Ofsted.

​​The department provides advice to support schools with addressing incidents of bullying. The guidance is clear that schools should make appropriate provision for a bullied child's social, emotional and mental health needs. This guidance is accessible at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/625ee64cd3bf7f6004339db8/Preventing_and_tackling_bullying_advice.pdf.

Further resource includes the Respectful School Communities toolkit, which can be found on the Educate Against Hate website: https://www.educateagainsthate.com/resources/respectful-school-communities-self-review-signposting-tool-2/.

The department knows that children experiencing bullying are more susceptible to mental health challenges. The government will work to ensure the right support is available to every young person that needs it, including providing access to specialist mental health professionals in every school.

The department has launched a mental health leads resource hub to help schools select the most effective evidence-based support options, including a range of resources that focus on supporting the wellbeing of those who have experienced bullying. This is available at: https://www.mentallyhealthyschools.org.uk/.

Schools must take a strong stand against all forms of bullying and should tackle bullying at the earliest opportunity to prevent it from escalating, particularly given the impact it can have on pupils, both emotionally and physically. It is up to schools to develop their own anti-bullying strategies to suit their specific needs and are held to account by Ofsted.

​​The department provides advice to support schools with addressing incidents of bullying. The guidance is clear that schools should make appropriate provision for a bullied child's social, emotional and mental health needs. This guidance is accessible at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/625ee64cd3bf7f6004339db8/Preventing_and_tackling_bullying_advice.pdf.

Further resource includes the Respectful School Communities toolkit, which can be found on the Educate Against Hate website: https://www.educateagainsthate.com/resources/respectful-school-communities-self-review-signposting-tool-2/.

The department knows that children experiencing bullying are more susceptible to mental health challenges. The government will work to ensure the right support is available to every young person that needs it, including providing access to specialist mental health professionals in every school.

The department has launched a mental health leads resource hub to help schools select the most effective evidence-based support options, including a range of resources that focus on supporting the wellbeing of those who have experienced bullying. This is available at: https://www.mentallyhealthyschools.org.uk/.

The number of requests for an education, health and care (EHC) needs assessment, the number of assessments carried out and the number where an EHC plan has been issued are published for Cambridgeshire local authority, for each of the last five years (where available), in the following table: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/1a9ce774-d804-47af-1f6e-08dd8e2f6934.

Information on the number of requests where it was decided to carry out an EHC needs assessment was collected for the first time for the 2022 calendar year.

The department is clear that schools must take a strong stand against all forms of bullying and should tackle bullying at the earliest opportunity to prevent it from escalating. All schools must have a behaviour policy with measures to prevent all forms of bullying, including the bullying of pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

The department does not collect data on specific incidents of bullying in schools. We expect schools to develop their own approaches for monitoring bullying and exercise their own judgement as to what will work best for their pupils.

We monitor young people’s perceptions of bullying at a high level, through surveys, which indicate that a higher level of children and young people with SEND, including neurodivergence, report that they have been bullied, than children without SEND. The latest survey can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6628dd9bdb4b9f0448a7e584/National_behaviour_survey_academic_year_2022_to_2023.pdf.

​The department has published advice to support schools with addressing incidents of bullying, which can be accessed here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/625ee64cd3bf7f6004339db8/Preventing_and_tackling_bullying_advice.pdf, as well as a practical tool to help schools, which can be found on the Educate Against Hate website here: https://www.educateagainsthate.com/resources/respectful-school-communities-self-review-signposting-tool-2/.

The department recognises that some pupils find it harder than others to attend school. It is therefore very important that schools and partners work closely with pupils and parents to remove any barriers to attendance by building strong and trusting relationships and working together to put the right support in place.

If a child of compulsory school age is still unable to access a mainstream or special school place, the local authority, under section 19 of the Children's Act 1996, has a duty to arrange alternative suitable and, typically, full-time education for the child.

Placements into alternative provision (AP) should focus on enabling the child to overcome any barriers to learning they may have and to assist them back into mainstream education. All placements should be reviewed regularly to ensure they are meeting these objectives.

Departmental guidance states that a child’s family should always be consulted before AP is arranged. This is because we know that families have an important role to play throughout the planning and commissioning of a child’s placement, as they can provide necessary information about the child and their needs. This guidance, last updated in January 2025, is accessible at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/alternative-provision.

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.

Upskilling the country’s workforce is vital to meet the government’s clean energy 2030 target, with apprenticeships playing an important role in supporting employers in clean energy industries to develop the skills they need.

Employers in England can benefit from over 40 apprenticeships that relate to clean energy industries. This includes the level 3 domestic electrician apprenticeship, which trains people to maintain domestic heat pumps, solar panels and electric charging points, and the level 4 community energy specialist apprenticeship, which trains people to help communities work together to reduce energy use and costs.

All children and young people should have every opportunity to succeed, no matter where they are from. However, the department knows pupil attainment varies considerably across the country. This is not acceptable, which is why the Opportunity Mission will break down barriers and the unfair link between background and success so all children can achieve and thrive.

High and rising standards are at the heart of this mission and the key to unlocking stronger outcomes and a better future for all children and young people, no matter where they live.

To deliver these improvements and reduce disparities, we have introduced new regional improvement for standards and excellence teams and launched an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review that is looking closely at the key challenges to attainment. We are also committed to recruiting 6,500 new expert teachers across the country.

We will support the aspiration of every person who meets the requirements and wants to go to university, regardless of their background, where they live or their personal circumstances.

All higher education (HE) providers registered with the Office for Students (OfS) that intend to charge higher level tuition fees must have an Access and Participation Plan approved by the Office for Students. These need to set out how HE providers will improve equality of opportunity for underrepresented groups and the support that they will provide to do this. While there are many examples of interventions that show a real commitment to widening successful participation, we want the sector to go further and be even more ambitious.

The department spends around £1.5 billion annually on free lunches for 2.1 million school pupils under benefits-based free school meals, over 90,000 disadvantaged students in further education, and around 1.3 million infants under universal infant free school meals. In addition to this, eligibility for free meals drives billions of additional pounds in disadvantage funding.

Schools have autonomy to allocate their budgets to comply with their duty to provide free meals in line with nutritional guidance set out in the school food standards.

As with all government programmes, including free school meals, we keep our approach under continued review.

The department spends around £1.5 billion annually on free lunches for 2.1 million school pupils under benefits-based free school meals, over 90,000 disadvantaged students in further education, and around 1.3 million infants under universal infant free school meals. In addition to this, eligibility for free meals drives billions of additional pounds in disadvantage funding.

Schools have autonomy to allocate their budgets to comply with their duty to provide free meals in line with nutritional guidance set out in the school food standards.

As with all government programmes, including free school meals, we keep our approach under continued review.

Local authorities are required to comply with the school admissions code. This includes a requirement to publish a composite prospectus for parents, including information relating to how to apply for schools in that area, information on the admission arrangements for each state-funded school in their area and the number of parental preferences expressed for the school in the previous year. Local authorities must also publish an annual report on admissions for all the state-funded schools in their area.

In 2024, 82.9% of applicants were offered their first-choice secondary school and 94.6% received offers from one of their top three choices. At primary level, 93.2% of applicants were offered their first-choice primary school and 98.6% received offers from one of their top three choices.

If a parent or other party is dissatisfied with the information provided by the local authority, they can complain, in the first instance, through the local authority’s complaints procedure. If they remain dissatisfied, they can complain to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman. Additionally, if my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education becomes aware of an issue she can, if necessary, use her powers to direct the local authority, where it is failing in a legal duty.

High quality early years education is crucial to children’s development, health and life chances. The department is committed to ensuring that all children, including children with disabilities such as deafness, have the best possible start in life as part of the government‘s Plan for Change. A strong focus on communication in early years is good for every child. The early years foundation stage (EYFS) aims to ensure that all children have the skills and knowledge needed to thrive and to make a successful transition to later schooling.

The EYFS Profile involves assessing a child’s development against 17 early learning goals (ELGs) across all seven areas of learning in the EYFS. In November 2024, the department published the updated EYFS Profile handbook, which can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-foundation-stage-profile-handbook. This update included a change to allow a child’s established or preferred mode of communication, including non-speaking communication, such as signing, to be used for all of the ELGs, including the speaking ELG.

The department has published resources, including a free online training module and special educational needs and disabilities assessment guidance, to help early educators to identify, assess and support children in their settings. Early years educators can choose to utilise many methods of communication, including signing, if they feel it would meet the needs of the children in their care.

Before and after-school clubs can register with Ofsted on either or both the Early Years Register and the General Childcare Register, depending on the type of provision and age of the children they intend to care for. Some providers are exempt from registration if they meet the exemptions set out in legislation. Depending on their registration, they must either meet the statutory requirements of the early years foundation stage, or the general childcare register requirements. The requirements for both registers are set by the department.

It is Ofsted’s role to monitor compliance with these registration requirements. Ofsted reports to Parliament through its annual report and official statistics publications about inspection, regulatory activity and compliance with the department’s legal requirements. Officials also meet regularly with their Ofsted counterparts to ensure that the regulations that apply to Ofsted registered providers of after-school childcare remain fit for purpose.

Ofsted takes appropriate action on information that they receive about unregistered services and provision on unapproved premises. Ofsted’s process for managing unregistered provision is outlined in their published enforcement policy, accessible at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-and-childcare-ofsteds-enforcement-policy/early-years-and-childcare-enforcement-policy#unregistered:~:text=in%20appropriate%20circumstances.-,Unregistered%20childcare%20providers%20and%20provision%20on%20unapproved%20premises,-Most%20childcare%20providers.

Information about Ofsted’s regulatory and enforcement activity in relation to unregistered provision is outlined in Ofsted’s annual report and accounts each year. This is accessible at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ofsted-corporate-annual-report-and-accounts-2023-to-2024.

Before and after-school clubs can register with Ofsted on either or both the Early Years Register and the General Childcare Register, depending on the type of provision and age of the children they intend to care for. Some providers are exempt from registration if they meet the exemptions set out in legislation. Depending on their registration, they must either meet the statutory requirements of the early years foundation stage, or the general childcare register requirements. The requirements for both registers are set by the department.

It is Ofsted’s role to monitor compliance with these registration requirements. Ofsted reports to Parliament through its annual report and official statistics publications about inspection, regulatory activity and compliance with the department’s legal requirements. Officials also meet regularly with their Ofsted counterparts to ensure that the regulations that apply to Ofsted registered providers of after-school childcare remain fit for purpose.

Ofsted takes appropriate action on information that they receive about unregistered services and provision on unapproved premises. Ofsted’s process for managing unregistered provision is outlined in their published enforcement policy, accessible at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-and-childcare-ofsteds-enforcement-policy/early-years-and-childcare-enforcement-policy#unregistered:~:text=in%20appropriate%20circumstances.-,Unregistered%20childcare%20providers%20and%20provision%20on%20unapproved%20premises,-Most%20childcare%20providers.

Information about Ofsted’s regulatory and enforcement activity in relation to unregistered provision is outlined in Ofsted’s annual report and accounts each year. This is accessible at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ofsted-corporate-annual-report-and-accounts-2023-to-2024.

Before and after-school clubs can register with Ofsted on either or both the Early Years Register and the General Childcare Register, depending on the type of provision and age of the children they intend to care for. Some providers are exempt from registration if they meet the exemptions set out in legislation. Depending on their registration, they must either meet the statutory requirements of the early years foundation stage, or the general childcare register requirements. The requirements for both registers are set by the department.

It is Ofsted’s role to monitor compliance with these registration requirements. Ofsted reports to Parliament through its annual report and official statistics publications about inspection, regulatory activity and compliance with the department’s legal requirements. Officials also meet regularly with their Ofsted counterparts to ensure that the regulations that apply to Ofsted registered providers of after-school childcare remain fit for purpose.

Ofsted takes appropriate action on information that they receive about unregistered services and provision on unapproved premises. Ofsted’s process for managing unregistered provision is outlined in their published enforcement policy, accessible at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-and-childcare-ofsteds-enforcement-policy/early-years-and-childcare-enforcement-policy#unregistered:~:text=in%20appropriate%20circumstances.-,Unregistered%20childcare%20providers%20and%20provision%20on%20unapproved%20premises,-Most%20childcare%20providers.

Information about Ofsted’s regulatory and enforcement activity in relation to unregistered provision is outlined in Ofsted’s annual report and accounts each year. This is accessible at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ofsted-corporate-annual-report-and-accounts-2023-to-2024.

As a private market, guidance published by the Insolvency Service is likely to apply, which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/claim-money-back-from-a-bankrupt-person-or-company-in-compulsory-liquidation-guidance-for-creditors/if-an-insolvent-company-or-bankrupt-person-owes-you-money#:~:text=If%20the%20person%20or%20company,secured%20creditors.

The Childcare Act 2006 places a duty on local authorities to make sure that there are enough childcare places within its locality for working parents or for parents who are studying or training for employment, for children aged 0 to 14, or up to 18 for disabled children. In the unlikely event that a parent's childcare provider becomes insolvent or goes bankrupt, parents can contact their local authority, who can provide guidance and resources to help them transition to a new provider.

As a private market, guidance published by the Insolvency Service is likely to apply, which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/claim-money-back-from-a-bankrupt-person-or-company-in-compulsory-liquidation-guidance-for-creditors/if-an-insolvent-company-or-bankrupt-person-owes-you-money#:~:text=If%20the%20person%20or%20company,secured%20creditors.

The Childcare Act 2006 places a duty on local authorities to make sure that there are enough childcare places within its locality for working parents or for parents who are studying or training for employment, for children aged 0 to 14, or up to 18 for disabled children. In the unlikely event that a parent's childcare provider becomes insolvent or goes bankrupt, parents can contact their local authority, who can provide guidance and resources to help them transition to a new provider.

The department supports local authorities, academy trusts, and voluntary-aided school bodies responsible for the school estate by providing capital funding, delivering major rebuilding programmes and offering guidance and support.

We have increased funding to improve the condition of the estate to £2.1 billion for the 2025/26 financial year, up from £1.8 billion last year. Allocations are published on GOV.UK and are partly informed by consistent data on the condition of the estate collected by the department, reflecting the relative need of schools. This is in addition to our continued investment in the school rebuilding programme, including five schools in Lincolnshire, of which two are in the South Holland and The Deepings constituency.

From 2021 to 2026, the department’s Condition Data Collection 2 programme is visiting every government-funded school and college in England to collect data about the condition of their buildings. This data is providing an updated and comprehensive picture of the condition of the school estate in England to support our capital funding policy and programmes. Information on the condition of schools, as assessed by Condition Data Collection 1, can be found here: https://depositedpapers.parliament.uk/depositedpaper/2285521/files.

The department is funding 750 early adopter schools to provide access to a free, universal breakfast club lasting at least 30 minutes. Early adopter schools receive a combination of set up, fixed term and per pupil payments to cover food costs, staffing and delivery. Funding rates vary depending on uptake and pupil characteristics.

A key aim of the early adopter programme is to test and learn about take up across a diverse range of schools, to help inform future national rollout.

All food served within breakfast clubs must comply with the school food standards. To assist early adopter schools in choosing a healthy breakfast offer for their pupils, the department has produced additional guidance containing nutritious breakfast examples.