The Department for Education is responsible for children’s services and education, including early years, schools, higher and further education policy, apprenticeships and wider skills in England.
The Committee will investigate the current state of teacher retention and recruitment, the main factors causing difficulties, and the impact …
Oral Answers to Questions is a regularly scheduled appearance where the Secretary of State and junior minister will answer at the Dispatch Box questions from backbench MPs
Other Commons Chamber appearances can be:Westminster Hall debates are performed in response to backbench MPs or e-petitions asking for a Minister to address a detailed issue
Written Statements are made when a current event is not sufficiently significant to require an Oral Statement, but the House is required to be informed.
Department for Education does not have Bills currently before Parliament
A bill to transfer the functions of the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education, and its property, rights and liabilities, to the Secretary of State; to abolish the Institute; and to make amendments relating to the transferred functions.
This Bill received Royal Assent on 15th May 2025 and was enacted into law.
e-Petitions are administered by Parliament and allow members of the public to express support for a particular issue.
If an e-petition reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will issue a written response.
If an e-petition reaches 100,000 signatures the petition becomes eligible for a Parliamentary debate (usually Monday 4.30pm in Westminster Hall).
Commons Select Committees are a formally established cross-party group of backbench MPs tasked with holding a Government department to account.
At any time there will be number of ongoing investigations into the work of the Department, or issues which fall within the oversight of the Department. Witnesses can be summoned from within the Government and outside to assist in these inquiries.
Select Committee findings are reported to the Commons, printed, and published on the Parliament website. The government then usually has 60 days to reply to the committee's recommendations.
Through compulsory relationships education, all pupils should learn how to form positive and respectful relationships and develop an understanding of the concepts and laws around misogyny, sexual harassment and sexual violence.
The relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) guidance has been reviewed and updated, with the final guidance published on 15 July. This can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/relationships-education-relationships-and-sex-education-rse-and-health-education.
The guidance is clear that schools should provide pupils with the knowledge and skills they need to recognise sexism and misogyny and report abuse, including emotional, physical and sexual abuse, as well as to build empathy and promote respect for all. Positive action should be taken to build a culture where misogynistic attitudes and behaviour are not tolerated, and any occurrences are identified and tackled.
To help support the sector implement changes following the publication of the revised RSHE guidance, we are piloting a teacher training grant, starting in early 2026.
All 16 to 19 study programmes should be tailored to support students to progress to education at a higher level or into employment, or should prepare them for adult life.
These study programmes should include substantial qualifications that stretch students. Students who are not awarded 5 GCSEs may take other level 2 qualifications to prepare them for employment or further study.
Any student on a 16 to 19 study programme, who has not yet achieved an English and/or maths GCSE grade 4 or higher, must continue studying these subjects.
In the 2025/26 academic year, the department has increased 16 to 19 funding for English and maths delivery and to help with the additional costs associated with teaching and supporting students who have not yet achieved English and/or maths GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 by the end of year 11.
The department is committed to supporting diverse routes into higher education (HE). Students with qualifications other than A levels can progress to university, with many providers accepting these qualifications.
HE providers are autonomous institutions who set their own entry requirements, many with high or additional entry requirements for some courses. While the department cannot intervene in individual cases regarding university admission policies, we remain committed to supporting progression routes.
The department works closely with sector bodies such as UCAS and Universities UK, as well as individual providers, to ensure that admissions processes are inclusive and transparent. We also work with these bodies to ensure that T Levels are understood by universities as a high quality offer.
The department continues to monitor accessibility and outcomes for students entering via vocational routes and are funding initiatives to widen participation and improve support for all learners.
The government remains committed to providing opportunities to study and work abroad, especially for those students from disadvantaged backgrounds. That is why we have agreed to work towards association to the Erasmus+ programme on much better financial terms for the UK. The Turing Scheme is now in its fifth year, with placements starting this September. Details on the future of the Turing Scheme will be shared in due course.
This government is fully committed to the future of T Levels. Where a student wishes to study a large qualification and a T Level exists, they should undertake the T Level. Where we identified that qualifications in T Level routes should be retained for longer, we are retaining these until reformed alternatives are available.
For students who do not wish to take A levels or T Levels, there will be other qualifications in the system, including smaller qualifications in T Level areas which can be combined in mixed programmes. Newly reformed qualifications are now available for delivery at levels 2 and 3.
We published an Equalities Impact Assessment alongside the outcome of the Review of Qualifications Reform, which is accessible at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/review-of-level-3-qualifications-reform-equality-impact-assessment.
The department expects the impact on student numbers to be mitigated by the phased withdrawal of funding, allowing time for reformed alternatives to bed in.
The Office for Students (OfS), as regulator for higher education (HE), has a statutory duty to have regard to the need to promote equality of opportunity in relation to the whole of the student lifecycle, not just access, but also continuation and success.
HE providers registered with the OfS that intend to charge higher level tuition fees must have an access and participation plan (APP) approved by the OfS.
APPs articulate key risks to equality of opportunity in HE, how these will be addressed and the student groups that will be supported through them. The OfS advises HE providers to consider intersections of disadvantage, such as those faced by white working-class men, when creating their APPs, based on credible assessment of risk.
Supporting disadvantaged and underrepresented students in HE remains a priority. The government has allocated £265 million this financial year in student premium funding to support successful student outcomes.
In the 2023/24 academic year, there were 15,450 undergraduate enrolments across all UK higher education (HE) providers in the subject area ‘Computer games and animation’ (common aggregation hierarchy (CAH) subject code 11-01-06).
In the 2013/14 academic year, there were 4,065 undergraduate enrolments across all UK HE providers in the subject areas ‘Games’ (Joint Academic Coding System (JACS) subject code I6) and ‘Computer generated visual & audio effects’ (JACS subject code I7).
In 2019/20, a new subject classification system, the Higher Education Classification of Subjects and the CAH, was introduced to replace the JACS. Subjects in both systems have been chosen to match as closely as possible, but counts of enrolments may not be directly comparable between the two systems.
The government is committed to supporting science, technology, engineering, and mathematics subjects, including computer games design courses, which are vital to the UK’s research base, innovation capacity and Industrial Strategy.
For the 2025/26 academic year, two-thirds of the £1.3 billion Strategic Priorities Grant recurrent funding to higher education providers is allocated to support the provision of high-cost subjects. From this funding, the Office for Students is allocating £289.50 per full-time equivalent student to providers for computer games design students.
The department continues to invest in the National Centre for Computing Education (NCCE) to improve the quality of computing teaching and increase uptake of computing qualifications. To raise awareness of further study and careers in computing and digital, the NCCE facilitates industry-led outreach events. In July 2025, over 3,000 students attended an NCCE webinar focused on careers in the games industry and further events are being planned in collaboration with partners including British Esports.
As announced in the spending review, the department is making over £1.2 billion of additional investment per year in skills by 2028/29.
This will support and grow the wide range of technical routes and work-based training available for people of all ages, across the country, including South-East Cornwall. This includes:
There are a number of post-16 education and training providers in Cornwall delivering further education and skills provision. The largest of these is Cornwall College, judged as overall Outstanding in their latest Ofsted inspection, and which has campuses throughout Cornwall.
We have also strengthened legislation to ensure all secondary pupils have multiple opportunities for meaningful encounters with providers of technical education and apprenticeships.
The department’s home-to-school travel policy aims to make sure no child is prevented from accessing education by a lack of transport. Local authorities must arrange free home-to-school travel for eligible children. This includes children of compulsory school age who attend their nearest school and would not be able to walk there because of their special educational needs (SEN), disability or mobility problem.
We know that challenges in the wider SEN system are creating pressure on home-to-school travel. We have committed to improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools so fewer children need to travel long distances to a school that can meet their needs. The spending review announcement on 11 June confirmed significant new funding to support special educational needs and disabilities reform and the government is bringing forward a white paper with plans to improve the SEND system. This will reduce the pressure on home-to-school travel over time leaving it better able to meet the needs of those that continue to need it.
The department does not publish statistics on drop-out rates.
Figures on continuation rates, which are the proportion of entrants continuing in their studies one year after entry, are published by the Office for Students. The latest year of data for UK domiciled male entrants studying a full-time first degree, covering those who entered in the 2021/22 academic year, shows that the continuation rate was 84.9%, compared with 89.0% for females.
The requested data on continuation rates is available in more detail here: https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/data-and-analysis/student-characteristics-data/outcomes-data-dashboard/. This data has been available since 3 September 2024.
The average GCSE or equivalent score of students who completed A levels, applied general qualifications and T Levels in the 2023/24 academic year can be found in the attached table.
A breakdown of applied general into diplomas and extended diplomas is not available.
Teaching about democracy and elections already forms a central part of the national curriculum for citizenship at key stages 3 and 4 and can be taught as a non-statutory topic in primary schools. The government will consider the citizenship curriculum in the context of the Curriculum and Assessment Review, and we see potential for lowering the voting age to help boost young people's engagement with the subject. We will also work with the Electoral Commission, the devolved governments and civil society to consider what additional measures can support schools, colleges, and youth groups to roll out practical voter and civic education.
High quality teaching is the most important in-school factor for improving children’s outcomes, which is why the department is committed to recruiting an additional 6,500 new expert teachers in our maintained schools and colleges, over the course of this Parliament.
The department’s measures to encourage talented trainees into mathematics teaching include bursaries worth £29,000 tax-free and scholarships worth £31,000 tax-free. Retaining these teachers is also key and for 2024/25 and 2025/26, we are offering retention payments worth up to £6,000 after tax for mathematics teachers working in disadvantaged schools in the first five years of their careers.
This investment is starting to deliver. In the West Midlands specifically, there has been a 20% increase in candidates accepting offers to teach mathematics compared to last year (4 percentage points higher than the total national mathematics increase) and an increase of 340 teachers (headcount) in secondary schools between 2023/24 and 2024/25.
Information on the characteristics of pupils with special educational needs (SEN) are recorded in the school census. Data is not available for independent schools or general hospital schools. As of January 2025, 24.1% of male pupils were identified with SEN, compared to 14.2% of female pupils. 16.8% of male pupils were identified as receiving SEN support, compared to 11.1% of female pupils. 7.4% of male pupils had an education, health and care plan compared to 3.1% of female pupils. Whilst the number of both male and female pupils with SEN has grown since January 2016, the rate of growth has been higher among female pupils compared to male pupils.
Education is a devolved matter, and this response outlines the information for England only.
The government welcomes the work of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Financial Education for Young People to highlight the importance of financial education.
The independent Curriculum and Assessment Review seeks to deliver an excellent foundation in core subjects, including mathematics, and a rich and broad, inclusive and innovative curriculum that readies young people for life and work.
The interim report highlighted that the Review has heard, from children, young people and their parents, that they want more focus on the applied knowledge and skills that will equip them for later life and work, such as financial education.
The Review’s final report will be published in autumn, following which we will consider how to ensure the financial education pupils receive is relevant and taught by confident and committed teachers.
The department does not hold data on the proportion of student visa holders attending English universities who are in the top and bottom quartile of education standards. This data is not reported to the department by universities.
Through the Families First Partnership (FFP) Programme, the department is giving children and families access to better local support services to break the cycle of late intervention and help more children and families stay safely together. We recognise the crucial role that universal services and community-based early help play in identifying emerging problems and providing early and ongoing support at an early stage.
The department’s reforms to Family Help will embed targeted support in the heart of communities, providing a non-stigmatising access point to a range of services to address the needs of the whole family. The FFP programme guide is clear that local areas should build on the strengths of their universal and community-based early help models when implementing Family Help, and we continue to share learning from the Families First for Children Pathfinder areas to support this.
Research by the Children’s Commissioner in 2023 found that any amount of term-time holiday is associated with lower GCSE results. This research is accessible here: https://assets.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/wpuploads/2023/11/CC-REPORT-_-Attendance-and-Attainment-_-Oct-23.pdf.
Recent research conducted by the department in 2025 found that at both key stage 2 and key stage 4, attending an extra two weeks of school is associated with a 30% higher chance of achieving the expected outcome at key stage 2 and a 10% higher chance at key stage 4. This research is available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/67c96d7dd0fba2f1334cf2ed/The_link_between_attendance_and_attainment_in_an_assessment_year_-_March_2025.pdf.
Absence does not just affect the child missing school, it also increases teacher workload. Research published by the National Foundation for Educational Research in 2019 shows that school absence disrupts learning for the whole class. The research is accessible here: https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED594391.pdf.
All children and young people should have every opportunity to succeed. However, the department knows that, on average, attainment for boys is lower than girls and we continue to monitor this at all key stages.
Although the gap has narrowed slightly from 2024, provisional 2025 key stage 2 data shows girls continue to outperform boys at the expected standard in all subjects, except for mathematics.
High and rising standards are key to strengthening outcomes and closing gaps for every child and young person. The department is driving improvements through new regional improvement in standards and excellence teams, the Curriculum and Assessment Review and support to boost primary literacy, including the publication of the Writing Framework and with additional phonics to fluency reading support.
Building on this, our upcoming Schools White Paper will set out our vision for a system that drives educational excellence for every child no matter who they are.
The department is the sponsor department for Social Work England, and as such we monitor their performance on an ongoing basis. In addition, Social Work England is regulated by the Professional Standards Authority and is meeting 17 out of the 18 standards of good regulation. The government has a statutory obligation to appoint an independent person to review the operation of Part 2 of the Children and Social Work Act 2017, which includes powers related to Social Work England. The review will collect evidence of Social Work England’s overall effectiveness as a regulator. Further details will be announced in due course, and on completion the report will be laid before Parliament. On 31 July 2025, Social Work England employed 278 staff (full-time equivalent 263).
The department is the sponsor department for Social Work England, and as such we monitor their performance on an ongoing basis. In addition, Social Work England is regulated by the Professional Standards Authority and is meeting 17 out of the 18 standards of good regulation. The government has a statutory obligation to appoint an independent person to review the operation of Part 2 of the Children and Social Work Act 2017, which includes powers related to Social Work England. The review will collect evidence of Social Work England’s overall effectiveness as a regulator. Further details will be announced in due course, and on completion the report will be laid before Parliament. On 31 July 2025, Social Work England employed 278 staff (full-time equivalent 263).
The department is the sponsor department for Social Work England, and as such we monitor their performance on an ongoing basis. In addition, Social Work England is regulated by the Professional Standards Authority and is meeting 17 out of the 18 standards of good regulation. The government has a statutory obligation to appoint an independent person to review the operation of Part 2 of the Children and Social Work Act 2017, which includes powers related to Social Work England. The review will collect evidence of Social Work England’s overall effectiveness as a regulator. Further details will be announced in due course, and on completion the report will be laid before Parliament. On 31 July 2025, Social Work England employed 278 staff (full-time equivalent 263).
The department is the sponsor department for Social Work England, and as such we monitor their performance on an ongoing basis. In addition, Social Work England is regulated by the Professional Standards Authority and is meeting 17 out of the 18 standards of good regulation. The government has a statutory obligation to appoint an independent person to review the operation of Part 2 of the Children and Social Work Act 2017, which includes powers related to Social Work England. The review will collect evidence of Social Work England’s overall effectiveness as a regulator. Further details will be announced in due course, and on completion the report will be laid before Parliament. On 31 July 2025, Social Work England employed 278 staff (full-time equivalent 263).
Non-medical help hourly rates, together with any awards for travel, accommodation, or other costs, are supplied in the student’s entitlement letter, which outlines approved support. Additionally, the full breakdown of equipment costs is detailed in the needs assessment report, and students are entitled to request a copy of this report at any time. This means that students can see the costs associated with each element of their Disabled Students' Allowance support.
International students make a very significant contribution to the UK economy. Departmental statistics on education-related exports, published in June, estimated that international students contributed £21.06 billion to the UK economy in 2022 through their tuition fees and living expenditure.
I can confirm that a response to the hon. Member for Arbroath and Broughty Ferry’s letter of 30 May was issued on 26 June 2025.
This government is absolutely committed to freedom of speech and academic freedom in universities. My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, confirmed to Parliament on 15 January the government’s plans for the future of the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023, which will create a more proportionate, balanced and less burdensome approach to protecting academic freedom and freedom of speech.
On 28 April, the Secretary of State for Education signed commencement regulations, bringing the following provisions into force on 1 August 2025:
The Best Start Family Hubs programme will fund all local authorities in England to deliver services to support ages 0 to 5, with more funding for parent and home learning environment evidence-based interventions for ages 3 to 4, while retaining support for ages 0 to 19. Funding will improve outreach and introduce a new role to identify children with special educational needs and disabilities. Hubs will involve parents in decision-making, be open to all, and focus on disadvantaged communities. Professionals across local teams will collaborate, and a new digital hub will be created to support all parents. The initiative aims to strengthen early years support and accessibility nationwide.
Under section 17 of the Children Act 1989, local authorities are required to assess the needs of disabled children. Where the assessment identifies that a child is eligible for support, the local authority must provide suitable services.
In addition to this, between 2022 and 2025, the government funded the Short Breaks Innovation Programme, where local authorities were invited to bid for a share of £30 million to fund innovative approaches to short breaks delivery, and to the commissioning of such interventions. Some successful local authorities within the programme focused on reducing wait times. A lesson learned report from the programme is due to be published in autumn 2025.
The department wants to ensure that education, health and care (EHC) assessments are progressed promptly and, if needed, high quality plans are issued as quickly as possible so that children and young people can access the support they need.
The overall time it takes from a local authority receiving a request for an EHC needs assessment and the final plan being issued, if one is required, must not take longer than 20 weeks unless specific exceptions apply.
The department continues to monitor, challenge and work closely with local authorities that have issues with EHC plan timeliness. Where there are concerns about a local authority’s capacity to make the required improvements, we ensure that the cause of these problems is identified with the local authority and that an effective recovery plan is implemented. Where needed, the department deploys specialist special educational needs and disabilities advisors to help identify the barriers to carrying out the EHC plan process in a timely way and to address these through practical plans for recovery, alongside addressing other areas of weakness in provision.
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.
The Early Language Support for Every Child (ELSEC) pathfinder programme, co-led by the department and NHS England, is a test and learn programme trialling new approaches to support earlier identification, intervention and targeted support for children with speech, language and communication needs, helping them thrive in mainstream settings and ensuring every child has the best possible start in life.
Nationally, therapy support teams have reached over 20,000 children and over 3,000 staff members have been upskilled to deliver interventions since the programme began.
The programme is being delivered through nine regional ELSEC pathfinder sites, each comprising a mix of early years and primary school settings. In the East Midlands, Leicestershire, Leicester City and Rutland are the designated pathfinder local areas and therefore there are no schools within South Holland and The Deepings involved in ELSEC.
The government is committed to improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools, and ensuring special schools cater to those with the most complex needs. Work to deliver special free schools is ongoing.
Funding for free school projects is provided at different stages of project development, in line with key delivery milestones. The department provides capital funding for the acquisition of sites, land and construction. For centrally delivered free school projects, a contractor is appointed from the department’s framework and construction costs are paid directly by the department.
The department also supports local authorities to provide suitable school places for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) through annual high needs capital funding, including through the £740 million confirmed for 2025/26. Of this funding, Surrey has been allocated £16.1 million.
The department continues to engage closely with Surrey County Council about the provision of SEND places in Surrey Heath and Surrey as a whole.
I would be happy to meet the hon. Member for Surrey Heath to discuss the challenges in delivering high quality SEND support for children in Surrey.
The government is committed to improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools, and ensuring special schools cater to those with the most complex needs. Work to deliver special free schools is ongoing.
Funding for free school projects is provided at different stages of project development, in line with key delivery milestones. The department provides capital funding for the acquisition of sites, land and construction. For centrally delivered free school projects, a contractor is appointed from the department’s framework and construction costs are paid directly by the department.
The department also supports local authorities to provide suitable school places for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) through annual high needs capital funding, including through the £740 million confirmed for 2025/26. Of this funding, Surrey has been allocated £16.1 million.
The department continues to engage closely with Surrey County Council about the provision of SEND places in Surrey Heath and Surrey as a whole.
I would be happy to meet the hon. Member for Surrey Heath to discuss the challenges in delivering high quality SEND support for children in Surrey.
The government is committed to improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools, and ensuring special schools cater to those with the most complex needs. Work to deliver special free schools is ongoing.
Funding for free school projects is provided at different stages of project development, in line with key delivery milestones. The department provides capital funding for the acquisition of sites, land and construction. For centrally delivered free school projects, a contractor is appointed from the department’s framework and construction costs are paid directly by the department.
The department also supports local authorities to provide suitable school places for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) through annual high needs capital funding, including through the £740 million confirmed for 2025/26. Of this funding, Surrey has been allocated £16.1 million.
The department continues to engage closely with Surrey County Council about the provision of SEND places in Surrey Heath and Surrey as a whole.
I would be happy to meet the hon. Member for Surrey Heath to discuss the challenges in delivering high quality SEND support for children in Surrey.
The government is committed to improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools, and ensuring special schools cater to those with the most complex needs. Work to deliver special free schools is ongoing.
Funding for free school projects is provided at different stages of project development, in line with key delivery milestones. The department provides capital funding for the acquisition of sites, land and construction. For centrally delivered free school projects, a contractor is appointed from the department’s framework and construction costs are paid directly by the department.
The department also supports local authorities to provide suitable school places for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) through annual high needs capital funding, including through the £740 million confirmed for 2025/26. Of this funding, Surrey has been allocated £16.1 million.
The department continues to engage closely with Surrey County Council about the provision of SEND places in Surrey Heath and Surrey as a whole.
I would be happy to meet the hon. Member for Surrey Heath to discuss the challenges in delivering high quality SEND support for children in Surrey.
The government is committed to improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools, and ensuring special schools cater to those with the most complex needs. Work to deliver special free schools is ongoing.
Funding for free school projects is provided at different stages of project development, in line with key delivery milestones. The department provides capital funding for the acquisition of sites, land and construction. For centrally delivered free school projects, a contractor is appointed from the department’s framework and construction costs are paid directly by the department.
The department also supports local authorities to provide suitable school places for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) through annual high needs capital funding, including through the £740 million confirmed for 2025/26. Of this funding, Surrey has been allocated £16.1 million.
The department continues to engage closely with Surrey County Council about the provision of SEND places in Surrey Heath and Surrey as a whole.
I would be happy to meet the hon. Member for Surrey Heath to discuss the challenges in delivering high quality SEND support for children in Surrey.
The department is providing mainstream schools and high needs settings with over £930 million to support with the increases to employer National Insurance contributions (NICs) from April 2025. We are also providing £25 million in respect of schools with early years provision and £155 million for post-16 schools and academies and further education colleges. Taken together, this is an increase of over £1.1 billion. This funding is designed to provide schools with support to manage NICs pressures. We recognise that the balance between funding and costs will vary between schools.
The amount of public sector support was based on an estimate of the proportion of employer NICs receipts paid by public sector organisations, using the Office for National Statistics (ONS) classification of the public sector boundary. HM Treasury routinely uses the ONS classification of the public sector boundary, for example in relation to public sector spending, borrowing and debt.
This funding was then allocated to departments based on a weighted average of the headcount and wage/salary data that all departments submitted to HM Treasury.
Our funding system is not designed so that every school and college receives funding that fully matches their precise spending, as spending, including NICs costs, varies across institutions because of the decisions each takes on its staffing.
The department is providing mainstream schools and high needs settings with over £930 million to support with the increases to employer National Insurance contributions (NICs) from April 2025. We are also providing £25 million in respect of schools with early years provision and £155 million for post-16 schools and academies and further education colleges. Taken together, this is an increase of over £1.1 billion. This funding is designed to provide schools with support to manage NICs pressures. We recognise that the balance between funding and costs will vary between schools.
The amount of public sector support was based on an estimate of the proportion of employer NICs receipts paid by public sector organisations, using the Office for National Statistics (ONS) classification of the public sector boundary. HM Treasury routinely uses the ONS classification of the public sector boundary, for example in relation to public sector spending, borrowing and debt.
This funding was then allocated to departments based on a weighted average of the headcount and wage/salary data that all departments submitted to HM Treasury.
Our funding system is not designed so that every school and college receives funding that fully matches their precise spending, as spending, including NICs costs, varies across institutions because of the decisions each takes on its staffing.
The department has spent money on social media influencers since July 2024. Influencers can be effective in reaching audiences that the government and traditional marketing channels find hard to reach.
The department is introducing Technical Excellence Colleges (TECs) to specialise in training skilled workforces which industry needs in growth-driving priority sectors. The UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy confirmed that we will establish Defence Technical Excellence Colleges, provide funding for courses for defence related skills, and invest in cutting edge university facilities to increase places for defence skills provision. Delivering this package will be a joint endeavour between government and industry. The department has been working with the Ministry of Defence on this and further detail will be set out in the forthcoming Defence Industrial Strategy.
Statutory care planning guidance is clear that everything should be done to minimise school changes and ensure transitions are well-planned and supported. Where a change is unavoidable, the child’s Personal Education Plan should set out arrangements to reduce disruption, particularly during exams and other key periods in their education.
The government is introducing measures to rebalance the placement market, improve regulation and commissioning of placements, and bring greater visibility to the prices local authorities are paying. This includes addressing the barriers that prevent homes for looked-after children being established where they are needed.
Through the department’s Plan for Change, we’re investing £2 billion to give more children a safe, loving home, including expanding the children’s home estate, delivering more foster care placements and helping keep families together by providing targeted support before problems escalate.
These measures will mean more placements are available, allowing children to be placed closer to home and school when in their best interests.
From April 2026, Best Start Family Hubs will continue to provide universal and targeted services for families from pregnancy through age five and beyond. These include peer support sessions, stay-and-play activities, parent champions, and community outreach, all of which help build strong relationships, promote early bonding, and support development from birth.
Community-based activities such as stay-and-play sessions and parenting groups are a vital part of this offer, helping to reduce isolation, build parental confidence and promote early learning through play and shared experiences.
The government recognises the importance of adult literacy skills. That is why the department supports participation in English through our ‘essential skills’ entitlements funded through the adult skills fund (ASF). This provides the opportunity for fully funded study up to and including level 2 for eligible adults aged 19+ who do not have essential literacy skills.
Furthermore, the department supports adults aged 19+ in England who speak English as a second or additional language to access English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) provision, funded through the ASF, subject to the eligibility requirements laid out in the ASF and local rules on the provision of adult education.
As part of the ASF, Tailored Learning funding can also be used to support learners to improve their essential skills if they are not ready to study for a qualification or would benefit from learning in a more informal way.
This government has a driving mission to break down barriers to opportunity.
From January 2026, the government will no longer fund level 7 apprenticeships, equivalent to master’s degree level, except for young apprentices under the age of 22. This will enable apprenticeship opportunities to be rebalanced towards young people, whose rate of apprenticeship starts has fallen by almost 40% over the last decade.
This decision was informed by a wide range of evidence, including analysis by Skills England of official apprenticeship statistics and engagement with relevant stakeholders, including other government departments such as the Department of Health and Social Care.
I refer the hon. Member for Mid Bedfordshire to the answer of 13 June 2025 to Question 57098.
I refer the hon. Member for North Cornwall to the answer of 5 June 2025 to Question 54501.
I refer the hon. Member for North Cornwall to the answer of 5 June 2025 to Question 54501.