Written questions by Thomas.

What steps she is taking to ensure teachers are equipped to deal with student mental health challenges.

The government will provide access to NHS-funded mental health support teams (MHSTs) in every school by 2029, with around six in ten pupils expected to have access by April 2026. Data for 2024/25 is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/transforming-children-and-young-peoples-mental-health-provision.MHSTs supplement existing pastoral provision, and schools retain the freedom to determine support based on pupil need, making best use of their funding.Alongside providing direct support to pupils, MHSTs can also work with the mental health lead in each school to introduce or develop a whole-school approach to mental health.The department also encourages whole-school approaches to promoting children and young people's mental health and wellbeing, which includes schools equipping teachers with the skills and knowledge to recognise and respond appropriately to pupil’s mental health needs. The department’s guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/promoting-children-and-young-peoples-emotional-health-and-wellbeing.To support education staff, the department provides a resource hub for mental health leads, and a targeted support guide and hub to help choose evidence-based targeted support for pupils.

Whether she plans to provide additional support to schools to help students with their mental health.

The government will provide access to NHS-funded mental health support teams (MHSTs) in every school by 2029, with around six in ten pupils expected to have access by April 2026. Data for 2024/25 is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/transforming-children-and-young-peoples-mental-health-provision.MHSTs supplement existing pastoral provision, and schools retain the freedom to determine support based on pupil need, making best use of their funding.Alongside providing direct support to pupils, MHSTs can also work with the mental health lead in each school to introduce or develop a whole-school approach to mental health.The department also encourages whole-school approaches to promoting children and young people's mental health and wellbeing, which includes schools equipping teachers with the skills and knowledge to recognise and respond appropriately to pupil’s mental health needs. The department’s guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/promoting-children-and-young-peoples-emotional-health-and-wellbeing.To support education staff, the department provides a resource hub for mental health leads, and a targeted support guide and hub to help choose evidence-based targeted support for pupils.

What consideration her Department has given to paying national non-domestic rates on behalf of early years education settings.

It is our ambition that all families have access to high quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, giving every child the best start in life and delivering on our Plan for Change.The small business rate relief scheme provides up to 100% relief for eligible businesses occupying one property with a rateable value of £12,000 or below and reduces bills up to £15,000. Furthermore, if a nursery is a charity, charitable rate relief provides 80% off rates bills, which can be topped up to 100% by the local authority.The government funds local authorities to deliver the early years entitlements through the early years national funding formula for the three and four-year-old entitlement and a separate formula for the two-year-old and below entitlement. The hourly funding rate paid to local authorities for these entitlements is designed to recognise the average costs across different provider types and is intended to reflect staff and non-staff costs, including business rates. The national average three and four-year-old hourly funding rate of local authorities is increasing by 4.1%, the two-year-old hourly funding rate is increasing by 3.3%, and the nine months to two-year-old hourly funding rate is increasing by 3.4%.There are no current plans to extend the centralised payment system to private, voluntary, or independent early years settings or to make these settings exempt.

What steps her Department is taking to produce a Teacher Retention Strategy.

The department has published detailed plans on how we will recruit and retain more teachers in our 6,500 additional teachers delivery plan, which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/every-child-achieving-and-thriving. Better retention of teachers and leaders keeps the skills and expertise they have developed in classrooms, underpinning high quality education for every child.We will promote best practice in workload and wellbeing management, including flexible working opportunities, and tackle the external pressures where schools are filling the gaps.The department also recognises the important role which pay, and financial reward play in attracting and retaining teachers. We are offering targeted retention incentives worth up to £6,000 after tax for the subjects and areas with greatest need, and we have implemented above inflation pay increases over the last two pay rounds where we accepted the School Teachers' Review Body recommendation of a nearly 10% award for school teachers and leadersThe last workforce census (June 2025) reported one of the lowest leaver rates since 2010, with 1,700 fewer teachers leaving the state-funded sector. More teachers are also returning to state schools than at any point in the last ten years. The latest data showed 17,274 teachers returned to the classroom.

What recent assessment she has made of the rates of teacher retention amongst primary school educators.

The department has published detailed plans on how we will recruit and retain more teachers in our 6,500 additional teachers delivery plan, which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/every-child-achieving-and-thriving. Better retention of teachers and leaders keeps the skills and expertise they have developed in classrooms, underpinning high quality education for every child.We will promote best practice in workload and wellbeing management, including flexible working opportunities, and tackle the external pressures where schools are filling the gaps.The department also recognises the important role which pay, and financial reward play in attracting and retaining teachers. We are offering targeted retention incentives worth up to £6,000 after tax for the subjects and areas with greatest need, and we have implemented above inflation pay increases over the last two pay rounds where we accepted the School Teachers' Review Body recommendation of a nearly 10% award for school teachers and leadersThe last workforce census (June 2025) reported one of the lowest leaver rates since 2010, with 1,700 fewer teachers leaving the state-funded sector. More teachers are also returning to state schools than at any point in the last ten years. The latest data showed 17,274 teachers returned to the classroom.

What recent assessment she has made of the rates of teacher retention amongst secondary school educators.

The department has published detailed plans on how we will recruit and retain more teachers in our 6,500 additional teachers delivery plan, which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/every-child-achieving-and-thriving. Better retention of teachers and leaders keeps the skills and expertise they have developed in classrooms, underpinning high quality education for every child.We will promote best practice in workload and wellbeing management, including flexible working opportunities, and tackle the external pressures where schools are filling the gaps.The department also recognises the important role which pay, and financial reward play in attracting and retaining teachers. We are offering targeted retention incentives worth up to £6,000 after tax for the subjects and areas with greatest need, and we have implemented above inflation pay increases over the last two pay rounds where we accepted the School Teachers' Review Body recommendation of a nearly 10% award for school teachers and leadersThe last workforce census (June 2025) reported one of the lowest leaver rates since 2010, with 1,700 fewer teachers leaving the state-funded sector. More teachers are also returning to state schools than at any point in the last ten years. The latest data showed 17,274 teachers returned to the classroom.

What steps she is taking to support leadership development pathways for teachers.

High quality professional development is important for teachers at all stages of their careers, ensuring they receive appropriate support and can continually improve their practice. The department offers five leadership National Professional Qualifications (NPQs), which help boost teachers’ and leaders’ knowledge and confidence as they progress into senior leadership roles, alongside five specialist NPQs for those who want to broaden their existing knowledge, expertise, and skills in specialist areas of leadership practice outside traditional leadership roles. We are currently reviewing the NPQ suite to ensure courses remain up to date with best practice and evidence, support clear progression between leadership levels, and draw on insights from programmes such as the School Trust CEO programme We will deliver a targeted package of interventions for Excellence in Leadership that update standards, strengthen professional development and support wellbeing. This includes additional investment in an early headship coaching, a new mentoring framework, and piloting a targeted place-based headteacher retention incentive. Together, these interventions reflect the government’s commitment to supporting high-quality leadership across the system.

What steps she is taking to support the mental health of teachers.

The department takes the wellbeing and mental health of teachers very seriously. We have worked with the sector to develop the Education Staff Wellbeing Charter which sets out commitments from the department, Ofsted, schools and colleges to protect and promote staff wellbeing. The charter can be used to inform a whole school or college approach to wellbeing. Over 4,300 schools and colleges have signed up. The department has funded a mental health lead resource hub to support mental health leads which is available here: https://www.mentallyhealthyschools.org.uk/whole-school-or-college-resources/. This includes resources to support staff development and wellbeing. The department also signposts to a range of mental health resources, including Education Support’s free 24-hour helpline. From 2027, we will be investing £1 million additional funding each year to provide up to 2,500 leaders annually with support to develop new strategies to manage their mental health, resilience and capacity. This builds on our current £1.5 million investment for professional supervision for school and college leaders, delivered by Education Support. Over 1,400 leaders have benefitted since April 2024. We are tackling the wider pressures on teachers and leaders. The Child Poverty Strategy, the introduction of our strategy for ‘Giving every child the best start in life’, reform to children’s social care, and the expansion of access to specialist mental health professionals will enhance teachers’ day-to-day experience and strengthen their ability to deliver.

What recent assessment her Department has made of mental health and wellbeing amongst teachers.

Supporting the wellbeing of our expert education workforce is critical to this government’s mission to break down the barriers to opportunity for children and young people.​​The department tracks teacher wellbeing through the longitudinal study, the Working Lives of Teachers and Leaders. ​Wave 4 shows improved wellbeing across all Office for National Statistics (ONS)-validated personal wellbeing measures in 2025. Average life satisfaction, happiness, and feelings of life being worthwhile all increased while average anxiety decreased.​Another means by which we commission research is by including ONS-validated personal wellbeing questions in the School and College Voice Survey to capture seasonal differences. ​The latest data shows that all wellbeing measures remain broadly in line with the same period last year.The ‘Every Child Achieving and Thriving’ white paper announced £1 million of additional funding each year to provide up to 2,500 leaders with access to a safe and confidential space to develop new strategies to manage their resilience and capacity.The Education Staff Wellbeing Charter sets out commitments from the department, Ofsted, schools and colleges to promote staff wellbeing. Over 4,300 schools and colleges have signed up.We are tackling the wider pressures on teachers and leaders. The Child Poverty Strategy, the introduction of our strategy for ‘Giving every child the best start in life’, reform to children’s social care, and the expansion of access to specialist mental health professionals will enhance teachers’ day-to-day experience and strengthen their ability to deliver.

What recent assessment she has made of the rates of teacher retention amongst early years educators.

The turnover rate for all early years educators in private group-based and school-based providers is 16% and 7% respectively. A breakdown by qualification level is unavailable. To boost recruitment and retention of early years teachers (EYTs) and meet the long-term ambition of having an EYT in every setting, the department will introduce EYT financial incentives worth a maximum of £4,500 per annum to support those working in the most disadvantaged communities. We expect the financial incentives to be available from autumn 2026 and will publish more detail in due course. We are aiming to more than double the number of funded places on early years initial teacher training courses by 2028 and have introduced a new degree apprenticeship route to help more people become EYTs so that every child, no matter where they live, can benefit from high-quality early education.

What steps she is taking to promote teaching as a career path for young people and current teachers.

Since July 2024, this government has taken targeted action to boost teacher supply. This work started with our reset of the relationship with the sector, to re-establish teaching as an attractive profession, making it one that existing teachers want to remain in, former teachers want to return to, and new graduates wish to join. We have published our delivery plan for 6,500 new expert teachers, focusing delivery across three key themes:Attract: We will optimise routes into teaching.Retain: We will improve teaching experience and boost retention.Develop: We will expand career-long development opportunities.We are offering recruitment incentives in the subjects where they are needed most, with significant investment in tax-free teacher training bursaries and scholarships of up to £31,000 for school and college teachers.We have recognised the importance of teachers with a pay rise for school teachers and leaders of nearly 10% since this government took power.Our approach is already starting to pay-off, with the secondary and special school workforce growing by 2,346 teachers between 2023/24 and 2024/25.

What recent assessment she has made of the rates of teacher retention in further education.

Having sufficient and skilled further education (FE) teachers is key to deliver on the government’s skills missions and help learners achieve good outcomes. The department continues to assess retention in the FE workforce based on available data and sector engagement.The most recent published figures indicate that for FE teachers starting in 2016, 51% were still in post by 2019. For those starting in 2014, 39% were still in post by 2019. The department also collects workforce data through the annual Further Education Workforce Data Collection. To improve retention, the department is delivering several programmes, including the targeted retention incentive for teachers in priority shortage subjects, reforms to initial teacher education and a strengthened professional development pathway with additional support for special educational needs and disabilities training.We will also continue to work closely with the sector, including through the Improving Education Together group, to understand drivers of retention and support meaningful improvement in teacher experience.

What recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of resources to support schools to reach net zero.

I refer the hon. Member for Tewkesbury to the answer of 16 January 2026 to Question 104584.

What steps she is taking to improve environmental education in schools.

The current national curriculum includes topics relating to ecosystems, soil health, and climate adaptation within the context of UK food security, and they can also be studied at GCSE and A level.Work is now underway to deliver a new curriculum and assessment system that is ambitious for every child, rich in knowledge and strong on skills. Programmes of study for each curriculum subject will be refreshed in line with the Curriculum and Assessment Review’s recommendations, and we are working towards a revised national curriculum being published in spring 2027, for first teaching in 2028.There will be opportunity to provide views on the new curriculum content when the department conducts a public consultation on the draft programmes of study in summer 2026.The department already has a range of vocational qualifications that provide training in green skills including apprenticeships, T levels, Skills Bootcamps and higher technical qualifications.

What steps she is taking to help tackle gaps in public knowledge on the origins of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Improved media literacy builds resilience to misinformation and disinformation and fosters critical thinking. The government is improving media literacy through coordinated cross-government work, including funding innovative community-based interventions and launching an awareness campaign to build digital resilience and critical thinking skills online. The Online Safety Act updated Ofcom’s statutory duty to promote media literacy. This includes raising the awareness and understanding of misinformation and harmful content, especially where it affects vulnerable groups. The government’s independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, published on 5 November 2025, emphasised the value of secure knowledge, the process of questioning and critical enquiry and weighing up evidence across information and sources. The government’s response to the review committed to strengthening media literacy content in the curriculum to ensure vital applied knowledge and skills in media and digital literacy are embedded into the revised curriculum, that subject-specific disciplinary skills including critical thinking and problem solving are clearly articulated in the refreshed programmes of study.

Whether she plans to support civic education initiatives aimed at strengthening resilience to foreign propaganda.

Improved media literacy builds resilience to misinformation and disinformation and fosters critical thinking. The government is improving media literacy through coordinated cross-government work, including funding innovative community-based interventions and launching an awareness campaign to build digital resilience and critical thinking skills online. The Online Safety Act updated Ofcom’s statutory duty to promote media literacy. This includes raising the awareness and understanding of misinformation and harmful content, especially where it affects vulnerable groups. The government’s independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, published on 5 November 2025, emphasised the value of secure knowledge, the process of questioning and critical enquiry and weighing up evidence across information and sources. The government’s response to the review committed to strengthening media literacy content in the curriculum to ensure vital applied knowledge and skills in media and digital literacy are embedded into the revised curriculum, that subject-specific disciplinary skills including critical thinking and problem solving are clearly articulated in the refreshed programmes of study.

Whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the availability of low-quality, online children’s content on levels of SEND diagnosis.

Research from the European Agency for Special Needs and Inclusive Education demonstrates that rates of special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) identification are increasing internationally, and England is one of the countries with a relatively higher percentage change of pupils identified with SEND. The research is available here: https://www.european-agency.org/activities/data/cross-country-reports My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care announced on 4 December the launch of an independent review into prevalence and support for mental health conditions, ADHD and autism so children, young people and adults can receive the right support The SEND code of practice: 0 to 25 years makes it clear that meeting the needs of a child with special educational needs does not require a diagnostic label or test. Instead, we expect teachers to monitor the progress of all pupils and put support in place where needed. The guidance is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/send-code-of-practice-0-to-25.

What assessment has her Department made of the potential merits of incorporating history-based video games to enhance learning.

Schools are trusted to use their judgement to choose high quality resources and deliver their lessons in ways that work best for their pupils. The independent Curriculum and Assessment Review has recommended that the department works with experts to assess the validity of digital practice in subjects, and we will consider inclusion of relevant digital content in the national curriculum based on this process.

What steps is she taking to ensure that the National Curriculum includes immersive experiences.

The government response to the Curriculum and Assessment Review, published on 5 November, sets out our plans for a refreshed curriculum to ensure that all pupils develop the knowledge and skills that we know are essential for life, work and innovation. Schools are trusted to use their judgement to choose high quality resources and deliver their lessons in ways that work best for their pupils.

What steps her Department is taking to meet to meet the ambition for kinship care set out by the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care.

Following the Care Review, the government appointed the first ever National Kinship Care Ambassador and updated the Kinship Care Statutory Guidance for Local Authorities, which can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/670d3ed5e84ae1fd8592f2fa/Kinship_Care_-_statutory_guidance_for_local_authorities__October_2024.pdf.The government has also extended both the delivery of over 140 kinship carer peer support groups across England and the virtual school head role (on a non-statutory basis) to include championing the education, attendance, and attainment of children in kinship care.Through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, we will mandate all local authorities in England to publish their local kinship offer and offer Family Group Decision Making at pre-proceedings where that is in the child’s best interests.The department will soon launch a Kinship Allowance Pilot to support eligible kinship carers with the costs of raising a child, which will support up to 4,500 children in kinship care in pilot local authorities. Any wider rollout of this will be informed by findings of the evaluation.Kinship leave is also in scope of government’s parental leave review, which will recommend improvements to the current parental leave system.