Written questions by Hinds.

With reference to the policy paper entitled Applying VAT to private school fees, published on 30 October 2024, what discussions she has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the potential impact of the expected increase in the number of pupils at state schools in each (a) age group and (b) region.

The government predicts that there will be 37,000 fewer pupils in the private education sector in the UK as a result of the VAT on private schools fees policy, which takes effect from January 2025. This represents around 6% of the current private school population. It is anticipated that 35,000 of these pupils will move into UK state schools in the long-term steady state, with the remainder composed of international pupils who do not move into the UK state system, and domestic pupils moving into homeschooling.This increase in the state sector represents less than 0.5% of total UK state school pupils, of which there are over 9 million. The number expected to move before the end of the 2024/25 academic year is around 3,000. The government’s estimate of the number of pupils leaving private schools is within the Institute for Fiscal Studies’ estimated range of 20,000 to 40,000 and is also significantly lower than some other public estimates.The government expects many of these moves to take place at natural transition points, such as from primary to secondary school, or at the beginning of exam courses. The impact on the state education system as a whole is therefore expected to be very small. The government expects the associated revenue costs of pupils entering the state sector to steadily increase to a peak of around £0.3 billion after several years.Differences in local circumstances will mean that the impacts of this policy will vary between parts of the UK. The number of pupils that would have attended private schools seeking state-funded places will vary and this will interact with other local place pressures. Local authorities and schools already have processes in place to support pupils moving between schools, and children move between the private sector and the state-funded sector every year. Local authorities will consider pressures following the removal of the VAT exemption on school fees alongside other pressures as part of the normal place planning cycle. This is business as usual. The department will be monitoring demand and capacity using our normal processes and working with local authorities to meet any pressures.Although the department does not hold information for private schools, data on the numbers of pupils in private schools is collected through the annual school census. The latest data can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics#dataBlock-53cdc8f7-fc56-4c64-a79d-ccf5047b7616-tables.

If she will take steps to ensure that access to free school breakfasts for (a) secondary school pupils, (b) special schools and (c) alternative provision continues after the expiration of the National School Breakfast Programme in July 2025.

The government is committed to delivering on its pledge of breakfast clubs in every state funded school with primary aged pupils. We have made early progress toward this, including announcing that up to 750 early adopters will be delivering these new breakfast clubs from April 2025. We remain committed to delivering the National School Breakfast Club Programme alongside the early adopters. Officials are working closely with schools and sector experts to develop a new breakfast clubs programme that meets the needs of pupils, schools and parents. This includes consideration of how best to transition schools from existing to new arrangements. Further details will follow in due course.

How many students received funding under the Music and Dance Scheme at each of the (a) eight schools and (b) 20 centres for advanced training in academic year (i) 2023-24 (ii) 2024-25.

The Music and Dance Scheme (MDS) operates on an academic year basis. Information is available for the number of pupils supported at each provider approximately a year after the end of the academic year, in order to account for in-year starters. The provisional data for the 2023/24 academic year is below. Provisional data on the number of students supported for the 2024/25 academic year will not be available until 2025.Table: Number of MDS pupils for the 2023/24 academic year (provisional)Education providersNumber of studentsMusic schoolsChetham’s School of Music263The Purcell School139Wells Cathedral School78Yehudi Menuhin School56Dance schoolsElmhurst Ballet School108The Hammond56The Royal Ballet School130Tring Park School for the Performing Arts46Music Centres for Advanced TrainingAldeburgh Young Musicians18Royal Birmingham Conservatoire (junior department)45Centre for Young Musicians75Guildhall School of Music and Drama (junior department)35Royal Academy of Music (junior department)31Royal College of Music (junior department)36Trinity Laban (music - junior department)36The Glasshouse48Sheffield Music Academy75South West Music School72Royal Northern College of Music (junior department)39Yorkshire Young Musicians78Dance Centres for Advanced TrainingFABRIC61Dance City76DanceEast67London Contemporary Dance School96The Lowry43Swindon Dance73Trinity Laban (dance - junior department)76Yorkshire Young Dancers (Northern Ballet and Northern School of Contemporary Dance)88Total2,044

With reference to HMRC's guidance entitled Charging and reclaiming VAT on goods and services related to private school fees, last updated on 22 October 2024, what estimate she has made of the potential cost to the public purse of independent schools reclaiming the VAT on capital items that are less than 10 years old in each of the next five years.

Following scrutiny of the Government’s costing by the independent Office for Budget Responsibility, the Government will confirm its approach to these reforms at the Budget on 30 October and set out its assessment of relevant expected impacts in a Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN).

Pursuant to the Answer of 9 September 2024 to Question 4047 on Private Education: Fees and Charges, whether the Tax Information and Impact Note will include the estimated cost to the public purse of independent schools reclaiming the VAT on capital items that are less than ten years old.

Following scrutiny of the Government’s costing by the independent Office for Budget Responsibility, the Government will confirm its approach to these reforms at the Budget on 30 October and set out its assessment of relevant expected impacts in a Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN).

How many pupils were supported via the Music and Dance Scheme in academic year (a) 2023-24 and (b) 2024-25.

The Music and Dance Scheme (MDS) operates on an academic year basis. Information is available for the number of pupils supported at each provider approximately a year after the end of the academic year, in order to account for in-year starters. The provisional data for the 2023/24 academic year is below. Provisional data on the number of students supported for the 2024/25 academic year will not be available until 2025.Table: Number of MDS pupils for the 2023/24 academic year (provisional)Education providersNumber of studentsMusic schoolsChetham’s School of Music263The Purcell School139Wells Cathedral School78Yehudi Menuhin School56Dance schoolsElmhurst Ballet School108The Hammond56The Royal Ballet School130Tring Park School for the Performing Arts46Music Centres for Advanced TrainingAldeburgh Young Musicians18Royal Birmingham Conservatoire (junior department)45Centre for Young Musicians75Guildhall School of Music and Drama (junior department)35Royal Academy of Music (junior department)31Royal College of Music (junior department)36Trinity Laban (music - junior department)36The Glasshouse48Sheffield Music Academy75South West Music School72Royal Northern College of Music (junior department)39Yorkshire Young Musicians78Dance Centres for Advanced TrainingFABRIC61Dance City76DanceEast67London Contemporary Dance School96The Lowry43Swindon Dance73Trinity Laban (dance - junior department)76Yorkshire Young Dancers (Northern Ballet and Northern School of Contemporary Dance)88Total2,044

Pursuant to the Answer of 2 August 2024 to Question 1651 on Private Education: VAT, whether independent Welsh language schools will be exempt from VAT.

The draft legislation set out the definition of private schools within the scope of this policy. This includes Welsh language schools if they provide full-time education for children of compulsory school age and/or full-time education for a fee to 16-19 year olds and are principally concerned with providing education suitable for that age range (for instance, a sixth form) for a charge. All education, vocational training, and boarding provided by a private school for a charge will be within scope of this policy, including educational summer schools run by a private school. However, if the summer school purely consists of childcare and is not educational in nature, it will remain exempt from VAT, as welfare services are exempt from VAT. For VAT purposes, education means a course, lesson, instruction, or study in any subject (whether or not that subject is normally taught in schools, colleges, or universities), regardless of where and when it takes place. As well as academic subjects, this includes activities such as performing arts, physical training, sports, and arts & crafts Summer schools run by third-party providers on a private school's premises are not impacted by these changes. Summer schools run by third-parties have always been subject to VAT if the provider was registered and the summer school didn't qualify for the welfare VAT exemption. Based on the draft legislation, the degree to which a summer school consists of English language tuition does not affect its VAT treatment. The final policy design will be confirmed at the Budget on 30 October.

Communities and Local Government, how many full-time equivalent staff were allocated to the Supporting Families Programme in its final full year in her Department; and what grades those staff members were.

My department allocated 20.6 full time equivalent staff to the Supporting Families Programme in its final full year.The breakdown of those staff by grade was as follows:Table-agreed rolesRoles in scope following HR scoping exercise TotalDD1G62G78.7SEO4HEO3.9EO1Total20.6

How many full-time equivalent staff will be allocated to the Supporting Families programme in the 2025-26 financial year; and what grades those staff are.

This government is committed to improving outcomes for children and families, and to continuing to work on the reform agenda of which Early Help and Family help are a part. The Supporting Families programme is funded until March 2025. Any future funding will be determined, as is normal, by the Budget and Spending Review process. Any decisions on staffing will be made through the department’s business planning following the Spending Review.

Whether she has plans to review and amend the Supporting Families programme.

The new government is committed to improving outcomes for children and families and to continuing to consider reforms to include Early Help and Family Help.The Supporting Families programme is funded until March 2025. Any future funding will be determined, as is normal, by the Budget and Spending Review process.

Whether summer schools which are operated by (a) an independent school on its own site and (b) a third party on an independent school site will be liable for VAT; and whether the liability is changed if a significant part of the course content is English language tuition.

The draft legislation set out the definition of private schools within the scope of this policy. This includes Welsh language schools if they provide full-time education for children of compulsory school age and/or full-time education for a fee to 16-19 year olds and are principally concerned with providing education suitable for that age range (for instance, a sixth form) for a charge. All education, vocational training, and boarding provided by a private school for a charge will be within scope of this policy, including educational summer schools run by a private school. However, if the summer school purely consists of childcare and is not educational in nature, it will remain exempt from VAT, as welfare services are exempt from VAT. For VAT purposes, education means a course, lesson, instruction, or study in any subject (whether or not that subject is normally taught in schools, colleges, or universities), regardless of where and when it takes place. As well as academic subjects, this includes activities such as performing arts, physical training, sports, and arts & crafts Summer schools run by third-party providers on a private school's premises are not impacted by these changes. Summer schools run by third-parties have always been subject to VAT if the provider was registered and the summer school didn't qualify for the welfare VAT exemption. Based on the draft legislation, the degree to which a summer school consists of English language tuition does not affect its VAT treatment. The final policy design will be confirmed at the Budget on 30 October.

What estimate her Department has made of which secondary planning areas will have a ratio of Year 7 pupil numbers forecast to estimated capacity of (a) greater than one, (b) one, (c) at or above 0.97 and below one and (d) at or above 0.95 and below 0.97 for the 2025-26 academic year; and what steps she (i) has taken and (ii) plans to take to increase capacity in each area.

Information on school place planning estimates for the 2025/26 academic year, including pupil forecasts and estimated capacity, are published at planning area level in the annual School Capacity statistics publication. This can be accessed here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-capacity. The statutory duty to provide sufficient school places sits with local authorities. 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. We have already announced allocations up to 2025/26, for places needed by September 2026. Allocations can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/basic-need-allocations.

What estimate her Department has made of which primary planning areas will have a ratio of pupil numbers forecast to estimated capacity of (a) greater than one, (b) one, (c) at or above 0.97 and below one and (d) at or above 0.95 and below 0.97 for the 2025-26 academic year; and what steps she (i) has taken and (ii) plans to take to increase capacity in each area.

Information on school place planning estimates for the 2025/26 academic year, including pupil forecasts and estimated capacity, are published at planning area level in the annual School Capacity statistics publication. This can be accessed here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-capacity. The statutory duty to provide sufficient school places sits with local authorities. 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. We have already announced allocations up to 2025/26, for places needed by September 2026. Allocations can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/basic-need-allocations.

What estimate her Department has made of which secondary planning areas will have a ratio of pupil numbers forecast to estimated capacity of (a) greater than one, (b) one, (c) at or above 0.97 and below one and (d) at or above 0.95 and below 0.97 for the 2025-26 academic year; and what steps she (i) has taken and (ii) plans to take to increase capacity in each area.

Information on school place planning estimates for the 2025/26 academic year, including pupil forecasts and estimated capacity, are published at planning area level in the annual School Capacity statistics publication. This can be accessed here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-capacity. The statutory duty to provide sufficient school places sits with local authorities. 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. We have already announced allocations up to 2025/26, for places needed by September 2026. Allocations can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/basic-need-allocations.

Whether she plans to change the eligibility criteria for free school meals.

The government is driving an agenda of change to break down the barriers of opportunity and to reduce child poverty, working across local and national government to bring about change.Child poverty has increased by 700,000 since 2010, with over four million children now growing up in a low-income family. That is why the government is committed to delivering an ambitious strategy to reduce child poverty, tackling the root causes, and giving every child the best start at life. To support this, a new Ministerial taskforce has been set up to begin work on the Child Poverty Strategy.The department is also committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity so that all children have the freedom to achieve and thrive in education. To support this aim, the government is committed to introducing free breakfast clubs in every primary school, to set children up for the day and ensure they are ready to learn, while supporting parents and carers to work.Disadvantaged pupils in state-funded schools, as well as 16 to 18 year old students in further education, are entitled to receive free meals on the basis of low income. 2.1 million disadvantaged pupils are registered to receive free school meals (FSM) and a further 90,000 are registered to receive further education free meals. In addition, all children in reception, year 1 and year 2 in England's state-funded schools are entitled to Universal Infant Free School Meals, which benefits around 1.3 million pupils. As with all government programmes, we will keep our approach to FSM under review.

Whether she plans to change the eligibility criteria for funding for secondary school breakfast clubs.

The National School Breakfast Club Programme (NSPB) currently provides breakfast clubs in up to 2,700 participating schools, including secondary, in disadvantaged areas, supporting pupils’ attainment, wellbeing, and readiness to learn.The department is making no changes to the existing eligibility criteria for secondary schools participating in the NSBP which runs until July. Future spending commitments, including on the Breakfast Club programme, will be set out as part of the Spending Review process.

With reference to paragraph 4.7 of her Department's Technical Note entitled Applying VAT to Private School Fees and Removing the Business Rates Charitable Rates Relief for Private Schools, published in July 2024, on what evidential basis the Government expects increased rates liabilities to have a limited impact on average school fees per pupil.

Following scrutiny of the Government’s costing by the independent Office for Budget Responsibility, details of the Government’s assessment of the expected impacts of the removal of charitable rates relief from private schools in England will be published at the Budget on October 30 in the usual way.

To which English parliamentary constituencies each Secondary Planning Area relates.

Information on Secondary Planning Areas as of May 2023 is published at school level in the annual School Capacity statistics publication. This can be accessed here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-capacity. Secondary Planning Areas are groups of schools that can relate to more than one parliamentary constituency. Therefore, there is not a one-to-one list of parliamentary constituency to Secondary Planning Area. School level capacity data can be combined with information from ‘Get Information About Schools’ (GIAS) to identify parliamentary constituency. This can be accessed here: https://get-information-schools.service.gov.uk/. GIAS currently reflects the changes made following the general election parliamentary constituency changes.

What estimate she has made of the proportion of independent school teachers who are in the teachers' pension scheme as of (i) the most recent date for which data are available and (ii) October 2021.

The scheme administrator maintains a record of the number of independent schools participating in the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS), as well as those that have elected for phased withdrawal. However, as participation is voluntary for this sector, the scheme administrator does not have a figure of the total number that could participate. Eligibility is only considered at the time that an independent school applies to join the TPS.Data from September 2024 shows that there are 601 independent schools that are fully participating in the TPS and a further 247 that have opted for phased withdrawal. A bespoke report would need to be obtained from the scheme administrator for the position in October 2021.The department does not have an estimate of the proportion of independent school teachers who are in the TPS. As not all independent schools participate in the TPS, the scheme administrator does not hold this information.The department maintains financial records via the Annual Report and Accounts, in addition to the scheme valuation, which is scheduled to take place every four years. However, the specific data on the revenue to the teachers’ pension scheme from independent schools’ employers’ contributions is not available as the TPS does not require it for the purposes of the administration of the scheme.The department does not hold projected revenue figures for the TPS specifically from independent school employer contributions for 2024/25 or 2025/26.

How many independent schools (a) opened and (b) closed in each year from the earliest year for which data are available.

The government has maintained a register of independent schools since the Education Act 1944 came into force in 1945. The register shows that 3679 independent schools have opened since 1945. Data on independent school closures is available from 1987 and shows 2674 independent schools have closed since 1987. The attached table outlines how many independent schools have opened and closed in each year. Data on school registration and closure can be found at. https://get-information-schools.service.gov.uk/.