Written questions by Norris.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the proposed expansion of free school meals on pupil behaviour in North East Somerset and Hanham constituency.

This government is committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity and tackling child poverty. The department has now announced that we are extending free school meals (FSM) to all children from households in receipt of Universal Credit from September 2026. This will lift 100,000 children across England out of poverty and put £500 back in families’ pockets, supporting parents in decisive action to improve lives ahead of the Child Poverty Strategy coming later this year.In North East Somerset and Hanham, 2,008 pupils are currently eligible for FSM. Following the expansion of FSM to all on Universal Credit from September 2026, the department expects approximately 3,500 children to be eligible based on data from the Department for Work and Pensions. Providing over half a million children from the most disadvantaged backgrounds with a free, nutritious lunchtime meal every school day will lead to higher attainment, improved behaviour and better outcomes, meaning children get the best possible education and chance to succeed in work and life.

What steps her Department is taking to improve access to apprenticeships in North East Somerset and Hanham constituency.

This government is transforming the apprenticeships offer into a new growth and skills offer, which will provide greater flexibility to employers and learners across the country, including in North East Somerset and Hanham, and support the industrial strategy.From August, the department will be introducing seven new foundation apprenticeships for young people in targeted sectors, including construction and the built environment, digital, and health and social care. We are also reducing the apprenticeship minimum duration to eight months so that shorter apprenticeships are possible from August. These flexibilities will help more people learn new high quality skills at work and fuel innovation in businesses across the country.To support employers to access apprenticeships, the government pays £1,000 to employers when they take on apprentices aged 16 to 18 years old, and for apprentices aged 19 to 24 years old who have an education, health and care plan or have been in local authority care. We will also provide £2,000 payments to employers for every foundation apprentice they take on and retain. Employers also benefit from not being required to pay anything towards employees’ National Insurance for all apprentices aged up to 25 when they earn less than £50,270 a year.

What steps she is taking to improve training opportunities in (a) construction and (b) healthcare for people in North East Somerset and Hanham constituency.

The government is reforming the apprenticeships offer into a new growth and skills offer, providing greater flexibility for employers and learners.From August, the offer will include new foundation apprenticeships for young people, as well as shorter-duration apprenticeships, helping more individuals gain high quality skills. Construction and social care will be among the first sectors to benefit, with the introduction of four new apprenticeship standards, as well as shorter apprenticeships, including the level 2 healthcare support worker and level 2 smart meter installer. These measures, backed by a record £3 billion English apprenticeship budget for 2025/26, will open up opportunities for careers the country vitally needs to prosper.Recently, the government launched the 'Next Generation' campaign to inspire more pupils to pursue careers in high-demand sectors like construction and healthcare. This consists of targeted communications, school engagement, and promotion of technical education pathways.In March, the government also announced the £625 million skills package for the construction sector. These measures are designed to raise awareness, boost access and improve the quality of training available, ensuring that more young people are equipped with the skills the construction sector urgently needs.

What progress she has made on ensuring access to specialist mental health professionals in schools.

This government is committed to improving mental health support for all children and young people, including those in North East Somerset and Hanham. This is critical to high and rising standards in schools and breaking down barriers to opportunity, helping pupils to achieve and thrive in education.The government will provide access to specialist mental health professionals in every school by expanding Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs), so every child and young person has access to early support to address problems before they escalate. By April 2026, the department estimates that 60% of pupils in schools and learners in further education in England will be covered by an MHST, up from 52% in April 2025. In Bath and North East Somerset local authority, 46% of pupils/learners and 47% of schools/colleges are already covered by an MHST, compared to 52% and 41% nationally, respectively.The government will also recruit 8,500 mental health staff to treat children and adults, and open new Young Futures Hubs with access to mental health support workers.To support education staff, the department provides a range of guidance and practical resources on promoting and supporting pupils’ mental health and wellbeing, such as a resource hub for mental health leads and a toolkit to help schools choose evidence-based early support for pupils.School funding is increasing by £3.7 billion in 2025/26, taking total core school funding to £65.3 billion compared to £61.6 billion in 2024/25.

What steps she is taking to improve mental health support for children in schools in North East Somerset and Hanham constituency.

This government is committed to improving mental health support for all children and young people, including those in North East Somerset and Hanham. This is critical to high and rising standards in schools and breaking down barriers to opportunity, helping pupils to achieve and thrive in education.The government will provide access to specialist mental health professionals in every school by expanding Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs), so every child and young person has access to early support to address problems before they escalate. By April 2026, the department estimates that 60% of pupils in schools and learners in further education in England will be covered by an MHST, up from 52% in April 2025. In Bath and North East Somerset local authority, 46% of pupils/learners and 47% of schools/colleges are already covered by an MHST, compared to 52% and 41% nationally, respectively.The government will also recruit 8,500 mental health staff to treat children and adults, and open new Young Futures Hubs with access to mental health support workers.To support education staff, the department provides a range of guidance and practical resources on promoting and supporting pupils’ mental health and wellbeing, such as a resource hub for mental health leads and a toolkit to help schools choose evidence-based early support for pupils.School funding is increasing by £3.7 billion in 2025/26, taking total core school funding to £65.3 billion compared to £61.6 billion in 2024/25.

What steps she is taking to improve SEND provision in North East Somerset and Hanham constituency.

The government’s ambition for all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) is that they will achieve and thrive, and lead happy, healthy and productive lives. The department is working closely with experts on SEND reforms.The department and NHS England have been supporting local areas to improve their SEND service delivery for several years. This includes a monitoring, support and challenge relationship following an inspection by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC). Where a local authority does not meet its duties, we can take action that prioritises children’s needs and support local areas to bring about rapid improvement.Ofsted and CQC undertook a joint local area SEND inspection of Bath and North East Somerset in March 2019 and received a positive outcome (the local area was not required to produce a written statement of action). We expect the area will be re-inspected within 5 years from January 2023, when the new Ofsted and CQC’s SEND inspection framework was introduced. Officials from the department and NHS England meet annually with partners from the local area (including health, education, agencies, parent/carer, children and young people representatives) to review and reflect on the SEND services.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of proposed changes to apprenticeships on (a) young people and (b) businesses in North East Somerset and Hanham constituency.

This government’s first mission is to kickstart economic growth. We know that across the country skills gaps are holding back business growth and that we need to support employers to invest in skills training. That is why we are transforming the apprenticeships offer into a new growth and skills offer, which will provide greater flexibility to employers and learners, aligned to the industrial strategy.As part of the offer, we are introducing new foundation apprenticeships to give young people a route into careers in critical sectors, allowing them to earn a wage while developing vital skills. The first foundation apprenticeships will be focussed on industrial strategy and priority areas including construction, social care, digital and engineering, with seven new foundation apprenticeship standards introduced from August 2025. We expect this to drive up to 30,000 apprenticeship starts across this Parliament, creating more skilled jobs for young people and fuelling innovation for businesses across the country, including North East Somerset and Hanham.The growth and skills offer is informed by Skills England’s engagement with a wide range of stakeholders, to ensure that levy-funded training meets the needs of employers and learners.

Whether estates managed by her Department are participating in the No Mow May initiative.

The departmental estate is made up of office buildings which do not have any lawns. The department does not manage this estate. This is done on its behalf by the Government Property Agency.

What steps she is taking to encourage students to take social work courses in (a) higher and (b) further education.

The Department for Education shares responsibility with the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) for social work supply, with DHSC providing bursaries to help with the cost of training. We have also developed guidance for aspiring social workers through the ‘Become a Social Worker’ website and we support initiatives like the Local Government Association’s ‘Make a Difference, Work for your Local Council’ and Social Work England’s ‘Change the Script’ campaigns which encourage student enrolment.

When she plans to next update guidance on removing pupils from the classroom.

In July 2022, the department published the updated ‘behaviour in schools’ guidance, which is the primary source of advice for schools on developing and implementing a behaviour policy, providing clarity and support to schools on removing pupils from the classroom.Updates to the guidance were informed by a call for evidence in June 2021 and public consultation in March 2022.

What recent guidance her Department has provided on best practice for (a) responding to disclosures of bullying and (b) managing complex cases of bullying in schools.

All schools are legally required to have a behaviour policy with measures to prevent all forms of bullying. They have the freedom to develop their own anti-bullying strategies appropriate to their environment and are held to account by Ofsted. The departm...