Written questions by McMurdock.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of growing class sizes on (a) the academic attainment of students and (b) the quality of lessons.

Our school system will drive high and rising standards, across every school and for every child. We aim to deliver these improvements through excellent teaching and leadership, a high-quality curriculum, robust accountability and faster school improvement, and a system which removes additional barriers to learning.Class sizes in primary and infant classes have been on a downwards trend in recent years, while secondary school classes have increased only slightly in line with demographic trends.The quality of teaching is the most significant within-school factor in improving outcomes for children. This is why as our first steps for change, we are committed to recruiting an additional 6,500 new expert teachers across our schools, both mainstream and specialist, and our colleges over the course of this Parliament, reflecting the demographic trend of more pupils moving into upper secondary school and 16 to 19.To further strengthen the foundations of learning, we have also launched an independent, expert-led curriculum and assessment review which seeks to deliver an excellent foundation in the core subjects of reading, writing and mathematics, and a broader, high-quality knowledge-rich curriculum that readies young people for life and work.

What recent estimate she has made of (a) the average class size in secondary schools and (b) the number of secondary school places available to young people in (i) England and (ii) Essex.

The department publishes information on class sizes in England in the annual accredited official statistics, ‘Schools, pupils and their characteristics’. The most recent data can be accessed at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics/2023-24. The average class sizes for secondary schools in the Essex region and across England for the 2023/24 academic year are available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/aada0205-1f9a-48fc-a8c1-08dd736ca4ba. Data on state-funded school places is published at national and local authority level in the annual school capacity statistics publication. The latest data is for academic year 2023/24 and can be accessed at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-capacity/2023-24. The number of school places in mainstream state secondary schools in England and Essex as of 1 May 2024, as well as how many were unfilled, can be found at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/8e1c8b2e-fc28-436c-9b02-08dd7377d1ad. The statutory duty to provide sufficient school places sits with local authorities.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of the quality of (a) buildings and (b) facilities in state secondary schools in England.

Ensuring schools and colleges have the facilities and buildings they need is a key part of the department’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and give every young person the best start in life. The department supports local authorities, academy trusts and voluntary-aided school bodies responsible for the school estate by providing capital funding, delivering major rebuilding programmes and offering guidance and support. We have increased funding to improve the condition of the estate for the 2025/26 financial year to £2.1 billion, up from £1.8 billion last year. This is in addition to our continued investment in the school rebuilding programme. From 2021 to 2026, the department’s Condition Data Collection 2 programme is visiting every government-funded school and college in England to collect data about the condition of their buildings. This data will provide a comprehensive picture of the condition of the school estate in England to support our capital funding programmes. In addition, the department has commissioned new research, due to complete by spring 2026, to better understand the performance of post-war education buildings.

What recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the education system for supporting the academic attainment of boys.

All young people should have every opportunity to succeed, no matter who they are or where they are from. That is why, through our work to deliver the Opportunity Mission, the department will improve opportunities and life chances across the country for all children and young people. As in previous years the latest attainment data shows girls continue to do better than boys across all headline measures, however, the gap has narrowed when comparing the 2023/24 academic year to the 2018/19 academic year. The department publishes attainment data by sex on an annual basis in the autumn term, which can be broken down by specific local authorities, including Essex. Further data can be accessed here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/key-stage-4-performance/2023-24. High and rising standards across schools are the heart of our mission and the key to unlocking stronger outcomes for every child and young person, regardless of their gender. The department aims to deliver these improvements through excellent teaching and leadership, a high quality curriculum and a system which removes the barriers to learning that hold too many children back. The quality of teaching is the single most important in-school factor in improving outcomes for all children, which is why the department is committed to recruiting 6,500 new expert teachers. We have also launched an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, which is closely examining the key challenges to attainment for young people and the barriers that hold children back from the opportunities and life chances they deserve. To strengthen school improvement, the new regional improvement for standards and excellence (RISE) teams will provide both mandatory targeted intervention for schools identified by Ofsted as needing to improve and a universal service, acting as a catalyst for a self-improving system, for all schools. The department also engages regularly with teachers and headteachers and their representative bodies on a range of issues, including attainment, behaviour and attendance. This includes engagement through the department’s teacher and headteacher reference groups. Alongside this, the department regularly engages with school leaders and teachers to develop its attendance policy. During the spring term the department delivered a programme of nine regional attendance conferences across England, giving secondary school leaders and teachers the chance to hear how other schools are tackling attendance challenges and spread best practice across the system. The conference in the East of England was held on 17 March.

What support is available for secondary schools facing financial pressures that require (a) new facilities and (b) building repairs.

This government is committed to ensuring that secondary and other schools have the resources and buildings that they need to help every child achieve and thrive.The department supports academy trusts, local authorities and voluntary-aided school bodies, who are responsible for managing the safety and maintenance of their schools, with capital funding, rebuilding programmes and extensive guidance on effective estate management.The department has recently confirmed the details of £2.1 billion of capital funding for the 2025/26 financial year to improve the condition of the school estate, up from £1.8 billion committed for the 2024/25 financial year. Provisional allocations for all eligible responsible bodies have been published on GOV.UK and the outcomes for the bid-based Condition Improvement Fund will be announced later in the spring.This is on top of the continuing school rebuilding programme (SRP) which is rebuilding or significantly refurbishing buildings at 518 schools and sixth form colleges across England. There are five SRP schools in South Basildon and East Thurrock, including St Clere’s Secondary School. By tackling schools in the worst condition, the programme will dramatically reduce the funding these schools require annually, enabling the sector to invest more of their capital funding in other schools.Where the department is alerted to significant safety issues with a building, that cannot be managed within local resources, we provide additional advice and support on a case-by-case basis.Capital funding to improve school buildings beyond the 2025/26 financial year will be confirmed following the next phase of the spending review.The department also provides capital funding through the basic need grant to support local authorities meet their statutory duty to secure sufficient school places. On 27 March, the department announced over £1 billion to support local authorities to create mainstream school places needed by September 2028. This funding, £640 million of which will be paid in the 2026/27 financial year, with a further £400 million paid in the 2027/28 financial year, is on top of almost £1.5 billion of basic need capital funding that has previously been announced to create new mainstream school places needed in the current and next two academic years.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. They can use this funding to provide places in new schools or through expansions of existing schools.

What recent estimate she has made of the number of secondary schools in debt.

83 local authority maintained secondary schools were operating a deficit at the end of the 2023/24 financial year, according to their financial reporting returns. Academy trusts are responsible for the combined accounts of all the academies within their trusts, and so it is not possible to accurately identify the number of individual secondary academies in deficit. At the end of the 2022/23 academic year, around 98% of academy trusts were in cumulative surplus or breaking even, while 55 academy trusts had a deficit.

If she will take steps to ensure teaching materials used in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools are (i) politically impartial and (ii) present a balanced view of (A) political and (B) historical events.

In 2022 the department published comprehensive guidance to support schools to meet their duties on political impartiality. This guidance can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/political-impartiality-in-schools/political-impartiality-in-schools. The guidance is clear that all schools should take full responsibility for ensuring lessons and materials are age appropriate, suitable and politically impartial, particularly when using materials produced by external organisations. The guidance also highlights that legal duties on political impartiality are unlikely to be relevant when teaching about political events from previous historical periods. However, the guidance is clear that, when teaching about more recent historical events, it is important to ensure that political issues that remain contentious today are presented to pupils in a balanced manner.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure that teachers remain (a) politically impartial and (b) balanced, in line with Section 406 and 407 of the Education Act 1996.

In 2022 the department published comprehensive guidance to support schools to meet their duties on political impartiality. This guidance can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/political-impartiality-in-schools/political-impartiality-in-schools. The guidance is clear that all schools should take full responsibility for ensuring lessons and materials are age appropriate, suitable and politically impartial, particularly when using materials produced by external organisations. The guidance also highlights that legal duties on political impartiality are unlikely to be relevant when teaching about political events from previous historical periods. However, the guidance is clear that, when teaching about more recent historical events, it is important to ensure that political issues that remain contentious today are presented to pupils in a balanced manner.

If she will take steps to promote transparency between teachers and parents on politically sensitive topics in schools.

In 2022 the department published comprehensive guidance to support schools to meet their duties on political impartiality. This guidance can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/political-impartiality-in-schools/political-impartiality-in-schools. The guidance is clear that all schools should take full responsibility for ensuring lessons and materials are age appropriate, suitable and politically impartial, particularly when using materials produced by external organisations. The guidance also highlights that legal duties on political impartiality are unlikely to be relevant when teaching about political events from previous historical periods. However, the guidance is clear that, when teaching about more recent historical events, it is important to ensure that political issues that remain contentious today are presented to pupils in a balanced manner.

Whether her Department monitors political impartiality in schools.

In 2022 the department published comprehensive guidance to support schools to meet their duties on political impartiality. This guidance can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/political-impartiality-in-schools/political-impartiality-in-schools. The guidance is clear that all schools should take full responsibility for ensuring lessons and materials are age appropriate, suitable and politically impartial, particularly when using materials produced by external organisations. The guidance also highlights that legal duties on political impartiality are unlikely to be relevant when teaching about political events from previous historical periods. However, the guidance is clear that, when teaching about more recent historical events, it is important to ensure that political issues that remain contentious today are presented to pupils in a balanced manner.

What recent discussions she has had with teachers on political impartiality in schools.

In 2022 the department published comprehensive guidance to support schools to meet their duties on political impartiality. This guidance can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/political-impartiality-in-schools/political-impartiality-in-schools. The guidance is clear that all schools should take full responsibility for ensuring lessons and materials are age appropriate, suitable and politically impartial, particularly when using materials produced by external organisations. The guidance also highlights that legal duties on political impartiality are unlikely to be relevant when teaching about political events from previous historical periods. However, the guidance is clear that, when teaching about more recent historical events, it is important to ensure that political issues that remain contentious today are presented to pupils in a balanced manner.

What recent estimate she has made of the number of (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in debt in (i) England and (ii) Essex.

The department trusts schools to manage their own budgets, and the vast majority are operating with a cumulative surplus, with only a small percentage having a deficit.The latest published figures for academies show that at a national level, 98% of academy trusts are in cumulative surplus or breaking even nationally. These figures for academy trusts relate to 31 August 2023.For maintained schools, at national level, 14.7% of maintained primary schools and 13% of maintained secondary schools were in deficit. In the Essex local authority 6.9% of maintained primary schools and no secondary schools were in deficit in the same period. The figures for maintained schools relate to 31 March 2024.The department does not hold local authority level figures for academies, since their funding is managed at Trust level, and many Trusts operate across local authorities’ boundaries. The financial benchmarking and insights tool on GOV.UK provides resources to review the finances of individual academies. This tool is available at: https://financial-benchmarking-and-insights-tool.education.gov.uk/data-sources.

What recent discussions her Department has had with head teachers on (a) energy bills and (b) other costs for schools.

Overall core revenue funding for schools totals almost £61.6 billion this 2024/25 financial year. The overall core schools budget is increasing by over £3.2 billion in the 2025/26 financial year, meaning the core schools budget will total over £64.8 billion.The department holds discussions on energy costs and other cost pressures with sector bodies, including representatives for headteachers. This includes regular meetings with the Schools and Academies Funding Group and the Service-level Working Group on Education and Children's Services.The department provides advice to headteachers and is developing a suite of productivity initiatives to support schools in making efficiencies in their budgets. This includes giving schools the opportunity to join the department’s ‘Energy for Schools’ initiative. When schools' energy contracts are up for renewal, they can join the department's contract. During the pilot for this project, schools saved 36% on average compared to their previous contracts. The Schools Resource Management Advisor Programme works with headteachers by providing peer to peer advice on resources and costs at school level. We continue to work with schools to ensure, where needed, they are accessing our full suite of existing support to help manage budgets.The department will continue to monitor cost pressures, as it usually does.

What recent discussions her Department has had with (a) secondary school teachers and (b) head teachers on (i) smart phones in schools and (ii) young people on social media.

The department engages regularly with teachers and headteachers and their representative bodies on a range of issues, including mobile phone use in schools and the impact of social media on young people. This includes engagement through the department’s teacher and headteacher reference groups.The department’s ‘Mobile phones in schools’ guidance is clear that schools should prohibit the use of devices with smart technology throughout the school day, including during lessons, transitions and breaks.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Adoption and special guardianship support fund on families with adopted children.

The department regularly discusses policy issues with a range of sector bodies and interested parties.Between 2018 and 2021, the Institute of Public Care (IPC), at Oxford Brookes University, carried out a three-year mixed-method evaluation, on behalf of the department. Their report can be accessed at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6391c41a8fa8f53ba783e8ad/Evaluation_of_the_Adoption_Support_Fund_2018_to_2022_-_summary_.pdf.The report found that “a high proportion (83%) of parents and guardians participating in the longitudinal survey found the funded support helpful or very helpful overall”. The IPC report also found “a statistically significant (substantial, with large effect size) improvement in parent and guardian estimates of the extent to which the main aim of the funded support had been met by the end of the intervention” and reported that parents and guardians scored on average “7 out of 10 in relation to a question about the extent to which positive change(s) for their child and/or family had been sustained 6 months since the conclusion of adoption support fund-funded support”.The impact of the therapies available within the adoption and special guardianship fund (ASGSF) is currently being assessed from multiple angles. The National Institute for Health Research is conducting a randomised control trial into Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP), one of the main therapies the ASGSF funds. This research is currently in its third and final phase and it will provide robust evidence regarding the effectiveness of DDP. The department started to collect data from outcomes measurement tools for ASGSF-funded therapies in December 2023. As therapy treatment comes to an end, this data will give an overall picture of the impact and adequacy of individual ASGSF-funded therapies.The department has been making a range of changes to improve the timeliness of the ASGSF application process. For example, we have streamlined the online application process to reduce administration for local authorities and regional adoption agencies (RAAs) and have changed systems to ensure that application outcomes are delivered more swiftly. We have also introduced a direct communication link with therapy providers to give early updates on any changes and advice on submitting applications.These changes should help to reduce delays within local authorities and RAAs before applications are received. The additional support to providers, with better sharing of information about the ASGSF, should also help families to receive support more quickly.The department has considered what changes to the ASGSF portal will facilitate making the re-application for therapies more efficient. The streamlining of the application process has already reduced the information required, and an option to simplify the process in the case of a re-application is under consideration.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of waiting times for the Adoption and special guardianship support fund.

The department regularly discusses policy issues with a range of sector bodies and interested parties.Between 2018 and 2021, the Institute of Public Care (IPC), at Oxford Brookes University, carried out a three-year mixed-method evaluation, on behalf of the department. Their report can be accessed at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6391c41a8fa8f53ba783e8ad/Evaluation_of_the_Adoption_Support_Fund_2018_to_2022_-_summary_.pdf.The report found that “a high proportion (83%) of parents and guardians participating in the longitudinal survey found the funded support helpful or very helpful overall”. The IPC report also found “a statistically significant (substantial, with large effect size) improvement in parent and guardian estimates of the extent to which the main aim of the funded support had been met by the end of the intervention” and reported that parents and guardians scored on average “7 out of 10 in relation to a question about the extent to which positive change(s) for their child and/or family had been sustained 6 months since the conclusion of adoption support fund-funded support”.The impact of the therapies available within the adoption and special guardianship fund (ASGSF) is currently being assessed from multiple angles. The National Institute for Health Research is conducting a randomised control trial into Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP), one of the main therapies the ASGSF funds. This research is currently in its third and final phase and it will provide robust evidence regarding the effectiveness of DDP. The department started to collect data from outcomes measurement tools for ASGSF-funded therapies in December 2023. As therapy treatment comes to an end, this data will give an overall picture of the impact and adequacy of individual ASGSF-funded therapies.The department has been making a range of changes to improve the timeliness of the ASGSF application process. For example, we have streamlined the online application process to reduce administration for local authorities and regional adoption agencies (RAAs) and have changed systems to ensure that application outcomes are delivered more swiftly. We have also introduced a direct communication link with therapy providers to give early updates on any changes and advice on submitting applications.These changes should help to reduce delays within local authorities and RAAs before applications are received. The additional support to providers, with better sharing of information about the ASGSF, should also help families to receive support more quickly.The department has considered what changes to the ASGSF portal will facilitate making the re-application for therapies more efficient. The streamlining of the application process has already reduced the information required, and an option to simplify the process in the case of a re-application is under consideration.

Whether her Department is taking steps to simplify the re-application process for the Adoption and special guardianship support fund.

The department regularly discusses policy issues with a range of sector bodies and interested parties.Between 2018 and 2021, the Institute of Public Care (IPC), at Oxford Brookes University, carried out a three-year mixed-method evaluation, on behalf of the department. Their report can be accessed at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6391c41a8fa8f53ba783e8ad/Evaluation_of_the_Adoption_Support_Fund_2018_to_2022_-_summary_.pdf.The report found that “a high proportion (83%) of parents and guardians participating in the longitudinal survey found the funded support helpful or very helpful overall”. The IPC report also found “a statistically significant (substantial, with large effect size) improvement in parent and guardian estimates of the extent to which the main aim of the funded support had been met by the end of the intervention” and reported that parents and guardians scored on average “7 out of 10 in relation to a question about the extent to which positive change(s) for their child and/or family had been sustained 6 months since the conclusion of adoption support fund-funded support”.The impact of the therapies available within the adoption and special guardianship fund (ASGSF) is currently being assessed from multiple angles. The National Institute for Health Research is conducting a randomised control trial into Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP), one of the main therapies the ASGSF funds. This research is currently in its third and final phase and it will provide robust evidence regarding the effectiveness of DDP. The department started to collect data from outcomes measurement tools for ASGSF-funded therapies in December 2023. As therapy treatment comes to an end, this data will give an overall picture of the impact and adequacy of individual ASGSF-funded therapies.The department has been making a range of changes to improve the timeliness of the ASGSF application process. For example, we have streamlined the online application process to reduce administration for local authorities and regional adoption agencies (RAAs) and have changed systems to ensure that application outcomes are delivered more swiftly. We have also introduced a direct communication link with therapy providers to give early updates on any changes and advice on submitting applications.These changes should help to reduce delays within local authorities and RAAs before applications are received. The additional support to providers, with better sharing of information about the ASGSF, should also help families to receive support more quickly.The department has considered what changes to the ASGSF portal will facilitate making the re-application for therapies more efficient. The streamlining of the application process has already reduced the information required, and an option to simplify the process in the case of a re-application is under consideration.

Which groups she has consulted during the decision-making process on the future of the adoption and special guardianship support fund.

The department regularly discusses policy issues with a range of sector bodies and interested parties.Between 2018 and 2021, the Institute of Public Care (IPC), at Oxford Brookes University, carried out a three-year mixed-method evaluation, on behalf of the department. Their report can be accessed at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6391c41a8fa8f53ba783e8ad/Evaluation_of_the_Adoption_Support_Fund_2018_to_2022_-_summary_.pdf.The report found that “a high proportion (83%) of parents and guardians participating in the longitudinal survey found the funded support helpful or very helpful overall”. The IPC report also found “a statistically significant (substantial, with large effect size) improvement in parent and guardian estimates of the extent to which the main aim of the funded support had been met by the end of the intervention” and reported that parents and guardians scored on average “7 out of 10 in relation to a question about the extent to which positive change(s) for their child and/or family had been sustained 6 months since the conclusion of adoption support fund-funded support”.The impact of the therapies available within the adoption and special guardianship fund (ASGSF) is currently being assessed from multiple angles. The National Institute for Health Research is conducting a randomised control trial into Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP), one of the main therapies the ASGSF funds. This research is currently in its third and final phase and it will provide robust evidence regarding the effectiveness of DDP. The department started to collect data from outcomes measurement tools for ASGSF-funded therapies in December 2023. As therapy treatment comes to an end, this data will give an overall picture of the impact and adequacy of individual ASGSF-funded therapies.The department has been making a range of changes to improve the timeliness of the ASGSF application process. For example, we have streamlined the online application process to reduce administration for local authorities and regional adoption agencies (RAAs) and have changed systems to ensure that application outcomes are delivered more swiftly. We have also introduced a direct communication link with therapy providers to give early updates on any changes and advice on submitting applications.These changes should help to reduce delays within local authorities and RAAs before applications are received. The additional support to providers, with better sharing of information about the ASGSF, should also help families to receive support more quickly.The department has considered what changes to the ASGSF portal will facilitate making the re-application for therapies more efficient. The streamlining of the application process has already reduced the information required, and an option to simplify the process in the case of a re-application is under consideration.

What representations her Department has received from parents who home school their children about the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill.

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education and the Ministerial team try to meet with stakeholders regularly, including in relation to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill. It is important that the department engages and listens to the views of key stakeholders who have an interest in the Children Not in School measures within the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill. That is why we have established stakeholder implementation forums to listen to the views of home educating parents, home education organisations, local authorities and other safeguarding and education stakeholders with a vested interest. There is currently no automatic right for all parents to be able to home educate their children, with local authority consent currently being required for a small cohort of children.

If she will meet with parents who home school their children to discuss the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill.

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education and the Ministerial team try to meet with stakeholders regularly, including in relation to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill. It is important that the department engages and listens to the views of key stakeholders who have an interest in the Children Not in School measures within the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill. That is why we have established stakeholder implementation forums to listen to the views of home educating parents, home education organisations, local authorities and other safeguarding and education stakeholders with a vested interest. There is currently no automatic right for all parents to be able to home educate their children, with local authority consent currently being required for a small cohort of children.