Written questions by Johnson.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of establishing a public inquiry into the policy of so-called educationally subnormal schools in the 1960s and 1970s and (a) the number and proportion of Black children placed in such schools and (b) the impact on them.

The department does not currently plan to establish a public inquiry into the policy framework surrounding placement of children in schools for the so-called “educationally subnormal” in the 1960s and 1970s, but is keen to ensure that the mistakes made in that time are never repeated, and that no children or young people today suffer from the structural barriers and entrenched racism that held too many of our young people back in previous generations.The government wants to ensure that whoever you are, wherever you come from, Britain is a country that will respect your contribution and give you a fair chance to get on in life.We want every child and young person to achieve and thrive in education, work, and life, regardless of their background. All children and young people must be treated fairly. There is no place for hate or prejudice in our education system.Additionally, under the Equality Act 2010, schools must not discriminate against a pupil in a number of respects because of a characteristic protected by the Act.The Public Sector Equality Duty also requires public bodies, including maintained schools and academies to have due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination and other conduct prohibited by the Act; advance equality of opportunity for people who share a protected characteristic and people who do not share it; and foster good relations across all characteristics.The department is also focused on driving high and rising standards in every school, helping every child to achieve and thrive. We aim to deliver improvements though excellent teaching and leadership, a high-quality curriculum and a system which removes the barriers to learning that holds too many children back.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing free period products to learners in (a) further and (b) higher education settings in England.

Nobody should have to miss out on education because of their period, which is why the department provides free period products to girls and women in all state-maintained schools and 16 to 19 education organisations in England. Higher education (HE) institutions are independent bodies and so would be expected to make their own arrangements to ensure that pupils have access to the products that they need. Only girls and women aged 16 to 19 attending further education courses funded by the department within HE institutions would be eligible for the scheme.

With reference to the findings of the Association of Colleges' report entitled The educational provision for 14 to 16-year-olds in further education colleges in England, published in November 2024, whether she

The department has noted with interest the Association of Colleges report about educational provision for 14 to 16-year-olds in further education (FE) colleges in England. Funding for 14 to 16-year-olds in FE colleges is based on the same approach as for ...

Whether she has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on automatically enrolling all eligible pupils for free school meals.

The department recognises the vital role played by free school meals (FSM) and encourages all eligible families to take their entitlement up. There are currently around 2.1 million pupils eligible for and claiming FSM.To make it as easy as possible to rec...

Pursuant to the Answer of 14 October 2024 to Question 7596 on Special Educational Needs, how many and what proportion of children who had been excluded from school were then registered at special schools by (a)

The department does not centrally hold statistics showing how many children who had been excluded from school were then registered at special schools. However, there are legal duties on schools and local authorities to provide suitable full-time education...

Pursuant to the Answers of 14 October to Questions 7569 on Special Educational Needs and 7570 on Pupil Referral Units, how many and what proportion of children who attended Special Educational Needs schools wer

The department does not hold statistics centrally showing how many children who attended special schools were then registered at pupil referral units in each of the last ten years.

Pursuant to the Answer of 25 October 2024 to Question 9795 on Pupil Referral Units, if her Department will undertake a manual audit of all children registered at Pupil Referral Units since 1 November 2023 to se

All decisions to exclude a pupil must be lawful, reasonable and fair. Permanent exclusion should only be used as a last resort.There are legal duties on schools and local authorities to provide suitable full-time education from the sixth day of a suspensi...

Pursuant to the Answer of 25 October 2024 to Question 9795 on Pupil Referral Units, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of recording the number of children registered at Pupil Referral Units

All decisions to exclude a pupil must be lawful, reasonable and fair. Permanent exclusion should only be used as a last resort.There are legal duties on schools and local authorities to provide suitable full-time education from the sixth day of a suspensi...

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing kitchen facilities available to primary schools, in the context of the roll-out of new breakfast clubs.

The government is committed to making quick progress to deliver on its commitment to offer breakfast clubs in every primary school with primary aged pupils whilst ensuring effective implementation.Departmental officials are working closely with schools an...

Pursuant to the Answers of 14 October 2024 to Question 7569 on Special Educational Needs and Question 7570 on Pupil Referral Units, how many and what proportion of children who had been excluded from school wer

The department does not currently hold statistics showing how many children who had been excluded from school were then registered at Pupil Referral Units. However, there are legal duties on schools and local authorities to provide suitable full-time educ...

With reference to Institute for Public Policy Research's report entitled Who is losing learning, the case for reducing exclusions across mainstream schools, published on 5 September 2024, what steps her Departm

The government has committed to taking a community-wide approach to improving inclusion of all children in mainstream schools, whatever their background. The department will see alternative providers working with mainstream schools to provide high quality...

With reference to the Education Policy Institute's Annual Report 2024, published on 16 July 2024, what steps she plans to take to tackle disadvantage gaps identified in that report for (a) Gypsy and Roma pupils

Every child, regardless of background, deserves the opportunity to progress and succeed in school and beyond. This government is committed to breaking the link between young people’s backgrounds and their future success.The department recognises the issue...

How many children attend special educational needs schools by (a) sex, (b) ethnicity, (c) free school meals status and (d) region.

Information on children attending special schools is reported within the school census, with the most recent publication available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics. To access...

How many children are registered at pupil referral units by (a) sex, (b) ethnicity, (c) free school meals status and (d) region.

Information on pupil referral units is reported within the school census. The most recent publication is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics. By following this link yo...

Whether she plans to introduce an alternative student finance product for Muslim students.

The department is committed to introducing an Alternative Student Finance (ASF) product, compatible with Islamic finance principles, as quickly as it can. To support this, in November we are reconvening the ASF working group, made up of representatives fr...

With reference to the Written Statement of 2 September 2024 entitled Education reforms to deliver on the government’s opportunity mission, HCWS54, whether it is her policy to replace single headline grades for

The government’s announcement to remove Ofsted’s single headline grades with immediate effect included state-funded alternative provision schools. The government is committed to removing single headline grades in all the remits that Ofsted inspects and re...