Written questions by Jarvis.

What steps she is taking to ensure councils are held accountable in their duty to provide appropriate and sufficient support to SEND families during the process of attaining an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP); what assessment has she made of the potential incentive for councils to stall the process of EHCP provision, given these plans place long-term statutory and financial obligations upon already stretched councils; and what steps is she taking to increase transparency in the delivery of EHCP provision, to ensure SEND families are kept fully informed throughout the process.

Awaiting answer.

In the context of the impact of persistent disadvantage on academic success, what steps her Department is taking to (a) improve the tracking of persistently disadvantaged pupils in the Eastleigh constituency and (b) close the attainment gap between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged pupils in the Eastleigh constituency.

Awaiting answer.

What steps her Department is taking to improve mental health and wellbeing in young people through the expansion of Mental Health Support Teams in schools.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of childcare support for parents seeking to enter or return to employment; whether she has assessed the extent to which the number of funded childcar

Awaiting answer.

What steps her Department is taking to help ensure that pupils with medical conditions receive appropriate healthcare support during the school day; what assessment she has made of the respective roles and resp

I refer the hon. Member for Eastleigh to the answer of 23 June 2026 to Question 10306.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of including education on endometriosis within the statutory relationships, sex and health education curriculum in secondary schools; whether her Department

Pupils learn the facts about menstrual and reproductive health as part of compulsory relationships, sex and health education (RSHE). This includes fertility and the potential impact of lifestyle on fertility for men and women and the menopause. In July 20...

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the use of private providers in the children's residential care sector on (a) costs to local authorities, (b) placement stability, (c) outcomes for childr

The Competition and Market Authority found that costs to local authorities of placements in their own children’s home was no lower than the cost of placements from private providers. The study also found no evidence that, on average, private provision was...

Whether she plans to review the extent to which schools prepare young people for employment, apprenticeships and vocational education, including through careers advice, work experience opportunities and mental

The government is determined to ensure that every young person leaves school well prepared for their future pathways. We are improving careers guidance in schools and colleges, with clearer expectations set out in statutory guidance, including the Gatsby ...

What assessment her Department has made of the risks posed by the misuse of publicly available school photographs by criminals using artificial intelligence to generate child sexual abuse images; what guidance

UK law is clear: it is an offence to produce, store, share or search for any material that contains or depicts child sexual abuse, regardless of whether the material is AI generated or not. Any suspected instances of blackmail or extortion linked to the m...

What she is taking to ensure that her Department’s consultation on funding for assistive software through Disabled Students’ Allowance is informed by the experiences of disabled students; what steps she is taki

The department’s consultation will enable disabled students and sector stakeholders to provide detailed feedback on our proposals. In addition, the department is undertaking a survey of students who are currently in receipt of Disabled Students’ Allowance...

What assessment her Department has made of whether the freezing of repayment thresholds for Plan 2 student loans from 2027 constitutes a form of fiscal drag; what assessment she has made of the distributional i

Plan 2 loans were designed and implemented by the previous government and, given the inherited fiscal situation, we are making tough but necessary decisions.It is important to consider this change in the round. We have increased the repayment threshold fo...

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of freezing repayment thresholds and interest rate arrangements for Plan 2 student loans from 2027 on (a) low and middle income graduates and (b)

Plan 2 loans were designed and implemented by the previous government and, given the inherited fiscal situation, we are making tough but necessary decisions.It is important to consider this change in the round. We have increased the repayment threshold fo...

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of current childcare support arrangements for working parents, including (a) the relationship between minimum work requirements and the number of funded childcare ho

The department is investing over £1 billion more in the early years entitlements this year compared to 2025/26 and an above inflation increase to entitlements funding rates. In 2026/27, we expect to provide over £9.5 billion for the early years entitlemen...

What assessment her Department has made of the availability and accessibility of supported apprenticeships and supported internships for young people with Education, Health and Care Plans; whether a centrally held list of such apprenticeships and internships exists at a national or regional level; which Department or body is responsible for maintaining and communicating that information; and what steps are being taken to (a) improve transparency, (b) ensure such information is made publicly available and (c) ensure timely and coordinated responses between relevant Departments in supporting young people into suitable placements.

Since 2022, the department has invested around £33 million in supported internships to provide more opportunities for young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to transition into sustained, paid employment.As set out in the SEND Code of Practice, local authorities must keep their educational and training provision under review, including the sufficiency of provision, and each local authority’s local offer must include information on supported internships.The availability of apprenticeships is determined by employers choosing to offer apprenticeship opportunities. The ‘Find an Apprenticeship’ service allows people to identify opportunities from Disability Confident employers.The government is working to ensure that a learning difficulty or disability is not a barrier to people who want to realise the benefits of an apprenticeship. Additional Learning Support funding is available to training providers to make reasonable adjustments to support apprentices with learning difficulties and disabilities. The government also pays £1,000 to both employers and providers for apprentices aged 16 to 18 and for apprentices aged 19 to 24 who have an education, health and care plan, or have been, or are, in local authority care.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of declining pupil numbers on school budgets in Eastleigh constituency; and what steps her Department is taking to support schools experiencing financial deficits linked to declining pupil numbers.

School funding is increasing nationally by £1.7 billion in 2026/27, meaning that the core school budget will total £67 billion compared to £65.3 billion in 2025/26.Southampton and Hampshire local authorities allocate school funding for the constituency of Eastleigh. Through the dedicated schools grant, Southampton is receiving £6,893 per pupil on average and Hampshire is receiving £6,354 per pupil on average in financial year 2026/27 (including premises and excluding growth). Total funding for mainstream schools is growing by £17 million in Hampshire in 2026/27, compared to 2025/26 (a 1.6% increase) and by £3.3 million in Southampton (a 1.5% increase).We recognise the pressures caused by demographic changes in some areas. The lagged funding system, where schools are funded on the basis of their pupil numbers in the previous October census, helps to give schools more certainty over funding levels to aid their planning, and is particularly important in providing schools with falling pupil numbers, time to plan ahead with their budgets.

What estimate she has made of the number of teachers made redundant while on maternity leave in the last five years; and what steps her Department is taking to ensure that school funding arrangements enable schools to retain experienced teachers and support flexible working for staff with caring responsibilities.

Pregnant women and new mothers have enhanced protections against redundancy dismissals, which cover the pregnancy period, the time spent on maternity leave, and a return-to-work period. The protections give those employees priority for being offered suitable and alternative roles if any are available and place them ahead of other employees who are also at risk of redundancy.The government will put in place legislation that makes it unlawful to dismiss pregnant women, mothers on maternity leave and for at least six months after they return to work, except in specific circumstances. This starts with the Employment Rights Act, with regulations to follow. We intend for the measure to come into force in 2027.As announced in the Schools White Paper, we will fund schools to improve maternity pay, doubling the period of full pay from the current offer of four weeks to eight weeks for school teachers and leaders.Additionally, building on the success of the current Flexible Working Ambassador Programme, as announced in the Schools White Paper, the government is investing in a new teacher retention programme from Autumn 2026. The programme will support schools to promote flexible working which will help schools to better support staff with caring responsibilities.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the proposed cap on branded uniform items on curricular and extracurricular PE participation; and whether her Department has considered allowing a longer implementation period for changes to school uniform policy.

The assessments made in relation to the limit on branded school uniform and PE kit contained in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, including consideration of implementation timings, have been published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/childrens-wellbeing-and-schools-bill-impact-assessments.In order to support schools to implement the proposed limit by September 2026, we published our statutory guidance ‘Cost of school uniforms’ and have committed to updating it following Royal Assent for the Bill. This guidance is accessible at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cost-of-school-uniforms.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the student loan repayment system, including interest accrual, on borrowers who take extended periods out of the labour market due to caring responsibilities; and whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential differential impact of this system on women.

Interest accrues on loan balances until the loan has been repaid in full or cancelled, but interest rates do not impact monthly repayments made by borrowers.Borrowers on Plan 5 student loans only accrue interest at Retail Price Index (RPI) (currently 3.2%) meaning graduates will not repay more than they borrow in real terms. Borrowers on Plan 2 terms have interest applied at RPI only if earnings fall below the repayment threshold, or when out of the labour market, such as with caring responsibilities, ensuring that the loan’s debt value will not grow in real terms. Additionally, borrowers, regardless of their plan, earning under the repayment threshold are not required to make repayments.Graduates only begin repaying once their earnings exceed the earnings threshold, paying 9% of income above that level. If a graduate becomes disabled and permanently unfit for work, loan balances, including interest may be written off.For all borrowers, any outstanding loan, including interest accrued, will be cancelled after the loan term ends, and debt is never passed on to family members or descendants.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure the adequacy of distribution of Best Start Family Hubs across local authorities; and how much funding is expected to be allocated to Eastleigh.

The department has set a clear ambition for 70% of hubs to be in the 30% most disadvantaged areas. From April we will be rolling out hubs nationally meaning that they will be in every single local authority by 2028. We are setting a clear expectation that support to families and neighbourhoods under the greatest pressure should be prioritised. Councils know their communities best, and we will work closely with them to make sure this happens. Provisional funding allocations were shared with Hampshire County Council for the programme during the 2026/29 financial years on 7 November 2025. Payments are subject to local authorities meeting the expectations of the programme.

What assessment she has made of the (a) adequacy and (b) clarity of the information provided to prospective students about the terms of Plan 2 student loans at the point of application.

Plan 2 loans were designed and implemented by previous governments. Prospective students had access to a wide range of information across a range of platforms before they submit their loan application.Student loan terms and conditions make clear that the conditions of the loan may change in line with the regulations that govern the loans. Students sign these terms and conditions before any money is paid to them.The student finance system is designed to function differently to a commercial loan. Repayments are calculated solely on earnings, not on amount borrowed or the rate of interest applied. Crucially, Plan 2 student loans are cancelled after 30 years, regardless of outstanding balances.