Written questions by Wilson.

How many secondary school music teachers left the teaching profession in the period between (a) 2010 and 2015, (b) 2015 and 2020 and (c) 2020 and 2024.

Recruiting and retaining more teachers is critical to the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and boost the life chances for every child, as the in-school factor that makes the biggest difference to a young person’s educational outcome is high-quality teaching. This government has inherited a system with critical shortages of teachers, with numbers not keeping pace with demographic changes.​Information on subjects taught is not collected from primary schools. Since the department does not collect the curriculum data for primary teachers, we cannot identify the primary music teachers to calculate a leaver statistic.​Based on the school workforce census data, the numbers of secondary school music teachers who left the teaching profession during the specified periods are as follows:​ In the 2010/11 to 2014/15 academic years,1,968 secondary school music teachers left the teaching profession.​ In the 2015/16 to 2019/20 academic years, 1,833 secondary school music teachers left the teaching profession.​ In the 2020/21 to 2022/23 academic years,1,068 secondary school music teachers left the teaching profession.​Information on the number of teachers leaving service for the 2023/24 academic year will be published in June 2025.Information on the school workforce is published in the ‘School workforce in England’ statistical publication, which can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england.This includes the number and rate of teacher vacancies in each school, local authority, region and nationally. Figures for primary and secondary schools for the 2019/20 to 2023/24 academic years, which is the latest information available, is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/8a3eb31d-c466-4007-0220-08dd45ba797d.Information on teacher vacancies for the 2024/25 academic year will be published in June 2025.This is why the government has set out the ambition to recruit 6,500 new expert teachers across our schools, both mainstream and specialist, and our colleges over the course of this Parliament.The department has made good early progress towards this key pledge by ensuring teaching is once again an attractive and respected profession, which is key to ensuring teachers receive the pay they deserve. That is why we have accepted in full the School Teachers’ Review Body’s recommendation of a 5.5% pay award for teachers and leaders in maintained schools for 2024/25. Alongside teacher pay, we have made £233 million available from the 2025/26 recruitment cycle to support teacher trainees, with tax-free bursaries of up to £29,000 and scholarships of up to £31,000 in shortage subjects. The department has also expanded its schoolteacher recruitment campaign, ‘Every Lesson Shapes a Life’, and the further education teacher recruitment campaign, ‘Share your Skills’.In addition to recruiting expert teachers, we want existing teachers to stay and thrive in the profession, and new teachers of mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing in the first five years of their careers will now receive a targeted retention incentive of up to £6,000 after-tax if working in disadvantaged schools. There are six schools in Mid Cheshire that are eligible for targeted retention incentives.To further support retention, we have made available workload and wellbeing resources that were developed with school leaders, through our new Improving Workload and Wellbeing online service. We are also continuing to promote the Education Staff Wellbeing Charter, which currently has nearly 4,000 school and college signatories.The department is also funding mental health and wellbeing support for school and college leaders. This includes professional supervision and counselling for those who need it. More than 2,000 leaders have benefitted from the support so far. Support continues to be available and can be accessed by visiting Education Support’s website.The department is also committed to supporting schools to implement flexible working practices including taking planning, preparation and assessment time remotely.The department has established Teaching School Hubs across the country, which provide approved high-quality professional development to teachers at all stages of their careers. They play a significant role in delivering initial teacher training, the early career framework, national professional qualifications and appropriate body services.

If she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of Education Support's report entitled Teacher Wellbeing Index 2024, published in November 2024.

Education Support’s Teacher Wellbeing Index provides an insight into the mental health and wellbeing of teachers and education staff working in the UK.Ensuring our education workforce are supported is critical to retaining teachers our children need and to deliver high-quality teaching for every child. The department is working in partnership with the sector and mental health experts to improve staff mental health and wellbeing to boost retention. Measures to do so include:Continued promotion of the education staff wellbeing charter, which sets out shared commitments to protect and promote the wellbeing of staff in schools and colleges, more than 4,000 schools and colleges have adopted the charter. The charter can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/education-staff-wellbeing-charter.Funded mental health and wellbeing support for school and college leaders, which includes professional supervision and counselling. With more than 2,500 leaders have benefitted from the support so far. More information can be accessed at: https://www.educationsupport.org.uk/get-help/help-for-your-staff/wellbeing-services/professional-supervision/.Making a range of resources available to help schools prioritise staff wellbeing. For example, the department’s ‘Improve workload and wellbeing for school staff’ service, which was developed alongside school leaders, provides tools to support schools to identify opportunities to cut excessive workload and improve staff wellbeing; and guidance to support school leaders and staff to help manage behaviour in schools.The department knows there are further changes needed to make to ensure the system is most effective for children, schools and staff, and to reset the relationship with the sector.

Which schools that are awaiting refurbishment through the school rebuilding programme (a) have and (b) have not had those works brought forward due to the presence of RAAC.

The government has committed £1.4 billion to continue the current School Rebuilding Programme (SRP) in 2025/26, reconfirming our commitment to rebuild or refurbish 518 schools and sixth form colleges across England, prioritising delivery based on need.All schools within the programme, including those with confirmed reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete, are prioritised for delivery according to the condition of their buildings, readiness to proceed and efficiency of delivery. The department also takes into account the suitability and longevity of any temporary accommodation schools and sixth form colleges may have in place. Expected delivery timeframes have been communicated to all responsible bodies and specific start dates are communicated at least a month in advance of the project entering delivery. Since we communicated these timescales, we have not made any significant changes to them to move start dates around.Just under half of SRP projects have started various stages of delivery activity and the department plans to increase the number of existing school rebuilding projects to 100, of which delivery begins in the next financial year so work can start more quickly.Once a school enters delivery, a project team carries out a feasibility study which determines the scope of the works. SRP projects typically take 3 to 5 years to complete.

If her Department will make an estimate of the number of (a) universities and (b) higher education buildings where reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete is present.

The higher education (HE) sector is independent from government and it is therefore for individual providers to determine and address any estate issues. The Institution of Structural Engineers has published guidance that HE institutions can refer to on investigating and assessing reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC). Departmental officials engaged with Universities UK and HE mission groups during 2023, to direct HE providers to RAAC guidance from the Institution of Structural Engineers and to departmental RAAC guidance for state-funded education buildings.

If she will make an estimate of the number and proportion of practitioners in the (a) early years and (b) childcare sectors that have received training on SEND identification.

The department knows that children’s early years are crucial to their development, health and life chances. We recognise the importance of the early identification of needs to ensure the right support is put in place as early as possible to ensure children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and developmental differences and delays can get the best start in life.The department wants all early years educators to feel confident in identifying and supporting developmental differences and delays, including knowing how to access further support and advice when needed. To support this we have funded training for up to 7000 special educational needs co-ordinators (SENCOs), have published new resources, including a free online training module and SEND assessment guidance to help early educators to identify, assess and support children in their settings, and announced funding support for the Nuffield Early Language Intervention programme for this academic year for children needing extra support with their speech and language development.When a child is between two and three-years-old, educators must review their progress and provide parents or carers with a brief written summary of their development in key areas. This summary highlights strengths, areas needing additional support, and strategies to address any concerns. Guidance is available to help educators accurately assess a child's development and work closely with parents and professionals to provide necessary support.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of a suicide prevention strategy aimed at (a) school and (b) university students.

The government is committed to reducing the numbers of lives lost to suicide, including through prevention in educational institutions.The Department of Health and Social Care published a Prevention Strategy for England on 11 September 2023 with over 130 actions aimed at reducing the suicide rate. The strategy also sets ambitions to improve support for people who self-harm and people who have been bereaved by suicide. As part of the strategy, a number of groups have been identified for consideration for tailored or targeted action at a national level, including children and young people.Guidance to schools is reviewed regularly, including the statutory ‘Keeping children safe in education’ guidance that all schools must have regard to. Amongst other things, the guidance sets out the role all staff must play in safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, including identifying where mental health concerns are also safeguarding concerns and making appropriate referrals into early help support services and statutory support services as appropriate.The statutory guidance for relationships, sex and health education (RSHE), which came into force in September 2020, advises that schools should approach teaching about self-harm and suicide carefully and should be aware of the risks to pupils from exposure to materials that are instructive rather than preventative, including websites or videos that provide instructions or methods of self-harm or suicide. The guidance can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/relationships-education-relationships-and-sex-education-rse-and-health-education.The department is currently reviewing the RSHE guidance and as part of this process the department will explore whether additional content is required on suicide prevention.The National Review of Higher Education Student Suicides will report with important lessons for better supporting students and preventing tragedies in higher education (HE) settings in the spring. This will be published alongside updated data on HE student suicides from the Office for National Statistics.

How many families are eligible for the Adoption and Special Guardian Support Fund; and how many of these have accessed the fund since 7 February 2024.

Local authorities, Adoption England and Regional Adoption Agencies promote the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF) to families throughout their adoption journey as a source of support should they need it.In December 2023, the department changed the name of the Fund from the Adoption Support Fund to the ASGSF, to reflect the eligibility of special guardianship order (SGO) families and encourage increased numbers of applications for therapy where these families might need support.The department does not hold definitive data on the number of families eligible for the ASGSF at any one time. During the period from 7 February to 31 December 2024, 18,030 individual children have accessed support through the ASGSF.

What steps her Department is taking to increase (a) awareness and (b) uptake of the Adoption and Special Guardian Support Fund for eligible families.

Local authorities, Adoption England and Regional Adoption Agencies promote the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF) to families throughout their adoption journey as a source of support should they need it.In December 2023, the department changed the name of the Fund from the Adoption Support Fund to the ASGSF, to reflect the eligibility of special guardianship order (SGO) families and encourage increased numbers of applications for therapy where these families might need support.The department does not hold definitive data on the number of families eligible for the ASGSF at any one time. During the period from 7 February to 31 December 2024, 18,030 individual children have accessed support through the ASGSF.

Pursuant to the Answer of 8 January 2025 to Question 21873 on Teachers: Pay, when she plans to publish the allocation of the £300 million revenue funding for Further Education in the 2025/26 financial year.

The Autumn Budget 2024 provided an additional £300 million revenue funding for further education (FE) for the 2025/26 financial year to ensure young people are developing the skills this country needs.On 15 January the department notified education institutions via the Education and Skills Funding Agency update that approximately £50 million of this funding will be made available to general FE colleges and sixth form colleges for the period April to July 2025. This one-off grant will enable colleges to respond to current priorities and challenges, including workforce recruitment and retention. Schools and academies will also continue to get grant funding for their 16 to 19 provision over this period.The remaining funding will be made available in 16 to 19 funding rates for the 2025/26 academic year, with the aim of ensuring that all 16 to 19 providers are funded on an equitable basis from 2025 to 2026. We are preparing the operational detail of the 16 to 19 funding rates and formula and the allocations timeline for the 2025/26 academic year. We aim to publish more information as soon as we can and will provide a further update in due course.The full update can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/esfa-update-15-january-2025.

If she will make an estimate of the number and proportion of children who would be eligible for free school meals had the income threshold for people on Universal Credit risen with inflation since 2018.

The new government has a central mission to break down barriers to opportunity for every child.The government has inherited a trend of rising child poverty and widening attainment gaps between children eligible for free school meals (FSM) and their peers. Child poverty has increased by 700,000 since 2010, with over four million children now growing up in a low income family. The government is committed to delivering an ambitious strategy to reduce child poverty by 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 develop a Child Poverty Strategy, which will be published in spring 2025. The taskforce will consider a range of policies in assessing what will have the greatest impact in driving down rates of child poverty.The department has not made a recent formal assessment of the proportion of children who are eligible for FSM but not registered to receive the entitlement. The last review conducted in 2013 suggested that 89% of eligible pupils were registered for FSM. We recognise the vital role played by FSM and encourage all eligible families to take their entitlement up and join the 2.1 million pupils currently registered to receive FSM. To support FSM take up, we provide the Eligibility Checking System which allows local authorities to quickly verify eligibility for FSM and ensure that it is easily received.The department has not formally assessed the number and proportion of children who would be eligible for FSM, had the eligibility threshold for households on Universal Credit increased in line with inflation since its introduction in 2018. As with all policies, the government keeps the approach to FSM under review.

How many pupils who are eligible for free school meals are not claiming it.

The new government has a central mission to break down barriers to opportunity for every child.The government has inherited a trend of rising child poverty and widening attainment gaps between children eligible for free school meals (FSM) and their peers. Child poverty has increased by 700,000 since 2010, with over four million children now growing up in a low income family. The government is committed to delivering an ambitious strategy to reduce child poverty by 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 develop a Child Poverty Strategy, which will be published in spring 2025. The taskforce will consider a range of policies in assessing what will have the greatest impact in driving down rates of child poverty.The department has not made a recent formal assessment of the proportion of children who are eligible for FSM but not registered to receive the entitlement. The last review conducted in 2013 suggested that 89% of eligible pupils were registered for FSM. We recognise the vital role played by FSM and encourage all eligible families to take their entitlement up and join the 2.1 million pupils currently registered to receive FSM. To support FSM take up, we provide the Eligibility Checking System which allows local authorities to quickly verify eligibility for FSM and ensure that it is easily received.The department has not formally assessed the number and proportion of children who would be eligible for FSM, had the eligibility threshold for households on Universal Credit increased in line with inflation since its introduction in 2018. As with all policies, the government keeps the approach to FSM under review.

What age ranges Young Futures hubs will work with.

The government is committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity. Too many children and young people today do not have access to the same enrichment opportunities as their peers, suffer from poor mental health and, in some cases, end up being drawn into crime rather than going on to achieve and thrive.Young Futures Hubs will bring together the support services that tackle underlying needs and make them more accessible to those that need them. The department is engaging with local areas, communities, statutory partners, charities and other key stakeholders to support the design of the Young Futures Hubs, including the specific age-range they will serve. The department will share further information in due course.

Whether Young Futures hubs will work with local prevention partnerships; and whether those services will be co-located.

Young Futures Hubs will bring together services to improve access to opportunities and support for young people at community level, promoting positive outcomes, supporting crime prevention and enabling young people to thrive.This is part of the Young Futures Programme alongside which we will establish a network of Young Futures Prevention Partnerships to bring together key partners to identify children and young people at risk of being drawn into crime and offer support in a more systematic way to divert them.To make progress quickly and achieve impact across this programme, the department will need to build upon the existing structures it has in place, from physical buildings to local partnership working and the existing workforce.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure adequate numbers of skilled workers in the (a) construction, (b) planning and (c) architecture sectors.

The department is working closely with the construction sector to ensure its skills offer meets the needs of employers. We are working with the Construction Leadership Council (CLC), Construction Skills Delivery Group (CSDG), industry leaders and other go...

What assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of skills training for the (a) construction, (b) planning and (c) architecture sectors.

The department is working closely with the construction sector to ensure its skills offer meets the needs of employers. We are working with the Construction Leadership Council (CLC), Construction Skills Delivery Group (CSDG), industry leaders and other go...

How many state-funded schools have been (a) temporarily and (b) permanently closed due to unsafe buildings in each year since 2019; and if she will list all the schools affected.

The department provides capital funding, guidance and support to help responsible bodies and their schools effectively manage their school buildings. It is the responsibility of those who run schools – academy trusts, local authorities and voluntary-aided...

What progress has been made on the Condition Data Collection 2 programme; and how many schools have been assessed under the programme.

The Condition Data Collection 2 (CDC2) programme is collecting condition, contextual and building management data for every government-funded school in England. CDC2 is collecting data on over 22,000 educational establishments between 2021 and 2026.To dat...

How many schools have successfully completed work to remove reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete.

The department provides capital funding, guidance and support to help responsible bodies and their schools effectively manage their school buildings. It is the responsibility of those who run schools – academy trusts, local authorities and voluntary-aided...

How many schools have been granted funding for RAAC removal as of 26 November 2024.

The department provides capital funding, guidance and support to help responsible bodies and their schools effectively manage their school buildings. It is the responsibility of those who run schools – academy trusts, local authorities and voluntary-aided...

What information her Department holds on the number of educational settings that had reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete in their buildings on 26 November 2024.

The department provides capital funding, guidance and support to help responsible bodies and their schools effectively manage their school buildings. It is the responsibility of those who run schools – academy trusts, local authorities and voluntary-aided...