Written questions by Heylings.

How students and bereaved families are being involved in the work of the Implementation Taskforce on student mental health and suicide prevention.

Students and bereaved families are directly shaping the work of the higher education mental health implementation taskforce. Representatives of the LEARN network sit on the taskforce and have played a key role in agreeing its priorities and work strands, ensuring lived experience insight informs all outputs. The taskforce also includes formal student representation via the National Union of Students, and other members such as Student Minds also ensure that student voice and sector expertise underpin their programme of work.

What steps her Department is taking to help coordinate services between higher education institutions and NHS mental health services for students.

Improving coordination between universities and NHS mental health services is a key priority. The Higher Education Mental Health Implementation Taskforce recently published Improving Student Mental Health through Higher Education-NHS Partnerships, which sets out evidenced models of effective collaboration and provides case studies showing how stronger partnerships working together can transform outcomes for students while delivering efficiencies for local health services. The government encourages any university not already involved in such a partnership to draw on these models and to work with their local integrated care board to identify an approach that meets local needs.

What evidence the Government has considered on whether the absence of a statutory duty of care contributes to inconsistent responses by universities to students at risk of harm.

The department has considered a wide range of evidence in assessing the factors that contribute to variation in how higher education (HE) providers support students at risk of harm. This includes official statistics, coroners’ Prevention of Future Deaths reports, and other case reviews that highlight issues with processes, communication and access to services relevant to consistency of support.Our assessment has further drawn on extensive engagement with providers, students, bereaved families, mental health experts and sector leaders, including through provider surveys and the HE mental health implementation taskforce, where those with lived experience have shaped priorities and workstrands.Last year, we also published the first ever national review of HE student suicide deaths, which analysed more than 160 serious incident reviews and identified operational issues such as information sharing, case management and staff training as key drivers of inconsistency. We are now working with the taskforce and the sector to embed the review’s recommendations and to strengthen monitoring and institutional accountability.

What mechanisms are in place to ensure that universities share learning from reviews of student deaths by suicide.

Universities are expected to carry out serious incident reviews after a suspected student suicide, following sector‑developed postvention guidance produced by Universities UK, PAPYRUS and Samaritans, which sets clear expectations for reviewing incidents and identifying lessons for improvement. To support sector‑wide learning, the department last year published the first National Review of Higher Education Student Suicide Deaths, drawing on more than 160 such reviews to provide a shared evidence base and recommendations for improvement across the sector. These recommendations are now being taken forward through the Higher Education Mental Health Implementation Taskforce, which is working with providers to embed consistent practice and strengthen postvention approaches. The Taskforce is also exploring how to improve data and evidence collection so that learning from future cases can be captured more consistently and used to drive further continuous improvement across the sector.

What plans she has to ask the Office for Students to introduce a regulatory condition on student mental health and wellbeing.

The Office for Students (OfS) is the independent regulator, and any decision to introduce a new regulatory condition would be for the OfS to determine. The Higher Education Mental Health Implementation Taskforce and department are working closely with the OfS as part of our work to improve consistency and raise standards in how providers support student mental health. This includes considering regulatory options alongside other levers such as governance, assurance and strengthened good practice frameworks. We will set out our position following advice from the taskforce, which is helping identify what a clear, strong and proportionate framework should look like.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Government's SEND reforms on children and young people in South Cambridgeshire.

The department will set out the full Schools White Paper later in the new year, building on the work we have already done to create a system that is rooted in inclusion, where children receive high quality support early on and can thrive at their local school. Impact assessments will be produced alongside final reform proposals when published in the Schools White Paper.

What recent estimate she has made of the number of children in South Cambridgeshire constituency waiting more than 20 weeks for an EHCP assessment.

The department does not hold information on the length of time that children and young people wait for an education, health and care (EHC) needs assessment to be carried out.The department does publish information on the number of EHC plans that are issued within the statutory 20-week timeframe. The number and percentage of plans issued within this timeframe (excluding cases where exceptions apply) for both Cambridgeshire and England are available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/b46a4968-aafd-4bd6-948a-08de4155ee12.Information at constituency level is not available.Information on EHC plans maintained by local authorities, including requests for an EHC needs assessment, the number of assessments carried out, the number where a decision is made to assess, and the number of plans issued within 20 weeks, are included in the annual statistical release. The latest January 2025 statistics were published in June 2025 here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/education-health-and-care-plans/2025.

What steps she is taking to ensure that schools are not required to subsidise EHCP provision from their core budgets.

Since 2014, local authorities are have been required to allocate funding to their local mainstream schools according to a formula that includes factors relating to the likely incidence of special educational needs (SEN) amongst their pupils, and to identify an amount within each school’s overall budget as a guide to what they might need to spend on supporting those pupils, including those with education, health and care plans. Schools are then expected to cover additional costs in respect of SEN pupils up to £6,000 per pupil. For annual costs in excess of £6,000, the local authority should allocate top-up funding from their high needs budgets. The government is providing over £12 billion high needs funding to local authorities in the 2025/26 financial year.Mainstream school funding is increasing by 2.6% per pupil in the 2026/27 financial year compared to 2025/26. This will support mainstream schools with ongoing costs, including the costs of SEN support. When the Schools White Paper is published later this year, it will set out additional funding for both schools and local authorities to drive forward much needed reform of the SEN and disability system.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of administrative and bureaucratic barriers within local authorities on the timeliness of EHCP assessments.

The department understands that some families face challenges with securing education, health and care (EHC) plans in a timely way. We are committed to restoring confidence in the system of support for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) so that they all get the opportunities they need to achieve and thrive in their education.The department publishes annual SEN2 data on EHC plans and assessments, including timeliness. This informs performance monitoring and targeted support. Local authorities performing poorly receive additional oversight and specialist advice.The department continues to monitor and work closely with local authorities that have issues with EHC plans timeliness. This includes, where needed, providing specialist SEND Adviser support to help identify the barriers to carrying out the EHC plan process in a timely way and to put in place practical plans for recovery.A new SEND inspection framework launched in January 2023, with all local areas to be inspected by 2027, to improve outcomes for children and young people with SEND.

What recent estimate she has made of the number of children waiting more than 20 weeks for an EHCP assessment.

The department does not hold information on the length of time that children and young people wait for an education, health and care (EHC) needs assessment to be carried out.The department does publish information on the number of EHC plans that are issued within the statutory 20-week timeframe. The number and percentage of plans issued within this timeframe (excluding cases where exceptions apply) for both Cambridgeshire and England are available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/b46a4968-aafd-4bd6-948a-08de4155ee12.Information at constituency level is not available.Information on EHC plans maintained by local authorities, including requests for an EHC needs assessment, the number of assessments carried out, the number where a decision is made to assess, and the number of plans issued within 20 weeks, are included in the annual statistical release. The latest January 2025 statistics were published in June 2025 here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/education-health-and-care-plans/2025.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of school funding settlements in meeting pupil need and demographic growth.

Spending per pupil was at its highest ever level in the 2024/25 financial year, in real terms, and there has been further real terms growth in spending in 2025/26. The school funding settlement announced at the Spending Review more than protects per pupil funding in real terms, with a further £1.7 billion increase in 2026/27. Every year, the department uses the schools national funding formula to distribute core funding for 5 to 16-year-old pupils, in mainstream state-funded schools in England. This ensures that funding is distributed based on a fair and consistent assessment of need, based first and foremost on pupil numbers. We recognise the pressures caused by demographic changes in some areas. The lagged funding system helps to give schools more certainty over funding levels. This aids their planning and is particularly important in giving schools with falling rolls time to re-organise their staffing and costs. The department also provides local authorities with growth funding, which they use to support schools whose pupil numbers are rising.

When schools will be reimbursed for the increase in National Insurance contributions.

We have provided schools with over £1.1 billion to support them with the increases to employer National Insurance contributions from April 2025.We published schools’ allocations in May 2025, and payments were made in September and October 2025.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of requiring schools to fund extended periods of education following exclusion on safeguarding.

It is for local authorities, under Section 19 of the Education Act 1996, to arrange and fund suitable education for children of compulsory school age who, because of exclusion, illness or other reasons, may otherwise not receive suitable education. Local authorities are required to arrange alternative provision for a permanently excluded child as soon as possible, and at the latest by the sixth school day of the child’s absence.

What her planned timeline is for the (a) new oracy framework and (b) combined oracy, writing and reading framework.

The department welcomes the Curriculum and Assessment Review’s focus on oracy. Expressing oneself fluently and communicating well is crucial for life and work, and an important vehicle for social justice. We will make sure that communication skills are more clearly expressed through revised programmes of study. We will also create a primary oracy framework and a combined secondary oracy, writing and reading framework to be published following the revised national curriculum. The primary oracy framework will support teachers to help their pupils become confident, fluent speakers by the end of key stage 2. This will build on our primary frameworks for reading and writing.

What measures the government is taking to develop a culture of reading for pleasure in schools as part of the new curriculum.

I refer to the hon. Member for South Cambridgeshire to the answer of 19 November 2025 to Question 88744.

If she will promote multimodal literacy as part of the new curriculum rollout.

This government’s ambition is for every child and young person to receive a rich, broad, inclusive and innovative education.The department agrees with the Curriculum and Assessment Review that building the skills for young people to critically engage with and assess information from a range of sources, including multi-modal texts, is increasingly importantThe reformed English programme of study and English language GCSE will expose students to the study of a wider range of text types and genres, including transient texts, supporting them to analyse and challenge arguments, building media literacy.Media literacy is an increasingly important skill to enable young people to identify “fake news” and to spot different types of mis- and disinformation, especially online.Secure, well-founded knowledge is essential for students to understand how arguments are constructed across different types of media and to recognise the various ways in which language can be used to persuade.

When she plans to respond to Question 82435 tabled by the hon. Member for South Cambridgeshire on 15 October 2025.

The response to Written Parliamentary Question 82435 was published on 4 November 2025.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Advanced Learner Loan scheme on tackling skills shortages in the low-carbon heating sector.

Skills England is working closely with The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, which has set up the Office for Clean Energy Jobs to meet the governments Clean Energy Superpower mission. The government published its clean energy jobs plan on 19 October in which heating installer was identified as a priority role. Under the construction skills package the government is committing £625 million in England over 4 years to deliver up to 60,000 additional skilled construction workers, supporting a range of clean energy occupations including heating installers.

What the (a) status and (b) timeline for completion of the (i) Greensands, South Cambridgeshire and (ii) Lime Academy, Fenland new special school is.

The department is working at pace through these decisions to try and give all local authorities updates as soon as possible. We continue to be committed to ensuring that all children with special educational needs and disabilities receive the support they need to achieve and thrive.

Whether her Department has made an assessment of the effectiveness of Level 7 apprenticeships in helping people to attain higher-level qualifications while in paid employment.

The department knows that level 7 apprenticeships can open up opportunities for young people, supporting them to begin careers as solicitors or accountants for example, and we are keen for this to continue. That is why, in line with our mission to break down barriers to opportunity, we will continue to fund level 7 apprenticeships for those under the age of 22, or those aged 22 to 24 who have an education, health and care plan or have been in local authority care. We are also encouraging more employers to invest in upskilling their staff over 22 to level 7 where it delivers a benefit to the business and the individual. This will enable apprenticeship opportunities to be rebalanced towards young people.