Every parliamentary written question tabled by Vikki Slade this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 1–20 of 47 · Department for Education
What recent progress she has made on extending free school meals to all children whose families are in receipt of Universal Credit by the September 2026 deadline; and whether eligible families will have to opt-in to receive this.
Awaiting answer.
When her Department plans to provide further details on the transitional PE Premium payment for primary schools.
Awaiting answer.
What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the timing of the announcement to the Sports Premium on schools' ability to set an effective budget to be approved in time for the next academic year.
Awaiting answer.
What steps her Department is taking to support school staff and pupils in terms of i.) training and, ii.) funding, in the context of the publication of the new draft guidance for the delegation of healthcare re
The department and the Department of Health and Social Care are working closely to produce guidance on clinical healthcare in schools.Schools are not responsible for clinical healthcare tasks. Healthcare tasks can be delegated to staff in schools and othe...
Pursuant to the Every child achieving and thriving White Paper published 23 February 2026, what steps she is taking to address the (a) financial and (b) operational instability of some school trusts, ahead of t
The department sets robust expectations that trusts must have the financial, leadership and management capacity to plan effectively and act in the best interests of pupils. Where this is not the case, we will intervene. Where concerns about financial comp...
With reference to the Every child achieving and thriving White Paper published 23 February 2026, by which policies and mechanisms free schools will form part of the move to a system where all schools will be pa
Free schools, as academies, are already able to join or form multi-academy trusts and will continue to do so through both expansion of existing high‑quality trusts and the establishment of new trusts.
(a) whether she has made an assessment of the potential financial impact on families with children who are younger than nine months old on the start date of childcare, who therefore do not qualify for funded ch
The government’s Plan for Change sets out a commitment to give children the best start in life, breaking the link between background and opportunity. Children become eligible for the working parent entitlement from 1 September, 1 January or 1 April, the t...
Whether her Department has plans to introduce (a) a mandatory dyslexia screening for all primary pupils, (b) a national standard for early identification of dyslexia amongst students and (c) a national standard
Effective early identification and intervention is critical to improving outcomes for children and young people with special educational needs (SEN), including those with dyslexia.The statutory Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Code of Pra...
Whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of offering free GCSE exams to children studying under Elective Home Education across England.
The government provides funding to state schools and colleges, which covers examination entries for students who are on roll. When a parent chooses to educate their child outside of the school system, for any reason, they take full responsibility of their...
If she will have discussions with Diabetes UK on (a) the ongoing consultation on SEND reform and (b) reforms to the SEND support system more broadly.
During the 12‑week special educational needs and disabilities consultation period, the department delivered an engagement programme that ensured we listened to children and young people, families, educators and the sector.A national public engagement prog...
If she will have discussions with Diabetes UK on (a) the open consultation on SEND reform, and (b) reforms to the SEND support system more broadly.
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of amending the statutory guidance on school attendance to allow exemptions for term-time holiday fines for families where the parents have to work during school holidays.
The school year is structured so that there are opportunities for holidays outside of term-time. All schools have the discretion to grant leave of absence in exceptional circumstances, judging each application on the specific facts. However, generally a holiday would not constitute an exceptional circumstance. Schools and local authorities also have considerable flexibility to plan term dates themselves and hold inset days and other occasional days at quieter times of the year, helping families to plan breaks at times that suit them.Where term-time holidays are taken without permission, it is right that the law protects children’s right to a full-time education. The national framework for penalty notices is designed to improve fairness by ensuring they are considered at a consistent point across the country, and on an individual basis, preventing schools from having blanket rules.
If she will add data about young people's caring responsibilities to information collected as part of the school census.
The School Census requires schools to indicate if a child has been identified as a young carer, and if so, by whom. Young carers can be identified by parents, the pupil themselves or by the school.The return of this data is a requirement for all schools, except nurseries, and data must be returned in the Spring Census each year. Schools do not need to seek the permission of the pupil or parent to return this data to the department.Data on young carers has been collected since the 2022/23 academic year and is published each summer.
What assessment she has made of the potential impact of teachers' wellbeing on their ability to deliver high quality teaching.
I refer the hon. Member for Mid Dorset and North Poole to the answer of 3 March 2026 to Question 115068.
What steps her Department is taking to improve teachers' (a) wellbeing and (b) working conditions to support them to deliver consistent high quality teaching.
I refer the hon. Member for Mid Dorset and North Poole to the answer of 3 March 2026 to Question 115068.
What steps she is taking to regulate how multi-academy trusts address concerns raised by parents of children whose school is joining a multi-academy trust.
Section 5 of the Academies Act 2010 requires maintained schools to consult appropriate persons on whether the school should convert to academy status before the conversion goes ahead. This does not apply to schools that are eligible for intervention.In the ‘Every Child Achieving and Thriving’ White Paper, the department committed to consult on requiring school trusts to have local governance structures that together include all their schools, hold annual parental forums, and ensure boards hear directly from parents and school communities. The consultation will draw on the strongest sector practice in engaging parents and communities, to ensure that trust boards benefit from clear, consistent insight into the needs and priorities of the families they serve.
Whether she has made an assessment with Cabinet colleagues of the potential impact of interest rates on student loans on graduates’ likelihood of becoming home owners.
Interest rates do not impact monthly repayments made by student loan borrowers as repayments are linked to income, not to the amount borrowed or interest applied. If a borrower is earning above the repayment threshold, repayments are made at a constant rate of 9%. This rate strikes a balance between affordability for graduates and fairness to taxpayers. For example, someone earning £30,000 will repay around £4 per month in the 2026/27 financial year under the repayment threshold of £29,385.Those earning below the earnings threshold do not make repayments. Any outstanding loan including interest built up, is cancelled at the end of the loan term with no detriment to the borrower, and debt is never passed on to family members or descendants.Having an outstanding student loan is not a barrier to accessing a mortgage, however regular student loan repayments will be considered alongside other living costs as part of the affordability check for mortgage applications.
Whether she has plans to review the commencement date of interest accruing on student loans.
We inherited the student loans system, including Plan 2, which was devised by the previous government. Threshold freezes have been introduced to protect taxpayers and students now, alongside future generations of learners and workers.Borrowers on Plan 5 student loans only accrue interest at Retail Price Index, currently 3.2%. This means graduates will not repay more than they borrow in real terms.Interest accrues on loan balances from the first day the loan is paid to the learning provider, and/or to the student, until the loan has been repaid in full or cancelled. Interest rates do not impact monthly repayments made by borrowers.
What assessment she has made of the adequacy of the availability of specialist occupational therapists to support children and young people with SEND in schools.
The department is working closely with the Department for Health and Social Care and NHS England to improve access to community health services, including occupational therapy for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). As we look to reform the SEND system, we want to improve how services that support early identification and intervention and whole school inclusive practice are jointly commissioned and made available to schools. The local authorities and the Integrated Care Board as joint commissioners of services will continue to play an important role in this.
If she will take steps to ensure that occupational therapists are consulted in the design of (a) new school buildings and (b) new learning environments, funded through school capital investment programmes.
Departmental construction programmes build or rebuild schools in line with our design and construction standards. These standards integrate statutory requirements for accessibility and equitable use in all new or rebuilt school settings, including mainstream.Since our specifications are prepared by industry experts and reference the latest standards and guidance for accessible, equitable and inclusive environments, it is not necessary to engage with occupational therapists.We use evidence from building-in-use studies to ensure the specifications guiding our designs meet end-user needs and are updated when necessary.Stakeholder engagement forms an integral part of the delivery process for all projects using the department’s suite of documentation.The Equality Act 2010 requires local authorities to prepare accessibility strategies for the schools for which they are the responsible bodies. There is a similar duty for individual schools of all types to develop accessibility plans.