The department supports British Sign Language (BSL) as an important part of our inclusive education strategy. While BSL is not currently part of the national curriculum, schools are free to teach it if they wish, and many already do to meet the needs and interests of their pupils.​

The government, working with the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual), has also developed the content and assessment arrangements for a new BSL GCSE and is actively encouraging exam boards to develop qualification specifications. We have written to the exam boards to encourage them to seize the opportunity to offer this high-quality qualification to ensure young people can study BSL at GCSE. The development of a BSL GCSE is an important step toward fostering greater recognition of BSL as a language. It will give young people the chance to develop fluency in BSL and to explore its rich history as a language, helping to break down barriers between deaf and hearing communities.

The government is committed to improving allergy safety in schools.

The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act introduces a new duty requiring all schools in England to put allergy safety measures into place. Schools will be required to have allergy safety policies, review them at least annually and publish them on their website. A regulation-making power will permit my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education to place specific allergy safety duties, including requiring schools to stock adrenaline devices, to secure allergy awareness training, the recording and reporting of incidents and the content of allergy safety policies.

Schools will be required to have regard to statutory guidance. Draft statutory guidance was published for consultation on 6 March. The consultation closed on 15 May, so the new guidance can be published in the summer and come into effect from September 2026.

I refer the hon. Member for Romford to the answer of 28 November 2025 to Question 92868.

Schools in England are free to display the Union flag and the Saint George’s Cross, and it is a matter for individual schools to decide.

As part of our Plan for Change, the department is determined to fix the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system and restore the trust of parents. We will do this by ensuring schools have the tools to better identify and support children before issues escalate.

The department know that effective early identification and intervention is critical in improving the outcomes of children and young people with SEND. In an inclusive education system, settings should be confident in accurately assessing children and young people’s learning and development and meeting any educational needs with evidence-based responses.

A range of measures have been introduced, which aim to support the effective teaching of reading, including for those with SEND or at risk of falling behind. This includes the English Hubs programme, publication of the reading framework and writing frameworks and the publication of an updated list of high quality phonics programmes which have been validated by the department.

The department also launched ‘Reading Ambition for All’, a new continuous professional development programme for primary school teachers. Following this pilot year, we are working with the British Dyslexia Association to refine the programme to further support children with dyslexia.

As part of our Plan for Change, the department is determined to fix the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system and restore the trust of parents. We will do this by ensuring schools have the tools to better identify and support children before issues escalate.

The department know that effective early identification and intervention is critical in improving the outcomes of children and young people with SEND. In an inclusive education system, settings should be confident in accurately assessing children and young people’s learning and development and meeting any educational needs with evidence-based responses.

A range of measures have been introduced, which aim to support the effective teaching of reading, including for those with SEND or at risk of falling behind. This includes the English Hubs programme, publication of the reading framework and writing frameworks and the publication of an updated list of high quality phonics programmes which have been validated by the department.

The department also launched ‘Reading Ambition for All’, a new continuous professional development programme for primary school teachers. Following this pilot year, we are working with the British Dyslexia Association to refine the programme to further support children with dyslexia.

The government recognises the importance of teaching children about animal welfare in schools and this topic can already be covered within science and citizenship. As with other subjects, the national curriculum in England provides a broad framework within which schools have the flexibility to develop the content of their own school curriculum.

The department takes the safety of children and those who work with them incredibly seriously.

The department supports responsible bodies, such as local authorities, academy trusts and voluntary-aided bodies and their schools to meet their responsibilities to keep buildings safe and well-maintained, including addressing mould and damp.

We do this through providing capital funding, rebuilding programmes and extensive guidance on estate management.

We have increased capital funding to improve the condition of school buildings to £2.1 billion for the 2025/26 financial year, which is almost £300 million more than last year. This is in addition to the continuing School Rebuilding Programme.

The department has also published Good Estate Management for schools, a guide and toolkit to support responsible bodies and their schools to manage their estates strategically, so that pupils can learn in a safe, effective environment.

Responsible bodies should monitor any instances of persistent damp and seek professional advice, as water ingress may be an indicator of a problem with the fabric of the building.

Schools are subject to statutory duties regarding political impartiality under section 406 and 407 of the Equality Act 1996. This means schools must not promote partisan political views and should ensure that pupils are provided with a balanced treatment of political issues. In 2022 the department published comprehensive guidance to support schools to meet their duties on political impartiality: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/political-impartiality-in-schools/political-impartiality-in-schools#using-external-agencies.

This includes sections on choosing resources and working with external organisations.

The department does not approve or monitor externally produced resources or track their distribution. We have also not met or corresponded with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and do not fund them.

If a parent is concerned about a school using politically partial, inaccurate or inappropriate resources, they should raise the matter with the school immediately and, if necessary, escalate it through the school’s publish complaints process: https://www.gov.uk/complain-about-school.

Schools are subject to statutory duties regarding political impartiality under section 406 and 407 of the Equality Act 1996. This means schools must not promote partisan political views and should ensure that pupils are provided with a balanced treatment of political issues. In 2022 the department published comprehensive guidance to support schools to meet their duties on political impartiality: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/political-impartiality-in-schools/political-impartiality-in-schools#using-external-agencies.

This includes sections on choosing resources and working with external organisations.

The department does not approve or monitor externally produced resources or track their distribution. We have also not met or corresponded with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and do not fund them.

If a parent is concerned about a school using politically partial, inaccurate or inappropriate resources, they should raise the matter with the school immediately and, if necessary, escalate it through the school’s publish complaints process: https://www.gov.uk/complain-about-school.

Schools are subject to statutory duties regarding political impartiality under section 406 and 407 of the Equality Act 1996. This means schools must not promote partisan political views and should ensure that pupils are provided with a balanced treatment of political issues. In 2022 the department published comprehensive guidance to support schools to meet their duties on political impartiality: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/political-impartiality-in-schools/political-impartiality-in-schools#using-external-agencies.

This includes sections on choosing resources and working with external organisations.

The department does not approve or monitor externally produced resources or track their distribution. We have also not met or corresponded with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and do not fund them.

If a parent is concerned about a school using politically partial, inaccurate or inappropriate resources, they should raise the matter with the school immediately and, if necessary, escalate it through the school’s publish complaints process: https://www.gov.uk/complain-about-school.

Schools are subject to statutory duties regarding political impartiality under section 406 and 407 of the Equality Act 1996. This means schools must not promote partisan political views and should ensure that pupils are provided with a balanced treatment of political issues. In 2022 the department published comprehensive guidance to support schools to meet their duties on political impartiality: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/political-impartiality-in-schools/political-impartiality-in-schools#using-external-agencies.

This includes sections on choosing resources and working with external organisations.

The department does not approve or monitor externally produced resources or track their distribution. We have also not met or corresponded with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and do not fund them.

If a parent is concerned about a school using politically partial, inaccurate or inappropriate resources, they should raise the matter with the school immediately and, if necessary, escalate it through the school’s publish complaints process: https://www.gov.uk/complain-about-school.

Schools are subject to statutory duties regarding political impartiality under section 406 and 407 of the Equality Act 1996. This means schools must not promote partisan political views and should ensure that pupils are provided with a balanced treatment of political issues. In 2022 the department published comprehensive guidance to support schools to meet their duties on political impartiality: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/political-impartiality-in-schools/political-impartiality-in-schools#using-external-agencies.

This includes sections on choosing resources and working with external organisations.

The department does not approve or monitor externally produced resources or track their distribution. We have also not met or corresponded with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and do not fund them.

If a parent is concerned about a school using politically partial, inaccurate or inappropriate resources, they should raise the matter with the school immediately and, if necessary, escalate it through the school’s publish complaints process: https://www.gov.uk/complain-about-school.

I refer the hon. Member for Romford to the answer of 18 November 2024 to Question 13330.

Primary and secondary pupil numbers are forecast to rise from 2025/26. The department will work with local authorities and trusts to manage future demand.

The department has previously approved two primary free school projects to serve planned housing development in the Rainham and Romford planning areas. My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education has asked the department to review mainstream free schools planned by the last government, and that have not yet opened, to ensure that they continue to meet a need for places in the local area and offer value for taxpayers’ money. As part of this, we are working with the London Borough of Havering to review the need for the planned provision in Romford.

Making sure the education estate is fit for purpose is a key part of the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and give every child the best start in life.

The government has just announced £2.1 billion for the 2025/26 financial year to improve the condition of the school estate, part of a broader capital package totalling £6.7 billion in 2025/26. The department will aim to set out the details of school condition allocations to local authorities and other responsible bodies, as well as outcomes of the condition improvement fund for 2025/26, in spring 2025.

In addition, the government has committed to £1.4 billion in 2025/26 to continue the school rebuilding programme, which includes projects at Parklands Primary School and The Coopers’ Company and Coburn School in Havering. Furthermore, the department will continue to engage with trusts and local authorities in relation to free school projects with approved applications within Havering.

The department will additionally provide support for school infrastructure through providing capital funding to create mainstream and high-needs school places. The basic need grant supports local authorities to provide mainstream school places based on their own pupil forecasts and school capacity data. Havering has been allocated £19.6 million in 2025/26 for places needed by September 2026. Other funding for place creation in the next three financial years will be confirmed in due course.

Funding for future years post-2025/26 will be confirmed following the second phase of the spending review, concluding in late spring 2025.

Education is a devolved matter and decisions about primary and secondary education is the responsibility of each Overseas Territory (OT). The department responds positively to direct requests from the OTs for support to enhance or reform their education systems by sharing information on approaches in England and facilitating opportunities to engage with policy and technical experts.

Montserrat, the Pitcairn Islands, St Helena and Tristan da Cunha are in receipt of Official Development Assistance through the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), which is used to assist their governments in the delivery of essential services including education. This includes funding for teaching staff and the FCDO work in partnership with the local governments to agree targets to improve outcomes and standards in education. Work is underway to establish partnerships between education teams in the OTs with counterparts in the UK, similar to the partnerships the FCDO have helped to establish on child safeguarding.

The FCDO funded capital investment programme in Montserrat has included improvements to building in the secondary school and equipment for schools in St Helena.

This is a matter for His Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Sir Martyn Oliver. I have asked him to write to the hon. Member for Romford and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.