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Department for Education 2025-06-24
24 June 2025
Lead MP
Helen Hayes
Debate Type
General Debate
Tags
Social CareEducation
Other Contributors: 36
At a Glance
Helen Hayes raised concerns about department for education 2025-06-24 in the House of Commons. A government minister responded. Other MPs also contributed.
How the Debate Unfolded
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said:
Lead Contributor
Opened the debate
Ms. Helen Hayes addressed the House on the Department for Education’s main estimate for 2025-26, focusing on several critical areas including special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), children's social care, early years education, skills and further education, and higher education. She emphasised that the government must address severe challenges across all these sectors to ensure every child receives a quality education.
Chris Vince
Lab/Co-op
Harlow
Mr. Chris Vince highlighted the issues with school buildings and reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete, particularly in relation to Sir Frederick Gibberd college in his constituency.
Rachael Maskell
Lab/Co-op
York Central
Ms. Rachael Maskell questioned the cuts made to the adoption and special guardianship support fund and urged for a clearer analysis of funding needed for children’s social care, as well as plans to bridge the gap between the announced funding and the £2.6 billion prescribed by an independent review.
Richard Holden
Con
Basildon and Billericay
Holden highlights a significant funding reduction faced by a school in his constituency, leading to potential staff cuts. He criticises Labour's promises for education, suggesting they were not substantial compared to the previous government's commitments.
Hinds critiques Labour’s education policies, questioning specifics of their manifesto promises such as mental health support teams and breakfast clubs. He also addresses discrepancies in teacher recruitment targets and financial implications due to national insurance contributions.
Amanda Martin
Lab
Portsmouth North
Martin interrupts briefly during Hinds' speech, pointing out an increase rather than a decrease in the number of children at independent schools.
Daniel Francis
Lab
Bexleyheath and Crayford
Francis addresses his local constituency's specific needs, welcoming condition improvement funding for several local schools. He also discusses issues with social care settings in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill.
Supports the idea of SEN funding. The local authority has a safety valve agreement due to the dedicated schools grant rate, which continues to be overspent despite the statutory override ending in March 2026 while the DSG is not planned to come out of deficit until 2028-29. The council needs an extension for up to three years on the statutory override.
Adam Dance
LD
Yeovil
Welcomes investment in teachers, school buildings, free school meals and SEND support but remains concerned about SEND provision in Somerset, citing cuts under previous Conservative Government. Proposes universal screening for neurodiverse conditions at primary schools to identify individual needs early. Advocates for better internal teacher training and continuous professional development.
Al Pinkerton
LD
Surrey Heath
Supports the earlier diagnosis of learning conditions and regrets the loss of Sure Start centres, which were effective in identifying learning needs early. Supports universal screening to identify SEN children at school.
Tim Roca
Lab
Macclesfield
Welcomes capital investment in schools and extra funding for special educational needs and disabilities provision. Mentions difficulties faced by Cheshire East schools due to the historical funding formula, receiving less DSG per mainstream pupil compared to other areas. Supports fairer basic entitlements for all schools.
Ian Sollom
LD
St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire
Expresses concern about cuts in the adult skills fund which undermine growth objectives, despite investment in training construction workers. Warns of a £1 million drop in funding for Cambridge Regional College due to lack of available funding.
The Member
N/A
Discussed the financial pressures faced by universities, emphasising potential insolvency risks for up to 72% of higher education providers without mitigating action. Called for detailed Government plans on further and higher education funding.
Wolverhampton North East
Emphasised the urgent need for tailored local education spending, focusing on disadvantaged children in Wolverhampton. Welcomed commitments like free school meals and increased core funding but stressed the importance of targeting funds to where they are most needed.
Tiverton and Minehead
Asked about narrowing academic opportunities due to recent changes in GCSE subjects at Tiverton high school, expressing concern over a trend towards fewer subject options for students.
West Dorset
Addressed funding disparities between urban and rural schools, highlighting the challenges faced by Thomas Hardye School in West Dorset. Urged the Government to release funds for a rebuild of Dorset Studio School which serves many students with special educational needs.
Peter Swallow
Lab
Bracknell
Praised government initiatives such as above-inflation pay rises for teachers and support staff, free school meals extension, and SEND funding increases. Advocated for a full range of provision including mainstream support and new special schools.
Lewes
Declared interest in early education and childcare as chair of the relevant APPG. Highlighted financial challenges faced by nurseries due to tax increases, leading to staffing difficulties and potential closures or fee hikes.
Jen Craft
Lab
Thurrock
Welcomes the Government’s investment in education, especially in SEND and high-needs provision. However, institutional root and branch reform of how the SEND system works is needed to solve the crisis. Early intervention and quick diagnosis are essential for conditions such as ADHD and autism. Presses the Minister for a timescale on when the SEND White Paper will come out and how parents, carers, and young people themselves can be meaningfully involved in it.
Rebecca Smith
Con
South West Devon
The village school in Buckland Monachorum is facing significant financial pressures due to cuts in funding. The Learning Academy Partnership trust faces a 4% increase in teacher pay awards costing £359,330 and a 3.2% increase in support staff pay awards costing £295,000. The general annual grant reduction of £200,000 will impact the most vulnerable children across the community.
Graham Stuart
Con
Beverley and Holderness
The East Riding of Yorkshire is the lowest-funded authority in the country for SEN. The distribution as well as quantum needs to be made fairer. Unfair distribution exacerbates the strain in the system.
Amanda Martin
Lab
Portsmouth North
Welcomes this Government’s commitment to rebuilding the foundations of the education system, but stresses the need for targeted investment in high-quality provision in areas such as Portsmouth. Emphasises the importance of aligning training with future job requirements and integrating schools, colleges, and businesses into a broader industrial strategy.
Claire Young
LD
Thornbury and Yate
I am proud of the Government’s work, but for South Gloucestershire schools that are among the lowest funded in the country, the average rise quoted will not make up for years of underfunding. Two thirds of South Gloucestershire schools will be in the red next year due to underfunded staff costs and national insurance reimbursement. Schools face budget cuts leading to axed clubs, trips, activities, and a reliance on cheaper apprentices instead of qualified teaching assistants.
Epsom and Ewell
Councils are being asked to deliver SEND services without sufficient funding creating a postcode lottery for families. Children wait months to receive support, and schools are disincentivised from taking action on special educational needs due to the £6,000 school contribution.
Sarah Smith
Lab
Hyndburn
I welcome the estimates for additional funded early years education in Hyndburn saving families up to £7,500 a year. The commitment will also enable us to achieve 75% of children achieving a good level of development when they start school. Furthermore, £6.7 billion capital investment into our school buildings and increasing access to free school meals for up to 6,590 children in Hyndburn.
Liz Jarvis
LD
Eastleigh
I have heard heartbreaking stories from constituents whose children are waiting years for EHCP assessments and the specialist support they need. The Government must introduce auto-enrolment and ensure that the expansion in eligibility is fully funded and properly implemented. Concerns about cuts to the adoption and special guardianship support fund, which has been a lifeline for some of the most vulnerable children.
Tewkesbury
I regularly hold surgeries with desperate parents who feel that they have nowhere left to turn. Parents whose children miss years of education and whose ability to work is diluted by the need to care for and teach their children outside the school environment.
Helen Hayes
Lab
Dulwich and West Norwood
The hon. Member for Dulwich and West Norwood highlighted the crisis in school budgets and special educational needs (SEN) provision, arguing that local authorities are struggling to fund education due to inadequate national funding formulas. She called on the Government to address the growing demand for SEND provision and implement systemic changes across multiple departments.
Twickenham
The hon. Member for Twickenham criticised the Government's approach, stating that despite rhetoric about putting children at the heart of policy-making, school budgets are frozen or in deficit. She highlighted specific budget issues faced by schools and called for more funding to support vulnerable children.
Neil O'Brien
Con
Harborough, Oadby and Wigston
The hon. Member for Harborough, Oadby and Wigston questioned the Government's truthfulness regarding VAT revenue allocation between state schools and affordable housing. He also criticised the recent statistics on teacher numbers which showed a decrease in teachers, particularly primary school teachers.
Peter Swallow
Lab
Crewe and Nantwich
Labour MP Peter Swallow criticises the Conservative government for making false claims about school funding increases, questioning the accuracy of their figures. He highlights discrepancies in promised versus actual spending.
Neil O'Brien
Con
Ealing Central and Acton
Conservative MP Neil O'Brien emphasises that despite increased pupil numbers and promises made by Labour to compensate for national insurance increases, schools are still underfunded. He cites examples of broken promises regarding work experience funding and tuition fee reductions.
Jen Craft
Con
Boston and Skegness
Conservative MP Jen Craft seeks clarification from the minister on the government's plans to improve SEN support, specifically asking about reforms that could prevent parents from having to go through an adversarial legal battle for EHCPs.
Title and Name
High-quality teaching is central to ensuring that all pupils are given the best possible opportunities to achieve. The Government is implementing a range of teacher training reforms to ensure teachers have the skills to help all pupils succeed. Extending free school meals to children from households in receipt of universal credit will lift 100,000 children out of poverty and put £500 back into families' pockets by September 2026. The Government is determined to tackle child poverty, spread growth and opportunity, and secure a brighter tomorrow for our children. Decisions about expanding free school meal eligibility are made based on prioritising children's needs in national life.
Asked the Minister how cuts to grants for therapies for vulnerable children would help families stay together, given that such children often manifest challenging behaviours leading to adoption placement breakdown and worse outcomes for those families.
Defended the Government's changes to fair access limits which ensure more children have access to the fund, despite increased year-on-year demands. Criticised opposition parties for voting against legislation aimed at overhauling children’s social care.
Welcomed the expansion of free school meals and introduction of free breakfast clubs, but urged the Minister to work closely with parents on SEND reforms. Criticised Conservatives for failing to solve problems within a year that are legacies of their 14 years in power.
Government Response
The Minister emphasises the government's commitment to increasing funding for schools and supporting special educational needs. She outlines plans for investing in high-needs funding, improving inclusivity in mainstream settings, and publishing a White Paper on SEND reform later this year. Government is committed to delivering children’s social care reform, breaking the cycle of late intervention and helping more children and families thrive. £380 million has been allocated for delivery of children's social care reform in 2025-26, including new investment of £44 million to support children in kinship and foster care.
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