All looked after children are under local authority care if they are provided with accommodation for a continuous period of more than 24 hours, are subject to a care order, or are subject to a placement order.

The total number of children looked after by local authorities in England as of 31 March 2025 is 81,770.

Information on looked after children in unregistered care settings is not centrally held by the department.

The total number of children in temporary care, defined as children looked after exclusively under a series of short-term placements (respite), during the year ending 31 March 2025 is 500. Children may be provided with respite as 'children in need' or as 'children looked after', so this figure for looked after children will underrepresent the total number of children provided with short breaks.

The latest information on the numbers and placements for looked after children, relating to the year ending 31 March 2025, was published on 20 November 2025 in the annual statistical release 'Children looked after in England including adoptions'.

Information on the state-funded school workforce in England, including the number of qualified teachers who leave service each year and the number of teachers who retire, is published in the ‘School workforce in England’ statistical publication, available on GOV.UK.

The closest measure available for teachers leaving the profession is the number of qualified teachers leaving service in the state-funded school sector in England.

The department does not hold information on the number of teachers taking early retirement. However, information is available on teachers and former teachers who first received Teachers' Pension Scheme benefits before normal retirement age, including actuarially reduced, ill-health and premature retirement benefits. School workforce data are published on an academic year basis, while Teachers' Pension Scheme awards are recorded on a financial year basis.

The information requested is provided below.

Full-time equivalent number of qualified teachers leaving the state-funded school sector each year, by phase

Notes: Includes those leaving the state-funded sector in England due to a change of career, joining other UK education sectors, retirement and those who died. Primary includes Nursery schools.

Source: School Workforce Census

Headcount number of teachers and former teachers who first received Teachers' Pension Scheme benefits (excluding normal age retirement), by phase

Notes: Includes actuarially reduced age retirements, ill-health retirements and premature retirements. Awards relating to normal age retirement have been excluded. These benefits may be awarded during service or after the teacher has left service. The number of awards may be revised for each past year as late applications for pension benefits are processed. Therefore, these figures differ to figures presented of leavers due to retirement.

Source: Teacher Pension Scheme

Information on the state-funded school workforce in England, including the number of qualified teachers who leave service each year and the number of teachers who retire, is published in the ‘School workforce in England’ statistical publication, available on GOV.UK.

The closest measure available for teachers leaving the profession is the number of qualified teachers leaving service in the state-funded school sector in England.

The department does not hold information on the number of teachers taking early retirement. However, information is available on teachers and former teachers who first received Teachers' Pension Scheme benefits before normal retirement age, including actuarially reduced, ill-health and premature retirement benefits. School workforce data are published on an academic year basis, while Teachers' Pension Scheme awards are recorded on a financial year basis.

The information requested is provided below.

Full-time equivalent number of qualified teachers leaving the state-funded school sector each year, by phase

Notes: Includes those leaving the state-funded sector in England due to a change of career, joining other UK education sectors, retirement and those who died. Primary includes Nursery schools.

Source: School Workforce Census

Headcount number of teachers and former teachers who first received Teachers' Pension Scheme benefits (excluding normal age retirement), by phase

Notes: Includes actuarially reduced age retirements, ill-health retirements and premature retirements. Awards relating to normal age retirement have been excluded. These benefits may be awarded during service or after the teacher has left service. The number of awards may be revised for each past year as late applications for pension benefits are processed. Therefore, these figures differ to figures presented of leavers due to retirement.

Source: Teacher Pension Scheme

In establishing Oak National Academy as an arm's length body, the department is helping to tackle teacher workload, strengthen curriculum expertise and improve education. As legal proceedings are ongoing, the department cannot comment further on the judicial review or speculate on its outcome.

Monitoring the academy’s impact on the curriculum resources market remains a priority. A market impact assessment published on 26 September 2025 found that the academy had a modest impact on the domestic curriculum resources market and was unlikely to have had any significant impact on the international market. The department will continue to keep the academy’s impact under review, and the corporate report is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/oak-national-academy-independent-review-and-market-impact-assessment.

In establishing Oak National Academy as an arm's length body, the department is helping to tackle teacher workload, strengthen curriculum expertise and improve education. As legal proceedings are ongoing, the department cannot comment further on the judicial review or speculate on its outcome.

Monitoring the academy’s impact on the curriculum resources market remains a priority. A market impact assessment published on 26 September 2025 found that the academy had a modest impact on the domestic curriculum resources market and was unlikely to have had any significant impact on the international market. The department will continue to keep the academy’s impact under review, and the corporate report is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/oak-national-academy-independent-review-and-market-impact-assessment.

The department does not regulate online education providers and these providers are not required to register with the department. The department, therefore, does not hold information on the number of online secondary schools in England.

However, the department does operate a voluntary Online Education Accreditation Scheme for eligible providers of full-time online education. Ofsted acts as the quality assurance body for the scheme and carries out accreditation visits for providers that apply.

The department does not regulate online education providers and these providers are not required to register with the department. The department, therefore, does not hold information on the number of online secondary schools in England.

However, the department does operate a voluntary Online Education Accreditation Scheme for eligible providers of full-time online education. Ofsted acts as the quality assurance body for the scheme and carries out accreditation visits for providers that apply.

The department does not regulate online education providers and these providers are not required to register with the department. The department, therefore, does not hold information on the number of online secondary schools in England.

However, the department does operate a voluntary Online Education Accreditation Scheme for eligible providers of full-time online education. Ofsted acts as the quality assurance body for the scheme and carries out accreditation visits for providers that apply.

The Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board is working with the Cheshire and Merseyside Hospice Collaborative to develop a longer-term sustainability strategy, aligned to a wider, population needs-based commissioning strategy.

More widely, we are developing a modern service framework for palliative care and end-of-Life care to improve the access, quality, and sustainability of all-age palliative care and end-of-life care. The modern service framework will cover both generalist and specialist palliative care, and 24/7 provision will be considered as part of the interventions. Further metrics and associated targets will build on the 2029 ambitions set out in the Neighbourhood Health Framework, which include increasing the number of people identified as approaching the end of life by 10% and reducing non-elective admissions and hospital bed days by 10% for that cohort.

The Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board is working with the Cheshire and Merseyside Hospice Collaborative to develop a longer-term sustainability strategy, aligned to a wider, population needs-based commissioning strategy.

More widely, we are developing a modern service framework for palliative care and end-of-Life care to improve the access, quality, and sustainability of all-age palliative care and end-of-life care. The modern service framework will cover both generalist and specialist palliative care, and 24/7 provision will be considered as part of the interventions. Further metrics and associated targets will build on the 2029 ambitions set out in the Neighbourhood Health Framework, which include increasing the number of people identified as approaching the end of life by 10% and reducing non-elective admissions and hospital bed days by 10% for that cohort.

The Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board is working with the Cheshire and Merseyside Hospice Collaborative to develop a longer-term sustainability strategy, aligned to a wider, population needs-based commissioning strategy.

More widely, we are developing a modern service framework for palliative care and end-of-Life care to improve the access, quality, and sustainability of all-age palliative care and end-of-life care. The modern service framework will cover both generalist and specialist palliative care, and 24/7 provision will be considered as part of the interventions. Further metrics and associated targets will build on the 2029 ambitions set out in the Neighbourhood Health Framework, which include increasing the number of people identified as approaching the end of life by 10% and reducing non-elective admissions and hospital bed days by 10% for that cohort.

The Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board is working with the Cheshire and Merseyside Hospice Collaborative to develop a longer-term sustainability strategy, aligned to a wider, population needs-based commissioning strategy.

More widely, we are developing a modern service framework for palliative care and end-of-Life care to improve the access, quality, and sustainability of all-age palliative care and end-of-life care. The modern service framework will cover both generalist and specialist palliative care, and 24/7 provision will be considered as part of the interventions. Further metrics and associated targets will build on the 2029 ambitions set out in the Neighbourhood Health Framework, which include increasing the number of people identified as approaching the end of life by 10% and reducing non-elective admissions and hospital bed days by 10% for that cohort.

The Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board is working with the Cheshire and Merseyside Hospice Collaborative to develop a longer-term sustainability strategy, aligned to a wider, population needs-based commissioning strategy.

More widely, we are developing a modern service framework for palliative care and end-of-Life care to improve the access, quality, and sustainability of all-age palliative care and end-of-life care. The modern service framework will cover both generalist and specialist palliative care, and 24/7 provision will be considered as part of the interventions. Further metrics and associated targets will build on the 2029 ambitions set out in the Neighbourhood Health Framework, which include increasing the number of people identified as approaching the end of life by 10% and reducing non-elective admissions and hospital bed days by 10% for that cohort.

We intend that No. 10 North will make a difference for every part of the country. The noble Lord rightly identifies that not every part of the country has benefited equally from economic success in the past. People will not be able to stop us shouting about the success of No. 10 North in terms of delivery once we get going, but I am very happy to come back to your Lordships’ House and talk about it in more depth over the coming months.

In terms of voting at 16, the Government intend the franchise change to be in place in good time ahead of the next general election. We were elected on a clear mandate, which included extending that right to vote to 16 and 17 year-olds, and that will be a major change to the electoral franchise. We need to get it right. It is not just the change to the electoral law but making sure we have the democratic and civic education process in place, and I know that my noble friend the Minister for Education is working on that as we speak. We are putting all that in place before we get to the stage where 16 and 17 year-olds will be asked to cast their vote.

On the issue of single person council tax discount, that is a matter for people’s declarations. They make a declaration to their local authority which is renewed regularly when they renew their council tax bill. They have to say consistently that they still wish to claim that single person council tax discount.

The provisions we are making with respect to social media for young people build on provisions in the Online Safety Act. It is important, and the Government have been clear, that Ofcom needs to continue to put in place the strongest possible protections for children and take the strongest possible action against companies that do not fulfil that.