School closures can be influenced by a range of factors, not just the VAT policy. While VAT may have compounded pressure, school closures cannot be attributed to VAT alone. Factors such as school performance, financial viability and demographic shifts also play a role. In the 2025/26 academic year, more private schools opened than closed. The department monitors the private school sector via the ‘Get Information about Schools’ (GIAS) system, which shows that between 1 September 2025 and 31 July 2026, 108 private schools opened and 51 closed.

The department has now achieved 71.6% of the 6,500 additional teachers target. There are 4,654 more teachers - 3,008 more teachers in secondary and special schools in 2025/26 and 1,646 more teachers in further education, than in 2024/25. Latest data also reported one of the lowest leaver rates on record of 8.5% and a record 17,740 teachers returning to the classroom.

While the department does not routinely publish recruitment and retention rates at a regional level, trends in the full-time equivalent teacher workforce suggest that regions have broadly followed the national pattern over time.

Information on the school workforce in England, including teacher recruitment and retention, is published annually in the ‘School workforce in England’ statistical release, available on GOV.UK.

The department has now achieved 71.6% of the 6,500 additional teachers target. There are 4,654 more teachers - 3,008 more teachers in secondary and special schools in 2025/26 and 1,646 more teachers in further education, than in 2024/25. Latest data also reported one of the lowest leaver rates on record of 8.5% and a record 17,740 teachers returning to the classroom.

While the department does not routinely publish recruitment and retention rates at a regional level, trends in the full-time equivalent teacher workforce suggest that regions have broadly followed the national pattern over time.

Information on the school workforce in England, including teacher recruitment and retention, is published annually in the ‘School workforce in England’ statistical release, available on GOV.UK.

The department has now achieved 71.6% of the 6,500 additional teachers target. There are 4,654 more teachers - 3,008 more teachers in secondary and special schools in 2025/26 and 1,646 more teachers in further education, than in 2024/25. Latest data also reported one of the lowest leaver rates on record of 8.5% and a record 17,740 teachers returning to the classroom.

While the department does not routinely publish recruitment and retention rates at a regional level, trends in the full-time equivalent teacher workforce suggest that regions have broadly followed the national pattern over time.

Information on the school workforce in England, including teacher recruitment and retention, is published annually in the ‘School workforce in England’ statistical release, available on GOV.UK.

Local authorities have been informed of their Best Start Family Hub allocation and the department will publish the 2026/27 revenue and capital allocations for all 153 local authorities in due course.

Details of allocations for Family Hubs from 2022/23 are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/family-hubs-and-start-for-life-section-31-grant-determination-letters.

His Majesty’s Treasury published a tax information and impact note on applying VAT to independent school fees, which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/vat-on-private-school-fees/applying-vat-to-private-school-fees#who-is-likely-to-be-affected.

We are investing over £1 billion more in the early years entitlements this year compared to 2025/26 and an above inflation increase to entitlements funding rates. In 2026/27, we expect to provide over £9.5 billion for the early years entitlements. Coram–PACEY’s 2026 Childcare Survey found that the expansion of 30 hours of funded childcare significantly reduced costs for eligible working parents in England, in some cases making part time childcare effectively free during term time. In addition to funding increases, we are committing to consult on changes to how early years funding is allocated and distributed as part of the ongoing review of childcare provision and regulation.

By allowing funded hours to be stretched across the year, deducting closures from calculations, and enabling mixed‑provider models, the system is designed to work alongside all‑year childcare businesses, managing funding and fees transparently and within national limits, broadening parental choice.

We continue to monitor the sufficiency of childcare places; the key measure being the supply of available places is sufficient to meet requirements.

Section 6 of the Childcare Act 2006 states local authorities are responsible for ensuring that the provision of childcare is sufficient in their area.

This government is committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity and tackling child poverty. We are extending free school meals (FSM) to all children from households in receipt of Universal Credit from September 2026, including in the Tees Valley region. This will ensure an additional half a million children across the country will receive a healthy, nutritious meal, putting £500 back in families’ pockets and lifting 100,000 children out of poverty.

The department publishes data on eligibility for FSM. Regional data is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics/2025-26. In 2025/26, 37,752 children are eligible in the 5 local authority areas within Tees Valley. Following the expansion of FSM to all on Universal Credit from September 2026, the department expects approximately 51,000 children to be eligible based on data from the Department for Work and Pensions.

We are also improving the eligibility checking system to support schools and local authorities to identify and enrol eligible pupils more efficiently. Schools receive funding for FSM as part of their overall core funding. Additional funding for FSM expansion will be provided through the expansion of the grant.

At a national level, we have set aside over £1 billion in funding over the multi-year spending review period to cover additional meal costs.

Ministers have not hired external public relations (PR) consultants since July 2024.

The department currently contracts its PR services through agencies. These contracts are procured via commercial routes, with all contracts publicly available and published via Contracts Finder. There have been no new procurements in PR since July 2024.

Home-to-school travel is an integral part of the school system. It provides a valuable service on which many families rely. The department is grateful to the many transport operators for the crucial role they play in ensuring that children receive the education they need to help them thrive.

Officials engage regularly with local authorities to understand the challenges they face and to monitor impact, but have not seen any significant impact of the National Insurance contribution (NIC) changes on home-to-school travel for children with special educational needs and disabilities. Local authorities are responsible for arranging home-to-school travel and deliver this through a range of in-house services and external providers.

Businesses can claim employer reliefs on NICs, where eligible. These reliefs are estimated to have been worth around £2.5 billion in the 2025/26 financial year.

Over 40% of employers (around 900,000) will not pay employer NICs in 2030/31, as their total employer NICs bill will continue to fall below the Employment Allowance, which was more than doubled to £10,500 in April 2025.

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Children aged 5 to 16 are eligible for free travel if they attend their nearest suitable school and cannot walk there because of the distance, their special educational needs, disability or mobility problem, or route safety. Statutory walking distances are set at 2 miles for children under 8 and 3 miles for those aged 8 and over.

There are extended rights to free travel for children currently eligible for free school meals, to support low-income families to exercise school choice. More detail can be found in the statutory guidance: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6a10649929bb11891b1cf096/Travel_to_school_for_children_of_compulsory_school_age.pdf.

For these pupils, 11 to 16 year-olds may receive free travel to one of their three nearest schools between 2 to 6 miles from home, or to a school 2 to 15 miles away chosen on grounds of religion or belief; and the statutory walking distance is set at 2 miles for those aged 8 and over but under 11.

Some regional bodies, including Mayoral Strategic Authorities, are already working to support local authorities across their regions, as those local authorities deliver their statutory duties relating to special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

The department will continue to work with regional authorities to consider how they could further support our reforms to the SEND system to improve outcomes for children and young people with SEND. There will be further announcements on devolution in due course.

Information on student outcomes in higher education (HE), including broken down by those studying at franchised providers, is published by the Office for Students (OfS). The OfS also publishes National Student Survey results.

The government has identified concerns about parts of the franchised HE sector, including recruitment practices, quality and the protection of public money. In response, we have introduced a requirement for larger franchise providers to register with the OfS as a condition of access to student finance. Registered providers must meet the OfS's conditions of registration, including requirements relating to quality, student outcomes and the interests of students as consumers.

The government has not made a specific assessment of the impact of inducements on prospective students, including those who might otherwise lack the interest or ability to complete HE. However, HE providers must comply with consumer protection law and have regard to Competition and Markets Authority guidance, and OfS works with relevant regulators where concerns arise.

The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) is responsible for collecting and publishing data on the UK higher education (HE) sector. HESA do not publish data on the highest qualification on entry to HE of international students. Caution is advised when interpreting entry qualifications for international students, as qualifications obtained overseas may not align with the categories defined by HESA. Providers are responsible for determining an appropriate qualification level for qualifications earned overseas.

Analysis of the HESA Student data by the department shows that 1,635 non-UK domiciled entrants to UK HE (undergraduate and postgraduate) in 2024/25 had no formal qualifications.

The government is taking decisive action to better support disadvantaged students, make things fairer for graduates, and create a more flexible, responsive post-16 education system through the introduction of the Lifelong Learning Entitlement in January 2027.

Since 2024, we have raised the Plan 2 repayment threshold twice, protected borrowers from the risk of inflation shocks by capping interest rates on Plan 2 and Plan 3 loans at 6% for the 2026/27 academic year, and future-proofed maintenance loans by committing to increase them every year in-line with forecast inflation. Further, we are making care leavers automatically eligible for the maximum rate of maintenance loan, and we will be reintroducing targeted, means-tested maintenance grants in the2028/29 academic year, funded by a levy on providers for international students.

We will continue to look for ways to make the system fairer for students, graduates and taxpayers in a financially sustainable way.

The government is taking decisive action to better support disadvantaged students, make things fairer for graduates, and create a more flexible, responsive post-16 education system through the introduction of the Lifelong Learning Entitlement in January 2027.

Since 2024, we have raised the Plan 2 repayment threshold twice, protected borrowers from the risk of inflation shocks by capping interest rates on Plan 2 and Plan 3 loans at 6% for the 2026/27 academic year, and future-proofed maintenance loans by committing to increase them every year in-line with forecast inflation. Further, we are making care leavers automatically eligible for the maximum rate of maintenance loan, and we will be reintroducing targeted, means-tested maintenance grants in the2028/29 academic year, funded by a levy on providers for international students.

We will continue to look for ways to make the system fairer for students, graduates and taxpayers in a financially sustainable way.

We have now achieved 4,654 of the 6,500 additional teachers pledge, equivalent to 71.6% of the target, compared with the 2023/24 baseline. This includes 3,008 more teachers in secondary and special schools in 2025/26 and 1,646 more teachers in the statutory further education sector and school-based providers in 2024/25.

We have appointed an independent panel of experts, led by education and health co-chairs, to advise on what approaches, strategies, and tools should be included in the National Inclusion Standards and Specialist Provision Packages.

The Standards will set out the provision that ordinarily should be in every setting across the 0 to 25 system. This is in addition to the evidence-based tools, strategies and approaches for educators to support children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities.

Specialist Provision Packages describe the support available for children and young people with the most complex needs. These measures are designed to create a consistent, high-quality offer, wherever they live, thereby ending the post code lottery of support.

We will develop a national cost framework for these packages, and we expect to engage with stakeholders and consult on any new funding arrangements in due course.

The department recognises that the decision to close a school is difficult and sensitive and expects alternatives to closure to be explored before a decision is made. Where closure is considered the right option, the department expects proposers to minimise disruption to pupils’ education during the closure process and to support a smooth transition to alternative educational provision.

The evidence does not suggest a simple causal link between school closures and educational outcomes. However, we know that falling pupil numbers can create pressures on school finances, staffing and curriculum delivery, which may lead to closure being considered along with other options. The department is considering the impact of demographic change on educational outcomes, including for disadvantaged pupils, in line with recommendations made by the National Audit Office.

Proposers and local authorities should work together to ensure there are alternative places available for pupils, suitable transport arrangements and support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities as part of closure plans. Where the proposer is an academy trust, the department scrutinises these plans before agreeing to closure.

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.

The department does not hold data on the number of parents or carers that are entitled to government funded childcare and have purchased additional hours.

We are delivering more support to working families. Eligible working parents of children aged 9 months and older are now benefiting from 30 hours of funded childcare per week (over 38 weeks a year). Families using their full entitlement can save an average of £8,000 per child per year.

In 2026/27 we expect to provide over £9.5 billion in early years entitlements, more than doubling annual public investment in the early years sector compared to 2023/24.

As announced in the Autumn Budget 2025, the department is leading a cross-government review into the early education and childcare support that is provided by different parts of government. The Review is supporting the vision for early education and care set out in the ‘Giving Every Child the Best Start in Life’ publication, one that strengthens children’s life chances across the country, supports parents’ work choices, is simpler and easier to use, and improves access.