The department does not hold data on the subjects offered by schools and colleges.

School and college data on the number of entries in each subject is published in the ‘Qualification and subject data’ found on the Compare school and college performance website, available on GOV.UK.

This includes schools and colleges which had entries in GCSE, A level and Level 3 film and media qualifications, their institution type and local authority.

The number of schools and colleges with entries in film and media subjects by region and institution type are provided in the tables below.

Number of schools and colleges with entries in GCSE film and media subjects:

Number of schools and colleges with entries in A level film and media subjects:

Number of schools and colleges with entries in all Level 3 qualifications in film and media subjects:

GCSE figures relate to entries in ‘Film Studies’ and ‘Media/Film/TV Studies’ GCSEs by pupils at the end of key stage 4. A level figures relate to entries in ‘Film Studies’ and ‘Media/Film/TV Studies’ A levels by students at the end of 16 to 19 study.

Level 3 qualifications include entries in ‘Film Studies’ and ‘Media/Film/TV Studies’ A levels, AS levels, and other Level 3 academic qualifications, and ‘Multimedia’ and “Film/Video/Television Production” Applied General and Tech Level qualifications by students at the end of 16 to 19 study. Each school and college are counted once only, regardless of whether they offer multiple courses.

Teaching began on the ‘Media, Broadcast and Production’ T Level pathway in September 2024. Provider level data will be published for the first time in spring 2027.

Lowering the voting age will have no impact on the definition of children in the Licensing Act 2003. There is no single definition of the age at which someone becomes an ‘adult’ in the UK; the idea of 18 being the ’standard’ age of adulthood is a misconception. People can work part time from 14, donate blood at 17, and adopt at 21.

Decisions about classifying films are made by the British Board of Film Classification at arm's length from the government to ensure impartiality. The BBFC’s age ratings are continually updated to respond to changing social attitudes towards media content through public consultation and research.

The Government is committed to growing the UK screen sector across all nations. Glasgow, identified as a high-potential creative cluster in the Creative Industries Sector Plan, is well placed to benefit from the Government's £75 million Screen Growth Package.

This includes the UK Global Screen Fund, with Scottish-led co-productions securing significant awards and Screen Scotland contributing to the Fund's Advisory Board. The British Film Institute also supports Scotland's screen sector through UK-wide funding, including the National Lottery Skills Cluster, which helps address skills and crew shortages.

We are also investing in skills through the National Film and Television School, including its Glasgow hub at BBC Scotland's Pacific Quay and the Edinburgh-based Sean Connery Talent Lab. This complements our refreshed £9 million Creative Careers Programme, which was piloted in Scotland.

We continue to work with Screen Scotland and the wider sector to strengthen screen production across Scotland and the UK, supported by stable and competitive tax reliefs that benefit all nations. The BBC Charter Review also provides an opportunity to support the BBC's central role in Scotland's screen economy.

The number of schools with entries in the two subjects requested are provided below. The department does not hold data on the subjects that institutions offer.

Number of schools with GCSE and A level entries in Film Studies and Media/Film/TV Studies in 2024/25, by school type:

Media Studies is referred to in the department’s attainment data ‘Media/Film/TV Studies’ and is a separate qualification to ‘Film Studies’.

The Commission has no plans to screen the briefing.

What steps her Department is taking to support visual effects companies.

I am very happy to meet representatives of the VFX industry, including Outpost VFX in my hon. Friend’s constituency. It is worth bearing in mind that there are a whole host of visual effects tax reliefs in place, including a 39% rate on VFX costs, to make it as competitive as possible in this country. I meet regularly and engage with the sector, including the UK Screen Alliance. Protecting our world-leading VFX sector base means ensuring that skills keep pace with artificial intelligence and emerging technologies. We understand and acknowledge the significant implications for the sector of various pressures at the moment, but there is £10 million being invested in the National Film and Television School to expand apprenticeships and £25 million of funding for five new CoSTAR—Convergent Screen Technologies and performance in Realtime—labs, and the Chancellor’s £725 million for the next phase of the growth and skills levy will also deliver new digital skills. That package of measures sits alongside the tax reliefs.

As the Minister says, Outpost VFX is a world-leading VFX company based in my Bournemouth West constituency. It recently convened a meeting of sector leaders, and the message was clear: the UK faces significant competitive disadvantage because of our relatively low net value incentive rates and the 10% total spend rule. As a result, we are missing out on work to overseas facilities, and undermining job creation and skills retention here in the UK. Will the Minister commit to meeting Outpost VFX and other sector representatives to discuss their proposals to boost the UK’s competitiveness?

We are committed to ensuring the UK remains the world’s leading destination for film and television production. That ambition sits at the core of the Government’s industrial strategy and the creative industries sector plan, which recognises the sector’s strength as a driver of growth. Every single best visual effects Oscar nominee this year had work done in UK studios, including Bournemouth’s own Outpost VFX for its work on “Sinners”.

Dog breeders licensed under the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) Regulations are prohibited from breeding dogs if it can be reasonably expected that on the basis of their genotype, phenotype or health, this would lead to welfare problems for the mother or the puppies.

The Department does not hold data on the number of brachycephalic animals in the UK.

As part of the Animal Welfare Strategy, the Government committed to launch a consultation on dog breeding reform. This will include proposals to improve the health and welfare standards which all licensed breeders must meet.

The strategy also includes a commitment to improve our understanding of the size, scale and current management practices related to cat breeding, drawing on expertise from the sector, and consider any further steps which may improve welfare practices in the cat breeding sector.

The strategy was developed following engagement with key stakeholders alongside consideration of sector evidence and reports, such as the Animal Welfare Committee’s reports on canine and feline breeding practices. We continue to engage with representatives across the sector.

Defra also supports the work of the UK Brachycephalic Working Group (BWG), which is comprised of academia, the veterinary profession, and animal charities. The BWG has set out simple measures to address issues with brachycephalic dogs, such as not using imagery of dogs with brachycephaly for advertising unless it is aimed specifically at protecting the health and welfare of dogs in relation to brachycephaly. BWG members have committed to these measures, and other groups are encouraged to sign up to them too.

The UK’s creative industries generated £145.8 billion in GVA in 2024 — 5.6% of the economy — with film, TV, radio and photography contributing £23.5 billion. The sector’s growth and global strengths position the UK to lead in film and television production. To realise that ambition, we need a skilled and sustainable workforce. That is why our Sector Plan designates film, TV and video games as a frontier industry, signalling their priority status for future investment and support.

From April 2026, a £75 million Screen Growth Package will support independent UK content, attract inward investment and expand skills development, creating more jobs and greater long‑term stability across the sector. The Sector Plan also boosts access to finance through the British Business Bank, expanded debt and equity options, and tailored support for producers.

We are raising standards across the sector by acting on the Good Work Review, establishing the Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority and supporting the BFI’s £1.5 million WorkWise for Screen programme. Freelancers will have a stronger voice through a new Creative Freelance Champion, while the Employment Rights Act 2025 will tackle late payments, guarantee written contracts and extend health and safety protections.

We are also strengthening the skills and talent pipeline through major investment: expanding the National Film and Television School, scaling up the BFI Film Academy and delivering £725 million through the next phase of the Growth and Skills Levy, including fully funded SME apprenticeships for eligible under‑25s. From April 2026, new short courses in digital, AI and engineering will support Industrial Strategy sectors, complemented by work with DWP and Skills England to ensure training genuinely reflects the needs of creative employers.

This Government knows how important the film industry is, and that is why it is at the heart of our Industrial Strategy.

Northern Ireland has world class creative talent - I got to see that up close at the recent Netflix premiere of How to Get to Heaven from Belfast. That premiere was held at the Queens Film Theatre, recognised just this month as one of the top one hundred cinemas in the world.

The Department of Culture, Media and Sport recognises that the freelance workforce is crucial to the success of the UK's world-leading creative industries, and we are committed to listening to the voices of the self-employed as we develop policies for the creative industries. The Creative Industries Sector Plan committed to increasing the diversity of the creative workforce, which includes ensuring that parents and carers can continue sustainable careers.

It is good to see initiatives such as Raising Films to support parents and carers in this sector, showing positive industry action. More broadly, the Government has committed to a review of the parental leave and pay system. The review will look at whether support available meets the needs of other working families who do not qualify for existing leave and pay entitlements, such as self-employed parents.

Where staff in the Film and HETV sector have employee status, they will benefit from reforms delivered through the Employment Rights Act including changes to make it more likely that flexible working requests are accepted, making paternity and unpaid parental leave a ‘day one’ right, and making it unlawful to dismiss a woman who is pregnant, including for six months after her return to work - except in specific circumstances. We are also supporting carers who want to work alongside managing their caring responsibilities is an important element of our plans to modernise the world of work. This is why we are reviewing the implementation of carer's leave and looking at where any improvements may be needed.

The Department of Culture, Media and Sport recognises that the freelance workforce is crucial to the success of the UK's world-leading creative industries, including the screen sector, but we understand that many self-employed workers in the creative industries desire greater job security.

We committed in the Creative Industries Sector Plan to increase the productivity, resilience and diversity of the creative workforce, including through the appointment of a Freelance Champion, who will advocate for the creative sector’s freelancers within government and be a member of the Creative Industries Council. Building on the Sector Plan, we are developing a sector Jobs Plan which will provide a clear direction of travel for government and industry to develop the domestic workforce together. The Creative Industries Jobs Plan will be published later this year.

For film and TV specifically, the global market is evolving quickly, creating significant opportunities for the UK. We remain an open and highly attractive destination for international investment, including £5.8 billion in inward screen investment in 2025 and record film production spend, and this has helped deliver some of our most successful content. Major global studios and streamers are investing directly in UK skills and talent, including through support for the National Film and Television School (NFTS) and initiatives like the Prime Video Pathway. This investment strengthens our workforce and we want it to continue.

We are pairing global investment with strong public action to build resilience across the sector. Through the Creative Industries Sector Plan, we are delivering a £75 million Screen Growth Package to scale up domestic production, £10 million for the NFTS to create 2,000 new trainee and apprenticeship places, and £150 million through the Creative Places Growth Fund to expand film and TV activity across the regions. These measures sit alongside competitive tax reliefs, including the Independent Film Tax Credit, modernised co‑production treaties and expanded finance via the British Business Bank.

We have also strengthened terms of trade through the Media Act and have asked the Competition and Markets Authority, supported by Ofcom, to consider how market developments, including convergence, should inform future competition assessments. Through the BBC Charter Review and ongoing engagement with streamers, independents and Public Service Media (PSM) providers, we will continue to ensure that commissioning practices support a sustainable workforce and a thriving UK screen sector.