Sarah Pochin MP: written questions
4 Jul 2025–3 Jul 2026
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Our reporting years run from 4 July to 3 July, starting with the 2024 general election. They are not official parliamentary sessions. Office costs keep IPSA’s April–March financial years. Records may cover only part of a year; a missing record does not mean no work was done.
Read what this MP said, asked and contributed in Parliament.
33 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Special Educational Needs: Speech and Language DisordersDepartment for EducationTabled 26 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 13742More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the availability of speech and language support for primary school pupils.
Answer: The government consultation, special educational needs and disabilities reform: putting children and young people first, revealed the critical role that speech and language therapy plays in supporting children with speech, language and communication needs...
Answered 7 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordSpecial Educational Needs: StandardsDepartment for EducationTabled 17 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 10863More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the extent to which local authorities comply with identified SEND provision prior to tribunal proceedings.
Answer: To ensure all local areas have the capacity to undertake meaningful transformation planning and delivery while maintaining current special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) services, the department is investing £200 million for local authorities t...
Answered 26 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordSpecial Educational Needs: ReformDepartment for EducationTabled 17 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 10861More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential risk of children and young people with SEND not having access to a suitable school place under proposed reforms to the SEND system.
Answer: Too many children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities do not currently have access to a suitable school place close to home. That is why our reforms aim to expand specialist capacity within mainstream settings and increase the...
Answered 26 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordSpecial Educational NeedsDepartment for EducationTabled 17 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 10860More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what definition her Department plans to apply to complex needs in determining eligibility for Education, Health and Care Plans under proposed SEND reforms.
Answer: I refer the hon. Member for Runcorn and Helsby to the answer of 11 June 2026 to Question 2530.
Answered 26 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordSpecial Educational NeedsDepartment for EducationTabled 16 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 10395More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that (a) replacement and (b) reform of Education, Health and Care Plans retains legally enforceable provision for children and young people with SEND.
Answer: Under our proposed special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) reforms, new, improved education, health and care (EHC) plans will guarantee statutory entitlements for children who require specialist provision. Children and young people with SEND wil...
Answered 24 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordSpecial Educational Needs: AppealsDepartment for EducationTabled 16 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 10394More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of proposed SEND reforms on the ability of parents and carers to enforce provision through the First-tier Tribunal (Special Educational Needs and Disability)
Answer: After a 12-week consultation period, including over 200 engagement events, meetings and roundtables, the department’s ‘SEND reform: putting children and young people first’ consultation has now closed. We are carefully reviewing all responses submitted to...
Answered 24 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordPupils: AbsenteeismDepartment for EducationTabled 16 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 10381More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of persistent pupil absenteeism on educational attainment.
Answer: School attendance is vital for children’s learning, wellbeing and wider development, and is a strong protective factor for all children and young people. Being persistently absent from school significantly harms a child’s chances of future success. For ex...
Answered 23 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordSchools: Artificial IntelligenceDepartment for EducationTabled 15 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 9967More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with school leaders regarding the use of artificial intelligence in education.
Answer: The department carries out regular direct engagement with school leaders, alongside teachers, support staff, unions, and experts, to better understand what schools need most when implementing AI in their settings. This includes working closely with school...
Answered 23 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordPupils: Mobile PhonesDepartment for EducationTabled 15 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 9966More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the impact of smartphone use on pupil behaviour in schools.
Answer: In January 2026, the department published strengthened ‘mobile phones in schools’ guidance which states that all schools should be mobile phone-free environments by default. The department expects schools to implement a policy whereby pupils do not have a...
Answered 23 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordChildcare: Fees and ChargesDepartment for EducationTabled 8 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 7867More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of childcare costs on the UK birth rate.
Answer: Coram-PACEY’s 2026 Childcare Survey shows the expansion of government funded entitlements in 2024/25 brought the cost of a part-time childcare place for eligible working parents back to what it was in 2005. They additionally found that the expansion of 30...
Answered 15 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordEducation: StandardsDepartment for EducationTabled 5 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 7349More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of regional variations in educational attainment across England.
Answer: The ‘Every Child Achieving and Thriving’ White Paper sets out our plan to tackle the unacceptable disparities in attainment across the country. This builds on the steps set out in our ‘Giving Every Child the Best Start in Life’ strategy, to expand family ...
Answered 15 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordEducation: BoysDepartment for EducationTabled 5 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 7348More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help improve educational attainment among white working-class boys in England.
Answer: White disadvantaged boys face a distinct and persistent set of challenges within the current system, including some of the lowest attainment at GCSE. Their average attainment has worsened since the pandemic, in line with declines seen across several other...
Answered 29 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordEducation: BoysDepartment for EducationTabled 5 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 7347More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what analysis she has conducted of the educational progress of white working-class boys in England.
Answer: White disadvantaged boys face a distinct and persistent set of challenges within the current system, including some of the lowest attainment at GCSE. Their average attainment has worsened since the pandemic, in line with declines seen across several other...
Answered 29 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordSecondary Education: TeachersDepartment for EducationTabled 5 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 7346More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the impact of teacher shortages on secondary school outcomes.
Answer: High-quality teaching is the in-school factor that has the biggest positive impact on a child’s outcomes, and recruiting and retaining expert teachers is critical to the government’s mission to break down the barriers to opportunity for every child. We ha...
Answered 15 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordPre-school Education: InspectionsDepartment for EducationTabled 5 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 7345More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what conversations she has had with stakeholders about the impact of the Government’s June 2025 Ofsted accountability and inspection reform programme.
Answer: A robust and effective inspection system is essential to our mission to break down barriers, provide opportunities and drive high and rising standards for every child and young person. The revised Ofsted education inspection framework was published on 9 S...
Answered 16 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordHoliday Activities and Food ProgrammeDepartment for EducationTabled 20 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 114410More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for what reason eligibility for the Holiday Activities and Food programme is limited to children who meet the benefits-related Free School Meals criteria.
Answer: The holiday activities and food (HAF) programme provides free nutritious meals, enriching activities, and safe environments to eligible children during the school holidays. The programme is mainly aimed at children in receipt of benefits‑related free scho...
Answered 2 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordChildren: Care HomesDepartment for EducationTabled 20 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 107332More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to introduce a mandatory registration of staff working in children's homes.
Answer: The government set out its position regarding professional registration of the children’s homes workforce in its ’Tackling child sexual abuse: progress update’, published on GOV.UK in April 2025 here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/tackling-ch...
Answered 28 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordChildren in CareDepartment for EducationTabled 13 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 105575More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when amendments to the Children Act 1989 to strengthen protections for children in local authority care will be brought forward, in the context of the recommendations of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexua
Answer: Our ‘Tackling child sexual abuse: progress update’, published in April 2025, set out the government’s work to respond to the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse’s recommendation to amend the Children Act 1989. The update is available at: https://w...
Answered 30 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordChildren: Departmental ResponsibilitiesDepartment for EducationTabled 13 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 105508More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of implementing the recommendation of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse to appoint a Cabinet level Minister with responsibility for
Answer: In April 2025, the government published its Tackling Child Sexual Abuse Progress Update, which responded to each of the 20 recommendations form the final report of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse. The government agrees with the importance ...
Answered 29 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordStudents: ChildcareDepartment for EducationTabled 7 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 104115More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of excluding full-time higher-education student households from childcare support schemes when mandatory placements prevent parents from working on those hou
Answer: Students with children who are undertaking work placement years with private employers do not qualify for the full-rate partially means-tested loans for living costs or means-tested dependants’ grants (Childcare Grant or Parents’ Learning Allowance). They...
Answered 16 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordTeachers: Labour TurnoverDepartment for EducationTabled 7 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 104102More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what analysis her Department has undertaken of the role of (a) maternity pay and (b) family-friendly employment conditions in levels of retention of experienced teachers.
Answer: The government is committed to tackling recruitment and retention challenges and supporting teachers to stay in the profession and thrive. We recognise women aged 30-39 are the largest group of leavers from the teacher workforce. To address this, we are t...
Answered 17 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordTeachers: Maternity Leave and Maternity PayDepartment for EducationTabled 7 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 104101More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the teacher workforce strategy includes consideration of aligning maternity (a) pay and (b) leave arrangements for classroom teachers more closely with the equivalent arrangements available to civil ser
Answer: The government is committed to tackling recruitment and retention challenges and supporting teachers to stay in the profession and thrive. We recognise women aged 30-39 are the largest group of leavers from the teacher workforce. To address this, we are t...
Answered 17 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordTeachers: Maternity Leave and Maternity PayDepartment for EducationTabled 7 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 104100More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has assessed the potential impact of differences in maternity (a) pay and (b) leave arrangements between classroom teachers and Department for Education civil servants on teacher retentio
Answer: The government is committed to tackling recruitment and retention challenges and supporting teachers to stay in the profession and thrive. We recognise women aged 30-39 are the largest group of leavers from the teacher workforce. To address this, we are t...
Answered 17 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordOffences against Children: Young OffendersDepartment for EducationTabled 10 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 99004More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to require schools and local authorities to record and centrally report anonymised data on allegations of child-on-child sexual abuse, the actions taken and case outcomes.
Answer: Sexual abuse in any form is abhorrent and protecting children from this is an absolute priority for this government. ‘Working together to safeguard children’ is the statutory guidance which sets out the collaborative duties and responsibilities placed o...
Answered 2 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordOffences against Children: Young OffendersDepartment for EducationTabled 9 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 98580More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will establish a cross-government protocol with the Home Office and the Department of Health and Social Care setting out roles, referral routes and timescales between schools, police forces and health se
Answer: This government is taking the strongest action to tackle child sexual abuse and exploitation. This includes setting up a new national inquiry, with which government departments will cooperate fully, to ensure we are tackling this vile crime and supporting...
Answered 17 Dec 2025
Original Parliament record
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4 Jul 2025–3 Jul 2026. One record per UIN and tabled date; the named department is not a measure of answer quality.
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