The government believes that creative subjects like arts, music and drama are important elements of the rounded and enriching education every child deserves to receive. Under this government, the arts and music will no longer be the preserve of a privileged few.<\/p>
Music is in the current National Curriculum, which is compulsory in all maintained schools from the age of 5 to 14 years. The government has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, which will be chaired by Professor Becky Francis CBE, and one of the aims is to deliver a broader curriculum so that pupils do not miss out on subjects such as music. When the review has concluded, and subject to Parliament passing the Children\u2019s Wellbeing Bill, the department will require all state-funded schools, including academies and free schools, to follow the National Curriculum.<\/p>
The department additionally supports children to learn music through the Music Hubs programme, which supports instrumental teaching in schools, as well as providing continuing professional development for teachers and access to local, regional and national ensembles. In 2022/23, Music Hubs provided support to around 90% of primary schools across England.<\/p>
The department has not made a specific assessment of whether promoting music education in the National Curriculum for primary schools would help diminish pressures on the NHS arising from children\u2019s mental health. However, studies show that music education has a wide range of wellbeing benefits for children.<\/p>
The government is committed to improving mental health support for all children and young people. The right support should be available to every young person that needs it, which is why the government will provide access to specialist mental health professionals in every school.<\/p>
The government will also be putting in place new Young Futures hubs, including access to mental health support workers, and will recruit an additional 8,500 new mental health staff to treat children and adults.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/269", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Baroness Smith of Malvern"} } , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Baroness Smith of Malvern"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2024-09-25", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "groupedQuestionUIN" : {"_value" : "HL1073"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2024-09-25T14:44:04.667Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "60"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Education"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Education"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2024-09-12", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Music: Education"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "2"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25277", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Lords"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the mental health benefits of music education for children; and what plans they have to promote music in the national curriculum for primary schools.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1164", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne"} } , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne"} ], "uin" : "HL1072"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1729607", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Education"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1729607/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
The government believes that creative subjects like arts, music and drama are important elements of the rounded and enriching education every child deserves to receive. Under this government, the arts and music will no longer be the preserve of a privileged few.<\/p>
Music is in the current National Curriculum, which is compulsory in all maintained schools from the age of 5 to 14 years. The government has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, which will be chaired by Professor Becky Francis CBE, and one of the aims is to deliver a broader curriculum so that pupils do not miss out on subjects such as music. When the review has concluded, and subject to Parliament passing the Children\u2019s Wellbeing Bill, the department will require all state-funded schools, including academies and free schools, to follow the National Curriculum.<\/p>
The department additionally supports children to learn music through the Music Hubs programme, which supports instrumental teaching in schools, as well as providing continuing professional development for teachers and access to local, regional and national ensembles. In 2022/23, Music Hubs provided support to around 90% of primary schools across England.<\/p>
The department has not made a specific assessment of whether promoting music education in the National Curriculum for primary schools would help diminish pressures on the NHS arising from children\u2019s mental health. However, studies show that music education has a wide range of wellbeing benefits for children.<\/p>
The government is committed to improving mental health support for all children and young people. The right support should be available to every young person that needs it, which is why the government will provide access to specialist mental health professionals in every school.<\/p>
The government will also be putting in place new Young Futures hubs, including access to mental health support workers, and will recruit an additional 8,500 new mental health staff to treat children and adults.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/269", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Baroness Smith of Malvern"} } , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Baroness Smith of Malvern"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2024-09-25", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "groupedQuestionUIN" : {"_value" : "HL1072"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2024-09-25T14:44:04.697Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "60"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Education"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Education"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2024-09-12", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Music: Education"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "2"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25277", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Lords"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether promoting music education in the national curriculum for primary schools would help diminish pressures on the NHS arising from children\u2019s mental health.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1164", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne"} } , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne"} ], "uin" : "HL1073"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1729610", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Education"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1729610/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
Forest schools provide children with frequent opportunities for outdoor play and exploration.<\/p>
The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) statutory framework sets the standards and requirements that all early years providers must follow to ensure every child has the best start in life.<\/p>
The EYFS framework states that providers must provide access to an outdoor play area. If that is not possible, they must ensure that outdoor activities are planned and taken on a daily basis, unless circumstances make this inappropriate, for example unsafe weather conditions. The EYFS framework also specifies that young children should develop positive values towards the environment and the natural world.<\/p>
By creating games and providing opportunities for play both indoors and outdoors, such as in larger parks and spaces in the local area or through forest schools, adults can support children to develop in a number of areas, including core strength, stability, balance and spatial awareness.<\/p>
The department is committed to supporting all early years settings to deliver the EYFS well, for the benefit of all children.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/269", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Baroness Smith of Malvern"} } , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Baroness Smith of Malvern"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2024-09-25", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2024-09-25T14:42:45.28Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "60"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Education"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Education"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2024-09-12", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Outdoor Education"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "2"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25277", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Lords"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the benefit of forest schools and similar nature-focused learning for child development.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4999", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for The Lord Bishop of Norwich"} } , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "The Lord Bishop of Norwich"} ], "uin" : "HL1076"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1729624", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Education"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1729624/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
The department works with the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) to support building the evidence base for early language interventions. In July 2024, the department announced that funded support for the 11,100 schools registered for the Nuffield Early Language Intervention (NELI) programme (two thirds of English state primary schools) would continue for the 2024/25 academic year. NELI is the most robustly evidenced early language programme in the UK, helping children who need extra support with their speech and language development to make four months of additional progress and seven months for those on free school meals.<\/p>
To support early language skills, the department has invested over £20 million in NELI. The department does not hold the exact number of children who have completed NELI since 2020, but an estimate is based on the data included in EEF\u2019s 'NELI Scale-up: Evaluation Report - Year 2', as attached. The programme has screened more than 650,000 children in the last four years and supported more than 210,000 four and five-year-olds since the pandemic. Broken down by academic year, this is:<\/p>
2020/21: 35,000<\/p>
2021/22: 59,000<\/p>
2022/23: 58,000<\/p>
2023/24: 59,000<\/p>
The Stronger Practice Hubs, which provide advice, share good practice and offer evidence-based professional development for early years practitioners, have also collaborated with the EEF to fund and make places available on several early language programmes. This is helping to strengthen and add to the evidence base of early years professional development programmes. The department does not hold data on the number of children who have benefitted from these programmes.<\/p>
The number of new schools who registered to deliver NELI in each academic year since 2020 are as follows:<\/p>
2020/21: 6,668<\/p>
2021/22: 4,418<\/p>
2022/23: 26<\/p>
2023/24: no new school registration undertaken<\/p>
For registered schools, the government has continued to fund the intervention so that schools can deliver the programme to new cohorts of reception children, where they are identified with below or well-below average language levels. We do not hold figures on how many of these schools completed the full work programme in each of those years.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/269", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Baroness Smith of Malvern"} } , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Baroness Smith of Malvern"} , "attachment" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1729624/answer/attachment/1", "fileName" : {"_value" : "HL1093_HL1094_HL1095_NELI_Scale_Up_Evaluation_Report_Year_2.pdf"} , "title" : "HL1093_HL1094_HL1095_attachment "} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2024-09-25", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "groupedQuestionUIN" : [{"_value" : "HL1094"} , {"_value" : "HL1095"} ], "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2024-09-25T14:50:13.593Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "60"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Education"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Education"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2024-09-12", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Children: Speech and Language Disorders"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "2"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25277", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Lords"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask His Majesty's Government which providers of language intervention programmes for schools they support with funding.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/542", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Touhig"} } , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Lord Touhig"} ], "uin" : "HL1093"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1729625", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Education"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1729625/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
The department works with the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) to support building the evidence base for early language interventions. In July 2024, the department announced that funded support for the 11,100 schools registered for the Nuffield Early Language Intervention (NELI) programme (two thirds of English state primary schools) would continue for the 2024/25 academic year. NELI is the most robustly evidenced early language programme in the UK, helping children who need extra support with their speech and language development to make four months of additional progress and seven months for those on free school meals.<\/p>
To support early language skills, the department has invested over £20 million in NELI. The department does not hold the exact number of children who have completed NELI since 2020, but an estimate is based on the data included in EEF\u2019s 'NELI Scale-up: Evaluation Report - Year 2', as attached. The programme has screened more than 650,000 children in the last four years and supported more than 210,000 four and five-year-olds since the pandemic. Broken down by academic year, this is:<\/p>
2020/21: 35,000<\/p>
2021/22: 59,000<\/p>
2022/23: 58,000<\/p>
2023/24: 59,000<\/p>
The Stronger Practice Hubs, which provide advice, share good practice and offer evidence-based professional development for early years practitioners, have also collaborated with the EEF to fund and make places available on several early language programmes. This is helping to strengthen and add to the evidence base of early years professional development programmes. The department does not hold data on the number of children who have benefitted from these programmes.<\/p>
The number of new schools who registered to deliver NELI in each academic year since 2020 are as follows:<\/p>
2020/21: 6,668<\/p>
2021/22: 4,418<\/p>
2022/23: 26<\/p>
2023/24: no new school registration undertaken<\/p>
For registered schools, the government has continued to fund the intervention so that schools can deliver the programme to new cohorts of reception children, where they are identified with below or well-below average language levels. We do not hold figures on how many of these schools completed the full work programme in each of those years.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/269", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Baroness Smith of Malvern"} } , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Baroness Smith of Malvern"} , "attachment" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1729625/answer/attachment/1", "fileName" : {"_value" : "HL1093_HL1094_HL1095_NELI_Scale_Up_Evaluation_Report_Year_2.pdf"} , "title" : "HL1093_HL1094_HL1095_attachment "} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2024-09-25", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "groupedQuestionUIN" : [{"_value" : "HL1093"} , {"_value" : "HL1095"} ], "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2024-09-25T14:50:13.64Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "60"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Education"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Education"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2024-09-12", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Children: Speech and Language Disorders"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "2"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25277", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Lords"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask His Majesty's Government how many children have completed language intervention programmes each year since such programmes were first funded by the Government in 2021.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/542", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Touhig"} } , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Lord Touhig"} ], "uin" : "HL1094"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1729626", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Education"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1729626/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
The department works with the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) to support building the evidence base for early language interventions. In July 2024, the department announced that funded support for the 11,100 schools registered for the Nuffield Early Language Intervention (NELI) programme (two thirds of English state primary schools) would continue for the 2024/25 academic year. NELI is the most robustly evidenced early language programme in the UK, helping children who need extra support with their speech and language development to make four months of additional progress and seven months for those on free school meals.<\/p>
To support early language skills, the department has invested over £20 million in NELI. The department does not hold the exact number of children who have completed NELI since 2020, but an estimate is based on the data included in EEF\u2019s 'NELI Scale-up: Evaluation Report - Year 2', as attached. The programme has screened more than 650,000 children in the last four years and supported more than 210,000 four and five-year-olds since the pandemic. Broken down by academic year, this is:<\/p>
2020/21: 35,000<\/p>
2021/22: 59,000<\/p>
2022/23: 58,000<\/p>
2023/24: 59,000<\/p>
The Stronger Practice Hubs, which provide advice, share good practice and offer evidence-based professional development for early years practitioners, have also collaborated with the EEF to fund and make places available on several early language programmes. This is helping to strengthen and add to the evidence base of early years professional development programmes. The department does not hold data on the number of children who have benefitted from these programmes.<\/p>
The number of new schools who registered to deliver NELI in each academic year since 2020 are as follows:<\/p>
2020/21: 6,668<\/p>
2021/22: 4,418<\/p>
2022/23: 26<\/p>
2023/24: no new school registration undertaken<\/p>
For registered schools, the government has continued to fund the intervention so that schools can deliver the programme to new cohorts of reception children, where they are identified with below or well-below average language levels. We do not hold figures on how many of these schools completed the full work programme in each of those years.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/269", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Baroness Smith of Malvern"} } , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Baroness Smith of Malvern"} , "attachment" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1729626/answer/attachment/1", "fileName" : {"_value" : "HL1093_HL1094_HL1095_NELI_Scale_Up_Evaluation_Report_Year_2.pdf"} , "title" : "HL1093_HL1094_HL1095_attachment "} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2024-09-25", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "groupedQuestionUIN" : [{"_value" : "HL1093"} , {"_value" : "HL1094"} ], "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2024-09-25T14:50:13.67Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "60"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Education"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Education"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2024-09-12", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Children: Speech and Language Disorders"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "2"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25277", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Lords"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask His Majesty's Government how many schools registered to deliver language intervention programmes in (1) 2021, (2) 2022, and (3) 2023, and how many completed the full work programme in each of those years.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/542", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Touhig"} } , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Lord Touhig"} ], "uin" : "HL1095"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1727767", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Education"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1727767/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
The government has not met with the Movement for an Adoption Apology and there is no meeting scheduled.<\/p>
<\/p>
My hon. Friend, the Minister for Children and Families, shares the deepest sympathy with everyone affected by historic forced adoption. The practice was abhorrent and should never have taken place.<\/p>
<\/p>
The department will look to learn from the approach of the devolved nations and explore what more can be done to support those impacted.<\/p>
<\/p>
The department is also currently funding the Adoption England project, Improving Adoption Services for Adults (IASA), which is designed to maintain relationships and provide better access to support for adopted adults.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/269", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Baroness Smith of Malvern"} } , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Baroness Smith of Malvern"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2024-09-25", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2024-09-25T08:47:17.143Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "60"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Education"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Education"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2024-09-05", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Adoption"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "2"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25277", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Lords"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have met, or have plans to meet with, the Movement for an Adoption Apology; and whether they have any plans to move for apologising for historic forced adoptions that during the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, which affected more than 215,000 women and their children.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4719", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle"} } , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle"} ], "uin" : "HL781"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1727817", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Education"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1727817/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "