The Schools White Paper, published in March 2022, sets out the Department’s policies to improve literacy and numeracy.

Since its launch in 2018, the English Hubs programme has provided targeted support to several thousands of schools across England. The 34 English Hubs in the programme are primary schools which are outstanding at teaching early reading. Over 1,000 schools which were underperforming in phonics have received intensive support, reaching approximately 50,000 pupils in Reception and Year 1. In addition to this, more than 5,000 schools have been supported through medium level support, which provides schools with targeted support, continuing professional development opportunities, and workshops focused on phonics and the teaching of early reading.

The Department is continuing to support and enhance mathematics teaching through the national network of 40 school led Maths Hubs, which are helping local schools improve the quality of their mathematics teaching based on best practice, covering all regions of England. This includes the £100 million Teaching for Mastery programme, which is bringing training on mastery teaching to 11,000 schools across England by 2023.

The Department published a list of approved phonics programmes in 2021 to support schools in choosing a phonics programme. This is together with the provision of £4 million additional funding in the 2021/22 academic year to eligible schools to support them in obtaining validated phonics schemes, whilst committing a further £8.7 million in the 2022/23 academic year to extend this nationwide. In 2021, the ‘Reading framework: teaching the foundations of literacy’ was published. This defines best practice for teachers and school leaders, and the introduction of specialist training to drive better literacy through a new National Professional Qualification for Leading Literacy and a new National Professional Qualification for Early Years Leadership.

Guidance has been published to support teachers in planning and prioritising the mathematics curriculum from Key Stage 1 to 3, which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/teaching-mathematics-in-primary-schools and here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/teaching-mathematics-at-key-stage-3. This is alongside the establishment of two new support schemes through the Maths Hubs programme that will reach thousands of schools within their first year alone.

The Department will also be funding up to £180 million in the Early Years workforce, including training for Early Years practitioners to support literacy and numeracy teaching.

The Department recognises the importance of speech and language in young people’s development and has funded £17 million to deliver the Nuffield Early Language Intervention programme, which supports children in Reception with their language ability. Over two thirds of eligible mainstream primary schools are taking part in this evidence based programme, benefitting around 90,000 children who are most in need of language support. Providing support for early language is a founding aim of the English Hub programme. In January 2023, the Hubs will begin delivering a new early language support scheme to schools which has been designed by Hubs and external experts.

The Schools White Paper, published in March 2022, sets out the Department’s policies to improve literacy and numeracy.

Since its launch in 2018, the English Hubs programme has provided targeted support to several thousands of schools across England. The 34 English Hubs in the programme are primary schools which are outstanding at teaching early reading. Over 1,000 schools which were underperforming in phonics have received intensive support, reaching approximately 50,000 pupils in Reception and Year 1. In addition to this, more than 5,000 schools have been supported through medium level support, which provides schools with targeted support, continuing professional development opportunities, and workshops focused on phonics and the teaching of early reading.

The Department is continuing to support and enhance mathematics teaching through the national network of 40 school led Maths Hubs, which are helping local schools improve the quality of their mathematics teaching based on best practice, covering all regions of England. This includes the £100 million Teaching for Mastery programme, which is bringing training on mastery teaching to 11,000 schools across England by 2023.

The Department published a list of approved phonics programmes in 2021 to support schools in choosing a phonics programme. This is together with the provision of £4 million additional funding in the 2021/22 academic year to eligible schools to support them in obtaining validated phonics schemes, whilst committing a further £8.7 million in the 2022/23 academic year to extend this nationwide. In 2021, the ‘Reading framework: teaching the foundations of literacy’ was published. This defines best practice for teachers and school leaders, and the introduction of specialist training to drive better literacy through a new National Professional Qualification for Leading Literacy and a new National Professional Qualification for Early Years Leadership.

Guidance has been published to support teachers in planning and prioritising the mathematics curriculum from Key Stage 1 to 3, which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/teaching-mathematics-in-primary-schools and here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/teaching-mathematics-at-key-stage-3. This is alongside the establishment of two new support schemes through the Maths Hubs programme that will reach thousands of schools within their first year alone.

The Department will also be funding up to £180 million in the Early Years workforce, including training for Early Years practitioners to support literacy and numeracy teaching.

The Department recognises the importance of speech and language in young people’s development and has funded £17 million to deliver the Nuffield Early Language Intervention programme, which supports children in Reception with their language ability. Over two thirds of eligible mainstream primary schools are taking part in this evidence based programme, benefitting around 90,000 children who are most in need of language support. Providing support for early language is a founding aim of the English Hub programme. In January 2023, the Hubs will begin delivering a new early language support scheme to schools which has been designed by Hubs and external experts.

We want everyone to have the opportunity to learn and develop the essential skills they need to succeed at any age.

That is why the department has launched Multiply, the Government’s new programme for improving adult numeracy, funded through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. Up to £559m is available over the Spending Review period for Multiply, boosting funding for maths and enabling delivery of innovative approaches to improving adult numeracy.

Multiply will enable local areas to deliver innovative approaches to improving numeracy amongst adults, helping more people take the next step to higher levels of training or unlock new job opportunities. Multiply will offer a range of flexible courses and interventions that fit around people’s lives and are tailored to specific needs, circumstances, sectors and industries. For example, courses designed to increase confidence with numbers for those needing the first steps towards formal numeracy qualifications or programmes delivered with employers to support people to get a job or progress within work.

Adults who do not already have a GCSE Grade 4/C (or equivalent) or above in maths are already entitled to study fully funded maths GCSE or Functional Skills Qualifications. Multiply does not remove this entitlement, nor does it reduce funding for those qualifications through the Adult Education Budget.

The department has launched Multiply, a new programme for improving adult numeracy, funded through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. Up to £559 million is available over the Spending Review period for Multiply, including up to £430 million across all four nations for local areas to deliver bespoke adult numeracy interventions.

All adults without a GCSE grade C/4 (or equivalent) in mathematics will be able to access free flexible courses that fit around their lives, including in person training, personal tutoring, and digital content.

Adults who don’t already have a GCSE pass Grade 4/C (or equivalent) or above in mathematics are already entitled to funding for mathematics qualifications up to level 2. Multiply does not remove this entitlement, nor does it reduce funding for the Adult Education Budget.

Multiply will boost funding for maths, enabling delivery of innovative approaches to improving numeracy in adults, helping more people take the next step to higher levels of training or unlock new job opportunities.

The Prisons Strategy White Paper sets out the government’s ambition to equip all prisoners with the literacy and numeracy skills they need to get jobs on release. To support this, HMPPS has introduced new performance measures for English and maths, and we are holding Governors and providers to account for progress.

The delivery of face-to-face education was constrained by the pandemic but the numbers of enrolments on literacy and numeracy courses are now back up to, and in some cases exceeding pre-pandemic levels.

The joint report by HM Inspectorate of Prisons and Ofsted on Prison education: a review of reading education in prisons highlighted the need to improve literacy education in prisons. To address its recommendations, we are reviewing the current mechanisms for assessing and recording the levels of prisoners’ reading, improving the curriculum guidance given to governors to ensure they prioritise the teaching of reading, and reviewing teacher capability to ensure that all providers have staff who are properly qualified to teach reading.

To improve support for prisoners with additional learning needs we have started to recruit new support managers for prisoners with conditions such as learning disabilities, autism, acquired brain injury or ADHD

We are also planning to develop a Literacy Innovation Scheme to encourage new providers to work with us to trial new approaches to teaching reading with the aim of driving up quality and improving outcomes across the estate.

I refer the honourable Member to the answer given to PQ15249

The information requested is not readily available. Jobcentre Plus works in partnership with local training providers to ensure/facilitate delivery of essential communication skills, numeracy skills, digital literacy skills and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) training to unemployed benefit claimants in England, Scotland and Wales. Wider adult education and skills policy is the responsibility of the Department for Education in England and devolved to the Scottish and Welsh Governments in Scotland and Wales.

The department is taking forward a full programme of primary assessments to take place in the 2021/22 academic year. The assessments will help parents, schools, and the department to understand more clearly the impact of the pandemic on pupils, and how this varies between particular groups of pupils (for example, disadvantaged pupils), schools, and local authority areas.

At a local level, the data will provide vital information to parents about their child’s attainment, support transition to secondary schools, and identify where additional support is best targeted to individuals. At a national level, the data will help inform policy decisions about support for schools, enable analysis to underpin education recovery initiatives and understand their effectiveness, and to track system progress as we emerge from the pandemic.