Department for Education

The Department for Education is responsible for children’s services and education, including early years, schools, higher and further education policy in England. DfE is a ministerial department, supported by 14 agencies and public bodies.

Website

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-education

Ministers

• The Rt Hon Gillian Keegan MP
  Secretary of State for Education
• The Rt Hon Nick Gibb MP
  Minister of State (Minister of State for Schools)
• The Rt Hon Robert Halfon MP
  Minister of State (Minister for Skills, Apprenticeships and Higher Education)
• Claire Coutinho MP
  Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Minister for Children, Families and Wellbeing)
• Baroness Barran MBE
  Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Minister for the School System and Student Finance)

Petitions linked to this department

Sorted by date, most recent first

• Newest
• Oldest
• Most signatures

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• Mandate all school times to start at 9am
  Opened on Friday 8th May 2026
  18 signatures so far

• Abolish grammar schools & reallocate funding to SEND & mainstream schools
  Opened on Friday 8th May 2026
  19 signatures so far

• Apologise for the Balfour Declaration and fund the teaching of its legacy
  Opened on Friday 8th May 2026
  551 signatures so far

• Fund Free Childcare for all Full-Time Student Parents (Not Means Tested)
  Opened on Friday 8th May 2026
  18 signatures so far

• Introduce new penalties for repeated breaches of SEND law
  Opened on Friday 8th May 2026
  1,864 signatures so far

• Require all schools to expel bullies when cases are proven
  Opened on Friday 8th May 2026
  21 signatures so far

• Scrap RPI +3% interest on plan 2 & postgrad student loans & charge RPI only
  Opened on Thursday 7th May 2026
  18 signatures so far

• Allow child minder grandparents to receive funding for related children
  Opened on Thursday 7th May 2026
  95 signatures so far

• Make duty for schools to prioritise admission to children within 30-minute walk
  Opened on Thursday 7th May 2026
  22 signatures so far

• Fund more registered care placements for children, ban unregistered placements
  Opened on Thursday 7th May 2026
  33 signatures so far

• Issue national guidelines on exam preparation information
  Opened on Wednesday 6th May 2026
  80 signatures so far

• Require schools to ringfence SPP and report how it helps service children.
  Opened on Wednesday 6th May 2026
  155 signatures so far

• Government to introduce structured, supervised vocational work in year 9-11
  Opened on Wednesday 6th May 2026
  37 signatures so far

• Hold a consultation & publish a national strategy for foreign language teaching
  Opened on Tuesday 5th May 2026
  342 signatures so far

• Require all schools to carry out autism, ADHD & dyslexia testing
  Opened on Tuesday 5th May 2026
  18 signatures so far

• End distance learning classification for full time face-to-face weekend students
  Opened on Tuesday 5th May 2026
  14 signatures so far

• Write off student loans for nurses trained after 2016
  Opened on Tuesday 5th May 2026
  23 signatures so far

• Review school absence fines & pricing practices during school holidays
  Opened on Tuesday 5th May 2026
  23 signatures so far

• Review time limits and communication standards in school safeguarding cases
  Opened on Friday 1st May 2026
  59 signatures so far

• Include Martial arts as an individual sport in the Examinable PE GCSE
  Opened on Friday 1st May 2026
  343 signatures so far

• Government to review process for child removal decisions
  Opened on Friday 1st May 2026
  46 signatures so far

• Do not ban mobile phones in schools for students over KS3
  Opened on Thursday 30th April 2026
  44 signatures so far

• Require learning disability nurses in all SLD SEND specialist schools
  Opened on Wednesday 29th April 2026
  35 signatures so far

• More regulation for home-based childcare: nannies, maternity nurses & tutors
  Opened on Monday 27th April 2026
  626 signatures so far

• Introduce new statutory standards for toilet access and lunchtime in schools
  Opened on Monday 27th April 2026
  40 signatures so far

• Fund hypermobility screening in schools
  Opened on Monday 27th April 2026
  48 signatures so far

• Create new guidance for schools as well as parents on screen time for children
  Opened on Monday 27th April 2026
  30 signatures so far

• Fund subsidised school uniforms
  Opened on Monday 27th April 2026
  15 signatures so far

• Ban All Knives including ceremonial knives in Schools
  Opened on Friday 24th April 2026
  98 signatures so far

• Freeze all student loan repayment thresholds for overseas borrowers until 2030.
  Opened on Friday 24th April 2026
  17 signatures so far

• Make neurodiversity education a mandatory part of the national curriculum
  Opened on Friday 24th April 2026
  27 signatures so far

• Extra funding for SEND holiday clubs
  Opened on Friday 24th April 2026
  599 signatures so far

• Rename Teaching Assistants to Assistant Teachers to fully reflect their roles
  Opened on Friday 24th April 2026
  49 signatures so far

• Change the maintanence loan for weekend students to be available
  Opened on Thursday 23rd April 2026
  175 signatures so far

• Review SATs and GCSEs to reduce exam reliance and increase inclusive assessment.
  Opened on Wednesday 22nd April 2026
  107 signatures so far

• Define anti-Christian hostility & issue guidance for schools, police & business
  Opened on Tuesday 21st April 2026
  104 signatures so far

• Reverse the withdrawal of funding for security and leadership apprenticeships
  Opened on Monday 20th April 2026
  197 signatures so far

• Provide means-tested tax relief on private school fees.
  Opened on Monday 20th April 2026
  63 signatures so far

• Require schools to deliver boxing-based activities in PSE and health curriculum
  Opened on Monday 20th April 2026
  70 signatures so far

• Revise the SEND Reforms to retain EHCP beyond Primary>Secondary transition
  Opened on Monday 20th April 2026
  26 signatures so far

• Review and enable public consultation before defunding of 16 apprenticeships
  Opened on Friday 17th April 2026
  27 signatures so far

• Exempt students from lower class backgrounds from any student debt
  Opened on Friday 17th April 2026
  24 signatures so far

• Equal Representation of Cultural & National Celebrations in the Curriculum
  Opened on Thursday 16th April 2026
  31 signatures so far

• Cap Academy Trust CEO Pay and Protect School Funding for Children
  Opened on Thursday 16th April 2026
  3,285 signatures so far

• Pause student loan repayments during Armed Forces Service & clear debt after
  Opened on Thursday 16th April 2026
  32 signatures so far

• Ban egg hatching programs in schools and nurseries
  Opened on Thursday 16th April 2026
  2,157 signatures so far

• Ensure Dedicated Funding for Speech & Language Therapy in SEND Education Budget
  Opened on Wednesday 15th April 2026
  25 signatures so far

• Continue the national Free School Meals voucher scheme for school holidays
  Opened on Wednesday 15th April 2026
  24 signatures so far

• Protect legal right to support for children with SEND
  Opened on Tuesday 14th April 2026
  12,804 signatures so far

• Require formal recording and government monitoring of assaults on teachers
  Opened on Tuesday 14th April 2026
  672 signatures so far

• Fund £8,580 per home-educated child per year
  Opened on Tuesday 14th April 2026
  482 signatures so far

• Require schools to make pupils wear PE kit in place of traditional uniform
  Opened on Monday 13th April 2026
  21 signatures so far

• Reverse the visa brake on student visa applications from Afghan nationals
  Opened on Monday 13th April 2026
  91 signatures so far

• Fund free sign language & makaton courses for parents with nonverbal children
  Opened on Friday 10th April 2026
  45 signatures so far

• Fund free sign language & makaton courses for parents with nonverbal children

• Honour maintenance loans and childcare grants for existing weekend students
  Opened on Friday 10th April 2026
  3,952 signatures so far

• Allow up to 10 days authorised school leave per year without fines
  Opened on Friday 10th April 2026
  1,264 signatures so far

• Review the use of “risk of harm” decisions under the Children Act 1989
  Opened on Thursday 9th April 2026
  20 signatures so far

• Create a national safeguarding regulator
  Opened on Thursday 9th April 2026
  24 signatures so far

• Impose fines on parents/carers of children who harm/bully other children
  Opened on Thursday 9th April 2026
  37 signatures so far

• Review and improve children's involvement in decisions about their care
  Opened on Wednesday 8th April 2026
  31 signatures so far

• Require security risk assessments and fund security measures for schools
  Opened on Wednesday 8th April 2026
  244 signatures so far

• Reinstate study visas for Sudanese students and fully protect their education
  Opened on Wednesday 8th April 2026
  1,318 signatures so far

• Require developmental assessments for children before starting school
  Opened on Wednesday 8th April 2026
  30 signatures so far

• Make Comprehensive Gynaecology Education Mandatory in Secondary Schools
  Opened on Wednesday 8th April 2026
  43 signatures so far

• Revise calculation of student loan repayments for overseas graduates
  Opened on Wednesday 8th April 2026
  55 signatures so far

• Introduce a legal maximum class size of 24 pupils in primary schools in England
  Opened on Wednesday 8th April 2026
  36 signatures so far

• Make one-to-one mentoring a statutory right for children in care & care leavers
  Opened on Wednesday 1st April 2026
  1,421 signatures so far

• Early intervention for overweight children in primary schools
  Opened on Wednesday 1st April 2026
  25 signatures so far

• Introduce a statutory ban on mobile phones in secondary school lessons
  Opened on Monday 30th March 2026
  64 signatures so far

• Introduce a rent cap on student accommodation
  Opened on Monday 30th March 2026
  105 signatures so far

• Fund state support for young people aged 18-25 who leave the care system
  Opened on Monday 30th March 2026
  570 signatures so far

• Remove VAT from fees for independent SEND schools
  Opened on Monday 30th March 2026
  35 signatures so far

• Require schools to turn off school device filters out of school hours
  Opened on Monday 30th March 2026
  28 signatures so far

• Launch a public inquiry into how public funds are spent in education
  Opened on Monday 30th March 2026
  29 signatures so far

• Raise SEND funding by £10 billion & stop all new SEND reforms
  Opened on Monday 30th March 2026
  115 signatures so far

• Require stricter standards for Type 1 diabetes support in schools
  Opened on Friday 27th March 2026
  45 signatures so far

• Remove cursive handwriting from the expected standard for primary school
  Opened on Friday 27th March 2026
  213 signatures so far

• Reform & review Higher Education funding and admission policies
  Opened on Friday 27th March 2026
  115 signatures so far

• Increase university maintenance loans for families with multiple siblings
  Opened on Friday 27th March 2026
  13 signatures so far

• Government to cover full cost of SEND provisions to protect access
  Opened on Thursday 26th March 2026
  23 signatures so far

• Cap tuition fees at £9000 for all undergraduate degrees
  Opened on Thursday 26th March 2026
  20 signatures so far

• Fund more adult-free spaces for under 16s so they feel safe
  Opened on Thursday 26th March 2026
  18 signatures so far

• Change the school timetable on Fridays to a lesson-free, study day
  Opened on Thursday 26th March 2026
  18 signatures so far

• Require teaching about hidden disabilities and acceptance for kids in schools
  Opened on Wednesday 25th March 2026
  42 signatures so far

• Create oversight of Ofsted practices and inspector conduct
  Opened on Wednesday 25th March 2026
  35 signatures so far

• Students with 90%+ attendance to be able to go on holiday during term time
  Opened on Wednesday 25th March 2026
  633 signatures so far

• Ban AI usage in education by teachers and students
  Opened on Wednesday 25th March 2026
  68 signatures so far

• Raise awareness of, and increase sentences for, “honour”-based killings
  Opened on Wednesday 25th March 2026
  50 signatures so far

• Legislate to ban FPNs and prosecutions related to school attendance
  Opened on Tuesday 24th March 2026
  41,109 signatures so far

• Mandate Mental Health Training for All School Staff Who Work With Children
  Opened on Tuesday 24th March 2026
  807 signatures so far

• Launch a public inquiry into the impact of Section 28 on LGBTQ people
  Opened on Tuesday 24th March 2026
  2,855 signatures so far

• Set up an independent inquiry into West Indian children placed in ESN schools
  Opened on Tuesday 24th March 2026
  286 signatures so far

• Make Religious Education optional for students from Year 7 to Year 13
  Opened on Tuesday 24th March 2026
  30 signatures so far

• Give students the legal right to unrestricted toilet access in school
  Opened on Tuesday 24th March 2026
  551 signatures so far

• Conduct review of treatment of teachers in schools & colleges & mitigations
  Opened on Monday 23rd March 2026
  105 signatures so far

• Allocate more childcare funding for working parents
  Opened on Monday 23rd March 2026
  26 signatures so far

• Ensure a standalone Esports qualification is integrated into V-levels
  Opened on Monday 23rd March 2026
  23 signatures so far

• Make History compulsory at school until 16 to protect the future
  Opened on Friday 20th March 2026
  99 signatures so far

• Mandate teaching about discrimination of women in Afghanistan in curriculum
  Opened on Friday 20th March 2026
  33 signatures so far

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