Education Committee

The Commons Education Committee scrutinises education policy and funding across England's schools, further education, and early years provision. Operating as a select committee with power to summon witnesses and take oral evidence, it investigates matters referred by the House and those identified through its own inquiries. The committee has recently examined the effects of screen time and social media on children's wellbeing and learning outcomes, hearing from industry representatives and academic experts on the mechanisms and impacts of platform use. It has also investigated SEND reforms, including the implementation of inclusion standards and Individual Support Plans, alongside policy delivery on child poverty reduction in schools. The committee's work has extended to adoption practice and historical forced adoption cases, taking evidence from people with lived experience and government officials, while additionally exploring approaches to encourage reading for pleasure and safeguarding arrangements in early years settings under Ofsted inspection.