Children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Janet Daby
(Lewisham East) (Lab) 1. What steps she is taking to improve
support for children with special educational needs and
disabilities. (902512) Lloyd Russell-Moyle (Brighton, Kemptown)
(Lab/Co-op) 5. What steps she is taking to improve support for
children with special educational needs and disabilities. (902516)
Alistair Strathern (Mid Bedfordshire) (Lab) 7. What steps she is
taking to...Request free trial
Children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities
(Lewisham East) (Lab)
1. What steps she is taking to improve support for children with
special educational needs and disabilities. (902512)
(Brighton, Kemptown)
(Lab/Co-op)
5. What steps she is taking to improve support for children with
special educational needs and disabilities. (902516)
(Mid Bedfordshire)
(Lab)
7. What steps she is taking to improve support for children with
special educational needs and disabilities. (902519)
(Portsmouth South) (Lab)
18. What steps she is taking to improve support for children with
special educational needs and disabilities. (902532)
(Wirral West) (Lab)
21. What steps she is taking to improve support for children with
special educational needs and disabilities. (902535)
The Secretary of State for Education ()
We will all know somebody with special educational needs or
disabilities and understand how vital it is to get a child with
special educational needs or disabilities the right support early
on. In recent years, we have seen a massive increase in special
educational needs in our country, which is why we have expanded
funding to a record level—at £10.5 billion, up by 60% in the last
five years—and why we are reforming the system to deal with the
increase in demand, including the biggest investment in building
special educational needs school places in our country's
history.
Children in Lewisham are waiting on average two and a half years
to get an autism diagnosis. This is wrong and unacceptable. It is
also a national issue, but it is made worse by a shortage of
clinical staff. The Government are failing to recognise the
seriousness of the shortage of educational psychologists. Can the
Secretary of State tell me why they have failed and what is being
done to recruit more educational psychologists as well as to
tackle education, health and care plan waiting times?
I thank the hon. Lady for her question. Around half of new EHCPs
were issued within the statutory time limit of 20 weeks, and some
local authorities are delivering over 90%, but of course we
recognise that the system is under pressure, post both the
pandemic and the massive rise in demand for special educational
needs support. That is why we have increased the budget and put
an improvement plan in place. With regard to her question about
educational psychologists, we are training 400 more, which is a
big increase.
I have a constituent—it could be many of the constituents who
come to me—who has a child with attention deficit hyperactivity
disorder, autism and other severe learning difficulties. She had
to wait an awful long time for an EHCP for her child and, in the
end, the plan listed the very school that says it cannot cope
with the needs of the child. This happens routinely—a school that
says it cannot cope is still listed on the EHCP. What is the
Secretary of State doing to ensure that councils and other people
who do the EHCP are not just ignoring what the school says and
are actually putting down the schools that can cope with the
needs? My constituent's child now has only one hour a week of
education. That is surely not good enough.
We need to do all we can to support children with special
educational needs; they are vulnerable and need the support as
early as possible. We have programmes in place to support local
authorities, but the biggest thing that we are doing is
increasing the number of special educational needs school places.
This will be the largest increase in a generation—60,000 more
school places—and it is in stark contrast to when Labour was last
in power, when the number of places reduced by 4,000. That is
something we are very focused on doing. Many of those have
already been delivered, some are work in progress and some will
be in the hon. Member's area.
Far too many families know what a battle it can be to secure an
EHCP assessment for their child, but for forces families this
battle can become a recurring nightmare, as they are forced to
restart the process all over again if required to move base
before it completes. It cannot be right that those who sacrifice
so much for our country are so let down by the current assessment
system. How can we put this right?
Of course, we are always looking to improve the system and we do
have an improvement plan in place. I will take away the hon.
Gentleman's specific point about people who move around from
place to place, but the most important and fundamental thing is
that we have increased the budget, which has now gone up to £10.5
billion—a 60% increase in the last few years. We are also
investing in building the right provision, the number of
educational psychologists and the workforce. We have a thorough
plan in place and we are working to deliver it.
Parents in Portsmouth are rightly concerned that fewer than half
of the primary schoolchildren in the city are achieving the
expected standards in reading, writing and maths, while, under
the watch of the Lib Dem-run council, waiting lists for SEND
support continue to rise. Does the Secretary of State agree that
families in Portsmouth deserve better than a council that is
failing children and failing families?
Yes, and that is the Conservative Government.
The Royal College of Psychiatrists has found that autistic
children are 28 times more likely to think about or attempt
suicide than other children. Not getting the support they need
can affect autistic children into their adult lives. This is a
matter of extreme concern, as is the fact that more than 9,500
Wirral children were persistently absent from school in 2022-23,
which is double the pre-pandemic figures. I note the Minister's
earlier comments, but what assessment have the Government made of
the percentage of children in Wirral and across England who are
missing from school and who have special educational needs and
disabilities? What specific measures will the Government take to
address their needs?
The hon. Lady is right to identify the crossover between special
educational needs and absence from schools. This can sometimes
result in poor outcomes, which can lead to mental health issues
later. That is why it is important that we get early help to
children as quickly as possible. We have a special educational
needs and alternative provision improvement plan, and in terms of
workforce, which is the most important thing on top of the
places, we are training more special educational needs
co-ordinators; we have changed the training for new teachers; we
are making sure that we invest in a new national professional
qualification to upskill teachers; and we have more educational
psychologists—400 more in training—and more speech and language
therapists. There is a huge workforce element in the plan to
improve our special educational needs offer.
Mr Speaker
I call the Chair of the Select Committee.
Mr (Worcester) (Con)
I welcome what Secretary State has just said about the workforce,
and it is vital that we get that into place, but a week on from
the publication of the Buckland review and two years on from the
Education Committee's call to bolster careers support for
children with SEN, can she update us on what Ministers and the
Department are doing to work with the Department for Work and
Pensions to provide wider opportunities for young people with
autism?
We all know that most people with learning disabilities want to
work, and with the right support they can work. The SEND code of
practice is clear that all children and young people with special
educational needs should be prepared for adulthood, including
employment. We are investing £80 million in a supported
internship programme, which is very successful, and we will be
doubling this by March 2025. We are working with the DWP on a
number of programmes and, following the Buckland review, the DWP
is setting up a task group to consider all the
recommendations.
Dr (Penrith and The Border)
(Con)
With a 60% rise in complex needs funding over five years,
reaching £10.5 billion in 2024-25, with £105 million of funding
for special free schools in the spring Budget and with the
special educational needs and disabilities and alternative
provision plan to support everyone with needs and disabilities to
age 25, does my right hon. Friend agree that it is this
Conservative Government that are working hard for the life
chances of every child in our country?
Absolutely right. My hon. Friend is also right to say that we
should take no lessons from the Opposition on supporting children
with SEND: let us not forget that the number of children
benefiting from being in special schools fell, probably because
there was no specific high needs funding at all for local
authorities to support people with special educational needs. In
contrast, we are investing record funding and we are obviously
building more places than we ever have in our country's history.
Only the Conservatives have a plan to support children with
SEND.
(Eastbourne) (Con)
In all my years in teaching, before I came to this place, I
experienced only one episode of violence at the hands of a
student when they hurled a chair at me across the classroom. I
was six months pregnant then. Only one episode in all those many,
many years. But increasingly, teaching staff are telling me that
this is becoming more and more commonplace. In fact, they expect
it. My most recent conversation about this was on Saturday, when
a teaching assistant said that they had finally been forced to
retire because they could not cope with the stress any more. Some
of this will be due to unmet or unrecognised special educational
needs, and I thank the Secretary of State for outlining all the
provisions that are being made—indeed, I have a new special
school in my constituency—but some are not. Will she meet me to
discuss some specific local concerns?
Yes; I am sorry to hear about the situation of the teacher in my
hon. Friend's constituency. Of course, good behaviour is the
bedrock of schools and school standards. We are investing more in
behaviour hubs, which are helping schools that need help with the
behaviour of children. We are also investing more in alternative
provision schools. We are building 77 new ones; 51 are already
open and the rest will be opening in the coming years.
(Chelmsford) (Con)
In Essex, it has been taking far too long for children to get
their education health and care plans, so I was pleased to hear
that the county council had just recruited 46 additional members
of staff. It is also building new special schools, including two
more in Chelmsford, but what can make a difference is specialist
hubs within mainstream schools, helping children from that school
and from neighbouring schools. Given that we have large numbers
of schools being rebuilt in Essex due to reinforced autoclaved
aerated concrete—RAAC—does the Secretary of State agree that this
could provide an opportunity, and that we should look at all the
schools that are due to be rebuilt and consider putting
specialist hubs into those rebuilding programmes?
My right hon. Friend mentions the considerable investment that is
going into special educational needs and high needs budgets.
There is also provision for capital to build new free schools and
school places. As we look to rebuild some of the schools affected
by RAAC, which has now all been identified—every school has its
budget details—we urge local authorities to consider what will
best meet the needs of young people in their area. There is
flexibility on free school places as well: those schools look at
what to come forward with as regards provision that is needed to
address local need.
Mr Speaker
I call the shadow Minister.
(Dulwich and West Norwood)
(Lab)
Coram's 2024 childcare survey found that just 6% of local
authorities are confident that they will have enough childcare
places for disabled children. High-quality early years education
is essential in ensuring that children's needs are identified at
the most important time for their development. The children's
Minister, the hon. Member for Wantage (), did not give a clear
answer on this last month and his statement last week made no
reference to disabled children. Is the Secretary of State really
confident that every eligible family with a disabled child has
been able to access a childcare place as part of the April
expansion—yes or no?
I will expand on the yes or no, as the hon. Lady wants a clear
answer and obviously has not heard the clear answer that she been
given before. Local authorities have a statutory duty to provide
places for all children, including those with special educational
needs, but we are working with organisations such as Dingley's
Promise to review special educational needs inclusion, and to see
what more we can do to encourage providers to further consider
what they can do to provide places. However, we will work with
local authorities to make sure that we improve this.
Apprenticeship Achievements
Ms (St Helens South and Whiston)
(Lab)
2. What assessment she has made of trends in the number of
apprenticeship achievements. (902513)
The Minister for Skills, Apprenticeships and Higher Education
()
The proportion of apprentices who achieve their apprenticeship
standard rose to 54.3% in 2022-23, which is up 2.9 percentage
points on the year before. We are taking action to ensure that
every apprentice has a high-quality experience. We are reviewing
and improving standards where there are poor achievement rates;
we are investing £7.5 million in the provider workforce
development programme; and Ofsted will be inspecting all
providers by 2025.
Ms Rimmer
Giving all young people a good education is key to levelling up
our country, yet the number of apprenticeship starts has fallen
by a third over the last decade and there are 3% fewer
completions than three years ago. We have improved on last year,
but we are not there yet. Why have the Government let the number
of offered and available apprenticeships slide, and why does the
Minister think that young people are not qualifying at the rate
they were three years ago?
We want all young people to have access to good, high-quality
apprenticeships because they offer a valuable experience and an
opportunity to upskill at the start of their career. We have seen
a 4% increase in apprenticeship starts by young people under the
age of 19 so far this year, and 57% of all starts have been by
those aged under 25. Last year, we saw a 21% increase in
apprenticeship achievements in the hon. Lady's constituency. That
is welcome news but, of course, there is always more to do. I am
very happy to work with her on the issue.
(Harlow) (Con)
Is it not the case that apprenticeship achievements have gone up
by 22% over the past year, that over 90% of apprentices who
complete their apprenticeship get good jobs or good skills, and
that starts are going up, too? Is it not also the case that we
now have more than 690 quality apprenticeship standards in
everything from aeronautics to zoology, and that any attempt to
dilute the apprenticeship levy would not only destroy the number
of starts but harm achievement? It is this side of the House that
is building an apprenticeship and skills nation.
During his time as a Minister, my right hon. Friend helped to
completely rebuild the apprenticeship system, introducing
higher-quality standards. Apprenticeships are now longer, better
and have more off-the-job training, with proper independent
assessment at the end. They are more valued by employers and we
have seen 5.8 million starts since 2010. He is an incredible
advocate for further education. Following him in this role, I
learnt very quickly that I had big shoes to fill. I look forward
to working with him to ensure that we continue delivering in this
area.
Mr Speaker
I call the shadow Minister.
(Feltham and Heston)
(Lab/Co-op)
The truth is that not only have apprenticeship starts plummeted
since 2017, but new data shows that the overall achievement rate
has dropped since 2020, with level 2 apprenticeships hit hardest.
Almost half of apprentices do not complete their courses, which
is simply not good enough. Employers are calling out for reform,
but this Government have their head in the sand. Is this not yet
more evidence that, far from tackling barriers to opportunity and
boosting Britain's skills, the Government are failing our young
people and our businesses, and that only Labour has a plan to
turn this around?
We have made apprenticeships more rigorous. They are now more
credible. They are designed by employers and have proper robust
assessments. The only plan Labour has, without more funding, is
to cut the number of apprenticeship starts in our country by 60%.
Obviously, the hon. Member missed the figures published last
week, which showed a 2.5% increase in level 2 attainment rates.
We are delivering high-quality standards with more off-the-job
training and that should be welcomed across the House.
SEND Provision
(Ipswich) (Con)
3. What recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy
of SEND provision. (902514)
(York Central)
(Lab/Co-op)
11. What assessment she has made of the adequacy of SEND
provision. (902524)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education ()
Having undertaken a review of the special educational needs
system, we published our improvement plan last year. Provision is
regularly reviewed through school and local area inspections by
Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission. We also collect and
review data on education, health and care plans, including on
timeliness and volumes, and on capacity in special schools, SEND
units and resourced provision.
Last week, I met the chief executive of a chain of independent
schools, which includes a lot of independent special
schools—approximately 40% of the children there have special
educational needs. She was concerned about any proposal to put
VAT on school fees—she feels all this will do is put up school
fees and a lot of parents who are just about managing to send
their kids to independent special schools will take them out,
putting more pressure on the state education SEND system. Does
the Minister share my concern that, although people may think
that this policy is smart politics, it may be people with special
educational needs, including those on low incomes households, who
pay the price for this short-sighted policy proposal?
My hon. Friend is a great champion of children with SEN and he is
absolutely right. Labour's ideological obsession with private
schools means that it will even charge children in an independent
special school 20% VAT for their needs. That will make it harder
for those families to afford the provision they need and drive up
demand for places in state special schools. It is just another
example of the mess Labour would make of our education
system.
The inequality in the funding formula is driving inequality for
children with SEN. In York, we are seeing not only the lack of
placements that are needed, but staff being laid off because of
an inadequacy of funding. We know that the number of children
with SEND is growing exponentially in York, so will the Minister
not only review the funding formula to ensure that it is fair,
but give local authorities the power and provision to provide for
the future needs of our city?
York is in our safety valve programme to provide support with the
financial challenges it has. It has seen a 27% increase in
per-head funding in the last three financial years. We review the
funding formula every year. The biggest complaint people have is
the historic factor, which is difficult to reduce quickly because
there are children receiving that provision at the moment.
(Wyre Forest) (Con)
Wyre Forest School, a special school in Kidderminster, has been
doing a fantastic job for a number of years, but it has been
running way past its maximum capacity for some time. There was
potential for relief when its next-door neighbour, Baxter
College, secured funding from a generous grant from the school
rebuilding programme for a mutually beneficial rebuilding to
expand capacity on both sides. However, with that project being
in phase 3, Wyre Forest School and Baxter College may have to
wait until 2032 before they can see any beneficial reliefs. Will
the Minister or the Secretary of State meet me and the heads of
the two schools to discuss how we can expedite getting this
rebuilding programme under way?
I would be very happy to meet my hon. Friend.
(North Shropshire) (LD)
On Saturday, I met a lady who has moved within Shropshire but
into North Shropshire, and it took 10 weeks for her year 9 son
with SEN to be placed in a school. It is one without any
one-to-one support, which is a big downgrade on his previous
situation. His parents reported to me that all he has received
from the school is detention for not completing his work fast
enough. We are desperately short of SEN places in Shropshire. Can
the Minister reassure me that the Government are looking at
Shropshire and working to provide proper provision for those
children, who are being so badly let down?
Obviously, I cannot comment on that specific case, but I can tell
the hon. Lady that we are in the process of creating 60,000 more
special school places; there 108 schools already open and 92
approved to open.
Mental Resilience in Young People: Sports and PE
(North Warwickshire)
(Con)
4. If her Department will make an assessment of the potential
impact of sports and PE on mental resilience in young people.
(902515)
The Minister for Schools ()
It is well and widely recognised that PE and sport support
children and young people's health and general wellbeing. The
school sport and activity action plan update, published in July
2023, sets out how we will support all young people to
participate in PE and sport in school.
I recently hosted an event here in Parliament with Nick
Dougherty, the golfer, and the Golf Foundation to kick off their
Unleash Your Drive programme, an amazing initiative providing
young people with the life skills they need to survive in the
modern world, including mental resilience. The scheme has been
rolled out to over 500 schools since September last year, with
fantastic results. Will the Minister meet me and the Golf
Foundation to discuss this success and how we can encourage more
schools to teach mental toughness skills through sport, as part
of the school sport and activity action plan?
I know about the good work of the Golf Foundation, under the
leadership of Brendon Pyle. I would be very happy to meet my hon.
Friend to discuss its work, specifically the Unleash Your Drive
programme.
(Westmorland and Lonsdale) (LD)
Sport, PE and outdoor education have a huge impact on building
resilience among young people, helping them to gain a love of
learning as well as the outdoors, which can be great for them for
their whole lives. Does the Minister agree that it is a great
shame that just the other week the Welsh Senedd voted down by a
single vote the Bill proposed by his colleague and my friend
which would have made outdoor
education an experience that every young person in Wales could
access? Will the Minister go one further and back my equivalent
Outdoor Education Bill, which will receive its Second Reading on
21 June, so that this place ensures that every young person in
primary and secondary schools has the ability to access an
outdoor education experience for free?
The hon. Gentleman has been entirely consistent for some time in
talking about the importance of outdoor education, about which I
am happy to agree. I am not sure it is always necessarily a case
for law, but it is certainly important for young people to get
outdoors, to be in touch with nature and to see the countryside,
as well as running around enjoying PE and sporting
activities.
Israel and Antisemitism: Secondary School Education
(Harrow East) (Con)
8. What steps she is taking to support education on Israel and
antisemitism in secondary schools. (902521)
The Minister for Schools ()
I have been horrified and appalled to see the rise in
antisemitism in education since 7 October. It is unacceptable and
it cannot be tolerated. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of
State has written to all schools and colleges reminding them of
their duties under Prevent, and we are investing £7 million to
help tackle antisemitism across education.
My right hon. Friend is clearly right that the rise of
antisemitism in schools—or anywhere—is absolutely unacceptable.
One of the causes is the failure of schools to teach children
about the history of Israel and the fact that Jewish people have
occupied Israel for over 3,000 years. Indeed, the Balfour
declaration set up the creation of the modern state of Israel. As
that is not communicated, there is widespread ignorance and
people do not believe that Jewish people have occupied that land
for so long. Will my right hon. Friend conduct a review of the
curriculum to ensure that young people are properly educated
about the history of Israel?
I appreciate what my hon. Friend says. History is a very
important subject for many reasons. Learning about Israel and the
wider region can be covered in history, for example in the
“challenges for Britain, Europe and the wider world since 1901”
theme. In general, we do not specify individual historical events
in our national curriculum, with the sole exception of the
holocaust, as he will know.
(Strangford) (DUP)
I thank the Minister for his positive and helpful response. What
discussions has he had with counterparts in the devolved nations,
in particular in Northern Ireland, where the two different
groups—the nationalists and the Unionists; the Protestants and
the Catholics—have been able to develop an understanding on
education? They are able to look at each other without the
suspicion that may have been there 20 or 30 years ago. Has the
Minister had a chance to talk to the devolved nations to
ascertain whether introducing compulsory education on the
importance of combatting antisemitism is possible, taking the
Northern Ireland example as one that works?
I always value opportunities to speak to colleagues and
counterparts in the devolved Administrations. I believe that we
will have another opportunity relatively soon to speak to the
hon. Gentleman's colleagues in Northern Ireland, and I have no
doubt that that will be one thing that we will wish to talk
about.
Mr Speaker
I call the SNP spokesperson.
(Glasgow North West)
(SNP)
It is right that young people can recognise and denounce
antisemitism and it is also right that they know something of the
history of the region, including the continued expansion of
illegal settlements. But I hope the Minister agrees that
right-wing rhetoric and Islamophobia also pose a threat to our
young people. What steps are being taken to ensure that both
antisemitism and anti-Muslim hate are treated with equal
severity, especially given some of the Islamophobic remarks that
have been made by Members and former Members of his own
party?
The hon. Lady is right to call out the wickedness of
Islamophobia. There have been Islamophobic incidents in schools
as well, and Tell MAMA is an important resource in that regard.
We will not tolerate anti-Muslim hatred in any form and we will
seek to stamp it out whenever and wheresoever it occurs.
Mr Speaker
Ms is not here to ask the next
question, but will the Minister give an answer so that I can
bring in the Opposition Front Bencher?
Cost of Living: Additional Financial Support for Pupils
Ms (Airdrie and Shotts) (SNP)
9. What recent discussions she has had with her counterparts in
the devolved Administrations on the potential merits of providing
additional financial support to school pupils in the context of
increases in the cost of living. (902522)
The Minister for Schools ()
Ministers normally meet colleagues from the devolved Governments,
as we were just discussing a moment ago. The Education Ministers
Council was due to be hosted by the Scottish Government in late
2023, but, although we have been watching our doormats, no
invitation has arrived. The UK Government are providing £108
billion over 2022-23 to 2024-25 to help with the cost of
living.
Mr Speaker
I call the shadow Minister.
(Newcastle upon Tyne
North) (Lab)
On the cost of living, among concerns raised by parents in
response to the most recent National Parents Survey by
Parentkind, the cost of school uniforms, trips and food came up
the most. Labour has a plan to cut the cost of school uniforms by
limiting the number of branded items, and our free breakfast
clubs in every primary school will put money back in parents'
pockets while improving attendance and attainment. We have done
the Government's homework, and they are still failing families.
Will it take a Labour Government to give every child in this
country the chances that they deserve?
I appreciate what the hon. Lady says, but I am afraid she needs
to keep up: we have done the things that restrict the cost
pressures on uniforms. We regularly survey how much uniforms are
costing, and some of those results are encouraging. We also
survey regularly the number of schools that have a second-hand
uniform facility available, and I am pleased to report that that
has improved. We are also very clear that, when a school trip is
part of the national curriculum—an essential thing to do—there
should be no charge. In addition to that, way many schools make
sure that they are providing inclusivity for all pupils, and of
course the pupil premium that we introduced shortly after 2010 is
one of the things that facilitates that.
Hanwood Park Free School
Mr (Kettering) (Con)
10. When she expects the proposed Hanwood Park Free School in
Kettering constituency to open. (902523)
The Minister for Schools ()
I am grateful to my hon. Friend for his question. I thank him for
his ongoing support for this new school, including his personal
work to make sure that there is provision for boys and girls. We
are working with his council and sponsoring trust to agree a
provisional opening date for Hanwood Park Free School as soon as
possible.
Mr Hollobone
The new Hanwood Park Free School is a key part of the future
educational infrastructure in Kettering and will be located at
the heart of the Hanwood Park development, which, with 5,500
houses, is one of the largest housing developments in the whole
country. Will my right hon. Friend please facilitate a meeting in
Kettering with the Department's regional director for the east
midlands, me, the local educational authority, the Orbis academy
trust and the Hanwood Park developers so that together we can
ensure that the school build is co-ordinated as best as
possible?
Again, I commend my hon. Friend for his work. I also appreciate
the importance of the provision of local services—none is more
important than education—where there is housing development. I
would be very pleased to convene such a meeting as he
requests.
Reading Standards
Sir (Bexleyheath and Crayford)
(Con)
12. What steps her Department has taken to improve standards of
reading in schools. (902525)
The Secretary of State for Education ()
Since 2010, we have completely transformed how we teach reading
in England, expanding the evidence-based methods of phonics
across all of our schools. In the 2011-12 phonics screening
checks, only 58% of our children met the expected standard of
reading. Thanks to those reforms and the hard work of our
brilliant teachers, not only is that number now 79%, but our
primary schoolchildren have been ranked fourth best readers in
the world. We are sticking to our plan, delivering higher reading
standards across our schools.
Sir
I thank my right hon. Friend for that very positive response. In
2011-12, only 63% of children in my borough of Bexley met the
expected standard of reading. Now, after the evidence-based
reforms from this Conservative Government, that number is 81%—a
real achievement. There is still much more to be done, but does
she share my disappointment that the Labour party opposed those
reforms at every opportunity?
My right hon. Friend is absolutely right. The Conservatives' plan
to reform our reading standards completely and expand phonics
across our schools has meant that our primary schoolchildren are
now the fourth best readers in the world. What was Labour's
response? It said that phonics would not work, that our literacy
drive was “dull”, and that free schools were “dangerous”. What is
dangerous is the risk of a Labour Government who would collapse
educational standards, as Labour has done in Wales.
Degree-level Apprenticeships
(Heywood and Middleton)
(Con)
13. What steps her Department is taking to encourage take-up of
degree-level apprenticeships. (902526)
The Minister for Skills, Apprenticeships and Higher Education
()
We have seen year-on-year growth in degree-level apprenticeships.
Starts at levels 6 and 7 increased by 5.8% this year. There are
now more than 170 employer-designed degree-level apprenticeships,
and we are providing an additional £40 million over two years to
support providers to expand their offers.
Last week, I had the pleasure of hosting Members of this House
and representatives of industry and of the education sector to
discuss how we could leverage the resources of the private sector
to support further education through a lecturer reservist
programme. I particularly thank the Minister and his predecessor,
my right hon. Friend the Member for Harlow (), as well as Hayley Pells of
the Institute of the Motor Industry, for all their hard work in
making that meeting a reality and for their positive engagement.
I would not be doing my job properly if I was not cheeky enough
to ask whether the Minister would be willing to join us for our
next meeting, when we will flesh out the proposals that we
discussed.
I thought we had an excellent meeting last week. We had really
positive discussions about the exciting lecturer reservist pilot
that will run in the west midlands, bringing together regional
employers, colleges and providers. I look forward to working
closely with my hon. Friend as the pilot progresses, and not just
to meeting him again but to visiting the pilot when it is up and
running.
Student Loan Repayment Plan
(Bolton South East)
(Lab)
14. What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the
plan 5 student loan repayment plan on levels of applications for
university undergraduate courses. (902527)
The Minister for Skills, Apprenticeships and Higher Education
()
Our reforms make the student loan system more sustainable and
fairer for graduates and taxpayers. Tuition fees have been frozen
until 2024-25, and it was this Government who acted to cap the
interest rate on student loans, because we believe that everybody
in our country should have access to world-class higher
education.
In January, the number of applications to study nursing fell by
7.4%. The Royal College of Nursing said that that could be a
direct threat to patient safety. Surely the Government should be
doing everything they can to boost recruitment in nursing, but
instead last September they introduced a tuition fee system that
means that future nursing graduates will pay an extra £48 per
month. Why is the Secretary of State penalising people who choose
to work in our vital public services?
The system that we introduced is a progressive one, because
lifetime earnings now correlate with the amount that somebody
contributes. The highest earners make the largest individual
contributions, and the lowest earners contribute the least. For
example, someone who leaves university in 2026 earning £26,000 a
year will now pay just £7 a month repaying that loan. Crucially,
the new interest rate is reduced from the retail prices index
plus 3% to RPI plus 0%, which makes it more affordable too. It is
a progressive system that we think is fairer for students and
taxpayers.
Mr Speaker
I call the shadow Minister.
(Warwick and Leamington)
(Lab)
I welcome the Minister to his place; it is good to see him in his
new role. Of course, we miss the former Minister, the right hon.
Member for Harlow (). As my hon. Friend the
Member for Bolton South East () put it so eloquently, we
are in real danger of dissuading and disenfranchising so many
young people from getting into the sorts of careers in which they
are interested, and particularly into roles such as nursing. I
reiterate that point, because we have seen a 7.3% decline in the
numbers of applications for nursing. At a time when we
desperately need more in our health service, what is the Minister
doing? Does he really think this system, which was introduced
ahead of his joining the education team, is a fair one?
I thank the hon. Gentleman for his words welcoming me to my post.
The point I would make is that the 2023 cycle shows numbers
rebalancing and returning to a trend of normal growth in
applications following the pandemic. He should also look at the
big impact nursing apprenticeships and nursing degree
apprenticeships are having on the system. I am always happy to
meet him to discuss these issues, but we do think it is a fairer
and more affordable system for both students and taxpayers, and
will result in more people being able to access a world-class
higher education in our country.
SEND Provision: Bournemouth
Mr (Bournemouth East) (Con)
15. What recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of SEND
provision in schools in Bournemouth. (902528)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education ()
Ofsted outcomes are strong for the five special schools in
Bournemouth. Departmental officials continue to work with the
council and other services to support rapid improvements,
including £16.4 million of higher needs capital funding between
2022 and 2025. The funding allocation this year is £60.9 million,
a 27% increase per head compared with 2021-22.
Mr Ellwood
I am grateful to the Minister for that reply. He speaks about
increased funding, but there is growing anger from headteachers
and parents alike in Bournemouth about the mismanagement of the
dedicated schools grant over the past couple of years by
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council. School heads have
now taken the unprecedented step of writing open letters of
concern to the council. The council is not following the required
guidance and is demanding unaffordable sums from schools which,
if implemented, would see the loss of teaching assistants. I ask
the Department for Education to investigate the council's
decision making, to ensure that correct guidelines are followed
in the future and that the right levels of funding stay with the
schools.
My right hon. Friend has done an excellent job of raising with me
repeatedly the frustration of parents and headteachers in his
constituency with BCP Council. I and officials continue to
monitor that closely to ensure that schools and children in his
area get the provision they deserve.
Sir (Rhondda) (Lab)
How many children in schools in Bournemouth have relied on
special educational needs and disability provision because they
have had an acquired brain injury in the last five years? If the
Minister does not know the answer—he might not know it today—will
he be able to write to me? If his officials are not able to
provide him with an answer, will he ensure that the Department
establishes precisely how many children, in all our schools
across the whole country, have had an acquired brain injury in
the last five years?
I did not know the hon. Gentleman's constituency was so close to
Bournemouth. As he suggests, I do not have the precise answer to
that question; I will write to him.
Language for Life Programme
(Bath) (LD)
16. What steps her Department is taking to accelerate the
roll-out of the Language for Life programme for nursery and
pre-school age children. (902529)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education ()
Early language skills are vital for children to thrive. That is
why we carried out landmark early education reforms, investing up
to £180 million in training, qualifications and support and
providing a range of evidence-based interventions, from home
learning to working with local health services.
There is growing evidence of how important it is to provide
support for speech and language development in nurseries and for
preschool-aged children. Programmes such as Language for Life,
which is supported by St John's Foundation in Bath, underpin the
work that schools are doing. To demonstrate how well they are
doing it, the percentage of children needing additional language
support in schools that participated reduced from 84% to 29%. I
am sure the Minister will want to congratulate the schools and St
John's Foundation on the work they are doing, but will the
Government prioritise speech and language programmes such as
Language for Life?
What the hon. Lady sets out sounds very encouraging and I look
forward to hearing more about the Language for Life programme. We
have been very pleased with the findings of the Government-funded
Nuffield Early Language Intervention, which is different, but has
also focused on language development. The NELI has been found to
help children to make four months' additional development in
their oral language skills, and disadvantaged children to make
seven months' additional progress.
(Chipping Barnet)
(Con)
Will the Minister give us an update on this month's delivery of
the first phase of the free childcare entitlement, and may I urge
him to ensure that we deliver phase 2 on time in September?
I am delighted to tell my right hon. Friend and the House that
the first phase of the roll-out went very well indeed. Some
200,000 children are now benefiting from the first stage of the
roll-out, which Labour Members doubted could happen—we have shown
again that we have a plan while they have absolutely none.
School Budgets since 2010
(Nottingham East) (Lab)
17. What assessment she has made of the impact of real-terms
reductions to school budgets since 2010 on school children.
(902531)
The Minister for Schools ()
I am grateful to the hon. Lady for her question, but I am afraid
there is a flawed premise within it. School funding is, at £60.7
billion, the highest it has ever been in real terms per pupil.
There has been a real-terms increase of 5.5% per pupil nationally
compared with 2010-11.
I thank the Minister for his response, but what he says about the
state of school funding is not the full picture, and he knows it.
Schools' costs have increased much faster than funding. In fact,
analysis by the National Education
Union shows that every single school in Nottingham East had
less real-terms funding last year than 14 years ago—that is
£1,266 less per pupil on average. If the Government really cared
about the future of children and young people, should they not be
funding high-quality education instead of whipping up culture
wars?
We are funding high-quality education, and the quality of that
education is seen in the results, be they the performance of
15-year-olds in mathematics, English and science, or the results
of primary school children, which have improved dramatically
since 2010. On the NEU “analysis”, I am afraid that it is flawed
in multiple respects: it does not include a number for the
high-needs budget, which has grown so much, and ultimately it
does not use real numbers for 2010.
Dame (West Worcestershire)
(Con)
On the subject of school budgets, will the Minister join me in
welcoming the letter that I received from Malvern College in
Worcestershire this week? Not only is that independent school one
of the largest employers in Worcestershire, but it contributes
£28 million to the local economy, and if its 300-plus fee-paying
pupils had to be educated in local schools, that would come at a
huge cost to the public purse.
My hon. Friend is exactly correct. If the Labour party got into
government, there would be a hike in the cost of going to private
schools, which would push a number of families out of that
provision. We do not know how many, Labour does not know how many
and nor does anybody else, but we do know that some— possibly
very many—would come into the state-funded system, causing great
strain and possibly cuts that would affect other children.
Topical Questions
Sir (Haltemprice and Howden)
(Con)
T1. If she will make a statement on her departmental
responsibilities.(902537)
The Secretary of State for Education ()
With your permission, Mr Speaker, I start by sending our thoughts
and prayers to the whole school and the community in Ammanford in
Wales.
With exams season nearly upon us, I wish all our students and
teachers the very best of luck over the coming months. We should
be very proud of all the progress that our students and teachers
have made, with 90% of schools now rated “good” or
“outstanding”—up from 68% under Labour. In the internationally
renowned programme for international student assessment, our
secondary school children have rocketed up the rankings from 27th
and 25th in the world for maths and reading under Labour to 11th
and 13th now. The establishment of the Education Endowment
Foundation, which has conducted nearly 20% of all randomised
control trials in education in the world, is adding to that
success. That fantastic progress is testament to the hard work of
our schools and the evidence-based reforms that we have
undertaken since 2010.
Sir
On a personal level, may I thank the Secretary of State for
sponsoring my charity event yesterday for disabled children with
SYNGAP1? Of course, I welcome the Government's funding of 60,000
new school places for children with special educational needs,
but we need a fairer funding formula for those resources, and we
need a further £4.6 billion just to prevent the crisis in special
needs from getting worse, so what steps are the Government taking
to ensure that funding is allocated according to need, not
postcode?
I thank my right hon. Friend, who is doing exceptional work to
raise awareness of the impacts of SYNGAP1, and has so far raised
over £29,000 to support vital research. As he has pointed out, we
are investing record amounts in special educational needs and
disability funding. We review that funding and look at the
formula every year; it has gone up by 60% over the past five
years—to £10.5 billion—but I am very happy to meet my right hon.
Friend, and look forward to doing so. We said we would have a cup
of tea to talk about this important topic, and I will get that
date in the diary soon.
Mr Speaker
I call the shadow Secretary of State.
(Houghton and Sunderland
South) (Lab)
I associate myself with the Secretary of State's comments, and
send my thoughts and best wishes to all those in the school
community of Ammanford at this very difficult time.
“The extension does not achieve its primary aim or demonstrate
value for money”.
That is a damning line from the National Audit Office's report
into the Government's childcare expansion. For months, the
Secretary of State has told parents and providers that they were
wrong to be concerned, yet now we learn that even her own
Department considers delivery to be “problematic”—her own failure
exposed. Why has she not listened and got a serious plan in
place, or is she simply waiting for Labour to publish ours so
that she can steal it? [Laughter.]
I do not think anyone in the country is waiting for Labour to
publish its plan. This is serious, because of course we are
ambitious; delivering the largest expansion of childcare in our
country's history is not an easy task, but that is the job of
Government, and that is what we are doing. Thanks to the
expansion, over 200,000 more children are getting childcare
support. We are already delivering, and have put that
deliverability into three phases to make sure we continue to
deliver.
We know what we need—we need places, we need workforce, and we
need the children—but Labour has absolutely no plan. First Labour
Members criticised our childcare model, then they said they would
scrap it, and now they are saying that it is not their job to
have a plan. It is time for Labour to stop talking down our
childcare sector and commit to supporting our plan, which is
clearly working.
Nonsense, Mr Speaker. What people right across this country want
is a general election, and it cannot come soon enough.
It is not only on childcare that the Secretary of State is in a
total mess; school leaders, teachers and staff have been dismayed
by her failure to reform Ofsted. She simply refuses to listen to
staff, to the Education Committee, or indeed to parents. I am
clear that under Labour, the days of one-word judgments will come
to an end, so when can we expect the Secretary of State to follow
Labour's lead and commit to ending Ofsted's headline grades?
We will not follow Labour's lead, because in 2010 only 68% of
schools were rated “good” or “outstanding”; now, thanks to our
reforms and hard work, that figure is up to 90%. We have already
delivered a number of changes to improve the way Ofsted carries
out its inspections, but the answer to these challenges is not to
water down standards by abolishing Ofsted, as Labour has twice
proposed to do. That accountability is one reason why 90% of our
schools are “good” or “outstanding”—up from just 68% under
Labour. In the past year alone, over 200,000 more children are
attending “good” or “outstanding” schools because of the work
that we do to improve standards, and Ofsted is an important part
of that.
Sir Desmond Swayne (New Forest West) (Con)
T5. Are powers available to the Secretary of State where schools
refuse to implement her guidance on social
transitioning?(902541)
The Minister for Schools ()
We expect that schools will follow the guidance, because it is
guidance to help them carry out their existing statutory duties,
including safeguarding. If they did not take those guidelines
into account when delivering those duties, they would be at risk
of breach.
Mr Speaker
We now come to the SNP spokesperson.
(Glasgow North West)
(SNP)
I thank the Secretary of State for mentioning exam season. I am
sure she will include the Scottish young people sitting their
exams, whose exams started last week—they are already in the
throes of it.
Deepfake images and nudification apps pose massive threats to the
mental health of girls in particular, and therefore their
educational outcomes. I am pleased that the Government have taken
steps to criminalise the creation of such images, but how is the
Secretary of State working with Cabinet colleagues to put
pressure on internet companies to take the radical action
necessary to remove such images, which can have such an impact on
girls' education?
The hon. Member is of course right that the lead is taken by a
different Department, but we are very conscious of the pressures,
including from social media, in relation to pornography, deepfake
and nudification, as she rightly identifies, and we are working
right across Government to make sure those pressures can be
eased.
(Ruislip, Northwood and
Pinner) (Con)
T6. Bearing out feedback from my two excellent local Conservative
councils, a recent report from the organisation London Councils
highlights a 4.3% drop in the number of pupils in schools in
Hillingdon. At a time of falling numbers on rolls in outer
London, will my hon. Friend commit to work with our schools and
local authorities to promote the opportunities for more inclusion
for SEND pupils in mainstream schools?(902542)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education ()
My hon. Friend makes two important points. There was a 6% decline
in the number of nought to four-year-olds between 2015 and 2021,
and we are providing £242 million in this financial year to
support schools with managing that. He is also right that
although some children will always need a special school place to
have their needs met, many can have their needs met in a
mainstream school. Through our SEND and alternative provision
improvement plan, we are making sure that schools are inclusive
and make that happen.
(Brighton, Kemptown)
(Lab/Co-op)
T2. The Secretary of State described special educational needs as
“lose, lose, lose” when she was describing the process of parents
appealing the judgments of education, health and care plans,
which, as I said earlier, often lists a school that is
inadequate. How does she expect parents to get the right school
if they are not to appeal, and who has broken the system in the
last 14 years? It was not like that before.(902538)
I was actually referring to the fact that parents did not feel
they were receiving the best service from the system, the schools
did not feel they were giving the best service and the Government
felt they were spending a lot more, which is why it was very
important that we got a grip and fixed the system. Of course, we
know that there has been a massive increase in demand over the
last few years—not even 14 years—so we have had to put in place
the special educational needs and alternative provision
improvement plan, which is very thorough. I believe that the
result of that plan will be: win, win, win.
(Northampton South) (Con)
T8. What steps is the Department taking to make apprenticeships
in building trades more attractive to young people, and
especially to women and girls?(902544)
The Minister for Skills, Apprenticeships and Higher Education
()
I thank my hon. Friend for his question, and for all of his work
on this area. I know that he has been integral to the “I am a
Housebuilder” campaign to encourage more women into the building
sector. Our apprenticeship diversity champions network is
supporting gender representation among employers, and it is good
news that STEM starts continue to increase year on year—up 7.5%
in the last year—but there is more to do, and I look forward to
working closely with him on the issue.
(Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath)
(Alba)
T3. The Cass review has established that social transitioning is
not a neutral act, and that it introduces significant risk of
harm. Does the Secretary of State agree with me that when a new
First Minister emerges in Scotland, they should commit to
factual, science-based education in schools and implement the
Cass review findings in full, so they do not suffer the same fate
as their predecessor?(902539)
I would encourage our friends and colleagues in the Scottish
Government, whoever they may be at the time, to pay close
attention to Hilary Cass's report. I think her work has injected
some much-needed common sense into the debate, and we are very
grateful to her. This Government will always put the safety of
our children first, and that is why the gender questioning
guidance we have produced in draft is underpinned by the
important principle of parents always being involved in decisions
about their children.
(Rutland and Melton)
(Con)
The Liberal Democrat-run council in Rutland has announced that it
will close our specialist—and “outstanding” rated—SEND nursery,
the Parks School. This comes with the further news that it is
also going to close our only leisure centre. The community is
rightly devastated, especially parents who want their children to
get the best and most expert support. Does my hon. Friend agree
that specialist provision must be protected and is absolutely
vital, and that the need for this kind of provision is only going
to increase?
I thank my hon. Friend, who is absolutely right. We have been
hearing negative things about Lib Dem councils from both sides of
the House this afternoon, which, sadly, is not surprising. She is
absolutely right to be championing the needs of those parents and
children, and I hope the council will listen to her campaign and
do the right thing.
(Liverpool, Wavertree)
(Lab)
T4. There is no doubt but that this Department has contributed to
the chaos surrounding the opening of King's Leadership Academy in
my constituency. Parents and children find themselves in utter
limbo, and this debacle has caused extra pressure on school
places across Liverpool. In reply to me, provided absolutely no
explanation of why it took the Department until 1 February to
apply for planning permission, despite having owned the site
since last summer. When will this Department get a grip, end the
blame game, and commit to exhausting every avenue in getting the
school open in September?(902540)
I will look into the details of the case and write to the hon.
Lady.
(Waveney) (Con)
Research by London Economics and the Association of Colleges
highlights that in recent years there has been a significant drop
in level 2 apprenticeship starts. Will my hon. Friend the
Minister outline the specific work being carried out to reverse
this decline in an area that is so vital in promoting social
mobility and levelling up?
At levels 2 and 3, apprenticeships make up 65% of all starts so
far this year and there are almost 140 apprenticeships at level
2. We published data last week to show that level 2
apprenticeships rose by 2.5% in terms of attainment. We will do
everything we can to make sure people have access to high-quality
apprenticeships, and we have also invested £50 million over two
years to boost starts in growth sectors including engineering and
manufacturing. I am always happy to meet my hon. Friend.
(Middlesbrough) (Lab)
T7. Five years on from the approval of a new secondary school in
my Middlesbrough constituency, not a brick has been laid and the
children of Outwood Academy Riverside remain in an old Home
Office block, and the next two years' intake are going to be
bused to Redcar to portacabins plonked on a field. Children are
spending their entire secondary school years in temporary
accommodation and it is just not good enough. Will the Secretary
of State tell ministerial colleagues to get a grip and crack on
with building the new school these students need and
deserve?(902543)
We have increased the amount of money going into condition
funding. We are also, of course, rebuilding 500 schools under the
school rebuilding programme. I will look into the specific case
the hon. Gentleman mentions and come back to him.
(Rother Valley)
(Con)
My hon. Friend will be aware of my campaign to improve literacy
across the country by improving children's access to libraries in
their schools and communities. Much can also be done by parents,
grandparents and carers in the years before children start
school. What is the Department doing to improve access to books
and audiobooks in particular, as well as other literary
materials, for pre-school children?
My hon. Friend raises an excellent point. Reading is one of the
most important things children can be doing at a young age. Our
Little Moments Together campaign provides free resources for
parents to encourage a positive culture of reading at home, and
we also fund the National Literacy Trust, which does great work
to promote reading.
(Bristol East) (Lab)
T9. Can the Minister give us an update on the schools-based work
of the Youth Endowment Fund on trying to stop young people
getting involved in crime, and can he tell us how the success of
that work will be judged?(902545)
As it happens, I am meeting the director of the Youth Endowment
Fund in the morning. We have a quarterly meeting to review
progress and make sure it is on track.
Sir (New Forest East) (Con)
In regard to the worrying topic raised earlier of antisemitism
and Islamophobia in schools, will Ministers please bear in mind
sections 406 and 407 of the Education Act 1996? The former bans
political indoctrination in schools, and the latter says that
when political subjects are brought to the attention of pupils,
they must be presented in a fair and balanced way.
My right hon. Friend issues a timely and important reminder and
we are very clear on that with schools. We also, of course,
part-fund Educate Against Hate, which has materials available,
and I know that schools also seek to go to lengths in most cases
to make sure that when tackling controversial current affairs,
they are doing so in an entirely impartial way.
(Mid Bedfordshire)
(Lab)
T10. While it is welcome that Ministers are finally investing in
childcare, the scheme just is not working, with local providers
telling me it falls far short of what they need to meet demand,
exacerbated by the especially low rate paid in central
Bedfordshire. Will Ministers change course to make sure that
central Bedfordshire families can finally access the childcare
they need?(902546)
Again, the first stage of this roll-out has gone incredibly well,
with more than 200,000 children now benefiting. Labour MPs should
spend less time criticising our roll-out and more in asking their
Front Bench what their plan is, because it is supposed to be like
the creation of the NHS.
(Fareham) (Con)
St Francis School and Heathfield School are two excellent special
educational needs schools in Fareham, supporting a variety of
children with conditions ranging from Down's syndrome to
epilepsy, but around the country there are 95,000 children at
independent special educational needs schools. Does my hon.
Friend agree that Labour's misguided attack on independent
schools will be harmful and punitive to vulnerable children all
around the country?
My right hon. and learned Friend is absolutely right. This is a
policy to tickle the bellies of the left of the Labour party. The
Opposition did not think it through, and they are now going to
whack families trying to get the right support for their children
with special educational needs with 20% more in fees.
(Angus) (SNP)
In 2024-25, Scottish students living away from home will be
entitled to a minimum of £8,400 in student maintenance, whereas
English students living outside London will only be getting a
minimum of £4,767. Given the current cost of living crisis, which
is undoubtedly a factor in the withdrawal of almost 16,000
undergraduate students in England last year, will the Government
commit to providing the same encouragement and reinforcement to
students in England as students in Scotland enjoy?
We are trying to deliver a system that is fair not just to
students, but to taxpayers, too. That is why we are taking action
to support students with the cost of living in England, including
freezing tuition fees. We have increased loans by 2.8%, and we
have made sure that if someone's family income falls by 15%, they
can have their loans reassessed. It is also important that we
support people from lower income households, which is why we have
made a further £10 million available, including for hardship
funding, in 2023-24. This system is fair not just to students,
but to taxpayers more widely.
Dr (Sleaford and North
Hykeham) (Con)
The Sir Robert Pattinson Academy in my constituency is a great
school providing an excellent education to children. However, it
is struggling with the challenges of aged infrastructure, and an
urgent bid for it to rectify the heating and wiring challenges
has been refused. An urgent meeting on Friday with officials was
unproductive, not least because the data they were looking at was
out of date. Can I ask the Secretary of State to please ensure
that the senior leadership team gets an urgent meeting with
senior officials and that she personally ensures that this bid is
looked at properly and quickly?
I will indeed do that. My hon. Friend has brought up this subject
with me and with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State.
There was that meeting with Mr Hardy on Friday. I know there are
two separate cases around the condition improvement fund bid and
the urgent capital support bid. We will continue to work with the
school, and I will ensure that my hon. Friend gets that
high-level meeting that she asks for.
(Twickenham) (LD)
Among other cuts, the Department for Education has quietly
slipped out the announcement that it is slashing funding for Now
Teach, which has supported more than 1,000 people to switch
careers and retrain as secondary teachers in shortage subjects
such as science, maths and modern languages. Why on earth are the
Government withdrawing funding when they are missing their
teacher training targets by 50% in some of these subjects, and
when Now Teach has had such a brilliant track record in getting
people to retrain as teachers?
First, I must say that the statistics the hon. Lady just gave on
missing recruitment targets are incorrect. They are frequently
repeated, but not right. We do think that career changes are an
important part of people coming into this noble profession, and
we are continuing with our career changes programme. We are not
axing Now Teach; we are not re-procuring it, so we are not
extending it again. To put it in perspective, it is roughly about
200 to 250 people in a typical year, out of about 7,000 career
changes coming into teaching. We are reassessing the best way to
attract more of them, because we want to grow the number of
career changes coming into teaching and make sure that we go
about it in the best and most productive way.
(Witham) (Con)
The Secretary of State is well aware of the issues we have with
Academies Enterprise Trust and Maltings Academy in Witham town.
She will know of the stories of children missing out on school
time because of exclusion and bullying. Some are even
self-harming. What assurance can she give to pupils and their
families, who have very little choice as to which schools they go
to locally, that their concerns will be heard and that they will
have greater educational choice over which school their children
go to?
I know we have corresponded on this recently, and I know my right
hon. Friend is taking a close personal interest and has been
involved directly and personally in multiple cases. In my most
recent letter—I am not sure if it will have arrived yet—I have
said that we will as a Department work with her.
(Carmarthen East and
Dinefwr) (Ind)
I thank the Secretary of State and the shadow Secretary of State
for their comments about the incident at Ysgol Dyffryn Aman in my
constituency last week. There is obviously now a criminal
investigation ongoing and a charge of attempted murder, so it
would not be wise to speculate, but as education is devolved in
Wales, will the Secretary of State pledge to work with the Welsh
Government to ensure safety measures, following the various
investigations having completed their work?
Yes, and I can assure the hon. Gentleman that I am always willing
and ready to work with anyone from the devolved
Administrations.
(Rugby) (Con)
Businesses—those in manufacturing in particular—speak about the
challenge in filling vacancies. The solution can often be in the
existing workforce, but older workers can be reluctant to take up
apprenticeships. What work are we doing to encourage more older
workers into the apprenticeship system?
Working with employers is central to success on that point. That
is why we are delivering the local skills improvement plans to
ensure that we are matching the needs of businesses and employers
with the workforce they need. We are working with over 5,000
employers, with over 700 different occupations, including on
skills bootcamps, which bring different demographics to the
workforce, to ensure that we have intensive training where
industries have those skills needs. Engagement with businesses is
at the forefront of our mind on that point.
(Tiverton and Honiton)
(LD)
This weekend, The Times reported that some Conservative MPs want
to see graduate visas banned. Will the Minister ask the Home
Secretary to quash that damaging rumour, given that international
students provide the UK with a £42 billion boost?
We are home to some of the world's top universities, which
benefit from strong international ties. We think it is right to
try to prevent any potential abuse and to protect the integrity
of our higher education system, but it is true that international
students make significant economic and cultural contributions to
our education. We believe it is possible to balance a fair and
robust migration policy with maintaining our place as a top
destination for students from around the world.
(Bracknell) (Con)
I thank the Education Secretary for all the support that her
Department is giving to Bracknell Forest, particularly the £16
million safety valve programme and other SEN initiatives. Given
the high number of good and outstanding schools in Bracknell and
the focus on apprenticeships and T-levels at Bracknell and
Wokingham College, might I tempt her please to visit?
Mr Speaker
A quick yes.
It is tempting. We are proud of the safety valve programme, which
is being used across 38 local authorities, and I would love to
see it in action as I know it is providing a lifeline to many
councils.
Mr Speaker
Final question, Sir .
Sir (Gainsborough) (Con)
For 14 long, weary years I have been arguing for an end of the
faith cap, which is preventing the opening of new Catholic
schools and has no proper effect. Does the Secretary of State
think that I should keep campaigning and be patient for a bit
longer?
I have also had an opportunity to speak to my right hon. Friend
on occasions about this. The Catholic Church, the Church of
England and other denominations play a central part in our
education, typically having high-quality schools and typically
being popular with parents. We are keen to extend our academies
and free schools programme, which has underpinned the huge rise
in quality and children's results that we have seen since 2010.
No doubt, before too long, we may wish to put the two things
closer together.
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