Asked by
To ask His Majesty’s Government what plans they have to designate
data, digital, and financial literacy as compulsory subjects in
primary and secondary schools in England.
(Con)
In asking my Question on the Order Paper, I declare my technology
interests as set out in the register.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for
Education () (Con)
My Lords, data, digital and financial literacy all feature in
compulsory national curriculum subjects. For example, data
literacy is covered within mathematics, science, computing and
geography, digital literacy within computing and relationships,
sex and health education, and financial literacy within
citizenship and mathematics. They also feature within the subject
content of GCSEs which count within the English baccalaureate.
The statutory national curriculum tests and assessments, the
Ofsted inspections and the EBacc further encourage schools to
teach these subjects.
(Con)
My Lords, does my noble friend agree, considering so many of the
challenges facing particularly our young people in online and
offline situations, that it would be helpful to do more than
encourage effective quality data on digital and financial
literacy—not just through school but throughout life? That would
be beneficial not just to young people but to all people.
(Con)
I absolutely agree with my noble friend that all those are
critical skills, and that is why they are woven through the
curriculum at all stages, and why we put particular emphasis in
the new T-levels on digital skills.
(LD)
My Lords, given the importance of this subject and the risks that
children in particular run on a daily basis with the internet,
why have the Government not seized a golden opportunity in the
Online Safety Bill to set minimum standards for digital and media
literacy in schools and give Ofcom greater powers in terms of
media literacy strategy?
(Con)
Our Online Safety Bill goes a long way to addressing the concerns
that the noble Lord rightly raises, but I should like to reassure
him that some of that is also reinforced by the work that we are
doing at every key stage in our schools.
The Lord
My Lords, recently I had the privilege of serving on your
Lordships’ Communications Committee. What came through
consistently in our inquiry into the effects of technology on the
creative industries was the need for creative and artistic
literacy as well as digital literacy—we need STEAM, not just
STEM. I speak as a former scientist deeply committed to science
and technology. Does the Minister agree and, if so, what can the
Government do to enable that, given their reluctance to review
the national curriculum and prioritise arts more?
(Con)
The right reverend Prelate raises an important point. Certainly,
when I was talking to a number of young people recently, they
raised exactly the same issues as he does. I do not think that
there is any resistance at all from the Government about the
importance of a STEAM curriculum; we talk a lot about STEM, but
we also talk a lot about our vibrant and incredibly successful
creative industries. Our commitment to the teaching workforce has
been that, during this period of recovery post Covid, there will
be no changes to the national curriculum.
The (CB)
My Lords, seeing that, according to last year’s Ofcom research,
6% of households —1.6 million—have no internet access, have the
Government looked closely at the relationship between that and
digital literacy in schools? If so, what do they conclude and how
many children do they estimate that this affects?
(Con)
If one looks from the other end of the telescope, the noble Earl
will be aware that the Government were proactive during Covid in
making sure that children who could not access a laptop and the
internet were given equipment to be able to do so.
(Lab)
My Lords, my party has long been calling for reform of the
citizenship curriculum to include practical life skills such as
budgeting and, most importantly, young people staying safe
online. Are the Government still committed to keeping the
curriculum in England as it is at present, despite large gaps in
the current provision for the children and young people of the
21st century?
(Con)
I have the advantage of having the citizenship curriculum in
front of me. I should like to reassure the noble Baroness and the
House that it absolutely covers the issues that she raises. It
looks at saving, spending and use of money through key stages 1
and 2 but, in particular, budgeting and managing risk at key
stage 3 and beyond.
(Con)
My Lords, I strongly support the far-seeing proposal of my noble
friend . Every country in
Europe is teaching its students up to the age of 16 in digital,
computing and technical skills. Some 90% of our students in
school today are taught nothing about artificial intelligence,
computer-assisted design, cybersecurity, virtual reality or
networking online and coding. Is it not time for torpor and
indifference to disappear? The Department for Education and its
Ministers should now recognise that they should bring in a
curriculum based upon our digital age.
(Con)
That is exactly what the department is doing with its
T-levels.
(Lab)
My Lords, while reviewing the school curriculum, will the
Minister ensure that pupils have access to compulsory courses on
ethics and human rights? This would help to ensure that future
generations are relieved of the pain caused by directors of
profiteering companies and members of the Government who may be
inclined to flout international laws and human rights.
(Con)
The noble Lord makes a broader point. Many of those issues are
indeed covered in the curriculum. Specifically in relation to
financial choices, there is dedicated time to look at social and
moral dilemmas, to which the noble Lord refers, within the
citizenship curriculum today.
(Con)
My Lords, the APPG on Financial Education for Young People’s
recent report alarmingly highlighted that 41% of secondary school
teachers in England said they did not think that financial
education is required as part of the curriculum, and a further
15% did not know. Does the Minister agree with the APPG’s
recommendation that Ofsted undertake a series of deep dives into
financial education provision across schools as a matter of
urgency?
(Con)
I am very sympathetic to the issues that my noble friend raises,
but our approach to these issues has been to weave them through
multiple aspects of the curriculum. My noble friend will be aware
that, for example in relation to maths and computing, this is
something that Ofsted will regularly be doing deep dives into
when it is inspecting individual schools.
(Con)
My Lords, while I agree very much with what my noble friends Lord
Holmes and Lord Baker said, I ask my noble friend to look very
carefully at the history curriculum. It really is shameful that
young people do not have history as a compulsory subject after
the age of 14. It is also shameful that most of them leave school
knowing very little about the history of their own country, of
Europe or of any part of the world. They have certain samples,
such as the Nazis and the Tudors, but there is no chronology. Can
we look at that?
(Con)
I am very happy to take my noble friend’s suggestion back to the
department.
(LD)
My Lords, independent research by Cambridge University, published
by the Money and Pensions Service, suggests that money habits are
formed as early as the age of seven. This shows that educating
children about money at primary school is very important. Has the
Minister heard of GoHenry, a charity set up by parents that gives
a prepaid debit card to children, along with an educational app
so they can understand financial affairs? If she has not, will
she meet them? It might be of interest in developing this
curriculum.
(Con)
I have heard of it, but I would also be delighted to meet them.
Just to repeat, at the earliest stage, at key stage 1, the
compulsory curriculum includes helping children understand how
they make choices about how to spend, how to save and how to use
money.
(CB)
My Lords, what steps are the Government taking to improve the
balance between technical, academic and creative subjects in
schools so that all pupils have the opportunity to pursue and
develop knowledge and skills in the areas for which they are best
suited, rather than being left behind if they do not achieve five
good GCSEs?
(Con)
I thank the noble Lord for the question. He is aware that the
Government are very committed to improving the quality of our
skills offer, hence the reforms we have made at level 3
qualifications and the introduction of T-levels. It is not just
at schools: we are really stressing the opportunities for young
people across a range of apprenticeships and other routes into
the workplace so that they can realise their potential.
