Industrial Action: Impact on Children and Parents Mark Pawsey
(Rugby) (Con) 2. What steps she is taking to help reduce the impact
of industrial action by teachers on children and parents. (900555)
The Secretary of State for Education (Gillian Keegan) Last year’s
strikes were one of the biggest outbreaks of industrial action in a
generation. Over 25 million school days were lost, with
far-reaching consequences across our society. We cannot afford a
repeat of...Request free trial
Industrial Action: Impact on Children and Parents
(Rugby) (Con)
2. What steps she is taking to help reduce the impact of
industrial action by teachers on children and parents.
(900555)
The Secretary of State for Education ()
Last year’s strikes were one of the biggest outbreaks of
industrial action in a generation. Over 25 million school days
were lost, with far-reaching consequences across our society. We
cannot afford a repeat of that disruption, and it is my duty to
protect children’s education. That is why we are consulting on
minimum service levels to end further disruption to education,
while providing certainty to parents. MSLs will balance the right
to strike with children’s fundamental right to a good
education.
The issue extends to university students as well. My
constituent’s final degree papers were not marked this year
because of industrial action. That put in jeopardy her
postgraduate course and her employment offer. Her degree was
issued only after her mother personally visited the dean of the
university involved and demanded action. What steps is the
Secretary of State taking to ensure that degree exam papers are
marked on time in the current academic year?
Our young people should never be pawns in the disputes of adults.
The behaviour of University and College Union members was
disgraceful, and their actions caused untold disruption and
stress for thousands of students. Although the higher education
sector is independent of Government, the damaging impact of
strike action cannot go unchecked. That is why we are consulting
on minimum service levels in this sector, unlike the Labour
party, which always bows to its union paymasters.
(Strangford) (DUP)
It is a pleasure to be called to ask a supplementary to the first
question.
I am ever mindful of the importance that the industrial action
finishes. Has the Secretary of State had any opportunities to
discuss this with the Department of Education in Northern
Ireland? I understand that she has no responsibility for Northern
Ireland, but it is important that we work together to try to
solve the problems of industrial action. It is affecting loads of
schools, particularly those whose pupils have special educational
needs. I am really concerned.
The hon. Member puts his finger on it. Industrial action has a
massive impact, particularly on vulnerable children, those with
special educational needs, and those in exam cohorts. I am always
happy to share with my counterparts in the devolved
Administrations, and I am very happy to share what we are doing
on minimum service levels.
School Funding: County Durham
(Easington) (Lab)
3. What steps her Department is taking to ensure the adequacy of
school funding in County Durham. (900556)
The Minister for Schools ()
Nationally, school funding will rise to over £59.6 billion next
year, the highest ever in real terms per pupil. This year, the
north-east had the largest percentage increase in per pupil
funding in the whole of England.
I welcome the Minister to his place.
Every day is a school day, but I wonder whether the new Schools
Minister is familiar with the School Cuts website, which
indicates that 214 out of 240 schools in County Durham face
spending cuts in 2024-25. The cumulative impact of cuts in County
Durham amounts to £113 million, equating to a £175 cut per pupil.
Does he believe that restricting school budgets will help or
hinder the educational opportunities and life chances for
children in my east Durham constituency?
I have seen the website that the hon. Member mentions. Its
calculations are based on some very speculative assumptions, and
the conclusions that it reaches should therefore be treated with
great caution. Next year, County Durham will receive over £391
million based on current pupil numbers, which is an extra £7.8
million for schools.
Mr Speaker
I call the shadow Minister.
(Newcastle upon Tyne
North) (Lab)
I, too, welcome the Minister to his place.
On Friday, I joined Labour’s candidate on a visit to Ferryhill
School in County Durham. The staff team and students are amazing,
but staff are left teaching in portacabins, the dining room and
the sports hall, the staff room is behind a curtain on a stage,
and years 10 and 11 are in a different town. Last week, yet more
schools were added to the list of those with reinforced
autoclaved aerated concrete, and the Secretary of State could not
confirm how many will need complete rebuilds. Given the urgency,
can the Minister tell parents, children and staff when this chaos
will end?
Mr Speaker, allow me to take this moment to pay tribute to all
school staff, leaders, children and their families, who have
shown great fortitude in dealing with the disruption caused by
RAAC. We have moved quickly to make sure all schools with
suspected RAAC are surveyed and to work with schools to put in
place alternative arrangements. Of course none of that is
perfect, but schools have shown great flexibility in working
towards that, such that we now have 99% of affected schools back
with full-time face-to-face education.
Childcare Support: Working Parents
(Bracknell) (Con)
4. What steps she is taking to increase childcare support for
working parents. (900557)
(Stroud) (Con)
14. What steps she is taking to increase childcare support for
working parents. (900569)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education ()
The Government announced earlier this year transformative reforms
to childcare to benefit children, parents and the economy. By
2027-28, we expect to spend in excess of £8 billion every year on
free childcare hours and early education, representing the single
largest investment in childcare in England ever.
In recent months, I have visited several early years providers
across Bracknell Forest, where it is clear that the improved
provision and ratios will make a big difference both for working
families and for the providers. Could the Minister please outline
what more could be done to better incentivise working parents to
return to work?
Last week the Department for Business and Trade published its
response to its consultation on flexible working, making clear
that this Government are committed to changes to legislation that
will enable more flexible working. Together with our expansion of
childcare, that will ensure parents have more choice over how,
when and where they work.
Welcome back, Mr Speaker.
The Early Education and Childcare Coalition has found that 57% of
nursery staff and 38% of childminders are considering leaving the
early years sector in the next 12 months, and Stroud businesses
say the same thing. That absolutely cannot happen. They are a
skilled and amazing workforce, whom parents trust with the most
precious things, and the Government have backed the industry as
integral to the growth strategy. What evidence does my hon.
Friend have that the UK is retaining nursery staff and
childminders, and what can we be doing to ensure the new system
is successful?
I thank my hon. Friend for her work championing the early years
workforce and join her in the tributes she pays to them. The
total number of paid early years staff has remained stable in
recent years, and between 2021 and 2022 the number of staff
increased by 2%, or 5,900 people. We will publish updated
statistics in the coming weeks.
(Huddersfield)
(Lab/Co-op)
Is it not a fact that after 13 years of the Conservatives in
government, our country is in a situation where preschool and
out-of-school care is the most expensive in Europe and beyond? We
have so many talented people—especially women, but men as
well—who are not coming back to use their high skills to recharge
the economy, because they cannot afford childcare. What is the
Minister going to do about it?
What we are doing is making the single largest investment ever
made in childcare. That is going to save the average family up to
£6,500 per year on the cost of childcare, in contrast to the hon.
Gentleman’s party, which has no policy for this area
whatsoever.
T-levels
(Lewisham East) (Lab)
5. What recent assessment she has made of trends in the number of
students completing T-Level courses. (900558)
(Sefton Central) (Lab)
22. What recent assessment she has made of trends in the number
of students completing T-level courses. (900578)
The Minister for Skills, Apprenticeships and Higher Education
()
I am very proud that more than 4,000 students now have T-levels
on their CV. In the summer, 3,190 students completed their
T-levels with a pass or above, meaning that we had a pass rate of
90.5% before factoring in remarking and retakes. We will publish
a T-level action plan with more information early next year.
In my constituency, Christ the King Emmanuel sixth form college
does fantastically well in educating young people, but an
Education Committee report stated that in the first year of the
T-Level transition programme, just 14% of students went on to
start the T-level. The Government have yet to publish the data
for subsequent years. Can the Minister outline when the new data
will be published and whether that progression rate has
improved?
I am very glad that Christ the King Emmanuel sixth form college
is offering T-levels, and that the hon. Lady has had 8,300
apprenticeship starts in her constituency since 2010. Our T-level
transition year is a new thing that we have introduced—it is now
called the foundation year—and very close to 50% of students go
on to do a level 3. However, I said in my opening answer to her,
we will have more information about these matters in the next
year.
Welcome back, Mr Speaker.
According to Make UK, 36% of manufacturing vacancies are hard to
fill because of a lack of skills. There are 170,000 fewer
apprenticeship starts than in 2017. The Prime Minister cast doubt
on the future of T-levels in his conference speech, when he said
that he thought they should be scrapped. Just what is the
Government’s plan, or will they leave it to my hon. Friend the
Member for Houghton and Sunderland South () to address the chronic
shortage of technical skills over which they have presided?
I would have thought that the hon. Gentleman would celebrate the
9,000-plus apprenticeship starts in his constituency since 2010.
We have built our skills revolution in everything from
apprenticeships and our T-level programme to our higher technical
qualifications, free boot camps and free level 3 courses, and
that is driving the increased skills uptake. It is worth noting
that we have had 337,000 apprenticeship starts over the past
year. He should welcome that.
Mr Speaker
I call the shadow Minister.
(Feltham and Heston)
(Lab/Co-op)
Shockingly, results last summer revealed that one in three
students dropped out of their T-level course, which is higher
than for earlier cohorts. Something is going very wrong. In
April, the Education Committee raised major concerns about
T-level roll-outs, regional variations and falling employer
engagement. Access to opportunity really matters, so should the
Minister not now pause and review the defunding of alternative
qualifications, as Labour would, and urgently bring forward the
2023-24 T-level action plan in order to address concerns raised
by the Select Committee and Ofsted and bring much-needed clarity
and support for colleges, employers, parents and students?
Not content with being in the anti-apprenticeship party, given
her plans to weaken the apprenticeship levy and halve the number
of apprenticeships, the hon. Lady is also taking on the mantle of
T-level denier. We have 18 T-levels; we have, as I mentioned, a
90.5% pass rate; we have 10,000 students doing our T-level
programme; and we expect the data that we will release early next
year to show that many thousands more students are doing the
T-level programme. I am very proud of our T-level programme. I
know that the hon. Lady will be eating mince pies at Christmas,
but I suggest that early next year she may be eating humble pie,
because our T-level programme is something to be proud of.
After-school Childcare: Long-term Educational Outcomes
(Carshalton and Wallington)
(Con)
7. If her Department will make an assessment of the potential
impact of after-school childcare on long-term educational
outcomes. (900560)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education ()
In October, the Government announced the allocation of £289
million of start-up funding to local authorities for wraparound
care, which we know supports parents to work, as well as having
the potential to improve attainment, engagement and
attendance.
I recently visited Muschamp Primary School in Carshalton and
Wallington, where I observed the Junior Adventures Group UK—a
leading provider of school-age childcare in my constituency—in
the crucial support that it gives children, particularly those
with special educational needs, beyond school hours. However, it
is evident that school-age childcare needs reform. I welcome that
£289 million, but can my hon. Friend explain how the frameworks
will ensure that that investment effectively supports families,
specifically those with requirements for special educational
needs and disabilities?
My hon. Friend makes an important point. We have set out clear
expectations that all wraparound provision should be inclusive
and accessible. We have given local authorities flexibility in
how to spend their funding, but we expect them to distribute it
in a way that ensures equal access to provision for parents of
children with special educational needs.
Pupils with SEN and Disabilities
(Chesham and Amersham) (LD)
8. What steps her Department is taking to support pupils with
special educational needs and disabilities. (900561)
The Secretary of State for Education ()
We want all children to receive the right support to reach their
full potential. That is why, since March, we have opened 14 new
special free schools, with 78 more approved; we have launched our
£70 million change programme, benefiting every region in England
and testing key SEND and alternative provision, including
innovative approaches to speech and language therapy; and, to
help young people with special educational needs into work, we
are doubling the number of supported internships to 4,500 by
2025. By next year, we will have increased high-needs funding by
60%, to over £10.5 billion, in just five years.
Last year in Buckinghamshire, one in three education, health and
care plans were issued outside the legally required 20-week
timeframe. Will the Secretary of State outline what concrete
steps the Department is taking to improve access to educational
psychologists and reduce waiting times for EHCPs?
I know how hard parents fight to get the right support for their
children. Sometimes that takes too long, and I am determined to
make that easier, which is why we are simplifying and
standardising the EHCP process. However, to deliver that support,
we need our fantastic teachers, teaching assistants and
specialist SEND teachers; without them, we could not provide
children with the support they require. That is why we are
boosting training opportunities through a new national
professional qualification for special educational needs
co-ordinators, which will be launched in autumn 2024, and
investing a further £21 million to train 400 more educational
psychologists. We are also training up to 7,000 early years
specialists, over 5,000 of whom have begun their training. We now
have 280,000 teaching assistants in our schools, an increase of
over 60,000 since we have been in office.
Dame (Basingstoke) (Con)
One in 10 children in education in my constituency receives
special educational needs support. Thanks to the Department for
Education, we have had a new special school, the Austen
Academy—that is a free school—and significant increases in
budgets, but can we also ensure that teaching children with
special needs is a mainstream part of teacher education?
Supporting children with special educational needs every day is
now a mainstream part of school.
I thank my right hon. Friend for her question. That is exactly
why we are developing a new NPQ for SENCOs, which will launch in
autumn 2024, and are inputting into the standards for teacher
training to ensure that everybody has an understanding of how
best to support children. There are now a lot of children with
special educational needs, and we all need to know how to support
them better.
(York Central)
(Lab/Co-op)
From my citywide consultation of parents of children with SEND,
it came to light that the particularly harsh and punitive
disciplinary processes being exercised in schools are having a
very harmful effect on many of those children. Will the Secretary
of State or the Schools Minister meet me to discuss a particular
multi-academy trust in my constituency where those processes are
having a very negative impact on young people?
I am very happy to confirm that the Minister for children and
families will be happy to meet the hon. Lady.
Sir (Rossendale and Darwen)
(Con)
Will the Secretary of State join me in thanking Julie Nixon, head
of the Spectrum of Light charity in Rossendale and Darwen, for
the work she did on Saturday by bringing together parents from
across Lancashire and Rossendale and Darwen on a Zoom call? Those
parents were exactly the same as me, in that they all had an
autistic child, and I was appalled to hear from them about the
time they are having to wait to see an educational psychologist.
Will the Secretary of State agree to write to Lancashire County
Council to find out what the heck is going on with those parents
whose children are missing school and are unable to access an
education, health and care plan?
I am very happy to work with my right hon. Friend to improve
things in Lancashire. Spectrum of Light sounds like it is doing
an amazing job—there are many people who are looking to better
support our children with special educational needs. Of course,
we recognise that we need to improve aspects, which is why we
published an improvement plan in March this year.
Mr Speaker
I call the shadow Minister.
(Dulwich and West Norwood)
(Lab)
Would-be educational psychology trainees for September 2024 have
been left in limbo because of delays in the Department confirming
the available funding. The number of educational psychologists
has fallen since 2010, despite requests for education, health and
care plans increasing every year. That national shortage of
qualified practitioners is contributing to the crisis in SEND
that is affecting so many families across the country. Does the
Secretary of State agree that this uncertainty about Government
funding for educational psychology training is unacceptable, and
when does she expect it to be resolved?
We announced in November 2022 that a further £21 million was
going to be spent to train more than 400 educational
psychologists.
Pupils with SEN and Disabilities
Mrs (Birmingham, Erdington)
(Lab)
9. What steps she is taking to reduce waiting times for children
with special educational needs and disabilities to receive
support. (900562)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education ()
In our improvement plan, we set out plans to deliver consistent
early support through our new national standards, backed by a 60%
increase in high-needs funding and in programmes such as our £13
million investment in the Partnerships for Inclusion of
Neurodiversity in Schools programme, which supports the needs of
neurodiverse children.
Mrs Hamilton
More than half of children with an education, health and care
plan are now experiencing a delay, and even after receiving an
EHCP, my constituent’s child was held back a year and had to wait
another year before finding a space in a special school. Over 1.5
million children in the UK have special educational needs, so can
the Minister tell me what he is doing to ensure that parents and
children such as my constituents get the support they need
quickly?
We are investing £2.6 billion to transform the special
educational needs and alternative provision system. That has
included a 36% increase in funding to Birmingham, where the
timeliness of EHCPs has been getting better each year between
2020 and 2022.
(The Wrekin) (Con)
Beyond the traditional methods of support for SEND, the Minister
will know that councils give specialist provisions, and we have
heard a lot today about some of those longer-term provisions, for
children in particular, and the time involved. What assessment
does the Department make when looking at the distance that some
of these children need to travel to get this specialist support,
particularly when it is out of county—for example, Shropshire
into Staffordshire? It may not seem a long distance, but on some
of those meandering, serpentine roads it can take a very long
time to travel 20 miles.
My right hon. Friend makes an important point. Out of county
placements are not ideal for the child and their family or for
the cost to the local authority, which is why we have 78 new
special schools in fruition. We are also committed to seeing the
children whose needs can be met in a mainstream school being
supported at an early enough stage with their special educational
needs.
Mr Speaker
I call .
(Rayleigh and Wickford)
(Con)
Thank you, Sir. It is good to see you back safe and well in the
Chair. As this is the nearest I am ever going to get to it—No.
10, please! [Laughter.]
Special Needs Education: Access
(Rayleigh and Wickford)
(Con)
10. What steps her Department is taking to improve access to
special needs education.(900563)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education ()
I wondered what was happening there, Mr Speaker.
As part of our £2.6 billion investment to reform the SEND and AP
system, we have announced 41 new special free schools, with a
further 37 in the pipeline. We have also set out plans for new
national standards to make clear the support that should be
available in mainstream settings for children with special
educational needs.
Mr Speaker
When did the vacancy come at No. 10?
Mr Francois
Can I take this opportunity quickly to thank the Secretary of
State, her junior Ministers and officials for all the help for
the schools affected by RAAC—reinforced autoclaved aerated
concrete—in my constituency?
Turning to SEN, demand in Essex far outstrips supply. The
Secretary of State will know that just prior to the summer
recess, I launched a campaign for a new SEN school in south
Essex. I am delighted to tell her that we have a trust that is
seriously interested, we may have a site and we may even have
some money. On that basis, could I meet her or one of her junior
Ministers—early in the new year, please—to update her on where we
have got to and to ask for help to make this dream a reality?
I congratulate my right hon. Friend on his campaign, with which
we are very familiar in the Department; we would be delighted to
meet him. Where local authorities do feel there is a need, they
can open a new special school through the free school presumption
route, which I would be happy to discuss with him further.
(Vauxhall)
(Lab/Co-op)
The Minister mentioned the £2.6 billion that the Government have
invested, but this is not filtering down. That is the key issue
for parents accessing SEN provision, and so many parents are
raising it at my surgery. One concerned mother told me:
“Parents and children are being put under intolerable stress and
anxiety with a system which is inefficient and creating a
significant mental health burden”.
The Minister mentioned the national standards. Will the standards
include the fact that SEN children and children with autism are
being arrested and their mental health is not being treated
properly because schools simply do not have enough training and
support? Will the Minister please address that?
I thank the hon. Lady. We are keen that schools are as inclusive
as they say they will be when it comes to children with special
educational needs. We have nine change programme partnerships to
try to make sure that the system works a lot better. The money is
given to local authorities, and we should already be seeing an
improvement, but I would be happy to discuss it further with
her.
Local Skills Needs: Education Providers and Businesses
(Stoke-on-Trent South)
(Con)
11. What steps her Department is taking to help ensure that
tertiary and technical education providers work with businesses
to meet local skills needs.(900564)
(Buckingham) (Con)
16. What steps her Department is taking to help ensure that
tertiary and technical education providers work with businesses
to meet local skills needs.(900572)
The Minister for Skills, Apprenticeships and Higher Education
()
We are transforming skills through our local skills improvement
plans, backed by £165 million and supported by business, further
education and higher education, and though a £300 million
investment in institutes of technology, which are collaborations
between business, higher education and further education to
revolutionise our tertiary education offering.
I thank my right hon. Friend for that response. Stoke-on-Trent
College has recently launched its new “Skills Ready, Future
Ready” strategy and has been working with a number of employers
locally to fill skills shortages, and it is very welcome to see
the local skills improvement fund investment of around £3 million
for Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire, but given our industries
locally and the skills shortages, we need to go further, so what
will my right hon. Friend be doing to help fill some of those
skills shortages—to support our industries to help people earn
better wages and get skilled now?
My hon. Friend is a true champion of skills in Stoke-on-Trent
and, as he mentioned, we strongly support the £3.2 million we are
investing through the local skills improvement fund. That is
underpinned by £3.8 billion of additional national investment and
my hon. Friend will be pleased to know we will be opening the
Stoke-on-Trent Staffordshire institute of technology in September
2024, with £13 million of capital funding as part of our
revolution in tertiary education.
My constituency is at the beating heart of motorsport valley and
it is critical for motorsport’s future success that we get skills
training and education right for young people who want to go into
that sector. The Grand Prix Trust is supporting that effort,
having launched a £100,000 annual bursary scheme to help
disadvantaged college students become part of the dynamic British
motorsport sector, a partnership with the National College for
Motorsport and Silverstone University Technical College. Will my
right hon. Friend join me in welcoming this fantastic initiative,
and tell me what more he can do to help promote this important
work?
My hon. Friend highlights the skills revolution we are having in
this country, and the initiatives he has mentioned increase the
collaboration between business and skills providers to help
disadvantaged students in his constituency to climb the ladder of
opportunity in a high-profile industry. I extend my thanks to Pat
Symonds, chief technical officer of Formula 1, and Martin
Brundle, chairman of the GPT trustees. My hon. Friend will be
pleased to know that the South Central Institute of Technology
based in Milton Keynes is also exploring opportunities to work
with motorsport in the area.
(Plymouth, Sutton and
Devonport) (Lab/Co-op)
Plymouth is home to world-class skills in marine and nuclear
engineering. Demand for apprentices in our city is growing,
especially with the construction of new berths and docks for
nuclear submarines at Devonport dockyard. Does the Minister agree
that skills training and apprenticeships are just as important as
new cranes and new docks in making these projects a success and
supporting our armed forces, and will he meet me, a delegation of
Plymouth businesses, our city council and City College Plymouth
to look at how we can turbocharge creating more apprenticeships
in our city to deliver these exciting and innovative
projects?
The hon. Gentleman will be pleased that his constituency has
received over 14,910 apprenticeship starts since 2010, which is
really good news, but he is absolutely right that our skills
offering is the key for future employment and jobs and to ensure
people climb the ladder of opportunity. We have the
apprenticeships, the bootcamps, the higher technical
qualification and the free level 3 courses, but I will look at
what he says and would be happy to meet him and other Plymouth
MPs to work through the important issues he mentions.
(Tiverton and Honiton)
(LD)
Tertiary education providers are themselves businesses that seek
to meet local skills needs, and the University of Exeter is no
different. It hosts international students who contribute £486
million to Devon’s economy. People in Devon do not think of these
students as immigrants, given how this funding helps boost skills
among local people, so will the Minister talk to his counterparts
in the Home Office about taking students out of the net migration
figures?
As a former Exeter University student myself, I know how
brilliant it is, and it also has a huge and incredibly successful
programme of degree apprenticeships. I am very supportive of
international students; they bring a lot of income to our
country. Visa matters are always matters for the Home Office but
I am sure there will be discussions about the issues raised by
the hon. Gentleman.
School Support Staff Vacancies: Trends
(Lancaster and Fleetwood) (Lab)
12. What recent assessment she has made of trends in the number
of support staff vacancies in schools. (900567)
The Minister for Schools ()
Support staff play a vital role in our schools. We have given
schools the freedom to recruit the staff they require to meet
their own needs; although we do not collect central data on
vacancies as a result, I can tell the hon. Lady that the number
of support staff working in schools has increased for the past
three years.
We have already heard in this Question Time about delays in
getting the education, health and care plans in Lancashire. As a
consequence, rural schools like Quernmore, which I had the
privilege of visiting on Friday, are left with more children with
special educational needs in mainstream but without the financial
support package that should come with that. These small rural
schools are therefore having to support children with additional
needs and do not always have the right number of staff to be able
to do so in the way they would like. Is support available to
rural and small schools, especially in Lancashire, to meet the
needs of all children?
We must meet the needs of all children; and at some level, every
teacher is a teacher of special educational needs and
disabilities. I recognise that there can be particular
difficulties for smaller schools in rural areas, as the hon.
Member mentions. We have the wider EHCP system, which is better
than the previous system. On places available in special schools,
where children are in mainstream schools, I recognise the central
role played by teaching assistants. That is why we have set out
in the SEND and alternative provision improvement plan how we
will look to consolidate that position and give further advice on
the best deployment of TAs.
Teacher Workload
(Meon Valley) (Con)
13. What steps she is taking to help reduce the workload of
teachers. (900568)
The Minister for Schools ()
Reducing unnecessary workload is a priority for the Department
and for me. We have convened a workload reduction taskforce of
experts, teaching unions and practitioners to make
recommendations on how to minimise workload for teachers and
school leaders.
Mrs Drummond
It is good to see you back, Mr Speaker, and looking so well.
The last-minute nature of Ofsted inspections is causing huge
anxiety to my small rural schools in Meon Valley. That means that
teachers and in particular headteachers are putting off
activities, such as residential school trips, educational trips
and professional development courses, in case they get that call
from Ofsted. Will my right hon. Friend consider changing the
notice period for inspections so that teachers can plan their
workload better?
I value all those activities that my hon. Friend sets out that
schools undertake for their children. Like her, I represent a
rural constituency—indeed, we have next-door constituencies. I
recognise what she says about small rural schools. Inspections
have an important role to play, but Ofsted also has the
flexibility in the framework to take account of the particular
position of smaller schools.
(Twickenham) (LD)
Teacher workloads are being exacerbated by teacher vacancies that
schools are struggling to fill, and funding pressures are
resulting in cuts to support staff, who often support the most
vulnerable and needy children. That is leading to an exodus of
teachers from our schools. Just last week, we saw the staggering
figures from the Government that teacher training recruitment
targets have been missed by a whopping 50% in our secondary
schools, with the sharpest fall in maths, which is allegedly a
priority for the Prime Minister. How bad does it have to get
before the Government will produce and implement a proper
workforce strategy?
I can confirm that there are 27,000 more teachers and 60,000 more
teaching assistants in our schools compared with 2010. We have
the most talented generation of teachers ever, and we continue to
focus on a strong recruitment and retention strategy, so that we
continue to get the best talent to teach our children.
Mr Speaker
I call the Scottish National party spokesperson.
(Glasgow North West)
(SNP)
The workload and stress levels of teachers rise exponentially
during an inspection. I am sure that the Minister will join me in
offering condolences to the friends and family of Ruth Perry. In
the light of the coroner’s verdict that the “rude and
intimidating” nature of the Ofsted inspection contributed to Ruth
Perry’s tragic suicide, how is the Minister ensuring the welfare
of school leaders is prioritised during inspections?
I of course extend my condolences to the friends and family of
Ruth Perry. It was the most awful tragedy. My right hon. Friend
the Secretary of State will say a word on that tragedy and Ofsted
in a moment. For now, let me just say that of course the
inspection framework and process must both be fully informative
to parents, and supportive to teachers and schools.
Free School Meals: Impact on Children and Parents
(South East Cornwall)
(Con)
15. What recent assessment her Department has made of the impact
of free school meals on children and their parents. (900571)
The Minister for Schools ()
Free school meals support disadvantaged families to the value of
£480 a year, ensuring that eligible pupils receive a healthy,
nutritious meal. The Government have expanded free school meals
more than any other in recent decades; now, more than a third of
pupils in England receive them, compared with a sixth in
2010.
Mrs Murray
Recently, we have had high food inflation. While I welcome the
fact that the Government have now halved inflation, one of my
small schools has told me that it is unable to provide free meals
within the money allocated, as it cannot benefit from the same
economies of scale as larger schools. Will my right hon. Friend
review the funds available for small schools?
I acknowledge my hon. Friend’s point. The national funding
formula recognises that some schools are necessarily small and do
not have the same opportunities to realise economies of scale.
Every school receives a lump sum, irrespective of its
size—£134,000 for next year—and the Government have reformed the
sparsity factor, increasing funding for that from £42 million in
2021-22 to £98 million in 2024-25.
Higher Education Institutions: International Students
Dame (Llanelli) (Lab)
17. What recent assessment she has made of the potential impact
of trends in the level of university applications from
international students on the long-term sustainability of higher
education institutions. (900573)
The Minister for Skills, Apprenticeships and Higher Education
()
I am pleased that we have surpassed our target, with well over
600,000 international students. They remain an important source
of income and a source of pride for our universities, and the
total impact of international students was worth £37 billion
across the duration of their studies.
Dame
As the Minister has just mentioned, the economic benefit of
overseas students is some £37.4 billion spread between
universities and economies across the UK, but applications in
this UCAS admissions round are down. With increasingly stiff
competition from elsewhere, UK institutions cannot simply rely on
their excellent reputations, so what more can the Minister do to
ensure that the UK remains an attractive place for international
students to study?
As I said to the hon. Lady, we have something like 689,000
international students and our target is 600,000 a year. We are
working very closely with Sir Steve Smith. We want to diversify
to a whole range of different countries to advertise ourselves to
international students but, as I say, the trends are good. The
hundreds of thousands of international students who are here
benefit our economy and provide an important source of income for
universities.
Mr Speaker
I call the shadow Minister, .
(Warwick and Leamington)
(Lab)
It is great to see you, Mr Speaker.
As well as contributing to Britain’s world-leading research, the
financial contribution of international students is vital to UK
universities, particularly at a time of rising cost pressures and
real-terms fee value erosion. Any sudden changes in the number of
international students coming to the UK obviously puts the higher
education sector at risk. The Minister speaks of his pride, but I
would like to stress the point and ensure that he puts this on
record. Can he absolutely give his assurance to the House that
the Government remain robust in their ambition to continue to
attract 600,000 international students a year, as laid out in the
international education strategy?
I welcome the hon. Gentleman’s question. I am absolutely
committed to the target of 600,000. As I said in response to the
previous question, we have surpassed that, with well over 680,000
students. As I say, they are of benefit to our universities and
our economy, and they are a very important source of income for
all our higher education institutions.
Violence in Classrooms
(Rutherglen and Hamilton
West) (Lab)
19. What recent assessment she has made of the implications for
her policies of trends in the level of violence in classrooms.
(900575)
The Minister for Schools ()
Of course, no one should face violence in school. In England, we
have taken decisive action to improve pupils’ behaviour through
strengthening the behaviour in schools guidance and investing in
giving support and propagating best practice through the
behaviour hubs.
The latest PISA figures, which were released in the last few
weeks, show a stark picture of violence in schools across the
whole UK. Nowhere else in the OECD do rates of violence reach
anywhere near the levels in the UK. Pupils are almost twice as
likely as the OECD average to witness a fight in their school—39%
in England and 36% in Scotland—and, as a teacher, I can say from
experience that violence in schools disrupts every part of
pupils’ learning. Exclusion clearly is not working, and the
Scottish Government’s recently announced proposal in Scotland is
to put all the responsibility on teachers. What more can the
Government do to illustrate a way forward for schools to deal
with this problem, so that young people’s learning is not
hampered by violence in the classroom?
For completeness, we ought to note that the PISA study noted that
the great majority of pupils in England reported feeling safe in
school—very similar to the OECD average—and were less likely than
the OECD average to see the most serious manifestations of such
behaviour, such as seeing gangs at school or seeing somebody with
a weapon.
It is absolutely true that schools must have the full range of
measures at their disposal. There is no right level of exclusion,
and it should not be used lightly, but it has to be there; it has
to be available. Early in our time in government, we made it
clear that teachers can use reasonable force. We also extended
searching powers, removed the requirement to give parents 24
hours’ written notice for after-school detentions and simplified
advice on how to prevent and tackle bullying, because a safe and
ordered environment is essential for both children’s education
and their general wellbeing.
Topical Questions
(East Devon) (Con)
T1. If she will make a statement on her departmental
responsibilities.(900579)
The Secretary of State for Education ()
Ruth Perry’s death was a tragedy that left a hole in the hearts
of her family, her community and her school. Throughout this
year, I have been honoured to work closely with Ruth’s sister
Julia and her friends Lisa and Edmund to introduce important
changes to inspection practice alongside Ofsted, which ensure
that headteachers can share their inspection outcome, including
with colleagues, friends and family. Our new changes mean that if
a school is graded “inadequate” due to ineffective safeguarding
but all other judgments are “good”, it will be reinspected within
three months. That has now happened at Caversham Primary School,
which was regraded as “good” this summer. We also doubled the
wellbeing support for our school leaders. In life, Ruth dedicated
herself to her school, and we will build on her legacy to help
ensure that such a tragedy never happens again.
I thank my right hon. Friend for her statement; I agree with
those sentiments.
This Conservative Government will fund a new school to replace
the flood-prone Tipton St John Primary School, which has had to
close three times this year and had another near miss last week
due to intense heavy rainfall. It is vital that spades are in the
ground next year for the new school. Will she meet me to discuss
this urgent matter further?
Our school rebuilding programme is transforming 500 schools
across England, and I am delighted that Tipton St John Primary
School is one of them. The school is currently in a flood zone
and was impacted by the recent storms. We are working actively
with the diocese of Exeter and Devon local authority to identify
suitable sites for the school. I am happy to agree to meet my
hon. Friend very soon.
Mr Speaker
I call the shadow Secretary of State.
(Houghton and Sunderland
South) (Lab)
May I start by again sending my condolences and those of the
entire Labour party to the family of Ruth Perry? We must all now
listen and learn to deliver an inspection system that works in
the best interests of children, school staff and communities.
The Education Secretary has said that her Government are doing
everything to get children into school, yet this term the
attendance rate has declined consistently, hitting a terrible new
low in the latest figures. Is not the real truth simply that the
Government see attendance as a problem affecting other people’s
children?
Absolutely not—attendance is my No. 1 priority. I regularly meet
and chair the attendance action alliance group, and we are
determined to help ensure that children are in school, because
that is where they can get the best education. We are working
with GPs and other medical professionals to ensure that everybody
is aware that, first, school is a good place to be—actually, a
better place to be—for those with mild anxiety and, secondly, we
are there to give support in school, and we want everybody to be
in school. Those efforts are starting to pay off—we now have
380,000 fewer children missing school—but it is very much at the
top of my agenda.
If it is the Secretary of State’s No. 1 priority, why is she not
legislating for a register of children not in school? That
measure has wide support right across this House, but it was
missing from the King’s Speech despite the Secretary of State’s
repeated promises to legislate, despite it having been in the
Government’s abandoned Schools Bill and despite it being in her
Department’s submission, according to the permanent secretary at
the Department. Will the Secretary of State confirm, as the
permanent secretary suggested, that it was blocked by No. 10?
No, absolutely not. Of course, more things go into King’s
Speeches than there is legislative time; that is a process that
the permanent secretary laid out. But it is my priority, and I
hope to legislate on it in the very short term.
(Buckingham) (Con)
T2. I heard from a school in my constituency last week that, even
though it has six school counsellors, there is a long waiting
list for children with mental health concerns to see a
counsellor. What steps is my hon. Friend taking to ensure that
schools are adequately resourced to best support pupils in that
regard?(900580)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education ()
I thank my hon. Friend for raising this important issue. We know
that school-based provision works best when all staff are clear
about how to support mental health, which is why we are providing
senior mental health lead training grants to all state schools,
14,400 of which have claimed a grant so far. We are also working
with the Department of Health and Social Care to extend mental
health support teams to cover at least 50% of pupils by spring
2025.
Mr Speaker
I call the Scottish National party spokesperson.
(Glasgow North West)
(SNP)
If there is to be hope for a peaceful solution in the Israel-Gaza
conflict, the input of Palestinian academics will be crucial, but
many have already lost of their lives. Could the Minister make a
statement about representations that he has made to Cabinet
colleagues about introducing an emergency humanitarian visa for
academics in Gaza?
I will write to the hon. Lady about that.
(North East Hampshire)
(Con)
T3. Parental choice is crucial, is it not? To that end, when will
wave 16 of the free school programme open?(900581)
The Minister for Schools ()
My right hon. Friend and constituency neighbour has been a
long-time champion on this matter, and I know his local work
well. There are 701 free schools open, and a further 140-plus are
in the pipeline. There is a current round of applications for
consideration of special and alternative provision free schools,
but further capital would be a matter for future spending
reviews.
(North West Leicestershire)
(Reclaim)
T6. The independent review of relationships, sex and health
education in schools submitted its recommendations to the
Secretary of State back in September. When will those
recommendations be made public? If they are not to be made
public, why not?(900584)
As the hon. Gentleman knows, we are conducting a review of RSHE
guidance. These are important and sensitive topics and it is
important to get them right. He will not have long to wait to see
the results.
(Witham) (Con)
T4. The Secretary of State will be familiar with reinforced
autoclaved aerated concrete in Essex, and I thank her and her
ministerial team for their support. Can she give an assurance
that contractors such as Mitie, employed to build a temporary
accommodation unit for local schools, are working with schools to
deliver programmes on time and to meet their needs? Right now, we
are seeing delays that are affecting the educational outcomes of
local children.(900582)
The temporary classrooms at St Andrew’s Junior School were
delivered by Essex County Council, which I thank once again for
its exemplary leadership managing RAAC in Essex. The Department
is working closely with all parties to ensure that any concerns
are addressed quickly. Work is ongoing today to fix a disabled
access door. I can confirm that we will remove RAAC from all
schools and colleges. Settings will be offered either grant
funding or rebuilding projects. We are assessing the right
solution for each case and we will update the House shortly.
(Mid Bedfordshire)
(Lab)
Swallowfield Primary School has a space-constrained site in my
constituency, and relies on temporary accommodation to provide
important special educational needs and disabilities
interventions for pupils. However, because of an inadvertent
breach of section 77 of the School Standards and Framework Act
1998, it has had a loss of space and may lose that unit because
of the compromising effect on outdoor space. Given that the space
lost could never have been used for recreational purposes—
Mr Speaker
Order. These are topical questions.
It sounds like there are important details to get to grips with,
so I am happy to meet the hon. Gentleman.
(Hastings and Rye)
(Con)
T5. The Government are rightly focusing on technical as well as
academic education with the new British standard. University
technical college sleeves would support the Government to enhance
pre-16 technical education in secondary schools. Will the extra
£50 million made available for technical education in schools in
the autumn statement be available for UTC sleeves?(900583)
The Minister for Skills, Apprenticeships and Higher Education
()
My hon. Friend is a champion for UTCs and technical education. I
am delighted that the Secretary of State recently approved two
more UTCs. A couple of weeks ago I visited the brilliant Harlow
BMAT STEM Academy, which is a UTC, and UTC Portsmouth. We will
respond shortly to Lord Baker’s request for a UTC sleeve pilot,
as she mentioned.
(Streatham) (Lab)
Corpus Christi junior school on Brixton Hill has been closed
since July due to RAAC. We now have tenders approved for the
significant works that the Department for Education said were
necessary and that it would pay for, but they must begin in
January to ensure that they are completed in time. Could the
Secretary of State explain why, despite repeated requests, her
Department has still not approved the necessary funding? Any
further delay could mean that my young constituents are left with
further disruption and no building to learn in for the next
academic year.
We are, as the hon. Lady will know, committed to ensure that
reasonable costs for temporary accommodation and so on are
covered in the immediate term and beyond, to make sure that
capital costs are covered for either refurbishment or, in some
cases, rebuild. There will be further detail to come before
long.
(Chipping Barnet)
(Con)
T9. England has shot up the international rankings in education,
but schools in Wales have not. Does that not show that
Conservative education reforms are helping kids to thrive in
schools in England?(900588)
Yes. We have to compare and contrast that with Wales, which has
the lowest educational standards in the UK. The simple answer to
why that is, is that it is run by Labour. Under Labour, our
education standards plummeted from eighth to 27th in maths, from
seventh to 25th in reading and from fourth to 16th in science.
Thanks to the hard work of our teachers and pupils, and the
reforms under this Conservative Government, we have rocketed back
up the tables to 11th for maths and 13th for reading and science.
Every time Labour gets power, education standards fall. The
Conservatives are the only ones taking the long-term decisions to
deliver a better education for our children.
Mr Speaker
Please work with me to enable everybody to get in.
(Weaver Vale) (Lab)
Despite my private Member’s Bill on statutory guidance to reduce
the cost of school uniforms—the Education (Guidance about Costs
of School Uniforms) Act 2021—far too many schools require a
plethora of logos and branded items. When can we expect more
robust intervention from Ministers to deal with this issue?
Schools should be reasonable in what they do and that is what our
guidance sets out.
(Cheadle) (Con)
Staff at Bramhall High School have worked extremely hard to
maintain the education of students following the discovery of
RAAC. I am grateful for the support given by the Department and
Stockport Council to ensure that temporary classrooms will be in
place in the new year. Will my right hon. Friend join me in
thanking the headteacher and the staff for all their hard work?
Given the existing condition of the school, will he join me in
calling for it to be included in a new build programme?
Mr Speaker
Can you just help me to get through? Members have not got in yet
and I really do want to help everybody.
I join my hon. Friend in thanking and paying tribute to all the
staff, children and families at Bramhall High Street. She is a
great advocate for them. Schools and colleges will be offered
either capital grants to fund refurbishment or permanently remove
RAAC, or rebuilding projects where they are needed.
(Kingston upon Hull West and
Hessle) (Lab)
Last week, the Government published an update of the list of
schools with RAAC. Will the Minister confirm that the Department
is seeking to cross-check its list of schools affected by RAAC
with the BBC, because it remains the case that the BBC
journalists have more of a grip on this crisis than the
Government?
We have a lot of people working on this and rightly so, including
making sure that all the surveys get done. We have also committed
to being transparent, which is why we publish regular updates to
the list. We continue to work at pace to try to resolve the
problems as quickly as possible for the good of the children.
(West Worcestershire)
(Con)
Malvern College in my constituency employs hundreds of local
people, supports the local economy, earns export earnings for our
country, ensures that people around the world love the UK, and is
a huge supporter of our local schools. What kind of destructive
ideology would put all that at risk and make the UK the only
country in the world to tax education?
My hon. Friend is absolutely right. It is a dreadful policy and
it will have exactly the opposite impact. It will probably
actually cost money and mean children moving schools, and all
because the Labour party just plays the politics of envy.
(Reading East) (Lab)
I offer my deepest condolences to the family of Ruth Perry.
Following the inquest last week, will the Secretary of State now
consider the removal of the single-word judgment from Ofsted
inspection reports?
I thank the hon. Gentleman for his question, and for arranging
the initial meetings with Julia Waters—Ruth’s sister, who I know
is his constituent—and attending the first few. I will be working
very closely with the new chief inspector of schools when he
starts three weeks today to see what more we can do, but we must
remember that Ofsted plays an important role in keeping children
safe and standards high.
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