-
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for
Education (Lord Agnew of Oulton) (Con)
My Lords, through its reports to Parliament the Social
Mobility Commission does important advocacy work on this
vital issue. Social mobility is the department’s priority. We
want to make sure that all children are school-ready by age
five, drive high attainment at key stages 2 and 4, ensure
that all young people have access to a high-quality post-16
route and open up opportunities for young people to access a
high-quality career.
-
(Lab)
Among the many issues raised in last year’s report, the one
that strikes me as of most concern is that only one in eight
children from low-income families can expect to progress to
managerial professional careers. On the assumption that the
Government share my concern, what specific action are they
taking to address this lost opportunity?
-
of Oulton
The noble Lord raises an important point. I am sure that all
noble Lords are aware that my right honourable friend the
Secretary of State in the other place has placed social
mobility at the core of her mission in this department. One
of her key concerns is the creation of 12 opportunity areas
in some of the most disadvantaged parts of the country, six
of which have now issued their own plans to tackle some of
the issues that the noble Lord raises.
-
(LD)
My Lords, the Social Mobility Commission found that many
minority communities were being left behind and made many
specific recommendations in that regard. One concerns Muslim
women, particularly those from Pakistani and Bangladeshi
communities, who do very well in education and go on to
university but are less likely to find well-paid jobs. With
that in mind, the commission called for schools, universities
and employers to provide targeted support to ensure that
Muslim women progress in the workplace. What is being done to
meet this aim?
-
of Oulton
My Lords, over the last seven years, we have put a lot of
emphasis on helping students from less advantaged backgrounds
into higher education. That includes, of course, those from
minority backgrounds. We are spending £840 million a year to
help disadvantaged students into university. That is nearly
twice as much as in 2010. That includes things such as
outreach programmes, pastoral support and support for
internships. All these things will help the group to which
the noble Baroness referred.
-
(Con)
My Lords, will my noble friend confirm that the excellent
work he has done in the past in supporting to improve the standards
and performance of our schools offers hope for improved
social mobility, and that the failure of the parties opposite
to tackle these problems is the reason that many people have
been disadvantaged?
-
of Oulton
My Lords, I can only agree with that comment but let me put a
little flesh on the bones. In 2010, we undertook to take on
the most failing schools in this country and put them into
the sponsored academy programme. Over 1,900 schools were
taken on from 150 local authorities. As at the current date,
68% of those that have been inspected are now providing a
good or better education. That is 1.8 million more children
in good education than in 2010. However, we are not
complacent. My main motivator in this job is to ensure that
momentum is continued.
-
(CB)
My Lords, does the Minister agree that some of the most
disadvantaged children in terms of social mobility are those
for whom we have responsibility—that is, the children in
public care? Often one of the saddest things about their
experience is the number of moves that they have to make, not
only in terms of their care but from one school to another.
Can the Minister assure the House that the needs of these
children will be a priority for the Government?
-
of Oulton
My Lords, I assure the noble Lord that they are a high
priority. Indeed, in the next few weeks we will announce some
work on alternative provision which captures a lot of these
very vulnerable children. He may be aware that we have opened
39 alternative-provision free schools in the last seven
years, 82% of which have already been rated as good or
outstanding.
-
The Lord
My Lords, on my visits to primary schools in Coventry in
Warwickshire, I am often struck by head teachers in poorer
areas telling me that they cannot help their children without
also helping the families, who often face very complex
issues. The Minister referred to the opportunity areas. Can
he confirm that there is a plan to involve parents and
guardians in that work of uplift and that there will be help
for head teachers in that task?
-
of Oulton
The right reverend Prelate raises an important point—that
families are vital to the process of dealing with
disadvantaged communities. When I ran a number of academy
schools, the thing that struck me most was dealing with the
lack of aspiration among the parents. Looking at one of the
first opportunity area plans, which has just been published
and which happens to be in my own area of Norwich, I can see
that the stakeholders cover a number of the communities that
the right reverend Prelate refers to. Therefore, I am
confident that families will be included in the process.
-
(Lab)
My Lords, would the Minister like to comment on the
relationship between a growing economy and the dynamics of
social change? In the light of that, would he also like to
comment on the effect that a policy of austerity has had on
social mobility?
-
of Oulton
I am being put on my mettle today, my Lords. I think that
austerity has affected different communities in different
ways. The real-term incomes of the most disadvantaged sector
of our community—the bottom 20% of earners—have increased
over the last seven years. We have also been very focused on
helping to bring about affordable housing, which of course
deals with the most vulnerable people, and have committed
£9.4 billion to delivering over 400,000 new affordable homes
by 2021. We remain very focused on this.
