Contributions
3,240 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDChildren in Care: Gone Too Far ReportI really hope I did not sound to the House as if I was blaming local authorities. There needs to be reform of the system and we need to provide additional funding. We are…23 May 2023HANSARDChildren in Care: Gone Too Far ReportSome of our aspirations in relation to children with autism—I think my noble friend’s question might have been a little broader than just children—is set out in our new SEND…23 May 2023HANSARDWater Safety (Curriculum) Bill [HL]My Lords, I am not sure whether it is a declaration of interest, but I am an open-water swimmer who swims every morning in the Serpentine, so I am familiar with many of these…19 May 2023HANSARDSchools: “Ghost Children”I thank my noble friend for his work in this area and I agree with him that very often persistent absence will not be the only issue that is going on in a family; therefore, the…02 May 2023HANSARDSchools: “Ghost Children”As the noble Lord may agree, I am not sure that a home education Bill would be quick. More importantly, we support the rights of parents to educate their children at home and know…02 May 2023HANSARDSchools: “Ghost Children”The noble Lord is right that education is essential, for the reasons that he gave. Whether and by whom a child’s door might be knocked on will depend on whether they have a social…02 May 2023HANSARDSchools: “Ghost Children”I am sorry that my noble friend feels that it is in a nebulous state; I do not think the local authorities who are working on this would necessarily agree with him. I point him to…02 May 2023HANSARDSchools: “Ghost Children”I respectfully say to my noble friend that we do not want to steer families away from the education provider. The relationship between school and family is an extremely important…02 May 2023HANSARDSchools: “Ghost Children”I absolutely can reassure the House of that. I express my thanks to the Children’s Commissioner for her work in this area, particularly on children who are not on any school roll…02 May 2023HANSARDSchools: “Ghost Children”My Lords, the pandemic was a shock to education. Sickness absence increased, and persistent absence challenges were exacerbated: the persistent absence rate was…02 May 2023HANSARDSchools: “Ghost Children”As I said, we would need primary legislation to bring in statutory registers; until a legislative opportunity is available, we will work very hard to make the voluntary registers…02 May 2023HANSARDSchools: “Ghost Children”There is a safeguarding risk, but there is also a danger of conflating different groups of children. Of those who are persistently absent—those who miss 10% or more of sessions in…02 May 2023HANSARDPerforming Arts: GCSE and A-level QualificationsI do not accept either that the EBacc is damaging entries and activity in relation to creative subjects or that it is wise to judge the value of the EBacc only in relation to…26 Apr 2023HANSARDPerforming Arts: GCSE and A-level QualificationsMy Lords, this Government remain committed to pupils receiving a high-quality cultural education, including in music, dance and drama. GCSE entries in arts subjects as a…26 Apr 2023HANSARDPerforming Arts: GCSE and A-level QualificationsThe noble Baroness cited a number of statistics, but I would say in response that, since 2016, uptake of the speech and drama vocational technical qualification has more than…26 Apr 2023HANSARDPerforming Arts: GCSE and A-level QualificationsI was hoping the noble Baroness might ask when we were going to see the cultural education plan, which I know she is keen to get on with—and I take this opportunity to thank her…26 Apr 2023HANSARDPerforming Arts: GCSE and A-level QualificationsI just do not fully accept the deficit that the noble Baroness describes. I absolutely agree with her that arts organisations bring an important, valuable and different…26 Apr 2023HANSARDPerforming Arts: GCSE and A-level QualificationsMy noble friend is right that we absolutely should be working together. I thank all the charities and voluntary organisations, which are so varied and bring so much richness to…26 Apr 2023HANSARDPerforming Arts: GCSE and A-level QualificationsIf I may, the Government like “both/and”. We have the arts clearly in the national curriculum and over half of children in schools are doing either GCSE or a vocational technical…26 Apr 2023HANSARDPerforming Arts: GCSE and A-level QualificationsMore of the details on the cultural education plan will be published shortly, but my understanding is that it will highlight the importance of high-quality cultural education and…26 Apr 2023