Contributions
1,271 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDCovid-19: Pre-school SectorMy Lords, the Government recognise the commitment of the 391 remaining maintained nursery schools, which often operate in areas of disadvantage. The noble Baroness is right that…08 Jun 2020HANSARDCovid-19: Pre-school SectorMy Lords, the Minister for this area has been in close contact with the Early Years Alliance and other sector groups in relation to the support available. We plan to pay the early…08 Jun 2020HANSARDCovid-19: Pre-school SectorMy Lords, the preschool sector plays a vital role in educating our youngest children. As with all parts of society, the pandemic has greatly affected the sector, limiting the…08 Jun 2020HANSARDCovid-19: Pre-school SectorMy Lords, as I have outlined, the £3 billion of planned entitlements will be paid this year. The sector has been able to access a number of the schemes outlined by the Chancellor…08 Jun 2020HANSARDCovid-19: Pre-school SectorMy Lords, the Government’s guidance on the reopening of schools specifically refers to the fact that using outdoor space, where possible and depending on the weather, is to be…08 Jun 2020HANSARDCovid-19: Educational GapsMy Lords, we have updated the guidance specifically in relation to mental health and safeguarding to say that mental ill-health symptoms that children exhibit might be connected…04 Jun 2020HANSARDCovid-19: Educational GapsMy Lords, it is not possible at the moment to assess the full impact of coronavirus on the apprenticeship scheme, but significant flexibility has been introduced so that any…04 Jun 2020HANSARDCovid-19: Educational GapsMy Lords, the Government give £2.4 billion a year at the moment in the pupil premium. As the noble Lord will be aware, there was the announcement of an additional £14.4 billion to…04 Jun 2020HANSARDCovid-19: Educational GapsRegionally, the react teams—Department for Education staff along with Ofsted inspectors—work closely with local authorities in looking at the situation for vulnerable children as…04 Jun 2020HANSARDCovid-19: Educational GapsMy Lords, we will do whatever we can to ensure that no child, whatever their background or location, falls behind as a result of coronavirus. We have so far committed over £100…04 Jun 2020HANSARDCovid-19: Educational GapsMy Lords, since 2011 it was good to know that the attainment gap between disadvantaged students and their peers had narrowed at every level, but of course we are acutely concerned…04 Jun 2020HANSARDCovid-19: Educational GapsMy Lords, since schools closed to most pupils, teachers and support staff have been working hard to keep schools open for vulnerable children. However, as the noble Lord makes…04 Jun 2020HANSARDCovid-19: Educational GapsMy Lords, as part of that £100 million, the Oak National Academy was set up as a result of 40 teachers putting 180 video lessons per week online. Some 2.3 million users have…04 Jun 2020HANSARDCovid-19: Educational GapsMy Lords, in relation to the situation at the moment, we have of course made school places available to those with special educational needs who have an education, health and care…04 Jun 2020HANSARDCovid-19: Educational GapsMy Lords, it is anticipated that the calculated grades that students receive in the summer will enable the majority of them to progress to the next stage as they had hoped. The…04 Jun 2020HANSARDCovid-19: SchoolsMy Lords, I did not catch all the detail of that question, but I believe the noble Lord was asking what support we can give schools during the summer. We are specifically looking…03 Jun 2020HANSARDCovid-19: SchoolsMy Lords, the noble Baroness is correct that about 15% of vulnerable children were in school at the end of that half-term and the numbers had been rising. On the provision of…03 Jun 2020HANSARDCovid-19: SchoolsMy Lords, I join the noble Lord in paying tribute to all the teachers and support staff who have, during this period, kept most of our schools open for vulnerable children and the…03 Jun 2020HANSARDCovid-19: SchoolsMy Lords, in the specific provision for disadvantaged children, one of the main initiatives has been to increase the number of devices, so that they can access online learning.…03 Jun 2020HANSARDCovid-19: SchoolsMy Lords, we are acutely aware of the gap in education, particularly for disadvantaged students but, throughout this period, vulnerable children have been eligible to attend…03 Jun 2020