Contributions
1,367 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDEducationIt is certainly the case that there is a big workforce challenge, and making sure that we have specialists in critical areas is a central part of making sure children and young…07 Oct 2024HANSARDEducation and Skills Funding AgencyToday I am announcing the closure of the Education and Skills Funding Agency on 31 March 2025. The functions of the ESFA will be integrated into the core Department for Education.…11 Sept 2024HANSARDOffice for StudentsI strongly agree with my hon. Friend about the importance of widening participation, and he sets out clearly how universities are a key part of towns and cities right across our…09 Sept 2024HANSARDTopical QuestionsI know that my hon. Friend cares deeply about the life chances of children in Macclesfield and across Cheshire East. I would be happy to meet him to discuss the matter further.09 Sept 2024HANSARDTopical QuestionsAs we start the new academic year, I want to say thank you to all staff working across education, and to wish all learners the best for the year ahead. It will be the mission of…09 Sept 2024HANSARDSEND ProvisionThe hon. Member is right in his characterisation of a system that is adversarial and where so many parents have to fight to get a good education and support for their children. I…09 Sept 2024HANSARDTopical QuestionsThe right hon. Gentleman, as a former Minister in the Department, knows all too well that he and others were cautioned about how they should be using data. When we look at the raw…09 Sept 2024HANSARDTopical QuestionsI share the hon. Lady’s concern about making sure that we target funding in the most effective way. That is why I have said that my No. 1 priority is ensuring that we support…09 Sept 2024HANSARDTopical QuestionsI recognise the important point that my hon. Friend raises. Many parents are doing everything they can, often in very challenging circumstances, to support their children into…09 Sept 2024HANSARDTopical QuestionsI would caution the hon. Gentleman about believing everything he reads in the press. Times tables are an important part of our system. We will drive high and rising standards from…09 Sept 2024HANSARDTopical QuestionsMy hon. Friend is absolutely right. Conservative Members do not like it, but it is absolutely true. I would add that, when it comes to the concerns my hon. Friend raises, we see…09 Sept 2024HANSARDLevel 3 Vocational PathwaysQualifications must deliver on our missions, enhancing and spreading opportunity, and growing our economy. The last Conservative Government botched the roll-out of T-levels and…09 Sept 2024HANSARDLevel 3 Vocational PathwaysI know how passionate my hon. Friend is about ensuring that young people in Sefton and across our country are able to seize the new opportunities of the future. We are determined…09 Sept 2024HANSARDLevel 3 Vocational PathwaysGiven her background in education, my hon. Friend knows all too well how important it is that all our young people have the opportunity to achieve and thrive. She is right that we…09 Sept 2024HANSARDSEND ProvisionThe hon. Gentleman is right to draw attention to any emerging evidence that shows new ways of doing things. As a new Government, we are keen to do precisely what he describes to…09 Sept 2024HANSARDSEND ProvisionI recognise the challenge the hon. Lady sets out, and part of it is making sure that our mainstream schools are better able to cater for children with a wide range of needs. I am…09 Sept 2024HANSARDSEND ProvisionAs the Under-Secretary of State for Education, my hon. Friend the Member for Portsmouth South (Stephen Morgan), has set out, we will make sure that, where children have an…09 Sept 2024HANSARDSEND ProvisionWe were elected on a manifesto of driving high and rising standards in our state schools. The public back our policy. We think it is right that we prioritise investment in our…09 Sept 2024HANSARDSEND ProvisionI am grateful to the right hon. Gentleman for his question, and will make sure that officials engage with him on that point. If there is anything further he would like to share, I…09 Sept 2024HANSARDSEND ProvisionI am genuinely surprised that the hon. Gentleman thinks that question is a source of strength. It represents significant failure over 14 years that we have ended up in such a…09 Sept 2024