Contributions
1,309 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARD Books in Primary SchoolsWell, I am pleased to hear of the good ending to that story. I pay tribute to my hon. Friend for all the work that he does locally and for his championing of these causes. In…24 Jan 2024HANSARD Books in Primary SchoolsI am not quite sure how the hon. Gentleman would or could know that. I certainly know that when I visit schools, I see and hear poetry being read, discussed and being written by…24 Jan 2024HANSARDChildren Not in School: National Register and SupportThe hon. Gentleman is right to identify the number of young carers growing up in our country and going through our school system and the particular needs they have, issues that…23 Jan 2024HANSARDChildren Not in School: National Register and SupportNo; I ask the hon. Gentleman to forgive me for a moment. Before we go on, I would like to say a short word about children in home education. This is often done very well by…23 Jan 2024HANSARDChildren Not in School: National Register and SupportOf course, I readily acknowledge that cost of living pressures and inflationary pressures have been difficult for families in many ways. It is also true that the single most…23 Jan 2024HANSARDChildren Not in School: National Register and SupportNot at the moment. There then follows the most colossal conflation—a massive non sequitur—about a register of children not in school because they are home educated. Obviously,…23 Jan 2024HANSARDChildren Not in School: National Register and SupportI warmly welcome the Opposition’s focus on the vital subject of school attendance. It is a big issue that we want everyone to talk about. Being in school matters for children—for…23 Jan 2024HANSARDChildren Not in School: National Register and SupportI give way to the hon. Member for Sheffield Central (Paul Blomfield), just because he has had a go three times.23 Jan 2024HANSARDChildren Not in School: National Register and SupportI ask the hon. Member to forgive me, in the interests of time. We have targeted support in which schools with strong attendance performance support others that need help, and we…23 Jan 2024HANSARD Free School Meals: Children with SENDI will ask the hon. Gentleman to forgive me, because I want to ensure that I get through and cover the points. If I end up with more than a minute or two at the end, I will try to…10 Jan 2024HANSARD Free School Meals: Children with SENDI ask the hon. Lady only to be patient. That was a central point made by the hon. Member for Liverpool, West Derby and clearly I need to come on to it. To be straightforward and…10 Jan 2024HANSARD Free School Meals: Children with SENDObviously the quality of school food is critical, and regulations cover not only free school meals, in the sense of lunches, but all food that is available during the school…10 Jan 2024HANSARD Free School Meals: Children with SENDWhat a pleasure it is to serve with you in the Chair, Dr Huq, I think for the first time. I congratulate the hon. Member for Liverpool, West Derby (Ian Byrne) on securing this…10 Jan 2024HANSARD Free School Meals: Children with SENDWhich makes it slightly less likely, but let us see how we get on. I am aware that concerns have been raised in relation to food provision for the particular group of children we…10 Jan 2024HANSARDDedicated Schools Grant and Pupil PremiumToday the Department for Education has published local authorities’ dedicated schools grant (DSG) allocations for schools, high needs and early years revenue funding for 2024-25,…19 Dec 2023HANSARDTopical QuestionsMy 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…11 Dec 2023HANSARDTeacher WorkloadI 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…11 Dec 2023HANSARDTeacher WorkloadReducing 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…11 Dec 2023HANSARDSchool Funding: County DurhamNationally, 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…11 Dec 2023HANSARDSchool Funding: County DurhamI 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…11 Dec 2023