Contributions
962 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDTopical QuestionsWith your permission, Mr Speaker, I start by sending our thoughts and prayers to the whole school and the community in Ammanford in Wales. With exams season nearly upon us, I wish…29 Apr 2024HANSARDChildren with Special Educational Needs and DisabilitiesWe need to do all we can to support children with special educational needs; they are vulnerable and need the support as early as possible. We have programmes in place to support…29 Apr 2024HANSARDChildren with Special Educational Needs and DisabilitiesYes, and that is the Conservative Government.29 Apr 2024HANSARDChildren with Special Educational Needs and DisabilitiesOf course, we are always looking to improve the system and we do have an improvement plan in place. I will take away the hon. Gentleman’s specific point about people who move…29 Apr 2024HANSARDChildren with Special Educational Needs and DisabilitiesI thank the hon. Lady for her question. Around half of new EHCPs were issued within the statutory time limit of 20 weeks, and some local authorities are delivering over 90%, but…29 Apr 2024HANSARDChildren with Special Educational Needs and DisabilitiesAbsolutely right. My hon. Friend is also right to say that we should take no lessons from the Opposition on supporting children with SEND: let us not forget that the number of…29 Apr 2024HANSARDChildren with Special Educational Needs and DisabilitiesMy right hon. Friend mentions the considerable investment that is going into special educational needs and high needs budgets. There is also provision for capital to build new…29 Apr 2024HANSARDChildren with Special Educational Needs and DisabilitiesWe all know that most people with learning disabilities want to work, and with the right support they can work. The SEND code of practice is clear that all children and young…29 Apr 2024HANSARDTopical QuestionsIt is tempting. We are proud of the safety valve programme, which is being used across 38 local authorities, and I would love to see it in action as I know it is providing a…29 Apr 2024HANSARDTopical QuestionsWe will not follow Labour’s lead, because in 2010 only 68% of schools were rated “good” or “outstanding”; now, thanks to our reforms and hard work, that figure is up to 90%. We…29 Apr 2024HANSARDReading StandardsMy right hon. Friend is absolutely right. The Conservatives’ plan to reform our reading standards completely and expand phonics across our schools has meant that our primary…29 Apr 2024HANSARDReading StandardsSince 2010, we have completely transformed how we teach reading in England, expanding the evidence-based methods of phonics across all of our schools. In the 2011-12 phonics…29 Apr 2024HANSARDChildren with Special Educational Needs and DisabilitiesThe hon. Lady is right to identify the crossover between special educational needs and absence from schools. This can sometimes result in poor outcomes, which can lead to mental…29 Apr 2024HANSARDTopical QuestionsYes, and I can assure the hon. Gentleman that I am always willing and ready to work with anyone from the devolved Administrations.29 Apr 2024HANSARDChildren with Special Educational Needs and DisabilitiesWe will all know somebody with special educational needs or disabilities and understand how vital it is to get a child with special educational needs or disabilities the right…29 Apr 2024HANSARDChildren with Special Educational Needs and DisabilitiesI will expand on the yes or no, as the hon. Lady wants a clear answer and obviously has not heard the clear answer that she been given before. Local authorities have a statutory…29 Apr 2024HANSARDChildren with Special Educational Needs and DisabilitiesYes; I am sorry to hear about the situation of the teacher in my hon. Friend’s constituency. Of course, good behaviour is the bedrock of schools and school standards. We are…29 Apr 2024HANSARDSchools Funding: SEND, Alternative Provision and Building ConditionsToday, I am announcing a further £850 million investment in places for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities or who require alternative…26 Mar 2024HANSARDApprenticeships: Occupation RangeI join you in your comments, Mr Speaker. My thoughts are with the family of Tommy McAvoy. Thanks to this Conservative Government, nearly 70% of all occupations are accessible via…11 Mar 2024HANSARDApprenticeships: Occupation RangeThe hon. Gentleman puts his finger on a very important point. We work with employers in farming and fishing, and we have a number of apprenticeship standards across those…11 Mar 2024