Contributions
793 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDChildren’s Wellbeing and Schools BillMy Lords, I support Motion C1 from the noble Baroness, Lady Barran. I emphasise to the Minister that schools with falling rolls receive enormous support at the moment through…20 Apr 2026HANSARDChildren’s Wellbeing and Schools BillMy Lords, I support the noble Baroness, Lady Barran, with this reinstatement of her original Amendment 102. I speak as the chairman of an academy trust; I have faced the dead hand…25 Mar 2026HANSARDChildren’s Wellbeing and Schools BillMy Lords, I will address my Amendment 481. This group is a bit of a mixed bag, but I think that my amendment is relevant and important, as it seeks to level the playing field by…16 Sept 2025HANSARDChildren’s Wellbeing and Schools BillMy Lords, I speak in support of my Amendments 452 and 454, on the control of admissions into schools. This is a fraught issue for parents trying to get their children into…16 Sept 2025HANSARDChildren’s Wellbeing and Schools BillMy Lords, I rise to support Amendment 432A from the noble Baronesses, Lady Morris and Lady Blackstone, who spoke very well. I am sorry that the noble Lord, Lord Glasman, is not…10 Sept 2025HANSARDChildren’s Wellbeing and Schools BillMy Lords, I speak strongly in defence of the noble Lord, Lord Blunkett, and his Amendment 435, supported by my noble friends Lady Barran and Lady Spielman, which is long overdue.…10 Sept 2025HANSARDChildren’s Wellbeing and Schools BillMy Lords, I would like to explain my Amendment 437A, which relates to qualified teachers, and to offer a different point of view from the noble Baroness, Lady Bousted—although we…10 Sept 2025HANSARDEmployment Rights BillMy Lords, I support my noble friend Lady Barran in her Amendments 111A, 111B, 116A and 116B. I have not spoken on the Bill before, so I refer noble Lords to my registered…21 Jul 2025HANSARDChildren’s Wellbeing and Schools BillMy Lords, I support my noble friend Lord Nash’s Amendment 279. It suggests a very mild tweak to the proposed legislation, largely because he is respectful of the majority of…03 Jul 2025HANSARDChildren’s Wellbeing and Schools BillMy Lords, I am taking a slightly different approach with my Amendment 200, which relates to school uniform policy. It is important to recognise that a tiny minority of schools use…03 Jul 2025HANSARDChildren’s Wellbeing and Schools BillMy Lords, I was not going to speak on this group—I was a minute or so late, for which I apologise. I wanted to hear the arguments of those who oppose Amendment 177 in the name of…23 Jun 2025HANSARDChildren’s Wellbeing and Schools BillMy Lords, I will speak briefly in support of my noble friend Lady Stedman-Scott’s amendment on jobcentres. I hear the point made by the noble Lord, Lord Storey, about resource…19 Jun 2025HANSARDChildren’s Wellbeing and Schools BillMy Lords, my Amendment 119 would provide further opportunities for looked-after children, or those on the edge of care, to have access to boarding school places where appropriate.…17 Jun 2025HANSARDChildren’s Wellbeing and Schools BillMy Lords, there are around 35 state boarding schools in the country, but there are also a number of private boarding schools that are ready to provide support, which is why I…17 Jun 2025HANSARDChildren’s Wellbeing and Schools BillMy Lords, my Amendment 82 would provide further opportunities for children in kinship care to have access to boarding school places where appropriate. The Government should be…12 Jun 2025HANSARDEmployment Rights BillMy Lords, I support my noble friend Lady Barran in her amendments, as I am rather confused by how this will improve the education system. I speak as someone on the front line. As…05 Jun 2025HANSARDChildren’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill22 May 2025HANSARDChildren’s Wellbeing and Schools BillMy Lords, this is really a probing amendment. I am the first to admit that this is not an area in which I have deep expertise, but my questioning comes from the angle of the…22 May 2025HANSARDChildren’s Wellbeing and Schools BillI thank the Minister for her answers. I reassure her that I was not trying to suggest that this is a whole new scale of undertaking for teachers. My noble friend Lady Barran was…22 May 2025HANSARDChildren’s Wellbeing and Schools BillMy Lords, I speak in support of the purpose clause, in particular, subsection (1)(a) and (c), improving “the safety and wellbeing of children”, and improving “standards”, to…20 May 2025