Contributions
793 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDEducation, Health and Care PlansMy Lords, costs for parents and local authorities will vary, depending on the circumstances of individual cases. Local authorities and families can access free advice and…14 Feb 2019HANSARDMulti-Academy Trusts: SalariesMy Lords, as I said in my earlier answer to the noble Lord opposite, academy trusts are subject to a great deal of scrutiny and we continue to review this. For example, from April…14 Feb 2019HANSARDMulti-Academy Trusts: SalariesMy Lords, the justification is very simple: you take the number of pupils in that trust, divide the senior management team costs by that number and look at the extraordinary…14 Feb 2019HANSARDMulti-Academy Trusts: SalariesThe question answers itself. I would not want Nick Clegg anywhere near government now that—14 Feb 2019HANSARDMulti-Academy Trusts: SalariesNoble Lords would not be saying that if they had a child who had just received an Oxbridge offer and had been there on free school meals. On the broader question of funding in the…14 Feb 2019HANSARDMulti-Academy Trusts: SalariesMy Lords, I will deal first with the second part of the noble Lord’s question. The trust to which he refers is the Harris trust. Frankly, it is delivering the most extraordinary…14 Feb 2019HANSARDMulti-Academy Trusts: SalariesMy Lords, I do not think the noble Lord understands the degree of scrutiny to which academy trusts are subjected. It is a far higher level of scrutiny than local authority schools…14 Feb 2019HANSARDMulti-Academy Trusts: SalariesMy Lords, if that system worked, we would not have had hundreds, if not thousands, of failing local authority schools, which perpetuated themselves for decades.14 Feb 2019HANSARDMulti-Academy Trusts: SalariesMy Lords, multi-academy trusts achieving value for money is at the forefront of my priorities. It is essential that we challenge trusts paying high individual salaries or with…14 Feb 2019HANSARDMulti-Academy Trusts: SalariesHe is helping himself to a salary of some $7 million per year to promote an extraordinary organisation, which is generating mental health issues among many of our young people—and…14 Feb 2019HANSARDEducation, Health and Care PlansTo reassure the noble Lord, I would never take my fists to him under any circumstances. He raises a very important point, because a number of local authorities have literally zero…14 Feb 2019HANSARDSchools: Climate Change StrikeMy Lords, I do not accept that taking time off school in the middle of term is useful for children. All the evidence suggests that time off school affects their education. We have…13 Feb 2019HANSARDSchools: Climate Change StrikeMy Lords, it is up to schools to find the specific parts of their curriculum. We announced £10 million of investment to support schools to share best practice on behaviour…13 Feb 2019HANSARDSchools: Climate Change StrikeTo give the noble and right reverend Lord some reassurance, I say that we have recently issued new guidance for Ofsted inspections and all these points are being moved up the…13 Feb 2019HANSARDSchools: Climate Change StrikeI understand the noble Baroness’s passion for the subject. We are all concerned about the climate. As I mentioned in an earlier answer, we are ahead of the world in many of the…13 Feb 2019HANSARDSchools: Climate Change StrikeAs keen as I am to make our Government popular, that is not a route that I advocate.13 Feb 2019HANSARDSchools: Climate Change StrikeMy noble friend asks a very valid question, and it is one that I have asked. Children have 15 weeks of holidays and half-terms in which to demonstrate without incurring disruption…13 Feb 2019HANSARDSchools: Climate Change StrikeMy Lords, as I said in my Answer, it will be for the head teachers of the schools affected to consider whether the absences are authorised. On the other part of the noble Lord’s…13 Feb 2019HANSARDSchools: Climate Change StrikeMy Lords, we understand the importance of the issue but missing school is not the solution. Absence causes disruption for other pupils and for teachers, as schools seek to ensure…13 Feb 2019HANSARDTeacher Recruitment and Retention StrategyMy Lords, the focus is on early-career teaching at this stage. We have outlined four key areas. One is funding, which will allow teachers in their second year to reduce their…29 Jan 2019