Contributions
1,070 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDChildren's Wellbeing and Schools Bill (First sitting)Q Leaving aside the register, looking at the schools part of the Bill—and knowing the challenges your members up and down the country face—do you think it has the right priorities…21 Jan 2025HANSARDChildren's Wellbeing and Schools Bill (First sitting)Q Ruth, the Bill gives the Secretary of State powers to implement, if necessary, profit capping on private providers of children’s care homes and fostering agencies. It is very…21 Jan 2025HANSARDChildren's Wellbeing and Schools Bill (Second sitting)Q I want to pick up on Neil’s question about the automatic intervention by Ofsted where, with a failing school, an academy order is put in place. I am just a bit perplexed by the…21 Jan 2025HANSARDChildren's Wellbeing and Schools Bill (First sitting)Q Obviously, breakfast clubs are for primary schools, but hunger does not end at 11. Do either of you think that we should be extending provision of free school meals right up to…21 Jan 2025HANSARDChildren's Wellbeing and Schools Bill (Second sitting)Q It has become clear from some of the evidence today that in terms of the priorities and challenges facing schools today, it feels like some leaders have been a bit blindsided by…21 Jan 2025HANSARDChildren's Wellbeing and Schools Bill (Second sitting)Q Dame Rachel, you said that you are meant to be the voice of children. I know you have made it your mission, through your various reports and surveys, to make sure that you…21 Jan 2025HANSARDChildren's Wellbeing and Schools Bill (Second sitting)Q Nutritionally, would you say a hot meal at lunchtime is more beneficial than a breakfast? Kate Anstey: As I said, take-up of breakfast clubs or different schemes is around 40%,…21 Jan 2025HANSARDChildren's Wellbeing and Schools Bill (Second sitting)Q To what level? Kate Anstey: As I say, we would like to see universal provision, but the fact that currently you can be eligible for universal credit and state-funded benefits…21 Jan 2025HANSARDChildren's Wellbeing and Schools Bill (Second sitting)Q And auto-enrolment? Kate Anstey: Yes. The data on auto-enrolment shows that around one in 10 children who are eligible for free school meals are not registered. That is for a…21 Jan 2025HANSARDChildren's Wellbeing and Schools Bill (Second sitting)Q Specifically on the register of children not in school and the powers you are giving to local authorities to deny parents the right to home school their children, I go back to…21 Jan 2025HANSARDChildren's Wellbeing and Schools Bill (Second sitting)Q On school improvement, I have long called for there not to be an automatic order to become an academy if a school requires improvement. There seems to be a concern, as was…21 Jan 2025HANSARDChildren's Wellbeing and Schools Bill (Second sitting)Q I want to pick up on the faith cap issue that the hon. Member for Harborough, Oadby and Wigston raised. The 50% faith cap for all new free schools was a policy put in place by…21 Jan 2025HANSARDChildren's Wellbeing and Schools Bill (Second sitting)Q You talked about the additional powers that you are being given, and you mentioned AP as an area where you would like it to go further. Is there anywhere else where you would…21 Jan 2025HANSARDChildren's Wellbeing and Schools Bill (Second sitting)Q May I start with you, Leora? I want to ask the same question that I asked the academy leaders who came before you. As a membership organisation representing academy trusts, were…21 Jan 2025HANSARDChildren's Wellbeing and Schools Bill (First sitting)Q Dr Homden, you have talked about the lack of provision for children with special educational needs. What do you make of the power in the Bill for local authorities to refuse…21 Jan 2025HANSARDChildren's Wellbeing and Schools Bill (Second sitting)Q How do you think the curriculum provisions in the Bill might impact university technical colleges, which are by definition much more specialist in their offering? Leora Cruddas:…21 Jan 2025HANSARDChildren's Wellbeing and Schools Bill (Second sitting)Q Katharine, do you think we could go further with this Bill in terms of unregistered, unregulated accommodation for young people in care, which has been a topic of many a scandal…21 Jan 2025HANSARDChildren's Wellbeing and Schools Bill (Second sitting)To clarify, my point about data was based on DFE data in the briefing from the House of Commons Library. Should we look at it the other way? Rather than trying to restrict academy…21 Jan 2025HANSARDChildren's Wellbeing and Schools Bill (First sitting)Q You have both referred to wellbeing. The Bill is called the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, but there is precious little in it on wellbeing. Other than measurement and…21 Jan 2025HANSARDChildren's Wellbeing and Schools Bill (Second sitting)Q Coming back to child protection, you mentioned Professor Jay, whom I also met last week. The unique identifier will help with data sharing if we can get the systems right, but…21 Jan 2025