Contributions
1,529 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDExams and Accountability 2021It is very nice to see the hon. Lady again. The reason for this focus and the advance notice for schools is that, where there has been missed time, they will be in a position to…03 Dec 2020HANSARDExams and Accountability 2021My hon. Friend makes an important point about vaccination roll-out. We have also been doing testing pilots around the country to see how we can be in the best possible position so…03 Dec 2020HANSARDExams and Accountability 2021Again, not wishing to repeat myself, we recognise that there are children in that situation. That is why we think it is really important that teachers and pupils alike have a…03 Dec 2020HANSARDExams and Accountability 2021This is what all the measures we are introducing are aimed at doing: making sure that children who have missed out on the opportunity to learn are able to focus their efforts, as…03 Dec 2020HANSARDExams and Accountability 2021The measures we have introduced are very much designed to support the pupils the hon. Gentleman talks about. I know from personal experience—my own daughter has had to isolate and…03 Dec 2020HANSARDExams and Accountability 2021My hon. Friend is absolutely spot on when she highlights the importance of keeping schools open and ensuring that as many pupils attend as possible, because school is the best…03 Dec 2020HANSARDExams and Accountability 2021We have a very proud history, actually; we put the needs of the most vulnerable at the heart of our response, whether it was the covid catch-up funding—making sure that extra…03 Dec 2020HANSARDExams and Accountability 2021I would be delighted to add my hon. Friend’s name to the list of that army of volunteers who will go out there and help in schools. However, we do not just need invigilators; we…03 Dec 2020HANSARDExams and Accountability 2021We have spent a great deal of time working with stakeholders and listening to children, teachers and professional academics on how best we should do this. That is why we have…03 Dec 2020HANSARDExams and Accountability 2021There is not only the general pot of the catch-up fund, but the specific national tutoring programme, targeting children from the most disadvantaged backgrounds. We have always…03 Dec 2020HANSARDExams and Accountability 2021As I touched on in an earlier answer, obviously we expect schools to deliver a full curriculum, but some will have been impacted in such a way that they cannot deliver every…03 Dec 2020HANSARDExams and Accountability 2021My hon. Friend raises an important point and identifies a great opportunity for many schools to take advantage of. I know that many schools have been putting on extra lessons…03 Dec 2020HANSARDExams and Accountability 2021I very much share the hon. Gentleman’s view on the important role that teachers, and also support staff, have been playing in the delivery of education. Obviously, right through…03 Dec 2020HANSARDExams and Accountability 2021This is why we have taken the decision to make the announcement at this stage. I think the four nations in the United Kingdom believe that this is the most comprehensive and…03 Dec 2020HANSARDExams and Accountability 2021At every stage, we want to support all those schools that have been impacted by the pandemic, whether they are in east Hull or east London, whether they are in the east of…03 Dec 2020HANSARDExams and Accountability 2021We will always look at different options to improve our examination system and how we work with exam boards, and I am more than happy to meet my hon. Friend to discuss that in…03 Dec 2020HANSARDExams and Accountability 2021The hon. Gentleman makes an important point. The measures that we are taking are very much to reduce stress and pressure on students. Many pupils in Northern Ireland sit papers…03 Dec 2020HANSARDExams and Accountability 2021The whole set of measures that we have put in place, whether in extra learning time, changes to assessment, advance notice or giving exam aids, is to support children who have…03 Dec 2020HANSARDExams and Accountability 2021My right hon. Friend is right that there is not an easy pathway, which I think the hon. Member for Stretford and Urmston (Kate Green) also recognises. Any route taken presents…03 Dec 2020HANSARDExams and Accountability 2021The hon. Lady raises a really important point on which there is a lot of shared concern on both sides of the House. This was one reason that we particularly weighted the covid…03 Dec 2020