Contributions
1,529 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARD Awarding of Qualifications: Role of MinistersI thank the hon. Gentleman for raising that important point. More than a third of students from Northern Ireland come to study in Great Britain, and it is important to ensure that…09 Sept 2020HANSARD Awarding of Qualifications: Role of MinistersMy hon. Friend makes an important point. There would have been weakness and challenges whichever system we adopted. All four nations of the United Kingdom did everything they…09 Sept 2020HANSARD Awarding of Qualifications: Role of MinistersOfqual, quite understandably, suggested that exams were the best system of assessment. I think that everyone on the Government Benches would agree that exams are the best form of…09 Sept 2020HANSARD Awarding of Qualifications: Role of MinistersThere was a challenge there. As my hon. Friend points out, the National Education Union advised its members not to participate in remote teaching, which was a shame, but I am…09 Sept 2020HANSARD Awarding of Qualifications: Role of MinistersThat is correct. Understandably, we always sought assurances on this, because all of us in this House strive at every moment to ensure that there is fairness for every one of our…09 Sept 2020HANSARD Awarding of Qualifications: Role of MinistersAll Members will remember—I think the hon. Member and I joined the House in the same year—the legislation that was taken through for the establishment of Ofqual to create an…09 Sept 2020HANSARD Awarding of Qualifications: Role of MinistersI had expected the hon. Lady to intervene just a moment ago, and the hon. Member for Reading East (Matt Rodda) sneaked into her slot, so I will make some progress. I can see that…09 Sept 2020HANSARD Awarding of Qualifications: Role of MinistersI thank the hon. Gentleman for raising that point. He refers back to my correspondence and direction of 31 March. One of the key elements of that letter was making sure that…09 Sept 2020HANSARD Awarding of Qualifications: Role of MinistersWe have always believed that exams are the best form of assessment, but it was not possible to run exams in May or June, so we had to come up with alternatives.09 Sept 2020HANSARDTopical QuestionsIt has been incredibly impressive to see the turnaround at West Nottinghamshire College and the work that has already been undertaken. I would be more than happy to work with my…07 Sept 2020HANSARDTopical QuestionsI am happy to join my hon. Friend in congratulating Bungay High School on its new specialist facility, and I pay tribute to him for his passion and his support for a GCSE in…07 Sept 2020HANSARDFree Speech: UniversitiesWe are all shocked and saddened to learn of the incident in which a young person was seriously hurt on their way to school in Suffolk today. Our thoughts are very much with the…07 Sept 2020HANSARDSchool Safety: Covid-19At every stage—when we saw over 1.6 million children return to school before the summer holidays, and as we see the full return after the summer holidays—every precautionary…07 Sept 2020HANSARDSchool Safety: Covid-19I thank my hon. Friend for raising that important issue and highlighting the concerns of his constituents and coach operators in his constituency. Dealing with the issue of…07 Sept 2020HANSARDSchool Support: Increased Covid-19 Infection AreasThe hon. Gentleman is probably aware that we distributed more than 200,000 laptops, as well as more than 40,000 internet router connections, for children from the most…07 Sept 2020HANSARDAttainment Gap: Disadvantaged/Affluent AreasIn addition to the pupil premium, the £350 million national tutoring programme will provide affordable, high-quality tuition to disadvantaged pupils in schools and colleges. The…07 Sept 2020HANSARDSchool Safety: Covid-19Very much so. I draw the hon. Gentleman’s attention to the joint letter from the chief medical officers of England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland in which they pointed out…07 Sept 2020HANSARDSchool Safety: Covid-19We continue to do everything in our power to ensure that all children and staff can be back in the classroom safely. Our guidance is clear: if schools implement the actions set…07 Sept 2020HANSARDAttainment Gap: Disadvantaged/Affluent AreasIt was a great pleasure to join my hon. Friend in visiting St George’s School in Blackpool South to see the amazing work being done there to raise educational attainment in his…07 Sept 2020HANSARDSchool Support: Increased Covid-19 Infection AreasIn local areas where restrictions have been implemented, we anticipate that schools will usually remain fully open to all. There may be exceptional circumstances in which some…07 Sept 2020