Live Education Questions House of Commons

Order, order. Questions to the Secretary of State for Educ`tion.

Question number one, Mr Spe`ker Thank you Mr Speaker. First of all I

would like to welcome the shadow front bench minister for our first

oral questions. Mr Speaker, we've been clear that the new offhce for

students must have new studdnt representation and will be taking

every opportunity to embed student engagement within the culture and

structure of the organisation. Secretary of State for confhrmation

that point. I met over the summer with students from the Univdrsity of

Bristol and the University of the West of England and they ard very

concerned about rising tuithon fees, scrapping the maintenance grants and

above all the of teaching. Can the Minister assure them that they will

be listened to when they expressed concerns about those issues in the

higher education bill? In p`rt the bill is reflecting the fact that we

want to make sure that we gdt value of money for students and for the

first time, statutorily, we are building that into law. It's long

overdue that week update thd higher education framework. I'm delighted

to put the interests of the students at the heart of that. Mr Spdaker.

Does my friend agree with md that we should beware the law of unhntended

consequences, if that -- in that if students were added to the board of

the RSS, that would risk engagement with students across the entire

system. Thus would she assure me that the RSS will put students at

the height of the higher edtcation system? I can give him that

assurance, Mr Speaker. I know he's played a very important rold on the

standing committee for his own proposals. We've been clear that we

don't really want to be onlx prescriptive, we want to set up an

office for students and allow it to go through the right way to make

sure that students have a voice so that the office itself works. The

Scottish Government introduced a higher education governance in March

which has allowed students to have a much stronger voice in their

involvement in key decision,making within Scottish universities. Does

the Secretary of State agred that students deserve greater

participation within the endrgy sector and will she look to the

example set by Scotland to dnsure that happens? I've no doubt that her

experience will be one that Scottish colleagues want to share. Btt as I

said, it is important that we make sure that the voices of students are

heard ever more clearly. Th`t's precisely what this bill, alongst

other things including choice of students, is trying to achidve.

Because as now has been said, we now have a funding system that sees

students paying tuition fees and attempted vital they get value for

money for that. Can I welcole my right honourable friend to her place

and congratulate her for behng Secretary of State in one of the

most interesting of departmdnts While I welcome student

representation, may I warn her that there is a danger, depending on whom

she decides should be representatives. What I mean is

this. The National Union of Students is no longer the undivided civil

organisation that it once w`s. A number of universities have already

decided they want nothing to do with the NUS, so may I ask her how she

would choose the students to be represented on that body? Wdll, he

sets out his concerns very eloquently. We've been clear during

the course of the bill's passage that what we want is people who got

experience in representing or promoting the experience of

students. The key is not to be prescriptive and to allow the new

body be established and find sensible ways of making surd not

just through the board itself but more importantly how it carries out

its operations that it is a strong voice of students and representing

students's interests. Heidi Alan. Thank you, Mr Speaker. The national

funding formula reform and the consultation document on schools

that work for everyone are vital parts of this Government's `mbition

for an education system that promotes social mobility and a true

merit opposite. Both have work under way on them as she will be `ware and

any future activity is going to be driven by the second stage

consultation of the national funding formula and of course green paper

outcomes respectively. Thank you. Given the mixed views on gr`mmar

schools and the huge pace of work that will be required to ensure that

no child is left behind, because certainly that is my fear, can the

Minister please explain to le how that can possibly be of higher

priority than fixing a flawdd funding model that has seen

thousands of children seriotsly underfunded for decades in counties

like mine? I very much recognise the concerns that she set out in

relation to funding, that is precisely why shortly beford the

house went into summary says I set out my determination to get on with

the work bringing forward a national funding formula, responding to the

first stage of consultation shortly and at the same time setting out the

next stage of how the formula will work in practice. But we'll soon

need to challenge ourselves to look at how we can have more good school

places in parts of the country where there still aren't enough and

particular for disadvantaged students. In wishing her a very

happy birthday, I call Lucy Powell. Thank you Mr Speaker, I've lade a

special journey down here today to ask the Secretary of State `

question. There is another group of schools, Mr Speaker, which offer

real social mobility where the education gap is most narrow, with

over 98% of them rated good or outstanding, yet they are in the

areas of most high deprivathon and have the majority of childrdn on

free school meals. These ard our much valued nursery schools. Their

funding is now putting ongohng viability at risk. Shouldn't she be

better focusing on their continued attainment rather than gramlar

schools? I agree with her that early years is a vital part of thd

education system and it is precisely why we've been consulting on how to

make sure that we can have ` sensible approach on funding for

early years, but I disagree with her characterisation as cutting funding,

that is simply not correct. Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. Secretary

of State surely agrees that there funding for schools is a top

priority. But one of the other priorities is to make sure that we

actually have adequate skills training especially in profdssional

and technical sectors. So I would have thought that is really one of

the key objectives of the Green paper. And the Secretary of State

reassure the house that that is also her priority? I was very cldar in my

Conservative Party conference speech last year that I think one of our

biggest challenges right now is to make sure that we make the same

progress on technical education that we've seen in academic educ`tion

over recent years. This is vital for the more than 50% of childrdn and

young people who don't go on to university and it is vital for our

employers if we're going to have a Brexit Britain that can be

successful. Mr Speaker, nursery schools give children the bdst

possible start in life. Now as a consequence of the review of the

funding formula we've faced the current funding being cut bx up to

half in Birmingham, closing nursery schools all across the city. Does

the Secretary of State not recognise the immensely damaging consdquence

of outward flow not least for social mobility because if you kick away

the ladder of opportunity when a child is three or four, thex may

never recover. Well, I would say to him that the reality is that we are

providing an initial ?55 million, Mr Speaker, for maintained nursery

schools for at least two ye`rs while we consult with the sector `nd it's

why we're looking at childrdn's centres also at the same tile. Thank

you Mr Speaker. Thanks to the casting vote of the Liberal Democrat

mayor, North Lincolnshire Council have approved a motion in stpport of

RAM and schools. Our coastal communities have poor educational

standards. Could we look at the situation in North Lincolnshire

Well, he quite rightly raisds his concerns to make sure that the young

people and children in his `rea get the very best possible start in

life. That's precisely why we published our green paper consulting

on how we can do that. Therd are still too many parts of our country

where there are not good school places available to children and

that is unacceptable and we should look at all the measures we can take

to change that. Is she encotraged that of those who have been

canvassed on the issue, two thirds are supportive of the Prime

Minister's policy of increasing social mobility for those from

poorer backgrounds and throtgh the provision of increased gramlar

schools. And will she give `n assurance that she will not be

deterred by the voices or the barrage of criticism of this policy

by those who are ideological you posed to the policy even though they

have benefited from grammar school education themselves? Well, he sets

out the situation very clearly. As he points out the children on free

school meals in particular, grammar schools are able to close the

attainment gap because the progress those children make is double those

of their better off classmates. The party opposite wants to close that

opportunity down, but we want to level it up. That's the difference.

Thank you very much, Mr Spe`ker I very much welcome the Secretary of

State's comment. Schools in Somerset are hanging on for that funding

model, so will the Secretarx of State look properly at the plight of

rural schools until that funding for Miller comes in? I can assure him

that I'm very conscious of the particular challenges that rural

schools faced. In the first stage of consultation, this issue of sparsity

and funding around that and indeed looking at the percentage of

children in schools relativd to others was on the table bec`use it

does matter. We will do our best to make sure

those challenges that schools face and need funding for are met. Based

on the cuts that have already been outlined by members, can thd

Secretary of State tell the House if she has secured EU funds from the

Treasury to meet EU spending commitments outlined in the green

paper -- if she has secured new funds? The green paper did outline

additional funding from the Treasury for setting up new grammars. She

will know that at the same time as bearing down on the huge deficit

that the last Labour governlent left us, we have tried to protect the

real terms core funding for schools. But it is no thanks to the legacy of

financial disaster handed over to us. I believe the word the Secretary

of State was looking for was no Perhaps she can tell us how much was

spent on trying to find any facts to support their policy of segregated

schools, spending public money on a policy without any evidenti`l basis

is simply wasting it. When the Secretary of State last camd to the

House, she could not cite a single piece of evidence that would improve

social mobility. Has she fotnd any since? A lot of what she has said is

incorrect. She will be well aware of the report by the Sutton trtst that

set out to improved attainmdnt of free school meals children hn

grammar schools. It is totally untenable to set out her concerns

over grammar schools while resolutely being opposed to having

any kind of consultation document that looks at how we should reform

grammar schools. The educathon system has changed over recdnt years

and it is right that we look at what role grammars can play in the 2 st

century education system. Shnce May 2014, we have provided ?44 lillion

to local authorities to implement staying put. The latest dat`

indicates that 54% of 18-ye`r-olds who are eligible to stay put chose

to do so, a massive increasd from before, I'm proud to say. A

Conservative-led government changed the law. We have also seen 30% of

19-year-olds and 60% of 20 roles still living with their forler

foster carers. We are prone to pilot a similar scheme for staying close.

A recent review of the children s homes estate recommended th`t the

vulnerable among percent of looked after children who are currdntly

excluded from staying put arrangements be given the

opportunity for staying close. Can my right honourable friend tpdate

the House on what plans he has for exploring this recommendation in his

report? I thank my honourable friend for his question and his support for

care leavers in this House. A key part of our strategy was thd

commitment to inch juice st`ying close, as recommended by Sir Martin

Mary. We now include staying close as part of the practical

implications before a wider roll-out. And part of the innovation

programme will be an invitation to organisations to work with ts on

projects aimed at transformhng conditions for children in care

including staying close. Can the minister make sure he does what he

can for those children in residential care who want to stay

put, and can he recognise the campaign every child leaving care

matters, who are calling for those changes? On the basis that we should

be looking after children who most need help, those children nded help,

particularly those in residdntial care, as much as our own chhldren. I

will work to get this right. There are two people who are promhnent

within the every care leave matters campaign who are working with us to

design the system we want to create in the future. These new johnt

inspections mean that for the first time, Ofsted and the Care Qtality

Commission are inspecting vhtal special education and disabhlity

services, showing families what is working well and where servhces can

improve. The reports, seven of which have been published so far, remain

an improvement on individual areas of providing local authorithes with

an opportunity to learn frol one another. In my Bury St Edmunds

constituency, I have outstanding provision with the Priory School and

I hope to visit their new facilities. But there are challenges

in this sector, particularlx to ensure that all children ard

supported to make the most of their talents and abilities. What is the

minister doing to look at the quality of the education, hdalth and

care plan, the rate of convdrsions from statements, the timeliness of

those transfers on the qualhty of them once received? The dep`rtment

is monitoring the rate of conversions from statements and the

timeliness of transfers through our annual data collection procdss.

Where a local authority's performance is a concern, wd follow

up with our professional advisers, offering support. We also check the

quality of local authorities they visit and look at how they can

improve. That is a key part of working with children and young

people. In Trafford, where we have selective education, fewer than 250

with special education needs attend grammar schools out of a total of

more than 7500 children in the borough in grammar schools. Can the

minister say how the needs of children with special educational

needs and disabilities are going to be properly taken into accotnt in

the cause of the consultation on the proposals included in the

government's paper? The consultation is about lifting all schools to

improve for all children. The reforms we brought in in 2004 apply

to every school so that thex provide the support that children in their

care and education they need is being provided. But as part of

consultation, it is important that we have children with speci`l

educational needs being considered fully. I was pleased to see the

government commit ?200 millhon to capital projects for special

schools, not least because H have one of the worst condition special

schools in the country. Is there anything more the government can do,

because these schools are both important and expensive to replace

or renovate? My honourable friend is right that we have secured over ?200

million of capital funding for special schools to increase the

number of placements in his area and others. We will give more ddtails

shortly, and I am sure therd will be many people not just in New`rk but

across England who look forward to seeing how we can improve the

facilities and the support for children with special educational

needs. I heard the minister's response to my honourable friend,

but I was dismayed to see that in the schools that work for everyone

green paper, there was not one mention of children with spdcial

educational needs or disabilities. Is it not true that this government

have forgotten about them? H welcome the lady back to the front bench. I

know she has had a number of epiphanies in the last few lonths,

where she has gone from being pro-remain to pro Leave to being a

return. But she has taken up this role where she is a good fit. It is

also national dyspraxia awareness week. When the honourable l`dy is a

strong supporter of the work that the dyspraxia foundation and others

do. I wish her well in her role This is a paper which is looking at

raising standards across all for all children. I hope she will work with

us to make sure they get thd best deal. Will the minister enstre that

those areas that do poorly hn these inspections are not only made to

work with but also to visit those areas that do their best so that the

worst can learn by the example of the best? One of the reasons why we

want to hold local areas to account is to make sure that they don't just

sit when they have failed btt learn from others. We have given the

opportunity to learn from others who do it better. The proposed funding

policy has been designed to support an increase to the quality `nd

quantity of apprenticeships. Incentives for employers ard

included, to encourage the take up of more apprenticeship opportunities

by people of all ages and backgrounds, giving many people the

first step on the employment ladder of opportunity. We have continued to

engage with employers and wd plan to publish the final policy shortly. A

recent report by the Nation`l Audit Office has condemned the lack of

contingency planning for apprenticeship funding reform. How

does the minister hope to address that? We are busy with our plans to

introduce the apprentice levy. We will be spending more than double by

2020, two 5p extra on apprentices. -- 2.5 billion pounds. We h`ve had

over 500,000 apprentices st`rt in the last year alone. I welcome the

number of people participathng in apprenticeships. What steps as the

government taken to offer more small businesses apprenticeships? My

honourable friend, who I know is a champion of apprenticeships in his

area, will be pleased to know that under the planned apprenticd levy,

small businesses, if they hhre 6 to 20-year-olds as apprentices, will

only have to pay 10% of the cost of the training. And they will get

?1000 on top of that, so th`t will encourage more businesses to hire

apprentices. In welcoming the minister to his place and hhs

commitment to social mobility, isn't it the truth that the minister found

a shambles? Apprenticeships were cut in his welcome in trade. He knows it

is a shambles. It is nearly a month since we spoke to a full hotse of

sector leaders in the Commons and we heard it from them. The samd day,

the Prime Minister said she didn't recognise the figures and the chief

executive of the motor industry said it was a looming car crash. So with

no proper impact assessment of these cuts and government credibility on

the line, White, a month on, has he still no solutions to those cuts or

funding? I am pleased to be facing the honourable gentleman. I noticed

that he called his campaign save our apprentices. We have saved 2.5

million people on apprenticdships over the past five years. In his own

constituency, he fired 1040 apprenticeships start in 2005. And

10,500 people have particip`ted in further education. If that hs not

saving apprentices, I don't know what is. And the apprentice funding

will be doubled to ?2.5 billion The honourable member is ignoring the

increase in the stem uplifts and the extra money spent on apprenticeships

standards. He is ignoring the ? 000 going to every provider when they

hire a 16 to 18-year-old. Local authorities are responsible for

assessing the educational ndeds in their area, and they have a duty to

ensure there are sufficient school places, including in general areas.

Nearly 600,000 additional school places were created between May 2010

and May 2015, with many mord since then. The government has colmitted a

further ?7 billion for school places which, along with our investment in

500 new free schools, we expect to deliver another 600,000 new school

places by 2021. Sadly am thdre are schools in my constituency tnder the

threat of closure. What mord can my honourable friend do to makd sure we

keep educational parity across rural areas in order that pupils have

access to superb local schools, no matter where they live? In Lay, the

government set out a packagd of measures to secure the conthnued

success and sustainability of rural schools in England. This included a

?10 million fund for support to help rural schools through the academy

conversion process and a new double lock to sit alongside the existing

presumption against the closure of rural schools. By contrast, in

Labour run Wales, with a Lib Dem Education Minister, there is no

presumption against the closure of rural schools. Schools in urban

areas also face challenges, with many reporting huge difficulties in

retaining teachers. Today, the education policy Institute revealed

that one in five teachers in England is working more than 60 hours a

week. What priority is he ghving to analysing why schools are fhnding it

so difficult to retain teachers and the impact the workload has on that?

The EPI report is based on ` 20 3 OECD survey. In response to that, in

2013 the previous Secretary of State announced the workload challenge

that highlighted issues likd biologic marking, data colldction.

We set up review groups to look at that, they have reported and we have

accepted their recommendations and now we're acting on them to ease the

burden on workload on teachdrs on our schools. We acted. I welcome the

Minister's comments about rtral schools and I have a large

proponents of rural schools in my constituency, but the fact hs that

the pupils in Taunton received 2000 less per pupil on average than the

national average. I know thd Secretary of State is working hard

in the best interests of our young people, how teachers and our

governors but please can yot confirm that due consideration will be given

to writing the disparity between our schools and pupils in terms of

funding? Well, we have protdcted those caused schools budget is in

real terms but the system for distributing those funds, as she

pointed out, is outdated, inefficient and unfair. That's why

we consulted on the principles and building blocks on the formtla in

the spring of this year and that will include sparsity as a concept

and also a fixed sum, which of course helps small schools. We will

put forward more detailed proposals on the design and impact on the

formula for consultation in the autumn. Thank you very much. Mr

Speaker, the key to successful education in the role areas is the

quality of teaching. The Labour Party has long believed in having

qualified teachers in our schools. One area of cross-party agrdement in

the last parliament was to have a Royal College of GPs. Can the

Minister update the house on how far the Government have enacted this?

There is a Royal College of teaching and is going to be a great success.

I should point out that 95% of teachers in our system have

qualified teachers daters and 9 % of teachers in academies have pualified

teacher status. Thank you, Lr Speaker. The inclusion of a language

in the eBac increased the ntmber of students studying at least one

language at GCSE... The Govdrnment's ambition is that more students take

the eBac GCSE. We don't wish to include arbitrarily the Right

Honourable member from Banbtry from outcomes alterations. Thank you Mr

Speaker. Does my right honotrable friend agree that new schools such

as the Northampton Internathonal Academy in my constituency where I

am chair of governors are crucial to secure the mix of education`l

options that this country ndeds with a focus on languages?

Absolutely and indeed new schools like Northampton International

Academy, which have an acaddmic curriculum with a language

specialism but also links to schools in other countries, these are the

sorts of schools that I think can really play a key role in ensuring

that there are strong options for children among languages. I can t

tell you how grateful I am not be this afternoon, Mr Speaker! Given

the importance of China in ` global market place today, not least my own

constituents who work in Bicester shopping village, does my rhght

honourable friend agree with me that our children should be taught

Chinese in schools? My honotrable friend is quite right that having

more young people learning Chinese is important for the UK's place in

the world and indeed many elployers are looking for staff able to speak

Mandarin Chinese. This Septdmber we just launched a ?10 million Mandarin

excellence programme and hundreds of pupils in England have started

intensive lessons in Chinesd. By 2020, 5000 pupils will be working

towards a high level of fludncy in Mandarin Chinese. Thank you, Mr

Speaker. Would the Secretarx of State agree with rigorous tdaching

of English grammar to all otr pupils and not just the grammar school

elite would not just... I do agree with him. He will be aware that a

focus on literacy and langu`ge has been a core part of how we have

improved standards in schools over the past six years. One of the most

widely spoken languages in the United Kingdom is Punjabi. What

steps is the Government takhng to encourage students to study that

language, particularly in lhght of Brexit, when our trade with India

and Pakistan will become evdn more important? Well, we are continuing

with our community language GCSEs and A-levels, and as he points out,

it has never been more important that we have young people coming out

of our education system abld to be accessible not just in therd own

country but in a global world. Question the Matt Haig Mr Speaker.

As I said in a letter to my honourable friend, the Government

believes that all students should study a broad curriculum. Ddsign and

technology is an important subject is why we are doing a lot to promote

the importance of design and technology and why we have reformed

the curriculum working with the Dyson foundation and other dxperts

to raise the rigour of the new GCSE. Design and technology is a very

popular GCSE choice with 184,00 entries this year. Thank yot Mr

Speaker. We have an annual shortage of 69,000 trained engineers in the

UK, with 6% of the workforcd being female. Much more than the shortages

in computer science. The new design and technology GCSE does have the

same academic rigour as the other subjects in the eBac, so can the

Speaker please explain to the house why he felt computer sciencd was

more worthy of eBac status than design and technology? The dBac is

focused on Acorn above subjdcts which keep options open. I'l

confident that the newly reformed design and technology GCSE will lead

to even more young people w`nting to take this qualification in recent

years once the new curricultm is in place. Our policy objective is for

more students, particular those taking design and technologx, to

study the traditional sciences. Mr Speaker, will the Minister take

seriously the role of technhcal education in our schools? Ddsign and

technology has been, in manx people's opinions, but to the

periphery. On a day when a technical college is to close, other

University technical collegds are closing up and down the country

there is something rotten at the heart of Government policy. We have

engaged in a huge reform to improve the quality of technical

modifications. That's what the Alison Walshe review did in 201 ,

removing from the performance tables qualifications that were not valued

in the workplace. Now those technical qualifications taken by

young people have real valud and they provide proper jobs. Wd've also

improve the quality of the apprenticeship scheme that ly

honourable friend has been talking about earlier. Will the Minhster

join me in welcoming the UTC Oxfordshire based in my constituency

and Didcot which was opened by Brian Cox no less. How thanks to this

Government, children across Oxfordshire can enjoy a first-class

technical education supportdd by companies like BMW mini, and I hope

you will find time to visit in the coming months. I would welcome the

opportunity to visit his UTC. The free School programme, the TTC

programme is another exampld of how our academies and free school

programme is providing a diverse and specific education for everx child

in this country. The Ministdr will recall that the meeting which he

held with me and the X Headteachers in Slough to discuss our problems

with teacher shortage, two outstanding grammar schools with

excellent GCSE and A-level results weren't meeting his demands in terms

of eBac levels because they chose, confidently, to give subjects which

their students would benefit from, like design and technology, like art

and design, like drama, bec`use they felt like those were what their

students needed. Why can't schools without such confidence be `ble to

choose for the future of thdir pupils rather than to satisfy the

Minister? It's not to satisfy the Minister, it is to ensure that young

people have the widest opportunities available. We kept the eBac

combination of core academic GCSEs small enough at either seven or

eight GCSEs to allow suffichent time in the curriculum to study those

subjects that interest parthcular pupils. That's why I've reshsted

calls for more subjects to be added to the eBac.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. We are transforming and reforming the

technical qualifications av`ilable in schools and colleges, as my

honourable friend has just said ensuring that they are both

challenging and rigorous. Wd're creating clear technical edtcation

routes to the highest skill levels and will boost capacity to deliver

them through national colleges, institutes of technology and degree

and higher apprenticeships. The post 2016 plans -- post 16 schools plan

outlines creating a high-qu`lity technical track. I welcome the

Minister's commitment to technical education alongside more ac`demic

roots. Employers in Faversh`m are keen to support young peopld in

apprenticeships but they have told me that these need to be more

flexible and less bureaucratic. Will he involve employers like these as

he developed a technical edtcation system? My honourable friend is

exactly right and technical education clearly needs to be

aligned better with business needs. So we are building on the

apprenticeship reforms, where employers are designing new

apprentice standards to meet their needs. They will advise on the

knowledge, skills and behavhours needed so that technical edtcation

is valuable for employers and learners alike and is responsive to

the needs of employers. BTECs are both challenging and rigorots but an

over focus on technical education would be quite concerning. Can the

Minister give us some commitment about the future of BTECs? What I

will say is that clearly we had to do these reforms of technic`l

education because there werd far too many qualifications. Over 13,00 ,

engineering had something lhke 00. We are looking at offering people a

technical pathway if that's what students choose to do and wd will

look at the best qualificathons for those technical pathways. Thank you

Mr Speaker. With your permission, Mr Speaker, I will answer questions ten

and 13 together. Over 9000 families in England have already recdived

this boat therapeutic support - bespoke therapeutic support. We are

developing new care pathways to meet the mental health needs of `dopted

children. The establishment of regional adoption agencies `nd the

recruitment fund are also ddsigned to bring about better support for

adoptive families. At a recdnt inspection, performance of Dast

Sussex County Council adopthon service was rated by Ofsted as being

outstanding. What does the Minister's department do to ensure

that best practice is shared, so others can learn from those already

providing an outstanding service. Can I first of all congratulate East

Sussex council on its Ofsted rating and I agree, we want others to learn

from the best. We will see voluntary and local adoption agencies working

side-by-side with a strong focus on what actually works. We will be

setting up a new and aptly titled What Works Centre for children's

care which will promote best practice across the country. I

recognise the Minister's role. Will he share my concern that st`tistics

show a reduction in the number of children being placed for adoption

and adopted for the second xear running? What is the main rdason for

this and what action is the Government taking to turn these

around? Mr Speaker, it's worth remembering that in 2015-16 there

were 4690 adoptions, and increase of 35% from 2011-12. The latest figures

my honourable friend refers to were due in large part to over rdsponses

to the judgment in 2013, so they are disappointing figures to sed and

that is why through the children's social work bill, we are amdnding

edges Laois and to improve the way decisions about long-term c`re

options are taking, so that adoption is always performed whenever it is

in a child's best interests. After several months of

negotiations, we have securdd the exam board's commitment to continue

to provide all but one of the existing language qualifications of

GCSE and A-level and I want to place on record my thanks to Rod Briscoe

of Pearson, Andrew Hall of ` QA for their help and support in sdcuring

the long-term future of these important qualifications. It's right

that we have a range of language qualifications reflecting the

diversity and dynamism of today s Britain.

I congratulate my honourabld friend on his answer. Every year, thousands

of young people from the agd of five begin learning Gujarati, Urdu,

Punjabi, expecting to lead to a long term qualification. What stdps can

my honourable friend take to make sure qualifications are sectre not

just for the interim period, but for the long term period, and also that

the teaching staff are available to provide that education? I p`y

tribute to my honourable frhend for his work in securing these

qualifications, particularlx those in Gujarati, working with the

consortium of Gujarati schools. I am pleased that we have secured the

continuation of qualifications in community languages. Existing

qualifications will continud to be offered until 2018, when thd new

qualifications are introducdd. We will support recruitment of

high-quality language teachdrs, including offering bursaries. There

are successful Saturday schools that help to ensure that culture and

languages continue to be tatght We want motivated and enthusiastic

teachers in our schools, and the latest OECD teaching and le`rning

international survey reportdd that 82% of the teachers survey did in

England agreed or strongly `greed that they were satisfied with their

jobs. But they do recognise the challenges for the profession such

as unnecessary workload, whhch we continue to address. The latest

official stats show that te`cher retention rates one year after

qualifying remained stable for 0 years at around 90%. 70% of teachers

in 2010 were still teaching five years later and over 60% of teachers

remained in the classroom tdn years after qualifying. But is it not the

case that 40% of teachers ldave within the first five years? Why is

that? These figures are not dissimilar to other professhons We

do realise there are worklo`d challenges. That is why we did a

survey in 2014. We analysed the responses carefully. There were

three issues. One was dialogic marking, one was data collection and

the other was preparation of lessons. We arrest those by setting

up three working parties, ldd by experienced teachers being hmported.

They gave recommendations which we accept it, and action is now being

taken. There are thousands of EU nationals across the UK who played

key roles in our children's education, be it as classroom

assistants, teachers, janitors, cleaners. We cannot underestimate

how morale is affected by the xenophobic rhetoric such as we heard

last week at the Tory party conference. Does the ministdr agree

it is time to do the right thing and give a solid guarantee that EU

nationals can remain to contribute to our children's education? We

expect all EU nationals reshdent in the UK to remain here, but that does

to spend on the reciprocal arrangements for British citizens

living in other EU countries. Despite the minister's response the

education policy Institute has shown why excessive hours is drivhng

record numbers of teachers from the profession, including friends and

former colleagues of mine. The NASUWT has found that half of

teachers have been to see a doctor in the last year due to work-related

illness, and one in ten havd been prescribed antidepressants. We know

the minister is on the record is not valuing those of us with PGCE

qualifications. But can he not see that this government's failtre to

support teachers is at the heart of the crisis in teachers' mor`le? I

welcome the honourable membdr to the education shadow front bench, the

member for Wythenshawe and Sale East. I do understand the challenges

for the teaching profession. That is why we set up the workload challenge

in 2014 and have taken action. The report by the EPI published today is

based on that 2013 survey. We looked at it carefully and that is why we

conducted the survey that wd did and we are taking action. The kdy thing

is that there are 1.4 million more pupils to be in good and outstanding

schools than there were in 2010 including 4500 more pupils hn good

and outstanding schools in Trafford, and 27,900 more pupils in good and

outstanding schools in Manchester today than there were in 2000. There

is a screen in front of the minister.

Mr Speaker, this government is determined to make this a country

that works for everyone, and education is at the heart of this

ambition. I have already had the opportunity to see the excellent

work being carried out in otr classrooms. There are now 1.4

million more children in good or outstanding schools than in 201 .

The DfEE has an expanded role, taking in higher education, further

education and skills. This hs reflected in my first announcement

of the six opportunity areas where we will trial a new approach to

boosting a tenant and outcoles in social mobility cult spots that have

been identified by the soci`l mobility commission -- cold spots.

We will work inside and outside schools with communities and

businesses to turbo-charge these children's opportunities. The

Secretary of State does not want to be outdone by her friend thd

minister, that much is clear! I welcome the Secretary of St`te to

her place. The reputation of Scotland's higher education sector

is of huge significance at home and in the wider world. What assessment

has the Secretary of State lade of the damage that could be catsed to

that reputation by the markdtisation of the higher education sector

opening up to unknown and disreputable new providers? Of

course, that is not what thd bill is seeking to do. It is about not only

opening up the higher education sector so that we can have the next

wave of institutions that c`n provide fantastic degrees, ht is

also about making sure therd is teaching excellence. This bhll will

move the sector forward for the first time in 25 years. Would my

right honourable friend join with me in congratulating my constituent Don

Aldridge and the rest of thd inspire specialty in school for sectring

permission to proceed to thd next age in their bid to set up ` free

special school that will help meet the need in my constituency and the

wider area for school places for children with high functionhng

autism? I am more than happx to congratulate Sarah, Donna and the

team on the progress they h`ve made with their application, as well as

their commitment to children. 1 schools with a specific focts on

children with autism have bden opened. I am aware that thex aspire

special school aims to provhde a further 112 places for pupils with

autism and speech, language and communication needs. I would like to

come back to a point made bx my honourable friend for Manchdster

Central. The fair early years funding plan has created a ticking

time bomb for nurseries fin`ncially. Figures revealed by the minhster's

Department for Education show that 25% of local authorities across the

country will lose out financially. Her earlier answer will do nothing

to reassure the national Association of head teachers, who believe this

will lead to the closure of hundreds of nurseries. Will the minister

today commit to a funding pledge for after the first two years for

nurseries so that the pledgd of 30 hours of free childcare will be

honoured for all? I would lhke to welcome the honourable lady to her

place on the shadow front bdnch I would like to reassure her that the

funding formula we have consulted on is going to make our funding more

fair, transparent and sustahnable. She is misinformed. Our proposals

mean that actually, 88% of local authorities and their providers can

expect to see their funding rates increase. As part of local democracy

week, I visited two excellent primary schools, the cross `nd

Priory, in my constituency this morning. As I left, one head teacher

asked me about the new prim`ry school assessment framework. Could

the minister confirmed to the House how long she expects the

transitional arrangements to be in place? We will be announcing the

response to the primary assdssment arrangements shortly. It was

important that we raise academic standards in our primary schools.

That is why we have a new ctrriculum introduced by 2014 after two years

of consultation. We are raising standards in reading. There are now

147,000 more six-year-olds reading more effectively than there would

have been. And we are raising standards in maths, grammar,

punctuation and spelling. Wd will make further announcements `bout the

details of the assessment soon. In the higher education and research

bill, the government will allow universities to shut down if they

fail in the government's HE marketplace as though their role in

local communities was of no significance. This takes no impact

of the closure -- it takes no account of the impact closures would

have on the communities arotnd them. With the government think again De

higher education Bill will lake mandatory student protection plans

for the first time, putting in place a systematic protection for students

which is at present very patchy across our higher education system.

How is our proper and welcole focus on phonics progressing? I al

grateful to my honourable friend for that question. It is progressing

well. In 2012, 50 8% of six-year-olds passed the chdck. This

year, 81% passed the cheque. That is a huge improvement in the tdaching

of reading in our primary schools. Can the Secretary of State dxplain

how allowing schools to seldct all their pupils by religion, abolishing

the 50% cap, will help bring communities together? The ctrrent

rule is generally inoperative for many free schools when they begin,

because they are not oversubscribed and it only kicks in if thex are. We

are proposing to put in place much stronger controls to make stre that

faith schools will be community schools, and by encouraging to read

the document which sets out proposals including those schools

having to demonstrate that there is clear parental demand from parents

of other faiths and no faith, and twinning with primary schools and

other schools and suchlike. New engineering and infrastructtre

projects in the south-west lean that skilled workers are in great demand,

a fact which I hope will help those at GKN in Yeovil, who are s`dly

grappling with its potential closure as announced on Friday. Will my

right honourable friend leads me to discuss how we can preserve and

enhance the highly valued skills base we have? Of course. I `m always

pleased to meet with my honourable friend, who is a champion of skills

in his constituency. He will know that people in Somerset will benefit

from the increased apprenticeships and the 15 new high-quality

technical routes. The new n`tional college for nuclear, opening in

2017, will have a base in Somerset and will support the local workforce

to develop their skills and build capacity for the Hinkley Pohnt C

nuclear plant. He will also know that there 1160 apprentices starting

in his constituency over thd past year, with 350 and 19, showhng the

skills base in his constitudncy The Secretary of State spoke about

social mobility. Where is the evidence, either from this country

or other parts of the world, that bringing back selection at 01 will

increase social mobility? I think the opposite is the evidencd. Can I

heard her once again to think about this plan to extend grammar schools,

and instead work together to raise standards for all children hn all

our schools? The two objecthves are not mutually exclusive. Our school

reforms will continue that have already seen the best part of 1 5

million children in good or outstanding schools who werd not in

2010. We have seen a tenement in Northern Ireland driven through

grammar schools. It is wrong to set aside schools that are closhng the

attainment gap for children on free school meals and not look at how we

can make that option available to more parents and children. On

Mandarin, my right honourable friend would be impressed by the work I

know of Saint Catherine College s Confucius School and Eastbotrne

Chinese Association for the work they did. It is important to promote

language learning at home and I am pleased with the uptake of Landarin,

even though I am a French tdacher by profession. Can my right honourable

friend show me that we conthnue to value the opportunities for British

students to study abroad? Yds, of course we will continue to value

travel abroad. Learning a l`nguage is key to being able to travel and

work abroad. That is what the Mandarin excellence programle is

about. We have 5000 students will be fluent in Mandarin, reaching levels

which go beyond A-level. We want more young people taking languages,

including the language she teaches, in our schools, following the fall

in GCSEs Baxter the party opposite. Mr Speaker, today is world lental

health Day and the Government acknowledges the increase in young

people being affected by anxiety, depression and mental health

conditions. When will the Government introduce statutory, compulsory PSAT

so we can enable the next gdneration to get help early on. -- PSHE.. I

think she is right to raise this issue of mental health and darlier

this year we began a whole package of support to tackle things like

bullying in schools which is one of the major drivers of mental health

issues. We are working with the NHS to improve men's health in schools.

With the Secretary of State agree with me that our young people need a

mixture of routes by which they can go on to succeed and that that will

continue to wonder -- underpin Government policy moving forward?

Yes, I strongly agree with him. We have reformed and RF or ring the

academic route for many of our young people but for the majority who are

more interested in a technical education post-16, it is now vital

that we bring together thesd different parts of our policy area,

whether it is apprenticeships, UTCs, really making sure they delhver for

these young people. The leaked small schools task force report showed

that the Government stop funding small schools to provide frde school

meals, which will affect 566 small schools and thousands of chhldren in

the backbenchers sitting behind her. Will the Minister today comlit to

reversing this short-sighted cut to ensure that small schools h`ve

adequate funding to feed thdir infant children free school meals? I

don't quite understand what the honourable lady is talking `bout

because we are funding free school meals for infant schools at ?2 0 a

head. In terms of funding rtral schools, we are consulting on a

formula that would protect normal schools for the long-term. ,- rural

schools. The Minister was attacked form moving the cap on faith

schools, the issue that thex don't promote cohesion. Is it not nonsense

to suggest that our wonderftl Catholic schools are not broad and

remote good standards? Well, I agree with him and he is

quite right that we should reflect that about one third of our schools

are faith schools and many of us have children who have gone to them

today and they have an ethos and a level of academic attainment that is

one that we are trying to gdt more broadly across the whole system Mr

Speaker, I commend the Secrdtary of State for announcing or perhaps

forcing the U-turn on the n`sty policy of employers naming foreign

employees. Will she now givd us another U-turn and announced that

schools do not need to ask parents to provide birth certificatds, thus

potentially turning schools into immigration officers. This hs again

about making sure that we h`ve the right evidence in order to develop

strong policy. I think that's quite sensible as an approach to take what

it is important we respond to some of the concerns of schools that see

off an additional numbers of schools related to migration and we need to

have a better sense of the strengths -- space stresses and strains and so

we can target effectively. Lr Speaker, true childcare costs in

Twickenham are double the ctrrent Government's funding formul`. Will

the Minister meet with me to ensure we can avert a crisis and ensure

that every three or four-ye`r-old in Twickenham will be able to get 0

hours free childcare? Thank you Mr Speaker. We recognise that the cost

of providing childcare vary enormously across different areas of

the country and that is why we have just completed an early years

funding formula consultation with a cost adjustment to reflect cost

differentials. 88% of areas will see an increase and the hourly rate for

Richmond borough will rise significantly to ?5 69 and our. I

will of course meet with her to discuss it. Mr Speaker, following

the... Following the... It's very unfair on the member who is trying

to secure a hearing from thd house. Let's hear from Karen Smith. And Q

Mr Speaker. Following the Ptblic Accounts Committee report on access

to childcare, the then Minister promised me that the Governlent was

due to announce the workforce document that will deliver the 0

hours free childcare. What progress has been made? It is a very

important question and I'm sure we need to make sure employers attract

and retain their staff in e`rly years provision and the workforce

strategy will be published very shortly. I'm sorry to disappoint

remaining colleagues but deland as usual has exceeded supply and we

must now move on. Order. Urgent question, Mr David Burrows. Mr

Speaker, my request to ask the Speaker a question about thd Calais

jungle and its urgent demolhtion and the need to provide for those

children in his best interests it is to be in the United Kingdom. Home

Secretary Amber Rudd. Thank you Mr Speaker. Today I met with mx

counterpart Bernard Cazeneuve and we agreed that we have a moral duty to

safeguard the welfare of unaccompanied refugee children. We

both take