:00:00. > :00:00.the coming months. There is no shortage of demand in this session
:00:00. > :00:00.and I dare say it will continue. Urgent question, Angela Rayner. Two
:00:07. > :00:09.of the Secretary of State for Education to make a statement on
:00:10. > :00:14.government plans to lift the statutory ban on opening new grammar
:00:15. > :00:23.schools in England. Secretary of State. Thank you, Mr Speaker. As the
:00:24. > :00:26.Prime Minister has said, this government is committed to building
:00:27. > :00:32.a country which works for everyone and not only the privileged few. We
:00:33. > :00:34.believe every person should have the opportunity to fulfil their
:00:35. > :00:39.potential, no matter what their background, or where they are from.
:00:40. > :00:44.Education is at the heart of this ambition. We inherited a system from
:00:45. > :00:49.the last Labour government, however, were too many children left school
:00:50. > :00:54.without the qualifications, or the skills they needed to be successful
:00:55. > :00:59.in life. Our far-reaching reforms in the last six years have changed
:01:00. > :01:03.that. Strengthening school leadership, improving standards of
:01:04. > :01:08.behaviour in classrooms and making sure children are taught to read
:01:09. > :01:12.more effectively, improving mathematics teaching in primary
:01:13. > :01:18.schools. There are now 1.4 million more pupils in schools rated as
:01:19. > :01:22.good, or outstanding, than in 2010. That means more young people are
:01:23. > :01:25.getting the opportunity to access better teaching and to maximise
:01:26. > :01:30.their potential. That is what we want for all children and we are
:01:31. > :01:35.continuing reforms so that every child can have the best possible
:01:36. > :01:40.start in life. We are doubling the childcare to 30 hours for parents of
:01:41. > :01:45.three and four-year-olds and in July, on the issue of academic
:01:46. > :01:48.selection we are open minded. We cannot rule anything out which could
:01:49. > :01:49.help grow opportunity for all and give more people the chance to do
:01:50. > :02:01.well in life. The landscape for schools has
:02:02. > :02:07.changed greatly, we now have educational opportunities available.
:02:08. > :02:09.There will be no binary choice of the past, we're schools separate
:02:10. > :02:50.people into winners, losers, success or failure. Badge wearer
:02:51. > :03:05.schools. We want to build on our success and create a truly 21st
:03:06. > :03:12.century School system. We want a system that can cater for talent and
:03:13. > :03:20.the abilities of every single child, so to achieve that we need a truly
:03:21. > :04:58.diverse range of schools and specialisms. We need more
:04:59. > :05:01.good schools in more areas of the country responding to the needs of
:05:02. > :05:21.every child, regardless of their background.
:05:22. > :05:30.Education policy, that will be set in due course. Thank you. Despite
:05:31. > :05:32.the waffle, the cat is finally out of the bag. The government has
:05:33. > :05:35.revealed their plans for new grammar schools in England, but not in this
:05:36. > :05:38.House. We did not even hear word grammar. It was linked in the press.
:05:39. > :05:41.Will the Secretary of State promised today that future announcements will
:05:42. > :05:43.be made here so that we can give the policy the scrutiny it so badly
:05:44. > :05:46.needs? And perhaps she can tell us the evidence base for it today. As
:05:47. > :05:48.she read the ISS report entry into grammar schools in England? If so,
:05:49. > :05:51.perhaps she remembers the conclusion that among high achievers, those
:05:52. > :05:53.that are eligible for free school meals are significantly less likely
:05:54. > :05:55.to go to grammar school. The OECD, the Sutton Trust, and even the
:05:56. > :05:57.government's on social mobility Tsar have cited evidence against this
:05:58. > :06:00.policy. With schools facing jail term cuts to the budget for the
:06:01. > :06:02.first time in nearly two decades, pushing ahead with grammar schools
:06:03. > :06:04.shows a dangerous misunderstanding will be the lucky few that can
:06:05. > :06:07.afford the tuition who will get ahead, and the disadvantage that
:06:08. > :06:10.will be left behind. A policy for the few at the expense of the many.
:06:11. > :06:12.Mr Speaker, I was told that the Tories know the cost of everything
:06:13. > :06:15.but the value of nothing. I do not even think they know that any more.
:06:16. > :06:18.Finally, the Prime Minister promised to lead a one Nation government, but
:06:19. > :06:20.she said her policy would be led by the evidence. She claimed she would
:06:21. > :06:23.govern for the disadvantaged and not the privileged few, but this policy
:06:24. > :06:26.fail on every single count. It may be a new Prime Minister, but the
:06:27. > :06:28.same old nasty Tories. Thank you. I suppose the first thing I would say
:06:29. > :06:30.to the honourable lady is we haven't actually made any policy
:06:31. > :06:33.announcements yet. They will be made in due course. She has given a
:06:34. > :06:35.commentary on I guess what she presumes that policy announcement
:06:36. > :06:37.will be, and I would encourage her to wait. But broadly, what we're
:06:38. > :06:40.interested in doing is increasing diversity, meeting parents' desire
:06:41. > :06:43.for choice to have a school nearby to them who matches the needs of
:06:44. > :06:49.their child, and we also want to see capacity built in the system in two
:06:50. > :06:53.weighs. More schools near to children where they need them.
:06:54. > :06:56.Despite all the reforms we have had and improvements in attainment,
:06:57. > :07:02.there are still children who cannot get access to a good enough school.
:07:03. > :07:08.Also building capacity by having some of the best schools in the
:07:09. > :07:13.system to help collectively obtain standards as a whole. We want to see
:07:14. > :07:18.all parts of the education system, universities as well, playing a
:07:19. > :07:25.stronger, better role in that. She asked about evidence. Well, she
:07:26. > :07:29.quotes a report by the ISS that mentions issues on free school
:07:30. > :07:31.meals, but I must say, I do not understand her argument. She seems
:07:32. > :07:42.to be criticising the status quo whilst resolutely defending to keep
:07:43. > :07:47.it in place. It was really interesting listening to her because
:07:48. > :07:50.the words were in many respects the voices I heard, the voices of my
:07:51. > :07:55.childhood, people having a dogmatic debate about the education system,
:07:56. > :07:58.whilst I studied in my local comprehensive and entirely untouched
:07:59. > :08:02.by this ideological debate. What we want to do and what we think this
:08:03. > :08:07.parliament and the country should do is to be prepared to look at the
:08:08. > :08:13.practical ways that we can improve attainment for our children and to
:08:14. > :08:19.be prepared to leave no stone unturned to do that. Frankly, to
:08:20. > :08:21.complain about one aspect of our school system and then say that we
:08:22. > :08:26.shouldn't even have a debate about that element is frankly an untenable
:08:27. > :08:35.argument and it is essentially politics and dogma coming before
:08:36. > :08:42.pupils and opportunity. It is about prioritising benches opposite, as we
:08:43. > :08:46.can see today, of an ideological debate, when what we want is a
:08:47. > :08:50.debate about the practical steps we can take to tackle generational
:08:51. > :08:55.failure and schools that are not still delivering for children who
:08:56. > :09:00.live nearby them. It would be wrong to discount how we can improve
:09:01. > :09:04.prospects for those children, especially the most disadvantaged,
:09:05. > :09:08.purely because of political -- of political dogma. If Labour is not
:09:09. > :09:12.willing to ask itself these difficult questions, how can it
:09:13. > :09:17.possibly come up with any of the solutions? We do believe selection
:09:18. > :09:21.can play a role. We think that there is evidence to show that it does for
:09:22. > :09:28.many children who are in grammar schools. But anyhow we would need to
:09:29. > :09:41.leave no stone unturned, we will be setting out in due course. World
:09:42. > :09:45.Economic Forum has recommended that reminded us that we are on the table
:09:46. > :09:55.for literacy and numeracy -- well down on. Some 18-year-old struggle
:09:56. > :10:01.with literacy -- 17%, and this figure is even worse for numeracy,
:10:02. > :10:06.25%. It is necessary for discussion about grammar schools not to
:10:07. > :10:10.distract us for the fundamental task of improving social mobility and
:10:11. > :10:17.ensuring we make the best use of all the talent across the whole country
:10:18. > :10:23.and not just talk about the few? I very strongly agree. Going back to
:10:24. > :10:27.the Sutton Trust report, which actually did focus particularly on
:10:28. > :10:32.free school meals children and how they performed in grammar schools,
:10:33. > :10:36.their educational games from attaining in grammar schools were
:10:37. > :10:43.twice as high pupils with free school meals compared to the overall
:10:44. > :10:48.impact at pupils overall. Whilst they provide the stretching
:10:49. > :10:54.outstanding education for children from all backgrounds, they are one
:10:55. > :11:00.part of a very broad-based school system now. A school system that has
:11:01. > :11:04.transformed out of all recognition from when grammar is originally were
:11:05. > :11:07.introduced. I think what we now need to do is think about how we can have
:11:08. > :11:12.a 21st century education policy that takes a pragmatic look at the role
:11:13. > :11:15.of grammar schools, and across the whole of the system. He is right
:11:16. > :11:20.that we will not lose sight of the broader reforms that we are bringing
:11:21. > :11:25.through that will improve standards across the board. The Secretary of
:11:26. > :11:31.State represents a London constituency, so she will know that
:11:32. > :11:34.London schools have improved dramatically. Does she agree that
:11:35. > :11:38.has happened because of focus on high standards for all children in
:11:39. > :11:42.all schools, not by going down the route of selection, and I urge her
:11:43. > :11:46.today not to go back, not to turn the clock back to grammar schools,
:11:47. > :11:52.but to focus on high standards in all schools in all parts of the
:11:53. > :11:56.country for all children? I think I can reassure him, we will not be
:11:57. > :12:03.turning the clock back. He speaks about London, and I think the London
:12:04. > :12:08.lessons around collaboration, school leadership and sharing those best
:12:09. > :12:12.practice experiences across schools. I think the challenge I want us to
:12:13. > :12:16.discuss is how we can make sure all schools play a role in doing that,
:12:17. > :12:21.rather than simply saying that grammar is set on one side and
:12:22. > :12:25.should not play as greater role across the school schism -- school
:12:26. > :12:31.system. I think they should, and I think we have to have that debate.
:12:32. > :12:34.Fundamentally, this is about having more good school places for more
:12:35. > :12:40.children, about building capacity by better places and more Kelly's --
:12:41. > :12:43.places, and about sharing best practice and improving school
:12:44. > :12:52.leadership by having schools working closely together. I am fortunate to
:12:53. > :12:56.have an excellent grammar school in my constituency. As my honourable
:12:57. > :13:00.friend will know, people move to Kent because of its grammar schools.
:13:01. > :13:03.Does she agree that it is not right for an excellent academic education
:13:04. > :13:12.to be only available to those who can move to the catchment areas of
:13:13. > :13:16.outstanding schools? We need to improve diversity and choice. As the
:13:17. > :13:19.Prime Minister said, too often in Britain we have selection, but on
:13:20. > :13:25.the basis of House prices which is totally unacceptable. We need to
:13:26. > :13:30.challenge ourselves to talk about how we can change that and improve
:13:31. > :13:33.standards for children wherever they are in the country. And simply
:13:34. > :13:39.saying something is off the table because of political ideology and
:13:40. > :13:47.dogma does not serve the children that we want to see have an improved
:13:48. > :13:52.prospect for the future. Can I thank the new Secretary of State and beg
:13:53. > :13:57.her to listen to the expertise out the. I cheer the advisory Council of
:13:58. > :14:02.the Sutton Trust. Listen to the Sutton Trust because we believe in
:14:03. > :14:07.evidence -based policy. Listen to the Chief Inspector of schools. And
:14:08. > :14:13.indeed just look at the areas where, for years we have had this kind of
:14:14. > :14:19.education, and what it has done to the entirety. Look at Kent, and it
:14:20. > :14:27.sure looks at Kent in depth, she will learn some lessons. I think it
:14:28. > :14:30.is time that we looked at the Kent experience. I know that Kent
:14:31. > :14:35.themselves have done a lot of work to really dig into the background as
:14:36. > :14:42.to how they can get more children from disadvantaged backgrounds into
:14:43. > :14:46.the grammar schools. He has raised issues, a principle, and my response
:14:47. > :14:49.would be if that is how he feels, why would he want to discount
:14:50. > :14:52.looking at the areas of grammar schools to see how we can make them
:14:53. > :14:57.work effectively not just for children who get them, -- get to
:14:58. > :15:02.them, but for those who do not get to them, how grammar schools work
:15:03. > :15:06.with their communities. It seems to me that the response of the Labour
:15:07. > :15:11.Party to all of those challenges is to raise them, but then simply put
:15:12. > :15:18.them on one side and ignore them. I do not think that is sensible.
:15:19. > :15:21.Bradford is one of the worst performing education districts in
:15:22. > :15:28.the country. There is a wide provision of some outstanding
:15:29. > :15:32.results and very dire results. Where people can afford to buy a House and
:15:33. > :15:35.a good catchment area, they can get themselves to a school that produces
:15:36. > :15:39.outstanding results, and those who cannot afford a House and a good
:15:40. > :15:47.catchment area tend to get a school with worse results. Went on people
:15:48. > :15:50.in Bradford get access to the very best grammar schools that we need?
:15:51. > :15:59.They surely shouldn't not just be a preserve of the Tory areas. I think
:16:00. > :16:02.he speaks for many constituency MPs, and the point is people should have
:16:03. > :16:07.the choice. It should not be for government to deprive them of the
:16:08. > :16:11.joys of how they want to educate their children. So this is about
:16:12. > :16:18.choice, diversity and building capacity in the system. The
:16:19. > :16:21.Secretary of State knows that apart from the best possible teaching, the
:16:22. > :16:25.most important thing we can do for young people is to encourage them as
:16:26. > :16:29.they make their way through school. Given that as a nation we still deal
:16:30. > :16:33.with the legacy of a divided education system, why on earth does
:16:34. > :16:40.she think that subjecting more 11-year-old children to that
:16:41. > :16:43.experience and their tearful parents having opened the envelope telling
:16:44. > :16:48.them that they have failed, is going to encourage and support them in
:16:49. > :16:54.their self-esteem and the continuing career through the education system?
:16:55. > :16:59.Dare I said, get another Labour MP saying what is wrong with the
:17:00. > :17:04.current system, while arguing we should not look at it. The legacy we
:17:05. > :17:09.are interested in challenging was the one left by the last Labour
:17:10. > :17:13.government, inflation, declining standards, children leaving the
:17:14. > :17:19.system without even basics in maths and literacy. I sat on a train last
:17:20. > :17:22.weekend and listened to a young man talking about how the fact he did
:17:23. > :17:28.not know how to spell was holding him back at work. We managed to take
:17:29. > :17:31.power from the Labour Party but he is having to live with the
:17:32. > :17:38.consequences of an education system is fundamentally failed him every
:17:39. > :17:42.single day of his life. We inherited a university system with a on the
:17:43. > :17:49.number of children that could go there. -- limit. Record numbers that
:17:50. > :17:55.were not in employment, education, or training. Youth Imp ointment had
:17:56. > :18:01.gone up by 50% by the time the Labour left office. -- youth
:18:02. > :18:05.unemployment. Not only do we want to make up for lost ground but make
:18:06. > :18:10.sure beyond that we leave no stone unturned, we look across the whole
:18:11. > :18:15.education system, to make sure we turbo-charge the prospects and
:18:16. > :18:20.opportunities that all children in our country, but especially the most
:18:21. > :18:23.disadvantaged, and especially those who do not currently have the
:18:24. > :18:29.opportunities they need, deserve and should have. Thank you, Mr Speaker.
:18:30. > :18:34.I welcome the Government decision to at least open this debate. It should
:18:35. > :18:38.be no part of a Conservative government's policy to have a
:18:39. > :18:43.statutory ban on the establishment of grammar schools. Evidence in my
:18:44. > :18:48.area, where they are available just down the road in the neighbouring
:18:49. > :18:53.council area indicates there is widespread support for the
:18:54. > :18:55.establishment of a grammar school. Coastal communities are particularly
:18:56. > :19:00.vulnerable to poorer education standards and I hope she will
:19:01. > :19:05.consider that if the policy goes ahead. And could I also urge to
:19:06. > :19:12.consider the possible extension bilateral schools? I am sure he will
:19:13. > :19:15.be interested to see our policies when they are published shortly. He
:19:16. > :19:20.raises some of the different elements of the secondary system
:19:21. > :19:25.currently the and the desire that I know he has to make sure his local
:19:26. > :19:28.community has access to better, good schools for more local children and
:19:29. > :19:35.that is exactly what we are aiming to achieve. Thank you, Mr Speaker. I
:19:36. > :19:40.think the Secretary of State is right not to rule out a discussion
:19:41. > :19:44.on grammar schools as part of the wide types of schools we have in
:19:45. > :19:48.this country and I declare an interest as the product of a
:19:49. > :19:51.wonderful grammar school. Would she like to visit Northern Ireland,
:19:52. > :19:57.where grammar schools still exist, they are hugely popular and weather
:19:58. > :20:03.is good education across the spectrum, no matter what the ability
:20:04. > :20:05.of the young person at Northern Ireland's results continue to
:20:06. > :20:10.improve and be better than the United Kingdom and that there is
:20:11. > :20:12.very little private education? Perhaps she would like to talk to
:20:13. > :20:18.the first Minister in Northern Ireland. I thank her for that
:20:19. > :20:23.invitation and I am sure I will want to take up on that at point. I
:20:24. > :20:27.should emphasise to the House that as my honourable friend said, this
:20:28. > :20:31.is the opening up of a debate and I think it is important to have this
:20:32. > :20:35.poor our children if we are to rise to the challenge of looking at what
:20:36. > :20:38.it takes to improve attainment and making sure we have good schools
:20:39. > :20:43.where they are growing up. We are going to look at these options
:20:44. > :20:47.carefully. I recognise this is a very emotive debate. That is because
:20:48. > :20:51.it matters but that is also why we should be prepared to have a debate
:20:52. > :20:56.about this, given how much the broader school system has now
:20:57. > :20:59.changed. I will look very carefully at all of the arguments that are
:21:00. > :21:04.made and all of the evidence that is produced because I do think that is
:21:05. > :21:08.important. I will say to colleagues that I am keen to hear from
:21:09. > :21:14.colleagues across all sides of the House and we will be setting out all
:21:15. > :21:18.of our policy options shortly. Thank you, Mr Speaker. I welcome her
:21:19. > :21:24.comments very warmly indeed. All children have the rights to fulfil
:21:25. > :21:28.their full potential. Will the Secretary of State assure the House
:21:29. > :21:34.she is considering all methods of selection and that this is not all
:21:35. > :21:38.about bringing back the 11 plus? We will set out our policy is much more
:21:39. > :21:43.broadly, but I can assure you, Mr Speaker, there will be no return to
:21:44. > :21:48.the past. This is about moving forward, having a 21st-century
:21:49. > :21:53.approach in relation to the school system, precisely not one rooted in
:21:54. > :21:57.the 1960s and 1970s. I hope the party opposite can engage in a
:21:58. > :22:04.modern debate rather than one that is 40-50 years old. I think in the
:22:05. > :22:07.clamour coming from some areas about creating new grammar schools, what
:22:08. > :22:13.many people forget is when you create a new grammar school, you
:22:14. > :22:20.also create secondary modern schools because of the skewing of the intake
:22:21. > :22:23.of those other schools. The chief inspector in his speech to London
:22:24. > :22:27.local government on Monday accepted that grammar schools where they do
:22:28. > :22:32.exist do a fine job with the intake they have, but have a very poor
:22:33. > :22:37.track record in terms of admitting youngsters from a non-middle-class
:22:38. > :22:41.background. If we are going to go down this road, what can the
:22:42. > :22:46.Secretary of State dude confirmed that would be the case in other
:22:47. > :22:52.parts of the country? I think it again underlines why we are right to
:22:53. > :22:57.open up this agenda for debate. In a way, we are not going to tackle any
:22:58. > :22:59.of the issues he cares about without having a broad look about what a
:23:00. > :23:04.modern policy approach to grammar should look like. We should not
:23:05. > :23:07.simply discount the excellent education so many children do get at
:23:08. > :23:12.grammar school, including children from very disadvantaged backgrounds.
:23:13. > :23:15.We should look harder at how we can make sure grammar schools play the
:23:16. > :23:22.role more collaboratively in a broader system to make sure they
:23:23. > :23:27.build up capacity and more good places as they steadily improve
:23:28. > :23:30.themselves. Yesterday in the course of an education select committee
:23:31. > :23:36.hearing we have the evidence, the truism of what can affect attainment
:23:37. > :23:39.most is good teaching in the classroom, which is evidently true.
:23:40. > :23:44.Does she agree sometimes structures can support learning and the recent
:23:45. > :23:49.study of 2011 showed that giving schools autonomy improves outcome,
:23:50. > :23:54.so that further choice for parents, teachers and students may give
:23:55. > :24:01.further opportunity? I think that is right. Critically, we need to have
:24:02. > :24:05.the right level of autonomy for schools so they can actually get on
:24:06. > :24:08.with the job of teaching our children, but also fantastic
:24:09. > :24:12.leadership in our schools. We know from the London experience that was
:24:13. > :24:17.critical. Heads showing what could be done in difficult schools and
:24:18. > :24:20.working with others for their schools to put in place the same
:24:21. > :24:26.sort of approaches and then teaching staff more broadly that are
:24:27. > :24:29.motivated and able to work in the classroom effectively with children
:24:30. > :24:34.who are able to be disciplined ineffectively by the head and a head
:24:35. > :24:38.that genuinely feels they have control and leadership over the
:24:39. > :24:41.school. All of these things make a difference and beyond that, if we
:24:42. > :24:47.are really going to make an impact on the long-term social mobility in
:24:48. > :24:51.Britain, which will not change overnight, we need not only schools
:24:52. > :24:57.and the education family to be driving social mobility, but we need
:24:58. > :25:01.local communities, business, universities, civil society,
:25:02. > :25:06.everybody needs to play a role alongside core education reform, to
:25:07. > :25:11.make sure children inside the classroom and also outside are
:25:12. > :25:17.getting the skills, knowledge, the advice and experience they will need
:25:18. > :25:24.to truly develop their potential. When the former chief inspector said
:25:25. > :25:28.that the idea that poor children will benefit from an expansion in
:25:29. > :25:37.the number of grammar schools was too and nonsense, was he being
:25:38. > :25:40.ideological? -- was nonsense. In opening up this debate, there will
:25:41. > :25:45.be people that have different views but I do not believe that as a
:25:46. > :25:47.reason not to have the debate. The issue of improving attainment and
:25:48. > :25:53.having more good school places for more children, building the capacity
:25:54. > :26:00.that we need in our system for it to have great schools on the doorstep
:26:01. > :26:03.is too important to put in the bracket that it is too hard and we
:26:04. > :26:06.should not have a debate. We should have the debate and work out what we
:26:07. > :26:13.need to do to do a better job of raising attainment for children who
:26:14. > :26:19.currently do not go far enough. Doctor Julian Lewis. Not him! I am
:26:20. > :26:26.not an expert on the theory of secondary education but having
:26:27. > :26:30.attended a grammar school with a largely working-class contingent in
:26:31. > :26:36.the 1960s, I know something about the practice from which we all
:26:37. > :26:41.benefit. Can the Secretary of State explain why it is acceptable to
:26:42. > :26:49.nurture and promote sporting excellence, but not academic
:26:50. > :26:52.excellence? He raises a good point around the broader issue of
:26:53. > :26:57.selection, which is that all children are different and
:26:58. > :27:02.therefore, playing to those talents and natural interests of children is
:27:03. > :27:06.important. Parents should have more choice and more diversity in the
:27:07. > :27:09.school system to find not only a good school but a good school that
:27:10. > :27:18.will be particularly good for the child. Thank you, Mr Speaker. The
:27:19. > :27:21.job of education in the 21st century is to maximise opportunity for the
:27:22. > :27:27.maximum number of children, whatever their background. The Ofsted chief
:27:28. > :27:30.Inspector said this week that a return to grammar schools would not
:27:31. > :27:34.do that. He said it would be a profoundly retrograde step that
:27:35. > :27:39.would actually lead to overall standards sliding back, not
:27:40. > :27:44.improving. He said just 9% of disadvantaged children go to the
:27:45. > :27:50.grammar schools in grammar school Bexley, were as a non-grammar school
:27:51. > :27:54.Hackney, 62% of children go to university compared to 48% as a
:27:55. > :28:00.whole. Does she not agree that where there is a failure and disadvantage,
:28:01. > :28:05.the answer should not be a festival of bringing back but instead a focus
:28:06. > :28:10.on expanding opportunity for all schools right across the system?
:28:11. > :28:14.Expanding opportunity is at the heart of what we are doing. I would
:28:15. > :28:19.encourage him to rather than jump the gun, wait and see the Government
:28:20. > :28:22.proposals when they are set out. Yet again, we have heard from the party
:28:23. > :28:26.opposite of complaints about the current system while apparently
:28:27. > :28:32.maintaining a position of not wanting to have a debate about how
:28:33. > :28:35.we can improve it and make it better overall and ensure that improvement
:28:36. > :28:41.is something the whole school system can benefit from. I realise the
:28:42. > :28:44.honourable gentleman may experience some teething problems as he makes
:28:45. > :28:49.his adjustments to life in the backbenchers. We look forward to
:28:50. > :28:53.hearing from him on a regular basis but unfortunately he is no longer a
:28:54. > :28:58.minister and does not have a guaranteed slot, but an expectant
:28:59. > :29:04.nation will now hear him! I am slowly readjusting to the
:29:05. > :29:08.metaphysical plane. I welcome what the Secretary of State has said
:29:09. > :29:11.about diversity and choice. But will she acknowledge that a grammar
:29:12. > :29:16.school might not be suited to every town? I would not relish the
:29:17. > :29:24.prospect of informing parents informing bread, Milton or
:29:25. > :29:27.Leamington that the child had not been able to get into the grammar
:29:28. > :29:34.school and would have to be bussed elsewhere. He raises an important
:29:35. > :29:37.point about how local communities needs to be intrinsically involved
:29:38. > :29:43.in how the school system locally develops. I can assure him we are
:29:44. > :29:47.very seasoned in that. I should also take this opportunity to put on
:29:48. > :29:52.record how much I enjoyed working with him in our previous department
:29:53. > :29:57.roles for education. He did an outstanding job and was a pleasure
:29:58. > :30:03.to have as a ministerial colleague. Thank you, Mr Speaker. All of us
:30:04. > :30:08.wants the best for our children. But following on from my honourable
:30:09. > :30:11.friend for Gateshead, in answering his question, which in my view she
:30:12. > :30:16.did not, does she not understand the very real concern is that in
:30:17. > :30:22.reintroducing grammar schools, you also reintroduce secondary moderns?
:30:23. > :30:26.You recreate the division that there has been a consensus about that we
:30:27. > :30:31.should not allow within the education system. How is it that
:30:32. > :30:36.proposing new grammar schools, which will bring secondary moderns is
:30:37. > :30:41.going to improve attainment for all pupils in all of our communities?
:30:42. > :30:45.The fundamental premise of his question I think is wrong. This is
:30:46. > :30:49.absolutely not about going back to the past. Secondary moderns for many
:30:50. > :30:55.years did not even put their children through a single exam. Our
:30:56. > :31:01.school system has reformed, thankfully, beyond all recognition
:31:02. > :31:04.since then. The premise of his question is wrong. This is about
:31:05. > :31:09.improving standards for all children. He asked about how we can
:31:10. > :31:12.make that happen. One of the ways is having good and outstanding schools
:31:13. > :31:17.playing more of a role, lifting other schools that can benefit from
:31:18. > :31:23.the experience and knowledge. Could I welcome the Secretary of State's
:31:24. > :31:27.focus on excellence in education for all and invite her to Salisbury to
:31:28. > :31:32.look at the mixed economy with grammar schools, UTC, a free six
:31:33. > :31:37.form, local authority schools and a multi-Academy trust forming shortly,
:31:38. > :31:41.and also place matters is on the dynamic between those different
:31:42. > :31:44.types of schools and how in particular grammar schools work with
:31:45. > :31:49.the neighbours nearby to raise standards across the board? Finally,
:31:50. > :31:55.the focus on the P8 school which does a loss to put into focus the
:31:56. > :31:56.progress made by every school would surely needs to be where the
:31:57. > :32:06.emphasis should be placed? He is right, collaboration and
:32:07. > :32:11.having good schools working with families to raise attainment is
:32:12. > :32:16.important. We should be challenging schools on progress that every
:32:17. > :32:23.child. Part of the problem of this approach of getting people into
:32:24. > :32:25.GCSEs was that it missed out the progress schools often make
:32:26. > :32:28.brilliantly with children that are perhaps further back in there
:32:29. > :32:37.attainment, and we should be valuing that. We should hear from a
:32:38. > :32:44.philosopher. Doctor John Pugh. On a consensual note, she will agree that
:32:45. > :32:48.the biggest problem is underperforming boys in poorer
:32:49. > :32:53.areas. Few of whom will pass the 11 plus. How does she think the
:32:54. > :33:00.creation of grammar schools is a solution to this, in simple terms?
:33:01. > :33:03.You will be pleased to hear that the Department for Education has a range
:33:04. > :33:07.of different policies. We're allowed to have more than one to tackle poor
:33:08. > :33:11.attainment, and we will be bringing forward some proposals on how we
:33:12. > :33:19.feel the broader school system, including grammars, can work more
:33:20. > :33:26.effectively and indeed the education system can improve attainment. But
:33:27. > :33:29.he is right to highlight white working-class boys in particular.
:33:30. > :33:32.Some work was done by the Sutton Trust that looked at primary schools
:33:33. > :33:35.that were doing a good job on improving attainment of white
:33:36. > :33:40.working-class boys, and sadly only eight to ten really improved
:33:41. > :33:44.attainment dramatically, but we can learn from the experience and make
:33:45. > :33:49.sure the best practices spread more effectively. But it is critical, and
:33:50. > :33:53.he is right to focus on it. There is no doubt that there is a virtual
:33:54. > :33:58.scrum of parents around almost every grammar school in the country trying
:33:59. > :34:02.to take advantage of the excellent education opportunities they
:34:03. > :34:07.provide. The answer is not to sneer at grammar schools or to try to
:34:08. > :34:11.close them down, the option surely should be to enhance them. At the
:34:12. > :34:17.moment new schools can select on the basis of children's ability at
:34:18. > :34:23.performing arts, sport and music, but not on that ability at maths or
:34:24. > :34:30.English. How can that be right? He is right, and the scrums around good
:34:31. > :34:36.schools, not just grammar schools, so our focus has to be on opening up
:34:37. > :34:40.the system as much as we can to maximise our ability to get good
:34:41. > :34:46.schools and more good places for children in their local area, and
:34:47. > :34:49.many of our colleagues have spoken about how children come from miles
:34:50. > :34:53.away to the good school in their constituency. Perhaps if we already
:34:54. > :34:57.had a good school closer to where those children left, they would not
:34:58. > :35:00.need to do and they would not spend their time travelling and losing out
:35:01. > :35:07.on homework and study time to do so. I welcome the comprehensively
:35:08. > :35:11.educated Secretary of State to her place. The age of 11 is too early to
:35:12. > :35:16.make final decisions which affect the child's whole future, so said
:35:17. > :35:22.Margaret Thatcher, the Secretary of State who oversaw the most expansive
:35:23. > :35:30.change in education. Does she really want to bring back secondary modern
:35:31. > :35:33.and grammar schools with a negative impact on achievement, predicted by
:35:34. > :35:37.Her Majesty is inspected and a negative impact on social mobility
:35:38. > :35:43.predicted by the government's social mobility adviser? I have a great
:35:44. > :35:45.amount of respect for the honourable gentleman and now that he spent a
:35:46. > :35:51.career in education before coming into this place, and I would simply
:35:52. > :35:56.say to him to wait for the policy options to, it, and I will be
:35:57. > :36:02.interested to hear his response to those in due course. I went to a
:36:03. > :36:06.state grammar school in south London and I owe my place here to that
:36:07. > :36:15.school. The best grammar schools actively seek children from
:36:16. > :36:21.disadvantaged backgrounds, and Wallington County Grammar next door
:36:22. > :36:24.to Croydon has 14% on free school meals. With the Secretary of State
:36:25. > :36:28.support their plans to open up a satellite grammar school in my
:36:29. > :36:34.constituency, rather like the one opened up in Sevenoaks a few months
:36:35. > :36:37.ago? I think all of us are here because of the education we were
:36:38. > :36:41.lucky enough to have. I think the challenge we face and we are
:36:42. > :36:45.debating is how we can make sure that no child misses out on that
:36:46. > :36:50.opportunity because of the postcode lottery of where they happen to be
:36:51. > :36:53.have been born in in the country. We need to make sure that whatever kind
:36:54. > :36:58.of good schools they are, that they have more freedom to be able to
:36:59. > :37:02.expand and deliver more good places in our school system for children
:37:03. > :37:06.who do not currently have them. I have listened carefully to the
:37:07. > :37:09.Secretary of State, and I have not heard her explicitly support the
:37:10. > :37:12.policy announced by the Prime Minister that the backbench
:37:13. > :37:17.Conservative private meeting last night. And it was leaked to the
:37:18. > :37:22.media. It is an interesting fact. Given that the Prime Minister has
:37:23. > :37:26.repeatedly boasted that she likes to take decisions thinking very
:37:27. > :37:30.carefully about them based on evidence, is she aware of any
:37:31. > :37:33.evidence that shows that a grammar school system improves attainment
:37:34. > :37:41.across the piece or improves social mobility? As I have said in the
:37:42. > :37:45.past, we have not set out the policy proposals. They will be set out in
:37:46. > :37:49.due course. I would point him to the search by the Sutton Trust which
:37:50. > :37:54.clearly set out the improved attainment for free school meal
:37:55. > :37:56.children, but also actually said that in that particular piece of
:37:57. > :38:01.research they did not see any negative impact on children outside
:38:02. > :38:05.of the grammar school system on attainment. I recognise that there
:38:06. > :38:07.are different studies that have recognised different challenges
:38:08. > :38:11.around selection, but again I would say that if that is the view
:38:12. > :38:15.honourable members take, isn't that all the more reason to open debate
:38:16. > :38:23.and discuss how we can have a sensible policy on grammar schools?
:38:24. > :38:27.Speaking as someone who was comprehensively educated in a
:38:28. > :38:32.comprehensive school, I saw the benefits both of academic education
:38:33. > :38:35.but also vocational education. With my right honourable friend not agree
:38:36. > :38:40.that one of the things we have to do in society is to assess young
:38:41. > :38:43.people, make sure that we have teaching for them that stretches
:38:44. > :38:48.them to the utmost so they achieve the best they can, and that actually
:38:49. > :38:53.assessments of all ages are important, so we achieve that, so we
:38:54. > :38:58.get the best possible role in society? He is absolutely right and
:38:59. > :39:03.while we are right to focus on the academic attainment on children in
:39:04. > :39:09.our schools because if they do not get those basics they will not be
:39:10. > :39:12.able to succeed, it is also important to recognise that one of
:39:13. > :39:17.the most important thing we can do alongside that is improved reforms
:39:18. > :39:23.on vocational education and apprenticeships, and make sure they
:39:24. > :39:34.are attainable writs for people who want to choose an academic path of
:39:35. > :39:36.life different from an... There are sometimes ascends from the
:39:37. > :39:40.opposition benches that education is purely about academic attainment. It
:39:41. > :39:48.is critical, but it is absolutely not the totality of what we need to
:39:49. > :39:53.be ensuring our children need to be getting. We have to build pathways
:39:54. > :39:58.on skills for children who are going to pursue a course that is much more
:39:59. > :40:10.vocational. The Secretary of State recently told the TES, the times I
:40:11. > :40:13.had best were the teachers that excited me about learning. When
:40:14. > :40:17.heads and cheers of governors in my constituency who are working really
:40:18. > :40:20.hard to raise standards and opportunities for all our young
:40:21. > :40:25.people tell me that the recruitment and retention of good teachers is
:40:26. > :40:29.the biggest challenge that they face, does she not understand the
:40:30. > :40:34.frustration that they feel that she is focused on structures where the
:40:35. > :40:39.evidence does not support them working, rather than the problems
:40:40. > :40:43.they see every day in trying to deliver a fantastic education for
:40:44. > :40:49.people on Friday in Nottingham? I would like to thank her for that
:40:50. > :40:52.point. She's right that the issues of teacher recruitment and retention
:40:53. > :40:59.and enabling and unlocking teachers to get on with the job and be
:41:00. > :41:04.excellent in the classroom is truly important. It sits alongside some of
:41:05. > :41:08.the policy options we will be bringing forward around selection,
:41:09. > :41:17.but it is absolutely vital and we're not losing focus. I am sure many
:41:18. > :41:20.across Torbay, we're three grammar schools work well with comprehensive
:41:21. > :41:26.schools, a studio school and a technical college, we are listening
:41:27. > :41:28.to some of the comments today, particularly the Education
:41:29. > :41:31.Secretary, with amazement. There is nothing radical about the idea that
:41:32. > :41:35.we will give arbitrary areas the chance to choose to have the
:41:36. > :41:42.education system that we already benefit from. It is about two
:41:43. > :41:46.things, about being clearly prepared to leave no stone unturned in asking
:41:47. > :41:51.what it is going to take to improve the education system for children,
:41:52. > :41:54.and it is about having a practical debate on that that goes beyond the
:41:55. > :42:02.ideological debate and puts pupils first. In Trafford where we have
:42:03. > :42:07.selection, our schools perform very well, not because of selection but
:42:08. > :42:11.because of great teaching and good leadership. But I must tell the
:42:12. > :42:15.Secretary of State that the majority of parents in Trafford, especially
:42:16. > :42:23.parents of children with special educational needs, do not feel that
:42:24. > :42:25.they get their child into the school, in particular they feel that
:42:26. > :42:28.grammar schools are reluctant to take those children with special
:42:29. > :42:32.needs because they want to press the school's results. When the Secretary
:42:33. > :42:36.of State comes forward, and she assure the House that the needs of
:42:37. > :42:38.those particularly vulnerable children will be given appropriate
:42:39. > :42:46.attention in the strategy she proposes? I am very grateful for
:42:47. > :42:50.that question. I would be happy to sit down with her and further
:42:51. > :42:53.discuss this. It is an incredibly important point that we not only
:42:54. > :42:57.raise attainment across the board but we leave no child out of that
:42:58. > :43:08.progress we are seeing in the School improvement. Parents in Kent as a
:43:09. > :43:12.whole see grammar schools and faith -based schools as engines of
:43:13. > :43:21.opportunity and aspiration, and will the government also look at more
:43:22. > :43:31.faith -based schools and more skills -based education at any stage in
:43:32. > :43:34.their lives? I agree it is about choice and a school system that
:43:35. > :43:41.means you can find the right school for your child that is tailored to
:43:42. > :43:45.their needs. And the Secretary of State tell us how this helps with
:43:46. > :43:52.the government's new industrial strategy. We know that there are
:43:53. > :43:55.technology colleges, and we seemed to -- they seem to have disappeared
:43:56. > :44:00.somewhat. How will grammar schools help? And have they had any
:44:01. > :44:08.discussions about the church about any impact on faith schools? We will
:44:09. > :44:11.be announcing our policy options in due course and I am sure he will
:44:12. > :44:15.want to respond to them. But education in schools is critical for
:44:16. > :44:18.delivering on our long-term industrial strategy if we're going
:44:19. > :44:23.to meet these challenges of having a successful economy but also having
:44:24. > :44:27.our migration levels more under control. One of the ways we can do
:44:28. > :44:32.that incredibly constructively is to meet more of our skill needs from
:44:33. > :44:35.our own young people and to be training them and educating them to
:44:36. > :44:45.be able to play their role in British industry, helping our
:44:46. > :44:48.country be successful. Is my right honourable friend in agreement that
:44:49. > :44:50.with all the different schools now available, if parents do not want to
:44:51. > :44:53.choose a grammar school education for their children, such schools
:44:54. > :44:56.will not survive and thrive, but we should at least give parents with
:44:57. > :45:04.limited means the same choice that better off parents have. He is
:45:05. > :45:08.absolutely right. We should not accept poor school standards and
:45:09. > :45:13.whatever school they are in. We have to challenge low attainment wherever
:45:14. > :45:16.we find it, but the point I am making today is that it is not good
:45:17. > :45:20.enough to just take something off the table because of political
:45:21. > :45:23.ideology. What we need to do is challenge all aspects of our
:45:24. > :45:28.education system to play a greater role in raising attainment and
:45:29. > :45:31.building capacity. There remains a fundamental contradiction at the
:45:32. > :45:34.heart of the government's thinking which I suspect has been muddled by
:45:35. > :45:40.the ideology that they are accusing our side of the household, which is
:45:41. > :45:44.that the school selects or the parents choose, but you cannot have
:45:45. > :45:47.selection and choice together. So does the suggestion from the Prime
:45:48. > :45:51.Minister last night that she wants to see an element of selection
:45:52. > :45:56.indicate that the government has abandoned parental choice? I would
:45:57. > :45:59.encourage him to wait for the policy options to be announced and I am
:46:00. > :46:06.sure he will want to respond to them when they are. I'm sure parents in
:46:07. > :46:10.your will warmly welcome a grammar school as hundreds have to cross the
:46:11. > :46:16.border into Lincolnshire, often on low incomes. But that she
:46:17. > :46:20.acknowledge what a lot of existing -- of our existing grammar schools
:46:21. > :46:31.are cheering on low funding. There are ?4000 per pupil in my
:46:32. > :46:36.constituency, whereas the lowest performing school in Lincolnshire is
:46:37. > :46:42.?8,000 per pupil. We are developing our proposals on funding formula for
:46:43. > :46:46.schools, and I know he will want to represent his community as we do
:46:47. > :46:49.get a more equitable funding for get a more equitable funding for
:46:50. > :46:59.pupils than we have. It has been a trait of this Tory
:47:00. > :47:03.government that they of the left to cover up regressive policies they
:47:04. > :47:10.introduce, infusion -- if using terms like social mobility, which in
:47:11. > :47:14.fact are quite the opposite. They say investment in early years does
:47:15. > :47:22.more to move children forwards than any form of selection that 11 could
:47:23. > :47:27.ever justified. Does she regret closing 800 sure start centres, and
:47:28. > :47:33.should we not be investing the instead of having a pointless debate
:47:34. > :47:38.about bringing back selection? I do not accept this either- or
:47:39. > :47:43.characterisation. We need to improve education at every stage of a
:47:44. > :47:54.child's life. That is including early years, as well. What a choice.
:47:55. > :47:58.Mr Peter Bowen. I am not entirely sure what Northamptonshire has done
:47:59. > :48:02.to deserve this. Anyway, can I say to the honourable lady who speaks
:48:03. > :48:07.for the opposition, can I congratulate her for getting the
:48:08. > :48:10.urgent question? I know under Labour announcements were made in the
:48:11. > :48:16.press. This government makes announcements here. At a meeting
:48:17. > :48:19.last night there were no new announcements of policy and I would
:48:20. > :48:23.be the first to object if the Government started doing that. Can
:48:24. > :48:29.the Secretary of State confirmed that when the policy has been
:48:30. > :48:35.decided, she will come to this House and report on it? I thought that was
:48:36. > :48:41.a very good choice, Mr Speaker and I can, I will come and make a
:48:42. > :48:46.statement. In Kettering, where five out of the six secondary schools are
:48:47. > :48:50.already academies, where we have one of the fastest house building rates
:48:51. > :48:55.in the country and were recent exam success was very encouraging, I have
:48:56. > :48:59.to tell the secretary of state whether we bring grammar schools
:49:00. > :49:04.back or not, the debate is about having more school places. Will she
:49:05. > :49:09.support the Conservative manifesto commitment that all good schools,
:49:10. > :49:14.whether they are academies, free, or grammar, be allowed to expand?
:49:15. > :49:19.Absolutely. I think our desire is to make sure that it does not matter
:49:20. > :49:23.what kind of good school it is, but it has the chance to create
:49:24. > :49:27.additional good places that our country needs and for areas that do
:49:28. > :49:31.not have good schools are told, we need to make sure we have a school
:49:32. > :49:37.system which is freed up enough so schools can be set up the that
:49:38. > :49:41.really do improve prospects for children, or that we network the
:49:42. > :49:44.schools with other good schools nearby that are delivering. But I
:49:45. > :49:47.have to say there are some parts of the country where that has been
:49:48. > :49:52.challenging and we need to leave no stone unturned. Thank you, Mr
:49:53. > :49:55.Speaker. Would she agree with me that not only do different things
:49:56. > :50:01.work in different areas but it is also essential we have a mix of
:50:02. > :50:05.routes by which young people can go on to succeed? Surely it is only
:50:06. > :50:09.write a new government is reviewing where we are and looking at how best
:50:10. > :50:15.we can enhance what matters most, which is opportunity? He is
:50:16. > :50:19.absolutely right. We have 1.4 million more children in good, or
:50:20. > :50:22.outstanding schools. We have done that in a variety of ways in terms
:50:23. > :50:25.of what children are learning in class and also how we are getting
:50:26. > :50:30.schools to work together collaboratively. We now need to say
:50:31. > :50:34.how can we take that to the next level but also critically, for
:50:35. > :50:37.million-plus children who are still not getting the attainment levels
:50:38. > :50:41.that we want and live in parts of a country where they do not have the
:50:42. > :50:46.chance to get to a good school, we have to make sure we change the
:50:47. > :50:50.terms of trade to make sure that they are turned into education
:50:51. > :50:57.opportunities. Business question, Mr Paul Flynn. Will the leader of the
:50:58. > :51:02.House gave us the business for next week? Leader of the House, Mr David
:51:03. > :51:07.Liddington. Mr Speaker, the bidders for next week, Monday the 12th of
:51:08. > :51:11.September, remaining stages of the Wales Bill. Tuesday the 13th,
:51:12. > :51:17.secondary reading of the Digital economy Bill. Wednesday the 14th,
:51:18. > :51:22.motions to approve statutory instruments relating to welfare
:51:23. > :51:27.reform in Northern Ireland and pensions. Followed by an opposition
:51:28. > :51:35.day, and on allotted half day, they will be a debate on NHS
:51:36. > :51:36.sustainability and transformation plans... On the 15th