:00:09. > :00:24.Order, order. Questions to the Secretary of State for Educ`tion.
:00:25. > :00:28.Question number one, Mr Spe`ker Thank you Mr Speaker. First of all I
:00:29. > :00:38.would like to welcome the shadow front bench minister for our first
:00:39. > :00:43.oral questions. Mr Speaker, we've been clear that the new offhce for
:00:44. > :00:46.students must have new studdnt representation and will be taking
:00:47. > :00:53.every opportunity to embed student engagement within the culture and
:00:54. > :00:56.structure of the organisation. Secretary of State for confhrmation
:00:57. > :00:59.that point. I met over the summer with students from the Univdrsity of
:01:00. > :01:03.Bristol and the University of the West of England and they ard very
:01:04. > :01:08.concerned about rising tuithon fees, scrapping the maintenance grants and
:01:09. > :01:11.above all the of teaching. Can the Minister assure them that they will
:01:12. > :01:16.be listened to when they expressed concerns about those issues in the
:01:17. > :01:19.higher education bill? In p`rt the bill is reflecting the fact that we
:01:20. > :01:24.want to make sure that we gdt value of money for students and for the
:01:25. > :01:30.first time, statutorily, we are building that into law. It's long
:01:31. > :01:33.overdue that week update thd higher education framework. I'm delighted
:01:34. > :01:38.to put the interests of the students at the heart of that. Mr Spdaker.
:01:39. > :01:43.Does my friend agree with md that we should beware the law of unhntended
:01:44. > :01:47.consequences, if that -- in that if students were added to the board of
:01:48. > :01:51.the RSS, that would risk engagement with students across the entire
:01:52. > :01:56.system. Thus would she assure me that the RSS will put students at
:01:57. > :02:00.the height of the higher edtcation system? I can give him that
:02:01. > :02:05.assurance, Mr Speaker. I know he's played a very important rold on the
:02:06. > :02:09.standing committee for his own proposals. We've been clear that we
:02:10. > :02:14.don't really want to be onlx prescriptive, we want to set up an
:02:15. > :02:17.office for students and allow it to go through the right way to make
:02:18. > :02:23.sure that students have a voice so that the office itself works. The
:02:24. > :02:28.Scottish Government introduced a higher education governance in March
:02:29. > :02:34.which has allowed students to have a much stronger voice in their
:02:35. > :02:37.involvement in key decision,making within Scottish universities. Does
:02:38. > :02:40.the Secretary of State agred that students deserve greater
:02:41. > :02:43.participation within the endrgy sector and will she look to the
:02:44. > :02:49.example set by Scotland to dnsure that happens? I've no doubt that her
:02:50. > :02:54.experience will be one that Scottish colleagues want to share. Btt as I
:02:55. > :02:58.said, it is important that we make sure that the voices of students are
:02:59. > :03:02.heard ever more clearly. Th`t's precisely what this bill, alongst
:03:03. > :03:06.other things including choice of students, is trying to achidve.
:03:07. > :03:09.Because as now has been said, we now have a funding system that sees
:03:10. > :03:14.students paying tuition fees and attempted vital they get value for
:03:15. > :03:19.money for that. Can I welcole my right honourable friend to her place
:03:20. > :03:22.and congratulate her for behng Secretary of State in one of the
:03:23. > :03:25.most interesting of departmdnts While I welcome student
:03:26. > :03:29.representation, may I warn her that there is a danger, depending on whom
:03:30. > :03:32.she decides should be representatives. What I mean is
:03:33. > :03:41.this. The National Union of Students is no longer the undivided civil
:03:42. > :03:44.organisation that it once w`s. A number of universities have already
:03:45. > :03:48.decided they want nothing to do with the NUS, so may I ask her how she
:03:49. > :03:52.would choose the students to be represented on that body? Wdll, he
:03:53. > :03:57.sets out his concerns very eloquently. We've been clear during
:03:58. > :04:02.the course of the bill's passage that what we want is people who got
:04:03. > :04:06.experience in representing or promoting the experience of
:04:07. > :04:10.students. The key is not to be prescriptive and to allow the new
:04:11. > :04:14.body be established and find sensible ways of making surd not
:04:15. > :04:19.just through the board itself but more importantly how it carries out
:04:20. > :04:20.its operations that it is a strong voice of students and representing
:04:21. > :04:32.students's interests. Heidi Alan. Thank you, Mr Speaker. The national
:04:33. > :04:35.funding formula reform and the consultation document on schools
:04:36. > :04:39.that work for everyone are vital parts of this Government's `mbition
:04:40. > :04:44.for an education system that promotes social mobility and a true
:04:45. > :04:47.merit opposite. Both have work under way on them as she will be `ware and
:04:48. > :04:51.any future activity is going to be driven by the second stage
:04:52. > :04:57.consultation of the national funding formula and of course green paper
:04:58. > :05:00.outcomes respectively. Thank you. Given the mixed views on gr`mmar
:05:01. > :05:04.schools and the huge pace of work that will be required to ensure that
:05:05. > :05:07.no child is left behind, because certainly that is my fear, can the
:05:08. > :05:13.Minister please explain to le how that can possibly be of higher
:05:14. > :05:17.priority than fixing a flawdd funding model that has seen
:05:18. > :05:21.thousands of children seriotsly underfunded for decades in counties
:05:22. > :05:24.like mine? I very much recognise the concerns that she set out in
:05:25. > :05:28.relation to funding, that is precisely why shortly beford the
:05:29. > :05:33.house went into summary says I set out my determination to get on with
:05:34. > :05:36.the work bringing forward a national funding formula, responding to the
:05:37. > :05:40.first stage of consultation shortly and at the same time setting out the
:05:41. > :05:45.next stage of how the formula will work in practice. But we'll soon
:05:46. > :05:50.need to challenge ourselves to look at how we can have more good school
:05:51. > :05:52.places in parts of the country where there still aren't enough and
:05:53. > :06:00.particular for disadvantaged students. In wishing her a very
:06:01. > :06:05.happy birthday, I call Lucy Powell. Thank you Mr Speaker, I've lade a
:06:06. > :06:08.special journey down here today to ask the Secretary of State `
:06:09. > :06:14.question. There is another group of schools, Mr Speaker, which offer
:06:15. > :06:19.real social mobility where the education gap is most narrow, with
:06:20. > :06:22.over 98% of them rated good or outstanding, yet they are in the
:06:23. > :06:27.areas of most high deprivathon and have the majority of childrdn on
:06:28. > :06:32.free school meals. These ard our much valued nursery schools. Their
:06:33. > :06:36.funding is now putting ongohng viability at risk. Shouldn't she be
:06:37. > :06:40.better focusing on their continued attainment rather than gramlar
:06:41. > :06:44.schools? I agree with her that early years is a vital part of thd
:06:45. > :06:48.education system and it is precisely why we've been consulting on how to
:06:49. > :06:55.make sure that we can have ` sensible approach on funding for
:06:56. > :06:59.early years, but I disagree with her characterisation as cutting funding,
:07:00. > :07:04.that is simply not correct. Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. Secretary
:07:05. > :07:07.of State surely agrees that there funding for schools is a top
:07:08. > :07:10.priority. But one of the other priorities is to make sure that we
:07:11. > :07:14.actually have adequate skills training especially in profdssional
:07:15. > :07:17.and technical sectors. So I would have thought that is really one of
:07:18. > :07:20.the key objectives of the Green paper. And the Secretary of State
:07:21. > :07:27.reassure the house that that is also her priority? I was very cldar in my
:07:28. > :07:30.Conservative Party conference speech last year that I think one of our
:07:31. > :07:34.biggest challenges right now is to make sure that we make the same
:07:35. > :07:39.progress on technical education that we've seen in academic educ`tion
:07:40. > :07:43.over recent years. This is vital for the more than 50% of childrdn and
:07:44. > :07:46.young people who don't go on to university and it is vital for our
:07:47. > :07:51.employers if we're going to have a Brexit Britain that can be
:07:52. > :07:55.successful. Mr Speaker, nursery schools give children the bdst
:07:56. > :07:58.possible start in life. Now as a consequence of the review of the
:07:59. > :08:03.funding formula we've faced the current funding being cut bx up to
:08:04. > :08:08.half in Birmingham, closing nursery schools all across the city. Does
:08:09. > :08:13.the Secretary of State not recognise the immensely damaging consdquence
:08:14. > :08:17.of outward flow not least for social mobility because if you kick away
:08:18. > :08:24.the ladder of opportunity when a child is three or four, thex may
:08:25. > :08:30.never recover. Well, I would say to him that the reality is that we are
:08:31. > :08:32.providing an initial ?55 million, Mr Speaker, for maintained nursery
:08:33. > :08:36.schools for at least two ye`rs while we consult with the sector `nd it's
:08:37. > :08:43.why we're looking at childrdn's centres also at the same tile. Thank
:08:44. > :08:48.you Mr Speaker. Thanks to the casting vote of the Liberal Democrat
:08:49. > :08:53.mayor, North Lincolnshire Council have approved a motion in stpport of
:08:54. > :08:58.RAM and schools. Our coastal communities have poor educational
:08:59. > :09:03.standards. Could we look at the situation in North Lincolnshire
:09:04. > :09:06.Well, he quite rightly raisds his concerns to make sure that the young
:09:07. > :09:11.people and children in his `rea get the very best possible start in
:09:12. > :09:14.life. That's precisely why we published our green paper consulting
:09:15. > :09:18.on how we can do that. Therd are still too many parts of our country
:09:19. > :09:21.where there are not good school places available to children and
:09:22. > :09:26.that is unacceptable and we should look at all the measures we can take
:09:27. > :09:31.to change that. Is she encotraged that of those who have been
:09:32. > :09:34.canvassed on the issue, two thirds are supportive of the Prime
:09:35. > :09:39.Minister's policy of increasing social mobility for those from
:09:40. > :09:42.poorer backgrounds and throtgh the provision of increased gramlar
:09:43. > :09:46.schools. And will she give `n assurance that she will not be
:09:47. > :09:51.deterred by the voices or the barrage of criticism of this policy
:09:52. > :09:55.by those who are ideological you posed to the policy even though they
:09:56. > :10:00.have benefited from grammar school education themselves? Well, he sets
:10:01. > :10:04.out the situation very clearly. As he points out the children on free
:10:05. > :10:08.school meals in particular, grammar schools are able to close the
:10:09. > :10:13.attainment gap because the progress those children make is double those
:10:14. > :10:17.of their better off classmates. The party opposite wants to close that
:10:18. > :10:21.opportunity down, but we want to level it up. That's the difference.
:10:22. > :10:30.Thank you very much, Mr Spe`ker I very much welcome the Secretary of
:10:31. > :10:36.State's comment. Schools in Somerset are hanging on for that funding
:10:37. > :10:41.model, so will the Secretarx of State look properly at the plight of
:10:42. > :10:45.rural schools until that funding for Miller comes in? I can assure him
:10:46. > :10:49.that I'm very conscious of the particular challenges that rural
:10:50. > :10:54.schools faced. In the first stage of consultation, this issue of sparsity
:10:55. > :10:56.and funding around that and indeed looking at the percentage of
:10:57. > :10:58.children in schools relativd to others was on the table bec`use it
:10:59. > :11:09.does matter. We will do our best to make sure
:11:10. > :11:14.those challenges that schools face and need funding for are met. Based
:11:15. > :11:17.on the cuts that have already been outlined by members, can thd
:11:18. > :11:20.Secretary of State tell the House if she has secured EU funds from the
:11:21. > :11:25.Treasury to meet EU spending commitments outlined in the green
:11:26. > :11:32.paper -- if she has secured new funds? The green paper did outline
:11:33. > :11:37.additional funding from the Treasury for setting up new grammars. She
:11:38. > :11:40.will know that at the same time as bearing down on the huge deficit
:11:41. > :11:45.that the last Labour governlent left us, we have tried to protect the
:11:46. > :11:49.real terms core funding for schools. But it is no thanks to the legacy of
:11:50. > :11:56.financial disaster handed over to us. I believe the word the Secretary
:11:57. > :12:00.of State was looking for was no Perhaps she can tell us how much was
:12:01. > :12:07.spent on trying to find any facts to support their policy of segregated
:12:08. > :12:11.schools, spending public money on a policy without any evidenti`l basis
:12:12. > :12:14.is simply wasting it. When the Secretary of State last camd to the
:12:15. > :12:19.House, she could not cite a single piece of evidence that would improve
:12:20. > :12:27.social mobility. Has she fotnd any since? A lot of what she has said is
:12:28. > :12:31.incorrect. She will be well aware of the report by the Sutton trtst that
:12:32. > :12:37.set out to improved attainmdnt of free school meals children hn
:12:38. > :12:41.grammar schools. It is totally untenable to set out her concerns
:12:42. > :12:45.over grammar schools while resolutely being opposed to having
:12:46. > :12:51.any kind of consultation document that looks at how we should reform
:12:52. > :12:58.grammar schools. The educathon system has changed over recdnt years
:12:59. > :13:08.and it is right that we look at what role grammars can play in the 2 st
:13:09. > :13:12.century education system. Shnce May 2014, we have provided ?44 lillion
:13:13. > :13:16.to local authorities to implement staying put. The latest dat`
:13:17. > :13:21.indicates that 54% of 18-ye`r-olds who are eligible to stay put chose
:13:22. > :13:26.to do so, a massive increasd from before, I'm proud to say. A
:13:27. > :13:31.Conservative-led government changed the law. We have also seen 30% of
:13:32. > :13:35.19-year-olds and 60% of 20 roles still living with their forler
:13:36. > :13:42.foster carers. We are prone to pilot a similar scheme for staying close.
:13:43. > :13:48.A recent review of the children s homes estate recommended th`t the
:13:49. > :13:50.vulnerable among percent of looked after children who are currdntly
:13:51. > :13:53.excluded from staying put arrangements be given the
:13:54. > :13:58.opportunity for staying close. Can my right honourable friend tpdate
:13:59. > :14:04.the House on what plans he has for exploring this recommendation in his
:14:05. > :14:08.report? I thank my honourable friend for his question and his support for
:14:09. > :14:12.care leavers in this House. A key part of our strategy was thd
:14:13. > :14:18.commitment to inch juice st`ying close, as recommended by Sir Martin
:14:19. > :14:23.Mary. We now include staying close as part of the practical
:14:24. > :14:27.implications before a wider roll-out. And part of the innovation
:14:28. > :14:32.programme will be an invitation to organisations to work with ts on
:14:33. > :14:38.projects aimed at transformhng conditions for children in care
:14:39. > :14:41.including staying close. Can the minister make sure he does what he
:14:42. > :14:49.can for those children in residential care who want to stay
:14:50. > :14:53.put, and can he recognise the campaign every child leaving care
:14:54. > :14:57.matters, who are calling for those changes? On the basis that we should
:14:58. > :15:03.be looking after children who most need help, those children nded help,
:15:04. > :15:08.particularly those in residdntial care, as much as our own chhldren. I
:15:09. > :15:13.will work to get this right. There are two people who are promhnent
:15:14. > :15:16.within the every care leave matters campaign who are working with us to
:15:17. > :15:25.design the system we want to create in the future. These new johnt
:15:26. > :15:30.inspections mean that for the first time, Ofsted and the Care Qtality
:15:31. > :15:33.Commission are inspecting vhtal special education and disabhlity
:15:34. > :15:37.services, showing families what is working well and where servhces can
:15:38. > :15:42.improve. The reports, seven of which have been published so far, remain
:15:43. > :15:48.an improvement on individual areas of providing local authorithes with
:15:49. > :15:55.an opportunity to learn frol one another. In my Bury St Edmunds
:15:56. > :16:01.constituency, I have outstanding provision with the Priory School and
:16:02. > :16:04.I hope to visit their new facilities. But there are challenges
:16:05. > :16:08.in this sector, particularlx to ensure that all children ard
:16:09. > :16:13.supported to make the most of their talents and abilities. What is the
:16:14. > :16:17.minister doing to look at the quality of the education, hdalth and
:16:18. > :16:20.care plan, the rate of convdrsions from statements, the timeliness of
:16:21. > :16:26.those transfers on the qualhty of them once received? The dep`rtment
:16:27. > :16:30.is monitoring the rate of conversions from statements and the
:16:31. > :16:34.timeliness of transfers through our annual data collection procdss.
:16:35. > :16:37.Where a local authority's performance is a concern, wd follow
:16:38. > :16:44.up with our professional advisers, offering support. We also check the
:16:45. > :16:48.quality of local authorities they visit and look at how they can
:16:49. > :16:54.improve. That is a key part of working with children and young
:16:55. > :16:59.people. In Trafford, where we have selective education, fewer than 250
:17:00. > :17:04.with special education needs attend grammar schools out of a total of
:17:05. > :17:07.more than 7500 children in the borough in grammar schools. Can the
:17:08. > :17:11.minister say how the needs of children with special educational
:17:12. > :17:14.needs and disabilities are going to be properly taken into accotnt in
:17:15. > :17:20.the cause of the consultation on the proposals included in the
:17:21. > :17:23.government's paper? The consultation is about lifting all schools to
:17:24. > :17:29.improve for all children. The reforms we brought in in 2004 apply
:17:30. > :17:34.to every school so that thex provide the support that children in their
:17:35. > :17:40.care and education they need is being provided. But as part of
:17:41. > :17:42.consultation, it is important that we have children with speci`l
:17:43. > :17:48.educational needs being considered fully. I was pleased to see the
:17:49. > :17:50.government commit ?200 millhon to capital projects for special
:17:51. > :17:58.schools, not least because H have one of the worst condition special
:17:59. > :18:02.schools in the country. Is there anything more the government can do,
:18:03. > :18:08.because these schools are both important and expensive to replace
:18:09. > :18:11.or renovate? My honourable friend is right that we have secured over ?200
:18:12. > :18:15.million of capital funding for special schools to increase the
:18:16. > :18:21.number of placements in his area and others. We will give more ddtails
:18:22. > :18:24.shortly, and I am sure therd will be many people not just in New`rk but
:18:25. > :18:28.across England who look forward to seeing how we can improve the
:18:29. > :18:35.facilities and the support for children with special educational
:18:36. > :18:41.needs. I heard the minister's response to my honourable friend,
:18:42. > :18:44.but I was dismayed to see that in the schools that work for everyone
:18:45. > :18:48.green paper, there was not one mention of children with spdcial
:18:49. > :18:55.educational needs or disabilities. Is it not true that this government
:18:56. > :18:59.have forgotten about them? H welcome the lady back to the front bench. I
:19:00. > :19:04.know she has had a number of epiphanies in the last few lonths,
:19:05. > :19:09.where she has gone from being pro-remain to pro Leave to being a
:19:10. > :19:17.return. But she has taken up this role where she is a good fit. It is
:19:18. > :19:22.also national dyspraxia awareness week. When the honourable l`dy is a
:19:23. > :19:25.strong supporter of the work that the dyspraxia foundation and others
:19:26. > :19:31.do. I wish her well in her role This is a paper which is looking at
:19:32. > :19:36.raising standards across all for all children. I hope she will work with
:19:37. > :19:42.us to make sure they get thd best deal. Will the minister enstre that
:19:43. > :19:46.those areas that do poorly hn these inspections are not only made to
:19:47. > :19:50.work with but also to visit those areas that do their best so that the
:19:51. > :19:56.worst can learn by the example of the best? One of the reasons why we
:19:57. > :20:01.want to hold local areas to account is to make sure that they don't just
:20:02. > :20:07.sit when they have failed btt learn from others. We have given the
:20:08. > :20:20.opportunity to learn from others who do it better. The proposed funding
:20:21. > :20:25.policy has been designed to support an increase to the quality `nd
:20:26. > :20:30.quantity of apprenticeships. Incentives for employers ard
:20:31. > :20:34.included, to encourage the take up of more apprenticeship opportunities
:20:35. > :20:37.by people of all ages and backgrounds, giving many people the
:20:38. > :20:41.first step on the employment ladder of opportunity. We have continued to
:20:42. > :20:48.engage with employers and wd plan to publish the final policy shortly. A
:20:49. > :20:53.recent report by the Nation`l Audit Office has condemned the lack of
:20:54. > :20:57.contingency planning for apprenticeship funding reform. How
:20:58. > :21:05.does the minister hope to address that? We are busy with our plans to
:21:06. > :21:12.introduce the apprentice levy. We will be spending more than double by
:21:13. > :21:24.2020, two 5p extra on apprentices. -- 2.5 billion pounds. We h`ve had
:21:25. > :21:31.over 500,000 apprentices st`rt in the last year alone. I welcome the
:21:32. > :21:37.number of people participathng in apprenticeships. What steps as the
:21:38. > :21:42.government taken to offer more small businesses apprenticeships? My
:21:43. > :21:46.honourable friend, who I know is a champion of apprenticeships in his
:21:47. > :21:52.area, will be pleased to know that under the planned apprenticd levy,
:21:53. > :21:55.small businesses, if they hhre 6 to 20-year-olds as apprentices, will
:21:56. > :22:06.only have to pay 10% of the cost of the training. And they will get
:22:07. > :22:11.?1000 on top of that, so th`t will encourage more businesses to hire
:22:12. > :22:18.apprentices. In welcoming the minister to his place and hhs
:22:19. > :22:28.commitment to social mobility, isn't it the truth that the minister found
:22:29. > :22:34.a shambles? Apprenticeships were cut in his welcome in trade. He knows it
:22:35. > :22:37.is a shambles. It is nearly a month since we spoke to a full hotse of
:22:38. > :22:41.sector leaders in the Commons and we heard it from them. The samd day,
:22:42. > :22:45.the Prime Minister said she didn't recognise the figures and the chief
:22:46. > :22:50.executive of the motor industry said it was a looming car crash. So with
:22:51. > :22:54.no proper impact assessment of these cuts and government credibility on
:22:55. > :23:06.the line, White, a month on, has he still no solutions to those cuts or
:23:07. > :23:12.funding? I am pleased to be facing the honourable gentleman. I noticed
:23:13. > :23:17.that he called his campaign save our apprentices. We have saved 2.5
:23:18. > :23:23.million people on apprenticdships over the past five years. In his own
:23:24. > :23:30.constituency, he fired 1040 apprenticeships start in 2005. And
:23:31. > :23:34.10,500 people have particip`ted in further education. If that hs not
:23:35. > :23:38.saving apprentices, I don't know what is. And the apprentice funding
:23:39. > :23:44.will be doubled to ?2.5 billion The honourable member is ignoring the
:23:45. > :23:48.increase in the stem uplifts and the extra money spent on apprenticeships
:23:49. > :24:02.standards. He is ignoring the ? 000 going to every provider when they
:24:03. > :24:05.hire a 16 to 18-year-old. Local authorities are responsible for
:24:06. > :24:09.assessing the educational ndeds in their area, and they have a duty to
:24:10. > :24:14.ensure there are sufficient school places, including in general areas.
:24:15. > :24:19.Nearly 600,000 additional school places were created between May 2010
:24:20. > :24:23.and May 2015, with many mord since then. The government has colmitted a
:24:24. > :24:29.further ?7 billion for school places which, along with our investment in
:24:30. > :24:39.500 new free schools, we expect to deliver another 600,000 new school
:24:40. > :24:43.places by 2021. Sadly am thdre are schools in my constituency tnder the
:24:44. > :24:47.threat of closure. What mord can my honourable friend do to makd sure we
:24:48. > :24:51.keep educational parity across rural areas in order that pupils have
:24:52. > :24:59.access to superb local schools, no matter where they live? In Lay, the
:25:00. > :25:03.government set out a packagd of measures to secure the conthnued
:25:04. > :25:08.success and sustainability of rural schools in England. This included a
:25:09. > :25:12.?10 million fund for support to help rural schools through the academy
:25:13. > :25:16.conversion process and a new double lock to sit alongside the existing
:25:17. > :25:22.presumption against the closure of rural schools. By contrast, in
:25:23. > :25:25.Labour run Wales, with a Lib Dem Education Minister, there is no
:25:26. > :25:33.presumption against the closure of rural schools. Schools in urban
:25:34. > :25:38.areas also face challenges, with many reporting huge difficulties in
:25:39. > :25:41.retaining teachers. Today, the education policy Institute revealed
:25:42. > :25:46.that one in five teachers in England is working more than 60 hours a
:25:47. > :25:51.week. What priority is he ghving to analysing why schools are fhnding it
:25:52. > :25:57.so difficult to retain teachers and the impact the workload has on that?
:25:58. > :26:06.The EPI report is based on ` 20 3 OECD survey. In response to that, in
:26:07. > :26:09.2013 the previous Secretary of State announced the workload challenge
:26:10. > :26:14.that highlighted issues likd biologic marking, data colldction.
:26:15. > :26:17.We set up review groups to look at that, they have reported and we have
:26:18. > :26:21.accepted their recommendations and now we're acting on them to ease the
:26:22. > :26:29.burden on workload on teachdrs on our schools. We acted. I welcome the
:26:30. > :26:32.Minister's comments about rtral schools and I have a large
:26:33. > :26:37.proponents of rural schools in my constituency, but the fact hs that
:26:38. > :26:41.the pupils in Taunton received 2000 less per pupil on average than the
:26:42. > :26:45.national average. I know thd Secretary of State is working hard
:26:46. > :26:48.in the best interests of our young people, how teachers and our
:26:49. > :26:51.governors but please can yot confirm that due consideration will be given
:26:52. > :26:55.to writing the disparity between our schools and pupils in terms of
:26:56. > :26:59.funding? Well, we have protdcted those caused schools budget is in
:27:00. > :27:04.real terms but the system for distributing those funds, as she
:27:05. > :27:08.pointed out, is outdated, inefficient and unfair. That's why
:27:09. > :27:11.we consulted on the principles and building blocks on the formtla in
:27:12. > :27:16.the spring of this year and that will include sparsity as a concept
:27:17. > :27:20.and also a fixed sum, which of course helps small schools. We will
:27:21. > :27:23.put forward more detailed proposals on the design and impact on the
:27:24. > :27:28.formula for consultation in the autumn. Thank you very much. Mr
:27:29. > :27:33.Speaker, the key to successful education in the role areas is the
:27:34. > :27:37.quality of teaching. The Labour Party has long believed in having
:27:38. > :27:41.qualified teachers in our schools. One area of cross-party agrdement in
:27:42. > :27:45.the last parliament was to have a Royal College of GPs. Can the
:27:46. > :27:52.Minister update the house on how far the Government have enacted this?
:27:53. > :27:57.There is a Royal College of teaching and is going to be a great success.
:27:58. > :28:01.I should point out that 95% of teachers in our system have
:28:02. > :28:09.qualified teachers daters and 9 % of teachers in academies have pualified
:28:10. > :28:17.teacher status. Thank you, Lr Speaker. The inclusion of a language
:28:18. > :28:23.in the eBac increased the ntmber of students studying at least one
:28:24. > :28:33.language at GCSE... The Govdrnment's ambition is that more students take
:28:34. > :28:39.the eBac GCSE. We don't wish to include arbitrarily the Right
:28:40. > :28:44.Honourable member from Banbtry from outcomes alterations. Thank you Mr
:28:45. > :28:48.Speaker. Does my right honotrable friend agree that new schools such
:28:49. > :28:51.as the Northampton Internathonal Academy in my constituency where I
:28:52. > :28:54.am chair of governors are crucial to secure the mix of education`l
:28:55. > :29:00.options that this country ndeds with a focus on languages?
:29:01. > :29:03.Absolutely and indeed new schools like Northampton International
:29:04. > :29:07.Academy, which have an acaddmic curriculum with a language
:29:08. > :29:10.specialism but also links to schools in other countries, these are the
:29:11. > :29:13.sorts of schools that I think can really play a key role in ensuring
:29:14. > :29:18.that there are strong options for children among languages. I can t
:29:19. > :29:24.tell you how grateful I am not be this afternoon, Mr Speaker! Given
:29:25. > :29:30.the importance of China in ` global market place today, not least my own
:29:31. > :29:34.constituents who work in Bicester shopping village, does my rhght
:29:35. > :29:39.honourable friend agree with me that our children should be taught
:29:40. > :29:43.Chinese in schools? My honotrable friend is quite right that having
:29:44. > :29:47.more young people learning Chinese is important for the UK's place in
:29:48. > :29:52.the world and indeed many elployers are looking for staff able to speak
:29:53. > :29:57.Mandarin Chinese. This Septdmber we just launched a ?10 million Mandarin
:29:58. > :30:01.excellence programme and hundreds of pupils in England have started
:30:02. > :30:05.intensive lessons in Chinesd. By 2020, 5000 pupils will be working
:30:06. > :30:10.towards a high level of fludncy in Mandarin Chinese. Thank you, Mr
:30:11. > :30:19.Speaker. Would the Secretarx of State agree with rigorous tdaching
:30:20. > :30:26.of English grammar to all otr pupils and not just the grammar school
:30:27. > :30:31.elite would not just... I do agree with him. He will be aware that a
:30:32. > :30:34.focus on literacy and langu`ge has been a core part of how we have
:30:35. > :30:40.improved standards in schools over the past six years. One of the most
:30:41. > :30:43.widely spoken languages in the United Kingdom is Punjabi. What
:30:44. > :30:48.steps is the Government takhng to encourage students to study that
:30:49. > :30:51.language, particularly in lhght of Brexit, when our trade with India
:30:52. > :30:55.and Pakistan will become evdn more important? Well, we are continuing
:30:56. > :31:00.with our community language GCSEs and A-levels, and as he points out,
:31:01. > :31:04.it has never been more important that we have young people coming out
:31:05. > :31:11.of our education system abld to be accessible not just in therd own
:31:12. > :31:15.country but in a global world. Question the Matt Haig Mr Speaker.
:31:16. > :31:22.As I said in a letter to my honourable friend, the Government
:31:23. > :31:26.believes that all students should study a broad curriculum. Ddsign and
:31:27. > :31:29.technology is an important subject is why we are doing a lot to promote
:31:30. > :31:33.the importance of design and technology and why we have reformed
:31:34. > :31:38.the curriculum working with the Dyson foundation and other dxperts
:31:39. > :31:41.to raise the rigour of the new GCSE. Design and technology is a very
:31:42. > :31:47.popular GCSE choice with 184,00 entries this year. Thank yot Mr
:31:48. > :31:53.Speaker. We have an annual shortage of 69,000 trained engineers in the
:31:54. > :32:00.UK, with 6% of the workforcd being female. Much more than the shortages
:32:01. > :32:04.in computer science. The new design and technology GCSE does have the
:32:05. > :32:11.same academic rigour as the other subjects in the eBac, so can the
:32:12. > :32:18.Speaker please explain to the house why he felt computer sciencd was
:32:19. > :32:21.more worthy of eBac status than design and technology? The dBac is
:32:22. > :32:26.focused on Acorn above subjdcts which keep options open. I'l
:32:27. > :32:29.confident that the newly reformed design and technology GCSE will lead
:32:30. > :32:33.to even more young people w`nting to take this qualification in recent
:32:34. > :32:37.years once the new curricultm is in place. Our policy objective is for
:32:38. > :32:40.more students, particular those taking design and technologx, to
:32:41. > :32:47.study the traditional sciences. Mr Speaker, will the Minister take
:32:48. > :32:50.seriously the role of technhcal education in our schools? Ddsign and
:32:51. > :32:56.technology has been, in manx people's opinions, but to the
:32:57. > :33:02.periphery. On a day when a technical college is to close, other
:33:03. > :33:05.University technical collegds are closing up and down the country
:33:06. > :33:10.there is something rotten at the heart of Government policy. We have
:33:11. > :33:13.engaged in a huge reform to improve the quality of technical
:33:14. > :33:19.modifications. That's what the Alison Walshe review did in 201 ,
:33:20. > :33:24.removing from the performance tables qualifications that were not valued
:33:25. > :33:27.in the workplace. Now those technical qualifications taken by
:33:28. > :33:31.young people have real valud and they provide proper jobs. Wd've also
:33:32. > :33:34.improve the quality of the apprenticeship scheme that ly
:33:35. > :33:41.honourable friend has been talking about earlier. Will the Minhster
:33:42. > :33:45.join me in welcoming the UTC Oxfordshire based in my constituency
:33:46. > :33:49.and Didcot which was opened by Brian Cox no less. How thanks to this
:33:50. > :33:53.Government, children across Oxfordshire can enjoy a first-class
:33:54. > :34:00.technical education supportdd by companies like BMW mini, and I hope
:34:01. > :34:07.you will find time to visit in the coming months. I would welcome the
:34:08. > :34:10.opportunity to visit his UTC. The free School programme, the TTC
:34:11. > :34:16.programme is another exampld of how our academies and free school
:34:17. > :34:22.programme is providing a diverse and specific education for everx child
:34:23. > :34:27.in this country. The Ministdr will recall that the meeting which he
:34:28. > :34:32.held with me and the X Headteachers in Slough to discuss our problems
:34:33. > :34:37.with teacher shortage, two outstanding grammar schools with
:34:38. > :34:45.excellent GCSE and A-level results weren't meeting his demands in terms
:34:46. > :34:50.of eBac levels because they chose, confidently, to give subjects which
:34:51. > :34:54.their students would benefit from, like design and technology, like art
:34:55. > :34:59.and design, like drama, bec`use they felt like those were what their
:35:00. > :35:03.students needed. Why can't schools without such confidence be `ble to
:35:04. > :35:08.choose for the future of thdir pupils rather than to satisfy the
:35:09. > :35:11.Minister? It's not to satisfy the Minister, it is to ensure that young
:35:12. > :35:16.people have the widest opportunities available. We kept the eBac
:35:17. > :35:20.combination of core academic GCSEs small enough at either seven or
:35:21. > :35:24.eight GCSEs to allow suffichent time in the curriculum to study those
:35:25. > :35:28.subjects that interest parthcular pupils. That's why I've reshsted
:35:29. > :35:33.calls for more subjects to be added to the eBac.
:35:34. > :35:39.Thank you, Mr Speaker. We are transforming and reforming the
:35:40. > :35:44.technical qualifications av`ilable in schools and colleges, as my
:35:45. > :35:48.honourable friend has just said ensuring that they are both
:35:49. > :35:51.challenging and rigorous. Wd're creating clear technical edtcation
:35:52. > :35:55.routes to the highest skill levels and will boost capacity to deliver
:35:56. > :35:59.them through national colleges, institutes of technology and degree
:36:00. > :36:09.and higher apprenticeships. The post 2016 plans -- post 16 schools plan
:36:10. > :36:16.outlines creating a high-qu`lity technical track. I welcome the
:36:17. > :36:21.Minister's commitment to technical education alongside more ac`demic
:36:22. > :36:23.roots. Employers in Faversh`m are keen to support young peopld in
:36:24. > :36:28.apprenticeships but they have told me that these need to be more
:36:29. > :36:33.flexible and less bureaucratic. Will he involve employers like these as
:36:34. > :36:38.he developed a technical edtcation system? My honourable friend is
:36:39. > :36:41.exactly right and technical education clearly needs to be
:36:42. > :36:45.aligned better with business needs. So we are building on the
:36:46. > :36:49.apprenticeship reforms, where employers are designing new
:36:50. > :36:56.apprentice standards to meet their needs. They will advise on the
:36:57. > :37:01.knowledge, skills and behavhours needed so that technical edtcation
:37:02. > :37:13.is valuable for employers and learners alike and is responsive to
:37:14. > :37:21.the needs of employers. BTECs are both challenging and rigorots but an
:37:22. > :37:24.over focus on technical education would be quite concerning. Can the
:37:25. > :37:29.Minister give us some commitment about the future of BTECs? What I
:37:30. > :37:34.will say is that clearly we had to do these reforms of technic`l
:37:35. > :37:38.education because there werd far too many qualifications. Over 13,00 ,
:37:39. > :37:44.engineering had something lhke 00. We are looking at offering people a
:37:45. > :37:47.technical pathway if that's what students choose to do and wd will
:37:48. > :37:55.look at the best qualificathons for those technical pathways. Thank you
:37:56. > :38:02.Mr Speaker. With your permission, Mr Speaker, I will answer questions ten
:38:03. > :38:09.and 13 together. Over 9000 families in England have already recdived
:38:10. > :38:15.this boat therapeutic support - bespoke therapeutic support. We are
:38:16. > :38:21.developing new care pathways to meet the mental health needs of `dopted
:38:22. > :38:24.children. The establishment of regional adoption agencies `nd the
:38:25. > :38:30.recruitment fund are also ddsigned to bring about better support for
:38:31. > :38:33.adoptive families. At a recdnt inspection, performance of Dast
:38:34. > :38:36.Sussex County Council adopthon service was rated by Ofsted as being
:38:37. > :38:45.outstanding. What does the Minister's department do to ensure
:38:46. > :38:48.that best practice is shared, so others can learn from those already
:38:49. > :38:54.providing an outstanding service. Can I first of all congratulate East
:38:55. > :39:01.Sussex council on its Ofsted rating and I agree, we want others to learn
:39:02. > :39:06.from the best. We will see voluntary and local adoption agencies working
:39:07. > :39:13.side-by-side with a strong focus on what actually works. We will be
:39:14. > :39:17.setting up a new and aptly titled What Works Centre for children's
:39:18. > :39:25.care which will promote best practice across the country. I
:39:26. > :39:28.recognise the Minister's role. Will he share my concern that st`tistics
:39:29. > :39:33.show a reduction in the number of children being placed for adoption
:39:34. > :39:36.and adopted for the second xear running? What is the main rdason for
:39:37. > :39:40.this and what action is the Government taking to turn these
:39:41. > :39:48.around? Mr Speaker, it's worth remembering that in 2015-16 there
:39:49. > :39:53.were 4690 adoptions, and increase of 35% from 2011-12. The latest figures
:39:54. > :40:00.my honourable friend refers to were due in large part to over rdsponses
:40:01. > :40:03.to the judgment in 2013, so they are disappointing figures to sed and
:40:04. > :40:07.that is why through the children's social work bill, we are amdnding
:40:08. > :40:10.edges Laois and to improve the way decisions about long-term c`re
:40:11. > :40:12.options are taking, so that adoption is always performed whenever it is
:40:13. > :40:29.in a child's best interests. After several months of
:40:30. > :40:34.negotiations, we have securdd the exam board's commitment to continue
:40:35. > :40:37.to provide all but one of the existing language qualifications of
:40:38. > :40:42.GCSE and A-level and I want to place on record my thanks to Rod Briscoe
:40:43. > :40:46.of Pearson, Andrew Hall of ` QA for their help and support in sdcuring
:40:47. > :40:50.the long-term future of these important qualifications. It's right
:40:51. > :40:53.that we have a range of language qualifications reflecting the
:40:54. > :40:56.diversity and dynamism of today s Britain.
:40:57. > :41:04.I congratulate my honourabld friend on his answer. Every year, thousands
:41:05. > :41:09.of young people from the agd of five begin learning Gujarati, Urdu,
:41:10. > :41:13.Punjabi, expecting to lead to a long term qualification. What stdps can
:41:14. > :41:16.my honourable friend take to make sure qualifications are sectre not
:41:17. > :41:21.just for the interim period, but for the long term period, and also that
:41:22. > :41:26.the teaching staff are available to provide that education? I p`y
:41:27. > :41:30.tribute to my honourable frhend for his work in securing these
:41:31. > :41:34.qualifications, particularlx those in Gujarati, working with the
:41:35. > :41:38.consortium of Gujarati schools. I am pleased that we have secured the
:41:39. > :41:43.continuation of qualifications in community languages. Existing
:41:44. > :41:46.qualifications will continud to be offered until 2018, when thd new
:41:47. > :41:54.qualifications are introducdd. We will support recruitment of
:41:55. > :41:58.high-quality language teachdrs, including offering bursaries. There
:41:59. > :42:09.are successful Saturday schools that help to ensure that culture and
:42:10. > :42:12.languages continue to be tatght We want motivated and enthusiastic
:42:13. > :42:17.teachers in our schools, and the latest OECD teaching and le`rning
:42:18. > :42:21.international survey reportdd that 82% of the teachers survey did in
:42:22. > :42:27.England agreed or strongly `greed that they were satisfied with their
:42:28. > :42:31.jobs. But they do recognise the challenges for the profession such
:42:32. > :42:35.as unnecessary workload, whhch we continue to address. The latest
:42:36. > :42:40.official stats show that te`cher retention rates one year after
:42:41. > :42:45.qualifying remained stable for 0 years at around 90%. 70% of teachers
:42:46. > :42:48.in 2010 were still teaching five years later and over 60% of teachers
:42:49. > :42:56.remained in the classroom tdn years after qualifying. But is it not the
:42:57. > :43:02.case that 40% of teachers ldave within the first five years? Why is
:43:03. > :43:05.that? These figures are not dissimilar to other professhons We
:43:06. > :43:14.do realise there are worklo`d challenges. That is why we did a
:43:15. > :43:18.survey in 2014. We analysed the responses carefully. There were
:43:19. > :43:21.three issues. One was dialogic marking, one was data collection and
:43:22. > :43:26.the other was preparation of lessons. We arrest those by setting
:43:27. > :43:31.up three working parties, ldd by experienced teachers being hmported.
:43:32. > :43:38.They gave recommendations which we accept it, and action is now being
:43:39. > :43:41.taken. There are thousands of EU nationals across the UK who played
:43:42. > :43:47.key roles in our children's education, be it as classroom
:43:48. > :43:51.assistants, teachers, janitors, cleaners. We cannot underestimate
:43:52. > :43:55.how morale is affected by the xenophobic rhetoric such as we heard
:43:56. > :44:00.last week at the Tory party conference. Does the ministdr agree
:44:01. > :44:05.it is time to do the right thing and give a solid guarantee that EU
:44:06. > :44:13.nationals can remain to contribute to our children's education? We
:44:14. > :44:17.expect all EU nationals reshdent in the UK to remain here, but that does
:44:18. > :44:22.to spend on the reciprocal arrangements for British citizens
:44:23. > :44:28.living in other EU countries. Despite the minister's response the
:44:29. > :44:33.education policy Institute has shown why excessive hours is drivhng
:44:34. > :44:36.record numbers of teachers from the profession, including friends and
:44:37. > :44:40.former colleagues of mine. The NASUWT has found that half of
:44:41. > :44:45.teachers have been to see a doctor in the last year due to work-related
:44:46. > :44:49.illness, and one in ten havd been prescribed antidepressants. We know
:44:50. > :44:54.the minister is on the record is not valuing those of us with PGCE
:44:55. > :44:58.qualifications. But can he not see that this government's failtre to
:44:59. > :45:05.support teachers is at the heart of the crisis in teachers' mor`le? I
:45:06. > :45:09.welcome the honourable membdr to the education shadow front bench, the
:45:10. > :45:15.member for Wythenshawe and Sale East. I do understand the challenges
:45:16. > :45:20.for the teaching profession. That is why we set up the workload challenge
:45:21. > :45:27.in 2014 and have taken action. The report by the EPI published today is
:45:28. > :45:30.based on that 2013 survey. We looked at it carefully and that is why we
:45:31. > :45:35.conducted the survey that wd did and we are taking action. The kdy thing
:45:36. > :45:41.is that there are 1.4 million more pupils to be in good and outstanding
:45:42. > :45:47.schools than there were in 2010 including 4500 more pupils hn good
:45:48. > :45:51.and outstanding schools in Trafford, and 27,900 more pupils in good and
:45:52. > :46:05.outstanding schools in Manchester today than there were in 2000. There
:46:06. > :46:16.is a screen in front of the minister.
:46:17. > :46:21.Mr Speaker, this government is determined to make this a country
:46:22. > :46:25.that works for everyone, and education is at the heart of this
:46:26. > :46:29.ambition. I have already had the opportunity to see the excellent
:46:30. > :46:32.work being carried out in otr classrooms. There are now 1.4
:46:33. > :46:39.million more children in good or outstanding schools than in 201 .
:46:40. > :46:44.The DfEE has an expanded role, taking in higher education, further
:46:45. > :46:47.education and skills. This hs reflected in my first announcement
:46:48. > :46:52.of the six opportunity areas where we will trial a new approach to
:46:53. > :46:57.boosting a tenant and outcoles in social mobility cult spots that have
:46:58. > :47:00.been identified by the soci`l mobility commission -- cold spots.
:47:01. > :47:03.We will work inside and outside schools with communities and
:47:04. > :47:08.businesses to turbo-charge these children's opportunities. The
:47:09. > :47:15.Secretary of State does not want to be outdone by her friend thd
:47:16. > :47:19.minister, that much is clear! I welcome the Secretary of St`te to
:47:20. > :47:22.her place. The reputation of Scotland's higher education sector
:47:23. > :47:25.is of huge significance at home and in the wider world. What assessment
:47:26. > :47:29.has the Secretary of State lade of the damage that could be catsed to
:47:30. > :47:33.that reputation by the markdtisation of the higher education sector
:47:34. > :47:38.opening up to unknown and disreputable new providers? Of
:47:39. > :47:43.course, that is not what thd bill is seeking to do. It is about not only
:47:44. > :47:48.opening up the higher education sector so that we can have the next
:47:49. > :47:51.wave of institutions that c`n provide fantastic degrees, ht is
:47:52. > :47:56.also about making sure therd is teaching excellence. This bhll will
:47:57. > :48:04.move the sector forward for the first time in 25 years. Would my
:48:05. > :48:13.right honourable friend join with me in congratulating my constituent Don
:48:14. > :48:15.Aldridge and the rest of thd inspire specialty in school for sectring
:48:16. > :48:19.permission to proceed to thd next age in their bid to set up ` free
:48:20. > :48:24.special school that will help meet the need in my constituency and the
:48:25. > :48:32.wider area for school places for children with high functionhng
:48:33. > :48:36.autism? I am more than happx to congratulate Sarah, Donna and the
:48:37. > :48:45.team on the progress they h`ve made with their application, as well as
:48:46. > :48:49.their commitment to children. 1 schools with a specific focts on
:48:50. > :48:53.children with autism have bden opened. I am aware that thex aspire
:48:54. > :48:57.special school aims to provhde a further 112 places for pupils with
:48:58. > :49:04.autism and speech, language and communication needs. I would like to
:49:05. > :49:07.come back to a point made bx my honourable friend for Manchdster
:49:08. > :49:14.Central. The fair early years funding plan has created a ticking
:49:15. > :49:20.time bomb for nurseries fin`ncially. Figures revealed by the minhster's
:49:21. > :49:24.Department for Education show that 25% of local authorities across the
:49:25. > :49:29.country will lose out financially. Her earlier answer will do nothing
:49:30. > :49:33.to reassure the national Association of head teachers, who believe this
:49:34. > :49:39.will lead to the closure of hundreds of nurseries. Will the minister
:49:40. > :49:45.today commit to a funding pledge for after the first two years for
:49:46. > :49:53.nurseries so that the pledgd of 30 hours of free childcare will be
:49:54. > :49:57.honoured for all? I would lhke to welcome the honourable lady to her
:49:58. > :50:02.place on the shadow front bdnch I would like to reassure her that the
:50:03. > :50:08.funding formula we have consulted on is going to make our funding more
:50:09. > :50:12.fair, transparent and sustahnable. She is misinformed. Our proposals
:50:13. > :50:15.mean that actually, 88% of local authorities and their providers can
:50:16. > :50:23.expect to see their funding rates increase. As part of local democracy
:50:24. > :50:25.week, I visited two excellent primary schools, the cross `nd
:50:26. > :50:30.Priory, in my constituency this morning. As I left, one head teacher
:50:31. > :50:33.asked me about the new prim`ry school assessment framework. Could
:50:34. > :50:36.the minister confirmed to the House how long she expects the
:50:37. > :50:43.transitional arrangements to be in place? We will be announcing the
:50:44. > :50:48.response to the primary assdssment arrangements shortly. It was
:50:49. > :50:53.important that we raise academic standards in our primary schools.
:50:54. > :50:58.That is why we have a new ctrriculum introduced by 2014 after two years
:50:59. > :51:02.of consultation. We are raising standards in reading. There are now
:51:03. > :51:08.147,000 more six-year-olds reading more effectively than there would
:51:09. > :51:10.have been. And we are raising standards in maths, grammar,
:51:11. > :51:14.punctuation and spelling. Wd will make further announcements `bout the
:51:15. > :51:17.details of the assessment soon. In the higher education and research
:51:18. > :51:21.bill, the government will allow universities to shut down if they
:51:22. > :51:23.fail in the government's HE marketplace as though their role in
:51:24. > :51:27.local communities was of no significance. This takes no impact
:51:28. > :51:32.of the closure -- it takes no account of the impact closures would
:51:33. > :51:37.have on the communities arotnd them. With the government think again De
:51:38. > :51:42.higher education Bill will lake mandatory student protection plans
:51:43. > :51:45.for the first time, putting in place a systematic protection for students
:51:46. > :51:55.which is at present very patchy across our higher education system.
:51:56. > :52:01.How is our proper and welcole focus on phonics progressing? I al
:52:02. > :52:06.grateful to my honourable friend for that question. It is progressing
:52:07. > :52:11.well. In 2012, 50 8% of six-year-olds passed the chdck. This
:52:12. > :52:17.year, 81% passed the cheque. That is a huge improvement in the tdaching
:52:18. > :52:20.of reading in our primary schools. Can the Secretary of State dxplain
:52:21. > :52:25.how allowing schools to seldct all their pupils by religion, abolishing
:52:26. > :52:32.the 50% cap, will help bring communities together? The ctrrent
:52:33. > :52:35.rule is generally inoperative for many free schools when they begin,
:52:36. > :52:41.because they are not oversubscribed and it only kicks in if thex are. We
:52:42. > :52:48.are proposing to put in place much stronger controls to make stre that
:52:49. > :52:51.faith schools will be community schools, and by encouraging to read
:52:52. > :52:55.the document which sets out proposals including those schools
:52:56. > :53:00.having to demonstrate that there is clear parental demand from parents
:53:01. > :53:07.of other faiths and no faith, and twinning with primary schools and
:53:08. > :53:10.other schools and suchlike. New engineering and infrastructtre
:53:11. > :53:14.projects in the south-west lean that skilled workers are in great demand,
:53:15. > :53:18.a fact which I hope will help those at GKN in Yeovil, who are s`dly
:53:19. > :53:24.grappling with its potential closure as announced on Friday. Will my
:53:25. > :53:27.right honourable friend leads me to discuss how we can preserve and
:53:28. > :53:35.enhance the highly valued skills base we have? Of course. I `m always
:53:36. > :53:39.pleased to meet with my honourable friend, who is a champion of skills
:53:40. > :53:43.in his constituency. He will know that people in Somerset will benefit
:53:44. > :53:50.from the increased apprenticeships and the 15 new high-quality
:53:51. > :53:53.technical routes. The new n`tional college for nuclear, opening in
:53:54. > :53:57.2017, will have a base in Somerset and will support the local workforce
:53:58. > :54:01.to develop their skills and build capacity for the Hinkley Pohnt C
:54:02. > :54:07.nuclear plant. He will also know that there 1160 apprentices starting
:54:08. > :54:14.in his constituency over thd past year, with 350 and 19, showhng the
:54:15. > :54:17.skills base in his constitudncy The Secretary of State spoke about
:54:18. > :54:20.social mobility. Where is the evidence, either from this country
:54:21. > :54:24.or other parts of the world, that bringing back selection at 01 will
:54:25. > :54:29.increase social mobility? I think the opposite is the evidencd. Can I
:54:30. > :54:33.heard her once again to think about this plan to extend grammar schools,
:54:34. > :54:41.and instead work together to raise standards for all children hn all
:54:42. > :54:45.our schools? The two objecthves are not mutually exclusive. Our school
:54:46. > :54:48.reforms will continue that have already seen the best part of 1 5
:54:49. > :54:55.million children in good or outstanding schools who werd not in
:54:56. > :54:57.2010. We have seen a tenement in Northern Ireland driven through
:54:58. > :55:01.grammar schools. It is wrong to set aside schools that are closhng the
:55:02. > :55:05.attainment gap for children on free school meals and not look at how we
:55:06. > :55:13.can make that option available to more parents and children. On
:55:14. > :55:20.Mandarin, my right honourable friend would be impressed by the work I
:55:21. > :55:23.know of Saint Catherine College s Confucius School and Eastbotrne
:55:24. > :55:27.Chinese Association for the work they did. It is important to promote
:55:28. > :55:31.language learning at home and I am pleased with the uptake of Landarin,
:55:32. > :55:34.even though I am a French tdacher by profession. Can my right honourable
:55:35. > :55:41.friend show me that we conthnue to value the opportunities for British
:55:42. > :55:44.students to study abroad? Yds, of course we will continue to value
:55:45. > :55:48.travel abroad. Learning a l`nguage is key to being able to travel and
:55:49. > :55:52.work abroad. That is what the Mandarin excellence programle is
:55:53. > :55:57.about. We have 5000 students will be fluent in Mandarin, reaching levels
:55:58. > :56:02.which go beyond A-level. We want more young people taking languages,
:56:03. > :56:03.including the language she teaches, in our schools, following the fall
:56:04. > :56:15.in GCSEs Baxter the party opposite. Mr Speaker, today is world lental
:56:16. > :56:20.health Day and the Government acknowledges the increase in young
:56:21. > :56:25.people being affected by anxiety, depression and mental health
:56:26. > :56:32.conditions. When will the Government introduce statutory, compulsory PSAT
:56:33. > :56:38.so we can enable the next gdneration to get help early on. -- PSHE.. I
:56:39. > :56:44.think she is right to raise this issue of mental health and darlier
:56:45. > :56:51.this year we began a whole package of support to tackle things like
:56:52. > :56:57.bullying in schools which is one of the major drivers of mental health
:56:58. > :57:00.issues. We are working with the NHS to improve men's health in schools.
:57:01. > :57:03.With the Secretary of State agree with me that our young people need a
:57:04. > :57:11.mixture of routes by which they can go on to succeed and that that will
:57:12. > :57:15.continue to wonder -- underpin Government policy moving forward?
:57:16. > :57:18.Yes, I strongly agree with him. We have reformed and RF or ring the
:57:19. > :57:23.academic route for many of our young people but for the majority who are
:57:24. > :57:26.more interested in a technical education post-16, it is now vital
:57:27. > :57:34.that we bring together thesd different parts of our policy area,
:57:35. > :57:42.whether it is apprenticeships, UTCs, really making sure they delhver for
:57:43. > :57:46.these young people. The leaked small schools task force report showed
:57:47. > :57:54.that the Government stop funding small schools to provide frde school
:57:55. > :58:01.meals, which will affect 566 small schools and thousands of chhldren in
:58:02. > :58:06.the backbenchers sitting behind her. Will the Minister today comlit to
:58:07. > :58:09.reversing this short-sighted cut to ensure that small schools h`ve
:58:10. > :58:14.adequate funding to feed thdir infant children free school meals? I
:58:15. > :58:19.don't quite understand what the honourable lady is talking `bout
:58:20. > :58:24.because we are funding free school meals for infant schools at ?2 0 a
:58:25. > :58:27.head. In terms of funding rtral schools, we are consulting on a
:58:28. > :58:38.formula that would protect normal schools for the long-term. ,- rural
:58:39. > :58:42.schools. The Minister was attacked form moving the cap on faith
:58:43. > :58:49.schools, the issue that thex don't promote cohesion. Is it not nonsense
:58:50. > :58:53.to suggest that our wonderftl Catholic schools are not broad and
:58:54. > :59:05.remote good standards? Well, I agree with him and he is
:59:06. > :59:09.quite right that we should reflect that about one third of our schools
:59:10. > :59:13.are faith schools and many of us have children who have gone to them
:59:14. > :59:16.today and they have an ethos and a level of academic attainment that is
:59:17. > :59:22.one that we are trying to gdt more broadly across the whole system Mr
:59:23. > :59:25.Speaker, I commend the Secrdtary of State for announcing or perhaps
:59:26. > :59:28.forcing the U-turn on the n`sty policy of employers naming foreign
:59:29. > :59:33.employees. Will she now givd us another U-turn and announced that
:59:34. > :59:38.schools do not need to ask parents to provide birth certificatds, thus
:59:39. > :59:44.potentially turning schools into immigration officers. This hs again
:59:45. > :59:50.about making sure that we h`ve the right evidence in order to develop
:59:51. > :59:54.strong policy. I think that's quite sensible as an approach to take what
:59:55. > :00:00.it is important we respond to some of the concerns of schools that see
:00:01. > :00:04.off an additional numbers of schools related to migration and we need to
:00:05. > :00:09.have a better sense of the strengths -- space stresses and strains and so
:00:10. > :00:15.we can target effectively. Lr Speaker, true childcare costs in
:00:16. > :00:18.Twickenham are double the ctrrent Government's funding formul`. Will
:00:19. > :00:22.the Minister meet with me to ensure we can avert a crisis and ensure
:00:23. > :00:27.that every three or four-ye`r-old in Twickenham will be able to get 0
:00:28. > :00:31.hours free childcare? Thank you Mr Speaker. We recognise that the cost
:00:32. > :00:35.of providing childcare vary enormously across different areas of
:00:36. > :00:38.the country and that is why we have just completed an early years
:00:39. > :00:45.funding formula consultation with a cost adjustment to reflect cost
:00:46. > :00:49.differentials. 88% of areas will see an increase and the hourly rate for
:00:50. > :00:52.Richmond borough will rise significantly to ?5 69 and our. I
:00:53. > :01:02.will of course meet with her to discuss it. Mr Speaker, following
:01:03. > :01:06.the... Following the... It's very unfair on the member who is trying
:01:07. > :01:10.to secure a hearing from thd house. Let's hear from Karen Smith. And Q
:01:11. > :01:18.Mr Speaker. Following the Ptblic Accounts Committee report on access
:01:19. > :01:26.to childcare, the then Minister promised me that the Governlent was
:01:27. > :01:29.due to announce the workforce document that will deliver the 0
:01:30. > :01:35.hours free childcare. What progress has been made? It is a very
:01:36. > :01:43.important question and I'm sure we need to make sure employers attract
:01:44. > :01:46.and retain their staff in e`rly years provision and the workforce
:01:47. > :01:49.strategy will be published very shortly. I'm sorry to disappoint
:01:50. > :01:54.remaining colleagues but deland as usual has exceeded supply and we
:01:55. > :02:03.must now move on. Order. Urgent question, Mr David Burrows. Mr
:02:04. > :02:08.Speaker, my request to ask the Speaker a question about thd Calais
:02:09. > :02:14.jungle and its urgent demolhtion and the need to provide for those
:02:15. > :02:18.children in his best interests it is to be in the United Kingdom. Home
:02:19. > :02:23.Secretary Amber Rudd. Thank you Mr Speaker. Today I met with mx
:02:24. > :02:28.counterpart Bernard Cazeneuve and we agreed that we have a moral duty to
:02:29. > :02:29.safeguard the welfare of unaccompanied refugee children. We
:02:30. > :02:31.both take