:00:00. > :00:15.Order. Order. I wish to make a short statement to
:00:16. > :00:19.the House. A fortnight ago, The House of Commons Commission endorsed
:00:20. > :00:25.a proposition upon which I confess I am myself very keen, having indeed
:00:26. > :00:30.originally suggested it myself, that a wider range of less senior proceed
:00:31. > :00:36.so alclerks should have an opportunity to sit at the table,
:00:37. > :00:40.alongside more experienced colleagues to familiarise themselves
:00:41. > :00:44.with chain before practise and procedure. At the same time, the
:00:45. > :00:49.Commission endorsed a proposition from the clerk of the House,
:00:50. > :00:54.reflecting the overwhelming view of his colleagues, that clerks should
:00:55. > :01:01.no longer wear wigs at the table in the chamber. They will also cease to
:01:02. > :01:08.wear court dress. But they will continue to wear gowns, so as to be
:01:09. > :01:11.distinguishable as experts in Parliamentary procedure, not
:01:12. > :01:16.lawyers, and certainly not members. Details are in a letter from the
:01:17. > :01:21.clerk of the House to the chair of the procedure committee available on
:01:22. > :01:24.the website and in the vote office. Colleagues will be pleased to learn
:01:25. > :01:29.this change will in the longer term save money, it will, I believe, be
:01:30. > :01:34.welcomed by those clerks who serve or who look forward to serving at
:01:35. > :01:42.the table, and it will more over in my view, which I recognise may not
:01:43. > :01:47.be universally shared, convey to the public a marginally less stuffy and
:01:48. > :01:55.forbidding image of this chamber, at work. The new regime colleagues will
:01:56. > :02:00.start soon after we return, from the short February recess. Order.
:02:01. > :02:11.Questions to the Secretary of State for Education.
:02:12. > :02:17.Not here, one person who is here, and I can see that very clearly to
:02:18. > :02:24.migrate satisfaction is the right honourable gentleman the member for
:02:25. > :02:32.mid sucks sex Sir Nicholas Soames. -- Sussex.
:02:33. > :02:35.Thank you, replacing the historic pose code lottery with the proper
:02:36. > :02:39.national funding formula that is fair, where by funding will be
:02:40. > :02:45.allocated to schools base odd the needs of pupils and for West Sussex
:02:46. > :02:51.compared to the altern thetive of of the current postcode lottery result,
:02:52. > :02:56.it would mean a ?14.6 million annual increase in funding to local
:02:57. > :03:03.schools. You caught me without my wig Mr
:03:04. > :03:08.Speaker. Mr Speaker, almost all of the 286 schools in West Sussex find
:03:09. > :03:13.their budgets under extreme strain, and therefore welcome the new
:03:14. > :03:19.developments but as it is one of the lowest funded of the shire counties
:03:20. > :03:25.will my right honourable friend look carefully at the budgets of small
:03:26. > :03:29.rural schools who find themselves unfortunately and unfavourably
:03:30. > :03:35.treated? Of course he will be wear we are in the second phase
:03:36. > :03:37.consultation in relation to the national funding formulas
:03:38. > :03:40.introduction, this is a once in a generation opportunity to reach a
:03:41. > :03:43.settlement on fair funding that really work, I know he alongside
:03:44. > :03:46.many other colleague also have their views on how they want to see the
:03:47. > :03:53.formula work and he is is right to make them in questions.
:03:54. > :03:58.I listened carefully to the Secretary of State who has not
:03:59. > :04:05.blordenned the matter and the question appertains to West Sussex.
:04:06. > :04:13.Sussex. -- broadens. The The Chester constituency is a considerable
:04:14. > :04:17.distance from West Sussex but if his question focussed on West Sussex.
:04:18. > :04:26.Exclusively. Get in there man. West Sussex
:04:27. > :04:37.education funding has increased by 1.9% and I am pleased to hear that,
:04:38. > :04:43.but other areas... Will receive, will have received cuts, of up to
:04:44. > :04:46.is.3%. Why is West Sussex being treated so much more there was The
:04:47. > :04:51.honourable gentleman is a fine man but I am not sure he would triumph
:04:52. > :04:55.if he appeared on Just a Minute. Secretary of State. Thank you. I
:04:56. > :04:58.recognise that the funding formula means that schools receive different
:04:59. > :05:02.settlements in the feature to the ones they have had in the past and
:05:03. > :05:06.what we are trying to do is make sure that every child, where ever
:05:07. > :05:09.they are growing up in England gets the same amount of funding but a top
:05:10. > :05:16.up in relation to additional needs, whether it is in relation to
:05:17. > :05:20.deprivation, which has been based on out-of-date data or additional
:05:21. > :05:26.funding for low prior attainment. The impact of the new formula in
:05:27. > :05:31.West Sussex disproportionately disadvantage rural primary schools,
:05:32. > :05:36.in the way that it has elsewhere? Or will elsewhere? The introduction of
:05:37. > :05:40.the formula leads to different effects in deaf respect parts of the
:05:41. > :05:43.country, obviously what we are putting in place is a fair funding
:05:44. > :05:47.formula but it has to work for all schools. This is a second
:05:48. > :05:51.consultation to try and make sure we get it right. We have particularly
:05:52. > :05:56.focussed on helping small rural schools by having elements of the
:05:57. > :06:00.formula relating to sparsity and -- another element that is a lump sum
:06:01. > :06:05.element. I am interested to hear all colleagues views is on the
:06:06. > :06:09.consultation. Thank you Mr Speaker, the Secretary
:06:10. > :06:14.of State's answer so far will give no comfort to schools in West
:06:15. > :06:19.Sussex, who have an 8% reduction by 2019 or anywhere elsewhere they are
:06:20. > :06:26.facing real term funding cuts. Does she stand by her party's manifesto
:06:27. > :06:30.pledge that every school in Britain, including every school in West
:06:31. > :06:35.Sussex will receive an increase in real testimonies during this
:06:36. > :06:39.Parliament? Well, as ever, the honourable lady is not clear about
:06:40. > :06:44.whether or not she even supports the concept of fair funding. I would
:06:45. > :06:48.have thought all MPs would want to see all children able to get fair
:06:49. > :06:52.funding across the board, for schools funding, we have record
:06:53. > :06:56.money going into our schools budget, we have protected the core schools
:06:57. > :06:59.budget in real term, so there is record funding but it is important
:07:00. > :07:08.through the fair funding formula we make sure it is distributed fairly.
:07:09. > :07:18.Supplementary question four, question four.
:07:19. > :07:23.I beg his pardon. We received 6,000 responses to the first stage of the
:07:24. > :07:26.consultation on the national funding formula which sets out the
:07:27. > :07:30.principles and factors to be used in a national funding formula. We
:07:31. > :07:34.continue to receive representation on the second stage which closes on
:07:35. > :07:39.the 22nd March, proposals for funding reform will mean that
:07:40. > :07:44.schools will for the first time, receive a consistent and fair share
:07:45. > :07:48.of the schools budget, addressing the historic and accuse news tick
:07:49. > :07:53.unfair funding system that has been in place since 2005.
:07:54. > :07:56.Can I tell the minister Exeter schools suffer a double whammy, they
:07:57. > :08:02.are inside one of the lowest funded counties in England. They have to
:08:03. > :08:07.subsidise the high cost of providing school transport, and keeping open
:08:08. > :08:12.small rural schools. Yet, the new funding formula he proposes makes
:08:13. > :08:16.Exeter schools worse off. How can he explain that to my constituents and
:08:17. > :08:20.the schools themselves? Well, Mr Speaker, in Devon, just as a result
:08:21. > :08:28.of the new national funding formula and and on the basis of this year's
:08:29. > :08:35.figures, school funding would rise from 377.2 million, to 378.7
:08:36. > :08:38.million, an increase of 0.4%. In his own constituency of Exeter there
:08:39. > :08:41.will be no overall change in the level of funding though there are
:08:42. > :08:44.will be changes between schools. Whenever you introduce a new
:08:45. > :08:51.national formula and you illustrate that new formula on the basis of
:08:52. > :08:56.this year's figures, 2016/17, inevitably some schools will gain,
:08:57. > :08:59.others will lose. Over all 54% of schools will gain under the new
:09:00. > :09:05.formula. Thank you. In the historically
:09:06. > :09:11.underfunded constituency of East Devon, we are go, if these proposals
:09:12. > :09:17.are adopted we are going to have 15 primary schools gaining, 20 losing
:09:18. > :09:21.out and all the secondary schools in Easter don losingous. It this is not
:09:22. > :09:24.fair or acceptable. Would the Secretary of State agree to meet me
:09:25. > :09:32.and other Devon MPs, to make our point yet again.
:09:33. > :09:35.I am happy to meet them and I think the Secretary of State already has
:09:36. > :09:39.met Devon MPs but I am sure he will meet them again. I understand my
:09:40. > :09:43.right honourable friends concerned. There is a small full in funding in
:09:44. > :09:48.his constituency. Although 40% of schools would see a rise in income
:09:49. > :09:53.on the basis of the new formula. The new formula attaches a higher value
:09:54. > :09:58.to deprivation than Devon's local formula so schools in Devon, with a
:09:59. > :10:01.low proportion of pupils from disadvantaged background do less
:10:02. > :10:06.well under the national formula. But I am sure that my right honourable
:10:07. > :10:11.friend will make representations through the consultation which
:10:12. > :10:15.closes on 2 March. The right honourable gentleman did extend the
:10:16. > :10:22.question beyond Devon, allowing other would be contributors.
:10:23. > :10:27.Thank you Mr Speaker. The head of one of my local academy trusts tells
:10:28. > :10:32.me his school will lose more than 2.5% of their overall budget, from
:10:33. > :10:37.this national funding formula aloneful which is higher than the
:10:38. > :10:42.1.5 cap, 1.5% cap the Government promised. Does the minister share
:10:43. > :10:47.the trust's view these cutses will have the biggest impact on deprived
:10:48. > :10:56.and vulnerable children, and in so, what are they doing? The honourable
:10:57. > :10:59.lady is wrong. We aggregated all the local funding formulas across the
:11:00. > :11:04.150 local authority, and we looked at the level of deprivation, and we
:11:05. > :11:07.are allocating 9.5% of the national funding formula, to deprivation,
:11:08. > :11:13.which is broadly in line with the existing position. We also increased
:11:14. > :11:16.the amount of the funding formula, to children who start school behind,
:11:17. > :11:21.so the scheme is deliberately designed to help children from
:11:22. > :11:25.disadvantaged backgrounds, who are falling behind, and I would...
:11:26. > :11:28.Representing the constituency that she does, would support a fairer
:11:29. > :11:35.funding system that helps these particular kinds of children.
:11:36. > :11:42.Further to my honourable friend, there is no doubt in Devon the small
:11:43. > :11:46.rural schools are long distances for pupils to travel and we do need some
:11:47. > :11:54.more funding and while I welcome the fairer funding, we started a long
:11:55. > :12:02.way behind. I accept his comments. He knows in his constituency schools
:12:03. > :12:09.overall will gain ?300,000 worth of funding equal to zero points 6%
:12:10. > :12:14.increase and 70.6% of schools in his constituency on the basis of
:12:15. > :12:22.illustrative figures will gain funding compared to 29% which will
:12:23. > :12:29.lose small amount. By 2020 there will be a loss due to the National
:12:30. > :12:35.funding formula for every primary pupil and ?447 for every secondary
:12:36. > :12:43.pupil. In my constituency, this is even higher with primary schools
:12:44. > :12:47.?558 worse off per pupil and ?717 worse off her secondary school
:12:48. > :12:55.pupil. How can the minister justify this when child poverty levels are
:12:56. > :13:00.36% in my constituency? Well, her constituency will remain with the
:13:01. > :13:04.highest funding dashed funded areas. She is right as a result of the new
:13:05. > :13:14.funding formula the per-pupil funding rate in Lewisham, Lewisham
:13:15. > :13:18.and Deptford, wilful to ?5,550 but that is one of the highest in the
:13:19. > :13:26.country. London is a whole has increased in prosperity over the
:13:27. > :13:29.last ten years with free school meal proportions falling but it still has
:13:30. > :13:34.some of the highest levels of deprivation which is why under the
:13:35. > :13:41.new funding formula funding remained 30% higher than national average. I
:13:42. > :13:47.welcome the principle of the new national funding formula but under
:13:48. > :13:51.the indicative figures in North Devon, a third of schools are going
:13:52. > :13:55.to lose funding, will the minister continue to listen to our
:13:56. > :14:00.representations carefully and caddy confirmed the indicative figures we
:14:01. > :14:04.have seen are just that and could be subject to revision? Dashed can he
:14:05. > :14:10.confirm? This consultation is a genuine consultation being extended
:14:11. > :14:15.by two weeks until the 22nd of March so we will hear all representations
:14:16. > :14:23.from all members of the house and public. Thank you. Can the minister
:14:24. > :14:28.confirm the report that the Secretary of State handed back to
:14:29. > :14:32.the Treasury ?384 million in March the school improvements and does he
:14:33. > :14:38.agree with the London School to estimate it will take 300 35mm to
:14:39. > :14:44.ensure no school loses out and the new funding formula? She should know
:14:45. > :14:50.how negotiations with the Treasury work. We negotiated a very good
:14:51. > :14:55.agreement with the Treasury, we have protected core school funding in
:14:56. > :15:00.real terms we are spending ?40 billion more on school funding, a
:15:01. > :15:07.record high figure and it will rise over the next two years as pupil
:15:08. > :15:12.numbers rise to ?42 billion by 2019 and the figure she refers to is
:15:13. > :15:18.about the cost of funding and the cost of turning into academies. The
:15:19. > :15:23.proposal continues but they're not targeting the same timetable as was
:15:24. > :15:26.agreed in the last White Paper. Thank you. The minister will be
:15:27. > :15:33.aware tour bait schools benefit from the proposals yet the grammar
:15:34. > :15:39.schools do not. I thank him for his courtesy in meeting the heads of
:15:40. > :15:44.those schools and when will we receive a response? I'm grateful to
:15:45. > :15:48.him, the meeting which I enjoy very much, schools in his constituency
:15:49. > :15:54.will gain under the new national funding formula one 2p of extra
:15:55. > :15:59.funding across Torbay. That amounts to two point for that, 78% of
:16:00. > :16:03.schools in his constituency will increase funding and I listened
:16:04. > :16:13.carefully to the representations he has made and headteachers have made
:16:14. > :16:18.and I will respond shortly. In an earlier response, the minister said
:16:19. > :16:25.it will be schools with a few pupils and better prior attainment that
:16:26. > :16:29.will lose out. In my constituency it is simply wrong. The nine schools
:16:30. > :16:33.that would have funding cut are in the most deprived parts of the city
:16:34. > :16:36.where children start school 20 months behind where they should be
:16:37. > :16:43.in terms of development. Something has gone badly wrong with his plans,
:16:44. > :16:46.will he look again and explain to me and my teacher is why the kids who
:16:47. > :16:54.need the help the most are going to lose out? She will have looked at
:16:55. > :16:58.the consultation document and will see the high proportion of the
:16:59. > :17:03.national funding formula allocated on the basis of disadvantaged based
:17:04. > :17:07.on pupils with low prior attainment are based on English as an
:17:08. > :17:13.additional language. The differences we are basing the national funding
:17:14. > :17:19.formula on today s data and not the data in 2005. As she says, we have a
:17:20. > :17:26.once in a generation opportunity to put in place something the party
:17:27. > :17:31.opposite neglected to do, a fair, national funding formula based on a
:17:32. > :17:35.clear set of priorities and factors and principles and based on
:17:36. > :17:44.up-to-date data. In East Sussex funding per pupil is ?193 lower.
:17:45. > :17:51.What more can be done for my schools which are small and rural? We have
:17:52. > :17:54.an assured sparsity is an important factor in the national funding
:17:55. > :18:01.formula and we have increased funding for that element from ?15
:18:02. > :18:04.million to ?27 million across the system, East Sussex sees an increase
:18:05. > :18:12.in its funding overall and she should welcome what is a much fairer
:18:13. > :18:18.system, Ferriter schools across the country. Dashed fairer to schools.
:18:19. > :18:23.In November, the Secretary of State told me when I asked about ?30
:18:24. > :18:28.million being projected from cuts to school budgets by 2020, she denied
:18:29. > :18:35.that. The figures have been crunched and it is a ?13.2 million reduction
:18:36. > :18:40.in budgets by 2020, can the minister explain to me what should I say to
:18:41. > :18:46.the heads in the schools in my constituency? What I suggest she
:18:47. > :18:52.tells schools in Hull is because of the new formula and the way it
:18:53. > :19:01.addresses historic anachronisms and the focus of deprivation, Hull s
:19:02. > :19:06.school funding rises from ?157 million to ?161 million, a rise of
:19:07. > :19:12.3%. In her constituency in Hull North funding rises by ?1.4 million
:19:13. > :19:22.with 83% of high school is seeing an increase in funding on the basis of
:19:23. > :19:27.2016 figures. Number five. As we heard, this site once a fairer
:19:28. > :19:33.approach, it is clear the party opposite support the status quo of
:19:34. > :19:37.an unfair, and transparent historic postcode lottery approach to how
:19:38. > :19:43.funding is distributed but Hampshire the fairer alternative means extra
:19:44. > :19:48.money, ?9 million extra money every year for high needs children in
:19:49. > :19:54.local Hampshire schools and overall a further ?4.5 million on top of
:19:55. > :20:02.that extra and my honourable friend s local schools will gain
:20:03. > :20:08.over ?100 million a year. I thank the Secretary of State for the
:20:09. > :20:13.figures but living costs are high in Hampshire, especially in North East
:20:14. > :20:16.Hampshire so will the Secretary of State consider tweaking the formula
:20:17. > :20:23.so there was a cost neutral cost of living allowance given the average
:20:24. > :20:28.house price is ?375,000 but house prices over the border are ?50,000
:20:29. > :20:33.cheaper. I'm sure he will want to make those points as part of the
:20:34. > :20:37.consultation under way but as he is aware, the way we have looked at the
:20:38. > :20:42.formula is to look at area cost adjustment taking into account
:20:43. > :20:47.variations in the general labour market but specifically teaching
:20:48. > :20:52.labour markets and that is designed to compensate schools that face
:20:53. > :20:57.higher wage costs. We think it is the best way of doing that but it is
:20:58. > :21:07.a consultation and he can put his point into it. A long way over the
:21:08. > :21:11.border to Liverpool. We seem to be dealing with alternative facts.
:21:12. > :21:15.According to the details I have, Liverpool will lose three points ?6
:21:16. > :21:20.million from its schools and I was at primary school in my
:21:21. > :21:25.constituency, a deprived ward who will lose 10% of their budget for
:21:26. > :21:30.some of the most deprived children in the country, can the government
:21:31. > :21:34.explain what is going on here and way they are presenting something
:21:35. > :21:42.different to what our schools are contending with? It is because we
:21:43. > :21:48.are using data that is accurate. And I think we end up in a very
:21:49. > :21:54.straightforward place which is do we believe our children should be
:21:55. > :22:00.funded fairly during their school lives wherever they grow up in the
:22:01. > :22:03.country and we believe data that drives funding the deprivation
:22:04. > :22:10.should be based on up-to-date data and the money, sorry, and the money
:22:11. > :22:15.should be based on up-to-date data. If the party opposite once an
:22:16. > :22:17.approach that is unfair based on out of date data, I will be happy to see
:22:18. > :22:26.those submissions into the consultation. Number six. The
:22:27. > :22:31.proposals for funding reform mean schools and local authority areas
:22:32. > :22:36.receive a consistent and fair share of the school budgets they can give
:22:37. > :22:39.every child the opportunity to reach their full potential. The
:22:40. > :22:46.consultation on the second stage runs until 22nd of March and
:22:47. > :22:49.Gloucestershire funding would rise to ?334 million because of the
:22:50. > :22:58.National funding formula on the basis of the 2016 and 2017 figures.
:22:59. > :23:00.He is well aware that Gloucestershire has suffered for
:23:01. > :23:06.years because of the current system where there was a 61% disparity
:23:07. > :23:10.between the top funded primary schools and the bottom. Will he look
:23:11. > :23:16.carefully at the unfurl proposals he has brought forward in the funding
:23:17. > :23:20.formula because deprivation, low attainment and English as first
:23:21. > :23:27.language and is not fair on rural schools. I listened carefully to the
:23:28. > :23:31.representations he makes but the government proposals for funding
:23:32. > :23:36.reform do seek to balance carefully the differing needs of rural and
:23:37. > :23:41.urban schools, schools in the lowest funded areas would gain about three
:23:42. > :23:46.points 6% and the national funding formula, 676 small and remote
:23:47. > :23:52.schools would also benefit from sparsity funding for the first time
:23:53. > :23:59.and small rural schools as a group game 1.3% on average and primary
:24:00. > :24:03.schools in sparse areas 5.3% and in his Cotswolds constituency, 64% of
:24:04. > :24:14.his schools would gain funding under the proposals based on applying the
:24:15. > :24:19.formula. And the new funding proposals, the Academy in my
:24:20. > :24:26.constituency sees a reduction in the budget and yet the Times reported
:24:27. > :24:30.that they are seeking to hire a PR agency for ?900,000 for reputation
:24:31. > :24:34.management. Does she think parents will think this is a good use of
:24:35. > :24:41.additional funding from government or that the money should be spent on
:24:42. > :24:45.the school? Academies face greater financial scrutiny than local
:24:46. > :24:49.authority schools, they have to produce annual audited accounts
:24:50. > :24:53.which is not the case for local authority schools and the funding
:24:54. > :25:00.agency scrutinises closely on a quarterly basis the funding and
:25:01. > :25:05.expenditure of academies. Whilst appreciating the challenge he faces
:25:06. > :25:10.in finding the fairer funding formula and appreciation that this
:25:11. > :25:17.is a consultation period, does he realise that if these changes go
:25:18. > :25:22.ahead as they are suggested, every school in Southend loses out and
:25:23. > :25:28.that is something I cannot support. Well, the new formula is designed to
:25:29. > :25:34.ensure funding is properly matched to need using up-to-date data. So
:25:35. > :25:38.children who face entrenched barriers to education receive the
:25:39. > :25:43.teaching and support they need. I recognise he will be disappointed by
:25:44. > :25:51.the impact of these proposals on the basis of illustrative figures for
:25:52. > :25:55.schools in Southend. We are conducting a full consultation on
:25:56. > :25:56.the details of the formula and I know he will continue to make his
:25:57. > :26:02.views known. Funding formula. In funding formula.
:26:03. > :26:06.Going back to whey my right honourable friend said before on
:26:07. > :26:12.speaking of academies and funding. What will the minister do to help
:26:13. > :26:16.schools like Whitehaven academy, in Cumbria with a crumbling building
:26:17. > :26:20.after his Government axed their capital funding and teachers who are
:26:21. > :26:28.prevented from photo copying to save money. Will they help those pupils
:26:29. > :26:36.and parents who need that support? Its nice to hear from the honourable
:26:37. > :26:40.lady for the third time. We are spending record amounts on capital.
:26:41. > :26:45.We created 600,000 more school places in the last Parliament, and
:26:46. > :26:49.we are committed to created another 600,000 school places in this
:26:50. > :26:52.Parliament. We are spending 40 billion a year on revenue funding
:26:53. > :26:57.for schools funding, a record amount. That will rise as pupil
:26:58. > :27:02.numbers rise over the next two year, to 42. None of this would be
:27:03. > :27:07.possible if we relied on the party opposite to oversee an economy, we
:27:08. > :27:18.have a strong economy, we are rescuing the economy from the fiasco
:27:19. > :27:21.of the last Labour Government. Ifrments would like to link this
:27:22. > :27:26.with question 11. We want the see an education system that works for
:27:27. > :27:31.everyone that drives social mobility. We are delivering more
:27:32. > :27:37.good school place, strengthening the teaching profession, investing in
:27:38. > :27:40.improving careers education, opening up access to universities and
:27:41. > :27:44.focussing effort on areas of the country with the greatest challenge
:27:45. > :27:48.and the fewer opportunities through opportunity areas.
:27:49. > :27:53.Thank you for current pupil premium is a limited measure. Children who
:27:54. > :27:57.are young carers are not recognised. It stops at age 16, despite
:27:58. > :28:03.education in a form being compulsory until 18. Will the minister
:28:04. > :28:08.therefore consider a review of pupil premium to achieve true social
:28:09. > :28:13.mobility. The pupil premium is worth 2.5 billion this year and it is
:28:14. > :28:16.helping to level the playing field for two million disadvantaged
:28:17. > :28:20.children including many young carers, but we are also looking at
:28:21. > :28:24.the children commissioners recent report, and indeed our own research
:28:25. > :28:29.round the lives of young carers in England, as part of the cross
:28:30. > :28:35.Government carers strategy that is being reviewed and develop. On the
:28:36. > :28:39.point regarding age, the national funding formula for 16-19-year-olds
:28:40. > :28:43.does provide extra funding for disadvantaged student, round ?540
:28:44. > :28:47.million this year. I welcome the Government's schools
:28:48. > :28:52.that work for everyone green paper as much as she enjoyed reading my
:28:53. > :28:56.lengthy response to it. It ensures that all pupils have the best chance
:28:57. > :29:02.of accessing a good education, can she tell me when the draft will be
:29:03. > :29:06.published. I very much appreciated his submission, we had a several
:29:07. > :29:11.thousand in, and we are going through those, and will respond in
:29:12. > :29:15.the spring. I notice that the Secretary of State
:29:16. > :29:19.didn't mention gram what schools in her answer to the previous question,
:29:20. > :29:24.this question about social mobility. Is that perhaps because in just
:29:25. > :29:29.seven out of ten grammar school, all the free school meals children could
:29:30. > :29:32.fit in one classroom and in one grammar school, Sir William boar
:29:33. > :29:37.lace which I understand is set to be the first to open a new school,
:29:38. > :29:43.there are just three children on free school meals. Did she thinks
:29:44. > :29:46.this reflects true social mobility. Are the numbers acceptable and what
:29:47. > :29:51.is she doing about it? We have been clear we want to see existing
:29:52. > :29:55.grammars take more free school meal and disadvantaged children. The
:29:56. > :30:00.right way to go about it is to have no consultation and no policy
:30:01. > :30:06.development which apparently is the party opposite's position.
:30:07. > :30:09.Thank you Mr Speaker. If the education department is as committed
:30:10. > :30:14.to social mobility through education as they claim, could the minister
:30:15. > :30:18.explain why through cuts to the early years funding formula, and to
:30:19. > :30:24.Local Authorities, actually weaken outstanding early years education?
:30:25. > :30:29.Which is the down fashion for social mobility. There is record levels of
:30:30. > :30:34.funding going into early year, we are extending the 15 hours of free
:30:35. > :30:37.childcare to become 30 hours of free childcare and it simply wrong to
:30:38. > :30:40.characterise this Government as doing anything other than pumping
:30:41. > :30:50.record amounts of money into early years and the school system.
:30:51. > :30:55.With permission, I would like to answer this question, together with
:30:56. > :30:59.question number 16. Under the proposed formula, small rural
:31:00. > :31:03.schools would gain an average of 1.3% in funding on the basis of the
:31:04. > :31:07.illustrative figures for we have confirmed that the national funding
:31:08. > :31:11.formula will include a sparsity factor which will particularly
:31:12. > :31:16.target funding to small and remote schools which we now play an
:31:17. > :31:22.important role in local communities and on average small schools serving
:31:23. > :31:24.such communities would gain 3.3% and small primary schools would gain
:31:25. > :31:29.5.3%. I would like to thank the minister
:31:30. > :31:34.for their answer, I Kerr these proposals some schools will benefit,
:31:35. > :31:38.others will lose, but overall as a County, we still see the
:31:39. > :31:44.extraordinary situation where on average, Shropshire pupils can get
:31:45. > :31:48.as little as half what children in inner city areas get. How can he
:31:49. > :31:54.justify parts of the UK continuing to get almost double what we get in
:31:55. > :32:00.Shropshire? Well, in Shropshire as a whole, school funding rises from
:32:01. > :32:04.?151.7 million, to ?153.2 million. As a result of the national funding
:32:05. > :32:11.formula, based on the illustrative figure, that is a rise of 0.9%. In
:32:12. > :32:15.my right honourable friend's constituency schools group will see
:32:16. > :32:21.an additional ?100,000 of extra funding.
:32:22. > :32:25.Schools are set to lose funding under the funding formula, would the
:32:26. > :32:29.minister review that the need for these maintained schools to play the
:32:30. > :32:33.apprenticeship levies which adds to the cost given than less than half
:32:34. > :32:38.of stand alone academies pay that Levy. The apprenticeship Levy is an
:32:39. > :32:40.important policy as my right honourable friend will know. It is
:32:41. > :32:45.design to ensure we have the skills that are needed for our economy. The
:32:46. > :32:48.Levy can be used to fund training and professional development in
:32:49. > :32:52.schools and we will be providing schools with details information on
:32:53. > :32:56.how the Levy will work for them and how they can make the most of
:32:57. > :33:00.available apprenticeships. Isn't the help in funding for rural schools
:33:01. > :33:04.helping the opposite of the need that I raised in our recent debate
:33:05. > :33:09.and which I was disappointed that the minister in summing up the
:33:10. > :33:14.debate didn't even mention, which is those areas who have a high influx
:33:15. > :33:19.of additional pupils, during the school year, I estimate that next
:33:20. > :33:24.year, something like 600 school placeses in Slough will get zero
:33:25. > :33:29.funding, because despite him talking about up-to-date deprivation number,
:33:30. > :33:34.he is not working his funding formula on up-to-date pupil numbers.
:33:35. > :33:39.The formula does contain an element for growth, we also responded to the
:33:40. > :33:43.representations made by her colleague, the honourable member for
:33:44. > :33:47.Eastham, so where pupils join a school part way through the year
:33:48. > :33:51.there will be a factor for that. I thought she would have welcomed both
:33:52. > :33:57.those changes to the funding formula. The member had to delete a
:33:58. > :34:01.tweet that showed that national debt exploded on this Government's watch.
:34:02. > :34:05.Therefore, the sparsity formula, which was to save rural schools
:34:06. > :34:09.everywhere has become the paucity formula, isn't the minister the key
:34:10. > :34:16.issue is the minister to get up and tell the House that the key issue
:34:17. > :34:23.facing schools, up to 2020 are the 3 cuts coming down the line to every
:34:24. > :34:26.school in the country. Funding is increasing, to ?42 billion by the
:34:27. > :34:32.end of this Spending Review period. We are increasing the amount of
:34:33. > :34:38.moneyel Kated for sparsity, from 15 million under the current formula to
:34:39. > :34:44.?27 million for, he talks about debt. The problem we have faced from
:34:45. > :34:47.2010 is we have had to tackle the historic budget deficit inherited
:34:48. > :34:51.from the last Labour Government because of their poor stewardship of
:34:52. > :34:56.the public finance, and it is in tackling that debt and that deficit
:34:57. > :34:59.that has enabled to us have a strong economy with growing employment and
:35:00. > :35:08.greater opportunities for young people when they leave school.
:35:09. > :35:15.Number nine please Mr Speaker. My right honourable friend will be
:35:16. > :35:19.pleased to know that in 2015/16, 131,000 under 19 pen is hits climbed
:35:20. > :35:25.up the ladder of opportunity to get the skills and Jo jobs they need for
:35:26. > :35:30.the future. We are investing millions in supporting providers and
:35:31. > :35:34.employers to employ apprentices, we is get in go far company 4 campaign
:35:35. > :35:39.that is working well and we are investing 90 million in careers
:35:40. > :35:43.guidance, including in the careers and enterprise company. I thank my
:35:44. > :35:49.right honourable friend for that statement of progress, does he agree
:35:50. > :35:52.with me that a UCAS system for apprenticeship could make it easier
:35:53. > :35:58.for businesses and students to connect each other and end the
:35:59. > :36:01.classroom divide between those applies for university and those
:36:02. > :36:06.applies for technical education. I thank him for the work he has done
:36:07. > :36:09.on that issue, he is right, we are looking very hard at this, we
:36:10. > :36:14.announced it in our industrial strategy, we want to make sure that
:36:15. > :36:17.we give technical education students and apprentices clear information
:36:18. > :36:22.with a platform similar to UCAS, we are looking to see how we make sure
:36:23. > :36:27.it works to help address the skills deficit. How it helps the socially
:36:28. > :36:34.disadvantaged as well. Isn't it time to place a duty on schools to allow
:36:35. > :36:37.colleges and other providers of education, post 16, including
:36:38. > :36:44.apprenticeships access to pupils so they have fully wear of the options
:36:45. > :36:49.available to them? Well, as so often, my right honourable friend,
:36:50. > :36:52.honourable gentleman is right. I recently visited Gateshead college,
:36:53. > :36:57.I was visiting degree apprentice, they were refused by their own
:36:58. > :36:59.school, refused by by their own school to talk about
:37:00. > :37:02.apprenticeships, skills and technical education, we are doing a
:37:03. > :37:06.lot of work to make sure that careers guidance is reflected in
:37:07. > :37:09.skills. We have introduced legislation, we are looking at doing
:37:10. > :37:19.more to ensure that students are offered skills and apprenticeships.
:37:20. > :37:24.Would my right honourable friend join me in congratulating Havering
:37:25. > :37:28.college of further and higher education, on its excellent
:37:29. > :37:32.five-week railway skills course from which 85% of students are moving on
:37:33. > :37:36.to apprenticeships in an area where there is a great skills shortage,
:37:37. > :37:42.and would he agree with me that five-week course is an ideal way of
:37:43. > :37:48.encouraging students who are less academic to remain in education? I
:37:49. > :37:53.would be, first delighted to see my right honourable friend in her
:37:54. > :37:57.place, and huge congratulations for Havering college. Not only do I want
:37:58. > :38:01.to collate them but I would be pleased to visit the college with
:38:02. > :38:06.the honourable lady. Mr Speaker, the minister quoted the
:38:07. > :38:13.statistics for 2015/16 but the proportion of apprenticeships from
:38:14. > :38:17.under 19-year-olds compared to those more older ones was stagnant. Only
:38:18. > :38:23.one in four of all apprenticeships and the latest stats for the first
:38:24. > :38:29.quarter, show the numbers for 16-18-year-olds getting worse.
:38:30. > :38:36.58,000 compared to 63,000 the previous year, an 8% drop. With the
:38:37. > :38:39.head of engineering training provider saying they could cut their
:38:40. > :38:45.apprenticeships by two thirds, and thousands of youngsters blocked from
:38:46. > :38:49.getting apprenticeships by being on the treadmill of GCSE maths and
:38:50. > :38:55.English resits where is the Government's beef for 16-18 instead
:38:56. > :39:01.of motherhood and apple pie? I have to say to the honourable gentleman,
:39:02. > :39:08.I amazed as his question, he often doesn't see the apprentice wood for
:39:09. > :39:14.the apprentice trees. We have the highest number of apprenticeships.
:39:15. > :39:20.We have 780,000 apprentices since made 2015. We are investing millions
:39:21. > :39:27.in ensuring that employers and provide ires, higher apprenticeship,
:39:28. > :39:32.we have a record we can be proud of. Number Ten Mr Speaker.
:39:33. > :39:37.Mr Speaker, DFE officials meet regularly with their counterparts
:39:38. > :39:41.from the Home Office to discuss a range of issues including
:39:42. > :39:44.immigration policy let me be clear the Government values the
:39:45. > :39:48.contribution international students make to the hiring education sector,
:39:49. > :39:50.and that is why we have no plans to limit the number of genuine
:39:51. > :39:55.international students who can come here to study.
:39:56. > :39:59.If the Government really values international students, I would
:40:00. > :40:04.suggest they should reappraise the need for a post study work visa.
:40:05. > :40:09.That would allow students to come here, integrate into communities and
:40:10. > :40:15.bring value to campuses and communities so when we will revisit
:40:16. > :40:19.that The UK has an excellent post study work area, students can switch
:40:20. > :40:25.into a number of other routes to take up work, round 6,000 switch to
:40:26. > :40:31.a tyre two work visa and there is no cap on the number who can make that
:40:32. > :40:33.switch. Higher education is one of the greatest exports and the
:40:34. > :40:37.Government is promoting it brilliantly. The us the Government
:40:38. > :40:40.think as we move forward post-Brexit we should look to take student
:40:41. > :40:45.numbers outside the immigration figures? Mr Speaker, the key thing
:40:46. > :40:48.is whether north they are in those figure there's is no limit on the
:40:49. > :40:52.number of international students who can come here to study, the UK is
:40:53. > :40:57.the best place in the world to get a higher education, we are delighted
:40:58. > :41:04.that for the last six years we have had over 170,000 international
:41:05. > :41:09.students coming to study in the UK. Recent UCAS figures show the number
:41:10. > :41:13.of EU students applying to Scottish universities has fallen by 5%.
:41:14. > :41:16.University has a new global reach strategy aiming to grow a number
:41:17. > :41:20.international students. Can the minister explain that they should do
:41:21. > :41:25.to achieve the goal, despite the Brexit barriers the Government is
:41:26. > :41:27.putting in their way? Mr Speaker, the UK is successful at attracting
:41:28. > :41:32.international student, web are second in the world, in terms of our
:41:33. > :41:34.market share, behind only the United States, we continue to extend a warm
:41:35. > :41:45.welcome and wish more would come. 0.6% Scottish universities were not
:41:46. > :41:48.included in the host study work pilot, the Scottish Parliament
:41:49. > :41:53.Europe committee published a report calling for Scotland to have a
:41:54. > :41:59.different immigration system, the third parliamentary report calling
:42:00. > :42:02.for this. Will the minister urge the Home Secretary to listen and include
:42:03. > :42:09.Scottish institutions in the work scheme? Scottish institutions are
:42:10. > :42:14.successful in attracting international students and in seeing
:42:15. > :42:20.the students switched to post a study work. The number switching
:42:21. > :42:27.into work after study is increasing, 6000 in the last year up from 5000 a
:42:28. > :42:31.year before and 4000 before that. Being considered an international
:42:32. > :42:37.student post Brexit will affect whether EU students choose to come
:42:38. > :42:41.to the UK and that has major impacts on university funding. What
:42:42. > :42:44.discussion has the minister had with the Home Secretary on the
:42:45. > :42:50.immigration status of EU students post Brexit? Well, these are
:42:51. > :42:54.questions to be considered in the context of the broader discussions
:42:55. > :43:02.relating to the withdrawal from the European Union. We are concerned the
:43:03. > :43:05.quality of education into many Northamptonshire schools is not good
:43:06. > :43:10.enough, especially for disadvantaged pupils. We are tackling inadequate
:43:11. > :43:16.schools, to move them into Academy trusts and working with local
:43:17. > :43:22.authorities to ensure schools are receiving appropriate support to
:43:23. > :43:24.help them improve. Educational attainment in Northamptonshire is
:43:25. > :43:28.still below the national average, what is the single most important
:43:29. > :43:37.thing the local education authority should do to raise standards? I
:43:38. > :43:43.thank him for his work in raising standards, we met together with
:43:44. > :43:45.friends representing Northamptonshire constituencies in
:43:46. > :43:51.October with a director of children's services at the council
:43:52. > :43:53.to discuss academic standards in Northamptonshire schools including
:43:54. > :43:59.discussions about standards in phonics which is the single most
:44:00. > :44:05.important issue in key stage two sets and we discussed GCSE results
:44:06. > :44:13.and the EBacc. I have taken a close interest in schools there and we are
:44:14. > :44:18.meeting in April to assess progress. Unfortunately the Secretary of State
:44:19. > :44:23.is right, a school in my constituency is outstanding but we
:44:24. > :44:27.have two inadequate schools in Rushton and I note the minister is
:44:28. > :44:32.meeting is shortly to meet with the chief Executive of the Hatton
:44:33. > :44:37.Academy trust, does he agree local Academy trusts also have an
:44:38. > :44:43.important way in solving the problem in the education system? Yes, I
:44:44. > :44:46.agree and collaboration between schools in local multi-card me
:44:47. > :44:52.trusts is one of the most effective ways of ensuring we spread best
:44:53. > :45:03.practice and ensure schools help one another to raise aspirations and the
:45:04. > :45:07.standard of academic education. As the Secretary of State told the
:45:08. > :45:10.house in December, increasing educational opportunity for
:45:11. > :45:14.disadvantaged pupils underpins the commitment to make sure the country
:45:15. > :45:17.works of everyone and through the pupil premium we're narrowing the
:45:18. > :45:23.gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers and over ?8.8 million of
:45:24. > :45:31.funding is allocated to schools in Swindon. It is a great pleasure to
:45:32. > :45:37.welcome the schools minister to Swindon, a deprived catchment area
:45:38. > :45:41.and surplus places. The decision to introduce a grammar school with
:45:42. > :45:46.Marlborough College has given every student an opportunity to opt into
:45:47. > :45:53.an academic curriculum, will the minister share this best practice?
:45:54. > :45:57.The minister of State has reminded me of how impressed he was on a
:45:58. > :46:02.visit and the steps of school is taking to provide pupils with an
:46:03. > :46:05.academic and rigorous curriculum and by trusting school leaders like
:46:06. > :46:10.those in Swindon we enable them to use their knowledge of their pupils
:46:11. > :46:16.to create new tailor-made ways to ensure every child can succeed. In
:46:17. > :46:22.terms of disadvantaged, the government is closing a school in my
:46:23. > :46:26.constituency and they will not say what the cost is and whether pupils
:46:27. > :46:30.will go, they will not explain the travel and future demand data and
:46:31. > :46:35.the Secretary of State will not respond to my request for a meeting
:46:36. > :46:40.or though I am told... She has time for a photo opportunity in
:46:41. > :46:44.Birmingham where she will not be meeting the parents. Are you
:46:45. > :46:47.surprised when it comes to disadvantaged, my constituents have
:46:48. > :46:57.one word the Government education policy, betrayal. As he will know,
:46:58. > :47:01.the Academy went to special measures in September 2014 and the Department
:47:02. > :47:08.intervene swiftly to challenge the senior leadership team and it
:47:09. > :47:11.monitored progress closely. Throughout 2016, the schools
:47:12. > :47:17.commissioner sought a new sponsor for the school but in November the
:47:18. > :47:21.Ofsted inspection confirmed special measures. His right to continue to
:47:22. > :47:25.be worried about schools in his constituency and so are we. The
:47:26. > :47:41.voice of Luton North. Number 14. Education and training in England is
:47:42. > :47:46.respected but were determined to make further improvements to ensure
:47:47. > :47:52.16 to 19-year-olds are ready for the demands of the workplace. We are
:47:53. > :47:59.learning from the best of international systems. Why sixth
:48:00. > :48:04.formers in England funded to receive only half the tuition time and
:48:05. > :48:10.support provided for those in Shanghai and Singapore and other
:48:11. > :48:14.leading systems? I am proud we have equalised funding between sixth form
:48:15. > :48:20.colleges and further education colleges protecting the base rate of
:48:21. > :48:24.spending for further education students, 7 billion on further
:48:25. > :48:27.education and we have funding pressures as he knows but you are
:48:28. > :48:38.doing everything we can to invest in skills. Topical questions. Number
:48:39. > :48:41.one. The recent release of school performance statistics confirmed the
:48:42. > :48:46.hard work of teachers and pupils lead to higher standards in schools,
:48:47. > :48:49.I announced a further six opportunity areas aimed at tackling
:48:50. > :48:56.the challenges for young people from early years through to the world of
:48:57. > :48:59.work. I also make clear building a country for everyone means better
:49:00. > :49:04.options for the more than half of young people who do not choose to go
:49:05. > :49:07.to university and technical education is at the heart of the
:49:08. > :49:11.industrial strategy the government published last month. We are
:49:12. > :49:15.determined to create a gold standard technical route so young people who
:49:16. > :49:25.pursue it can get the skills we need to succeed. I welcome back
:49:26. > :49:29.commitment to apprenticeships, we are a leading provider of high
:49:30. > :49:35.quality apprenticeships leading to permanent employment in many cases.
:49:36. > :49:41.Will she assure me a line in further education and training colleges with
:49:42. > :49:46.the need for employers is a priority. I can give her that
:49:47. > :49:51.assurance and putting the needs of employers first is at the heart of
:49:52. > :49:54.our apprenticeship reforms including introducing employer design
:49:55. > :50:03.standards which test an apprentice has the skills and behaviours and
:50:04. > :50:06.knowledge employers need. Thank you. This government allowed to local
:50:07. > :50:11.authorities rated good for children's services to be granted
:50:12. > :50:15.exemptions from statutory guidance even extending the exemptions when
:50:16. > :50:20.there was no evidence of improvement. Ofsted has rated them
:50:21. > :50:24.both inadequate finding the two long children have been at risk and are
:50:25. > :50:28.suffering harm. Despite growing evidence of the dangers of these opt
:50:29. > :50:32.out practices, the Secretary of State is determined to push through
:50:33. > :50:37.massive deregulation in the children and social work Bill allowing local
:50:38. > :50:41.authorities to not just opt out guidance but vast swathes of primary
:50:42. > :50:46.and secondary child protection legislation. Can she explain why it
:50:47. > :50:53.is okayed to experiment with the lives of vulnerable children? We
:50:54. > :50:58.have healthy debates about the power in committee and she has failed to
:50:59. > :51:03.grasp what it is we are trying to achieve and that is where local
:51:04. > :51:07.authority and social workers tell us where there was well-intentioned
:51:08. > :51:14.legislation, they want to be able to try new ways city outcomes for
:51:15. > :51:17.children, improve. And that is why a raft of organisations including the
:51:18. > :51:21.children's Society say they welcome the commitment to innovation in
:51:22. > :51:25.children's social care and support the intention to allow local
:51:26. > :51:29.authorities to test new ways of working in a safe, and transparent
:51:30. > :51:35.way. I thought she would want to welcome that rather than trying to
:51:36. > :51:41.make difficult arguments that she is trying to concoct on her side, the
:51:42. > :51:45.way forward we want to go in this bill. It is wrong and she should
:51:46. > :51:57.follow the path the profession wants to go in. I welcome the recent
:51:58. > :52:03.proposals to address the historic underfunding in rural schools in
:52:04. > :52:08.Somerset. While some of my schools are set to receive 20% more in two
:52:09. > :52:13.years' time, other rural primary schools seem to have been treated
:52:14. > :52:21.very differently. Will he meet with me to review these anomalies? I will
:52:22. > :52:25.be delighted to meet him to discuss school funding in Yeovil and so
:52:26. > :52:30.proficient at the offices it is all ready in a diary for the 27th of
:52:31. > :52:37.February bust in his constituency school funding rises by ?2.8 million
:52:38. > :52:44.and the new formula and 94% of schools in his constituency see a
:52:45. > :52:48.rise in funding. In my constituency 85% of children who attend an
:52:49. > :52:53.independent nursery do not have access to a qualified early years
:52:54. > :52:58.teacher. This is one of the highest proportions in the whole of England.
:52:59. > :53:04.Their tempers and less likely to be at the expected standards by age of
:53:05. > :53:11.five. The minister was to increased social mobility so what effort is
:53:12. > :53:16.she making to do this in Birmingham? Well, she is right to point out that
:53:17. > :53:21.the early years workforce is one of the greatest assets and we will
:53:22. > :53:25.shortly be releasing a workforce strategy outlining how we will
:53:26. > :53:29.improve what exists, we need to help employers attract and retain and
:53:30. > :53:38.develop their staff to the highest quality of early years provision.
:53:39. > :53:46.With the minister consider establishing a minimum level of
:53:47. > :53:50.funding per school? We have had representations from some low funded
:53:51. > :53:54.authorities about if there is funding secondary schools need and
:53:55. > :54:00.were fewer of the pupils bring with them additional needs... We are
:54:01. > :54:04.looking at all the concerns members have raised in the consultation
:54:05. > :54:10.process which is why it is extended to 14 weeks. Following
:54:11. > :54:12.investigations by the Manchester evening News, two serious
:54:13. > :54:17.allegations of financial mismanagement have come to light for
:54:18. > :54:22.two multi-Academy trusts in my constituency is. One is for 5p in
:54:23. > :54:31.debt and the other money has gone missing. The minister said they do a
:54:32. > :54:35.good job holding trusts to account but what more can be done to make
:54:36. > :54:40.sure the money is recouped and people are held to account? It is
:54:41. > :54:46.important we have strong governments for multi-Academy trusts as she
:54:47. > :54:53.points out. We need equally strong governance for local authority
:54:54. > :54:58.schools to. She will be aware harrow is the most multiracial borough in
:54:59. > :55:02.the country. Can she explain to the people of Harrow why every secondary
:55:03. > :55:06.school bar one and every primary school in the borough will see a
:55:07. > :55:13.reduction in expenditure under her plans. He will know 20% of schools
:55:14. > :55:21.in his borough will see an increase in funding and per-pupil funding in
:55:22. > :55:28.Harrow remains high. It is higher than many local authority areas
:55:29. > :55:33.around the country. Leeds are reviewing transport to school for
:55:34. > :55:38.pupils with special educational needs and disabilities and there was
:55:39. > :55:42.a risk people may not get funding. Will he commit all children in this
:55:43. > :55:48.situation get the funding for the transport they need to get to
:55:49. > :55:54.school? He knows over the last few years we have implemented a new
:55:55. > :55:57.system in bedding well in many parts of the country but there are still
:55:58. > :56:00.areas we want to look at to make sure every child is benefiting from
:56:01. > :56:06.the changes and other look at the issue raises.
:56:07. > :56:11.Following the focus provided by the recently launched industrial
:56:12. > :56:14.strategy, can my right honourable friend tell the House what steps the
:56:15. > :56:19.Government is taking to ensure that every child gets the kind of stem
:56:20. > :56:24.education they will feed in the future to access the opportunities
:56:25. > :56:28.that will exist? We focussed on not only maths and English but
:56:29. > :56:32.particularly made sure that girls in school are taking stem subjects like
:56:33. > :56:36.never before, it is vital, if we are going to have the skills that
:56:37. > :56:42.British businesses needs, to need to help us be successful in the future,
:56:43. > :56:46.I am delighted to say A-level maths is the most successful A-level but
:56:47. > :56:52.we ant to see that continuing. We want to see more stem graduates.
:56:53. > :56:57.Adult education can transform lives. Address the skills gap and address
:56:58. > :57:00.technology change. And yet numbers for adult learners are falling off a
:57:01. > :57:05.cliff and the industrial strategy doesn't mention it. Can she have a
:57:06. > :57:11.word? Thank you. My right honourable friend will be pleased to know, by
:57:12. > :57:17.2020, we will be spending more on the adult education budget than any
:57:18. > :57:22.time in our island's history. We are investing in skills, we invest in
:57:23. > :57:27.apprenticeship, 377,000 over 19s in the past year. We are investing in
:57:28. > :57:36.adult education, that is what we are doing.
:57:37. > :57:40.Today with the National Literacy trust we are announcing figures that
:57:41. > :57:45.86% of all English constituencies have one ward with significant
:57:46. > :57:50.literacy problems in them. Does the Secretary of State agree this is not
:57:51. > :57:55.just an economic issue, it is one of social justice. The view about the
:57:56. > :57:59.primacy of reading and writing which is fundamental to education which is
:58:00. > :58:02.why ensuring children are taught to read using methods that evidence
:58:03. > :58:09.from this country and round the world shows works, that of synthetic
:58:10. > :58:15.system phone nicks has been at the hard heart of education reforms and
:58:16. > :58:21.the proportion of six-year-olds riz reaching the standard has risen to
:58:22. > :58:25.81% in 2016. What is the Secretary of State say
:58:26. > :58:29.to my constituent who received funding in April 2015 for a health
:58:30. > :58:34.and social care diploma with provider that has gone into
:58:35. > :58:39.administration, no access to her portfolio. Will she look into this
:58:40. > :58:44.case and meet with me to help Catherine and thousands of others in
:58:45. > :58:48.this situation. I thank the honourable lady for her question, I
:58:49. > :58:51.am happy to meet with her, and I know that the skills funding
:58:52. > :58:56.agencies is doing everything possible to make sure everyone
:58:57. > :59:03.affected by such issues are, have alternative education providing, I
:59:04. > :59:06.have asked the SFA to offer every possible assistance. Can the
:59:07. > :59:11.minister provide me with an update on when the performance tables will
:59:12. > :59:17.be released for 2019, as this is very importanter for schools in
:59:18. > :59:22.Taunton dope to be aware when they are advising year nine pupils on
:59:23. > :59:25.what GCSEs to select. She is right to highlight the important of this
:59:26. > :59:30.information. We are finalising the details of the technical and applies
:59:31. > :59:33.qualification that will count in the 2019 performance tables and will
:59:34. > :59:41.publish the list as soon as possible. Is the Secretary of State
:59:42. > :59:47.aware that the university technical college bid in Doncaster is vital to
:59:48. > :59:50.increasing skills and apprenticeships, so will she,
:59:51. > :59:54.without delay, give the college the go-ahead, or meet with the local
:59:55. > :59:59.Chamber of Commerce and Local Authority to explain what the delay
:00:00. > :00:04.is? Well, I think I have had a chance to see her on a number of
:00:05. > :00:07.UTCs during my time in this role and many are producing an outstanding
:00:08. > :00:12.education that is different for the young people that go there, they
:00:13. > :00:15.might have otherwise had. I am well aware Doncaster wants a response in
:00:16. > :00:18.relation to the an care, I welcome the backing she has given to it and
:00:19. > :00:26.we will be confirming the decision on that shortly.
:00:27. > :00:31.Too many people leave school would achieving the results they need,
:00:32. > :00:36.they need but is the, is my right honourable friend wear of the work
:00:37. > :00:40.done by the British Army to get people without the grades up to the
:00:41. > :00:43.grade when they join those establishments and will she
:00:44. > :00:48.undertake to find out what can be taken, what understanding can be
:00:49. > :00:51.taken from those places? I like to thank my right honourable friend for
:00:52. > :00:56.bringing the army training camp to the attention of the House, the army
:00:57. > :01:00.has a strong track record, of delivering high quality education in
:01:01. > :01:05.training and I would be delighted to discuss these issues further with my
:01:06. > :01:09.right honourable friend. Mr Speaker, Sir Michael Wilshaw
:01:10. > :01:13.courage urged the Government to tackle the low standards in many
:01:14. > :01:17.northern and Midlands secondary schools and Nottingham's education
:01:18. > :01:22.board has identified teacher recruitment retention as their pry
:01:23. > :01:26.or yourty. How can she believe that cutting the funding for every school
:01:27. > :01:30.in my constituency will help those schools to attract the best teachers
:01:31. > :01:35.and raise standards among young people in some of our most deprived
:01:36. > :01:38.communities. Put huge amounts of funding in
:01:39. > :01:43.relation to the northern powerhouse strategy to help schools across the
:01:44. > :01:46.north lift standards, part of this is in relation to improving teacher
:01:47. > :01:50.recruitment but teacher retention, but I would draw the House's
:01:51. > :01:54.attention to the fact it is not just northern schools where we want to
:01:55. > :01:57.see progress, we want to see progress in the Midlands schools but
:01:58. > :02:01.dare I say in the East of England as well.
:02:02. > :02:12.Statement, the Prime Minister. Thank you Mr Speaker. And Mr
:02:13. > :02:18.Speaker, before I turn to the European council, I am sure that the
:02:19. > :02:24.whole house will want to join me in sending our congratulations to Her
:02:25. > :02:27.Majesty the Queen as she marks her Sapphire jubilee today. It is
:02:28. > :02:32.testament to Her Majesty's devotion to the nation she is not marking
:02:33. > :02:35.becoming our first monarch to rein with any special celebration but
:02:36. > :02:41.getting on with the job to which she has dedicated her life.
:02:42. > :02:45.And on behalf of the whole country I am proud to offer Her Majesty our
:02:46. > :02:46.humble than Forbes