Catherine McKinnell: At the risk of focusing on an issue that is a distraction, let me emphasise that we need to invest in special educational needs provision in mainstream schools, for all the reasons that have been advanced today, including in the necessary teacher training. The Institute for Fiscal Studies has concluded that this policy would bring in £1.3 billion to provide the 93% of children in the state...
Catherine McKinnell: I thank the Chair of the Education Committee, the hon. Member for Worcester (Mr Walker), for securing this important debate and commend him for the work he does as the Select Committee’s Chair. I also pay tribute to those who work with and support children with special educational needs and disabilities. Across the country, teachers, teaching assistants, support staff, speech and language...
Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an estimate of the number of (a) pupils and (b) schools that have been unable to take part in national tests due to disruption caused by reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete in the last 12 months.
Catherine McKinnell: Last year the National Audit Office reported that 700,000 children were being taught in schools needing major rebuilding works. On top of the problems caused by reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete, construction issues are emerging daily with block and beam flooring, high-alumina cement and asbestos—all long past their shelf life—up in North Tyneside and down to Luton and beyond....
Catherine McKinnell: It is a real pleasure to see you in the Chair, Mr Pritchard. I thank the hon. Member for Cities of London and Westminster (Nickie Aiken) for securing this World Book Day debate, and I thank hon. Members who have contributed. It has been an incredibly thoughtful and thought-provoking discussion. This is one of those topics that reminds us why we got into politics: to ensure that all children...
Catherine McKinnell: It is a pleasure to serve under you as Chair, Mr Paisley. I, too, congratulate the hon. Member for Don Valley (Nick Fletcher) on securing this debate, which seeks to dig deeper into the educational attainment of boys at school, and other hon. Members on sharing their views this morning. The attainment gap between boys and girls is something that starts at an early age and grows throughout a...
Catherine McKinnell: The hon. Gentleman raises an important point. Indeed, we will have a debate here tomorrow about World Book Day and how important reading and literacy is for children. We recognise it as the absolute core foundation of every child’s start in life, ensuring the best education for every child. I am pleased that the hon. Gentleman has highlighted that today. We would also reintroduce a school...
Catherine McKinnell: As I said earlier, Labour believes that education should be a priority, and should be at the centre of national life for this country. That requires the necessary funding to ensure that there are teachers. We know there are teaching gaps throughout our school system. Young people are not being taught by specialists in their subjects, and we know there is a shortage. Teachers are struggling to...
Catherine McKinnell: It is interesting that hon. Members are here today to discuss an education system that they are highlighting is currently letting children down, which we in Labour agree is letting children down. After 14 years in government, it is quite remarkable that hon. Gentlemen would take that attitude to a costed proposal that seeks to meet the huge demands within our education system and the...
Catherine McKinnell: The Labour party will present our offer for Government when the general election comes, which we are all waiting for at the moment, and we will put our fully costed plans in our manifesto. We are focused on improving and increasing mental health support for young people, which I will get to.
Catherine McKinnell: I will respond to the previous intervention first. We will pay for that by ending the loopholes that non-doms enjoy in this country. We will fund mental health support, as well as breakfast clubs, which are intended to tackle the issues that hon. Members have highlighted in this debate, which are getting worse, not better. I hope that hon. Members would be minded to note that, because they...
Catherine McKinnell: I would not suggest that the right hon. Gentleman has not been listening to my speech, but I have set out a whole range of measures that Labour would put in place to raise the attainment of every child. Going back to mental health support, we would ensure that there are dedicated counsellors in every secondary school and that there are mental health hubs in every community. Children and their...
Catherine McKinnell: May I take the opportunity to reiterate how proud we are of our armed forces personnel, who have worked around the clock to train and support Ukrainian recruits as part of the vital Op Interflex? I urge the Government to confirm where that programme will be after the summer and to make a commitment to it for as long as it takes Ukraine to win.
Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made a recent estimate of the average length of time that schools constructed with high alumina cement are viable for.
Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on the schools constructed using high alumina cement; how many and what proportion of those schools were constructed with that material; and what the average life span of buildings using that material is.
Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools constructed with high alumina cement there are in each local authority.
Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of schools were constructed with high alumina cement in each local authority which are no longer viable.
Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools constructed with high alumina cement have been provided capital funding in the last (a) 12 months, (b) two years, (c) five years, (d) 10 years and (e) 14 years.
Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools were constructed using block and beam concrete in each local authority.
Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the average expected design life is of schools constructed using block and beam concrete.