Ian Gibson: In the hon. Gentleman's critique of Rose, does he include Rose's description of special educational needs, such as individuals with dyslexia and dyspraxia, who have difficulty reading and writing? That is not always picked up and is a huge issue in schools. Rose picks it up and I have never seen anyone else do so. Does he agree?
Ian Gibson: rose—
Ian Gibson: I am sure that we will have many arguments about data over coffee first thing in the morning, but does the hon. Gentleman not think that, for too long, history has been about kings and queens rather than about the history of the area where people live, or where their parents come from? People come from different parts of the world. For people living in Britain today, is that not the real...
Ian Gibson: It is nice to serve under your tutelage once more, Mr. Olner. Many people will not know what the Rose report is, but I think that it will have much further reaching effects than the hot air and froth being engendered in the Thatcher Room at the moment concerning bankers and so on. When the report comes to fruition in March, April or some time later this year, it will affect education not only...
Ian Gibson: I agree absolutely. There must be a serious challenge to SATs 2 and their effect on the morale of teachers, young people and parents. We must ask what we should substitute for them. None of us would stand up and say that young people should not be tested by some kind of system, but it should not be a SATs 2. There are other ways to do it, and I will mention some of them. We must trust...
Ian Gibson: I thank the hon. Gentleman for attending the debate. Certainly, Sir Jim Rose has mentioned that issue, and much more credit could be given to teachers in terms of their contribution to the whole education process. The teaching unions, for example, will be pre-eminent in helping to establish the essential part that teachers play in the whole education process. Teachers' assessments and...
Ian Gibson: Yes, I think there will be a slight contraction of that type of teaching. There is an argument that people can be over-teached, and I think that Sir Jim Rose is asking whether over-teaching happens. What are the essential things that a young person needs in today's world? There will be some people who say that they should be taught financial ability. We will certainly not get bankers to come...
Ian Gibson: I am not trying to say that there will be an absolute doing away with numeracy and literacy. I made the point that there will be some teaching of those subjects. It is just a question of what kind of numeracy and literacy children actually need. If teaching is geared to examinations and league tables, it gives a very different perspective on the curriculum and what is taught than if children...
Ian Gibson: Fine. I will.
Ian Gibson: I thank the hon. Gentleman for making that intervention and I absolutely concur with it. There are charities and volunteer groups that do a lot of work in the field. Volunteer Reading Help is a national charity with a network of about 1,500 volunteers who have helped more than 4,000 children of primary age. A huge number of people are prepared to work and confer with the professional teacher...
Ian Gibson: No, I do not think that it is a waste of time; I was trying to say that we over-elaborate it—trying to get as many youngsters in a class of nine and 10-year-olds to learn what nine times seven is. Okay?
Ian Gibson: It is important, but overdoing it can put a lot of people off. Perhaps individual help and support provided by volunteers would assist those children who find it difficult to do mathematical things.
Ian Gibson: Again, I agree with my hon. Friend. We all agree that it is essential to have mathematics of some kind. As some people will know, I am running a mathematical day for MPs here in a few weeks' time. MPs are very good at quoting figures, but they do not know how people reach those figures, or what the equations are. The aim is not to make MPs into mathematicians, but to make them sceptical about...
Ian Gibson: No, they should not be moved. It is hard to deny young people the delights of seeing how previous civilisations operated. I do not say that we should be going into Mayan temples and all that stuff, but the children at George White junior school in Norfolk go out to see the broads and learn what they are and how they were formed. That can be explained to them. It is difficult to talk to...
Ian Gibson: Absolutely. My original comment about people being more worried about what bankers are saying to a Select Committee illustrates where politics have reached. We should be talking about socio-economic problems being a priority for the Government. Where are our discussions about that? I am talking about the generality. Teaching people from different socio-economic backgrounds involves the use of...
Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on how many occasions in the last five years he and his predecessors have met the Football Association to discuss (a) alleged irregularities in and (b) unusual betting activity on football matches; and if he will make a statement.
Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what information his Department holds on people with rheumatoid arthritis; whether rheumatoid arthritis is classified as a disability under the provisions of the Disability Discrimination Acts 1995 and 2005; and if he will make a statement; (2) what recent estimate he has made on the effect of the Disability Discrimination Acts 1995...
Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what plans he has to recruit scientifically-trained civil servants; and what timetable he has set for the recruitment process.
Ian Gibson: What are the implications of the economic downturn for the private finance initiative, and will my right hon. Friend consider investigating the PFI contract with the Norfolk and Norwich hospital to see whether it might be a good deal to buy it out at this stage?
Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to publish the report of Interphone.