Robin Millar: I must confess that I have not spoken in many Budget-related debates in the House, partly because I am well aware of the expertise of many other Members. It is a matter of some interest and pleasure for me to listen to the likes of my right hon. Friends the Members for Witham (Priti Patel) and for Wokingham (John Redwood) as they explain the consequences of, and the reasoning behind, measures...
Lord Robathan: ...by a letter, highlighted in today’s newspapers, by 55 academics, who say that this is what it should do. We all know the costs: devastation of the economy and of education—both of children at school and of those at university—worklessness, backlogs in the courts, mental ill-health, excess cancer deaths and an NHS in chaos. As for the benefits, well, some lives probably were saved,...
Rebecca Evans: Thank you. This supplementary budget presents the Welsh Government's final spending plans for the current financial year. It increases our fiscal revenue and capital spending plans by £429 million—a 1.9 per cent increase on the position set out in the first supplementary budget, published in June 2023. This budget reflects the changes agreed in the in-year savings exercise in October. As a...
Jeremy Miles: Well, the Member will know that we've reviewed the definition of persistent absence in Wales, I think, from the statistics that he's citing, so it no longer is defined as missing school at 20 per cent. It's now reduced to 10 per cent, so that the support can go in deeper and sooner. So, we expect that will enable us to make a difference, not least given the funding we're making available to...
Jeremy Miles: Well, I'm grateful to Jack Sargeant for bringing this issue to the Chamber. It is a very, very important issue. We are in the course of updating our statutory guidance on anti-bullying for schools and, as he will know, schools are required to have regard to statutory guidance. I do agree that there is no place in either schools or in our wider society for bullying, and I think that we would...
Jeremy Miles: ....] But, in all seriousness, I think the Member is right. We can have as many initiatives as we like, as I've just talked about with Paul Davies and we've discussed in the Chamber many, many times before, but I think it's partly about how we describe the aspirations for young people as to the kind of careers they should be aspiring to. Whilst I do think we are doing a lot of that in...
Jeremy Miles: I thank Heledd Fychan for the way that she opened her question. It has been a pleasure to co-operate with her. I hope that I can continue to co-operate with you, whatever comes over the next few weeks. And it really is important that we do find ways to collaborate on the things that we see as common ground. So, I’m grateful for the opportunity to be able to do that. In terms of progress...
Joel James: Thank you, Minister. I have been contacted by several residents in my region who are deeply concerned about changes in the way medication is administered in local special educational needs schools in Rhondda Cynon Taf. Whereas previously on-site special school nurse teams were responsible for administering medication, medication is now being administered by teaching assistants. This...
Jeremy Miles: Thank you to Delyth Jewell for that important question. It is a good question. One of the challenges is the data on the reasons for parents choosing Welsh-medium education for their children, but there is a broader challenge that the Member has referred to, and that's fair enough. The Deputy Minister for Climate Change will announce the outcomes before the end of this week, so that's timely...
Paula Barker: On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. Can you give me some advice on how I can pursue an urgent response from the Secretary of State for Education? I wrote to her on 28 February, outlining urgent concerns about King’s Leadership Academy, a secondary school, being unable to open in my constituency despite the Department for Education providing a DfE unique reference number and DfE...
Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department is taking steps to support local partnerships between schools and youth organisations to support educational enrichment work in schools.
Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many pupils in years 11 and 13 are studying at (a) schools and (b) colleges affected by reinforced autoclave aerated concrete.
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.
Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the implications for her policies of Durham University's research entitled A report on the impact of RAAC closure on the exam cohorts of St Leonard’s Catholic School, County Durham, published on 31 December 2023.
Damian Hinds: It is not possible to address the differential impact of disruption to teaching and learning by making changes to exams and assessments for some students or groups of students. Exams and assessments must demonstrate what a student knows, understands and can do in respect of particular qualification specifications, rather than what a student might have known, understood or been able to do...
Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to paragraph 2.25(3) of the Spring Budget 2024, HC 560, published on 6 March 2024, how local authorities can apply for funding for additional special school places.
Damian Hinds: The department’s general policy is that the freehold sale of playing field land requires improvement to playing field in the educational estate by reinvesting capital receipt in sporting provision. Capital receipt from the sale of non-playing field land can be used for other benefits to the education estate, such as capital projects, save for any exceptional circumstances. The department...
Damian Hinds: ...of the funding spent on advertising and publicity as part of its annual reports and accounts, which are published in the usual way on GOV.UK:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/department -for-education-consolidated-annual-report-and-accounts-2022- to-2023.https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/63a02 5c5e90e07587bd8ba57/DfE_consolidated_annual_report_and_accou...
Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of schools in (a) Oxford, (b) Oxfordshire, (c) the South East and (d) England are expected to offer GCSEs in (i) art and design, (ii) dance, (iii) drama, (iv) music, (v) film studies and (vi) media studies in the next five years.
Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of schools in (a) Oxford, (b) Oxfordshire, (c) the South East and (d) England are expected to offer A-Levels in modern foreign languages in the next five years.