argyrotsipi/train-dataset huggingface dataset:
Disadvantaged Children: Attainment Gap — House of Commons, 2019-03-11
Topic: Education
Damian Patrick George Hinds (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank the hon. Lady for her kind words about the schools Minister. [Interruption.] I mean the children’s Minister. Did I say schools Minister? He is also very good. I do recognise the particularly important place that maintained nursery schools have. With this recent announcement, local authorities can plan with confidence for the full academic year. As the hon. Lady knows, we are also doing further work to look into the value added and additional services that maintained nurseries provide.
Disadvantaged Children: Attainment Gap — House of Commons, 2019-03-11
Topic: Education
Damian Patrick George Hinds (Conservative, Centre-right): Wow. I believe my commitment to social mobility and closing the disadvantage gap is strong. I used to chair the all-party group on social mobility before I came into this job, and believe that social mobility is at the very heart of what we do. It is the core purpose of the Department for Education to ensure that every child, whatever their background, has the maximum opportunities available to them. I gently remind the hon. Gentleman that since the party of which he is a member was last in government, we have narrowed the disadvantage attainment gap at every stage—from nursery to primary, through secondary and into higher education.
Disadvantaged Children: Attainment Gap — House of Commons, 2019-03-11
Topic: Education
Questions: The average student support in Scotland was up 1.4% in 2017-18. Does the Secretary of State agree that the SNP Scottish Government’s approach of supporting students, rather than charging prohibitive fees, explains why in Scotland the gap between students from the most and the least deprived communities achieving a positive destination has halved since 2009-10?
Damian Patrick George Hinds (Conservative, Centre-right): It may come as no surprise to anyone at all that I am not about to commend the Scottish Government for their approach. Actually, in the last few years England has seen record rates of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds being able to go to university. We need to work further on not only access but successful participation, bringing down drop-out rates and increasing completion rates, and making sure that everybody has full access to the most stretching opportunities available to them.
Disadvantaged Children: Attainment Gap — House of Commons, 2019-03-11
Topic: Labor
Questions: The average student support in Scotland was up 1.4% in 2017-18. Does the Secretary of State agree that the SNP Scottish Government’s approach of supporting students, rather than charging prohibitive fees, explains why in Scotland the gap between students from the most and the least deprived communities achieving a positive destination has halved since 2009-10?
Damian Patrick George Hinds (Conservative, Centre-right): There are currently 154,960 disadvantaged two-year-olds benefiting from the 15 hours’ free entitlement programme—a programme that was never available under any Labour Government. As for the increase in eligibility from 15 to 30 hours, that supports working families and helps to sustain employment. I gently remind the hon. Lady that we have record levels of employment in this country and the lowest level of unemployment we have seen since the mid-1970s.
Post-18 Education and Funding Review — House of Commons, 2019-03-11
Topic: Education
Christopher James Skidmore (Conservative, Centre-right): The Government’s post-18 review is making good progress. As part of the review, the independent panel chaired by Philip Augar has undertaken an extensive programme of stakeholder engagement and evidence-gathering with students, graduates, providers and employers, including a call for evidence that received more than 400 responses. They are producing a report that will form part of the wider post-18 review and this will be published shortly.
Post-18 Education and Funding Review — House of Commons, 2019-03-11
Topic: Education
Benjamin David Bradley (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank the Minister for that answer. There have been rumours in this place about the possibility of reduced or variable tuition fees forming part of the proposals from the Augar review. In my opinion that misses the point; it is actually the cost of living and maintenance rather than tuition that causes accessibility problems at universities. Can my hon. Friend assure me that the Government will properly consult the sector on any recommendations and seek to follow the evidence, rather than offering quick fixes and good headlines?
Post-18 Education and Funding Review — House of Commons, 2019-03-11
Topic: Education
Christopher James Skidmore (Conservative, Centre-right): I agree that we want to maintain the financial stability of our world-class higher education and research sector. I congratulate many universities on their appearance in the QS World University Rankings last week. That is why, when the Government conclude the review, we will ensure that people from every background can progress and succeed in post-18 education to contribute to a strong knowledge economy and deliver the skills that we need.
Support for Pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities — House of Commons, 2019-03-11
Topic: Education
Nadhim Zahawi (Conservative, Centre-right): The special educational needs reforms of 2014 were the biggest in a generation. In December we announced a further £250 million in high-needs funding over the two years, bringing the total to £6.1 billion this year and £6.3 billion in 2019-20. We announced today that 3,500 extra school places will be created for pupils facing the biggest challenge in their education, with 39 new free schools to support children with special educational needs or those who have been excluded from mainstream schools.
Support for Pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities — House of Commons, 2019-03-11
Topic: Education
Nadhim Zahawi (Conservative, Centre-right): That is exactly what we are doing. Today’s announcement of 37 special free schools is on top of the 88 special free schools and 54 alternative provision schools that are already either open or in the pipeline The announcement today is in addition to that provision, which is why we are doing that. Additionally, we have put £100 million into increasing capacity in mainstream schools as well as increasing the high-needs funding for local authorities.
Support for Pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities — House of Commons, 2019-03-11
Topic: Education
Sue-Ellen Cassiana Braverman (Conservative, Centre-right): The Federation of Heathfield and St Francis Special Schools provides invaluable learning opportunities for more than 200 children with special educational needs in Fareham. Will the Minister join me in paying tribute to the inspirational head, Steve Hollinghurst, whose record of service spans 36 years, and will he set out what further support there is for these essential schools so that they can continue providing this support for our most vulnerable children?
Support for Pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities — House of Commons, 2019-03-11
Topic: Government Operations
Nadhim Zahawi (Conservative, Centre-right): I certainly join my hon. Friend in praising Steve for the work that he has done. Today’s announcement provides a portfolio of provision in local areas. Almost every local authority will benefit from this increase in provision.
Support for Pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities — House of Commons, 2019-03-11
Topic: Education
James Whiteside Gray (Conservative, Centre-right): Parents of children with SEN very rarely welcome the closure of their schools, and I say respectfully that we must treat the parents in Chippenham and Trowbridge with great sensitivity. None the less, does the Minister not agree with me and welcome Wiltshire Council’s great vision in spending £20 million on building a state-of-the-art school at Rowdeford, which will bring children from across the whole of North Wiltshire to an absolutely superb facility?
Support for Pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities — House of Commons, 2019-03-11
Topic: Education
Nadhim Zahawi (Conservative, Centre-right): I had hoped that the hon. Lady would commend today’s announcement and confirm that she takes a different view from her Front Bench on abolishing free schools. If we abolished these very good free special schools, we would actually put more children with SEND at risk. We are undertaking a root-and-branch review of restraint with the Department of Health and Social Care, and we will be reporting back.
School Funding: Distribution — House of Commons, 2019-03-11
Topic: Education
Nicolas John Gibb (Conservative, Centre-right): In 2018, we introduced the national funding formula, which distributes funding based on schools’ and pupils’ needs and characteristics, not accidents of location or history. Since 2017, we have given every local authority more money for every pupil in every school, while allocating the biggest increases to the most underfunded schools.
School Funding: Distribution — House of Commons, 2019-03-11
Topic: Education
Andrew James Bridgen (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank the Minister for that answer, but given that the national funding formula only reduces the funding disparity by some 5%, when does he think his Department is going to fulfil our manifesto promise of creating fair funding for all schoolchildren, and will he meet me and colleagues from Leicestershire to discuss these matters?
School Funding: Distribution — House of Commons, 2019-03-11
Topic: Education
Nicolas John Gibb (Conservative, Centre-right): I will certainly meet my hon. Friend and his colleagues from Leicestershire. The national funding formula is delivering rapid gains for the most underfunded schools while also ensuring stability for all schools. By 2019-20, schools in Leicestershire will receive 5.5% more funding per pupil compared to 2017-18, or is £31.5 million more in total. In 2019-20, 92% of schools in Leicestershire will already be attracting their full gains under the national funding formula.
School Funding: Distribution — House of Commons, 2019-03-11
Topic: Education
Nicolas John Gibb (Conservative, Centre-right): Everything about this Government is about closing that attainment gap, and we have closed the attainment gap between children from disadvantaged backgrounds and their more affluent peers by 13.5% in the primary sector—in early years and primary schools. The hon. Lady will know that we have awarded an extra £60 million funding to recognise the higher costs of maintained nursery schools. We are working with the sector as we prepare for the spending review.[Official Report, 19 March 2019, Vol. 656, c. 6MC.]
School Funding: Distribution — House of Commons, 2019-03-11
Topic: Education
Geoffrey Robert Clifton-Brown (Conservative, Centre-right): I was at the Cotswold School in Bourton-on-the-Water in my constituency on Friday. It is not even going to reach the £4,800 per pupil under the national funding formula. How can it be fair that that school gets that sort of funding, yet schools in Hackney—with a range of pupil premium funding on top—get £6,800 per pupil?
School Funding: Distribution — House of Commons, 2019-03-11
Topic: Education
Nicolas John Gibb (Conservative, Centre-right): The purpose of the national funding formula is not to give every school across the country the same amount of funding per pupil. It must be right that schools with lots of children with additional needs—for example, coming from disadvantaged backgrounds, with English as an additional language or with low prior attainment—do need to receive more money to help to ensure that those children’s needs are met. It is also right that schools in areas of high costs receive extra money to reflect those costs. That is what our fairer funding system delivers, and my hon. Friend’s county will have benefited from the national funding formula.
School Funding: Distribution — House of Commons, 2019-03-11
Topic: Social Welfare
Nicolas John Gibb (Conservative, Centre-right): We understand the pressures on the high-needs budgets of local authorities up and down the country, including medical science and a whole range of other issues such as extending the age range for special educational needs provision up to 25. All those things have added pressure to high-needs budgets, which is why my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State towards the end of last year announced an extra £250 million between this financial year and the next financial year to recognise the pressures that local authorities are facing.
School Funding: Distribution — House of Commons, 2019-03-11
Topic: Education
Nicolas John Gibb (Conservative, Centre-right): As I said, since 2017 we have provided and are providing local authorities with more money for every pupil in every school. There are 10,000 more teachers in our school system today than there were when we came into office in 2010. In the recruitment cycle last year, we recruited 2,600 more teacher trainees into teacher training. It is an attractive and an honourable profession to work in. I wish the hon. Gentleman and Labour Front Benchers would support our schools and talk them up instead of talking them down.
Mental Health and Wellbeing: Support in Schools — House of Commons, 2019-03-11
Topic: Education
Michael Louis David Fabricant (Conservative, Centre-right): Saxon Hill Academy in Lichfield, like many other schools that look after severely disabled children, has a programme of sleepovers for the children. That benefits the children, and it is great for the parents because it gives them respite, but the school is now having to discontinue it because of local funding issues. Is there anything the Government can do centrally to help Saxon Hill and similar schools?
Mental Health and Wellbeing: Support in Schools — House of Commons, 2019-03-11
Topic: Social Welfare
Nadhim Zahawi (Conservative, Centre-right): Saxon Hill does a tremendous job, and respite is incredibly important. Part of the reason we have increased the funding, with £250 million over the next two years, is that we are very much cognisant of the fact that there are funding pressures on local authorities’ higher needs budgets.
Teachers’ Pension Scheme Costs: Effect on Universities — House of Commons, 2019-03-11
Topic: Education
Christopher James Skidmore (Conservative, Centre-right): The Department’s public consultation to gather evidence on the impacts of increased contributions to the teachers’ pension scheme for all TPS employers, including universities, for 2019-20 closed on 12 February 2019. Final funding decisions will be made in due course when the consultation evidence has been reviewed.
Teachers’ Pension Scheme Costs: Effect on Universities — House of Commons, 2019-03-11
Topic: Education
Christopher James Skidmore (Conservative, Centre-right): The Department’s initial analysis of each sector—state schools, further education, higher education, and independent schools—suggested that state schools and further education colleges would be most affected by the increase in employer contributions, so prioritised funding has been made available for them on this basis. However, final funding decisions will be made when the consultation evidence has been reviewed.
Teachers’ Pension Scheme Costs: Effect on Universities — House of Commons, 2019-03-11
Topic: Education
Brett Charles Anthony Elphicke (Conservative, Centre-right): Does my hon. Friend agree that the most serious financial pressures are not on universities but on further education colleges and that it is time for a fresh, fair settlement for FE colleges, to ensure that learners get the investment in education that they deserve?
Teachers’ Pension Scheme Costs: Effect on Universities — House of Commons, 2019-03-11
Topic: Education
Christopher James Skidmore (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend is right that analysis has demonstrated that the FE sector would be affected. Obviously, FE colleges are most directly funded by Government grants, in contrast with higher education providers, which are autonomous bodies that are ultimately responsible for ensuring their financial viability.
Northern Powerhouse Schools Strategy — House of Commons, 2019-03-11
Topic: Education
Nicolas John Gibb (Conservative, Centre-right): As recommended in the northern powerhouse schools strategy, we are implementing a range of measures in the north to improve teaching and leadership capacity, to recruit and retain more teachers and to close the disadvantage gap. In 2018, 80% of children were in good or outstanding schools in the north, compared with 67% in 2010.
Northern Powerhouse Schools Strategy — House of Commons, 2019-03-11
Topic: Education
Nicolas John Gibb (Conservative, Centre-right): We are absolutely committed to the northern powerhouse strategy. Indeed, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State will be in Middlesbrough on Thursday to announce more plans for Opportunity North East. The northern powerhouse strategy involves a range of policies. For example, we are rolling out a three-year programme of tailored support for some of the schools facing the most significant recruitment and retention problems; around 100 schools in the north will benefit from that. Five opportunity areas in the north will receive a share of £72 million to improve social mobility. In the Bradford opportunity area, we are targeting up to £1.5 million of school improvement support, improving literacy through £600,000 of investment in Bradford primary schools, including nine schools in the hon. Gentleman’s constituency.
Technical and Vocational Education and Training — House of Commons, 2019-03-11
Topic: Education
Anne Frances Milton (Conservative, Centre-right): We are introducing T-levels from 2020, with the first ones being in construction, education and childcare, and digital. With longer teaching hours and substantive industry placements, T-levels will provide a high-quality technical alternative to academic education. That builds on the growing work with high-quality apprenticeships, which are now longer and better, with more off-the-job training and proper assessment at the end.
Technical and Vocational Education and Training — House of Commons, 2019-03-11
Topic: Education
Kevin Paul Hollinrake (Conservative, Centre-right): One of Sir Michael Wilshaw’s departing recommendations when he left Ofsted was that every multi-academy trust should contain a university technical college that offers maths, science and a technical specialism. Will the Minister look at taking that forward?
Technical and Vocational Education and Training — House of Commons, 2019-03-11
Topic: Education
Anne Frances Milton (Conservative, Centre-right): We want UTCs to join suitable MATs wherever possible, as it is beneficial to both of them. It allows UTCs and MATs to offer a broad base of education, which can only be in everyone’s interests.
Technical and Vocational Education and Training — House of Commons, 2019-03-11
Topic: Education
Anne Frances Milton (Conservative, Centre-right): I am not sure where the hon. Gentleman was last week, but it was National Apprenticeship Week. The opportunities that are available from the age of 16 in apprenticeships are extraordinary, and the Government are putting substantial investment into T-levels. For the first time, I have seen technical and vocational education get some real traction both inside and outside schools.
Technical and Vocational Education and Training — House of Commons, 2019-03-11
Topic: Education
Questions: As the Minister knows, Southport College in my constituency is a beacon of excellence in technical and vocational education and training, but will she review the cap on apprenticeship funding, in order for more young people to forge a pathway into employment?
Anne Frances Milton (Conservative, Centre-right): I know that my hon. Friend is a fantastic champion of apprenticeships in his constituency and across the country, and I am delighted to hear that he will host an apprenticeship fair in Southport in May. It was a pleasure to visit Southport College last year. There were 1,250 events during National Apprenticeship Week this year, which was a 50% increase on last year. The opportunities for young people and, indeed, older people are quite extraordinary.
Technical and Vocational Education and Training — House of Commons, 2019-03-11
Topic: Education
Questions: As the Minister knows, Southport College in my constituency is a beacon of excellence in technical and vocational education and training, but will she review the cap on apprenticeship funding, in order for more young people to forge a pathway into employment?
Anne Frances Milton (Conservative, Centre-right): I have to say that I do not think the hon. Gentleman always believes what he says from the Dispatch Box. [Interruption.] He talks apprenticeships down. How can he possibly talk about an overspend on higher level apprenticeships? In this country, we are desperate for people who are able to do level 4 and level 5 qualifications. The National Audit Office report was a very backward-looking report. I am sure he would agree with me in private, if not from the Dispatch Box, that the difference he will have seen between National Apprenticeship Week this year and the one last year is quite extraordinary.
Teaching and Support Staff: Recruitment and Retention — House of Commons, 2019-03-11
Topic: Education
Questions: What recent assessment he has made of the effect of trends in the levels of (a) pay and (b) workload on the recruitment and retention of teaching and support staff.
Damian Patrick George Hinds (Conservative, Centre-right): Our recent integrated teacher recruitment and retention strategy prioritises reducing unnecessary workloads. We will ensure teaching continues to offer one of the best pensions available, and teacher pay ranges have increased by between 1.5% and 3.5% this year.
Teaching and Support Staff: Recruitment and Retention — House of Commons, 2019-03-11
Topic: Education
Questions: What recent assessment he has made of the effect of trends in the levels of (a) pay and (b) workload on the recruitment and retention of teaching and support staff.
Damian Patrick George Hinds (Conservative, Centre-right): Of course we recognise the additional cost in high-cost areas, in particular in London. It is true that there are 200 more teachers in the Ealing local authority area than there were in 2010. However, it remains a very competitive recruitment market, particularly for graduate recruitment, partly because of the historically very low unemployment we have, and that makes our recruitment and retention strategy all the more important.
Teaching and Support Staff: Recruitment and Retention — House of Commons, 2019-03-11
Topic: Education
Questions: What recent assessment he has made of the effect of trends in the levels of (a) pay and (b) workload on the recruitment and retention of teaching and support staff.
Damian Patrick George Hinds (Conservative, Centre-right): On the first point, we are spending more than any other G7 nation bar the United States in per capita funding for state primary and secondary education, but there are particular cost pressures in the system. We were discussing high needs earlier, and we do need to address that particular set of pressures. There are others as well, such as the way we go about purchasing and so on, and some of the costs that are particularly rising. I want to reassure my right hon. Friend that we are looking at all of those factors.