argyrotsipi/train-dataset huggingface dataset:
Teacher Recruitment and Retention — House of Commons, 2016-04-25
Topic: Education
Nicolas John Gibb (Conservative, Centre-right): The professional autonomy that comes with academy status does the opposite—it encourages the profession in a way that has not happened in the past. We have the highest number of teachers of all time in our schools—445,000, which is 13,000 more than in 2010. The National Audit Office acknowledged that despite the very large increase in numbers of pupils— 9% in the past few years—the number of teachers has kept pace. In terms of retention, 90% of teachers are still teaching one year after qualifying, 70% are still there after five years, and over half of all teachers are still in teaching 18 years after qualification. These figures are broadly in line with those in other professions.
Teacher Recruitment and Retention — House of Commons, 2016-04-25
Topic: Education
Nicolas John Gibb (Conservative, Centre-right): I am grateful to my hon. Friend. This is a two-year scheme that started only in 2014, and the current cohort is the first to qualify. Applications by eligible candidates are up, and over 140 former troops are now working in schools across England as part of the scheme.
Teacher Recruitment and Retention — House of Commons, 2016-04-25
Topic: Education
Nicolas John Gibb (Conservative, Centre-right): We do listen to teachers, and we consulted very widely on the new primary school curriculum that was published in final form in 2013 and came into force in 2014. It is on a par with the best maths curriculums for primary schools from around the world. We have very high expectations and we do not apologise for that. We need to make sure that pupils leaving our schools are able to compete in a modern world—able to survive and thrive in a modern economy such as Britain’s. That is our ambition, and I wish the Liberal party would share it too.
Teacher Recruitment and Retention — House of Commons, 2016-04-25
Topic: Education
Nicolas John Gibb (Conservative, Centre-right): We are not putting people off joining the profession, and we are expanding the early years sector. We acknowledge that when we have a strong economy it is a challenge to recruit highly qualified and highly able people. That is the case in this country, and it is the same in other successful economies around the world. We are doing a huge amount to encourage more professionals to come into the profession. We have a very effective advertising campaign. We have very generous bursaries right across the system; we are spending £1.2 billion on those bursaries. This is working, because we recruited 94% of our target to teacher training last year and we have record numbers of people in teaching. What we do not do, as the hon. Lady and Labour Members are doing, is talk down the profession, because, as my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State said, teachers tell us that talk about a recruitment crisis helps to deter people from coming into the profession; it does not encourage them to do so.
Parental Involvement: Academies — House of Commons, 2016-04-25
Topic: Education
Questions: What steps her Department is taking to ensure that parents have more influence in the running of their children's schools when those schools become academies.; What steps her Department is taking to ensure that parents have more influence in the running of their children's schools when those schools become academies.
Nicky Morgan (Conservative, Centre-right): Many parents are governors and make a significant contribution to our schools, and we want this to continue, but that is not the only way we want parents to engage in schools. That is why our White Paper outlined our intention to place a duty on academies to engage meaningfully with parents, introduce parental satisfaction surveys, and set up a new parent portal to help parents to navigate the school system.
Parental Involvement: Academies — House of Commons, 2016-04-25
Topic: Education
Questions: What steps her Department is taking to ensure that parents have more influence in the running of their children's schools when those schools become academies.; What steps her Department is taking to ensure that parents have more influence in the running of their children's schools when those schools become academies.
Stuart James Andrew (Conservative, Centre-right): I am extremely fortunate to have many parents in my constituency who are engaged in local schools. Many have approached me recently because they have been concerned by recent reports that their voice, position and influence may be diminished if all schools are turned into academies. Can my right hon. Friend assure me that that is not the case?
Parental Involvement: Academies — House of Commons, 2016-04-25
Topic: Education
Questions: What steps her Department is taking to ensure that parents have more influence in the running of their children's schools when those schools become academies.; What steps her Department is taking to ensure that parents have more influence in the running of their children's schools when those schools become academies.
Nicky Morgan (Conservative, Centre-right): I pay tribute to the many thousands of parents who already play a valuable role on school governing bodies. It is vital that schools and governing bodies listen to the views and the voices of parents, and we want academies to engage meaningfully with them. I know that that is happening, for example, in my hon. Friend’s constituency at Crawshaw Academy, where parents are invited to half-termly information evenings to comment on academy policies and to share their views with senior leaders. In a recent parent survey, 78% of respondents reported that they felt consulted and able to contribute to the academy’s development.
Parental Involvement: Academies — House of Commons, 2016-04-25
Topic: Education
Questions: What steps her Department is taking to ensure that parents have more influence in the running of their children's schools when those schools become academies.; What steps her Department is taking to ensure that parents have more influence in the running of their children's schools when those schools become academies.
Wendy Morton (Conservative, Centre-right): Does my right hon. Friend agree that the voice and the skills of parents are greatly valued in our schools? Will she further clarify how their voice and their skills will continue to play an important part in governing bodies when a school becomes an academy?
Parental Involvement: Academies — House of Commons, 2016-04-25
Topic: Education
Questions: What steps her Department is taking to ensure that parents have more influence in the running of their children's schools when those schools become academies.; What steps her Department is taking to ensure that parents have more influence in the running of their children's schools when those schools become academies.
Nicky Morgan (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend makes a very important point. Involving parents in governance and really listening to the views of parents are not necessarily the same thing. That is why I want academy boards to appoint parents for their skills and experience, and to set up parent councils or other appropriate arrangements to engage parents meaningfully and to represent their views to governing bodies.
Parental Involvement: Academies — House of Commons, 2016-04-25
Topic: Education
Questions: What steps her Department is taking to ensure that parents have more influence in the running of their children's schools when those schools become academies.; What steps her Department is taking to ensure that parents have more influence in the running of their children's schools when those schools become academies.
Nicky Morgan (Conservative, Centre-right): I do not need to rethink, because we are very clear about the important role that parents play as governors, through parental surveys and through parental engagement. The hon. Gentleman also appears, in the second part of his question, to be fighting a fight that we fought in the Education and Adoption Act 2016, which is now part of the law and which set out the clear role for parents to be involved when a school becomes an academy.
Parental Involvement: Academies — House of Commons, 2016-04-25
Topic: Education
Questions: What steps her Department is taking to ensure that parents have more influence in the running of their children's schools when those schools become academies.; What steps her Department is taking to ensure that parents have more influence in the running of their children's schools when those schools become academies.
David Thomas Morris (Conservative, Centre-right): I have had many parents contact me about the key stage 2 SATs that are going to be examined in the next two weeks, and I have also been contacted by the headteachers of schools. Even though this has been in place since 2014, there is some concern. After the exams, will my right hon. Friend meet me and talk over any concerns that may come up?
Parental Involvement: Academies — House of Commons, 2016-04-25
Topic: Education
Questions: What steps her Department is taking to ensure that parents have more influence in the running of their children's schools when those schools become academies.; What steps her Department is taking to ensure that parents have more influence in the running of their children's schools when those schools become academies.
Nicky Morgan (Conservative, Centre-right): I would be delighted to meet my hon. Friend to discuss the matter. As the Schools Minister has said, we have raised the bar in relation to the key stage 2 tests that are happening, but the important reason for that is to make sure that our young people have the basics of the reading, writing and maths that will help them to progress in life. We know the difference in GCSE results between key stage 2 pupils at the end of primary who get to the expected level in reading, writing and maths, and those who do not. That can hold people back for life, and that is not fair.
Children’s Social Work Sector — House of Commons, 2016-04-25
Topic: Social Welfare
Anthony Edward Timpson (Conservative, Centre-right): May I begin by apologising if I am moving unusually slowly and gingerly to and from the Dispatch Box this afternoon? I have the excuse of having run the London marathon yesterday, along with seven other Members of the House and close to 40,000 other hardy individuals. I ask the House to put on record our collective gratitude to and admiration for them, in particular for the more than £25 million that they raised for hundreds of charities up and down the country It is the role of Ofsted to assess the adequacy and quality of provision in the children’s social work sector. All local authorities are currently being inspected under the single inspection framework, which assesses arrangements for child protection services for looked-after children and the leadership, management and governance of children’s social care. My Department intervenes to support improvement in services where they are judged to be inadequate.
Children’s Social Work Sector — House of Commons, 2016-04-25
Topic: Social Welfare
Anthony Edward Timpson (Conservative, Centre-right): I am afraid that the hon. Lady has given a distorted view of the work being done to improve social work practice across the board. Not only are the Government investing in fast-track graduate schemes such as Frontline and Step Up to Social Work, to which 151 local authorities have signed up, but we have the assisted and supported year of employment and the new knowledge and skills that every children’s social worker will now have to be accredited and assessed against. That is important because for the first time there is a relentless focus on high-quality social work practice rather than a simple theoretical understanding of social work. We need to get that balance right, and that will be at the heart of our social work reforms.
Special Educational Needs and Disability Services — House of Commons, 2016-04-25
Topic: Education
Anthony Edward Timpson (Conservative, Centre-right): I am happy to meet the hon. Lady to give her a lot more detail about exactly how the system operates. I can reassure her that, under the Children and Families Act 2014 and the new special educational needs system, academies have exactly the same duties to pupils with special educational needs as all other schools, and must co-operate with their local council, whether in developing their local offer or publishing details of their SEN provision. That will not change. We are confident that it is the right approach so that every child gets the right school with the right support for them, irrespective of what type of school that is.
Special Educational Needs and Disability Services — House of Commons, 2016-04-25
Topic: Education
Graham Charles Stuart (Conservative, Centre-right): Does the Minister agree that one of the most egregious elements of today’s unfair and broken school funding system is that which affects children with special educational needs, and will he confirm that, like the schools block, the special needs block will be part of the review, so that we can have a transparent and fair system for all children?
Special Educational Needs and Disability Services — House of Commons, 2016-04-25
Topic: Education
Anthony Edward Timpson (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend, the former Chair of the Education Committee, is right to point out that the high needs funding element of the dedicated schools grant has, over time, become extremely skewed with regard to finding the formula to distribute that important money for the support of children with special educational needs and disabilities. In December 2015 we announced an additional £92.5 million for the high needs element, but we need a fairer system so that every child has their needs met, irrespective of where they are in the country. That will be part of the consultation.
Special Educational Needs and Disability Services — House of Commons, 2016-04-25
Topic: Social Welfare
Anthony Edward Timpson (Conservative, Centre-right): I reiterate that we want a funding system based fairly and squarely on meeting children’s individual needs. We have consulted widely right across the sector, as well as through the public consultation, to ensure we achieve just that. I will certainly consider what the hon. Lady says about London—as well as the situation across the country—so that every child can benefit from the new system as we move forward.
Special Educational Needs and Disability Services — House of Commons, 2016-04-25
Topic: Education
Richard Grosvenor Plunkett-Ernle-Erle-Drax (Conservative, Centre-right): If I may pick up on funding for special schools, Wyvern Academy in my constituency looks after children who are particularly physically and mentally disabled; so much so, in fact, that other schools that do the same work pass them on to this school. The funding, however, does not recognise the high level of care that is needed. Will the Minister consider this matter in any funding formula reform? If I write to him, perhaps he could help me to find out whether there is a pot of money somewhere to help this excellent school to continue to do a wonderful job.
Special Educational Needs and Disability Services — House of Commons, 2016-04-25
Topic: Education
Anthony Edward Timpson (Conservative, Centre-right): We know that many children have profound needs. In making sure we have educational excellence everywhere, we must ensure that they have the opportunity to learn, grow and develop into successful adults. To do so, we need to ensure that they are well supported. That is why, through the new education, health and care plans, it is clear there has to be co-operation right across education, social care and health to provide the money and support those children need. I am, of course, happy to talk further with my hon. Friend to establish how the system is working in his constituency and how we can make it work better in the future.
Special Educational Needs and Disability Services — House of Commons, 2016-04-25
Topic: Education
Anthony Edward Timpson (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Lady knows I have a real fondness for her. We enjoyed our time together on the Children and Families Bill in those halcyon days of 2013, but I have to say—I suspect she has been put up to it—that this does not sound like her question. I am confident, as she will be, that the law we both helped to take through this House reflects properly what I said in an earlier answer: that academies have to abide by the same rules as other schools when it comes to children with special educational needs. The law is clear. This is why we are bringing in, for the first time, an inspection regime for special education needs, so we can see a really clear picture of how they are performing.
Maintained Schools — House of Commons, 2016-04-25
Topic: Education
Nicky Morgan (Conservative, Centre-right): Academies reject the old one-size-fits-all approach, and are more dynamic and responsive to performance and the needs of local areas. In the next six years, schools will have time to make choices and to set in place arrangements that will work for them, either as standalone academies or in multi-academy trusts, including diocesan trusts and operating in local clusters.
Maintained Schools — House of Commons, 2016-04-25
Topic: Education
Nicky Morgan (Conservative, Centre-right): Ofsted data for the latest inspection results of all schools show that 350,000 children now study in sponsored academies rated good or outstanding. Let us look at the example of an academy in the right hon. Gentleman’s constituency. Langdon Academy, a special measures school in East Ham, opened as a fast-track sponsored academy on 1 January 2014. Over a year later, it has gone from 45% of pupils getting A* to C to 57%. Those are achievements that I want all young people to have access to.
Maintained Schools — House of Commons, 2016-04-25
Topic: Education
Stephen Daniel Double (Conservative, Centre-right): Conversion to academies is improving the education of children throughout the country, and it is right that we make this opportunity available to all children. However, concerns have been expressed about the impact that this policy will have on small schools, particularly in a place such as Cornwall, where we have many small schools. Has my right hon. Friend considered that one of the ways of addressing those concerns would be to allow local authorities to be involved in the running of multi-academy trusts?
Maintained Schools — House of Commons, 2016-04-25
Topic: Education
Nicky Morgan (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend will know that we published a White Paper in order to make sure that we talk to Members in all parts of the House, as well as to local authorities. Like my hon. Friend, I want all young people to have the best possible start in life. We know that academies make a difference. We also know that small schools can benefit from working together in clusters, including the 15 schools in Cornwall that converted to academies together as one group last week to provide mutual support. I look forward to continuing my conversations with my hon. Friend.
Maintained Schools — House of Commons, 2016-04-25
Topic: Education
Nicky Morgan (Conservative, Centre-right): We know from the international evidence that the more autonomy those on the frontline have—heads, teachers and governors—the more they take responsibility for the results that are achieved. I want the good schools in the hon. Gentleman’s constituency to share their expertise with other schools that are not yet so good. That way we have a strong education system, which is what I as Secretary of State for Education and this Government want to be available for everyone.
Maintained Schools — House of Commons, 2016-04-25
Topic: Education
Sue-Ellen Cassiana Braverman (Conservative, Centre-right): In Fareham, primary schools such as Hook with Warsash Church of England and St Anthony’s converted from maintained schools to academies and saw their results improve, surpassing the local authority average. Does my right hon. Friend agree that this policy represents an opportunity for Hampshire, which performs well as a local authority, to get involved and create a mass to enable more autonomy and improvement overall?
Maintained Schools — House of Commons, 2016-04-25
Topic: Education
Nicky Morgan (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend is right to say that we can see that the results in primary sponsored academies, for example, which have been open for two years have improved by an average of 10 percentage points, which is double the rate of improvement in local authority schools. She is right to say that there are many talented individuals working in Hampshire local authority and I hope they will take advantage of the new system as well.
Post-16 Education and Training — House of Commons, 2016-04-25
Topic: Education
Nicholas Edward Coleridge Boles (Conservative, Centre-right): I wish I could claim to have run the London marathon, like my hon. Friend the Minister for Children and Families. I went on only a two-mile run this morning and it nearly finished me off. To answer the hon. Lady’s question, I have regular meetings with post-16 education providers about area reviews and all the issues that those throw up. I am also holding meetings with hon. Members once area reviews produce recommendations for any changes in provision in their area.
Post-16 Education and Training — House of Commons, 2016-04-25
Topic: Education
Nicholas Edward Coleridge Boles (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Lady will be aware, first, that any of the recommendations that come out of an area review that might include proposals for a merger have to be accepted by the colleges themselves. They are independent corporations. In my constituency I also have a very sparsely populated area with towns 25 miles apart so I understand full well the issues surrounding travel to course provision. Colleges can use funding, including the bursary funding, to contribute towards transport costs, but it is ultimately up to the college to decide whether it thinks that move is going to be good for it and its students.
Post-16 Education and Training — House of Commons, 2016-04-25
Topic: Education
Robert John Blackman (Conservative, Centre-right): Will my hon. Friend update the House on the position of area-based reviews of colleges which are in special measures? At the same time as colleges are being encouraged to merge, inspectors and the people involved are not allowing such mergers to take place.
Post-16 Education and Training — House of Commons, 2016-04-25
Topic: Government Operations
Nicholas Edward Coleridge Boles (Conservative, Centre-right): I am not aware of the particular case that my hon. Friend refers to. If he wants to write to me, I would be happy to meet him to discuss it. In general, we do not want mergers to be rushed into before an area review has had a chance to look at the provision in a whole area, but we do not want to stop institutions making arrangements that help them address problems, so I am happy to look into the situation with him.
Post-16 Education and Training — House of Commons, 2016-04-25
Topic: Education
Nicholas Edward Coleridge Boles (Conservative, Centre-right): I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for raising this important question. I recently had an excellent meeting, facilitated by my hon. Friend the Member for Bedford (Richard Fuller), with groups representing deaf people, and I will shortly be holding a round table with groups representing people with other kinds of disability. It is essential to ensure that everyone can benefit from the opportunity of apprenticeships and other forms of technical education, and we are determined to do that.