debates/debates2025-10-20e conversation_12
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: debates/debates2025-10-20e conversation_12

Jim Dickson:We recently had brilliant news in Dartford for young people in the constituency and across the region, with North Kent college designated as a technical excellence college, with a focus on transforming construction training. That is perfect for the lower Thames crossing just coming on stream. The college, however, is full to the brim and wants to expand. Will the Minister look at how colleges such as North Kent can gain access to crucial capital to enable them to expand? \p Bridget Phillipson: I join my hon. Friend in congratulating the fantastic team at North Kent college on all their hard work, and congratulate him on his championing of great vocational and technical routes for our young people. The Government have committed £80 million of capital funding to construction technical excellence colleges. We will also be investing a further £375 million over four years to provide additional places for 16 to 19-year-olds. I will be saying more on that shortly, and I am happy to discuss it further with my hon. Friend. \p Lindsay Hoyle: I call the shadow Secretary of State. \p Laura Trott: The Education Secretary talks about wanting to improve outcomes for white working-class boys, yet disadvantaged children in Wales are being failed by the very model that she wants to introduce here in England. Is it not the case that the best thing she can do for white working-class pupils is to stop her school reforms? \p Bridget Phillipson: I do not know how the right hon. Lady has the brass neck. For 14 years, we saw groups in our—[Interruption.] \p Lindsay Hoyle: Order. I have got to get all these people in during topicals. Having a private conversation as the Secretary of State tries to answer the question does not help. \p Bridget Phillipson: The Conservatives had 14 years. We take this issue seriously, because we know that far too many children in our country from white working-class  communities do not get the outcomes they deserve. A little humility on the Conservatives’ part would go a long way. \p Laura Trott: What we did for 14 years was improve school standards. Not content with destroying standards, this afternoon the Secretary of State will, according to media reports, introduce a new lower-level qualification targeted at white working-class pupils. That is simply watering down standards for some of our most deprived children. Will the Secretary of State confirm that under this Government, the soft bigotry of low expectations is back? \p Bridget Phillipson: It is absolutely nothing of the sort. What we inherited was a systematic failure of white working-class kids and children with special educational needs and disabilities in our country. I read the right hon. Lady’s conference speech with great care, and I looked out in that speech for any mention of children with SEND, of children with additional needs or, indeed, of some of the groups she has been talking about this afternoon. She had nothing to say on the topic. It is the usual confected outrage that has become the right hon. Lady’s hallmark.