Education Recovery

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Ms Antoniazzi inquired about the Government's response to mental health concerns among young people. She noted that children are returning to school with anxiety and trauma due to the pandemic, and questioned if there is enough funding for the pupil premium to make up for budget cuts.

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Mr Morris questioned whether the tutoring programme would be delivered by qualified teachers and if there is a risk that schools will not deliver it effectively. He also asked about extending school days to help catch up on lost learning.

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Mr Green asked about the timeline for delivery of these new programmes, particularly regarding tutoring provision.

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Green criticises the Secretary of State's announcement regarding education recovery funding as lacking vision and ambition. She highlights the insufficient £50 per pupil over three years compared to international standards, the outsourcing of tutoring services to Randstad, lack of action on children’s wellbeing and social development, mental health support, targeted investment for those most affected by missed school time, and funding cuts to the pupil premium.

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Halfon thanks the Secretary of State for securing £3 billion in catch-up funding but questions why evidence supporting longer school days is not being fully implemented. He asks if more pilot programmes are needed or whether existing evidence shows a need for a longer school day to increase educational attainment.

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Corbyn questions how the small amount of money offered will help children who have lost out on educational opportunities during lockdown and asks if the funding will be paid only to qualified tutors selected and vetted by local education authorities.

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As we recover, improving school standards in Stoke-on-Trent remains more important than ever, and it is vital that all young people can reach their full potential, especially those from the most disadvantaged backgrounds. I thank my right hon. Friend for the support he has given to our plans for a new free school in my constituency. Will he also support our plans for an education challenge area in Stoke-on-Trent, to help all our schools continue to drive up standards?

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The Department for Education has reported that a decade of progress on reducing the attainment gap has been eradicated in the last year, yet the Government seem to be under the impression that catch-up can be achieved on the cheap. By failing our nation’s children now, we will pay a high price in the future, with growing inequality, lower productivity and poor social mobility. We cannot afford to get this wrong, so will the Secretary of State urgently address the meagre funding set aside in this recovery plan?

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Will my right hon. Friend join me in congratulating those schools that adapted rapidly to the virtual and hybrid world and taught extensive timetables sticking to exam syllabuses? What more can be done to spread best practice, while offering targeted support for those schools that faced special difficulties?

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Sir Kevan Collins has a distinguished 30-year career as an expert in education, while the Secretary of State has spent 18 months presiding over nothing but blunders, putting the future of our young people at risk. Does the Secretary of State think that the right man resigned?

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I thank the Secretary of State and his colleagues for the recent £50 million investment in a new high school at Tarleton, which means we can get rid of dangerous and delipidated buildings. But levelling up also means that we must close the attainment gap between rich and affluent pupils and those who come from slightly more disadvantaged backgrounds. Will my right hon. Friend assure me that South Ribble will benefit from this multi-billion-pound investment not only to catch up on the time that we have lost during the pandemic, but to help close that gap?

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The level of Government investment in education recovery announced last week fell woefully short of the £15 billion needed according to the Government’s former education recovery commissioner Sir Kevan Collins, who has now resigned from his post. It remains so in the light of the Secretary of State’s statement today. The National Education Union has described the Government’s investment as “paltry” and has quite rightly asked: Where in these plans is the funding for extra-curricular activities to support children and young people to regain their confidence in their abilities and talents? Where is the funding for drama and music, sport and skills development? Will the Secretary of State go back to the Chancellor and urge him to invest more so that schools can run fully funded extracurricular clubs and activities to boost time for children to play and socialise after months away from their friends?

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Education is, without doubt, one of the big legacy issues from the pandemic, so I welcome my right hon. Friend’s pledges to invest billions of pounds and millions of hours, and his determination that we should use evidence of what works. We know that education is not just about moments of time, but about timeless moments. Our outdoor learning and education centres are experts in creating those experiences for children and young people. Centres such as Marle Hall in Llandudno Junction stand ready to help them to catch up and make up that lost ground. Will my right hon. Friend therefore give consideration to including outdoor education centres and residential stays as part of the delivery of his education recovery plan?

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Aidan from my Weaver Vale constituency has been shielding with many of his friends over the pandemic owing to his health and additional educational support needs. He deserves the very best education and needs that additional support. Will the Secretary of State agree to meet me about his particular case?

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All the research shows that money we spend in the early years has the biggest impact throughout the time a child spends in formal education. Does my right hon. Friend agree with me that the £153 million of investment in early education, intending to provide early years practitioners in Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner and across the country with world-class and evidence-based professional development, reflects the high priority we should place both on the current generation of young students and on the legacy for generations of students to come?

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Educational recovery spending is £1,600 in the US and £2,500 in the Netherlands, but with this Conservative Government it is just £50 per pupil. With an old Etonian, Bullingdon boy Prime Minister, a Chancellor whose old school’s fees are in excess of £40,000 per year and an overwhelmingly privately educated Cabinet, working-class kids across the country are being failed. Will he fund their futures with a £15 billion recovery plan?

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Can you clarify that schools can use catch-up funding for extra therapy sessions and how the package will increase capacity for these services?

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The Secretary of State has committed £50 per child for catch-up funding, which is not enough. What will the Chancellor be doing to provide more money for education?

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What plans do you have to utilise volunteers and young people to help with extramural activities during summer and holiday periods?

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Kevan Collins has noted that £22 per primary school pupil is insufficient, and less than two hours of tutoring every other week will not be enough. Is the Secretary of State saying Kevan Collins asked for too much money? Why does he think he knows better?

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What measures will you take to ensure tutoring is high quality?

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Teachers, support staff and parents know which kids need help but they need the finance to put plans into action. Sir Kevan Collins laid out an ambitious programme for catch-up. Can you keep arguing for that extra funding?

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A headteacher from his constituency expressed concerns about the need for more time to work out interventions for children and a bottom-up, teacher-led approach. How does he respond?

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The Secretary of State has failed to meet his own targets in providing tutoring provision for disadvantaged children. How much funding will he request from the Chancellor?

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The Secretary of State is committed to investing in catch-up funding. Does this include support for outdoor education centres like Kepplewray?

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Why did the Chancellor only fund one-tenth of Sir Kevan Collins’s catch-up plan, showing a lack of commitment from the Secretary of State?

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Will the announced Government support help students on technical and vocational courses, despite missing out due to the pandemic?

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Does the limited education recovery package indicate an institutional bias against children in this Government, especially by the Treasury?

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How will family hubs policy incorporate virtual support for families, especially new parents during lockdowns?

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How disappointed was he when receiving less funding than requested for education recovery, knowing it is inadequate?

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How will the impact of measures on education and cost-effectiveness be assessed over the next 12 months?

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How will recovery plans address the complex needs of disabled children and their families, particularly during Carers Week?

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I warmly welcome my right hon. Friend’s enthusiasm for making this package of catch-up measures work. In thanking all our teachers and educators for what they have done during the pandemic, does he agree that it will be vital to get those educators to commit to the package—to the extra time that they need to spend in the classroom from the early years right up to university—to make sure that it works?