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Education Recovery
07 June 2021
Lead MP
Gavin Williamson
Debate Type
Ministerial Statement
Tags
NHSEducationEmploymentMental HealthChildren & Families
Other Contributors: 34
At a Glance
Gavin Williamson raised concerns about education recovery in the House of Commons. A government minister responded. Other MPs also contributed.
How the Debate Unfolded
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said:
Government Statement
The Minister of State, Department for Education, Gavin Williamson, announced the latest phase of the UK government's education recovery programme. He highlighted that supporting children to recover from pandemic-related learning losses is a priority, with over £3 billion committed so far, including an additional £1 billion specifically aimed at tutoring and teacher development. This new funding will deliver 6 million 15-hour tutoring courses for schoolchildren and the equivalent of 2 million such courses for 16-19 year-olds who need additional support to catch up. The statement emphasised that disadvantaged children in areas particularly affected by high COVID rates, such as the north-east of England and Yorkshire, will receive targeted intervention. Schools can also access both a catch-up and recovery premium to help pupils recover lost learning. Additionally, £400 million will be made available for teacher training and professional development, aimed at early years staff and existing teachers. The Minister acknowledged that tutoring has been proven effective in boosting attainment by three to five months. He further stated the Government's commitment to reviewing school day lengths as part of the recovery efforts.
Tonia Antoniazzi
Lab
Leicester West
Question
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.
Minister reply
The Minister emphasised that the new tutoring programme will focus on high-quality support to address learning losses but did not directly address mental health concerns or the adequacy of current funding levels for the pupil premium.
Grahame Morris
Lab
Easington
Question
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.
Minister reply
The Minister responded, clarifying that schools have flexibility in how they use funds for tutoring and professional development. He did not commit to an extension of the school day but acknowledged disparities in current practices.
Chris Green
Con
Heywood and Middleton
Question
Mr Green asked about the timeline for delivery of these new programmes, particularly regarding tutoring provision.
Minister reply
The Minister assured that the programme is designed to be flexible and delivered in a way that works best for schools. He emphasised that local employment will help ensure the tutoring reaches those who need it most.
Kate Green
Lab/Co-op
Wirral South
Question
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.
Minister reply
The Secretary of State defends his record, noting that Labour has opposed every education reform this government has introduced. He emphasises the focus on delivering results through £3 billion in recovery funds aimed at improving academic attainment and enrichment activities. He also discusses plans for a review to look at all options to benefit children.
Robert Halfon
Con
South Woodford
Question
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.
Minister reply
The Secretary of State acknowledges the benefits of additional time in classrooms and enrichment activities, citing successful pilots like 'session 3' at Thomas Telford School. He emphasises the importance of collecting more evidence as they approach the spending review.
Jeremy Corbyn
Ind
Islington North
Question
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.
Minister reply
The Secretary of State assures Corbyn about high-quality tutoring through carefully selected tutors. He suggests that schools themselves can take on tutors, and offers to sit down with Corbyn to discuss proposals aimed at improving lives for children from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Jack Brereton
Lab
Stoke-on-Trent Central
Question
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?
Minister reply
It is fair to say that my hon. Friend has an enormous appetite for more and more investment in his constituency. If it had not been for his campaigning, his constituency certainly would not be getting the free school that will be built to deal with the needs there and to ensure that we continue to raise standards. I am already working with him and his colleagues, as well as the leader of Stoke-on-Trent City Council, Councillor Abi Brown, on how we can deliver higher-quality education providers in the city of Stoke-on-Trent.
Afzal Khan
Lab
Manchester Rusholme
Question
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?
Minister reply
As the hon. Gentleman will have heard me say in my statement, we are very much targeting the interventions at those areas that will deliver the most impact on children across his constituency and right across the country. It is the latest stage of a rolling investment over the last 12 months, already amounting to over £3 billion, plus over an additional £1 billion that has gone to schools to support them with covid measures.
Question
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?
Minister reply
My right hon. Friend absolutely hit the nail on the head; the children who benefited most were those in schools that kept a clear focus on supporting children with a strong and rich knowledge-based curriculum. That has very much been based on the reforms that have been rolled out by this Government over the last 11 years.
Daisy Cooper
Lib Dem
St Albans
Question
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?
Minister reply
The hon. Lady sort of points out that we are very grateful for the work that Sir Kevan has done. Some of the key elements have been done working side by side with him—for example, the tutoring and the driving up of teacher quality and standards, which are very much at the heart of this package.
Question
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?
Minister reply
I am sure that all my hon. Friend’s constituents owe her a great debt of thanks for all the campaigning she did to get the refurbishment of and investment in the new school in her constituency.
Question
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?
Minister reply
I am sure that the hon. Lady is very aware of the holiday activities and food programme that we rolled out across the country at Easter, as well as the continued expansion of our scheme into the summer.
Question
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?
Minister reply
We can certainly look at that very closely. I know my hon. Friend worked incredibly hard to ensure that our outdoor education centres were included as part of the lifting of restrictions so that children are now able to access those outdoor education centres residentially as well as for day visits.
Question
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?
Minister reply
Of course I will meet the hon. Gentleman. Would he be kind enough, prior to the meeting, to send some more details about Aidan and some of the challenges? I would be very happy to meet him.
David Simmonds
Con
Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner
Question
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?
Minister reply
As always, my hon. Friend makes a very thoughtful point. The challenges for children in early years have, proportionately, been very great for them. This is why we wanted to target this significant investment in the early years sector, recognising the importance of it not just in helping children who are in those early years settings today, but in leaving a very positive and lasting legacy in driving up standards and actually giving practitioners in the sector the very best tools to do the job for future generations.
Zarah Sultana
Your Party
Coventry South
Question
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?
Minister reply
As someone from a comprehensive school background, I want to ensure all children do well. The Labour party opposed similar changes before and did not support the current educational improvements despite the 13% reduction in the attainment gap in primary schools. I will arrange for my colleague Nick Gibb to meet with Zarah Sultana to discuss further.
James Wild
Con
North West Norfolk
Question
Can you clarify that schools can use catch-up funding for extra therapy sessions and how the package will increase capacity for these services?
Minister reply
Speech therapy is crucial, especially as it was important before the pandemic. Schools can access support through the recovery premium, and I ask James Wild to provide details of Greenpark Academy if he wishes clarification in writing.
Liz Twist
Lab
Blaydon and Consett
Question
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?
Minister reply
While I agree that we need to ask the Chancellor for more money, the figure Liz Twist mentions does not reflect the full commitment of over £3 billion in catch-up funding so far. We are dedicated to interventions that deliver significant benefits for children.
Question
What plans do you have to utilise volunteers and young people to help with extramural activities during summer and holiday periods?
Minister reply
We plan to expand the Duke of Edinburgh awards scheme, combined cadet forces, and bring in volunteers from all backgrounds for the holiday activities programme. These activities are crucial as they build confidence and support children's overall development.
Clive Efford
Lab
Eltham
Question
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?
Minister reply
We are undertaking a comprehensive plan with over £3 billion invested so far. We continue to review how best to use the school day and plan additional measures as part of the spending review.
Desmond Swayne
Con
New Forest West
Question
What measures will you take to ensure tutoring is high quality?
Minister reply
We have always emphasised the need for quality tutors in our national tutoring programme. We aim to bring a level of quality and panache that was missing from education due to lack of involvement by individuals like Desmond Swayne.
Question
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?
Minister reply
We have introduced flexibility through the national tutoring programme to allow schools to use funds as needed. While we have focused on rapid interventions like tutoring, there is more to be done and I will continue advocating for additional funding.
Bim Afolami
Con
Hitchin and Welwyn
Question
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?
Minister reply
The Secretary of State emphasises that the catch-up plan is meant to be flexible, giving teachers and headteachers the autonomy to understand what their pupils have missed and tailor interventions accordingly.
Emma Hardy
Lab
Kingston upon Hull West and Haltemprice
Question
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?
Minister reply
He highlights that the national tutoring programme benefits all children, not just those on free school meals.
Simon Fell
Con
Morecambe and Lunesdale
Question
The Secretary of State is committed to investing in catch-up funding. Does this include support for outdoor education centres like Kepplewray?
Minister reply
Yes, the Secretary of State recognises the importance of such centres and is willing to meet with colleagues to discuss how they can contribute to education recovery.
Angela Eagle
Lab
Wallasey
Question
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?
Minister reply
The Secretary of State responds with a jab at the MP's aspirations to become a teacher.
Rob Butler
Con
Buckingham
Question
Will the announced Government support help students on technical and vocational courses, despite missing out due to the pandemic?
Minister reply
The Secretary of State confirms that additional funding will benefit Buckinghamshire University Technical College and similar institutions.
Munira Wilson
Lib Dem
Twickenham
Question
Does the limited education recovery package indicate an institutional bias against children in this Government, especially by the Treasury?
Minister reply
The Secretary of State asserts that investment in education has increased since Liberal Democrats left government.
Andrea Leadsom
Con
South Northamptonshire
Question
How will family hubs policy incorporate virtual support for families, especially new parents during lockdowns?
Minister reply
The Secretary of State highlights the importance of integrating health visitors and other services into family hubs to provide comprehensive support.
Chris Bryant
Lab
Rhondda
Question
How disappointed was he when receiving less funding than requested for education recovery, knowing it is inadequate?
Minister reply
The Secretary of State acknowledges the need for further investment and highlights the benefits to Welsh schools as well.
Luke Evans
Con
Hinckley and Bosworth
Question
How will the impact of measures on education and cost-effectiveness be assessed over the next 12 months?
Minister reply
Continuous assessment by Renaissance Learning will ensure that interventions are delivering benefits for children.
Mary Foy
Lab
City of Durham
Question
How will recovery plans address the complex needs of disabled children and their families, particularly during Carers Week?
Minister reply
The Secretary of State reassures that special needs schools have received a particular tilt in allocations to support these demands.
North Cotswolds
Question
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?
Minister reply
My hon. Friend is absolutely right. It is very important that we continue to drive the quality of teaching staff, making sure that they are there in the classroom, delivering that world-class face-to-face learning, and that we continue to learn the lessons of how we have driven improvement in attainment. We have seen England rise up the PISA rankings while some nations of the United Kingdom have, sadly, gone the other way as the result of a less thoughtful and considered approach.
Shadow Comment
Kate Green
Shadow Comment
Kate Green, the Shadow Secretary of State for Education, criticised the government’s education recovery programme for its lack of vision and ambition. She highlighted that while funding has been announced, it is insufficient compared to other countries like the USA and the Netherlands. The shadow minister expressed concern over the outsourcing of the national tutoring programme to Randstad and questioned whether cost-cutting measures would compromise quality. Green also pointed out missing elements such as investment in child wellbeing and mental health support, targeted interventions for those most affected by learning losses, and adequate funding for the pupil premium. She noted that Sir Kevan Collins, a respected education expert and former catch-up tsar, had resigned due to disappointment with the Government’s response, describing it as 'too small, too narrow, and too slow'. Green concluded by presenting Labour's recovery plan, which aims to provide new opportunities for every child to play, learn, and develop.
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