Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

School Attendance

Monday 22 June 2020 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 2 Partly answered 0 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Jon Trickett asked about the proportion of vulnerable children and those eligible for free school meals attending school.
  • The Minister responded that about 18% of children with an EHC plan or a social worker attended school on 11 June.
  • The Department does not collect separate attendance data for children eligible for free school meals.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Jon Trickett Lab Constituency not specified
Children & Families
Context

Asks about the proportion of vulnerable children and those eligible for free school meals who are attending school.

Question

What proportion of children classed as vulnerable and eligible for free school meals are attending school?

Answer from Vicky Ford (Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for School Standards)

About 18% of children with an education, health and care plan or a social worker attended an education setting on 11 June. The Department does not collect separate attendance data for those eligible for free school meals.

Answered
Was this summary accurate? Tell us

How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)

Q2 Jon Trickett Lab Constituency not specified
Children & Families
Context

Inquires about the number of children at risk in West Yorkshire, where many are still not attending school.

Question

Is the Minister not ashamed that after 10 years of a Tory Government, in West Yorkshire alone there are almost exactly 100,000 children at risk living in families of multiple vulnerabilities? Many of them are still not at school and therefore at risk. What will she do about it?

Answer from Vicky Ford (Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for School Standards)

I am enormously proud that after 10 years of a Conservative-led Government the attainment gap between those from disadvantaged backgrounds and those from more advantaged backgrounds has narrowed at every stage of children's education. We have kept schools open for vulnerable children, and those children most at risk have been seen or contacted by their social workers. I thank social workers and schools across the country for doing that. We need to get children back to school, and the Opposition should support us.

Answered
Was this summary accurate? Tell us

How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)