Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Covid-19: Education Outcomes

Monday 1 March 2021 · 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 1 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Shabana Mahmood raised concerns about the impact of the covid-19 outbreak on education outcomes and asked about assessments made by the government.
  • The Secretary of State announced a 1.7 billion investment to support education settings in boosting children's education based on a commissioned study's initial findings.
  • Toby Perkins questioned the Secretary of State's leadership and suggested stepping aside due to issues with unspent funds and failed initiatives.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Shabana Mahmood Lab Birmingham Ladywood
Education
Context

Concern over the impact of the pandemic on pupils' educational progress, especially regarding the lack of a formal assessment.

Question

I am concerned about the effect of the covid-19 outbreak on education outcomes. What assessment has been made?

Answer from Gavin Williamson

We have commissioned a study to assess the progress of pupils this academic year, initial findings from which were published last week. That study informed the development of our £1.7 billion investment to give education settings support to boost children's education.

Answered
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Q2 Toby Perkins Lab Chesterfield
Education
Context

Concern over repeated failures in leadership, unspent funds, and ineffective initiatives under the current Secretary of State.

Question

Previous failures are feared to be repeated. The Secretary of State lacks leadership leading to unspent funds and failed initiatives such as exams, testing, school returns, student wellbeing, and BTECs. Will he step aside?

Answer from Gavin Williamson

We understand that teachers have an acute understanding of those children who suffered most due to being out of the classroom. We created the national tutoring programme and all evidence shows that targeted interventions help children catch up with lost learning.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Secretary of State did not address whether he would step aside or provide clarity on leadership and ambition.

How: We Care About Evidence.

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