Topical Questions

Question

Does my right hon. Friend agree that, if we are to meet the Prime Minister's objective of education being a silver bullet and helping more people into work, affordable childcare is essential?

Question

Why has there been no action to support families in terms of affordability of childcare?

Question

Does the Secretary of State agree with Lord Johnson that the current policies provide 'egregious state support' to wealthy students?

Question

Is the Minister ensuring that these FE construction projects are all focused on creating estates to deliver skills for growth sectors?

Question

Can the Secretary of State confirm that this Government will not implement such a mindless policy?

Question

Like many parts of the country, Aylesbury has too many people who are economically inactive despite the overall unemployment rate being extremely low. We also have many job vacancies where we need people with new or different skills. How can my right hon. Friend's Department ensure that courses in schools, university technical colleges and colleges equip young people with the right skills for today's job market?

Question

Schools such as King's Oak primary in Bedford are experiencing significantly increased demand for support around special educational needs and disabilities and social, emotional and mental health needs, due to the cost of living crisis. While additional funding is a relief, the Government need to urgently make clear what the overall funding announcement will mean, to ensure that essential support can be sustained for the most vulnerable children. When will the details be announced?

Question

Trentham Academy has recently received a very good Ofsted rating, with a number of outstanding features, following significant improvement. But the school building is in a very serious condition, with rat infestations, a number of areas of safety concerns and more than one third of classrooms below 40 square metres. Will my right hon. Friend agree to support Trentham's being in the school rebuilding programme?

Question

Children growing up in poverty have poorer school outcomes and disadvantage, which often blights lives into adulthood. The autumn statement funding announcements will only restore real-terms per pupil funding to 2010 levels when experts are urgently calling for a new child poverty strategy to tackle that widening gap. Given the Government's commitment to levelling up and social mobility, when will they announce that new strategy?

Question

One pledge in our 2019 manifesto was the introduction of an arts premium. The British arts are central to our soft power projection across the globe and they start in the classroom. I will be teaching an acting class in Clacton very soon; can the Minister tell me that there will be a commitment to an arts premium or an arts-specific package?

Question

It is estimated that 4,000 Muslim young people every year choose not to enter higher education because their faith bars them from paying interest on a student loan. David Cameron said nine years ago he would fix this. Will the new ministerial team commit to introducing alternative student finance and give us some indication of when that will be?

Question

In Chelmsford, we are very proud that Anglia Ruskin University has more students graduating in health and social care-related subjects than any other university in the country, but the university would not be able to provide such high-quality courses to UK students if it did not have income from overseas students. Can my right hon. Friend categorically confirm that the UK will continue to welcome students from across the world to all our universities?

Question

In his autumn statement, the Chancellor said that he wanted to make the United Kingdom a science superpower, yet academic researchers and scientists are being hamstrung by the continued failure to reassociate the UK with the Horizon programme. What discussions are Ministers having with EU counterparts to re-engage the UK in the Horizon programme?

Question

Good career guidance gives everyone—particularly those from less advantaged backgrounds—the ambition, self-belief and work ethic to take life chances whenever they appear and to level up our country. Will the Secretary of State consider making it impossible for a school to get an overall Ofsted inspection grade of good or better if its career guidance is not up to standard?

Question

I welcome the Secretary of State and her team to their roles. May I start by congratulating the Government on their international education strategy, which has already been mentioned? The Secretary of State knows that international students contribute £30 billion a year to the UK economy—much of it in areas identified by the Government for levelling up—and that they are vital to the viability of our universities, enrich learning for UK students and strengthen our role in the world. Does she therefore share the concern of Members on both sides of the House about reports that consideration is being given to returning to the failed policy of restricting numbers, and will she raise that concern with the Home Secretary?

Question

I am concerned about the provision of music in state schools. A report by the British Phonographic Industry states that the provision has decreased dramatically in recent years. It estimates that 30% of state schools have seen a decrease in curriculum time for music, or a reduction in the number of qualified music teachers. Can my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State assure me that the Government recognise that, and update me on the steps that her Department is taking?

Question

Why will the Secretary of State not listen to her Cabinet colleague the Secretary of State for Levelling Up and the Government's own food adviser by expanding the eligibility for free school meals? Hungry children cannot learn and tend to behave badly, too.

Question

I met a 12-year-old constituent a couple of weeks ago. He has been excluded from school and is now being home tutored, but he is struggling to see where his home tutoring will get him in his aspiration to become a mechanical engineer. Will my right hon. Friend meet me to discuss getting some provision that will suit my constituent and people like him in my constituency?

Question

What steps are Ministers taking to achieve the target of delivering 20,000 defibrillators in schools by 2023?

Question

First, I congratulate all the staff and pupils of Ferryhill Station Primary School, where I was once a governor. Led by the head, Joanne Sones, it has now achieved an Ofsted rating of good.<br/><br/>I am sure the Minister would like all pupils everywhere to develop their sports skills and improve their mental health through sport. What is being done to focus the sports premium on schools in challenging areas such as Ferryhill? I would also encourage the Minister to come and—

Question

The Government funded 128 new special educational needs places at the Austen Academy in Basingstoke, which opened about a year ago, but a new, permanent academy trust is needed to operate the school. Will my hon. Friend meet me to discuss the importance of making that appointment swiftly?

Question

King Edmund School is currently closed while building materials containing asbestos are removed from the site. Will the ministerial team look into this situation with a view to getting kids safely back to school as quickly as possible?