Commons Sense

House of Commons · Westminster Hall

Access to Education: South-East Northumberland

21 February 2024 · 3 other contributors · 7,479 words

Opened by Ian Lavery Lab Blyth and Ashington

Responding minister: Damian Hinds

Education

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

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Ian Lavery raised concerns about access to education: south-east northumberland in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.

Key points

  • The MP for South-East Northumberland is concerned about changes in school admissions policies that prioritize distance over feeder schools, impacting parental choice and children's access to local schools.
  • The MP notes a decrease in first preference offers to top three preferences since 2010, highlighting the challenges faced by children from rural areas in accessing their preferred secondary schools.
  • The MP asks the Government to provide additional funding for Bedlington Academy and to conduct more rigorous checks on development impacts to prioritize student needs and ensure fair access to school places.

Key requests to Government

The MP asks the Minister to address issues regarding parental choice in education by providing additional funding for Bedlington Academy to increase its capacity. He also requests more rigorous checks on development impacts year-on-year to prioritize student needs. The hon. Member asks the Government to ensure fair access to school places for all children and to work closely with local authorities and academy trusts to address issues of place sufficiency and improve education standards in underperforming schools.

How the debate unfolded

MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said.

Opened the debate

Ian Lavery Lab Blyth and Ashington

The MP is concerned about the negative impact of changes in school admissions policies on parental choice in south-east Northumberland. He notes that over-subscription criteria have shifted from feeder schools to distance-based allocation, making it difficult for children to attend their traditional local schools. This has resulted in longer commutes and disrupted social networks. The MP highlights specific cases where children from rural areas are unable to access their preferred secondary schools due to new policies, leading to educational disruption and disconnection from community support systems. The hon. Member for Wansbeck is concerned about the impact of changes in school admissions criteria on local children's access to education, particularly noting a decrease from first preference offers to top three preferences in South-East Northumberland. He highlighted that since 2010, some schools have altered their admissions policies to prioritize distance over attendance at specific feeder schools.

Other contributors (3)
  • Jim Shannon DUP Strangford

    The MP congratulated the lead Member and highlighted the importance of universal access to high-quality education, advocating for more teachers and classroom aids from central government to support local councils in areas with additional needs. The MP intervened briefly, emphasizing the importance of recognizing situations where choice is taken away from parents in semi-rural and rural villages. He highlighted issues with problematic children being prematurely excluded by some schools.

  • Jon Trickett Lab Normanton and Hemsworth

    The MP questioned whether the distribution of secondary schools impacts parental choice, especially in constituencies with sparse populations. He also raised concerns about academies excluding underperforming students to boost their results.

  • Seema Malhotra Lab Co-op Feltham and Heston

    Congratulated the MP for Wansbeck on securing the debate, highlighting concerns about parental choice in education, fragmentation in admission policymaking, prioritization of high-achieving students, special educational needs provision, child poverty, persistent absence from school, and school funding cuts. Emphasized the need for democratic control over admissions policies and greater support for families with children facing educational barriers. She highlighted the impact of poverty, cost of living crisis, and austerity on children and families. Apprenticeship numbers have dropped since 2017 and small and medium-sized enterprises' engagement with apprenticeships has decreased by 49% since 2016. The hon. Member for Feltham and Heston spoke about wider issues affecting school choice, including housing development projections and the impact of persistent absence on student attendance.

Government Response

Damian Hinds

The Minister congratulated the hon. Member for Wansbeck on his comprehensive remarks about access to education in his area, acknowledging the concerns around school admissions criteria changes and their impact on parents' preferences. He noted that nationally, 94% of parents received offers at one of their top three secondary school preferences in 2023, with 98% for primary schools, indicating high satisfaction levels overall. The Minister addressed specific points raised by the hon. Member about housing development projections and PAN changes, emphasizing the importance of local authorities projecting birth rates and expected impacts based on types of housing developments. He also highlighted improvements in school performance since the academy's change of admissions criteria and the support provided to underperforming schools, such as Ashington Academy which was judged 'good' at its first inspection as an academy in 2022 after being sponsored due to its previous inadequate status. The Minister assured that officials will continue monitoring place planning issues and engaging with local authorities and academy trusts to ensure fair access to good school places.

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