Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)
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Monday Volume 643 25 June 2018 No. 159 HOUSE OF COMMONS OFFICIAL REPORT PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) Monday 25 June 2018 © Parliamentary Copyright House of Commons 2018 This publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Open Parliament licence, which is published at www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/. 585 25 JUNE 2018 586 important that, where councils need further provision House of Commons to help to maintain children in mainstream education, they are able to create that. Monday 25 June 2018 Robert Halfon (Harlow) (Con): Every year,3,285 children with special needs are excluded from our schools—that The House met at half-past Two o’clock is roughly 17 a day—and 833 children with special needs are given fixed-term exclusions. Does my hon. PRAYERS Friend recognise that that is a major social injustice? I know that he has his review, but surely the Department’s priority must be to address that. [MR SPEAKER in the Chair] Nadhim Zahawi: I thank my right hon. Friend the Chairman of the Education Committee for that question. I do recognise that, which is why the Government have Oral Answers to Questions announced an exclusions review, led by Ed Timpson. Nic Dakin (Scunthorpe) (Lab): Further to the previous EDUCATION question, what are the Government doing to address the issue of academies excluding people with special educational needs, which is contributing to the rise in The Secretary of State was asked— exclusions? Special Educational Needs: Support Services Nadhim Zahawi: We are looking at different groups and the proportion of those being excluded, which I 1. Anne Marie Morris (Newton Abbot) (Con): What hope will come out through the Timpson exclusions steps he is taking to ensure that children with special review. We are also talking to Ofsted about the issue of educational needs are able to access support services off-rolling. that are close to home. [906000] Rebecca Pow (Taunton Deane) (Con): Some 1.4 million The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education children in this country display some kind of speech, (Nadhim Zahawi): Children and young people should language or communication disorder. That is 10% of receive the right support to meet their special educational children, as was highlighted recently in the excellent needs. In most cases, that can be provided close to home Bercow report, the second one on this. Given that through the schools and services in their local area. children entering school with lower than expected Services must be jointly commissioned, with a published communication skills tend to do less well academically local offer kept under regular review. and feature more highly among excluded children and Anne Marie Morris: Yet 41% of pupils attending young offenders, can the Minister give an indication of special schools in Devon have to travel more than how the recommendations in the Bercow report might 10 miles to reach their school. How will the Minister be implemented in our education system? support those children in Devon, to ensure that SEN Nadhim Zahawi: I spoke at the launch of the— provision is locally available and of a high quality? Mr Speaker: Ten years on. Nadhim Zahawi: I thank my hon. Friend for her question. If a local authority identifies a shortage of Nadhim Zahawi: Ten years on from the Bercow review; special school places, resulting in a significant number I am grateful to you, Mr Speaker. We are looking very of children with special educational needs and disabilities carefully at the recommendations of that report. One having to travel a long way, they need to consider thing we are already doing is working with Public creating or expanding specialist provision. We announced Health England to ensure that the health workers who £50 million of funding in May this year, and Devon will go to see parents at that crucial young stage are trained receive £2.8 million from 2018 to 2021. in speech and language therapy. 19. [906021]Marsha De Cordova (Battersea) (Lab): My Children’s Academic and Practical Skills mum fought for me to receive a mainstream education, knowing that I, like the majority of children with 2. Mr Barry Sheerman (Huddersfield) (Lab/Co-op): special educational needs or a disability, would benefit What steps he is taking to ensure that all children have from that. However, in 2016, for the first time in more continuing opportunities to develop academic and practical than 25 years, more children with SEND were educated skills. [906001] outside the mainstream education system. In response, the UN raised concerns about an education system that The Secretary of State for Education (Damian Hinds): segregates children with disabilities in special schools. Schools must provide a broad and balanced curriculum What will the Minister do to reverse that concerning that prepares pupils for the opportunities, responsibilities trend and instead build a more inclusive education system? and experiences of adult life. Nadhim Zahawi: It is important to ensure that children Mr Sheerman: The team on the Front Bench could with SEND who want to and can be in mainstream not beat Panama or any other country in terms of effort education are able to. For example, 72% of children and talent. Is not it a fact that the earlier young children with autism are in mainstream education. We recently are able to use both their academic and technical skills, announced 14 new free special schools. As I said, it is the better, and that this Government have cramped the 587 Oral Answers 25 JUNE 2018 Oral Answers 588 curriculum? Is not it also true that we can only deliver Damian Hinds: We take the mental health of children T-levels with the support of the further education sector, and young people extremely seriously; hence the recent which is being destroyed by Government policies and Green Paper and the whole programme of activity. To underfunding? be fair, I do not think that the concept of exam stress is entirely a new one, and at this time of year there Damian Hinds: In a wide-ranging question, as they obviously is heightened stress among some young people. say, the hon. Gentleman presents a number of different But the new GCSEs and A-levels have been designed aspects, ranging from the World cup to T-levels. He is and benchmarked against the leading systems in the right about one thing, and that is the earlier children world to make sure that we have a leading exam and acquire skills and knowledge the better. That is why it is qualification system. so important we have managed to narrow the attainment gap both in the early years and in primary school. Michael Tomlinson (Mid Dorset and North Poole) (Con): Whether it is for academic or practical skills, Sir David Evennett (Bexleyheath and Crayford) (Con): reading and literacy are vital. In contrast to the hon. May I welcome the advances the Government have Member for Huddersfield, does the Secretary of State achieved in this field and my right hon. Friend’s positive welcome the fact that pupils in England are outperforming approach, contrary to what the hon. Member for their peers right across the world when it comes to Huddersfield (Mr Sheerman) said? What more can be reading and literacy, according to the latest PIRLS—the done to tackle the skills shortage in the construction progress in international reading literacy study—figures? sector? Damian Hinds: I very much welcome that. It has been very encouraging to see how, particularly through the Damian Hinds: My hon. Friend raises a very important focus on the phonics programme, our young readers point about the construction sector, and of course we have improved in their reading so much, and that is have considerable requirements because of the need to reflected in those international comparisons. accelerate residential development. One of the first T-levels will be in construction, and we are working Kelvin Hopkins (Luton North) (Ind): The two colleges closely with the sector to bring that on. serving my own constituents are both suffering severe financial pressures. My hon. Friend the Member for Sir Vince Cable (Twickenham) (LD): Is the Secretary Huddersfield is absolutely right: further education is of State aware of the concern in the creative industries fundamental to providing ongoing education in both about the contraction in the number of pupils in maintained practical and academic skills. When are the Government schools studying performing arts, and how does he going to look at FE in general and particularly at the intend to address that problem? two colleges serving my constituency? Damian Hinds: The right hon. Gentleman is correct Damian Hinds: There are of course two enormous about the importance of the performing arts. In fact, programmes of benefit to FE colleges. First, there is the the number of children taking a GCSE in arts subjects apprenticeships programme. Through the levy, the total has not really moved very much, but we very much funding for apprenticeships by the end of this decade believe in a broad and balanced curriculum, with the will be double what it was at the beginning. The other breadth of opportunities he would want. programme—the hon. Member for Huddersfield and I touched on this briefly—is T-levels, which will bring Charlie Elphicke (Dover) (Ind): In the funding of another half a billion pounds of funding. these opportunities, where an academy runs up a debt because of the Department’s failure to supervise the Social Work Profession academy sponsor, does my right hon. Friend agree that the Department should take responsibility for that debt, 3. Alex Burghart (Brentwood and Ongar) (Con): rather than leave it with the school, as appears to be the What progress his Department has made on strengthening case with the Goodwin Academy in my constituency? the social work profession.