Monday Volume 697 21 June 2021 No. 20 HOUSE OF COMMONS OFFICIAL REPORT PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) Monday 21 June 2021 © Parliamentary Copyright House of Commons 2021 This publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Open Parliament licence, which is published at www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/. 567 21 JUNE 2021 568 Mark Logan (Bolton North East) (Con): What steps House of Commons his Department is taking to provide high-quality tutoring to disadvantaged students. [901522] Monday 21 June 2021 James Sunderland (Bracknell) (Con): What steps his The House met at half-past Two o’clock Department is taking to provide high-quality tutoring to disadvantaged students. [901524] PRAYERS The Secretary of State for Education (Gavin Williamson) [MR SPEAKER in the Chair] rose— Virtual participation in proceedings commenced (Orders, 4 June and 30 December 2020). Caroline Ansell [V]: Early feedback from my local school [NB: [V] denotes a Member participating virtually.] leaders suggests that tutoring is going to make a real difference, but there is some small concern that it can NEW MEMBER come with an opportunity cost in the school day,potentially affecting pupils’ experience of a broad and balanced The following Member made and subscribed the curriculum, especially the creative arts and sports. Is Affirmation required by law: that therefore an important consideration in the debate Sarah Green, for Chesham and Amersham. about having a longer school day, especially if tutoring could prove to be the longer-term strategy that we need Mr Speaker: I am suspending the House briefly to to address the pre-pandemic attainment gap? allow the necessary arrangements to be made for the next business. Mr Speaker: Secretary of State, will you please pick 2.35 pm up the first part of the question? Sitting suspended. Gavin Williamson: My hon. Friend raises an important Speaker’s Statement issue. As we bring forward the largest investment in tutoring that this country has ever seen, we want to 2.36 pm look at how we can continue to make changes and Mr Speaker: I wish to make a statement about the improvements to the whole of the school day. That way, senior leadership of the House of Commons service. I we can not only embed the tutoring revolution that we am pleased to announce that, following a competitive are driving forward but ensure that the other areas of recruitment process, Marianne Cwynarski CBE has enrichment that are so important for a child’sdevelopment been appointed as director general of the House of are properly incorporated into any changes. Commons service with immediate effect. Marianne is Jason McCartney: My area of Kirklees continues to currently the managing director of the Governance have higher covid case rates than the national average, Office and the secretary to the House of Commons which means that more pupils and students are having Commission. She has taken a leading and very successful to self-isolate and miss classroom teaching, which has role in ensuring that the House service has been able to an increased impact on wellbeing and mental health. operate effectively during the covid-19 pandemic. I wish Will the Secretary of State please tell me what extra personally to congratulate Marianne on her appointment catch-up funding and support is available for schools and look forward to working with her in her new role. I and colleges in areas such as mine, where there are am sure the House will agree that she has already given above average rates of absence? sterling service to this House—may that continue. Gavin Williamson: As my hon. Friend will be aware, there is a £650 million universal catch-up premium, as Oral Answers to Questions well as the recovery premium. That funding is very much to ensure that schools such as those in his constituency are best able to target that money at the areas that will EDUCATION have the most impact on children. We must not lose sight of the fact that children from whatever background The Secretary of State was asked— have been impacted as a result of covid, which is why we have always aimed to have flexibility in the system so Disadvantaged Students: Tutoring Support that schools can support all children. Caroline Ansell (Eastbourne) (Con): What steps his Henry Smith [V]: I welcome the Secretary of State’s Department is taking to provide disadvantaged students comments. What particular support will be made available with access to high-quality tutoring support. [901500] to disadvantaged pupils who have a disability and are therefore more affected still? Jason McCartney (Colne Valley) (Con): What steps his Department is taking to provide high-quality catch-up Gavin Williamson: My hon. Friend raises a vital support to students. [901504] point. That is why we took the decision to ensure a higher rate of funding for special schools and for schools Henry Smith (Crawley) (Con): What steps his that provide alternative provision, recognising that they Department is taking to provide high-quality tutoring will want more specialist and one-to-one tutoring for to disadvantaged students. [901514] those children. 569 Oral Answers 21 JUNE 2021 Oral Answers 570 Mark Logan [V]: Will the Secretary of State agree to Mr Speaker: Let us go to the Chair of the Education meet me to discuss Tutor the Nation, which is now Committee, Robert Halfon. being rolled out right across Bolton, and the lessons that it might provide for the rest of the country? Robert Halfon (Harlow) (Con) [V]: Even before the pandemic, persistent absence—pupils missing 10% or Gavin Williamson: I would very much like to hear not more of their education—was alarmingly high, at 13.1%. only how Tutor the Nation is tutoring Bolton, but how As pupils have returned, the overall rate has remained we can do so much more to tutor all the other parts of stubbornly high at 13%, or at around 916,000 pupils. the nation as well, so I would be more than delighted to For secondary pupils, it has actually risen from 15% to meet my hon. Friend. I will ask my office to get in touch 16.3%. What are the Department’splans to bring persistent with him so that we can meet to discuss the work that absence down? Tutor the Nation is doing in his constituency. Gavin Williamson: This is an incredibly important area. At the very start of the pandemic, we set up the regional James Sunderland: Will the Secretary of State please education and children’s teams—REACT—which were update the House on progress with the special educational a co-operation between schools, local government, the needs and disability review and also confirm that we Department for Education and the police in order to will be investing more in focused intervention for those target some of the youngsters who struggle the most who need extra support? and are most likely not to be in school. We continue to expand that work through the Ministry of Housing, Gavin Williamson: I know that this issue is close to Communities and Local Government to help the families my hon. Friend’sheart. Yes, we have been making progress who struggle the most, and recognise that it is children on the special educational needs review. Sadly, as a in that category who are most vulnerable and possibly result of a pandemic, the speed at which we had hoped the most likely to have persistent absence from schools. to bring it back to the House has been slowed, but we We will continue to work across Government, recognising will be providing an update in the near future. It is that it is not just about schools, but about local authorities, incredibly important that our interventions for children the police, health and social care coming together to with the most acute needs are specially tailored to bring children back into the classroom and to ensure address not only some of the challenges that covid has that they are not missing out on school. thrown up, but the continuing challenges that all children with special educational needs experience. Financial Education Kate Green (Stretford and Urmston) (Lab): Will the Alex Cunningham (Stockton North) (Lab): What Secretary of State tell the House what proportion of assessment he has made of the potential merits of children will have received tutoring under the national providing financial education to children at primary tutoring programme by the end of this academic year? school level. [901501] The Minister for School Standards (Nick Gibb): It is Gavin Williamson: We had set out the aim of having a important that pupils are well prepared to manage their quarter of a million children going through the national money, make sound financial decisions and know where tutoring programme, but, as a result of the take-up of to seek further information. Financial education forms the programme and the success that individual and part of the citizenship curriculum, which can be taught small group tutoring has had, we have set out an at all key stages but is compulsory at key stages 3 and 4. ambition and an aim to massively expand that programme over the coming years. Alex Cunningham: In 2013, the Money and Pensions Service found that our money habits and attitudes Kate Green: The latest figures show that it is just towards finance are formed by the age of seven. However, under 3% of pupils in this academic year, and even the eight years later the Government have still not made funding for next year will reach only 8% of students, yet financial education compulsory within the primary school last week in Prime Minister’squestions, the Prime Minister curriculum.