Monday Volume 623 20 March 2017 No. 127 HOUSE OF COMMONS OFFICIAL REPORT PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) Monday 20 March 2017 © Parliamentary Copyright House of Commons 2017 This publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Open Parliament licence, which is published at www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/. 619 20 MARCH 2017 Oral Answers 620 Mr Speaker: The terms of the Secretary of State’s House of Commons initial reply to the right hon. Member for Chelmsford (Sir Simon Burns), perfectly properly, went somewhat Monday 20 March 2017 beyond Chelmsford. I make no criticism of that at all, but it simply widens the field to colleagues who do not represent Chelmsford. The House met at half-past Two o’clock Ms Harriet Harman (Camberwell and Peckham) (Lab): PRAYERS Thanks to increased investment and the work of teachers, other teaching staff, supportive parents and the local community, standards in our schools in Southwark [MR SPEAKER in the Chair] have massively increased, but our schools are not overfunded. Surely it cannot be right that, per pupil, we Speaker’s Statement will see a cut of £1,000 per year as a result of this so-called fair funding formula. It is not fair. Whatever Mr Speaker: I know that the whole House will want levelling up the Secretary of State needs to do in other to join me in offering many happy returns to Dame parts of the country, she should please go ahead and do Vera Lynn on her 100th birthday. Dame Vera is a so, but do not cut schools funding for the poorest national treasure, but I ask colleagues not to burst into children. song. Justine Greening: Our approach will operate consistently for young people and children, wherever they are growing up. We cannot have an accountability system with similar Oral Answers to Questions expectations for all schools that ends up funding children differently. I simply reflect to the right hon. and learned Lady that, even after the changes we are making to introduce a fair and consistent funding formula for the EDUCATION first time,London’sschools,because of the many challenges and factors they face, will still receive 30% more than The Secretary of State was asked— other schools on average. School Funding: Chelmsford Heidi Allen (South Cambridgeshire) (Con): I understand that the Secretary of State has an incredibly hard job to 1. Sir Simon Burns (Chelmsford) (Con): If she will do and that money does not grow on trees. When she make an assessment of the potential effect of the proposed reviews the consultation findings, however, I urge her to new national funding formula on schools in Chelmsford. look at the core funding a school needs even to be able [909319] to open its doors, because I fear that deprivation has been overweighted in the formula. The Secretary of State for Education (Justine Greening): For Chelmsford, a shift to fairer funding would mean Justine Greening: One thing we have seen as a result an overall increase in schools funding of 1.9%. We want of launching the second phase consultation is the first schools and local areas to receive a consistent and fair properly informed debate on how we should be funding share of the schools budget so that they can give every schools and what the relative balance of investment child the opportunity to reach their full potential. These should be for different children with different challenges. are important reforms, and we must make sure we get The consultation finishes later this week, and I thank them right. We want to hear a wide range of views the House and colleagues for their engagement with it. through our consultation, which closes later this week. We will respond to the points that people have made in due course. Sir Simon Burns: Does my right hon. Friend accept that it is to be warmly welcomed that 31 out of 35 schools Stephen Timms (East Ham) (Lab): Vera Lynn was a in Chelmsford will get increased funding as a result of pupil at Brampton Primary School in my constituency the fairer funding programme? Of the four schools that and, along with every other school in my constituency, will have modest decreases in funding, two are grammar its budget is going to be cut under the Secretary of schools, the funding of which will decrease owing to State’s proposals. Ministers often tell us that the schools their relatively low number of pupils. Can anything be budget as a whole is not being cut. Should not that done to rectify that problem for two centres of academic guarantee apply to individual schools such as Brampton excellence? Primary School as well as to the system as a whole? Justine Greening: My right hon. Friend is right that Chelmsford schools overwhelmingly gain from the shift Justine Greening: I pay tribute to Dame Vera Lynn, to fairer funding. Our approach essentially sees money who has been an iconic and amazing figure. She is a follow the child, with extra money for those pupils with fantastic female role model for many young girls and extra needs. In our “Schools that work for everyone” women growing up in our country. consultation we set out our desire to see grammars take We need to make sure that, for the first time, our more young people from disadvantaged and lower family country sees consistent funding for all children, wherever income backgrounds. If they do so, selective schools they are growing up. We have seen significant rises in will also be able to benefit financially from that approach. the overall schools budget over the years. Indeed, this 621 Oral Answers 20 MARCH 2017 Oral Answers 622 Government have not only protected the overall schools the first time for both full-time and part-time higher budget in line with inflation but have made sure that the education distance learners in the same year, subject to cash amount per pupil is protected, too. That is important, satisfactory controls being in place. but we now have to make sure that we fund children in our schools fairly, wherever they are. Mr Cunningham: Does the Minister agree with the Open University that the decision to delay maintenance Kevin Foster (Torbay) (Con): Torbay’s schools have loans for distance learners will adversely affect disabled done a great job in teaching pupils despite being among students, for whom distance learning is the best option, some of the most historically underfunded. Although and those from poorer backgrounds,who need maintenance the figure for Torbay goes up by 2.3% overall, the loans to support them while they study? proposed formula hits the grammar schools quite badly, so will the Secretary of State assure me that we are still Robert Halfon: I thank the hon. Gentleman for his seeking a solution for those schools? question. I am very supportive of distance learners and the incredible work of the Open University. We want to Justine Greening: My hon. Friend raises an important offer these maintenance loans, but we want to get this point. As I have said, it is important that we reflect the right; we have a duty to ensure that we are providing the fact that our funding needs to follow children who have right value for money for the public and that the right additional needs. In particular, we know there is an controls are in place. attainment gap for children from lower-income and more disadvantaged areas and families. We also know Liz McInnes: The Chancellor, in his Budget statement, that many children will start both primary and secondary declared a commitment to lifelong learning, yet maintenance school already behind, so we need to give an uplift for loans have been capped as being for those of less than those pupils to enable their teachers to help them to 60 years of age. Given this Government’s apparent catch up. These are important parts of the formula but, determination to raise the retirement age and their as he set out, we need to look carefully at other aspects appalling treatment of the WASPI—Women Against of it, and we will do so. State Pension Inequality Campaign—women, does the Minister agree with me, and probably with Dame Vera Mike Kane (Wythenshawe and Sale East) (Lab): I Lynn, that life most definitely does not end at 60? have to say to the right hon. Member for Chelmsford (Sir Simon Burns) that he is not seeing the wood for the Robert Halfon: It is this Government who have introduced trees. The Minister for School Standards recently wrote advanced learner loans; we are going to have maintenance to the Chelmsford Weekly News about the uplift of loans for students going to institutes of technology or 1.9%, which the Secretary of State mentioned, but there national colleges, and for future distance learners; and is a denial of the wider picture that £66 million is being we have just announced an extra £500 million to support withdrawn from funding in Essex overall. Will she further education. This Government are actually backing explain how Chelmsford County High School for Girls, skills and giving people the funding they need. which is estimated to lose £300,000, will make its cuts? James Gray (North Wiltshire) (Con): Britain’s record Justine Greening: I think I have answered the question in engineering and technical training at the moment is from my right hon. Friend the Member for Chelmsford deplorable, with our being 16th among OECD countries, (Sir Simon Burns), but the bottom line is that the only so I very much welcome the Minister’s announcement budget that would go up under Labour is debt interest, earlier about maintenance grants.