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  • PRESS RELEASE : Lord Hill comments after presenting the Church School Awards [March 2011]

    PRESS RELEASE : Lord Hill comments after presenting the Church School Awards [March 2011]

    The press release issued by the Department for Education on 25 March 2011.

    Following the first ever Church School Awards, held in London on 24 March 2011, Schools Minister Lord Hill said:

    I am delighted to congratulate the regional and national winners of the first ever Church School Awards on their superb work. These schools have demonstrated their commitment to respecting and supporting other young people around the world as well as in their own local community.

    Church schools make an important contribution to education in this country – not only in achieving good exam results, but also in nurturing young people to become real ambassadors for the ethos of their schools. It is wonderful to be able to celebrate this and see the links they have established in volunteering in local communities, fundraising for countries hit by disaster and building relationships with pupils around the world.

    The Church School Awards website contains more details about the awards, including how to enter for next year.

  • Sarah Teather – 2011 Article in Nursery World

    Sarah Teather – 2011 Article in Nursery World

    The article written by Sarah Teather, the then Children’s Minister, on 24 March 2011. The article was released as a press release by the Department for Education.

    Readers will know how committed this Government is to the early years – giving every child, regardless of their family circumstances, the opportunity to thrive and flourish.

    You will have seen at first hand the impact high quality early education can have on children’s life chances, but particularly for the most disadvantaged. It’s just not good enough that children from poorer families are still much less likely to access good quality early education and childcare than their wealthier peers – even though they stand to benefit the most.

    Evidence shows that less than half of all children who live in the most deprived areas achieve a good level of development at age 5 compared with nearly 70% of those living in the least deprived areas. That is why we have protected funding for free early education for 3- and 4-year-olds and have secured additional funding to provide free early education for the most disadvantaged 2-year-olds – despite the tough economic climate.

    It’s no accident that extending the free entitlement to the most disadvantaged 2-year-olds is the first clause in the Education Bill. We’re clear how important it is to the future prospects of so many children that we get this right.

    We moved a step closer to realising this ambition recently as all parties welcomed the extension of the free entitlement during the Education Bill Committee debate.

    In delivering this free entitlement, I know that many providers are doing an excellent job within the funding they receive, and we want to work with the sector to enable others to learn from their example.

    While funding levels are a matter for local authorities, we have made provision for 2-year-old places to be funded at a higher rate than 3- and 4-year-olds to reflect the higher ratio requirements for this age group.

    I know that some providers have concerns about the levels of funding they receive from their local authority. We are listening to those concerns and we are taking action to support providers:

    • All local authorities will introduce the early years single funding formula from April. This is a first step in improving efficiency and transparency in the way funding is distributed to providers in all sectors.
    • Later this year we will be consulting on the future of early education funding in the long term as part of the school funding review.
    • We are working to reduce burdens on providers who deliver free early education, minimise prescription from central government and allow more discretion at a local level. We will be working closely with colleagues from across the sector to streamline the code of practice and childcare sufficiency guidance.

    Funding for free entitlement places is just one part of a broader package of public support that providers can access. Many receive training and other assistance from their local authority to support improvements in quality and secure sufficient childcare provision.

    I hope that many providers will continue to choose to be part of the free entitlement scheme, offering a fantastic service to all families. But I accept that – for some – delivering the free entitlement may not fit within their business models and they may decide to opt out.

    During the Education Bill debate we reinforced our commitment to a universal entitlement to early education for all 3- and 4-year-olds that is completely free to parents. For the avoidance of any doubt, we do not see top-up fees as an answer to the concerns that some providers have expressed.

    The work to slim down the Code of Practice will not change the position on top-up fees, which are effectively prohibited by primary legislation. It is, however, a good opportunity to make sure all providers and local authorities fully understand the principles of the free entitlement – including what they can and cannot charge parents for. It is legitimate for providers to charge parents for lunch, additional activities or for additional hours outside of the free entitlement, but it is unacceptable for parents’ access to the free entitlement to be made in any way conditional on the purchase of these extras.

    We’re absolutely clear that making parents pay to access their free entitlement would be an insurmountable financial barrier for many families. It would mean that the very children who have the most to benefit from free provision would be unable to access it at all. As a government committed to tackling social inequality and supporting the most disadvantaged families, this isn’t something we would support.

  • PRESS RELEASE : More technical academies announced – at least 24 new projects planned by 2014 [March 2011]

    PRESS RELEASE : More technical academies announced – at least 24 new projects planned by 2014 [March 2011]

    The press release issued by the Department for Education on 23 March 2011.

    The Department for Education has welcomed Chancellor George Osborne’s commitment in the Budget for an additional 12 new Technical Academies such as University Technical Colleges (UTCs).

    These Academies will offer high quality vocational and technical education to give secondary pupils the skills they need and employers want.

    The new money will mean at least 24 new Technical Academies will be set up across England by 2014.

    These Academies will be sponsored by local businesses and local further or higher education institutions which would help set the ethos and curriculum of each Academy and provide support and work experience for students. They will have the freedom to employ lecturers and instructors working in relevant industries. Pupils will continue to study core academic subjects but will spend additional time on specialist vocational and technical training in areas such as engineering or construction. They can extend the working day for students and teachers and organise work experience with local firms.

    Michael Gove MP said:

    Professor Alison Wolf showed in her independent report on vocational education that thousands have been let down. There is an urgent need for more specialist Academies giving high quality technical and vocational education. The announcement today will mean many more children will have this opportunity.

    Lord Kenneth Baker, co-founder of the Baker Dearing Educational Trust (BDET), said:

    We are delighted that we have the backing of the Government on what we see as one of the most radical changes in education for a generation.

    Mike Wright, Executive Director of Jaguar Land Rover, said:

    Jaguar Land Rover welcomes the announcement by the Chancellor regarding the expansion of University Technical Colleges. It is essential for economic growth that we increase the number of young people prepared to work in engineering and manufacturing.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Written Ministerial Statement by Michael Gove on the School Teachers’ Review Body’s recommendations [March 2011]

    PRESS RELEASE : Written Ministerial Statement by Michael Gove on the School Teachers’ Review Body’s recommendations [March 2011]

    The press release issued by the Department for Education on 21 March 2011.

    The School Teachers’ Review Body’s (STRB) recommendations on pay for those unqualified teachers who earn a full-time equivalent salary of £21,000 or less are being published today. The recommendations cover the first of two matters which were referred to the STRB in October 2010. I am grateful for the careful consideration which the STRB has given to this matter.

    Copies of the STRB’s analysis and recommendations are available in the Vote Office, the Printed Paper Office and the Libraries of the House and from the Office of Manpower Economics.

    The STRB has recommended that a non-consolidated payment of £250 should be made to those unqualified teachers who earn £21,000 or less; that the £250 is pro-rated for part-time unqualified teachers; and that consultation should seek to identify a simple and cost-effective method of payment.

    I am grateful to the STRB for these recommendations which will apply to those unqualified teachers on scale points 1 to 3 and subject to consultees’ views, I intend to accept these recommendations.

    My detailed response contains further information on these issues.

    Annex to Written Ministerial Statement of 21 March 2011:

    School Teachers’ Review Body’s (STRB’s) recommendations on pay for those unqualified teachers who earn a full-time equivalent salary of £21,000 or less and response from the Secretary of State for Education (Michael Gove).

    The Secretary of State for Education (Michael Gove): The STRB’s analysis and recommendations on pay for those unqualified teachers who earn a full-time equivalent salary of £21,000 or less are being published today. The recommendations cover the first matter which was referred to the STRB in October 2010. Copies of the analysis and recommendations are available in the Vote Office, the Printed Paper Office and the Libraries of the House and from the Office of Manpower Economics.

    In making its recommendations, the STRB was required to have regard to items a-e set out in the remit letter of 27 October 2010. The recommendations apply to those unqualified teachers earning £21,000 or less in the context of the two-year public sector pay freeze that will affect teachers from September 2011; and the Chief Secretary to the Treasury’s instruction that there should be a minimum award of £250 in each of these two years. I am grateful for the careful attention the STRB has given to this matter.

    The STRB is due to submit its 20th Report, which will include the recommendations set out below as well as recommendations on whether there should be a limit on the value of discretions that can be applied to head teachers’ pay, by 30 March. I propose, therefore, that the statutory consultation on the STRB’s recommendations (below) should wait until the 20th Report and my response to that report are published in due course. I will, however, accept comments in the meantime on the pay recommendations for unqualified teachers earning £21,000 or less.

    Recommendations on pay for unqualified teachers earning £21,000 or less

    The STRB has recommended that:

    • A non-consolidated payment of £250 be made in both years to all full-time teachers on spine points 1-3 of the Unqualified Teachers’ scale;
    • The £250 payment be pro-rated according to their working hours for part-time teachers on points 1-3 of the Unqualified Teachers’ scale;
    • The Department consult, with a view to identifying a simple and cost-effective method of payment, and issue guidance as appropriate.

    I am grateful to the STRB for its consideration of this issue and, subject to consultees’ views, I intend to implement the payment from September 2011. I also intend, subject to consultees’ views, for the school’s relevant body to decide how the £250 payment should be implemented.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Gibb – admissions statistics show there are too few good schools [March 2011]

    PRESS RELEASE : Gibb – admissions statistics show there are too few good schools [March 2011]

    The press release issued by the Department for Education on 17 March 2011.

    More than 79,000 children have missed out on a place at their first-choice secondary school for this September, official statistics figures reveal today.

    Schools Minister Nick Gibb said too many pupils – nearly one in six – would be going to a secondary school that was not their top choice.

    The statistics break down the secondary school offers made to more than 512,000 children by 151 local authorities in England on 1 March.

    They show that nationally:

    • 84.6% of children received an offer at their first-choice school. This is up 1.4 percentage points on last year.
    • 95.6% were offered a place at one of their top three preferred schools. This is a 0.7 percentage point increase on 2010.

    This year there were far fewer children applying for a similar number of secondary school places. The number of children decreased by 17,500 on 2010 while there were 1,200 fewer places available.

    Schools Minister Nick Gibb said:

    More than 79,000 children missed out on their first choice of secondary school, nearly one in six of the entire year group, and more than 22,000 do not even get into any of their top three schools.

    These figures expose the fact that there simply aren’t enough good schools.

    Too many parents are forced to choose between schools which don’t deliver the academic standards and good behaviour they demand.

    Yesterday’s OECD report underlined the serious problems in our school system and showed how far we have fallen behind other leading countries over the past decade. That is why we are restoring the integrity of the curriculum and exams, and giving more powers to teachers.

    Our reforms to education, with a focus on raising standards of behaviour, trusting teachers and encouraging new schools to be established, are designed to deliver higher standards and genuine choice for parents.

    Only when every school is regarded by parents as a good school will we be able to remove the anxiety parents suffer when choosing a school for their children.

    Regional headlines

    • The North East had the highest percentage of first preference offers at 94.3%
    • Greater London had the lowest percentage at 66.2%.

    Specific local authorities

    • the Isle of Wight had the highest percentage of first preference offers, at 100%, followed by Cornwall and North East Lincolnshire with 99% and Central Bedfordshire with 98.6%
    • apart from City of London (where there are no secondary schools), Slough had the lowest percentage of first preference offers at 46.2%, followed by Southwark (52.5%) and Wandsworth (55.5%)
    • the biggest increase in first-choice preferences being met was in Trafford (11.5 percentage points), then North East Lincolnshire (11.4 percentage points)
    • the biggest decrease in a first-choices preferences being met was Westminster (down 7.7 percentage points), followed by Kensington and Chelsea (6.6 per cent) and Camden (6.5 percentage points).

    London headlines

    Bexley had the highest percentage of first preference offers at 81.1%, followed by Newham at 79.9%. Apart from City of London (where there are no secondary schools), Southwark had the lowest percentage at 52.5%, followed by Wandsworth (55.5%).

  • PRESS RELEASE : Schools Minister takes a lesson in Mandarin [March 2011]

    PRESS RELEASE : Schools Minister takes a lesson in Mandarin [March 2011]

    The press release issued by the Department for Education on 15 March 2011.

    Kingsford was one of the first schools in the country to introduce the study of Chinese into their curriculum and it now has one of the largest and most successful Chinese departments in the state sector. It was one of the first 5 Specialist Schools and Academies Trust (SSAT) Confucius Classrooms in England. There are now 34.

    Schools Minister Nick Gibb said:

    “Getting more young people to study a foreign language is vital to the social and economic future of our country. The introduction of the English Baccalaureate will encourage more pupils to take GCSEs in a broad range of academic subjects, including a language.

    Schools like Kingsford are leading the way in language teaching. China is at the centre of the global economy, which is why it is important that our young people understand its culture and language.”

  • PRESS RELEASE : Sarah Teather responds to criticism of the SEN green paper in ‘The Guardian’ [March 2011]

    PRESS RELEASE : Sarah Teather responds to criticism of the SEN green paper in ‘The Guardian’ [March 2011]

    The press release issued by the Department for Education on 14 March 2011.

    In response to the letter in the Guardian on Saturday 12 March 2011 about the SEN Green Paper:

    Dear Sir

    I was very disappointed to read the misrepresentation of the government’s green paper on special educational needs and disabilities (letters p.41 Saturday 12 March 2011).

    The suggestion that government is trying to make children with complex needs ‘earn’ a place in a mainstream school is both offensive and inaccurate. At the heart of the green paper is the importance of parental choice. Parents know what type of education they want for their child and they should be allowed to decide if that is a mainstream or special school, academy or free school.

    At no point do we suggest that one form of schooling is better or preferable for children with additional or complex needs – this is about parental choice, not the ideologically driven idea that the state knows best.

    Sarah Teather MP, Children’s Minister

    Department for Education

  • PRESS RELEASE : Schools Minister Nick Gibb responds to Ofsted’s report on history in schools [March 2011]

    PRESS RELEASE : Schools Minister Nick Gibb responds to Ofsted’s report on history in schools [March 2011]

    The press release issued by the Department for Education on 13 March 2011.

    In response to the publication of Ofsted’s report entitled ‘History for All’, Schools Minister Nick Gibb said:

    “It is worrying that Ofsted finds that many pupils lack a chronological understanding of history and are unable to make links between events. It is also a concern that secondary schools are squeezing history out of the curriculum or into general humanities courses. The facts, dates and narrative of history cannot be learnt in disparate chunks – without them we cannot compare, interpret or evaluate the past or draw lessons from them.

    We are carrying out a root and branch reform of the national curriculum to set out the essential knowledge that children need, while leaving schools free to decide how to teach it. We are toughening up recruitment and training, attracting the brightest graduates, increasing the number of specialists, building a network of top class training schools, and transforming professional development throughout teachers’ careers. We have also introduced the English Baccalaureate so more pupils study the core academic GCSEs which we expect will lead to an increase in uptake of subjects like history.”

  • Michael Hastings – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II (Lord Hastings of Scarisbrick)

    Michael Hastings – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II (Lord Hastings of Scarisbrick)

    The tribute made by Michael Hastings, Lord Hastings of Scarisbrick, in the House of Lords on 9 September 2022.

    My Lords, I belong to a generation of Caribbean young who had parents and grandparents who bemoaned the end of the Empire. My father was from Angola, but my mother was from Sav-la-mar, Jamaica, and I will never forget her and her mother constantly wishing for the better days of the 1950s. On one occasion, I listened to my mother railing against the new democracy in Jamaica, saying “Tsk, dem all useless, but de Queen, she gorgeous.” That sense of affectionate love for this distant lady—our sovereign, her sovereign—was deep and immense.

    I also recall so clearly a radical Government appointed by election in the early 1970s who wanted to do away with the Queen’s Christmas Day broadcast. I remember from when I was a child the protests in Kingston. People came out on the streets for weeks, placarding and threatening to bombard the radio stations if they removed the broadcast. It continues to this day.

    In the opening remarks from the Leader of the House, the noble Lord, Lord True, and the Leader of the Opposition, the noble Baroness, Lady Smith, reference was made to the fact that the Queen passed through all these years without expressing an opinion. That is not quite correct, because I have the opinion in my hands in a letter from Balmoral Castle, which I am happy to show the House, dated 14 September 1976.

    Some 46 years ago, when I was just 18, I received a letter from the press secretary of Her Majesty the Queen, Ron Allison, who passed recently. He wrote:

    “I am commanded by The Queen to acknowledge your recent letter about the projected film on the life of Jesus Christ which a Mr. Jens Thorsen proposes to produce.”

    Some of the older Members here might recall the massive public debate in 1976 about a Danish filmmaker’s interest in the intimate life of Jesus. The letter goes on:

    “While Her Majesty finds this proposal quite as obnoxious as most of her subjects do, the preventing of the making of such a film in the United Kingdom, or the exclusion from this country of Mr. Thorsen, could only be accomplished within the laws of the United Kingdom. Accordingly, your letter has been referred at Her Majesty’s commands to the Home Office.”

    The then Home Secretary, Mr Merlyn Rees, found it impossible to allow entry to the country to pursue such a bizarre interest.

    Many years later, I met Ron Allison by mistake. He looked at me and said, “You’re—”, and I said, “Yes, and you’re—”. I was still in my early 20s. I said to him then, “Did you write the letter, or did Her Majesty the Queen dictate it?” He said, “Oh no, she dictated it.” So I said that she wished it be known that she had a view that this was obnoxious and, for those old enough to remember, it was front-page news for days. I still have all the cuttings from all those years ago. I featured on endless news broadcasts, as a young black man standing up at the age of 18 in defence of the faith and the Jesus she loved, and defending what should be proper process. Yes, the Home Secretary must decide, as he did, by order and command, but Her Majesty made it clear that things were “obnoxious”. That is the one view she expressed in her long reign, and I am proud to hold it in my hands.

  • David Hacking – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

    David Hacking – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

    The tribute made by David Hacking, Lord Hacking, in the House of Lords on 9 September 2022.

    My Lords, I spoke in this House on 26 May in the humble Address to Her Majesty the Queen on her Platinum Jubilee. I said that I could think of her only as a young Queen, because my early memories of Her Majesty were of when she was very young, having ascended the Throne aged 25. These memories are indelible for me.

    Coming to this House today, I was thinking of my very first memory of Her Majesty. I am quite sure that it is of her dedication address, as it is now called, broadcast from Cape Town on 21 April 1947. This has been cited by many before and since Her Majesty’s death, and was also cited in this debate by the Lord Privy Seal. I was only nine, and was not a listener to broadcasts or the radio, but my parents thought I ought to listen to this broadcast, which I did.

    I also remember clearly the circumstances of Her Majesty giving this broadcast from Cape Town. It was the first overseas visit by the Royal Family following the war and it was really made in honour of Field Marshal Smuts for his great help to our nation during World War II—he spent quite a lot of time here and almost became a member of the War Cabinet. I remember that, with no royal yacht available, the Royal Family travelled to Cape Town in the one remaining battleship after World War II, HMS “Vanguard”. I suppose it would have been a voyage of about three or four days down to South Africa.

    I am not going to add to the tributes that have already nobly been made. I endorse every tribute that I have heard, and I am sure that I will continue to endorse the further tributes that will be given in this debate. I would therefore like to turn to the new King, King Charles III, and my first memory of him.

    I have a very clear memory of when I was honoured to receive an invitation to Windsor Castle in about 1960 to attend an informal Christmas party for children and young persons. The King was only 12; I was a little older, at 22. I remember that the then Prince Charles was very shy. He stood by the Christmas tree during most of the party, just shyly observing what was happening. His Majesty the King is no longer shy, but he remains a very modest man. I have no doubt that he will be a most worthy successor to Her late Majesty the Queen.

    I now turn in my short intervention to quote from the dedication address:

    “I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong.”

    That is exactly what Her Majesty has done during the 70 years of her reign.