Category: Education

  • Nadhim Zahawi – 2022 Comments on Education Investment Areas

    Nadhim Zahawi – 2022 Comments on Education Investment Areas

    The comments made by Nadhim Zahawi, the Secretary of State for Education, on 1 February 2022.

    The most valuable resource on the planet is the human resource. Investing in people to get on in life and receive the best possible education is core to the mission of this government, and we are determined to help people gain the knowledge and skills needed to unleash their potential.

    This white paper sets out our blueprint for putting skills, schools and families at the heart of levelling up. It focuses on putting great schools in every part of the country, training that sets you up for success in a high-skilled, well-paid career and ensuring no one misses out on opportunities simply because of where they live or their family background.

    Raising our expectations and aspirations for children, as well as creating a high-skilled workforce, will end the brain drain that sees too many people leaving communities in order to succeed. These plans will help create a level playing field and boost the economy, both locally and nationally.

  • Michelle Donelan – 2022 Statement on Student Loan Repayment Thresholds

    Michelle Donelan – 2022 Statement on Student Loan Repayment Thresholds

    The statement made by Michelle Donelan, the Minister for Higher and Further Education, in the House of Commons on 28 January 2022.

    I am announcing details of the repayment threshold and interest rate thresholds that will apply to post-2012 (plan 2) student loans, and the repayment threshold that will apply to postgraduate (plan 3) student loans, for financial year 2022-23.

    Plan 2 student loan repayment threshold

    I can confirm today that I intend to bring forward regulations that will keep the repayment threshold for plan 2 student loans—the income level above which post-2012 student loan borrowers are required to make repayments—at its current level for the financial year 2022-23. The threshold will be maintained at its financial year 2021-22 level of £27,295 per year, £2,274 a month, or £524 a week. The post-study interest rate thresholds that apply to plan 2 loans will also be kept at their current levels in accord. For financial year 2022-23, the lower interest rate threshold will remain at £27,295—to align with the repayment threshold—and the upper interest rate threshold will remain at £49,130.

    It is now more crucial than ever that higher education is underpinned by just and sustainable finance and funding arrangements, and that the system provides value for money for all of society at a time of rising costs. This Government have already confirmed that we will freeze maximum tuition fee caps again for the 2022-23 academic year, the fifth year in succession that we have held fee caps at current levels.

    The ongoing fee freeze is reducing the burden of debt on students and is helping to make higher education more affordable for them. However, the overall cost to taxpayers of the system is rising. Since 2018, the repayment threshold for plan 2 student loans has increased each April in line with changes in average earnings. If we do not keep the threshold at its current level, it would rise by a further 4.6% in April 2022.

    Maintaining the repayment threshold at its current level, alongside the ongoing freeze in fees, will help to ensure the sustainability of the student loan system, while keeping higher education open to everyone who has the ability and the ambition to benefit from it, including the most disadvantaged.

    We will also shortly set out further plans for addressing the student finance recommendations made by the independent panel that reported to the review of post-18 education and funding.

    Postgraduate (plan 3) student loan repayment threshold

    I can also confirm today that the repayment threshold for postgraduate student loans will remain at its current level of £21,000 per year, £1,750 a month or £404 a week for financial year 2022-23.

    Postgraduate loan outlay is forecast to increase in coming years, and 30% of borrowers holding a master’s loan (academic year 2020-21 entrants) are not expected to repay their loans in full. We must ensure that postgraduate loans remain sustainable and that is why we are also retaining the current repayment threshold for postgraduate loans.

  • Robin Walker – 2022 Comments on Modern Language GCSEs

    Robin Walker – 2022 Comments on Modern Language GCSEs

    The comments made by Robin Walker, the Schools Minister, on 14 January 2022.

    Studying languages opens up a world of new, exciting opportunities for people and is hugely important for a modern global economy.

    That’s why we want more young people to take up modern language GCSEs, and these evidence-based changes aim to do just that – making these qualifications more well-rounded and accessible, and helping more young people to enjoy learning languages.

  • Bridget Phillipson – 2022 Comments About 310,000 Children Being Out of School

    Bridget Phillipson – 2022 Comments About 310,000 Children Being Out of School

    The comments made by Bridget Phillipson, the Shadow Education Secretary, on 11 January 2022.

    Schools are facing a renewed wave of Covid chaos with staff and pupil absences rising sharply. Yet the government is still dragging its feet on the action needed to keep kids learning.

    Thousands of schools are lacking any ventilation support leaving children learning in freezing classrooms, Ministers are unable to say how many people have responded to their teacher volunteer drive and hundreds of thousands of secondary pupils haven’t had their first vaccine. It is incompetent, complacent, and inadequate.

    Ministers must now step-up to secure our children’s learning and their futures, with a serious plan to tackle workforce absences and ventilate schools to keep children learning together in class.

  • Bridget Phillipson – 2022 Comments on Ventilation in Schools

    Bridget Phillipson – 2022 Comments on Ventilation in Schools

    The comments made by Bridget Phillipson, the Shadow Education Secretary, on 5 January 2022.

    Vaccination, ventilation and testing are key to ensuring children and staff can continue to learn together in school, but Ministers are again falling short with a lack of tests, only half of eligible children vaccinated and just a fraction of the ventilation systems our schools need.

    Labour called for decisive action to be taken over the Christmas break to get these problems solved but the government has again failed to get ahead of the virus.

    We’ve got a new Education Secretary, a new team of government ministers, but our children are still being treated as an afterthought with chaotic, last-minute announcements hampering their education. It is incompetent, complacent, and inadequate.

  • Nadhim Zahawi – 2018 Comments on Supporting Children with SEND

    Nadhim Zahawi – 2018 Comments on Supporting Children with SEND

    The comments made by Nadhim Zahawi, the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children and Families, on 29 March 2018.

    We want every child to have the support they need to unlock their potential, whatever their background and no matter what challenges they face. Our new Education, Health and Care Plans are putting the views of young people with special educational needs and disabilities and their families at the heart of the process so they can help shape the support they receive.

    It’s been a huge task to transfer every young person to one of these plans but local authorities have risen to the challenge with almost 222,000 cases reviewed and I congratulate them for it. We are now working with councils to make sure they carry out the remaining reviews and the new EHC plans are of the highest quality.

    To complement this work we are also opening new special free schools across the country that will provide tailored support for over a thousand children to ensure they have access to the excellent education that every child deserves.

  • Nadhim Zahawi – 2018 Comments on Improving Children’s Services

    Nadhim Zahawi – 2018 Comments on Improving Children’s Services

    The comments made by Nadhim Zahawi, the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children and Families, on 15 March 2018.

    Social workers do an incredible job providing some of our most vulnerable children in our society with life-changing care and support.

    This investment for our Partners in Practice Programme will help the fantastic work councils are doing to deliver high-quality services and make a real difference to children’s lives.

    I am also pleased to support the Local Government Association to drive good leadership, which is crucial if we want to support and encourage frontline staff to deliver excellent care for children and young people.

  • Nadhim Zahawi – 2018 Comments on Tackling Child Abuse

    Nadhim Zahawi – 2018 Comments on Tackling Child Abuse

    The comments made by Nadhim Zahawi, the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children and Families, on 5 March 2018.

    We owe a huge debt of gratitude to the social workers and other professionals who support the most vulnerable in our society, especially those who have been victims of abuse.

    The response to this consultation shows the strength of feeling among the sector on this extremely important issue, and it’s vital that we work directly with people on the ground, supporting them to carry out their work sensitively and efficiently.

    Decisions we make as a government should be with the ambition of improving outcomes for as many in society as possible, which is why we must listen to the views and experience of the sector as we progress further with our reform agenda.

  • Nadhim Zahawi – 2018 Comments on Support for Disadvantaged Students

    Nadhim Zahawi – 2018 Comments on Support for Disadvantaged Students

    The comments made by Nadhim Zahawi, the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children and Families, on 7 February 2018.

    Academic standards are rising, with 1.9 million more children now in ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ schools than in 2010 and 9 out of 10 schools given this rating at their latest inspection.

    It is right that we must continue to offer the most disadvantaged young people additional help and I am pleased that, following public consultations, we can extend free school meals and the free early education entitlement for disadvantaged two-year-olds.

    Tens of thousands more children will be entitled to free school meals by 2022 compared to the previous benefits system.

    I’d like to thank everyone who responded to these consultations; their views will help to ensure every child can access a world-class education and the support reaches those that need it most.

  • Nadhim Zahawi – 2022 Comments on Bringing Children Back to Classrooms

    Nadhim Zahawi – 2022 Comments on Bringing Children Back to Classrooms

    The comments made by Nadhim Zahawi, the Secretary of State for Education, on 2 January 2022.

    Being in the classroom is undoubtedly the very best place for children and I’m looking forward to welcoming pupils back next week to continue their face-to-face learning, which is so important for their education and wellbeing.

    There is no doubt that the Omicron variant presents challenges but the entire education sector has responded with a Herculean effort, and for that I thank each and every one of you.

    The Prime Minister and I have been clear that education is our number one priority. These measures will bolster our support schools as we do everything in our power to minimise disruption.