Speech in Lords Chamber - Tue 21 Jun 2022
British Baccalaureate
"My Lords, the Minister’s reply was extraordinarily complacent and very disappointing. I cannot understand how the Government can have such a closed mind to a sensible suggestion of the kind that the Times Education Commission has made. Is she not aware that no other OECD country has such a specialised …..."Baroness Blackstone - View Speech
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Speech in Lords Chamber - Thu 24 Mar 2022
Skills and Post-16 Education Bill [HL]
"My Lords, it is a pleasure to follow the noble Baroness, Lady Wolf, who has fought so hard for the skills agenda. I associate myself with much of that fight and I very much welcome a great deal of what is in the Bill. However, I will say a few …..."Baroness Blackstone - View Speech
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Speech in Lords Chamber - Thu 24 Mar 2022
Skills and Post-16 Education Bill [HL]
"I am sorry to interrupt the Minister, but I wonder whether she can give some indication of the proportion of BTEC qualifications that the Government are intent on keeping and the proportion that are likely to be dropped because of the so-called overlap. How many of the 250,000 students currently …..."Baroness Blackstone - View Speech
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Speech in Lords Chamber - Mon 28 Feb 2022
Higher Education Reform
"My Lords, I admire a great deal of what the Government are trying to do in relation to the future of higher education but I suspect that there is a bit of a muddle going on: the Government’s right hand does not seem to be doing the same as their …..."Baroness Blackstone - View Speech
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Speech in Lords Chamber - Thu 03 Feb 2022
School Absences
"My Lords, following the answer the Minister has just given, I wonder if she is aware that, unsurprisingly, a survey by Teach First found that teachers in the most disadvantaged schools strongly believe that attainment would be greatly improved if attendance could be improved. What specific measures are being brought …..."Baroness Blackstone - View Speech
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Written Question
Thursday 30th December 2021
Asked by:
Baroness Blackstone (Labour - Life peer)
Question
to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what mechanisms they have to monitor the number of children at risk in unregistered religious settings.
Answered by Baroness Barran
- Shadow Minister (Education)
Local authorities are legally responsible for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children in their areas, regardless of the educational setting they attend.
Where local authorities have safeguarding concerns, the department expects their services to intervene. There are a range of powers held by local agencies which can be utilised where concerns have been identified, for example, around health and safety, premises regulations and general safeguarding.
Where local authorities believe that a child is suffering or is likely to suffer significant harm, they have a legal duty to investigate where necessary.
The department consulted in 2020 on widening the registration requirement to settings that operate full time but only offer a very narrow curriculum, which would include a number of full-time religious settings that are currently allowed to operate without having to register. The department will respond to this consultation soon, setting out next steps.
The department has also committed to taking forward measures to make it easier to investigate and prosecute unregistered schools, working with Ofsted and the Crown Prosecution Service. The department intends to take forward these measures when a suitable legislative opportunity arises.
Written Question
Friday 24th December 2021
Asked by:
Baroness Blackstone (Labour - Life peer)
Question
to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government (1) how, and (2) when, they plan to respond to the report from the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse Child protection in religious organisations and settings: Investigation Report, published in September; and in particular the recommendations that they should (a) “change the definition of full-time education and bring any setting that is a pupil’s primary place of education within the scope of a registered educational setting”, and (b) “provide Ofsted with sufficient powers to examine the quality of child protection when it undertakes inspections of suspected unregistered institutions".
Answered by Baroness Barran
- Shadow Minister (Education)
The department is considering the recommendations made by the report on 'Child Protection in Religious Organisations' from the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse. The government is already committed to legislating on both matters. We expect to provide the Inquiry with our response within the standard 6 month timeframe.
Speech in Lords Chamber - Thu 16 Dec 2021
School Openings: January 2022
"My Lords, it is not very often that I am able to get up and congratulate the Government on an Answer to an Urgent Question, but I do so today because it is absolutely right. As the Answer says:
“Protecting education continues to be our absolute priority.”—[Official Report, …..."Baroness Blackstone - View Speech
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Speech in Lords Chamber - Mon 24 Jun 2019
Education: Industrial Strategy
"My Lords, can the Minister explain why the cuts that the Government have already made were instigated in the first place?..."Baroness Blackstone - View Speech
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Speech in Lords Chamber - Mon 24 Jun 2019
Education: Industrial Strategy
"I am sorry; I shall quickly repeat it. Will the Minister explain why the cuts were instigated in the first place? I do not think that he answered my noble friend’s question about the various changes that will be made from now on. Why did the Government make them in …..."Baroness Blackstone - View Speech
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