Asked by: Lord Bird (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the call by the Children’s Laureate, Cressida Cowell, for there to be a statutory requirement for each school to provide a library.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
In August 2019, my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister announced a £14 billion increase in investment for schools across England over the next three years. The department welcomes the Children’s Laureate’s commitment to these issues and publication of her ‘reading rights’, which aligns with the government’s commitment to raising literacy standards.
The National Curriculum aims to ensure that all pupils develop the habit of reading widely and often, becoming independent, fluent and enthusiastic readers who read for pleasure and for information. Reading aloud is a part of this, and teachers are encouraged to read poetry, stories and non-fiction to younger pupils, as well as longer books to older pupils. The National Curriculum also contains guidance for teachers setting out that pupils should have opportunities to exercise choice in selecting books.
It is for individual schools to decide whether to provide and maintain a library service for their pupils. Many head teachers recognise the important role school libraries play in improving literacy and encouraging pupils to read for pleasure and ensure that suitable library facilities are provided.
Asked by: Lord Bird (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, and if so how, they intend to adopt any of the children’s reading rights recommendations by the Children’s Laureate, Cressida Cowell, as part of their policy on developing literacy among schoolchildren.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
In August 2019, my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister announced a £14 billion increase in investment for schools across England over the next three years. The department welcomes the Children’s Laureate’s commitment to these issues and publication of her ‘reading rights’, which aligns with the government’s commitment to raising literacy standards.
The National Curriculum aims to ensure that all pupils develop the habit of reading widely and often, becoming independent, fluent and enthusiastic readers who read for pleasure and for information. Reading aloud is a part of this, and teachers are encouraged to read poetry, stories and non-fiction to younger pupils, as well as longer books to older pupils. The National Curriculum also contains guidance for teachers setting out that pupils should have opportunities to exercise choice in selecting books.
It is for individual schools to decide whether to provide and maintain a library service for their pupils. Many head teachers recognise the important role school libraries play in improving literacy and encouraging pupils to read for pleasure and ensure that suitable library facilities are provided.
Asked by: Lord Bird (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the report by the Social Metrics Commission Measuring Poverty 2019, published in July, and the appointment of the new Prime Minister on 24 July, what plans they have to revise their strategy for tackling poverty.
Answered by Baroness Stedman-Scott
The Government is committed to delivering a sustainable, long-term solution to poverty through reforming the welfare system so that it works with the tax system and the Labour market to support employment and higher pay. Promoting full-time work through work incentives are a key feature of this approach, reinforced by the National Living Wage and the rising Personal Tax Allowance, which work together to promote independence from benefits.
Universal Credit, which is now reaching over 2 million households, has already shown that it is more effective in getting people into work than the legacy benefits it replaces. Nine months into a UC claim, 40% of claimants are working for an employer in a paid role, compared with only 23% at the start of their claim.
The number of people in employment has increased by over 3.7 million since 2010. Three-quarters of the growth in employment has been in full-time work which substantially reduces the chances of being in poverty.
The Government is working with the Social Metrics Commission, and other experts in the field, to develop new experimental statistics which will help us to find new and better ways to analyse poverty in this country. These will be published in 2020 and, in the long-run, could help us target support more effectively.
Asked by: Lord Bird (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, what assessment they have made of the report by Barnardo’s Overcoming Poverty of Hope, published on 8 July; and what steps they intend to take to improve how they (1) listen to, and (2) act upon, the concerns of younger generations.
Answered by Baroness Buscombe
We welcome the Overcoming Poverty of Hope report which provides valuable insight into young people’s views and concerns about their own future.
We are committed to providing support for young people so that everyone, no matter what their start is in life, is given the best chance of getting into work. The department has a variety of support for young people such as the Youth Obligation Support Programme which provides support tailored to the needs and ambitions of individual 18 to 21 year olds. We have been working with Barnardo’s to develop a pilot specifically for care leavers. The pilot offers enhanced work experience and a personal mentor to support the care leaver throughout the placement, building the skills and confidence needed to start a career.
Asked by: Lord Bird (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of any lessons to be learnt for improving the environmental, social, economic and cultural well-being of people in all regions of the UK from the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015.
Answered by Baroness Buscombe
The Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 relates to devolved matters therefore it is for the Welsh Government to consider any lessons learnt in respect of Wales.
Asked by: Lord Bird (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the Serious Case Reviews published by the Northamptonshire Safeguarding Children Board on 5 June, and (2) the report by the Commissioner for Children’s Services in Northamptonshire Optimum delivery and governance arrangements: children's services in Northamptonshire, published on 14 May; and what steps they are taking to ensure that local authorities are sufficiently equipped to ensure that preventable deaths of children do not occur in future.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
The two serious case reviews published by Northamptonshire’s local safeguarding children’s board, on 5 June 2019, identify serious and systemic practice issues in the local area. It is imperative that the analysis in the serious case reviews identifies the right learning points and recommendations. We have taken urgent action to improve services in Northamptonshire by appointing Malcolm Newsam as the Commissioner for Children’s Services. He has a remit to secure immediate remedial action and drive a longer-term programme of improvement in the county. The department has also written to Mr Newsam to ask that he consider the lessons learnt and assure himself that the recommendations are indeed the right ones to effect change.
We are also funding Lincolnshire county council, an outstanding local authority and part of the Government’s Partners in Practice initiative, to provide immediate improvement, support and capacity to Northamptonshire county council to ensure the safety of children in the county.
On 14 May 2019, My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government made a written statement signalling the government’s intention to act on recommendations from the Commissioner's report. The intention is to establish a Children’s Services Trust that provides a stable base for improvement during a period of wider re-organisation in Northamptonshire. On 10 June 2019, a statutory direction was issued to Northamptonshire county council to co-operate with the Commissioner in the establishment of the Trust.
This initiative is just part of an extensive range of support and comprehensive reforms that allow us to take swift, decisive action to either prevent or address failure in local authorities. These reforms include establishing a new specialist social work regulator, Social Work England, and rolling out a national assessment and accreditation system for social workers. We are also committing £84 million (over the next five years) to build on learning from the most promising innovation projects, such as the ‘Strengthening Families, Protecting Children’ programme. This programme aims to improve social work practice and decision-making so that children’s social workers are confident in their support of children and young people to enable them to stay safely at home with their families, where this is deemed to be in their best interests.
Asked by: Lord Bird (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their strategy to reduce inequality in education; and how any strategy will include adult community learning providers who already provide support to disadvantaged and vulnerable communities.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
The independent panel’s report forms an important step in the government’s Review of Post-18 Education and Funding. The government will consider the panel’s recommendations carefully and engage with stakeholders before concluding the review at the Spending Review.
The Adult Education Budget aims to provide adults with the skills and learning that they need to equip them for work, an apprenticeship or other learning. It enables flexible tailored programmes, which may or may not require a qualification, to be made available to help eligible adults to undertake in learning programmes, build their confidence and enhance their wellbeing. This includes community learning and funding to help learners overcome barriers to learning, such as financial hardship or learning difficulties or disabilities. The department is considering adult skills more widely in preparation for the upcoming Spending Review.
Asked by: Lord Bird (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what support they (1) make, and (2) plan to make, available to adult learners who wish to study without the intention of obtaining a qualification.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
The independent panel’s report forms an important step in the government’s Review of Post-18 Education and Funding. The government will consider the panel’s recommendations carefully and engage with stakeholders before concluding the review at the Spending Review.
The Adult Education Budget aims to provide adults with the skills and learning that they need to equip them for work, an apprenticeship or other learning. It enables flexible tailored programmes, which may or may not require a qualification, to be made available to help eligible adults to undertake in learning programmes, build their confidence and enhance their wellbeing. This includes community learning and funding to help learners overcome barriers to learning, such as financial hardship or learning difficulties or disabilities. The department is considering adult skills more widely in preparation for the upcoming Spending Review.
Asked by: Lord Bird (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how they will support adult learning at entry level and pre-qualification level to help those who want to develop the skills and confidence to progress to higher level qualifications, as recommended in the independent panel report to the Review of Post-18 Education and Funding.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
The independent panel’s report forms an important step in the government’s Review of Post-18 Education and Funding. The government will consider the panel’s recommendations carefully and engage with stakeholders before concluding the review at the Spending Review.
The Adult Education Budget aims to provide adults with the skills and learning that they need to equip them for work, an apprenticeship or other learning. It enables flexible tailored programmes, which may or may not require a qualification, to be made available to help eligible adults to undertake in learning programmes, build their confidence and enhance their wellbeing. This includes community learning and funding to help learners overcome barriers to learning, such as financial hardship or learning difficulties or disabilities. The department is considering adult skills more widely in preparation for the upcoming Spending Review.
Asked by: Lord Bird (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to ensure that community adult learning providers are included alongside further education colleges in any future national adult education network, following the recommendation in the independent panel report to the Review of Post-18 Education and Funding.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
The independent panel’s report forms an important step in the government’s Review of Post-18 Education and Funding. The government will consider the panel’s recommendations carefully and engage with stakeholders before concluding the review at the Spending Review.
The Adult Education Budget aims to provide adults with the skills and learning that they need to equip them for work, an apprenticeship or other learning. It enables flexible tailored programmes, which may or may not require a qualification, to be made available to help eligible adults to undertake in learning programmes, build their confidence and enhance their wellbeing. This includes community learning and funding to help learners overcome barriers to learning, such as financial hardship or learning difficulties or disabilities. The department is considering adult skills more widely in preparation for the upcoming Spending Review.