Curriculum and Assessment Review

Debate between Bridget Phillipson and John Slinger

Wednesday 5th November 2025 Commons Chamber

[Bridget Phillipson]

We are investing more in our schools and providing more support to teachers. Enrichment is important. That is why we will develop the framework with experts across education, youth services, sports and art sectors to make it a reality. I encourage the hon. Lady to look at the proposal we are setting out on Progress 8 reform, because I think it will deliver the breadth, alongside the academic core, that she seeks.

[John Slinger (Rugby) (Lab)]

I warmly welcome the further support for creative arts subject teaching, the new national centre and the £25 million for new instruments and much more. Right hon. and hon. Members with a musical background, such as the Prime Minister and I, know the transformative power of the creative arts— the soft and hard skills are just as impactful as in other subjects. Can my right hon. Friend confirm that the Government will continue to turn up the volume, bang the drum, create a symphony and maybe even reach the tempo of “presto” on this issue, so that we can finally achieve creative arts for all?

Giving Every Child the Best Start in Life

Debate between Bridget Phillipson and John Slinger

Monday 7th July 2025 Commons Chamber

[Bridget Phillipson]

As my hon. Friend says, we know from research by the Institute for Fiscal Studies that Sure Start generated widespread long-term benefits in education and health, even reducing school absence and identifying support for children with SEND much more quickly. We will build on the lessons of Sure Start as we roll out Best Start family hubs. My hon. Friend is right to mention the importance of tackling entrenched inequalities within communities as part of that and ensuring that all our children are set up to succeed.

[John Slinger (Rugby) (Lab)]

I warmly welcome my right hon. Friend’s statement. Although new and fit for the modern age, it harks back to an era not only when great bands were in their infancy, but when a Labour Government were investing in our young people in their infancy. Back at that time, I attended the dads club at the Sure Start centre in Rugby every Saturday morning, where dads from all backgrounds benefited from the advice and camaraderie that came of those meetings, and they helped us become better dads. Does my right hon. Friend agree that the Best Start family centres will help dads, and all parents, to become better parents, which will really help with our young people’s life outcomes?

[Bridget Phillipson]

I agree with my hon. Friend, and I am pleased to hear about his experiences. It is important that services delivered through Best Start family hubs respond to the needs of mums, dads and carers alike. The example he gives demonstrates the importance of listening to parents about what they want to see. Through the measures announced today, his local authority area will benefit from extra investment in order to get up and running in the next year and on an ongoing basis. That shows once again the difference that a Labour Government are bringing to his community.