Speech in Commons Chamber - Wed 05 Jan 2022
Education: Return in January
"My constituents, old and young alike, believe that it is of paramount importance to keep schools going, no matter the circumstances. I welcome my right hon. Friend’s statement and its clarity, which is in big contrast to what the Opposition have done during the pandemic, which is to sow confusion …..."Felicity Buchan - View Speech
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Speech in Public Bill Committees - Mon 13 Sep 2021
Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill (Third sitting)
"Q May I ask a simple question? Do you welcome the Bill?
Nicola Dandridge: Yes. We think that there is a serious and significant issue in relation to academic freedom and free speech in higher education, and the proposals in the Bill seek to address that and create mechanisms …..."Felicity Buchan - View Speech
View all Felicity Buchan (Con - Kensington) contributions to the debate on: Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill (Third sitting)
Speech in Public Bill Committees - Mon 13 Sep 2021
Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill (Third sitting)
"Q May I ask a simple question? Do you welcome the Bill?
Nicola Dandridge: Yes. We think that there is a serious and significant issue in relation to academic freedom and free speech in higher education, and the proposals in the Bill seek to address that and create mechanisms for …
..."
Felicity Buchan - View Speech
View all Felicity Buchan (Con - Kensington) contributions to the debate on: Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill (Third sitting)
Speech in Public Bill Committees - Tue 07 Sep 2021
Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill (First sitting)
"Q One of my concerns is self-censorship and the degree to which it already exists, not only among the academic body but also among the student body. By definition, it is quite difficult to measure self-censorship and the extent to which it exists. Could you outline how large a …..."Felicity Buchan - View Speech
View all Felicity Buchan (Con - Kensington) contributions to the debate on: Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill (First sitting)
Speech in Public Bill Committees - Tue 07 Sep 2021
Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill (First sitting)
"Q How big an issue do you think self-censorship is among the student body, as opposed to the academic body?
Professor Biggar: Common sense would say that if grown-up academics are scared, then much more vulnerable students will be even more scared. I mentioned anecdotes. You may know that …..."Felicity Buchan - View Speech
View all Felicity Buchan (Con - Kensington) contributions to the debate on: Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill (First sitting)
Speech in Public Bill Committees - Tue 07 Sep 2021
Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill (First sitting)
"Q One of my concerns is self-censorship and the degree to which it already exists, not only among the academic body but also among the student body. By definition, it is quite difficult to measure self-censorship and the extent to which it exists. Could you outline how large a problem …
..."
Felicity Buchan - View Speech
View all Felicity Buchan (Con - Kensington) contributions to the debate on: Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill (First sitting)
Speech in Public Bill Committees - Tue 07 Sep 2021
Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill (First sitting)
"Q How big an issue do you think self-censorship is among the student body, as opposed to the academic body?
Professor Biggar: Common sense would say that if grown-up academics are scared, then much more vulnerable students will be even more scared. I mentioned anecdotes. You may know that I …
..."
Felicity Buchan - View Speech
View all Felicity Buchan (Con - Kensington) contributions to the debate on: Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill (First sitting)
Speech in Commons Chamber - Tue 06 Jul 2021
Covid-19: Education Settings
"I warmly welcome my right hon. Friend’s statement. I understand that testing will continue in secondary schools until the end of September, and at that point it will be reviewed. Will he update the House on what criteria we will consider at the end of September? I do not think …..."Felicity Buchan - View Speech
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Written Question
Monday 26th April 2021
Asked by:
Felicity Buchan (Conservative - Kensington)
Question
to the Department for Education:
What steps his Department is taking to support the mental health and wellbeing of (a) children, (b) young people and (c) educational staff within education settings.
Answered by Vicky Ford
The government is committed to supporting the mental health and wellbeing of children, young people and education staff during this period. The return to school for all pupils was prioritised due to the significant and proven impact caused by being out of school, including on wellbeing. The support schools provide to pupils following the return to face-to-face education should include time devoted to wellbeing.
Our new Mental Health in Education Action Group is putting mental health and wellbeing at the heart of recovery plans. It is considering how we can support the mental wellbeing of children, young people and staff following the return to education settings, with the transition period between education settings in September, and in the longer term.
Schools can use their additional funding from the COVID-19 “catch-up” package for pastoral support for mental wellbeing where pupils need it. In addition to this, the new £700 million package includes a new one-off Recovery premium for state primary, secondary and special schools to use as they see best to support disadvantaged pupils. This will help schools to provide their disadvantaged pupils with a one-off boost to the support, both academic and pastoral, that has been proved most effective in helping them recover from the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Furthermore, we recently announced a £79 million boost to children and young people’s mental health support, which is on top of the £2.3 million funding for mental health in the NHS long term plan. This will accelerate the roll out of mental health support teams. We have delivered ‘Wellbeing for Education Return’ an £8 million scheme, which has helped schools and colleges to develop the knowledge and confidence to offer pastoral support at this time.
We have also taken action to respond to the mental health needs of school leaders by launching a pilot, led by the Education Support charity, to provide online peer-support and telephone supervision from experts to around 250 school leaders. Following the success of the pilot, we have recently agreed to extend this support to an additional 160 school leaders until August.
Speech in Commons Chamber - Thu 15 Apr 2021
University Students: Compensation for Lost Teaching and Rent
"I am very concerned about the mental health of students who are still not back at university. I am conscious that the university experience is about way more than lectures and tutorials—at least, it was for me. Will my hon. Friend please update the House on what we are doing …..."Felicity Buchan - View Speech
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