Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 09 Sep 2019
Oral Answers to Questions
"Thank you, Mr Speaker—10 out of 10.
I recently spoke on BBC Radio Leeds about the number of young people who suffer trauma and bereavement just before sitting exams and who often do not get the appropriate support and bereavement counselling. Will the Secretary of State meet me to discuss …..."Thelma Walker - View Speech
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Written Question
Monday 22nd July 2019
Asked by:
Thelma Walker (Labour - Colne Valley)
Question
to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to improve local authority support for vulnerable children.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
We are providing local authorities with more money to support vulnerable children, with an additional £410 million invested this year across adults’ and children’s social care. Separately, we are investing £84 million over 5 years to drive improvements in children’s services across local authorities, especially through early intervention.
In 2018, the department introduced a new, tougher Ofsted inspection framework to drive improvement in children’s services. The department intervenes robustly in every local authority judged ‘inadequate’ by Ofsted, bringing in experts to assess which improvements will ensure better services. This might include removing service delivery from the council’s control by establishing a trust, giving children’s services a fresh start.
Since May 2010, 46 local authorities have been lifted out of intervention and have not returned, and the number of inadequate local authorities has reduced from 30 to 19 since July 2017. We aim to continue making these improvements at pace so that, by 2022, less than 10% of local authorities are rated ‘inadequate’ by Ofsted, halving failure rates within 5 years and providing consistently better services for thousands of children and families across the country.
To get ahead of failure, we are investing an additional £20 million in our regional improvement strategy, working collaboratively with the Association of Directors of Children’s Services, Local Government Association, Solace and the rest of the sector to identify local authorities that need additional support. Our Regional Improvement Alliances and high-performing ‘Partners in Practice’ local authorities support those at risk of failure, embedding a system of sector-led improvement with more than 70 local authorities receiving support to date.
Speech in Westminster Hall - Wed 17 Jul 2019
Music Education in England
"As a former headteacher, when I meet my former colleagues in Colne Valley they tell me that where budgets are concerned, they have crossed a red line. They are making cuts primarily with support staff and the creative arts and music curriculum...."Thelma Walker - View Speech
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Speech in Westminster Hall - Wed 17 Jul 2019
Music Education in England
"It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir George. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Bury North (James Frith) for securing the debate, and I will also say how much I enjoy working with him on the Education Committee.
I will begin by sharing some of …..."Thelma Walker - View Speech
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Tue 16 Jul 2019
Relationship Education in Schools
"Thank you, Mr Speaker. I am so impressed...."Thelma Walker - View Speech
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Tue 16 Jul 2019
Relationship Education in Schools
"Top of the class there, Mr Speaker.
A few weeks ago, along with members of the National Association of Headteachers and my former colleagues, I signed the following pledge:
“I support education in all schools which promotes equality, enabling children to leave school prepared or life in modern Britain, understanding …..."Thelma Walker - View Speech
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Wed 05 Jun 2019
Sure Start: IFS Report
"I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Manchester Central (Lucy Powell) on securing this really important urgent question, and I enjoy working with her on the Education Committee. As the former head of a school with a phase 1 Sure Start, I welcome the recent IFS report, which acknowledges …..."Thelma Walker - View Speech
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Thu 25 Apr 2019
School Funding
"I think it is pretty clear to most in and outside this Chamber how I feel about the current crisis in our education system. What I do not want to hear from the Government is that school spending has never been higher. It is just not true. The Institute for …..."Thelma Walker - View Speech
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Written Question
Monday 1st April 2019
Asked by:
Thelma Walker (Labour - Colne Valley)
Question
to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what data his Department collects to monitor the effectiveness of money allocated from the public purse to early years early intervention strategies in (a) Kirklees and (b) Yorkshire and the Humber.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
The Public Health Outcomes Framework is a comprehensive source of data at local authority unitary, county and district level on the extent to which local strategies are successful and effective in improving outcomes for children in the early years. It is available at the following link: https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/profile/public-health-outcomes-framework.
The framework includes data on outcomes for children aged 5 from the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile (EYFSP). Further information on the EYFSP is broken down by local authority and available to view at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/early-years-foundation-stage-profile-results-2017-to-2018. We do not publish this data at constituency or combined authority level.
Speech in Commons Chamber - Wed 20 Mar 2019
Education
"One of the most moving days of my life was when my youngest son George told me, his father and his brother that he was gay. I will never forget the look of relief on George’s face when he told us, and we had a family hug. Today, I would …..."Thelma Walker - View Speech
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