Education: Teacher Departures

Debate between Baroness Barran and Lord Jones of Cheltenham

Wednesday 3rd November 2021 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Barran (Con)]

The noble Lord is right that the figures have been stubbornly stable. The school workload reduction toolkit supports schools to review and manage workload. It remains widely used; there were a thousand downloads of the toolkit in September of this year. The noble Lord will also be aware that, in 2019, we announced the teacher recruitment and retention strategy. We have talked about the early career framework and the national professional qualifications. One of the encouraging signs we are seeing is that applications for initial teacher training are up by more than 20% this year, so that bodes well for the future.

[Lord Jones of Cheltenham (LD) [V]]

Teachers are the country’s most vital workforce and should be rewarded and appreciated appropriately, not overworked to breaking point. Rather than constant testing and pressure to reach the Government’s targets, is not the role of teachers to help each child become more self-confident and to find something they are interested in, something they can become good at and something they may be able to make a career out of?

[Baroness Barran (Con)]

As we know, the list for teachers is a very long one, and all the things that the noble Lord mentions are important. But we also know that, without the basic skills of literacy and numeracy, it is very hard to realise the aspirations which the noble Lord rightly highlights, hence our focus on those subjects in particular.

Gambling Reform

Debate between Baroness Barran and Lord Jones of Cheltenham

Tuesday 29th June 2021 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Barran (Con)]

The noble Lord is right, and we have made it a priority. He will be pleased to know that the biggest category of responses to the consultation was in relation to protecting children. He will be aware that we recently held consultations on the appeal of gambling adverts to children and vulnerable people in particular.

[Lord Jones of Cheltenham (LD) [V]]

When my noble friend Lord Foster and I were elected to another place on the same night in 1992, I suspect neither of us imagined we would come across so many lives devastated by gambling. I switched on the TV today at 9.30 am, not to a programme but to a betting advert. Can we have a watershed, so those adverts are not shown on TV before, say, 9 pm?

[Baroness Barran (Con)]

The aim of the current regulation around gambling advertising focuses particularly on making sure that adverts are not attractive to children and vulnerable people, but, as I mentioned in answer to an earlier question, that is being consulted on at the moment.

Grassroots Sporting Fixtures and Facilities

Debate between Baroness Barran and Lord Jones of Cheltenham

Monday 11th January 2021 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Barran (Con)]

I would be delighted to look at their work. We are keen that everyone in this country has an opportunity to play and to enjoy sport.

[Lord Jones of Cheltenham (LD) [V]]

Are the Government aware of the impact that the pandemic has had on grass-roots cricket? I declare an interest as president of Overbury Cricket Club, which has followed all the rules and, as a result, lost considerable income from cancelled fundraising events. To conserve this delightful and historic tradition, will the Minister look at ways of providing financial support to help local cricket clubs survive, particularly those in villages, where they are often one of the focal points of the local community?

[Baroness Barran (Con)]

We share the noble Lord’s concern about local grass-roots organisations such as cricket clubs, but we have already provided considerable support across the economy and to those with charitable status.