Special Educational Needs: Dyscalculia
Debate between Baroness Blake of Leeds and Lord Hampton
Baroness Blake of Leeds (Lab)
The noble Lord raises these points at every available opportunity, and I commend him for that. This is an exceptionally important issue, but there is no getting away from the fact that we need a holistic approach that covers the needs of all children and makes sure they can thrive. I welcome the attempt to ensure that young people are better supported to get through the barriers he outlines and to progress through the system.
Lord Hampton (CB)
My Lord, I declare my interest as a teacher, as ever. There is no clear national definition of dyscalculia. However many national schools hubs you have and however much teacher training there is, it is not going to be very good if we do not have a definition of it. Do the Government have plans to change that?
Baroness Blake of Leeds (Lab)
I think it fair to say that the Government do not have immediate plans to change this. We want to make sure that all special needs are recognised and given the same exposure and understanding, so that the needs of the whole child can be considered. Obviously, certain conditions run alongside others, and we must make sure that we are not too narrow in our approach, but that is not to underestimate the amount of support that we know these children and young people need.
Sudden Cardiac Death: Screening for Young People
Debate between Baroness Blake of Leeds and Lord Hampton
Lord Hampton (CB)
My Lords, in begging leave to ask the Question standing in my name, I declare my interest as a state secondary school teacher in Hackney.
Baroness in Waiting/Government Whip (Baroness Blake of Leeds) (Lab)
Every sudden cardiac death of a young person is a tragedy. The UK National Screening Committee—UK NSC—is currently re-examining the evidence for sudden cardiac death screening in young people and will open a public consultation on this in the spring. The Government welcome the UK NSC’s robust and rigorous approach to evaluating the benefits and harms of screening, as it is vital that screening policy is based on scientific evidence.
Lord Hampton (CB)
I thank the Minister for that Answer. This week, Cardiac Risk in the Young will publish a study reporting on the cardiac screening of 104,000 young people aged 14 to 35 over a 10-year period in England and Wales. Uniquely, it follows up on each one. Sadly, this is still under embargo, but the results are very exciting. When the Minister has read the study, will she commit to a meeting with the NSC, specialist cardiologists and CRY so that we can reduce the number of 12 seemingly fit young people who die from sudden cardiac arrest every week?
Baroness Blake of Leeds (Lab)
The noble Lord raises an important point. The need for evidence is paramount in this area. I cannot speak on behalf of the Minister, but I will make sure that she is aware of the noble Lord’s request and will respond.
Girls: Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
Debate between Baroness Blake of Leeds and Lord Hampton
Baroness Blake of Leeds (Lab)
I am somewhat disappointed that the noble Lord, Lord Baker, is not in his place because he would, I am sure, stand up to talk about university technical colleges. The work they are doing is a real template, and it just proves that, given the right opportunities, the right background and the right culture, women can excel at everything, as we heard earlier today.
Lord Hampton (CB)
My Lords, it is me again; apologies. Four days in a row—and I think noble Lords all know my profession. STEM/STEAM, girls/boys: there is a bigger picture here. Every student, every young person, should be guided to their full potential so that they can become the workers of the future to the best of their ability, whether it be as social workers or engineers, whether they be boys or girls, whether they be female submarine commanders. Does the Minister agree that, alongside excellent education, you need excellent careers education? I would like to hear what the Government are thinking about that.
Baroness Blake of Leeds (Lab)
I completely agree. The DfE funds the Careers & Enterprise Company, which works with 20 sector bodies and much wider. I emphasise the need for every school to take up the requirement for a qualified careers adviser to speak to every child in their school. One of the most heartbreaking experiences I have had is going to a careers fair with incredible companies there offering opportunities, and young people being absolutely astounded and saying, “We never imagined these companies would be interested in us”. There is a huge job to do in building confidence, and I believe that we are putting the steps in place to achieve that.