Erasmus Programme

Lord Bishop of Norwich Excerpts

Wednesday 5th March 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Smith of Malvern (Lab)]

The noble Baroness makes a very important point. We of course work hard to ensure that international students can come here and contribute to and benefit from UK higher education. When I talk to international counterparts, they talk about the enormous value of our skills and vocational training and the need to ensure shared learning and opportunities. In anything that happens in the future, we should make sure that this is seen as something not only for higher education but for further education and technical and skills education.

[The Lord Bishop of Norwich]

My Lords, universities in the Cathedrals Group—the 14 higher education institutions founded by the churches—have a higher proportion of students who progress to university when they are older, and/or who are the first in their family to progress to university. How will His Majesty’s Government ensure that all students who wish to, and particularly those experiencing socioeconomic disadvantage, are able to access the life-changing opportunities afforded by studying abroad, given the loss to students of Erasmus funding?

[Baroness Smith of Malvern (Lab)]

The right reverend Prelate makes an important point about this being an opportunity that people need to have at all stages of their life. I think I am right to say that Turing does enable older students to benefit from it, and, as I have already emphasised, it has certainly focused on ensuring that people who come from more disadvantaged backgrounds have the opportunity to experience travelling, visiting and learning overseas in a way they otherwise would not have been able to do.

Relationship, Sex and Health Education

Lord Bishop of Norwich Excerpts

Tuesday 4th March 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Smith of Malvern (Lab)]

I hope I can reassure the noble Lord that it certainly is not down the list of priorities. It is precisely because we need to provide guidance that identifies children’s best interests and the well-being of children, having drawn on a considerable process of engaging with a wide range of stakeholders, that we are taking our time to get it right.

[The Lord Bishop of Norwich]

My Lords, the Church of England’s National Society for Education is proud to be part of the White Ribbon project, whose aim is to prevent men’s violence against women and girls by addressing its root causes. In our Church schools, we support the ability to explore these themes in collective worship, RSHE curricula and class time. What plans do His Majesty’s Government have to address the root causes of violence against women and girls in their revised guidance?

[Baroness Smith of Malvern (Lab)]

The right reverend Prelate makes a really important point about one of the areas where relationship, sex and health education can make an important difference. Education has a key role to play in the prevention of violence against women and girls, and it is therefore essential to the Government’s safer streets mission. We want to ensure that the revised guidance enables schools to tackle harmful behaviour and helps to ensure that misogyny is stamped out and not allowed to proliferate in schools. I commend the efforts of the right reverend Prelate and his colleagues in supporting us to do that.

Lifelong Learning

Lord Bishop of Norwich Excerpts

Thursday 6th February 2025 Lords Chamber

[The Lord Bishop of Norwich]

My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Knight, for bringing this debate and look forward in the spirit of lifelong learning to hearing other contributions this evening.

Lifelong learning is about social value, although we do not live to store up treasure just for ourselves. It is about economic value, although we do not live by bread alone. It is about personal value, although we do not live just for me but for the flourishing of others who are our neighbours. Faith communities play an important part in all these aspects of lifelong learning, through catechesis, engagement with social issues, basic skills training, youth work, volunteering and engagement with schools, FE colleges and universities. They are also crucially involved in spiritual value by fostering vocation and character.

Within faith communities, and certainly for Christians, there is a strong sense that each individual is uniquely and wonderfully made with a mix of gifts, abilities and motivations. Part of our searching in life is to find our vocation where we can find life in all its fullness. Our vocations can be multiple and overlaid with paid work, voluntary service to others and perhaps a role as a parent or carer, all of which need different skills. Different vocations emerge over time, sometimes requiring new skills and knowledge as people move into new careers and interests.

Vocation has an interplay with the second area that faith communities are so involved with, which is character. In his book The Road to Character David Brooks speaks about “résumé virtues” and “eulogy virtues”. Résumé virtues are those things that we put on our CV, such as our jobs and our qualifications, whereas eulogy virtues are those things about us that might, we hope, be said one day at our funeral. Brooks argues that we need to develop a healthy character.

As I turn the pages of the Gospels, I see how Jesus is continually shaping the character of his disciples, how they interacted and how they served others. St Paul, of course, spoke of a well-shaped character being seen in a person of love and joy, peace and forbearance, kindness and goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. I believe that we are continually shaped through a life of learning as if we are clay in the potter’s hand.

Does the Minister agree that vocation and character are two crucial areas for human flourishing and that faith communities have a vital part to play in fostering them as well as other aspects of lifelong learning?