King’s Speech

Lord Kestenbaum Excerpts

Tuesday 19th May 2026 Lords Chamber

[Lord Kestenbaum (Lab)]

My Lords, it is with the greatest pleasure that I follow that excellent and very moving speech from my noble friend Lord Hobby. He is renowned as a person of strong values and deep conviction—two attributes that will serve him well in this Chamber. His has been a lifetime of service, at the heart of which have been his tireless efforts to elevate the sacred profession of teaching and, in particular, the delicate task of getting teachers to those places where they are most needed and in front of children who most need them. My noble friend has done more than most to place schools and their people at the heart of the nation’s affections. For this reason, your Lordships’ House will be thankful for his presence and will look forward to many more outstanding contributions.

In that spirit, I will focus my remarks on the Government’s intentions on education, as set out in the gracious Speech. This Government are rightly focusing attention on the grave dangers of nearly a million young people not in education, employment or training—the so-called NEETs. The NEET title masks the toxic cumulative effect of chronic disadvantage, often over many years and often since early childhood. Forthcoming research from Teach First, where I serve as a trustee, will set out the profound impact that sustained poverty through childhood will have on educational outcomes and life chances. The correlation between child poverty and low GCSE attainment is sobering. These challenges are especially acute where disadvantages are geographically concentrated—some coastal areas, some rural towns and, of course, former industrial centres.

However, we know that these outcomes and this hopelessness do not have to be inevitable. It is the blessed combination of great teaching and strong school leadership which consistently demonstrates that life chances, in particular post-16 year-old destinations, can be profoundly altered for the better. The best available evidence, notably from the Education Endowment Foundation, is incontrovertible. Put simply, great teaching and strong school leadership are the most important levers that schools have to improve outcomes for their children.

There is another correlation, but this one an inspiring one. Wherever you find children from disadvantaged communities consistently achieving excellent outcomes, you will always find inspiring teachers and remarkable school leaders—heroes who know that what is at stake is not just qualifications but the opportunity to build strong aspiration, personal confidence and stability.

We are often told that there is no silver bullet. That may be so, but we know one undeniable truth: as government policy seeks to attract school leaders into communities facing the greatest disadvantage, it will, in so doing, change the face of this country. A former Member of this House, the late and revered Lord Sacks, said in his own maiden speech that:

“To defend a country, you need an army”,—[Official Report, 26/11/09; col. 493.]


but to defend a society, you need teachers. It is no exaggeration to say that there is an urgency to this challenge, as set down by the late Lord Sacks, equivalent to the very defence of this realm.