Asked by: Lord Shipley (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Fairer Schools Index developed at the University of Bristol, and its suggestion that the Progress 8 measure understates school achievements in deprived parts of England.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Education)
The Progress 8 accountability measure is designed to take pupils’ prior attainment into account and shows the progress made by pupils in a school compared to progress made by pupils nationally with similar starting points.
The department publishes breakdowns of Progress 8 for different pupil groups, such as disadvantaged pupils, to show the progress made by disadvantaged pupils at school level. It also shows the proportion of pupils in a school eligible for free school meals in the last six years, compared to the national average. This enables parents, and those working with schools, to view a school’s results alongside information about its cohort. The government will continue to keep this under review.
Asked by: Lord Shipley (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that working people of all ages have easy access to information and guidance on the education and training they can undertake to reskill or upskill.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
The Government will publish a careers strategy shortly, with a clear focus on social mobility. This will include proposals to provide information for individuals to access education and training throughout their working lives, as well as help those who want to reskill and upskill.
The National Careers Service provides free and impartial guidance on careers, skills and the Labour Market in England. It allows working people to identify opportunities and respond to challenges within their employment.
Asked by: Lord Shipley (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when they intend to publish the comprehensive careers strategy announced in the Building the Industrial Strategy Green Paper, published in January.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
My Rt hon. Friend, the Secretary of State has confirmed that we will publish a careers strategy shortly.
The strategy will have a clear focus on social mobility. It will include proposals to improve the quality and coverage of careers advice in schools. The strategy will also include steps to improve the access to advice on training and careers for adults throughout their working lives.