Schools: Pupil Premium

Lord Strathclyde Excerpts

Wednesday 24th October 2012 Lords Chamber

[Lord Touhig]

My Lords—

[The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (Lord Strathclyde)]

My Lords, noble Lords cannot speak at the same time. I think it is my noble friend’s turn.

[Lord Avebury]

Further to the question asked by the noble Baroness, Lady Whitaker, will my noble friend confirm that, in future, Ofsted inspections will pay specific regard to the position of GRT—Gypsy, Roma and Traveller—pupils, bearing in mind that they are the most deprived group of any section of the community in terms of educational achievement and attainment?

Schools: Curriculum

Lord Strathclyde Excerpts

Wednesday 20th June 2012 Lords Chamber

[Lord Winston]

My Lords—

[The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (Lord Strathclyde)]

My Lords, I am sorry to intervene again but we cannot have the noble Baroness and the noble Lord both trying to speak at the same time. One of them needs to decide who is going to give way. It looks as if the noble Lord, Lord Winston, has given way.

[Baroness Billingham]

Michael Gove’s somewhat bizarre curriculum review has achieved the stunning result of uniting the whole teaching profession, most academics and even his own advisers against his proposals. Precisely how many hours of physical education will remain within the curriculum in all primary schools? Is it mandatory? I ask the Minister that question against the background of an Olympic legacy that we have promised to the nation. If we do not have sport in schools, the legacy will be in tatters.

Schools: Nutrition

Lord Strathclyde Excerpts

Wednesday 13th June 2012 Lords Chamber

[Lord Ramsbotham]

My Lords—

[Lord Strathclyde]

My Lords, we have not heard from a Liberal Democrat on this Question. We will hear from the noble Baroness, Lady Parminter, and then from the Cross Benches.

[Baroness Parminter]

My Lords, with almost 18% of children between two and 15 growing clinically obese in the past decade, can the Minister tell the House what discussions have taken place or are planned to take place with colleagues in the Department of Health to discuss this new evidence from the Government’s own advisers on school food and children’s meals about the potential risks to the life expectancy of children and the increasing costs to the NHS, particularly in the light of the Secretary of State’s own view that the majority of secondary schools will become academies by the end of this Parliament?

--- Later in debate ---

[Baroness King of Bow]

My Lords—

[Lord Strathclyde]

My Lords, I know everybody is desperate to get in on this Question, but we are now into the 17th minute and I think we have to go to the next Question. Unfortunately this Question has taken too much time.

Education: Languages

Lord Strathclyde Excerpts

Wednesday 28th March 2012 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Howe of Idlicote]

My Lords, could the Minister tell us what the Government are doing to encourage greater use of ICT for language teaching via social networking—

[Lord Strathclyde]

I apologise for interrupting the noble Baroness, but Questions have now gone beyond 30 minutes.

Schools: Homophobic Bullying

Lord Strathclyde Excerpts

Thursday 14th July 2011 Lords Chamber

[The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (Lord Strathclyde)]

My Lords, I think it is probably the Labour Party’s turn.

[Lord Hunt of Kings Heath]

My Lords, I am most grateful to the Leader of the House. The Minister invested in his Answer considerable confidence in Ofsted inspections, but he will know that in Clause 39 of the Education Bill, which is currently going through your Lordships’ House, the Secretary of State is taking powers to categorise classes of school that will no longer have to receive regular Ofsted inspections. What is the logic of removing schools from those regular inspections, given the problem of bullying that has been reflected here today? It is also known that a considerable proportion of category 1 schools are reduced in category on subsequent inspections.

Schools: Special Needs and Disabilities

Lord Strathclyde Excerpts

Thursday 15th July 2010 Lords Chamber

[The Lord Bishop of Ripon and Leeds]

My Lords—

[The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (Lord Strathclyde)]

My Lords, there is a general courtesy in the House that we allow the bishops to take priority at Question Time.

[The Lord Bishop of Ripon and Leeds]

My Lords, will the Green Paper to which the Minister referred include proposals to make it easier for schools to obtain funding for structural alterations, in order that children with special educational needs can attend and play a full part in the life of those schools?