Oral Answers to Questions

Alex Norris Excerpts

Monday 20th January 2020 Commons Chamber

[Nick Gibb]

My hon. Friend raises a good point. Veterans make attractive members of staff in our schools, they inspire young people and help to improve behaviour. Our Troops to Teachers scheme was slow to begin with, but it is now proving successful in recruiting Army leavers.[Official Report, 4 February 2020, Vol. 671, c. 3MC.]

[Alex Norris (Nottingham North) (Lab/Co-op)]

4. What assessment he has made of the educational attainment of children from disadvantaged backgrounds.

[Adam Afriyie (Windsor) (Con)]

5. What progress he has made on closing the attainment gap for disadvantaged children.

[The Secretary of State for Education (Gavin Williamson)]

Against a background of rising standards, the attainment gap has closed by 13% at primary schools and by 9% at secondary schools since 2011. Most disadvantaged pupils attend good or outstanding schools, and 86% of schools are now rated as good or outstanding, which is up from 68% in 2010.

[Alex Norris]

Nottingham schools have made the significant strides in attainment, to which the Secretary of State refers, but massed within that, in less well off and less diverse communities, is poor attainment for boys. What specific interventions will the Department make to support schools to improve outcomes for white working-class boys?

[Gavin Williamson]

The hon. Gentleman highlights an important issue. One group that universities are most unsuccessful at recruiting from is white working-class boys and that is something we need to address. That way to do that is by continuing the reforms that the Government have introduced and continuing to drive standards, and by ensuring that academic rigour is there for every pupil. We must support those children by ensuring the very best teaching and support for every child.