Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: Department for Education

Oral Answers to Questions

Amber Rudd Excerpts
Monday 27th February 2012

(12 years, 9 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Sarah Teather Portrait The Minister of State, Department for Education (Sarah Teather)
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Making sure that services join together properly is absolutely key to getting early intervention right. That is precisely why we are rolling out 4,200 extra health visitors and making sure that they work very closely with Sure Start children’s centres. That is really critical. Similarly, the work we are doing on reforming the early years foundation stage, making sure there is more information available to parents, and the check at two and a half-years will really help with all the points the right hon. Gentleman has mentioned.

Amber Rudd Portrait Amber Rudd (Hastings and Rye) (Con)
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I welcome the reforms to reduce the amount of paperwork that teachers have to complete, but may I ask the Secretary of State to focus particularly on newly qualified teachers? The amount of paperwork they have to complete in that first year is putting good entrants off joining this important profession.

Michael Gove Portrait Michael Gove
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That is a typically acute point from my hon. Friend. We are seeking to reform initial teacher training at the moment to make sure that there is more practical, hands-on experience of the classroom and that we reward high-flying graduates who want to enter the noblest of professions.