"My Lords, I am not sure I heard in the Minister’s Answer any of the robust evidence that I asked for, but I accept the Government’s intentions. The Government have justified their pivot towards generic skills and vocational routes by suggesting that a knowledge-based academic curriculum has contributed to the …..." Baroness Barran - View Speech
"To ask His Majesty’s Government what empirical evidence underpins the Secretary of State for Education’s assertion that the introduction of vocational GCSEs will not lead to disadvantaged pupils being disproportionately steered towards vocational or non-academic pathways; and what measures they will take to safeguard against any perception of lowered expectations...." Baroness Barran - View Speech
"My Lords, it is a pleasure to follow those eloquent remarks from the noble Baroness, Lady Chakrabarti. I will focus mine on the proposed removal of the statutory presumption of parental involvement as set out in the Bill. As your Lordships know, unsafe child contact has led to a number …..." Baroness Barran - View Speech
"My Lords, the Minister mentioned that the Government plan to consult on the certification of edtech and generative AI products. Can she give us a timetable for that consultation? Similarly, the Government announced that there would be sovereign education benchmarks, but no timetable that I am aware of has been …..." Baroness Barran - View Speech
"To ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of the ‘not seen, not heard’ mobile phone policy in schools...." Baroness Barran - View Speech
"I thank the Minister for that reply, and I am pleased that she reiterated the Government’s commitment to review the guidance. Can she say what data and evidence the Government will use to inform their decision and when they expect to take that decision? I know that normally the school …..." Baroness Barran - View Speech
"My Lords, I echo other noble Lords in thanking the Government for their announcement and the important progress that has been made, of course acknowledging that my noble friend Lord Nash in particular encouraged some of that movement. I want to press the Minister on the exception for educational services. …..." Baroness Barran - View Speech
"My Lords, I too welcome my noble friend to her place on the Front Bench. Does the Minister agree that we should congratulate and celebrate the 500 schools in this country that have added most value to the pupils attending them, rather than trying to pick holes in their performance?..." Baroness Barran - View Speech
"Like the noble Baroness, Lady Garden, I am here to reset the balance on exceptional ballet talent. I did one term of ballet, aged four, at the end of which I got a report that said, “Diana has no natural talent”. That report, unlike many others, has stayed with me …..." Baroness Barran - View Speech
"My Lords, I start where the Minister started, by acknowledging the work of my noble friend Lord Nash, who has led an incredibly effective campaign, which has been driven not by any political motives but by three things: first, wanting to do right by all children; secondly, having listened to …..." Baroness Barran - View Speech