Bridget Phillipson
Main Page: Bridget Phillipson (Labour - Houghton and Sunderland South)Department Debates - View all Bridget Phillipson's debates with the Department for Education
(14 years ago)
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Sarah Teather
The statement of needs is supposed to be reviewed annually, so it is a matter of concern if that is not happening and it has taken 10 years for such a review to take place. However, I should also say that too often a statement of needs is a static document that ends up in a drawer, rather than a dynamic document used as a basis for discussion and focusing on outcomes. Again, I hope that the Green Paper will begin to examine this issue.
Bridget Phillipson (Houghton and Sunderland South) (Lab)
6. What assessment he has made of the effects on children from the most deprived backgrounds of the changes to the Building Schools for the Future programme.
The Secretary of State for Education (Michael Gove)
The decision to end the Building Schools for the Future programme was designed to ensure that resources were targeted more effectively on the front line. It is deeply regrettable that the fiscal position that we inherited required projects to be stopped, but the capital review that we have put in place is designed to ensure that money goes to those who need it and schools are rebuilt in the areas of greatest need.
Bridget Phillipson
BSF cuts will hit deprived areas the hardest. Could the Secretary of State confirm that the poorest areas will receive the most help under the pupil premium?
Michael Gove
Yes, I absolutely can confirm that under the pupil premium the students most in need will receive the most help.