Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Claire Hazelgrove and Bridget Phillipson

Monday 21st July 2025 Commons Chamber

[Bridget Phillipson]

I am not quite clear what the right hon. Gentleman is driving at with that question. What I have said in response to the very sharp decline in the birth rate is that as a Government we want to make sure that people are able to make choices that are right for them, including around family size. My concern is that too many young people, because of the inaccessibility of housing and the challenges they face in the jobs market, are making decisions they do not necessarily want to make. That is why the expansion of childcare, for example, is a critical part of how we are supporting families.

[Claire Hazelgrove (Filton and Bradley Stoke) (Lab)]

Those working in our schools in South Gloucestershire do a brilliant job, but they receive the lowest funding per pupil in all of England via a funding formula inherited from the previous Government. Does the Minister have plans to review the formula as part of the impactful wider work to ensure that every child receives the education they need to thrive, no matter where they live?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Claire Hazelgrove and Bridget Phillipson

Monday 4th November 2024 Commons Chamber

[Nick Timothy (West Suffolk) (Con)]

19. What progress the independent curriculum and assessment review has made.

[The Secretary of State for Education (Bridget Phillipson)]

Our independent curriculum and assessment review was launched in July. It will support our ambition for high and rising standards for all, and for a broader curriculum with an excellent foundation in the core subjects. The review has launched its call for evidence, and there is still time to participate. The review will publish its interim report in early 2025, with final recommendations in autumn 2025.

[Claire Hazelgrove]

Research from the University of Cambridge shows that financial habits are often set by the age of seven, yet financial education for young people is still a postcode lottery. It is not part of the primary curriculum, and many teachers at secondary level, where it is part of the curriculum, lack resources and confidence in teaching it. Can the Secretary of State confirm whether such foundational life skills, which all young people need in order to thrive, will be considered at all key stages in the curriculum and assessment review?

[Bridget Phillipson]

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for highlighting this important area, which has been raised by many Members in the past. I am sure the review will carefully consider what financial education young people need to meet that aim, and it will, of course, consider what support we need to provide to enable teachers to teach the reformed curriculum successfully.