Oral Answers to Questions
Debate between John Healey and Michael Gove(11 years, 11 months ago)
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John Healey (Wentworth and Dearne) (Lab)
Last weekend the Secretary of State condemned a foster care decision made by social workers in Rotherham, who he said had made
“the wrong decision in the wrong way for the wrong reasons”.
He knew nothing about that complex case and had done nothing to check the facts, which was completely wrong for a Minister in his position. Will he now apologise?
Oral Answers to Questions
Debate between John Healey and Michael Gove(12 years, 11 months ago)
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Michael Gove
That is a very fair point. We want to make sure that we target our attention on schools in the greatest need. If a school has had a historically poor record but, for example, a new head teacher or a new chair of governors has turned it round in the past 12 months, of course we will interpret the criteria flexibly.
John Healey (Wentworth and Dearne) (Lab)
The Secretary of State did not answer the question from my right hon. Friend the Member for Rother Valley (Mr Barron), which was about the distribution of funding under the Secretary of State’s direct funding plans. Rotherham secondary schools are set to lose out by £12 million in an area where we already have high and rising deprivation. This is simply wrong. Will he give a guarantee to local parents, students and teachers that they will not lose out like this?
Michael Gove
I am grateful to the right hon. Gentleman, but I should say that this matter is under consultation at the moment. I should also say that the Association of School and College Leaders, the National Association of Head Teachers and every representative of head teacher opinion says that the current funding system needs to be reformed. Once again I say to him—now that he is, sadly, no longer in the shadow Cabinet—that it is not enough for Labour Members simply to ask for more; they have to push for reform as well as demanding more cash.