Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: Department for Education

Oral Answers to Questions

Jonathan Djanogly Excerpts
Monday 21st January 2013

(11 years, 3 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Michael Gove Portrait Michael Gove
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It is for each school to decide what is appropriate for its own students, but Alison Wolf’s report, which was welcomed across the House, clearly underlined the importance of high-quality work experience after the age of 16. That position was supported by the CBI and by the Labour party at the time, and our reforms to the funding of post-16 education now facilitate that provision.

Jonathan Djanogly Portrait Mr Jonathan Djanogly (Huntingdon) (Con)
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Will not the removal of the statutory guidance assist schools and further education colleges to work more closely together to maximise vocational opportunities for all vocational students in a particular area?

Michael Gove Portrait Michael Gove
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My hon. Friend makes an important point. We need better integration of schools and further education colleges, and that is happening as a result of the Wolf report. The barrier that prevented those who are qualified to work in further education colleges from working in schools has been removed, and children over the age of 14 have the opportunity to be taught in FE colleges, which they did not have before. Greater integration of the two sectors is vital if we are to build on the successes of both.