Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: Department for Education

Oral Answers to Questions

Kevin Hollinrake Excerpts
Monday 11th March 2019

(5 years, 8 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Nick Gibb Portrait Nick Gibb
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We are absolutely committed to the northern powerhouse strategy. Indeed, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State will be in Middlesbrough on Thursday to announce more plans for Opportunity North East. The northern powerhouse strategy involves a range of policies. For example, we are rolling out a three-year programme of tailored support for some of the schools facing the most significant recruitment and retention problems; around 100 schools in the north will benefit from that. Five opportunity areas in the north will receive a share of £72 million to improve social mobility. In the Bradford opportunity area, we are targeting up to £1.5 million of school improvement support, improving literacy through £600,000 of investment in Bradford primary schools, including nine schools in the hon. Gentleman’s constituency.

Kevin Hollinrake Portrait Kevin Hollinrake (Thirsk and Malton) (Con)
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12. What steps his Department is taking to improve the delivery of technical and vocational education and training.

Anne Milton Portrait The Minister for Apprenticeships and Skills (Anne Milton)
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We are introducing T-levels from 2020, with the first ones being in construction, education and childcare, and digital. With longer teaching hours and substantive industry placements, T-levels will provide a high-quality technical alternative to academic education. That builds on the growing work with high-quality apprenticeships, which are now longer and better, with more off-the-job training and proper assessment at the end.

Kevin Hollinrake Portrait Kevin Hollinrake
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One of Sir Michael Wilshaw’s departing recommendations when he left Ofsted was that every multi-academy trust should contain a university technical college that offers maths, science and a technical specialism. Will the Minister look at taking that forward?

Anne Milton Portrait Anne Milton
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We want UTCs to join suitable MATs wherever possible, as it is beneficial to both of them. It allows UTCs and MATs to offer a broad base of education, which can only be in everyone’s interests.