Oral Answers to Questions

Marcus Fysh Excerpts

Monday 25th June 2018 Commons Chamber

[Nick Gibb]

I pay tribute to the hon. Lady for the work that she has been doing over several years to ensure that children are better informed about the dangers of water and how to be safe in and around it. I thank her for her campaigns and that of the father of Ross Irwin, to whom I also pay tribute. Thanks to the Royal Life Saving Society and Sunderland City Council, there are now improved water safety measures in place at the Fatfield riverside on the River Wear. We take these issues very seriously, which is why we improved the curriculum and why this Government asked an independent group of experts from across the swimming sector to submit an independent report, setting out how we can improve swimming and the swimming curriculum in our schools.

[Mr Marcus Fysh (Yeovil) (Con)]

7. What progress his Department has made on the introduction of T-levels.

[Sir Robert Syms (Poole) (Con)]

17. What progress his Department has made on the introduction of T-levels.

--- Later in debate ---

[The Secretary of State for Education (Damian Hinds)]

We have made good progress. We have announced the providers who will deliver the first three T-levels from 2020. We published the outline content for them, developed by panels of employers, and have begun the process to select an awarding organisation to develop them.

[Mr Fysh]

Why, with its huge success in piloting industry work placements and its leadership of best practice in the area, has Yeovil College been left out of the T-level pilots, and how can the Secretary of State help to make up for its and my disappointment?

[Damian Hinds]

We have thus far selected a relatively small number of colleges to teach the first three T-levels from 2020. This is an ongoing programme and more T-levels and colleges will come on stream in the years to come. We expect to launch the process to select providers for 2021 early in 2019.