Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Ranil Jayawardena and Nick Gibb

Monday 9th September 2019 Commons Chamber

[Nick Gibb]

I will be very happy to meet the hon. Gentleman to discuss these issues further, but as he knows we on these Benches are responsible for the education system in England.

[Mr Ranil Jayawardena (North East Hampshire) (Con)]

10. What recent assessment his Department has made of children's progress in specialist maths schools.

[The Minister for School Standards (Nick Gibb)]

In 2019 King’s College London mathematics school reports that 100% of its students achieved a grade A or A* in A-level maths and 90% achieved an A* in A-level maths. The school also reports that more than 25% of its students in 2019 have secured Oxbridge places. This school and Exeter mathematics school are spectacular examples of the success of this Government’s free school programme, a programme that the Labour party wants to abolish.

[Mr Jayawardena]

I thank my right hon. Friend for that reply and commend the Government for what they are doing to level up funding, which I understand will mean another £2.9 million per year for schools in North East Hampshire, but will he expand that excellent specialist maths schools programme so that we can do even more for every child across this country?

[Nick Gibb]

Given the success of the two maths schools so far, we are committed to opening more maths schools as we continue to drive up academic standards and social mobility. There are four more in the pipeline, including the Surrey mathematics school, which should benefit young people in North East Hampshire. My hon. Friend will also be pleased to know that, due to the large increase in school funding announced last week, 100% of secondary schools in his constituency will benefit from the new minimum of at least £5,000 per pupil.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Ranil Jayawardena and Nick Gibb

Monday 25th June 2018 Commons Chamber

[Mr Ranil Jayawardena (North East Hampshire) (Con)]

15. What assessment he has made of the effect of the free school and academy programmes on GCSE results.

[The Minister for School Standards (Nick Gibb)]

Based on last year’s GCSE results, converter academies and free schools had higher Attainment 8 and Progress 8 scores than the average for state-funded schools overall. In fact, eight of the top 10 schools for progress made by pupils were either academies or free schools. That is evidence that free schools and academies are delivering high standards for their pupils, and that particularly includes disadvantaged pupils.

[Mr Jayawardena]

The Department for Education has identified target local authority areas for raising standards. Further to my right hon. Friend’s answer, does he agree that free schools that are accessible to anyone, wherever they might live in that area or beyond, will increase parental choice and improve standards?

[Nick Gibb]

My hon. Friend is right. Since 2010, the creation of the free schools programme has been a huge success. Those schools, which often serve disproportionately disadvantaged communities, have unleashed innovation and driven up academic standards. To give just one example, 92% of disadvantaged pupils at Reach Academy Feltham achieved grade 4 or above in English and maths last year.

Education: Public Funding

Debate between Ranil Jayawardena and Nick Gibb

Tuesday 4th July 2017 Commons Chamber

[Nick Gibb]

I will look into the specific case that the hon. Lady has raised. Schools have to consult before any closure occurs, and there is a process that schools have to go through. I will look at the matter, and I am very happy to meet the hon. Lady to discuss it.

[Mr Ranil Jayawardena (North East Hampshire) (Con)]

It is not just about money, though, is it? The Labour party thinks that it can throw money at the problem, but that did not work when they were in government, when the number of pupils studying the core subjects necessary to get a good job fell by half. Have this Government got more good news on that?

[Nick Gibb]

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. When we came into office in 2010, only one in five pupils took the EBacc combination of core academic GCSEs. The figure is now two in five, and we want it to rise further.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Ranil Jayawardena and Nick Gibb

Monday 6th February 2017 Commons Chamber

[Mr Gibb]

I suggest that the hon. Lady tells schools in Hull that, because of the way in which the new national funding formula addresses historical anachronisms and because of our focus on tackling deprivation, Hull’s school funding under the formula rises from £157 million to £161.7 million, which is an increase of some 3%. In her constituency of Kingston upon Hull North, funding rises by £1.4 million, with 83% of her schools seeing an increase in funding on the basis of 2016-17 figures.

[Mr Ranil Jayawardena (North East Hampshire) (Con)]

5. What assessment she has made of the effect of the proposed national funding formula on schools in Hampshire.