Tag: education

Queen’s Speech: Bishop of Newcastle gives maiden speech

On 25th May 2016 the House of Lords held its fifth day of debate the Queen’s Speech. During the debate the Bishop of Newcastle, Rt Revd Christine Hardman, gave her maiden speech, becoming the second female bishop to speak in the House of Lords. As well as introducing herself to the House she addressed the Government’s life chances strategy, and regional growth in the North. Her speech is below in full, alongside responses from Peers.Newcastle 5

The Lord Bishop of Newcastle: My Lords, the theological understanding of grace is of the love and mercy given to us by God because God desires us to have it, not because of anything we have done to deserve it. In these early days in your Lordships’ House, it is grace that I have experienced—wonderful kindness and a warmth of welcome from your Lordships, the staff and all who work in this place. It has been entirely undeserved but a truly heart-warming experience. It will be no surprise to your Lordships that one of the loveliest and warmest welcomes came from the late Lord Walton—a fine and godly man, and a distinguished son of the north-east.

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Queen’s Speech 2016: Bishop of Ely responds on academies, RE, universities and skills

On 19th May 2016 the Bishop of Ely, Rt Revd Stephen Conway, spoke in the first day of debate on the Queen’s Speech. He focused his response on the Government’s proposals for academies, universities and further education.

14.10.16 Bishop of Ely 1The Lord Bishop of Ely:  My Lords, I join the noble Lord, Lord Kirkwood, in thanking my fellow right reverend Prelate the Bishop of Durham for his speech. I join my right reverend friend in reminding the House that, in particular with children and young people, we are about ensuring their experience of love and the fullness of life. If you like, we are interested in human flourishing and community. That is the prism through which I will look at some of the direct provisions from the gracious Speech and the implications for future policy.

Research done already on the implications of what has been said by Ministers is that academisation will proceed very fully. The think tank CentreForum suggests that only about 3,000 free-standing schools might be left that are not academised in the future. I am concerned that we do not end up with thousands of outstanding schools going it alone. We need to ensure that all strong schools, in MATs or otherwise, support schools that are struggling. There is no way of flourishing that does not take in support for others.

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Bishop of St Albans asks Government about challenges for rural areas when small schools become academies

On 28th April 2016 the Bishop of St Albans, Rt Revd Alan Smith, asked an oral question in the House of Lords on the challenges facing rural schools in conversion to academy status. The transcript of the answer, his follow-up question and those of other members is below.

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the challenges to be faced by small rural schools in the conversion to academy status.

Bishop of St AlbansThe Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Education (Lord Nash) (Con): My Lords, we fully recognise the challenges faced by small rural schools and are committed to supporting them; for instance, they will each have a named adviser in the conversion process. Many rural schools have been underfunded through an unfair system. Our new national funding formula will match funding to need and reflect their unique circumstances, ensuring that they remain at the heart of their communities.

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: I thank the Minister for his response and for those details. However, does he recognise that this is about not just the viability of rural schools but the viability and sustainability of whole rural communities, given the important role that schools play in attracting and retaining workers in rural areas? Many people are concerned that, if rural schools are put into multi-academy trusts, those trusts will not have the same obligation to take into account the wider issues of rural sustainability; indeed, there may be huge pressure for mergers and closures based simply on finance and nothing else. In the light of that, can the Minister tell us what the Government intend to do to prevent that happening? Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks Government about challenges for rural areas when small schools become academies”

Bishop of Coventry questions Government about Regional Schools Commissioners

Bp Coventry May 2015

On the 14th April 2016 the Lord Shipley asked the Government what plans they have to make Regional Schools Commissioners democratically accountable. The Bishop of Coventry the Rt Revd Christopher Cocksworth asked a supplementary question about the factors Regional Schools Commissioners take into account when locating sponsors for a new school. 

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Budget debate: Bishop of Portsmouth calls on Government to ‘set economic course with a stronger moral compass’

On 23rd March 2016 the House of Lords debated the 2016 Budget statement. The Bishop of Portsmouth, Rt Revd Christopher Foster, spoke in the debate:

Portsmouth budget 2The Lord Bishop of Portsmouth: My Lords, in contributing to this debate and responding to the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s Budget Statement last week, to the subsequent events and to the debate in the other place, I welcome some proposals, express some surprise, and register disappointment—indeed, shock—at some of the measures announced. First, it is good to congratulate the Chancellor and Government on the intention to raise the tax free personal allowance to £11,500 this time next year. Lifting about 1.3 million people out of income tax is, of itself, welcome, although there are some potential drawbacks to which I will return a little later. Continue reading “Budget debate: Bishop of Portsmouth calls on Government to ‘set economic course with a stronger moral compass’”

Bishop of Chester asks Government about parental engagement with PSHE

On the 10th February 2016 Baroness Massey of Darwen asked the Government “what steps they propose to take to make Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education compulsory within the curriculum”. The Bishop of Chester, the Rt Revd Peter Forster, asked a follow up question.

14.03 Bishop of ChesterThe Lord Bishop of Chester: My Lords, although I agree with all that the Minister has said in response to the questions, is it not the case that engaging parents—making sure that what is taught in schools relates to and engages parents as much as possible—is also important to any government action which may be forthcoming in the future? Continue reading “Bishop of Chester asks Government about parental engagement with PSHE”

Bishop of Norwich calls for RE to be included in the English Baccalaureate

On 4th February 2016 the House of Lords debated a motion from the Earl of Clancarty, “To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that children receive a balanced and rounded education in schools; and what effect the English baccalaureate requirements will have in that regard.” The Bishop of Norwich spoke in the debate, highlighting the need for RE to be considered in the English Baccalaureate and the importance of overseas visits in providing rounded education.

14.06.12 Bishop of NorwichThe Lord Bishop of Norwich: My Lords, like others, I am very grateful to the noble Earl for securing this short debate. The importance of this subject is out of all proportion to the length of our discussion.

I agree with so much that has been said but I shall concentrate on two specific issues. The first, noble Lords will not be surprised to hear, concerns the omission of religious education from the English baccalaureate. I realise that it is not the only omission—I would rather like art, music and much else to be there, too—but I believe that it is a serious mistake that is going to be deleterious to a rounded education. Continue reading “Bishop of Norwich calls for RE to be included in the English Baccalaureate”

Bishop of Derby speaks on role of education and lifelong learning

On 28th January 2016 the House of Lords debated a motion from Baroness Sharp of Guildford “that this House takes note of the role of adult education and lifelong learning and the need to develop the skills needed to strengthen the United Kingdom economy.” The Bishop of Dery, Rt Revd Alastair Redfern, spoke in the debate.

Derby 191115cThe Lord Bishop of Derby: My Lords, I, too, thank the noble Baroness, Lady Sharp, for introducing the debate and from these Benches I want to pay tribute to the noble Baroness, Lady Williams. From our perspective she has continually shown a very special and thoughtful faith—faith in people, faith in politics and faith in goodness. That is the kind of model that we all need to aspire to, and the noble Baroness has certainly been a great inspiration to me and to many of my colleagues.

I want to look at skills and the strengthening of the UK economy. We have heard from the noble Baroness, Lady Sharp, and others about the skills shortage, which is much in evidence. There is a clear mismatch between the needs of business and learning provision. We have heard about the dramatic decline in the number of places for part-time study, and I think that a strong case can be made for earn-as-you-learn opportunities for people at every stage, especially as employment is now such a variable journey for so many people. Continue reading “Bishop of Derby speaks on role of education and lifelong learning”

Church Commissioner’s speech in MPs debate on regulating out-of-school education settings

On the 20th January 2016 Sir Edward Leigh, MP for Gainsborough, hosted a Commons debate on the regulation of out-of-school education settings. The Rt Hon Caroline Spelman, the Second Church Estates Commissioner, spoke twice during the debate, urging a more proportionate policy in order to avoid unintended consequences. The Minister for Schools Mr Nick Gibb responded to the debate for the Government and his remarks are included below.

Caroline SpelmanMrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden) (Con): Like, I am sure, many others present, I have had to go through the process of a Criminal Records Bureau check, which is now a Disclosure and Barring Service check. Does my hon. Friend agree that it is an important butonerous process? Sometimes, one has to be checked more than once, because it does not transfer to another activity that one might undertake with children if one is foolish enough to do a full weekend with the Sunday school. It is a very rigorous process, and if it was applied to the people who teach children Islam in all teaching environments, it would be a very good tool to deal with any excess problem that there might be.

Sir Edward Leigh: I agree with my right hon. Friend. We should be using DBS checks if, for instance, people are trying to teach extremism, jihadism or whatever in an out-of-school setting or at home. We should use intelligence and existing powers to deal with the problem, not try to take a great sledgehammer to crack a nut. Continue reading “Church Commissioner’s speech in MPs debate on regulating out-of-school education settings”

Bishop of Peterborough speaks about the importance of education on the prison estate

On the 19th January 2016 the Bishop of Peterborough, the Rt Revd Donald Allister, took part in a short debate tabled by Lord Hanningfield, “To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to help improve education standards in United Kingdom prisons.” Bishop Donald spoke about his recent visits to several prisons and the challenges presented by studying for qualifications within a prison. The Bishop also urged the Government to include restorative justice as part of its education provision within the prison estate.

14.02 PeterboroughThe Lord Bishop of Peterborough: My Lords, I, too, am grateful for this debate. I also note with great pleasure a number of changes made to policy and practice in this area by Mr Gove since he became Secretary of State. I gladly thank him and the Government, particularly for allowing prisoners greater and easier access to books. But if educational standards in prisons are to be improved, as they desperately need to be, we still need much more joined-up thinking. I will give two examples. Continue reading “Bishop of Peterborough speaks about the importance of education on the prison estate”