On 9th April 2014 the Bishop of Portsmouth, Rt Rev Christopher Foster, gave his maiden speech in a House of Lords debate to take note of Higher Education in the UK.
Bishop Christopher focused his remarks on his diocese, the important role of Portsmouth University, access for international students and on local economic disadvantage. His speech in full is below: Continue reading “Maiden speech by the Bishop of Portsmouth – Higher Education”
“There is need for public investment in universities, otherwise what is currently a public good will again become a private good, affordable to a few.” – Bishop of Winchester, 9/4/14
On 9th April 2014 the House of Lords debated a Government motion to take note of Higher Education in the UK. The Bishop of Winchester, lead bishop for HE, spoke about the work of the Church of England in the field through its Cathedrals Group of universities, as well as the ethos and purpose of Higher Education. Continue reading “Higher Education: a public good for the common good – speech by Bishop of Winchester”
In the House of Lords on 8th April 2014 Baroness Benjamin asked Her Majesty’s Government ‘what steps they are taking to raise the academic attainment levels of black British students, and especially those of Caribbean descent?’ The Bishop of St Albans asked a supplementary question:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, what assessment have Her Majesty’s Government made of the impact on educational attainment of the absorption of the Ethnic Minority Achievement Awards into the dedicated schools grant, which was done some months ago?
Lord Nash: The impact was substantial. I will have to write to the right reverend Prelate to give him more details.
(via Parliament.uk)
On 2nd April 2014 Baroness Whitaker tabled a question for short debate: ‘ to ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to mark International Roma Day.’
The Bishop of St Albans gave a speech highlighting the work being undertaken in Luton in support of the Roma community in the diocese of St Albans, He also focused on the need to improve educational opportunities for Roma children.
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, I thank the noble Baroness, Lady Whitaker, for securing this debate, Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans speech marking International Roma Day”
On 25th March 2014 Baroness Massey of Darwen asked Her Majesty’s Government ‘what policies they promote to prevent bad behaviour in schools, apart from punishment?’. The Bishop of Leicester asked a supplementary question:
The Lord Bishop of Leicester: 
My Lords, in view of the Minister’s clear endorsement of the policy of positive reinforcement of good behaviour, does he agree that we should be doing much more to promote a culture of mutual respect more widely in society so that the benefit of the positive work of many schools is not lost when our children step out of the school gate?
“Britain has a wonderful tradition of musical performance and singing. We play a little part in that with our heritage of music in our cathedrals, collegiate institutions and some parish churches. It is there that many of these young people discover not only that they have a voice but how to train it.” – Bishop of St Albans
In the House of Lords on 20th March 2014 Baroness Andrews tabled a question for short debate: “To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proposals they have to promote the role of the creative skills sector in the United Kingdom economy.”
The Bishop of St Albans spoke of the role of education in fostering creative skills and the ongoing place of churches and cathedrals in encouraging music, arts and craft. Continue reading “The role of the church and education in promoting creative skills – speech by Bishop of St Albans”
“I question whether the Government’s policies for improving the quality of teaching have been fully effective and will enable social mobility. I am particularly concerned about the School Direct programme. In fact, I suggest there is an urgent case for rethinking arrangements around initial teacher training before a crisis develops.” – Bishop of Winchester
The Bishop of Winchester gave a speech in a House of Lords debate on 13th March 2014, tabled by the Education Minister Lord Nash.
The debate title was: ‘that this House takes note of the role of primary and secondary education in improving social mobility.’
The Lord Bishop of Winchester:
My Lords, I, too, am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Nash, for the opportunity of this debate. I shall focus on the impact made by initial teacher training on social mobility. Continue reading “Bishop of Winchester on teacher training, education and social mobility”
“…she went away to university but then, crucially, returned to give back to the wider community the benefits of the education that she had received. We need more people like her—people not using their education to escape from the area, but realising that with well trained minds and warm hearts they have much to give for the common good..” – Bishop of Newcastle
The Bishop of Newcastle gave a speech in a House of Lords debate on 13th March 2014, tabled by the Education Minister Lord Nash.
The debate title was: ‘that this House takes note of the role of primary and secondary education in improving social mobility.’
The Lord Bishop of Newcastle:
My Lords, I, too, welcome this debate about the role of primary and secondary education in improving social mobility, and I want to speak from my experience as a bishop in the north-east of England for the past 16 years.
The Bishop of Chester, the Rt Revd Peter Forster responded to the Government statement on a new vocational qualifications reform plan. The Bishop welcomed the need to reform vocational education and expressed a concern that continued narrowing of curricula, he also urged the Government to ensure the soft skills needed by employers were also valued.
The Lord Bishop of Chester: My Lords, I warmly welcome the Statement in its intention. Clearly there needs to be a greater focus on vocational qualifications in FE but the danger is that the move towards focusing ends up with narrowness. I think that was the concern expressed by the noble Lord, Lord Young, in his response. Indeed, we just heard of the need to learn about life as well as a particular skill. Continue reading “Vocational Education: Bishop of Chester Responds to Government Announcement”
Baroness Hughes of Stretford asked Her Majesty’s Government, following the decision to remove 10 academies from the E-ACT Academy chain, what action they are taking to ensure that other chains are managing schools satisfactorily.
The Bishop of Chester asked a supplementary question.
The Lord Bishop of Chester: My Lords, I should like to return to the issue of inspection. In as much as the multichain bodies are involved in the governance of all the academies in their chain, and Ofsted inspects governance, why does Ofsted not also inspect the chains themselves?
Lord Nash: Ofsted looks at the support that chains are giving to their schools, and we have a very tight grip on the governance of all the chains. We have been in discussions with 50 chains to strengthen their governance arrangements
(via Parliament.uk)
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