The Bishop of Sheffield received the following written answers on 13th October 2025:
The Lord Bishop of Sheffield asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the extent to which the origins and contents of the European Convention on Human Rights and the European Court of Human Rights are taught in primary and secondary schools in England.
Continue reading “Bishop of Sheffield asks about further education partnerships and ECHR education in schools”The Bishop of Sheffield received the following written answers on 16th September 2025:
The Lord Bishop of Sheffield asked His Majesty’s Government what plans they have to promote and support vocational development and training between United Kingdom further education institutions and their equivalents overseas.
Continue reading “Bishop of Sheffield asks about further education sector”The Bishop of Sheffield asked a question on addressing funding inequalities for students aged 14-16 in further education colleges on 9th December 2024:
The Lord Bishop of Sheffield: My Lords, FE college enrolments of 14 to 16 year-olds have surged by nearly one-third in the past four years, according to a recent study by the Association of Colleges, with over half consistently from the two most deprived quintiles. These students, however, mostly on vocational courses, do not have the same access to transport funding and free meals as their counterparts in schools. Can the Minister outline what steps the Government will take to address this very basic inequality?
Continue reading “Bishop of Sheffield asks about funding inequalities in further education”The Bishop of Sheffield spoke in a debate on recommendations from a report from Universities UK on 14th November 2024, stressing the importance of access to education in combatting inequality and kick-starting economic growth:
The Lord Bishop of Sheffield: My Lords, I too thank the noble Baroness, Lady Warwick, for securing this debate of a vital report. It is a privilege to follow the noble Baroness, Lady Grey-Thompson—as it happens, for the second time this week. I celebrate the contribution of all the commissioners and advisory group members to the report, and I welcome its recommendations for a bold new strategic vision for the sector.
I am tremendously proud of all the phenomenal HE providers in my diocese: Sheffield Hallam University, the University of Sheffield, the Sheffield Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, and the colleges of Sheffield, Barnsley, the Dearne Valley, Doncaster and Rotherham. For the next few minutes, I just want to comment briefly on maintenance grants and financial support, and on the challenges facing FE colleges in particular.
Continue reading “Bishop of Sheffield highlights importance of higher and further education”The Bishop of Sheffield received the following written answer on 11th November 2024:
The Lord Bishop of Sheffield asked His Majesty’s Government whether they intend to include an assessment of the unique challenges facing further education colleges and institutions in their ongoing curriculum and assessment review.
Continue reading “Bishop of Sheffield asks about challenges faced by further education colleges”
On 22nd October 2024, the Bishop of Leeds spoke at the second reading of the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (Transfer of Functions etc) Bill, calling for improvements to the apprenticeship levy, thereby incentivising small and medium-sized enterprises to hire apprentices and expanding opportunities for the most vulnerable young adults and learners:
The Lord Bishop of Leeds: My Lords, it is a great pleasure to follow the noble Lord, Lord Aberdare. I realise that I stand in the way of the maiden speech of the noble Lord, Lord Beamish, which I look forward to hearing shortly. I shall try to be brief.
I support the Bill in principle, and certainly the ambition behind it—and I certainly understand the logic behind it. A number of questions have already been raised about it that will need some careful addressing and answering if the House is to be confident about what is proposed. I want to focus on the FE sector, which has been facing some difficulty in recent years—facing the uncertainty while awaiting the outcome of the Government’s pause and review of level 3 qualifications, deals with FE pay being considered separately from the ongoing negotiations for the recently resurrected School Support Staff Negotiating Body, and faces up to the impact of sustained cuts and falls in funding in real terms. But FE is doing amazing work, particularly with particular sectors of our young people.
Continue reading “Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (Transfer of Functions etc) Bill: Bishop of Leeds urges improvements to apprenticeship levy”
The Bishop of Coventry received the following written answer on 5th September 2022:
The Lord Bishop of Coventry asked Her Majesty’s Government what further consultation opportunities they will provide for those involved in the education of SEND students within further education colleges to inform the development of policy following the SEND green paper consultation.
Continue reading “Bishop of Coventry asks about special educational needs”On 21st October 2021, the House of Lords debated the Skills and Post 16 Education Bill in the second day of the report stage. The Bishop of Durham spoke in the debate, supporting amendments on special educational needs, and moving his amendment on providing flexibility for universal credit recipients seeking further education:
The Lord Bishop of Durham: My Lords, this is my first opportunity to welcome the Minister to her new role, and, indeed, the noble Baroness, Lady Chisholm, to hers. In my own role as chair of the National Society—which I declare as an interest—I look forward to working with them both on many matters relating to education and the Church of England’s place as a major provider.
Turning to Amendments 44 and 46, which I was pleased to add my name to, I thank both noble Baronesses for the time they gave us recently to discuss them. The need for specific provision to be made to better meet the needs of students with specific learning needs and disabilities at all levels has been made—not for the first time—with great expertise by the noble Lord, Lord Addington, and I wholeheartedly support these amendments. Given the range and varied nature of the learning needs among FE students, their lecturers, tutors, assessors and other staff must have the skills to recognise those needs to be able to adapt their own approach to teaching, learning and assessment, and to be able to promptly and appropriately refer students for more specialised or intensive support.
Continue reading “Skills and Post-16 Education Bill: Bishop of Durham moves amendment on universal credit conditions for students”On 21st October 2021, the House of Lords debated the Skills and Post-16 Education Bill in the report stage. Votes were held on amendments to the bill, in which Bishops took part:
On 12th October 2021, the House of Lords debated the Skills and Post-16 Education Bill in the report stage. Votes were held on amendments to the bill, in which a Bishop took part:
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