Sheffield – Page 5 – The Church of England in Parliament

Bishop of Sheffield asks about access to SEND services for vulnerable children

The Bishop of Sheffield asked a question on ensuring vulnerable children with SEND on 11th December 2024, such as those in the Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller community, and those living in extreme poverty, are able to fully access SEND services:

The Lord Bishop of Sheffield: My Lords, despite significant progress in the identification of pupils with SEND in recent years, some groups remain significantly underrepresented in accessing a formal diagnosis and acquiring an EHCP. Looked-after children as well as those experiencing the most severe poverty and those who belong to Romany, Gypsy, Traveller and Roma communities face particularly serious barriers. What steps will the Government take to ensure that the most vulnerable children with SEND are better served?

Bishop of Sheffield speaks on need for full funding for SEND education

The Bishop of Sheffield spoke in a debate on support for children with special educational needs and disabilities on 9th December 2024, emphasising the need for proper funding for SEND students and for a multifaceted approach to SEND education:

The Lord Bishop of Sheffield: My Lords, I thank the noble Baroness for securing this debate. One of the most rewarding pieces of work in which I was involved when I was on the staff of Lichfield Cathedral about 15 years ago was a partnership with a local school for pupils with SEND to create a bespoke multisensory tour involving water, incense, bells, holding crosses and even, judiciously, fire. At first, the cathedral guides were dubious, having been used to providing school visitors simply with a verbal commentary on the history and architecture of the building, but before long they were the ones advocating that the multisensory interactive components be incorporated into all our school visits. The result was a definite uplift in our overall educational offer—and I shall come back to that at the end, if I may.

Bishop of Sheffield asks about funding inequalities in further education

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?

Bishop of Sheffield asks about international debt and development

The Bishop of Sheffield received the following written answers on 2nd December 2024:

The Lord Bishop of Sheffield asked His Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the Official Development Assistance budget for 2025–26 is spent on development overseas rather than on in-donor refugee support expenses.

Bishop of Sheffield asks about educational attainment gap

The Bishop of Sheffield received the following written answer on 2nd December 2024:

The Lord Bishop of Sheffield asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the finding in the Joseph Rowntree Foundation report UK Poverty 2024: The essential guide to understanding poverty in the UK, published on 23 January, that of all entrants into first class undergraduate degrees in 2021–22, “just one per cent had a parent who was long-term unemployed or had never worked”; and what steps they are taking to reduce this educational attainment gap.

Bishop of Sheffield asks about access to extracurricular opportunities for young people

The Bishop of Sheffield received the following written answer on 26th November 2024:

The Lord Bishop of Sheffield asked His Majesty’s Government what percentage of 11–18-year-olds in Sheffield currently have access to regular out of school activities, adventures away from home and opportunities to volunteer, in accordance with the goal set out in the National Youth Guarantee.

Bishop of Sheffield asks about opportunities for young people in the North of England

The Bishop of Sheffield received the following written answers on 18th November 2024:

The Lord Bishop of Sheffield asked His Majesty’s Government how many of the eight Youth Guarantee Trailblazer areas will be located in the north of England.

Baroness Sherlock (Lab, DWP): The Government’s plan to Get Britain Working includes a new Youth Guarantee for all young people in England aged 18-21 to ensure that they can access quality training opportunities, an apprenticeship or help to find work. More detail on the Youth Guarantee will be set out in the upcoming Get Britain Working White Paper.

Bishop of Sheffield highlights importance of higher and 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.

Football Governance Bill: Bishop of Sheffield welcomes legislation

The Bishop of Sheffield spoke at the second reading of the Football Governance Bill on 13th November 2024, welcoming the legislation and the strengthening of regulation and protections for football governance:

The Lord Bishop of Sheffield: My Lords, I congratulate the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Minister for securing this debate, and thank the previous Government for their efforts to ensure that the sport of football—a national treasure beloved of so many—is more effectively regulated.

I realise that I cannot claim that football was made in Sheffield but, in addition to the codification referred to by the noble Lord, Lord Parkinson, in London in 1863, a second codification of the beautiful game took place in Sheffield in 1867—another early governance document for the sport that was influential for decades across the north. The city is home to the oldest football club in the world, Hallam FC, as well as to the two much better-known professional football clubs, Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday.

As Bishop of Sheffield, it gives me great pleasure to contribute to this important debate. It is a particular privilege to follow the noble Baroness, Lady Grey-Thompson. I want to say, first, something about the relationship between football clubs and their communities; secondly, something about financial stability; and thirdly, something about the responsibility of football clubs in relation to the climate emergency.

Bishop of Sheffield urges consideration of civil society role of the House of Lords

The Bishop of Sheffield spoke in a debate on House of Lords reform on 12th November 2024, supporting the principle of reform and outlining the role of the House of Lords in providing independence, expertise and a voice from civil society:

The Lord Bishop of Sheffield: My Lords, I welcome the opportunity for a meaningful debate on this matter. The Lords spiritual have a long history of constructive engagement on the question of reform. I pay tribute especially to the noble and right reverend Lord, Lord Harries of Pentregarth, who served on the Royal Commission on the Reform of the House of Lords, which produced the Wakeham report in 2000. That commission encouraged

“a broadening and deepening of religious representation in the second chamber”

to reflect the diversity of our multifaith society, a principle that these Benches have supported before and since. We stand ready to assist any future appointments commission in that task.

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: