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Session
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2006-07
Type
House
Session
Year
Department
Member
Primary member
Answering member
Legislative stage
Legislation
Subject
More
Publisher
My Lords, is the Minister aware that out of his own mouth he has agreed with me that the legislation is very out of date? Is it not time that the 1933 Act to which he referred was updated and brought into line with the requirements of the modern world and modern children?
My Lords, is the Minister aware that out of his own mouth he has agreed with me that the legislation is very out of date? Is it not time that the 1933 Act to which he referred was updated and brought into line with the requirements of the modern world and modern children?
Asked by
Baroness Walmsley
(Liberal Democrat)
Oral questions - Supplementary
Status
Answered
Answered on
29 October 2007
My Lords, I have undertaken that we will issue best practice guidance, but not all laws dating from 1933 are necessarily bad laws.
Subjects
Children; Employment; Health and safety
Date
29 October 2007
Reference
695 c1215
Chamber / Committee
House of Lords chamber
House
House of Lords
My Lords, I thank the Minister for his reply. However, is he aware that 607 children were injured at work in 2004-05, yet the law on children who work consists of 200 pieces of legislation and is very confusing? Is he also aware that, since the introduction in 1968 of the Children (Performances) Regulations, there has been no new guidance? Will he look very seriously at this matter in the light of the fact that the way that children who work are treated varies and is very inconsistent across the country?
My Lords, I thank the Minister for his reply. However, is he aware that 607 children were injured at work in 2004-05, yet the law on children who work consists of 200 pieces of legislation and is very confusing? Is he also aware that, since the introduction in 1968 of the Children (Performances) Regulations, there has been no new guidance? Will he look very seriously at this matter in the light of the fact that the way that children who work are treated varies and is very inconsistent across the country?
Asked by
Baroness Walmsley
(Liberal Democrat)
Oral questions - 1st Supplementary
Status
Answered
Answered on
29 October 2007
My Lords, in response to the 2004 report on child employment legislation by the Better Regulation Task Force, the Government undertook to produce simple, best-practice guidance and we will do so. However, as the noble Baroness is aware, the law on the employment of children is very stringent and ensures that adequate protection is in place.
Subjects
Children; Employment; Health and safety
Date
29 October 2007
Reference
695 c1213-4
Chamber / Committee
House of Lords chamber
House
House of Lords
How they intend to improve the safety of children when they undertake paid work.
How they intend to improve the safety of children when they undertake paid work.
Asked by
Baroness Walmsley
(Liberal Democrat)
Answered by
Lord Adonis
(Labour)
Oral questions - Lead
Status
Answered
For answer on
29 October 2007
Answered on
29 October 2007
My Lords, staying safe is one of the five key Every Child Matters outcomes for children, to which the Government are committed in all circumstances. No child should be put in unacceptable danger by their employment, and legislation already deals with this. We also look to parents, carers, teachers and employers to take responsibility in advising young people about risky behaviour or unsafe experiences.
Subjects
Children; Employment; Health and safety
Date
29 October 2007
Reference
695 c1213
Chamber / Committee
House of Lords chamber
House
House of Lords
My Lords, I thank the Minister for his reply. Does he agree that there is a great deal of good practice in the report but that there are still some schools that really struggle to engage parents? What will the Government do to disseminate this best practice to those schools that are crying out for good advice? Is there, for example, some sort of twinning programme in place, or some other initiative? This is relevant particularly at this time of year, when we have the transition of shiny-faced primary school children moving up to secondary school in their brand new uniforms. What are the Government doing to disseminate best practice in forging good relationships with parents right from the start, so that can be a very productive partnership for the children’s learning?
My Lords, I thank the Minister for his reply. Does he agree that there is a great deal of good practice in the report but that there are still some schools that really struggle to engage parents? What will the Government do to disseminate this best practice to those schools that are crying out for good advice? Is there, for example, some sort of twinning programme in place, or some other initiative? This is relevant particularly at this time of year, when we have the transition of shiny-faced primary school children moving up to secondary school in their brand new uniforms. What are the Government doing to disseminate best practice in forging good relationships with parents right from the start, so that can be a very productive partnership for the children’s learning?
Asked by
Baroness Walmsley
(Liberal Democrat)
Oral questions - 1st Supplementary
Status
Answered
Answered on
24 July 2007
My Lords, the Ofsted report itself concludes: "““Schools often said during the survey that they wanted more information about how other schools involved parents and carers successfully and how to judge the impact of their actions on achievement. We recommend that local authorities provide support for schools in these respects””."
We entirely endorse that recommendation. We see this as primarily a matter for local authorities, which have an ongoing and close relationship with schools, to see that when there are schools with good practice in this area—and all local authorities have some schools with excellent practice—that good practice is used to inform the behaviour of all schools in their area.
Subjects
Carers; Parents; Schools; Ofsted
Date
24 July 2007
Reference
694 c690-1
Chamber / Committee
House of Lords chamber
House
House of Lords
My Lords, does the Minister accept that some of the strongest relationships between parents and schools are where the child has special needs? What lessons can be learnt from the way in which those relationships are forged and promoted to use with all children, who do not necessarily have special needs but who need to learn effectively?
My Lords, does the Minister accept that some of the strongest relationships between parents and schools are where the child has special needs? What lessons can be learnt from the way in which those relationships are forged and promoted to use with all children, who do not necessarily have special needs but who need to learn effectively?
Asked by
Baroness Walmsley
(Liberal Democrat)
Oral questions - Supplementary
Status
Answered
Answered on
24 July 2007
My Lords, that question has so many aspects that it is hard to know where to start. The ongoing relationship involving a dedicated teacher, for example—or, in the case of special needs, the special educational needs co-ordinator, which gives a dedicated point of reference in a school—can be of great benefit, as can ensuring that every parent has a point of contact in a school, whether it be a form teacher, a deputy head or some other person whom they can contact in the case of the child going off the rails or experiencing difficulties, which is the case with most children with special educational needs. That is immensely important in ensuring the strength of relationships between schools and parents.
Subjects
Carers; Parents; Schools; Ofsted
Date
24 July 2007
Reference
694 c692-3
Chamber / Committee
House of Lords chamber
House
House of Lords
What is their response to the Ofsted report, Parents, carers and schools, published on Wednesday 18 July.
What is their response to the Ofsted report, Parents, carers and schools, published on Wednesday 18 July.
Asked by
Baroness Walmsley
(Liberal Democrat)
Answered by
Lord Adonis
(Labour)
Oral questions - Lead
Status
Answered
Procedure
Topical questions (HL)
For answer on
24 July 2007
Answered on
24 July 2007
My Lords, we welcome the report on how schools involve parents. We want to build on good practice—for example, with better information sessions for parents when children start primary or secondary school, more effective use of information technology and parents support advisers being trialled in 1,100 schools, brokering access to relevant specialist services. When mothers, fathers, grandparents and other carers work with schools, there are significant positive effects on child outcomes.
Subjects
Carers; Parents; Schools; Ofsted
Date
24 July 2007
Reference
694 c690
Chamber / Committee
House of Lords chamber
House
House of Lords
My Lords, does the Minister accept that many schools are attracted to the IGCSE because they are not convinced that GCSEs stretch and challenge the full range of students? When that happened with A-levels, the Government agreed that extra sections and harder questions should be put into them. Will he consider doing the same thing with GCSEs? While he is about it, will he just scrap the discredited league tables?
My Lords, does the Minister accept that many schools are attracted to the IGCSE because they are not convinced that GCSEs stretch and challenge the full range of students? When that happened with A-levels, the Government agreed that extra sections and harder questions should be put into them. Will he consider doing the same thing with GCSEs? While he is about it, will he just scrap the discredited league tables?
Asked by
Baroness Walmsley
(Liberal Democrat)
Oral questions - Supplementary
Status
Answered
Answered on
16 July 2007
No, my Lords.
Subjects
Qualifications; Standards; Schools; IGCSE
Date
16 July 2007
Reference
694 c10
Chamber / Committee
House of Lords chamber
House
House of Lords
asked Her Majesty's Government:With reference to academy schools founded in 2002, 2003 and 2004, how many pupils were entitled to free school meals in the year in which the academy was founded and in each year to date; and how many pupils had free school meals in the predecessor schools...
asked Her Majesty's Government:With reference to academy schools founded in 2002, 2003 and 2004, how many pupils were entitled to free school meals in the year in which the academy was founded and in each year to date; and how many pupils had free school meals in the predecessor schools...
Asked by
Baroness Walmsley
(Liberal Democrat)
Answered by
Lord Adonis
(Labour)
Type
Written questions
Status
Answered
Answered on
16 July 2007
The information requested has been placed in the Library.
Subjects
Free school meals; Academies
Date
16 July 2007
Reference
4685; 694 c7WA
House
House of Lords
My Lords, has the Minister read the recent Joseph Rowntree Foundation paper, Tackling low educational achievement? It says that anything which gives schools greater opportunities to select their pupils works to the detriment of disadvantaged pupils, and that measures which assist fair selection will help them. What does the Minister intend to do to force grammar schools to select their students more fairly?
My Lords, has the Minister read the recent Joseph Rowntree Foundation paper, Tackling low educational achievement? It says that anything which gives schools greater opportunities to select their pupils works to the detriment of disadvantaged pupils, and that measures which assist fair selection will help them. What does the Minister intend to do to force grammar schools to select their students more fairly?
Asked by
Baroness Walmsley
(Liberal Democrat)
Oral questions - Supplementary
Status
Answered
Answered on
4 July 2007
My Lords, the issue of the remaining grammar schools, of which there are a small number, is for local voters to decide under the arrangements we set in place in 1998. The noble Baroness is quite right to say that very few poorer children are able to gain access to grammar schools, and we look to them to see that they play fairly by the communities in their area. Non-grammar schools are bound by the admissions code under legislation which the House passed last year. All schools are bound to implement the admissions code, which is tougher than what went before. We believe it will ensure fair intakes in schools.
Subjects
Grammar schools
Date
4 July 2007
Reference
693 c1024
Chamber / Committee
House of Lords chamber
House
House of Lords
My Lords, is the Minister aware that I have not been placed yet?
The Minister is right to concentrate on literacy, and of course boys very often lag behind girls. However, does he accept that the national literacy scheme, welcome though it is, leaves some students behind, and that the reading recovery programme and other initiatives he mentioned are very expensive, because they are one-to-one? Will the Government now do some research on the excellent computer-based diagnostic literacy programmes which are available regarding their effectiveness in helping children who for one reason or another are not learning to read and getting their reading up to the level required to really benefit from the materials that are put before them when they go to secondary school?
My Lords, is the Minister aware that I have not been placed yet?
The Minister is right to concentrate on literacy, and of course boys very often lag behind girls. However, does he accept that the national literacy scheme, welcome though it is, leaves some students behind, and that the reading recovery programme and other initiatives he mentioned are very expensive, because they are one-to-one? Will the Government now do some research on the excellent computer-based diagnostic literacy programmes which are available regarding their effectiveness in helping children who for one reason or another are not learning to read and getting their reading up to the level required to really benefit from the materials that are put before them when they go to secondary school?
Asked by
Baroness Walmsley
(Liberal Democrat)
Oral questions - Supplementary
Status
Answered
Answered on
4 July 2007
My Lords, first, may I first say how devastated I am that the noble Baroness has not joined us on this side along with many of her noble friends? There are many more advisory posts that we could create. Indeed, I sense that she could fill one very well on the use of computer techniques in the teaching of literacy. I shall take her comments very closely to heart and see that we do the assessment that she called for.
Subjects
Standards; GCSE; Boys
Date
4 July 2007
Reference
693 c1021
Chamber / Committee
House of Lords chamber
House
House of Lords
My Lords, does the Minister agree that one of the main educational success indicators is parental engagement with the school? Does he also agree that many children in foster care have special needs? In view of those two factors, what will the Government do to give additional training and support to foster parents, so that they can understand their children’s special needs and work with and support the school in addressing those needs so that the child can make the required progress?
My Lords, does the Minister agree that one of the main educational success indicators is parental engagement with the school? Does he also agree that many children in foster care have special needs? In view of those two factors, what will the Government do to give additional training and support to foster parents, so that they can understand their children’s special needs and work with and support the school in addressing those needs so that the child can make the required progress?
Asked by
Baroness Walmsley
(Liberal Democrat)
Oral questions - Supplementary
Status
Answered
Answered on
26 June 2007
My Lords, the noble Baroness is absolutely right: the proportion of children with special needs is higher in care than in other settings. That is why we are introducing, as part of the package announced last week, parenting support for foster carers. There will be a substantial programme of support, with accredited national standards and increased access to specialist training and support, including a special needs element. It is also why we are so anxious to improve the stability of placements in school, so that children have the care and attention that they need. That particularly helps children with special needs, so that the assessment of, and provision for, their needs does not have to change every time they change school.
There is a new power, as your Lordships will know from our debates on the Education and Inspections Act last year, for local authorities to direct admissions to schools in respect of children in care. Children in care are now the first oversubscription criterion for all maintained schools. We intend to introduce in forthcoming legislation new support to ensure that children in care who are in years 10 or 11 of school—that is, of course, the run-up to GCSE—can be moved from that school only in the most exceptional circumstances. Those measures will particularly help children in care with special needs.
Subjects
Children in care; Finance
Date
26 June 2007
Reference
693 c496
Chamber / Committee
House of Lords chamber
House
House of Lords
My Lords, can the Minister assure me that no one but a police officer will be given permission to search a private motor car, even in relation to some technological development of the congestion charge?
My Lords, can the Minister assure me that no one but a police officer will be given permission to search a private motor car, even in relation to some technological development of the congestion charge?
Asked by
Baroness Walmsley
(Liberal Democrat)
Oral questions - Supplementary
Status
Answered
Answered on
20 June 2007
My Lords, I do not think I can offer that assurance. I am intrigued by the noble Baroness’s question; there is obviously something else behind it.
Subjects
Powers of entry
Date
20 June 2007
Reference
693 c214
Chamber / Committee
House of Lords chamber
House
House of Lords
My Lords, does the Minister accept that the purpose of a logo is not just, as he said, to bring public attention to the product but to say something about it? What does the 2012 Olympics logo say about the 2012 Olympics?
My Lords, does the Minister accept that the purpose of a logo is not just, as he said, to bring public attention to the product but to say something about it? What does the 2012 Olympics logo say about the 2012 Olympics?
Asked by
Baroness Walmsley
(Liberal Democrat)
Oral questions - Supplementary
Status
Answered
Answered on
13 June 2007
My Lords, it says that the Olympics will be held in 2012, although I am sure I am not alone in the House in having taken a little while to tumble to that fact when I first saw the logo. But I am assured it grows on one and I hope that it is growing on me.
Subjects
Greater London; Olympic Games; Logos
Date
13 June 2007
Reference
692 c1706-7
Chamber / Committee
House of Lords chamber
House
House of Lords
My Lords, does the Minister agree that the study of the roots of our democracy through ancient history is crucial to the understanding of the importance of having a contested election rather than a coronation of the leader of the government?
My Lords, does the Minister agree that the study of the roots of our democracy through ancient history is crucial to the understanding of the importance of having a contested election rather than a coronation of the leader of the government?
Asked by
Baroness Walmsley
(Liberal Democrat)
Oral questions - Supplementary
Status
Answered
Answered on
16 May 2007
My Lords, the Romans were also quite good at dictatorship and subverting established governments, so, as ever in history, you can take your pick.
Subjects
History; GCE A-level
Date
16 May 2007
Reference
692 c191
Chamber / Committee
House of Lords chamber
House
House of Lords
My Lords, does the Minister agree that if the history curriculum and other subject curricula are firmly based on the five Every Child Matters outcomes and they develop confidentyoung people with strong thinking skills, no kind of propaganda would have any effect?
My Lords, does the Minister agree that if the history curriculum and other subject curricula are firmly based on the five Every Child Matters outcomes and they develop confidentyoung people with strong thinking skills, no kind of propaganda would have any effect?
Asked by
Baroness Walmsley
(Liberal Democrat)
Oral questions - Supplementary
Status
Answered
Answered on
21 March 2007
Yes, my Lords, I agree.
Subjects
Curriculum; History; Schools
Date
21 March 2007
Reference
690 c1223
Chamber / Committee
House of Lords chamber
House
House of Lords
asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by Lord Adonis on 21 February (WA 266), what are the annual objectives agreed with the Schools Commissioner.
asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by Lord Adonis on 21 February (WA 266), what are the annual objectives agreed with the Schools Commissioner.
Asked by
Baroness Walmsley
(Liberal Democrat)
Answered by
Lord Adonis
(Labour)
Type
Written questions
Status
Answered
Answered on
20 March 2007
The individual objectives agreed between members of the Senior Civil Service and their line managers are personal targets relating to their own development and delivery.
The broader aim of the Schools Commissioner is the creation of a school system that offers high standards and a choice of good schools in every local authority. In doing so, the Schools Commissioner's objectives are to:
collect and share emerging good practice in the promotion of choice and diversity, including through the publication of an annual report that brings together data on parental satisfaction and school standards;
work with local authorities, schools and other partners to help to identify the right reform solutions for poorly performing schools;
champion trust schools and academies as key levers in raising standards, particularly in deprived areas;
identify suitable potential partners for trusts and academies and facilitate the matching of schools to those partners;
maintain a record of all proposals relating to trusts and make it available via the DfES website. This will allow a school interested in acquiring a particular trust to access information about it and to follow up any questions with the school or trust in question;
monitor and promote fair access, including through producing a two-yearly national review of fair access based on national data and the annual reports provided by admissions forums;
work with local authorities to build capacity to help fulfil the new commissioning role set out in the White Paper Higher Standards, Better Schools for All (October 2005); and
work closely with a range of stakeholders, including the directors for children and learners (DCLs) in government offices, local authorities, schools and external partners, including the specialist schools and academies trust, Youth Sport Trust and Foundation and Aided Schools National Association.
Subjects
Schools Commissioner
Date
20 March 2007
Reference
2766; 690 c187-8WA
House
House of Lords
My Lords, while I have enormous respect for the Minister, his answer smacks of considerable complacency. This is widespread across the country. Children are being fingerprinted without their consent or their parents’ consent. They are being victimised if they do not comply by not being allowed to use the library, by being threatened with exclusion and by being made to go to the back of the dinner queue if they do not have one of these cards. Will he look into this and find out what the real situation is rather than the theoretical one that he has so reasonably outlined?
My Lords, while I have enormous respect for the Minister, his answer smacks of considerable complacency. This is widespread across the country. Children are being fingerprinted without their consent or their parents’ consent. They are being victimised if they do not comply by not being allowed to use the library, by being threatened with exclusion and by being made to go to the back of the dinner queue if they do not have one of these cards. Will he look into this and find out what the real situation is rather than the theoretical one that he has so reasonably outlined?
Asked by
Baroness Walmsley
(Liberal Democrat)
Oral questions - Supplementary
Status
Answered
Answered on
19 March 2007
My Lords, there is a certain amount of scaremongering in the noble Baroness’s question, which I simply do not accept on the basis of the information that has been made available to my department.
Subjects
Biometrics; Personal records; Pupils; Schools; Regulation
Date
19 March 2007
Reference
690 c1011
Chamber / Committee
House of Lords chamber
House
House of Lords
My Lords, I thank the Minister for that reply, but is he aware that the practice of fingerprinting in schools has been banned in China as being too intrusive and an infringement of children’s rights? Here, it is widespread. We have even had a head teacher tricking three year-olds into giving their fingerprints by playing a spy game. Will the Government ban schools from carrying out this practice, unless parents specifically opt into the system following full and independent information about the so-called benefits of the system and the dangers of identity fraud?
My Lords, I thank the Minister for that reply, but is he aware that the practice of fingerprinting in schools has been banned in China as being too intrusive and an infringement of children’s rights? Here, it is widespread. We have even had a head teacher tricking three year-olds into giving their fingerprints by playing a spy game. Will the Government ban schools from carrying out this practice, unless parents specifically opt into the system following full and independent information about the so-called benefits of the system and the dangers of identity fraud?
Asked by
Baroness Walmsley
(Liberal Democrat)
Oral questions - 1st Supplementary
Status
Answered
Answered on
19 March 2007
My Lords, as I said, biometric data are covered by the Data Protection Act, whereby subjects must be given fair processing notices regarding the data and the purposes for which they will be used. Although children are by law the data subjects, it is normal, particularly in primary schools, for parents to be informed of data collected on their children. My department issues fair processing guidelines for schools, which is explicit about the need to see that such information is made fully available to parents.
Subjects
Disclosure of information; Biometrics; Fingerprints; Personal records; Parents; Pupils; Schools; Regulation
Date
19 March 2007
Reference
690 c1008-9
Chamber / Committee
House of Lords chamber
House
House of Lords
How the Secretary of State for Education and Skills is monitoring the implementation of Section 53 of the Children Act 2004, and the new duty on social workers to ascertain and give due consideration to the child's wishes and feelings in child protection inquiries and children needing assessments.
How the Secretary of State for Education and Skills is monitoring the implementation of Section 53 of the Children Act 2004, and the new duty on social workers to ascertain and give due consideration to the child's wishes and feelings in child protection inquiries and children needing assessments.
Asked by
Baroness Walmsley
(Liberal Democrat)
Answered by
Lord Adonis
(Labour)
Type
Written questions
Status
Answered
Answered on
19 March 2007
The revised version of the core guidance document Working Together to Safeguard Children, which was published in April 2006, incorporates changes made as a result of Section 53 of the Children Act 2004, making clear the requirement to take the wishes and feelings of children into account and setting out when specifically this needs to be done in individual cases. In addition, the guidance makes it clear that local safeguarding children boards should put in place arrangements to ascertain the wishes and feelings of children about the priorities and effectiveness of local safeguarding work more broadly. The first part of Working Together is statutory guidance for local authorities, and the document also informs the work of other agencies involved in safeguarding children. The new duty is being monitored, as with the rest of local authorities' social care work, through the work of the relevant inspectorate, currently the Commission for Social Care Inspection. Multi-agency safeguarding children work is monitored by the inspectorates more generally, and the inspectorates produce a series of regular joint chief inspectors' reports on safeguarding children.
Legislation
Children Act 2004
Subjects
Children; Protection; Monitoring; Social services
Date
19 March 2007
Reference
2120; 690 c163-4WA
House
House of Lords
asked Her Majesty's Government:What guidance the Secretary of State for Education and Skills has issued to local authorities on Section 53 of the Children Act 2004, and the new duty on social workers to ascertain and give due consideration to the child's wishes and feelings in child protection inquiries and...
asked Her Majesty's Government:What guidance the Secretary of State for Education and Skills has issued to local authorities on Section 53 of the Children Act 2004, and the new duty on social workers to ascertain and give due consideration to the child's wishes and feelings in child protection inquiries and...
Asked by
Baroness Walmsley
(Liberal Democrat)
Answered by
Lord Adonis
(Labour)
Type
Written questions
Status
Answered
Answered on
19 March 2007
The revised version of the core guidance document Working Together to Safeguard Children, which was published in April 2006, incorporates changes made as a result of Section 53 of the Children Act 2004, making clear the requirement to take the wishes and feelings of children into account and setting out when specifically this needs to be done in individual cases. In addition, the guidance makes it clear that local safeguarding children boards should put in place arrangements to ascertain the wishes and feelings of children about the priorities and effectiveness of local safeguarding work more broadly. The first part of Working Together is statutory guidance for local authorities, and the document also informs the work of other agencies involved in safeguarding children. The new duty is being monitored, as with the rest of local authorities' social care work, through the work of the relevant inspectorate, currently the Commission for Social Care Inspection. Multi-agency safeguarding children work is monitored by the inspectorates more generally, and the inspectorates produce a series of regular joint chief inspectors' reports on safeguarding children.
Legislation
Children Act 2004
Subjects
Children; Protection; Monitoring; Social services
Date
19 March 2007
Reference
2119; 690 c163-4WA
House
House of Lords