Graham Stuart MP (Con) Chair of Education Select Committee >> Since the last election
in 2010 we’ve seen significant changes – and many challenges – in the education system
and in children’s services. The job of the Education Committee is to scrutinise the work
of the Department for Education across both those areas.
We hold education and children’s ministers to account for their policies and decision
making. We also look closely at the work done by the schools inspectorate – Ofsted – and
the qualifications regulator – Ofqual.
To do that properly over the past five years we’ve held dozens of inquiries and looked
into a wide range of issues – everything from school league tables to child protection systems.
Through all of this work, we’ve asked whether the decisions being made by the Government
are delivering the changes required. In particular, closing the gap in attainment between children
who are born to poor families and the rest, making sure that we’ve got an equitable
and fair education system that works for all.
Becky Francis, Professor of Education and Social Justice, King’s College London >> Closing
the gap for social disadvantage in terms of educational achievement is really important.
We’re talking here about equality of opportunity to be able to access good stable jobs, influential
jobs, and of course to play a civic role in society. Unfortunately at the moment, children,
particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, are coming out of school really not with the
educational skills to enable them to be able to progress with successful careers and to
participate properly as citizens.
Pat Glass MP (Lab) Education Select Committee >> Early in the Parliament we looked at the
issue of young children and how ready they are for school. We returned to this topic
recently to look at the DfE policy on admission of young children to school, particularly
summer born children, and how closely that policy is related to the latest research evidence.
We also undertook a year-long inquiry in 2013 into Children’s Centres and their future.
We warned the Government that it was no longer clear what these Children’s Centres were
intending to achieve, and that – like many of the children they serve – they were not
achieving their full potential.
We suggested that Ministers needed to take a fresh look at Childrens’ Centres, and
to act to protect nursery schools that provide the very best start for young children. When
that advice went unheeded, we took the rare and very unusual step of recalling the minister
so that she could explain to the Committee what her Department was doing to address our
key recommendations.
[Evidence session] Graham Stuart >> Do you understand why you’re
here this morning?
Liz Truss MP, Minister for Education and Childcare >> Well I’m delighted for any opportunity
to speak to the Education Select Committee.
Graham Stuart >> But do you know why you have been asked to come back on this particular
inquiry?
Bill Esterson MP (Lab) Education Select Committee >> The wellbeing and protection of children
and young people formed a major part of our scrutiny work during this Parliament. One
of the most significant inquiries we held was called Children First, where we examined
three facets of the UK child protection system: neglect; thresholds that trigger action to
take a child into care; and how well the care system addresses the needs of older children.
Luke Rodgers, Witness >> Simple acts of kindness for a child in care are few and far between.
They never happen. In a society where all these stigmas and labels and put on them and
there are self-fulfilling prophecies and attitudes towards them, so they feel very isolated and
oppressed.
Bill Esterson >> We recently looked at the support and accommodation options available
to children in care once they are over the age of 16.
Graham Stuart >> Before all the revelations about Rotherham, Rochdale, Manchester, Oxford
and beyond had come out, we questioned whether Ofsted was capable of inspecting the care
system effectively alongside its work to drive up standards in schools.
We concluded that Ofsted should be split into two separate inspectorates, something which
the Government didn’t take up, but which we hope that any Secretary of State, after
May, will look at again.
Graham Stuart >> As you might expect, we spent a lot of time looking at issues affecting
our schools. In particular, we looked at whether all the changes being put into effect by the
Government were really helping to improve school management, teaching and, most importantly,
educational outcomes and attainment.
Teaching quality is the most important resource in our schools. We gathered evidence about
what makes a good teacher, what keeps them in the profession and how best to incentivise
them so that the best teachers work where they’re most needed and can add the most
value.
Whether we were looking at the Olympic legacy for school sport, the importance of sex education,
or the value of collaboration between schools to make sure they’re not isolated and they
can share best practice between them – we would talk directly as often as we could to
young people, as well as to their teachers and to school leaders. Not only bringing them
to London, but going out to meet them in their schools, right across England.
To help expand our direct engagement with young people we also invited BBC Schools Reporters
to cover these events.
Sena >> Hi, I’m Sena, and welcome to Barking Abbey School. The Education Select Committee
is here today to investigate whether the Olympic legacy has lived up to its words.
Bilal >> I’m Bilal. The Committee is here today to listen to the views and opinions
of the students on the effects of the Olympic Games here at Barking Abbey
[Twitter Feed] Graham Stuart >> And we made increasing use
of social media to expand wider public participation in the work of the Committee.
[Evidence session] Graham Stuart >> Thank you Secretary of State.
We’re moving to a novel section – quick-fire questions and answers if I can ask you for
- inspired by the Twitter feed, hashtage #AskGove, 5,000 plus wanting to interact with you.
[Interview] Graham Stuart >> We recognise that as elected
politicians we don’t have all the answers, and we wanted to make sure that everyone could
join in the scrutiny of Government policy, for the betterment of all our young people.
During several inquiries we looked in detail at proposals to reform exams for 15 – 19
year olds. In 2013 we warned Michael Gove that his original schedule to abolish GCSEs
would be imposing too much change, too fast.
[Chamber] Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Education 2010-2014
>> Last September we outlined plans for changes to GCSE qualifications, designed
to address the grade inflation, dumbing down, and loss of rigour in those examinations.
We have consulted on those proposals and there is a consensus that the system needs to change.
But one of the proposals that I put forward was a bridge too far.
Interview Graham Stuart >> He listened, and we now have
a more gradual set of reforms, although still challenging for schools to cope with.
Warwick Mansell, Author - Education by Numbers: The Tyranny of Testing >> I think the Committee was absolutely right to focus on school accountability in England. The effects of this system are
huge, they affect large numbers of pupils across the country, and the detailed impact
of that on pupils, which can be profound, is not always obvious or appreciated by the
public, so the fact that it’s being scrutinised in some detail is very much of a good thing.
One of the most pervasive perverse incentives of this system I think has been the focus
on C/D borderline pupils. Its structure at the moment really does encourage schools to
look at those at the middle of the ability profile and focus more resources on them,
which I think has been to the detriment, potentially, of many pupils at the top and bottom of the
ability range.
The Committee’s recommendation to move towards a broader measure of school accountability
which takes into account the progress of all pupils across the ability range rather than
focus on the C/D borderline is something that many close observers of this system would
regard as a very positive step forward.
Graham Stuart >> We also kept a very close eye on issues affecting our most disadvantaged
children, not least those with special educational needs, and others consistently faring less
well in the school system, including white working class children.
The biggest single change we’ve seen over the last five years in education has been
the rapid expansion of academies and the introduction of free schools. We ran a major inquiry in
2014 to look at whether this shift really has begun to raise standards for children
in schools, and particularly the poorest.
[Evidence session] Graham Stuart >> Has the academy programme
in this country sometimes gone too quickly and run ahead of quality and capacity?
Lucy Heller, Chief Executive ARK >> Overall, with the whole of the academies programme,
I’m tempted a bit like Zhou Enlai when asked about what he thought about the French revolution,
to say that it was “too early to tell”.
John Clarke, Director of Children’s Services, Hampshire County Council >> I think there
are twenty five sponsoring trusts that are effectively on a ‘no-fly’ list. And to
use another analogy, if you had twenty five cars returned to the manufacturer you’d
probably want to look at the design of the model.
Theodore Agnew, Chair of the Academies Board, Department for Education >> There have been
mistakes. Some of the chains grew too quickly. I don’t believe Whitehall should be overseeing
four thousand or however many schools centrally.
Graham Stuart >> We concluded that the tension between the local authority and academy sectors
is a healthy one. Schools are better than ever, academies may be helping drive that
improvement, but it’s too early to come to final judgement.
David Ward MP (Lib Dem) Education Select Committee >> One of the most important areas that we’ve
been looking at as an Education Select Committee is the whole question of the careers advice
that young people are receiving.
Ofsted tell us that it is not always as good as it should be, and in fact, they tell us
that four out of five schools are simply not providing the careers advice that the young
people are entitled to. The responsibility for the provision of careers advice has transferred
from local authorities to schools, so we, as an Education Select Committee, felt it
was really important that we looked at just how successful that was.
Another area that we’ve looked at is the whole area of apprenticeships and the development
of apprenticeships, making sure that opportunities are available for young people but it’s
only a real opportunity is if the apprenticeship is of the right quality. Good careers advice,
but then making sure that what is on offer is a real apprenticeship offering a quality
training and a job to young people.
Graham Stuart >> Our work ends when this Parliament is dissolved for the General Election. But
you can still help us shape the priorities of the next Education Committee.
Tell us what you think the next Government needs to do on Early Years, child protection,
schools, Ofsted and support for young people.
Join the conversation on Twitter: #closethegap