Speeches by Phillipson.

“This is sometimes an area where there can be a bit of misunderstanding as to what it is we are talking about. Clearly, we need to ensure that we have teachers within school at the front of the class delivering a brilliant level of education for children. In fact, what I want to do is to ensure that teachers can do more…”

“A floor and no ceiling.”

“We want a solid floor for all teachers working across the profession, with clear expectations about what it means to be a teacher so that every school has the freedom to innovate and go beyond. It has become clear to me that there has been some confusion and some worry about what I have said in this area, so today I wa…”

“I understand the arguments and the case that is made for it. I have discussed it directly with the Children’s Commissioner and others. It is an area that we will continue to keep under review. I want to look at the evidence that emerges from Wales and Scotland, but we have to be absolutely clear that children must be k…”

“On the latter point, the picture is slightly mixed and a bit nuanced in some of the evidence. I have some good examples where collaboration between local authorities on fostering has been more effective in providing a clear one-stop shop for those who wish to become foster carers to know where to go rather than having …”

“As you say, we are taking action through the Bill that we have discussed with Ofsted to make sure that it has the powers that it needs. I looked carefully at what Ofsted said to the Committee and I have regular conversations with Ofsted about the powers that it requires. We won’t hesitate to go further to make sure tha…”

“We will make sure that councils have the clarity, the understanding and the consistency so that we have a clear and uniform approach across the country.”

“To be clear to your constituents and to other parents who choose to home educate their children, if they are doing so to a good standard and they have their children’s best interests at heart, as I am sure they do, they have nothing to be concerned about in the measures that we are setting out. This is about making sur…”

“We are mindful of the challenges that local councils are under at the moment. That is why through the Budget we invested record levels of funding into councils to make sure that they have more resources, particularly in targeted areas like this. All the measures that we have set out through the Bill have been cleared b…”

“As I say, we continue to keep this area under review.”

“I can’t give you a timeline on it. What we are doing at pace, as you will know, is starting the process of rolling out breakfast clubs in primary schools. The early adopter scheme will come on board this year, which will start to make a big difference to children’s lives.”

“We continue to look very carefully at this right across government with other colleagues. As you will know, we set out in the Bill the process of rolling out breakfast clubs in all primary schools. I believe it is important that children get a great start to the day. I understand the arguments that are made about auto-…”

“Yes, and I have seen some fantastic examples of local councils doing precisely that across the country. We invested more capital into it through the Budget, but I appreciate that we will need to do more over time alongside this legislation to get the balance right within the system of care for children.”

“That tension is at the heart of the approach that we are taking in seeking to make sure that we shift the system but alongside that we don’t further destabilise what I appreciate is quite a difficult situation for lots of children and young people at the moment. The legislation brings in the ability to set the profit c…”

“The intention is to bring pilot areas on board by April 2025, and to start that process then through that testing. In understanding that we have the design and the information sharing in the right place, we can look to a timeline for how we take it forward.”

“There are areas where primary legislation is required and I think an area where we do need to take action is around issues on admissions, which will help in this space as well. What you are describing—and I agree that there needs to be more support for children with SEND—does not require primary legislation. That is wh…”

“I am grateful to the former Secretary of State for his question. He will appreciate that this will be an independent regulator, and that there is a limit to what I can set out on their behalf. On the key issue of the tort, there will be consequences, even following the removal of the tort, for those providers who do no…”

“My hon. Friend, through his background in higher education, knows all too well how essential it is that young people and students from a range of different backgrounds are exposed to views that they might not previously have heard or that they might find difficult or challenging. That is what a university education is …”

“I know that the right hon. Gentleman is probably used to his party engaging in these discussions on quite difficult and sensitive issues in a rather reckless and irresponsible way, but we on these Benches take our time to do this seriously and properly to make sure that we get it right, because this is such an importan…”

“I am confident that the OfS, as the regulator, and its director for freedom of speech will seek to engage with a range of views, including those of Jewish students and community organisations, as they take forward this important work. That is certainly something that I have done to understand the concerns and the poten…”