Speeches by Phillipson.

“Yes, and that point about the school possibly being needed in 10 years’ time is something that we have to be mindful right across the system as we consider this. Local authorities again have to be mindful of taking a decision about closure when they know that there could be further housing development in the near futur…”

“The overall drop in pupil numbers is tens of thousands of children.”

“We are and will continue to look at funding overall. As Susan said, there are protections where schools experience sharp drops in pupil funding. There are also protections in place for small rural schools to recognise the distinct role that they will play, but, again, there is a challenge there, because were we to cont…”

“In terms of the broader picture, there are both challenges and opportunities that come with what we are seeing at the moment. There are challenges in terms of how local authorities manage this and how individual schools manage this. As Susan has just said, sometimes those are very locality-based. There are communities …”

“Susan, could you start off? The NAO considered not just more recent times, but some of the history around this. I will then supplement.”

“I absolutely accept the importance of teacher retention alongside strong recruitment. That is why I am really pleased that the leaving rates are the lowest they have been for many years—certainly since around 2010. We have a strong record on teacher retention, but there is absolutely more to do. I continue to work with…”

“We will continue to keep the guidance under review, but we are putting it on a statutory footing from September. That sends a very clear message to school leaders. I have had shared with me various letters that school leaders had issued to their schools following the updating of the guidance previously; subsequently, w…”

“It is better for children not to have the distraction, and I appreciate that it is a distraction if you have a phone in your blazer and it is buzzing away. That is undoubtedly a distraction. But it is important that school leaders continue to have flexibility to respond best to their contexts. For example, many schools…”

“Every approach that schools adopt, whether in that case or any other, has to be backed up by strong enforcement. Every policy is only as good as the enforcement and consistency that follows. We have put the guidance on a statutory footing. I am clear that children should not have access to their phones during the schoo…”

“We are keen to understand the impact that we have seen there. MHCLG colleagues are leading some of the work connected to this about how we make sure that young people are registered to vote ahead of time—the practical challenges, as well as some of the areas for further development. Susan, I do not know if that is some…”

“There are examples, as you say, of schools that do this really well and other schools that find it more of a challenge. We are continuing to keep under review what more we need to do by way of teacher training and support, and the materials that we make available as a Department. As you say, it is about embedding those…”

“It is a really big and important area. I believe the approach we are taking and what was announced this week is the right one for children under 16, giving children their childhoods back and protecting them from some of the most damaging content that they will see online. But I recognise that many young people at the m…”

“Yes. I do understand the point. As I said at the start, when I said this was a genuine consultation, I meant it; I do want to consider the views and concerns of parents. But an important principle underpins some of this as well: as I have just said to Manuela Perteghella, often the process will name settings where ther…”

“We have heard from many people, including those working in specialist provision and special schools, that sometimes the tribunal would name a school place in a particular setting even when that school is heavily oversubscribed and does not feel safely able to deliver that provision. Seeking to resolve that presents a p…”

“It is a question of both the accountability gap and the failure often to deliver even where things have been set out for children. I recognise the challenge there. It is why we have been working incredibly closely with Health colleagues, including the new Secretary of State. It is why, in terms of the development of sp…”

“Sure. Obviously, the tribunal will continue to exist within the system that we have set out. EHCPs will remain an important function of the system. We might come on to talk about our plans for specialist provision packages and the independent expert panel that I have appointed, with Tom Rees and Dr Anne Gordon co-chair…”

“I have been clear that, on every aspect of what we set out in the consultation, we wanted to hear the views of parents, teachers and experts on how we make sure that we get that system right. I am clear that we need a system that protects and actually strengthens children’s rights. The delivery of individual support pl…”

“Thank you, Chair and Committee, for your work in this area and for the report that you published. It allowed us to consider, ahead of launching the full consultation and the White Paper, all the areas of interest that you had identified. Thank you also for all the work you have done with parents, to understand their fr…”

“Good morning, Chair, and good morning to the Committee. Forgive me: I have a bit of a bad throat this morning, unfortunately, so please bear with me if I need to cough occasionally; apologies in advance. Thank you for the opportunity to be with you this morning. Before I go on, I know that the Committee will want to he…”

“These are decisions that are taken at fiscal events. But, of course, we continue to work closely with Treasury colleagues on understanding the impact of such decisions on graduates.”