Chloe SmithMP for Norwich North
Chloe SmithThe Queen’s Speech set out 38 new bills including measures to ensure that Norwich children receive the best start in life by raising school standards, getting the skills they need and ensuring that lifelong learning is accessible to everyone in Norwich.
Education measures announced include encouraging schools to be part of larger trusts to level up standards and to help achieve the goal of 90% of primary school children obtaining the required reading, writing and maths levels.
The Schools Bill will strengthen the schools system by raising standards for students, reforming funding, and encouraging attendance.
It will provide the legislation necessary for the Government’s key education reforms and support its central mission to spread opportunity and level up the country, driving future economic growth.
Making sure every young person gets a good education is one of my priorities as your MP and is at the forefront of the government’s agenda nationally. It is also in the interest of our local economy, because these young people will have the skills, knowledge and opportunity needed to fulfil their future potential, secure the good jobs needed to support our economy, and fill skills gaps.
Through the Bill, the Government will raise education standards across the country via a range of measures including supporting schools to join strong, multi-academy trusts, introducing registers for children not in school and giving Ofsted more powers to crack down on unregistered schools operating illegally.
It will help to deliver the Government’s Levelling Up mission for education - for 90% of children leaving primary school to achieve the expected standard in reading, writing and maths by 2030, providing them with the foundation they need to secure well-paid jobs in the future.
To support this, last month the Government announced its new pledge to parents: if your child falls behind in English or maths, they will get the support they need from their school to help them get back on track.
The Schools Bill will also reform funding between schools and crackdown on attendance through children not in school registers.
The Higher Education Bill was also announced as part of the Queen’s Speech which will enable the introduction of the Lifelong Loan Entitlement. This will provide people with a loan equivalent to four years of education (£37,000 in today’s fees) that they can use over their lifetime for a range of studies including shorter and technical courses. This could help them secure a promotion, or a better job.
This is a seismic shift in the way post-18 education is funded and accessed – and combined with the government’s school reforms – will make sure an excellent education is accessible to everyone in Norwich, no matter what stage of life they are at.
Earlier this year, the Government announced plans to transform education and opportunities for the most disadvantaged students – ensuring everyone can fulfil their potential.
The Government is determined to help people receive the best possible education and gain the knowledge and skills needed to unleash their potential.
That is why, through the Levelling Up White Paper, 55 areas across the country have been identified, including Norfolk, where school outcomes are weakest to target investment, support and action – including retention payments to help schools keep the best teachers, prioritisation for new specialist sixth form free schools, and new reading, writing and maths achievement targets.
No child or young person should be limited by where they grow up – they should be supported to get a world class education and the skills they need to succeed at school and beyond.
It is great to secure more investment for Norfolk education. Being an education investment area will help Norwich kids get the best start in life. I’ve helped lead the Norwich Opportunity Area and I’ll continue to support this important drive to improve schools and skills and help local families.
I also welcome the announcement that the Government are carrying the Online Safety Bill over from the previous session to improve safety online by imposing a duty of care on online companies, such as Facebook and Twitter, to protect users against illegal and harmful content. Platforms likely to be accessed by children will have a duty to protect young people using their services from legal but harmful material such as self-harm or eating disorder content. This will make the UK the safest place in the world to be online for everyone, especially young people, while safeguarding freedom of expression.
I am pleased to see that every child’s education is at the very heart of this Queen’s Speech. As MP for Norwich North, ensuring that our children get the best possible start in life is one of my priorities. To find out what I am doing to ensure this, please visit: https://www.chloesmith.org.uk/myplan/children
