§ 10. Mr. Chris Pond (Gravesham)What recent assessment he has made of the impact of children's employment on their educational attainment. [81976]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education and Skills (Mr. Stephen Twigg)There has been no recent assessment of the impact that children's employment has on their educational attainment. 456 We recognise, however, that properly structured and regulated part-time work can help children's development and preparation for working life.
§ Mr. PondMay I urge my hon. Friend to undertake an assessment as a matter of some urgency? As he will know, evidence suggests that moderate hours of employment can be beneficial to school-leavers' performance, but that excessive hours can be damaging. Will he instruct the Office for Standards in Education to inform schools of the possible damaging of inappropriate or excessive working hours, and also ask it, when considering the performance of local education authorities, to take account of the resources that they invest in enforcing the law on children's employment as it stands?
§ Mr. TwiggI am aware of my hon. Friend's longstanding interest in this matter, and I admire his balanced approach. I am not in a position to instruct Ofsted to do anything, and I am not sure that it is the right organisation to instruct; but I agree that serious problems have been identified in surveys by, for instance, the Trades Union Congress and the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, and I am happy to look into the matter further.